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I’ve always been into cars, but it’s relatively surface level. I once told a friend that my affinity for automobiles is “wide, not deep”. I’ve always admired the variations in body style and design, and learned a little bit about different types of engines and other minor stuff under the hood. I try to go to the car show every year.

But that’s mostly it. I’ve never done any deep-dives into the inner-workings of cars, nor did I ever have much hands-on experience. When I was like 17, I installed a new head unit in my car with no oversight using just electrical tape and ingenuity. I actually managed to get it to work and had it installed properly.

It took like 4 hours, but it worked and looked good (I even replaced the panel so the new unit fit in seamlessly). I showed my uncle — an actual mechanic and car-restorer — who said just using electrical tape was a fire hazard. He took it out, fixed it, and put it back in all of 5 minutes. I then realized I was out of my depth.

I Still Loved the Idea, Though…

I think a lot of what I like comes from the customization, too. I grew up with the Fast and the Furious movies, and really love the original trilogy before they really went off the rails (yes even — especially, actually — Tokyo Drift). Something about the endless amount of options to make your vehicle unique, and the earned-not-bought respect it can bring really gelled with me.

I always thought that maybe one day I’d have the discretionary income, time, care, motivation etc. etc. etc. to buy my own car and upgrade it myself. But that day hasn’t come (yet). I’ve had to suffice with video games like Need for Speed, The Crew, and more; along with this one, Car Mechanic Simulator.

I saw this game as an opportunity to take a deeper dive into the workings of cars without having to go out and buy a project car myself. And while I realize you can change engines and make different upgrades in the various racing games I’ve played; I don’t really look in to what I’m adding to the car. I simply look at the information that tells me that the car is becoming more powerful, and compare parts based on the speed, acceleration, etc. increases.

I don’t, however, look at what the various parts are called, or what the specifically do, or where they might be installed. So while I do have a slight frame of reference, this is an opportunity to get my virtual hands dirty.

Early Struggles & Frustrations

In the beginning, the game is pretty overwhelming. The tutorial doesn’t give you much information, and interacting with the cars and making the choices you need to make can be a bit confusing. Maybe it makes more sense using a mouse and keyboard, but felt a bit convoluted playing with a controller on Xbox.

Most of the time, when you’re interacting with a car, you press ‘Y’ to open a radial menu to access whatever tool you need at the time. And tools are buried inside sub-menus, which you have to remember. It’s mostly fine and easy to get used to, but there are times where I’ll press ‘Y’ to instinctively open a menu, but the action required pressing ‘A’ to select. And oftentimes when I tried to go back with ‘B’, it would exit the whole menu I’m in, rather than going back one level. Again, as you play you’ll get used to what menus you need to dig through to find what you need, but it’s not very intuitive.

I suppose when I went to spend skill points for the first time, I would have seen that there was an upgrade for something that I’d never used, and go looking for it. But even then, I’m inferring. I don’t mind figuring things out in video games — hell, I prefer it most of the time — but I wasn’t looking for a puzzle game here, I was looking to fix up cars.

This game’s premise is kind of niche, and I feel like they expect you to come in with some prior knowledge of what different things are supposed to do. But at the same time, if you’re an actual mechanic and you want to, say, work on the types of cars and engines you may never get to in real life; this might be unfulfilling.

“Story”

There’s a bit of a story mode, or more accurately, there are “story missions”. Some of the clients (they’re labeled “Story Order” and are at the top of the list) have more context behind them detailing why you’re fixing the car. For example, there’s the initial customer who sees that there’s a new shop open and wants to help out; there’s the family who was about to leave for a road trip when they discovered their car won’t start; there’s the kid who crashed their dad’s car; and there’s the aspiring influencer who wants to build a brand around a car (that you actually build). They’re interesting and add flavor to the game, and gives you reasons to keep progressing. 

You can only take one story mission at a time, but there are always cars that need fixing. They’re in varying levels of disarray, and each one is only available for a certain amount of time. You also have access to increasing amount of available customers as you gain levels, and you can accept as many non-story orders as you have parking spots available.

You start with 4 spots — a lift bay, a spot at each one of your garage doors outside (adding 2 more), and a spot next to the garage perpendicular to the other cars. Once you buy the second lift bay, a car can also sit there — so you ultimately get 5.

Gameplay

When you select a car to fix, you’re shown problems as if someone brought a car in to a mechanic. It’ll list things like “brake problems”, “knocking in the engine”, and “having trouble shifting”. You have to go in, find the problematic parts, and replace or fix them. You can open the hood to look at the engine, or lift the car to look at parts from underneath; and most parts can only be interacted with from one orientation or the other (even if seems like you could reach it).

An items amount of degradation is shown by how rusty it looks, and that goes for everything. Even things that seem like they shouldn’t be “rusty” to be bad like spark plugs, or things that physically can’t rust like rubber bushings still show a “rusty” look to show damage and wear. It’s certainly helpful, for the layman like me, to be able to quickly see what may or may not be a problem. But I understand if someone found it a bit lacking.

You select the part to remove it, and most parts are screwed in so you have to hold the button (in this case ‘A’ on Xbox) in order to unscrew the item. And if the car’s in bad enough condition, the screws themselves will be rusty, too. So you have to us WD-40 DW-04 to loosen the screws. And, naturally, some parts are under other parts, so you have to take them out (and put them back) in a particular order. It’s a lot of finding the next part, selecting it, holding the button to (un)install, and repeating.

Fortunately you don’t have to memorize the order, as you can’t cover something that hasn’t been installed yet, so that’s nice. And you don’t have to keep track of screws, so that makes things much easier than they would be in real life. Overall, it’s a very simple process, but can be incredibly tedious.

There are a couple exceptions to simply holding the button to dismount and replace a part, that I think are pretty cool additions. With the shocks, after taking the shock off of the car, you have to take it to the Spring Puller in order to separate the spring from the shock itself. And once you’ve fixed or bought new parts, you have to re-assemble the shock at the same machine.

Similarly, tires need to be taken off of wheels and rims and put back on at a Tire Changer. There’s even a neat animation that goes with it that’s similar to how it’s actually done. It doesn’t line up perfectly, but it’s nice. And you also have to balance each tire individually with the Wheel Balancer (and quick minigame) before you can add it to the car.

It’s not super often that a wheel or shock needed to be replaced in order to complete a car; but it was fun when I did get to interact with those. And I got to use them even more when I fully restored cars to 100% parts.

Finding the Problems

Like I mentioned earlier, you’re not given a ton of information on what exactly you need to do to each car. You’re told the issue the customer is having, and you have to go find the cause of that issue. You are shown, however, how many parts need replacing on each car. And there are often additional tasks that need to be completed like refilling the fluids (brake fluid, coolant, oil etc.).

With the Normal Orders, you typically only have a few parts to replace. But the storyline cars have tons. You can see the number of items that need to be replaced when you look at the cars information page (which you find in the car’s radial menu). It shows a list of parts, but most of them show “Part Not Discovered”, and you’ve got to find them on the car to reveal them in this list. Once you’ve installed a part with a sufficient percentage, you’ll get a star next to the part showing it’s complete.

There are ways to reveal some of the parts before just diving in to the engine and taking it apart. There’s the Test Track, where you drive the car through a series of tests to check it’s steering, engine, shocks, and brakes. And there’s a few tools, like the Electronic Multimeter and Compression Tester that may reveal information for you. They’re not always useful, though. It was a pretty common issue that a couple of the tools wouldn’t work because they relied on running the engine, and the problem was that the engine couldn’t be started. And, obviously, you can’t drive a car on a test track if you can’t start it.

Maybe there’s an easier solution than what I was doing, but by the time I figured out how to get the engine started, in those scenarios, I had pretty much figured the rest of it out anyway. The aforementioned “Examine” feature helps a bit, too; but still doesn’t reveal everything. The worse-off an area is, the more red it is, but it didn’t necessarily reveal the specific part needed. I found myself using that more just to farm XP than to actually figure out what was wrong with each car.

Truthfully, the most reliant/efficient way to figure out what was wrong with each car was to dive in (and with a little learning along the way). Instead of using the tools, I just tried to find the quickest way to get to the problem areas. If it was a transmission problem, I started to immediately check the gearbox (making sure to remove the starter from the engine bay side first — ugh, that was annoying). If there were issues starting the car, I started looking at the fuses and spark plugs. Some were a bit more obvious, like “suspension feels loose”, so I knew exactly what to check.

Engine Problems

Engine problems were a little more complicated, but I kind of came up with a system. I’d check the usual cam shafts and tension rods and gears. But if none of those jumped out, I started checking the pistons from underneath through the oil pan. I found that the rust goes all the way down, so I could quickly check there to see if the piston was the issue, rather than taking apart the entire engine top-down.

That said, there are Piston Rings in with the Pistons that you can’t get to without removing the Piston itself — and you can’t remove the piston itself without essentially taking apart the rest of the engine. That was the worst. Now that I’ve taken apart, and put back together several engines, it’s less daunting. But at first, when I thought I just had to find a couple things to fix so I could make a quick profit, I got incredibly frustrated having to take the whole thing down to the studs.

On top of the Piston Rings, there were a few other parts I had to constantly keep in my mind otherwise I’d overlook them and spend too much time searching. Rubber Bushings, Cam Gear Caps, Rod Caps, and Wheel Hub Bearings are all small, seemingly inconsequential parts that will often be the very thing that needs to be replaced in order to complete the job.

Solving the Issues

In order to solve the problems that the car has, you have a few options. You can buy a new part to replace the affected one. You can replace broken parts with parts that you’ve taken off of other cars (if they’re sufficiently not broken). Or you can fix the part and put it back. You have to spend skill points to unlock an upgrade the ability to fix parts — plus not all parts can be repaired — so you’ll end up buying parts most of the time.

When you find a part that needs replacing, you can add it to your shopping list. Then you run to the computer to buy the part, and head back to the car to install it. There is a tablet you can buy, though, that allows you to quickly access the shop from the radial menu (or, on Xbox, by pressing ‘X’). In order to add the part to your shopping list to find later, there’s a corresponding button you can press when you’re either looking at the item itself, or just the spot where the part goes.

Unfortunately, though, you can’t add parts to your shopping list from the car’s status menu. When digging through the parts, it can be a bit of a guess-and-check. I would often take off a part that looks like it could be one of the one’s that needs replacing; then head back to the status menu to see if that, in fact, was a correct part. Repeating the process until all of the parts have been discovered.

I think this definitely could’ve been handled better, especially because there’s no real rhyme or reason to which parts may need changing at any given time. There could be parts that you remove that are in worse shape than one in the list — but it won’t need to be replaced.

Shopping for Parts

When buying new parts for the car, I found it easier to just add the needed parts to my shopping list as I came across them. After repairing anything I could, I’d begin to put the car back together; and whenever I came across a part that I don’t have a 100% replacement part for, I’d quickly add it to the shopping list, pop in to the shop to buy the part, back out of the store, and install the part. When I only had a few parts to replace, I found myself just taking pictures of my TV so I had a list I could reference.

