Tag: Gaming

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My Best Friend and Mass Effect (Legendary Edition)

Thread of Souls

This post is tough for to write. I never got into Mass Effect but did watch my best friend play through one, two, and three. With the announcement of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, memories of him flooded back to me like being slingshot through a mass relay.

I don’t recall the names of characters or places aside from Garrus and Wrex. The internet is in love with the former but I don’t have any special connection to them. My connection is with the man who held the controller. The man who spent hours traveling across the galaxy fighting Reapers and mining space rocks. He met the characters, he piloted the Normandy, and his memory is making me want to play Mass Effect Legendary Edition. He may have been playing as captain shepherd but, to me, he was Cameron.

“…the story doesn’t matter. Shocking as it may be, I much preferred just watching, whether it was popping husks or taking on Saren.”

Cameron was my best friend. He was killed in a car wreck in 2013. He loved video games and wanted to cover them as a video editor for IGN, Game Informer, or another similar website. We both worked at the same news station – me as a producer and he was a photographer and editor. Our plans were to work for the same gaming company as well.

Online he was known as Blu FUBAR Rangr.

There isn’t just one memory I have of him playing through the games. I honestly have a difficult time figuring out what game was which. I didn’t understand the story because I wasn’t there throughout his entire playthrough. I caught glimpses and moments of Mass Effect 1 before life would get in the way. When I’d return he’d be playing Mass Effect 2 or possibly three. In this way, the story doesn’t matter. Shocking as it may be, I much preferred just watching, whether it was popping husks or taking on Saren.

“I know without a doubt he would have wanted to play Mass Effect Legendary Edition and so do I.”

I wish I had more time with him. More time to enjoy his love of video games. Mass Effect was a series he enjoyed along with Resident Evil and Halo. I know without a doubt he would have wanted to play Mass Effect Legendary Edition and so do I.

I want to so I can enjoy a game he found so much joy in. He devoted countless hours to all three games and I kept trying to think why I couldn’t get into them and it took to writing this article to find out why. Since he loved the series and isn’t around anymore, I couldn’t find joy in it. I almost found myself disliking it altogether. Hating it. Yet, I love Dragon Age. Now, I feel I am ready to dive into the series to experience what he got to. To feel what he felt.

If and when I do begin my journey through Mass Effect Legendary Edition, it won’t be just to play games I missed. It will be a way to honor my best friend’s memory. In a way it’s like time travel. I get the experience of playing something new yet old while thinking back to watching him play the original for the first time.

There’s a feeling of wanderlust when I think about it. While I won’t be able to physically travel back in time to play Mass Effect with him. I can mentally travel back to the house he grew up in and place myself exactly where my 18-year-old self was when Mass Effect first released.

Video games are a way to traverse new lands, see amazing things, and get lost for a few hours. Most everyone remembers the first video game they played, beat, or owned. They are also great memory banks. They allow us to relive our past. We see it all the time with remakes and remasters. They’re nostalgic and I’m grateful for them and the time I had with my friend. Thank you Cameron.

Bardic Inspiration, TTRPGs

Bardic Inspiration: Exploration

Thread of Souls

Welcome to the second installment of Bardic Inspiration. This segment looks at, well, listens to, the best tracks to play during tabletop role-playing game session. The first article about adding mood-setting music to tavern scenes is a great starting point for any campaign or story.

This time around we’re sticking with songs that revolve around exploration. These tracks are perfect for when the adventuring party heads into a dense jungle, traverses a desert, or searches for tracks. The music is designed to build upon mystery and intrigue so they players are pulled into the action.

Into the Unknown

Now, before everyone gets the Frozen 2 song stuck in their head, let’s start with one of my favorite exploration songs: “The Hunter’s Path” from the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If you really want to set the mood, start up this track. It’s slow and melodic and reminds me of a full party tracking a wild beast through the plains. Even the name has explore built into it. It literally means following a path.

