Welcome to Hughes3D: A Gaming Blog, where the three D's stand for dice, d-pads, and design. Hughes3D is your portal for impressions and discussions on video games and board games, an exploration into game design, weekly web comics, and more.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Throwback Thursday - Limbo
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20. While this game is only rated T for Teen, there are many gruesome variances of death sequences to be found in this somber world. This blog is rated E for everyone's safe and enjoyable viewing, but I'd advise some parental discretion for playing this game.
Speaking of which, taking a stab this week: The game of brutal deaths and fun with physics that is Limbo.
Released on July 21st, 2010, Limbo starred as the eye-catching new indie game of Xbox's "Summer of Arcade" promotion. And boy did it turn some heads, with its simplistic and yet incredibly gripping art style and gameplay mechanics. By stripping down the components of its design, this is a game that manages to be both surprisingly accessible and deeply engaging. As a puzzle-platformer, players explore this entrancing world filled with all sorts of interesting puzzles, either comprised of new ideas or familiar elements with new layers of complexity. The main basis of most of these puzzles and the game centers around a trial by error system (or "trial by death" as the creators put it). This may sound frustrating dying over and over again, but such is kept from feeling grinding thanks to generous checkpoints and the many varied horrific, yet strangely captivating deaths. The deeper you dive into this haunting world, the more you develop a sense for anticipating these devious traps and a satisfaction for overcoming such.
Speaking of which, taking a stab this week: The game of brutal deaths and fun with physics that is Limbo.
Released on July 21st, 2010, Limbo starred as the eye-catching new indie game of Xbox's "Summer of Arcade" promotion. And boy did it turn some heads, with its simplistic and yet incredibly gripping art style and gameplay mechanics. By stripping down the components of its design, this is a game that manages to be both surprisingly accessible and deeply engaging. As a puzzle-platformer, players explore this entrancing world filled with all sorts of interesting puzzles, either comprised of new ideas or familiar elements with new layers of complexity. The main basis of most of these puzzles and the game centers around a trial by error system (or "trial by death" as the creators put it). This may sound frustrating dying over and over again, but such is kept from feeling grinding thanks to generous checkpoints and the many varied horrific, yet strangely captivating deaths. The deeper you dive into this haunting world, the more you develop a sense for anticipating these devious traps and a satisfaction for overcoming such.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Tips for Pandemic - Surviving the Outbreak
As is the case with many a cooperative board game, victory is often far and few between as the brutal mechanics of the game have players frantically scrambling to stay alive. And the viral outbreak of a game that is Pandemic is no exception. With so many small, nuanced decisions to be made, there is always much deliberation to be found as what the proper course of action should be to contain the situation from spiraling out of control. While there is technically no one right answer, there are a few tips and tricks to help give your team of emergency respondents that leading edge. So with no time to waste, let's get the rundown on those tips to ensure your next game night still has vital signs come its conclusion.
(NOTE: These tips apply to the standard, base version of Pandemic, though they may also assist with some of the expansions. For a brief overview of Pandemic and the general mechanics of the game, see previous Tabletop Tuesday post on such here)
(NOTE: These tips apply to the standard, base version of Pandemic, though they may also assist with some of the expansions. For a brief overview of Pandemic and the general mechanics of the game, see previous Tabletop Tuesday post on such here)
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Throwback Thursday - Super Mario World
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia, now examining the cream of the crop with the Top 20. Making a sprint for the goal this week: The game of spin-jumps and 1-ups that is the classic Super Mario World.
Released in the US on August 13th, 1991, Super Mario World was the debut Mario title to launch with the new Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It's a little difficult not to be a little bias in regards to my affinity for this game as it also marks my first foray into the world of video games. And what a superbly jolly and creative introduction into the medium it was. Players take control of this mustached hero as he dawns bright yellow capes and mounts adorable green dinosaurs, soaring to the skies to rescue the princess on a island named entirely off delicious sweets. Sounds like the perfect start to a very memorable adventure.
Released in the US on August 13th, 1991, Super Mario World was the debut Mario title to launch with the new Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It's a little difficult not to be a little bias in regards to my affinity for this game as it also marks my first foray into the world of video games. And what a superbly jolly and creative introduction into the medium it was. Players take control of this mustached hero as he dawns bright yellow capes and mounts adorable green dinosaurs, soaring to the skies to rescue the princess on a island named entirely off delicious sweets. Sounds like the perfect start to a very memorable adventure.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Review
Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1
Playtime: 40 hours (Includes beating the game and completing a good portion of side quests and kingdom building)
The original Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch marked an ambitious RPG developed through the collaborative efforts of game company Level-5 Inc and animation film-makers Studio Ghibli. The result was quite impressive and incredibly charming, like being able to walk inside and interact with one of Studio Ghibli's beloved movies. Five years later, we now see a return to this magical kingdom with its sequel Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. While Studio Ghibli is no longer part of this project, the developers of Level-5 still strive to carry the same polish and charm of its aesthetic wonder, while expanding upon the gameplay in bold new ways to tell a whole new story. Is this ambitious sequel able to find the same success again though? Let's gather our Higgledies and jump into the fro of the pros and cons to be found.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Throwback Thursday - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. For the better part of the 80 past weeks, you've enjoyed in-depth looks at many a great game, all of which I would highly recommend playing. But starting today, we'll now be diving into some of my absolute favorite games as we step into the remaining top tier that is the Top 20 games. And what better game to begin with than the hero that fights for two kingdoms in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
Released in the US on November 22nd, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS, A Link Between Worlds began as a spiritual successor to the highly beloved and acclaimed Link to the Past back on the SNES. And while it does bear many direct similarities to its prestigious predecessor, such as with the overworld layout and themes of parallel worlds, it manages to stand apart with unique mechanics, a memorable story, and enough other notable differences to make this a step above most other Zelda adventures. In this adventure, a sinister sorcerer by the name of Yuga begins transforming the sages of Hyrule into paintings for certain evil schemes. In pursuit to stop these wicked deeds, Link himself gets turned into a painting, but as a fate would fortune him, this curse instead becomes a most useful ability, allowing Link to merge to and from surfaces at will. With such, players can now circumnavigate otherwise impassible terrains, narrow passages, or after a certain climatic juncture in the game, travel between the parallel kingdoms of Hyrule and Lorule (yes, a beautifully bad, but endearing pun). This clever gameplay mechanic really puts a refreshing twist to the Zelda series, often requiring the player to reconsider their approaches to typical puzzles and really think outside the box.
