Game Thoughts: Ozmafia!

So I wasted my whole weekend going through all the endings for this game. I was turned around so many times.
Heads up, this will not be a spoiler free review.

So TL;DR: It's a mature game. Handle with care. Can't fully recommend. Bag of D*cks. <---Something I would say a LOT during my playthroughs.

So Ozmafia was released way back in 2013 by Poni-Pachet Sy. It was only made available on Steam this year I guess which is where I found it.

Synopsis:
You play the role of the amnesiac "Fuka" (or whatever you name her) as she blunders through a town full of characters from classic (and not so classic) fairy tales. (Reminds me of Fables in that regard). Anyway, the town is run by several mafia families based on various fairy tales and literary figures. Fuka has to decide what to do with the life she has and figure out who the heck she is.

Let me go right into the virtues and vices.

Virtues:
Some paths end in marriage. Yay.
Going through life with a positive attitude
Generosity?
You can be a nun! :)
Hilarious anime situations and dialog. This game made me laugh so much.
End of Life ethics

Vices...vices as far as the eye can see:
Murder
Organized crime
prostitution
pre-marital sex
manipulation
Corrupt clergy <--This made me so sad on many levels. Even though CLEARLY not Catholic.
General cheapening of life
Adultry/Infidelity

Dang, right? What's good about this game?! Granted, taking a lot of these things out of context can seem unfair. Because you can definitely have ALL these things and an amazing, worthwhile story. (Like Crime and Punishment which also has most of these things I list in the vice list.)

There are lots of things I like about the game too. Mostly it's art and the setting appeal to me. I'm a big fan of the Fables comic series which I see some similarities with. The music was charming but I really felt the art style (a soft watercolor) was a pretty stark contrast to the action in the game. Including straight up murdering folks and threats of gun violence. It's like a beatrix potter illustration gone dark.

Anyway, now let's get to the spoilery bits. If you don't want spoilers stop reading here.


The real premise of the game...
Dorothy Gale at the end of her journey does not go home but becomes a "good witch" instead. This requires her (for some reason) to live alone and never use magic on herself. She grants the wishes of her former travel companions to become human and creates a town for them including characters from fairy tales. (...which includes Oscar Wilde's characters. WHAT WAS THIS LITTLE GIRL READING!???) However, she ends up actually making a wish for herself which splits her into 3 parts: the tower, her magic and her hopes and dreams to grow up and fall in love. (Because the witch doesn't age older than a little kid.)

It took me days to get through all the endings to get to this reveal. One of my biggest frustrations was that "Fuka" NEVER gets her memories back or really tries to retrieve them in any of the romance paths. I tried every one. It gets mentioned but never resolved. It drove me CRAZY. So...good on you game making me replay ALL the things to see if they answered anything.

Part of the fun was trying to figure out each characters fairy tale counterpart. I was really bad when I first started and just started labeling people things. After playing the whole thing, my first guesses were WAY off. Also, my whole mistake of calling it OZMA-fia instead of Oz-Mafia. >_> Look, Ozma was a character in the books. I thought that was the play. Not being godfathered into mafia crime. -_- It took a long time for the lore to actually settle in. My first play through nothing was answered and I was floundering trying to make sense of anything except one character. Why don't they die when riddled with bullets? Why do the general population die? They BRAND everyone like cows? What even? I don't? Uggggggh!

It also had a mechanic with the Oz Trio where once you started "dating" one of them officially, the character with the 2nd highest affection points would try to interfere. You could switch characters. >_> For some reason this usually means as soon as you jump ship to the other ship you sleep with them...in the biblical sense. (Glen...everything cool she just said...you ruined it!)

First Play Through: Axel
 Took me far too long to realize he was the Tin Woodsman. ...I am an idiot.
I really enjoyed this character as he was considerate, restrained, honest and an awkward turtle. Didn't get the "good" ending but reminded me of myself. What is sad? What is love? Can not compute.
The most innocent character of the Oz three. Usually. (As I said if you jump ship from anyone you "break his factory seal" <---Dammit Kyrie! Why is this so hilarious to me?)

Second Play through: Kyrie...the bag of D*cks.
One...unfortunate name...really distracting when I go to Mass and think of this arse instead of Lord have Mercy, Kyrie Elison. This guy...I didn't like him...he was pretty tragic...and you end up marrying him in one ending. -_- I was so worried that this guy would be like Toma. He's manipulative and openly cruel. I couldn't trust him farther than I could throw. So not far. Oddly enough, his story is probably one of the more interesting ones. I personally liked the first ending I got where he loses his brains. ^_^ Seriously though...he's kind of a d*ckbag.

