Left 4 Dead 2 – A Good Sequel Team Based Zombie Basic Shooter

Back when Zombies craze spawned across many media in mid 2000’s like movies and video game. Left 4 Dead is considerably as the starter pack for PC gamer who love shooting zombies with team-mates where the story-line consist of four survivors who must to travel across the city to get safe zone in order to save themselves by facing horde of zombies in abandoned city.

Unlike the first installment, L4D 2 is the major improvement than the first game which has better combat element and environment even though the game play is still the same which players need to be the one who shoot the most of zombies and surviving to the end of level, either playing it co-op with friends or accompanied by AI. 

The game has four different distinct characters and the back story that is not the really important to follow since all of them has same goals and need to co-operate to finish the level. It has 5 different levels that separated by three or more sub-levels with unique and different background. The satisfying thing playing Left 4 Dead even though just basic shooter game it’s that zombie game that has no any additional gimmick such skill progression or weapon upgrade to buy. Just grab the weapon and shoot the different type of zombie where they has no exact and same spot in every game session, its randomly generated and has surprise element that becomes the game major attraction.

L4D 2 is not easy game and hard to predict on how enemies spawn and swarm, players need to be careful in some spot because some zombies are deadly and hard to deal. Health kit is scarce and need to use carefully so it adds the intensity of game play besides using weapons wisely because ammo are randomly found in areas. The additional improvement in weapon resides on how melee combat is presented. Various melee weapons are really good to go to sweep entire zombie swarm with satisfying sound effect. 

I think the minor problem playing L4D 2 is how stage or story progression can be played randomly which is players can jump into final chapters or playing from the start. So, I played from the first chapter and continue the progression in each chapter break. So, the campaign mode is not really campaign because every level is already unlocked. Some level are too easy to play and the next one is ridiculously hard when I play with AI bots and use Hard as difficulty setting. 

Finally, As I left my L4D 2 impression is this game will be instant modern-classic zombie team-based shooter game to pick when you want to play basic zombie shooter without any investment into complex story and game play. Just pick any level, character, and weapon to start slaying with your local friend or AI bots. Its fun for the whole family. 

Rating : 8/10 

Finished : 05/05/20 

Difficulty : Hard 

Written : 14/05/20

Review : The Talos Principle – Philosophical Puzzle for Brain Grilling

There is a certain stage when media becomes self aware and meta with philosophy object as the main theme. And video games is one of prominent medium to present the ideas that is exact type because its interactivity. There are a lot of video games that has been reached and poked into serious theme such philosophy and meta ideas about the existentialism itself within the world. Talos Principle is a puzzle game that deals with such heavy idea that merged with the questioning of the existence of player who act as a robot who woke in the virtual world where it needs to discover the reality of being one of sons Elohim, a god who becomes the guide to explore the world. 

The premise idea of game in simple term is about discovery of the world which consist of nature area with popular landmark such Egypt. The graphic is the realistic as possible and use of photo realistic as art direction. Too bad if players expect for a game that has fast paced with a lot action, Talos Principle is the wrong game to try. It’s a game that has ton of puzzles to solve in each area where the result is unlocking notes to find from a single computer that contains seem random message and philosophy teaching. If you aren’t interested with heavy philosophy, don’t bother to read the note and just play it as puzzle game. Each puzzle has different approach and there are 5 tools to use to help breaking the puzzle. 

The puzzle itself is somewhat easy and difficult at the same time. Sometimes, I can break the puzzle in the first try and other becomes so much frustrated about finding the right method to solve. It’s the game that requires patience, precision and persistence to progress. I don’t have to be feel embarrassed to cheat in some levels because sometimes the game itself don’t show any tutorial for new tool and another reason some level really needs exact precision and angle to get things works. So its not so worth time to spend my time one hour to do trial and error. Basically in each puzzle, its only need more than one minute to solve but strangely if you have any idea to do and try to grill your brain, you will spend more times to solve the puzzle. So except you are the maker of the game or having 4d brain. You will easily to finish the game but for us who just want to have casual puzzle gaming experience, just count on Youtube tutorials. 

