CryGear of BioFortress Duty 3: Shadow of Episode 2.....Part 2

This series of posts was never meant to be a series, but was originally envisioned as a simple listing of new games with a 1 or 2 sentence review accompanying each. Clearly, that didn't work out. So lets dive back into it, shall we?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - Several years ago, first-person shooters were going in a very different direction. While Western developers were making narrative-driven games that funneled the player down a single, unchangeable path, European companies like Ion Storm (Deus Ex) were making games that let the player make all the decisions. These games could be played in a variety of ways, allowing the gamer to progress through the story using stealth, brute force, or even words. Sadly, this style of game never reached the level of popularity their linear cousins enjoyed, and were mostly abandoned. Someone apparently forgot to break the bad news to the Stalker team. Stalker drops the player into the irradiated boots of a lowly mercenary trying to make his way on the outskirts of Chernobyl. The game features a wide range of missions that can be completed or ignored, an emphasis on inventory and cash management, and requires the player to monitor his standing with the games many factions. I'm only about 8 hours in, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's a unique blend of true RPG elements and action that is truly fun and challenging. If you have a desire for exploration and a bit of patience for unorthodox game experiences, you will have a lot of fun with this one.

BioShock - The phrase "attention to detail" must be printed onto the very wallpaper of Irrational's offices. From the moment you get off the bathysphere and enter the city of Rapture, you are in Rapture. The art direction, sound design, music, and graphics all work together to immerse you in BioShock's failed underwater utopia. The world of Rapture is absolutely beautiful, and if you're anything like me, you'll spend lots of time just wandering around looking at posters, statues or out windows. The main story line is certainly interesting, but the real treasure here are the numerous side stories that can be completely ignored if you're only concerned with blasting your way through the city. Explore a bit deeper, and you'll find audio recordings from plenty of other characters that were there before you. Sometimes those off-the-beaten-path rooms are themselves the rewards for your curiosity. Most of the time you won't find a special weapon or extra ammo, but a grisly scene that tells you exactly what happened in that room. Many of them will make you set down the controller and say "Wow. That's fucked up." The environment that BioShock creates and pulls you into is not a happy one, but a horrifying and troubling one that will unsettle you more than any Stephen King adaptation. Find a good pair of headphones and a dark room for this game, and let it scare your pants off. However, if you are one of those aforementioned blasters, you will find plenty to love here. The game's weapons aren't the most original, but the visceral feel of them will make you love the standard progression (pistol -> machine gun -> shotgun -> rocket launcher, etc) all over again. There is also a wide range of "plasmids", or "spells" for RPG fans, to choose from if guns aren't your thing. I really can't say enough positive things about this game, so I'll just cut to what I didn't like. The multiple endings system in BioShock is lame and, as the lead designer has admitted, tacked-on. Since completing the game, I have not felt the urge to replay it, although the fact that it is roughly 20 hours makes up for that. Other than that, I don't have any complaints. So far, this is my Game of the Year.