You’re a courier whose last job went bad, and you’re executed by a guy in an ugly suit. Luckily for you, a robot was in the area and he saved you.
He brings you to the town doc who brings you back easily even though you were shot in the head. He got all those nasty bits out, no problem.
The doc runs you through a few diagnostic tests which are your character appearance and stats and skills. I went heavy on Strength, as I do, also tossing in skills with both guns and melee.
I did all of the tutorial bits, because I’m a lousy shot. From there a side quest to gather flowers to make a medicine. Bah, I need to look up the lock picking mechanic, because I wasn’t able to open a safe, I just snapped a couple of lock picks.
Why’d it have to be bugs? Your initial enemies are giant gnats and some Bloat Flies.
I think I should have tried to run away from the scorpion that was next, as he damaged my health quite a bit, and seemed to poison me. The screen kept flashing out of focus.
Onward to what I’m guessing is the main quest, with some bad guys threatening the waitress at the Saloon. Enjoying the game. Need a far better weapon than a straight razor. Or my puny gun.
I’ve had the game for awhile and this is my first time playing it. As a science fiction story, we’ve got Colonization of other planets, a Mad Scientist, and a what looks like a Dystopian society, though everyone is forcibly cheerful. Except the Marauders.
You’re rescued from an abandoned Colony Ship by a Mad Scientist, Phineas Vernon Welles.
70 years is too long to have been in suspended animation in this particular story. He rescues you and gives you a special cocktail of his own making to help you stay alive. Will you help him get the materials he needs to go back and rescue the other travelers?
If that is at all possible in the game, that will be what I live and die for. All those people…just left to sleep in space. (sniff).
There’s a contact on the planet Halcyon who will help you.
Oops, smooshed.
Hmm I wonder if I was supposed to loot his body. Tsk.
Halcyon is a pretty place.
In a cave, you meet an injured young man who perkily promotes the platitudes of the company he works for between gasps of pain.
When I offer to go get help, he gives me his pistol and his saber. I took points in both ranged and melee fighting just in case. I tried the gun on the marauders down the path, but it seemed like you had to shoot them too many times to get them down. While you were doing that, his friend popped you. It also seemed that the sound of gunfire brought fire from somewhere above.
Reloading the game, I wielded the saber instead. Using sprint to run up on the two guys, I whacked them with ease. A bit grisly that their limbs went flying about the area, but, they’re not going to come crawling after me, are they? That saber must be sharp.
Speaking of having to reload, the next two NPCs I saw, I ran up on and hacked up as is my way. It turned turned out they were “friendly”. Reload! Brought em back to life, no angry factions after me now, la la la.
Apparently the Lieutenant wants to get a hold of Hawthorne’s ship (my flattened rescuer), but there are four Marauders patrolling in front of the ship, and she’d rather have a nap than deal with them. Zzzzzz.
My first plan of attack was to run up on them and whack whack. One even walked a bit away from the others. Somehow I failed to de-limb her, and she ran back towards the others, and Game Over. I haven’t seen that phrase pop up in ages.
It may take me a few tries and strategies to get these down. Maybe a combination of pistol and saber. They have some awareness of your approach, I don’t know quite what triggers that. No actual stealth skill so far.
I love the ship design and the shape of the buildings that you can see. Definitely in my rotation for August and beyond.
What a clever post title, you say, since this week I’m looking at my Steam Library Games Control and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Horizon Zero Dawn
This is a photo-realistic adventure game wherein you’re a hunter in a post apocalyptic society. You hunt robotic creatures (so far) called Striders (horse shaped) and Watchers (somewhat bird like, as in deadly ostrich) for their spare parts. You can also apparently hunt “real” animals for meat. I’ve gotten a little obsessed with the mechanical beasts though.
Your character is an Outcast from the Matriarchal (?) society in the area. Because of the crime of being “motherless”.
At the beginning there’s a Naming Ceremony. attended by kindly Rost and baby Aloy. Baby Aloy is adorable.
Unexexpectedly one of the Elders shows up and blesses the ceremony though she’s immediately gained the ire of her counterparts for it.
