Blogging’s been a
touch light due to actually getting some work done (huzzah!) and
being mildly pestilent (buggerydoo).
Anyway, there has been
some recent videogame news that caught my eye and I thought was worth
a quick ramble. So ramble shall I.
Fallout 76 is to come
out. I imagine a proper reveal and launch date will emerge during
this year’s E3, but the murmuring at the moment suggests it’s not
a ‘proper’ Fallout (ie a single player RPG along the lines of
Fallout 4, or New Vegas). Instead, it sounds like a (primarily, at
least) multiplayer online tosh pit, probably including at least some
element of base-building.
I rather liked the
building in Fallout 4, although I didn’t like Garvey being a nag
(and a layabout, why did *I* have to save every damned settlement
whilst he frolicked through the streets, whistling and doing
nothing?) or the paid DLC nonsense. However, with Fortnite, PUBG and
perhaps now H1Z1 dominating the time, and wallets, of millions of
gamers it’d be unsurprising if there were a battle royale aspect.
I’m not a fan of
multiplayer gaming, and not just because I’m a misanthropic monster
who dwells in an isolated cave on a remote North Sea island and whose
only human contact is when the local villagers annually deliver me
seven redheaded maidens to appease my wrath. It’s quite remarkable,
really, given how much time I’ve sunk into Skyrim (much, much more
than Fallout 4) how Bethesda have managed to announce various
releases since, only one of which I’ve bought, and none of which
I’ve played for even 10% of the time I put into Skyrim. But, gaming
is a business. If you can make eleventy billion dollarydoos with
Elder Scrolls Online *makes the sign against evil* and it takes less
time than creating The Elder Scrolls VI: Your Grandkids Will Be Dead
Before This Comes Out, it makes financial sense.
Will I be getting
Fallout 76? Well, let us imagine a lovely world in which time and
money were no object. In that marvellous realm of fiction, the answer
would be: almost certainly not.
A more tempting
prospect would be the forthcoming Tomb Raider, the third entry in the
reboot of the mega-series. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is pencilled in
for the middle of this September which really isn’t that far off
now. I’ve played both immediately preceding instalments, as well as
perhaps a third of those preceding the reboot, and have high hopes
this will live up to the standards recently established.
It’s also being
touted as completing the ‘origin trilogy’ which will see Lara
Croft emerge from the cocoon of ordeals as an arse-kicking heroine.
Although she did seem to be there by the end of the second game, if
not the first… Anyway, it’s set in South America, with jungles
and incredibly steep pyramids all around. This means both camouflage
and never skipping leg day will be vital if Lara is to survive this
particular adventure.
We are not yet certain
what endangered species Lara will be murdering, or what priceless
artefacts and/or cities she’ll be wrecking, but I’m sure that’ll
come out in due course. Camouflage does play a role, though whether
that’ll be just mud and leaves, or something akin to Metal Gear
Solid 3’s approach, I don’t know. (As an aside, if you haven’t
played Rise of the Tomb Raider yet, you can get it on Amazon for the
PS4 for £16, so it’s worth a look).
One thing I will say
against Shadow of the Tomb Raider is that the fancier ‘Croft
Edition’ comes out 48 hours earlier. That kind of thing is just
nonsense, in my eyes. Bonuses in swankier editions should be limited
to cool extras like maps, posters, that sort of thing. Getting to
play earlier because you’re Captain Moneybags does not sit well.
I’ll probably end up
getting this, but not at launch.
On the new games front,
this last is a ‘sort of’ entry. The Banner Saga Trilogy Bonus
edition for the PS4 comes out towards the end of July (£30). The
first game was the first, and so far only, game I’ve ever bought
electronically. I have to say I liked a lot about it. The art style
is interesting, I liked the strategic combat, and the element of
uncertainty/deceit with the characters was intriguing. I also liked
the ending a lot. However, I never got around to buying the sequels.
Hard to say if it just slipped my mind, my dislike of electronic
stuff got the better of me, or what. It’s not the best game ever
made but it is a good game and well worth considering, particularly
if you enjoy tactical combat, Viking(ish) settings, and tough moral
choices.
Speaking of electronic
stuff, I still plan on getting Blood & Wine DLC for The Witcher 3
at some point (this may seem like I’m absentminded, but given at
least 16 years elapsed between me buying the first and second entries
in the Death Gate Cycle, this is a small delay). I might also see
about getting some XCOM 2 DLC at some point, but less sure about
that.
On a wider note,
rumours abound that the PS4 is drawing towards the end of its life
cycle, although that still means going on to 2021. Given the bullshit
pulled with the PS4 Pro, I shan’t be in a hurry to throw hundreds
of pounds at Sony next time around. I’ll wait a few years, and see
if they pull the same nonsense again.
Thaddeus
In this world, there
were many masterless samurai, called ronin, and Musashi was one of
them. Early on he’s little more than a strong and energetic
fighter, but over the course of the book he dedicates himself to the
Way of the Sword and mastering himself. His wandering takes him from
place to place, and the book’s POV sometimes switches to other
significant characters, such as Matahachi (his comrade-in-arms at
Sekigahara), and Otsu (a childhood friend from the same village).
Various places are visited, including Kyoto, Osaka, and the rapidly
expanding city of Edo. Coupled with smaller villages, this presents
the reader with an interesting cultural backdrop including schools of
swordsmanship, pleasure houses, and temples.
