Not by choice, to be perfectly honest. I want to go to sleep at night. Drift off to dreamland around 10 or 11PM, but I find I can't. Sometimes I intentionally force myself to stay up a full day at a time so I can actually go to sleep at night. Does it work? Only briefly. Within two or three days, I am once again staying up until 4 or 5. In this case? 7AM. I've talked to my doctor about it, he says it has nothing to do with insomnia... since, when I'm sleepy, I rest for a good 6-8 hours before awakening again. So, it's pretty obvious if I ever find a job, it'll have to be a night shift job.
So, I question why I am up at night when the majority of the people in my time zone are sawing logs. Maybe my body has just gotten used to staying up at night after excessive nights of doing so, talking to friend's in the past, or playing those pesky MMOs back in 2007-2008. Maybe I'm just afraid, deep down, to sleep at night, and feel safer sleeping when the sun is out and when my room mate is up.
I honestly, don't know. And, I do apologize for this post, as it's completely out of left field. It's just something I've been thinking about lately, and this being a community, I figured: Why not? There's no harm in getting something out, right? Do you guys perchance, have weird thoughts like this, or weird sleeping patterns/habits?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Alan Wake
So, how long ago was my last post? I don't remember. What I do know is that I am going to give my thoughts and musings on a game I recently played. It's about a year old now, but that doesn't mean I can't talk about it.
So, the game in question? Well, if you read, you'll see that the title gives that away. The X-Box 360 title of Alan Wake. It took me three days to beat it and get a gamescore of 830 out of 1500 (1500 due to DLC) on it. I haven't played the DLC and I don't know when I will either. I played on Normal.
I liked and disliked this game. The story of it was nothing special. It had a few nice moments, but overall, I felt it was bland and predictable. Comparable to a made for TV movie. No, wait, I take that back. More like a six-part episode of some show you may see on Syfy or Chiller (since it plays out like a TV Show).
To avoid spoilers, I won't really go into the story that much. But, I will say that you play title character, Alan Wake, a writer that is suffering from writer's block and is on vacation with his wife in the small town of Bright Falls, Washington. You rent a cabin, on a small island on a lake by the name of Cauldron Lake. Alice, your wife, goes missing, and Alan sets out to find her, along the way battling "the Darkness" and putting together pieces of the story. A story he is writing. Most of the game takes place at night.
The game play is mainly what I dislike about this game. It's very repetitive, with no change up at all. You point your flashlight at the Taken (people possessed by "the Darkness") and once their protection is gone, you can shoot them until they die. You at times get to operate a vehicle, which with the headlights, will weaken them, and then you can run them over. You get other means of light, flares for example will gave you breathing room if you need it. Sometimes the enemies will not stop coming and you need to make it to a safe haven, which is a well-lit area. The Taken won't enter the light and retreat back into the darkness. Alan can't take many hits, so you'll need to utilize the dodge feature implemented in the game. Which can sometimes work against you, dodge one guy and wind up right in the face of another. Not fun. Especially when the camera is your main enemy.
A big problem I have with the game is it's collectibles. I collected everything I could, I didn't have to, but I wanted to. The main thing that annoyed me was the manuscript pages, which give more to the story, and gave some characters a bit more development. So, why make those things optional and off the beaten path if they help the story? That one just doesn't make sense to me. The worst part of that, is if you play in Normal, you can't get them all, there are some only obtained in Nightmare difficulty, which only unlocks after you beat the game either on Normal or Hard. So, I guess I have one more play through to go. Not sure when I will do that though. Another good thing I can give the game though is it has a pretty awesome soundtrack to it.
Anyway, like I said, I both like and dislike this game, and I think my explanations here, vague as they may be, is enough of example of why. I am looking forward to more from the Finnish company who made the game though. If they make another Alan Wake game, I expect a lot more to it, I see this is a prototype if you will, much like Assassin's Creed was for Assassin's Creed 2.
So, the game in question? Well, if you read, you'll see that the title gives that away. The X-Box 360 title of Alan Wake. It took me three days to beat it and get a gamescore of 830 out of 1500 (1500 due to DLC) on it. I haven't played the DLC and I don't know when I will either. I played on Normal.
I liked and disliked this game. The story of it was nothing special. It had a few nice moments, but overall, I felt it was bland and predictable. Comparable to a made for TV movie. No, wait, I take that back. More like a six-part episode of some show you may see on Syfy or Chiller (since it plays out like a TV Show).
To avoid spoilers, I won't really go into the story that much. But, I will say that you play title character, Alan Wake, a writer that is suffering from writer's block and is on vacation with his wife in the small town of Bright Falls, Washington. You rent a cabin, on a small island on a lake by the name of Cauldron Lake. Alice, your wife, goes missing, and Alan sets out to find her, along the way battling "the Darkness" and putting together pieces of the story. A story he is writing. Most of the game takes place at night.
The game play is mainly what I dislike about this game. It's very repetitive, with no change up at all. You point your flashlight at the Taken (people possessed by "the Darkness") and once their protection is gone, you can shoot them until they die. You at times get to operate a vehicle, which with the headlights, will weaken them, and then you can run them over. You get other means of light, flares for example will gave you breathing room if you need it. Sometimes the enemies will not stop coming and you need to make it to a safe haven, which is a well-lit area. The Taken won't enter the light and retreat back into the darkness. Alan can't take many hits, so you'll need to utilize the dodge feature implemented in the game. Which can sometimes work against you, dodge one guy and wind up right in the face of another. Not fun. Especially when the camera is your main enemy.
A big problem I have with the game is it's collectibles. I collected everything I could, I didn't have to, but I wanted to. The main thing that annoyed me was the manuscript pages, which give more to the story, and gave some characters a bit more development. So, why make those things optional and off the beaten path if they help the story? That one just doesn't make sense to me. The worst part of that, is if you play in Normal, you can't get them all, there are some only obtained in Nightmare difficulty, which only unlocks after you beat the game either on Normal or Hard. So, I guess I have one more play through to go. Not sure when I will do that though. Another good thing I can give the game though is it has a pretty awesome soundtrack to it.
Anyway, like I said, I both like and dislike this game, and I think my explanations here, vague as they may be, is enough of example of why. I am looking forward to more from the Finnish company who made the game though. If they make another Alan Wake game, I expect a lot more to it, I see this is a prototype if you will, much like Assassin's Creed was for Assassin's Creed 2.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Fallout 3: The Pitt
Now, this DLC is not new to me by any means. I've had it since last year and to be honest, it was the first DLC I bought for Fallout 3. It wouldn't be until almost a year later that I would obtain two more of the five DLC for the game, so, I have two left to get. But for now, I'll talk about the add-on for Fallout 3, simply known as "The Pitt." Before I get deep into talking about this, I will say it right now, I do enjoy this add-on. I do have gripes, such as the various bugs and glitches that exist, much like they do in Fallout 3 itself, but overall I enjoy this add-on.
Anyway, for those that might not know, Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277 (200 years after the bombs fell) on the East Coast of what used to be the United States of America, mostly in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. You play a character of your design and name, simply called "The Lone Wanderer" by others, though mainly by Three Dog of Galaxy News Radio.
The Pitt, however, does not take place in the Capital Wasteland. A man named Wernher came from there to the Capital Wasteland and began to broadcast a radio signal over the Wasteland, calling for anyone to come and help him "free his people." The Pitt takes place in the destroyed city of Pittsburgh, 249 miles away.
Before I get started completely, I'll give you the description of the add-on from the store itself as well as a bit of background information on The Pitt. First will be the official description of the place by Bethesda themselves.
The Pitt allows you to travel to the post-apocalyptic remains of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and become embroiled in a conflict between slaves and their Raider masters. Explore a sprawling settlement ravaged by time, neglect, nuclear radiation, and moral degradation. The Pitt is filled with morally gray choices, shady NPCs, new enemies, new weapons, and much more. ---official description.
And now, for the background of the Pitt.
Although Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was not hit directly by atomic bombs during the Great War, the water from the nearby Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers soon became highly irradiated. The confluence of these three rivers yielded disastrous results and changed the area's inhabitants in mysterious ways over the following decades.
Some 20 years before the events of Fallout 3, Owyn Lyons led the Brotherhood of Steel's expedition to Washington, D.C. through The Pitt. In one night, the Brotherhood swept through and destroyed the original raider force occupying the town and rid the surrounding area of other "scum", killing anything that put up a fight. This event is chronicled as "the Scourge". As they cut through the raiders, the Brotherhood also saved several young children, among them Paladin Kodiak, who had not yet been mutated to the extent of The Pitt's adult inhabitants. All the rescued children were brought into the Brotherhood of Steel as initiates. Paladin Kodiak is the only remaining survivor from that group of rescued children that is still stationed at the Citadel.
So, now to actually get into my long-winded talk of the add-on. The Pitt will be available to you upon leaving Vault 101. You'll be notified a minute or two after doing so about a radio signal being broadcast from the north. Of course, you don't have to go there right away, its your choice when you wish to go there.
Either way, when you get there, you'll encounter Wernher being attacked by three Pitt Raiders. I'm not sure if Wernher can die at this point but to be on the safe side, I always aided him in putting them down. Wernher will ask if you came because of the Radio signal and after answering him, he'll brief you on the situation. The Raider leader, Ashur, has a cure that can help the people of The Pitt with their mutation but hasn't distributed it among the people.
To enter The Pitt, Wernher will tell you to get a slave outfit, which you can find at the nearby train tunnel, as a group of Slavers from Paradise Falls has a group of slaves waiting to be sold to the Pitt. There are several ways to obtain the outfit, either by killing the slavers, and freeing the slaves and taking one of the outfits from them (or the dead one in the pen), buying the slaves and resulting in the same options. Do note that if you killed the slavers of Paradise Falls that Ramsey, the only named slaver in this group, will recognize you as such and attack on sight.
Either way, Wernher will approach you after you've gotten rid of the Slavers and freed the slaves, regardless if you obtained the outfit or not. He'll meet you in the nearby train tunnel to get underway. He'll tell you that you can't bring any companions with you, so, they'll automatically be dismissed when you depart.
Upon arrival, several Pitt Raiders will be waiting, one stating that he never expected to see Wernher again. Instead of being diplomatic about the situation, Wernher opens fire on him with his .44 Magnum, killing him in a scripted event. Its up to you to intervene and keep Wernher alive from the rest of the Raiders. After they are dealt with, Wernher will escort you a little bit further but then stop and tell you that you are on your own from here on out, that he can't proceed any further.
So, off you go. After getting across the bridge, you'll see three slaves trying to escape, they'll die in a scripted event by stepping on placed land mines, even if you remove the land mines, they'll still die by an explosion, as its scripted. Now, you'll be greeted by a named Raider, Mex. There are a couple of ways to enter the Pitt here. Wearing a slave outfit will gain you automatic access, but Mex will strip you of all your gear and place it in a key-locked safe. You're a slave now. No items for you!
