Don't Starve: Why Can't I Get Into It?

I'm a big fan of Indie games. I find them to be refreshingly creative and original compared to some of the more mainstream titles we see on the shelves. I also enjoy the great majority of classical approaches developers have taken with their games like the top-down view in Hotline Miami, the 8-bit graphics of Minecraft, the retro style of Faster Than Light and side-scroll gameplay of many others. However, the open world survival adventure game, Don't Starve from Klei Entertainment has me at a loss. 

I love the concept of Don't Starve; it evokes images reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie mixed with something like Minecraft. You craft supplies from materials you collect, build fires to keep you sane in the night, explore caves and much more. The different monsters you find throughout the world are terrifying and add an element of horror to the game which I love. The game progresses through the seasons which alter your needs to survive. When you die, you are awarded experience to unlock more characters, each with their own perks. 

While it sounds fun and intriguing, I just can't get into it for some strange reason. The really weird thing is that I want to; I want to like Don't Starve but I can't bring myself to play it for more than 10 or 15 minutes before I move onto something else. I feel like I've explored the entirety of my world and I haven't come across anything particularly interesting. Then again, it's the only world I've played in, so maybe I should just die and generate a new world. If I were to die, I could also gain some experience which might allow me to unlock another character. I also haven't made it to winter which I hear adds more excitement to the game. I've also pondered if there are some secrets or lesser known features of the game I may not have yet discovered. 

Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll figure it out. I like Don't Starve and I want to enjoy it. Perhaps I just need to sit down and really grind for a bit and discover where the true fun is in this game. Have you had a similar experience with a generally well received indie game? Feel free to make suggestions for indie games I should check out too. 

New Walking Dead Mid-Season Return Trailer

[SPOILERS]

AMC has released a new trailer for the Walking Dead showing what fans can expect when season 4 returns on February 9th. The show looks like it'll pick up right where the first half of the season left off, the group of survivors scattered and the Prison destroyed. Now on their own paths, the remaining members are forced to survive out in the wilderness without shelter against hordes of walkers. Rick and Carl are still together while Daryl and Michonne seem to be fighting to survive on their own.

With the threat of the Governor and his army neutralized, we're left to wonder what new enemies the groups will encounter. Or perhaps being scattered, in the open and vulnerable to the elements will be their greatest challenge yet. Either way, Season 4 is looking to be a great improvement upon a lackluster season 3 with much more thrills and excitement.What do you think?

Angelina Jolie Seathes Pure Evil in New Maleficent Trailer

The most recent interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale is a much darker looking take that focuses on the villain, Maleficent which literally means, "to do evil." The dream trailer weaves together scenes of Angelina Jolie as the wicked mistress of all evil over Lana Del Rey's signing of the classic Disney song "Once Upon a Dream." Del Rey's cover of the song indeed creates a very creepy atmosphere, perfect for setting the mood of the movie. The trailer first aired on Sunday during the Grammy's, showing bits of rising star, Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora.

Sleeping Beauty isn't the only fairy tale to get a modern interpretation as of late. Snow White and the Huntsman featuring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth came out in 2012 receiving less than stellar reviews. Hopefully Maleficent doesn't fall to the same fate. The movie is slated for release on May 30th.

Jonathan Banks Joins Cast of Better Call Saul

Jonathan Banks has reportedly signed on to reprise his role as Michael Ehrmantraut on the Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul. Deadline is reporting that Banks will be a series regular in the Vince Gilligan conceived production which will chronicle the beginnings of ambulance chasing Laywer, Saul Goodman  before he was recruited by Walter White. Banks starred as the cold and calculating cleaner/enforcer who worked for methamphetamine drug lord, Gustavo Fring on Breaking Bad or as he liked to put it, head of security for Los Pollos Hermanos.

A former police officer, Michael also worked as a private investigator for Saul Goodman and got the criminal lawyer out of some sticky situations. Bank's performance in the first half of season five earned him an Emmy nomination so it'll be great to see him join Bob Odenkirk in this Spinoff series. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have also expressed their interest in reprising their characters but as a prequel it is unlikely their roles would be much more than cameos, but who knows. It remains unclear as to who else may join the cast. I feel Gustavo and Hank are strong possibilities for characters we could see return but I'll definitely be looking forward to some original characters as well.

Better Call Saul is slated to premiere on AMC later this year in November.

What I'm Playing

So this is a new type of article that I will occasionally post to talk about what I'm playing, my likes and dislikes and even recommendations. Note, I play a good deal of older games (2-3 years old) but I'll keep things fresh with new titles and stuff that isn't always found on store shelves.

