Category Archives: What Im Playing

Day 2 – A Diary Divided: The Division

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What follows is a chronological order of events that take place in a series, written by an Agent within The Division who shall remain anonymous. He shares his nickname at the end of each entry, so that his friends and family will recognize, that they may keep up to date with his journey. The entries are date stamped the day they are received, which may not reflect the day they were written, as some entries may cover multiple days. They are posted as they come in, unaltered.

03-25-2016

Day 2

My hands are still shaking, so I don’t know how long this entry will be. I’m currently writing this in the darkness of the underground subway tunnels tucked into a corner, lit only by the dull LCD of my Chromebook on battery power. When I showed up at the post Office HQ at first light, I was sent off on a three mission, three day expedition. There was a doctor working out of Madison Square Garden that was being forced to work for one of the bigger gangs, healing their wounded. Second mission was to get some of the subway tunnels powered up near the Hudson Yard construction site and makeshift dead-body incinerators, and get the ventilation fans turned on, and then finally meet with the Chief of Security, Captain Roy Benitez, at an undisclosed location by day three. I’ll get that information tomorrow, if I make it through tonight.

So, why am I in the darkness, in the subway tunnels? Well, let’s first talk about Madison Square Garden.

 MSG was one of the first buildings used as a quarantine shelter when the pandemic hit and Manhattan went on lockdown. The building typically caters to tens of thousands of fans nightly, so they had enough food and supplies ready for the first waves of people. But one of the bigger gangs, the Rikers, rolled in and took over the place once the looting and riots started. As the JTF was just getting situated, they didn’t have the resources yet to take it back, and they lost control. Dr. Jessica Kandel was captured and held against her will to provide medical attention to the club. My task today, with hopefully some other Agents was to take back MSG and rescue the doctor, and escort her back to the Farley base so she can work with the JTF and figure out what’s happening with this virus.

I was not naive or delusional when I enlisted to be an Agent many years ago, I was qualified, aced their training programs, and passed their counseling sessions and psychological assessment. I was led to believe that I may have to take a life, in self defence, in this type of work, especially when the situation is as extreme as the one we presently face. I’ve been equipped with a classic AK-47 with extended magazine and laser sight, a metallic black Super 90 shotgun, and First Wave PF-45 pistol. Obviously the Homeland Division and Joint Task Force are expecting us to come against some push-back.

All the sessions and assessments did not prepare me for today. I . . . I just get this feeling where it’s like I’m not, I guess, whatever. We don’t have to get into it right now.

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All the missing person posters are attached to the walls of the buildings adjacent to the Post Office Headquarters.

Two other Division Agents followed me through the entrance doors of the Madison Square Garden arena, along with a handful of JTF soldiers. We were directed to the security room where the CCTV and broadcast cameras had different views of the building. Dr. Kendel was kept at the East side of the building, in the main restaurant area between the lower and upper bowls. Due to the clogging of refuse and food stores all the hallways were blocked off and the easiest way was down through the seats, across the floor and then up the far side. The mission quickly turned to disaster as we hit the floor and were attacked by a handful of the Riker gang members.

Primarily armed with only handguns and baseball bats, they were no match for the other two Agents or me, as we had them clearly out-classed. There was no hesitation on their part though. I begged them to lay down their guns – walk away. Maybe it was my mask, maybe they didn’t understand me. Maybe they weren’t listening. I’ll put it this way: they didn’t leave the arena floor to follow us up the other side.

The rest of the extraction is still kind of a blur to me, but we made it out. The JTF soldiers extracted Dr. Kendal from the VIP restaurant section, while the other two Agents and I made it to the roof to clear out the remaining members of the entrenched gang. Another battle filled with confusion, smoke, and very little negotiation.

The sun went down a few hours ago and it got cold quick. I didn’t have the strength or the mind to make it back to the Base to properly check in – just used my Comm instead – and I went straight to the Subway Tunnels to prepare and scout my next mission. I’ll have to touch base with one of the city planners who are familiar with the inner workings of the electrical room tomorrow.

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I do hope my previous message made it out into the world, or that it at least got to the people that needed to read it. If I make it out of this mess, I’ll have to remember to thank my old crew at the paper. This message will be quite a few days old I suspect by the time it gets out, if it gets out. But now I just need to try and get some rest.

