Wot We Wrote
As a new week begins and the frivolity of the weekend draws to a close, it is normal to look back at the week before and think: “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and say huzzah”. It’s certainly how I prepare for the horrors of every Monday, and I suggest everyone do the same. But I’m no doctor and that’s no prescription for joy. Instead, perhaps take a look through the best of Wot We Wrote last week. It’s stirring stuff.
We cast our eyes over quite a few games last week. First of all though, there was yet more to be written about the rather sensational Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Kieron had this to say: “The new Deus Ex is about many things, but ranking high amongst them is DRM. I’m not even joking.” The article contains many a spoiler, so be warned, but if you’ve finished the game in the last few days, now’s the time to go back and give this a read.
Wot We Thought
Turning to new and newish releases, there was good, bad and ugly. Sometimes all in one game. Mr Cobbett stretched his mind around time travel RTS Achron. The most surprising thing is that the core mechanic, mad as it is, works. The second most surprising thing is that it’s not enough to make the game quite as amazing as we’d hoped.
Next up for a full brain and body scan was The Baconing, latest in the Deathspank series. It’s more of the same but if you’re have a sizable funny bone that may not be a bad thing.
Alec spent a great deal of his week killing things in space. He also shared his thoughts on Space Marine in its singleplayer and multiplayer guises.
Back on our grim little planet, John went holidaying on Dead Island and brought back some impressions. Short version? Lush vegetation and fountains of gore. “This is Borderlands meets that game YOU love that everyone else feels falls short.”
There were more tropical shenanigans to be had in the surprisingly benign dictatorship of Tropico 4. Turns out, you pretty much can please all the people all the time. But that's not to say you can't have fun while you're doing it. Rob Zacny reports.
Back in the land of man- and bizzarobeast-shooting, Serious Sam: Double D’s gunstacking and anarchic sensibilities fell under the microscope and, despite all the madness, felt like little more than an appetiser for the main course. Or perhaps a shot of tequila.
There was also abundant trigger-squeezing in PC-exclusive FPS Hard Reset, which aimed to recreate the mentality of a 90s shooter. It’s fair to say that it isn’t entirely successful.
Then there’s Rock of Ages. Where do you go after Zeno Clash? On a rock-rolling trip through art history, obviously. The Pythonesque graphics won over hearts and minds as soon as they were shown but how does the thing actually play? Behold the answer.
Previews, Interviews and Regulars
Seer-like, our gaze also met the future. It will include plot-heavy Kalypso’s Galactica-like Legends of Pegasus, “a 4X space sim with a unique touch”. That’s due early 2012 but before that, and playable in beta now, is Red Orchestra 2. While a more glossy affair than the original, Jim was quick to reassure that “the horror remains. And it is brilliant.”
As well as writing down all the words that tumble out of our brains, we also catch the words that tumble out of other peoples’ brains and then we write those down as well. It’s a form of reportage known as an interview. Last week we spoke to Matt Higby, creative director of Planetside 2 and learnt that he is a griefer. We didn’t learn anything more about payment models but we did learn almost everything else.
Then Jim had a chat with Jay Kyburz, who has consumed many hours of RPS’s collective life. Rather than asking for that precious time back, Jim politely asked about new game Jupiter’s Folly. And the new XCOM, which Jay worked on for a bit. Lastly but not leastly, there’s an interview with David Rosen, lead programmer at Wolfire, developers of anthropomorphic animal combat game, Overgrowth. It’s the one where a rabbit-man bleeds out clutching his ruptured jugular.
In cardboard children, Rob covered King of Tokyo. A quick-to-play game that looks like a board version of Rampage. Sold. Mod of the Week was Civilisation: NiGHTS, which is an extension and improvement of the core gameplay rather than a strategy version of Sega’s loopy dreamworld. Civ V disappointed lots of people and while this won’t appease them all, it certainly makes aspects of the game much more rewarding.