Dark Souls - Xbox 360

So lately, what have I been playing? I think the question should be, what have I not been playing. I'll start off with Dark Souls. I picked this game up about a month ago after I got about half way through the PC version and realized I was leveling my character all wrong. Instead of using the min/max approach, I balanced my skill points and was being annihilated by common enemies. This time around, I put together a knight build, and played a lot smarter and with more strategy.

People warned me before I bought the game saying that I'd regret it, or return it, or that I'd get so frustrated I might punch a hole in the wall. I haven't felt that way once with Dark Souls. I've had plenty of "screw this" moments but I find the game to be more rewarding than frustrating. When I'm able to tackle a particularly hard area or take down a difficult foe, I feel empowered and accomplished. Completing parts of the game are also so rewarding because they unlock new mysterious areas of the game, ripe for exploring. While the plot is minimalistic, the game play is tense and exciting; I swear, my hands have never sweat so much while playing a game. If you're looking for a challenge and some good fun, try out Dark Souls. I should mention, I also went with Dark Souls because the sequel is right around the corner, March 11th.

Castle Storm - PC

Castle Storm is almost like Angry Birds meets medieval tower defense games. The 2D physics based destruction game comes from Zen studios and pits Knights against Vikings! In the campaign, you take control of the knights and ward off invading vikings using various projectiles, ground soldiers and magical spells. It sounds kind of hokey and looks childish but it's good fun. You gain money to upgrade your weaponry, train your soldiers and fortify your castle.

You can unlock special rooms to add on your castle that give you bonuses during combat. For instance, if you build a treasury room, you collect more gold on the battlefield. Build an architect's room to strengthen your castle walls from enemy attacks. These bonuses only remain active while the room is intact however. One of the cool aspects about Castle Storm though is that you not only ward off invaders but you are sometimes tasked with invading or destroying the enemy castle as well, so you need to be good at multitasking. The game also has multiplayer and cooperative modes which are a blast. Castle Storm is an enjoyable experience and the game is easy to pick up and put down, not requiring a great deal of time or devotion.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Xbox 360

After the mess of Assassin's Creed III I really wasn't that excited for AC IV. Sure it looked cool because it has pirates in it, you could sail your ship all around the Caribbean and hunt sharks and stuff but I wasn't ready to drop sixty dollars on the game. However, I had the opportunity to get my hands on a copy and I decided to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised by how addicted I became to the game. Note, I'm not really into Assassin's Creed so much for the plot line anymore, ever since Brotherhood and same goes for Black Flag. The plot is weak and predictable but the gameplay is great.

After a few missions of setting the scene, you come into possession of your ship and crew which you can sail anywhere you want in the Caribbean. This is the biggest world that Ubisoft has created for any Assassin's Creed game. Seriously, it's vast. In between my time sailing to different cities, I come across tons of awesome side quest opportunities such as searching for buried treasure, hunting animals for upgrade materials, searching Myan Ruins, destroying naval forts, harpooning sharks and whales, diving into ship wrecks and boarding enemy ships to steal supplies and ships to recruit to my personal pirate fleet. Yeah, it's pretty nasty the amount of stuff you can get caught up doing in this game.

Myan ruins and ship wrecks often yield items that while help you unlock special armor and weapons or unique upgrades for your ship, so they are worth your time. Combat is great as always in Assassin's Creed and the naval combat is leagues better than it was in AC III. Environments are also richer and more interesting than the frontier. If you're looking for a game to sink some time into, check out Black Flag.

Payday 2 - PC

Payday 2 has been eating up a considerable amount of my time since I bought it during the steam winter sale. I have two brothers who also bought it and I think I remember us playing it for the majority of two or three days while I was still on winter break. The thing I love about Payday is the cooperative play. Playing games is fun but playing games with friends is even more fun, especially when you're robbing banks and jewelry stores and smuggling drugs.

Payday 2 isn't some run and gun shooter where you can take a million hits or shoot every enemy you see. Heists require planning and careful coordination for things to go smoothly. Make a mistake and you'll have the fuzz all up in your business and that just makes things tough. In some missions though it's impossible to avoid conflict and you have to stick to your guns. Each heist isn't always the same either. You may notice small changes such as room locations, number of guards, camera locations and other things change each time you play a mission. It's a good way of keeping players on their toes. You can also increase the mission difficulty for higher payouts in both money and experience.

