As much as I loved my time here on VGCC, I think it’s time I began a new journey. Through a combination of dumb luck and opportunism, I somehow snagged a contract with Paste Magazine’s Tech section. I’ll be covering digital photography and video products, which almost makes the mountain of debt and time invested in a degree seem worth it. It’s a whole new world to dive into, and my stomach flips every time I think about it. The only reason I was able to get to this point was every article, every podcast, every minute working with the team here, and I cannot forget that. You never realize what you need to bring to a job until someone shows you what it takes. In my first year of writing I learned very quickly that no matter how much practice and personality you have stored up, it amounts to nothing if you don’t lay it on the paper. Wanting to write for a living is one thing, but taking the time to improve and work with a team is the first step to actually doing it. And I have no doubt that taking the first steps here on Chooch is the best decision I’ve made in years.

Thank you, first and foremost, to the team here at Chooch, for letting me on board this crazy train. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read my articles and survive my Persona only phase. The friends I brought along with me and the ones gained here are quickly becoming steadfast pillars I can lean on. I hope anyone who enjoyed my presence here will keep an ear to the ground for me.

I’ll still be playing plenty of games and griping about them on Twitter, but it’s high time for someone else to do it on here. No one knows what the future holds but when it comes, it hits like a train.

-Devin “Maestro” Hall

The post This Is My Stop appeared first on Gamesline.

The theme and design of this game are tongue-in-cheek references to old, schlocky science fiction films that flooded the theaters in the 60s and 70s. Where this shines best is human-like enemies including lizard people and walking squids are represented by actors in rubber suits while larger monsters ranging from dinosaurs to the classic massive gorilla are stop motion animatronics a la Jason and the Argonauts or King Kong. This is a great way to make fodder enemies stand out, and makes boss battles a little more interesting to watch. Audio and soundtrack are just as classically designed, from the laser blasts to the bombastic movie score, like a special edition of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Woven into the game is a parody laden commentary track between the aging director of this film and the hotshot, young director interviewing him. It’s bad. Every imaginable low brow joke that could come from this genre about women’s place in films, paying staff, and cutting corners is there. It’s on by default, and I left it on in case it offered any semblance of humor, narrative or hints. It didn’t. Luckily, the game allows this feature to be deactivated allowing a less cluttered experience.

The protagonists are straight out of a sci-fi script: The dashing male lead, the femme fatale, and the Robot. Just, “the Robot”. Each character has their own special attacks and power ups that both enhance combat and solve puzzles and traps strewn throughout the game. These powers further play on the low-fi special effects feel of the game to humorous results; at one point, landmines are necessary to clear giant boulder props, which comically deflate instead of explode. Combat features both ranged and melee weapons ripped directly from old movie sets, such as laser blasters, Amazonian spears, a gun named after Tesla (because of course it’s named after Tesla). Weapon customization switches up the flow of combat and rewards finding parts and money strewn about. Upgrades are noticeably effective at enhancing combat and make enemies easier to handle.

The world itself, billed as an alien world inhabited by dinosaurs, talking chimps, and conveniently human rulers, is inconsistently interesting. Towards the beginning, the flat nature of the arenas makes for a droll experience, but as the game approaches the titular tower, the verticality adds a new layer to both platforming and combat. Climbing the tower stands out as the highlight of the game, as new paths and challenges open up with upgrades and exploration. The game makes it easy to recover progress on the climb with fast travel and checkpoints, as well as a quick do over button should you slip off the edge. Alleviating the pressure of messing up allows for more risk taking and encourages jumping off the tower for various rewards ranging from a free fall ring collecting mode, straight out of MDK, to laser trick shots off the side of the tower. Progression quickly falls to the wayside when chasing the extras, but the generous checkpoints prevent backtracking down the line. Jumping back and forth between story and side missions makes for an enjoyable, albeit short game experience.

In its efforts to mimic B-tier, popcorn flicks, this game comes off as its own kind of B-tier experience. The story is background noise, the characters are forgettable, and at times it’s bordering on passable. There’s just enough watercooler material here to keep things interesting, such as the monster effects and designs, and picking up the game for thirty minutes to an hour will bring you some rewarding moments and laughs. There’s a good amount of events around the map to keep things moving, and the game never punishes venturing off the path. Nothing about the main quest will draw you in, but between the side quests and the effects, there’s enough there to enjoy.

