Author Archives: Dan Thurot
Escape from Chernarus!
Outside of our prison, Thomas and Pariah scavenge for weapons while I stand watch.
In the scenario Escape Chernarus for ARMA 2, the United States is planning a big old barbecue in Chernarus, and invites have been delivered to local insurgents via the usual special recon teams—one of which includes me (The Innocent) and Space-Biff! buddies Pariah and Thomas/Alikchi. Unfortunately, the dictator (or whatever) does not approve of the upcoming capitalist festivities, and has had us locked up. Escaping our prison should be no trouble, but the real question is: can we escape Chernarus? It’s 225 km² (the same map used in the Day Z mod), and we’ll have the entire Chernarussian Army harassing our every move.
The Incredible Plot of Alan Wake, Eps 1 through 3
Alan Wake, ancient-curse-solver extraordinaire.
I just finished playing through the first three episodes of Alan Wake by Remedy Entertainment, and I must tell you, it is so good. So good that I want to talk about the things it does really well, and the ways that it deconstructs the horror genre. I hope all you devs out there are listening, because from now on Alan Wake will basically be the definitive how-to when it comes to making horror games.
Day Z: Solving the Bandit Problem
Searching for food along the coast.
Last time I took a hike in Day Z, the hot new mod for ARMA 2: CO, I went looking for buddy Digital Pariah only to end up out of ammunition and trapped on a rooftop with a very agitated zombie. As it turns out, I was incredibly lucky to die of mastication/falling, as most rookies are killed by pesky bandits, who prey on the weak for their Makarov bullets and tins of beans.
So for my next outing, my goal was not only to avoid major populated areas (and thus, zombies), but to figure out some way to deter the bandits that stalk the shoreline of Chernarus. I think I’ve found a solution.
Warlock: Master of the Review
Warlock: Master of the Arcane, the new game from Paradox Interactive.
Gaze into that pic (gaze harder) and tell me it doesn’t look like Civilization V to you. Right, right—it doesn’t look like Civ V to you, but I’m sure you can see how everyone else might assume that Warlock: Master of the Arcane from Paradox Interactive is a mod-gone-commercial. Which is really doing it a disservice. Because even though Warlock looks like Civ V minus the culture and happiness mechanics and polish and broken tactical AI, Warlock has an abundance of soul. You know, the one resource that Civ V desperately lacked.
Day One in Day Z
My humble beginnings in Day Z.
When I came to, I was on the shore of Chernarus—225 square kilometers of zombies, bandits, and soviet architecture—and found that I’d lost all my gear, apart from a puny Makarov that I couldn’t remember carrying before becoming stranded, and a canteen of water, some bandages, and a tin of marginally-edible brown. This is Day Z, a mod in alpha for ARMA 2: Combined Operations, and in traditional zombie-narrative fashion, this is the story of how I died.
Chillin’ in the Pit
A wallpaper image for Avernum, courtesy of the game’s site.
I love a good surprise, which may be why I’ve been playing so much Avernum: Escape from the Pit, a remake of Avernum (1999), which was itself a remake of Exile: Escape from the Pit (1995). When I saw it available on Steam, I decided on a whim to see if Spiderweb Software’s brand of old-school goodness could take root in the thorny soil of my RPG-weary heart. I’m glad I took that gamble.
Find out why, after the jump (that was for you, wedge).
Sentinel Comics #135: Hero… to Zero!
Absolute Zero is decimated by Baron Blade’s first attack.
LAST TIME (SC #134) (you should read this before continuing), Absolute Zero of the Freedom Five was joined by the solar-powered Ra and the mysterious Haka to find and destroy Baron Blade’s Terralunar Impulsion Beam. The good Baron had the decency to establish his base camp amidst the ruins of Atlantis, off the coast of Madagascar, which made for pretty easy pickings for our unlikely squad of heroes. Unfortunately, the moment the Beam was deactivated (and the world saved, incidentally), Baron Blade himself showed up with one heck of a grudge. Already weakened by their attack on the Baron’s camp, our heroes sure are in dire straits, in…
Sentinel Comics #135: Hero… to Zero!
Sentinel Comics #134: The Blade of Atlantis
The Sentinels continue their fight against the enemies of the Multiverse!
LAST TIME (SC #133) Legacy had led the Freedom Five to finally uncover Baron Blade’s plot to use lost Atlantean technology to power his Terralunar Impulsion Beam. Unfortunately, this left four of the Freedom Five halfway around the world and unable to make it to Atlantis before the dastardly beam’s activation (loyal readers will recall that Tachyon’s super-speed had been temporarily lost along with her memories back in SC #124). With Visionary and the Inhuman Tempest lost in space and time thanks to Grand Warlord Voss (SC #130), and with Fanatic trapped in an alternate reality of Omnitron’s creation (SC #125), the task has fallen to Absolute Zero to lead a team of unlikely allies to save the world in…
Sentinel Comics #134: The Blade of Atlantis!
5 (More) Reasons for Running with Rifles
Army men, about one-eighth as fun as Running with Rifles.
Back in January, I talked a bit about my experiences with the still-unfinished Running with Rifles from Modulaatio Games. Three months later I’m still a faithful player—after all, it’s a rare game that elicits fond reminiscences of the social introversion of my youth.
These days, the game that’s helping me reconcile with my solitary memories is even better. For exactly five reasons. Let me clue you in, and in the process heal the lingering demons of your childhood.
Living at the End of the World: Lone Survivor
The happiest thing you're going to see this entire article.
I’m not the right person to talk about horror games, because deep down (this is a secret, so please don’t tell either of the people that are under the impression that I’m undiluted awesomesauce), I’m a weenie. I thought Doom 3 was really scary. System Shock 2? Never beat it. Amnesia: The Dark Descent? Played twenty minutes and had to take a shower. Terraria? Well, that floating eyeball boss is troubling.
I did, however, finish Lone Survivor from Superflat Games (which is Jasper Byrne). This was only possible because it’s the true awesomesauce. Let me tell you why.
SPACE-BIFF! 