SteamWorld Dig 1 and 2

I had previously written up something on the other half of the SteamWorld games because I have become a huge fan of the franchise. I do not have a Nintendo DS so I cannot play their first game, SteamWorld Tower Defense. I want more and apparently, a sixth game is coming out eventually.

SteamWorld Dig

On its surface, this is a fairly simple game. It is currently the only SteamWorld game with a male main protagonist. You play as Rusty, a cowbot newly arrived in town to work the mine. You travel down into the mine to dig up precious metals and gems which are sold to the town (presumably to be sold farther afield). Earning more money allows you to unlock and purchase new gear to travel farther down. The gameplay feels a lot like an update of titles like Mr. Driller or DigDug. Eventually, you need to start gathering pieces of a mysterious foreign technology in order to continue updating your gear. You travel deeper than anybody had ever gone before and discover a strange place far more advanced than the world above. It is fascinating because we usually think of “aliens” appearing from the skies, not the depths of the planet.

Eventually, you find what appears to be a technological fortress of sorts which turns out to be a prison. In that prison is an advanced AI called Voltbot which is a lost part of the advanced hive mind known as Vectron. You have been collecting Vectron technology which has slowly corrupted your systems. In desperation, you must do battle with Voltbot to end the threat to the town and the world above. With just a little bit, the game does a really good job of creating a whole world in just a tiny microcosm of a game. Like most SteamWorld games, it is pretty short but infinitely replayable. The game has a lot of the dry humor of the other games in the series and Rusty is a likable protagonist.

SteamWorld Dig 2

This game picks up not long after the end of SteamWorld Dig but instead follows Dorothy, a young NPC from the first game. She alone seems to be worried about Rusty who has gone missing following the climactic battle at the end of the first game. Dorothy was the kind cowbot who bought gems and materials off of Rusty. She has since taken up the pickaxe in order to try to find Rusty. Meanwhile, mysterious earthquakes have started to rock the area. Dorothy moves on to a bigger town and agrees to mine for the town to get permission to go searching for Rusty deep underground. Like the first game, you collect precious materials to sell in town so you can get upgrades on your gear. The gameplay is similar but adds a lot of interesting platforming and puzzles.

This time, Dorothy is smart enough not to collect and use pieces of Vectron as news has spread of that particular danger. However, she instead has to deal with new threats. There is now a doomsday cult deep underground that prays to Vectron and would gladly resurrect the technology if they could. They are behind the earthquakes as part of their twisted devotion to the remnants of Vectron. You actually befriend a rogue piece of Vectron who acts as your guide (and appears in DLC for SteamWorld Heist). For the first time, you also have to deal with humans who have formed a small settlement underground. They are distrustful of all cowbots so dealing with them is an uphill battle. The game is a lot more fleshed out than the first game and the gameplay is a lot more fun.

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Aftershocks: The Goblins Down Below Pt. 4

The Wicked Witch of the West cackled and, as her arms raised, the goblins surged forward trying to surround the three girls. The Witch slowly walked forward, the goblins streaming around her and she had a smug grin on her face. Except, then the lights began to dim in the vast warehouse and the Witch paused. Then all of the sprinklers came on at once and a deluge descended from the ceiling. The Witch practically scurried for cover but the goblins looked confused as the water washed over them. The falling water started to rise from the puddles on the floor and formed into a giant serpent made of water. The serpent stretched open its jaws and then lunged at the Witch and swallowed her whole, completely submerging her in the water.

A moment later, the serpent exploded from the Witch’s magic and she started to laugh again. “Silly, girls,” she yelled. “Water won’t end me this time.” The water coalesced back into the form of Nancy.

“We figured as much,” Sabrina said. “but we had to try.”

“The water was actually for your goblins,” Lydia said. “Sorry.”