Released in the US on November 22nd, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS, A Link Between Worlds began as a spiritual successor to the highly beloved and acclaimed Link to the Past back on the SNES. And while it does bear many direct similarities to its prestigious predecessor, such as with the overworld layout and themes of parallel worlds, it manages to stand apart with unique mechanics, a memorable story, and enough other notable differences to make this a step above most other Zelda adventures. In this adventure, a sinister sorcerer by the name of Yuga begins transforming the sages of Hyrule into paintings for certain evil schemes. In pursuit to stop these wicked deeds, Link himself gets turned into a painting, but as a fate would fortune him, this curse instead becomes a most useful ability, allowing Link to merge to and from surfaces at will. With such, players can now circumnavigate otherwise impassible terrains, narrow passages, or after a certain climatic juncture in the game, travel between the parallel kingdoms of Hyrule and Lorule (yes, a beautifully bad, but endearing pun). This clever gameplay mechanic really puts a refreshing twist to the Zelda series, often requiring the player to reconsider their approaches to typical puzzles and really think outside the box.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Throwback Thursday - Super Metroid
Welcome to another Throwback Thursday, our weekly look into my Top 100 games and general nostalgia. Accepting the mission this week: The game of ice beams and other alien things that is Super Metroid.
Released in the US on April 18th, 1994, Super Metroid comes as the third entry in the Metroid series and would be heralded by many as one of the greatest games ever made, its influence being felt for generations to come as it helped define a whole new genre that is the Metroidvania. The adventure takes place after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus for the GameBoy, where Samus has successfully eradicated the Metroid species, other than a lone baby Metroid which she hands off to scientists for further research on the potential benefits for humankind. No sooner than when she leaves the space station does she receive a distress signal that the station is under attack by space pirates. With the notorious Ridley stealing the infant Metroid, Samus takes pursuit and follows them to the nearby planet surface of Zebes. Thus begins the players' new mission to navigate this alien world and put a stop to the rekindling affairs of the space pirates.
Released in the US on April 18th, 1994, Super Metroid comes as the third entry in the Metroid series and would be heralded by many as one of the greatest games ever made, its influence being felt for generations to come as it helped define a whole new genre that is the Metroidvania. The adventure takes place after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus for the GameBoy, where Samus has successfully eradicated the Metroid species, other than a lone baby Metroid which she hands off to scientists for further research on the potential benefits for humankind. No sooner than when she leaves the space station does she receive a distress signal that the station is under attack by space pirates. With the notorious Ridley stealing the infant Metroid, Samus takes pursuit and follows them to the nearby planet surface of Zebes. Thus begins the players' new mission to navigate this alien world and put a stop to the rekindling affairs of the space pirates.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Tabletop Tuesday - Mixing it Up in DropMix
Last year saw the release of a most unusual and groovy partnership between Hasbro and Harmonix to bring the world a unique musical, card game that is DropMix (for more info on this game, click here). While playing the variants of Clash and Party mode offer an enjoyable degree of fun and structure, it's often even more fun just to mess around in Freestyle mode and have at it creating fresh, tasty beats. In that spirit, I thought it'd be fun to share some of my own cooked-up mixes here for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
First, the happy and chill mix of Outkast (Ms. Jackson), Nightfeels (Find You), The Weekend (Can't Feel My Face), and Walk the Moon (Shut Up and Dance):
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Tips for Hollow Knight - Tricks and Secrets
As you may know from either your own play experience or reading the many glowing remarks in my recent review of Hollow Knight, the kingdom of Hallownest is a staggeringly large world to be explored, teeming with secrets and at times considerable challenges at every corner. For those checking out the last release of free DLC, Godmaster, or who have recently picked up the game as it was just on sale last week, discoveries continue to be found by veteran and new players alike. So I thought it would be a fun excuse to further highlight some of the many secrets found in this incredible game, while also sharing some tricks to help players persevere through its formidable halls. For purposes of upholding the joy of uncovering some of these secrets, I will keep this relatively spoiler-free and light on some of the details, providing links to which you can further look into particular topics if desired. With that said, let us dive into the many considered nuances of Hollow Knight:
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