wasteland 2 • QSF5

5 Nov 2014

Wasteland 2 Review

by No_Style | posted in: Reviews | 0

I backed Wasteland 2 during the Kickstarter craze that emerged after Double Fine’s wildly successful campaign. Wasteland 2 was billed as the inspiration for the original Fallout game and since I didn’t have faith in Bethesda’s ability to deliver a post apocalyptic experience without jank, I backed Brian Fargo’s project.

Wasteland 2 played exactly as I imagined it would. It was a post-apocalyptic strategy role playing game that played like an open world X-COM: Enemy Unknown.

The combat kept me moving forward. The game wore its M rating proudly with its exaggerated display of gory deaths. I never got tired of watching little limbs fall off the bodies of wasteland scum after a powerful sniper shot ripped through their torsos. It was absurd but comical like a Mortal Kombat fatality.

2 Nov 2014

Checkpoint: Sunday Derby Edition

by No_Style | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

It’s Manchester City vs Manchester United and Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady today.

It begins with the Manchester Derby which might be over before the half with the dismissal of a player on the United side. There’s another 45 min to be played but with United being a man down, this could turn into a 1 – 0 win for City or a grinding draw.

This afternoon will feature two of the NFL’s great quarterbacks. I’m rooting for New England but Denver’s improved defense has me worried. I just hope for a competitive game.

Rivalry games spur up lots of talk about history and tradition. I enjoy the history part of it but I often wonder if players are as heated as the fans. Soccer rivalries are especially weird because club allegiances dissolve on a regular basis because of international duties. I’m sure players from the same nation hate each other for personal reasons but not because of tradition.

—

I think I’m at the final area of Wasteland 2. I’m nearing the 70 hour mark and I’m ready for it to be over. I’m already sacrificing Bayonetta time just to wrap this monolithic game up.

Was it really that big of a game though? I don’t think so. Bugs kept doubt in the air and I wasted quite a bit of time wandering. I think I could have shaved off at least 10 hours if the game was functioning as intended.

19 Oct 2014

Checkpoint: LED Woes Edition

by No_Style | posted in: Editorials & Features | 1

These LED right angle connectors all suck. The wired versions are a bit more reliable but not by much. I’m not sure if it’s the connectors themselves or the wiring that’s causing the problem; all I know is that I need to toss out the connector and replace it for my LEDs to work properly.

A search for superior replacements yielded these connectors from SuperBrightLED which sport a completely different connector. I would pull the trigger but the shipping costs gives me pause at the moment. I’ll consider it when I run out of these questionable ones.

The cheap nature of these LED strips are a double edged sword. It’s nice that parts like connectors, remotes, power supplies and the LED strips themselves are cheap but if I wanted something more like the ability to program the wireless remote frequency, I’m out of luck.

This brings me to my final point: Test out power supplies and other accessories as soon as you receive them because they could be dead on arrivals.

12 Oct 2014

Checkpoint: Thanksgiving 2014 Edition

by No_Style | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

Thanksgiving long weekends used to be filled with video games when I was younger. I used to play video games all day and only take breaks for meals. It was great.

I haven’t done anything like that until this weekend. I would play games for an hour or two per day but it was never an all day event. This weekend was filled with Wasteland 2, FIFA 15 and Diablo III. I’m enjoying my time across all of them and I can say they could all be in my top 10 of 2014.

Wasteland 2 became much more manageable after spending an hour or so doing side quests and rummaging through old areas for scrap and ammo. Now I’m overflowing with resources.

I wrapped up my first season in career mode in FIFA 15. It was amusing but I wish there was more fanfare for winning the league title. They also could have played up the fact that I could have won the title in the last game of the season. I also partook in my first online ranked match which resulted in a victory but also gave me a glimpse into the world of cheesing and lag.

I’m exploring the Diablo III rift system and the challenges that await there. I’m also experimenting with different builds based on the equipment I stumble across. I’m planning on creating a hardcore character for that trophy. It should be a very interesting journey.

It’s Sunday and I as much as I want to, I think today will be filled with things other than video games. Food and football will likely be on today’s menu.

1 2 »