You can tell him that you are here to join their little group and he'll allow you access, where you'll be met with Reddup, who will have you beaten down, your gear stolen, and a slave outfit placed on you. Or you can kill Mex and his two guards and enter, only to have Reddup do the same. The choice is yours.
No matter the choice, all your weaponry and armor is gone and you're a slave. You can sneak one weapon in, if you choose the dialogue choice with Wernher, he'll give you a Switchblade or a .32 Pistol, both crappy weapons, that will be "concealed" until you appear in Downtown. Either way, that completes the Quest "Into The Pitt" and if its your first time doing so, ding, Trophy/Achievement.
No matter what happens though, you'll immediately start the next Quest, Unsafe Working Conditions. You'll meet Midea as well, Wernher's contact. She'll fill you in on everything and you'll be placed with the duty of going into the Steelyard to find 10 Steel Ingots for the Raiders. If you talk to Milly, another slave, before doing so, you can start an unmarked quest, called "Find Wild Bill."
Either way, meet with Everett, a Raider, in The Mill and he'll take you out to the Steelyard to get you on your way. Your job is simply to collect 10, however, for every 10 you bring him, he'll give you a reward, whether its armor or weaponry. Pretty nice for a Raider. There are 100 Ingots in all and if you find all 100 and give them to him, you'll get all the rewards as well as another trophy/achievement. Also, after acquiring 10 Ingots, you'll get a perk that lets you do 25% more damage with the Auto Axe and its variants (Steel Saw, Man Opener, and The Mauler). While I don't use these weapons, as I rarely make a melee character, it is a nice perk for those who do use Melee.
A small note, if you didn't get Wernher to sneak you a weapon, you can meet with Marco, a slave, and he'll give you an auto axe before you head out into the Steelyard. Also, there is a slave in the Mill named Brand, he's a snitch for the Raiders, telling him the plans of the slaves has no outcome on the ending you get for the add-on but will reward you with negative karma as you're being underhanded.
In the Steelyard, there are Wildmen, people who have suffered mental degradation due to the Pitt's concentrated toxins, however, they haven't degraded so much as to turn into Trogs, which are also present in the Steelyard. Trogs can be a threat in groups, they move about as fast as a Yao Guai, but don't hit as hard, thankfully.
You'll find Wild Bill's body while searching for Ingots. Looting his body will bring back some items, most notably Wild Bill's Sidearm, a unique .32 Pistol that can be repaired with regular .32 Pistols. Not the best weapon in the game but I suppose it can be useful. You'll also find a note on his body, detailing what happened to him. Once you return to Downtown, you can inform Milly what happened either by stretching the truth or being completely honest. You'll be given stimpacks for your efforts.
After getting the 10 ingots, or 100 if you wanted the entire list of rewards, you'll need to return to Midea who will inform you that Ashur is going to open up "The Hole" a battle arena in which slaves have a chance to gain their freedom by winning. Midea puts you forward and you have to face a total of three rounds. However, its not as simple as just going in and fighting. They drop radioactive barrels into the Hole with you, which rapidly raises your radiation sickness. I've had it go up 9 ticks per second at most. But not to worry, after each round, Faydra gives you a shot to cure it completely before the next round.
The first fight is against three other slaves. The second is against the Bear Brothers. The third is against Gruber, a former slave who earned his freedom, but became bloodthirsty and remained a fighter in the Hole. After winning your freedom is gained and your confiscated items returned. You'll also gain another trophy/achievement. One final thing, you'll gain a perk that gives a +3% radiation resistance from fighting in the radiation.
Immediately after, you start the next and final Quest of the Pitt, Free Labor. Ashur wishes to meet with you, as told by Krenshaw, who gives you this quest. It should be noted that if you run into Reddup at anytime, if you were beaten down by him upon entering Downtown, that you can challenge him to a rematch. He'll tell all the others to stay out of it. You're able to kill him without repercussions from the other Raiders.
In Uptown, there is an area called "Abandoned Apartments" its full of Trogs, but has some nice loot. 3 Nuka-Cola Quantums, in case you're on the quest involving them. There is also the "Hat of the People" which is a unique Chinese Commando Hat. There is no real reason to go to these Apartments though, unless you want the items and experience.
Ashur is in Haven, which is the Fallout Universe's version of the Cathedral of Learning, an actual building found in Pittsburgh. When you meet with him, he'll ask you if you've heard of a man named Wernher, you can lie to him (speech check necessary) or tell him the truth. If you tell him the truth, he'll commend you for your honesty, stating its a rare trait to be found. He'll also tell you that Wernher used to be his lieutenant until he tried to steal the cure, where he was then thrown down to be a slave, prior to the events of his escape. He'll also offer to take you to see the cure. But before he can, he'll get reports of slaves rioting and have to run off. You are free to go see the cure yourself though, as stated by Ashur.
Entering the small lab, you'll find Ashur's wife, Sandra, and a small baby named Marie. Even if you haven't realized it yet, dialogue options for your character will make it obvious. The baby is the cure. She was born with an immunity to the radiation and mutations in the Pitt. So, here is a moral choice, though, your morality in the game isn't effected. Steal the baby for the slaves or leave it for Sandra to continue to work on the cure for everyone? Also, in the lab, is Sandra's computer with notes on her research as well as the sickness that eventually degrades people into Trogs. Its an interesting read.
There is also four holotapes that can be found in Ashur and Sandra's bedroom, in a locked safe, so, don't be seen picking it. It details his choices and hopes for his daughter. Almost indicating that even though he does force others to work, to be slaves, that perhaps he isn't all bad. A necessary evil. He even tells you in conversation that in time, he would abolish slavery but to rebuild, workers are a must. That's also something interesting to note, he doesn't call them slaves, he calls them workers, and can even be overheard scolding Krenshaw for calling them slaves. Whereas Wernher on the other hand withheld information from you. Also, if you side with Wernher in this and steal the baby, he'll openly call it a bastard and a brat. And if you side with Ashur in this, by not stealing the baby, and tell Wernher that "kidnapping wasn't part of the deal" He'll say something along the lines like "Boo-fucking-hoo."
Now, its completely opinion-based but to me, Ashur seems to be the "good" one in all of this, so, I usually side with him, even if I'm playing an evil karma character. Partially due to the fact I can't stand Wernher towards the end of this add-on. His attitude does a complete 180, in my opinion. The reason why I put good in quotations is there is no gained positive or negative karma for either side you choose, making the choice more in the gray of things.
Anyway, if you side with Wernher, by stealing the baby, you'll have to fight your way through Haven and Uptown and meet with Midea, who will tell you where to meet Wernher. After doing so, Wernher will give you one final task, to turn off the floodlights in Uptown. Why? Trogs are sensitive to light and wont enter Uptown. Wernher wants to release Trogs into Uptown to rip the Raiders to shreds. To do so you have to travel through Trog infested tunnels. Wernher will give you a stealth boy to aid you. After doing that and escaping from the Trog infested Uptown, return to Wernher to end it.
If you side with Ashur, by leaving Haven without the baby, you'll be friendly to the Raiders, however, some rioting slaves will appear and be hostile towards you. Again, you'll need to find out from Midea where Wernher is. Go there and kill him and report to Ashur to end it. Either choice you choose will bring up the final trophy/achievement for the add-on and you're free to leave and head back to the Capital Wasteland as well as return to the Pitt at anytime, to buy items or whatever. To buy items though, you'll have to side with Ashur, as siding with Wernher will result in the shopkeepers being killed. Also, after all of it is said and done, you can get an unmarked quest "Toys for Tots" from Sandra or Midea (depending on who you sided with) to bring Teddy Bears to Marie. Each one gives you 10xp and 30 Caps. Also, you'll gain one last perk upon completing this quest, no matter who you side with, you'll get a perk that gives you +10% to Radiation Resistance.
So, there's the rundown and pseudo-guide of "The Pitt" as told by me. I enjoy the add-on. It takes 4+ hours to complete, depending on if you do the Steel Ingot side quest and it is quite the fun little add-on, in my opinion. It does have its faults though, such as game crashing bugs, getting stuck in environments, forcing you to load a previous state or fast travel to somewhere else, however, if an enemy is nearby, the fast travel will not work, forcing you to load a previous save. Other bugs involve Wild Bill falling through the floor and forcing you (if you're on a console) to find a way off map to find and loot his body. If you're on the PC, just use the move to player command or turn clipping off so you can drop right down to him.
All in all, a fun add-on even with its bugs and a 7 out of 10 from me. I like the atmosphere of the place, even if it is a depressing place of death, decay, and disease. Its a nice change from the Capital Wasteland. And, because I'm bored, I'm going to list all the new weapons and armors you get with this one! It'll be in alphabetical order because I'm weird like that.
Weapons will be first.
Armor is next. It's quite the long list.
Phew. That was a lot to do and totally not needed but I was bored enough to do so. Heh. Anyway, to anyone who may read this I hope you enjoyed my ramblings found within and I'll see you next time!
Until then~
Anyway, for those that might not know, Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277 (200 years after the bombs fell) on the East Coast of what used to be the United States of America, mostly in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. You play a character of your design and name, simply called "The Lone Wanderer" by others, though mainly by Three Dog of Galaxy News Radio.
The Pitt, however, does not take place in the Capital Wasteland. A man named Wernher came from there to the Capital Wasteland and began to broadcast a radio signal over the Wasteland, calling for anyone to come and help him "free his people." The Pitt takes place in the destroyed city of Pittsburgh, 249 miles away.
Before I get started completely, I'll give you the description of the add-on from the store itself as well as a bit of background information on The Pitt. First will be the official description of the place by Bethesda themselves.
The Pitt allows you to travel to the post-apocalyptic remains of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and become embroiled in a conflict between slaves and their Raider masters. Explore a sprawling settlement ravaged by time, neglect, nuclear radiation, and moral degradation. The Pitt is filled with morally gray choices, shady NPCs, new enemies, new weapons, and much more. ---official description.
And now, for the background of the Pitt.
Although Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was not hit directly by atomic bombs during the Great War, the water from the nearby Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers soon became highly irradiated. The confluence of these three rivers yielded disastrous results and changed the area's inhabitants in mysterious ways over the following decades.
Some 20 years before the events of Fallout 3, Owyn Lyons led the Brotherhood of Steel's expedition to Washington, D.C. through The Pitt. In one night, the Brotherhood swept through and destroyed the original raider force occupying the town and rid the surrounding area of other "scum", killing anything that put up a fight. This event is chronicled as "the Scourge". As they cut through the raiders, the Brotherhood also saved several young children, among them Paladin Kodiak, who had not yet been mutated to the extent of The Pitt's adult inhabitants. All the rescued children were brought into the Brotherhood of Steel as initiates. Paladin Kodiak is the only remaining survivor from that group of rescued children that is still stationed at the Citadel.
So, now to actually get into my long-winded talk of the add-on. The Pitt will be available to you upon leaving Vault 101. You'll be notified a minute or two after doing so about a radio signal being broadcast from the north. Of course, you don't have to go there right away, its your choice when you wish to go there.
