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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Dishonored 2 in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
In a tale of revenge that would be worthy of Shakespeare, Dishonored 2 has arrived and is one of the best games of 2016.
Players have the option to play as Corvo or his daughter Emily, and each has their own unique abilities that will come in handy as the game is loaded with challenges.
Once a player has selected the persona they wish to play as, they will be forced to make a daring escape after a faction brutally seizes power and forces the player to exact no small measure of revenge as they strive to restore order in the kingdom.
Like the previous game in the series, players will have a very open and detailed world to explore and will have multiple options for combat, problem solving, and exploration. There are numerous things to explore and players will have the option to take a more stealth approach and avoid combat, or come in guns blazing. They will also have the option to help locales such as giving coins to a bagger, and so on.
There are numerous notes and journals as well along the way which allow the player a greater awareness of the world in which they are in as well as the overall story and the characters within them.
I am a more run and gun style player so the stealth gameplay that is at times needed took some getting used to, but once I was in the third chapter of the game, I was deeply engaged and found myself adapting to the demanding challenges that the game presented at times.
Ammunition such as bullets, crossbow bolts, and such are in short supply, so using your blade in hit and run tactics is the best bet, but at times when you must engage multiple enemies, being crafty pays off.
I loved to call up a swarm of rats using one of my abilities that players are able to select and modify as they find artifacts in game. Watching from a distance while the swarm decimates a pack of enemies and then swinging in for the kill was great fun.
However with various traps and enemies, this was not always practical. I found one area that was loaded with dangerous enemies and with no ammunition and only my blade; several futile attempts resulted in my demise time and again.
In a feat of inspiration, I remembered a Whale Oil dispenser at the earlier stage of the level so I backtracked and obtained a container which I then filled with oil and used as a highly explosive projectile by throwing this into masses of enemies. I repeated this tactic four or five times, saving the game after each run and was able to successfully clear away the hostiles.
Once inside the building my tactics had to change again as there was much danger lurking in the dark halls.
Dishonored 2 was a very enjoyable and challenging game with deeply engrossing story. I really enjoyed the brutal combat as well as the ability to find multiple solutions to the challenges the game presented. Graphically the game is solid but not cutting edge, but thanks to the great story and setting, you should not mind this or the at times monotone voice work of the game.
The game offers two free DLC modes to date for players who complete the game and with the ability to have new abilities playing as a different character, there is great replay value.
In the end, Dishonored 2 is a real bright spot and as such, is easily a game of the year candidate as it is some of the best gameplay of 2016 or any other year and is not to be missed.
http://sknr.net/2016/12/22/85969/
Players have the option to play as Corvo or his daughter Emily, and each has their own unique abilities that will come in handy as the game is loaded with challenges.
Once a player has selected the persona they wish to play as, they will be forced to make a daring escape after a faction brutally seizes power and forces the player to exact no small measure of revenge as they strive to restore order in the kingdom.
Like the previous game in the series, players will have a very open and detailed world to explore and will have multiple options for combat, problem solving, and exploration. There are numerous things to explore and players will have the option to take a more stealth approach and avoid combat, or come in guns blazing. They will also have the option to help locales such as giving coins to a bagger, and so on.
There are numerous notes and journals as well along the way which allow the player a greater awareness of the world in which they are in as well as the overall story and the characters within them.
I am a more run and gun style player so the stealth gameplay that is at times needed took some getting used to, but once I was in the third chapter of the game, I was deeply engaged and found myself adapting to the demanding challenges that the game presented at times.
Ammunition such as bullets, crossbow bolts, and such are in short supply, so using your blade in hit and run tactics is the best bet, but at times when you must engage multiple enemies, being crafty pays off.
I loved to call up a swarm of rats using one of my abilities that players are able to select and modify as they find artifacts in game. Watching from a distance while the swarm decimates a pack of enemies and then swinging in for the kill was great fun.
However with various traps and enemies, this was not always practical. I found one area that was loaded with dangerous enemies and with no ammunition and only my blade; several futile attempts resulted in my demise time and again.
In a feat of inspiration, I remembered a Whale Oil dispenser at the earlier stage of the level so I backtracked and obtained a container which I then filled with oil and used as a highly explosive projectile by throwing this into masses of enemies. I repeated this tactic four or five times, saving the game after each run and was able to successfully clear away the hostiles.