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5. Fallout 4

Ahh, Boston. Not even a nuclear winter can wipe away the charisma you ooze. I was harsh in my review of Fallout 4 because I wanted to sink hours into this wealthy wasteland, but around every corner-especially near Trinity Tower-things were troublesome. And it was the kind of trouble I wasn’t looking for. For every vast landscape and deep weapon customization the game tauted, the sheer lack of performance on the console version hindered my enjoyment. But it equaled out to a positive experience; I kept coming back for more vignettes despite the jank. The little moments like Nick Valentine and Strong the Shakespearean Super Mutant exchanging pleasantries while a helicopter exploded just off frame left a positive impression. I got to dress up like a silver age comic book character and spout comic book inspired lines about justice to a crowd of unimpressed ghouls. I found my bliss inbetween the 14 or so frames per second. I’m glad I stepped out of that Vault and stuck it out for the few good shining moments that sprung up.

4. NBA 2K16

You ever buy something because the box advertises some flashy new feature you just can’t live without? That was NBA 2K16 this year with Spike Lee’s “Livin’ da Dream” career, which ended up being as useful and interesting as that combination money clip/Swiss army knife I alluded to. At its core, 2K can still make some of the best simulation basketball, and stuff it with features. The only reason I kept my job as long as I did was because my boss would play online with me; if that’s not a testament to the power of online gaming, I don’t know what is. As soon as the credits rolled on Frequency Vibration’s overdramatic entrance to professional ball, the career mode was an excellent time sink. I wanted to see a championship and MVP podium, and with hard work and skill, by God I got it.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Beyond the tight mechanics and systems, the self-serious and delirious plot, and Ocelot’s sweet midlife moustache, this game highlighted the exodus of Kojima and his merry crew. Outside of the melodrama, this is one of the tightest feeling and performing open world games I’ve seen in almost a decade. I haven’t felt this in control of chaos since Mercenaries let loose the dogs of war. I can praise this game for its immersive and adaptive gameplay, but what really kept my finger on the pulse was the tragedy that surrounded Kojima Productions’ exeunt; the incendiary news cycle surrounding this game would have made W.R. Hearst spin in his grave. It’s no small task to create something in a harsh and detrimental environment, and the fact that The Phantom Pain became one of the best games of the year is an earmark in the “Kojima might be a crazed demigod” theory I’ve been crafting.

2. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

Upon writing the notes for this list, I realized “the Handsome Collection” spelled “THC”, passed this info to my roommates, and had a nice chuckle. That was the funniest moment involving a main series Borderlands game. I’m not here for the humor or writing; I’m here to watch the world burn. This game can be broken in ways you don’t normally get to see in first person shooters. The original release of this game saw a plethora of gun and gear combinations that felt like cheats, up until you unlocked Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (New Game Plus Plus); then they became essential. Most loot games pass right by me because the feedback loop doesn’t scratch the right itches for me. However, making a slapdash FPSRPG did it for me; 200 hours later, I still want to see how broken this game can get. This remake gets particularly high marks for doing what most enhanced edition should do- make the game run better. I never had the chance to play Borderlands 2 at 1080p, 60 frames until this remake, and as soon as I booted it up, I understood why people spout those numbers at major releases. I looked upon the past console version I had endeared and endured and wept; it was a husk of its former glory. Then I solo’d a raid boss with n’ery a dropped frame or crash and felt at peace again. I was back on Pandora, and I was home.

1. Tales from the Borderlands

Remember when I bagged on the Borderlands story like, two lines ago? That was a fun time. You know what else was fun? Tales from the Borderlands. I was surprised at how many times I laughed at the dialogue in this game. I was more surprised at how many friends and colleagues liked this game. I can safely say this game surprised everyone, and in an industry of jaded and cynical critics, that’s a surprise itself. Leave it to TellTale to use a tried and true formula on an established universe to make their best outing yet. This was greater than the sum of its own parts on a scale normally only seen in alchemical magic. The story not only rose to one of my favorite climactic battles, but brought a series of increasingly heart wrenching and rewarding endings. This brought me back to my childhood when a great story would captivate me with every cliffhanger and punchline; I had to drop all pretense and irony just to have a solid laugh. Any game setting out to be comedic should feel as great as this did, chapter after chapter. Loaderbot forever.

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Fallout 4 continues the tradition of an atomic obsessed retro-futurist daydream originally in the guise of an obtuse RPG series. When Bethesda took over for Fallout 3, it was fitted into the Gamebryo Engine like a new suit of power armor, becoming the hybrid first-person, open world shooter it is today. That formula has not changed in 7 years since Fallout 3’s release, for better or worse. The shooting has been vastly improved for both normal aim down sight gameplay and V.A.T.S.-the proprietary dice roll/RPG style element lifted from the original titles.

