Video Games
-
As an expansion, Outlast: Whistleblower presents nothing which is novel or innovative, its gameplay an exact replication of that found in the base game. Still, its existence is justified, as it serves a strong world-building purpose, enriching the narrative of Outlast, with all its subtle complexities. Its main ambition is to explain how precisely the
-
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst’s open world city of Glass is a remarkable achievement, singular in its beauty, greatly embracing creativity and whimsicality, even as the occurrences in the city are far removed from anything approaching the whimsical – the inherent graces and majesties of the cityscape contrast starkly with the darkness felt by many of its
-
Far Cry 3’s Rook Island is frequently beautiful, anchored by much technical excellency. Draw distances can be impossibly long, mountains and valleys visible always, save when enveloped in some thick jungle canopy, blotting out the skies, the surrounding geographic structures. This expansiveness, when it is on full display, does bely somewhat of a failing, as
-
Outlast boasts many compelling atmospheres, a certain moodiness overtaking all, resulting in a constant sense of dread; the clever, beautiful interplay of light and dark is especially central to this atmospheric nature. Transpiring solely in one location – Mount Massive Asylum – larger environmental diversity is lacking somewhat, even as ample differentiation is present when
-
In a major failing, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 displays a complete lack of originality, relying upon themes and ideas developed countless times over in different games and different media. This dearth of originality only prevents the game from ever forging its own distinct identity – matters sometimes seem soulless and uninspired, even as some efforts
-
Far Cry 3’s narrative begins on a surprisingly high note, seeing the prompt introduction of the player character, Jason Brody, while also introducing the first primary antagonist, the mentally warped Vaas. Crucially introduced also is the gameworld, Rook Island, which morphs into a character in its own right. It was the apparent joys characterizing that
-
Ocarina of Time 3D begins in a highly engrossing manner, opening in the bright, verdant Kokiri Forest, everything gaiety and bliss, beautiful grasses and foliage overtaking all, resulting in a highly inviting atmosphere. As location, it is peopled by the childish Kokiri, themselves characterized by the innocence of youth, a commanding sweetness and sincerity. Before
-
Grinding as mechanic is most prevalent in the role-playing genre, though in recent years, and as the industry as grown, the mechanics of grinding have spread, tinging titles which had heretofore spurned them. Still, the trope largely originated from, and was made popular by, role-playing games. In certain of these titles – many entries of
-
Wolfenstein: The New Order’s narrative shows a complete absence of ambition, the core motivation capable of succinct expression – topple the Nazi regime, fight back against the abundance of power won with success in World War II, a success maintained and built upon, Nazi powers extending far beyond Europe, their machinations and barbarities affecting all.
-
In efforts to assert its own distinct identity, Battlefield Hardline marks considerable departures from earlier titles in the series; the bombastic is mostly discarded, replaced instead by a more grounded, human narrative. Delivered in an episodic fashion, each mission is rather self-contained, though an overarching narrative is present. Given this manner of storytelling, missions begin
-
Much of Outlast 2’s narrative is delivered in a fairly conventional fashion, narrative developments achieved through documents found scattered about the game’s principal environment, a vast, untamed desertscape in the heart of Arizona, possibly long forgotten by dent of its geographic isolation. Clever flourishes are attached to these documents, the various authors imparting their own
-
Resident Evil 7’s narrative is instantly engaging, seeing the player character, Ethan Winters, receive a distress signal from his long missing wife, Mia, clearly in a state of frantic desperation, obviously oppressed. Gone for some considerable duration, something inherently reassuring is attached to her message, grim though her mental state may be; she is alive,
-
Outlast 2’s narrative is characterized by a calculated vagueness, manifold questions arising, no concrete answers ever provided. The opening sees a husband and wife duo – Lynn, an investigative reporter, and Blake her cameraman partner – traveling by plane over a vast Arizona wilderness in the darkness of night, vision greatly obscured, the commanding environmental
-
Condemned: Criminal Origins is characterized by an overwhelming bleakness, manifest both in its narrative and its environmental construction. Regarding the former, the game seeks to convey a mostly grounded, human story, analyzing the psychology of the player character, Ethan Thomas, who gradually descends into madness, given the betrayal he experiences at the beginning of the
Games With Grey 