Halo 5: Fun with Friends, but Lacks Cohesive Narrative

November 25, 2015 Alex McCumbers

The Halo Universe has never been known for a groundbreaking story. Novels and other projects have sought to expand it, but the series never really seemed to excel at narrative. Halo defined a console and added a new level of interaction among gamers across the world. Sure, online play existed before Halo, but Xbox Live owes much of its success to it. Therefore, there is a ton of pressure on 343 Industries, as it attempts to add to the legacy Bungie left behind. Unfortunately, Halo 5: Guardians comes close with it’s multiplayer, but lacks depth in its story.

Before diving into this game in detail, know that I’ve always been a fan of Halo‘s Universe. I lacked an Xbox as a kid, keeping a tight grip on my PS2 with Kingdom Hearts and Radiata Stories, but I was always interested in the story of Halo. Thus, I picked up the novelizations of the games at Borders. While these books never blew me out of the water, they were substantial enough to make me want to read the others. Master Chief always felt more fleshed out in the books, making my eventual move to the Halo games feel lackluster by comparison.

Minor characters are expanded upon in the novels. Making them feel stale in the games for fans of the books.

I will admit that I had high hopes for the story in Halo 5. The marketing campaigns played up the mysterious Locke, chasing down the Master Chief for disobeying orders and going rogue. Chief wandered the deserts in those commercials, a tattered cloak in his wake, a classic trope with characters trying to find themselves in solitude. All clues pointed to a dynamic, daring story framed with all the pew pew a mind can handle.

Whoever edited the marketing deserves a damn medal. While the one directing what was shipped needs a firm reprimanding.

halo screen 2 — There is a truly epic moment here, but what that is exactly is unclear.

Halo 5‘s story feels like a large puzzle. All the pieces are there, that much is evident, but someone has gone and tossed the puzzle about, leaving nothing but a fragmented image. I’m normally easy to appease when it comes to stories; I usually only give harsh words after much reflection. However, I couldn’t keep track of where my characters were supposed to be. What should’ve felt like a chase across the galaxy, is a highlight reel cut by an amateur at a high school sporting event.

I will give credit where credit is due: the action during the cutscenes is phenomenal. The camera dynamically follows the characters as they proceed to pull off supernatural feats. Yet, it would be more gratifying if there was more context to the story.

Master Chief’s team does comprise of characters I grew to love from the novels. There are plenty of solid character development in the books, but they are merely a quick nod to long time fans in the current game. These characters are mostly there to explain why there’s four player co-op in the main campaign.

It’s obvious Halo 5 had a better story planned out, but what is delivered lacks direction, coherence or passion for the universe it’s built on.

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Is there a logical reason for this abundance of lens flares? Star Trek Into Darkness had a disease of sorts when it comes to the technique.

Also, it’s hard to see what’s going on with all the lens flares. JJ Abrams has left a negative impact on the visual directing for many, painful years to come.

On the other side of the game, Halo 5 supports a solid multiplayer experience. Slapping ten-year-old kids with a flag or chucking grenades at my dearest friends has never been my draw to Halo, but I do have fond memories with such. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gathered as many people with Xbox 360s as possible to spend countless hours throwing back Mt. Dew, cheering with each kill.

Playing Halo 5‘s multiplayer feels nostalgic, but also fresh. Being able to zoom in with each weapon is an awesome addition, especially since each weapon has unique sights. Player movement has new tricks such as the Spartan Charge or being able to hover in the air for a short time. Slaying enemies is still as rewarding as the early days of dominating with the magnum.

Some punk took the Banshee? Spawn with one with REQs!

The newest mode, Warzone is interesting, as its Halo‘s take on the MOBA craze. It lacks the strategic depth of that genre, but it can lead to some interesting situations. Players fight over several bases to earn points, while also combating each other, Covenant and Promethean invaders. Being able to snatch away points from an aggressive team from afar by doing the final hit on a boss is hilarious and aids one’s team.

