Recent reviews by Blue Ninja

Betrayer is a curious game. It's a horror game, with a semi-open world to explore. It's a shooter, but it encourages stealth. It even shuffles some RPG elements in there for good measure. The end result is an experience that's quite unlike anything I've ever played.

The game starts off with you washing up on a beach in 16th-century Virginia. As you make your way inland, you discover the nearest colony has been overtaken by a mysterious force: one that turned the local populace into ashes and changed a Spanish invasion force into feral beasts. You meet the enigmatic Maiden in Red, whose past is tied to this place in ways she cannot yet remember. As you venture through the forests you uncover more abandoned settlements, each with their own history and ghosts left behind to tell it. You'll face a multitude of strange creatures, brought forth by the plague ravishing the Frontier. The combat can get a bit clunky, but the novelty of shooting monsters with muskets and crossbows makes up for that. Exploration can get a bit dull, since the world mostly looks the same. I had to resort to using an online map for each of the game's segments in order to get the full experience.

Each map of the game world is strewn with collectables. These range from journal pages left by the people to graves and clues you find in the wilderness. Speaking with wraiths can give you valuable insight into the tragedies that occured here, even before the world went to hell. There's some interesting stories to be found, and they all receive a form of closure. The way you handle them can also have an impact on the ending of the game, but don't expect the effect to be too great. The ending itself is also strange, and leaves a lot open to interpretation (and the inevitable sequel), but the game's climax is satisfying enough to overlook that.

Betrayer is definitely not easy. The enemies pack quite a punch, even on the lowest difficulty setting. There's not a lot of guides on there online, either, so you'll have to find your own way through the intricate maze of Colonial history the developers have crafted. Figuring it out is immensely satisfying, though, and I'd definitely recommend everyone to play this game.

If you like shooting stuff, there's worse things to spend your money on. Plus, Palmer doesn't open her mouth for 5/6ths of the game, which instantly makes it better than Halo 4.

Maybe 343 will bring the trilogy and Reach to Steam as well.

This is for people still on the fence. For me, Skyrim is more than just a game, it's a nearly flawlessly executed world in which you get to do whatever the hell you want. Do you want to become the Dragonborn hero who saves the world? You can. Do you want to become a sneaky assassin anointed by Sithis? You can. Do you want to be an anti-social kleptomaniac who steals people's clothes and lives in the woods? ♥♥♥♥ it, you can.

For people who focus on questing, Skyrim will undoubtedly feel shallow. Most quests have similar objectives, with there being a few notable standouts. The combat could use some real improvements. There's annoying glitches and the occasional crash, and sometimes two characters will be talking to each other using the same voice. These are little things, which for me end up irrelevant in the sheer scope of the game.

It all depends on how you play. For someone who uses fast travel to get everywhere and wants the game to be over quickly, Skyrim can end up being a drag. For someone who wants to invest time in it, exploring the world as they go, it's priceless. It's an adventure. There's always something over the next hill. Something only slightly off the beaten path.

And if there are still parts you don't like, chances are high there'll be a mod for it. For those who want a real adventure: get Frostfall and a mod to turn off the compass. You're welcome.