Digitally Disillusioned

The past few days featured a few memorable gaming moments to share and discuss.

• The Fall of Count Bleck. I finished Super Paper Mario, which ended up 3 or 4 hours longer than I anticipated it would. The level design in the game turns out to have a modicum of inconsistency, and I really would like to punch the lead designer on Chapter 7. It features long drawn out hide-n-seek objectives in a large, sprawling, landscape free of landmarks aside from literal signposts they HAD to place lest the game be impossible. The rest of the game is quite fun though and the conceit of moving in 2D and 3D through the same spaces is extremely compelling, if just a smidgen hard to get your head around at the start. The art is nothing short of a breathtaking experience, and shows how lower graphical technology can produce effects that are exquisite. But the game really seems to plateau at Chapter 3, which is a bit of a downer.
• Five Hours in Arkham. I reunited with an old college roommate and his cadre of D&D friends for a game of Arkham Horror, using both the Curse of the Dark Pharaoh and The Dunwich Horror expansions. The game did something that it can do once in a while, and got stuck in a state where for 3 hours we moved no closer to victory or defeat. The game is a compelling experience, rich with theme and bearing a very adventurous feel. But few are the games where five hours feels entirely pleasant and this is absolutely not one of them. It was nice spending the time with the guys, but we all felt a little worn. Fans of the game will delight that the Great Old One, Abhoth, awoke. Three of the five investigators (read: players) were devoured quickly, and it was the last possible round of combat for the remaining two. The player with the researcher had the last roll of the round, and ended up five hits short of victory. Her ability allows a reroll of failed dice of which there were three, which came up on the reroll two sixes and a five. She was using the one weapon in the game (The shotgun) where sixes count double so that was exactly what was needed to win. It was literally the last possible moment and the narrowest possible margin for victory. But a classic and memorable moment in gaming does not overshadow the game being obnoxiously long.