What I've Been Playing This Week (aka Pile of Shame Sunday)

Sonny Bonds arrests a couple of drug dealers with his partner Laura Watts

The following post is part of a series of posts that are published every Sunday to update readers on what Mark G has been up to with respect to finishing off games on his "Pile of Shame". The games to target are picked by Choicest Games contributors Choona, Luke and myself. As I'll be talking about my progress through these games, there may be spoilers ahead, especially for games containing a narrative. Consider yourself warned.

Wasteland 2: Director's Cut

• Picked by Me
• Percentage Complete = 29%

Wow. The Mad Monks are crazy! I saw one in action, trying to protect a woman from a raider but since these guys attack people by committing suicide with thermonuclear grenades, the escort not only blew himself and the raider up, but also ended up giving the woman fatal injuries by blowing off her legs and frying her to a crisp. After talking with her and agreeing to take a locket to some guy in Damonta, I agreed with her wish to be euthanised and performed a mercy kill.

Anyway, the Mad Monks have told me that if I want to move around freely, I need to pay tribute. For the Rangers, tribute means extracting some radioactive sludge from around the map that seem to be protected by Honey Badgers Badgers Badgers Badgers Badgers Badgers (MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM?)

I've also noticed that some of my skill levels are so low now that I have 0% chance of performing certain actions like picking locks or disarming traps. In retrospect, it's probably too much for one person in order to focus on explosives, alarm disarming, picking locks and safecracking (which is what I did for my designated "thief" character); you're better off spreading the points out I guess so each character only has 1 or 2 specialities besides their weapon skills. It also didn't help that when Angie left, I ended up with no-one who was adept at breaking down doors or talking like a Hard-Ass.

Homefront: The Revolution

• Picked by Luke
• Percentage Complete = 31%

Okay, I made it to the Holloway Red Zone. I've been securing most of the area for the Resistance as I make my way to an alternate monorail line. When I arrive at the monorail line, I need to determine the handshake protocol and then have some scientists examine whatever it is I discover. I've also switched to using a Light Machine Gun instead of a sniper rifle so we'll see how that goes.

It takes a really long time to load levels sometimes. I'm also experiencing weird graphical glitches like disappearing graffiti.

So far, the game isn't too difficult, but that's probably because I selected easiest difficulty. However, even with the difficulty turned down low, the Norks seem to often know where I am, even when I'm hiding behind things, and often shoot through walls since they can somehow see through them.

Police Quest

• Picked by Choona
• Percentage Complete = 63%

So, I ended up going on a stakeout at Lytton City Park for a drug bust but since I didn't have my radio I had to restore from a while back, to a point where I didn't even have the No Bail Warrant for Marvin Hoffman! This is because every time I returned to the police station after leaving to get the No Bail Warrant, your partner, Detective Laura Watts, is waiting at the entrance for a lift to the park!

Anyway, after retracing my steps and getting the radio it took me a few attempts in order to get the stakeout sequence right (or at least, so I think). Turns out that one of the drug dealers arrested was the same that supplied drugs to the school Sonny's friend's daughter attends. Unfortunately, you find out later that she's in a coma caused by a drug overdose and your friend is understandably not taking it too well.

Hoffman in the meantime escapes from prison and I'm now at a point in the game where you have to recruit Sweet Cheeks Marie (Sonny's childhood sweetheart turned prostitute) to help with an undercover operation. When I arrived at the jail though, I didn't know the exact words to use in order to enlist her help, so I'm kind of stuck at the moment.

LINK:
[ The Pile of Shame ]