-iRogan
01261985

 

 

Day 1 – A Diary Divided: The Division

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What follows is a chronological order of events that take place in a series, written by an Agent within The Division who shall remain anonymous. He shares his nickname at the end of each entry, so that his friends and family will recognize, that they may keep up to date with his journey. The entries are date stamped the day they are received, which may not reflect the day they were written, as some entries may cover multiple days. They are posted as they come in, unaltered.

03-21-2016

 

 DAY1

So I’ve survived day 1. I got the call that I had been dreading and now I’m here, for lack of a better word: alone. The message was received on my watch at oh-nine-hundred yesterday, March 19th, and I went straight to my local base to get on the next transport. I was expecting the message, but didn’t think it would come this soon, and with so little warning. Luckily I don’t have any pets, or a girlfriend or fiance at home. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to my friends or Mom though. So, uh, goodbye everyone. I hope to see you again, or hear from you when this is all over. Mom, I love you and miss you, and I’m OK. I guess I should get that out of the way right away. I’m OK.

A little back story – I’m a Division Agent. Surprise! Right? Who would have guessed? One of many agents actually. We were enlisted, and trained in basic combat, and survival techniques. Nothing fancy. We know how to shoot, track, and survive. And basic comm skills. It’s not our day job, but something that we get some compensation on the side for, to keep up emergency supplies and rations, and so they can keep tabs on us. We’re a sleeper emergency response unit basically, to be called upon when shit gets real, when the government needs to regain control of its people. In the event of a disaster or something. We report to the Strategic Homeland Division and assist the JTL, or Joint Task Force to help restore some order to the city.

What I don’t need to tell you is that disaster has struck, in the form of a smallpox pandemic. Someone called it the “Dollar Flu” and the name has stuck. Its central to New York right now, and the city has been quarantined. With me inside. There aren’t many people left here either. Anyone left here standing is immune and the rest are, well, diseased. The disease transferred by touch through money, physical money. And in a heavily populated area like New York, money changes hands constantly. That’s why it spread so fast.

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I got one of the locals to snap a picture of me standing underneath a “No Standing Anytime” sign. The sign could be referring to me, or The X-Men. I didn’t ask for clarification.

They have the base of operations set up James A. Farley Post Office, and that was my first stop today. Met with the commanding officers and was given my gear, guns, some food while I’m mobile and my Comm pack. Met a few of the other Agents, but the expectations of us are to go somewhat alone, so that we’re more spread out across the city, and not clumped together. As a result of the Dollar Flu, and the city being quarantined, there is some pretty heavy looting and destruction of the city by the survivors. Basically thugs. The cockroaches are the ones to survive right? Our primary objective as an Agent is to clean up the city while the cause of the pandemic is determined, and a cure is created. As we are ground zero, we also have to follow the commands of the higher-ups, in case we’re give a mission.

Looting and destruction isn’t the worst of it. People have been taken hostage, people are fighting over whole streets, and claiming it as their own, like a gang mentality. No city services are running, so there’s fires everywhere. I’m surprised the power is even still running. There doesn’t really seem to be a lot of news leaving the area either. At the head base while I was waiting for my turn to be called for gear, I was watching the TV of the outside connection they had setup, and the news was talking about the virus and the quarantine, and that’s it. I’m guessing they don’t want people to know how bad it actually is, how bad the looting has gotten, or how high the death toll has risen. The JTL has no way of removing the dead bodies, and no real means of cleaning up the city. I’m not sure if they’re keeping them for testing, but there’s a lot of covered bodies around. I heard they have a huge incinerator near the construction site of the train tunnels.

I’m not allowed to talk to media or share anything. I have a little wireless chromebook that I keep with me, which is how I’m writing to you, but there’s no network or internet connections throughout the entire Downtown Manhattan. Only the Base has the hard-line connection and Satellite. Luckily the base is located in a Post Office though, and post offices deal in mail. I have a friend who works in Comms, and he has access to the Network and Comms to Brooklyn. I’ve given him the info to my work’s FTP. I work for a local free newspaper. They’ll get it, and hopefully post it somewhere. The plan is to drop off a USB drive with the entry into a secure mailbox, he uploads it, and puts the drive back. I have to check in at the HQ every morning and evening anyways for the daily rations, so this setup should work. Unless the Base gets attacked, or either of us get found ot, or I die. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

I’m sharing this because I feel people need to know, and so my family knows I’m OK. This city is contaminated. We wear masks so that we don’t breath anything in. The streets are littered with abandoned cars. Its a mess. I’m staying in an apartment building a couple blocks away from the post office. Keeps me close,  but not too close. I also take a different route home everyday, just in case. The condo is nothing special – its already been looted and no one else was staying here. I sleep on the floor and don’t touch any of the furnishings without gloves, and it has power and heat most importantly, since its still late winter here. Hasn’t quite warmed up yet outside. It has running water too, which I’ll boil so I can bathe.

