Bullet Points

Watched Lately: Quick Look Road Show: SSX

2012-01-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet, you really should watch the Quick Look that Giant Bomb posted for the new SSX coming out at the end of February. Actually, let me help you with that.

I haven't been this excited about a game in years. It was actually thrilling to watching the producer fly down those mountains. From the tricks to the speed to the style, I could feel my anticipation building as the video went on.

When I've looked at screenshots or preview videos in the past, I was decidedly "meh" about the game. I wanted to like it, but nothing was coming together for me. That has all changed looking at the near-final product.

EA Canada seem to have really nailed a style with the game. It hits a tricky intersection of realism and exaggeration that is important for SSX. The interface looks clean and attractive, pulling up all kinds of data to propel you to the next event. I just hope that I can get enough friends playing that I have some challenges to go after.

In the meantime, I'm getting out my Xbox and playing a little SSX 3 to tide me over. See you on the snow.

Played Lately: Star Wars: The Old Republic

2012-01-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

This post is not meant to be ammunition in any arguments. It is not a sign or a data point. It just is.

I unsubscribed from Star Wars: The Old Republic. It was an easy decision. It has nothing to do with the game itself. I was enjoying my time on Ord Mantell, even though it took several sessions to even leave the planet. Having just arrived on Coruscant, I'm actually disappointed that I won't be returning.

I suppose that, if you were a terrible person, you could fault Bioware for not making a game that is so good that I would neglect my family and job. Hmm... I'll just leave that there.

Anyway, I'm out. Maybe I'll be back.

I really would like to get my ship back.

News Filter: Guild Wars 2 Confirmed For 2012

2012-01-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

With a tip of the hat to Hunter, the best source for GW2 info, Mike O'Brien, the President of ArenaNet, has announced that Guild Wars 2 is on track to release later this year. As well, the first beta test is complete and the next test are expanding in scope.

There could be no greater news. With the release of Guild Wars, ArenaNet showed that they are one of the few developers who could think outside of the box when it came to the problems inherant with EQ style MMOs. The industry obviously went a different way, but we were still left with an amazing game. And its sequel is sure to be as challenging as we've come to expect.

If nothing else, we can count on Guild Wars 2 to be thought-provoking. And discussion-provoking as well, I hope.

Now that I think about it, I'd better get back to my Farewell To Ascalon posts. I would be embarassing if I don't clear Pre-Searing before GW2 releases.

Random Shots: Just Now Getting Around To Raging At LotRO

2012-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

It was inevitable. Once Lord of the Rings Online converted to free-to-play, it was only a matter of time before Turbine started selling gear in their cash shop. They say that they are filling a need for their customers due to a lack of low level gear in the auction house. Goldenstar from A Casual Stroll To Mordor tells us that there is no need to worry just yet. Heck, the worst part is that you can't Try It On to see how it looks on your character first.

Folks, the building is burning down around us and Turbine is trying to convince us that it's a nice way to keep our hands warm. There was a line, a line that everyone agreed was limit of what we wanted to see in a cash shop. After toeing the line pretty heavily with stat tomes and PvMP gear, Turbine has stepped boldly over and is telling us that we invited them to do so.

Let's examine their stated rationalization: a lack of good armor at low levels. In a free-to-play game, the obvious answer is to sell a solution. If a subscription game had the same problem, they would have to take the time to acutally fix the lower level content so that difficulty matches the available gear or they would update quest rewards and world drops to give better gear. This is exactly the nightmare scenario everyone imagines when a game goes free-to-play. Turbine has shown that they place their income above improving the gameplay experience for players.

Aw, forget it. There is no point in complaining because this is a lost cause. As Julian Murdock said on the Gamers With Jobs Conference Call this week, we're not just on a slippery slope, Turbine has strapped on the skis. Low level cash gear will lead to mid-level cash gear will lead to end game cash gear.

I'm not playing LotRO anymore, but please let me know when raid gear is available for sale. I'll make the popcorn and we can watch the drama together.

My apologies to Yeebo. It's hard to be a positive blogger some days.

Random Shots: If I Wanted To Play Multiplayer Games, I Would Make Some Friends

2012-01-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

Earlier, Rob Zacny tweeted this Wired article by Jason Schreier. In it, Bioware heads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk discuss how multiplayer be playing a greater role in their future singleplayer RPGs.

This is incredibly juvenile, but I'm going to do it anyway: LOL WUT?

