Tag Archives: video games

Resident Evil: Tangled Web — Evolution of an Idea

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My love of the written word is the one thing that rivals my love of video games. I have been reading and writing as far back as I can remember. While I have yet to get anything published, I have spent years honing my storytelling craft.

The majority of my writing has centered around fanfiction, which began when I wrote an extensive – but mediocre and nonsensical – series of stories based off the Nightmare on Elm Street films. I started these works of fiction just after the fifth movie was released and I made it up to part 21 before it fizzled.

My later stories, based off such mediums as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Transformers: Armada, and a lesser known horror film called Phantasm, improved my writing style by leaps and bounds. While I kept coming up with ideas – all-original stories I formulated or fanfiction based on film or TV franchises – I had neither the time or the motivation to put all those ideas on paper. What’s worse, I fell into a serious dry spell sometime between 2011 and 2014; a Transformers fanfiction piece called Sky Dancer I had been writing failed to get an ending as a result. That particular story is still begging for its last ten chapters.

Inspiration found me midway through 2014, but in a way that proved it can sometimes be a fickle creature. Sometime in August 2014, I joined a writing group called Deadwood Writers, and I started a story based off the Resident Evil game series. I had thought that being a part of this group would get me motivated to finish Sky Dancer, but it is possible I needed a change of pace after obsessing over my long-neglected story for several years.

I never intended to write a Resident Evil story despite being an avid fan of the video games. I didn’t have a plan when the idea for the Prologue came to me. I wrote the rough draft of my opening chapter for Tangled Web pretty quickly. I hadn’t even settled on a name for an original character who would serve as one of the leads and a romantic foil for Claire Redfield. I can’t recall why Elliott was the first name that popped into my head before I wrote it down at the end of the Prologue. I imagined I would change it at a later time. Nevertheless, it stuck.

A cover illustration I put together to go with the story. (photo credits at end)

The premise for Tangled Web was fairly straightforward – Claire had been abducted by Wesker, had been held captive for almost two years, and was having a baby when her brother finally found her. Much of the story is filling in what happened during those two years. But for the first few chapters, I was literally making up the narrative as I went along. This resulted in a few tangents that didn’t really have a place in the story. At one point, I planned for Claire’s cat to somehow mutate into a horrific monster. A friend advised me to keep it simple and get to the abduction scene as quick as possible, but a small part of the mutated feline setup still made its way into the story.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when I started to conceptualize the ending, but I gained more of a focus as I was writing the first act. Once I had figured out the basis of my climax, I had to go back and rewrite several of the early chapters. This led to the addition of a character known as RogueChild, a mysterious figure who sent Claire a vague email “warning” her of the upcoming kidnapping. I didn’t have a clear picture of RogueChild’s role in the story when I wrote the chapter where the character first appeared, let alone who RogueChild would turn out to be. Some of my early and downright ridiculous ideas were that RogueChild could be either Claire’s unborn child or Claire herself come back from the future. At one point, the character’s name was going to be The_Immortal_One instead of RogueChild.

When it came to the chapter where Wesker informs Claire she was exposed to a mutagenic virus, my initial idea was quite different. I had thought about having her be infected with the T-Veronica Virus even though I had seen that premise used in a number of other Resident Evil fanfictions. Inspiration struck again when I watched the anime film, Degeneration, and gave quite a lot of thought to it. It helped that I didn’t see any other works of fanfiction where someone was exposed to the G-Virus and immune to the negative effects. The idea of tackling an idea that had never been explored before was exciting and helped me figure out the exact direction to go with Tangled Web. A great portion of the storyline and the ending was built around this idea.

My next hurdle was hammering out exactly how Wesker would behave toward Claire and Elliott during their captivity. Before I determined the best way to spin it, the scene where Claire finds out she has rapid regeneration abilities played out quite differently:

Wesker stepped around the desk, tracing the surface with one gloved hand as he moved. Claire tensed at his approach. “I never would have dreamed that you, Chris’ little sister, would possess such a rare genome,” he said. “Unfortunately, studies of your DNA can only reveal so much. It doesn’t tell us if you reap any of the benefits of the virus. Specifically, rapid healing.”

