The Return of the Gamer

[dreamshark]

Whee! Got a computer game for Christmas. The game I've been waiting for. The game I got a new computer for, so I'd be ready to play it when it came out. Deus Ex: The Invisible War. So far, it's much like the original Deus Ex (which is fine, since that was the best computer game EVER). They've streamlined the interface in ways that I mostly think are improvements, and I appreciate being able to play as a female this time (I hated J.C. Denton's growly voice). The complicated, conspiracy-laden plot is along the same lines as the earlier one - too soon to tell how it's going to work out - it may be almost too complex. As far as the game engine goes, I wish they'd spent less time on the realistic shadows and light bloom and a little more on frame rate and AI. *sigh* I think the NPCs are actually slightly dumber than they were in the first game. I can walk around with my gun drawn all the time and nobody bats an eye. I seem to remember getting in serious trouble for that in the first Deus Ex. On the other hand, the security guards in this game get really irate if they catch you hacking into an ATM machine, which is as it should be.

Anybody else like computer games? Ever play Deus Ex? Thief? System Shock? Azrael's Tear? (oh, let's not get silly. Nobody else on the planet has ever played Azrael's Tear.)

Comments

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Deus Ex; is it some kind of spy/thriller adventure? A mystery solving game?

I'm liking the new Sims Makin' Magic pack. I got a little carried away with hacks that caused some kind of fault whenever I went Downtown, and had to reinstall it. The hacks were fun while they lasted, though. One of the magical powers allowed a character to go teleporting all over the place, which saved lots of time in the game.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I guess you could call it a spy-thriller, in a cyberpunky kind of way. It's a story-driven first-person shooter/sneaker with strong RPG influences (Role-Playing-Game).

The great strength of the game is that it is not completely scripted (like most adventure games). You do have to follow the main story-line through all the main locations, but there are multiple ways to solve problems and accomplish goals. For instance, you can run in with guns blazing, or sneak in through the sewers and disable all the security cameras.

You probably wouldn't care for it; too dark and violent. Theoretically you can play through the entire game without killing anyone, but you'll still end up clonking a lot of people on the head and leaving them lying there with possible brain-damage. And, while you do have some choice about whether you stick with the U.N. anti-terrorist strike force or join up with one of the several shadowy conspiracies, none of the groups you have to choose from turn out to be very nice in the end.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

It sounds entertaining, but you're right that it's not the sort of game that appeals to me most. One of the things I like about The Sims is that I don't usually need fast reflexes or a ready trigger finger.