Patterns in Fallout's Randomness

Or An Achievement Hunter's Anecdote

I've been playing Fallout 4 with the intention of accomplishing everything -- in achievements mainly but also playing as much of the content as I can find without reading a wiki. (And man, if there is content in this game!) I did however have to check an achievement guide for if there were any missable ones. Also, for some reason Bethesda had made every single achievement secret, meaning you can't see the possible unlock hints on Steam. Usually developers only hide story-related achievements and ones that require you to do something very specific or silly.

Project: Snowblind

Developed by Crystal Dynamics and released in 2005, Project: Snowblind was evidently meant to be a multiplayer focused Deus Ex title. However, due to Deus Ex: Invisible War's somewhat undesirable reception, Snowblind was then set in its own, yet very similar universe. I don't know if that helped its sales but at least it spared the fans of the first Deus Ex game from another disappointment.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

I should've bought Wolfenstein: The Old Blood with The New Order. If I recall correctly, it was shortly after that when Bethesda started limiting the discounts their games get during sales on Steam (and Humble Bundle). Neither do they do those "complete your collection" bundles that give an extra discount for already owning something. 50% off doesn't feel good enough for me and so I waited. And even now, I didn't buy the game directly off Steam.

Batman: Arkham Knight

I remember how Batman: Arkham Knight's PC version was a near disaster at launch. Warner Bros. had to temporarily pause its sales while the game was being fixed by Rocksteady and Iron Galaxy Studios (who did the PC port). I can't say that I'm surprised things didn't work out as was meant after playing the game: it is really pushing Unreal Engine 3's capabilities with the sheer amount of stuff that needs to be displayed and streamed -- the map is five times the size of Arkham City's. I can't name any other UE3 game with as huge of a single map.

Batman: Arkham Origins

Batman: Arkham Origins is the only one of the four main Batman: Arkham games not developed by Rocksteady. My theory (and apparently the official story as well) is that Rocksteady needed more than two years to develop the new features of Arkham Knight but Warner Bros. wanted a new Batman game out sooner. Thus WB put their Montreal studio to make Origins which often times feels like a rehashed Arkham City.

Mad Max

I guess it was again time to play Warner Bros. games I was never going to if a Humble WB Bundle hadn't been too good to pass. As the first one of this bundle to play I chose Mad Max. It's not a game adaptation of Mad Max: Fury Road though it was still released in the same year as the movie.

Outlast

Outlast is one of the many similar horror games to come out after Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It is also one of the few that succeeded at becoming hugely popular -- for some reason. The game was given away for free last year, I think, and I decided to finally see what's the fuss about, because of October and Halloween, I guess.

DOOM (2016)

DOOM (2016) doesn't try to mix in the horror genre like Doom 3. There are no pitch black areas or slow build-up. Instead it drops you right into action and delivers a straightforward demon killing experience.

Styx: Shards of Darkness

I suppose it isn't that surprising that Styx: Shards of Darkness is so much like Styx: Master of Shadows. Why try to fix something that isn't broken. Still, I wasn't expecting it to follow the same formula to this degree and to retain so many of the old features -- some of which I'm not that fond of. There are few improvements and some whole new things too, though.

Observer

I found >observer_ (as it is stylized) disappointing. Its futuristic setting had potential for philosophical and ethical questions; I was hoping something as brilliant as Frictional Games' SOMA. Unfortunately Bloober Team left the potential largely untapped. Like their previous title, Layers of Fear, Observer offers style but little substance. It also has some visual quirks that really should be adjustable in-game.