Claire jerked spasmodically once Wesker’s words sank in. A protest was on her lips, but Wesker moved too fast. The combat knife that Jessica had been holding was in his hand, and he had Claire’s wrist in a viselike grip before the latter could even process it.

Elliott started to rise from his seat, but Raymond surged forward, forcing Elliott to stay put by pushing down on his shoulders. The blade was drawn swiftly across Claire’s outstretched arm in the same instant, eliciting a scream from her.

When Wesker released his hold on her wrist, Claire withdrew her arm, hot tears escaping her eyes. She pressed her other hand to the gash in an instinctive effort to staunch the blood flow. Elliott echoed the foremost thought on her mind. “You son of a bitch!” Elliott said. Claire looked over at her companion. Even though Raymond had let go of him, he didn’t seem inclined to get up.

Wesker passed the knife back to Jessica, who promptly sheathed it. He paid Elliott no heed, his gaze remaining on Claire. “My apologies for causing you harm, Miss Redfield,” Wesker said. If his voice hadn’t lacked inflection, she might have considered forgiving him. “But it was necessary. When you feel ready, allow us to see.”

Claire didn’t move her hand. “Go to hell,” she growled before she could stop herself.

Wesker’s hands half-curled into fists. “Do not test me, Miss Redfield. Your friend’s life depends on it.”

Claire closed her eyes. It took everything she had to calm herself. She slowly uncovered her wound, but couldn’t bring herself to look. The blood on her arm and hand was already feeling sticky and made her nauseous. The smug smile on Wesker’s face intensified the ill feeling.

Excella looked pleased as well. “Not even a scratch,” she said. “You are definitely going to be one of our best investments, dear.”

The above scene as initially written didn’t sit well with me. After several days, I determined that Claire would surely be broken if subjected to two years of this kind of torment. And Wesker’s actions contradicted something he stated in an earlier chapter. The revised scene set a far different tone for the story and was one I was much happier with:

Wesker stepped around the desk, tracing the surface with one gloved hand as he moved. Claire tensed at his approach. “I never would have dreamed that you, Chris’ little sister, would possess such a rare genome,” he said. “Unfortunately, studies of your DNA can only reveal so much. It doesn’t tell us if you reap any of the benefits of the virus. Specifically, rapid healing.”

Claire jerked spasmodically once Wesker’s words sank in. When she saw Jessica holding the knife out toward Wesker, Claire shook her head in a panic. “No!”

Elliott started to rise from his seat, but Raymond surged forward, forcing Elliott to stay put by pushing down on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Wesker cocked his head to one side, looking amused by his captives’ reactions. Though Wesker took the knife, he gave no indication that he would use it. “I thought you would know by now that I always keep my word, Miss Redfield. I stated in our initial meeting that I had no intention of physically harming you.” He rotated the knife so that the hilt was facing her. “I leave the choice in your hands. Just know that if you attempt to attack me or my colleagues, there will be serious consequences.” Wesker’s eyes flicked towards Elliott during this last statement to exemplify who would suffer the consequences.

Claire hesitantly took the knife. “And if I don’t heal immediately?” she asked.

“Then I shall see to it you get the necessary medical attention,” Wesker said smoothly.

Claire paused, wondering at the wisdom of playing with fire. “Will I still be useful to you, if this doesn’t go the way you hope?”

Wesker shifted his stance, looking almost bored. She had to wonder if he was being agreeable only to get her to comply. “I will consider sending you and Mr. Gregory back home if you lack any regenerative capabilities.”

Claire watched him in silence for several seconds before casting her gaze downward. She didn’t like the way he worded it, but even a slim chance was better than nothing.

“Claire, don’t,” Elliott said. She looked over at him briefly. Raymond’s grip on Elliott’s shoulders must have tightened; a wince crossed Elliott’s face.

