It’s the Freakin’ Weekend! So What Are You Playing?

Friday! Video games! Let’s talk!

For starters, I finished L.A. Noire! Woo! It’s the first Rockstar game I’ve finished since The Warriors released on PS2 way back when. Usually, their games don’t jive with me for whatever reason, but I got sucked into the seedy underbelly of crime and politics with this one.

Even all these years later, the facial animations are still some of the best in the business. I know that came at a huge expense, as L.A. Noire’s development was riddled with problems (I highly recommend watching Matt McMuscles video on the subject), but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still impressed. I wasn’t fond of the driving at all, though, and thankfully, 90% of the time you can have your partner take the wheel instead.

The story was definitely the highlight, with Cole Phelps rising through the ranks and taking on cases ranging from basic beat cop stuff to arson, VICE, and homicide, and all of the previously released paid DLC chapters are included. I was always engaged in the goings-on and really wanted more of it once the credits rolled. I know it’s a long shot, but hopefully, there’s some sort of continuation in the future.

With L.A. Noire done and dusted, I jumped at the chance to start up GreedFall as (likely) my final game of 2019. And the decade. Wow.

GreedFall reminds me so much of the Dragon Age games. You start off creating your character (male or female human named De Sardet) and accompanying your party animal cousin to an island where they’ll be taking over duties as governor. Along the way, you’ll meet the seafaring Nauts and a group of natives, who are just a couple of the game’s factions you’ll be siding with.

Here’s my De Sardet!

I’m currently 7 hours into GreedFall and opted to go the “swinging giant hammers and wearing heavy armor” route. I typically roll with magic users but seeing as how you’ll be pissing off factions and burning bridges (thus, shifting the story), I know this will be a game I’ll be revisiting in the future.

Although I went out of my comfort zone, in terms of combat, I did spend my talent points as usual — going the “silver tongue” route with charisma and dabbling in lockpicking. Every attribute point really counts too since you only unlock one every 4 or 5 levels. They can be the difference between being able to upgrade your gear, equip higher quality weapons, craft potions, or climb walls for shortcuts.

Another neat feature is the ability to sneak into faction-only zones by equipping appropriate chest pieces. One of the first quests I picked up tasked my De Sardet with smuggling crates onto a Naut ship. If I had picked up the ability to craft potions, I could have slipped something into their wine and had my run of the place while everyone slept. Science isn’t my bag, though, so I threw on a set of Naut sailor gear and waltzed in through the front door before fucking with the inventory manifest. It’s neat.

GreedFall seems to be a meaty game and I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface, but as a HUGE Dragon Age fan, it’s definitely scratching an itch that’s been around since Dragon Age Inquisition released.

What about you, folks? Any gaming plans this weekend?