Left 4 Dead 2 - The Parish

Having got most of the easier achievements in L4D2 together, my sister and I have been looking for more difficult ones to do. Mostly because we're both indecisive as heck and can never decide on what level to play without some kind of guidance!

We decided to brave one with a perceived higher difficulty, crossing the bridge of 'The Parish' level finale in under 3 minutes. The whole level is a gauntlet, running across a bridge that's been bombed out by the military while zombies swarm from all sides. It seemed impossible to get everyone this achievement, as at our best we could get maybe once person to the helicopter at the end alive, though most times we failed all together.

It became more and more apparent that this level somewhat goes against the grain of the rest of the game, at least for people at our skill level (which is low!). The game relies heavily on teamwork, however this level we seemed to have our best chances when we just went for it and ignored everyone else. As long as you weren't dead, merely knocked down to the ground, one person could get on the helicopter and take off (it won't take off while other people are alive and running)! So it became our tactic to just make a mad dash for the helicopter, and if someone was behind still when another person made it, it was their solemn duty to jump off the bridge so that the helicopter would take off within the time limit. Surprisingly, this worked remarkably well, and even the bridge-jumpers got their achievement.

I know now however to look out for my sister in a real zombie apocalypse, she was the best at ruthless play! She made it to the helicopter the most times and the fastest, leaving the rest of us and our helpless screams in the dust! (jk, I still love you)

 

Sorry broskies, this is one bridge I gotta burn! You don't have to be faster than the zombies, just faster than your friends right?

Civilation V

I was just starting to get into the swing of Civ IV when V came out. As such, I didn't get Civ V immediately, not particularly ready to re-learn the game over again. However, later the game went on sale on Steam, so that's when I finally caved.

The new game is quite shiny and stylish in appearance. Everything is very attractive visually. It's been changed quite a lot, new civilizations available and different sorts of benefits for each.

There are also the inclusion of 'City-States' in V. They aren't actual players, but merely one-city mini civilizations essentially. You can't trade with them but you can win their favour by completing tasks for them, in which case they'll give you their resources. Or you can simply destroy them. They add another aspect to diplomacy however, as you can choose to protect them. If you go to war with another civilization, your City-States go to war as well, with each other and the offending civilizations that protect them. Each City-State has a particular trait, such as Cultural or Military. In the event that you do go to war, Military is a good trait to have at your side, as they will periodically give you a brand-spanking-new military unit, and tend to have quite a few of their own.

Unfortunately war in general is not looked well upon in the game. That is one major change that I'm not sure how I feel about. Perhaps it is more accurate, but it means that you really can't have an easy time if you choose to be a warmonger. Other civilizations will hate you, forever. Even if they didn't like the guy you were wailing on, they still find you despicable for taking care of their problem. The nerve of some people, amirite?

Anyway, it's a good looking game, still quite fun. But don't expect to be going on too many religious campaigns or conquering the world without some complaint!

Nebuchadnezzar thinks you're a warmongering douche!

Fable 3

I remember playing the original Fable quite a while ago. I skipped number 2  simply because of lack of funds, interest, and the PC version not coming out immediately as I seem to recall. I'm also told however that it is an inferior game and I'm not missing a whole lot, so I'll save my money for something else! Fable 3 was on sale on Steam however at one point so I decided to go for it.

It's no Dragon Age, but it is entertaining at least. While set in a medieval, fantasy sort of setting, it incorporates elements of steam punk. There's still swords and magic, but there's also guns, industry, and strange mechanical contraptions. All in all, a fun sort of environment.

It's a little more goofy than Dragon Age however. It has humour and it doesn't take itself quite as seriously. This isn't a bad thing of course, I love humor, especially British humour. It just means that it's not quite intense of a story to immerse yourself in. Whereas Dragon Age is the kind of fantasy story that keeps you engaged and wanting to find out more, I suppose Fable 3 is simply a bit more casual even if interesting.

