End of Year stuff

    We haven't been all that active here on the site for the last couple months and for that we apologize sincerely. Things have just come to a head the last couple of months and conspired against us. We aren't planning on going anywhere for the time being and unless the weather turns on us again and our work lives stabilize a bit thing should go back to normal. Again we do apologize for the missing content over the holidays.  Jump to the post to read my best, most interesting and biggest disappointment of 2016.


    These games aren't necessarily games we played or games that released in 2016. These are games I found and played in 2016.

    Most Disappointing: Space Hulk Deathwing
    First off I want to make thing clear I'm not saying this game is bad. It really isn't but what it the game is, is a very pretty looking slog. It might be better with a full squad of the emperors finest prowling the halls of the ship but alone its just a long fairly tedious slog. The game does a few neat things. It helps you feel like a terminator with your plodding movement and limited field of view. Unfortunately with large sprawling levels and a limited rate at bad guys trying to kill you just means there's a lot of game you spend plodding along without squad banter to listen to. If you've got a group to play with you might give this one a shot, alone I'd avoid it.

    Most Interesting: Mordheim: City of the Damned
    This one I'd seen but listening to the Extra Credits guys made me go looking to play the game. At its heart its like playing Xcom on Ironman but set in the world of Warhammer. You take control of a small force looking to gather valuables from the destroyed city. The game is turn based and while the roguelike tactical aspect gives it a hard aspect the game isn't as punishing as it could be. Troops killed in battle aren't always killed outright instead retreating with an injury that will require treatment. Loss of limbs also reflect on the character in game which I think is a nice touch. If you like Xcom games and the Fire Emblem series this one might be worth checking out. The primary problem I found is that often the battles devolve into flat brawls with your squad ganging up on as few people as possible.

    Last up the game I thought was the best one I played in 2016. This one was an easy choice for a long time. Then I had the chance to play a couple more very good games that gave it a run for its money. Titanfall 2 makes very good use of its base mechanics but the game itself just doesn't blend quite as well as the top choice. Fallout 4 was another strong contender but seeing as after the twist I kind of petered out on the game as well as its story being at odds with its open world gameplay. The best game of this last year as I see it is the return of the original king.

        DOOM
    Yes its Doom 2016 even without the massive pedigree that follows this game around it holds itself high. Doom took the fast paced mobile run and gun gameplay of the original and updated it. Giving you the access to platforms and the enemies far more mobility changing the way you interact through each fight. Moving through the environments is fluid and fun and each gun possesses a kick that makes them all satisfying to use. The glorykill system encourages aggressive play in a way that many games fail to. Even ones that don't use regenerating health encourage cautious gameplay to an unhealthy degree. Doom's combat made taking advantage of a weakened enemy to replenish your health and ammo in brutal fashion a basic and satisfying way to cut apart the enemy ranks. Cutting down the armies of hell never felt so good as it does in Doom 2016 and quite honestly very few games capture the sense of a supersoldier like Doom. Reading the logs in game, yes I am that nerd, informs the player that their character was a source of fear for the armies of hell a fear the player gets to reaffirm in their rampage through the story. If you like shooters go get this game.

Zach out.