Talos Principle is not that bad game for a puzzle game, its decent puzzle game to try for the lore and the story that has not so much interactivity except reading notes, answering bots question and listening Elohim speaks about world. There is no combat, stats progression, or anything that deals with typical action games even though this game used First person of view (3rd person of view is optional). Its just running into a new area of puzzle, solving the puzzle, get the reward as a sigil that is Tetris where later used to unlock new phase of area by playing more puzzle but with your Tetris sigil. 

As my closing paragraph, I would like to talk about the game idea about existentialism that its offered and taught toward the player. Its philosophy lesson for you but don’t expect to understand anything here because sometimes its confusing to think about and its really bad idea while you try to solve these confusing puzzles. It will become your brain griller instead being brain evoker for new idea. P.s: I bought the DLC as expansion game, not really interested to play since its just more puzzles but more advanced and complex to solve. The story itself is same as the setting, its about Elohims robot angel to discover place called Gehenna. Too bad nothing to explore in Gehenna except same area and environment design. 

Finished : 27 April 2020

Rating : 7/10

Difficulty : Hard

Written :: 1 May 2020

Review : The Witcher - An Opener for Skeptical Fantasy Medieval Western RPG Game

When it comes about western medieval RPG game with fantasy setting, I am very skeptical about enjoying the game since it’s usually about a warrior slashing sword in order to save the princess or war against landlord and also epic monsters like dragon. So, The Witcher is kind big deal when it’s considered as one of the greatest franchise that pc gamers need to try. I am attempted to taste the game play since it has trilogy games, I decided to try the first one to give a shot. Besides its “old” game with decent graphic and it has cheapest price to get in pc gaming platform. 

The Witcher is adventure rpg games with isometric camera that I used to dislike since the sword play is so janky and its really hard to focus combatting in the field camera view. So at first I played the game left me impression the game is really hard to master and there is a confusing quest in the earlier game about crafting potion that made me quit since the catch of playing fantasy medieval game that players need to remember the mumbo jumbo of confusing magical spell and items name. 

Fast forward when I almost finished my entire installed backlog games, The Witcher is one of left so I tried to replayed and understand the game of mechanic. Looked up into Youtube tutorials for confusing quest and then I’ve unlocked my disinterest for the game where later the game consisting of doing interesting quest with interesting dialogue and character writing which I really like the main character in order to hunt and avenge his clan which destroyed by underground criminal. 

The interesting aspect from the game that amazes me on how the game shows how the dialogue has “modern” touch which is basically each characters speaks like current modern world. Its easy to change the background setting into modern setting since as Geralt Rivia, you act like private bounty hunter with superpower mutant skill that has personal vendetta against mafia where there is clash and conspiracy in the government using secret super weapon. So the game revolves around doing quest to progress storyline, hunting monsters, and having negotiations with many NPC’s. And another plus side which made me giggle on how the main character can be a womanizer and seduce any woman to bang. Its one game that you can romance any woman. Its not obligatory quest to do but players will gave a fan service in each unlocking and defeating woman in bed, players get the woman artwork as a card. Lol. 

Back into combat section in the game, as Geralt you just use sword and magic skills that help during the battle. There is no projectile weapons and animal to use for transportation like horse which is really odd since the most portion of games are backtracking instead defeating enemies, the good side is players can find any plants to collect in order to mix them in each resting place that used mostly as cure and enhancing combat, so no potion buying here but instead players can buy foods, jewelry, and useless junk that nothing to add the gameplay combat but instead used as side quest item which mostly used as negotiation tools. 

The Witcher may be one of game that everyone is not something to enjoy too much. It has chapter breaks without counting into being open world type of game where as each chapter there is only particular area available to explore as the story progress which the next chapter players just being moved into new area. I expected the game has bigger world to explore but its not something being a problem here because having cramped world with things to get is better than open world without nothing interesting. 

As the aftermath after playing games in two week in finish (two days playing consecutively), I like the game for the storyline and character dialogue which mostly in many games I skipped, it has little bit touch of humour and wit that only adults understand. Geralt may be stiff and look boring but the world around him seems lively and the conversation is really enjoyable. And didn’t I forget to mention this game is western RPG with fantasy medieval setting, if you want to unlock your skeptical about the genre. Try The Witcher, if you like and dig it. You may open your mind to play another warrior with sword game. 

Rating : 9/10 

Difficulty : Medium

Finished : 09 April 2019

Written : 30 April 2019