Third play through: Caramia
Again...unfortunate name...I kept thinking of Gomez and Morticia.

It's how it's said in my head EVERY TIME. Too sensual! His story was kind of vanilla if you ask me. It wasn't bad. I really enjoyed his storyline and character. He also treats the main character the best of all three in my opinion. But some endings are a bit on the eck...side. True ending ends in mawwige. So yay. He can cook too...always go for the guy who can cook! (Or will eat your crappy cooking. Either is good.)

Everyone Else...
Caesar: I was hoping this route would finally answer my burning questions about her past. NOPE. Disappointment. But hey...he stopped threatening to kill me? (Seriously, falling for your potential killer. What is wrong with this place?)

Scarlet: Innocent and sweet, one of the better ones. Optimism wins...and he cooks. Love a guy that can cook.

Pashet: Not a homosexual relationship like I originally assumed because ANIME. Fantastic storyline and I love her awkward relations with Axel. I ship them.

Robin Hood: I felt so unclean. >_> Once you find out he's a freakin' married man! But mix in Dr. Freeze and Frankenstien and yeah...it gets weird. I was so uncomfortable with this route. It was so wrong on so many levels. 

Brothel: One...the route is called BROTHEL ROUTE. You know nothing good can come of this. Guess what...NOTHING GOOD COMES OF THIS! This one made me feel the uncleanest. I didn't read most of it. I clicked through so much. 

Granted, the ending where you take over the brothel was weirdly satisfying. Probably because it throws Kyrie for a loop. Did I mention I don't like that guy? Yeah I REAAAALLY don't like Dorian Gray. Kyrie is cakewalk to that guy. He's the real bag of D*cks. 

Soh: Remember what I said about guys who cook. YES. Soh was another good one. Especially after the trauma that was the Brothel route. He's one of the few who tries to take you OUT of town away from madness. But his real identity isn't revealed until the Epilogue. Turns out...

He's the worst kind of. All this b.s. is his plan. It's terrible. Soh how could you play with my heart like that!?

Hamlien: I almost forgot about the Pied Piper. This one you can become a nun because he's a schizophrenic criminal. (Spoiler: It's Soh's fault. ;__;) It wasn't a super interesting storyline. It comes up if you don't settle for someone else's route. Probably because he appears as the villain in every other route, it unfairly paints him into a corner. It's also a super short route so not a lot happens. 

The Ending...everyone starts killing each other. Even the young lady...

My feels after playing this game. It's good in that it played with my expectations, flipped all the tables and stuck with me. But also so much yuck happens. Not that stories should exclude this stuff but still...so much Yuck. 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU DOROTHY GALE??!?

Final words, you have to be built of pretty solid stuff to get through this game on the moral front. It's not promoting a lot of good stuff. BUT it's entertaining as all get out. I weirdly enjoyed most of it. That said, can't say I would recommend it highly for the gif reasons above. However, mature audiences can enjoy it. It is a Will weakening one though. So maybe Pokemon Go...

What I've been Playing lately...

Just a bit of a fluff post really.

- Been working through Dragon Age Inquisition multi-character playthrough. I just have one more character to get through to the end before I can full enjoy playing through Trespasser DLC.
The DLC had some issues load that took a lot of trouble shooting to figure out but finally got one character in there...and I'm still having some issues.

- Playing a lot of VNs and making voice over commentaries. I might publish them but I don't know if I will. These games can be kind of triggery.
Played: Seduce Me which I would definitely NOT recommend.
Amenisa: Memories again. Somehow it was creepier the 2nd time around.
Now I'm playing Nameless...again creepier than I remember.
Finally Backstage pass...this was was made in the USA and I met the creators. I know it's legit and not super creepy.
Also found a few VNs for my iPod which I'll eventually get around to.

- Lots of iOS games. It's how I pass some of the time at work. Cooking Dash 2016, Dragon Age Heroes, and a few VNs.

I also got the newest RPG Maker MV even though I've never finished an RPG maker game. This is what happens.

And the new chapter for King's Quest is out. :) If my internet stops being a jerk maybe I can finish downloading it.

Curse you Steam.

