Tag: Apocalyptic

[Book Tip] Crysis: Legion by Peter Watts

Crysis: Legion is an adaptation of Crysis 2, which means it’s for the most part just a retelling of the plot line from the game. It’s not my favorite kind of gaming-related novel, since, well, you already know how it will play out and how it will finish. However, Crysis 2 is in a unique situation, as the lead in the game does not talk. Not exactly the best way to add characterization to the protagonist. Who even is Alcatraz? – might be asked a couple of times during the game. The story can also be hard to follow as little is explained, especially not how we went from the jungle fighting in first Crysis to now battling aliens and mercenaries in the heart of New York. Luckily, Crysis: Legion remedies this!

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[Book Tip] Homefront: The Voice of Freedom by John Milius & Raymond Benson

In my Homefront review, I complained that it didn’t seem very feasible that it was the North Koreans that attacked the USA instead of China. However, the prequel book Homefront: The Voice of Freedom goes into much more detail on the reasons why and how. It makes the idea of North Korea attacking a USA that is on its last legs way more plausible. I was admittedly impressed by how much the book focuses on this aspect, as in building up why things are as they are. Everything from geopolitics to the economics of the world, and the new scary tech within it. While it doesn’t reach the style of Tom Clancy fully, it gave me strong vibes of it.

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Rauniot – Wasteland Finland

Welcome to the northern Finnish wasteland, survivor! A setting that even makes the first Fallout seem like a place of joyous happiness. Now, the Finnish people, along with the rest of the Nordics (trust me, I’m one myself) are not the most cheerful of people, especially not the ones from the cold frozen north. So, with that, you can expect a tale of utter misery and human suffering. This is not Grandpa’s fun 50s apocalypse, this is Ragnarök in pure Finnish melancholic – and I like it. 

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Homefront – Korean Rage

Homefront is Kaos Studios‘ second and final game. After the disappointing release of Homefront, THQ at the time decided to axe them. Another studio and brand are dead, in a sea of publishers looking for that sweet Call of Duty 4 money. This is a tale old as religion. Instead of focusing on what made their game good, they decided to chase trends, which in the end proved to be a futile endeavor. However, the game is not all bad, the campaign is entertaining at times, but long gone is the cool futuristic setting. Now, it’s set in a more contemporary setting with some light sci-fi stuff. Just like Frontlines: Fuel of War, Homefront has a strong multiplayer focus, but unlike Frontlines: Fuel of War, it never grabbed me as that game. It feels way too much like CoD. It also comes with added XP, leveling, and soldier kit upgrades – stuff that I don’t enjoy in an online shooter since it makes the immersion and balancing absolutely dreadful.

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Frontlines: Fuel of War – Nostradamus Edition

I used to play Frontlines: Fuel of War by the now-defunct developer Kaos Studios on the good old Xbox 360 because my PC was crap at the time. It was a hell of a game, the multiplayer was awesome, the setting cool, and the weapons interesting and deadly. I would even consider it better than the Battlefield series. It was an entertaining game with great gameplay that was ahead of its time in more than one aspect when it comes to multiplayer. Unfortunately, it didn’t take off, much to my dismay, and since then the genre has fallen off a cliff in my opinion.

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