Money buys you weapons, upgrades for your weapons, and new masks as they become available. Players can spend experience on skills that are split into four categories, each with their own specialty and set of skills. There's the Mastermind, The Enforcer, The Technician, and The Ghost. Each class has a skill tree that you invest points into. My brothers and I took a balanced approach, one of us investing heavily into the Mastermind, one into the Enforcer and myself into the Technician. The variety in our skills gives us an edge and it's fun to plan out the heists based on what skills we have unlocked.

One of the greatest things about Payday is the thrill of the heist. Whether you're trying to keep things quiet or fighting off the police, it's always pretty crazy until you make your escape. If you like cooperative games and something that is pretty hectic but incredibly rewarding, look into Payday.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Trailer Shows Off Orc Hunting

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor just jumped toward the top of my most anticipated games list after watching this trailer because it easily looks like the most impressive Lord of the Rings game yet. Shadow of Mordor follows a Gondorian Ranger, Talion, stationed at the Black Gate of Mordor. The game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in a time of peace. The rangers guard the gate ensuring that the peace is kept.

While Guarding the Black Gate, Talion and his family are murdered by the followers of Sauron who are making their return. However, the ranger becomes bound to a wraith in the afterlife which returns him to Middle-Earth as half man, half wraith. The wraith gives Talion special abilities which make him incredibly deadly as he seeks his revenge and allows him to walk in the wraith world (like when Frodo would wear the one ring).

The trailer released by Warner Brothers Entertainment and Monolith details the game's nemesis system which allows enemies to remember previous encounters with players. If you encounter an enemy and they happen to escape or best you in battle (your wraith power resurrects you upon death) they go on to become stronger and can even be promoted in the growing army of Sauron. These enemies can attempt to hide from you, or even actively seek you out in this open-world version of Middle-Earth should they decide to hold a grudge.

The trailer shows Talion infiltrating an Orc camp as he hunts Ratbag, a slaver. A fight breaks out and Talion engages several orcs and goblins similarly to the Arkham games or even Assassin's Creed. Countering and grappling play a large role and Talion deals out some devastating damage with his sword in what looks to be some very fluid combat. Combined with his wraith abilities that allow him to warp up close to enemies and even slow down time (similar to blink in Dishonored) he is a force to be reckoned with.

Ratbag attempts to flee but Talion catches up and uses a power central to the game. Talion has the ability to dominate foes with his wraith powers. Players can choose to have an enemy spy on other foes and gather info, or they can command their minion to carry out an assassination. You can even gain a more fearsome reputation if you command the minion to spread word of your deeds. It isn't always that simple however. Based on the minion you recruit, they may lack the skill to carry out an assassination in which case, players can use this as an opportunity to follow the minion thus revealing the location of their leader.

Talion, bending an enemy to his will

I was truly impressed by what I saw in the trailer. It seems to be introducing a healthy variety of gameplay and the original story and characters to Middle-Earth sure look pleasing. The dynamic and ever changing world full of enemies that grow as you level up is also very intriguing and are sure to add some great entertainment and even a good reason to play through the game more than once.

Keep an eye out for Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC later this year and on this blog as more news becomes available.

Rumors: Pixar to Produce Star Wars Film

Rumors are circulating that Pixar will be making their very own Star Wars movie separate from the new trilogy being directed by J.J. Abrams. The report comes from the Latino Review which also claims that Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, John Lasseter is doubling his time at Pixar. It would definitely be very interesting to see a Star Wars Movie done by Pixar. While Star Wars is family Friendly, I imagine that even by Pixar standards, it would be one of the darker productions in their collection.

There is no news of when the film would take place but I personally would like to see a film showing the beginnings of Han Solo and Chewbacca. I don't think any actor could fill the shoes of Harrison Ford in a live-action film, even if they are meant to be a younger version of the cunning scoundrel. Harrison Ford could also provide his cocky voice to complete the character. I would even love to see some completely original characters in times long before any of the movies with more of a focus on the lore of Jedi. The possibilities for potential story lines are endless however when it comes to the Star Wars universe.

A fan rendition of a Pixar Styled Star Wars

Despite the fact that I am one of the biggest Star wars nerds ever and I would love to see this become a reality, I doubt what the Latino Review is reporting is true. While it is very possible that Pixar may be planning a Star Wars movie for the future and it makes a lot of sense for them to do so, I doubt they talked specifically with the folks over at Latino Review about possible plans for a Star Wars film. The end of the article also directs readers to not forget to follow them in all caps. This is more likely a ploy to gain views and to get their name out there with all the excitement surrounding new possibilities for the Star Wars series.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure we'll see a Star wars Pixar movie, but when that is will remain a mystery for now.