Merry Christmas Everyone. Happy Gaming!

Game Thoughts: King's Quest

Also after watching a playthrough I immediately got this installment of King's Quest. After decades since the last release, I was at first not interested. This is why I love let's play videos. I might have really missed out.

Only the first "episode" is available so look forward to future installments!

Synopsis:

 Flashback to the 80's and the first graphical games were coming out. King's Quest was one of the first revolutionary titles in a text-based game world. Full of humor and impossible puzzles unless you had the number to the Sierra hotline. It's a fond memory for many.

Today we have a release of the spiritual prequel. The adventures of King Graham before he became a knight of Daventry, before he went on his adventure for the crown. The old king Graham tells his spunky young granddaughter tales of his youth.

Virtues

All the puns...all of them. (Kind of the staple of the series.)
Charming characters with fun designs
Beautifual painted backgrounds
Splendid voice work
The puzzles do NOT require a walkthrough...yay
Wonderful story
Nostalgia as well as brimming with its own unique charm.
No Swearing, No Nudity, No Sex...complete rated G

Vices

Very, very mild gore
Puns? How could you hate them?
Seriously guys this is the hardest list I've had to come up with. Finally a simple, charming game without the nuttiness of smut, swearing, or all that fun stuff that I usually play.
It was a little sluggish on my laptop...but it was on my laptop.

Conclusion

King's Quest gets my support! It's enjoyable, funny, and a great successor to the King's Quest series, all modernized for today's audiences. Also, if you have a mind (and a walkthrough...trust me you'll need them) enjoy the original King's Quest series...also available on Steam. Good, clean fun. But you will pull your hair out at points. :)

Game Thoughts: Undertale

There has been some buzz on the Let's Play channels I frequent about this game Undertale so I went and had to try it for myself. I was not disappointed. The simplistic art and unique game mechanics really mesh well to make an rich experience. Allow me to summarize...

Summary
Long ago Monsters and Humans fought in a war. The monsters lost so they retreated underground and sealed themselves via magic. But they long for a return to the surface. Meanwhile, you a human child fall into the deep and wake up in a temple. Your goal is to get to the surface.
But how? Aren't you in enemy territory?

Virtues

Charming story, dialog and characters.
Turns lots of stereotypes on their heads.
Simplistic art.
Smart game play mechanics.
Non-violent route.
No Swearing.

Vices
Controls are really challenging if using a keyboard. Just saying.
There are some parts of the final boss that "crash" the game. This is just a mechanic I don't like. It's confusing. It works with the story but still.
Same-sex relationships.

Conclusion:
I like how it turned the idea of fight the monsters in RPGs on its head. It's not always obvious (and because I was watching a Pacifist playthrough on the Let's Plays it was given away.)
The game has enjoyable humor and even gets kind of metaphysical. Souls is a pretty big theme throughout the game. The thing about humans is that their souls persist after death. :) :) So immortal souls. That's Catholic-y sound.

Definitely an enjoyable tale and worth a try. Just keep in mind that some characters are involved in a same-sex romantic relationship.

Game Thoughts: Amnesia: Memories

Greetings...excuse me while I dust off this blog. A lot has happened in the past year. The last time I wrote I was finishing up a contract job and spent a long time job searching and generally enjoying other hobbies. I got a new job back in April and it's been a fun challenge. Finally I feel settled in and I'm doing very well.

I've been playing plenty of games as well.

Today I'll write about the one that's freshest in my memory, Amnesia: Memories.

No...not the horror - survival game series Amnesia Dark Descent but a Visual Novel/Dating Sim...anime style. Although...it might fit with the Amnesia series in some ways. Allow me to introduce the game.

Summary

 You play as a young woman in her first year of college (university) whose memories were displaced by a clumsy, young spirit named Orion. He and the heroine (named by the player) are on a quest to recover her memories so the spirit can separate. They have about one month to do this.

There are 4 "worlds" to enter which follow a different storyline/scenario. (Basically it picks which guy you were dating before losing the memories.) Characters are slightly different but the same in each world.

Virtues...

Well...it's one of those more "innocent" dating sims where there's no sex or excess of mammaries.

 Lots of focus on various relationship types and how memory affects them. Interesting in that way.
Also Truth and Lies.

 Lovely anime style art. Very fancy. Although that chest piercing really got distracting.

I suppose there's lots of good advice about trust and personal safety. It illustrates what NOT to do very well.