So that’s that. I made it through day one. It’s dark outside and I’m exhausted. They told me today was basically for orientation and to get situated, since I was one of the last transports in, but tomorrow … tomorrow is when the real deal begins. Oh-six-hundred – be ready. And I intend to be. Hopefully this message makes it out. It’ll be at least 12 hours old by the time anyone reads it I suspect. Hopefully another one will follow.

-iRogan
01261985

 

WHAT i’M PLAYING – MGS V: The Phantom Pain

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – Open World Done Right

I’m currently about a 1/4 of the way through Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and it’s obviously clear to me now, that this is a very large game. I’m sitting at chapter 14 eager to continue, having completed a large handful of side-ops and Mother Base management, but I’m sitting already at 30 hours.

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I picked up the game last Tuesday, and have been dedicating 100% of my free time to it. It’s true what they say in the reviews already published – the game is a masterpiece.

I’ve always been a fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, and Hideo Kojima’s vision and humour. I initially jumped in at Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and it is one of the few games that I’ve continued to play though again, every couple of years. I bought the re-release package for the Xbox 360 with Snake Eater as well, but still own both on the PS2.

Kojima’s humour is still evident in V, with the cardboard box, and the animal buddies peeing or defecating. The cutscenes show his flair for direction and the dramatics. My mind is still somewhat blown after the intro sequence, really unable to comprehend what exactly happened, but I digress. The game is a masterpiece.

The style of V is very different from the franchise’s previous iterations. The scope of each new game has broadened. Sons of Liberty was very strict and refined, taking place on a large ship and then an off shore oil rig. Snake Eater broadened the play area and introduced the jungle, survival mechanics, and camouflage. IV, Guns of the Patriots refined the story telling mechanic, opened up the world a bit more with larger map areas, lengthier cut-scenes and new tools to fight the good fight.

V takes it to the next step and drops us in an open world environment in Afganistan fighting against a new army. Full day and night cycle with rotating enemy shifts, and sandstorms. The game is broken up into chapters now, each mission a set story chapter. Side missions are also available to be played at anytime while on the ground. Our Mother Base is our main home base where we can recruit new units and micromanage our finances and weapon development, and our helicopter is our aerial headquarters where we can select the next mission or side op, or manage our base from afar. heading back to Mother Base give us our chance to rejuvenate and progress some of the character story arcs, so it’s a necessity at times.  The story also branches off to Africa, a 2nd map to explore.

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The game’s world is large, and we have the helicopter, or our trusty steed to get us around. The world is also littered with vehicles to commandeer, but note that everyone here hates you, and will shoot on site. The game is stealth espionage after all. The world is definitely not as populated as Grand Theft Auto or Far Cry, as it is the desert after all, but it still has its share of wildlife. It is however, lined with roads and paths, peppered with outposts and bases to attack. Unlimited things to do and collect, or sneak around as we progress through the story.

As Snake, we have resources and weapons and tools at our disposal.  Any of which can be supply dropped at our feet, or funnily enough, on an enemies head; see: Quiet Boss Fight. The favourite box returns, improved now to allow for diagrams, and better mobility; an e-cig allows us to speed up time; even a decoy prop to distract enemies. Bringing into the battle we also have buddies, start with a horse, and then a dog. Even an ally.

Metal Gear Solid V is beyond deep in its mechanics. Its story may suffer as a result, but each mission is its own story, on how you play it through. Hideo Kojima has outdone himself yet again, and its a shame that this may finally be his last MGS game. Sadder still that Konami took his name off the box, after their public fall-out.

I eagerly anticipate getting back into the game, and completing a full robust review, so stick around.

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-iRogan

WHAT i’M PLAYING/iReview – Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

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Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

“Wanna go to – wanna go to space.”

Publisher: Asteroid Base
Developer: Asteroid Base
Platform: Reviewed on Xbox One
Availability: Out on Xbox One and PC September 8th.

On a whim I picked up Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime last night, as my New Game Tuesday ritual dictates new games forever and always.

