Dusting off the old blog!

Wow. It has been an AGE since I've come on here and talked about any games. A lot has happened in seven years since I last wrote anything here. Moving, marriage, and kids all happened in that time frame and even though I now have a very limited amount of time to play games, I still try and make an effort to do so.

Looking back, I see that I was supposed to do a critique on Guild Wars 2... well that really went sideways, didn't it? I only played a minuscule amount before planning a wedding and I had no time or motivation to continue. It is safe to say I'll probably pass on GW2 though. I found it not as engaging as the original, but as it was so long ago, I cannot tell you why. Maybe I should give it another go, perhaps? If you think I should revisit GW2, please feel free to leave a comment saying so. I'd love for you to change my mind and get this blog up and running again.

Now in the age of Twitch and YouTube, a blog about PC/console games seems a little redundant, I know. However, I think breathing some life back into this run down place where I used to share my opinion on games I loved or hated will be a welcome throwback. Who knows, I might even try and figure out how to do some streaming as an accompaniment to this very spot where I pour my feelings out about games.

 I know I haven't written anything here in a long while, but I've still found the time to play plenty of games since 2012 that I really, REALLY enjoyed! There was The Witcher 3 and it was just GEORGEOUS! Also, Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I'm glad to see they fixed most of what was upsetting in DA2, even though there was some race gating for romances. I've played Horizon Zero Dawn - a really cool concept, but couldn't keep my attention as well as Thief - but as I recall had mixed reviews, even though I found really fun. I also got to play my personal favourite: The Spyro Reignited Trilogy this past November - where I was able to relive part of my childhood and gave me ALL the feels.

 Now, I'd really like to do some reviews on these games, but I'm not sure if I would be beating a dead horse or not. Let me know in the comments if you'd like me to do a review on some of the titles I listed, or do you want me to start off fresh for 2019?

thanks for stopping by!

Manda aka MRTL85

Minecraft: 8-bit fun for everyone!

Whether you are new to video games or an experienced gamer, Minecraft is an amazing game that caters to every skill level. It may not have flashy graphics or realistic gore like much of today's top video games but it makes up for that with it's multiple play formats (like on creative mode or on survival) and its ability to let you use your imagination. Not many games allow for this sort of freedom and that is why I think that it's top Notch (lol pardon the pun)! I have been playing Minecraft with my husband for 2 years and every time I play it, I am still amazed that I have the freedom to build anything I want and play any way I wish. Lets say I wanted to build a massive castle with 100 rooms and a Mage's tower. In any other game, I wouldn't be able to unless I was the one creating it but in Minecraft, I can. What about a tree top city that spans an entire continent? Minecraft says "but of course"! How about the Sistine Chapel? Sure, why not. Anything is possible in Minecraft. It is just like playing Lego, without accidentally stepping on the pieces! The best part about this game is being able to turn off the spawning so you don't get attacked by those pesky Creepers or Endermen while building your fantastic creations! This game has such versatility and replay value that I'll be playing this for years to come with my kids and even my grandchildren! 
It is also wonderful for allowing people from different skill levels to partake in the same game (great for any geek couple or family who want to have something to do together). I seriously think that this should be a staple in every gaming family home. Notch has done a fantastic job with this indie game and I am glad it's pushed its way into the mainstream market. I give this game 10/10

Up Next: Guild Wars 2 and Minecraft!

Hi all! Sorry for not being able to post for a while, life has been very hectic these past few months! I got married and went on my honeymoon which takes a lot of meticulous planning...I am SO glad that the planning is over, and so happy I married my best friend! I still had a small amount of time to play some games and in a few weeks, I plan to do critiques on Guild Wars 2 and Minecraft. I have been playing Minecraft on and off with my Husband for 2 years now and love it! As for Guild Wars 2, I just recently got it and can't wait to get a little farther in it and tell you all about what I think! :D

talk to you all soon!