It made me do math problems. Thank God it was multiple choice.

Just lots of interesting themes if you care to read into them. (And after much after thought as I squeal "Notice Me Sempai" to my cat while playing.)

Vices
 MATH PROBLEMS WAAAH!?

Promotion of co-habitation.

Very passive protagonist prone to getting walked all over and taken advantage of. Well, there is the "amnesia".

An amnesia plot. Meh.

Rewarding abusive behavior. This always hurts me to see.

Spoiler: There's always one serial killer type of character in these kinds of stories. (Or at least some of them that I've been playing.) This one has 3. ^^ So easy to die by murder. So easy.

Lots and lots of sexual harassment. ...so painful to watch...

Other Thoughts:
So many I want to go through right now I'll break it up into the various "chapters" I've played so far.
Just so you know there will be spoilers to the story. I do think the game is enjoyable and worth a read if you are of appropriate age. If anything, the artwork is gorgeous.

So let me give a rundown of my play-throughs and reactions. (There's a playing card theme.)

Clover: Kent
 The first plunge I took was in clover world since I had heard about the game from a Let's Play video and didn't like the world she picked. Went into this with NO pre-conceived notions about the characters. So the man that you "date" is Kent. A graduate student. Go figure I'd pick the oldest and smartest. I was generally enjoying the storyline going with my instincts on choices. Ended up getting a "normal ending" (yay for branching path stories.). The story itself was one of those trying to humanize a super robot nerd. In this playthrough you were given 10 word problems to solve during the game. I remember thinking "THIS IS THE WORST" why would you make me do math in a romance novel? It's so cruel! I question my choices in life! I got most of them right.

After you get to know Kent better there's a stalker/psychopath who is CLEARLY the murderer. Because...he threatens to do so. Despite that one factor, it was fairly light-hearted.

 I felt pretty good about the game after that playthrough. I decided to just work my way through Spade World like the let's play with the intent of breaking up with the character.

Spade: Ikki
 In this world you date playboy idol Ikki. One of those narcissistic womanizer tropes that is god's gift to woman kind because he so pwetty! (Personally eye tattoos and barrettes aren't a big attraction factors for me.)
Ikki is always followed around by a gaggle of girls that call themselves a fanclub. They threaten to kill you if you date Ikki for more than 3 months and your time is almost up. It did start getting a little dark in those scenes.

In the end I did manage to break his heart as I had planned.

 Of course I went back to play for the other endings but next I went to Diamond World.

Diamond: Toma

 Wow...this one threw me for the biggest of loops. Toma is a childhood friend who is like an older brother (that you want to jump). He treats you like a little sister. The storyline is pretty drastic and scary in an uncomfortable way. There's harassment, online bullying, and threats to physical safety. It was tense. But the scariest of them all is Toma himself. Early on he seemed safe enough. LESSON LEARNED THOUGH. Holy balls...at one point he locks you in a large dog kennel for your safety. OH and mickeys your drink. In trying to keep you IN, he makes you want to LEAVE even more. I was like WTFballs is this nonsense. Some of the potential responses were even MORE disturbing.
I was like POKE HIM IN THE EYES! FIGHT! You can win.

I got two bad ends right way. One ended in physical death the other in mental/emotional death.

Can't even. Had to calm down after that storyline. I tried replaying it over and over to attempt a different ending. Nope. The normal ending was best because Shin saves you and Toma leaves for good. Probably the best ending in that situation to be honest.

Heart: Shin

The kid with the pec piercing? (Is that really a thing? I kept wanting to cover it up. Looked uncomfortable. What if it snagged on a shirt or someone gave you a titty-twister?) Anyway, Shin is another childhood friend, who is a bit cold, arrogant but super observant. Don't judge a book by its cover...I ended up really liking his tough love attitude. Ended up getting a "normal" ending which was nice.

 Also solving a mysterious crime that happened to you! Who pushed you off a cliff and nearly got you killed? (Oddly enough since I played this after Toma's line...ALWAYS SUSPECT HIM!) So a bit of investigation and logic. Also it was refreshing that he figures out about your memory loss pretty much immediately and helps you out.

I immediately played it again to see the bad endings. Because I'm like that. Ended up dead...twice! Once by the creeper who shows up in every world. And once by guess who...our favorite villain...Toma! Double homicide. You'd never think it too. So scary. SO SCARY!

