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Feb 13th, 2018 at 17:03:41 - Shadow of Mordor (XBONE) |
Well, today I got to rescue some slaves, killed a lot of orcs, encountered Golem and made some new enemies. Overall, pretty typical day in Mordor. I think I have definitely become more of a low level terrorist with supernatural abilities. They also have a name for me and orcs widely recognize who I am. This must be the type of fame that a serial killer feels. Additionally, I have gone from a small town ax murderer to full on Freddy Krueger. Through combos, I am annihilating entire groups of orcs. I really enjoy the progression so far and the different map areas. The Nemesis system is amazing and fighting my way up the chain is interesting. I am excited to see how I can manipulate this system down the road. I also am looking forward to fighting more of the big boss commanders at the top. Defeating one is really gratifying. My favorite part of the game is definitely the different fort situations. They feel like unique puzzles with options for the solution. I think the game offers a lot of great freedom on how to approach each base. Sometimes I jump in and go Rambo; other times, in more difficult situations, I stealth my way around and cause mischief. I have started to sympathies with the orcs because I am terrorizing them for really no apparent reason. I feel like in reality, I don’t have a justified reason to kill all the orcs. In some capacity, I am committing genocide. I am killing an entire race of creatures. My struggle is with the Black Hand of Sauron and Sauron himself. It would be interesting if the game offered a way for me to sneak pass every orc until I can finally fight my true nemesis. It really is a matter of perspective. In the end, I have just come to accept that I am merely a pawn in a much bigger conflict of which I cannot understand. I must carry out my orders.
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Feb 12th, 2018 at 19:49:50 - Shadow of Mordor (XBONE) |
So far the game is great. I love the environment and the gameplay. It is similar to Assassins Creed titles of which I am also a fan. I am so far enjoying the lore though it is pretty typical it makes for a good revenge story. Currently, orcs are more challenging to kill but I feel that is something that will become easier with time as I progress my way through the skill tree. What I find most interesting is how this experience could be interpreted from different perspectives. From my perspective as the player, I am definitely a good guy. My family was killed and that makes it okay for me to kill orcs. However, from the perspective of the orcs, I am basically a batshit crazy terrorist who possesses supernatural abilities. From their perspective, I am the bad guy and they are the good guys. I actually feel bad for the orcs since they don't really have a choice. They are slaves of Sauron and I am there for justified to kill them because Sauron did me wrong. It just seems a little shady. Overall, the gameplay and mechanics are solid. I do feel like not a lot of it is groundbreaking though. The Nemesis System is pretty neat. I enjoy developing that personal narrative experience with my opponents though for them it must be really confusing on how I keep coming back. Honestly, it is just an unfair advantage. It would be hilarious if this game functioned like Minecraft's hardcore mode with no respawn. My guess is then no one would play it since it can be quite challenging at times. I think I am starting to understand why this game is on the list and why it has some conflicting messages.
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Jan 18th, 2018 at 18:48:51 - This is the Police (PC) |
Well, I started the game up and I basically had no opportunity to make a choice before I was arrested by the FBI. I went to jail and it kicked me out to the start menu. I didn't really like this. I felt I had been duped after my supreme reign of terror. I guess the moral of the story is if you do bad things you go to jail. I wish I would have had an opportunity to escape or use my mafia connections to my advantage. I started up another playthrough and played in a kinder opposite manner than my original play strategy. I have arrived at a few conclusions, first off their is a large illusion of choice in this game. No matter what, you end up having to work with the mafia in some capacity. Second, you must walk this fine line between being good and bad which I find to be an interesting ethical situation. In some capacity, you are very much self-serving since you are constantly violating your morals or doing something good even though you just did a horrid act a few seconds earlier. This I think puts you in the position of a politician and really asks the ultimate ethical question, what will you do both good and bad, in order to succeed. Overall, the game is made up of minor ethical dilemmas or moral challenges but the bigger picture encourages you to do whatever must be done so you can retire. I am not against this situation, I think the point comes across loud and clear that the police will do whatever needs to be done to serve themselves or at least the police chief will. That being said, I wish the game allowed for the player to create and discover their own message rather than make it very apparent when you play a second time.
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Jan 17th, 2018 at 22:27:58 - This is the Police (PC) |
So I have now allied with the mafia which is pretty great. I let civilians be murdered and casinos robbed as I get paid. Once again it is fascinating to see the moral choices I am confronted with. The best part of the game is it really lets you play how you want. I am not forced to kill my officers or tumble down the slippery slope of corruption. I can choose to make these terrible decisions. I then have to face the repercussions of my actions. I feel this is a well-done simulation of ethical choices. I have a variety of tools at my disposal. It is still just a game and I am able to sleep at night after my appalling actions but I enjoy watching this ecosystem evolve before my eyes. I am still shocked by the creativity of the moral choices/conflicts and some of the absurd scenarios I am put through. I could see a game like this receiving harsh criticism for its content but I think it is making a point on the corruption in police forces. It addresses the issue of police at a time when police violence is in the spotlight. So far, I think This Is The Police is doing a wonderful job of making its point and I wish more games had the courage to do as powerful moral questioning in other areas of society as this does.
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ollieschmolly has been with GameLog for 6 years, 10 months, and 7 days |
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