17
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in Misc. Leave a Comment
This isn’t a news blog – Vagrant Rant exists primarily as an outlet for my own opinions on entertainment media, as well as my compulsive need to order things into top ten lists. But today, I’m making an exception, because something pretty cool happened on the iOS App Store today and not nearly enough people will be aware of it.
Former Nintendo DS game Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, known to its fans as simply 999, was released on the App Store today in “novel” form (a.k.a. with all the puzzles taken out), carrying the Australian price tag of $5.49. The critically acclaimed original version of the game was never released in Australia and only ever printed in limited numbers in the US, but has amassed a pretty vocal following worldwide since its 2010 release. It’s the prequel to Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, a deviously clever 3DS/PS Vita game that I reviewed on this blog in the middle of last year (I’ve gone back and upgraded that review to reflect this new release).
Without any of its former puzzles the experience takes on a kind of choose-your own-adventure novel structure, with the added bonus of slightly animated visuals (now in HD!), comic book style dialogue and a brand new “flowchart” feature that allows you to rewind the story at a moment’s notice to retry any of the game’s major choices. Being a Japanese game that wasn’t expected to make a big splash in the West, things do get weird throughout the narrative, which can best be described as a thriller/sci-fi mash-up with some heavy themes and a few lashings of oddball comedy. I won’t say anything more about the story, but suffice to say it’s a twisty tale that sticks with you and I highly recommend it.
Unfortunately, there is no Android version of the novel at the moment, which makes me sad. Hopefully there will be one soon.
So by all means, get out your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad and happy reading!
11
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in Console, Games, PS4, Xbox One. Tagged: aus, Gaming, gen, generation, impressions, next, PlayStation, ps4, trophies, updated. Leave a Comment
Infamous is almost here!
Not pictured: Game that actually uses 4 controllers.
I’ve already had my PS4 for a tick over three months, which is a little difficult to believe, and have been spending a decent amount of time with it. The console has more games and features than it did when I first wrote about it on this blog and it’s about to get arguably its first bona fide “next-gen” exclusive title, Infamous: Second Son, so here’s how I feel about the console now. Just don’t ask me about the Xbox One, because I’ve barely touched mine since Christmas (outside of the excellent Titanfall beta of course).
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8
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in MUBC. Tagged: 17, blast, cast, episode, mega, MUBC, Oscars, podcast, seventeen, titanfall, ultra. Leave a Comment
Episode 17 of the Mega Ultra Blast Cast introduces a brand new giveaway segment where we read out download codes for the benefit of our lovely listeners! Delaney shows some brief emotion and I try to negotiate the longest playlist the podcast has yet seen. We also answer a listener-submitted question about the gaming worlds in which we would most like to live, talk about the meme centre that was this year’s Oscars ceremony and dissect the Titanfall beta in preparation for the full game’s imminent launch. Enjoy!
If you feel so inclined, go for a run, take a scenic drive or just curl up on the couch and play some games while you listen to the opinions of three Sydneysiders dealing with the city’s terrible muggy weather.
You can play the whole episodes right off this page if that’s what you’re into:
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Or you can go to the Soundcloud site/app and listen from there:
https://soundcloud.com/mega-ultra-blast-cast/mubc-17-longest-playlist-evar
(To download and listen offline, follow the link and then click the download tab)
As always if you enjoy what you hear please share the cast with your friends – Until next time!
5
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games. Tagged: 3DS, agnes, based, bravely, default, edea, jrpg, Review, ringabel, rpg, streetpass, tiz, turn. Leave a Comment
Here’s a game that came out really late last year in Europe and Australia but only just hit the United States last month. It’s a pretty damn long one and I only recently finished it.
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Platform: 3DS
Developer: Silicon Studio/Square Enix
Rating: M
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Pretty bad name, lovely game.
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The new default.
