Keepalive: Fallout 3, Devil Kings, Mark of the Kasai, Champions of Norrath

written by Blain Newport on Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Even at the pace I've been going at, there is too much Fallout 3 to cover. I probably played over a hundred and twenty hours. And I still haven't finished the game (although I think I'm at the last mission). How do you feel about it? Are these worth reading? I feel like I'm losing my enthusiasm because it was more fun to play than it is to write up, especially since these were things that happened well over a week ago. It's like writing a book report.

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I picked up some used weirdness at the local Game Crazy to check out. Devil Kings was Capcom's answer to Dynasty Warriors, a game where you are a super powerful general in an ancient battle. You run around capturing objectives, killing enemy generals, and mopping up literally hundreds of weak enemy troops. At the end of the day, Dynasty Warriors wasn't really a question that deserved an answer. I'll probably finish the game once on easy and never look at it again.

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I also picked up Rise of the Kasai, the prequel to Mark of Kri. Mark of Kri got to be kind of a grind near the end, and the fighting never gave me those special opportunities that make me feel like I'm doing something clever and kicking butt. The art style is nice, as is the storytelling. But the prequel hasn't improved enough that I can see myself finishing it. Meh. It was $5.

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Last, but not least, I picked up Champions of Norrath for Co-op Tuesdays. It's technically an Everquest game. But it's basically Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance in a different setting. It's actually a fairly difficult game in the early stages. You can die really fast, and my cleric can't even heal yet. But at least it's worth wearing armor, so Chris doesn't have to put up with my character running around in skivvies like Wayne did. This is doubly good as I'm playing a guy this time. :)

For those who don't get the reference, it's basically a dungeon crawl / hack and slash. You beat up monsters that drop good loot you use to beat up bigger monsters who drop bigger loot. It's a simple treadmill that fills the need to feel progress, even if it's illusory.