It does however have something major going for it. I never bothered to read any reviews nor do I know anyone who played it and so didn't have any spoilers ruin the story for me.

For most of the game you're lead to believe that it's a fairly straight forward story. Your brother, the King, is an asshole, and nobody likes him. It's your job to overthrow him and make things better (or worse if you're playing an 'evil' character though I think it makes more sense if you're good)! Never for a moment does the game really elude to the fact that anything else is going on, or that there's more to the story then that simple objective. You travel the lands winning favour and gaining allies so you can take your brother down.

It isn't until you're down to your last potential allies that the story suddenly takes a turn for the dark and mythical.

One of your commanding allies is unexpectedly executed, and it starts to go downhill from there. His last communication to you was that you would find allies in a far off desert land. However, when you rush there you're shipwrecked along the way, losing track of another of your important allies and left alone with your original companion from the start, Walter, your mentor. Having no real idea of where you are, the only way to move forward seems to be through a dark cave. That's not ominous at all!

However there's some kind of magical barrier covering the entrance. Skeletons laying in the dirt around the barrier hold a journal or two, though it seems to be merely filled with insane ramblings. In a feat of brilliance, Walter finds another journal with strange phrases in it and decides to read from it. What could possibly go wrong there? Conveniently the barrier opens and you're able to transverse down into the dark, suspicious cave, before the barrier closes behind you again. No worries, I'm sure that's perfectly normal. Let's congratulate Walter for becoming a novice magician!

The further you go in the cave the more ominous things become predictably. You encounter a creature, or perhaps entity is a better word, called The Crawler. You never see the Crawler much, but you certainly hear him. He speaks cryptic, slightly foreboding words and sends fleets of shadows to attack you, jeering all the way. It's actually fairly disturbing, playing off the darkness and seeming to suggest that the characters will 'lose all the light' within them. Having found skeletons above the cave above, one starts to realize that they likely met an end to the Crawler, though not before having the time to go crazy first. Unfortunately, Walter starts to lose his shit as well.

Having always been one of the stronger, more resolute characters from the beginning, this is slightly concerning. At one point the torch is blown out and he all but panics, but manages to light it again and throw it into the Crawler's face, presumably killing or scaring him away. Unfortunately this is only a ruse, and it seems the Crawler has an unhealthy fascination with Walter!

At a convenient moment when you've jumped down but Walter has yet to, the Crawler returns and drags him away. At this point, with the new trend of allies disappearing I was starting to believe that Walter was actually quite dead and that I wasn't going to have any allies to face my brother with. It was rather a pain since I'd put so much work into getting them in the first place, but I thought perhaps this was the game's way of 'toughening up' the hero.

It turns out that Walter at least is still alive, though blinded by the Crawler. You have to fight even more powerful constructs and shadows before you're able to free Walter from the Crawler's clutches and drag Walter to safety in the sunlight at the end of the cave.

It soon becomes apparent that the Crawler is actually the real villain of the game, almost killing your character as well. As it turns out, your brother knew about the whole thing! All his hard ass laws and extortionate taxes were in an effort to prepare for the Crawler coming to your lands. You have the option to follow in his footsteps or try to raise the money even while maintaining benevolent policies, though this is much more difficult.

I thought this was a fairly clever twist, I certainly never saw it coming or expected it, though I admit I was glad for the extra 'oomph' to the story. I'm also proud to say that I was able to save my kingdom while remaining a benevolent ruler, removing child labor and other such harsh laws. The only real downside is that the 'good' luck is rather dorky, and the evil quite badass. But these are small details!

Fable 3 is a game I'd recommend for anyone who's a bit bored and wants something to do but doesn't need it to be earth shatteringly good. The added bonus is that you can actually join up with your friends and play in their world and vice versa. Knowing how much money you needed at the end of the game to be able to save your kingdom, I made sure to donate my extra funds after I finished to my sister when she played next. I didn't tell her what it was for, just that she was going to need it!