Oh My Darling: Returning to The Walking Dead

I loved The Walking Dead: Season One and eagerly snapped up 400 Days.  I became a fan of the comic and caught myself up to the new monthly releases.  But something happened, I realized I actually preferred the big chunks of story -- always wanting to know what happened next now.  I could barely wait to download the new comic from Comixology only to find myself wanting the next installment as soon as I completed the current one.  The impatience affected how I approached The Walking Dead: Season Two.

Of course, part of the delay was also a consequence of the Xbox 360, while still hooked up, not transfering super easily to play on my set up.  No "Xbox, Play 360 command" (yet) on the X1.  That said, I have had occasion to dust off the old console for a rare Rock Band session or some Disney Infinity when the nieces and nephews are over.  But no Season Two just yet.

I was tempted to pick the game up for the Vita and while I love the handheld, there's definitely something to be said about the atmosphere of playing The Walking Dead late at night, lights off, on the big screen.  I'd often times play late (not sure that the wife would look so happily at me playing it) and with the headphones on, me, Lee and Clementine.  And I do want to see how my story progresses.

So I managed to avoid most spoilers and am pretty much ready to queue it up and go.  I'm hoping for some more of the great "fun" of the Walking Dead world.  I'm ready to make the difficult decisions and live with the consequences.  If there in fact is a Season Three, and I hope that there is (without knowing for sure), I have my fingers crossed that there's a way to transfer the save data.

Always a Bridesmaid: Why Can't We Love Titanfall?

With Destiny a little over a month away, I suspect Titanfall's run is coming to an end.  But what kind of run was it?  Released in March, Microsoft and Xbox One owners alike hoped Titanfall would be the new console's killer app.  From the makers of COD, the game was supposed to reward us with the first great next-gen game.  Maybe it was asking too much.  Maybe it was the lack of campaign.  Titanfall just did not resonate with folks, and I am not completely sure why.

I will say a portion of the issue is tied to identifying with the character.  And while perhaps not character as identified all the time (i.e., Master Chief), there's something to be said about my character.  Certainly, campaign mode can create an attachment to a character, especially when that character is playable in multiple modes.  Dom, anyone?  But even the ability to individualize a character can have a profound effect on the player's relationship to the on-screen counterpart.  In Halo 2, I remember creating my insignia that would follow me through multiple games (including Mario Kart DS).  I know I completed a lot of Halo's daily challenges for credits to customize my spartan.

In Titanfall, there is minimal customization.  There are a handful of pilot types, male and female.  I find that things usually move so quickly in Titanfall, that I rarely recognize anything other than the gender of the pilot.  Titan insignia have been added but though I gladly picked an appropriate emblem for myself, I scarcely notice any on the titan, be it my own via death cam or other when attacking.

I also feel like there is a certain physicality that Titanfall is missing.  And while perhaps that I turned my controller feedback off does not help, I feel like there is a disconnect between when and where I shoot and when and where the bullet ends up.  Even on grunts, I feel like I never know when I have actually killed another player.  Similarly, there are times when I think I am in cover and yet bullets find their way to me (beyond just the smart pistol).

I think perhaps the biggest issue with Titanfall is the lack of community experience.  It is really too bad because the game itself is filled with "Xbox, record that" moments.  But unless I actually record and share them, my experiences are largely private.  Rare is the case when teammates are around to see what I've done.  Even rarer is the case when we have been able to play against each other and celebrated/moaned over our successes/defeats together.  I thought it telling the other day when a friend entered our party, and I assumed he was in the game only to find out afterwards that he was still playing Guacamelee.  I'll never know why people haven't used the Gears of War "death room."  It provided some of the best moments of console gaming I've ever had.

Don't get me wrong, Titanfall is fun.  I've played it more than anything else on my Xbox One.  Respawn has done an excellent job tooling and re-tooling the experience to make it better.  Unfortunately,  I suspect come September, it will get little time in the rotation.