She and Sabrina snapped their fingers in unison and lightning shot out from them and jumped along the soaked goblins, frying them where they stood. All three girls watched as the goblins wriggled and squirmed from the voltage and the sparks lit up the face of the startled Witch. Unfortunately, the lightning did not get everybody and Lydia and Sabrina drew their swords while Nancy’s hands turned to claws. They started to slash their way through the remaining goblins. Salem leaped from the shadows and started to slash and rip through the goblins as well. There were still plenty but luckily the Witch was hanging back and getting her bearings. She might have been hit by the lightning.

After a long and bloody battle, the girls stood panting and sweaty and ready for action. There was a sudden explosion of swirling smoke and the Witch appeared again. She was floating in the air on her broom.

“The games are over, my pretties!” The Witch yelled. “Time to go to Hell!” She formed a huge fireball in her hand and launched it toward Nancy.

Sabrina stepped in front of Nancy and formed a shield from pure magic, barely blocking the fireball’s impact. Lydia pointed at the Witch and a magical bolt of energy lanced forward from her finger and shot straight through the Witch’s chest. Salem appeared from behind her and drove his claws into the Witch’s back and rode her body all the way to the ground. He landed and retracted her claws and walked over to the three girls and into Sabrina’s arms for a nuzzle.

“Thank you for protecting me,” Nancy said to Sabrina.

“Yes,” Lydia said. “Thank you for protecting her.”

“We’re friends now, Nancy,” Sabrina said. “It’s not often I get to vanquish a demon.”

“Who are you calling vanquished?” A shaky voice came from the direction of the Witch’s corpse who was very much not dead yet. “One way or another. You’re going to Hell!” Her skin blazed with fire and her eyes went wild. The goblin corpses on the floor around her started to burst into flame. Before the girls could react, an ax flew out nowhere and hit the Witch in the head and she went down again. She burned up quickly, and thankfully the wet goblins didn’t spread the flame. The girls looked around and there, standing just next to what looked liked a magical gateway was The Tin Woodsman.

“Sorry I’m late,” The Tin Woodsman said. “I came as soon as I could.” He tipped his funnel hat to the girls.

“Nick!” Lydia yelled. “You were right on time. It’s good to see you!”

“Let’s clean this mess up, shall we?” Tin asked.

* * *

“Do you really have to go back to Kansas?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah,” Sabrina said. “It’s where I belong right now. I have to help the others get back on their feet.”

“Good luck,” Lydia said with a smile. “You’re the right person for the job.”

Sabrina tilted her head. “You won’t come with me?” She asked. “There’s a spot there for both of you, I’m sure.”

Lydia looked at Nancy and then shook her head. “This is where we need to be right now,” Lydia said. “At least until we’ve figured out this King of Hell thing. Besides, we can’t put the group in danger while they’re injured. It’s nice to know you’re out there, though.”

“We always will be,” Sabrina said. “Remember what she taught you. Dorothy loves you.

“You all taught me something,” Lydia said. “I love you all. Give my regards to Dorothy, Dani, Coraline, Amy, and Glen.” She smiled and hugged her friend. It was a long hug. As soon as the hug ended, Nancy was suddenly hugging Sabrina. She found herself smiling and ruffled Nancy’s hair as they separated.

“Tell them yourself when you visit next,” Sabrina said. “Stay safe. If you need us, just call.”

“We will,” Lydia said.

“I promise we will,” Nancy said. “We’ve got each other.”

(Fin.)

(Can you guess who the movie characters are in Dorothy’s coven?)

Media Update 2/9/17

The Librarians

I have seen the first Librarian movie and I liked it well enough that I have seen bits and pieces of the sequels. I love the idea of a secret organization that must protect the world from the myths and legends that are usually dismissed as fiction or urban legend. It is a very similar idea to Warehouse 13 but with a slightly different flavor. The show was created by the very awesome Dean Devlin who also created Leverage. It has a lot of the feel that Leverage had with a mix of action, intelligence and comedy with a few moments of emotion thrown in. I have to step in here and admit that I only started watching this show halfway through season two because I am late to the show and I have not obtained season 1 and 2 to watch it in order yet. Still, the show was really easy to pick up right in the middle of a major story arc and they did a good job with the characterizations that made them easy to understand.

