Ogachi's Top 10 of 2011

Alright! Video games! So! I suppose I should make one of these. So I will.

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10


L.A. Noire
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L.A. Noire is an interesting experiment in game design. With unique gameplay and fancy animation technology, L.A. Noire set out to do something different. Though it had it's flaws, (Most particularly with a robotic main character and lack of detail on anything that is not a face. Hell, even the faces were not very well textured though they sure were well animated.) L.A. Noire still brought something new and interesting to the table and it did it well.

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9


Batman: Arkham City
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Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to Arkham Asylum and does a good job carrying on tradition. In fact, it doesn't really bring much new to the table but more of the same isn't a bad thing. The game still handles well and is filled with fun Batman villains! Even with the lack of new ideas, Arkham City is still a great game and has earned its spot on this list.

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8


Deus Ex: Human Revolution
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a long awaited addition to the franchise and it carries it on well. With gameplay reminiscent (if not a dumbed down version) of its predecessors, Deus Ex continues the focus on playing the game as you see fit and leveling accordingly.

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7


Brink
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Brink successfully combines the movement of Mirror's Edge and the style of Team Fortress 2 into one package. Though the story is kind of silly, the game pulls through on its gameplay and the amount of fun it can provide.

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6


Dead Space 2
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Though not as suspenseful as its predecessor, Dead Space 2 is able to carry the Sci-Fi horror's legacy well. Leaning even more towards the Action Horror genre, Dead Space 2 still is able to satisfy with its dark environments and flowing gameplay.

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5


Portal 2
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Portal 2 follows suit of Batman: Arkham City in that it also gives more of the same, though lacking much innovation. The slime and co-op modes are welcome additions nonetheless and the game still shines amongst the crowd. The witty dialogue, stellar soundtrack, and seamless gameplay combine to make this game number 5 on this list.

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4


Warhammer 40,00: Space Marine
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Though it does not have all the amenities the other games have, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine does bring one important thing to the table; Gameplay. It performs masterfully and feels great to play. Charging down groups of Orks and just hacking through crowds is a great time.

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3


Total War: Shogun 2
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What can I say? Total War: Shogun 2 is everything a truly large-scale strategic RTS should be. With the ability to command armies and sabotage cities on its turnbased overland map and siege your foes in battle mode, the game is easily the best RTS I have played in a long time. Add all that to the fact it is also the prettiest RTS to come about lately and Total War: Shogun 2 rightfully claims the number 3 spot on this list.

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2


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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Imagine Oblivion. Now make the graphics better and the character concepts more gritty. Now put the civil war from Star Wars in there. Put snow everywhere. Skyrim has been made. It is also more of the same but brings a new(ish) combat system to the fray as well as a new leveling system. The game is a great time and (with modding communities like the ones Bethesda games have) will be around for a good long time.

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1


Dark Souls
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Oh man you guys. My number one game. What else could it have been? Of course its Dark Souls! A Medieval fantasy setting with fun controls and a good difficulty curve, it is a game that achieves being challenging but not frustrating. It easily worked its way to this spot with its infer-your-own-story and 3rd person sword fighting. Dark Souls earned everything its gotten from me. What can I say? It was a fun roll through hell.

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And that's the ball game. Until next time folks. See you online.

Feelings & Fire: A Third Review of Katawa Shoujo

Overwhelming Need to Help: My Experience As a White Knight

Ogachi's Review of Hanako's Story
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Okay, I grudgingly agreed to play through this with the sole purpose of proving I could. It's a visual novel with an anime style developed by 4 Leaf Studios (Here: http://katawa-shoujo.com/). It follows Hisao and his paper heart through his time at a school for the disabled. Whilst there, he goes after one of five disabled chicks, each with positive, negative, and "Well, shit." endings. SO! I downloaded it, thinking it was just some stupid weeaboo kawaii uguu nonsense I'd be done with in 2 or 3 hours of laughing. 8 hours later, I completed a story. It was... different, to say the least. Now, I'm not big into the whole "Video Games as Art" thing or "Visual Novels Can't Be Video Games" thing, but it was certainly a different experience from the usual. Perhaps, that the lack of total control was it. Sure there were choices in the "Choose Your Own Adventure" style, but no more than 16 or 17 per story, and all the stories share 9 or 10 of the same choices in the 1st Act. Even the whole "Normal Guy" thing has been done before, but it is presented differently. You are not just a normal guy trying to get by but having trouble with the world. You are the normal guy, frail and knowing the wrong move can kill him, but always trying to deal with the problems and concerns of others instead of your own, which hits close to home for a lot of people. Perhaps it's just novelty value, as was recently suggested to me. Perhaps it was interesting in its way. Perhaps I'm just bullshitting my way through this. I'm not sure. Alas, I must continue my tale. ONWARDS!