The good ending was very sweet and satisfying. Not going to spoil that so enjoy.

Side note: You're in a band apparently. awesome.

Diamond Revisited: Toma...can you be gud?

Followed a walkthrough to see the good ending. Not super good. End up dating him DESPITE THE DOG CAGE. Even if it was to protect you from harassment from Ikki's fanclub which was getting dangerous. Like seriously dangerous. It's terrible that they think you were dating Ikki thus the overboard harassment. Toma tries to hide it from you to the extreme. /sigh/ Not very happy with that one. It was weirdly satisfying in away but not.

So off to Spade again to try the "good" ending.
I was a little harsh about Ikki before. He has a celebrity complex which is why I feel bad for celebrities. It's hard to tell who likes you for you and all that. Even though he acts sleazy...gets drunk...flirts a lot...you get through it and he's not that bad. But there is that co-habitation thing and suggestions of future sexy times. ...buuuuuugggghhhh....gross. Went back to play the ending where I was killed by fangirls. Yes...sweet death.
Toma was not fudged up in this one though.

HA HA kidding. One of the many bad endings he straight up kills you to protect you from the fanclub or something. Honestly I was skipping dialog just to see these endings in one night. Will actually read what he does but waaah...

Other bad endings are mostly just death and break up.

I liked the normal ending for this one though. Character moves back in with her parents and Ikki visits on the weekends. Appropriate.

Clover World: What could be bad about Kent?

 Wanted to save his good ending for very last so I went through the bad endings. Again, one ends in murder in a hospital...thrown from the roof by the creepy killer in every world. Then there was a break up version too where you're put in a hospital and just get worse.

Finally the good ending. The best good ending IMO. Get to go to London and we get a proposal. A GUY WHO GETS IT?? WHAAAA? Squeeeeeee!

Final World: Joker World??

So this world opens up after you've seen all four good endings. It's one of those characters who screws up the timeline by traveling to all the worlds and turns out to be the reason why you've lost memories in the first place. Original boyfriend made a deal with a god (don't mess with spirits man.) in an effort to save girlfriend. Ends up that reality realizes he an anomaly in every world he goes to and kills him somehow unless he can kill you first. (SO this is why you can get murdered SO FAST in the other games.)
All the death endings (there are 7) are absolutely brutal. Just brutal. I was just getting through the choices to see the screens at this point and didn't really read much. Didn't like his character design. (stupid cop hat just didn't look like it sat right on his head.) But dying over and over yet not dying is kinda the worst and probably would make anyone a rampaging, murdering psychopath.

This is a long post so I'll wrap this up now.

Game Thoughts: Dreamfall Chapters

So after 8 years, the sequel to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey has finally been released. It started as a Kickstarter campaign. Red Thread games is the new company developing the game made up of most of the original team. Instead of the full game, they are going for the episodic gaming route.
So this will be a look at the first chapter which is the only one out at this time.

Synopsis

We return to Zoe Castillo who is still in a coma and living in a world between called Storytime. She wakes up and starts her new life after her coma. She's starting a new job, volunteering for a political campaign and got back together with her boyfriend Reza. Meanwhile, Kian is in prison awaiting his execution. He is assisted in an escape. The first chapter closes with another between world's location where you play as a baby named Saga.

Virtues

Choice system affects later events in the game. It's similar to some of the aspects in The Wolf Among Us, where choices selected will affect later chapters.

Lovely graphics, beautiful scenery, and a great soundtrack. The atmosphere in every location is well crafted and detailed. The character models have improved, but we still have that familiar voice acting.

Female lead, not overly sexualized. Lots of strong female characters. Good diversity in characters.

Puzzles make sense so far.

Vices

There's lots of rough language, f-bombs, and a few instances of the Lord's name taken in vain.

Co-habitation. Look I'm Catholic, I take issue with this although it's common. Granted the relationship is portrayed realistically. Sex is only discussed never shown.

Performance issues. Maybe it's because I'm on a laptop...but hey, I was able to play Mass Effect 3 without lag. A patch did go in to help though. It worked for me. But the framrate would really chug and drop in a lot of places.

Bugs here and there. People floating, characters getting lost/stuck in the geometry. No lip sync or improper lip sync.

Having to wait for the next episode.

Did Kian get whiter? I thought he was black. I'll blame the lighting.