Once inside the building my tactics had to change again as there was much danger lurking in the dark halls.
Dishonored 2 was a very enjoyable and challenging game with deeply engrossing story. I really enjoyed the brutal combat as well as the ability to find multiple solutions to the challenges the game presented. Graphically the game is solid but not cutting edge, but thanks to the great story and setting, you should not mind this or the at times monotone voice work of the game.
The game offers two free DLC modes to date for players who complete the game and with the ability to have new abilities playing as a different character, there is great replay value.
In the end, Dishonored 2 is a real bright spot and as such, is easily a game of the year candidate as it is some of the best gameplay of 2016 or any other year and is not to be missed.
http://sknr.net/2016/12/22/85969/
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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Abyss in Tabletop Games
Aug 5, 2021
I am not a great swimmer. For several years of my life I would avoid water at all costs. I have since grown to love it, but would still freak out a bit if a crab came towards me. I’m kind of a baby like that. I do so love underwater scenes and the wildlife, so I was bound to enjoy Abyss. Throw in some of the most amazing artwork in all of gaming and you have a hit, right?
Abyss is a push your luck, set collection, hand management, fantasy card drafting game for two to four players. In it players are attempting to gain the most Influence Points to rule the underwater kingdom by recruiting allies and Lords, and controlling locations. The game ends once a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled.
To setup, lay out the board, shuffle the Exploration cards (starfish backs) and place in the upper left corner. Shuffle the Lord cards (trident backs) and place the deck in the lower left corner. Reveal Lords to each of the spaces drawn to the right of the deck. This is the Court. Shuffle the Monster tokens and place in a messy pile near the board. Next to these place all the Key tokens. Display the Threat Tracker board with the Threat token on the first space. Shuffle the Location tiles into a stack and reveal the first one. Give each player a pearl in a shell cup and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will follow the basic structure of Plotting at Court (by spending pearls to reveal more Lords), Taking One Action (by Exploring the Depths, Requesting Support from the Council, or Recruiting a Lord), and Controlling a Location.
Plotting at Court is simply paying pearls to reveal more Lords at Court.
The action choices begin with Exploring the Depths. This is the push your luck portion of the game where players will reveal cards from the top of the Exploration deck one by one, offer the card to their opponents for purchase (payable to the active player in pearls), and then deciding to continue or take into hand. These cards include members of five allied races of underwater species numbered in strength from one to five and monsters. Fighting monsters is an auto-win and the spoils are what is reflected on the Threat Tracker. If players decide to pass, they will move the Threat token down by one level and improve the treasure won when destroying a monster. Any allies that are undrafted will be sorted by family and placed on the appropriate space on the board.
To Request Support from the Council players will take the entire stack from one family on the board. Again, these are made up of the cards that were undrafted from previous Exploring the Depths actions.
Finally, Recruiting a Lord players will be spending their Exploration cards to combine strength values and family types to appease the Lords they wish to recruit. Players will analyze the strength needed on the bottom left of the Lord card along with the number and color of bubbles above the strength number to determine from which families cards will need to be paid. Lords will have special powers that can be used throughout the game until you use them to Control Locations.
Lords and monster tokens afford players keys, and once players accumulate three keys they MUST Control a Location. To Control a Location players will draft a face-up Location tile or draw one to four tiles and draft one of them. Also, players will sacrifice their Lords (and their special powers) to, well, lord over Locations as super powerful property managers. This is done by covering up the special Lord powers with the Location tiles.
Play continues in this fashion of quick turns until a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled during a Plot at Court action.
Components. As I mentioned in my open, Abyss boasts some of the most magnificent art ever to grace a board game. The aesthetic coupled with the theme makes for a gorgeous game on the table. The cardboard is all good quality and thick, the cards are good quality as well. The black plastic shells and pearls they hold are so nice to play with and I find myself rolling those pearls as fast as I can within the shells and inevitably spilling them everywhere.
The game play is also quite solid. I like drafting games quite a bit and this delivers a lot of drafting in different locations. You draft Exploration cards and Location tiles to beef up your mini empire. Using the Lords as special power cards but having to cover them up to help control a Location is a clever mechanic and helps with any sort of runaway leader issue. I did not touch on a couple rules because they can be a little confusing to new players (ie the affiliation of allies), but even new gamers can appreciate what Abyss does and how beautifully it accomplishes its task.