In previous games most combat was spent in VATS mode or waiting for VATS to refill, but The gunplay feels great and is enhanced by the customization options afforded for your many weapons. You start off building and looting pipe and rust guns and move onto sleek sci-fi and military grade bangsticks. Along the way, upgrades can be crafted at stations that improve or change the stats and effects of your weapons. I turned an early game revolver into a silenced sniper rifle with a few mods and it became a devastating tool.

As a crucial game element however, it shows the same repetition. There’s so much shooting and bashing to do that hundreds of hours of regular old shooting peppered with the occasional slow motion head shot can feel like a grind rather than a fun set piece. This is the kind of game that begs multi-hour sessions, but most of that time will be spent doing the same thing ad nauseam. I find myself seeking out non-combative solutions to quests and sidestepping raider encampments to avoid having to brandish my arms.

A critical quest involves the taking and developing of settlements for the people of Boston to find safety and trade wares under your banner. You design these settlements with scrapped items you find throughout the game, and there is plenty to design from houses to defense mechanisms and shops that net you gear and money. A novel idea at first but the management and defense of these settlements begins to repeat and wear thin quick. Despite being such a highly touted new mechanic for the series, it wasn’t given enough variety or reward to string me along. After a good break I find myself going whole-hog and attacking a base giddily and raising my flag proud. The metronome effect that this game has tends to swing toward a more positive feel as soon as I find a new gun to tinker with or a good side quest to keep me going.

The quests in this game continue the fine Bethesda tradition of being excellently written. The radiant story system really shines through when a quest comes up on a radio station and brings you on a fantastic short story ranging from becoming a comic book hero, to joining a military battle in progress. These side quests are the best part of the game and introduce the best characters and companions that can join your party. John Hancock, the impromptu mayor of Goodneighbor and resident sarcastic ass has been an absolute joy to bring along strictly for the quips he says during and after battles. This attention to detail and character development is woven throughout all the factions and towns in the world and I highly recommend picking it up as its a better excuse for wandering Boston than the main story. The justification for bringing your character into this world becomes a back of the mind worry as I keep meeting cooler and funnier people and settle into the post-apocalyptic world. Again, this is nothing new for a game of this ilk.

Worth mentioning is the now trademarked “Bethesda jank” that comes packed in with each Elder Scrolls or Fallout title. It’s basically become a meme that these games will break and glitch like no other. I was mid-firefight with a particularly raunchy band of Super Mutants, bobbing and weaving attacks when, I found myself firmly planted halfway into a car frame. Suffice to say, I had to reload my save. This is the norm for these games; something goes awry on a scale of “well that’s dumb” to “no modern game should perform this terribly” and I have to hope I quicksaved in a safe place to restart.

I’m half past frustrated that we traded a polished, working product for the funny 30 second clips of a character model deflating like a balloon: this isn’t an acceptable game to play at times. Performance on the console versions is poor even for 2009 standards and nearly ruins the locomotion set by such a great franchise. I want to play this game for hours on end, and often do, but I’m worried I’ll be set back so many times by anything from the usual goody glitches to a real hard crash-both have happened like clockwork. After so many years to put out more of the same problems along with repetitious gameplay, it doesn’t do enough to bring the franchise forward. It makes the wait and hype that built over those years unjustified to me.

This is a good game. This is a big game. I love the characters and stories they tell, and there’s some cool guns and perks strewn throughout. But the problems that keep coming up with this series are firmly dug in, and it looks like they aren’t going anywhere for the next cycle of games. I’m hoping that by 2022 they’ll be able to really revamp this model, because these are some of my favorite games to dive deep into. I’m going to be playing this game for months on end, but I’ll be grumbling all along the way.

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Tales feels like the first chance to analyze and enjoy the world through the eyes of everymen characters. Pandora has always felt like it could be a dense and interesting world despite the nature of its parts. While a fine open world in both of the loot-and-shoots (as well as the criminally meh Pre-Sequel recently released) there hasn’t been a chance to chew the fat of the political and social systems presented. There was always talk of corporate scheming and planetwide bounty hunting, but this was always backdrop to give players a thinly veiled excuse to carry on.