“I have to,” she answered. Claire positioned the blade next to her forearm, her breath coming out in rapid puffs to prepare herself. Before she could lose her nerve, she drew the knife swiftly across her skin. The anticipation didn’t stop her from hissing in pain; seeing her blood welling from the gash made her nauseous. Don’t heal, she thought. Please don’t heal.

Against her will, the wound knitted itself together within seconds. Claire looked away, feeling sick when she realized Wesker was offering her a disinfectant wipe. “To wash away the blood,” he said as an explanation. The smug smile on his face intensified her ill feeling.

Excella looked pleased as well. “Not even a scratch,” she said. “You are definitely going to be one of our best investments, dear.”

As I continued to surge forward with Tangled Web, I began brainstorming the last eight to ten chapters. I eventually had the ending planned down to the last detail, save for one. The aspect that caused me trouble was related to how Wesker would be defeated at the end. I needed him to venture into the caves below his facility, but I couldn’t think of any logical reason why he would go there. Especially if his intent was to take Claire’s newborn child. I can’t go into detail without spoiling the climax of Tangled Web, but I came up with one wicked plot twist in October 2016 that would make the setup work.

If there is one thing I love about fiction stories, it is being surprised by something that you don’t see coming. Plot twists are my favorite thing to incorporate in my own writing. I have at least four or five in store for the final chapters of Tangled Web, all of which have been subtly hinted at throughout the narrative.

Though I have a clear vision of how the story plays out, I still have a good amount of deleted material for it – ranging from bits of dialogue that didn’t work to entire scenes that got cut. I have been saving the deleted material in a separate file, which is currently thirty pages. My plan is to share it with fans of the story once Tangled Web is completed.

I have also attempted to write a companion story to Tangled Web called Razor’s Edge, though I never made it past four chapters on that one. It would have addressed the same two years, but largely through the perspective of Claire’s older brother, Chris. Ironically, I have a detailed summary for how Razor’s Edge would have gone, but I couldn’t find time to work on both stories simultaneously. I haven’t decided whether I will continue writing the companion story or scrap it altogether.

I have one other thing planned. I would like to make Tangled Web the first book in a trilogy. I have some ideas on where to go with the potential sequels. There might even be a chance for Wesker and Claire to become an item. Even if the additional stories never pan out, I will still be happy with what I’ve written. Tangled Web has definitely been a challenge for me between writing a complex character like Wesker and having Claire and Elliott build a believable romance while being held prisoner. Even though one member of my writing group feels that I’m wasting my time writing fanfiction, I’m glad I was able to pull off this type of story.

 

photo credits:

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Irn3SpXXXXbCXFXXq6xXFXXXf/8-10-Month-hot-selling-font-b-Silicone-b-font-Fake-font-b-Pregnant-b-font.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aLunebGZhs4/hqdefault.jpg

https://t00.deviantart.net/9IiC3FV_m2i_U_nqDcywpt6Hh6Y=/fit-in/700×350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre00/fd03/th/pre/i/2015/247/2/b/re5_midnight_albert_wesker_by_captain_albertwesker-d47qypg.jpg

https://pre00.deviantart.net/1085/th/pre/f/2013/282/5/a/albert_wesker_and_jill_by_wolfshadow14081990-d6ptx87.jpg

http://nerdreactor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Wesker.jpg

https://www.colourbox.com/preview/2580450-with-web-clipping-mask.jpg

Life is Strange:  A Retrospective Review

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Warning:  There are spoilers in this article.

I believe I first became familiar with the 2015 video game, Life is Strange, when I saw a trailer several months before its release.  Though I tend to gravitate more toward third-person shooters, survival horror, or general action games, there was something about the story-driven time-travel mystery game that drew me in.  I was enchanted by Life is Strange right from the start.  From its haunting dream sequence opening, where a tornado is set to destroy the town of Arcadia Bay, to its engaging characters, it felt like I was watching a coming-of-age film that I controlled.

