Coming in to 2013 it didn’t seem like the most promising year for gaming, but looking back it’s been a whole lot of fun and the future is looking rosy. Since this is a gaming blog, such as it is, I’m obliged to do a post looking back at the year gone by. This is a tradition or an old charter, or something.
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So that was 2013
This week: Things that made me go squeee!
Between an ill baby, a dissertation-writing wife, a house move and a lack of internet connection I’ve been a little out of the loop these last couple of weeks. So imagine my delight when I finally catch up on recent game news and find it full of wonderful wondrous wonders!
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From save-scummer to Ironman
Let’s start with a confession, shall we? Ladies and gentlemen, I am a save-scummer. Yes, I will shamelessly abuse save mechanics to achieve goals, to ghost a level, to make the best kill, to keep that health bar full or – depressingly frequently – just to beat the #£%&ing level at all.
Stealth games are my biggest failing here. Love a good stealth-em-up, me. Thief, Commandos, Deus Ex, Hitman, the whole slippery, shadowy lot of them. Even Dishonoured when the voice acting manages to not induce crippling boredom.
The problem is, I’m really just a bit crap at them. Commandos was an exception there, but when you consider that the player had total situational awareness and combine that with the slow, careful pace it was often more a logic puzzle than a combat game. Other than that, call me Captain Ineptitude. Skulker McDeadthief. Agent Clompenboots.
Hence save-scumming, the ancient and noble art of mashing the reload button until you make it another five pieces down the corridor and saving again. Save-scummers. You will know us by the trails of faded F5 and F9 keys.
But perhaps there is hope…