When asked whether Bioware was moving away from singleplayer games, Muzyka responded that it depends on your definition of singleplayer.

Once again: WTF?

My definition of single-player gaming involves me not playing with any other people. At all. And that's pretty much it. If I have to deal with other people, that's not what I want from a single player game.

Zeschuk is quoted as saying that multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 makes the whole experience better.

One final time: -_-

No, no, no, no, no. Do not bolt your multiplayer mode onto my singleplayer game. And absolutely do not lock my singleplayer content behind your multiplayer idiocy. Sure, release your online shooter all you want. Trying to convince me that I'm the one who is wrong because I'm not eager for this new experience is downright offensive to me.

Random Shots: The Wrong People Are Making Sense

2012-01-16T23:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a backhanded compliment for Keen and Syncaine: every once in a while, those two actually write something worth reading. Today was such a day. What makes this so auspicious is that they are both making an argument to which I am becoming more sympathetic.

Both have long bemoaned the downward spiral MMO development has followed ever since companies have started chasing the World of Warcraft audience. Both Keen and Syncaine, each in their own way, are shaking their fists at the shortsightedness of developers. Keen thinks that copycat MMOs have to launch fully featured or face comparison against their template game. Syncaine thinks that developers are spending too much time building content and not enough time providing tools for the player base to become the content.

When I find myself agreeing with two bloggers whom I often disagree with, and both on the same day, it is time to take notice.

There has to be a change. There can't be enough potential players in the world to sustain a new MMO releasing and converting to free-to-play every three to six months. Eventually even the free-to-play space will be saturated with WoW-alikes. Unless someone takes a chance and builds something different, something sustainable, MMO churn is all we will have. At least, until the whole system comes crashing down.

In a way, I'm hoping that Star Wars: The Old Republic burns out sooner rather than later just to hasten the eventual collapse. Until companies stop throwing so much money into copycat MMOs, there will be no room for innovation.

Maybe the collapse will take the genre out entirely. Maybe MMOs will go the way of the roguelike instead. If that is the future, then I will welcome it. If big companies can do it right, maybe we have to take the genre away from them and do it for ourselves.

News Filter: WotC Wants Help Developing D&D 5th Edition

2012-01-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

If you've been anywhere near a gaming site (or even The New York Times), you would know that Wizards of the Coast has announced that they have begun development on a fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Only this time, they want your help.

I would like to say that I have an opinion about all of this, but nothing all that strong comes to mind. I just don't have a horse in this race any more. I never even played third edition, much less fourth. I know the arguments and I understand where they are coming from, mechanically. If anything, I'm more interested in what is happening with the Old School Renaissance games like Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

If WotC came to me and asked what to do with D&D, I would suggest building the game modularly. At the core would be a stripped down game with an almost OD&D level of detail. Then you build on that foundation by adding more intricate systems, like tactical combat, for those who want an advanced game. D&D could be a game that handles all playstyles if it is presented correctly.

Again, I probably won't play a fifth edition. Unless maybe it is still around when my daughter gets older. But I will inevitably buy a copy, just to see how it turns out.

So how about you? What do you think WotC should do with the new edition?

Random Shots: What I Didn't Play Yesterday

2012-01-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

I was stuck at home yesterday while my car was in the shop (cracked radiator, for the curious). Having the entire day to myself, one would think that I would play a video game or two. Or three. There are so many. But I did not. Instead I worked around the house (recovering from Christmas) and watched Giant Bomb videos through YouTube on my Xbox. In honor of my complete and utter failure, here is a list of all of the game that I could have played, but didn't.

Saints Row: The Third - I actually finished the missions for this and need to write a post about it. But even with that done, there are all of the side activities and achievements to go after. SR3 may be the one Triple-A game that I want to complete. But that didn't happen on Monday.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - One would think that with an active subscription ticking down I would be more eager to play this game. Especially since I finally completed the Ord Mantell quests (Heroic zone and all) and shipped off to the fleet. But I didn't go anywhere near my computer yesterday.

World of Warcraft - That precluded me from playing WoW as well. I want to check out the new Darkmoon Faire and I'm in the middle of missing it for a second month running. But that wasn't enough to overcome my inertia.

All Zombies Must Die! - One of the videos I watched was for AZMD, a zombie apocalypse action RPG. It looked like so much fun that I almost downloaded it right then and there. But there were these other videos to watch, so....

