Gameplay Takes a Backseat. Also Known as "How I Uninstalled Transistor"

I wanted to love you. I really did.

Since the game was released I have been struggling to play Transistor. I even got a controller all set up on my computer (finally) just for the occasion after realizing that this was not a game designed to be played with a keyboard, just like Supergiant's previous game the wonderful Bastion. As I played through Transistor there were quite a few things I loved about the game. The story, while initially pretty confusing, seemed like it was set up to take some truly interesting twists and turns. The soundtrack was absolutely incredible. I found myself constantly listening to Ashley Barret and Darren Korb's haunting song "In Circles."

Despite all of this I ultimately couldn't finish and uninstalled Transistor. I wasn't having any sort of fun. But why? The story was great, the music was fantastic, and the visuals were gorgeous. The reason is simple. It was the one element that fundamentally makes the game a game. The gameplay was incredibly bland.

In Transistor combat  plays out between an action phase and a planning phase. You can pause combat to issue whatever combat commands you have set in your slots to the main character, Red. Red will execute these moves in the order that you issue them. if you move Red during the planning phase it also uses up some of your meter at the top. When the meter is exhausted you can't perform anymore actions. Your meter will take time to recharge during which you are stuck in action phase and at the complete mercy of your enemies and you must avoid them by hiding behind the walls placed throughout the battlefield.

It seemed like an interesting concept when I first started the game but one of the biggest issues is the combo imbalance. Once the player finds a strong combo that works for them (say Help with Void and Spark slotted to it to get two incredibly strong allied dogs) there is little reason to really do anything else. The only real reward for using abilities differently is to unlock biographies about some characters, the majority of which you never actually meet through the course of the entire game. Enemies don't necessitate a different strategy, even on the hardest difficulty and there are very few encounters that you can't just mow through with Red's sheer brute force. Overall the game ends up devolving into some mildly interesting story followed by a few minutes of hectic running around and the same combo over and over again until you defeat the enemies and press forward to do the exact same thing all over again. This leads to the problem of New Game Plus being you running through the game again, using the same combo to do the same things.

There are other games out there that will receive criticism for bland gameplay such as Telltale adventure games and any given hack n' slash game. But these games have anything ranging from flashy visuals, to senses of urgency in events to even the simple fact that the gameplay actually fits the story that they are trying to tell. Transistor had none of this. The combat seemed tacked on because it necessitated gameplay due to being a video game. I feel a graphic novel, point and click adventure game or even a short film would've suited Transistor far better than the format it was presented in. Instead of being engaged the gameplay left me bored and a game should never leave their player bored.

Did you guys like Transistor or did you feel that its gameplay was lacking like I was. Would you have liked to see them do something different with it? I know that other than the battles I would've loved for there to be more characters to interact with rather than just my sword. Let me know in the comments and I'll see you all next week.

The Steam Summer Sale: A Handy Guide

Obligatory Gabe Picture

It's that time of year again everyone. The Steam Summer Sale is upon us. It's like Christmas in June with tons of awesome games at ridiculously low prices. PC gamers wait the whole year round for this and the big Christmas Sale. So to help all of you out I've prepared an easy guide. Here are five tips to make sure you get the most out of your Steam Summer Sale!

1. Don't jump the gun!

Now I know all of those Daily Deals are probably looking mighty fine up there. But don't be so ready to open your wallets just yet. Some Daily Deals will actually be good (more on that in a minute) but what you really want to be on the lookout for are the Flash Sales every eight hours. Games are at their lowest prices at this time. If you see a game you want on Flash Sale snag it ASAP! Chances are that it won't go on sale again. If the sale gets into its last week and you still haven't gotten a Flash Sale that you've wanted make sure you pick up the game you want if it hits a Daily Deal. Not everything is going to be featured up there and sometimes it's best to just accept that you won't be getting an AMAZING deal and instead just settle for a GREAT deal. Finally, never buy a game if it's not AT LEAST a Daily Deal. It'll make it up there eventually. Just be patient.

