Category Archives: video games

Review of Portal 2

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Greetings, readers! This is Fluffy.

As I mentioned recently, I played both Portal 1 and 2 recently. Since I reviewed Portal 1 multiple times already (with an in-depth and brief review), I thought that I would give you a review of Portal 2.

The game was definitely excellent, and I recommend it, for several reasons.

Positives

Game Mechanics.

The controls were again intuitive, easy, and smooth. The graphics flowed, and I did not encounter any bugs or glitches that I can recall. I am sure that glitches happen, but I do not think I encountered any of them. Portal 2 did an excellent job with the mechanics.

Aesthetics

The game designers did a brilliant job of creating an immersive world. Depictions of overgrowth and “broken” paths indicate how old and worn-down the environment is. The designers similarly depicted “older” and “newer” areas admirably. The total experience portrayed what the designers wanted quite excellently.

Characters

There are some rather amusing characters in Portal 2. Each is given its own visual quirk and its own voice. The effects work together quite nicely to create a variety of characters that the player gets to know and appreciate.

Critiques

Story

I did not anticipate what the story was going to be like, or how dark the game was going to be. It was reasonably thought out, but it was very different from what some of the trailers indicated. It also seemed to have a few needless complications. (Spoiler: Why did we need GLaDOS’s back-story? Or the backstory of the labs?)

Puzzle Issues

There were a few too many elements in any given location to make the puzzles as friendly as I had hoped. More specifically, there were too many hidden locations where you did, in fact, need to have precise control to hit things precisely in order to solve the puzzle. There was a lot more “Twitch-factor” involved in this game than I would have hoped for a puzzle game.

I guess that is my only real critique of the game. Overall, it was well done. I expect that people who normally play video games who for some reason have not yet played Portal 2 would enjoy it a lot. I recommend the game.

A More In-Depth Game Review of Portal (1)

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Greetings, readers!

First of all, it has recently come to my attention that some of you are confused as to who is who on this blog. So I am going to clarify it for you. This is me, Fluffy McGiggles. The “Webmaster” (who has a bit of a pretentious name, if I might add-)

Hey!

-uses the ridiculously over-the-top purple motif.

Since I am currently living in what you call the “internet”, when I speak, it appears in whatever style you see it as.

Second, since I quickly moved on to playing Portal 2 after I finished Portal 1, I did not have the kind of time I now wish I had taken to do a more in-depth review of Portal.

It is now time to fix this problem.

As I mentioned in my previous review, I enjoyed it a lot.

The game play was smooth, and intuitive. Controls were (mostly) taught as needed, in a subtle way that did not detract from the game play. (The one exception to this is that they key-in for “crouch” is the “ctrl” key on your keyboard.

The only other critique I had is that when you die (which happens frequently, although there are minimal consequences for such behavior), I, at least, needed to inform the game when I was ready to reload. That was actually fairly nice, from my perspective, as it gave me the opportunity to look around. However, it did take me by surprise the first few times.

One of the other very nice features of the game is that it did emphasize solving the puzzles. There are a few things required that might have required very fast reflexes to do in a different game. However, the trick for Portal is solving the puzzles. Therefore, as soon as you figured out the puzzle, it would default to getting you to the proper place, thus making game-control fairly easy, and the game emphasis truly on the logic behind the game.

Portal 1 also did an excellent job of making it clear what you were supposed to do. There were few distraction items– anything you encountered was likely to be useful for solving the level’s puzzle. (For example, when there is a big red button in the room, you will need to push it to solve the puzzle.)

So, no red herrings, then? That’s what you’re trying to say?

Correct, Webmaster. Well done. There are minimal red herrings in Portal 1.

The story was also very simple, and very excellent. I think it would have been an even better story if I had not known what I was getting into, so I will not spoil it for you. But it is worth playing through.

And those constitute reasons why I really enjoyed Portal 1, and highly recommend it.

Portal to another world: Portal Game Recommendation

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Greetings, readers!