Either way, when you get there, you'll encounter Wernher being attacked by three Pitt Raiders. I'm not sure if Wernher can die at this point but to be on the safe side, I always aided him in putting them down. Wernher will ask if you came because of the Radio signal and after answering him, he'll brief you on the situation. The Raider leader, Ashur, has a cure that can help the people of The Pitt with their mutation but hasn't distributed it among the people.
To enter The Pitt, Wernher will tell you to get a slave outfit, which you can find at the nearby train tunnel, as a group of Slavers from Paradise Falls has a group of slaves waiting to be sold to the Pitt. There are several ways to obtain the outfit, either by killing the slavers, and freeing the slaves and taking one of the outfits from them (or the dead one in the pen), buying the slaves and resulting in the same options. Do note that if you killed the slavers of Paradise Falls that Ramsey, the only named slaver in this group, will recognize you as such and attack on sight.
Either way, Wernher will approach you after you've gotten rid of the Slavers and freed the slaves, regardless if you obtained the outfit or not. He'll meet you in the nearby train tunnel to get underway. He'll tell you that you can't bring any companions with you, so, they'll automatically be dismissed when you depart.
Upon arrival, several Pitt Raiders will be waiting, one stating that he never expected to see Wernher again. Instead of being diplomatic about the situation, Wernher opens fire on him with his .44 Magnum, killing him in a scripted event. Its up to you to intervene and keep Wernher alive from the rest of the Raiders. After they are dealt with, Wernher will escort you a little bit further but then stop and tell you that you are on your own from here on out, that he can't proceed any further.
So, off you go. After getting across the bridge, you'll see three slaves trying to escape, they'll die in a scripted event by stepping on placed land mines, even if you remove the land mines, they'll still die by an explosion, as its scripted. Now, you'll be greeted by a named Raider, Mex. There are a couple of ways to enter the Pitt here. Wearing a slave outfit will gain you automatic access, but Mex will strip you of all your gear and place it in a key-locked safe. You're a slave now. No items for you!
You can tell him that you are here to join their little group and he'll allow you access, where you'll be met with Reddup, who will have you beaten down, your gear stolen, and a slave outfit placed on you. Or you can kill Mex and his two guards and enter, only to have Reddup do the same. The choice is yours.
No matter the choice, all your weaponry and armor is gone and you're a slave. You can sneak one weapon in, if you choose the dialogue choice with Wernher, he'll give you a Switchblade or a .32 Pistol, both crappy weapons, that will be "concealed" until you appear in Downtown. Either way, that completes the Quest "Into The Pitt" and if its your first time doing so, ding, Trophy/Achievement.
No matter what happens though, you'll immediately start the next Quest, Unsafe Working Conditions. You'll meet Midea as well, Wernher's contact. She'll fill you in on everything and you'll be placed with the duty of going into the Steelyard to find 10 Steel Ingots for the Raiders. If you talk to Milly, another slave, before doing so, you can start an unmarked quest, called "Find Wild Bill."
Either way, meet with Everett, a Raider, in The Mill and he'll take you out to the Steelyard to get you on your way. Your job is simply to collect 10, however, for every 10 you bring him, he'll give you a reward, whether its armor or weaponry. Pretty nice for a Raider. There are 100 Ingots in all and if you find all 100 and give them to him, you'll get all the rewards as well as another trophy/achievement. Also, after acquiring 10 Ingots, you'll get a perk that lets you do 25% more damage with the Auto Axe and its variants (Steel Saw, Man Opener, and The Mauler). While I don't use these weapons, as I rarely make a melee character, it is a nice perk for those who do use Melee.
A small note, if you didn't get Wernher to sneak you a weapon, you can meet with Marco, a slave, and he'll give you an auto axe before you head out into the Steelyard. Also, there is a slave in the Mill named Brand, he's a snitch for the Raiders, telling him the plans of the slaves has no outcome on the ending you get for the add-on but will reward you with negative karma as you're being underhanded.
In the Steelyard, there are Wildmen, people who have suffered mental degradation due to the Pitt's concentrated toxins, however, they haven't degraded so much as to turn into Trogs, which are also present in the Steelyard. Trogs can be a threat in groups, they move about as fast as a Yao Guai, but don't hit as hard, thankfully.
You'll find Wild Bill's body while searching for Ingots. Looting his body will bring back some items, most notably Wild Bill's Sidearm, a unique .32 Pistol that can be repaired with regular .32 Pistols. Not the best weapon in the game but I suppose it can be useful. You'll also find a note on his body, detailing what happened to him. Once you return to Downtown, you can inform Milly what happened either by stretching the truth or being completely honest. You'll be given stimpacks for your efforts.
After getting the 10 ingots, or 100 if you wanted the entire list of rewards, you'll need to return to Midea who will inform you that Ashur is going to open up "The Hole" a battle arena in which slaves have a chance to gain their freedom by winning. Midea puts you forward and you have to face a total of three rounds. However, its not as simple as just going in and fighting. They drop radioactive barrels into the Hole with you, which rapidly raises your radiation sickness. I've had it go up 9 ticks per second at most. But not to worry, after each round, Faydra gives you a shot to cure it completely before the next round.
The first fight is against three other slaves. The second is against the Bear Brothers. The third is against Gruber, a former slave who earned his freedom, but became bloodthirsty and remained a fighter in the Hole. After winning your freedom is gained and your confiscated items returned. You'll also gain another trophy/achievement. One final thing, you'll gain a perk that gives a +3% radiation resistance from fighting in the radiation.
Immediately after, you start the next and final Quest of the Pitt, Free Labor. Ashur wishes to meet with you, as told by Krenshaw, who gives you this quest. It should be noted that if you run into Reddup at anytime, if you were beaten down by him upon entering Downtown, that you can challenge him to a rematch. He'll tell all the others to stay out of it. You're able to kill him without repercussions from the other Raiders.
In Uptown, there is an area called "Abandoned Apartments" its full of Trogs, but has some nice loot. 3 Nuka-Cola Quantums, in case you're on the quest involving them. There is also the "Hat of the People" which is a unique Chinese Commando Hat. There is no real reason to go to these Apartments though, unless you want the items and experience.
Ashur is in Haven, which is the Fallout Universe's version of the Cathedral of Learning, an actual building found in Pittsburgh. When you meet with him, he'll ask you if you've heard of a man named Wernher, you can lie to him (speech check necessary) or tell him the truth. If you tell him the truth, he'll commend you for your honesty, stating its a rare trait to be found. He'll also tell you that Wernher used to be his lieutenant until he tried to steal the cure, where he was then thrown down to be a slave, prior to the events of his escape. He'll also offer to take you to see the cure. But before he can, he'll get reports of slaves rioting and have to run off. You are free to go see the cure yourself though, as stated by Ashur.
Entering the small lab, you'll find Ashur's wife, Sandra, and a small baby named Marie. Even if you haven't realized it yet, dialogue options for your character will make it obvious. The baby is the cure. She was born with an immunity to the radiation and mutations in the Pitt. So, here is a moral choice, though, your morality in the game isn't effected. Steal the baby for the slaves or leave it for Sandra to continue to work on the cure for everyone? Also, in the lab, is Sandra's computer with notes on her research as well as the sickness that eventually degrades people into Trogs. Its an interesting read.
There is also four holotapes that can be found in Ashur and Sandra's bedroom, in a locked safe, so, don't be seen picking it. It details his choices and hopes for his daughter. Almost indicating that even though he does force others to work, to be slaves, that perhaps he isn't all bad. A necessary evil. He even tells you in conversation that in time, he would abolish slavery but to rebuild, workers are a must. That's also something interesting to note, he doesn't call them slaves, he calls them workers, and can even be overheard scolding Krenshaw for calling them slaves. Whereas Wernher on the other hand withheld information from you. Also, if you side with Wernher in this and steal the baby, he'll openly call it a bastard and a brat. And if you side with Ashur in this, by not stealing the baby, and tell Wernher that "kidnapping wasn't part of the deal" He'll say something along the lines like "Boo-fucking-hoo."
Now, its completely opinion-based but to me, Ashur seems to be the "good" one in all of this, so, I usually side with him, even if I'm playing an evil karma character. Partially due to the fact I can't stand Wernher towards the end of this add-on. His attitude does a complete 180, in my opinion. The reason why I put good in quotations is there is no gained positive or negative karma for either side you choose, making the choice more in the gray of things.
Anyway, if you side with Wernher, by stealing the baby, you'll have to fight your way through Haven and Uptown and meet with Midea, who will tell you where to meet Wernher. After doing so, Wernher will give you one final task, to turn off the floodlights in Uptown. Why? Trogs are sensitive to light and wont enter Uptown. Wernher wants to release Trogs into Uptown to rip the Raiders to shreds. To do so you have to travel through Trog infested tunnels. Wernher will give you a stealth boy to aid you. After doing that and escaping from the Trog infested Uptown, return to Wernher to end it.
If you side with Ashur, by leaving Haven without the baby, you'll be friendly to the Raiders, however, some rioting slaves will appear and be hostile towards you. Again, you'll need to find out from Midea where Wernher is. Go there and kill him and report to Ashur to end it. Either choice you choose will bring up the final trophy/achievement for the add-on and you're free to leave and head back to the Capital Wasteland as well as return to the Pitt at anytime, to buy items or whatever. To buy items though, you'll have to side with Ashur, as siding with Wernher will result in the shopkeepers being killed. Also, after all of it is said and done, you can get an unmarked quest "Toys for Tots" from Sandra or Midea (depending on who you sided with) to bring Teddy Bears to Marie. Each one gives you 10xp and 30 Caps. Also, you'll gain one last perk upon completing this quest, no matter who you side with, you'll get a perk that gives you +10% to Radiation Resistance.
So, there's the rundown and pseudo-guide of "The Pitt" as told by me. I enjoy the add-on. It takes 4+ hours to complete, depending on if you do the Steel Ingot side quest and it is quite the fun little add-on, in my opinion. It does have its faults though, such as game crashing bugs, getting stuck in environments, forcing you to load a previous state or fast travel to somewhere else, however, if an enemy is nearby, the fast travel will not work, forcing you to load a previous save. Other bugs involve Wild Bill falling through the floor and forcing you (if you're on a console) to find a way off map to find and loot his body. If you're on the PC, just use the move to player command or turn clipping off so you can drop right down to him.
All in all, a fun add-on even with its bugs and a 7 out of 10 from me. I like the atmosphere of the place, even if it is a depressing place of death, decay, and disease. Its a nice change from the Capital Wasteland. And, because I'm bored, I'm going to list all the new weapons and armors you get with this one! It'll be in alphabetical order because I'm weird like that.
Weapons will be first.
Auto Axe - The auto axe appears to be a modified industrial tool, strongly resembling a concrete saw or chainsaw. The original blade seems to have been removed and replaced with a blade of a different kind. When Marco first gives you an auto axe he explains that he has been making them from industrial materials and scrap metal from the bridge, mostly parts of various cars and vehicles.