Rost, the guardian, teaches Aloy to hunt and how to survive. He seems caring, but child Aloy hates being unable to play with the other children, and wants very much to be told she’s loved. A bit resentful, one day she runs off after being scorned by the Mother’s Heart folks.
She ends up in a cave, which she explores, eventually finding a scanning device that she wears always afterward.
Rost tells Aloy of The Proving, a test she can take when she comes of age that could end her status as an Outcast. She spends years training with Rost, and then it’s time to test her skills.
Of course you’ll need to prepare for the Proving by gathering robotic parts for Fire Arrows. I super need to make myself a sheet of PC controls. All the in game directions for combat, eating and crafting are for a game controller. Not helpful.
This is my excuse for sneaking up on my prey, then whacking them with smooth melee moves of the type I learned way back when my only weapon was a wrench. System Shock and Half Life, I salute you. Haven’t died yet, needer, needer.
The Quest log is nicely complete. No vague “go the way of the moon in winter” directions here.
The map is very handy as well. I find I’m getting intense about finding the campfires which are your save points.
Flame Arrow parts gotten and crafted. Off to get a Tripcaster from a semi-friendly trader, practice with it a bit then meet Rost to enter the Proving.
Figure A Weasely Trader.
Likeable heroine, interesting world, controls are fine once I make my own list of them. Love sneaking around in the grass for some reason.
Control
The other game this week is Control. I meant to play Metro Exodus but it didn’t like my video card, wanted to use Safe Mode, which I didn’t do, then it solidly froze my PC. Poof! Uninstalled.
Control is a weird, paranoia filled shooter. I noted it is somehow tied to the Alan Wake story. I was very pleased then, to be able to stroll the dark spooky hallways of an innocuous but messy government type building without being afraid at all. Yay me.
You’re the new Director of the FBC, or Federal Bureau of Control. You see the previous one in a cutscene shoot himself. Oops.
As you make your way through the deserted building, there are a few notes and helpful signage.
The building is deserted until you hear a voice–singing? No problems, it’s only the obligatory Creepy Janitor. He directs you to the Director’s Office but, the Director is dead on the floor.
Hey, there’s a test! Use those jumping skills! You’ve got a great melee attack (again, my favorite). You have unlimited ammo! There’s a catch. Your gun shoots slowly (I thought) and it recharges slowly. If you’re shooting one guy, and have a little distance, the gun is an easy choice. Get multiples, and whack whack, hit em in the back 🙂
After passing the test, you make your way through the building again. This time guided by the Voice and the Shadow of, you guessed it, The Dead Director.
Don’t worry though, YOU are the new Director. Your picture is plastered all over the building!
If you’re the Director, why can’t you open this door? Look at the hallway just to the right. Earlier there were three sets of legs dangling down here, as if people had been hanged. Nope! Three guys dropped down. I feel the door should have opened for me right then. But no.
I want to report I’m still not scared. However, I do need to consider tactics. In the next room, a large office space with lots of desks, I had a challenge or two. In the picture below, note the legs hanging down, which I did not pay attention to, doh.
So, I go around the corner to the left. About halfway down the room a guy with a gun is shooting at me so I shoot back. Run out my ammo. Go to whack him. However, I’m killed myself instead because of the dangling legs guy dropping down. In the game I still didn’t notice it, and thought someone had come from the corridor to the right.
On re-load, I turn right to confront the guy but he’s not there. In the middle office with big glass windows you see straight ahead here, a guy pops up, guys pour in from the left. Things go badly.
Don’t worry, I am now completely prepared for the drop down guy, because working with these screenshots, I see him there.
When you die, there’s an annoying long load screen that I think is supposed be swirling blood (almost certainly yours). Here they give you little tips. Below you see they recommend Sprinting. So, I’m supposed to Sprint through the big Office to the left. I’ll be able to dodge bullets and grenades (mentioned in an earlier tip. FYI you should back up when you are aware a grenade has been thrown).
Sneakily intriguing. If I make it through the office area ahead, I’ve got the game bagged.
21 Screenshots in this post. IntPiPoMo Total is 61. Got it.
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