FALLOUT 4: Gunners vs Minutemen

Posted on November 23, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

Taking back Quincy is something I’ve wanted to do ever since playing FALLOUT 4 for the first time in 2016, but the new Gunners vs Minutemen creation club item is pretty disappointing. A few weird power armor paint jobs, one boring battle and no new settlement? That’s it?

Seriously, at this point I’ve taken out a thousand Gunners in Quincy and at Gunners Plaza, just me and Hancock, at least ten times. I’m supposed to get excited about this creation club fight?

And just who are these scrubs backing me up in Quincy? If those were MY Minutemen they’d be wearing official uniforms with ballistic weave and combat armor, carrying stealth boys, stimpaks and upgraded laser rifles. Several of them would be wearing Minutemen power armor from the Castle armory.

I’d be a lot happier if I could move Mama Murphy, Jun, Marcy and Sturges back home. Then the story would have closure. It would make sense, after all we’ve done in the Commonwealth to restore security and prosperity. But, no.

It’s Bethesda, so we can’t have nice things.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: ENIGMATIS 3 The Shadow of Karkhala

Posted on October 23, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

Private investigators search the Karakorum Mountains for a way to stop the demon Asmodai from returning to the world in ENIGMATIS 3: THE SHADOW OF KARKHALA, a 2016 point-and-click puzzle-solving supernatural adventure developed by Artifex Mundi.

Click here for Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek
Click here for Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood

The entire Enigmatis trilogy is good but this might be the best of the three, with improved graphics, storytelling, puzzles and settings. There are plot twists and new game mechanics that make things even more interesting.

ENIGMATIS 3 is rated “T” for teens due to blood and violence. Available for PS4, PC, Xbox One and mobile.

These are singleplayer games but work well for parties and sleepovers, with one person on the controller and the others suggesting solutions or pointing at hidden objects. Assuming your friends enjoy games, mysteries and puzzles, of course!

See all of my Artifex Mundi videos here

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: ENIGMATIS 2 The Mists of Ravenwood

Posted on October 16, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

The search for an evil preacher leads a detective to a haunted nature preserve and a missing family in ENIGMATIS 2: THE MISTS OF RAVENWOOD. This 2013 point-and-click puzzle-solving supernatural thriller is the sequel to Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek, which I played back in October 2018.

I enjoyed the story and puzzles but missed the more elaborate, picturesque hidden object scenes that are usually featured in Artifex Mundi games. (Update: They return in the next installment, Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala. Yay!)

If you like this genre and the idea of defeating vampire trees, giant ravens and demon worshipers appeals to you, I highly recommend ENIGMATIS 2. It will take around 3-5 hours to complete, depending on how fast you solve the puzzles and whether or not you play the bonus level or complete the collections.

ENIGMATIS 2 is rated “T” for teens due to blood and violence. Available for PS4, PC, Xbox One and mobile.

See all of my Artifex Mundi videos here

~ J.L. Hilton

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Mrs. Potts drawing challenge

Posted on October 9, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

Someone joked on Twitter about Mrs. Potts being impossible to draw without looking like some sort of demonic elephant, and they invited people to try it. This is my attempt, sketched in about 10 minutes from a reference pic. Not bad, I think, for someone who doesn’t draw.

Still looks a bit like a demonic elephant, though.

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Duke University Medical Center

Posted on October 9, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

Duke University Medical Center is like a castle, huge and labyrinthine. Perfect setting for a video game. Something creepy, post-apocalyptic or zombies, maybe.

While taking pictures, someone asked me what was “photoworthy.” I said, “This beautiful building.” He said, “It is, isn’t It?” as if he hadn’t noticed before. How could anyone not notice? This is an entrance begging for a story.

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CAT QUEST II mother-daughter co-op

Posted on October 8, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

CAT QUEST II: THE LUPUS EMPIRE, the Gentlebros’ delightful sequel to their 2017 game CAT QUEST, is now available – with dogs!

See my entire CAT QUEST playlist on YouTube here

CAT QUEST II is an action role-playing game for one or two players, released in September 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC, iOS and macOS, and for Nintendo Switch in October 2019.

The playable characters are a cat and a dog who must work together to free their kingdoms, Felingard and the Lupus Empire. In single-player mode, you control one character and the game controls the other, but you can switch between them. In cooperative two-player mode, a second player can take control of either the cat or the dog.

In our game, I controlled the cat and my youngest daughter played the dog. Either protagonist can attack, cast spells, dodge, and use the weapons and armor you find along the way.

You can choose from destructive spells or ranged weapons like magic staffs, wands or my favorite the Bard Lute, get up close and personal with some heavy hitting swords and maces, or use a combination of all of the above.

CAT QUEST II is rated E for everyone 10+ due to elements of fantasy violence.

