Pumpkin's Video Game Diary!

[Pumpkin]

Civilization Revolution (PlayStation 3)

Civilization revolution is a game in which you build a civilization from the ground up. I have played none of the PC or other Civilization games, so I cannot compare between them.

When you start a new game, you will chose a leader and a country. There's a wide range of historical figures to select from such as Napoleon, Ghandi, Catherine the Great, and many others. This will also decide which nation you're playing as, and each nation invokes certain bonuses as the game progresses.

You start with one village which will grow depending on what you choose to build. You can make units such as warriors or settlers. In each town you can also create buildings like libraries, markets, Churches, and many other things depending on your choices in game. Each thing you build will take a certain number of turns based on how many resources you have. It's important to consider food and resources in your area when you have your settlers build a new location.

You'll also have technologies to research every certain amounts of turns, which will influence the things you can build. If your towns are near to each other you can also spend gold to build roads between them which will speed up travel. Gold can also be used to speed up the process of building your units, buildings, and wonders. You can move your units around the map depending on how many spots they can move per turn, and you can engage other nations or barbarian forts in combat, as well as discover new locations.

There are four main ways to win the game. The first is by taking over every other nation in the campaign. I believe there are 4-5 nations total in each campaign. Another way is to achieve a cultural victory, where you need to build and obtain 20 wonders and/or great people and then build the United Nations. You can also win by being the first to send something in to space, or by obtaining 20 000 gold.

You can also choose your difficulty in your single player games, allowing for different levels of challenges. There's also a multiplayer and online feature as well. You can also select scenarios which will influence how the game is played, such as speeding the game up, making other nations more hostile, and other such things depending on how you like to play.

Overall it was a fun game. It's pretty short to play through one campaign but luckily there's a lot of replayability in how you complete your game and which nation you play as well. You also unlock gifts and trophies to collect. I had fun with the game and I plan to play it again. It can sometimes be a bit unclear in the beginning as they don't necessarily explain things well, but other than that I don't have many complaints. While it was fun, it isn't something I'd play over and over again without a break in between.

Verdict:
IT WAS OKAY

[Pumpkin]

Until Dawn (PlayStation 4)

Story:
Until Dawn is a survivor horror game about friends staying in a cabin up in the mountains of Vancouver. One year prior to the main game, most of the group played a mean prank on a girl named Hannah, who ran out in to the cold wintery night, followed by her concerned sister. The two go missing. One year later, their brother invites his friends back up the mountain. They agree, hoping to support their friend after losing his sisters. Things take a turn for the worst though when creepy and violent things start happening. It's then up to the player to try and keep all 8 characters alive until dawn, when rescue will arrive for them.

The game's story will change depending on what happens in game. If certain characters die, you'll miss some parts of the story. It will also change based on decisions you make. Some decisions are minor and only affect some dialogue whereas other choices may lead to a characters death somewhere later in the story. I would recommend going in blind the first time to really emphasize the choices since you won't know which ones will have wide reaching effects. As the game likes to remind you, this is called the butterfly effect.

The game takes place during one night and over 10 chapters. Each chapter lasts probably between a half an hour and an hour and a half, depending. You'll control different characters at different time as the game progresses and get to watch their own individual stories. I wouldn't write off any characters too soon as some of them will surprise you with how they behave when the chips are down. There are also 3 mysteries to solve in this game via clues that you find.

Gameplay:
This game isn't the most involving gameplay wise, but you still need to pay attention. Most of the time you will be walking your character around dark places and looking for clues. Clues will help complete three of the background stories of the game and help you to better understand what's going on. You'll find totems that will give you a few second video showing what could possibly happen in the game, in the hopes of guiding you to correct decisions. Different coloured totems mean different things such as death of your character, a different character, a decision that should be made, etc. You'll also have to make many decisions in the game by selecting between two different options which can and will affect the story. Some will operate on a timer. Choosing to do nothing when there is a timer is also an option.

For the more involved parts of the game, you'll need to aim your controller and hit things within a target within a time limit. You'll also need to do quick time events where you press a button that appears on screen before time runs out. Sometimes you'll need to hold your controller very very still. Failing to do these things in the time limit might be beneficial, might do nothing, or might lead to a character dying. You also have the option to play the game with motion controls (moving your controller) or with just regular controls (using the joysticks).

World:
The game takes place on a creepy mountain at night. You'll explore a cabin, the woods, the mountains, the mines, and a few other dangerous and creepy locations. Everything is pretty dark most of the time. Typical horror stuff.