Fans Build Incredible Reaper Diorama

The result of four weeks' hard work

Two ambitious fans have built an impressive and intimidating scale model of a Reaper from the Mass Effect series. The model is descending upon a partially destroyed city of Earth and captures the true menace of the sentient machines complete with L.E.D. effects. The duo responsible for the project are Denmark natives, Daniel and Justina who operate a costume and prop building workshop called Roses and Boltshells. You can read an interview with the Duo on Bioware's Blog and all the projects they work on.

The Facebook page of Roses and Boltshells shows off more impressive work such as N7 armor and firearms from the Mass Effect series. What would you like to see Daniel and Justina work on next? Maybe a full scale Normandy, a Geth dread naught, or maybe even the Citadel.

Resident Evil 4 Ultimate Edition Coming to PC

Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 4 will be getting an HD remake exclusive to the PC. While an HD remake was released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, Capcom is calling this new HD remake, the Ultimate Edition, likely due to the fact this will be the first time the game will run at 60 frames per second.

The HD face lift will also include sharpened in-game objects, characters, textures and environments. The game will be available on Steam and will support the popular trading card system, and include controller support. Pre-ordering the game on Steam will net you the digital archives including 80 pages of Resident Evil 4 goodies and a 60 track digital soundtrack. The game will retail for $19.99 and will be available February 28th.

Resident Evil 4 was originally released on the GameCube in 2005 and several months later to the PlayStation 2. In 2007, Resident Evil 4 was ported to the PC and the Wii. The game has seen several editions already, some of which added extra content and story lines which will be available in this newest edition. While this new edition is making some improvements to an already great game, I have to wonder if people will really be intrigued by this. I played Resident Evil 4 on both the PS2 and the Wii, and next to Metal gear solid 3, it stands out in my collection as a game I have completed countless times (well over 15 times at least). Hopefully the excitement behind the game hasn't fizzled out.

I think it's also important to note that Resident Evil 4 was the last really good Resident Evil game to be made however (at least in my opinion). So I definitely wouldn't mind going for play through 16. You can check out some screens below for an idea of how sharp the game will look.

Nintendo Reviews Their game plan after $335 million loss

After a dismal holiday season, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "we failed to reach our target for hardware sales during the year-end, when revenues are the highest." The Japanese gaming tycoon now expects to post a loss of 35 million yen ($335 million) when their fiscal year ends March 31st, 2014.

The company has also slashed its projected Wii U sales from 9 million to a measly 2.8 million. To put things in perspective, the PS4 and Xbox One have been out for about two months now and both have surpassed 2.8 million units sold. Nintendo has also cut its sales for their handheld gaming system the 3DS from 18 million to 13.5 million units.

So what exactly does Nintendo need to do to crawl out of this hole? They refuse to allow their games to be played on competitor systems as well as mobile devices like phones and tablets. The company is also missing out on big titles like the year's best selling game, Grand Theft Auto V which had sold 29 million copies by the end of October. Nintendo will be facing even more competition this year as they try to keep up with the PS4 and Xbox One and their competitively priced predecessors, the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Both the 360 and PS3 retail for about $250-$300 and have a much larger game library available to them, including plenty of low priced used games.

It seems to me like all that Nintendo has going for them is the 3DS. They truly have no competition when it comes to handheld sales. The 3DS sold approximately 11.5 million units last year. While it still came up short of their goals, it did phenomenally well. The addition of the 2DS with an intriguing price point is sure to boost sales even further for their handheld market.

So what do you think? Should Nintendo drop out of the console market and focus all their efforts on their handheld systems, where their strength truly lies. Or, should they have more realistic business goals and develop a way to gain more traction for the Wii U?

New Concept Art for Dragon Age: Inquisition

Bioware has been dropping screenshots and concept art on the web for the past month. A new batch of concept art showing off a variety of landscapes and locations hit the their website earlier today. The art depicts some beautiful scenes and impressive mountainscapes which players will be able to explore along their quests.

There are also a couple of scenes that depict some rather grim looking areas of the game, one of which looks like a murky lake in an underground cavern! It's good to see some variety and that Bioware is interested in keeping things fresh in the upcoming game. The vastness of these scenes should also be taken into account and assure us that there will be plenty of exploring to do when Dragon Age: Inquisition is released later this year!