Conclusion

I'm invested in the series, but personally it might be worth waiting for a couple episodes to be out. The stories flow better when they're done all at once. But that's okay too. I enjoyed it very much and I wonder what themes will come out of this one. It's also worth playing through a few times.

Game Thoughts: The Wolf Among Us

Last weekend I started watching a play through of The Wolf Among Us (TWAU) on YouTube, but after the first episode I stopped. I HAD to play this game myself. So I did. This is my first time playing an Episodic game title. I'm getting positive vibes from this...but here are my game thoughts.

Synopsis

 Based on the comic series "Fables", the game acts as a pre-cursor story to the "Fables" comic series. (If wikipedia is to be believed.) In a neighborhood of Manhattan fairytales live in the mundane world as mere shadows of their legendary selves. The game follows Sheriff Bigby Wolf (formerly the Big Bad Wolf) in a film noir style, murder mystery.

Virtues

I am rolling around squealing at the AMAZING art design. The lighting, the lines, the colors. It IS like a living comic book page.

...personal preference...I like Bigby's visual design and voice...this may have colored my WHOLE view of this game. I'm sorry/not sorry. I go for Wolverine types.
...
Sorry...still thinking about him and the voice. /sigh/

Okay I'm back.

Lovely soundtrack and voice acting.

Mostly consists of quick time events to progress the story and even make little changes depending on those choices.

Very cinematic.

Some very well developed female characters. Mostly modest...see vices for the exceptions.
(Bloody Mary may be my favorite.)

Themes of redemption.

Replayability. I feel you have to play it many times through to get the whole story. I've gone through at least twice with a good wolf and a bad wolf. I will play many more times to see all options.

Vices

So, off the bat you'll find that the language is very, very crass. God's name taken in vain, lots of f-bombs...seriously...and overall foulness. It goes with the tone of a comic, noir...but can be very off putting.

Also off the bat, violence is very prevalent and at times a bit gory. But, it is a murder mystery...so there is a body expected. And lots of fist-fights. Early on it's established that the Fables are near immortal. Surviving multiple gunshots, an axe to the head, a fall from the 2nd floor, etc. Still, it's very violent and on the gruesome side.

Working Women are present and there's so far only one topless scene at the brothel? Topless bar? I don't know what to call it without resorting to foul language. For the most part the girls are actually wearing clothes like halter top dresses or even knee length pencil skirts with a corset top. Sex is suggested but never shown.

No options to speed through cinematics which can be tedious on replay.

Waiting for the next episode??? OH man, now I know what episodic games are like. Maaaaan...
(This is not really a vice. But the problem with me and murder mysteries...I'm too dumb to figure it out I need to know!!!)

Conclusion

I don't know if this really reflects what NYC and the Bronx is really like OR if it's just adding to my long list of reasons why I'll never even visit the big apple. Violence, poverty, swearing, and sinful behavior are staples as is typical of this type of story. I think like most "gritty and real" stories, if you can get past the abrasive surface, there's a good story and good characters. ...And I may just be giving my interpretation of Bigby there. Lol...this is the problem with being a fan of a character I guess. It's making me biased. The warning signs are all over the game, but I found it worth playing.

(Oh my wolverinnnnnnne!!!! Why am I so drawn to chain smoking, gruff, near immortal guys??)

Game Thoughts: Dreamfall

After finishing The Longest Journey, I started playing the 2nd game in the series, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Developed by Funcom and released in 2006, this title takes a more action-adventure gameplay style compared to the predessor. The player controls character movement, but still solves puzzles via collecting and interacting with people and objects.

Synopsis

Again in the setting of the twin worlds connected by dreams, we follow Zoe, a rich student suffering from clinical depression/apathy. (I could RELATE!) She sets off on a journey while searching for her ex-boyfriend Reza, a journalist for a controversial paper. During the journey she meets April from the previous game and uncovers a dangerous conspiracy.

