Review: Blocks That Matter

Blocks That Matter is about intrigue, deception and, most of all, love. The power of love towards all things blocky. It is a tribute to games with blocks. And why not? Blocks are great. My first ever gaming experience was smashing a block as Alex Kidd. Only his blocks didn’t matter all that much (poor… Continue reading Review: Blocks That Matter

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 9: Community and Communication

This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series Experience Points

The goal of this series was to give an overview of the state of the game from a player perspective, as balanced as possible and taking most things into account. At whom was it directed?

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 8: PvP

This entry is part 8 of 9 in the series Experience Points

So far, most of this “Experience Points” series was based on just that: an overview from player experience. It’s a bit harder to offer my opinion on PvP when I haven’t dabbled in it much myself. As it seems to be a habit of mine, I’ll try and put in a few disclaimers before delving… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 8: PvP

Review: Defy Gravity Extended

Nailing that feeling of satisfaction when you’ve figured out a solution to the task at hand is very difficult. Not all mechanics allow it and not all games offer more than one route from point A to point B. I believe gravity manipulation and physics-based gameplay is one of the greatest things gaming has bothered… Continue reading Review: Defy Gravity Extended

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 7: Endgame

This entry is part 7 of 9 in the series Experience Points

Looking over the feedback on these articles, as well as community comments on various other “second looks” on the game, I’ve started wondering what was really up with the criticism of content gaps in Champions Online. I started playing a few months after the game was released and never had this problem, so I just… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 7: Endgame

Interview with Cakebread, creator of the Stanley Parable

The Internet is currently on fire because of the Stanley Parable, a quite different Half-Life 2 mod. We had the opportunity to talk to the creator about it. The interview contains spoilers, so if you haven’t played the game yet, do so right now. Preferably without watching the trailer or reading up on it.  Thanks… Continue reading Interview with Cakebread, creator of the Stanley Parable

Challenge Everything – On Gaming Difficulty

The basic element of any video game is challenge. You can omit any other element and still identify something as a “video game.” You require no graphics for text-based adventure games. You require no music in your games. Stories can also be completely done away with. But think about a video game without any challenge?… Continue reading Challenge Everything – On Gaming Difficulty

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 6: Adventure Packs

This entry is part 6 of 9 in the series Experience Points

The Adventure Packs in Champions Online had a few goals, but were only partially successful. The point was to make self-contained repeatable mission chains that would work as scalable content, so you could do them regardless of your level or team size. This would give every character something to do and help with mission gaps.… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 6: Adventure Packs

Review: Tobe’s Vertical Adventure

The amount of effort required to make a PC game work properly shouldn’t go beyond resolution settings and keybinds. As I’ve possibly mentioned in some previous reviews, if you’re not comfortable while playing the game, it feels more like a chore. Despite the rather negative opening, “Tobe’s Vertical Adventure” from Secret Base doesn’t exactly cripple… Continue reading Review: Tobe’s Vertical Adventure

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 5: Nemesis System

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Experience Points

It’s fun to save the world from a giant flaming gorilla, stop a high-tech terrorist organization and help grannies find their lost kitties, but each hero needs that one person that makes it personal. The Joker, the Lex Luthor, the Dr. Doom, the nemesis. The antagonist of a story is a trope goldmine. They help… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 5: Nemesis System

Review: Dungeons of Dredmor

It’s a good sign when you’d rather play the game you’re supposed to review than actually review it. I am afraid to run Dungeons of Dredmor again because I’ll spend another hour on it (at best). Sadly, I had to get screenshots for the article, so I lost another 2 hours summoning moustache golems and… Continue reading Review: Dungeons of Dredmor

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 4: Costume Creator

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Experience Points

Something universally agreed upon in regards to Champions Online is just how good the costume creator is. While you cannot exactly make anything you want, most concepts translate very well into the game. The creator sports around 3000 regular pieces, another 400 gold pieces, dozens of C-Store sets and a lot of unlockables. Cosmetic items are… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 4: Costume Creator

Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 3: C-Store

This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Experience Points

As mentioned in the previous installment of Experience Points: CO, the most vocal fear in any Free-to-Play game is the Pay-to-Win occurrence. I wrote how being a freeform character, which is exclusive to Gold players, compares to being an archetype, but I didn’t address the actual microtransaction store and its relevance in the “Pay-to-Win” argument.… Continue reading Experience Points: Champions Online – Part 3: C-Store