It’s a slow tune that uses soft drums to add a sense of stealth to the piece. Their rhythmic pace echoes footsteps while a lute – or perhaps a suka or gadulka – plays along with them. It’s great for leaving on repeat as well and is just shy of three minutes.

I take a lot of inspiration for planning music playlists from song titles. It can help you find tracks that fit a region or area better. For instance, if the party is traveling through an open plain, a great song to use is “The Plains of Erathell” composed by Grant Kirkhope.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has a special place in my heart as does its music. This track is built for expansive plains or fields. It can be used as a way to setup the area the character’s are going to explore or to enhance a description of arcane ruins. It’s just beautiful. And at four minutes, it’s easy to loop.

“Sand Travellers” by Ryan Roth is a track from the game Moon Hunters. The indie title from Kitfox Games is a fun adventure game with an all around excellent soundtrack. This specific track may focus around desert environments but it can be used for much more regions. It’s mysterious and can really transform scenes.

I first discovered it while building an encounter around a sphinx. Since that day I’ve used it while the character’s explored ruined temples, underwater ruins, and flown across vast distances.

For a song with spooky motif, I recommend “Dead City” by Pawel Blaszczak. It’s from the first Witcher game and is great for traveling through graveyards, following cultists through a dungeon, or entering a dragon’s lair. It’s dark and foreboding tone also makes it rather perfect for venturing to Strahd’s Castle Ravenloft.

It’s eight minutes long so you can easily leave it running while you hold a conversation or interact with the players.

Thankfully, there are thousands of video games and movies that have songs built for exploration. Lord of the Rings, Skyrim, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls Online, and Golden Sun are full of epic adventure music to fill your D&D games.

Exploring is a one of the key pillars of Dungeons & Dragons along with social interaction and combat. It can be pushed aside quite frequently due to combat but is no less important. It’s a time for characters and players to discover ancient lore, important information about the quest, or find new magic items.

The fellowship in the Lord of the Rings wouldn’t have made it far without exploring. Frodo would not have found the light of Eärendil nor would Bilbo have found Sting or Gandalf Glamdring if they hadn’t come across the troll cave.

In real life, we use music to get us through everyday experiences as well. Whether it’s working out or driving to and from the store or work, turning on some tunes can enhance our imagination and make us think. It’s certainly helped in our D&D game and during our camper van travels.

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Indiana Jones Game Setting Theory

Thread of Souls

Bethesda is working on an Indiana Jones game but it isn’t clear what the plot details are. However, from watching the trailer numerous times, there are glimpses at potential clues. It’s time to break out the map and cue the Raiders Theme.

From what information gathered from the short trailer, Indy will be traveling to Rome in 1937. This timeframe would place the upcoming game in the year set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. While Temple of Doom takes place before either as it is technically a prequel.

Other hints come from both the typewriter and passport. A letter on the machine says Indy will be arriving in Rome. But the rest of it is far too blurry to make out any other finer details. While the passport is stamped for Rome and includes the date October 21, 1937.

The camera also pans over a map of Rome and is full of interesting tidbits. Written on Apostolic Palace is the word clue with a question mark. So the game may in fact take place inside the home of the Pope. Imagine searching through the private quarters of the leader of the Catholic church while avoiding priests. Indy could spout of some quips about how his dad would have loved to have been here while he blasphemes the holy church.

The palace is also not too far from the Sistine Chapel where an X clearly marks a spot on the map. The X is somewhere inside of the Vatican Apostolic Library. It all seems very reminiscent of the third film. Though if The Last Crusade has anything to tell us, X never marks the spot. So, clearly it’s a red hearing. Or is it?

There are also small dots on specific areas around the map. One of which is just inside of the Porta Pertusa, another is in the Palace of the Governorate, with a third being in the library.

The whole trailer is basically an Indiana Jones movie and is full of hidden clues. The unnamed game is being developed by Bethesda and Machine Games.

TTRPGs

Neverwinter is Heading Back to the Feywild

Thread of Souls

The first Neverwinter expansion for 2021 is returning back to the Feywild in Sharandar and there’s a trailer to go along with it. The three episode adventure module releases February 9 on PC and on March 9 on consoles.

