WoWless diet

After spending so much time in WoW just trying to make a game for myself it's such a relief to play something completely off-beat and polished.

Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge

I'm so very bad at quests. So hopelessly and entirely bad, I don't even try to play the game, I google a walkthrough and lean back to enjoy the melodies. Afterall, music soothes even the savage beast. I mean, Monkey Island.

Sound work in that game is amazing. As a self-proclaimed audiophile I just lose myself in all the sound — music, environment, dialogue, it is so beautiful that I can't help giggling even when Guybrush for the 50th time says “Nice!” or “Niiice.” looking at a door or through a window.

iMUSE system that changes background tune a little bit when Guybrush is walking about different places in the same location is absolutely brilliant. I mean, that is what soundtrack is for — to accentuate background changes, not to steal attention, or worse, be thrown away by brain that is busy with the game to which annoying soundtrack obviously has no connection.

As for the rest of the game, it's great. I'm bad at quests, I warned you. It's just pretty pictures dancing along breathtaking sounds :)

Mass Effect 2

I returned to my Jess Shepard, who was brave enough to struggle through the first Mass Effect so that I could import her into the second. To spice things up I even installed Overlord and Hammerhead.

Mass Effect is a good blockbuster overall, it is directed incredibly well and its action is just what I can digest — moderately paced and with just a pinch of tactics.

There isn't much role-playing, especially if you decided how to play from the very start — it's top-left for Paragons, it's low-left for Renegades (almost a memory song). But if you're trying to do something different for one goddamned time and play a hero who is quick to anger, but generally helpful and warm kind. I literally spend minutes and minutes about a decision.

And there's no reward for that! If I'm gaining paragon and renegade points at the same time I'm not gonna be able to resolve most plot conflicts (Jack vs. Miranda, for example). Of course, pushovers seldom get what they want, but maybe just a videogame in which pushovers save the world elegantly? Come on, american schoolboys have dozens.