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30 Days: Disappointing Sequel

This is one of a series called “30 Days of Video Games“, an exercise on daily writing.
Follow the link for the full list.

There’s really no debate about this one.

Caveats aside – the recent expansion and revamp of the loot system has made Diablo III a much better game than it was on release.  However, the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved (and often imitated) Diablo II, was, without question, one of the most disappointing video games of all time, let alone sequel.  The matter has been discussed ad nauseum – the questionable choice to make the best loot come from the in-game auction house (with real money option, I mean, really Blizzard?), the god-awful story line (seriously, they fucking killed Deckard Cain, what the fuck,) and the initial inescapable cutscenes and dialog options which made replaying act 3 akin to wanting to gouge your fucking eyes and ears out (okay you beat that last ‘unbeatable’ lieutenant of mine, but wait until you see the next one, muahahaha for the 50th time.)

But the truly unforgivable, the real salt in the wound, was the forced online gameplay, coupled with the wide release that resulted in Error 37 (and it’s younger cousin, Error 3003,) the dreaded “you just paid $60 for a game where you hit connect 3,467 times before rage quitting” error that greeted, well, just about everyone.  Again, Error 37 has become quite the meme, so there’s not much else to discuss.  The game was a trainwreck on release.

It has got better.  It’s actually closer to what it should have been on release with the expansion, the new loot system, and improved performance.  But its release will go down in infamy.

 

 

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30 Days: Best Soundtrack

This is one of a series called “30 Days of Video Games“, an exercise on daily writing.
Follow the link for the full list.

Da, comrade.  There is only one logical choice.  Tetris for the Nintendo GameBoy.

Featuring perhaps one of the most famous and iconic video game scores, the GameBoy version of Tetris’ 8-bit arrangement of “Korobeiniki” is known the world over simply as the “Tetris Song”;

Much lesser known but just as awesome, the game came with two more arrangements;

With Tetris becoming such a sensation during the glasnost period of the USSR, the game was a natural fit to highlight the indomitable cultural legacy of Russia.  Versions of the game often include images of Russian & Soviet culture, images such as St. Basil’s Cathedral, Yuri Gagarin, and scenes from the Nutcracker ballet, just to name a few.  Music was also a way that the various Tetris games presented and shared Russian culture, and in the GameBoy version, they nailed it.

Plus, it was a very pleasant surprise to go a Timbers game for the first time and see the Timbers Army serenading our beloved club on with this;

With all this being said about Tetris, I have to give two honorable mentions, Diablo & Civilization 4.

Let me know your favorites!