Characters:
(Ordered from favourite to least favourite)
Jessica: Jess is the new girlfriend of Mike and ex-best friend of Emily. She puts a lot of emphasis on her looks, she makes a lot of sex jokes, and she enjoys joking around and having a fun time.
Mike: Mike is the ex-boyfriend of Emily and current boyfriend of Jess. He acts pretty tough and confident and has a good sense of humour, although he can be mean spirited a lot of the time.
Sam: Friend to all, she's very caring and tries her best to keep everyone happy. Can be pretty serious and has a good head on her shoulders.
Ashley: Has a crush on Chris. A bit more meek and quiet than a lot of her friends, she's more of a follower than a leader. She's also generally kind and curious.
Matt: Emily's new boyfriend. A people pleaser, he's a pretty nice guy although he can get a bit jealous. Tends to fall in to the background.
Chris: Has a crush on Ashley but isn't able to act on it. He tries to stay calm in rough situations with mixed results. The "nerd" of the group.
Emily: Mike's ex-girlfriend and Matt's new girlfriend. She acts over-confident and is generally pretty smart but can be very bitchy and demanding.
Josh: Brother of Hannah and Beth, the girls who went missing. He has some unresolved issues, although he tries to act like everything is fine.

Overall:
I quite enjoyed this game, although I enjoyed watching it more than playing it. I get scared incredibly easy and playing it was bordering on too much for me. But I have watched my boyfriend and a let's play of it as well, so I saw a few different outcomes and possibilities. I like how the characters will change based on your choices, although it makes it hard to do a write-up of them that way. The story is good, it's basically like playing a long horror movie. There were a few issues with the story and the way certain scenes were presented, but overall it was really good. The gameplay was fine. The stay still could be brutal sometimes though, as sometimes moving a millimeter would cause the game to act as if you just started dancing with the thing. The characters were pretty great, seeing them change based on your actions, seeing all the stuff they go through. That part was excellent. The butterfly effect aspect is slightly oversold as the story will essentially be the same except with a few different scenes and more or less characters. Overall it was great although incredibly scary (for me) and I still am not fully over being scared after playing/watching this game several times.

Verdict:
LOVED IT

[Psychotic]

YEAH smurf EMILY! I feel sorry for Josh, it was actually a really interesting portrayal of mental illness. The section with him near the end got smurfing dark.

[Pumpkin]

I agree that he was an interesting character with some interesting story but at the end of the day (SPOILER)it's hard for me to be like YAY JOSH when he did everything he did to his friends :P. The funniest part was that 2 of his main 3 targets were minimally if not uninvolved in the whole prank thing (Chris was passed out and Sam was against it), so that was kind of silly. Meanwhile Mike and Jess who were a huge part weren't really a huge part of his revenge scheme. It was weird.

But yeah he certainly had some very interesting bits

[Psychotic]

Oh yeah sure I totally agree his plan was a dick move! (SPOILER)With all the medical history of mental illness though I did feel a bit sorry for him in the way that I just couldn't for someone like Emily who is a straight up bitch. Like, his plan clearly wasn't the work of a rational well adjusted individual and he was clearly experiencing some sort of breakdown as the game went on. But then his overall personality was a bit annoying anyway (when he seemed at his most healthy) so fair dues, can't say I yay Josh either!

[Pumpkin]

I agree, Emily was... something special. But gosh could she think on her feet sometimes. I would have been dead as a doornail and she was there making torches and shniz

[Vyk]

I like how Mike basically turns into Nathan Drake by the end of the game xD Also curious, regarding Mike (SPOILER) I kept his fingers, but my girlfriend was freaking out when that timer was going on, because the game makes you think something is coming after you. The machete kept breaking, but I kept using it, and eventually his fingers came out, rather than ... off. Obviously my girlfriend would have cut them off, and I've watched 3 playthroughs up to, and past that point, and they all cut Mike's fingers off. Anyone else experience the story with his fingers still attached? I found it odd that I'm the only one I know who let the poor guy keep his fingers lol

Good review. I'm glad you ended up enjoying it after-all, even if it was mostly vicariously.

[Formalhaut]

Many interactive stories tend to overplay the butterfly effect element. I suppose there's a limitation on just how many things you can encode, but still. Heavy Rain was a fantastic game that again didn't quite live up to that mark.