Warzone also offers Requisition items, which are essentially like FIFA‘s addictive Ultimate Team mode. Unlike FIFA, players will be opening packs of weapons, armor skins, vehicles and more to use in Warzone. Collecting items is fun, but the fact that the cards are used after a single use makes them feel less like a tactical loadout and more like having your latest toy ignored by everyone else who has the limited edition cause they bought more packs.

While Halo 5: Guardians lacks the narrative it was built up to be, the multiplayer remains a solid choice for an evening with friends. Kicking back with a snack and a headset on my brow feels like it should and that’s not a bad thing.

343 Industries has recently released a large patch, adding new modes, so there is hope beyond the game’s initial launch. I’d love to see them retcon the campaign mode, even though its hard to patch a flooding submarine with duct tape, no matter how valuable the adhesive is in the Wasteland.

Pick up Halo 5 for the multiplayer, play the campaign when there are no friends online and nothing is on TV.

Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant, Industry Now

Levl Up Bros Seeks to Make a Home for Early Access Titles

November 23, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Early Access titles seem to be what all the cool kids are doing in the game designing world for better, but more often for worse. From the excellent uses of the system found in Starbound to the terrible lack of attention that destroyed The Stomping Land, Early Access as a term comes with a bit of mixed perception. As a whole, I’m a big advocate of Early Access games, but when the system is abused or the games that lack any sort of coherency get onto the Steam Marketplace, it’s more than frustrating as a gamer and as a writer. It’s hard to find games on the Steam Marketplace as is, so throwing in tons of Early Access titles with questionable quality just makes things asinine.

That’s where Levl Up Bros, a monthly subscription-based platform for Early Access titles, seeks to stand out with its service. Players will be able to play an unlimited amount of games and be given the option to pre-order games when they are eventually published. There are some interesting indie games and rom hacks to check out, but more games should start showing up as the platform develops. So how does Levl Up Bros seek to enhance the gaming experience for both developers and gamers?

Even seasoned designers often find publication disconcerting. The percentage a development team should make is usually slashed down by larger publishing companies, limiting profits, but adding marketing solutions. Levl Up Bros seeks to give developers a broader range of publishing options, as well as a system that allows popular content to be shown prominently.

The entire platform focuses on levels in the traditional, RPG sense. Players will be able to gain levels from completing quests, which can be as simple as leaving a comment on a game’s page or pre-ordering a title. This way, feedback is encouraged. The levl up system also wants to reward its players by giving them free memberships, as well as full-game downloads as they level up their account.

Games will also have levels, gaining experience points based on comments, time played and much more. This way, the best gaming experiences is featured by the system. The Levl Up Bros will not only give attention to these games on their client, but also on their various blogs and outlets, such as their Twitch or YouTube channels.

They contain a substance called alpha-androstetenol that mirrors viagra prices pheromones (which is the thing that pulls in truffle chasing hogs). levitra vs viagra This has increased the demand for anti ED medicine in the minds of people. It may include feelings of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, on line viagra irritability, or restlessness. Erection is the major cause which ruins men’s tadalafil price mood and not allow men to have intercourse. Levl Up Bros seeks to provide a space for game designers to stay focused on making their games. The platform takes care of marketing and distribution, as most gaming clients such as Steam seek to do, but also rewards developers and players for engaging in their service. Where Levl Up Bros currently focuses on computer gaming, it also seeks to branch out into console gaming, giving players a chance to truly shape the way games are designed by giving feedback to developers.

Many games and studios have already agreed to be featured in the early era of the Levl Up Bros client. Disciples of the Storm, an ambitious attempt to recreate a classic PC game—a game we’ve featured before here on Giga—is on that list. Other than that, the other titles are unfamiliar, but that’s exactly what this client needs: unknown titles utilizing the system to further their goals.

If Levl Up Bros succeeds in its Kickstarter campaign, a test client should be available in the Spring of 2016, with more features slated to roll out by the Summer. Users can take a look at the Levl Up Bros website for an idea of the sort of aesthetic the creators are going for.

