Sunday, October 18, 2009

Brütal Legend (Xbox 360)

This is truly one of the greatest games that I've had the pleasure of playing. The story, as one would expect from Tim Schafer and Double Fine, is top notch. The gameplay was an interesting mix of action/adventure and real time strategy (RTS), though a very simplified RTS. I've heard others complain about the controls, but truly, I had no real problems with them.

The story revolves around Eddie Riggs, the world's greatest roadie for the world's worst metal band. When blood gets on his belt buckle, he's transported to a world straight off of the cover of a heavy metal album. He acquires an axe and quickly cuts down the demons attacking him. He also discovers that his guitar, Clementine, is quite powerful in this world.

Eddie eventually meets with Ophelia, who introduces him to Lars, leader of the human rebellion. They inform him that Doviculus, leader of the Tainted Coil, keeps humans subjugated and has all but destroyed the last of them. With Eddie's help, Lars builds an army to go after the demon.

There is quite a bit of BDSM in this game that is quite obvious. The Tainted Coil dress in leathers and there's a unit named the "Punishing Party," which consists of a large gimp in a ball gag and mask, spears thrust in his body while the four Dommes around him pull them out and throw them at their enemies.

Of course, the BDSM is portrayed as being a strange fetish, and only the demons participate in it, so it's painted in quite a negative light. But overall, the game was quite enjoyable and it was quite a bit fun to see my kink so prolific in a game that is marketed at a mainstream audience. The only unenjoyable part was the fact that many of the secondary missions are very repetitive. Other than that, Brutal Legend provides an enjoyable experience that can be completed in a relative short time.

My rating: A

Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Kingdom for Keflings (Xbox Live Arcade)

I purchased this game after seeing it advertised while playing 1 vs 100 one weekend they were giving it away. After downloading the demo, I decided I would pay for the full version. I wasn't disappointed.

What I found was a cute game that reminded me of the resource gathering and building that's often employed in RTS games. As the lone giant (or one of four if playing Multiplayer), you help the Keflings build their kingdom from nothing more than a Town Square and Basic Workshop. By gathering wood, rocks, wool and magic crystals, you can basically build anything you want to, with the ultimate goal being to build a castle for the king to live in.

What I found interesting about this game, from a D/s standpoint, is that, as the giant, you are thrust into both submissive and dominant roles. You tell the Keflings what to do and where to bring the resources, but ultimately, the Mayor/Lord/King decides what you need to do by assigning you quests and suggesting what needs to be built next.

For $5, this is really an interesting game. It can be completed in about six hours and there isn't too terribly much replay value once you've built up the Kingdom to its fullest capacity, but it's still a fun little time waster all-in-all.

My score: A

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Overlord II (Xbox 360)

I have fond memories of the first Overlord game. It was the first time another gamer had let me play a new game before they had a chance to. I think that's truly the moment I fell in love with Master, as I realized he was giving me a wonderful treat for being a well-behaved pet for him. So I had high hopes for Overlord II when it was released. I got it release day and eagerly put it in the 360, hoping to relive some of the magic that was present in the first game.

Once again, the player takes control of the titular character of the Overlord. The previous Overlord was destroyed, leaving room for the Empire to spread its non-magical influence around the world. After your rise to power as Overlord, you set out to take back what is rightfully yours, through whatever means necessary.

There is a slight D/s element to this game, as you're given a choice of either enslaving or destroying peasants. If you enslave them, they will work endlessly for you, both at forging weapons for your Minions as well as mining gold that can be used for power ups. And, of course, the Overlord is definitely a Dominant male.

There are a total of four mistresses you can claim this time around, but you may only have three of them at a time (and, in fact, there's a way to have a foursome in-game, though no actual sex scenes are shown). All of the mistresses are more or less switches, as, while submitting to the Overlord, they are quick to dominate over the Minion Mounts.

Unfortunately, the additions to the game aren't enough to really stack up to the first game. I truly enjoyed Overlord II, as it allowed me to try the other side of the D/s spectrum, but it just wasn't as great as the first game. Still, if you enjoyed the first Overlord, this is definitely worth a play-through.

My rating: B+

Monday, August 24, 2009

Welcome to the Submissive Gamer

This is my little spot where I review games, but with a bit of a twist. I'll be analyzing the stories and characters from a submissive point of view. Will this have any real difference between someone with a more vanilla view on things? I've no idea, truly.

That being said, my name is Lilikka. I've been a collared submissive to my Master for the past 2 years and have been gaming for 26. Both are pretty integral parts of my life, though obviously my life as Master's pet is more important than the games.

I own a Playstation 2, a Nintendo DS, a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox 360, so I'll be reviewing games from all systems, even older games. Really, I'll just be reviewing whatever it is that I've been playing lately. Nothing fancy, just something for fun and for improving my writing skills.

So please try to stick around. I didn't get off to such a great start before, but sometimes I just need to hit restart and try the level again, so I figured this blog wouldn't be any different.