Category: Games

 

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

Portal 2 is the full-length sequel to hit video game Portal (and if for some strange reason you haven’t actually played the original Portal yet, by all means you really should do so first ).

Amazingly— considering the excellence of the first game— every element in Portal 2 has been given an upgrade, from its music to its story to its characters to its humor to its gameplay to its complexity to its length (…etc.). Indeed, as awesome as the first game truly is (as we mention in its review, literally the only reason we gave it 5 & 1/3 Stars instead of 5 & 1/2 was because it’s short!), Portal 2 somehow manages to be even more awesome. And with the introduction of numerous new gameplay elements, several satirically and/or anti-humorly witty new characters, a fairly comprehensive backstory, and some truly excellent near-realtime escape-for-your-life sequences, Portal 2 is also even more immersive.

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

Also newly introduced is two-player co-op, which is basically a second full-length game (as of course the storyline and all the puzzles have to be quite different to accommodate two players). And the true teamwork necessary for this portion of the game is actually quite amazing (and quite fun ).

In short, this is everything Portal fans hoped it would be— and a truly excellent game in itself.

So what are you waiting for? Go play Portal, and then Portal 2— because they are both absolutely fantastic.

Our rating for the Portal 2 video game: 5 & 1/2 Stars.

 

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

Portal opens with your character, Chell, waking from stasis to music and the voice of the artificially-intelligent computer that runs this facility, GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System). As it turns out, the facility was built to research and test experimental portal technology, and Chell is a test subject. As such, GLaDOS will lead your character through 19 test chambers, and reward you with cake upon your success.

…Or not.

As you you make your way through the series of progressively-more-challenging tests, it becomes clear that there is more going on than first appeared— and the final test will change your role completely. From that point on, the game is transformed into something far more creepy in atmosphere, and even more creatively fun for the player.

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

When you combine that with the game’s slightly-surreal, sequel-set-up finale and the utter hilarity and brilliance of the credits , the only real reason we have to rate this game at 5 & 1/3 Stars rather than a full 5 & 1/2 is its length (or, rather, the lack of it)— it takes just a few hours to complete the main portion of the game (if you’re not specifically going after any ‘Achievements’ at the same time). Admittedly, however, that might actually be a good thing, as people who normally don’t play video games may enjoy it for that very reason; and people who do normally play video games will simply be eager for more (a desire that can be satisfied with the full-length sequel, Portal 2).

In all, this is an excellent game, and we highly recommend it.

Our rating for the Portal video game: 5 & 1/3 Stars.

[Note: There are some personally-tested Player Tips at the end of the review!]

 

Well, this is a very minor point, but just to get it out of the way we do have to mention that some of the graphics— while good— are not quite as photorealistic as everyone’s used to these days (especially in the video clip cut scenes… this game was originally released in early 2002, after all); but they can be tweaked to look much better through the game’s options menu.

That said, the game itself is so good that it has actually been officially recognized as one of the top 5 best Star Wars computer games ever.

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

When Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast opens, your character Kyle Katarn is not (or, rather, no longer) a Jedi; until the Jedi Trial before the third mission, you don’t have Force powers or a Lightsaber, and must rely on blasters (both your original ones and new ones that you’ll get from gun racks and defeated enemies), three different kinds of detonation devices, and special items that you pick up along the way (like light-enhancing goggles, healing bacta, and etc.). And even after the Jedi Trial, many of those weapons and items will still be necessary.

   

(Screencap Credits: Ember)

Outcast‘s plotline is great, and the missions are amazingly large, long, and complex— making for many hours of challenging and quite engaging gameplay. And along with plenty of action, all of the missions— and even the final battle— also make you think, using a very realistic amount of wits, strategy, tactics, and logic to get through, just as you would have to do in real life.

In all, this excellent title is indeed one of the best Star Wars games ever made, and we definitely recommend it!

Our rating for the Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast video game:
5 & 1/3 Stars.

Player Tips:

#1: Use the Fast Lightsaber fighting style from as soon as you unlock it until the last boss fight (where you might want to use the Strong style instead).

And #2: Whenever you fight a Sith, crouch! (Yes, seriously — it greatly reduces your target area, making yourself much easier to defend, and it also allows you to come up underneath your enemies’ defenses. Plus, it makes the boss fights a lot easier, too!)

Have fun!

(Review Credit: Ember)

[Note: There are some personally-tested Player Tips at the end of the review.]

 

Lord Of The Rings: The Board Game, designed by Reiner Knizia and distributed by Fantasy Flight Games, is an amazing cooperative strategy game that includes the great bonuses of beautiful artwork and a perfect adhesion to The Lord Of The Rings‘ storylines and themes.

What players must do is work together as a whole to get the Ring-bearer to Mount Doom and destroy the Ring there… before the darkness consumes them. And the genius of this is that if you want to win, there can be NO competition against each other— only against the game. Indeed, players will often need to willingly sacrifice their own characters or cards so that their fellow player(s) can get the Ring to its final destination.

The need for complete and intense cooperation, selflessness, and strategy between all players, planning ahead every step of the way— and all the while struggling and fighting against the fierce ‘will’ of the game itself— makes this the most unique, challenging, and definitely enjoyable board game that I have ever played. Whether you like LOTR or not, Lord Of The Rings: The Board Game is excellent, and highly recommended!

Our rating for Lord Of The Rings: The Board Game: 5 & 1/2 Stars.

Player Tips:

#1: Because of the nature of the game, it’s recommended that you play this with your closest friends— it helps.

#2: The best total number of people playing at a time is three; that way there aren’t too many ‘event’ tiles being turned over, yet there are enough players to make sure that the Ring gets destroyed at the end.

#3: If you’re playing this game for the first time, remove one ‘Ring-bearer moves one step towards the darkness’ tile and three or four of the regular sundial tiles. Once you can beat the game with Sauron on Step 15 and those tiles removed, add one tile back in, and try again. When you can beat that, add another, etc. And when you can beat the game with all of the tiles added back in and Sauron on Step 15, take those tiles back out, move Sauron to Step 12, and play again… etc.

Have fun!

 

Video Games:

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Portal

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Portal 2

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Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast

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Board Games:

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Lord Of The Rings

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