Glimpses

 [Originally written on 16th May 2020] I was introduced to the Thief game series when I played Thief: Deadly Shadows. Having abandoned it the first time because I just couldn’t get the hang of lockpicking, I gave it another try when I got older and more understanding of the game mechanics. This time I succeeded at lockpicking and was totally immersed in the fictional city of the game. I loved how the game provided actual feel of hiding in the shadows, sneaking literally behind the back of the sentry guards and stealing loot, while a story mixed with fantasy and folklore elements unfolded. Unfortunately, the game started lagging as the story progressed, and at one point it became unplayable. I abandoned it, but ever since I got to know that the series was getting a reboot for the newer generation platforms, I had my eyes on it. Now that I’ve finished it, I can say the new game improves upon the older ones as far as the overall experience of thieving is concerned, but the story...

[Originally written on 12 Apr 2020]  I just finished playing this game and…I don’t know, it’s very, very different from all the games I’ve played in my life so far. It’s a peaceful game, to use a crude term. It’s a huge departure from all the action- packed, adrenaline fuelling games that I’ve recently played. And it really reminds me of the Dream Chronicles series. The music, the environments, the voice overs, everything…even the way the story is narrated. There’s not much to do in the game. It’s not like those strategy games where you have to think about your next moves, or like an action – adventure game where you have to punch your way out of a sticky situation, or even like a puzzle game where there   are neither enemies nor friends but just mind – numbing puzzles. There’s nothing of that sort in Edith Finch and yet it feels enjoyable. It’s what you might call a “Walking Simulator”, where you just walk, explore your surroundings and interact with the objects around ...

  Never thought I’d reach 100% completion [Originally written on 25th Mar 2020] I have no words for this game. When I installed it long ago, just to check if it would run on my system, I was taken aback by its amazing graphics. The textures looked unbelievably real and the models, life-like. I was in the middle of completing Sekiro at that time, and so, this game took the backseat, but it still kicked a leg or two in the general direction of my driver’s seat, urging me to drop Sekiro off somewhere along the highway and give Arkham Knight a try. When I finally did start playing Arkham Knight, the foremost thing that impressed me was the rain, and the way droplets fluttered off Batman’s wings when he dived off a building to start gliding. Time and again I made him do this just to see that effect, and it satisfied me more and more every time I beheld it. I don’t even know where I should begin with this game. What should I talk about first? The graphics? The story? The gameplay? ...

  The game that has an entire Reddit thread about how difficult it is  [Originally written on 9th Feb 2020] *Contains mild spoilers* O-kay! I finally completed this game, by hook or by crook. That sentence will become clearer later. This was my first game from From Software, and after this I’m not playing any other game from this studio. Though Sekiro might be their worst game ever, and the other games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne may be better, I’m not taking any chances. This game was a looooong journey of frustration and moments of rage and I’m not ready to go through it again. The game begins all right. Way better than all right, in fact. From the opening cutscene it becomes crystal clear that the game will contain beautiful graphics. I was enamoured by the graphics, seriously. The opening level takes place on a full moon night and the lighting was breathtaking. So the beginning leaves a great impression on the player, and first impression is the last impression...

 [Originally written on 27th Sep 2019] Mirror’s Edge is a free-running, parkour-based, action adventure game developed by EA Dice. Since the day I discovered Parkour, I was in desperate need of a game that was primarily based on parkour, instead of just having elements inspired from it (like Prince of Persia or Assassin’s Creed). I got such a game in the form of Vector for Android. That is another gem of a game with its silhouettes performing fluidic parkour tricks to escape a policeman of a dystopian world. But as good as it is, it’s a 2D game. What if I could actually experience how it felt to scale rooftops, jump daredevil distances and run on walls from a first-person perspective? The first search result that was returned for a “3D PC parkour game” was Mirror’s Edge. Some screenshots and gameplay videos later, I was already a fan. I wanted this game. Badly. Now that I’ve finished it, I can say that the parkour lover in me is satisfied. The game does best what it’s made ...

