Game Review: Sniper Elite V2

By Nydia Tungsten & Brandi Tungsten

   I was told about this game being free on Steam for the day by several people, so I got it, as did my son, Kody. We sat down and played for a few hours and between the two of us, we had beat the game.

     It is a basic first person shooter taking place during WWII while the game designers took some liberty with the historical facts to create better missions. First thing I notice about the game is how the tutorial is buggy, so don’t worry if you can’t get all the way through it. While irritating, it is not game breaking, so go as far as you can then go to the missions. In this game, you can play with others in either co-op or PvP. Kody and I tried co-op.

   Another annoying aspect about this game is when we hit Continue, it threw us back into the lobby. So, we had to go through the list of missions to get to the next one. In my opinion, the developers of this game did not do a very thorough beta testing with this game. It has just too many things going wrong, nothing game crashing, but just annoying.

     Would I shell out money for it? No, so I cannot recommend it unless it comes up free again, but until then, I’d say leave it alone.

They have started pushing Sniper Elite III, but with the problems I am having with V 2, I don’t think I could trust it’s sequel enough not to have problems. I cannot stress enough that if they have a game that originally has problems, and then they release a sequel to it, leave that one alone. It is the only way we can get the message to the developers we will not stand for “close enough” games being thrown at us. Remember, we have the power to get our message across by not giving them money for unfinished games and Sniper Elite, while fun, was lacking in many ways. Not having enough missions is the biggest flaw. If someone can finish and beat the game in just a few short hours in co-op mode and have one of the players not even take the tutorial and just jump in means there isn’t enough content in my eyes.

And another thing is given that it never told us where to aim to destroy tanks. It took us a bit to figure that out as well and we STILL beat it quickly.

   So, save your money and wait for it to come out on another free day to get it, that is the only way I can recommend getting it. If you already have it, let me know how YOU like it and let me know if you think I am wrong.

And as always, GOOD GAMING TO YOU!

Editor's Note: At times when making a sniper shot, the view changes to show a slow-motion of the bullet traveling towards it's target. Just before reaching the target, the screen changes to an "X-ray" view which shows the bullet shattering bones, or if the shot's at the target's gonads, disintegrating testicles. Not exactly something for the squeamish. 

Nydia Tungsten

Game Review: "Wolfenstein: The New World Order"

By Nydia Tungsten & Brandi Tungsten


   Basically it starts out as a WWII First person shooter, but that changes FAST!

   With this one, the Germans are winning the war through advanced technology that they developed seemingly out of nowhere. Then you are injured and spend time in a hospital….well a LOT of time. When you come to, it is in the 1960’s and the Nazis have won the war.

    From here, the writers delve into the alternate reality of a world dominated by the Nazis. In my opinion, they did too good of a job. I have German family and heard stories of the war. I asked why he was telling me this and his answer struck a note in me even then, “If the future doesn’t remember the past we are doomed to repeat it.”  The writers captured the possibility of this Nazi future extremely well, to the point where I had to stop playing it and walk away for awhile.

    I am not saying this game is ALL doom and gloom. I have found an Easter egg in the base in Berlin that pays homage to the very first 8-bit Wolfenstien game. If you find it, I think you will get a kick out of it whether you had originally played it or not.

   But, the story line itself is a dark one throughout the game. I would not recommend this game for anyone under the age of 16 due to the language, violence and the few sex scenes (it doesn’t really show much, but…paranoid parents, be warned).  But, just for the story line and I know there will be some that say “Nyd’s it’s just a game. How bad could it be?” When you see a Nazi woman hold out a baby from her, dangling it by its heel with the look of pure revulsion on her face, or an audio diary of a young girl searching for ways to kill the “Nazi baby” growing inside her….yeah….it gets a bit disturbing.

   Will I recommend others play this? I would have to say, “Yes.” Because, it IS a well written story and it DOES depict what life here could have been like had the Nazi’s been a little bit smarter. If you play this game, be warned…you may learn something and find yourself engrossed in the story and have it elicit extreme feelings within you too.

   Again let me know if you get it and what you think about it. I would love to know. Until then, good gaming to you!

Images from Steam

Nydia Tungsten

News and Commentary:Tropical Paradise Closes, IW/SL Connection Center Owner Involved

By Bixyl Shuftan

Earlier this month, the Tropical Paradise virtual world closed down. "Hypergrid Business," a newsletter that covers Opensim worlds, quoted staff member Thishan Dezno as saying the place was "shut down with no warning to either its residents or its staff ... everything - including the grid, the website, Facebook (page) and Twitter (account) - were taken down without any prior notice or warning to anyone" Hypergrid reported many residents and some staffers had both cash and content on the grid.

Normally the fading away of a small virtual world would have nothing to do with Second Life. But curiously enough a name familiar to some who travel back and forth between it and InWorldz is involved: Amore Crux (amore.xofan).

To those who don't know, Amore was the founder of the InWorldz/Second Life Connection Center . On December 7, Amore suddenly announced without warning that the center was closing. Nydia Tungsten, involved with the group stated, "I was blindsided by the closing of their welcome centers then found out it was a decision Amore had made on his own because of.... 'differences'... he had with the founders, his decision affected ALL their members and left them out of the loop as to why and what would happen ..."

