Memoirs From Torchlight: Developers Are People Too?
I ran across something interesting while browsing the official Torchlight forums the other day. I had been looking for a way to respec my character (which you can, by the way, with this mod) and instead found a topic called “OVERWRITING SAVES! HERE’S HOW TO AVOID UNTIL NEXT PATCH!” For obvious reasons, I opened the topic and gave it a read.
It turned out to be a post from one of the game’s developers, Travis Baldree, explaining that he had finally discovered why some player’s save files were being overwritten. He explained the problem, detailed a solution, and ended the post with, “Really sorry about this folks, but man, am I glad I found it!” And a smiley face.
The even stranger part? The responses to Travis’ confession were nothing but thanks and compliments to Travis for finding the bug.
“Am I dreaming?” I wondered. “I must have typed a wrong address or clicked a wrong link somewhere. This couldn’t possibly be a video game message board.”
Memoirs From Torchlight: A Satisfying Spectacle
I’m playing on Very Hard mode, and I’m only level 18. Twitter buzz told me the game was too easy on Normal, and many players advocated Hard mode for an actual challenge. But I chose Very Hard. And I just died for the hundredth time. What was I thinking?
Hard mode is different for me to begin with. Ever since I decided I wanted to play through my games, I’ve always chosen normal or easy modes. Most times, the experience and story hook me enough that a challenge isn’t what I’m after. Games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic come to mind. I was so enthralled by the characters in that game that I left the combat on easy so I didn’t have to think about my battles. Pulling off strategic victories in a D&D style fight was simply not where that game shined for me.
Torchlight is different. The secret sauce to diablolikes (which is what we might as well call them) is twofold. First, there is the loot. Second, there is the sublime slaughter your loot summons. Hundreds of games feature character progression and loot. What makes the formula so addictive in the good diablolikes (Diablo II, Titan Quest, Torchlight) is how that character progression is linked with power.
Here’s an example.
Classic Studies: Super Metroid – Part 2
Super Metroid plays out similarly to Metroid–so similarly, in fact, that intrepid players will instantly recognize certain iconic hallways. A Metroid veteran will know exactly where to find that morph ball power-up. But it is homage rather than retread and maintains continuity long enough for the veterans to realize that the Zebes they knew only scratched the surface. Here we find Norfair and Brinstar, better known as the red and green areas from Metroid, but we also explore a haunted ship, an underwater maze, and the stormy surface of the planet itself. Each are filled with their own flora and fauna, and each are slowly excavated with the missile, super missile, speed boot, grappling hook, and super bomb. Zebes is peeled back like an onion, and each layer hides a new ability to find, a new creature to best, and a new theme song to hum along to.
Read.
Velvet Assassin
Velvet Assassin falls short of its grandiose attempts to solemnize the Second World War. When it comes to the stealth genre, however, Velvet Assassin aims low – and hits the mark.
Read.
Classic Studies: Super Metroid – Part I
Super Metroid is one of the best games ever made. What does that make Metroid? Turns out, nothing more than a good idea. First part in a three parter, taking us to our roots, to the classic, and to its legacy.
Read.
Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
“Dark Athena is, like Butcher Bay, a strange mix. A lot of the game is about making your way through guard-filled rooms using little more than shadows and your knives. Most of the time, the game even has enough sense to deprive you of guns entirely, as tempting as it might be for a first-person game. The result is satisfying stealth-action. It is then mixed with some character interaction, with dabblings in fetch quests that, though tried, are worth it simply for the characters.”
Read.
Building a Game, Not a Message
“Resident Evil 5 isn’t racist, but there’s more at work here than “Is it or isn’t it?” How does Resident Evil 5 undermine its own anti-colonial message, and why does it? The answer is simpler than you think. And more frustrating.”
Read.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2009)
“Escape from Butcher Bay, on the other hand, is not certain what it wants to be, and this lack of confidence proves to be its downfall. What could have been a classic becomes a period piece, a game we will look at one day and say, “Wow, look what it did!” – but not play.”
Read.
Beyond Good & Evil
“Beyond Good & Evil seemed doomed to cult status from the start. It had all the hallmarks: a science fiction story rife with political themes, an alien invasion, and a conspiracy or two. Some may also argue it starred an unusual protagonist, Jade, whose distinguishing characteristic as a female video game protagonist was that she wore loose-fitting jeans instead of a thong. On second thought, that there probably explains the lackluster sales.”
Read.
Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II was a critical success after release. It doesn’t work so well anymore, and it’s hard to forgive its flaws for being simply “an older game.”
Read.