NFL Blitz - Speaking of which, another video let me know that the new NFL Blitz was released on Xbox Live. I really enjoyed Blitz in the arcades back in the day, so I'd love to try this. Didn't though.

Mortal Kombat - And as long as we're talking about games that I want to buy but failed to, I want to see what is going on with the new MK. But even if it was available through Xbox Live, it was too much trouble to even look.

Trackmania 2: Canyon - I actually own this game and I like it quite a lot. It's the perfect pick-up-and-play racer. Every race is a twisting, turning sprint to the finish line. But even with such a low barrier of entry, I didn't find myself logging in.

Unity Of Command - Even though it is supposed to be an accessible wargame, I still need to learn how to play this game. In retrospect, it's pretty obvious why I didn't try this out.

So there you have it. At least I took down the tree and the lights, right?

Watched Lately: Sherlock

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

My wife and I missed the first series of Sherlock when it was broadcast over a year, so we had to catch up with the DVD release. We devoured it in a weekend and it has quickly become one of our favorites. So when the opportunity came up to watch the first episode of the new series, we did not hesitate.

A Scandal In Belgravia picks up where the first series ended, with the standoff between Holmes and Moriarty. There has been some dismay with how it is resolved, but I didn't have any problem with it. It fits with Moriarty's character very well, I think.

But forget about the opening, the best part of this episode was the main antagonist. Lara Pulver as Irene Adler was a perfect match for Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes. She was smart, disarming, and completely enchanting. It is easy to buy that so many would fall under her sway.

The entire episode is so funny and so quick. You have to pay close attention because there are many twists and turns. I found myself laughing in glee at several points during the episode. However, the party scene was midway through the show was heartbreaking. Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are again perfect in their roles.

The return of Sherlock proves that the first series was not a fluke. This episode may be better than the ones that preceded it. And I can't wait to take in the rest. And then I want the DVD set because I want to watch A Scandal In Belgravia again.

News Filter: X-Com Remake Coming From Firaxis

2012-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Twitter is all abuzz with the news this morning. Game Informer revealed the cover for its February 2012 issue featuring a remake of X-Com: UFO Defense. The new game, called XCOM: Enemy Unknown (a melding of the original and new titles), is being developed by superstar strategy developer Firaxis.

I am both shocked and surprised by the announcement. No one has ever been able to catch that lightning in a bottle again like that original game. Though, like Tesh, I'm eager to see how Xenonauts turns out. (He has more to say here.)

Oh, and if you are curious what all of the fuss is about, the original X-Com series is the daily deal on Steam. Grab it while it's cheap!

I'm starting to regret pulling the "X-Com" tags off of my blog. Who knew that we'd still be talking about this game in 2012?

Played Lately: Star Wars: The Old Republic

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

It is hard for me to admit this, so please be kind. I have been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. And I like it.

Sure, the game plays fine and it loooks nice. But what really brought me in is the story. I rolled a Human Smuggler on the Krayt Dragon server where my brother and his Rift guild play. He looks like some hippie straight out of the '60s: too skinny, long hair, and too much facial hair. But what I've discovered over the last few days is that, while he talks about getting paid a lot, he will always do the right thing when it comes down to it. The dialogue choices feel like smoke and mirrors, with every path leading to the same place. But what I do get out of the equation is a character, which is not something I'm used to in an MMO.

Not that I've been playing it as an MMO. I made a comment on Twitter that if I turned off the nameplates, it would feel like a single player game. When Rowen from I Have Touched The Sky replied that he had already done so, I didn't look back. If I'm going to play it like a single player RPG, I might as well go all the way.

Lest I give the impression that the game is only okay, I have to say that throwing grenades is deeply satisfying. I earned the Thermal Charge skill at around level four or five, and it is my new favorite thing. I throw grenades on cooldown whenever I get the chance.

So as much as I tried to avoid it, Bioware sucked me in, at least for thirty days. Days when I should be wrapping up Saints Row: The Third. Nights when I should be catching up on my sleep, but instead spend my time trying to get my ship back.

News Filter: The Firefly MMO That Was Never Coming Out Is Never Coming Out

2012-01-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

By way of Bronte, we see that Massively is reporting the cancellation of the Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMOs and the shutdown of Multiverse, the company developing the MMO platform.

I know that this is supposed to be news. I even labeled it as such. But let's take a moment and really think about this for a moment.