 [Originally written on 18th Dec 2019]   Usually I write my thoughts on a game after I finish it, but in this case I had to make an exception, not because GRID 2 is fantastic, but because it sucks. Well, either that or I am a terrible racer (although if I were it wouldn’t explain why I went through NFS: The Run so quickly or completed NFS: Most Wanted on a laggy 1 GB RAM PC or finished NFS: Carbon with its deadly canyon races). No other racing game has made me so exasperated as this one. Come to think of it, this is the first racing title I’m playing outside of the NFS franchise. Are NFS games too easy or is this one too difficult? I don’t know. First off, this game should have been titled DRIFT 2, not GRID 2. Every single car in this game will drift. Write that in stone and bang your head with it. You will when you get to season 4 of the WSR in GRID 2. It’s a paradise for a racer who knows how to drift or more correctly, who knows how to control his drift. For others...

[Originally written on 2nd Jan 2020] The game that got me hooked on to Batman. I finished this game just as the first day of this year ended, and it is safe to say that my perception of Batman and the world woven around him by geniuses such as Chris Nolan, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale etc. has been turned around on its head with the onset of the new year. All credit to this game. Earlier I didn’t regard Batman very specially, but after having a close rendezvous with the Bat himself and the characters around him, especially the villains, I realized I had been missing out on too much. I used to make fun of the dark nature of DC movies, but I now understand that being dark is DC’s biggest strength, and not just in movies but in comics as well. Coming to the game, I’m so very glad that I played it. It cast Batman in a new light for me. The game is near perfect. Much of this previous comment may have been due to how easy it is to beat, but personally, I have never been a...

[Originally written on 2nd Oct 2019]   Having just walked and fought in the land of knights, templars, kings, assassins, crusaders, thieves, thugs, and horses, my own reality doesn’t feel so real anymore. That is how rich the environment of Assassin’s Creed is. It feels so very real, even though it’s set thousands of years ago. The visuals are appealing, and much attention has been paid to every detail. Each small element is in its rightful place, so when the protagonist, Altair, climbs walls, he holds on to stuff that is actually there, instead of clinging to an invisible crack in the wall, thus making his climb more believable. Another thing is the ambiance. It felt like I was really walking in an actual city. The citizens had so much variety and they behaved in such a manner that I couldn’t help reacting the same way as I would when encountering them in real life. The beggars, for instance, keep following you, running after you, and that actually frustrated me. Then there ar...

 Presenting a handmade replica of The Marauder's Map, as used by Harry Potter since his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I made this way back in 2014 - 15, though the idea was conceived even earlier. Prior to this, I had made several other versions of the Marauder's Map, copying the map schematics from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban PC Game for one, and even scribbling my own floor plans for another version. But none satisfied me as much as the original Marauder's Map would. I could order it off of the Noble Collection website, but I didn't have the money. I was only a student. So I started scouring the web to see if anyone had bought this map from Noble Collection and had posted pictures of it. Sure enough, people had posted pictures and videos all over the web. I watched these on loop, again and again, and copied the designs onto my map as best as I could. Though I think it could be improved here and there, I was satisfied with the o...

I did. It's not like me. I mean, yeah, everyone does something stupid in their lifetime but my reason of doing this particular thing is not associated with me. Generally. I was irresponsible on the road, while riding a bike, with a pillion. Some of you, or even all of you might go all "Duuuude!! Ya think that's stupid? How screwed up are ya man??" but listen to me first. Usually I'm really very cautious on the road and I've even heard my father say to me, "How much more slowly can you ride, son? 😒" (He was being sarcastic, in case the emoji isn't visible.) When a father says this to his teenage son while sitting behind him on a bike, that is saying something. So why did I act irresponsibly today? And that too while having someone sitting behind me? That girl. I stopped my bike, right there in the middle of the road, with my head turned behind me, no regards to anyone or anything in front of me or even behind me for that matter (ex...

It was like an epidemic. It swept over the entire class in the blink of an eye. Its progress was slow at first; only a handful of students were affected. But when it came into its own, its malignancy couldn't be overstated. Students who, only a month ago, were talking about having fun, cherishing college life and "These 4 years won't ever come back" stuff were now as busy as MDs, going through break-ups and talked as if they had had an epiphany in their sleep and had now awakened to their responsibilities. The reason? These were aspirants for CAT, GATE, SSC, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, SAT; basically any exam that gets you somewhere better than where an undergraduate degree of B.Tech or B.E. would get you. Perhaps they had awakened to their responsibilities, and that's what scared those who weren't affected by this epidemic. I am one of those scared. It's a strange reason to be scared. I see no road ahead. When I was still in school and was doubtful about taking ...