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From now on, whenever a game developer attempts to craft a JRPG in the mould of classic 1980s and ’90s Final Fantasy titles, they need not look at the classics themselves. Rather, they now owe it to themselves to look at the 3DS exclusive Bravely Default. Not only does this Square Enix-published homage succeed in recapturing the magic of the epic turn-based fantasy tales of old, but it drags their spirit firmly into the current generation. It is a delectable treat for nostalgic FF fans, boasting an addictive set of job mechanics without forgetting about the importance of memorable characters and a grand story. It isn’t perfect – not by a long shot – but it is a wonderful game.
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3
Mar
Posted by vagrantesque in Movies. Tagged: 12, 2014, a, Academy, Awards, degeneres, ellen, gravity, Oscar, Oscars, Reaction, slave, years. Leave a Comment
By some fluke of scheduling I actually managed to watch the live broadcast of the Oscars this afternoon (though I was multitasking at the time), so like last year I have written my thoughts on the big awards here as I saw them happen, before giving them some editing and posting them up. Yay for timeliness! Please enjoy.
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto
I can’t deny that Jared Leto is a talented actor, at least from what I’ve seen of his limited celluloid work in the likes of Fight Club and Requiem For a Dream. He gave a politically charged speech (meaning anyone playing a drinking game like this would have been off to a good start) that was also deeply personal. The first of a number of indications for the night that Dallas Buyers Club just might be worth seeing.
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25
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Misc. Tagged: 200, blog, posts. Leave a Comment
Wait, wasn’t January 2012 yesterday?
This makes my 200th post on Vagrant Rant, so I just thought I’d take a moment to reflect.
If you’re new to Vagrant Rant you might want to have a look at my review score breakdown or my unspecific thoughts on reviewing things. Or not. But stay a while and look around – you might find some stuff you like! Like my entire month of Zelda countdowns, for instance!
Use those links on the right there to direct your viewing, or use the search box to see if I’ve touched on something you’re keen on.
Follow my blog if you wish, but even if this is your only visit, thank you for coming! Have a wonderful life.
Moment over.
22
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: 360, burn, card, core, fall, first, mech, multiplayer, one, online, person, respawn, shooter, titan, titanfall, xbox. Leave a Comment
Shortly after it went live (in closed form) on February 14th, I dived into the very exciting beta version of Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming Xbox One pseudo-exclusive Titanfall and played quite a bit of it. Since then it has moved into open status and then finished up entirely. If you didn’t have a chance to play it or simply feel like reading about a different perspective on the whirlwind week, read on.
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MOTION FLOW
The first thing I noticed when I got started in the Titanfall beta was the immense focus on constant movement. Titanfall thrives on ensuring that every action flows easily into another action and it is this, rather than the presence of Titans per se, that defines the game. At least half of every match (much more if you’re me) is spent outside of a Titan, but that part of the experience doesn’t feel like a standard FPS might, due mostly to the ability to “wall-run” and double jump with the aid of a jetpack-style implement. Sure, you can stay low and take people on at street level as a Titan-less pilot, but that puts you at a tremendous disadvantage should you meet one. Verticality is the name of the game and going up is easy. Once you get the hang of the airborne movement mechanics, which are all about just one button and a sense of timing, the feeling is awesome. Comparing it to the action of anime series Attack on Titan yields more than just name-based similarities.
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17
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists, PS3. Tagged: behind, content, dlc, downloadable, ellie, last, left, of, PS3, psn, story, the, us. Leave a Comment
So I just finished the single player downloadable content for PS3 exclusive The Last of Us, released a couple of days ago, and I have to say that it’s pretty damn good. Entitled Left Behind, it’s definitely short (around 2-3 hours, which is probably par for the course with this kind of DLC) and maybe you could argue it’s also a bit pricey for what it gives you. But I’m certainly glad I played it. As you might already know if you read my review last year, I adored The Last of Us and it only just missed out on my personal game of the year award for 2013. If you share my feelings on the brilliance of the original game then you owe it to yourself to consider playing Left Behind. Here are five reasons why:
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1. It fleshes out both the original story and its world.