I also found it disappointing that I couldn’t see how many of each part I already had in stock. The only way I could figure was to manually count them and keep a record yourself. Overall, I would much rather be able to add all of the parts to a list quickly and easily, buy all of the parts in one go, then head to the car to put it together knowing I’ve got everything I need (and nothing I don’t).

Other Improvements

In addition to fixing/replacing the car’s parts and body panels, there are expansions to your garage that can be bought in order to upgrade cars in different ways. There’s the car wash, where you can clean up the exterior and interior of the cars (though the animation is pretty much the same for both — they just get sudsy for a while). There’s the paint shop, where you can apply a variety of colors and paint styles. This can also be upgraded to include additional paints and eventually a couple of decals. There’s also the “Test Path” calibration room and the Dyno where you can test your owned cars’ horsepower and further customize the tuning.

I will say with the dyno, I had a helluva time figuring out what to do (though this was partially user error). When you bring a car into the dyno and try to tune it, it tells you that the car needs a custom gearbox in order to be tuned. Fine, I’ll buy one. The only problem was, I couldn’t find it.

The “Tuning Shop” has a bunch of parts with increased tuning, but no custom gearboxes. I checked periodically over the course of fixing like 3 cars, and it just wasn’t there. Turns out, there’s a whole separate “Custom Gearbox Shop” separate from the other “Tuning Shop” section. That was frustrating — and I ended up submitting a couple cars “incomplete” because I wasn’t able to tune a car like the mission called for.

Once I did get a custom gearbox installed and was able to mess with the tuning, I was again lost. I have no idea what the ratios are, or what they should be, or how they work together to maximize output — I have literally no frame of reference for this at all. So I just made it up.

I noticed that my top speed was seemingly going up the lower I made the ratio. So I just set it to 0 to see what would happen. The car wouldn’t move at all. I ended up just searching for a guide and found one that said to basically follow an Aston Martins configuration, so I did that. I still don’t know what any of it means, though.

Upgrades and Skills

Upgrades

I touched on it earlier, but there are upgrades that you can get in this game, too. You can make your “Examine” faster. You can make unscrewing, mounting, and unmounting parts faster or increase your walk speed. And even unlock the ability to repair parts so you don’t have to buy entirely new ones each time.

Repairing

Repairing parts is interesting. You unlock a room off the side of the garage (which looks like it should be the convenience store part because there’s pumps outside for some reason, but I digress). And in the room are several tools and desks, though each one is either a “Repair Table (Parts)” or “Repair Table (Body). Each “tool” does one or the other. There are two exceptions in this room — the Brake Lathe, which fixes brakes; and the engine builder, where you can build your own engine from scratch.

I haven’t built an engine from scratch at all, just repairing the ones already in cars. And in order to fix the brakes, you just put them in the machine and wait. But in order to repair the other parts, you get to play a little minigame. You’re shown several bars in green, red, and gray; and an arrow travels back-and-forth along the top of these bars. You have to press A to stop the arrow on top of a green bar, failing if you do so on top of a red bar, and being able to try again if you get a gray one.

It’s a fun addition to be sure, but I do wonder if they could have made it a bit more interactive for those who want to be more hands-on with their repairs.

Not every part can be fixed, unfortunately, so you will have to continue to buy parts. You can unlock the ability to repair “higher level” parts. But in all honesty, I have no idea where the part level came in. I can’t find any indicator of what level an item might be and whether or not it’s fixable. And after going through an entire bout of repairs — with my repair skill maxed out — I still end up with broken items in my inventory. Again, little information. I do know that you’re not able to fix body parts until the top level of the skill.

Cleaning out Your Inventory

In order to get rid of parts, you can either sell or salvage them. Selling them nets you a small amount for each part, and removes them from your inventory (which is the important thing). And salvaging items give you a special blue-symboled currency (I can’t seem to find it’s name) which allows you to upgrade parts to better qualities.

Upgrading individual parts gives power benefits; but like repairing, I don’t know what is or isn’t salvageable. I’ll have a bunch of broken parts in my inventory (still, after having repaired everything available) and I’ll try to salvage them. I’ll go through the bout of that and check my inventory, and there’ll still be broken items. I just don’t understand.

Personal Cars

On top of fixing up other people’s cars for various reasons, you can also acquire cars for yourself. Theres the junkyard you can explore; there’s an auction house where you can bid on cars to try to get them at a reasonable price, which is pretty cool because they use the gamertags in your friends list as auction opponents; and there are barns whose locations you can find in chests that you receive for completing story missions.

You can visit these barns and see what cars happen to be forgotten about, and if you like one (or more) you can buy them. There’s also “junk” scattered around the barns, with random miscellaneous parts that you can buy (this is also true for the Junkyard).

You bring cars back to your shop, where you can make the same fixes that you can do to other cars, along with additional upgrades to make your car unique. There are more “custom” looking options for each car that you can apply instead of the default options. And you can install custom upgraded parts that add additional power.

This is where a lot of the fun for me is had in the game — buying an old forgotten beater, restoring it into something badass, upgrading it to make it mine (and, frankly, to have the best parts) and test them out. So far, I’ve only gotten a couple-hundred horsepower and a top-speed of about 180. I’ve got a long way to go.

Phase 3: Profit

This is also the best way to make money that I’ve found — flipping the cars you find in the barns*. I’ve done full 100% to the clips restorations about 4 times now, and have made a significant profit each time. I’ve also added more and more custom parts each time — wondering if the price of the custom part outweighed the profit from it — but in fact it was the opposite. The more I spent on the car, the more I got back.

The car’s handling is just… awful, and the touchiest move to either direction sends the cars into a tailspin. I actually ended up reading some forums to figure out how to fix it; and the best way people said was to use slick tires. But even then, I couldn’t maintain control enough to complete a full lap. I don’t love that, but truthfully, I prefer straight-line tests anyway. So, for me, it wasn’t a huge deal. But I could see how it would be for someone.

The Cars

There are quite a few types of cars in Car Mechanic Simulator, but none of them are licensed car brands (unless you buy the DLC). That said, you can pretty clearly tell what most of the cars are supposed to be — Like the FMW… I wonder what that is . It’s not just I.C.E engines, either. There’s an electric car or two thrown in there as well to keep you on your toes. And like I mentioned a bit earlier, there are quite a few engine options in this game.

I’m not as familiar with engines, though, so I can’t really differentiate them. I’ve kind of shied away from that aspect because I’m so unfamiliar and have just been rebuilding cars with their proper parts. I’d like to get into engine building and seeing what else is available but the lack of information is holding me back. I don’t want to spend most of my credits building something that I can’t use because whatever car I have or want isn’t compatible or something. So, I’ll tackle later when I’ve got more CR and the cost is inconsequential.

Conclusion

Overall, even though it’s a four-year-old game, I’ve still been really enjoying playing Car Mechanic Simulator 2021. While the lack of information was often frustrating, it was still interesting playing around in engines and under cars. And it’s very satisfying taking an old clunker into a show-worthy masterpiece.

Since starting this post, I’ve found an old Lambo Morena, and I can’t wait to get my hands on that V12. Maybe this is where I try my hand at building a new one. Either way, I definitely recommend this game if you’re interested in cars at all; but be forewarned, if you’re already a bit of an expert, you might find this lacking.

Have you played Car Mechanic Simulator at all? Let me know in the comments what you think about it; especially if you have any handling tips.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, maybe check out another post. And be sure to check back soon for more awesome gaming content!

The post Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 — Wait.. Isn’t it 2025? appeared first on I Talk Games.

Recently, I decided to give Crime Scene Cleaner a shot. Nothing about it really jumped out to me except the fact that I was looking forward to a pleasurable cleaning experience. I’ve played PowerWash Simulator (and subscribe to r/powerwashingporn on Reddit), and was excited by the prospect of similarly satisfying gameplay. Otherwise, though, I had no idea what I was getting in to.

A couple of disclaimers before we dive in. For one, I don’t hold much back when talking about gameplay and storylines. So if you’re sensitive to spoilers, you may want to be careful. Though I will say that I was a bit more conscious about it in this post.

Additionally, The game involves cleaning up crime scenes with dead characters and blood; which means some of the screenshots and video clips in this post do as well. Just FYI. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

Story

You play as a humble high-school janitor, who has a daughter in the hospital with a terminal illness. Naturally, the bills are piling up. One day, you get a call from a friend who needs help cleaning up his “accident” — namely the dead guy he killed in his apartment.

Cleaning is your jam, though, so you do a great job. But unfortunately that attracts the attention of a local crime boss, who wants to employ you to clean up his messes. You’re in no position to say no to him, knowing he’ll probably kill you if you do. Plus, he pays pretty well — and as we’ve established, you need the money. So reluctantly, you continue to bag bodies and mop up blood.

It’s not the deepest story in the world, but it doesn’t have to be — the cleanup is what’s important. And surprisingly there’s voice acting, so you don’t have to worry about missing a pop-up that gives lore; I honestly missed a lot of the texts in PowerWash Simulator because I was so focused on the PowerWashing. In Crime Scene Cleaner, though, You don’t have to worry about that.

There are some funny quips here and there, too, and you can hear the MC rationalize his actions (poorly). It’s also pretty fun to watch little things change around his house as you progress (which you end up at between rounds — sleeping and initiating missions from your basement computer).

There’s also a very creepy/eerie vibe when you’re playing, separate from the main subject matter of the game. It has a good way of always making you feel on edge, even though it seems like all of the other “simulator” games where it’s first person and the other characters are only referenced. I don’t want to give too much away, you’ll have to play (and look out for secrets) to find out.

Speaking of, there are a lot of secrets to be found in Crime Scene Cleaner, and hidden areas to be discovered. I might even go so far as to say that you have to solve a puzzle, or two. Be sure not to just clean what you see and move on as quickly as you can. You’ll miss some pretty interesting moments and easter eggs.

Gameplay

Given the fact that cleaning up a whole crime-scene entails a lot more than just pressure washing dirt off of something; there’s a few different things you need to do. You have to mop up all the blood, clean up all the trash, dispose of dead bodies, find and get rid of any incriminating evidence, and put everything back in it’s place.

You’ve got several tools to facilitate your cleaning:

• A mop and sponge, to physically clean with
• A bucket to rinse out your mops and sponges
• Even a power washer to really blast away blood (and occasionally paint)

One of the most important things at each crime scene, you’ll learn, is the faucet. There’s a few around each level and you use them to fill up the power washer and bucket. And when the power washer runs out of water, or the water in the bucket gets too dirty, you have to return.

I was constantly trying to find the most efficient way to clean up the area I’m cleaning while having quick access to water. There are upgrades that make this easier — like making it so the buckets or mops get dirty more slowly (thus requiring fewer trips back to the bathroom).