I liked the idea of assuming the role of a teenage photography student named Max who discovers she can rewind time.  She uses this ability to save the life of her childhood friend, Chloe – an act that ultimately has far-reaching and unforeseen consequences.  But more on that later.

One of the first mysteries introduced in the game revolves around the disappearance of high school student Rachel Amber.  This was a plot point that got me invested in the game and gave my imagination a workout on where the story would go.  Most of all, I was excited over the possibility of Max using her time-rewind powers to go back to the day Rachel vanished to discover the truth.

Life is Strange was released as an episodic game, where each chapter was made available throughout the calendar year.  The first installment did such a good job drawing me in that I anxiously awaited the subsequent chapters.  I was introduced to quite a few intriguing characters right off the bat.  This included bullying victim Kate, projectile-magnet Alyssa, and troubled rich kid Nathan.

Above all, it was Chloe that really intrigued me.  Though she initially comes across as a rough-around-the-edges punk with criminal tendencies, she is the character who I gradually grew to love the most.   The more I learned about the hardships she’d been through – from the loss of her father to her deep attachment to the absent Rachel to her antagonistic relationship with her step-father – the more I sympathized with her.

Life is Strange is a very layered video game, which is one of the things I like most about it.  It would seem that Max would have no sweat ensuring that everyone around her has a happy ending, but it gradually becomes apparent that she’s not able to save everyone.  It’s unclear why the universe grants her the ability to change the course of history.  But a good deal of evidence is presented over the course of the game that Max’s frequent use of her powers is upsetting the balance of nature.  Hence, the tornado that’s big enough to wipe out the town and potentially kill everyone in its path.

The final choice of Life is Strange is nothing short of heart-wrenching:  Let Arcadia Bay be destroyed or go back in time and let Chloe die the way she was initially meant to.  As attached as I’d gotten to Chloe by the time the end rolled around, I put myself in Max’s shoes and decided I couldn’t in good conscience sacrifice hundreds of people just for one girl I’d grown fond of.

In all honesty, this is the only video game I’ve played thus far that had me bawling like a baby at the end.  And I’ve played a lot of games in my lifetime.

My main disappointment was that the mystery of what happened to Rachel Amber felt like it was overshadowed by all the other dramas taking place within the game.  Given the extent that the plot revolves around her, I would have liked to see her in the flesh at some point in the story.  The revelation that she’d been killed sometime prior to the beginning of Life is Strange was even more of a letdown.

You might ask what inspired me to write this game review after so long.  News of a prequel game is what did it.  Hearing of a title called Life is Strange: Before the Storm that would go back in time and explore the friendship between Chloe and Rachel Amber definitely got me interested.

I look forward to seeing if the prequel game – set to be released August 31 — matches the emotional resonance of its predecessor.  It will be interesting to see how the story plays out without Max around to manipulate the time stream.  I strongly hope that the game lives up to its promise.

Time will tell – no pun intended.

My Top Ten Favorite YouTube Gamers

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Have you ever wanted to play a certain video game but didn’t have the time or motivation to go for it?  I know I have.  I found an answer to this dilemma with YouTube.  I started out by watching videos of entire games that I believed I would never play myself.  Gradually, I discovered enough likeable personalities, game vloggers, and highly creative YouTubers to compile a list.  I’d like to share with you my top ten favorite YouTube gamers.

10) RadBrad – RadBrad has the distinction of being one of the first gamers I discovered on YouTube, though I can’t recall what was the first game of which I saw him do a playthrough.  I thought him to be funny enough that I kept tuning back in to hear his commentary on a number of video games.  The one thing that keeps him from getting a higher spot on this list is that he doesn’t always finish the games he starts.  I suspect he makes a living playing video games based on how many videos he uploads on a weekly basis.  But I also imagine he doesn’t have enough time to see all these games through to the end.