[Pumpkin]

Good way to avoid the fingers thing is to avoid the trap altogether ;D

/helpful

[Pumpkin]

Mortal Kombat (Super Nintendo)

Mortal Kombat is a klassic fighting game where you pick one of seven fighters and then... beat up other fighters. The series is known for its over the top and gratuitous violence, blood, and gore, and this is the game where it all began. I will say that the version I was playing was rather tame, especially after playing some of the later entries in the series.

The game is pretty straightforward. Y and B buttons punch and X and A buttons kick. Arrow buttons let you move, duck and jump. You can do those things while kicking and punching for added effect. The shoulder buttons are your guard. Performing certain button pushes in certain orders with certain characters will pull off different moves. Upon defeating an opponent, performing correct button presses will result in a special ending animation where you kill the loser by performing a fatality.

The menu is simple. You fight or you adjust your options, like difficulty or button presses. If you select tournament, a friend can press start on their controller and the two of you can battle it out. If just you, you will progress up the line of fighters, defeating them all including your mirror self. Then you will have three rounds where you have to defeat two opponents, one right after the other, without a break or regaining your health. Afterwards you fight the two ending bosses.

Characters:
(In no particular order)
Johhny Cage: He wears shorts and shades. A movie star
Kano: A bad guy with a weird eye
Sub-Zero: A blue ninja with ice powers
Sonya: The one girl you can play
Rayden: Thunder God
Liu Kang: Shirtless fighter
Scorpion: Yellow ninja who has a skull face

Overall this was a fun game because it was exciting to play a piece of fighting game history. It's obviously an older, stiffer game, but it was still a lot of fun and it still holds up a fair amount today. I had actually never played the original, so it was nice to see the series at its basic roots. It's very simple, very stiff, and you'd probably have more fun playing X, but if you want to have some retro nostalgia fun with a fighting game, Mortal Komat is an excellent choice.

Verdict:
LIKED IT

[Ayen]

The visuals don't age well because they used real people, and MKII is better in every way, but for an starting point it was a pretty solid entry. Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Sonya, and Raiden are my favorites.

Have either you or sharky trigger the secret Reptile fight?

[Vermachtnis]

Looking at this, I don't think I've ever played the first one.

[Pumpkin]

We have not triggered the secret reptile fight! Well, not yesterday anyway, I'm sure sharky has probably done it at some point

[Ayen]

You have to be pretty good at the game, so yeah. I could never do it.

[Pumpkin]

Battle Arena Toshinden (PlayStation)

Battle Arena Toshinden is a fighting game that was pretty innovative for its time. It was touted as having brought fighting games in to true 3-D due to it's awesome sidestepping and fighting in a 3D environment. Characters also fight with weapons similar to in Soul Calibur, but before Soul Calibur.

Like most fighting games, you press buttons to attack your opponents. You can also hold the back arrow to guard or press the shoulder buttons to sidestep. Or side flip, or cartwheel, or spin. Moving around in this game is almost too easy and you'll easily find yourself further or closer than you intended to be. You can also run at your opponents and knock them off the screen with attacks, or be knocked off if you're unlucky. Beware that the edge of the arenas are quite slippery and you can easily find yourself falling off.

The story is incredibly generic. Fighters gather to fight... for stuff.... and things. Many have reasons. This reasons are not overtly explained and you probably have to look for them. Likewise the ending is just as generic, although you do get to see a special move by your chosen character. In this "story" mode, which is basically just 1P mode, you have to fight every character in the game, followed by Gaia, the boss character. As in most fighting games, you can set the difficulty and round count, etc. It's rather short and doesn't take long to playthrough. There's also a 2 player mode, obviously, and an option to just fight the computer. There are also a few unlockable characters.

Characters:
(In no particular order)
Eiji: From Japan, uses a Byakko Katana
Kayin: From Scotland, uses Excalibur
Sofia: From Russia, uses a whip
Rungo: From United States, uses a large club
Fo: From China, uses iron claws
Mondo: From Japan, uses a Seiryu Spear
Duke: From France, uses a large two-handed sword
Ellis: From Japan, uses twin dirks

Overall this game is clearly older and not up to today's standards, or even the games that came out a few years after it. With that being said, it was very fun. It controlled almost comically, the voice acting was cheesy and awful and amazing all at the same time, the characters look rough, and the backgrounds are horrendous. But the game is incredibly fun and charming and it was a lot of fun to play another piece of fighting game history. The game is incredibly cheap (around $1 US on Amazon) and I would highly recommend it if you want some lighthearted and mindless fun and entertainment if you enjoy fighting games.

Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT