Edmund Blackadder once told the Queen:”Life without you is like a broken pencil – point-less.” Even though the team at Power Up Gaming respect Her Majesty immensely, we can’t deny that it’s the Video Game Lords who rule above all us commoners – and we can’t live without the Video Game Lords; they know how to push our buttons while we push theirs in return. Here is what we’ve sacrificed for our global leaders this past week.
Hayden Waugh
I have continuously been chipping away at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Geralt has reached a ‘point of no return’, of sorts, where finding Ciri has become a serious possibility. This has caused me to backtrack on some of my unfinished secondary quests that may have otherwise ceased to exist if Ciri’s main story mission had been completed.
So, I’ve since managed to win a high-stakes Gwent tournament in Novigrad, assist an acquaintance, Djikstra, with some morally questionable tasks and craft my first complete set of Witcher Gear – from the School of the Griffin.
The Banner Saga has also kept me occupied this past week. Like most grid-based strategy games, the combat is light but the tactics are a standout part of the gameplay. You play the role of a variety of characters who are on the run from a dark and powerful enemy known as the Dredge. The nuances of damage output, strength and ability effectiveness take a while to click and your five party members must complement each other with their passive and physical abilities.
In a similar style to Massive Chalice, The Banner Saga’s encounters are in a much smaller area but throws random events at you much more frequently.These sections can open up more adventure at the cost of food or conflict at the cost of casualties. It’s pretty stressful monitoring the morale, food supplies, coin, number of soldiers and the trustworthiness of certain characters in your army when marching all the way to the region’s capital for sanctuary.
This game has it’s faults but it’s piqued my interest in getting the next instalment, The Banner Saga 2, when it drops on consoles in July.
David Tierney
Between watching E3 conferences, once again I’ve been hopping into the Witcher 3 Blood and Wine. Those devilish vampires are still on the loose, and the citizens of Toussaint have been pleading for my help (mostly while Roach tramples over them) as I head to the local brothel or inn to indulge in my vices. There’s nothing quite like asking a brothel keeper for a few rounds of Gwent.
My indifference towards the troubled citizens has finally paid off. I had the bittersweet achievement of acquiring the final cards in the new Skellige deck; a moment of triumph that marks my time with the card game coming to a sad end. Well, not really, I just signed up to the Gwent beta. Until then I’ll probably go fist fight some knights.
I’ve also jumped into the Resi 7 demo, and then quickly clambered out of it in a cold sweat. I thought P.T was terrifying, but this demo has managed to outdo it magnificently. The build up to the scares has proven so terrifying that I had to stop playing. The sounds and sights in the environment were enough to keep me dangerously close to throwing myself under my couch. Maybe next week I’ll be a bit braver. Probably not.
Justin Otto
So, if you’ve been following this weekly special over the month, prepare to be shocked. I’m going to talk about Overwatch. I would apologize for talking so much about the game in these articles as well as on the podcast, but, let’s be real, I’m not sorry. The game is fantastic.
Something I’ve come to appreciate the more I play is the versatility of the characters, especially within various situations and game types, as well as hero counters. I typically don’t like such hard counters in a class-based game, but it fits well in Overwatch due to the ability to switch characters anytime in spawn, as well as the emphasis on team-play from objective-based modes. Support characters also help these concepts as they become nearly essential because they can turn the tide for many players and teams in various scenarios. Seeing a team get wiped out defending a point only to be resurrected by a Mercy is incredible to witness.
Seeing some trailers from E3 has given me a great desire to play a few games I’ve previously visited. We Happy Few makes me want to immerse myself in Bioshock. Seeing South Park’s turn-based combat has given me a deep desire to dive back into Darkest Dungeon (a far superior combat system, in my opinion). And gleefully glimpsing Resident Evil 7 has left me wanting to experience real horror in a game again. What a time to be alive!
Adam Lloyd
It’s coming home! It’s coming home! It’s coming! Rocket League’s coming home!
With Euro 2016 in full swing, I was surprised to find myself drawn towards Rocket League this week, rather than my usual footy stalwart of Football Manager. I know people are probably quite tired of hearing about Rocket League by now, but it really is great. It’s fantastic to pick up in short bursts when you only have a few minutes, or when you don’t quite have the brain power for something else. Between following the E3 conferences, following the football, and following the ebbs and flows of life in general, Rocket League has proven to be a great companion for those fleeting moments of spare time, and I’ve found myself climbing the ranks through ranked matches. Just when I start thinking that I’m not so bad at the game, I’ll get thrashed 7-0. Either way, my climb to the top has begun.
I’ve also had Gone Home sat on my PS4 home screen staring at me all week, as well as the Resi 7 demo. I haven’t touched either of them, as those seem like the kind of experiences that I’ll need to give up a solid hour or two for. Perhaps they’ll be my weekend games.