9) Cloud8745 – When I took a video game design course in college, a classmate told me about one of the most sadistic games ever made – I Wanna Be the Guy – where just about every object in the game is designed to kill you.  Curiosity led me to look up the game online, which in turn led me to the YouTube videos of Cloud8745.  His unique commentary or rants on some of the game’s scenarios made me an instant fan of his.  Sadly, he has difficulty maintaining his own YouTube channel.  Many of the videos showcasing his gaming antics have been made available by fans of his.

8) Yeti112 – He is a YouTuber who has the distinction of making animated parodies of video games, particularly the Resident Evil series.  I’m not entirely sure how or when I stumbled across a video showcasing Yeti112’s work, but I found it highly entertaining and clever.  I especially love his ‘Resident Evil Stories’ series for their running gags and humorous situations.  While he doesn’t upload new videos that often, his work is unique enough that I get a kick out of it.

7) Jordan Underneath – I stumbled across Jordan Underneath due to our shared love of the Resident Evil series.  I was drawn to his honest critiques of the games and the monsters therein.  He can be counted on to give it to you straight instead of ranting or being preachy.  While I’ve enjoyed his videos pertaining to games he’s played, he has recently turned to making dark or surreal artistic videos instead.  I know he suffers from depression; though some of his recent videos have gotten me concerned about him, I’m glad to see he’s still going strong.

6) Dartigan – What makes Dartigan a unique YouTuber is that his videos consist primarily of him nitpicking the newest or most popular video games on the market.  Granted, I’ve seen other YouTubers who do the same thing, but I find Dartigan’s nitpicks more well thought out and humorous than most.  I routinely tune in to his channel to see whatever new game he’s scrutinizing.  One of my favorite video games to hear him pick apart would be Final Fantasy XIII.  I haven’t played this game myself, but it’s not necessary to understand most of the nitpicks.

5) Proton Jon & Superjeenius – If there’s one thing I love about watching gameplay videos on YouTube, it would be listening to the commentary of the player – the more humorous, the better.  Watching Proton Jon’s and Superjeenius’ playthrough of Resident Evil 5 is guaranteed to get me rolling on the floor laughing.  Whether it’s hearing Jon make a random reference to football – which a drinking game could easily be built around — or Superjeenius’ irrational fear of computer-generated spiders, I can always count on their videos to brighten my mood whenever I’m having a bad day.  For anyone who doesn’t want to see their run-through of the entire game, I would recommend checking out their top 20 best moments.  The one downside – this is the only co-op game I’ve seen them partner up on.  They play off each other so well that I wouldn’t mind seeing them team up for another video game.

4) ZackScottGames –  He is another active gamer whose commentary I enjoy, but I’m not sure which game led me to discover his channel.  I find ZackScottGames to be very personable and he has a laugh that I find infectious.  Though he gravitates more toward kid-oriented video games, he does occasionally work in a horror game.  My personal favorite videos are his highlights of Resident Evil: Revelations or Don’t Starve.  I also love that he ends each of his videos by introducing his two cats – one of which sadly passed away recently.  If you are looking for a fun YouTuber who can be counted on to provide a good laugh, he is definitely one to check out.

3) Jazzman1226 –  I don’t know if Jazzman1226 is a gamer per se, but he or she is a master of putting together musical tributes to video games or movies.  I love how this particular YouTuber edits together clips from the various Resident Evil games to match a particular song of his or her choosing.  Of all the fan-made music videos I’ve added to my personal YouTube playlist, the majority were created by Jazzman1226 (but shout-out to the runner-up, MrAlbertWesker0).  I look forward to whatever new tributes Jazzman1226 has in store, especially if they are on par with my particular faves of “Super Psycho Love,” “Something I Need,” “The Silence,” and “Unknown Soldier.”

2) Tipster – A prolific game vlogger I discovered just a month ago, Tipster earned a spot near the top of the list for the hot-off-the-presses news he provides about the gaming industry.  He is definitely a YouTuber worth checking out whether he’s relaying info about a new game console in the works or sharing his opinion of newly announced video games.  I don’t know of very many vloggers who are as active and comprehensive.