Also, the bucket can be a bit annoying because it gets knocked over at the slightest provocation. You get anywhere near it, and you’ll probably spill it’s contents. And if there’s any blood in the water at all, you’ll have to clean up the spot where you spilled, on top of going back to the faucet to re-fill. It won’t take long before you become very conscious of where your bucket is at all times.

On top of the tools, you also have access to various soaps and shampoos to aid your cleaning. I played through the entire game and never used them once, though. I’m not a big fan of single-use items in games. I fully embody these memes:

Garbage is picked up by hand, but you are able to grab a few items at a time by holding down the “grab” button (instead of picking up every shard of glass one-by-one). The trash can container can only be filled up a certain amount before it becomes “full”, at which point, you have to take the bag out. Seemingly, though, you have an unlimited amount of bags.

To empty the can, you press the “empty” button, and Kovalsky will toss the bag out of it. It’s a little strange, because with the other toss buttons, the longer you hold the button, the further he’ll throw the item. With trash bags, though, holding the button makes no difference. He just tosses the bag in front of him.

More than once, I found myself looking slightly up, holding the “empty” button, expecting to launch the trash bag far out of my way; and it simply dropped a few feet in front of me… Also, make sure to keep track of the bags, you’ll have to remove them, too, to fully clean the scene (kind of˙).

Physically collecting the garbage was fine, though it had it’s own quirks. There are things around each scene that are pretty clearly garbage (like liquor bottles and drinking glasses strewn around the area), but they can’t be thrown away unless they’re broken. And somehow they’re both a little too difficult, and a little to easy to break.

They’re too difficult to break because when you’ve got the trash can equipped, you can’t do anything with those items. You can’t pick them up, or step on them or anything. You have to switch to another option — like un-equipping the trash can so you can use your hand to pick up and throw the item to break it so it can actually be thrown away.

They’re too easy to break, though, because anything besides the sponge breaks items immediately. The sponge cleans such a small area, though, that I ended up using the mop most of the time. But even when I tried to clean around things, I ended up hitting and shattering them. And, really, most of the time I didn’t see the item in the first place.

˙There was one time I was bagging up trash in a pool, and wanted to put the trash bag on the outside of the pool, but didn’t actually want to climb out each time.

I looked up toward where I wanted the bag, and tossed. It was one of those moments where I forgot that the trash bags only go a few feet, though, so the bag didn’t make it to the side of the pool. In fact, I was so close to the side, that the bag actually glitched through the wall, and I wasn’t able to get it.

I thought I’d have to re-do the entire level to 100% it, since I didn’t get rid of all of the trash bags. But fortunately, I didn’t seem to get penalized for it at all, so that was nice.

On the bright side, nothing that matters for completing the level can break. So you don’t have to worry about accidentally destroying something that you’ll need later. It’s just that the back-and-forth was kind of annoying. And sometimes I simply wanted to put an item in a certain place — just because I thought it would look nice or something — and I’d accidentally break it.

That said, since breaking items was largely inconsequential, I found it much more efficient to just break everything and clean it all up later. It wasn’t great, and I didn’t do it every time, but it worked when I did.

Bodies are also picked up by hand, and you body-bag them and “dispose” of them by putting them in your truck or the bin near the entrance. It’s here where all of your trash bags need to go, too. All you have to do is drop the bodies in the bed of the truck or near the bin (on the tarp) and they automatically get bagged and placed where they need to be. And the garbage bags organize themselves as well.

For some reason, when you pick up a body, the only way to put them down is to throw them. There’s no “Drop” button, it’s just “throw”. It was pretty disrespectful (but also kind of hilarious) yeeting bodies off balconies and through windows to get them to my truck. But I’d prefer to have the ability to do both as an option.

Actually, you can “drop” bodies without throwing them, but it’s a bit of a work-around. While holding a body, if you equip something with the tool wheel, he’ll drop the body in order to hold the item. So there’s that. I didn’t figure that out until like the 5th stage, though.

Also, this is kind of random but — It’s never said where the bodies go after we collect them. I feel like getting them out of the location would be the easy part in that scenario… I guess that’s not what the game is actually about, though. It’s not “Body Disposal Simulator”.

Anyway. Furniture, and some items need to be replaced to fully clean a space, too. Sometimes you can pick up the item, and when you walk near where it’s supposed to go, the area will become red, turning green when you’ve oriented the item enough to place it correctly. You don’t have to get it perfect — the game will lock in the item when the indicator is green, and that’s very welcome here. I’d be pissed if I had to slightly adjust a couch cushion in order to get 100%.

If you’re not sure where an item goes, or if you’re having a hard time finding what you need to clean, there is a “cleaner sense” that you can use that highlights where blood stains still remain, and shows you where furniture is supposed to go. There’s enough information that you’re rarely completely lost about what to do; but not so much that you feel hand-held.

Though I will say there was a time where I wondered around an area for I don’t know how long looking for the last thing needed to hit 100%, and it turned out to be a fire extinguisher that was in it’s spot it was just slightly off. Even after you “lock something in”, it can be bumped. I’m not sure if that’s what happened there, but that did piss me off. I feel like that was the only instance, though.

There are also the instances where you’re shown that an area isn’t 100% clean, but you don’t see any blood or anything. And it turns out that there’s one spot on the back of a pillar or something that you just really couldn’t see. I feel like that’s offset, though, by the times when you’re cleaning a large area, and everything in front of you disappears — finishing an entire section — because a certain threshold or percentage of “cleanliness” had been crossed.

As I’ve mentioned a couple of times now, the game shows you how clean the overall space is in percentages. And you can “perfect” levels by cleaning up every bit of blood, throwing away every bit of trash, and (of course) getting rid of all of the bodies. And after each round you’re given a score based on the amount of money you earned from the job.

The amount you earn isn’t simply what you’re getting paid, though. There’s also jewelry and drugs littered around each area that you can pick up, that you “sell” after each round. It counts as income at the end of the round, and counts toward your overall score. A lot of the higher-value items are found when you come across a hidden area, so there’s even more motivation to look out for those.

Unfortunately, though, that’s all the information it gives you. And a lot of that I had to surmise (and could be wrong about). Nowhere have I seen how many secrets each level has; just how many I’ve found and whether or not I’ve found all of them.

If you want to discover them all, you might end up doing some “guess-and-check” where you replay a level, try to find a new secret or two, then check to see if the level is marked “completed” by the flag. Re-doing it if not. I didn’t feel like doing that on my initial play through, but I may go back one day and try to find them all.

There are also secret cassette tapes that can be found in each level, but there are more secret areas than tapes, so that’s not an indicator of how many secrets have been found. I’m also not really sure what’s on the tapes — as I mentioned, I was largely into it for the cleaning (and stayed with it for the secrets), and I never really concerned myself with what the cassettes were. Let me know in the comments what that was about, I am a little curious.

Overall, with the satisfying gameplay, the upgrades that you can acquire, and the secrets that can be found, I really enjoyed Crime Scene Cleaner. It honestly was a little too short, I’d say. Just when I felt like I was really getting into the swing of things — and coming into my own as a cleaner — it ended. Maybe they’ll release an updated version or DLC or something. In the meantime, I guess I’ll go back and try to find the remaining secrets and tapes if I want to scratch that itch again.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you’ve played Crime Scene Cleaner and what you thought about it. And if you recommend any other “simulator” type games, let me know. And be sure to check back soon for more content!

The post Crime Scene Cleaner – An Dark and Eerie Take on the Simulator Genre appeared first on I Talk Games.

It wasn’t entirely clear what the gameplay was going to be, but it looked fun and it was co-op; and worst-case-scenario we could just un-install it. So we downloaded it to be able to play the next day when it came out.*

A couple quick disclaimers before we dive in:

For one, as an Amazon Associate, if you decide to make a purchase through a link here, I may earn a small commission. It’s at no additional cost to you, and helps out the blog.

Additionally, I lay it all out there as I’ve played it, so if you’re sensitive to spoilers, read at your own risk. Thanks, and hope you enjoy!

Starting Out

We locked in our characters and their names, and dove in to the game.

A “Lighter” Diablo?

It’s almost impossible to talk about this game without talking about Diablo because there are so many similarities. There are a lot of comparisons here, so if you’re familiar with Diablo, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

It’s online, so you’ll see other players running around as you’re doing the same. This was pretty unexpected, and I was thrown off when I tried to name my character simply “Ice” and it was “taken”… I didn’t realize I needed to come up with a “username”.

I didn’t love that I had to do that, so I just made something random & dumb — and did the same nomenclature with the GFs character’s name. Ended up going with Icethedragon for me and Saiyathedragon for her — y’know, because she’s a Saiyan. In hindsight, I should’ve gone with ITalkGames, but, hey, can’t go back.

Story & Character

For centuries, the people have been at war with the monsters that live in the land. They longed for more, though, and eventually built a city based on knowledge and not war — the city of Numbers. It was protected for a while, and society was largely thriving.

After a while, the monsters managed to blow up the barrier that guarded the city, killing thousands, and overrunning it. The people left and were able to survive by creating their society built into the side of a Belfry — which is a giant bell tower with a windmill on top.

In Towerborne, when people die they’re sent to The Ebb. And due to whatever damaged the city protections, the boundary between their world and The Ebb has been weakened. Harnessing the power of a mirror, though, there’s a person who’s able to pull souls from “The Ebb” who are willing. These souls are the souls of Aces, which is what you play as. And as Aces, it’s our job to keep the monsters at bay.

Character Creation

The open-endedness of the main character means that you can create your own Ace to play as. And as I mentioned earlier, the customization options are fairly in-depth. The body types are just Masculine or Feminine, and there are 8 voice options (largely for grunting and exclaiming). But the face is where it really opens up.

You’re able to customize pretty much all of the facial elements, and for some (like eyes) you can even get as detailed as adjusting sliders to really dial in the look you want. It’s definitely more of an anime style, so you’re not going to be able to look exactly like yourself, if that’s something you want.

That said, if you enjoy creating a character and giving them a unique look, there are a ton of options and a lot to like here. I will say that the facial hair options leave a bit to be desired. It was because of that that I decided to make a more interesting-looking character rather than one that looked like me — I couldn’t fine facial hair that I liked.

Classes

Instead of picking a single race or class for your character, there’s 4 archetypes you can choose from and switch between freely:

• Sentinel – the sword-and-shield fighter that can block and parry
• Pyroclast – wields a a stick that they can both beat enemies and shoot them with, causing Burn
• Rockbreaker – the boxer, who uses giant gloves to pummel their enemies
• Shadowstriker – an assassin that uses dual daggers to quickly dice their opponents.

Like I said, you can switch between these freely. So if you don’t like your current playstyle, you don’t have to create an entirely new character in order to try out something new. Each class does level independently, though, so you’ll have to take a bit of a step back when switching between them.