The axe inflicts large amounts of damage with its sharp rotating blades. It functions just like the ripper, not like an actual axe. It can also be repaired using rippers, including the unique ripper Jack. The damage that is done by this weapon can be increased with the Auto Axpert perk which is available with The Pitt, after collecting 10 steel ingots from the Steelyard.
Can be obtained from Marco before going into the Steelyard. You can also find it on dead rioting slaves or by picking their pockets while still friendly to you.
Infiltrator - The Infiltrator is a second-tier, special purpose automatic firearm. It has the lowest DAM, DPS, and rate of fire of any weapon in the assault rifle class. However, the integral sound suppressor permits repeated sneak attacks, while the scope permits enhanced spotting (though not necessarily accuracy). The Infiltrator has identical AP cost, spread, magazine capacity, and critical multiplier to other generic assault rifles.
A unique version called the Perforator can be obtained. Both the Infiltrator and the Perforator can be repaired using standard assault rifles. Although the Perforator is essentially a unique Infiltrator, it cannot be repaired with Infiltrators.
Despite this weapon's scope, it still suffers from the typical inaccuracy of an assault rifle. Combined with the fact that each bullet doesn't hit particularly hard, this weapon is not viable for long distance fighting. On higher difficulties, the Infiltrator's low damage outweighs its firing volume benefits. However, due to the silenced nature of the gun, one can get several critical hits on a group before they know what hit them.
Can be obtained from the last enemy in The Hole, Gruber. Also, Mex and the other two guards outside of Downtown carry one each.
Man Opener - It is a unique auto axe. Refer back to the Auto Axe for information on it. Though the weapon deals less damage than The Mauler, the Man Opener ignores normal damage resistance, similar to the deathclaw gauntlet. This property makes it more useful in some situations; for example, when going up against a mirelurk hunter or Enclave Hellfire Trooper.
Can be obtained on the bed in the back of the Supply Plant, which is found in the Steelyard.
Metal Blaster - The Metal Blaster is a unique AER9 laser rifle. The Metal Blaster is a laser shotgun and fires nine laser beams while expending only one microfusion cell. According to Everett, the brainiac who built the rifle fitted a prism into the barrel, splitting the light in every direction. This makes it similar to Protectron's Gaze, a shotgun-esque AEP7 laser pistol.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 50 Steel Ingots.
Perforator - The Perforator is a unique version of the Infiltrator. The Perforator does more damage per shot, has a higher DPS, critical chance, critical damage, but a higher AP cost and significantly less durability. The biggest difference is the reduced rate of fire; the Perforator fires 2 shots for every 3 shots that the Infiltrator can fire.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 90 Steel Ingots.
Steel Knuckles - The steel knuckles do slightly more damage per hit than their brass or spiked counterparts, but really shine when used in V.A.T.S. The steel knuckles use only 14 AP to be swung, giving them one of the lowest AP costs for any weapon. As such, they're great to use with the Paralyzing Palm perk.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 30 Steel Ingots
Steel Saw - The steel saw is a weaker version of the auto axe, dealing roughly half as much damage. Slaves use the steel saw for cutting through metal objects; however, this does not translate to an ingame damage bonus vs. robots.
Can be obtained on dead slaves from the riot or by picking their pockets.
The Mauler - It is a unique Auto Axe that deals much more damage than the original. It has a larger damage/hit and damage/second ratio compared to the standard Auto Axe (45 compared to 35) and uses less AP (50 compared to 65).
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 80 Steel Ingots.
Wild Bill's Sidearm - Wild Bill's sidearm is a unique .32 pistol. Wild Bill's sidearm has the highest item HP among pistols and it fires very fast outside of V.A.T.S., about as fast as you can tap the "fire" button. Because of this, it remains a relatively decent sidearm far into the game despite its low damage.
Can be obtained from Wild Bill's corpse found in the Steelyard.
Armor is next. It's quite the long list.
Ashur's Power Armor - Ashur's power armor is a stylized variant of the T-45d power armor owned by Ashur, the leader of the Pitt raiders. Through years of misuse, makeshift repairs with whatever materials available and constant use, it is a rusty, highly stylized suit of power armor. The left arm of the suit was replaced with the sleeve and glove of the raider iconoclast armor, a brahmin skull substituted for the left pauldron and various bits and pieces of metal were used to patch holes in the structure of it.
The armor is dark with gold colored plates. This is likely a reference to Pittsburgh's official colors, black and gold, which transfer to all of their sports teams such as the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins.
Can only be obtained by Ashur's death or by putting a better suit in his inventory by the reverse-pickpocket method.
Bombshell Armor - The Bombshell Armor is a unique Raider Ordinance Armor. The breast cups on the female model appear to be hollowed out mini nukes, while the male variant has the back end of the mini nuke tied over their chest. The bombshell armor weighs 5 pounds more than the regular ordinance armor, despite not being any different in appearance.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 60 Steel Ingots.
Filtration Helmet - The Filtration Helmet is a unique Supervisor Helmet. It helps the player resist the effects of radiation to a degree by filtering the air breathed.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 20 Steel Ingots.
Gamma Shield Armor - It is a variant of the Metal Armor. It can be repaired with the metal armor. It helps the player resist the effects of radiation by 15, however, at the cost of one agility point.
There are five suits found within The Pitt. Two can be found while fighting in the Hole, one worn by John Bear, the other by Gruber. A Wildman in the supply plant and another in the Steelyard each have one. The last can be looted from a dead Raider's corpse found in the Steelyard.
Hat of the People - The hat of the people is a unique Chinese commando hat. It was included in the original Fallout 3 files, but cannot be found anywhere in the main game. Could only be obtained via console commands until the Pitt. Interestingly enough, the hat doesn't suffer degradation through combat like other armors.
Can be obtained in a room in the Abandoned Apartments from inside an average locked safe.
Laborer Outfit - It is identical to the tattered slave outfit in looks and can be repaired with slave outfits as well as various Wasteland outfits. It provides a damage resistance of 5 and boosts agility, endurance, and strength by one point each whilst only weighing two pounds. Everett will claim that the previous owner cannot use it anymore due to decapitation.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 10 Steel Ingots
Leather Rebel - The Leather Rebel is a unique Raider Commando Armor. Everett describes the armor as having been worn by a priest who said the armor was bulletproof, a theory which was proven false when put to the test. The name of this armor and Everett's story behind it is a reference to the Judas Priest song "Leather Rebel".
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 70 Steel Ingots
Metal Master Armor - Metal master armor is a unique raider throwdown armor. Everett explains that the previous user made it bullet-proof, but it did not help him after he fell off of the bridge. It is only repairable with leather armor and provides a damage resistance of 36 as well as bonuses of 10 to Unarmed and Energy Weapons whilst incurring a penalty of 1 to Agility.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 40 Steel Ingots
Raider Commando Armor - It resembles a trimmed-down leather armor and provides a damage resistance of 18 as well as bonuses of 3 to both unarmed and small guns.
It can be repaired using all raider armors found in the Pitt (raider iconoclast armor, raider ordinance armor, raider paingiver armor, raider throwdown armor, and other copies of itself) as well as raider armors from the Capital Wasteland.
Obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Raider Iconoclast Armor - Its appearance is that of a worn-out radiation suit armored with several patches and a shoulder strap. It also has a hammer and two picks on the left leg.
The armor provides a damage resistance of 18 as well as a bonus of 5 to radiation resistance. It can be repaired using all raider armors found in the Pitt (raider commando armor, raider throwdown armor, raider ordinance armor, raider paingiver armor, and other copies of itself) as well as raider armors from the Capital Wasteland.
Obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Raider Ordinance Armor - The breast cups on the female model appear to be hollowed out mini nukes, while the male variant has the back end of the mini nuke tied over their chest.
The armor provides a damage resistance of 18 as well as a bonus of 4 to the Small Guns skill. It can be repaired using all raider armors found in The Pitt (raider commando armor, raider iconoclast armor, raider paingiver armor, raider throwdown armor and other copies of itself) as well as raider armors from the Capital Wasteland. The name of the armor likely was intended to refer to ordnance, but was misspelled as ordinance.
Obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Raider Paingiver Armor - It is lighter than most other raider armors as there is very little clothing to it on both females and males. It provides a damage resistance of 18 as well as a bonus of 4 to unarmed.
It can be repaired using all raider armors found in the Pitt (raider commando armor, raider iconoclast armor, raider ordinance armor, raider throwdown armor, and other copies of itself) as well as raider armors from the Capital Wasteland.
Obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Raider Throwdown Armor - Aesthetically, the armor is comprised of components from metal armor and raider sadist armor. It provides a damage resistance of 18 as well as a bonus of 3 to both unarmed and melee weapons.
It can be repaired using all raider armors found in the Pitt (raider commando armor, raider iconoclast armor, raider ordinance armor, raider paingiver armor, and other copies of itself) as well as raider armors from the Capital Wasteland.
Obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Supervisor Helmet - It helps the player resist the effects of radiation to a degree by filtering the air breathed. Putting this helmet on an NPC will create the voice distortion effect similar to NPCs wearing Power Armor helmets.
Can be obtained from dead Pitt Raiders or it can be bought from Friday if you sided with Ashur.
Tattered Slave Outfit - Outfit worn by the slaves. Light brown in color. It can be repaired with other copies of themselves or one of the various Wasteland outfits and provide a damage resistance of 2 as well as bonuses of 1 to agility and endurance.
The tattered slave outfit can be obtained at the beginning of The Pitt, from a slave named Prosper. The add-on gives you the choice of either obtaining it from a dead slave in the slave pen located at the Train Tunnel or requesting one from Prosper himself. If worn, when meeting Mex at the Pitt entrance, Mex will mistake you for a slave.
Tribal Power Armor - Tribal power armor is a T-45d power armor. Through years of misuse, makeshift repairs with whatever materials available and constant use, it is a rusty, highly stylized suit of power armor. The left arm of the suit was replaced with the sleeve and glove of the raider iconoclast armor, a brahmin skull substituted for the left pauldron and various bits and pieces of metal were used to patch holes in the structure of it.
It is aesthetically identical to Ashur's power armor. Everett notes this as being intended by the armor's designers. Pitt natives came to see Ashur as a god, and made this set of armor to emulate the way their god looked. It was one of the original suits of power armor worn by the Brotherhood of Steel. While they are identical in design, their effects vary.
Given to you by Everett as a reward for bringing him a total of 100 Steel Ingots
Welder's Mask - It is a variant of the Raider Arclight Helmet featuring an increased damage resistance of 5. It can be repaired with Raider Arclight helmets.
It can be found on a number slaves in The Pitt, and is in appearance identical to the Raider Arclight Helmet found throughout the Capital Wasteland.
Worn Slave Outfit - The worn slave outfit is identical to the tattered one, with the only difference being that is a dark brown color. It can be repaired with other copies of themselves or one of the various Wasteland outfits and provide a damage resistance of 2 as well as bonuses of 1 to agility and endurance.
Can be obtained through various slaves, either dead ones from the riot or dead ones you find when exploring Downtown.
Phew. That was a lot to do and totally not needed but I was bored enough to do so. Heh. Anyway, to anyone who may read this I hope you enjoyed my ramblings found within and I'll see you next time!