I’d previously seen the game at PAX Prime 2015 on display, but didn’t give it its due, instead only acknowledging its existence, and moving on. But after mentioning its launch yesterday in my wrap-up, and watching the trailer, I picked it up.

Sitting down and handing the 2nd controller to the person that lovingly sits beside me, we dove in together to this wonderfully coloured space game about rescuing lost bunnies. The game is part of the ID@Xbox initiative, and is about relationships.

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A relationship between you and your cumbersome spaceship traveling through tight corridors, gravitation orbits and asteroid fields. You must first manage your ship’s movements, but also simultaneously manage your character inside the ship’s interior, running from one terminal to the next, up and down ladders, trying to manage the engine, shield, and 5 different weapon booths.

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“WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT SPACE?
MINE IS SPACE.”

Your view is a side interior shot of an ill designed ship. The steering wheel is in the middle and this maneuvers the engine when maned. The 4 weapon turrets reside at 4 fixed points on the border, in their own rooms. A power weapon, which rotates around the circumference of the ship is controlled in a 5th area. And lastly, there is the flawed shield – only covering about a quarter of the ship’s hull – and, again, is controlled from a separate corridor. You are well tooled to fight space, but are drastically understaffed. Crucial decisions are constantly being made in where to sit.

Because of these choices, the game is also about human relationships. Play with a friend or loved one, and you’ll both assume your astronaut roles, and together must wrestle the clunky ship through space and enemies alike. Success hinges a lot on communication, but almost instinctually, you might find that you’ve resigned yourself to a set routine – one controlling the weapons, the other controlling the engine and the shield when in defense, and a spare turret when overwhelmed. Sometimes it doesn’t work out as smooth, especially when utterly surrounded or on the run, and this is when the game gets frantic. In solo mode, you’re tasked with commanding the AI buddy around to man certain stations.

“WELL TOOLED TO FIGHT SPACE, BUT ARE DRASTICALLY UNDERSTAFFED”

As you find and save the kidnapped bunnies, and progress through each level you can find upgrade gems for the ship and terminals, and each gem can augment its respective station in unique ways. Power gems add more power or higher frequency turrets; Beam gems will change the weapon to a beam type or change the engine to a beam propulsion engine; the Metal gem with change the weapon into a morning star type or change the shield into a metal spiked shield, or augment the engine to lay spike traps in your wake. The game encourages experimentation as each terminal supports a gem, and upgrades to your ship will eventually allow dual gem augments, adding more variety.

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The game is equally fun and stressful, colourful and challenging. Make sure you bring a loving partner along for the ride, as this is a game best played in pairs, but even then, love is far from guaranteed.

-For those who like bunnies, stressful micromanagement games, or doing pirouettes aboard a space ship.

Notable Achievements
Space-man’s Best Friend (Beat any level with the help of your trusty space-pet) – 10G
Cooties (Finish a level without crossing paths with your partner) – 50G

-iRogan

WHAT i’M PLAYING/iReview – Lara Croft GO

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Lara Croft GO is a fun little mobile game developed by Square Enix. Similar in style to their previous game, Hitman GO (which I haven’t played yet, but will next).

The game is a puzzle platformer, and turn-based. Very striking up front is the visuals. Flat colours, but bright with some atmospheric lighting. Everything looks smooth but with great detail. The sounds are very soft and ambient.

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Designed for a touch screen, the controls are very simple. Each level has a pre-defined path as it is turn based, and as Lara, we can navigate anywhere along this path. A lot of times there are enemies in the way, and each enemy type has its own behavior, for example: snakes don’t move, and can only be attacked from the side or behind. The levels also have traps, obstacles and switches en route to the end of each chapter. In the turn-based fashion, we move Lara in a diagonal direction, and then everything in the level follows suit and moves along their defined path.

Progressing through the game is pretty straight forward. There are 5 chapters totally about 40 levels. The game starts off slow, almost a tutorial, but then picks up speed, and gets consistently more challenging through each completed level and chapter. There are also numerous collectibles to be found, and you can replay each level to ensure you’ve found them all. These will unlock alternate costumes.

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Lara Croft GO is a fun simple game that allows you to drop in and play a level or two, and then move on to more pressing business. The game only supports landscape mode, but is a great homage to the Tomb Raider games, Lara Croft, and puzzle games in general. Supported on both iOS and Android for roughly $5.

-iRogan

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