At first, I did try to level mine up uniformly — switching to a new class every 3 or 4 levels — but it got tedious. And, since I’m playing with my girlfriend, we’ve decided to stagger the leveling of our characters so it can be done quickly. When she decides to switch it up, I’ll carry her low-level characters in higher-level, well, levels, so she’ll get that much more XP. And vice versa.

Gameplay

When you’re thrown into the game, you’re given a short tutorial on how to fight, jump, dodge etc., and then you’re taken to the Belfry. The Belfry is the main “base” area of the game, and is where you collect and turn in missions, upgrade your gear, things like that.

In the beginning, you’re introduced to a few of the main characters. And through the first couple of quests that they give you, it introduces you to the gist of what’s going on. I will say that at first, even with the introductory missions, things weren’t extremely clear. I had a hard time figuring out where to go, and more than once I found myself in the completely wrong area. But after a couple missions you get the hang of it and it all falls in to place.

Map & Exploration

It’s pretty interesting the way they’ve gone about exploring and finishing quests, and I kind of dig it. You interact with the “map” to go out in to the world, but the world is made up of several hexagonal tiles.

You stand on, and interact with, the tile in order to start the mission or obtain the item. And you can pretty clearly see what you’re getting in to before you start a mission or objective. You’re shown the recommended “Gear Score” that you should be in order to complete it; and if you’ve advanced beyond the first area, you can choose the “Danger Level” before you start, but I’ll get to those later.

Some of the tiles can only be completed once — in fact, most of them can only be completed once. Doing so is how you’re clearing out the area of Monsters and making the Belfry a safer place. That said, there are a few tiles with repeatable events — and the “boss” areas in each biome are repeatable — so you can always go back to level up your characters.

Equipment & Items

Like Diablo, as you complete missions and clear out areas (in the form of the tiles) you collect various items — weapons, armor, and resources to enhance those. The weapons and armor come in various tiers and rarities, with common+ items also granting additional bonuses.

These bonuses run the gamut from increasing your crit rate or damage, to causing a status effect (like Bleed or Poison). Or even increasing the amount of health you have and granting regen. Again, if you’re familiar with Diablo, this will be right up your alley.

I brushed on it earlier, but each weapon and piece of armor grants a Gear Score. The higher tier, and more-rare items grant higher Gear Scores (naturally). This is done in a bit more simplistic way than Diablo (if I may continue the comparisons) where each tier and rarity of item grants the same Gear Score, rather than them being individually rated.

So for example, all T2 Rare (blue) pieces of chest armor are going to increase your score by the same amount, no matter what the power itself is. It definitely streamlines the decision-making process and I might say I prefer it this way.

Don’t worry, yes there are armor sets as well. These are how you take your character to the next level. By equipping the correct number of items within the same set, you’ll get additional bonuses on top of what’s already granted by each item individually.

Sometimes they’ll grant health bonuses, sometimes they’ll grant strength bonuses for yourself and your teammates, sometimes they increase the power of a move or move-type, and more. This is something that I love, and I’ve spent hours in various dungeons trying to complete sets in other games. I can definitely see myself doing the same here.

Danger Levels

In the beginning when you interact with the map, you’ll notice that you’re restricted in how far you can go. Near the borders where you can’t progress are numbers; and those numbers are the Danger Levels you have to reach in order to get there.

In order to progress to the next Danger Level, you have to pass a trial. The Danger License Trial can only be done solo, and it’s a challenge to defeat groups of enemies within a certain amount of time. If you pass, you move on to the next level. It’s a pretty unique gameplay mechanic that I haven’t seen before, and I like what they’ve done there.

The additional skills do things like increase the strength and type (poison, burn) of your attacks, and add bonuses to other attacks and combos. They also will allow you to have better defense — recover from knockdowns faster for example — and will increase the benefits of life potions.

There are several different skills in each group, and you can mix and match your skills at any time. There’s no penalty for de-selecting a skill, you don’t have to pay anything to re-map your moves, and you don’t get fewer skill points back than you spent. You can feel free to experiment with any sort of combination and switch it up on the fly.

I’m not gonna lie, I have issues making decisions sometimes. And when I’m playing something like Diablo, it can get overwhelming. And sometimes, I end up spending more time making sure my skills and equipment are in sync than I do actually using my skills and abilities. Here, I can pick and choose with ease, so I don’t have to worry as much about it.

Umbras

In addition to your own skills and abilities, you also have an Umbra that follows you around wherever you go. They’re also souls that have been pulled from The Ebb, and they take the form of (honestly, adorable) “pets” that follow you around.

And while they may be cute, they can really turn the tides when fighting monsters. Each one does something different, from shooting a projectile to dropping a bomb, or even supporting you with health increases; and you find them as you’re exploring the world. It’s a nice addition, and you can use them in fun ways to devastate your enemies.

Combat

All of that leads in to the “meat” of the game: fighting. Combat is fun and pretty satisfying, and I haven’t even found a legendary item yet. What I mean by that is (if it’s as I’m expecting) the Rare items are great, but there’s a significant shift with the abilities of the next tier up and beyond. And sets at those levels are where the “Thor showing up to the Infinity War” vibes really start to come in. I haven’t even gotten there, and I’m still liking it.

It’s largely combo-based, with a Light Attack and Heavy Attack (X and Y respectively on Xbox). And pressing them in certain sequences produces different results. And as you add additional skills, different variations and bonuses can be applied to your combos. There’s also both a Focus Meter and a Weapon Meter, which fill as you fight, and can be spent to execute the additional skills you can equip. There’s a good variety of moves for each class, and I’m excited to find out the different combinations I can make.

When your attacks connect with enemies, it’s pretty satisfying — it’s pretty good about making you really feel the hits. And you can definitely feel your strength increases when you start to eviscerate weaker enemies. It’s largely melee — there’s the Pyroclast class can shoot a bit, and there are some skills that let you occasionally attack from afar. But by-and-large, you’re going to be up-close to your enemies attacking them.

I typically like to play as a bit of a stand-back, attack-from-afar, mage-type character, and I’m kind of glad that that’s not even an option here.

Enemies

There’s a good variety of enemies, too, so you need to stay on your toes. There’s enemies that block (which you have to break to really damage them); there’s spear-wielding enemies that charge at you; there’s bombers, which you have to be really careful of — but if you get to them in time, they’ll blow themselves up, and more. Not to mention the bosses with stronger hits, and attack patterns that you have to memorize to defeat them. I’m continually surprised coming across new enemies, and each one gives a unique challenge in how to approach them and take them out.

I do want to point out that because of the side-scrolling 3D aspect of the game, missing your attacks is relatively common. You can be standing right next to the enemy, but technically slightly behind them… maybe..? so your attack won’t register. That can be pretty infuriating, especially when you use a focus attack or something that uses a resource that you have to wait to replenish.

All-in-all, attacks are gratifying, the enemies are challenging, and it makes for a rewarding leveling and looting experience.

Skins, Cosmetics, Stickers & Emotes

In addition to unlocking more, and better, armor; there’s also a plethora of cosmetic options that can be unlocked, too (and it seems to be a pretty significant part of the game (of course)). One thing I like, already, is that a lot of these cosmetics seem to be accomplishment-based, and not monetary-based¨.

I have no idea what some of the later-game outfits and skins look like right now, but I’m excited to find out. And I really like that you have to pay attention to the side missions and actually go for them in order to attain these items. Like going for Dark Matter in Call of Duty. When people see what you’ve got on, they’ll know that you’re elite.

Other than COD or Diablo, none of the other games I’ve played does this well. Typically, if there are cosmetics to be earned, they can also simply be bought. And there’s often no indication of which was which. I really prefer it this way, and hope more games do it this way in the future (looking at you GTA VI).

Overall, if you want something a little less intense, and a little less in-depth than diablo, then you’ll definitely want to give this a shot. It’s great. It’s relatively lighthearted and fun, but there’s still a ton of customization and move combinations. And with the different classes and moves to try, alongside the cosmetics and emotes that can be unlocked, there’s a near endless number of things to keep you engaged and coming back for more.

Thanks for reading! Have you played Towerborne yet? Let me know in the comments what your favorite playstyle has been so far. If not, give it a shot on GamePass. And make sure to come back soon for more gaming content!

The post Towerborne – Satisfying Side-Scrolling Brawler/Looter appeared first on I Talk Games.

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I haven’t gotten around to playing the Monster Hunter games yet, and that was the first thing that jumped out to me with this game. I watched the trailer and it showed the protagonist Brynn climbing up giant enemies, attempting to take down mountain-sized monsters. On top of that, the description talked about wielding magic, and creating weapons and armor to enhance your abilities, which sounded right up my alley. I installed it and dove in, and so far, I’m pleasantly surprised.

Visuals

The first thing I noticed were the graphics and visuals, and the various cutscene styles in the game. Some of the cutscenes are full videos, some are just a series of still with audio over them, and some are interesting in a way that’s difficult to describe. The characters move at, like, 5 FPS, and the scenery is mostly static. I don’t know, check this out:

I kind of like what they did there, strangely. It’s a little weird to look at, sure, but it’s unique and I bet it saves a lot on the size of the game. I can appreciate the efficiency.

When you’re actually playing the game, I’d say the graphics are kind of “comic book” in a way, and I think it looks great. The world is beautiful and the scenery is enjoyable to take in as you jump, climb, and fight around the various areas. It doesn’t look realistic — but in a way that looks intentional. And in my opinion, it really works.

Story & Gameplay

When it comes to the storyline and gameplay, Eternal Strands combines elements from a lot of different types of games into it’s own unique package, in a way that I’ve been enjoying.

In a storyline that seems somewhat reminiscent of The Witcher, you play as a “Weaver” — someone who studies and wields magic — who have largely been shunned from society. In the past, Weavers lived in harmony with the rest of the world, with their primary home being The Enclave. But 50 years ago there was an “arcane event”, after which the weavers sealed themselves off in The Enclave and the world plunged into war. While it’s not explicitly known what role the weavers had in the “event” and the war, they’ve been blamed for it nonetheless.

Not all Weavers called The Enclave home, though, and the ones remaining in the world have become a pariah. So, a lot of them have dedicated their time to getting beyond the barrier into The Enclave, so that they can get answers. Unfortunately, though, nobody has been able to.

Brynn has bounced around with a few different bands of Weavers, but when her last team disbanded, she landed with this group. And in a stroke of luck (maybe?) we’ve managed to become the first weavers to every make it beyond the veil and into The Enclave. Hopefully we’ll be able to learn more about what happened.

It’s a resource-gathering and crafting game, but not a mining or survival game. You need resources in order to craft weapons and armor, but you don’t need to make any sort of additional tools. Resources are dropped, seemingly randomly, from the various destructible items in the world (which there are plenty of, but I’ll get to that). And it’s a roguelite, where you essentially go on “runs” to complete tasks and gather the resources needed to upgrade your weapons and gear.