Until then~
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mafia II - The Betrayal of Jimmy by Kitty
Kitty here again.
Alright, so, I'll be talking about the exclusive content for buying the PS3 version of Mafia II, The Betrayal of Jimmy, with is the prologue more or less leading up to the DLC that just released recently, Jimmy's Vendetta.
Now, before I begin I want to point out that I hate exclusive things or when one platform has DLC and Expansions for 2+ years and the other doesn't, yes I'm referencing Fallout 3 with this. Same applies to Grand Theft Auto IV, but no one cares about that game.
Now my opinion of the game is the same. My review extends to here in terms of graphics, game play, presentation, and all of that. I'm just talking about this content and how I feel about it. I'm mainly doing this since I just bought the Jimmy's Vendetta DLC. Yes, I will have my thoughts on that one as well, once I complete it. As Izzy does, yes there will be spoilers, but its not like there is a lot but still.
The Betrayal of Jimmy - you play as an older character named Jimmy, obviously, who has a striking resemblance to Bruce Willis, though at times I can see some Ed Harris in the face too. Anyway, Jimmy's the guy the other guys go to when they need a job done. He's a gun for hire, a thief for hire. Don't want to get your hands dirty? Call Jimmy.
You get a little back story of Jimmy explaining what he does, but I already did that. After the small bit of back story, you're immediately thrown into a mission. Kill some guys, get in a car, and get it to the destination before time runs out. You'll get your first cutscene here with a guy asking Jimmy if they got the message.
Now before I continue, I must point out that this is what Mafia II should have been overall. You do not have a way point telling you where to go constantly. There are mission markers about the map and you can go to them at your leisure instead of the game telling you to every so often.
All of the missions are on a timer as well and there is a points system/ranking system after a mission, making this content seem more Arcade based than what the main game was and I'm okay with that. However, the missions are limited to three guys and they all revolve around something.
The first and easiest set (as well as the quickest money gain) is stealing cars and delivering them to a marked garage. The other two involve killing people, though, sometimes you do have to kill people to get a car.
The other two, like I said, revolve around killing people. One set is killing black people. More specifically, the Bombers, a black oriented gang from Sand Island who have been causing trouble for a guy. On the other end of the spectrum, you're killing Asians, lead by Eddie Fu, who are causing trouble for someone else.
There are no cutscenes, just mission briefings in the form of a picture and text and then you're off to do your dirty work. I'm not sure how many missions there are in all but it can take a while, though, I do admit I did complete it in a night. At the end of the Bombers missions you kill the leader and his brother. Same goes for the Asians, you kill Eddie Fu and then go to your final mission marker.
Some missions are fun, some are not so fun. I personally hated the "smash up the shop" missions, thankfully, they only appeared twice. Essentially, you have to visit key shops, and shoot them up. However, when you do that, the cops of course get alerted and getting pinned down inside the shop is never fun.
Anyway, the two people that have been hiring you think its great what you've done and want to reward you, sending you off to collect a car with the reward in the trunk, as well as telling you to keep the car for yourself. Lock pick or smash the window in and another cut scene will roll. Police will hit the scene but Jimmy isn't having it, he'll drive off, leading in a high speed pursuit that ends on the highway with a road block and police ready to fire. It was a set up. There were drugs in the trunk, enough to put Jimmy away for a while.
As Jimmy puts it. "I was so busy tying up loose ends for other people I didn't realize I was the last one that needed to be tied." It might not be word for word but it sums it up. He also states (I believe) that they were pussies for setting him up. Couldn't find anyone brave enough to take him out, or something along those lines, and that they had no idea what was coming to them. Honestly, as little story as it was, that set up leading into Vendetta made me want to buy Vendetta, despite the $9.99 price tag.
So, The Betrayal of Jimmy is 90% action, 10% story. Is it good? Hell yeah. I enjoyed it more than the main game itself, in all honesty. Scoring it I would definitely give it a 8.0. Its not perfect and some flaws exist, such as the freezing issue from the main game, but its a lot of fun and can be quite challenging. And, I must say that its lasting appeal is higher than the main game, especially for people who are competitive as the score you gain throughout the missions, reflect on the leader boards, so, anyone who wants to be among the Top 100 or so will have fun plugging away it.
Well, that about does it for this one. I'll see you all next time on Jimmy's Vendetta, whenever I finish it. Kitty out.
Alright, so, I'll be talking about the exclusive content for buying the PS3 version of Mafia II, The Betrayal of Jimmy, with is the prologue more or less leading up to the DLC that just released recently, Jimmy's Vendetta.
Now, before I begin I want to point out that I hate exclusive things or when one platform has DLC and Expansions for 2+ years and the other doesn't, yes I'm referencing Fallout 3 with this. Same applies to Grand Theft Auto IV, but no one cares about that game.
Now my opinion of the game is the same. My review extends to here in terms of graphics, game play, presentation, and all of that. I'm just talking about this content and how I feel about it. I'm mainly doing this since I just bought the Jimmy's Vendetta DLC. Yes, I will have my thoughts on that one as well, once I complete it. As Izzy does, yes there will be spoilers, but its not like there is a lot but still.
The Betrayal of Jimmy - you play as an older character named Jimmy, obviously, who has a striking resemblance to Bruce Willis, though at times I can see some Ed Harris in the face too. Anyway, Jimmy's the guy the other guys go to when they need a job done. He's a gun for hire, a thief for hire. Don't want to get your hands dirty? Call Jimmy.
You get a little back story of Jimmy explaining what he does, but I already did that. After the small bit of back story, you're immediately thrown into a mission. Kill some guys, get in a car, and get it to the destination before time runs out. You'll get your first cutscene here with a guy asking Jimmy if they got the message.
Now before I continue, I must point out that this is what Mafia II should have been overall. You do not have a way point telling you where to go constantly. There are mission markers about the map and you can go to them at your leisure instead of the game telling you to every so often.
All of the missions are on a timer as well and there is a points system/ranking system after a mission, making this content seem more Arcade based than what the main game was and I'm okay with that. However, the missions are limited to three guys and they all revolve around something.
The first and easiest set (as well as the quickest money gain) is stealing cars and delivering them to a marked garage. The other two involve killing people, though, sometimes you do have to kill people to get a car.
The other two, like I said, revolve around killing people. One set is killing black people. More specifically, the Bombers, a black oriented gang from Sand Island who have been causing trouble for a guy. On the other end of the spectrum, you're killing Asians, lead by Eddie Fu, who are causing trouble for someone else.
There are no cutscenes, just mission briefings in the form of a picture and text and then you're off to do your dirty work. I'm not sure how many missions there are in all but it can take a while, though, I do admit I did complete it in a night. At the end of the Bombers missions you kill the leader and his brother. Same goes for the Asians, you kill Eddie Fu and then go to your final mission marker.
Some missions are fun, some are not so fun. I personally hated the "smash up the shop" missions, thankfully, they only appeared twice. Essentially, you have to visit key shops, and shoot them up. However, when you do that, the cops of course get alerted and getting pinned down inside the shop is never fun.
Anyway, the two people that have been hiring you think its great what you've done and want to reward you, sending you off to collect a car with the reward in the trunk, as well as telling you to keep the car for yourself. Lock pick or smash the window in and another cut scene will roll. Police will hit the scene but Jimmy isn't having it, he'll drive off, leading in a high speed pursuit that ends on the highway with a road block and police ready to fire. It was a set up. There were drugs in the trunk, enough to put Jimmy away for a while.
As Jimmy puts it. "I was so busy tying up loose ends for other people I didn't realize I was the last one that needed to be tied." It might not be word for word but it sums it up. He also states (I believe) that they were pussies for setting him up. Couldn't find anyone brave enough to take him out, or something along those lines, and that they had no idea what was coming to them. Honestly, as little story as it was, that set up leading into Vendetta made me want to buy Vendetta, despite the $9.99 price tag.
So, The Betrayal of Jimmy is 90% action, 10% story. Is it good? Hell yeah. I enjoyed it more than the main game itself, in all honesty. Scoring it I would definitely give it a 8.0. Its not perfect and some flaws exist, such as the freezing issue from the main game, but its a lot of fun and can be quite challenging. And, I must say that its lasting appeal is higher than the main game, especially for people who are competitive as the score you gain throughout the missions, reflect on the leader boards, so, anyone who wants to be among the Top 100 or so will have fun plugging away it.
Well, that about does it for this one. I'll see you all next time on Jimmy's Vendetta, whenever I finish it. Kitty out.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Witch Hunt DLC
Listening To: Opeth's "Damnation" Album
Disclaimer: Spoilers lie ahead.
Oh, come on! I've mentioned before I love Dragon Age and that its my current generation game. You should have seen this coming a mile away or something. Anyway, to start off with, I am going to say that Witch Hunt is not long, like the other DLCs. I believe my clocked time is close to two hours. I'd have to load up my file and check, which I don't feel like doing.
The character I used is Thea, my two-handed female human warrior, the same I used in Golems of Amgarrak. I will eventually do this DLC (and the others) with other classes and other disciplines in those classes but for now, Thea it is.
First thing is first! Am I disappointed? Sort of. Its better than Golems of Amgarrak by far, because it has story backing it, but its still nothing spectacular. However, even with its shortness and the fact I am slightly disappointed with it, it is nice to see a loose end get tied up, sort of. I'll explain later. Also, your companions in this DLC pack are actually competent unlike the ones in Golems of Amgarrak. I never got frustrated with them.
I am disappointed in the price though. Most of the DLCs have been $4.99. Now, I have a Standard Definition television still, so, seeing some prices on the PSN store is a bit tricky. But I believe this one was $5.99. That's a little too much for what little it gives.
So, the story opens with Morrigan narrating, stating what she said to the Warden before she left "Do not follow me" and that some doors should be left unopened. After the small narration from her, we open with a Mabari sniffing the ground outside a familiar hut. Its Flemeth's Hut! Thea will approach and you guessed it, its your faithful hound from Origins. I do wonder how come he didn't go with you on other quests, such as in Awakening and Golems of Amgarrak. I think it was explained in Awakening why he wasn't around but I can't remember right now.
Anyway, this is already off to a good start. I got my dog back! So, the reason why we are at Flemeth's Hut is because the Warden stationed scouts in the woods to monitor the hut, in case Morrigan went back to it and sure enough, a report came back of a suspicious looking woman entering the hut.
Its not Morrigan, but you knew that. Its a young Dalish Elf by the name of Ariane. She is also looking for Morrigan, who stole a precious book from her clan. Of course, with a common goal, Ariane joins. She's a warrior as well, who is disciplined in the two-handed variety. Honestly, I thought she was a Rogue at first with that discipline, until I looked at her character page. So, three party member slots already taken up. All three of them are Warrior Class. Yes, Dog counts as a Warrior.