2. Don't expect super cheap new titles.

Unless you're looking to snag a new indie game (and those are already cheap enough man, c'mon) you probably aren't going to get any new titles fairly cheap. To be honest new games that are on pre-order and brand new released titles will probably never drop below 25% off (33% seems to be the lowest with Flash Sales.) So if you're looking to get a cheap pre-order or brand new title then snagging it immediately on the Daily Deal is going to be your best bet. It's never really guaranteed that new games will hit the Flash Sale and an extra 13% probably won't break your bank.

3. Bundles are good to go anytime.

Bundles are always going to be a good deal during the Steam Sales and they're something that you honestly can't expect to go on sale for any lower than they might be now. If you happen to see a bundle you'd like as a Daily Deal or, even more unlikely, as a Flash Sale, pick it up immediately. Waiting does you no good on these titles.

4. Community Deals are too.

Community deals are voted on by Steam users. You can usually expect the biggest discount to win. If none of the discounts are particularly good then whatever is considered the "best game" by critics is probably gonna claim victory. If something you want happens to be the Community Deal go ahead and buy it.

5. Fill up your wishlist!

Your wishlist will let you know the second a game you want becomes a Daily Deal, Flash Sale or Community Choice. Use this to ensure that you know when things you want are ripe for the picking. Not only will this notify you of any deals but if your friends are feeling generous then they'll know exactly what to snag you and when the best deal for it will be! And guys, being generous during the summer sale is really a cool thing to do. I've bought quite a few things for my friends over the years!

Well guys I hope this guide helped. Be sure to come back next week and see what else we have in store for you. SHare what you read today with your friends if you think they'd like it and I'll catch you all next time!

An E3 of Surprises! The Good and the Bad

Well guys E3 was this week and what an event it was. I'm sure a lot of you out there sat glued to either your monitors or your television screens just waiting to see all of the great stuff that's coming our way. I'm here this week to talk about what my highlights for E3 were this year. I'll simply divide this list into two sections: the good and the bad.

The Good!

Nintendo's Conference!

Nintendo absolutely stole the show for me this year. Where I once thought the Wii U was simply going to be the mistake of the Wii repeated I now see a console definitely worth purchasing with just the library shown at E3. An open world Zelda? That's a definite buy. Xenoblade Chronicles? Perfect. This'll give me an excuse to pick up the first game and finally give it a go as well as give me annother awesome title to play. Mario Party 8 stealth reveal? Awesome. Bayonetta 2 with the first game included? Yes. Splatoon? Looks like not only a ton of fun but an interesting twist on a genre we see entirely too often! Project Guard? I really hope that hits the eShop. And of course we can't forget Smash Bros. with the new character reveals easily being not only some of the best ones mechanically but some of the most surprising ones as well. Nintendo's not letting their system go down without a fight and if this E3 is any indication it's clear that old Ninty is gonna definitely be going places.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Edition

This game came out only in Japan to rave reviews. Japanese gamers and importers alike were heralding it as the best Final Fantasy title since FF7. So it's understandable that when Square Enix announced that there were no plans to bring it over to America on the then dying PSP system fans were obviously a little disappointed. But this year Square surprised everyone by announcing that the game would not only be coming to America but that it would be on the PS4 and Xbox One in full HD. Square Enix has really started listening to its fans in the past few years and that's amazing compared to their past attitude. Now the West gets another great RPG to play.

(Most of) Sony's Press Conference

Some solid stuff came out of Sony's press conference. There were quite a few multiplats shown but the exclusives came out in force. The Order is looking phenomenal. It really seems like lighting is going to play a huge role in the game. That'll set up for not only some good ambient scares but some interesting encounters. And the shooting looks solid as well. Some neat DLC for inFamous got teased. We got LittleBigPlanet 3 which cannot come soon enough. Abzu looked really cool and we got the predictable announcement from Uncharted. There were hiccups (which I'll get to in The Bad) but overall Sony had a really solid showing. What looks especially good is a certain other PS4 exclusive......