The Witcher 2: 1up for CDprojekt Red

   It is amazing how technology changes between a game and its successor and this goes without saying for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings! This time 'round, CD Projekt RED has opted for a new engine of their own and some major overhauling of what they wanted The Witcher to Play like, and Feel like as a fantasy adventure RPG. However, while exploring the game, I did notice a few things that made it not as easy to play as I had hoped. First of all, I noticed that the fluidity of the controls did not match up with the fluidity of the game...now, this could be due to my not so great graphics card, but still, it felt disjointed with regards what Geralt of Rivia was doing on the screen. I also found it odd not to have a pause button this time (not that it needed it) and I also found it silly that you couldn't drink potions on the go - you had go into the meditation menu to drink which took up a lot of time. The main map was hard to read as well. They said nothing about the scroll wheel making the map bigger in the tutorial which I didn't figure that out until I was half way through the game making me feel like an idiot and that is NOT what a video game should make you feel....you should always feel like a bad ass when playing ; ). I also found some of the QTE silly, especially for PC....and the icons for them were way too small. I couldn't see what I was supposed to press half the time, even if they made it bright orange. Maybe they should slow time in game to give the player time to react or at least find the button they need to press?  Another unhappy surprise was the fact that my romance with Shani didn't get imported with my game...in the first 20 minutes of playing, I was back sleeping with Triss and no other mention of Shani occurred! I was kinda upset at that. Where did Shani go? Why did they take her out and leave Dandelion in? Weren't they both key players in the first one? I guess I'll never know.

 I have to say on the upside, the sex scenes in The Witcher 2 out do anything the Witcher could have possibly come up with. I did find the sexy trading cards unique and I will miss them, but the new scenes they replaced them with....ARE AWESOME! : D The fighting was much better this time around too(regardless of the game not having to choose styles). I also found the menu options easy to navigate and very intuitive....I loved the new quick menu to speed things up! Finally, meditation does not have to happen at a campfire either, another big bonus in my eyes. I don't know how many times in the original Witcher game I had to search out for a campfire so I could meditate and regenerate. Another big surprise was importing my Witcher 1 saved game! I loved that they took the idea from other great gaming companies on this one. Speaking of saves, CD Projekt RED has made the auto saves MUCH more frequent and loads are sped up ten fold! I am also AMAZED by the music in this game. It has to be one of my favorite things...besides the absolutely gorgeous graphics and epic storyline with intelligent choices that effect how the game plays out. Overall, I found this to be a great game and definitely one that moves in the right direction for being a sequel (UNLIKE DA 2). Even though this game series does not have a customizable character like in Skyrim, I do think it still contends well with it and many other big ticket games my making it up with its epic storyline, snazzy graphics and wonderful replay ability. (Personally, I find if you were able to fully customize Geralt of Rivia, it would not only take away from who Geralt is but it would also take away from the storyline too...I mean, he his known as the White Wolf for a reason.)

I give The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - 8.5/10

The Witcher - a review a long time in the making.

This game's review was a long time in the making. I first started playing The Witcher in April of 2011 and subsequently made a brief post about it's upcoming successor The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish The Witcher in time for its second instalment, but I have made time to come back to it now....

