A key component in video games or any kind of media we enjoy to partake in begins with a writer and a story. The characters and the world they exist in wouldn’t be possible without one person or a team of people in the writer’s room brainstorming and building the kind of stories they wish to see. In order for a story to have life, you’ll need to know the history of the world you’re creating, the personal struggles and triumphs of your characters, or the current issues concerning their world. Playing video games tend to reveal most of what you need to know as you experience the game. The rest that isn’t central to the story often wind up in a game codex.
One of the biggest joys I find in doing these challenges and selecting a video game that’s in progress but waiting to be finished is rediscovering how much I enjoyed playing a game. I typically wonder why I never just continued with the game and finished it once and for all. Actually, I do know why I stopped but the reason is never really important. As long as I’m playing the game again with the commitment to finish it this time, that’s what really matters. I’ve encountered a close call with this month’s video game challenge and this is one game that has called upon me to exercise a lot of perseverance just when I was ready to throw in the towel.
As the temperature outside starts warming up and some of your favorite TV shows start finishing up for the season, it can either be extremely easy or difficult to focus on other leisure pursuits, like video games. Video games tend to be more of an activity that’s suited for those days when the weather is cold, damp, or just plain crappy. What better way to occupy that time with playing a game that’s fun and immersive. When you have more free time during the late spring and summer months, video games can also be a great source for filling up your extra free time. Of course, this might also be a problem when you’re done hibernating for the season and want to go outside and enjoy the day. To suit my small pockets of free time and my on-the-go nature during these warm weather days, I picked a game that would enable me to get my gaming fix no matter where I go.
One of the first things I do whenever I continue my current game of Dragon Age: Inquisition is to take a mental note of where my progress is at. I go over everything in my mission log with a fine tooth comb type of precision and I also bring out the game guide to aid me in my endeavors to get the most out of my game. I’ve already made peace with the fact that my first run with the game won’t be perfect, as some side quests have slipped through the cracks either by my own error or unavoidable glitches, but nearly perfect is still good enough for me.
Happy New Year, everyone! I decided to kick off my first post of the new year by doing another Dragon Age: Inquisition log. You may have noticed that I have not done an end of the year report in December, like I’d usually do with my video game challenges, but the holidays are a crazy time and I wanted to end 2014 with a reflection post. You’ll get the usual report at the end of January.
The holidays have been the perfect time to plug away at DAI and I have a lot to say about my now 100+ hours with the game. This time, there won’t be any spoilers after the cut, as I know some of you may be avoiding my other DAI logs I’ve written. Rest assured, this one is safe to read for those still playing the game, no matter how many hours you have currently logged in or where you are in the game.
Dragon Age: Inquisition isn’t quite a month old yet, but I have been diligently plugging away hours into my first run with the game. There’s so much to do and not enough time in the day to get to it all. The rare and fortunate times I’ve had to myself on weekends to marathon the game hasn’t been close to putting a dent in the game. In spite of feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of areas and side missions to explore and do, I’ve made some small successes in moving the story forward. Fair warning, there will be some spoilers ahead after the cut. Read at your own discretion.
The release of Dragon Age: Inquisition has come and gone and most of us has already dove in, head first, into the game. If you’ve been following my video game challenges on this blog, you’ll know I’ve given myself the ultimate challenge of completing as much of Inquisition for the rest of the year. Because the size and scale of this game is more massive than the previous installments of the Dragon Age series, I’ve decided to write a series of blog posts known as the DAI Inquisitor’s Log. I’ll chart my progress with the game and provide my overall thoughts on it as I progress. Let’s see how I did on my first week with the game.
The best kind of RPGs are the ones that have the right balance of good storytelling and gameplay. Personally, if the story is really good and the gameplay is mediocre at best, I can actually forgive the less than stellar game system. If the story isn’t so great, but the combat system is amazing, then it’s a lot harder for me to be engaged with what’s going on. This best describes my experience with playing Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Options in a game is a beautiful thing to have. If you have read some of my video game related posts, I have professed an absolute love for games that provide an overabundant amount of choices to choose from. Give me a good story with plenty of customizations and options to choose from in a game, and you will find me spending hours getting lost in the world. Add in the bonus of choosing between playing as a male or female character at the start of a game––signed, sealed, delivered and I’m absolutely yours!
Every time I start a game for the first time with an option to choose female, I always choose to play the game from a female perspective. Call it a comfort thing or gravitating to what feels familiar, but I want my main protagonist to save the world or kick some ass as a female. Guys have been having all the fun for years now, why can’t we? When you get games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, or any game where you can dictate how you want your character to look, act, or feel, it makes the game feel very personal and different for each player. If I am presented with playing a game as the good girl or bad girl, there is something strangely alluring about playing a game where a character likes to be naughty.
IGN posted an article recently about their pick of the top 100 RPG games to play. Among the games featured on the list were some very obvious choices, simply because these RPG games are already huge fan favorites. Of course, there were some surprises of what didn’t make the list.
One of the Bioware game titles to make the IGN Top 100 RPGs list
Many of the Bioware games have made the list, but one game I’m surprised that didn’t make the list is Dragon Age: Origins. I really believe Dragon Age: Origins is a well made game that should have made the list. The characters and the world of Ferelden is just as engaging as the Mass Effect games (the first and second of this game series to make the list). I wonder what is the thought processes behind deciding which games to make the top 100 at IGN. I really think with the amount of Bioware titles on the list from Jade Empire to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins is sure to make the cut.
An interesting thing about going through the entire list is finding out that certain games are considered RPGs or is RPG in nature. The one I’m talking about are the two or three Mario games that made the list. I always assumed the Mario games have been strictly platformers. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Nintendo has a few RPG adventure games starring Mario. Makes me wonder what an RPG Mario game looks and feels like.
There are so many games on this list that sound amazing to play. Considering the list also features old, but classic games, you start seeing how much RPG games have evolved over time. But just because graphics and technology has seen huge improvements on today’s current games, doesn’t mean the older games are any less desirable to play. If anything, it brings back a case of nostalgia and an appreciation of what came before and how it has paved the way for the games we currently have. As a gamer, I would love to get my hands on the many games on this list. If only there was enough time in the day to play all of these.
What would you consider your top RPG games? Were there some titles that didn’t make IGN’s list, but you wish they did?
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