Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Book of Memories Survival Guide - Vol. 1
*
Games: So,
the end of 2012 is drawing near.
I've had
a chance to play most of the candidates for my year-end Top 10, and after
scanning the upcoming release lists, it doesn't seem like there's much likely
to shake up my current ranking. There are a couple of things still on
my radar, though.
Hitman:
Absolution is one of the few that has a good chance of getting on the list if
the levels are as free and open as they appear to be at first glance. I can't
say that I've ever been much of a Far Cry fan, but I'll give Far Cry 3 a shot as
well.
Apart
from those, it's looking pretty done. However, I'm definitely up for any
suggestions for sleeper picks or surprises worth investigation. If you've got
something that’s worth considering, drop me a line via Twitter, email, or with
a comment on this article, and let me know!
*
Games: I'm still between review games at the moment, so I started playing Silent Hill:
Book of Memories on Vita. I liked the demo and I'm a big fan of dungeon
crawlers and Roguelikes when they're done well, so despite all of the negative
talk I heard, I decided to go for it. I'm about ten levels into the campaign so
far, and I think it's actually pretty good – but that statement needs some
qualification.
For some
reason, Wayforward (the developers) decided to keep the player in the dark
about basic aspects of how the game works. I'm not talking about a few little
details here and there, I'm talking about some core, fundamental elements which are barely explained. By not taking the time to properly
introduce the player to what's going on, I can easily see why so many people were
turned off.
Once I
got my hands on a copy, I spent the first two hours or so trying to figure out
what was affecting what, what was causing what, and basically, trying to get a
handle on how to play the game efficiently.
Even
after that, there was still plenty of stuff that I didn't understand, so I went
to GameFAQs and read as much information as I could. I got some answers there,
but not all. Then, I talked to a few reviewers who had already been through the
game, and that helped clarify a few more things. That research combined with my
previous experience with other Roguelikes finally started making all of the
pieces fit, and that's when I finally began to enjoying the play.
A welcoming, approachable title this is not, but if you've
got a Vita and jumping into a quasi-Roguelike with rusty metal and bloody
nurses sounds like an appealing thing, here are a few tips to get started:
***Save
up money and buy Backpack upgrades ASAP. Every upgrade lets you hold one extra
weapon and increases the amount of supplies that you can carry. Needless to
say, this is absolutely crucial for your survival.
***Choose
which enemies to kill carefully, and invest in the Karma Flip ability as soon
as possible. Killing enemies willy-nilly means that the Karma meter will
usually hover near the center, without building up towards either side. Without
making progress towards the Blood or Light side, the player will never be able
to use special abilities, and using them is key towards making progress.
A
strategy that's working well for me is attacking only Blood karma enemies until
they're gone, then using Karma Flip and turning any remaining Light enemies
into Bloods. (I know this probably sounds like gibberish, but it will make
sense once you start the game.) If you're having trouble telling which enemies
are which, use the left shoulder button to lock on and their orientation is
revealed by the color of the reticle around them. By doing this, I keep my
Karma meter consistently high on the Light side, which means I have a few
healing spells available so that I don't have to use healthpacks except in
extreme emergencies.
***If you
run out of supplies, replay the first level and stock back up. The enemies there
are pretty easy to beat, and you probably won't need to use any items to get
through to the end.
***Take
the time to do every bonus mission that the demon offers you at the beginning
of each level. The weapons he rewards you with are usually quite powerful, and well
worth the effort. Once your backpack is upgraded, use the pickup weapons found
in each level as your primaries while keeping a Sword of Obedience or a Great
Cleaver on hand in case of emergency. Having a heavy-hitter in your back pocket
can get you out of trouble in a hurry.
***On
difficult levels, don't try to make any real progress until you locate the save
point. In most cases, it's possible to find it after a few test runs. Once you
know where it is, then start putting the effort in towards meeting your
objectives and take the time to save after each one -- losing a ton of progress
is really disheartening, and there's no real reason to do so. Haste makes
waste.