1) Radtv5150 (with Audemas) – As with the other game commentators who made the list, Radtv5150 is one to check out for a good laugh – especially when he does a co-op game with his buddy, Audemas.  What sets Rad’s videos apart from the rest is that he easily freaks out – in ways I find downright hysterical — when faced with video game creatures ranging from crocodiles to mutated monstrosities.  And Audemas will sometimes instigate a situation that gets his gaming partner, or both of them, killed.  What’s better is that Rad isn’t the best when it comes to aiming.  In his playthrough of Resident Evil 4, he even manages to miss a very large target with a rocket launcher.

The majority of unique personalities on this list can still provide a source of entertainment even if you’re not a gamer.  Whether you’d prefer exploring the creative artistry of Yeti112, Jordan Underneath, and Jazzman1226 or laughing at the comedy stylings of Proton Jon, Superjeenius, ZackScottGames, and Radtv5150, I would highly recommend checking out one or more of these channels.  I hope you found something on my list that appeals to you.

Resident Evil: Vendetta – Movie Review

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Warning:  There are spoilers in this article.

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me is aware I am a huge fan of the Resident Evil video game series.  The same cannot be said for the live action “adaptation” films starring Milla Jovovich.  Though they featured many of the same characters from the game series, it was in name only.  My main problem with the live action movies are their complete disregard for the established stories, conflicts, and character histories that make the games so resonant and fantastic.

I much prefer the anime films which are more closely tied to and expand on the game series.  I enjoy Degeneration (2008) and Damnation (2012) so much that I’ve made them part of my DVD library.  When I first heard news of a third animated film called Vendetta, it instantly was added to my list of movies to see.  And that was before I found out it would mark the return of a character – Rebecca Chambers – who hadn’t been seen since the first two chronological games in the series.

I was even more excited to find out I would be able to see Vendetta on the big screen.  I purchased a ticket ahead of time on the site, FathomEvents.com, for a one-night showing on June 19.  This was something I had never done before, but it is a site I may go back to since they also bring older films back to select theaters for special showings.

I was pleasantly surprised by the décor of the theater – AMC Livonia 20 — showing Vendetta.  It looked much nicer and neater than the one I usually frequent – Star Southfield.  The one thing I was even more surprised about was that there was even a bar serving alcoholic beverages on the premises.  I’ve never been to a theater that featured such a thing.

As an added bonus, the theater had airplane seats that were quite cozy.  It wasn’t long before I settled in and waited for the film to start.  I was the first one there, but the place gradually filled with at least twenty to thirty more people.  I even struck up a short conversation with one of the movie-goers, whose husband was a bigger fan of Resident Evil than she was.  We didn’t exchange names, but I did find out the latest entry in the game series terrified her.

What made Vendetta even more enjoyable was that a documentary was shown prior to the actual film that talked about the making of the movie.  It even had the three main voice actors sharing their thoughts about the film.

Though I had seen a YouTube video depicting the first nine minutes of Vendetta ahead of time, the theater had such a good sound system that it made the opening sequence very creepy.  There were parts that were so explosively loud that it raised the tension level, especially when preceded by a quiet moment.   The sound of a gun being fired was at such a volume that it seemed like it had leapt off the screen.

Clockwise from top left – Leon, Glenn Arias, Chris, Rebecca

 

Joining the ranks of the many villains in the series is Glenn Arias, a bad guy with a tragic backstory.  In an effort to take out the notorious arms dealer, the government launched an attack on Arias’ wedding day.  Though he survived, he lost many of the people he cared about, including his new bride.  In retaliation, Arias went from dealing in conventional weapons to bio-weapons.

While it’s unlikely that Arias knew how to manufacture a new virus to threaten and potentially destroy the world with, he is quite the formidable villain.  I thought he was very similar to the franchise’s biggest baddie, Albert Wesker, but without the superpowers.  Arias is still a fast and spry enough fighter to give experienced soldier Chris Redfield a run for his money.