Unfortunately, as of now, there is no prototype available for use. All of the designs proposed in the campaign, as well as the visuals behind the assets used gives a really solid first impression; however, there is no way of knowing how the platform will fair until its available for testing, at the very least. There’s also a lack of editing apparent on the campaign and its website, hopefully it will be rectified in the future.

Either way, it would be interesting to see a new outlet for Early Access. Some games would truly benefit from this system. Until Levl Up Bros rolls out for testing, I’ll continue picking through the mountains of Early Access titles on Steam, searching for gems.

Original Content

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Madam Secretary: Season 2 Episode 7 Recap

November 23, 2015 Caitlin Safiran

Well after missing last week’s recap, I’m back! And I’m excited to have a fun episode to write about. This week’s Madam Secretary had everything I love about this show. It was simple and was more about the characters as opposed to some insane international crisis.

Episode seven centered around the reopening of the Cuban Embassy in D.C. and the American Embassy in Cuba. Bess and her team (excluding Matt) are very excited about this occasion, but Bess really moves into action when a senator is caught in a scandal and resigns from his post. This particular senator was in charge of what gets brought to a vote in Congress, and Bess takes this chance to push for a vote to lift the United States’ Embargo on Cuba. When Matt hears about this new plan, he tells Bess he wants to help but she at first turns him down. She doesn’t want his help if he isn’t sincerely excited about the U.S. mending its relationship with Cuba. She refuses to let him help her write the speech to be given at the American Embassy’s opening, but Matt insists that Bess let him prove his sincere interest. So instead of writing a speech, Matt goes out and meets with two former Marines who were stationed in Cuba at the time the embargo was instated.

Meanwhile, Bess goes to the President and pitches her idea to lift the Cuban embargo. And of course her nemesis Craig doesn’t think it’s worthwhile, but for once Russel actually agrees with Bess. Not much convincing later, and the President has agreed to support the vote. As soon as she gets the President’s okay, Bess and her team begin scrambling to get enough “yes” votes. Russel even steps in a couple of times to help Bess out, but all does not fair well. Just as they get the last vote they need to win, Bess and Russel see one of their senators giving a press conference on the news. He brings a woman on the screen and announces that he’ll only vote to lift the embargo if Cuba returns a fugitive living there accused of murdering this woman’s husband, a Chicago police officer, decades before.

Due to the vitality of this fruit, it is also referred to as the “generic levitra online appalachianmagazine.com.” In addition to the antioxidants in the foods listed above. Naturally, it cheapest levitra can be made only by eating alkaline, real food, taking the alkaline mineral supplements such as cellular magnesium-potassium, or drinking the alkaline healing mineral water. Liver transplant generic cialis prescriptions surgery is quite complicated and requires advanced medical facilities. This pill has been introduced for the men or fall in the erection amount of the person outcomes with impotence http://appalachianmagazine.com/2018/10/05/no-your-account-hasnt-been-hacked-viral-message-causes-confusion/ cialis de prescription grievances. So instead of being able to enjoy her trip to Cuba, Bess now has to find this fugitive (Afeni) and convince the Cuban government to return her to the United States. But before she can even make it to Cuba, Russel jumps into her limo to catch her up on this senator debacle. Henry suggests that perhaps Craig is behind this whole thing since he opposes this vote, and because he’s still mad at Bess about Russia. Russel thinks Henry’s crazy, but agrees to keep an eye on Craig in the meantime.

Upon her arrival, Bess meets with Cuba’s foreign minister and convinces him to take her to Cuba’s First Vice President. At this meeting Bess presents the VP with three Cuban prisoners the U.S. government is willing to trade for Afeni, but the Cuban VP shoots her down. The Cuban foreign minister is disappointed in this outcome, so he takes Bess to meet with Afeni in person. He suggests that since she can’t get the Cuban government to turn her over, perhaps Bess can convince Afeni to turn herself in. Of course this does not happen. Afeni refuses Bess’s offer because she never shot the police officer, and she fears she won’t get a fair trial since she’s an African-American woman. Never one to take no for an answer, Bess does her research and discovers that the FBI purposely hide evidence that proves Afeni never shot the cop. She comes back to Afeni with this news, and also promises to give her as much press coverage as she wants so that the American people will know her story.