***Increasing
the INT stat to at least 10 gives you time to avoid all of the invisible traps
that pop up in each level. Strongly, strongly, strongly recommended.
***Weapons
have their own alignments. If you're trying to use Light powers and find that
your Karma meter keeps dropping, go to the pause menu and check the details for
your weapon. It's possible you may be using a Blood weapon that’s sapping your
Karma. The reverse is also true, if you are trying to use the Blood powers
while wielding a Light weapon.
….So
yeah, there's a lot of stuff to learn about Book
of Memories and the game tells you basically none of it.
Some of
this can be figured out with a little experimentation, the frustration
factor ramps up quickly when you’ve got no idea what’s happening, and I
would imagine that plenty of people who would have otherwise enjoyed this game
bailed before they came to grips with it -- and I don't blame them. Giving players
something to figure out is one thing, but failing to explain fundamental principles of a game in which they aren't immediately obvious is a pretty
serious lapse in judgment, if you ask me.
I'm
definitely glad I stuck with Book of Memories and did the legwork, but
WayForward’s got no one to blame but themselves for all the negative reviews and
poor word-of-mouth. And really, it's a shame... once a little light is shed on
the proceedings, it's actually a solid title on a system that really
needs ‘em.
***************PR/NEWS/INFO***************
Parties organized by gamers across America this weekend will raise
funds for and collect video games and consoles to be sent to U.S. troops
deployed to Afghanistan as well as being rehabilitated at Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center. The events, part of Operation Supply Drop’s national Veteran’s Day
“8-Bit Salute to Veterans,” will be held in Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los
Angeles and New York City on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Gamers everywhere are
invited to participate.
Attendees
and others can contribute via monetary donations or drop boxes. The
events will feature live music, bars, game tournaments and prizes. Professional
athletes will support the Dallas and Los Angeles events. The Dallas
party will also have the Charisma +2 calendar
models. Pamela Horton, an avid
gamer and Playboy Playmate Miss October 2012, will be present at the
Los Angeles event.
Captain
Stephen "Shanghai Six" Machuga, a former Army Airborne Ranger,
founded Operation Supply Drop in 2010, after serving for eight years with the
US Army, including 13 months in Iraq. An avid video game player himself,
Machuga realized that many soldiers are gamers and don’t have access while
deployed to their favorite form of entertainment, one of the few types of
leisure activity permitted in high threat areas.
“When
soldiers aren't outside the wire on patrol, their favorite activity is playing
video games,” explains Machuga. “Our packages are an immeasurable morale
booster; troops are accustomed to getting care packages from strangers full of
baby wipes and socks. Our care packages are designed to blow their socks off."
Since the
charity’s establishment, Operation Supply Drop has raised more than $60,000 in
games and gear packages, each with an average value of $2,000 to units deployed
in Iraq or Afghanistan.
With the
help of a variety of allied gaming organizations, Operation Supply Drop’s
“8-Bit Salute to Veterans” will be one of the country’s largest efforts
undertaken in support of Veteran’s Day.
Join one
of these groups on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012.
Chicago
2011
63rd St.
Downers
Grove, Ill. 60516 (West Suburb of Chicago)
6 p.m.
to 2 a.m.
Dallas
2911
Routh St
Dallas,
TX 75204
1 to 9
p.m.
Las Vegas
512 Fremont St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
7:00-10:00
PM
Los
Angeles
6363 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, Calif. 90028
2:00 –
4:00 p.m.
New York
702
Union St.
Brooklyn,
N.Y. 11215
Midnight
to 4 a.m. (Saturday night into Sunday morning)
If
someone would like to make a contribution to Operation Supply Drop, but cannot
attend one of the events, there are still several ways to get involved:
- Make a monetary contribution via
Paypal to donations@operationsupplydrop.org.
- Contribute new games or consoles
to:
Operation Supply Drop (OSD)
9301 Alvyn Lake Cir.
Bristow, VA 20136
9301 Alvyn Lake Cir.
Bristow, VA 20136
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