So, the book Morrigan stole was an ancient book that has been passed down in the clan for generations, of course, with much of the Dalish history lost, even the Dalish themselves can't understand a lot of their old tongue. So, after Ariane mentions a word that she doesn't even know the meaning of (Eluvian) she brings up going to the Circle of Magi and reading from their library. Of course, with her in tow of the Warden she could get in.
So, we're going to get to see Greagoir and possibly Irving too, right? Wrong. Greagoir is apparently in Denerim taking care of some Templar business and in his place is a man by the name of Hadley, who immediately disapproves of your present company. What an ass. As for Irving, he just isn't mentioned, and being restricted to the first floor means you can't waltz up to his office and see if he's there. Hah.
Alright, before I continue I must mention that the party banter has returned, as in when you're running around your team mates will converse with themselves, currently you only have Ariane and Dog but it still gives a laugh. For example, one between Ariane and the future party member involves him telling her about a Mage by the name of Anders and one of his escape attempts from the Circle.
Also, in the circle there is a familiar little dwarf that will sell you things and enchant things for you. Dog remembers him "Hello, Doggy!" he exclaimed to the dog. I believe that's the only thing I've heard him say other than "Enchantment!" Good on you Sandal, you're learning to talk! Oh and for any wondering, no Bodahn is not dead. You finally get to ask about him, Hadley will say that he's trading in Redcliffe. So, why is Sandal still at the Circle and not with his father? His enchanting abilities has of course risen the curiosity of the Circle and the Tranquil Mages are "studying him" as Hadley said, learning from him so they may be as good of an enchanter as he is one day. I doubt it, Sandal is made of win.
I also need to point out a little something. Bioware totally slams Harry Potter, you can overhear two Apprentice Mages talking. I do not remember it word for word so I will summarize it. The two spot your hound and begin talking about the Circle should allow pets, the other mentions an incident with a Dragonling and how they are still picking pieces of another Mage off the ceiling of the third floor. Of course, he didn't mean dragons, he meant common pets. "Dogs, cats, rats... Owls." he says when the other quickly says "What kind of Mage has an owl for a pet?" Ah, I love it. Take that Harry Potter.
Anyway back to the explanation. Sorry for going offtrack. So, after you study the library for the meaning of Eluvian a Mage by the name of Finn, who comes off as stuck up, but turns out to be more of a comedy character than anything, tells them what Eluvian is -- it means looking glass, or mirror. He found it out after extensive research he says. Remember the corrupted mirror that Duncan destroyed in the Dalish Elf Origin? Bingo.
So, with Finn's knowledge, he joins the party for an expedition in the Circle's lower levels, as there is some information down there in the form of a statue. Yep, the statue you run into in the Mage Origin. Lots of references to Origins and Awakening in this DLC.
Hadley will mention there is something wrong in the basement and the Warden offers to help with it, however, he is unsure but of course lets them down. The Sentinels in the basement have become corrupted through Tears in the Veil, so, you have to seal them up. You also cannot get anything logical out of the statue as it keeps screaming about a darkness with the tears in the veil (six in all) in the basement so clear them out then talk to the statue.
It'll tell you were to go next and the things you need. First you need the Eluvian itself, however, a shard will do. You also need the Lights of Arlathan. The Eluvian Shard can be found in a Dalish Ruin, surprisingly enough its the exact same ruin involved in the Dalish Origin story, broken mirror and all. There's no boss in the ruin so I wont explain in detail here, get the shard and get out.
The Lights of Arlathan are within Cadash Thaig. Why a Dwarven area? Well, when the Dalish were on the run from the Tevinter Empire, the Dwarves apparently let them take refuge there. Anyway, the Lights are hidden within the area, there are four in all and they don't appear visibly at first. It involves a spell that is borderline blood magic as well. The lights will appear only to the blood of the Dalish, or something.
So, we take some of Ariane's blood. There are vortexes around the area that will show you where residual energy is being drawn, which in turn leads you to the Lights. Also, of course, there are enemies, Darkspawn and Deep Stalkers to be exact, that litter the area. Aw, why no Harvester? It showed dozens of them leaving the other place in the Deep Roads. Haha.
After you pick up every light you have to fight an enemy. They aren't too tough, though. You can also pick up notes about Cadash Thaig that will give the history of the place and give details of the Elves and their refuge here. It also counts for an Achievement/Trophy if you find the entire history for all you Achievement Hunters out there. Hah.
So, after you get all four of the lights, its time for the Scrying Ritual which will tell you where there is a nearby Eluvian, activated I believe, but I can't quite recall if its only activated ones or not. Anyway, Finn will be temporarily removed from the party as he does the ritual, protect him from Shades that pop up and that's it. The nearest Eluvian is in Dragonbone Wastes, the final area that was in Awakening, where you fought and brought an end to The Mother.
As you would guess it, there are dragon enemies in the area but there are also some cultists, I believe the same cultists from Haven. Which makes me think of a certain theory about Morrigan being even more true, but I will save that for another time.
Anyway, there is one boss in this DLC and its not Morrigan, like you would think. Its a Varterral(apparently called Striders for Dragon Age 2. Maybe just a similiar looking monster?), an ancient creature made by the Dalish to protect them and their stuff. How Morrigan brought one to life, I do not know, as even the Dalish in "today's" Ferelden say they are nothing but legends.
Honestly, this boss is easy, even on hard I had no trouble with it, other than Finn falling, but that's Mages for you. Damn glass cannons. When it loses a certain amount of health it will flee the field and small dragons will take its place, get rid of them, it comes back, lower its health some more, and it'll repeat. It only did this to me twice though before it died, so, I'm inclined to believe it is HP based.
Weird looking thing. Better than the Harvester, though.
So, after that, head into the lair where you fought The Mother and confront Morrigan. Apparently the Eluvians are also portals to a "world beyond this and beyond the Fade" as Morrigan put it, and yes, she has activated it. However, she claims she waited so she could see the Warden (keep in mind my character is a female, thus no chance of romance with her) again.
Now we encounter a bug here - since I loaded my Thea from my Awakening file, the game is treating it as if I refused the ritual, which I did not, because I was marrying Thea to Allistair in that file and needed him to be alive for such a thing. So, she is pretty vague in her answers with me. I'll need to try with it from my Origin file to see if its any different but I believe it all leads to the same conclusion.
Anyway, during the banter, because I don't want to spoil -everything- Morrigan will state that its not her that the Warden should be worried about and hunting down, its Flemeth. Now, I killed Flemeth in my Origin file, and despite the previous bug, it remembered me doing that. So, obviously I picked the "Flemeth is dead." remark, to which Morrigan exclaims that Flemeth has escaped death before and that this time isn't any different. She also tells us that Flemeth is not just an old woman nor an abomination. She says that she is not even human.
Huh... I must admit this did intrigue me and honestly I do not believe that this is the "final" DLC for Dragon Age as they claim simply for that bit of dialogue about Flemeth. The reason I say this is because in the upcoming Dragon Age 2, you do not play the same character, instead someone who fled Lothering during the Darkspawn attack. So, Flemeth of course would more logically have a DLC revolving around her with the character from Origins or that's what I believe anyway.
Anyway, you're given choices at the end of the conversation when Morrigan asks you if you will let her go. Two allows Morrigan to slip into the portal, one being friendly of course "Just say goodbye this time." and one being not so friendly "Go, then." I went with the first one, where Morrigan apologizes for everything. I just wanted to see what Morrigan would say, so, after that I reloaded my file and picked the final option "Never! (attack)" which I was hoping for, because I hate Morrigan.
I must say that it did disappoint me here. Thea lunged forward and stabbed her through the stomach. Shock evident on the Witch's face, even a bit of sadness can be seen in her eyes. Maybe she really did see the Warden as her friend? However, her death is not 100% rock solid. She grips at the wound on her stomach, stumbles back, and falls through the portal clutching her stomach, leaving her death unknown.
That honestly annoyed me but I'll roll with it. And, that's it. No matter what choice, after she steps (or falls) through the portal, the Warden and her group collect the Eluvian book she left behind as well as another (Morrigan pointed this out to the Warden, that she left her some presents) that looks strangely like Flemeth's Grimoire.
A score to give this.... I will admit that the majority of it is fighting and that there is not a lot of character development between your two new party members, but there is some, if only through the banter they have as you run around. Its more development and more story driven then both Golems of Amgarrak and Leliana's Song and it sort of ties up a loose end. I'll give it a 6 out of 10.
So, there you have it. Jeez, I did not mean to make it this long but I tend to ramble. Sorry about that. Izzy out for now.
Disclaimer: Spoilers lie ahead.
Oh, come on! I've mentioned before I love Dragon Age and that its my current generation game. You should have seen this coming a mile away or something. Anyway, to start off with, I am going to say that Witch Hunt is not long, like the other DLCs. I believe my clocked time is close to two hours. I'd have to load up my file and check, which I don't feel like doing.
The character I used is Thea, my two-handed female human warrior, the same I used in Golems of Amgarrak. I will eventually do this DLC (and the others) with other classes and other disciplines in those classes but for now, Thea it is.
First thing is first! Am I disappointed? Sort of. Its better than Golems of Amgarrak by far, because it has story backing it, but its still nothing spectacular. However, even with its shortness and the fact I am slightly disappointed with it, it is nice to see a loose end get tied up, sort of. I'll explain later. Also, your companions in this DLC pack are actually competent unlike the ones in Golems of Amgarrak. I never got frustrated with them.
I am disappointed in the price though. Most of the DLCs have been $4.99. Now, I have a Standard Definition television still, so, seeing some prices on the PSN store is a bit tricky. But I believe this one was $5.99. That's a little too much for what little it gives.
So, the story opens with Morrigan narrating, stating what she said to the Warden before she left "Do not follow me" and that some doors should be left unopened. After the small narration from her, we open with a Mabari sniffing the ground outside a familiar hut. Its Flemeth's Hut! Thea will approach and you guessed it, its your faithful hound from Origins. I do wonder how come he didn't go with you on other quests, such as in Awakening and Golems of Amgarrak. I think it was explained in Awakening why he wasn't around but I can't remember right now.
Anyway, this is already off to a good start. I got my dog back! So, the reason why we are at Flemeth's Hut is because the Warden stationed scouts in the woods to monitor the hut, in case Morrigan went back to it and sure enough, a report came back of a suspicious looking woman entering the hut.
Its not Morrigan, but you knew that. Its a young Dalish Elf by the name of Ariane. She is also looking for Morrigan, who stole a precious book from her clan. Of course, with a common goal, Ariane joins. She's a warrior as well, who is disciplined in the two-handed variety. Honestly, I thought she was a Rogue at first with that discipline, until I looked at her character page. So, three party member slots already taken up. All three of them are Warrior Class. Yes, Dog counts as a Warrior.
So, the book Morrigan stole was an ancient book that has been passed down in the clan for generations, of course, with much of the Dalish history lost, even the Dalish themselves can't understand a lot of their old tongue. So, after Ariane mentions a word that she doesn't even know the meaning of (Eluvian) she brings up going to the Circle of Magi and reading from their library. Of course, with her in tow of the Warden she could get in.
