An update on NWAP

By Owen Jones (Writer of Words)

Sometimes I like to imagine that someone actually pays attention to my musings on No Work, All Play. I’d like to think that somewhere, someone is wondering why I never followed up my promises to review mods (mainly Amnesia Custom Stories) on a regular basis, but I know they don’t. So I wrote this article, because I like pretending.

 Perhaps I’m simply trying to justify myself, after all I’m the one who loses out by not posting reviews. I don’t suppose it really matters why I’m writing this, only that I am writing this, and that we have a lot to talk about, you and me.

  I don’t know who you are or where you come from; hell I don’t even know if anyone is reading this. I might know you, I might never even recognise you exist, and yet here we are, discussing games reviews. I’m writing this in the present (or at least my present) and you’re reading this in the present (or your present). Though this present will be gone and perhaps even forgotten by the time you read this it’s still as real as your present. In a way this is breaking down the boundaries between our presents (not the woolly socks type) and allowing just a small amount of my ideas and opinions to be transferred to you. These ideas and opinions will change, more to the point I’ll change, but in a way a record of this me (the present me) will still exist and can communicate with someone (more specifically, you) across the gulf of time and space, as pretentious as that seems. And that’s amazing, even if it is about something as mundane as the ‘present’ me’s laziness.
Look, my point is writing is amazing. Stephen King (to whom No Work, All Play owes our title) once described writing as telepathy, and yeah, that’s pretty accurate. The truth is it doesn’t matter what I think about gaming (or any subject, really). The very fact that we’re communicating in itself is amazing, and that’s reason enough to do it. As I’m sure I’ve made clear I find this is amazing, and I love writing. Which is why I feel bad about not having posted anything in a while. Which is why I’m writing these very words.

 And I also love videogames. Sure, they’re narratively imperfect and have a long way to go before they can compete with mediums like literature or even films, but that’s what’s going on right now. Video games are still a relatively new medium, and are still developing and finding their voice, and that’s something that can’t be seen in any other medium. Only now are games starting to push the boundaries of what makes a ‘videogame’ and realise their full potential as a form of interactive media, and I find that fascinating. I want to be a part of that development, even if it’s by doing something as small as writing my thoughts about why videogames deserve to be talked about. Which, you’ll note, is what I’m doing right now.

So why haven’t I posted anything in a while? There are a whole load of excuses for me to choose from, but what good would that do us? Let’s just put it this way, time continued its procession and I failed to keep up, resulting in a lot of things that I wanted to do ended up not getting done. Like this blog for instance.
And now I have to make sure that I do post stuff regularly, or I’ll end up feeling bad and slightly disappointed with myself. Sure, I could say that I’m busy and have exams coming up and I’ll start writing stuff more regularly later, but then I run the risk of never actually doing it. And you know what they say, there’s no time like the present, even if all time is a present (just not this present).

And this also gives me an opportunity to explain how my posts will differ in the future. There’s no point in me posting traditional reviews, because whether you buy/play a game shouldn’t be determined by what some bloke on the internet said. Besides, I can’t tell you whether you’ll like something or not, I can only say whether I liked something or not. I can say what a game did well and what it didn’t do well, but at the end of the day it’s how you personally react to the game that matters. So instead I’ll be concentrating on just giving my thoughts on games, whether that’s my opinion or interpretation on a particular game or on games in general. And I’ll try to concentrate on the more obscure stuff, stuff that won’t get as much coverage elsewhere around the internet.

I wasn’t sure where I was going with this post, and I’m still not too sure where I did go. Still, I felt that I needed to let the world what was going on with NWAP, even if the world wasn’t listening. So thanks for reading all of that, you really didn’t have to. But hey, seeing that you’ve made this far you might as well stick around for a while. You never know, you may well find it to be worth your while after all...