Virtues

A non-white female lead! Zoe is a beautiful Eurasian woman with very good flaws and interesting relationships.
Play as multiple characters. April returns to the title as a playable character and newcomer Kian.
Great graphical improvement really helped immersion reach a new level. Environments were lush and absolutely goregous. The characters look and move in more human-like ways.
Not hypersexualized. The women are beautiful and sexy but note in a hypersexualized way. Zoe wears practical clothes for the most part. True there are underwear dream sequences, but it's a white cami and bikini underwear. Sexual relations are spoken about but never shown.
Diverse characters. People come in all shapes, sizes, ages and colors.
Lovely soundtrack and good voice acting. Maybe it's just that I enjoy British and Irish accents but it was lovely.
Puzzles were all very solvable without a walkthrough. (Except for a couple that I got lazy on.)
Good story. With good or at least decent morals. And a sweet romance. The theme is "Faith", which is nicely explored. I was uncertain about Kian but wait it out and let it develop. It gets good. Questioning his faith and finding True Faith and strength in his religion. He sees the flaws and failings of the people but not the true goodness of it.
Traveling was faster with the new action system.

Vices

Primitive battle system. Zoe could do karate, Kian a sword, and April a staff. It was clunky and slow. The battle AI also did not provide much challenge. (Which suits the system.)
Again, lots of strong language and swearing. Now more violence because of the battle system.
Disorienting at first. Okay, maybe I've been spoiled by mini-maps for games like this. It was easy to get turned around and lost while trying to find the next objective. (Which I guess could be a good thing too. It WAS very immersive.)
The game plays well with a controller, it's very tricky with a mouse and keyboard. (Thus I used a controller.)
Lots of plot points left hanging for a sequel. Frustrating for the player, to be left with more questions than answers. (Luckily the sequel comes out this year.)

Conclusion

As someone who has experienced clinical depression, I could relate to Zoe's feelings in the beginning and enjoy seeing her try to overcome it and return to her former self. This one was more fun than the first. It was an excellent improvement and hard to put down. The ending left me hungry for more and I'm glad I played it NOW rather than when it was first released. (That's a long time to wait for a sequel!) It is for a mature audience, but I would recommend it rather highly. No Catholics in this one but definitely more cultures. (Love it!)

Game Thoughts: The Longest Journey

Okay, I'm sort of back with a new post. Thank you for prayers, I'm starting to recover and return to my old self. (Yay!) Also, I've managed to play a few games that I can have Game thoughts about! So my most recent game is Funcom's The Longest Journey which was released in 1999/2000 and currently available on Steam. (Which is where I got it.) It's a point and click adventure game.

Synopsis

In a cyber-punk future, you play April Ryan, an art student with a troubled youth who is haunted by dreams of another world. By the guidance of an enigmatic, old homeless man, she finds herself on a journey to save two worlds (one of science and one of magic) and restore the "Balance".

Virtues

A realistic female lead. How refreshing! Also supporting cast is well developed and charming.
The Catholic Church exists still! One point, April talks to a Catholic priest who sort of reconciles the "Balance" with the Catholic faith. Or rather show how they both don't exclude one another.
Interesting worlds, storyline and morals (Forgiveness seems to be a big one). Character change and develop.
Beautiful background environments. Lovely soundtrack. Pretty decent voice acting...for the time.Like many adventure games, almost everything has something the character comments on.
Nothing is super hyper sexualized. Sexual relations are talked about but never portrayed.

Vices

Lots and Lots of harsh language. It's fitting for the most part but could get a bit tiresome and excessive.
Obscure puzzles: Some puzzles were really difficult to figure out without a guide. No hints or story suggestions at all to what the answer would be.
Character graphics are primitive. A vice that can't be helped due to the limitations of game art back then. Gorgeous for the time but it has not aged that well. Human faces could look very alien at times. Also some male nudity...but again primitive graphics tone this down. (No female nudity, just underpants and a cami.)
Slow movement. To move is simple, point and click for April to walk to the destination. Double click to jog. It still takes quite some time for the animation to complete and for April to cross the screen. This seemed to stretch gameplay.
Some violence but comparatively tame to current standards. The low poly graphics aide in this.

Conclusion

The world-building, exploration, and strange story really drew me in and kept me hooked. It helped me overlook the primitive 3D graphics which could be quite distracting. Characters are all flawed but done so well. Of course it gets cliche and predictable at points. The language could get very distracting and slightly offensive at times. (Generally I have a pretty thick skin, but lots of taking the lord's name in vain really bugs me.) Personally, I enjoyed it but it is definitely for a mature audience.

Game Thoughts: Mass Effect 1

For many years, I had a silent protest against the Mass Effect series. I avoided the franchise after the game inspired some awkward conversations with former co-workers. In any case, I watched a playthrough of the first two games of the series, the whole trilogy came out on sale and my Halo armor costume  project has also lead to finding images of Mass Effect Cosplay. Soooo...I like that stuff.