So, we're going to get to see Greagoir and possibly Irving too, right? Wrong. Greagoir is apparently in Denerim taking care of some Templar business and in his place is a man by the name of Hadley, who immediately disapproves of your present company. What an ass. As for Irving, he just isn't mentioned, and being restricted to the first floor means you can't waltz up to his office and see if he's there. Hah.
Alright, before I continue I must mention that the party banter has returned, as in when you're running around your team mates will converse with themselves, currently you only have Ariane and Dog but it still gives a laugh. For example, one between Ariane and the future party member involves him telling her about a Mage by the name of Anders and one of his escape attempts from the Circle.
Also, in the circle there is a familiar little dwarf that will sell you things and enchant things for you. Dog remembers him "Hello, Doggy!" he exclaimed to the dog. I believe that's the only thing I've heard him say other than "Enchantment!" Good on you Sandal, you're learning to talk! Oh and for any wondering, no Bodahn is not dead. You finally get to ask about him, Hadley will say that he's trading in Redcliffe. So, why is Sandal still at the Circle and not with his father? His enchanting abilities has of course risen the curiosity of the Circle and the Tranquil Mages are "studying him" as Hadley said, learning from him so they may be as good of an enchanter as he is one day. I doubt it, Sandal is made of win.
I also need to point out a little something. Bioware totally slams Harry Potter, you can overhear two Apprentice Mages talking. I do not remember it word for word so I will summarize it. The two spot your hound and begin talking about the Circle should allow pets, the other mentions an incident with a Dragonling and how they are still picking pieces of another Mage off the ceiling of the third floor. Of course, he didn't mean dragons, he meant common pets. "Dogs, cats, rats... Owls." he says when the other quickly says "What kind of Mage has an owl for a pet?" Ah, I love it. Take that Harry Potter.
Anyway back to the explanation. Sorry for going offtrack. So, after you study the library for the meaning of Eluvian a Mage by the name of Finn, who comes off as stuck up, but turns out to be more of a comedy character than anything, tells them what Eluvian is -- it means looking glass, or mirror. He found it out after extensive research he says. Remember the corrupted mirror that Duncan destroyed in the Dalish Elf Origin? Bingo.
So, with Finn's knowledge, he joins the party for an expedition in the Circle's lower levels, as there is some information down there in the form of a statue. Yep, the statue you run into in the Mage Origin. Lots of references to Origins and Awakening in this DLC.
Hadley will mention there is something wrong in the basement and the Warden offers to help with it, however, he is unsure but of course lets them down. The Sentinels in the basement have become corrupted through Tears in the Veil, so, you have to seal them up. You also cannot get anything logical out of the statue as it keeps screaming about a darkness with the tears in the veil (six in all) in the basement so clear them out then talk to the statue.
It'll tell you were to go next and the things you need. First you need the Eluvian itself, however, a shard will do. You also need the Lights of Arlathan. The Eluvian Shard can be found in a Dalish Ruin, surprisingly enough its the exact same ruin involved in the Dalish Origin story, broken mirror and all. There's no boss in the ruin so I wont explain in detail here, get the shard and get out.
The Lights of Arlathan are within Cadash Thaig. Why a Dwarven area? Well, when the Dalish were on the run from the Tevinter Empire, the Dwarves apparently let them take refuge there. Anyway, the Lights are hidden within the area, there are four in all and they don't appear visibly at first. It involves a spell that is borderline blood magic as well. The lights will appear only to the blood of the Dalish, or something.
So, we take some of Ariane's blood. There are vortexes around the area that will show you where residual energy is being drawn, which in turn leads you to the Lights. Also, of course, there are enemies, Darkspawn and Deep Stalkers to be exact, that litter the area. Aw, why no Harvester? It showed dozens of them leaving the other place in the Deep Roads. Haha.
After you pick up every light you have to fight an enemy. They aren't too tough, though. You can also pick up notes about Cadash Thaig that will give the history of the place and give details of the Elves and their refuge here. It also counts for an Achievement/Trophy if you find the entire history for all you Achievement Hunters out there. Hah.
So, after you get all four of the lights, its time for the Scrying Ritual which will tell you where there is a nearby Eluvian, activated I believe, but I can't quite recall if its only activated ones or not. Anyway, Finn will be temporarily removed from the party as he does the ritual, protect him from Shades that pop up and that's it. The nearest Eluvian is in Dragonbone Wastes, the final area that was in Awakening, where you fought and brought an end to The Mother.
As you would guess it, there are dragon enemies in the area but there are also some cultists, I believe the same cultists from Haven. Which makes me think of a certain theory about Morrigan being even more true, but I will save that for another time.
Anyway, there is one boss in this DLC and its not Morrigan, like you would think. Its a Varterral(apparently called Striders for Dragon Age 2. Maybe just a similiar looking monster?), an ancient creature made by the Dalish to protect them and their stuff. How Morrigan brought one to life, I do not know, as even the Dalish in "today's" Ferelden say they are nothing but legends.
Honestly, this boss is easy, even on hard I had no trouble with it, other than Finn falling, but that's Mages for you. Damn glass cannons. When it loses a certain amount of health it will flee the field and small dragons will take its place, get rid of them, it comes back, lower its health some more, and it'll repeat. It only did this to me twice though before it died, so, I'm inclined to believe it is HP based.
Weird looking thing. Better than the Harvester, though.
So, after that, head into the lair where you fought The Mother and confront Morrigan. Apparently the Eluvians are also portals to a "world beyond this and beyond the Fade" as Morrigan put it, and yes, she has activated it. However, she claims she waited so she could see the Warden (keep in mind my character is a female, thus no chance of romance with her) again.
Now we encounter a bug here - since I loaded my Thea from my Awakening file, the game is treating it as if I refused the ritual, which I did not, because I was marrying Thea to Allistair in that file and needed him to be alive for such a thing. So, she is pretty vague in her answers with me. I'll need to try with it from my Origin file to see if its any different but I believe it all leads to the same conclusion.
Anyway, during the banter, because I don't want to spoil -everything- Morrigan will state that its not her that the Warden should be worried about and hunting down, its Flemeth. Now, I killed Flemeth in my Origin file, and despite the previous bug, it remembered me doing that. So, obviously I picked the "Flemeth is dead." remark, to which Morrigan exclaims that Flemeth has escaped death before and that this time isn't any different. She also tells us that Flemeth is not just an old woman nor an abomination. She says that she is not even human.
Huh... I must admit this did intrigue me and honestly I do not believe that this is the "final" DLC for Dragon Age as they claim simply for that bit of dialogue about Flemeth. The reason I say this is because in the upcoming Dragon Age 2, you do not play the same character, instead someone who fled Lothering during the Darkspawn attack. So, Flemeth of course would more logically have a DLC revolving around her with the character from Origins or that's what I believe anyway.
Anyway, you're given choices at the end of the conversation when Morrigan asks you if you will let her go. Two allows Morrigan to slip into the portal, one being friendly of course "Just say goodbye this time." and one being not so friendly "Go, then." I went with the first one, where Morrigan apologizes for everything. I just wanted to see what Morrigan would say, so, after that I reloaded my file and picked the final option "Never! (attack)" which I was hoping for, because I hate Morrigan.
I must say that it did disappoint me here. Thea lunged forward and stabbed her through the stomach. Shock evident on the Witch's face, even a bit of sadness can be seen in her eyes. Maybe she really did see the Warden as her friend? However, her death is not 100% rock solid. She grips at the wound on her stomach, stumbles back, and falls through the portal clutching her stomach, leaving her death unknown.
That honestly annoyed me but I'll roll with it. And, that's it. No matter what choice, after she steps (or falls) through the portal, the Warden and her group collect the Eluvian book she left behind as well as another (Morrigan pointed this out to the Warden, that she left her some presents) that looks strangely like Flemeth's Grimoire.
A score to give this.... I will admit that the majority of it is fighting and that there is not a lot of character development between your two new party members, but there is some, if only through the banter they have as you run around. Its more development and more story driven then both Golems of Amgarrak and Leliana's Song and it sort of ties up a loose end. I'll give it a 6 out of 10.
So, there you have it. Jeez, I did not mean to make it this long but I tend to ramble. Sorry about that. Izzy out for now.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Golems of Amgarrak DLC
Note: This review is extremely challenging.
Hey... Don't look at me like that, that's the disclaimer for the DLC. Hah. I'm just mocking it.
And, just a little tidbit I'd like to throw out before we get this completely underway. I do aspire to be a reviewer/critic. I keep trying to get a job as such in local magazines or papers, but its kind of hard to get a job right now, but I will not give up. Anyway, personal life aside.
Thar be spoilers ahead matey!
Total Time: 1:15:07
That's my save right before the final boss of the DLC. If I hadn't spent my time looking for the research notes to upgrade the Runic Golem following me around I might have done this in 30 minutes. Sad isn't it? Especially for $4.99 (US). So, let us begin...
This DLC allows you to import any of your characters you've made in Origins or Awakening. You can also create an entirely new one for the DLC. But why would you do that when you have a perfectly capable character who has been built to your liking already? Thought so.
Am I disappointed with this one? Totally. At the price and the content. This should have been $1.99 or even less. I don't care if they had to hire the voice actors, its not a long DLC and I doubt recording their lines took longer than two days.
So, the DLC begins with a dwarf by the name of Jerrik Dace of the House Dace writing a letter to be sent to the Warden (your character) as he is in dire need of help and feels that after all the Warden's accomplishments that only they can help him. A team of twenty men, including his brother Brogan, went into the Deep Roads to search for Amgarrak but went missing. Wanting to find out what happened, and find his brother, Jerrik asks the Warden's help.
So, you start off in the Deep Roads with Jerrik (a rogue) and his pet bronto, Snug, who he nursed back to health when it was a baby. Does anyone really care? I don't. Snug acts as a summon, so Jerrik can't summon any of the normal Ranger summons with him present, however the "Master Ranger" skill does improve Snug's stats. Also, if Snug "dies" Jerrik can just re-summon him.
Along the way you will fight enemies, a group of Darkspawn but later the Darkspawn become scarce, running away actually, as do a group of Deep Stalkers. In the Deep Roads you find the deactivated Golem but continue on your merry way until you stumble across the Control Rod, so, head back and activate the sucker.
This Golem (it doesn't have a name) is kind of unique among Golems. It acts as a Mage. I know that sounds odd, but you don't get a Mage companion through this. Though the heal spell (Group Heal) the Golem learns isn't particularly good. I spent most of my time using the 300+ Health Poultices I had on hand instead, as the cool down time for Group Heal is kind of bad. Also, the Golem cannot be healed by poultices. Sucks for it.
After making your way into Amgarrak you have to make your way through the thaig using a unique puzzle system, certain doors or items will be shrouded in a colored mist and you need to find the right switch to turn the dimension to match that color. The first one you find is easy, the blue one, as it is needed to release Jerrik's brother, Brogan, and have him join. So, there's your team. Your own character, Jerrik w/ Snug the Bronto, Runic Golem, and Brogan. Brogan is a warrior, using the sword and shield style.