Lost at Sea – Thoughts on Estranged Act 1

By Owen Jones (Shipwrecked Poltroon)

 

 

Estranged is a free mod-thing that released on Steam a while back (I’m lazy, ok?) Built on the Source Engine, but not requiring you to own any Source Engine game to play, it’s rather good. You should play it and form your own opinions on it, but if you’d rather inflate my ego then read on, but first a trailer:

Estranged stretches the Source Engine to its limits. The news about the Dear Esther port from Source only goes to show that Valve are concentrating on Source 2, and Titanfall may well be the engine’s final hoorah. When you consider this and the fact that Estranged is free then it’s hard not to be impressed by it.

The graphics are impressive, but it’s the lighting that really got me. The game is focused on atmosphere, so it’s understandable why the lighting is so important. The textures and entities are a mix of standard Source stuff and the developers own compositions (including a fully functioning swipe card, might I add). I’m not going to pretend to know a lot about the technology that drives videogames, but it impressed me and my limited understanding.

It is heavily implied that this person may have been injured in some way

Estranged plays out as you would expect from a Half-Life mod, though with a few alterations. Gunplay and physics-based puzzles make up most of the game, and whilst fairly standard it was enjoyable enough. The combat has been ramped up, with limited health and scarce ammo I found myself having to plan out enemy encounters rather than diving in.

The story is ambiguous, though sometimes needlessly so. The shipwreck and unexplained oddities created intrigue, but I can already start to guess at where the plot is headed. Then again this is only the first act, perhaps Estranged will surprise me. There’s no central idea here, or at least none that I could find, which is disappointing because I felt the devs could have done more with the setup. Still, the atmosphere is what’s important here.

I know for a fact that others found the whole experience tense, bordering on scary, but I was never personally engaged with it. Whether it’s my fault or the mod's, I always seemed to know what was around the next corner and wasn’t really worried when I turned it. Sure, there’s scarce ammo and the nasties remain eerily quiet (probably my favourite thing about the mod), but I wasn’t immersed enough to be affected by it. Still, this is my personal opinion, and I’m sure others will disagree.

I like the Monet-esque lily pads...

Basically Estranged’s first act is a nice little distraction and defiantly worth a look, but never any more than that. The puzzles and combat keep you preoccupied and exploring the island was a joy, but it never became immersed in it. It’s no masterpiece, but if you’re looking for a (relatively) short distraction this weekend then I’d recommend Estranged. Who knows, perhaps the next Act will be something truly spectacular.
Estranged has a website, modDB page and can be downloaded from Steam for free. Go play it.

Classic Game Review - TimeSplitters 2

Dun du du dah! Can you hear the fanfare, blazing out a triumphant tune, with everyone around it going absolutely crazy, screaming and applauding? No, of course not. This is me typing. If you can hear one, it's either because you're reading this next to a brass band, or you're just crazy. But, if there were a fanfare and masses of people celebrating, it would be because we've added a new section to our blog! Yes, now you can read brand new, refreshed reviews of the games you loved as a wee kid! It's Classic Game Review time! And we start off the first review with a bang, TimeSplitters 2. (Alun Owen, Triple-A Crystal Collector)

 

TimeSplitters 2 was a game developed by Free Radical Design, now known as Crytek. After the success of the first Time Splitters, the developers needed to live up to expectations and create another brilliant game, and oh boy did they. The game has two mission modes, single player, which consists of 10 missions and co-op (which has the same levels as single player, but the advantage of playing with a buddy). I know, 10 missions doesn’t seem a lot, but the great thing is that you can play these over and over without getting bored. Each level has a difficulty setting, easy, medium, hard etc. These difficulties not only changes how hard it is, it also adds new objectives (one of my favourites being Siberia on hard, where you have to destroy a helicopter on top of a dam). Every mission (except the last) is set in either the past or the future, copying famous films, for example, Neo Tokyo blatantly copies the dystopian sci-fi film Blade Runner, with the hovering police cars and even the same pedestrian crossing sound (yes, I’m that sad for noticing).

