Tonight, I got my first introduction to Destiny. I was (and remain) excited, especially since I have never gone about getting into a game this way before. Tobias is my guide, and I received and followed very careful instructions for what to do and not do. The orders were: watch nothing, buy and install the game, launch it so it can download and install all patches, when you get to character creation stop. Also: set up accounts and microphones. True to our podcasting mentality, we recorded and streamed the session. Or tried to, trying to find the stuff afterward gives me a bit of a sinking feeling. Anyway: it is all new and exciting. Even if you remove all the technology I do not recall the last time I got a guided introduction to a game, especially not a major one like this. And also not from a player with such a vast lead in experience. So good times ahead! The images and, especially, music as I watched the game download the last few megabytes of content also helped build excitement. Music has always been a strong point with Bungie games.
The first steps were unsurprisingly interesting, confusing and very much scratching the surface of a million things. Terms, events, places, characters, you name it. My immensly experienced guide by my side and in my ear made it all very simple: in moments of doubt just follow. It is also nice to dive into an FPS (or a game with strong FPS genes at any rate) and find a lot of reflexes and mechanics still hold up. Halo feels at once distant and very close.
Now, if only I can figure out whether I totally lost the video or if I am just missing something childishly simple …
… do not get bogged down in that, think relaxing thoughts …
Speaking of relaxing:
Abzû
… beautiful. Before Destiny, this is the last game I played. In one way, it is a bit like Bound, in that a lot of the beauty is in the vast amount of simple things on screen. Also, in being a short experience focused more on feeling than challenge. The actual games are all different though, Abzû is about diving, exploring the mysteries of a beautiful underwater world. The look of the world is very stylized, kind of flat, almost retro, and colorful. It does not feel technically impressive at first. Not until you reach the first area where there suddenly are what seems like thousands of fish on screen, along with a forest of seaweed. Or when you ride the first stream. Or that fantastic sense of scale you get when …
See what I am trying to say? It is very gentle, yet grabs you firmly like an underwater stream, carrying it with you all the way to the end.
The music is just fantastic too. This is another game I can dream of experiencing in VR.
Mutant: Elysium
Kickstarter and payday, such a dangerous combination … I backed this kickstarter for an expansion to Swedish roleplaying game Mutant: år noll. Since I do not actually own the game, I also upped my pledge with a bunch of additions to get the base game and some of its expansions at somewhat reduced prices. It ended up being … just a bit more money than I would have guessed I would spend. Not dangerously so, but still. Surprise.
Now, I should probably not make any more frivolous purchases for a while.
Good thing I have Destiny to keep me occupied until next time money arrives …