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    Roger's Mushrooms (Lite)

    Roger's Mushrooms (Lite)

    Reference and Education

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    NOTE: THIS IS THE 'LITE' VERSION OF ROGER’S MUSHROOMS. IT OFFERS THE SAME FUNCTIONALITY AS THE PRO...

    KORG Gadget

    KORG Gadget

    Music and Entertainment

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    App

    The ultimate mobile instruments collection on your iPad, iPad Pro and iPhone. KORG Gadget - the...

    Super Why! Phonics Fair

    Super Why! Phonics Fair

    Education and Games

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    App

    Parents' Choice Award Winner! No in-app purchases - all 60 word families are immediately available...

    Super Why! Power to Read

    Super Why! Power to Read

    Education and Games

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    App

    UPDATE: Parents’ Choice Award-winning Super Why app now has 50% MORE CONTENT featuring new stories...

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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Mass Effect Trilogy in Video Games

Jul 25, 2017  
Mass Effect Trilogy
Mass Effect Trilogy
2012 | Action, Role-Playing
6
8.3 (8 Ratings)
Video Game Rating
An Example Of Why Dialogue Options In Video Games Are More Trouble Than They Are Worth
The first Mass Effect game was released 10 years ago this year and it pioneered many RPG mechanics that are still being used in RPG’s today. Like any pioneer, it spawned many clones that tried to emulate the cover based shooting mechanics that the game used, the romance situations that took place between the characters and the infamous dialogue options that the player could choose from during conversation cutscenes.

Mass Effect wasn’t the first game to do it, there are plenty of earlier examples of the mechanic being used before in games, such as the Fallout series. Bioware actually included the mechanic themselves in their earlier game in Knights Of The Old Republic, but its inclusion Mass Effect is what brought it to the mainstream and soon every developer was wanting a piece of the dialogue tree pie.

I never owned the original Mass Effect, the most exposure I got of it was through a few mates that owned the game at the time, but eventually the mechanic did end up creeping into games that I did own including; Alpha Protocall, Deus Ex, any Telltale game, The Amazing Spiderman 2, (for some reason,) and even in Uncharted 4.

As much as I enjoy a good ‘choose your own adventure,’ story and as much as I appreciate the trust that developers put in gamers to be able to tell their own story; whether that be through dialogue options, moral choices or customization options, I want you to tell me your story. I didn’t pay 50 quid to get given a setting and a bunch of characters to tell my own story. You guys get paid to craft amazingly immersive works of fiction, so do your job and suck me in. Whenever I’m playing a game with dialogue options and I am starting to get invested in the story and the characters, the inevitable dialogue tree pops up and takes me right out of the experience.

Sure, there are some movies that I watch and wonder why a writer or a director made a certain creative choice, but even if I don’t agree with the decision, it is the creator’s job to make those tough choices and that is what makes great art. One of my favorite movies of the last decade is Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Drive’ and that is purely because of the creative choices that the cast and crew made on that movie. I know people that hate Drive and I’m sure if given the option they would change it to be a less daring, more cookie cutter action thriller, but that wouldn’t have earned my respect like it has. Sometimes creators need to stop handholding the audience and make a tough call, even if it could potentially be a polarizing one.

In fact, when I think about it, all of my favorite stories are adored so much because of the definitive, drastic calls that they dare to make. I already spoke about Drive, Fight Club’s twist took some balls to pull off, the ambitious non linear storytelling of Pulp Fiction makes it iconic, Breaking Bad was consistently shocking and yet brilliant, MGS is insanely unconventional and I love it for it and The Last Of Us delivers a divisive finishing blow that we have no choice but to partake in.

That is how you tell a great story and that is how you stand out as a creator, by doing something that no one else could do, especially not your audience. When I come home after a long day at work, I don’t want to do much thinking. I want to relax and be told a story by the folks that are best at doing so. Personally, I think that you should believe in the story you are telling enough to make a definitive decision and if you don’t, is it really a story that’s worth telling?
  
    Evolve Basketball

    Evolve Basketball

    Sports and Social Networking

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    App

    Evolve Basketball App is an all in one basketball training app. It is a complete tool that allows a...

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Jason James (3 KP) rated Founders of Gloomhaven in Tabletop Games

Apr 4, 2019  
Founders of Gloomhaven
Founders of Gloomhaven
2018 | City Building, Economic, Fantasy
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Tabletop Game Rating
Founders of Gloomhaven is a 1 to 4 player cooperative/competitive game. In short, players must work to build the city of Gloomhaven. The game provides a two-sided board and depending on which side you choose it slightly changes how the game is played. All players choose a character race and any additional resource cards. This determines which resources the players will automatically own during the game. However, other players will have the opportunity to buy access to resources they do not own. This is vital when building "upgraded" buildings. Each player starts with the same five cards (six cards in a two-player game). Players will have a chance to acquire new card by recruiting advisers, which are upgraded versions of the base cards. Play begins with a player laying down a card they wish to play. They follow the instructions on the top of the card, and then each other player will have a chance to follow the instructions laid out on the bottom of the card. Card actions can always be switched out with a set of basic actions (collect one gold or influence, build a road, or place a worker). If a player chooses (or is forced) to play a "Call to Vote" card, they collect one gold or influence, or build one road for each of the remaining cards in their hand. They reset all of their workers and collect their discard pile. All other players have a chance to collect gold based on the number of resources they own. Then all players vote for which prestige building they want to be built. All players reveal their choice token along with any influence they wish to spend. The player with the most votes gets to place the building anywhere on the map. Points are scored by connecting upgraded buildings to resources you own but is slightly more difficult with the games unique "trickle down" scoring system. This means that some points may have to be shared with players who own base the resources or other upgraded building needed to build the building that was just placed.
Overall this game is for people who enjoy other similar games like Catan or Ticket to Ride. Players must adjust to the fact that roads are public tiles that can connect any players resources to buildings. The game is high statistical and players must be able to make decisions that may result in other players gaining points. I would give the game an 8/10 as it brings a fresh feel to city-building board games! If you have any questions or have any comments on my review please feel free to message me.

Thanks!