The objectives of each level is to collect the time crystals, that opens a portal, where you can hop in to be transported back to the space station where the game starts. Sgt. Cortez and Corporal Hart (the character you play as) are sent to collect these crystals to stop the TimeSplitters to use them against mankind. The TimeSplitters use these crystals to travel in time and change the course of history, spreading chaos over Earth. But, as Cortez and Hart reach the bridge to nip the crystals off the pesky aliens, 10 of them grab the crystals and jump into a time portal and are transported to various periods of history, like the Wild West and 1930's Chicago. Cortez pursues the aliens by bravely chasing them through time. In each time period, Cortez takes form of a person that represents that time period, which is pretty clever and adds a cool twist. 

No wonder that girl rejected you, mate...

There is also an Arcade mode, which has nothing to do with the main story. This mode has a variety of challenges, like holding off a horde of the undead or smashing the windows of Notre Dame with bricks. Crazy, I know, but so much fun. After completing a challenge, you'll be awarded with either a bronze, silver, gold or platinum trophy, depending on how fast you finished the challenge. 

The gameplay is superb. Yes, it's complete rip off of the classic Goldeneye for the N64, but this game is full of parodies and spoofs, and this tops it off. You get the classic crescents on the side of your screen displaying your health and body armour and the first person view. But, what makes this truly special is that it's not cheaply made, at times I thought I was actually playing Goldeneye. The vast arsenal of weapons you possess as well is tremendous, so many ways of killing your enemies! Weapons vary from a double-barreled shotgun to a rocket launcher and proximity mines. What would have been nice have been some melee weapons, that would add some competition if you and your friends wanted to play a murderous game of knifes only.

Goldeneye has improved its graphics. Oh wait...

All of the above make this game excellent, but what nudges this game from a great game to an OMG BEST GAME EVER is the multiplayer. There are so many maps to choose from, and even more game modes, tons of them. And, I mean tons. You can choose from the classics like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag and newer game modes, like Virus. Most of these are brilliant to play, others, like nearly all FPS's, are duds, so just avoid these (modes like Leech). You can also play with your friends or against bots. The AI in the multiplayers are usually up to scratch, with occasional neat rolls to dodge your bullets. Yet, there are some errors, sometimes they just stop in their tracks and start running around in a circle. Very frustrating, I know, especially in a game of Flame Tag, where one of you has to sacrifice yourself to be 'tagged' to carry on the game. If you want a good scare, play Flame Tag in the map Hospital. Those narrow corridors and dark halls are haunting, you never know what's gonna pop out... 

Get your own toilet!

Going back to the Challenge mode, you complete these mini-games to unlock new characters and weapons. There are about 120 characters to be unlocked, ranging from your standard Soviet guard to a flying genie snowman, and to top it all off, a hand. You will never get bored of these characters, and after a while, you will settle for a character and you will love and cherish him/her/it (mine being the snowman. C'mon, it's a flying snowman!). These characters also have stats as well, like Accuracy and Agility, but if you want a fair game you can disable this (not that it changes much anyway).

High Five!

So, this is a must buy for any gamer wanting a good ol' fashioned FPS, without the crappy online filled with racist 12-year-old children and a good, solid Story line. Okay, they could've added a bit more missions and developed some more, like the Return to Planet X mission, which is very dull to play with little interesting objectives. I also feel that Free Radical Design rushed the game a bit, how did they not notice the characters running like headless chickens? But, except for these minor niggles and faults, this game is by far one of the most fun split-screen game to play to date. Every map you'll enjoy playing, every character has a specific personality to them and you'll never tire of picking up a double-barreled shotgun and blasting the head off a stinking zombie. This is also the best game in the TimeSplitters series, and at the moment, it will be relatively cheap. So, if you have a GameCube, a Play Station 2 or an Xbox, go down to the nearest gaming shop (or pop online) and grab yourself this game! It's Time consuming, and it will Split your sides with laughter! (Weak pun to end review). 