In Tales you take on the role of two normal but driven people-Rhys the Hyperion pencil pusher and Fiona the Pandoran con artist. These two encompass the traits that bring people to Pandora in search of danger and reward–they’re conniving and selfish in all the right ways. They’re both backstabbers, and they climb their respective ladders in their own way. It’s funny to see the similarities between a corporate lackey and a street urchin playing out as they move up in the world. Rhys relies on his corporate connections, and Fiona has mastered sleight of hand, but both use their silver tongues to manipulate and use people close to them. It’s a good dichotomy of origins and motives not seen in the Vault Hunter characters from previous games-it’s nice to be given a better reason for completion compared to a gun that shoots swords or a new character skin.

Supporting cast is as strong, if not stronger than in the main games, and funnier throughout the chapters, providing great responses to both circumstances and dialogue choices. Every choice made by players is a fine balance of trying to get what the main characters want and begrudgingly working together to get it. Throughout the course of the game, the party can grow closer and rely on each other or maintain selfish attitudes, both bearing repercussions on how the story plays out as well as how the players are viewed. The game does its best to highlight both Rhys and Fiona, but gives plenty of screentime and motivation to the secondary characters, villains and cameos. Familiar faces in the form of formerly playable Vault Hunters enter the story at various times; interactions with them range from coincidental run ins to full on joining forces depending on your choices. This is an excellent nod for fans and at times these cameos produce some of the best dialogue these characterts speak-miles ahead of the character barks heard in the Pre-Sequel.

The question many may ask is how well the modern adventure formula works for a previously shooter based series. Given how well thought out and funny the entire arc was, it’s safe to say this was my favorite TellTale and Borderlands game to date. While it doesn’t build a world lush with lore like the main titles, it uses an already established universe to tell an intimate but potent story. I’m glad they were able to focus on two characters and highlighted their differences and similarities-that’s where most of the best laughs came from. I was left wanting for more by the stinger of an ending-hopefully the second season will offer an even better roller coaster ride and reward returning players.

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The new MyCareer mode is a step toward a more coherent story surrounding your rookie prospect dubbed “Frequency Vibrations” from his high school years, through college, and the first season of professional play. The cinematics that envelop the story are well made and the dialogue is most definitely from Spike Lee, for better or worse at times. Themes like inner city turmoil and chances at success are covered and at its high points offer some great commentary on the opportunity the NBA has for a young man such as Freq; at its lowest it can seem like a lampoon of these stories, relying on stockish characters and stereotypes. The biggest problem with “Livin’ Da Dream” is the major disconnect between the narrative and player performance.

Even when under-performing, which with the low stats you begin with stacked against actual NBA stars is quite often, Freq is seen and sold as a phenomenon the likes of which are akin to Lebron James on his debut. Further showing inflexibility in this narrative is the lack of choices short of college choice; after the first season your character is able to hold post game interviews where choices are made, and these could have enhanced the original season. In fact the second season is where the real career begins-it introduces new off day activities such as training and player connections (think Social Links) that can improve your character stats and popularity. It feels as if the time spent with Spike’s story had to be paired down in order to zone in, but this myopic focus makes the threadbare nature of the narrative even more apparent.

Having produced for the new console generation previously, 2K has made some of the best character models and animations to date. Motion capture and audio recordings from star players including Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis (both cover models for this year) are used well both in game and during broadcast presentation and interviews. The televised presentation for this game is reaching an uncanny valley as they approach a better and more realistic broadcast from commentary to graphics and cutaways. This series earns its simulation title on every front. However, the occasional odd glitch will mar this experience and even stop the flow of game; most egregious is when the game is hung up on an opponent highlight screen meant to brief the player on their matchup. Multiple times throughout a career game, the interface on this matchup screen freezes, forcing a quit out. As well, character models can be locked up on other players or even the occasionally rude floor sweep.

In game AI has been beefed up, forcing smart ball movement and using plays to get in position for a well timed shot. Learning this on higher difficulties may feel frustrating to unfamiliar players, but the reward is a satisfaction with each shot made, each game won. While flush with in game interface and tutorials, there is no dedicated training mode that can hand hold players through each and every system. This could have helped beginners understand just how many ways there are to move the ball, shoot, or defend and feels like a crucial piece to welcoming new players.

The Career mode in the end does very little to entice either new players or reward returning fans. The core game is still fantastic to play, and there are more than enough modes online and off that will keep things fresh. If you are interested in jumping in to this series, this is a fine outing and the most polished experience on this generation. Lace up, warm up, and throw down.

