After a long absence from the Game Informer blogosphere, I've returned to redouble my efforts towards making some kind of impression in this wondrous community of fellow gamers. Having updated my account and changed my username to my real one (I don't need to hide behind an alias when discussing video games, of all things), I've decided to begin with a post detailing my most recent game purchases.
In the past few months, my outlook on downloadable games has turned completely around. Before, I was a staunch physical-only gamer, preferring to own all my games on disc due to reasons of longevity and collectability. What led me away from this digital aversion? Seasonal deals on Valve's downloadable game distribution platform, Steam. Snagging games for a few dollars apiece was too sweet a deal for this impoverished college student to resist. My preference for physical games hasn't been diminished; so much as my access to a larger number of games has been expanded. I can now comfortably sink my spare change into games on Steam that I wouldn't have been able to justify paying full price for at a brick and mortar store.
But enough of my ramblings about the continuing debate between physical and digital game distribution. I only mentioned it to lead into my most recent purchases. This weekend, I took advantage of an across-the-board sale on Rockstar's Steam catalog. For under $20.00, I made off with Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire and Bully: Scholarship Edition. This might sound heretical to some of you, but these are actually the first Rockstar products I have ever purchased. I've heard enough of the sometimes controversial developer over the years to know that its games are in high regard, and I thought it was a good a time as any to see what all the fuss was about.
Max Payne 3 highlights the downside to buying games on Steam. I live in a house with three other people, and I can't tie up our internet's bandwidth to download sizable games all at once. Thus, it's taking forever to install Max Payne 3's behemoth file size. Our internet connection isn't exactly terrible - it can handle a max of about 860 kilobytes-per-second - but it definitely isn't about to compete with an electronic Speedy Gonzalez.
Thankfully, Max Payne 3 looks like it will be well worth the wait. Having watched the Game Informer Test Chamber footage of it beforehand, I'm already confident that I'll enjoy its high-octane gritty action punctuated with slow-motion shooting. Truthfully, I usually prefer happier tales to the gloomy melodrama that the Max Payne series' lives on. With that said, I'm sure the good folks at Rockstar can deliver an engaging story, even if it won't be making me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
L.A. Noire has been on my radar ever since it was a 2010 Game Informer cover feature. The premise of solving cases in mid-century Los Angeles had me intrigued. However, I also had some misgivings at the time that kept me away from the game until now. Before you ask, it's not Rockstar's controversial treatment of Team Bondi that came to light after allegations of poor working conditions. I'm not someone who will boycott a potentially good game just to protest a company's mistakes. My skepticism leaned on whether L.A. Noire could deliver compelling interactive gameplay. I don't want a game that puts all its weight behind point and click clue-finding in environments, or one that oversimplifies the crime-solving process. I don't know yet whether or not L.A. Noire avoids these pitfalls. But I'm a sucker for authentic period piece settings, and I don't doubt Rockstar's talent for handling historical Americana.
Of all these games, Bully: Scholarship Edition is where I am the most late to the party. Bully was originally released on sixth-generation consoles in 2006, and I didn't even know there was a PC version of it until now. I do know that the game is a cult favorite that attracted a fair share of attention back in the day. Despite the hubbub surrounding the game's perceived content by moral guardians, Bully looks to be one of Rockstar's tamer creations. A lighthearted freeform high jinks-filled schoolyard romp sounds like a blast, and my time with Bully should hopefully make up for me being a complete goody two-shoes in school.