I have to say, as far as games go this is a pretty damn good RPG regardless of some of its flaws. I was suprised at how much The Witcher grew on me as I continued to play through it. I found the story line exceptionally well done even though some of the other aspects could have been made better. I found the controls hard to handle at first and the tutorial was not as acturate as it could have been to aid the player on how to do things. It took an hour or two just to get used to the camera being attached to the mouse and not being stationary like in most other RPG's I've played. I also found the quests very confusing, especially when you have a quest list a mile long and only four active quests that you can locate on your map. I think it would have been better if they had made quest trees so you could figure out which quest is connected to another quest. The potion making was an interesting twist, but also kind of confusing if you didn't know what you were doing. It took quite a bit of figuring out and it worked out well in the end, but it just wasn't as user friendly as I wanted it to be. Even so, I found I actually liked the combat style (when I wasn't having to constantly switch from my silver sword to my steel one), with its sequential clicks of the mouse instead of the button mashing that I am used to. However, it was sometimes slow to act and I would get caught with three montsters beating me to a pulp with no way of escaping...which proved to be very frustrating.
I loved the art style that they used and the cut scenes were really great to watch as the story developed(which is unusual for me because most of the time I try to skip past all the talking so I can get my fight on...) just like the progression in an awesome adventure book. I was also very happy to see a change of scenery throughout the game....none of this stuck in a city with no new scenery  bullcrap that Dragon Age 2 seemed to pull. I also thought it quite interesting to note that the gaming engine for The Witcher was actually made by Bioware in 2007(back when EA wasn't shoving its egotistical phallus down Bioware's throat). This is probably why I liked the game so much, because it reminded me a little of Dragon Age: Origins.
 I found all the characters wonderfully diverse with their own personalities which is what I like to see in an adventure RPG. As for the romance options, I found it to be pretty awesome (I chose Shani rather than Triss), and those sexy trading cards were an epic suprise. In my opinion, those cards put The Witcher in a league of it's own. I think if anything, The Witcher will be known for those sexy trading cards....and I hope that with TW2: The Assassins of Kings they will keep that aspect alive. I am also thrilled about the replay value of the Witcher. I actually WANT to replay it to see what other consequences happen if I had chosen a different path....especially with the hint at the end with Alvin's dissapearence linked to the Grand Master and I hope that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be just as, if not more fun to play as its predecessor.


I give The Witcher  - 8.5/10

Skyrim: The game I had been waiting for...

  I had been waiting for this game to come out ever since I watched the announcement for it at the VGA awards last year. Skyrim has been an object of my obsession for many months and now I have gotten to play it, I can honestly say it is WELL WORTH IT!
   In my opinion, Bethesda, reigns over the fantasy RPG genre with its attention to detail and having endless possibilities at your disposal, which makes it not only re-playable but you feel as if you never play the same game twice. The epic proportions of the map gave me the ability to immerse myself in every aspect of the journey through wilderness and towns alike. I was also happy about the new updates on the NPC's faces and catch phrases which looked as well as sounded much more natural than in Oblivion (one of my pet peeves of the elder scrolls iv). 
  The most epic part of the game has to be the dragons and the shouts. The developers spent numerous hours making the dragons move and act exactly how we would expect them to through research with bats, birds and reptiles. I doubt if any other game developing studio has made dragons in this way and it shows...again with the attention to details. The shouts also have their own fantastical quality that feels like a combination between Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Dragon Ball Z. Every time I used a shout, I felt like a bad ass and that is exactly what you want to feel in a game of this magnitude. I also got up to a little bit of mischief with using it to FUS RO DA my companion or an unsuspecting villager off a cliff or bridge. These shouts prove to be hours of fun whether you are fighting with it or getting into trouble!
 
  No matter how much I may love this game though, I still have a few minor details to contend with. I find that because of its expansive nature, the game play takes weeks to complete. This is always the downside of a game like this and even if it cannot be helped, it makes me loose some interest in playing it. (I do have a life outside of gaming, you know...). The other thing that gets me is the aiming for the bow and arrows. If you choose this long range weapon, make sure you understand where the cross-hairs should be pointing in order to get a good shot. I found that I needed to position the cross-hairs at the opponents chest in order to get a head shot...which is silly if you ask me. I should be able to aim at the head and get a head shot right away, not miss by 2 feet and it going over my opponents head! I also had many clipping issues where I would get stuck in rocks or in walls if I wasn't careful as well as many glitches. Of course, that should be no problem to fix with a patch or two. Other than that, I have to say that this still takes the cake for best fantasy RPG of the year. GREAT WORK BETHESDA!

I rate The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim  - 9.5 out of 10

The Witcher 2: a hopeful glimpse of things to come...

 Since I am playing The Witcher at the moment, I have decided to post an insider's look at its sequel - The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

I have recently turned my attention to a game that is most likely considered old news to most of the gaming world: The Witcher. With an impending sequel coming out in only a few months time, it is always good form to explore the game's predecessors. Even though I have yet to finish The Witcher (I am currently playing it), it has gradually grown on me and become another of my favorites. With any luck, I will be able to finish The Witcher and write a critique that coincides with the debut of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Check back soon!