Tag Archives: Never Alone

Everything is Teetering on the Edge of Everything

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Where have you been all my life?

This weekend, you may have noticed a short story, written from the perspective of the main character in Sniper Elite III (me) and my Co-op buddy in life, Illestrader. It was fun to write, but factually disproved as apparently snipers don’t hold their breath between shots. Who knew. I’m over it though. This example of a short story is something that I’ve wanted to do, and will continue to do, as it was a lot of fun to write. I’ve played plenty of games, single player and co-op, that can lend themselves to this hybrid personal-reflection/still-in-a-game format, so keep an eye out for more. Weekly or monthly, who knows.

Last week I mentioned an idea about some achievement hunting segments. Still working on the logistics, but I think it it’ll focus around a weekly segment towards a solitary achievement challenge, and my progress towards it. Maybe aiming for a specific achievement that week, or a gamerscore amount. New challenges every week. We’ll see.

Last week, in review: I spoke more about Cities: Skylines, the new games of the week, current games I’m playing, a Review for Never Alone, and a short story. I also discussed the purchase of an external HDD for my Xbox One to allow more games to be installed (this I will talk about today). And of course, the daily news. This week I expect more of the same.

As mentioned, I purchased an external HDD for my Xbox One. a Western Digital 3TB USB3 drive. Setup was extremely simple as it’s fully supported, and I transferred all the games off of the internal drive over to the external, hopefully relieving some of the stress to improve overall console performance. Including the Telltale Games Collection, I now have 44 games installed, with 2.3TB remaining, so this drive will keep me going for a while. The games load just fine, and I have yet to experience any problems playing a game off the hard-drive. As a result, I’ve also had the opportunity to try out some of the games I’ve been sitting on, due to space shortages. I’ve started playing Grand Theft Auto V and Far Cry 4. I’ll discuss those more in detail on Wednesday for the What I’m Playing segment.

I’m also continuing to optimize the site as I get used to WordPress. One section is the page functionality. A page I’ll be adding soon, is my screenshots page. I already have quite the collection of Forza Horizons 1 and 2 photos. Coming soon is Far Cry 4, and shortly after, Shadow of Mordor photos. Xbox One has a screen shot functionality, but currently no way of exporting them. But soon, I’ll be able to flesh out this idea further.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about the new games, Wednesday we’ll discuss what I’m playing in more detail (Tales from the Borderlands ❤ *wink*), Thursday I’ll have a review for #IDARB, and then we’ll talk about the week in review, and the joyful weekend.

Executive Vice Janitor

Executive Vice Janitor

But, I have some news to catch up on, so on-wards.

Oldies first:

Star Wars: Battlefront News and Views

EA has confirmed that the highly anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront will be shown off next month, between April 16th and 19th.

Remastered Wake?

Microsoft may be looking to release a remastered version of Alan Wake on the Xbox One. I really enjoyed the 360 version, but neglected to play any of the DLC, so if this pack includes it (which I’m sure it will) might be worth playing through again. We’ll have to see what the offer includes.

Hideo Kojima Leaving Konami 😥

Late last week, news starting breaking that Hideo Kojima was planning to leave Konami after Metal Gear Solid V was completed. Unfortunately not a lot of information was released besides the fact that Kojima confirmed that MGS V will be complete come September, and that this will be the last MGS game in the Snake story ark. Konami indicated that there will be more Metal Gear games in the future without Kojima’s involvement, and Metal gear Reveangence 2 was hinted. This is upsetting to me. I’ve always been a fan of Kojima and his MGS games. They are not, and will not be the same without him.

Kojima offered a few words, saying, “I am 100% involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I’m determined to make it the greatest game I’ve directed to date.” – Somewhat reassuring.

Konami has begun hiring developer to start work on a brand new Metal Gear series. No news on the Silent Hill game. Less reassuring.

Physical Wolfenstein

Back on March 4th, it was announced that a digital stand-alone sequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order was being released this May, titled The Old Blood. It has since been reiterated that a physical edition will be available on PS4 and PC, but will remain “digital only” on the Xbox One.