I hope you had an excellent Christmas.

I spent much of mine playing a game called “Portal” for the first time. It is quite amusing, and I highly recommend it.

For those of you who are curious, here is a trailer for the game.

The trailer sets a great feel for what the game itself is like, although I never encountered the descending spikes. That might be a “harder level” “feature”. I do not know.

I enjoyed the game a lot, however, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys puzzles. It starts of simply, and gradually builds your required skills. It does so in a very natural way, however.

In all, I found it to be an excellent game. If you get the game, I hope you enjoy it.

I wish you a joyous Friday!

Sequel to the Addicting Game

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Greetings, readers!

If you remember, there is a game that has come out that is a fairly addicting little puzzle game: 2048.

I recently discovered a newer version of it: 2584. This one is based upon the Fibonacci sequence. It is even more challenging, for you need to remember the previous number as well. (Additionally, if you have been playing extensive amounts of 2048, there are some interesting thought patterns that need to be eliminated.)

This is also highly addicting, and I encourage you to examine this when you have time. I do not condone this as a procrastination device when you do not actually have the time to procrastinate.

I hope the rest of your week goes well!

 

So a fad came and went without my realizing it…

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Friday!

I’m feeling way behind the times.

It turns out, there was an entire game that came, became popular, and then became discontinued without my realizing it. And it was apparently quite popular, too!

The game was a thing called Flappy Bird. The purpose, apparently, was to stay alive for as long as possible.

(Since I never had the opportunity to play it, I don’t actually know for sure.)

And then, just as I was starting to become aware of Flappy Bird’s existence, I found out that the inventor discontinued it.

At least there was an interesting(ish) explanation of why I’ll (probably) never be able to play that game… At least, not for less than $900, which is the listed price of a phone with Flappy Bird installed.

About all I can say is, some people need a new hobby.

Well, have a great weekend!

The Best Type of Fluff: Useful Fluff

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Salutations, readers! I wish you a wonderful Thursday.

Recently, I have discovered an interesting form of “fluff”. In fact, it is a form that I rather like. It is fluff that is useful.

Specifically, it is an online game that encourages good typing skills. It is called z-type.

I have spent time watching people play this game, and it looks interesting. I suggest you try it- you might enjoy it. At the very least, your typing or spelling might improve. It might not, but it might.

I wish you the best of days, readers!

 

Age of Empires II Game Review.

Note: If this is your first time to TotalFluff, please visit this brief explanation. Thanks!

Hello, Fluffsters! So I sort of should have been spending a bit more time doing fluff stuff this week. But that’s ok, you don’t mind, right? And anyways, part of what I was doing was playing computer games. And that’s sort of a tradition with long weekends. And as long as I get a fluff up, that’s all that really matters… right? And so, in order to take advantage of that time spent playing games…

Game Review:

Age of Empires II: Age of Kings.

Age of Empires II: Age of Kings, by Microsoft, is a real time strategy game for computers where the players try to build an empire. The player plays the role of Supreme Commander of a civilization. The player cannot directly participate in any activities, but instead issues commands to: create characters and buildings, tell characters to gather resources or attack enemies, and to explore and to trade. The user interacts with the game through a combination of keyboard shortcuts, and both the left and right buttons on the mouse.

In one-player mode, the goal of the game is simple: become the top civilization in the world map. This can be achieved through a few different ways. Specific goals with a time limit include collecting a certain number of items and holding them for a specified amount of time, and building a particular structure and keeping it for a specified amount of time. Scoring is based upon completion of these goals, how many buildings and units are built, how many resources the player still has at the end of the game, and how many enemies the player destroyed. There are other criteria as well, but they are not as interesting.

Now I think you were just being lazy by not including that.

…Does this surprise you?

But back to the review.

