Michael G. Munz

The official website of Seattle sci-fi/fantasy author and geek Michael G. Munz

Review UPDATE! – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Wait, WHAT?

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Well, poop.

Well, poop.

So I’ve now completed Deus Ex: Mankind Divided after my review post two days ago. Remember how I said that, judging by the story so far at that point, I guessed I was maybe a third of the way in? I guessed wrong, and everything is suddenly so unsatisfying.

My “probably one third in” point turned out to be three quarters in. My amazement at how much larger the game hubs were compared to Human Revolution based on what I’d seen in Prague? That’s because Prague is the ONLY hub. My judgment based on the developments of the story? That’s because the story just stops! [Read more…]

Game Review – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

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deus-ex-mk

Wait, it’s been FIVE YEARS since Human Revolution came out?! Damn it, time, stop moving so fast!

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, has been out for PC for two weeks now, and it’s more than time for my review…

If you know anything about my gaming tastes, you probably know that Deus Ex, released in 2000 by developer Ion Storm, is one of my favorites. With expensive environments, multiple gameplay styles, and character customization on top of a lengthy sci-fi plot that’s a conspiracy theorist’s dream, it won over 30 “best of” awards in 2001. Though the sequel was disappointing to say the least, 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution–while not without flaws of its own–brought the series back to being worthy of players’ time. And now we’ve got Mankind Divided, taking place two years after the events of Human Revolution (which itself takes place 25 years before the original). [Read more…]

IGN Review: Pillars of Eternity

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Hi everybody – I’m overdue for another post, both on the Farscape Rewatch and Michael Reads Percy Jackson front. Things have been busy preparing for the blog tour for the New Aeneid Cycle re-release, ECCC 2015 this weekend, and Norwescon the next.

I hope to have something new up soon, but in the meantime, take a look at this IGN video review of the just-released Pillars of Eternity. If you’re like me, you consider Baldur’s Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment some of the best PC RPG experiences ever,  and the people behind PoE would seem to agree with us. As the IGN reviewer says, it “feels like Neil Gaiman is playing dungeon master.”

I haven’t had time to actually PLAY this yet, but I’m anxious to dive into it.

Game Review – Dragon Age Inquisition (Part 2 – the Good!)

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Part Two: Let's get positive!

Part Two: Let’s get positive!

So now that I’ve sounded like a fountain of negativity to rival Yahtzee (but without the animation and deadpan hilarity) in part one of my full Dragon Age Inquisition review, it’s time for me to say what I actually liked about the game. There’s a lot to cover. [Read more…]

Game Review – Dragon Age Inquisition (Part 1 – the Bad)

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Part One: Let's Start with the Negative...

Part One: Let’s start with the negative…

Time flies. It’s been over a month since I posted my “first impressions” review of Dragon Age Inquisition, and I’m still playing it! Granted, I haven’t been playing it non-stop. Work, writing, blogging, reading, sleep, and the necessity of interacting with other human beings have to get some time, too. Yet I’ve logged over 80 hours with my human archer (ROGUE) known as Hobbes, so it’s time to say how the game holds up after my initial look. [Read more…]

Game Review – Dragon Age: Inquisition (first impressions)

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DAI First Impressions

TL;DR: Not without issues, but worth playing so far!

I really had intended to let this game simmer out there in the world for a while before picking it up. I really did. I pegged Dragon Age: Origins for one of my Top 5 PC Games of the Last Five Years–a taste of an RPG style we hadn’t seen since the days of Baldur’s Gate 2. Dragon Age 2…well, it disappointed me and a lot of other people. The tactical aspects were blunted, the maps were cloned all over the place, and the story put you in charge of a character cursed with the inability to have much of any effect on the world. That’s not to say I hated DA2. I enjoyed it enough to play it through with at least two different characters. But it was a step down from its predecessor. [Read more…]