Bloodborne

The new game from Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki looks mighty fine. We only got a CGI trailer at the Sony press conference but there's been tons of hubbub about the playable demo on the show floor. What we know so far is that the solid mechanics of Dark Souls are indeed returning. It's unknown as to how "hardcore" Bloodborne will be but what we've seen of the gameplay is pretty polished. The world seems dark and eerie with most of the unease coming from the way the world is designed itself rather than silly things like jump scares. We've also been told that lightning plays a very important role. The undead infested streets are very dimply lit but it's also been revealed that most explorable houses in the game are entirely devoid of light. Players will have to light their own path which not only helps them but also makes them a target for the mindless undead. It seems like players will have to be prepared for any sort of encounter. As for the rumors that this might actually be a Solomon Kane video game....well we'll just have to wait and see.

Sunset Overdrive

The show stealer at Microsoft's press conference was obvious. Sunset overdrive looks quirky, fun and like a truly unique take on the third person shooter. The punk rock influences in the game are obvious and everything from the rockin' soundtrack to the unique art style to the gameplay that has players wall running, grinding on rails and bouncing off trampolines to destroy monsters created by an infected energy drink it's clear that Sunset Overdrive is gonna be a wild ride.

Assassin's Creed Unity Really Looks Good.....and Really Looks Next-Gen

Black Flag was an awesome game and a great way to kick off the next-gen of Assassin's Creed but it was still held back by the fact that it was also on last-gen consoles. Unity doesn't have that constraint and man does it show. Large crowds, fully rendered indoor environments, tight animations for the wall running.... This title looks absolutely visually stunning.  The four player gameplay and the fact that it's set in the time period I've wanted AC to be in since the beginning helps but I'll definitely be picking up Unity after Ubisoft's reveal.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Microsoft's demo of this game was absolutely awesome. Not only did it reaffirm fans that this is the Witcher that they know and love but they also showed newcomers to the series that the title has been streamlined and is all around more user friendly. Geralt's chase of the gryphon really showed the vast world that CD Projekt Red has intended rather well not only mechanically but visually as well. It's clear that fans will not be disappointed when it finally drops next year.

The Bad

EA Sure Showed A Lot of Sports

There are many EA games that people are excited about. They got some screen time early in the show but a huge chunk of it was a bore. Why was that? Sports. Now I understand that sports games have a market but it's always been the weakest part of the EA conference and in past years they have kept it there rather well. But this segment was noticeably longer than any other year. I wondered why that could be and a cursory TV Guide search revealed it: EA's presentation was aired on Spike TV (Television for Manly Men.) Now I get what you're trying to do here EA but I can guarantee that the audience of Spike TV is probably going to think that things like Mass Effect and Dragon Age are at least a little cool. You could've shown us more than you did. Which brings me to another thing.

We Saw Dragon Age Inquisition.....But Only Sort Of

DA: I did have presence at the EA conference but it was nothing to call home about. It was mainly a bunch of trailers with no actual demo. Now we have seen footage of the game and it looked pretty good for an alpha. But the EA press event was very sparse for a game that should be dropping in only a few months. If you want people to be hyped for a game you not only should show them pretty cutscenes but show them gameplay as well. Here's hoping DA: I is still as good as I want it to be.

The Part of Sony's Conference That Wasn't About Games

I expected a lot of games at Sony's conference. I got quite a few I was interested in but then there was that weird part of the conference. You know, that part where they started talking about YouTube and movies and TV. Now some of the TV stuff like the announcement about Powers was cool but c'mon Sony. This is a gaming convention. You made fun of Microsoft for pulling this stunt with the Xbox One reveal a while back and yet you fell into the same trap. How silly. Quite a few people fell asleep at this point, which only hurt them in the long run.

Nothing About The Last Guardian

I'M SO MAD

So guys what did you think of E3? What were some of your favorite moments? Do those of you that have a next gen system feel confident about your purchase. And for those of you that don't have you been swayed one way or the other? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you next time.

Difficult Games Have Returned! But Why Did People Want Them Gone?

He's gonna get wrecked.