The art, sound, and music tie together in a pleasing way. Although the graphics are a bit slow on certain computers, and therefore stutter a bit, the landscapes are well done. Useable resources are clearly identifiable, and a convenient mini-map at the bottom updates in real time to show where various units and resources are on the map. The music adds an ambiance of adventure- there is a definite beat, which adds excitement, but the music is not so obnoxious that it distracts game play. The sound effects are also used to great effect. If a player’s characters or buildings are attacked by either enemies or wildlife, a small fanfare plays. Each class of armed character has its own distinct sound as well. The game also uses other sound effects to indicate events in the game.

And again you let us wonder what they are…

Do you really want more detail? I could mention that there are random bird calls, each character makes its own noise when created, the horses whinny, the arrows have their own “SWOOSH” sound when fired, or-

All right! I get the picture. I’ll let that one slide.

Good. Now back to the review.

Some of my favorite special features in the game are its Easter-eggs or cheat codes. My personal favorite simultaneously makes the game easier and harder. It is a cheat for being able to instantly build projects, research, and collect resources. The challenging part is that other players gain that ability as well. Others include the ability to gain resources instantly, declare yourself the winner (“I R WINNER”), kill everyone (including yourself through the cheat “black death”), call in advanced weaponry, or take over nature.

I enjoy this game for several reasons. The first is that there is an almost infinite amount that can be done with this game. A player can start off with a very easy game, with lots of resources, only a few players, and lots of cheat code use. A player can then continue to make things more difficult by decreasing resources, increasing the number of players, and using no cheat codes. Built in campaigns add additional options, as does the map-creator.

There are less fun aspects of Age of Empires II, however. First is control. I use the built-in mouse that comes with laptops, and which are difficult to use to scroll around the game with. The second is the length of the game. It is possible to put time limits in, but especially if the “instant” cheat is not being used, it can still take a while for game play to start.

Wait, you use rodents to control this game? No wonder this qualifies as fluff!

No. In this instance, a “mouse” is a type of technology that we use to control computers. Do a Google search to see what they are.

I really like this game. I can’t compare it to others in its genre, since I haven’t really played that many in its genre, but it’s really fun. With expansion packs, and Age of Empire 3, you can even justify it as a semi-history game!

So, yeah. I really enjoy the game, and I recommend you play it. It’s really fun, especially when you do things like call in nuke strikes, or cars that have machine guns, and other random fun stuff. Or design your own maps to have things totally stacked in your favor.

Happy Wednesday!

Legends from the Past

I have decided. I need some genuine content, not just the mindless fluff the Webmaster has forced upon me. For this reason, I will tell you a legend from my world.

Let’s see, that will be <?php
$story = get_file_data(…

Legends from the Past

Once upon a time in a land far away a family discovered The Secret: a contraption, hidden in the deep. None knew how to work the device.

S’Ranya, the 16 year old daughter of the patriarch, was at the time blessed with the Sight of Knowledge. Upon the mysterious contraption’s discovery, she Saw part of its hidden secrets and knowledge. What she Saw was enough. Over it she pronounced a prophecy, and swore her family to its secrecy and protection.

For the fulfillment of this task, S’Ranya also studied the art of chest making. Study, she did, and to this talent she devoted much time. She worked to perfect the skill, and created boxes and chests of magic, beauty, and history.

Treasure Chest

One of S’Ranya’s Treasure Chests

In time, the Sight of Knowledge left her, and she married him of whom she had dreamed while the Sight was yet upon her.

And later, when the time was right, she bore a girl. This child, it was found, also had the Sight. For this reason, S’Ranya told taught her of the Secret, and trained her in the art of Making. Her daughter too then made the chests of magic, history, and secrecy until that time when the Sight left her as well.

And so it continued. Mother taught Daughter, and the entire family guarded the device. So it continued for 700 years.

~*~

In the day S’Ranjella of the line of S’Ranya came into her heritage, the Knowledge of the Contraption was revealed unto her in an intensity never before experienced.

She knew, even before her Mother’s instructions, what the Secret was. Further she saw what its purpose was, and that the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy was at hand.