Reasons for Protest

There were 3 major reasons why I avoided the game.

1. Soft Porn Scenes and overt Sexualization - I swear at every opportunity they made something weirdly erotic. Costuming is the biggest offender for this one. But even tone of voice, actions and situations could end up as suddenly weirdly sexual. 
2. I don't like Sci-Fi - This is completely personal taste. The inorganic nature of the environments, the hospital colors, and the sterile nature of such settings do not appeal to me.
3. Over-Hype - It's true, fans can ruin everything. I recall being VERY pressured to play the game, when I had just bought the game that they had been pressuring me to play just a week or two ago.

Now for the actual thoughts...

Synopsis

You play as a commanding officer, Shepard in a human-based space military called the Alliance. Humanity is relying on you to help our species get a place on the galactic council, the ruling body for many species. Shepard goes on various missions to impress this council and discovers some unsettling big picture problems about to go down. Inorganic or mostly machine enemies have this big conspiracy plot to destroy all advanced organic life in the galaxy. This must be stopped.

Virtues

As true with most games of this nature, there are plenty of opportunities for "lessons" in morality. If you're playing with the right mindset. It does tackle some hard to deal with issues. 

Some of the interesting "morals" I had run across: do the ends justify the means in law enforcement, wiping out the last of a species that was previously hunted to extinction, being independent as a species vs relying on others, does someone deserve a second chance, should a woman get genetic therapy for her unborn baby, and more. 

The design and culture of the world has be thoroughly detailed making it a very immersive experience. 

I really like a lot of the alien designs. Expecially the Quarians and Turians. (Kitty faced dinosaurs.) 

Excellent character development. 

A mention of God and faith that reminded me of C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet". (Sadly, it's only a mention in passing.)

Paragon (good) choices reaped long-term good benefits, Renegade (evil) choices usually end in only short term benefits. 

Vices

This list might be a bit long. So let's start with game play elements.

I didn't want to believe other reviewers that the land vehicle sections controlled like a cow in a pushcart with 3 wheels. Getting from point A to point B was like herding cats. 

Renegade (evil) options are hardly ever appealing or very blatantly awful. At least give me some grey area where it might be a good idea or seem slightly beneficial. There was an unbalanced amount of favor to Paragon (good) choices. I know it's kind of weird to list this as a "vice" but I prefer a little grey area in these option. Not that "evil" should be rewarded, but the weakness of such a system feels like imbalanced gameplay. 

A whole race of fetish aliens - The Asari are a single sexed species. This is fine and a fascinating concept. How would we a complimentary sexed species relate, how would their culture be different. No, instead, we have a race of hot females with no sexual shame that can control when they become "pregnant". They still have this concept of mother and father.
I see the intent and I respect that it is an interesting idea, but the presentation is definitely what a lot of people see. It doesn't help that they mostly employ them as strippers. 

Strong Atheism, weak deism - One of the many weaknesses in a sci-fi story is the exclusion of faith or the demonizing of it. Some faiths are okay, such as the Asari belief in the Goddess. Others are demonized, such as the hanar's evangelical preaching about the Enkindlers. We have one deist in Ashley, who only believes in God but doesn't seem to associate with any one religion. 

Is it really so difficult for someone to be portrayed not only as a good Christian but a scientist or soldier? So very little is said about one of humanities BIGGEST humanizing features. Seriously, we Catholics believe that the all powerful, creator of the universe became Man and dwelt among us. Seriously. Other aliens outside looking in might see that as our hubris, but it makes humans truly unique. ...yes okay, I like writing my own semi-sci-fi worlds where THIS IS AN ISSUE. How would the church fit in with these aliens? Also...if they all have reasoning, therefore supernatural souls...is inter-species marriage...agh...I can see how that might complicate things. 

Conclusion

There are several characters that I like and its a pretty good story. But more often than not, the story or character development would go to an uncomfortable place. I had to double check a walkthrough to make sure I didn't pick the choice that triggered the sex scene. (Because you can't skip the movies like you can in Dragon Age.) I like romance in games, because I like those kinds of stories and it adds a human element to an otherwise inhuman setting.

It's okay. I wasn't blown away by it and don't feel like I missed much when I originally avoided playing the game. HOWEVER, I am going to continue into the next 2 games. Because the setting is great, the characters are great, the story and trimmings I could take or leave.