The movie’s fights are spectacular, especially for an animated film.  The mix of motion capture and choreography churns out some of the most amazing battles I’ve seen.

However, there were also moments that seemed a bit over-the-top and unrealistic.  For instance, seeing government agent Leon Kennedy shoot and take down a creature while leaning off the side of a motorcycle he’s driving on the freeway can’t be physically possible.

I also loved the story and the character arcs.  Each of the main characters is given their moment to shine, especially university professor and biochemist Rebecca.  Not only does she break up an argument between Chris and Leon, but she also reminds both why they’re in the fight against bio-terrorism.

One thing I found a bit iffy is that Rebecca becomes the damsel in distress in the second half of the film.  Arias abducts and attempts to woo her because she bears a strong resemblance to the wife he lost.  The mere fact that he believes she’ll reciprocate demonstrates just how psychotic he is.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie – though I would have liked to know more about this new virus and how it worked.  Creating a strain that allows the host to differentiate between friend and foe rather than attack everyone in sight seems to be too complex for an arms dealer.  I’m inclined to think that Arias had help in this endeavor.

I look forward to more animated films in the future, especially if they match the caliber of Vendetta.  And it was good to find a new favorite movie theater in the process.

 

Photo credits:

Glenn Arias — https://images.nowloading.co/images/c_limit,q_auto:good,w_600/uvj7sycwjrjglfbsfrch/let-s-take-a-closer-look-at-the-player-characters-of-resident-evil-vendetta.jpg

Chris – http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/15337152_1833873270157948_2646422972209823744_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTQxMjYwMjk1NDc1ODcyMjY0NQ%3D%3D.2

Leon – http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/f/ff/Resident_Evil_Vendetta_05.jpg/600px-Resident_Evil_Vendetta_05.jpg

Rebecca — https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C5uGdP_xtxo/maxresdefault.jpg

First Experience with Mass Effect: Andromeda

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Note:  There are spoilers in this article.

 

Being an avid fan of the Mass Effect series, I had been looking forward to Mass Effect: Andromeda for what seems like forever.  Enough so that I couldn’t resist purchasing the Super Deluxe Edition to get twenty weeks of bonus content for the multiplayer side game.  As with Resident Evil 7 and Dead Rising 4, I was certain that Mass Effect:  Andromeda would not run on the computer I have.  Even more so in this case, since my PC is an i3 with only 6 GB of RAM and Andromeda required an i7 with 16 GB.

I still had to try, if only to cash in on the multiplayer content, but my PC became the Little Engine That Could.  I watched in awe as the game not only booted up, but actually ran without crashing.  I launched the multiplayer to collect whatever booster packs were available – I got an ultra-rare combatant and some nice weaponry in the process – before delving into the main game.  The picture is very grainy and there are a few minor bugs here and there, but nothing that really ruins the overall experience for me.

The story for Mass Effect: Andromeda is fairly simple.  You are playing as Sara or Scott Ryder, the default names given to a set of twins at the core of the story.  No matter which twin you choose as your character, the other still has a role to play.  You are part of an expedition to build a new home for humanity in a galaxy far removed from the Milky Way.  Such a task proves to be a challenge when it’s discovered that an unforeseen calamity has rendered all potential “golden worlds” uninhabitable.  It has also left the space station hub meant to be a waystation for colonists in dire straits.

To make matters worse for Scott or Sara, their twin is rendered comatose and their father, the expedition’s leader\Pathfinder, is killed at the end of the game’s first mission.  The task of finding planets to colonize and thus save thousands of people aboard the space station falls on the shoulders of Scott or Sara.


One of the things I love about Mass Effect: Andromeda is the character customization.  For my first outing, I picked the female Ryder twin, who I renamed as Claire.  The look I chose for her also determined the appearance of her brother and father.  The notion of having a non-playable character’s look be established by what is chosen for the main character is a feature I’d previously seen used in Fallout 4; I really dig the concept and hope to see it utilized in many more video games to come.