I cannot overstate how gorgeous this game is and how much I enjoy being able to pull it off the shelf and set it up to people who have never seen it. I mean, even just the box cover, which is a giant face and no text, is very impressive and helps set the tone for the dark but interesting experiences held within. Purple Phoenix Games gives Abyss a boding 14 / 18. Pick it up, post a picture of which box cover you received, and tag us in the post so we can compare.
Abyss is a push your luck, set collection, hand management, fantasy card drafting game for two to four players. In it players are attempting to gain the most Influence Points to rule the underwater kingdom by recruiting allies and Lords, and controlling locations. The game ends once a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled.
To setup, lay out the board, shuffle the Exploration cards (starfish backs) and place in the upper left corner. Shuffle the Lord cards (trident backs) and place the deck in the lower left corner. Reveal Lords to each of the spaces drawn to the right of the deck. This is the Court. Shuffle the Monster tokens and place in a messy pile near the board. Next to these place all the Key tokens. Display the Threat Tracker board with the Threat token on the first space. Shuffle the Location tiles into a stack and reveal the first one. Give each player a pearl in a shell cup and the game is ready to begin!
On a player’s turn they will follow the basic structure of Plotting at Court (by spending pearls to reveal more Lords), Taking One Action (by Exploring the Depths, Requesting Support from the Council, or Recruiting a Lord), and Controlling a Location.
Plotting at Court is simply paying pearls to reveal more Lords at Court.
The action choices begin with Exploring the Depths. This is the push your luck portion of the game where players will reveal cards from the top of the Exploration deck one by one, offer the card to their opponents for purchase (payable to the active player in pearls), and then deciding to continue or take into hand. These cards include members of five allied races of underwater species numbered in strength from one to five and monsters. Fighting monsters is an auto-win and the spoils are what is reflected on the Threat Tracker. If players decide to pass, they will move the Threat token down by one level and improve the treasure won when destroying a monster. Any allies that are undrafted will be sorted by family and placed on the appropriate space on the board.
To Request Support from the Council players will take the entire stack from one family on the board. Again, these are made up of the cards that were undrafted from previous Exploring the Depths actions.
Finally, Recruiting a Lord players will be spending their Exploration cards to combine strength values and family types to appease the Lords they wish to recruit. Players will analyze the strength needed on the bottom left of the Lord card along with the number and color of bubbles above the strength number to determine from which families cards will need to be paid. Lords will have special powers that can be used throughout the game until you use them to Control Locations.
Lords and monster tokens afford players keys, and once players accumulate three keys they MUST Control a Location. To Control a Location players will draft a face-up Location tile or draw one to four tiles and draft one of them. Also, players will sacrifice their Lords (and their special powers) to, well, lord over Locations as super powerful property managers. This is done by covering up the special Lord powers with the Location tiles.
Play continues in this fashion of quick turns until a player recruits their seventh Lord or if the Lords cards run out before the Court can be refilled during a Plot at Court action.
Components. As I mentioned in my open, Abyss boasts some of the most magnificent art ever to grace a board game. The aesthetic coupled with the theme makes for a gorgeous game on the table. The cardboard is all good quality and thick, the cards are good quality as well. The black plastic shells and pearls they hold are so nice to play with and I find myself rolling those pearls as fast as I can within the shells and inevitably spilling them everywhere.
The game play is also quite solid. I like drafting games quite a bit and this delivers a lot of drafting in different locations. You draft Exploration cards and Location tiles to beef up your mini empire. Using the Lords as special power cards but having to cover them up to help control a Location is a clever mechanic and helps with any sort of runaway leader issue. I did not touch on a couple rules because they can be a little confusing to new players (ie the affiliation of allies), but even new gamers can appreciate what Abyss does and how beautifully it accomplishes its task.
I cannot overstate how gorgeous this game is and how much I enjoy being able to pull it off the shelf and set it up to people who have never seen it. I mean, even just the box cover, which is a giant face and no text, is very impressive and helps set the tone for the dark but interesting experiences held within. Purple Phoenix Games gives Abyss a boding 14 / 18. Pick it up, post a picture of which box cover you received, and tag us in the post so we can compare.