God of War 3 Remastered

One of the best looking games to be released on the PS3 is being re-released on the PS4 with the HD treatment and other improvements. Its a shame that it’s not a remastered trilogy. Maybe they couldn’t do it for technical reasons. Who knows. God of War III already looked beyond good when originally released, it’ll be interesting to see a comparison.

Batman and Arkham Knight News

Two playable DLC packs have been announced for Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocksteady’s epic conclusion to the Arkham trilogy. Red Hood has been announced as a playable character, likely for the challenge mode, and now Harley Quinn has been announced as the second DLC pack, which includes stand-alone story.

“With this exclusive Story Pack experience events in the lead-up to Arkham Knight as you infiltrate Blüdhaven to rescue your partner in crime: Poison Ivy. Delve deep into Harley’s demented nature and utilize her devastating baseball bat to smash, crash and bash your way to a friend very much in need.”

Also announced was that Arkham Knight has received a slight delay. The game is now scheduled for release on June 23rd.

How Dare You Make The Bat Wait

How Dare You Make The Bat Wait

In other remastered news (enough already), Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are reportedly being remastered for the Xbox One and PS4.

Raven Software Tweet/Teases More Singularity

Singularity came out in 2010 and dealt with time travel, as one of the abilities of the player was to rewind the effect of time on objects. Neat concept and a really cool game to play. Raven Software has hinted that maybe they’re making a sequel, or is this another remastered edition?

The tweet reads “We’re going back,” followed by the hashtag #Katorga12 — a reference to the Russian island that served as the setting of Singularity.

Phew, lots of news to get caught up on.

See you tomorrow.

-iRogan

iReview – NEVER ALONE (Kisima Ingtchuna) – Learning CAN Be Fun

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Title: Never Alone (Kisima Ingtchuna)
Developer: Upper One Games
Publisher: E-Line Media
Platform: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, WiiU
Reviewed on: Xbox One

I wish I played this game alone…

Another side-scrolling platforming game made on the Unity engine, so, visually it’ll looks nice, but it’s not gonna stand out. Bland gameplay aside, the Alaskan Native history and folklore is the selling point behind this title.

Wanna play co-op?

Wanna play co-op?

In conjunction with Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that works with indigenous groups in Alaska, E-Line Media and Upper One Games developed Never Alone as a means to share and celebrate their native culture. Proceeds from the game will help fund the Council’s education programs.

We, the player, play as Nuna, an Inupiaq girl, and her arctic fox. Played in single player, we have the ability to swap between the two characters, but Local Co-op is an option as well. The game is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer. Nuno has the ability to move crates, climb ladders and ropes, and throw her Bola to open new areas or fend off enemies. The arctic fox has the ability to scramble up walls, fit through low tunnels, or control the guiding spirits and trees for puzzle-centric gameplay.

Alaskan Native history and folklore is the selling point behind this title.

The story of the game takes place in the harsh Alaskan environments, during a constant blizzard. The wind itself plays a large role in the platform gameplay, as Nuna occasionally has to jump large gaps using the wind’s strength to propel her.

The game is slow-paced and methodical, with few action sequences. The highlights being a few chase scenes, where Nuna and the fox must escape a polar bear, or a flame throwing enemy, but the core of the game has Nuna climbing up rock faces, riding spirit platforms, or going prone into the snow as the howling wind powers overhead.

The game is broken up into 8 chapters, separated by beautifully illustrated cut-scenes telling the folklore story of The Blizzard Man, the Little People, the Manslayer, the Rolling Heads, and the Sky People. Also, unlocked through the gameplay and hidden collectables are education video insights to further our learning of these indigenous stories, and this is the motivation to keep you pressing on.

Never Alone is a charming game

The game has a message, but it’s short, and may even be overlooked and tuned out while worrying about making that next jump. It’s unfortunate. The game is narrated by a storyteller in the spoken Inupiaq language, and displayed as subtitles. It’s supposed to tell the tale of Nuna braving the Eternal Blizzard to save her village, but by game’s end, I felt like nothing was accomplished, save outsmarting and defeating a few enemies.