In Dungeons & Dragons, the Feywild is a plane of plants, animals, and wild magic. Compared to Neverwinter’s last few updates, it’s a longshot from adventuring through the Nine Hells in Avernus. Sharandar is a familiar location to veteran players of the MMORPG and the new release is set to enhance the area by completely overhauling its design.

Perfect World is splitting the module into three chapters – like the Avernus adventure – and players will gain access to new gear, loot, and a whole campaign. The Feywild is home to many interesting creatures as well. From redcaps, faerie dragons, and pixies to fairies and hags, it’s chaotic and ever changing.

Episode 1: The Iron Tooth will introduce players to the new Vault of Stars dungeon. While Episode 2: The Soul Keeper and Episode 3: The Odious Court are set to release on Neverwinter later. The main villain of the campaign appears to be a hag. Let’s hope for a coven, too.

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Elder Scrolls Six Tease

Thread of Souls

The next Elder Scrolls game may be far in the future but Bethesda may be teasing where it will take place. The publisher tweeted out a cryptic post just before 2021 and it really may make this year so much better.

The post shows a picture of the Province of Skyrim with a few candles set around it. It’s the candles that really have people talking. That and the text along with the picture.

“Transcribe the past and map the future.”

Many have deduced that the placement of the lights could reveal the location of the Elder Scrolls VI. One is placed near the capitol of Skyrim, Solitude. While the other two are both off the map. The top right light sets on a table but when looking at a map of Tamriel, is in the middle of the Sea of Ghosts. While the bottom left one is off the Skyrim map but begins on a new area: Hammerfell. When looking at a full map, the next country would be Hammerfell.

If we assume that Solitude is the past, since it is the only light that is placed near a previous settlement in the Elder Scrolls series, the light next to Hammerfell must point to the future. No previous game has taken place on the Sea of Ghosts. Arena was in Cyrodiil, Daggerfall was in High Rock, Morrowind was well, obvious, and Oblivion was set in Cyrodiil.

If that were the case, Elder Scrolls VI would be rounding out the top and middle portion of Tamriel. Either that or the next expansion for Elder Scrolls Online after Oblivion will take place in Hammerfell but I don’t think that’s the case. Why tease a new ESO announcement when one was just announced?

Hammerfell is home to the Redguards and is rather similar to Morrowind. It includes mountain ranges, grasslands, and dunes, with the largest and most popular being the Alik’r Desert. Another clue as to if Hammerfell is the next game can be found in Skyrim as well.

The quest In My Time of Need revolves around Hammerfall as well. The Dragonborn is asked by Alik’r warriors to look for a Redguard woman named Saadia. She is a noble on the run from Hammerfell and the warriors want to bring her in. It may not be much to go on but I always particularly enjoyed the quest. There was just the right amount of mystery and subterfuge that I never knew who to believe.

Elder Scrolls VI was announced in 2018 and since then has fell silent. Hopefully, there is some more news around the future of the Elder Scrolls soon. The next Elder Scrolls content to be released is the Gates of Oblivion expansion for ESO.

Reviews, TTRPGs

Baldur’s Gate 3: Early Access Impressions

Thread of Souls

We’ve got our hands on the Early Access of Baldur’s Gate 3 and have already played over 20 hours of it. But our adventures are far from over, and here are our initial thoughts on the game.

Keep in mind that this is in the Early Access stage. Things are subject to change, items are being refined, and there is the occasional glitch here and there. After playing the buggy disaster that was Pathfinder Kingmaker, I was worried about how smooth this would feel. But I should not have worried at all! This game is nearly seamless, a load of fun, and a brings incredible innovation to the industry.

Ruuda leading the conversation with Taliesin in the background.

