Games diary

Am I the lucky one?

Having played Far Cry 5 with great fun I was really looking forward to this title.

The setting – a Caribbean island  with an evil dictator also seemed to be perfect for an FPS. 

The intro of the game is really promising. The graphics are captivating for a 2021 game and the dilemma of should I stay and fight or should I run to America is interesting.

But this is not a game where you can choose much. Yes you have the choice in the beginning to sail away and unlock the secret ending. But after that you are locked in the guerilla path.

The game is based on a fixed narrative that you advance by doing missions. It is the old formula that you conquer areas by doing missions and this formula seems tired as the legends of 69 in the game.

So I quickly got tired of the game and just played it to watch the brilliant cutscenes with Giancarlo Esposito who is excellent in the role of Antón Castillo.

Sadly the story does not contain a lot of surprises or twists. It is pretty much as you would expect the story to go. Some of the heroes die but you get the dictator in the end.

The game tries to project the dilemmas of a poor nation in an unjust world but I think it falls short.      

The game certainly has its moments and I recall having much fun with a flamethrower while listening to Bella Ciao. Generally I really enjoyed  the music score for this game and it was even better when the protagonist sang along.

As a FPS the game does a good job with fluid gunfights and an AI that is reasonably good – not too bright but not straight out stupid.

Far Cry 6 offers you tons to do and even have extra end game content. But for me it did not make sense and I think the game has too much content that does not make the game better. 

For me less is more and I would rather have played a smaller game where there was more effort made in making the main story more interesting and less repetitive.

Compared to Far Cry 5 I really miss the different dark endings and the surprise element that made me want to load the game and try a different ending. 

So after playing this game I don’t feel like the lucky one but hope the team behind the game will improve Far Cry 7 to be tre truly lucky one.

Screenshot from the game. All rights belongs to the publisher

Be the cowboy you always wanted?

This game was very hyped when it came out to Playstation 4 in 2018. The timing seemed right on spot following the success from the TV series Westworld which came out in 2016.

Just as we in 2024 see a big Fallout hype after the series on Prime.

But Red Dead Redemption is not Westworld the game. I remember the first critics called it a horse simulator. And yes you do ride a lot on your horse especially in the beginning of the game where you have not unlocked fast travel points.

Your life is also far less action packed desperado than you might have imagined. Instead you get a game about a gang of criminals that are marginalized and do not fit in modern america.

I will say the game is depressing but I mean it in a good way. The atmosphere and story touches me and I feel emotions that I rarely feel when playing computer games. Usually you are a hero in games, maybe even a person you would aspire to be like for instance Indy. Nobody wants to be this cowboy, you are more a human than a hero that tries to make amends before it is too late.

The graphics in the game are stunning even in 2024 and I enjoyed the long horseback rides in the beautiful wild west sceneries and the atmospheric cities I rode into.

This game requires patience but it will reward you with a rich tragic story and meaningful side quests. I feel the game is less repetitive than other games in this genre. You could easily spend 60 hours + exploring the entire map and do all side quests.

I stuck to the main story and enjoyed most of it. Don’t expect to have choices that affect the story. This is not that type of game. You are in for the ride for better or worse – mostly worse.

The combat system is ok but a bit clunky just like in the Witcher. The gunfights are engaging and I found aimeing ok on a PC but I would not want to play this game on a console.    

The game does not end where I think it should at the dramatic peak. Instead there is an extra chapter where you work as a farm hand. I think you should have been a totally separate story after the credits. I like those credits in games. They give a game with a story the closure we as players need as a token of accomplishment  and the possibility to move on.  

I tried to move on to Read Dead Redemption Online but I quickly quit the game because matchmaking was so bad. You basically lose your mission if your teammates quit and anyone who has played online games with random people knows that is exactly what happens all the time.

So the online part is in my opinion only playable if you play with friends.

But the solo part is the gem of this game and I enjoyed being the cowboy I never wanted to be.

The third installment in the successful reboot of the franchise.

I have played both Assassins Creed Origins and Odyssey and spent over 150 hours with these games.

So of course I looked forward to playing the third title and as a Nordic person I was delighted that it was set in the Viking age.  

As with Odyssey you get to choose between a male and female protagonist and your story starts with the destruction of your family. 

I found the story in Odyssey more interesting but the story in Valhalla still wanted me to get revenge and kill the perpetrators.

You start the game in Norway but the scenery quickly changes to England where you have to establish a settlement and gain allies.

The game follows the well known recipe where you do quests to conquer an area. In Valhalla the quests are organized in arcs  that typically lead to an shire being allied to you. 

You can then use these allies in later quests.

The game looks and feels stunning. The landscapes are gorgeous and you find yourself pausing for moments to enjoy a viewpoint. The different shires vary in climate and landscape so the games feel less repetitive than the previous ones.   

The game has a lot more content than the previous games had. Outside the main story you can go raiding to gain treasures , travel to Asgard in dreams and experience Nordic mythology firsthand, travel to Niflheim and bring back the dead.

So there should be something for everybody but personally I think the game has too much content. Of Course you can skip the parts that do not appeal to you and complete the main story in about 40 hours.