Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1934https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603My failure to save my work strikes again. During this play session I finally made it to the meat of the game. I was really impressed with the character development, or more so the relationship between Henry and Delilah. I felt connected to both characters as I learned more about their lives and how they each cope with hardships. On Day 64 I spotted the first true wildfire and I named it the Flapjack fire. It was interesting to see the fire grow day by day but I never felt it was a true danger to my well being at any point. I found it really unsettling finding the notepad which contained written logs of my radio conversations with Delilah. After picking it up I was clocked over the head by someone or something, likely the person eavesdropping on our conversations. After this point in the game, I felt like I was constantly being watched, and not just by Delilah. As I was trekking through the wilderness I could have sworn that I could hear footsteps as if I was being followed. I don't want to write a full play by play of the game so I will skip to my thoughts about the ending. Something about the ending just felt off. When the teenage girls end up being fine (albeit in jail) and finding the body at the bottom of the cave I began to look back and see that there were so many times when the story I was being told did not add up. I have a suspicion that Delilah new about Ned the whole time and looking back I think they were just messing with the new guy and things got out of hand. I am debating playing through again to see if I can find more evidence about my hunch....Fri, 16 Feb 2018 00:54:36 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603&iddiary=11700https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603When confronting the teenagers setting off the fireworks, I will admit to stealing their alcohol. I felt justified in doing so because they couldn't legally drink, also they were obnoxious. I felt horrible when I came across their trashed campsite only to find that they had thought it was me who had been creeping on them and not the asshole who also broke into my tower. After reading the note saying they want to go to the police, I began to worry about how bad it now looks that I had stolen from them earlier.Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:56:20 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603&iddiary=11668https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603Firewatch comes out of the gate rattling off situations and choices that change the narrative of the game further down the road. After finding out his wife has early onset Alzheimer's, the player character Henry, has to decide if he will be able to care for her adequately himself or if he should put her in a memory care center. I chose to try to care for her myself but failed to do so. About an hour into the game this choice came up again during dialog with Delilah about why Henry chose to come out to Wyoming. The voice acting so far has been incredible, you could hear the pain in Henry's voice over how he handled his wife's situation. My understanding is that the dialog is dynamic and changes based on how you answered the questions early in the game and your conversations with Delilah. It will be interesting to see what the devs can do with these interesting mechanics...Tue, 13 Feb 2018 21:51:21 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6603&iddiary=11624https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521I finished the main quest line in Udun. At this point I have allowed for Ratbag to become warchief by assassinating high ranking Uruk-hai, yet I still can't kill Gollum. Part of the main quest line in this area revolves around a group of outcasts and rebels is trying to blow up a regional monument. Whether or not blowing up monuments is ethically wrong is a discussion for another time. After you blow up the monument you reach the first boss battle of the game when you take on The Black Captain. If Saurons army is supposed to be some sort of analogy for the systematic oppression of the black community, then naming the first boss Black Captain is hilariously lazy.Thu, 18 Jan 2018 00:59:20 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521&iddiary=11526https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521As I was playing Shadow of Mordor I started looking specifically for ethical choices the game throws at you. As I am running around killing stalking an uruk captain I came across the option to save a group of captured slaves or I could ignore them and continue on with my mission. It would take maybe a minute to free the slaves but would I want to risk breaking stealth. I am almost forced to make a choice between doing the right thing or condemn someone to a life of slavery. Its an easy choice to make in the game and thankfully Uruk-hai are not real so we don't have to worry about saving slaves or killing orcs in real life.Wed, 17 Jan 2018 00:24:49 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521&iddiary=11478https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521Take 2 since the first one didn't post. Shadow of Mordor is an action/adventure open world game set in Middle-Earth. The player character Talion was a Captain of the Rangers of Gondor before he and his family are brutally murdered by the Black Hand of Sauron. Talion is saved from death by a wraith who offers Talion the power to avenge the death of his family. The combat system in Shadow of Mordor is incredible. It is fun, fast, and flows effortlessly. The player builds up focus by landing chain attacks which can be used to perform vicious executions that can be quite satisfying to pull off. It feels like the Batman Arkham games with swords. The game uses a nemisis system to bring the game world to life. I spent most of this play session on missions. These missions would often involve hunting down a specific Uruk captain and taking them out. The cool thing about the nemesis system is that the Uruks have their own unique personalities and quirks that makes each encounter feel new. I failed one of these missions and the Uruk captain who killed me was given a promotion. When I confronted him again made a quip about how he killed me before and he'll do it again. It is cool to see the game react to the player.Tue, 16 Jan 2018 00:00:15 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6521&iddiary=11444