Never Alone is a charming game, with cute interactions between Nuna and the Fox. It has expansive environments that are simultaneously lovely, quiet, fierce, and ominous. The platforming is completely competent, and may have you laughing as a blast of wind flings your character face first into a wall, or groaning, as you jump too early and plummet into the chilly arctic waters. The fascinating video interviews are relegated to the menu, and you won’t really catch much of the story by playing the game.

Maybe if played Alone, you’ll learn more.

Follow me if you want to live...

Follow me if you want to live…

For those who like easy achievements, educational video games, and platforming foxes.

Notable Achievements:
Highs and Lows (Nuna and Fox kept their heads in the Northern Lights) – 50G
Insightful (You found and viewed all the Cultural Insights) – 200G

-iRogan

New Ideas, and the News!

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So over the past little while I’ve been thinking of new things to add to the site. I’ve come to the realization that I do not play enough games quick enough to ensure constant updates via Reviews only. So I’ve started thinking of different types of content to add, to cushion the gaps between reviews.

One idea that came to me was to comment on the video game news of the day, and try to update every day. I sit on a computer at work all day so it should be easy enough.

This will be more focused, big news stuff, related to the 3 platforms: XBox, Playstation, and PC, but with a focus on the Xbox. News that appeals to me.

Tuesdays we’ll talk about the new game releases. Wednesdays I’m going to start a feature called What I’m Playing, in which I’ll provide a progress update on what I’m currently playing. And Fridays is usually game night with Friends, which is streamed via Twitch.

And finally, obviously, the Reviews will keep coming, albeit slowly. I recently wrapped up Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) in co-op, so I’ll be writing about that shortly.

So…lets talk about the news that appeals to me:

Forza Horizons 2

Forza Horizon 2’s Rockstar Energy Car Pack is now available for $5 or free for Season Pass holders.

With the new pack, racers get to enjoy five new cars: the 2014 Volkswagen Beetle GRC, the 2015 Subaru WRX STI, the 1996 BMW 850CSi, the 2015 Jaguar XFR-S and the 1970 Volkswagen #1107 Desert Dingo Racing Stock Bug. Acura Integra Type-R is the free car of the month.

Last month, the Top Gear Car Pack was released, adding six new cars, including the 2015 Lexus RC F, 1986 Lamborghini LM002, 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale, and the 1993 Jaguar XJ220.

Also announced was the Fast and the Furious 7 movie tie in, later this month. It looks like the DLC is just some tie-in cars. Free for all players for a 2 week window. Afterwards it will be a paid DLC. All those who download it during the free window will keep it for free.

Metal Gear Solid V – Phantom Pain

We were finally given a firm release date today, by Hideo Kojima, for the upcoming MGS V. Tuesday, September 1st, 2015 on all the major consoles, and a PC release a couple weeks later. Kojima has stated that this will be the last game in the Metal Gear Solid saga.

““I always say ‘this will be my last Metal Gear,'” Kojima said, “but the games in the series that I’ve personally designed and produced — Metal Gear on MSX, MG2, MGS1, 2, 3, 4, Peace Walker, and now MGSV — are what constitute a single ‘Metal Gear Saga.’ With MGSV, I’m finally closing the loop on that saga.” “

Wolfenstein

Bethesda has announced a stand-alone prequel to the surprisingly excellent 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order, called Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. Due out in May, the game is a digital release for $20. The prequel takes place before the Allies lose the war.

Mad Max

Unbeknownst to me, Avalanche Studios is making a Mad Max game. The post-apocalyptic, open-world game will focus on driving, and surviving the wasteland. Food and water, which is scarce, will both be used to replenish Max’s health. That being said, the game will make available a large amount of fuel to the player, as the designers want the player to drive around, not walk around.

September 1st release, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions cancelled.

This will be a work in progress, as like anything, I suppose.

See ya later.
-iRogan