Between runs, you go back to your camp; and each time you do, the time passes. There’s two day periods and one night period, and the weather can change forcing you to think about your strategy each time you head back out. The strength and weaknesses of your enemies, and the ones that you should focus on for yourself, will change based on the time and weather conditions. So you’ll have to create many different types of weapons and armor using varying materials so that you can be prepared for whatever the game throws at you.

At the camp is where you can upgrade your gear, which is done by the various members of your Weaver group. Talking to the people around the camp, you’ll be able to create and unlock upgrades that will help with your survival in the world. Ultimately making your task of finding out answers easier.

There’s no character customization, but the armor you equip will change your look a bit. I haven’t seen any sort of transmog at all, but there’s a chance it’ll come later. Other than the items’ look itself, you can also change the colors of each item by using a different material. That said, the different materials grant different bonuses, so you won’t want to focus solely on cosmetics.

Exploration & Navigation

When exploring in Eternal Strands, there isn’t a minimap or compass or anything like that to show you where you are while you’re moving around the world, unfortunately. There is an actual map you can check in the pause menu, and you can call a “Watcher’s Wisp” that will guide you toward your objective. But if you’re one place in the world and you want to go to another area (not necessarily toward your next objective), you’ll largely have to orient yourself on the map in the pause menu and rely on memory.

That said, instead of one gigantic map, the game is broken into smaller worlds you go to on each run. Overall, it is one giant world, and you can move between them; but I’ve found that each run is typically spent in one world/area. And while they’re not necessarily massive, the worlds have plenty to explore, and many hidden secrets to be found. It all feels very tight and deliberate (in the best way), and I never found myself feeling particularly lost. There were times where I wasn’t 100% sure where I was, but a quick look at the map and it was pretty obvious.

Some things — larger items like trees in particular — break into smaller pieces that can also be destroyed. I think endgame content for me is to simply see if I can destroy everything that can be destroyed in the world in one run. If my spells and weapons are powerful enough, I’ll give it a shot for sure. Stay tuned for that.

Also not only is nearly everything destructible, but almost every surface is climbable as well. There’s mountains and trees and buildings, and you can climb all of them. Be mindful of your stamina bar, though. Once it runs out, you’re going to drop off of whatever it is that you’re climbing.

Movement & Combat

Movement can be a little wonky, especially around running out of stamina. When you’re sprinting, there tends to be a little bit of drift (though, that’s fairly easy to get used to) and occasionally there’s a delayed reaction after pressing a buttons. I will say that I did notice that my stamina was low in those situations sometimes. So, maybe this was user error. I often accidentally overlook the stamina bar while I’m focused on enemies — it kind of just fades in to the background for me — so it’s just something i need to be cognizant about.

There’s also the typical issue of getting stuck on an object while trying to dodge or escape an enemy, because you were focused on them and couldn’t really see what was around you. I’m not sure how any game could manage that better, though.

Combat is fine, but there is a little to be desired there, too. There were times where it was unmistakable to me that I hit an enemy, but they didn’t get hit. I was maybe just a little too far away? I’m not sure. Video games. And when I was climbing one of the giant enemies — an Ark — trying to hit its vulnerable spot after knocking off its armor, I had to be in the exact right spot in order to actually get a hit. You don’t have a lot of time before the Ark tries to either grab you and pull you off, or shake you off. So it was that much more frustrating missing a hit when I knew I didn’t have that many opportunities.

It’s also one of those games where the attack animation won’t interrupt in order to do something else. If you start to attack, but notice that the enemy is attacking, there’s not much you can do to avoid it. She’s going to continue to swing the sword and take the hit in the process. It calls for a lot more patient combat instead of just button-mashing.

I’d love to be able to stop what I’m doing to dodge or parry, but it is what it is. It is more realistic, but, I mean, where’s the realism when I’m using magic. And sometimes, even when I want to be patient, it’s tough when their attacks are faster than yours. Some of the enemies have a couple quick hits that they can get in while you’re swinging.

I had some struggles working with the spells, too — especially the telekinesis spell. In order to lift and move an object, the object needs to be glowing to confirm it’s the one you want to manipulate. It takes a bit before the item glows, though, and you have to be pretty spot on with the reticle. If you’re off by just a little bit, it won’t recognize what you want to grab.

Or, there would be a delay, so when I tried to grab something, I’d release the button to try again thinking that it didn’t work. It did work, though, and now the item is just floating there. And each time you press the button to activate the spell, you use some of your magic, whether you actually do the thing you’re intending to do or not. You could pick up nothing and the magic would still get spent, so if you mis-grab even twice, you’re now out of magic.

This all proved to be incredibly frustrating when I’m being attacked from multiple angles, and I’m trying to use a rock or a trailer to knock the enemies back and give myself some breathing room. Hopefully as I upgrade that move, it works a bit more quickly and reliably. The rest of the elements are similar in that you have to be pretty spot on with your aim in order to hit where you’re trying to hit. It’s pretty unforgiving.

Additional Details

Speaking of combat, one of the biggest issues to me is that you can be harmed by your own elements. If you trap an enemy with an ice spell then run up to attack them with your sword, you’re going to be taking damage from being too close to the ice. Or if you want to hit an enemy with your flame spell, you better hope you’re not too close to it because you’re going to take damage, too.

Again, I guess I get it from a realism perspective, but it also kind of makes me not want to use my powers in a lot of ways, which I think defeats the purpose. Also, when an enemy essentially has to attack through themselves to get to you (because you’re on top of them, like with the Ashpeak Drake) they don’t take damage from their own spells, so why do I? IDK, I guess it hasn’t proven to be that big of a deal yet, but it is a little weird. Something to get used to.

Health is somewhat hard to come by. It seems as though it’s a random drop, and there’s no indicator of which item will drop health — at least I haven’t noticed one. If there is and I missed it, let me know in the comments, I’d be so upset. I wouldn’t be shocked to find/be able to make equipment that gives me health regen or something to keep me alive longer, later, but early-on It’s a bit of a struggle. More than once, I had to do a tactical retreat from the enemies to see if I could find more health.

I played for several hours, but feel like I’ve only just begun with this game. I feel like I’m struggling a bit with the enemies, but I also think I could stand to take my time a little bit and not rush. I’m focused so much on completing the next task that I’m not taking time to make sure I’m strong enough to actually accomplish it.

The second time I fought the Ark in the beginning world, the battle itself took me a long time. I ended up running away several times to look for more health vials before going back and re-engaging. Eventually, when I couldn’t find anymore health vials, I ended up just standing in places where I couldn’t really get hit and just using my bow which was incredibly tedious.

After a bunch of running away, coming back, hiding, etc. I did end up defeating the Ark again. But I found myself wondering if I was going against the spirit of the game. Maybe I’ll take the time to get strong enough to dominate the area I’m in before moving on to the next. It is a roguelite after-all. Gotta buckle in.

I sunk a bunch of hours into this game, saw several maps, and took out 3 bosses; but truthfully, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ve only crafted a couple new weapons and pieces of armor, and am looking forward to seeing what else I can create. And I’ve only leveled up two of my spells, with quite a bit more yet to be discovered. Despite some of the kind of wonky mechanics, there’s a whole lot about this game to like, and even more to be discovered. I can’t wait to find out what’s hiding out there.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of Eternal Strands if you’ve played it. If not, give it a shot on GamePass. And make sure to come back soon for more gaming content!

The post Eternal Strands | Giant-Slaying Roguelite appeared first on I Talk Games.

Enjoying this post and want to try out the game for yourself? Grab it from the link above! If you do, I may get a small commission, at no additional cost to you. It really helps out the blog, I appreciate it!

I first heard about them with the game A Way Out where you and a friend each play a character, with a connected past, trying to break out of Prison and put your lives back together. That game was great, and I ended up beating it with a buddy of mine over a weekend.

They then came out with a game called It Takes Two, which was incredible. My girlfriend and I played through that one a couple of times; and it was a lot of fun to solve the puzzles and experience the story from both perspectives.

So when I heard they were coming out with another game, I was geeked. If you know anything about me, and how I like to consume content, I don’t like to know too much about something before I go in. The less I know the better, usually. So I avoided information about this game as much as I could — but I did understand the premise was that the game would be split between Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Also — and this is random — prior to hearing about the game, I had seen a bunch of memes and posts online about the differences between Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I now wonder if that was some sort of guerilla marketing campaign. The game came out too quickly, seemingly, to have been made to capitalize on the hype. Or, maybe, I was way behind on the hype… If it was a marketing campaign, though, it was genius.

The main characters, Zoe and Mio, arrive to the publisher’s office at around the same time, and meet up with the other authors. Once they arrive, and as they go through an orientation of sorts, they find out their real reason for being there.

The publisher, Rader, explains that he’s developed a new product that will change the way people interact with stories. Zoe, Mio, and the other writers are going to be hooked up to “The Machine” which will put them in an interactive simulation of their stories — which is where the game takes place. You play as the author’s characters within the stories that they’ve written.

One-by-one the authors go in to their respective “pods”, but as they do Mio becomes more and more wary. She no longer wants to participate, but Rader isn’t having that. There’s a scuffle as Mio tries to leave, and she ends up falling into Zoe’s pod. Now, they’ve got to navigate both of their stories to figure out how to get out, and why Rader was so adamant that Mio didn’t leave.

Zoe’s stories are in the Fantasy genre, while Mio’s are in Sci-Fi. And since they’re in the same pod now, both of their stories are being brought to life. You swing between Zoe’s fantasy stories and Mio’s sci-fi ones, solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and trying to figure out Rader’s dark secret.

As you play, you learn more about these two ladies — their motivations and complicated histories, and it can get fairly harrowing. But it’s fun to see their relationship blossom and grow, and each one learn more about themselves.

I do want to point out that, unlike Hazlight Studios’ other games, a lot more of the drama in Split Fiction was given in the form of the story, rather than the gameplay. There’s definitely drama, but it’s often told during a cutscene instead of played out. There’s nothing in this game quite like the elephant part in It Takes Two (IYKYK) or the ending of A Way Out.

I wondered how they were going to up the ante from those games, but they kind of didn’t. Not to say there aren’t impactful moments; but they’re often in side stories, and are less part of the main storyline and characters. I can see the attempt in a couple of places — like with a certain robot boss — but it didn’t have the same feeling.

That said, the plot is interesting and has it’s share of drama to be sure. It’s just that you’re not necessarily playing those moments.

Gameplay

Mechanics

Gameplay is pretty straight-forward and the controls are simple and intuitive. You can double-jump and dash (and air-dash); and there’s wall-running and you can climb poles, so it’s pretty standard. As you play, though, there’s different gameplay types. And the mechanics change based on the level you’re in or puzzle you’re trying to solve.

