Here’s a look at what games I’ve been playing, ranked roughly from most-played to least-played. This allows me to offer some thoughts on some titles that I may not devote a full review to, plus sound off on some ideas that might not have made it into full reviews of the games I play. Games are listed roughly in order of most- to least-played, with assistance from my Raptr profile.
“Dungeon Siege III” (rated T, $60 on Xbox 360 or PS3, $50 on PC): I’ve been working my way through Obsidian Entertainment’s hack-and-slash-style role-playing game. I’ll probably be working on a full review next week, but I don’t know what to say about this one yet. If you’ve read other reviews out there, you’ve probably seen this game getting a lot of hate. While I agree that it’s not a game I’d want to pay the full $60 for, it does a number of things well in addition to the number of things it does poorly. I can see it being the type of flawed title that gets a decent cult following once the price drops a bit. The co-op play is solid, and the story is occasionally surprising me in spots after seeming initially like very boiler-plate fantasy stuff. That said, the voice acting ranges from average to horrendous, and the level design is exceptionally linear, something I knocked “Dragon Age II” for back when I reviewed that game.
“Shadows of the Damned” (rated M, $60 on Xbox 360 or PS3) [review]: I pretty much said everything I had to say about this game in my review, but I’ll reiterate. “Shadows” is the kind of game that’ll be a fun diversion if you’re the sort of person who likes original worlds, stylish backdrops, cracking soundtracks and smart writing. The gameplay, though, isn’t really anything we haven’t seen before.
“Borderlands” (rated M,$20 on PC, Xbox 360 or PS3, Game of the Year edition available for $40 on consoles, $30 on PC): I finally got around to starting “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution,” the final add-on for Gearbox’s 2009 shooter, with some friends last week. Like “Dungeon Siege III,” “Borderlands” can be a little bit of a grind played solo, which means I tend to primarily play it with friends. One thing that makes “Borderlands” a better game, though, is its sense of humor.
“Culdcept Saga” (rated T, out of print on Xbox 360): I dusted off this hybrid of Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly for a tournament match, which I won.
“Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012” (rated T, $10 download on PC, Xbox 360 or PS3): You can probably guess from the frequent appearances of “Magic” and “Culdcept Saga” on these lists that I enjoy a good strategic fantasy card game when I can find the time. I’m kind of winding down with this one for now. I still have cards to unlock and one last achievement to fetch, but it’s fallen off my nightly routine.
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