Written by If this is your first time stopping by False Travels, then unto you I say “Hello!” Stay awhile, have a look around, get comfortable. Start a discussion on something if the urge strikes you. Thanks for coming, in any case. READ MORE »
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Avoid having your heart broken by Brink and future gaming disappointments
When was the last time you got your hopes up about one of your own false travels? Pick something; maybe it was a movie or a TV show. Perhaps a comic that you’d been anticipating, or a book that was finally being released after an absurdly long break in the series. Or, maybe, just maybe, it was a video game.
There’s my problem child right there. I’ve gotten my heart broken by more video games than I can remember, and if you’re anything more than a casual gamer, I’m sure you have, too. You know how the cycle goes, and it holds more or less true with pretty much any of the media mentioned above. In the name of focus, we’re going stick to video games today. Better people have written more words, many times about disappointment in those other fields.
Maybe you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up now, and if you’ve been here before, you might already see where I’m going with this. I’m talking of course about Brink, the most recent game to break my heart. And it is one hell of a break. I ate up the marketing material so voraciously for Brink that I’m still trying to get it out of my system. People tell me how un-fun the game is, and I find myself almost jumping to its defense before I realize that they are right.
The revolution that changed nothing
Maybe you weren’t following Brink, and didn’t have anything invested in it. Maybe you don’t know anything about the game. Briefly, I’ll summarize what went wrong. READ MORE »
Mondays Are Now the Day You Anticipate
Mondays are not for the weak of heart or dull of mind. They are trying at their best, and sheer torture at their worst. But now, now you have a reason to be excited about Mondays. Why? Because every second Monday, a new post will drop here on False Travels.
I’ve been distracted. First Portal 2 and then Brink have kept me occupied at any moment when I’m not at my day job or working on worldbuilding for my short story (not OP-97, something new and better). I’ve also been questioning the value of writing game and demo reviews when that market is so saturated at all talent and quality levels. Someone I respect in the industry recently indicated in 140 characters or less that the audience for this market was in analysis and reporting, not reviews. Frankly, the idea of reporting without some kind of training or schooling seems ill-advised to me, but analysis? Analysis is something I can do.
But enough about me. You want to know what you’re getting out of this deal. Well, the goal is that posting less often will allow for the generation of content that you actually want to read. The goal of any blog is to provoke conversation, provide insights, or teach you something you didn’t already know. My reviews, as fun as they are to write, aren’t accomplishing that goal.
I can hear it already. You’re saying, “But Ryan, I don’t have time to check in and not know which Monday you’re going to be posting.” That’s a fair argument, I don’t expect you to anxiously hit F5 for hours on end each Monday, only to close out the day broken-hearted when you realize that you were off by a week in your zeal for more False Travels goodness.
That’s why I’ve added a subscription button at the top of the site. Just click through and add me to your favorite RSS reader, and you’ll get new False Travels content delivered straight to your queue the moment I post it. And I promise, I won’t post anything that I don’t think is worth the time it takes to read.
Echo: Anomaly Battleground Earth Review by Ars Technica
I had planned to write an in-depth review of this game, but in the end, I find I’m having a lot more fun playing it than trying to write about it. That was my whole point, right? Have fun?
A few things that bear mentioning:
- The control scheme is a beautiful, beautiful thing. At no time are you required to remove your hand from the mouse.
- The production values here are more than equal to the $10 asking price. I have a thing for well executed menus, and this more than fits the bill.
- I played this game like I play my tower defense games: casually. Word around the interwebs is that this game is positively punishing on the higher difficulties.
On that note, go read a real review over at Ars Technica (if you haven’t already).
Click here to check out Ars Technica’s review of Anomaly Battleground Earth.
I have a new favorite game, and it saves me money.
Well, hopefully it’ll save me money in the long run…it cost me over $20k up front! What I’m referring to is the little dashboard MPG tracker that came in my recent vehicle purchase. I used to be a lead foot with a 3.0 liter V6, and I went through a full tank of gas in less than a week. The new critter is a 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder sipper, with that incredibly compelling MPG tracker. I just can’t bring myself to drive in a way that drains the little bar out, and I treat the running average MPG as a high score. I’m driving the speed limit more often, accelerating gradually, and maintaining better following distances to cut down on unnecessary slow down and subsequent acceleration. This is crazy good…I’m a better driver because of a “game” that is build into the dashboard of my car.
I’m not mentioning the make or model because this isn’t an ad, it’s an observation. Besides, if you follow me on Twitter (like all good False Travels readers should), you already know what I bought.