With the Sight of Knowledge to guide her, S’Ranjella unbound the magical chests of her heritage, and revealed the device to her family. With it, she also revealed the full prophecy, for the time was right.

prophetic scroll

The Prophecy of the Line of S’Ranya

Of the coming end of their world, she spoke, and of the way to preserve the World’s history, and their family. The Secret had revealed all this.

On this topic she explained and instructed further. For the past 700 years, the device had remained dormant. In but a few hours, fueled by the approach of impending doom, the contraption would activate. It was a portal to another world, or maybe many worlds. Once the portal was open, then, the Family would escape the Doom of the World.

When the portal opened, S’Ranjella instructed, the members of her entire family were to take a quantity of their heritage of boxes, the boxes of history, magic, and safety, and enter through the portal. The portal would transport them Somewhere, to a place away from their World. Once they reached their new Home, in the Worlds Beyond, the family was to place an Item into each of the chests. The Item must be from their new world, for that would tie their family, and their heritage of treasure chests, to their new homes.

Upon receipt of the item, S’Ranjella further instructed, each chest was to be hidden away.  In time, their families would integrate into society, and the location of the chests would be forgotten, and stored only in memory, lore, and maybe maps. With this, the Family would live, as would the heritage of History, Magic, and Beauty of their world. All this S’Ranjella revealed unto her family.

What she did not reveal was the individual fates of each member of her family or the chests. She had not told them that they would never see each other again, for the portal would transport them to different worlds; different universes, even.

Once there, her family would use their skills for a good purpose. The sword-smiths of her families would equip noble adventurers and the magicians would heal many. From each of them would come a hero who would be inevitably drawn towards the chests, filled with magic from both Worlds of the hero’s heritage. This magic and heritage would call to him or her, and would serve a need of some sort.

With great sorrow in their hearts, for the end of the World was coming, S’Ranjella’s family followed these instructions. They found the many chests of their heritage, and went through the portal, one set of immediate family members at a time.

Finally, at the end, S’Ranjella looked up at the sky from whence the Doom would come, and followed, last of all.

 ~*~

In a universe far away, a child played a computer game. The protagonist in the game came across a treasure chest, and received an item. The hero in the world paused for a split second, and admired the chest. It was a thing of beauty, and before founding it, the thing had seemed to call to the hero. The protagonist touched the box lightly, and paused to remember the legends of the Treasures, and of the travelers from beyond the stars. Rumor had it that they were related.

Even though unsure of the truth of the matter, the hero reflected, and thanked whoever had hidden the chests for their generous gifts.

Thank you for reading! I feel a lot better for having some genuine content, not just fluff and nonsense.

“Not just fluff and nonsense”? Fluffy, you’re talking about portals to another world, there’s no dialogue, and you call this not “fluff and nonsense”?

Of course. This is a legend from my world. How could it be fluff and nonsense?

You’re talking about portals to another world.

I really fail to see what your problem is. After all, you’re talking to me. I came through a portal from another world…

What, no response from the Webmaster? I guess I’ve won.

Wait, what? No! I’m just speechless. And just to clarify… Are you saying that all treasure chests in our computer games and video games came from one family?

I’m not actually saying anything of the sort. I’m only saying that according to legend, yes. After all, the family made the treasure boxes for over 700 years. They’ve got to have a lot of them at this point.

Well, I’m still not buying it. But I guess that according to rules of Political Correctness, I can’t actually say that your legends seem to be very… fluffy.

Good thing you didn’t say it, then. After all, we’d hate for me to change any of your recipes.

Ack! Don’t you dare!

Well, I guess that means goodbye for now, readers. I’m going to make sure Fluffy didn’t ruin any of my recipes…

Oh good. I hoped that would get rid of her.

And I should probably let you go. After all, unlike me, you don’t necessarily spend your entire life on this website.

So fare thee well, dear reader, until I next see you.