This series is designed as a way to call attention to things, practices, places, activities, or anything else you might not be aware of that I think are worth checking out. I try to cover as wide a variety of topics as I can.
This week it’s videogames (yes, its all one word).
Currently on its fourth installment, the Professor Layton series of games for the Nintendo DS has quite a loyal following. It is essentially a puzzle game wrapped up in the guise of a mystery. To progress, players must solve all manner of puzzles, both classic and unique. It’s an ideal game for me since I rarely devote long play sessions to my DS, and this game is designed to be picked up, play a few puzzles, and then put down again.
The original Deus Ex (2000) is still regarded as one of the greatest games ever made. Played from the first-person perspective, it featured huge environments and gave players the freedom to accomplish objectives any way they saw fit. You could go in guns blazing, play stealthy, bribe, hack, run – if you could imagine it, you could most likely do it in Deus Ex. This often lead to unique solutions that even the developers couldn’t anticipate. Its success led to a follow-up shortly after, Invisible War (2003). Unfortunately, its development was focused almost exclusively to consoles, leading to smaller environments and severely limited freedom for approaching objectives. Human Revolution corrects those shortcomings, restoring the franchise to its original glory. A multitude of choices, beautiful, expansive environments, and an engaging story make this easily one of the best games of the last year.
This should come as no surprise. Bioware seems uniquely able to build exactly the type of game I want to play. Deep stories, interesting characters, tons of choices and, perhaps even more importantly, the consequences of those choices. Mass Effect 3 is a stunning conclusion to an amazing series.
Sleep well,
DTE
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