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This is a game about loss and death; just about every team member in SEES has lost a loved one by the end of the game. The driving force for this party is the compounding loss of loved ones due to forces outside their control (mostly to due with the Dark Hour and Shadows). What brings these characters to fight at such a young age is the lack of power they had in the past to protect those close to them. Most of SEES first evoke their Persona in response to attacks on friends and family, and their efforts are tested and bolstered as more of these crises come to pass. As they witness these tragedies unfold, they grieve together and begin to come closer, as is expected of close friends. SEES becomes the surrogate family for themselves in this case as they begin to share similar trauma perpetrated by human antagonists -Strega and its benefactor in particular- and the more abstract Shadows that are threatening to bring about the end of the world.

It is common to show devotion to those that can and will be surrogate family in cases such as this. The walls between Yukari and Mitsuru coming down as time passes are a good example of the progression from unwilling allies to sisters. The protagonist takes a similar attachment to the entire SEES party when they take on the responsibilty of leading the party, much like a protective sibling. The protagonist is driven to return to Tatsumi Port Island by the loss of their parents to the genesis of the Dark Hour that threatens to bring about an end to human life. Many of the SEES members are brought to return to the scenes of their losses- be it the bridge where the protagonist lost their parents or Ken Amada to the alley in which his mother was slaughtered- it is a key moment for each of them to confront the deaths of their loved ones directly to move on.

One of my favorite moments in the Persona series is what happens after Shinjiro’s murder. It’s most painful to Akihiko, who lost a brother who was there for him after Miki, Akihiko’s little sister, died in a fire. A relationship that was heavily intertwined being severed in such a senseless way brings about the saddest loss in the game. Akihiko handles this loss in a very natural arc from grievance to moving on; a newfound fire is lit in him to finish the job in order to avenge Shinji. What this game does best is draw the common thread of loss and the depression that comes with it while pushing the characters to not only act on their situation, but to improve and learn from it. It starts as far back as Ken losing his mother to an out of control Shinjiro years back and culminates in a turn of events that takes Shinji’s life in a similarly bleak way. It would be easy to cast blame on Ken for this arc-if he didn’t want to seek revenge against Shinji this wouldn’t be a conversation at all-but given the theme of strengthening bonds through shared loss, it’s important to keep Ken close to SEES as they grow closer because of their fallen comrades and family.

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Destiny: The Taken King was released on September 15th with a more traditional paywall for content. While Bungie originally planned to charge for individual story pieces, raids, et al, they have chosen to invest in a microtransaction based plan for the foreseeable future in order to offer free content bolstered by in-game purchases such as these dances. Whether looking for new cosmetic items or missions, more is to come for dedicated players.

The post Bungie Announces Free Destiny Story DLC In Exchange For Microtransactions appeared first on Gamesline.

*UPDATE* Via SiliconEra: Game Director Katsura Hashino has made a few statements explaining the delays and where the game stands over here

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Stalwarts of the point-and-click genre stand behind the game environments encouraging a sense of exploration by making voice quips and descriptions for almost every aspect in a given scene. There was a moment in a Space Quest game where you can access an in-game computer with a copy of Space Quest on it, because everyone loves tongue-in-cheekiness. Telltale Games has offered a converse idea of exploration and interaction with its recent forray into adventure spearheaded by The Walking Dead series. With a heavier focus on character interaction and set pieces akin to quick time events the face of adventure gaming at present is more about branching story paths based on conversation-not on bumping into the perfect pixel. As any classic adventure game fan about trying to piece together the items and locations necessary to progress. It’s usually a set and arbitrary path made to pull the player from set to set. The new formula is waning away from this; later Walking Dead chapters reduced the inventory and search elements to favor more exposition and dialogue. But the influence of this search and experiment formula can still be felt in modern titles.

Look at the bottle search in Life is Strange; it’s a tedious little timesink, but it serves a purpose for the main character (popping caps with Chloe). Moments like these can be reminders of the point-and-click formula or a minor nuisance; it all depends on fondness for the days of old. As well, the pacing and detail of the world in Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture evoke the classic, expansive worlds previously in adventure games. While it is easy to critique the slog pace in Rapture, is it so different from the screen after screen scrolled by in Space Quest? What adventure game devs and consumers have to consider is that careful balance between the influence of past series and the trends set by current titles. Will this nebulous and large genre be a stalwart playground for the nostalgic, or an evolving front for storytelling and gameplay?

It is my hope that both can occur and even blend as much as possible from both camps. The people behind and consuming these games are the first to champion a well built and immersive world- two boilerplate bullets on a good game in my books. The ability to create said worlds is no longer about how many objects and people there are in each scene; it’s about the ability to craft enough setpieces and write enough dialogue to keep the plot moving. In an industry moved by tech and spectacle it is good to see fans new and old still interested in stories.

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