Fighting Fire with, well... Fire – A ‘Little Inferno’ Review

Fighting Fire with, well... Fire – A ‘Little Inferno’ Review

  

 By Owen Jones (Indie Game Pyromaniac) 

I’ve literally just finished playing Little Inferno, and I can confidently say it’s among the stupidest and strangest games I’ve played, and that’s by no means a bad thing. Little Inferno is, as the title suggests, a game about burning things, so if you don’t particularly fancy defacing property or getting in trouble with the law then Little Inferno is a great way to satisfy the pyromaniac within you. I have no idea who thought up this game or who thought it was a good idea, but I’m damn glad they did.

Here’s a wacky trailer for a wacky game:

The trailer doesn’t show any gameplay so I’ll try to briefly explain that now. Clicking and holding the mouse creates fire for you to burn things in your 'Little Inferno Entertainment Fireplace'. Items cost money and take time to deliver, but do not fear you gain money and stamps by burning things for reasons that are never fully explained, so you can buy more items to burn and receive them faster. There are also combinations for you to find, adding a puzzle element to the game. Though the gameplay gets very dull after two hours or so watching things burn was more fun than I expected, and managed to keep my interest for long enough to complete the game, though only just.

And that’s my primary criticism, the game gets very dull. It’s trying to tell us something about video games, micro transactions and so forth, and though this is interesting stuff it sacrifices a lot of the fun I originally got from Little Inferno. Having to wait for the items to be delivered before I could burn them was a pain, and though the stamps that speed the delivery up lessen the blow they weren’t enough, and as a result I spent many minutes waiting rather than playing.

Prometheus stole fire from the Gods so that Man might burn miniature scarecrows

The game is surprisingly theme orientated. Consumerism plays a huge part in Little Inferno, as does its critique of Video Games and its effects, as I mentioned before. The plot is existent though not prominent until the end. As you burn things letters are delivered from your neighbour or the Weather Forecast reporting on how cold it is. The writing was often humorous; but never really laugh out loud funny, though it broke up the gameplay well.

The game takes an unexpected twist towards the end, becoming surprisingly charming and even heart warming (no pun intended). I don’t want to spoil it to you but the gameplay and even tone of the game changes completely, and in my opinion for the better.

Er, thanks... I guess

The ending is terrific; it’s just getting there that’s the problem. I appreciate what Tomorrow Corporation were trying to tell us, but there was just too much grinding and waiting to get any real joy after the first few catalogues of items.

And this is a great shame because watching things burn is a lot of fun. The fire animations are gorgeous and the developers have poured a lot of creativity into the items and how they burn. Perhaps with more stamps or shorter deliveries I might have appreciated all this a lot more, but as it was I was left merely smirking at the game’s gags.

And the themes are interesting, and I can't help but feel they could have found a way of discussing them without all the grinding. As it is I feel the sacrifices to the gameplay are too great a price to pay, which is strange because I often disagree in cases like this. I think, however, that the general premise of the game is enough to convey the portrayal of consumerism, and though the delivering of items expands on this it isn't necessary and is just too long to wait between burning things (which really is a lot of fun).

Why settle for a bike or a pirate when you can have both? Because it's a stupid idea? Yeah, good point.

As I’ve already mentioned, once you’ve burnt everything under (and including) the Sun the game takes a turn for the better, justifying completing the main section of the game.The combinations does add a layer of replayability, but I have no desire whatsoever in trying to find all 100 of them.

But does it justify buying the game? Certainly not at full price, currently just under £7 (around $11.50 or €8.50). Considering I got it in a Humble Bundle it felt more like a nice inclusion than a full purchase, and I’m not sure how I’d see the game if it were the other way round. Though that Bundle’s long gone if you can get it in another bundle or in a particularly good sale then it would definatly be worth buying, but not at full price. Don’t get me wrong, Little Inferno isn’t a bad game, just rendered dull and repetitive by a few unnecessary mechanics. There are defiantly some very good things in here, but these are unfortunately separated by these mechanics.

You can buy Little Inferno from Steam or directly from the developers, Tomorrow Corporation. It's also available for the Wii U or your tablet/phone (which might work better than on the computer).

Generally good advice for life