The story is impactful, drawing you in immediately and keeping you intrigued by trying to put clues together and figure things out. The hook of the story is that you were captured by the evil Mind Flayers and have their tadpoles in your brains. This is how new Mind Flayers are created per D&D lore, with a few days gestation period and then the host is transformed with no memories of their former life. However, you are not being transformed, despite days passing. Why? And how can you remove this tadpole before the worst really does happen?

The graphics in Baldur’s Gate 3 are gorgeous, the spell effects are dazzling, and the environments are fully realized. The controls are easy to master, despite a bit of a learning curve with the camera controls. There are some bugs, of course, but they are rare to come across and usually have very minimal impact on gameplay. The world feels like it lives and breathes around you, and you can interact with it using everything at your disposal.

Doing some spying . . .

The dialogue is in-depth and character-driven. There is some much attention to detail you can even cast a spell to speak to animals or talk to the dead to learn things. Choices have consequences, and you can easily make both allies and enemies. Combat feels smooth and quick. The multiplayer is innovative, allowing you to even chat in-game with the other player’s character. Character creation is everything you want and more, with many customization options.

Overall, despite it being Early Access, there is nothing to complain about in Baldur’s Gate 3. We can only look forward in excitement at the full game that is to come. You can purchase it here.

Defending oneself is a bloody affair.
Reviews

Summer Catchers Review

Thread of Souls

Summer Catchers is an adorably crafted 2D side-scroller adventure racing game. Developed by indie company FaceIT and publisher Noodlecake Studios, it follows the story of a young girl named Chu as she chases after summer. Having grown up in the frigid north, she journeys out in a raggedy beat up wooden race car searching for a warmer and more brighter future.

I suppose you could say the car and her are the main protagonists of Summer Catchers. While she operates and builds the vehicle, the machine is what gets her through creepy forests, frost covered mountains, urban cities, and sand dunes. All of which are showcased in beautifully detailed and colorful pixel art.

Summer Catchers Indiedev

By using the car, Chu must outfit it with unique upgrades to get through the terrain. The front can be equipped with a sturdy bumper to run through blockades like rocks and snow drifts. While the tires shocks can be extra springy to launch the car over spike pits and boulders. Once these additions are purchased, the player can set off south towards summer.

Each level is a lengthy ride through difficult terrain. While driving, three of the items you purchased pop up on the right hand side of the screen for you to choose from. Without knowing what’s ahead, you have to use the modifications you bought in order to successfully make it through the zone. The best and worst feature of this is they show up at random.

If you get hit a certain number of times, the car will explode into a thousand tiny pieces, leaving you to begin again. However, you won’t start over from the beginning, rather you will be sent to the shop again where you can then choose more upgrades. It’s here that you will meet Summer Catcher’s many other characters with their own side-quests. Starting over isn’t annoying or aggravating. The level will reset and replace challenges with different ones so it never gets stale. The one thing that is bothersome is how you choose the items for your car.

Summer Catchers Indiedev

I played on a PC without a touch screen so I had to use the mouse. While it worked fine, I felt I could never click the upgrades quick enough in some circumstances. Having a touch screen definitely improves the experience.

The quests aren’t a burden or standard side-quests, instead they are a way to unlock new features to aid you on the journey. Many allow other animals to warn you of hidden dangers on the path ahead of you or let you pick and choose from more upgrades. Once you complete each task, you must traverse through enough of the level to reach the next area. This is usually established through a cutscene or with a boss chasing you.

Summer Catchers Indiedev

The music of Summer Catchers is noteworthy as well. The driving tracks are pleasant and soothing and feel at home as the backdrop to a coffee shop or tunes for your own road trip. While the sound effects like the squeaking of the car make it feel as old and worn out as it looks.

Summer Catchers is a relaxing tour through delightful worlds while relying too much on the same mechanics. It’s challenging without being overwhelmingly difficult but the mechanics are lacking. I’d rather drive through the various levels controlling the various upgrades myself. Sometimes simpler is better.

Summer Catchers: 6/10

Available on: Steam, Mac

Developer: FaceIT

Publisher: Noodlecake Studios

Genre: Arcade Racer

Release Date: July 16, 2019