My character, Claire, and her father.

Though I had some idea of what to expect from having watched Youtube videos of the opening, I still felt like a out of my element at times.  The first thing that took some getting used to was jumping, particularly over long distances.  The game didn’t offer very clear instructions on how to leap over the more dangerous chasms on the first planet you explore.  I had to resort to trial and error and a lot of failed attempts before I made it across.

The next hurdle was in navigating the terrain.  I got turned around a number of times and was going in circles since there isn’t much deviation in the landscape.  The occasional fights I got into added to my confusion on which way I should be heading.  It’s a wonder that I even made it to a spot on the map where the story would advance.

It took me some time to get through the first mission, but all my roaming still yielded some discoveries about the planet I hadn’t seen in the Youtube videos.  Some landmarks I stumbled across got me inclined to think that this world will be revisited at a later point in the story.

Despite my eagerness to start exploring the next world to potentially colonize, I spent a good deal of time wandering around the space station hub – the Nexus – to talk to people and complete side quests.  After roughly two and a half hours spent “goofing off”, I finally ventured to the area of the Nexus where my character’s personal starship, the Tempest, could be found.  I might not have the best quality picture for the game, but I thought the ship looked beautiful when I first saw it.  In some ways, it looks nicer than the Normandy from the original Mass Effect trilogy.

The game crashed when I initiated a conversation with the Tempest’s pilot, but so far that’s been the only instance where it did.  There was no recurrence of this when I tried it again, so I gleefully surged ahead into the next part of the story.

Exploring the desert planet, Eos, came with its own set of challenges.  Soon after making my way to the planet’s surface, I uncovered a ground vehicle that could make it easier to get from one location to another – unless you’re like me.  As I’ve learned from many other video games that came before, I suck terribly at driving.  This largely led to me spending a half hour doing donuts around the derelict outpost where I found the vehicle or attempting to get up a very small hill with little success.  Part of the trouble associated with the latter was I couldn’t figure out how to shift from four-wheel to six-wheel drive.

After gaining access to and exploring an entire underground vault, I decided to shut down the game for the time being.  Mass Effect: Andromeda was set up so the game could be downloaded at the same time it was running.  I was disappointed when I saw the download, though near finished, had inexplicably halted.  I couldn’t figure out how to get it going again, so chose to cancel and restart it.  This turned out to be a mistake when the download started over from the very beginning.  I was unable to continue my saved game or access the multiplayer side game until it reached a certain point.  My internet connection isn’t the best, so it took two days to pick up where I left off.

As soon as I was able, I accessed the multiplayer game to participate in a few skirmishes.  I had no trouble joining a four-person team, but the load time to start the actual fight was unbelievably long.  After waiting several minutes to join in on the skirmish, I got a message saying my internet connection had been lost.  I subsequently tried a solo run.  While that one did launch after an excessive load time, I quickly got swarmed by the enemy units I was up against.  If that experience taught me anything, it’s to not stay in one spot for the entirety of the fight.

When I was able to resume the main game, I went about establishing a military outpost on Eos to serve as the first successful human colony in the Andromeda galaxy.  I then journeyed to another planet called Aya, where I met with the peaceful alien race, the Angara.  Sadly, this is where my fun came to a screeching halt.  After I recruited an Angaran team member, the game went into an infinite loading screen.  I thought if I gave it enough time, I would be able to carry on with whatever adventure came next.  After waiting nearly four and a half hours, I decided I would have to call it quits.  It appears I will need a new computer if I want to play out the rest of Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Until such time, I am determined to stay spoiler-free on what comes next in the story.  But the game has done such a good job setting up several mysteries with the antagonistic Kett alien race and the underground vaults built by an ancient species known as the Remnants that I will anxiously await the day where I get to see how the narrative plays out.   I can promise a continuation of my impressions of the game when that day comes.

©3/28/17