She Finally Did it with Me! Chariot- XBOX ONE

It’s been a while since I have updated and for that I apologize. That said, I had an amazing experience recently. My fantasy of gaming with my wife has….for the most part…come true! I got the perfect game for free to make this happen, Chariot for Xbox One. Chariot is a free game for Gold subscribers on Xbox Live. I use free loosely because Xbox Live Gold is a paid service.

How to describe Chariot… It’s such an odd game. It’s a co-op experience where 2 people control two avatars (one male, one female). They are towns people whose king has died and they must take his sarcophagus (coffin on wheels) to a resting place while collecting jewels along the way. To summarize, you and a friend or fiance drag a corpse through various levels collecting money along the way. It’s great.

This game worked with Jena (my wonderful, loving, beautiful, and incredible fiance) and myself for 2 reasons- 1) The controls are simple. 2) There is little punishment for failure. Jena is my fiance and she always wants to game with me but is worried that she isn’t good enough. This game is simple enough to pick up but it gradually increases in complexity as the game progresses. As the player, you control a rope and can drag or pull the coffin on wheels towards you. Jena and me worked to together to get the coffin around, over, and through multiple obstacles. We would try and figure out how the physics would effect the coffin when we were pulling the cart across water or over a cliff. Success was extremely rewarding.

I had a wonderful experience. Jena and I laughed and learned the controls together. We completed levels without too much hassle and the game really helped us communicate. Chariot also has a really good sense of humor. The dead King in the coffin comes up as a ghost and says smart-ass quips and keeps the whole experience enjoyable.

Dreams rarely come true, but playing a video game with my fiance is truly a dream. Chariot, I thank you. You saved my marriage! Just kidding! We aren’t married yet…. but I really do appreciate combining my hobbies with the love of my life. 

Abyss Odyssey- A mini review (XBox 360)

What a pleasant surprise. This game is gorgeous, captivating, confusing, sexy, empowering, and a lot of words to me right now.

Yeah…she about sums it up.

This game is a procedural generated 2D action platformer with RPG elements. That is a mouth full. Basically this game is a beautiful Metroid style platformer with randomly generated levels. Death is permanent. You move down floors to reach a final boss at the bottom and every time you play the stages are different.

The art style is amazing. it’s like playing a beautiful painting.

The combat is complex. Every fight feels intentional and significant. You move with the left stick but have normal attacks tied to the right stick. The Y button has special moves you can upgrade. The triggers block. it works really well. After a few minutes you will be rolling around and attack everything. There are fun nuances to the battles! You can buy tokens to turn into the monsters and they each have unique abilities.

The reason this game works is because the leveling system and skill tree balance death out and pace things masterfully.

This game is what I imagine tripping balls is like. some levels have random realistic fish flying through the air and then a topless woman with tentacles will attack. it’s mesmerizing. I beat this game a few nights ago and I recommend it for anybody looking for something different.