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Monday Gaming Diary: I have a literal paper trail from the Paper Trail DLC

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infamous-papertrail

Paper Trail is the free DLC for inFAMOUS Second Son, and it was released in episodic format over 6 weeks. Each episode was a collection of about four missions for Delsin to complete to help solve a murder mystery involving the DUP. What started off as what seemed to be a somewhat simple murder mystery spiraled into a crazy backstory behind Augustine, the DUP, and well, the future for the inFAMOUS series.

Holy crap it was amazing.

What was more amazing than the story was the gameplay. The DLC required you to use either a computer or a tablet to log all of your evidence and for your sleuthing. You had to hack the DUP intranet, a forum for the Lifeline protesters, watch videos, and unfold and decipher many, many messages in origami doves.

But some of the sleuthing required paper puzzles with numbers, symbols, mazes, you name it. For most of the puzzles, I had to print off some of the photos to fold up, connect the dots, or use as a grille cipher. When I was done with the printouts, I used them to jot down copious notes I needed to solve other puzzles and ciphers. I have a nice stack of paper on my desk full of drawings and seemingly random numbers. I don’t think I’ve ever used so much paper to help solve puzzles in a Professor Layton game.

Using so much paper also makes me giggle at a bit of the double meaning behind Paper Trail.

And I really want to fold a bunch of origami doves to dangle around my office. Because I don’t have enough random crap flitting around here.

That reminds me…where IS my origami swan from Heavy Rain? Just realized I haven’t seen that since the move…

Monday Gaming Diary: Still Avoiding Finishing Lightning Returns

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legobilboI have a week off before my next video game review for work. That nagging voice in my head says I should probably get back to Lightning Returns and attempt to finish it, but the devil on my shoulder (or perhaps it really is an angel) points out that I should get LEGO The Hobbit to 100% since I’ve already started it. And I just can’t argue with that shoulder entity. She is quite wise.

I finished my evil playthrough of inFAMOUS Second Son last week as well, which was depressing as hell I have to say, and my gaze immediately went to my copy of Lightning Returns on my desk. “Come on, you know you have to see just how awful this game is in the end,” the shoulder demon whispers. “You have to say you know how it goes, so you can have educated hate. You went and bought the Collector’s Edition because you’re an idiot, so get your money’s worth out of this game.”

Then my angel appears and says, “But don’t you want to finish what you start from now on? Don’t you dare abandon LEGO The Hobbit. And while you’re at it, shouldn’t you complete the Paper Trail DLC that was FREE for inFAMOUS Second Son? See, you can’t say you’re really finished with that game, even though you’ve played both Good and Evil.”

They both make such excellent points. I really should complete LEGO The Hobbit to 100% and the Paper Trail DLC for Second Son while I can, as I have four games to review in the next few months. Or wait, I think that’s five. Then July should be completely barren for Lightning to take over. I’ll make myself miserable for my birthday month. That sounds like a good plan.

This may sound ridiculous, but the thought of not playing it through when I spent that much money on it drives me more insane than the thought of playing a game I don’t find fun. I never said I was rational, logical person.

Monday Gaming Diary: So LEGO The Hobbit for the Vita isn’t Terrible

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160095bBecause I’m part masochist and part optimist (at times), I bought the Vita version of LEGO The Hobbit in the hopes once again that maybe they’ll go back to the traditional formula for LEGO games with handhelds. I’m pleased to report that while they have continued their challenge model for the handheld versions, the handheld version for LEGO The Hobbit isn’t as awful as it has been in the past.

One of the biggest problems I’ve had with the handheld LEGO games as of late is that they have time trials as part of the challenges. LEGO games have always been about taking your time to explore and smash all the things, not burn through a level as fast as you can. These time trials put stress on games that have never, ever been about stress. LEGO The Hobbit still employs these time trials, but they aren’t in every level. In fact, many of the levels and challenges really do focus on exploration.

Unfortunately, you can still die or get a Game Over penalty, forcing you to restart a level. One level requires a bit of stealth, and if you fail at any time, you get to do the whole level over again. Any challenges you completed are forfeit as well, so get used to starting from scratch quite a bit.

It’s a step in the right direction, but I really hope they forgo this model completely soon. Although, I guess why would they do that when I continue to fork over my money to them?

I really do need that T-shirt that says, “I’m part of the problem.”

Monday Gaming Diary: Forget the Backlog, I’m playing inFAMOUS Second Son Again

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inFAMOUSSecondSon-3

I have a huge backlog. I even dedicated a new blog about it. My plan this year was if I got no other backlog games played, I would finish Dragon Age: Origins because Inquisition is supposed to release this year. I haven’t touched DAO at all, and I’ve shoved Lightning Returns into my backlog.

So what am I doing in the meantime? Well, I finished inFAMOUS Second Son last night and immediately started a new game for the evil side. I have so many other things to do, like FFX and the like, but no, I’m playing a game AGAIN just for the evil powers.

I’m so part of my own problem.

I look at my gaming to-do list, and some part of me is completely blinded by shiny inFAMOUS. I haven’t finished Kingdom Hearts HD either, I really need to work more on FFX, and I know I need to wrap up Lightning Returns so I have this summer free for DAO. But no, why do things I should be doing when I’m having more fun being a complete jerk and zapping people in Seattle with powers.

I did this with both Mass Effect games and inFAMOUS 2. Maybe I have a soft spot for games that have moral flips? Or maybe I’m not as into Square Enix as I used to be.

Either way, eh, hold on a minute…I need to free Seattle from the DUP by killing everyone. Be right back to finish this thought.

Monday Gaming Diary: I can’t stop playing inFAMOUS Second Son

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It isn't just about smoke powers...

It isn’t just about smoke powers…

I have barely touched the story in inFAMOUS Second Son. I may have done 3 or 4 story missions after reaching Seattle. I’ve been spending hours on clearing Seattle of the DUP in the various side missions available.

Clearing out the feds reminds me of taking down the Borgia towers in Assassin’s Creed 2: Brotherhood. That was easily my favorite part of the game, as rooting out the Borgia commanders was always enjoyable and then I could buy more vendors and get rich, rich, rich. I’m not able to get rich by clearing out the DUP in inFAMOUS, but doing so shows all of the blast shards, it makes people happy, and well, it’s really, really fun. It seems like a lot of mindless shooting most of the time, but sometimes that’s all you really want to do. Maybe it’s because your arsenal isn’t just simply shooting? I have more fun with the creative kills than anything else, almost like Bulletstorm.

One benefit to clearing out so many districts so early on is I’ve maxed out all of my available weaponry. I’m also already a level four in karma, one level away from maxing that out as well. I like being super powerful early on so the story isn’t as much of a potential drag, particularly with boss fights.

Each time I do max out what I have available, then I dive back into a story mission, which almost always unlocks a new ability. Then it’s back into clearing out another district! Hooray!

It also makes me want to go back and finish my Evil playthrough of the first game. Then again, all of the Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls talk makes me want to replay Diablo 3 a few dozen more times. One thing at at time…that’s how the stack of shame got started in the first place.

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