Banished

Banished is an indie city-building strategy game, released earlier this month. It’s currently available on Steam or direct download from the developer’s website. Links are as follows: Shining Rock Software and Steam.
I’ve been playing it quite a lot over the last few days, and I’m really enjoying it. City-builders have always been of interest to me, but the difference between this and other city builders I’ve played, is that this is the first of its kind that I’ve played where you start off in an older era. 

The game itself is very small and very simple. This doesn’t, however, make the game any less interesting or fun, as it still has plenty of features to keep you interested throughout. Sure, there aren’t as many features and options as there may be in say, SimCity, but it also means there’s not a lot you have to worry about in terms of forgetting to build something or running out of a resource.
So it’s the same concept as any other city-builder, you start off with a number of villagers (amount dependant on the difficulty you choose), get them gathering resources and building what needs to be built. Simple as. With food resources, you do need to bear in mind that there are seasons throughout the game, meaning as in real life, you can’t do farming during the winter. You need to either make sure you have enough in your stock to keep you going, or you need to find an alternative, of which there are a few. This was a nice change for me, as I’m used to games such as SimCity and CitiesXL, giving me the option of worrying about what resources I need next and where to get them, rather than whether or not I have enough police stations and shops for my town. Another function I liked was the ability to either control villagers separately, choosing what jobs they have, or you can use the taskbar to assign how many people you want on a job, rather than who.

The overall look of the game is incredible. I mean, for a game of this size, I was expecting it to look a lot like an older version of SimCity, but was very pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it looked, even set on a lower graphic setting. There’s flowing rivers, falling snow and smoke funneling out of the chimneys! In words, I really can’t do the game the justice it deserves, so let me show you:

(A close up with snow effects shown)

(Zoomed out in Summer with some in-game windows shown)

Incredible, right?

The soundscape of the game is very simplistic, yet pleasant. Nice background music and simple, yet effective, sounds. I’m glad it’s not overdone and a racket to the ears, as it would be very off-putting, otherwise to the gameplay.

Yet again, another game I’m very happy and pleased with. I know there are bugs which are currently being worked on, though fortunately I haven’t seen any myself, else I would have commented on them. The only things that bugged me are things I just find very silly and don’t make any sense, such as the fact you can have a child born in Spring year 2, and by Winter year 2 they’re already age 5. But the upside to this is that the quicker the age, the faster you have more adults you can work with, otherwise you’d be waiting a very long time in gameplay for adults to come along. As a result, even the things I did find strange really didn’t affect the gameplay negatively, so I’m still enjoying my game thoroughly.

I hope you enjoyed my latest review! I'm still working on Elder Scrolls Online and Thief so please keep posted!
Thanks for reading, until next time.
-KirreeH

L.A. Noire

So again, here’s another game that’s a couple of years old (released 2011), but it’s something I’m currently playing, so it makes sense to write my thoughts down!

When the game first came out it did grab my attention, but unfortunately the system I was using wasn’t capable of running the game. But since I got my new PC set up, I was ready to go and give it a shot!

  L.A. Noire is set in the late 40’s, post WWII amongst the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, and you control a patrolman named Cole Phelps (and later an ex-marine named Jack Kelso). The main objective of this game is that you do thorough inspections of crime scenes and places of interest; interviewing witnesses and suspects, eventually solving the crime given to you. Instead of levels, you are set with different cases, and you eventually work your way through various different department bureaus, giving you more variety with the crimes you investigate. The game is very linear with its storyline, the only openness coming from your choice of where to go next if you have a few places to visit for your investigation.

The two main focal objectives of this game are:

a) making sure you find all clues and evidence amongst crime scenes and places of interest,

b) correctly deducing in conversations if you believe a person is telling the truth, lying, or you doubt them. 

The difference between the doubt and lying accusation, is that accusations of lying must be given with proof or evidence found earlier. If you do end up missing evidence or misunderstanding a person’s alibi, it affects your overall score given at the end of the mission meaning an unhappy boss, or you can thoroughly annoy an innocent person you’ve wrongly accused for the crime.

  The gameplay is relatively simple. Simple WASD for movement, and Cole jumps over objects or across gaps automatically. Most other actions are controlled by the mouse, except when you are fighting, where you have the option to use Q to grapple or R to finish the fight. So this makes for very easy combat, as you simply click on the opponent to hit them (or fire your gun), and chasing someone is as simple as holding down W to follow them. Easy peasy. Simple enough for a child, although I wouldn’t recommend you let a child play, as there is some bad language and plenty of racial slurs used in the game.

When choosing your next location to travel to, it is once again very simple. Simply pull your notebook out, set your destination, then a marker appears on your mini-map to guide you there (or hold E down to make your partner drive as I always do). The notebook is also used to hold evidence notes, as well as choosing what question you wish to ask someone next during an interrogation. So again, all relatively simple to get the hang of.

