Steam Game

Frostpunk

stargrace August 31, 2018 No Comments

I bought this game on the day it came out, but in full disclosure I ended up returning it that same day for a refund from steam. It wasn’t that the game was too difficult (one of the complaints I saw frequently) but that everything was so scripted.

Initially Frostpunk reminded me of RimWorld, where you’re on an isolated planet and you need to keep a group of people alive and perhaps rescue others you find along the way. Survival is key. You need to find food, shelter, and all the other necessities of life. There are also some creative aspects to this game that I really enjoyed a lot, including the law system. You have to make some pretty difficult choices like whether to employ children or how healthcare is going to work.

Unfortunately none of those aspects were enough to get me to keep playing after the second mission. It just felt incredibly scripted, and once I figured out what it was that I needed in order to sustain the initial survival of my people, I just kept playing the exact same way.

I think games like RimWorld have spoiled me, where there are so many mods you can basically play any way you want and every time you play there is a completely different outcome. Just because the game wasn’t for me doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give it a look though, it might surprise you.

Plus it really is a pretty game. The atmospheric music and initial story really captured me, even if it wasn’t sustained.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Two Point Hospital

stargrace August 30, 2018 1 Comment

I’ve been waiting for this game to release for most of the year – and today was the day. It’s finally out. A $40 CAD price tag means it’s not the cheapest of games, but I was such a fan of Theme Hospital (which this game is of course crafted after) that I knew it would be a day one purchase. Thankfully there were some discounts floating around, so I still at least didn’t have to pay full price.

If you’ve ever played Theme Hospital before you’ll be very familiar with this game. You set up a hospital, cure patients, and design rooms. Some of the new features are what make this game so fun for me, though. There are challenges which you can issue to friends on your steam list who have also purchased the game. You earn points to unlock different furniture options, and you get to play through a few scenario that teach you how everything is done.

Needless to say, I’m hooked. The humor, the graphics, everything appeals to me. If you’re looking for steam friends to challenge feel free to add me, you can find me as Stargrace. My hours (of course) are wonky, but I’m usually around off and on through the early mornings (4am) and day.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Jurassic World Evolution

stargrace June 12, 2018 No Comments

I’m pretty sure I had heard of Jurassic World Evolution before, but with so many games releasing daily, not to mention that it’s E3 and there are new videos / presentations / other happenings going on, it seemed to have slipped my mind. A friend graciously gifted it to me yesterday, just in time for release today. Since my little was up at 4am (which of course means I was up) at around 5:30 I was able to download the game and install it, jumping right into the theme park.

I read a few reviews that brought up some legitimate concerns like the fact that you can’t play in sandbox mode until you’re further in the base (tutorial, basically) game, and you need to complete the missions in order to unlock objects to use in your theme park. For a game that was designed by the same folks who created Planet Coaster, you may find it lacking in a lot of areas – but that shouldn’t hamper your enjoyment, it’s one of those “stop comparing it to every other game” moments.

I started out learning about bioengineering dinosaurs, and then decided to work on the security of the park. I created Berta, a fairly docile herbivore. Spent some money to add some research into genomes, sent a team out to examine fossils, and then with their discovery created George. Another herbivore. I’m not ready to get into the meat eating (people eating??) ones yet.

I placed some food for them where tourists could easily watch so that my park rating goes up (who wants to go to a park to see dinosaurs if you never get to SEE dinosaurs) and did a practice escape run by letting George out of his pen. A helicopter came and tranquilized the creature then air lifted him back to his (now) secure home. Easy peasy. I imagine things ramp up in difficulty as you progress through the game, but for now it’s fairly straight forward and I’m OK with that.

The game is also just plain beautiful, something I appreciate. I’m sure when things get really hectic (like a meat eating dinosaur is on the loose going after my tourists) I’ll sing a different tune, but for now it’s quite a relaxing and tranquil place to hang out.

There’s not a lot of park customization available (absolutely nothing like planet coaster), but so far that hasn’t really bugged me. Maybe when I’m further along. There’s a lot of research to do, dinosaurs to discover, gnomes to study. There are three paths (which are not really that different at all) of research to progress down and various things to unlock with each. You’re also in charge of 5 islands, each with their own finance and budget to look after. Unfortunately many players are commenting that the game seems to lack ‘stuff’ and you may find it quite repetitive after a bit. I also think the price tag ($62 CAD) way too steep for what the game offers at this time.

With all that said, I’m happy to be creating dinos and content to watch them romp through my park, eating trees and hopefully not tourists. For now, at least.