The Ross 117 – Day 15

Two weeks I managed. Two weeks before the gaming tsunami overwhelmed me back to old habits. Not a bad start.

In the interim, I completed Dishonored and Cry of Fear, put 20 hours into Fire Emblem Awakening, 15 hours into Deadly Premonition, and 10 hours into XCOM Enemy Unknown, with a touch of MLB 13, a pinch of Forza 4, and a dash of Skate 3. I wrapped up Pyscho Pass, and fell in love with Attack on Titan. I’m back into my biking regimen, and eagerly awaiting Animal Crossing: New Leaf, hoping to recapture the adolescent joy of my time in Dogville all those years ago.

It’s been a productive spell.

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75. Mass Effect [PC, 2007]

Grant Bioware this much and no more: the combat of Mass Effect 2 is a galactic leap ahead of the dreck on display here. And regretfully, that’s really the only thing keeping Mass Effect so low on this list, for I can think of few games that manage to construct such a rich and compelling fictional universe in a freshman effort (and squander it so spectacularly in subsequent entries, but that’s for another time).

Who wasn’t stunned by the magnificent Citadel reveal, spellbound by the fantastic electronic ambiance of the Wards, or genuinely torn over the decision on Virmire? The world building is second to none, and the core narrative, while certainly not gaming’s finest, serves the universe well.

More’s the shame that the combat is so clumsy and lethargic, what with it’s pincushion foes and 60 second power cooldowns. It’s a festering mess that does its damnedest to ruin an otherwise generation-defining title, an accolade that we see Bioware, arm outstretched, reaching so desperately for, but as the slow motion kicks in, they slip away quietly into the void. It’s then you realize — this is as close as they would ever get.

74. Ys: The Oath in Felghana [PC, 2012]

As my first Ys title, I did what any sensible person would do and dialed that son of a bitch up to hard. I like a good challenge, and Ys: The Oath in Felghana gives me a good challenge. There are plots and fleshy talk-units and various other things of middling importance, but we’re here to cut things up nice like — the blistering pace and intensity of combat leaves little time and even less desire for all those ancillary bits.

Also, this game shreds.

73. Half-Life 2: Episode One [PC, 2006]

“Blah bloo it’s the best game ever made wow” bleat the ever-enchanted experience gamers whenever one so much as whispers the name Half-Life 2, an opinion so ubiquitous and culturally ingrained that any and all to the contrary are scoffed at and shuffled out. Half-Life 2, truth be told, is not all it’s cracked up to be, and not nearly as favored by Father Time as it’s decidedly superior predecessor. Episode One is the worst of it.

Let’s cut it quick: Alyx is not, has never been, and will never be, a good companion.

She isn’t particularly endearing like Bioshock Infinite‘s Elizabeth, she doesn’t present gameplay relevance like Resident Evil 4‘s Ashley, and she certainly can’t stack up to the adventurous splendor of Timesplitter‘s perennial favourite (like the Brits) Captain Ash.

So you spend the short duration slogging through, with one underground exception, some dreadfully boring environments, accompanied by an AI of little importance or impact, longing for another pulse-pounding engagement with Half-Life‘s menacing Marines as you *pock* *pock* another inept metrocop.

The Ross 117 – Day 14

78. Hotline Miami [PC, 2012]

Thumping, intoxicating beats are the lifeblood of Hotline Miami, lulling you into a murderous trance as you attempt over and over to eliminate your target in the most surgical fashion possible; there are scant few soundtracks in gaming quite so striking. Everything the game does is almost beyond reproach, yet it’s hard for me to see the package as anything more than bite-sized fun when the mood strikes; death delivered at 300 miles per hour and 20 minutes at a time. For some, that’s game of the year material, and I can certainly respect that position. But venture past those 20 minutes and the repetition sets in so heavily I find myself dashing for the exit as quickly as the game’s mysterious protagonist.

77. Dead Space [PC, 2008]

Developers take note: if you don’t care enough to properly tune your PC ports, then I won’t care enough to buy it. Period. Dead Space is a rather good action-horror game that was absolutely crippled by the worst 360 analog stick deadzone I ever experienced, and in a game where precision shooting is so vital such an oversight is a dealbreaker. I’d like to say that one day I’ll grab the console version on the cheap to experience the game with non-nightmarish controls, but honestly, few games are good enough to double dip on. Dead Space is, by percentage points, not one of them.

76. FTL: Faster Than Light [PC, 2012]

FTL and Hotline Miami are two games that will forever be attached at the hip — two wildly successful indie games with outstanding music and strong core gameplay that simply fails to hold my interest for any extended period of time. Perhaps the fault is on me and my steady diet of JRPGs growing up, as I just can’t find the love inside me for these small-scale projects. FTL gave me an enjoyable six hours, but I really have no desire to return.