  The graphics in this game I really do enjoy. Even now, 3 years after its release, it still looks amazing compared to other games being currently released. Every building, and the town itself is set out perfectly, making you feel like you are immersed in this post war era. And as for the characters? Phenomenal. All characters are very lifelike in appearance thanks to the MotionScan used on real life people. It’s a great feeling that when interviewing these people, they do actually look from side to side when nervous, or remain composed when telling the truth. The only complaint I have about this though, is that I have noticed that nearly every woman in the game looks exactly the same. Sometimes the only way to tell them apart is the clothing, which is a bit disappointing as there are so many different male characters with distinctive looks setting them apart.

  I am also impressed with L.A. Noire’s soundscape. Again, each character has their own voice (not always found in a lot of games), making them unique in that sense. The music is true to the 40’s era in which the game is set, and other sound effects such as knocking, doors opening, et cetera, are all true to life. An added bonus given is that when you are in a crime scene or place of interest, there is some distinct music playing in the background. When you have found everything of interest, the music changes so you know there’s no more searching to be done. Another element is that there is a jingle when you walk near an object you can observe. At first, it mostly jingles when there is actually an item of relevance, but as the game goes on, it plays when you’re next to anything you can pick up. This forces you to become better at deciding whether or not something is actually relevant to an investigation, rather than simply relying on the game telling you, like I did at first.

  Overall, another game I completely adore for all aspects and will play again and again (leaving enough time in between plays to make sure I forget correct accusations).

If you want a game that’s pretty linear in storyline, but also gets your mind working as what to do next, this is for you. It’s just superb and beautiful to look at as well.

  So once again, thankyou for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Any suggestions for new reviews are more than welcome, so let me know if you have any!

Until next time

-KirreeH

Jazzpunk

Jazzpunk. Finally a recent game! I just finished the game today so whilst it's still fresh in my mind I 
thought I'd write my thoughts down on it.

Now the intro. I absolutely adored the intro. The 60s style intro really gave off a great first impression to me, and made me really excited to play the game. Then you get to the first mission, and that's when everything changed for me. The basic storyline is you're a robot detective/agent type of person. But every mission you do, you're high. And I feel like tha'ts how I'd need to play the game in order to enjoy it. I'd need to be high.
Now I know the makes call the game a "first-person slapstick comedy", but for me, it was just ridiculous at some places. I understand that as the character himself is high (he takes pills before every mission called "missionoyl"), but even with that taken into account there are a lot of moments where you just sit back and think "what the hell was that about?".
For example, one moment in the first mission, you take a box of cereal, empty it out to receive a toy whistle which you proceed to blow at the phone in order to dial... What? Why a whistle? Why is the whistle in a cereal box? It just confused me. Admittedly, there were moments that did make me chuckle, but overall for me, the weird outweighed the good.
One thing I did like and appreciate were the mini games within the game, even the silly ones such a painting a woman's toenails, up to the Doom-style wedding arena. If you look around there are plenty to play, and they really are fun and silly, and add a little something to the game.

So as for the graphics. It was far too bright for me. I guess I should of seen it coming from the flamboyant opening scene, but the florescent colouring EVERYWHERE was a burden to my eyes. The scenery itself I also really liked (even if the colours made me squint), as it kept that whole 60s style shown throughout. It looked like a 60s cartoon which I thought was amazing. But the choice for how the characters looked, again I wasn't too impressed. Just a simple toilet sign outline for a person wearing different clothes and having a different voice than the last character. It also didn't really fit in with the game. I understand they're robots and it's set in a future like setting (due to the gizmo's and whatnot), so it's kinda... odd to me. A futuristic 60s? I dunno, maybe I'm missing something there, I'm not sure.
The music I really did like again, and it made the missions more enjoyable with the fun soundtrack in the background, however some of the voice acting was terrible, and I was glad for the subtitles underneath the character (although some words or sentences were missed out in the subtitles)

Overall, I'm glad I gave this game a chance. I really am. The good aspects of this game were fantastic, but unfortunately for me, the bad parts really wouldn't make me want to play this game again. I am interested to go back and see if I've missed anything, but I'd also be just as happy leaving the game be. One playthrough of this game really was enough for me.
Unless I get high... then maybe I'll give it another shot...

So thanks again for reading my article. 
Until next time
- KirreeH

An example of the bright, bright scenery in this game (screenshot taken from Google)

Deus Ex

Now, when I say Deus Ex, I don't mean Human Revolution. I am on about the 2000 released original here. The first in the series.
Now this game being 14 years old, is another game I grew up with. Admittedly my brother and I only played a demo we had for years until we found the game in a store, and our pocket money was put together to buy it. I think it was about £10? Best £10 we ever spent. Hands down.
Even to this day, I can start a new game and play for hours upon hours, just doing the most stupid things. I know there ARE ways of completing the game in under an hour, but I prefer to enjoy the storyline and the surroundings. Rather than worrying about completing everything quickly. Another bonus for me is when I can get a few friends around, I can play online games as well. Admittedly, the online community for this game is nowhere near as big as it was when I joined back in 2007, but if 3 or more people are in a server, its likely more will join.