Details Surface on Next Hitman Game

I wonder if you can choose when and where to go...

Developer IO Interactive sent out an open letter to fans today addressing the status of the next Hitman game. The studio indicated the game is being built for PC and next gen consoles (Xbox One, PS4) and the Glacier 2 engine which had been employed for Absolution will serve again as the engine for this sequel.

IO Interactive says players, "will experience a globetrotting Agent 47 at the prime of his career," and you will again be working with Diana and the ICA. The studio is also diving into previous Hitman games such as Blood Money and Contracts for inspiration to create the ultimate Hitman experience. IO interactive is also taking a new approach to level design which will be checkpoint free and non-linear. The studio promises levels to be bigger and better than ever as they strive to, "create living, breathing and believable levels," that feature various ways to achieve your objective.

Contracts mode will make a return as well allowing players to once again design their own "hits" and challenge players from across the world to beat their scores.

IO Interactive is also doing away with Agent 47's "magic pockets." No longer will players be able to carry around a small army's worth of weaponry. This likely means that rifles will no longer disappear when they are not equipped. However, with Absolution's gameplay allowing 47 to use improvised weapons, I don't see much use for anything more than my Silverballers and fiber wire.

Axes make great improvised weapons

This comes as some rather relieving news after reports about a week ago had indicated the next Hitman game was being canceled. The reports were however quickly addressed and Square Enix gave a statement saying the game was in fact not canceled.

It's very good to see the game is still in production and coming along well. Hitman Absolution was great and a tremendous improvement over the previous games in the series. I'm glad to see IO Interactive is taking steps to make the game more believable and yet keep that distinct Hitman style in the series. IO is promising more news in the future, so here's to hoping we see more before E3 in June!

Xbox One controllers receiving custom treatment with Titanfall

The paint job does evoke a more futuristic look

If you're excited for multiplayer mech shooter, Titanfall, you'll be thrilled to hear that a limited edition Titanfall controller will be released on March 11th, the same day as the game itself. It sports a slick paint job that Respawn entertainment lead artist, Joel Emslie says resembles "a piece of military spec hardware transported from the universe of Titanfall." It is specifically meant to resemble a C-101 carbine, (which is stenciled on the right) a rifle favored by mech pilots.

There currently is no set price for the controller. Some reports say $59.99 while others suggest a price of $64.99. I suppose it would make sense with this being Microsoft and all for them to charge five extra dollars for a controller that doesn't include any rechargeable battery pack but then again, that five dollars gets you a sleek paint job on the first ever limited edition Xbox One controller. What do you think? Is the controller worth it or are you fine just playing with plain old black controllers? Also, did this controller make anyone think of paint jobs you might see on a star fighter in Star Wars?

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Packing for the controller

New Dark Souls II trailer prepares players to be cursed

I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of this

Dark Souls II isn't far off from release and before today, there were only a couple of trailers to show off the majesty of this upcoming title. The trailer also takes plenty of time to show off all the ways it will crush your soul and frustrate players as they traverse through a land filled with a new collection of horrible monsters including giant spiders, a giant lava demon and another giant composed of bound-together undead bodies.

However, the more intriguing bits of the trailer shed some light on the mysterious plot of the game. The voice of an old woman, similar to the voice from the opening of the first Dark Souls, narrates the pre-rendered cinematic which is breathtakingly beautiful. Players will take control a cursed hero who travels to a legendary forgotten kingdom by the name of Drangleic (spelling credit goes to IGN). The kingdom of Drangleic has some resemblance to Anor Londo of the first Dark Souls game, except it looks a little scarier, especially with all the dragons flying around it. The game's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki has made promises the game will be more challenging and this trailer does a fine job of showcasing what players will be up against. What do you think? Will you muster your courage and get Dark Souls II or would you rather avoid difficult and frustrating games?

Returning from a long hiatus

It has been well over a year since I made a post on what I formerly called Game Quest. I've changed the name and I might fiddle with it some more or I might even change it back to Game Quest. However, I have crawled from the dark recesses of my apartment to post once again for a class I am taking at Illinois State University that requires me to post to a blog. Honestly, I'm glad that this is an assignment because with the lack of time between jobs and school activities I haven't had the motivation to get things posted on here. I also don't really have a choice if I want to graduate, and damn...I really want to graduate. But this will be fun! So finally, I have received the push to start blogging again. Hope you all enjoy some of the articles that have been stewing in my noggin the past few weeks and are hopefully still relevant.