Wordsmith's Anvil

  Image courtesy of Ice Code Games Well... There not all going to be 10s. According to my track record this year, apparently a 10 is about as rare as a unicorn. That's probably how it should be, though. Even still... what I had hoped for from this title and what I ended up getting were pretty far apart.     Rogue Waters is a tactical roguelite with a piracy theme. Even just writing out that sentence makes me feel like this should be right up my alley. Strategically placing your pirates along the deck, knowing that you can come back with better strategies and tactics to whoop someone's ass again, and carrying a cutlass and pistol the entire time you do it? Sign me up.      Oof.      You play as Captain Cutter, a former first mate of a captain called Blackbone (hardy-har) who finds himself murdered by that very captain who raised him. It's all over the possession of a gem that Cutter finds on their latest expedition, and this particular gem hol...

  Image courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm "Anything I want?"     "Well... within reason," my dad replied. "Come find me when you've picked something."     I combed over the shelves. Hollywood Video was great about keeping everything in alphabetical order, but at 7 I had no idea that the different genres were separated into sections as well. Was I in sci-fi or fantasy? Family or action/adventure? I don't know. And with the ultimate dissolution of Hollywood Video, I suppose I never will, but it doesn't matter. Fate, or the Force, moves in mysterious ways.     "I found one," I said, bringing forward the VHS.     "You know that's not the first one," my dad said.      I shrugged. I didn't care. The cover looked cool. An overarching badguy, two laser-swords crossing in a dangerous battle, a handsome man and a beautiful girl looking at one another longingly... This looked like a pretty epic adventure, and the title set it ...

  Image courtesy of Massive & Ubisoft Star Wars as a franchise started with a shockwave of a debut in 1977, and since then there have been all sorts of sequels, spinoffs, and different forms of media released with the label. If it involves Lucasfilm, or the old school Lucasarts, then you are virtually guaranteed a Star Wars story that will take you to that galaxy far, far away. That doesn't, however, mean you are guaranteed the best time in your life. There have been plenty of Star Wars games released over the years that are lackluster. Hell... even some of the movies that have been released could bear that badge of dishonor. It seems like a gamble to throw the label on and try to engage a fickle fanbase, but that's what some of these entertainment companies end up doing anyway.     Star Wars: Outlaws takes place just after the events of The Empire Strikes Back . The rebels are on the back foot after a crushing defeat on the ice planet of Hoth, and the imperials...

  Image courtesy of Acme Game Studio If there's one thing that I like to be known for in my life, it's perseverance. The determination to never give up is a staple for me, and it's something that I impart on a lot of those around me. This even extends to video games. I don't like quitting. It pisses me off and makes me feel like I've given up on a part of myself, even when it's something as ridiculous as a damn game. Nevertheless...      I have played a few games in my life that have gotten me to that point. Enough frustration was felt that I decided it was probably best for my own sanity to pull the plug. The biggest perpetrator of this for me was probably Bloodborne . I'm loathe to lay blame at the foot of an inanimate object, but hot damn that game pissed me off pretty quickly in the 2 hours total that I spent playing it. I took it back that day and got something else.     Years later, I bought Asterigos while it was on sale through PSN. It looked like s...