This is done in some cool and unique ways — like when the perspective changes and the game becomes a bit of a side-scrolling platformer, and then seamlessly transitions back to 3D after you finish the section. Or when you get to transform into a gorilla or a Groot-like tree in order to solve puzzles and complete a chapter.

It being a two-player game, you and a friend each play as one of the authors. You’re trying to figure out what’s going on with this publishing company and these pods (not to mention how to get out of them). And you’ve got to work together to solve puzzles and defeat enemies in pursuit of that.

The puzzles are a lot of fun and challenging. They give you just the right amount of information to solve them, without over-doing it. Each level often starts with a pretty easy, straight-forward puzzle to show the mechanics; then they increase in difficulty as you move through.

Sometimes the puzzles are simply about figuring something out (how to use your “ability” to gain access to a button, for example). Other times they’re about your reflexes and making sure you do what you have to do quickly enough. And sometimes, they’re both. You’ve got to figure out what to do, and once you do figure it out, you’ve got to do it quickly.

And keep in mind, you’re doing these things together. So, one person may have to use their ability to gain access, while the other actually presses the button. This is a very simplistic example of the types of puzzles you’ll come across. I just don’t want to give too much away — the fun is had in the discovery, I think.

Side Missions and More

The gameplay is a lot of fun, too, outside of solving the puzzles. There are side-missions that range from challenging — like the “game show”, where you have to work together to disarm a bomb; to, just, weird like when you get to play as a pig that can glide, somewhat, by farting.  It definitely keeps you on your toes in a way that I love. Even now, on my second play-through, I’m still finding surprises and struggling to complete the puzzles.

It’s also one of those games where if you think “can I do that?” there’s a decent chance you can — and it often comes with hilarious results. There’s a particular moment I don’t want to spoil involving the gorilla and some rocks that stands out. And is that sky bridge’s floor made of glass?

Ultimately, if you’ve got someone to play a couch co-op game with, this should definitely be on your list. It’ll challenge you, it’ll surprise you, and it’ll even make you think and feel. I’m thoroughly enjoying my second playthrough and I’m already looking forward to the third.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought about Split Fiction if you’ve played it. And if you know of any other 2 player games I can play with my girlfriend let me know about those, too. I’m always looking for something new to play

The post Split Fiction — Fantastic Co-Op Action appeared first on I Talk Games.

SPOILER DISCLAIMER: Gameplay and story spoilers ahead. If you want to discover things on your own and be surprised, read with caution

A while back I was scrolling through GamePass, as I often do, and I came across this game Robin Hood: Sherwood Builders. At the time, I was playing a lot of PalWorld, and when I read the description, it sounded like it had some similar vibes — like a building and resource gathering-type game, but as Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, rather than hunting and catching Pals. It sounded dope.

I don’t know why, because now that I think about it I don’t really have any strong memories of watching Robin Hood content when I was a kit. Maybe that cartoon with the fox as Robin, but even with that I can’t say I remember many details. I never saw Men in Tights (forgive me, I’ll put it on the list).

Still, for some reason I thought it sounded dope to play as Robert of Loxleyª, so I installed the game. I didn’t play it right away — it sat for several months — but recently I had a few hours to kill and wanted to try something new. So I fired this up.

Why are We Gathering Resources & Building?

The area that will become the town, from what I can tell, looks pretty sizable. And there even seems to be the bones for other types of buildings that will come, possibly after I reach certain parts in the game. There’s a section near a river that I just know is going to be some sort of sawmill.

Maintaining food and water levels for yourself is important in this game, too. There’s meters you have to keep an eye on and the meat that you gather can be used for Robin as well. There’s a place at your camp where you can cook the meat, and there’s a well where you can fill up water bottles. Yes, you need to have empty water bottles. It’s all plentiful, though, and it takes a while for the levels to deplete. So far I haven’t been affected by them yet.

I even tried deliberately to go hungry and thirsty to see what would happen. I chopped down trees, took on enemies, and ran around with empty food and water levels, but nothing ever actually happened. Eventually I got impatient, and moved on to an actual mission, and replenished my levels, so I’m still unsure (with the way the game saves, I didn’t want to find out what happens in the middle of a mission, and find myself reloading to a point hours in the past).

There’s also a kitchen that can be built that will give better-quality foods with more helpful properties. And of course there’s the furnace where you refine your raw materials, the blacksmith for your weapons, and the tailor for your armor. As well as training grounds to improve your abilities and even taverns for your townsfolk to enjoy.

Creating a better society for people requires, well, infrastructure. And as Robin, you’re building better infrastructure for the people of Sherwood Forest and beyond.

Issues & Frustrations

Movement and Combat

Right off the bat, I want to say this is a strange experience because the mechanics are, frankly, dogshit. Movement is clunky and inconsistent, and the crosshairs might as well not exist. You often jump when trying to dodge, and you’ll never be in the correct spot on the first try when mining or chopping down trees — which is a pretty big part of the game. If you do happen to get it on the first try, you’ll inevitably end up moving anyway because you’ll assume you hadn’t.

I’ve got some qualms about fighting that I think might be fixed by upgrading my skills in the tree, but one thing that I can’t upgrade is how it’s super inconsistent with dodging. Dodge, on Xbox, is “A”, but so is jump. When I’m sword-fighting a group of baddies, sometimes when I try to dodge an attack, I’ll instead jump kind of in the direction I was trying to dodge and I’ll still get hit. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Stealth is also an option in Robin Hood. There’s armor that decreases your visibility and movement sounds, and there’s skills in the skill tree that can be unlocked to do the same. That said, I haven’t fount it very useful — at least not yet.

In the very early-game, before you can unlock upgraded armor sets, you get spotted pretty easily. There’s tall grass to hide in, but as soon as you pop out, you’re often seen. On top of that, the game has done a pretty good job of having guards within eyeshot of other guards, so they’re not often completely isolated. And on top of that, you can only stealth takedown enemies that are the same level or lower than you; which they often are not.

Some areas I’ve noticed have birds you can use to get a slightly better view of the area. They’re glowing and if you look at them you can look through them to see where enemies are. It’s better than nothing, I suppose, but it doesn’t help all that much. The view is kind of blurry and distorted and it’s tough to tell the enemies from the other people just walking around. And Robin has a “Hunter Vision” that allows you to highlight enemies through walls (among other things) which works way better. It’s a cool idea, but is pretty meh in execution.

Once you are able to craft your first new set of armor, you’ve got two options: one geared more toward stealth and one toward health. But by the time I was able to unlock them, the difference in stealth applied by the “stealth” armor wasn’t much more than what I had anyway. And with the other set’s ability to regenerate my health outside of battle, it was a no-brainer.

Building

The Build Mode’s only real redeeming factor is that buildings are pre-built and just need to be placed. You don’t place individual walls and floors at all like in some other games. But even simply placing them isn’t super straight-forward. When playing with a controller on Xbox, the left stick controls the mouse cursor, the right stick pans around the space, and the triggers zoom in and out. So, in order to move, you have to use a mix of the right stick for direction and triggers for motion. It’s extremely counter-intuitive. And that’s before you decide on which building you want to place.

When you select a building the left stick, as the mouse cursor, moves the building around. But now, the right stick rotates it — the stick no longer looks around the space. So if you’re not already looking at where you want to put a building before you select it, you can’t move to that spot. You have to back out, move to the space you want (using the weird controls), and try again. If you end up not liking the new placement, you have to deselect the building and do it again.

I’ve largely gotten used to it by now, and (for the most part) think about where I’m going to place a new building before I build it. But since I can’t see the size of the building beforehand, I kind of have to guess. Luckily, buildings aren’t too big and clearing space is easy. You simply have to select a tree to knock it down and make a clearing, and you get the wood from the tree as well.

Village Gathering

When you build your village and have workers mining and logging for you, gathering those resources is also kind of weird and inconsistent. There are some workers that show up in a menu on the left side of the screen in the build mode, and certain resources can be gathered from there.

Some resources, though, can only be gathered once you build a particular building. But once you do that, you have to go to, and select the building in order to gather the resource. And by that, I mean with your cursor within the build menu. Walking up to the buildings actually does nothing.

And the most confusing part? They’re the same types of materials that have to be gathered in different ways. If you want to gather ore — like copper, stone, or iron — you have to check different places. Copper, for example, can be found in the left-hand menu while in build mode; but Stone can only be gathered from the Quarry which you have to go to and select with your mouse cursor.

I understand needing different buildings and different upgrades in order to gather the various resources as I progress through the game, but make it make sense. Why do I need a quarry to get some of the ore, but I didn’t need a quarry to get the others? Why, once I do build the quarry, can’t I just select the Stones from the same menu as selecting the Copper? They’re the same type!

Other Strange Quirks

Ladders aren’t real/aren’t usable. They’re in places that makes sense for a ladder to be — In some cases seemingly required — but you can’t use it. If you have to get up on something, the ledge is low enough to climb, or it’s a small hop up. And for the most part, if you can climb on it, it’s got yellow markings. Sometimes you have to make longer jumps which can be frustrating with the previously-mentioned movement issues, but no climbing ladders.

Resource harvesting is just weird; but I guess it’s not horrible. You have to be in a pretty precise position for it to register what you’re trying to chop/mine, which can be very frustrating. It’s mostly fine once you’re lined up correctly, just make sure not to move again. It’s the worst with Copper, Stone, Iron etc. nodes because they break apart and you often have to reposition yourself in order to actually register hits again.

When you are in the right spot and are consistently hitting the thing you’re trying to harvest, you get a bit of a minigame, which is cool. There’s a little popup that happens at the point of impact, and if you press the trigger to hit again right as that popup happens, you’ll swing your tool faster, while using less stamina.

When you go to use any materials you’ve gathered/mined/logged etc. you just have to wait until whatever you’re crafting completes before you can do anything else. You go to the building where you’re able to make whatever it is your’e trying to craft (yes, these ones you actually walk up to and interact with), and once you select what you want to make, you just have to stay in that menu until it’s done.

I haven’t timed it, but some things feel like they take a couple of minutes, time where you can’t do anything else. There’s no way to have my Ingot’s being made while I run over and cook some Hare. I just have to wait.

Here’s the thing…

But the crazy thing is, I can’t stop playing! I don’t know if it’s the vague familiarity or maybe because of some weird parallels to today’s political climate, I’m really enjoying playing this game.

Reputation

In the beginning, as you see people walking around, when you’re prompted to talk to them, they’re largely dismissive. But as you build up the town and complete quests for the people in the world, you become more well-known. And when you go back and talk to people, they thank you for what you’ve done.

When you start missions, they say “you’re robin hood, I’ve heard what you’ve been doing around here” and I even had an enemy say he heard of me and wondered if it would’ve been different had I shown up earlier.