Now the game itself compared to Human Revolution is a lot more linear. There's a lot less decision making to be had, and a different choice of words pretty much brings out the same scenario happening at that moment in time. Sure you might annoy someone and kill them, but overall it doesnt effect the end game. But the storyline itself I really enjoyed. Even at the start (not giving away any spoilers, even though the game is old) you come across scenarios you wouldn't of expected when you started out. And the ending takes a huge turn when you have a choice of 3 different endings. The first and only real choice you can make which actually impacts the story. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed the storyline.
The characters you come across as well are brilliant. Limited to only a few lines (hitting them will most likely bring out a choice of 3 different annoyed sentences), but they really make the story come alive. And I enjoyed throwing stuff at them just to annoy them cus hey, why not?
Finally I will comment on the weapon choices. Whether you want to try and stay stealthy with a sniper rifle, or blow everything away with your GEP-gun, you get a fantastic variety of different weapons and ammo types to play around with making sure the game is played the way you want it to be. Myself? I've always been a gunz-a-blazing type of person, so anything assault is good with me.

So as for the graphics in this game, at the time of release they were pretty top notch. Even to this day, I don't think it's an ugly game to look at. Compared to Human Revolution... well, it doesn't compare lets face it. The only downfall to me is that it could be very dark in places. There is a way around that as you have what's called "augmentations", one being a light you can use, but it's not on unlimited usage, so if you run out it can be frustrating.
Audio in this game I loved. The soundtrack I can listen to again and again, specifically the music when you enter Hong Kong to do a mission (Have a listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzvw8uSWucM ). And all sound effects sound true to what it should be. Only thing I would change is that a lot of voices are re-used, and the dialogue being limited. But it's one of those things where the good outweighs the bad and I really to find it a treat to listen to, even when I'm not playing the game I will happily listen to the soundtrack (no lies.).

I highly recommend if you've played Human Revolution, to definitely give this game a go. I know it's old, and the graphics aren't great and etc. But you really will have a great time if you enjoy a good fps game such as myself. And there is always the silly factor of being able to pick up many items in the game to throw around at people or distract them, and there are fun times in the sense that if you shoot a bad guy and hide? They'll forget about it after a minute or so (I always found that fun, no idea why...)
But yes, a definate recommendation for any fps players out there, and for 7euro on Steam? It's well worth it for the hours of fun it shall give you.

So thanks for reading, and again, any feedback is MORE than welcome so please let me know what you think.
See you next time!
KirreeH

"I wanted orange. It game me lemon-lime"

One of the best lines in the game, this is following a discussion between these two in which the man, Gunther Hermann, is convinced the maintenance man is against him, swapping drinks in the vending machine to spite him.

Minecraft

Trying to keep my first post, kind of short and sweet, I thought I'd start off with a game which I'm still on the fence about... Minecraft. Admittedly, it was my boyfriend sending me Yogscast videos which initially got my interest. 

Visually? I wasn't too fond of the graphics in game, but I did appreciate how different it was to anything else at the time. What made my decision to play the game was the idea of exploring this unique world, and I also loved the openess and the many biomes there are in the game. Gradually improving yourself as you explore above ground, underground or the Nether (for a nice challenge!) from wood to stone tools, building a furnace to smelt iron for tools, working up to the ultimate diamond. Making my first diamond armour piece, I felt pretty proud, not gunna lie!  And with the amount of mods out there at the moment, it doesnt end with diamond armour! There are mods for machinery, so you can make power suits you charge up and can make you invincible (perfect for everyone who hates those pesky creeper attacks!). 
All in all, it is a game I really do love. But it's a similar love-hate relationship that I have with The Sims franchise, and I'm guessing it's partly my fault due to lack of imagination? But I always end up stuck, with no idea of what I want to do next, and I don't like starting over as it seems pointless to lose everything and start from scratch knowing I'll do exactely the same I did last game, in a different map seed and most likely a new house.
But again, I know it's not a widely shared opinion as I watch videos and my boyfriend play hours upon hours, always finding something new to do, and keeping worlds for weeks at a time before deciding to start afresh.

At the end of the day this is my blog and my opinion, which personally is still on the fence as I do love playing the game, I just don't like to overdo it playing hours at one time, then finding myself bored soon after. But as a game in general, I really do appreciate and recommend it and I look forward and will keep up with all updates in the future. Its also a great game for all audiences, so a definite recommendation to all ages out there looking for something new to try out. 

So I'm hoping you like my first post on my first blog. Hopefully I can give more professional opinions on games in the near future. Please leave me any comment if you think I could use any tips, any help is most welcome!

See you next time
-KirreeH