Like Leverage and Warehouse 13, every episode is epic but manageable. Noah Wyle returns from the movies but is more of a special guest and not guaranteed to be in every episode. Instead, we get a team headed up by Rebecca Romijn who is an excellent ex-military character. Previously, I had only seen her in blue makeup in the X-Men movies. She is joined by Christian Kane, who is always awesome. John Laroquette is great as their mentor. I absolutely fell in love with newcomers John Harlan Kim and Lindy Booth. More than anything, I love how the show is a celebration of learning things through a love of research. I definitely recommend it.

Emerald City

There are two stories that I will always go back to that have a goldmine full of great imagery. One of them is Alice in Wonderland and the other is the Oz books and movie. The Wizard of Oz has been adapted over and over and I have checked out the majority of those adaptations. I really enjoyed The Wiz Live and Wicked particularly. So when I saw a trailer for the new show coming out that would be adapting the Wizard of Oz, I knew I would have to check it out. The show is set in modern times which is not exactly a new idea (Tin Man) but it is definitely interesting right off the bat. Dorothy is not a young girl but is instead a highly competent nurse. Wicked was given a good name because it was clearly a look at the story through the eyes of The “wicked” witch of the west.

I think that it is fitting that this show is called Emerald City because it deals more with the politics between the Wizard, the witches, the land of Oz and the newcomer Dorothy. It includes a lot more characters from the books and has very little to do with the 1939 movie. I am fine with that because I love adaptations that bring some new energy to the table. So far, the writing has been on point and I really have no idea where the story is going next when I watch each episode but when things do happen, they feel right. Much respect so far to Adria Arjona as Dorothy and Ana Ularu as West. Both of them add new facets to familiar characters. Vincent D’Onofrio is great as The Wizard, showing that simmering crazy energy that he has made his trademark lately. I definitely recommend this one as it is just beginning.

The Last Witchunter

It is interesting to me that I finally watched this movie just before starting my first ever Dungeons and Dragons game with my friends. Vin Diesel is an avid D&D player (he apparently even taught Judi Dench how to play) and has been playing the game for years. This movie was kind of his dream project. The main character is based on a character he rolled up years ago who was a custom ranger build that included some other spellcraft. The opening of the movie even looks like a D&D party going after the big villain of their long campaign.

We fast forward to modern times and Vin Diesel is so good in this movie. It is clear that he really liked the character and plays it with subtle humor and depth. I quickly fell in love with Rose Leslie’s character who had an interesting take on witchcraft and was anything but just a side piece for Vin Diesel. Michael Caine and Elija Wood were also great but both of them have never turned in a bad performance. At least, not that I have seen. I thought the visuals were really good. Where possible, they did practical effects but the digital effects were really smooth and felt like they had weight. It felt like a more expensive version of the great effects that I have seen in The Magicians. I really liked the feel of the story. It concerned itself with how to deal with the past and how that past affects the future and if somebody even belongs in the future. I definitely recommend this movie. It was trippy but a fun ride.

Music of the Week:

Adelitas Way – Ready for War (Pray for Peace)

Sick Puppies – Gunfight

LazyTown – Dansa, Áfram Dansa!

The Dresden Dolls – Backstabber

Chris Dane – Shine on Me

Weekly Update:
– I’m on Season 4 of Haven
– I finished Season 6 of Parks and Recreation
– I’ve watched more Law and Order SVU that I had not seen
– I have been watching Conan again
– I am starting to plan for April’s A to Z Blogging Challenge
– I am also starting to plan for my annual Halloween event as well
– I have been watching a new show that I may reveal soon
– I did not watch the Super Bowl. The Ravens were not in it.
– This week’s theme is “Policing Magic”