Then Amore just as quickly partially reversed himself, saying the group would be open, but on a smaller scale. Behind the scenes, he was making accusations. He told the group, created to help people make the transition from Second Life to InWorldz, not to assist anyone outside it. When I ran into and questioned him in InWorldz, he told the following:

"im expanding the center to include another grid and we'll from now on be totally grid neutral ... its the Tropical Paradise its a new grid started in maj this year ... im as of now Project Director for that grid ... and it means i need step back to be neutral in here ... ill be making a gate to that grid in SL as well its about 500 active members and many of the big creators/merchants you know from in here is in there already ..."

A little later in the conversation, "we have a direct communication me and the founders and they will also be free to use my system thats bullet proof and it works for any grid owners since its not based on a technical system that can be scamed like it seems to have happen in here ... but its a later matter to solve we also looking in to other services and the main task now is to get the welcome area to work as our connection centers" "So your system is 'scam proof?'" I asked, "That's quite a claim." "yes it is since its all on record and its based on old fashion cash for cash"

Of his shutting down the IW/SL Connection Center group, "this was really meant that i would need to run my self as you know i just wanted to build and normal ppl does but it kinda has been the demand from the members that has forced me to make it to what it is today" "So the group's now run essentially all by you now?" I asked. He went on, "and as i said im now turning it in the direction it was meant from start a members helping members group only and hopefully with not much need of me personally so me to can do whats fun :) "

Amore then began taking greater control of what could be spoken in the group's chat, stating in a group announcement:

But i've now added a extra member title level in the group which means no one directly gets the chat access by just join the group it gonna take a request to get that access and of course misbehavior leads to lose that right as well. Most of you already got the right set already i know i've missed some few but im working on that so just let me know if you not got the right to chat yet and i'll fix it asap! Until i've find a person that is fully trusteed that i can delegate to handle the request to be upgraded to chat access you send to ME directly!

Soon after two people told me they were muted.

As time went on, less attention was paid to Amore. Following the Grid's closing however, attention was back on him. In the Hypergrid article's comment second, one person commented, "Oh, and was this the one that 'Amore ' guy went to after forming that sl/iwz connection group thing, then leaving that and dissing them, then disappearing?" I called Amore and asked him about the matter. He told me that he'd gotten out of Paradise Grid in March, "all you need to say is all our group members was warned about join that grid a long long time ago so its not directly any news thinks"

The IW/SL notice history only went back thirty days, and was blank. Amore passed me a notecard which He told me was of the announcement. He claimed changes in the Grid began to put his group's money at risk, "the SCARY PART! ... You're NOT allowed by your OWN hand to quit the grid (terminate your account)!!! You're obligated to inform them you are, either directly or by their support page! (read their TOS) " The statement warned not to get in Tropical Paradise, and if you had invested money, consider it lost, "it proves that anyone can be fooled to trust wrong ppl"

Once again, Amore found himself in a controversy, although a smaller one this time. Still, his behavior with his suddenly closing, then just as quickly reopening the IW/SL Connection Center over differences with the InWorldz founders without consulting even his business partner then shutting her out, and now his involvement in a virtual world that suddenly closed and took all money invested with it, one can be pardoned for asking ...

Just what has Amore been up to?

Bixyl Shuftan

Game Review: "The Wolf Among Us"

By Nydia Tungsten

When I first saw the game load up, the graphics reminded me a lot of “Borderlands,” a little darker, but overall pleasant to look at. You play the lead character “B. Wolf” as in the Big Bad Wolf from all the fairy tales. But he is the sheriff of a fable community, so he is a good guy now….or is he?

 Have you ever read one of those “You choose the ending” books where every decision you make affects the story’s outcome?  Welcome to “The Wolf Among Us” where you try and solve which fable is killing others. All the fables have moved into a “Mundy” city and try to fit in. They try to look like the Mundy, the Mundane inhabitants of the city, by using “Glamor” spells to change their appearance to look like and blend in with the locals.

What I find appealing about the game is you can make decisions like you would in your life. Your friend can play how they feel it should be played and when you get together, it would seem you were talking about two different games because every decision you make changes the outcome of the game. There are thousands upon thousands of possibilities.

And like a good book, you get caught up in the story line and find it is hard to quit until you reached the end of the chapter. But with this, when you do reach the end of the chapter, it will show you the decisions of everyone else that has played and the percentage where you fall into.

You get to work with some of the other characters such as Snow White, Ichabod Crane, Toad, Red Riding Hood, and even the Woodsman. But not everything is how it seems as you travel down the rabbit hole. You will see plot twists and character twists like you have never seen before. Unfortunately, there are only three chapters of the game available for now. I have played all three of them and loved them.

You would think a game full of fairy tales would be great for the kids, but not this one. I cannot stress far enough for this is definitely *NOT* a child’s game. From the language and violence to the nudity and strong sexual theme, I would urge parents to play it themselves first before handing it over to little Johnny or Susie.

But, over all, I LOVED the game and can’t wait to when chapter 4 comes out. I highly recommend the game to anyone that likes a little violence in their stories with some great plot twists.

 Here are some links to my play through, but I feel I must do this:

*WARNING* The following links do contain strong language and violence!
(So, if you’re easily offended, it is your own fault for looking)

http://www.twitch.tv/nydia_tungsten/c/4098166

And the full play through can be found here:
http://www.twitch.tv/nydia_tungsten/b/521293290

I give this game high marks and a thumbs up, but tell us what YOU think, what do you like  or dislike about it and like always…

GOOD GAMING TO YOU!

Nydia Tungsten