Though it sets itself up as a prequel, Left Behind is only really half so. The narrative follows two interchanging paths, one set before Ellie meets Joel and one set during the events of The Last of Us’ main storyline. As such, if you face the temptation to play Left Behind first and let it lead into the main event, resist. You will have things spoiled for you in a big way if you elect to look at things in that manner.
Having said that, the bulk of the story of Left Behind focuses on Ellie as she explores a decrepit mall with her friend Riley, who has recently joined the rebellious Fireflies organisation. The brief tale is inspired by, and indeed connected to, the four-issue Dark Horse comic book series American Dreams that was released last year. It features callbacks and references to both major and side events in The Last of Us, particularly if you are willing to poke around the environment a bit, and its revelations add an extra layer to the main game’s excellent ending. TLOU rightly stands alone as a well told, standalone story, but Left Behind certainly makes it richer.
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16
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in MUBC. Tagged: 15, 16, 4, blast, cast, day, episode, fifteen, mega, MUBC, one, PlayStation, podcast, ps4, sixteen, ultra, valentine, xbone, xbox. Leave a Comment
I haven’t posted a podcast link in a while, so here’s a double dose. The first two episodes of the Mega Ultra Blast Cast for 2014 plow through a ton of gaming and movie news, stopping along the way to offer some alternating opinions on the PS4 from a couple of new owners known to their friends as Shane and Delaney. Episode 16 goes closer than ever to the magic hour-long mark, finishing agonisingly short, and features a slightly more professional new intro mixed by Dazidia, Soundcloud artist extraordinaire. Enjoy!
If you feel so inclined, go for a run, take a scenic drive or just curl up on the couch and play some games while you listen to the opinions of three Sydneysiders feeling the love.
You can play the whole episodes right off this page if that does it for you:
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Or you can go to the Soundcloud site/app and listen from there:
https://soundcloud.com/mega-ultra-blast-cast/mubc-15-welcome-to-2014
https://soundcloud.com/mega-ultra-blast-cast/mubc-16-44-seconds-overtime
(To download and listen offline, follow the link and then click the download tab)
As always if you enjoy what you hear please share the cast with your friends – Until next time!
10
Feb
Posted by vagrantesque in Games. Tagged: brothers, Game, gone, home, parable, pc, stanley, Steam, Videogame. Leave a Comment
When it comes to videogames, I’ve always been a console guy. In terms of priorities when choosing how I want to play games, it has always been handhelds first, then home consoles. PC games have rarely, if ever, featured at all. That’s just the way it is. Real Time Strategy titles and MOBAs aren’t my thing and just about every other worthwhile title that comes to PC also hits the home console market in due time. Less hassle. Increasingly often, they also come to the Playstation Vita, which is an even better place to play them if you ask me. And yet late last year, I finally got a Steam account and bought a game on PC.
Why, you may ask? The short answer is Samurai Gunn, a four-player pixelated brawler I knew would eventually come to PS4 in the long run but just looked so good that I downloaded it through Steam anyway. Countless hours of ridiculous fun with friends followed, but Samurai Gunn just isn’t all that great to play solo and my Steam account was looking a little bare. So I picked up a $50 retail Steam voucher and decided to dive into some of the low-tech PC games I had seen on the big-name Game of the Year lists last year. That $50 bought me the following three games, with precisely three cents to spare. Here are my brief thoughts on them:
The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable is the kind of game that could probably only work on PC. A first person experience that both is and isn’t a game, The Stanley Parable digs its self-aware tendrils into every crevice of the gamer’s specifically-trained brain and dances around gleefully. Its designers evidently anticipated just about every possible way the average player would attempt to outsmart it, up to and including editing bits of the game’s code, which just shows another level of attention to detail. To say any more would be to ruin some of the game’s appeal, but I will mention that no game has ever made me feel so foolish for being so dedicated to the endless chase of Trophies /Achievements etc.
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