Now, I'm going to say this about your party for this DLC. They are worthless. Brogan is supposed to be a tank, more or less, I've never seen a tank fall in 4 or 5 hits. My character, who is a two-handed warrior, can withstand three times the punishment. What the hell Bioware? Have you gone senile in how to make a tank character? Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter too much. This DLC was not challenging anyway.
So, you go on your way, figuring out the very easy puzzle, getting upgrades for the Golem so it doesn't totally suck. Along the way you find notes left behind by the scholar, Darion, who was with the team. He keeps leaving vague warnings of the place and some kind of great evil down there with them.
There is very little story to go on in this DLC. Just looking for clues and notes to uncover Amgarrak's secrets. Throughout the journey you'll see this ugly little creature munching on bones or licking at blood puddles, but anytime you get close, it scurries off. Believe it or not, this is the boss of this DLC.
Before you know it, you're actually at the final boss. That didn't take long. Even on Hard Mode, which I did do earlier on my friend's game (he wanted the trophy for it but couldn't get it) the final boss was not really challenging. The only hard part comes with trying to keep your inept party members alive, especially the damned Golem since its the only means of a mass heal. In the end it came down to Jerrik and my Warden, spamming health poultices.
The Harvester (that is its name) starts the battle off by fusing itself with this massive hulk that it has apparently made. Its basically a giant fleshy Golem. It does hit hard but honestly, the real trouble comes from the constant supply of skeletons the thing summons. A final boss, with a constant supply of lackeys. Remind anyone of the Archdemon? Hah.
After destroying its fleshy Golem, it'll fight you (with a full health bar) once again as itself. It still summons elite and boss-grade skeletons to its aid but The Harvester in Round 2 is significantly easier and quite disappointing. Anti-climatic and what not.
After killing it, the Thaig begins to crumble, apparently the magic that was keeping the place intact weakened with the death of the creature. Jerrik is distraught at this as the secrets will be lost, but Brogan convinces him to leave. As they climb the stairs (with the Golem nowhere to be seen. Figured they would have at least tried to salvage it) with the place crumbling behind them, Jerrik still laments that all is lost but Brogan tells him that they are alive and that's what matters. So, as they leave Bioware pulls something out of a horror movie on us with a Harvester climbing the stairs as dozens more scurry into frame as it reaches the top, hissing and "biting" the camera to roll the credits.
Really? That's how you're going to end this bad expansion? A horror movie cliché? Whatever. I'm done with the DLC and I won't be going back to it except maybe to kill the Harvester a few more times if I'm feeling angry, I do have a save right outside the boss room, after all.
Well, sorry for this to be so long, I just wanted to cover it in detail, sort of. As for an official rating on this thing? I'd have to give it a 3/10. Its nothing great, no real story to it aside from the one that sets you into it, the majority is fighting. No character development at all, at least Leliana's Song had that, as little as it was.
Anyway, this is Bou - signing out for now.
Hey... Don't look at me like that, that's the disclaimer for the DLC. Hah. I'm just mocking it.
And, just a little tidbit I'd like to throw out before we get this completely underway. I do aspire to be a reviewer/critic. I keep trying to get a job as such in local magazines or papers, but its kind of hard to get a job right now, but I will not give up. Anyway, personal life aside.
Thar be spoilers ahead matey!
Total Time: 1:15:07
That's my save right before the final boss of the DLC. If I hadn't spent my time looking for the research notes to upgrade the Runic Golem following me around I might have done this in 30 minutes. Sad isn't it? Especially for $4.99 (US). So, let us begin...
This DLC allows you to import any of your characters you've made in Origins or Awakening. You can also create an entirely new one for the DLC. But why would you do that when you have a perfectly capable character who has been built to your liking already? Thought so.
Am I disappointed with this one? Totally. At the price and the content. This should have been $1.99 or even less. I don't care if they had to hire the voice actors, its not a long DLC and I doubt recording their lines took longer than two days.
So, the DLC begins with a dwarf by the name of Jerrik Dace of the House Dace writing a letter to be sent to the Warden (your character) as he is in dire need of help and feels that after all the Warden's accomplishments that only they can help him. A team of twenty men, including his brother Brogan, went into the Deep Roads to search for Amgarrak but went missing. Wanting to find out what happened, and find his brother, Jerrik asks the Warden's help.
So, you start off in the Deep Roads with Jerrik (a rogue) and his pet bronto, Snug, who he nursed back to health when it was a baby. Does anyone really care? I don't. Snug acts as a summon, so Jerrik can't summon any of the normal Ranger summons with him present, however the "Master Ranger" skill does improve Snug's stats. Also, if Snug "dies" Jerrik can just re-summon him.
Along the way you will fight enemies, a group of Darkspawn but later the Darkspawn become scarce, running away actually, as do a group of Deep Stalkers. In the Deep Roads you find the deactivated Golem but continue on your merry way until you stumble across the Control Rod, so, head back and activate the sucker.
This Golem (it doesn't have a name) is kind of unique among Golems. It acts as a Mage. I know that sounds odd, but you don't get a Mage companion through this. Though the heal spell (Group Heal) the Golem learns isn't particularly good. I spent most of my time using the 300+ Health Poultices I had on hand instead, as the cool down time for Group Heal is kind of bad. Also, the Golem cannot be healed by poultices. Sucks for it.
After making your way into Amgarrak you have to make your way through the thaig using a unique puzzle system, certain doors or items will be shrouded in a colored mist and you need to find the right switch to turn the dimension to match that color. The first one you find is easy, the blue one, as it is needed to release Jerrik's brother, Brogan, and have him join. So, there's your team. Your own character, Jerrik w/ Snug the Bronto, Runic Golem, and Brogan. Brogan is a warrior, using the sword and shield style.
Now, I'm going to say this about your party for this DLC. They are worthless. Brogan is supposed to be a tank, more or less, I've never seen a tank fall in 4 or 5 hits. My character, who is a two-handed warrior, can withstand three times the punishment. What the hell Bioware? Have you gone senile in how to make a tank character? Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter too much. This DLC was not challenging anyway.
So, you go on your way, figuring out the very easy puzzle, getting upgrades for the Golem so it doesn't totally suck. Along the way you find notes left behind by the scholar, Darion, who was with the team. He keeps leaving vague warnings of the place and some kind of great evil down there with them.
There is very little story to go on in this DLC. Just looking for clues and notes to uncover Amgarrak's secrets. Throughout the journey you'll see this ugly little creature munching on bones or licking at blood puddles, but anytime you get close, it scurries off. Believe it or not, this is the boss of this DLC.
Before you know it, you're actually at the final boss. That didn't take long. Even on Hard Mode, which I did do earlier on my friend's game (he wanted the trophy for it but couldn't get it) the final boss was not really challenging. The only hard part comes with trying to keep your inept party members alive, especially the damned Golem since its the only means of a mass heal. In the end it came down to Jerrik and my Warden, spamming health poultices.
The Harvester (that is its name) starts the battle off by fusing itself with this massive hulk that it has apparently made. Its basically a giant fleshy Golem. It does hit hard but honestly, the real trouble comes from the constant supply of skeletons the thing summons. A final boss, with a constant supply of lackeys. Remind anyone of the Archdemon? Hah.
After destroying its fleshy Golem, it'll fight you (with a full health bar) once again as itself. It still summons elite and boss-grade skeletons to its aid but The Harvester in Round 2 is significantly easier and quite disappointing. Anti-climatic and what not.
After killing it, the Thaig begins to crumble, apparently the magic that was keeping the place intact weakened with the death of the creature. Jerrik is distraught at this as the secrets will be lost, but Brogan convinces him to leave. As they climb the stairs (with the Golem nowhere to be seen. Figured they would have at least tried to salvage it) with the place crumbling behind them, Jerrik still laments that all is lost but Brogan tells him that they are alive and that's what matters. So, as they leave Bioware pulls something out of a horror movie on us with a Harvester climbing the stairs as dozens more scurry into frame as it reaches the top, hissing and "biting" the camera to roll the credits.
Really? That's how you're going to end this bad expansion? A horror movie cliché? Whatever. I'm done with the DLC and I won't be going back to it except maybe to kill the Harvester a few more times if I'm feeling angry, I do have a save right outside the boss room, after all.
Well, sorry for this to be so long, I just wanted to cover it in detail, sort of. As for an official rating on this thing? I'd have to give it a 3/10. Its nothing great, no real story to it aside from the one that sets you into it, the majority is fighting. No character development at all, at least Leliana's Song had that, as little as it was.
Anyway, this is Bou - signing out for now.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My Thoughts On Remixes
Alright I mentioned this briefly in my Robot Master Theme Countdown. #26 Pharaoh Man to be specific. Now, I don't mind remixes, people do it all the time and they do covers of songs and the like - its happened for years and its not going to stop. I can understand and accept that. However, I don't have to like it and for the most part, I don't.
For this particular subject I will use Mega Man music as a key example. When Mega Man Powered Up hit shelves, I was quite excited, I still haven't played it but I've watched other people LP it and do play throughs of it time and time again. I recently watched RoahmMythril do a perfect run of all eight Robot Masters.
Anyway, what I really disliked was what they did to the music. Now, on its own, I will admit that it sounds fine. However, when I compare it to the tracks of Mega Man 1, I come to hate the remixes. Its not necessarily because they are bad but its more of the fact that they do not have the heart and soul that the original music has and that is my major complaint with a lot of remixes and covers.
They just do not have the heart and soul that was originally put into the songs and themes. I know that I'm probably in the minority here with this stuff but I don't care. It is how I feel and I'm not going to stay silent on it. Its my opinion and I shall speak it. Whenever I play the Anniversary Collection of Mega Man, I always play it in the classic style due to this. I just cannot play the game with the remixed music. Its just not the same to me. And, I even feel this way about real song covers, its not just video game music.
Anyway, that's about all I can muster this time. It might not be terribly long, but it doesn't really need to be.
Anyway, yeah, Bou signing out for now.
For this particular subject I will use Mega Man music as a key example. When Mega Man Powered Up hit shelves, I was quite excited, I still haven't played it but I've watched other people LP it and do play throughs of it time and time again. I recently watched RoahmMythril do a perfect run of all eight Robot Masters.
Anyway, what I really disliked was what they did to the music. Now, on its own, I will admit that it sounds fine. However, when I compare it to the tracks of Mega Man 1, I come to hate the remixes. Its not necessarily because they are bad but its more of the fact that they do not have the heart and soul that the original music has and that is my major complaint with a lot of remixes and covers.
They just do not have the heart and soul that was originally put into the songs and themes. I know that I'm probably in the minority here with this stuff but I don't care. It is how I feel and I'm not going to stay silent on it. Its my opinion and I shall speak it. Whenever I play the Anniversary Collection of Mega Man, I always play it in the classic style due to this. I just cannot play the game with the remixed music. Its just not the same to me. And, I even feel this way about real song covers, its not just video game music.
Anyway, that's about all I can muster this time. It might not be terribly long, but it doesn't really need to be.
Anyway, yeah, Bou signing out for now.
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