Siliconera recently posted this article asking about why tough games are rising in popularity recently. Samu Wosada, creator of the absolutely excellent 1001 Spikes weighs in on this. The short of it is that he believes that over the last generation of consoles a large number of developers looked to graphics, music and writing as ways to make their game feel like it's truly "the next generation of gaming." Because of this he says a large number of modern games have gameplay elements that make surmounting failure more tedious rather than gratifying. Wosada says that now some devs are focusing on gameplay over story, graphics, music and writing and this has led to games like Dark Souls actually having failure be an element that the game builds itself around. I pretty much agree with Wosada on this. I also believe that overly focusing on graphics, writing, etc. has led to a large number of games that have failure present just for the sake of having it and when the player fails there's really never any weight behind their failure. A good example would be Bioshock, which is a fantastic game, but the presence of the game's Vita Chambers ruins some of it. The game is supposed to be scary and a thrill ride throughout many sections but when you know that if you die you only lose a little bit of progress and the enemies you're fighting will still have all of the damage they incurred fighting you previously it kind of makes all of that tension dissolve.

Here's an image of Wosada's 1001 Spikes. I don't know if there are actually 1001 spikes on screen but man, that's a lot of spikes.

But I'm not really going to talk about the return of these games to the mainstream. I'm wondering what made these games leave the mainstream. Back in the NES and SNES era there were games that were very difficult. This was mainly a carryover from the arcade days. Players died a lot so they would keep pumping in quarters. Consequently, console game design went the same way. Players did die a lot but this ended up adding longevity to the game. And when players did surmount a challenge it seems as though the overall feeling was this overwhelming sense of accomplishment after finally defeating something that took them hours or days. But now if a game has that feature people will tend to scoff at it. What has changed?

Well game design for one.We don't need to extend the time that people spend on games anymore with elements from games like Mega Man X or Castlevania because games these days are longer. They're a lot longer actually. And that's not from difficult content. That's story, music, well designed encounters, side quests, dialogue and a ton of other things that can add to a game's length and make the player feel fulfilled and enjoy themselves. But there's still those instances where a player feels like a challenge is taking too long. There's instances where a player abandons a game because they feel like it's too much work for them to put in. It's weird, considering the fact that if a person had spent money on something to entertain them you would think that they would want to see it through to the end. What's the X Factor that might be contributing to this feeling?

It's not Steam itself. Steam is great!

This is a screenshot of my Steam Library. That number is a little skewed due to the way Steam categorizes things but I have 100 games. That's a lot of games. And looking on Steam I can see that my library is paltry compared to a lot of users out there. The fact of the matter is that there's a lot of games out there. And a lot of gamers have A LOT of games. But most importantly a lot of gamers have a lot of games that are UNPLAYED. I'd like you to take a peek at your Steam, Origin, shelf, etc. How many games do you have unplayed? Now think about this. One of those unplayed games is giving you a lot of trouble. More trouble than you would normally experience in a game. And that's when those words pop up in your mind, or some variation of them.

"Screw this. I'm going to play something else."

Back when I was a kid I had The Lion King for Sega Genesis. This was the only game I had for over a year or so. I always got hopelessly stuck on many sections of the game. Yet I still played this game every day and loved every second of it. I didn't have hundreds of games in my backlog. I just played this and I loved it. And when I finally beat a difficult part I was ecstatic. It always felt good knowing that all of my hard work had paid off. These days it's too easy to give up and just go play something else, especially when your backlog is so huge that you probably will never get through it all. Are you buying a game to play that particular game? Or are you buying it just to give yourself more options? Are you buying it just to pad time until something you REALLY want is released. All I'm asking is this: Next time you don't know what to play, go back to that one game. That game that gave you so much trouble, that game you quit, that game you dropped when another one came out, whatever it is go back to it. Give it another go. Surmount that challenge and don't give in to the temptation of your backlog of unplayed, unopened games. Essentially all I'm asking is finish what you start before moving on to something new.

And remember, not every game has a Vita Chamber.

So what do you guys think? Is the backlog and growing options for games a big reason as to why difficult games fell by the wayside? Or is it something else? What games did you choose to struggle through? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you next week.