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Hanako's Story

AVAST! Minor Details and My Reactions to Unspecified Plot Turns Lie Ahead!

Right-o. So. I started as Hisao and went through my first week at the school. Along the way, I saw a girl will long, dark hair who seems to be constantly hiding from everyone, raising some suspicion. Later, I meet a blonde, blind girl, named Lilly, and so I take the time to converse with her before accompanying her to the library. Whilst there, I saw the same dark haired girl in the Library, reading alone. Out of instinctive chivalry (or maybe just curiosity) I chose to cowboy up and attempt to talk to her. After a few odd sentences, awkward silences, and her just jumping up and running off, I learned her name, Hanako. I also learned the had quite the collection of burn scars and SERIOUS social anxiety. Unlike Fat4all's sheer curiosity about her, I felt slightly obligated to at least attempt to force a few more words out of her. Who says chivalry is dead? I found out her and Lilly are friends. Thus, off I went, on a roller-coaster of confusion, unsure that I was making any progress or not.

If I could describe the story in two words, it would be "emotional baggage". Seriously, Hanako would need an entire brigade of Psychonauts to clear that out of her head. About halfway through the story, I thought I was finally doing right well, making good progress as Hanako was actually starting to talk to people. My success lasted a half second before it was crushed into the dust of false hope as she then had an emotional breakdown. The next day, I thought I was bringing her out of it and even believed so for a bit after that but lo and behold I was WRONG. Though, I do have patience so I toughed it out and kept trying to break her out of the mental concrete barrier she made around herself. Thus the white knight that is in my blood did not allow me to leave it be but instead forced me to have a sense of obligation to protect her. Towards the end, I had the feeling of success again and once again it seemed to have been smashed. But then, during some of the last lines of the final Act, I had gotten a message she had been trying to put across the whole time, and thus "Oh. Well. Shit." It triggered a strange response, an experience I can't quite put my finger on. It seems like there's a word for it but I just don't know. Luckily, I never got a bad ending, and instead got the good one. Huzzah.

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Generic Technical Reviewing

Music- I don't really see that much to praise here. It was good for the job it was doing, I suppose, but nothing amazing.

Writing- Fairly good, definitely made me think about it. I was actually impressed by this part, being not what I expected.

Art & Design- Eh, this is a bit complicated. It's standard anime art, but the character designs do well to fit the personality of the character they represent, and I suppose calling an armless girl "generic" in this regard would be... unfair.

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The End Is Here

So, was it good, you ask? Was it playable? Was it worth it? In a nondescript, hesitant and shortly put way, yes. I only hesitate because I suppose at heart I am still biased and dislike this kind of thing off instinct. Did I enjoy it? ... Yes. It was actually much better than I expected. Hell with it, it's free. If you've got time to spare, go for it. It's just like reading a book, just with more pictures, music, sound effects, small choices that end up having a dramatic effect, and etc. Until next time folks. See you on a walk around town accompanied by "Dust in the Wind".

Oh God, why do I want to play it again? Oh dear lord, why? What is this? What is this I am experiencing? Oh God, it's the same as before! I think I know what the experience is called now. Is this what they call... feelings? My God.

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Amnesia Comic

This comic is based off my experiences in Amnesia - The Dark Descent ; a wonderful horror game by the creators of Penumbra, Frictional Games. You can't defend yourself, only hide in the dark, but, if you're in the dark too long, you begin to lose sanity and the monsters will hear you. You have a lantern for convenient light, but, the monsters thank you for it too. They wouldn't have been able to find you in the dark. It's a hell of a challenge but is intense and worth it.