And so, with Afeni returned to America, Congress votes to lift the embargo on Cuba. Bess gives a lovely speech at ceremony, and she’s accompanied by the former Marines Matt sought out. Even in the White House, everyone seems thrilled with this historic moment. That is of course except for Craig who Russel sees cozying up to the senator who derailed the vote in the first place. This moment convinces Russel that Craig was behind the whole debacle, and tells Bess the only way they can solve this problem is to “bury” Craig. I really hope they can pull this off. I will not be sad to see Craig go….

Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant

Indie Alert: Pulse Review

November 20, 2015 RaShaun Eshalomi

I didn’t know what to expect when I first read the unique concept of Pulse:

Journey as Eva, a young girl who [h]as lost her sight at an early age, and has since developed the unique capability to see the world around her through sound.

This first-person adventure allows players see what Eva “sees”: a semi-transparent world full of vibrant colors and polygon shapes. The transparency mixed with the shapes reminds me of an abstract C4D (Cinema 4D) effect. Sound obviously plays a very important role in Pulse. Rain drops, walking, wind, birds fluttering, and running water can all help get a glimpse of the dark world surrounding you. Jumping in place also helps if you don’t have room to walk.

There are these little, white animals called Moko that you can throw, which creates a sound when they land. Mokos are also used to get through obstacles throughout the game. Sometimes you have to throw them into little barrels they have to run in or sacrifice them to open the next level. They follow you around, waiting for you to need them—so cute, with their cute little faces. At first, I didn’t want to throw them and lose them. Throw them. Throw them everywhere. It really helps.

white little animal with big black eyes — Each Moko has its own facial expression: angry, questioning, happy, scared.

Pixel Pi does a great job of making players feel like they are blind too, which makes the game tough to play. With no map, the transparent world is deceiving and makes traveling a confusing trek. What you think is a clear path to a far away cliff in the back, is actually a wall that doesn’t fully appear until you’re against it. I got lost, a lot. Eva does leave glowing footprints for you to trace your steps, which was a little helpful. Whenever the world shakes or turns red, you’ll know you’re going the right way. I still had to stop and take breaks to make sure I didn’t become completely discouraged. Also, stay out of the water and try not to stumble into the unknown.

A blank background with the words "You have lost your way in the unknown" across the screen. — I saw this screen a lot.

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The story is vague—on purpose—for most of the game. Eva is on a pilgrimage her in which village didn’t want her to go, and the world and her village are in danger of collapsing. An obscure bird appears throughout your journey to give you cryptic messages about the events leading up to now. These hints help you to piece together what has/is happening to the world. I wasn’t really attached to the story; it felt like something was missing. Maybe a cutscene or something to show a little more background leading up to the beginning of Eva’s pilgrimage. A little something extra to make me care more. The scene could have still been through Eva’s eyes—or maybe jumbled pieces that the bird could remember—allowing players to have a better connection with her perseverance through the obstacles ahead of her. I was more interested in the obstacles Eva had to face and discovering more of this unique world.

The game is short, about an hour, possibly longer if you take the time to get all of the achievements. It can be completed in 30 minutes if you speedrun. There’s even an achievement for completing it in 30 minutes or less.

I wanted to love this game. I really wanted to and I really tried. The concept is great and the world has a lot of secrets I would like to discover, but I don’t think I’ll be playing Pulse again. The world is beautiful, but the thought of having to go through the trouble of seeing it just deters me. However, I would recommend trying it for the different experience. It’s not like any other game I’ve ever played, and I don’t regret playing.

I definitely want to see more from Pixel Pi. They are a talented group with a lot of creativity and imagination. There is definitely more worlds and stories they are holding onto. I hope this is only the beginning for them.