Other games will give you “reputation points” for completing missions, but rarely do I ever feel like the characters reputation actually improved. Or, it’s forced, like after a particular cutscene that didn’t actually change anything as far as the “public” is aware, but the NPC’s dialogue is different afterward. But so far, I haven’t felt either of those things, and it feels well-executed. It’s pretty obviously percentage-based (occasionally, cutscenes about the main story jut in in the middle of after-mission conversations as soon as the percentage is reached, but before the conversation is over), but I think that’s a very good thing.

As Robin gains more and more reputation, he also becomes more and more wanted by the King. Nearly everywhere there’s wanted posters calling for the capture of Hood, and a really cool detail is that the amount has been steadily increasing as I’ve been playing.

Something that takes me out of it a little is the fact that nobody seems to care about me being wanted, though. I’ll have conversations with people directly next to a Wanted sign with my name on it.

I mean, I understand that I’m helping them out and that they’re against the king, too; but you’d think there’d be a couple of opportunists that would try to turn me in for the reward money (it’s at a point where it’s more than I’ve ever had at any one time), or at the very least in fear of defying the king. But nobody seems to care, and that’s kind of weird.

Reactions, Other Than Dialogue

In some instances, you’re tasked with sneaking around an area that’s occupied by both enemies and regular people. I mentioned earlier that things can be done stealthily, but you can also just kill all the guards in the area and find what you need.

While you’re doing this, though — the “regular” people are simply going about their business around you. It’s strange. I understand not liking the rule that the one is under, but it’s weird that there’s literally no reaction to killing guards right in front of people. That would be a crazy thing to watch! Are the times that bad that they’re this desensitized to death?

Also, I do wish that your reputation instilled fear in lower-level enemies. Given that you’re supposed to be becoming well known, and it’s talked about how you’ve gained reputation frequently, you’d think that some enemies wouldn’t want the smoke.

Even something like having a lower-level enemy run away after you’ve taken out a couple of his comrades would be better than nothing. But so far, there’s none of that. Even if you’re 10+ levels ahead, and have a high percentage of reputation in the area, they still charge on.

Other than those couple of small things, it seems as though each character was deliberately made, and that’s refreshing. Instead of towns populated by randomly generated filler-people. Each person has a name, and with a couple of exceptions, I could talk to everyone. They’re talked about and referenced as though they’re real people, too. And you might see a person you helped pop up back at the homestead.

Overall, while there’s room for improvement, I think the choices that they made with the NPCs and how they react to you were great. I’m looking forward to continuing my adventure and meeting new people, and honestly a lot of the kinks could be ironed out with an update.

…Something Keeps Pulling Me Back

I mentioned earlier that some of the movement complications that I have could potentially be solved with unlocking skills in the skill tree, and I think that’s another thing that’s pulling me back. Eventually, I’ll be the ultimate assassin, invisible in the bushes, attacking from above, not missing any shots, and just feeling like an all-around badass with the people backing me up. Not quite being there yet, though, but seeing the path is keeping me locked in to the grind.

Speaking of, I’m also enjoying saving the townsfolk and fighting against the tyranny plaguing this land. I was awed when I found myself in a new town and found a woman about to be hanged. I had to save her by shooting the rope with my bow, and taking out the people trying to kill her. It was awesome, and I actually felt like I was making a difference in this world.

Funny side story — the first time I completed this mission was early-enough on that I hadn’t quite figured out when and how the game saved. I died shortly after and unfortunately it had saved at a point before I saved this woman. So I had to do it again. The second time, though, I missed and accidentally hit her and failed! I wasn’t sure if the game would allow that because the spot where you have to hit the rope is pretty tight; but it did, and I appreciated the realism. Of course, I reloaded the save, I couldn’t kill that poor woman.

Another pleasant surprise in this game was when I came across my first puzzle. Sprinkled throughout the world are various puzzles that you can solve for some pretty rare rewards. There’s not explanations for the puzzles, you just have to figure them out. Though, there’s often clues nearby to help you solve them.

There’s a few different types of puzzle types, too. From pressing buttons in a certain sequence, to finding which symbols go in the correct places. There’s even a music-based puzzle, which is pretty cool and unique. I never expected these types of puzzles when I first started the game, and it’s another thing that’s keeping this game fun, refreshing and keeping me playing.

Overall, despite the quite frustrating mechanics, I’m genuinely enjoying Robin Hood: Sherwood Builders. I really feel like I’m helping the people, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store. There’s posters about some sort of arena, and I came across a Blood Cairn where apparently I’ll be fighting for money. And who knows what else is out there that I haven’t come across yet!

Have any of you played it? Let me know in the comments what you think about it, and if you’re enjoying it as much as I am. Peace out, I’m about to go play right now.

The post Robin Hood: Sherwood Builders appeared first on I Talk Games.

Welcome and thank you for visiting my Video Game blog. I play a lot of games across many different genres, and this is where I share my thoughts on those games and the industry at large. I hope you enjoy and come back for more!

Balatro hit my radar a little while ago, and I was finally able to dive in. Read on to see how it went.

When I started hearing about this new poker game that was taking off, I had a feeling it would be something I’d be in to. The first details were vague, I just knew that I would be playing poker and using special cards, “Jokers”, as power-ups of sorts to increase my odds of winning.

I thought I was going to be playing against other people, and the opponents would get harder as the game went on. Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect. Once I knew I definitely wanted to play, I started avoiding information about it. I wanted to go in fresh and see how I could do without any outside influence.

Gameplay

The game is played in “runs” where you have to get through 8 rounds or “antes”. Each ante consists of 3 blinds — a small blind, big blind, and boss blind — where the small and big blinds are simply to hit a target score (and can be skipped for an either an immediate reward, or a potentially better reward later), and the boss blind throws a twist at you to make scoring harder, like having a suit not being able to score, or fewer hands available to play.

As you play through the runs, you’ll gain opportunities to increase the “strength” of your cards — increasing the amount of chips that they’ll add to the “chip” count, or increasing the “mult” value, for example. And your scores can really explode when you start to add in the Jokers that are in the game.

After each blind played (like I said, you can skip some blinds), you’re taken to the shop; and the shop is primarily where you become stronger. There’s a variety of types of changes that can be made to your hand throughout your run, and the shop is largely where you make those changes.

There’s Planet cards, that will increase the base amount of chips and mult that each hand will give, there’s tarot cards that will allow you to, say, duplicate a card or get rid of cards, there’s of course the jokers, and there’s spectral cards that can take your hand to entirely new levels.

In the shop, there’s 2 random cards available to be purchased outright, or you can buy “packs” that can be a little cheaper but will give you a random assortment to choose from. Also, the prices can be lowered in the shop and the frequency of different types of cards can be increased.

Money is made during runs — there’s a base amount of money that you get for winning each round, and you also get an additional $1 for each hand left over after you win. You also earn interest of $1 for each $5 you have after a round, and if you’re still hurting for cash, you can sell your jokers or any stashed consumable cards you have.

The various cards sell for different values based on their effectiveness, and of course the amount of money you can make and the sell value of cards and more can all be increased throughout your run.

Your Secret Weapons — Jokers

There are over 150 jokers already in the game, with more coming soon. The jokers do all sorts of things, and can be combined together so you can reach crazy scores.

There’s a joker that will make all of your cards play as face cards, and another that will add to your mult value for each face-card. So every hand played automatically gets the mult bump. And, honestly, that’s a pretty modest combination in Balatro.

Some jokers will even multiply the mult value, and that’s how you can reach the truly insane scores. Insane scores that, honestly, I haven’t even hit yet. I’m still struggling to reach 8 figures.

There’s so many combinations that can be made, that I paired a couple of jokers together without even realizing it. In Balatro, you start out with 5 slots for your jokers. So, depending on the situation, it sometimes doesn’t make sense not to take a joker, even if it doesn’t immediately help you.

For example, a major way to get more jokers is to open the Buffoon Packs, and often, none of the Jokers provided really suit your play style for that run. And sometimes when that happens, one of the options is the card that increases it’s own value after each round. So you grab it thinking hey, at least I can sell it for a good amount later *and* free up a joker slot.

So I did that, putting the increase-it’s-own-value card on the back-burner in my mind, not really thinking about it. Shortly after, I got a joker that increased my mult value in rounds based on the sell value of my jokers.

When I initially got the second joker, like I said, I had just gotten the first, so it’s value was only about $3. Still, my Jokers’ total value was a decent enough amount, so I took the card. A few rounds later, I noticed that I was getting a lot higher numbers in my mult value from that card than I was expecting; and when I checked, I was reminded about the card that increased it’s own value each round. I didn’t put 2-and-2 together somehow, and still made a pretty strong combo. Or maybe I’m just dumb.

Another one was when I had the aforementioned “all cards are face cards” joker and the boss challenge was that all face cards were debuffed. I mean, I know that given enough rounds and enough playtime that sort of thing is bound to happen, I don’t actually think that the game can tell what your strategy is and actively work against it; but it’s really hard not to feel that way sometimes

Winning a Run

In order to win a run, you have to get through all 8 antes. You don’t have to play every round (or “blind”), but you do have to play every boss. You’ve got to combine your Jokers, hand-level increases, changes to your hands using Tarot cards, and more in order to maximize the number of points you can get from playing hands in the round. And if you do so well enough, and win a run, you’re rewarded with an endless mode where you can truly test your mettle.

And as you win runs, you’ll unlock entirely new decks that will keep you on your toes, and have you testing new strategies. You might get fewer hands to play each round, and fewer discards; or maybe you’ll start off with all cards of each color being the same suit (leading toward easier royal flush opportunities, and millions of points). And each deck has several difficulty levels as well, offering even more challenges to conquer and strategies to try.

Overall, there are nearly endless possibilities in Balatro, and I’ve been having a blast trying to put together the strongest combinations I can. I’m super excited to keep playing, so keep an eye on my YouTube channel where I’ll show off high scores and crazy plays, and comment below with your highest score so far (and any tips you may have).

Thanks for reading!

The post Balatro appeared first on I Talk Games.

The Diablo series has been around forever, so I don’t really plan on doing a full commentary or review of this game. Truthfully, I’m not super into Diablo overall. Truthfully, I only started playing with III, and even then I just liked making new builds and seeing what type of move-sets I could put together.

I don’t pay attention to any of the storyline or lore at all, really. I just like playing different classes and playstyles, and seeing how strong I can get by stacking multipliers. So, really, you probably won’t find me to be the best source of information for this game any way.

Instead, this post is largely about my build, my girlfriends build, and a bit about the thought processes behind them. Typically, I like to play a magic build, where I can keep enemies at bay and attack from a distance. Knowing that, I try to force myself to play differently from time-to-time. Which is what I was attempting here.

Thought Process

Since the Druid is the new class in this game, I gave it a shot. And, being incredibly creative, I named him Dru. My girlfriend is playing a sorceress — I can’t tell you why; she’s a fairly new gamer so she doesn’t really have a “typical” playstyle. I probably convinced her with my fondness of the sorcerer/ess class.