UPDATE APRIL 6, 2020: We finished the game, reached level 113 and achieved the Pawlatinum trophy! Like Cat Quest, the sequel was a ton of fun and I loved being able to play through with my daughter.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: BATMAN Arkham Knight

Posted on October 2, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

MY RATING: 3/5 KAPOWS!

BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT is a 2015 third-person action-adventure game offered free to PlayStation+ members in September 2019. Developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it’s based (if you hadn’t already guessed) on the DC Comics superhero Batman.

Batman is one of my longtime favorites, going all the way back to the 1960s “dynamic duo” Adam West & Burt Ward who I watched in reruns during the ’70s. My grandpa gave me a portable radio shaped like Batman when I was around 6, which my dad thought was a crappy toy “for a girl” but I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Not my actual radio, that’s long gone, but it looked like this

I wasn’t crazy about the Michael Keaton movies but I obsessed over Batman Forever in 1995 with Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carry and Nicole Kidman.

I collected Batman Forever trading cards, listened to the soundtrack on CD and even put a discarded promotional display from a local movie theater in my apartment.

It was obviously because of the car, right? “Chicks love the car.”

Or the nips on his PVC batsuit?

Anyway, back to BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT. Swole Batman is hot. All the WHAM! POW! and PUNCH! stuff is fun. The game also has that cool “swoop through the city” thing like the Spiderman and inFAMOUS games, and I love the dark gothic Gotham City environment.

Unlike Batman Forever, however, I don’t love the car. A lot of gameplay involved racing and car-based combat, which I didn’t enjoy. And what’s with Poison Ivy? Could they not even give her some green tights? How long is she going to stay locked in his trunk?

BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT is rated “M” (mature) for ages 17+ due to blood, language, suggestive themes and violence. Available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: A PLAGUE TALE Innocence

Posted on September 25, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

MY RATING: 1000 DEAD RATS

A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE is a third-person stealth horror game developed by Asobo Studio and released by Focus Home Interactive in May 2019. It’s available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. I played the free trial this week.

In a creepy, supernatural version of 14th-century France, Amicia de Rune must save her younger brother Hugo from the Inquisition. As in Dishonored, there’s a plague with swarms of ravenous rats. Unlike Dishonored, however, her only weapon is a sling.

PLAGUE TALE is a series of survival puzzles involving the use of stealth, distraction, light, fire or using the rats against others, with very little combat. Lead designer Kevin Choteau told Variety that Asobo Studio wanted to make “an emotional character-focused game” like The Last of Us and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

The game seemed at turns tragic, boring, frustrating, confusing and ultimately unsatisfying, to me. The age and emotional maturity of the characters, coupled with the simplicity of the game mechanics, might be targeted at younger players, yet PLAGUE TALE is rated “M” for ages 17+ due to blood, gore, strong language and violence.

A sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence was confirmed in December 2019 as being under development by Asobo Studio, and is expected to be released in 2022. (Source: XboxSquad.fr)

~ J.L. Hilton

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Try-It Tuesday: STARDEW VALLEY

Posted on September 18, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

My family’s been after me to play STARDEW VALLEY for months. I avoided the game because I thought it would be another Farmville. Wow, was I wrong.

STARDEW VALLEY looks like a cute little gardening simulator, but there’s also fishing, foraging, crafting, ranching, cooking, adventuring, brewing, and more.

Scratch the surface of STARDEW VALLEY and you’ll find wizards, magic, monsters, treasures, forest sprites, and mysterious mariners who only appear when it rains. There are strange artifacts to dig up and donate to the museum, books to read in the library, and puzzles to solve.

The idyllic village life masks conflict, financial woes, marital problems, and personal strife. One husband and father is away fighting in a war. Other villagers cope with alcoholism and depression, conduct secret love affairs, or struggle to stay in business.

Give gifts, make friends, and you’ll receive packages in the mail with useful supplies or experience cutscenes that offer glimpses into the lives and personalities of the people in Pelican Town. Some friendships can even lead to marriage and a family of your own.

I’m having a good time with this game and will continue to stream STARDEW VALLEY singleplayer on Twitch. My friend IceStella will join me later in co-op mode.

STARDEW VALLEY is available on PC, Mac, Linus, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, and as a mobile game for both iOS and Android. It’s rated “E” for everyone 10+ and includes fantasy violence, mild blood, mild language, use of alcohol and tobacco, and simulated gambling.

My streams, however, are intended for mature viewers, as I have a filthy mouth and a dirty mind.

UPDATE 01/20/2020: I’ve added a STARDEW VALLEY playlist to my YouTube channel with highlights from my Twitch streams. Videos range in length from 3-30 minutes each but most are around 5-10 minutes.

Click here to go to my STARDEW VALLEY playlist on YouTube

~ J.L. Hilton

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Fall is here!

Posted on September 17, 2019 by J.L. Hilton

Took this picture at Trader Joe’s today!

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