Sticking with the theme of creatively naming our characters, we named her Sorcia.

In this clip, I’m playing largely as a werebear with some ravens that fly around and assist. It would be dope if there was a bear companion along with the wolves companion — especially given the fact that both wolves and poison creeper somewhat favor the werewolf build, and there’s nothing really that leans werebear imo — but there’s not, so I went with Ravens.

Since you have to start out at level 1, with minimal equipment, It tends to take a while to get to a place with your character where you’re actually able to decide on a build type. There’s several things you need to consider such as:

• The equipment you plan on using and whether it boosts or hinders the skills in your build
• Whether you’ve reached a high enough level that the skills you want are unlocked
• The skill points required to equip the skills you want
• And more, like making you have the resources to unlock or make anything you don’t have from above.

So, typically, what I do is not even really think about it until I’m roughly at the point where my character has all legendary items and I’m selling/salvaging everything rare or below. I guess technically I do try to follow one build/style as I’m unlocking skills the first time through. It’s almost impossible not to. But I don’t do so to the extent where I’m trying to find out how to coordinate my gear or set passives.

Once I am at that level though (32 I believe in Diablo IV to have each section on the skill tree unlocked) I see what bonuses the items that I already have provide, and try to build my character around that. Since the items you pick up in the wild have randomized stats and bonuses, I try to create my build around them, rather than creating a build and hoping my equipment works out. So in this case, the werebear made the most sense.

Druid Skills

On thing that I noticed is that a lot of the werebear attacks and defensive moves gave you fortify, so I tried to also include passives that increased fortify as well. That said, I don’t really know how to use fortify, and can’t say I really felt any benefits using it. Maybe if I find a piece of armor, or an armor set, that boosts the effect of fortify even further, I might be into it more; but as of right now, I’m not sure I see the value.

I touched on this earlier, but I had to think a bit about the companion skill for this build, too. Given the options — wolves, ravens, and vine creeper — only ravens seemed to make sense. Wolves, obviously, would be best suited in a werewolf build. Not much more to say about that. But the vines, they primarily inflict poison on enemies, which would be nice except it doesn’t benefit any other werebear skills (such as fortify) and there are werewolf skills that poison.

So it seems to me that the vines would make the most sense as a poison-inflicting-werewolf build instead of werebear. Maybe, given a future werebear playthrough, I’ll forego a companion for another, more “werebear” compatible option.

In all honesty, I thought the werebear build was a bit slow and difficult to use. Maybe I just don’t understand how to use Fortify; but either way, this wasn’t my favorite build in this character. I’m wondering if there are any armor sets that would make that skill even better; and make this build much stronger, but I’ll have to keep crawling through those dungeons to get there.

Sorceress Skills

I, honestly, don’t have a ton to say about this build. I could see what she was doing while we played, and saw some moves that definite looked cool; but not playing it myself, I was never 100% sure what was going on. Make sure to check out the full video to see what the ice sorceress can do.

Conclusion

Overall, I’d say this build was okay. It didn’t really excite me or devastate enemies, but it was serviceable. As of right now, I’ve already switched it up, and have made a different build; but maybe if I get some better armor that makes the werebear skills more effective (or if I get some tips on how to use fortify (leave them in the comments)), I’ll return to this type of build.

Thanks for reading!

The post Fun Diablo IV Gameplay | Werebear Druid & Ice Sorceress Builds appeared first on I Talk Games.

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Reliving the Glory Days with NBA 2K15: A Highlight Reel

If you’re a basketball enthusiast or a gaming fan, you know that the NBA 2K series has consistently set the standard for sports simulations. Among the many installments, NBA 2K15 holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. Released in 2014, this game was a milestone in the series, bringing with it a host of new features, improved gameplay mechanics, and a level of realism that was truly groundbreaking at the time. Today, we’re taking a trip down memory lane with a highlight video that captures some of the most exciting moments from my personal gameplay experience with NBA 2K15.

Why NBA 2K15 Still Matters

Despite being nearly a decade old, NBA 2K15 remains one of the most beloved entries in the franchise. It was the first game in the series to introduce face scanning technology, allowing players to put themselves in the game in a way that felt truly immersive. The graphics were a leap forward from previous editions, with enhanced player models, more realistic animations, and the introduction of new arenas that captured the energy and atmosphere of real-life NBA games.

The gameplay itself was a significant improvement, offering more fluid and responsive controls, better AI, and a revamped shot meter that made shooting more intuitive and rewarding. Whether you were playing as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or your own custom character, NBA 2K15 delivered a basketball experience that felt closer to the real thing than ever before.

Highlighting the Best Moments

In the highlight video featured in this post, you’ll see some of the most memorable plays from my time with NBA 2K15. From buzzer-beaters to ankle-breaking crossovers, these clips showcase the thrill and excitement that this game has to offer. Whether you’re a seasoned 2K veteran or someone who’s new to the franchise, these highlights are sure to get your adrenaline pumping and remind you why NBA 2K15 is still worth revisiting.

The video captures the essence of what makes NBA 2K15 such a standout title. You’ll see the smooth transitions between offense and defense, the precision passing, and the dynamic player movements that made this game a joy to play. The AI opponents put up a good fight, making every basket feel earned and every defensive stop feel like a triumph.

A Game for the Ages

NBA 2K15 is more than just a game; it’s a time capsule of basketball culture from the mid-2010s. The rosters, the commentary, the presentation – all of it comes together to create a snapshot of the NBA as it was during that era. Playing NBA 2K15 today is like stepping back into that time, reliving the rivalries, the up-and-coming stars, and the iconic moments that defined the league.

For those who have been with the NBA 2K series from the beginning, NBA 2K15 represents a key moment in its evolution. It was a game that pushed the boundaries of what sports simulations could achieve, setting the stage for future installments to build upon. Even now, in a world where NBA 2K24 is the latest release, there’s something special about going back to NBA 2K15 and experiencing the game that made us all fall in love with virtual basketball all over again.

Why You Should Watch the Video

Whether you’re a hardcore NBA 2K fan, a casual gamer, or someone who just loves basketball, this highlight video is a must-watch. It’s a reminder of how far the series has come and how much fun NBA 2K15 still is. The plays you’ll see in this video aren’t just about skill; they’re about the passion and excitement that comes with every game. NBA 2K15 may be an old game, but the fun it offers is timeless.

So, sit back, hit play, and enjoy the highlights. And if you haven’t played NBA 2K15 in a while, maybe it’s time to dust off your old console and give it another go. You might just find yourself getting lost in the game all over again.

Conclusion

NBA 2K15 is a game that will always hold a special place in the hearts of basketball fans and gamers alike. Its innovative features, realistic gameplay, and unforgettable moments make it a classic worth revisiting. This highlight video is a celebration of everything that made NBA 2K15 great, and we hope it brings back some fond memories for you as it did for us. Whether you’re here for the nostalgia or just to see some top-tier gameplay, thanks for joining us on this trip down memory lane.

The post NBA 2K15 Highlights | April 22, 2015 appeared first on I Talk Games.

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Dominating the Gridiron: A Madden NFL 17 Highlight Reel

When it comes to football gaming, few titles capture the intensity and excitement of the NFL quite like Madden NFL 17. Released in 2016, this game quickly became a fan favorite, offering a near-perfect blend of strategy, skill, and sheer football action. Whether you’re a die-hard Madden fan or just someone who loves the sport, Madden NFL 17 remains one of the most iconic entries in the franchise, and today, we’re diving into some of the best moments from my personal gameplay with a highlight video that’s sure to get your adrenaline pumping.

Why Madden NFL 17 Still Scores Big

Madden NFL 17 was a significant milestone in the series, refining gameplay mechanics, enhancing realism, and delivering an experience that still holds up today. It was the game that introduced the much-lauded “Ball Carrier” controls, giving players unprecedented control over their rushers and creating more dynamic and thrilling plays. The new special moves, including the precision juke, spin, and hurdle, added a layer of strategy and excitement that made every down count.

The game also improved defensive gameplay, making it more challenging and rewarding to stop your opponent’s drive. With the introduction of new zone coverage concepts, Madden NFL 17 made it possible to truly dominate on both sides of the ball. The AI was smarter and more adaptive, creating a more realistic football experience that kept players engaged game after game.

Highlighting the Best Plays

The highlight video featured in this post showcases some of the most exciting plays from my Madden NFL 17 sessions. From game-winning touchdowns to crucial defensive stops, these clips capture the essence of what makes Madden NFL 17 so exhilarating. Whether you’re a seasoned Madden pro or someone just discovering the magic of virtual football, these highlights are sure to remind you why this game remains a classic.

In this video, you’ll witness the precision passing, strategic play-calling, and explosive runs that made Madden NFL 17 such a joy to play. Each clip is a testament to the game’s depth and the level of control it gives players, allowing for moments of brilliance on the virtual gridiron. From threading the needle with a perfect pass to laying down a bone-crushing hit, these highlights are all about those unforgettable Madden moments that keep us coming back for more.

A Game That Stands the Test of Time

Madden NFL 17 isn’t just another sports game; it’s a snapshot of the NFL as it was in the mid-2010s. The rosters, the commentary, the playbooks – everything about this game is steeped in the football culture of that era. Revisiting Madden NFL 17 today is like stepping back into that time, reliving the glory days of players like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and J.J. Watt in their prime.

For fans of the Madden series, Madden NFL 17 represents a high point in the franchise’s history. It was a game that pushed the envelope in terms of gameplay innovation, offering new features that would become staples in future editions. Even in a world where Madden NFL 24 is the latest release, there’s something special about going back to Madden NFL 17 and experiencing the game that captured the spirit of football so perfectly.

Why You Should Watch the Video

Whether you’re a hardcore Madden fan, a casual gamer, or just someone who loves football, this highlight video is a must-watch. It’s a reminder of how far the Madden series has come and how much fun Madden NFL 17 still is. The plays you’ll see in this video aren’t just about gaming skill; they’re about the excitement, strategy, and unpredictability that make football the greatest sport on earth. Madden NFL 17 might be an older game, but the thrill it delivers is timeless.

So, grab some snacks, hit play, and enjoy the show. And if you haven’t fired up Madden NFL 17 in a while, maybe it’s time to dust off your old console and take to the field once more. You might just find yourself falling in love with the game all over again.

Conclusion

Madden NFL 17 is a game that will always hold a special place in the hearts of football fans and gamers alike. Its innovative features, realistic gameplay, and unforgettable moments make it a classic worth revisiting. This highlight video is a celebration of everything that made Madden NFL 17 great, and we hope it brings back some fond memories for you as it did for us. Whether you’re here for the nostalgia or just to see some top-tier gameplay, thanks for joining us on this trip down the virtual gridiron.

The post Madden 17 Highlights — Dominating appeared first on I Talk Games.