Did anyone ever expect a Firefly MMO to see the light of day? I mean, an MMO that you would actually want to play?

Of course not. I feel bad for the employees. But let's not kid ourselves, this whole project was doomed from the start.

Random Shots: Things To Look Forward To In 2012

2012-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Every year I like to look forward to the games that we are expecting (or desperately hoping) to be released and make the predication required of a blogger. But as always, I'm not going to predict how well these games are going to do. Instead I'll guess my eventual reaction to the game. If you looked at my Top Five list for last year, you'll notice that only two of the six games mentioned were even on my radar. Knowing that, nothing is going to stop me from making a fool of myself again this year. On with the predications.

SSX - I would like to call myself an SSX fan, but what I really am is a fan of SSX 3. I've looked at the screenshots, watched the videos, and listened to the developers. It looks good and it sounds right, but there is no way to know if it matches up until I get my hands on the game. My greedy, expectant hands.

Prediction: SSX will annouce another delay, but it will be a day one purchase no matter when it is released. I will enjoy the game quite a bit and make one trip through the campaign until I reach some event that my aging hands just can't get me past. It will a serious contender for my Top Five list anyway.

Diablo III & Torchlight II - Ah, the twins. There is no way to talk about one without acknowledging the other, no matter how divergent their courses may be. I'm looking forward to both games, but I fear that TL2 is destined to be eclipsed by its bigger, brighter brother.

Prediction: Ready for the crazy? D3 will be released before TL2! Even so, I will finish Torchlight 2 first and it will end up on my Top Five next year.

Mass Effect 3 - I should have known that ME3 would not ship in 2011 no matter how many stars I wished upon. I'm waiting for it now, just waiting more cautiously due to the extra crap they are packing into it.

Prediction: First day purchase of the standard edition. I will play and enjoy ME3 but I won't play any of the side games, like the multiplayer, even if some one were to ask me to. And at the back of my mind, I'll wonder if I got screwed out of enjoying the end of the trilogy because I didn't buy into their expanded vision of the game.

Guild Wars 2 - OH, JUST COME OUT ALREADY!

Prediction: GW2 will be a special edition preorder and first day purchase for me. I will play as much as I can, but will have difficulty finding the time to do so, straight through the end of the year. But even then, it will be a Top Five game for me.

Bioshock Infinite - Although I'm not a fan of first person games and I never played Bioshock (it's sitting on my Steam account waiting for me to have any free time at all), I'm slow becoming more interested in this game. I think it has to do with all of the talk about how Elizabeth will be used, something I'd be willing to pay to witness.

Prediction: Bioshock Infinite will be a later purchase, either on sale or used. I will play for a few levels, but eventually get frustrated with some bit of shooting that I can't get past.

Grand Theft Auto V - I enjoyed GTA IV a lot more than I expected to, so I have high hopes for Rockstar's next game. Especially since I was able to play all of the way through Red Dead Redemption without getting stuck on a lame mission.

But I also discovered Saints Row: The Third in the meantime. I'm hoping that doesn't sour me on the experience.

Prediction: I'll end up buying GTA V at a discount due to a gift card or rewards certificate. And I will play as far as the main campaign will let me, so long as I don't run into that one mission that I can't beat. But I won't play nearly as much of the side content as I did in SR3.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Everyone says that Bethesda is the only company that is making that kind of game. They are right for the time being. Everything that I've read make me think that Reckoning will be a better, if narrower, version of The Elder Scrolls. And that has me fascinated.

Prediction: When Reckoning comes out, I suspect that I'll have other games on my mind. But I will eventually pick it up once word of mouth spreads about how good the game is, despite its poor sales. And I will enjoy the parts of it I play before moving on to the next big thing.

XCOM - It's not quite "George Lucas raped my childhood", but I really don't get what these people are thinking. Of course, I still think that Fallout 3 was a bad game because they went the Bethesda style, so why would you trust me.

Prediction: I won't buy this game, and it will be a poor performer, sales wise. Expect to read a lot of "I told you so" posts this year.

Bonus Blogger Predications!!!

MMO Gamer Chick - I have a feeling that MMOGC will be much too distracted to keep up her current blogging pace. But when she can write something, we'll hang on every word.

Blue Kae - Like MMOGC, Blue Kae will have his hands busy this year. But somewhere along the line he's also going to whip up the best batch of beer he's ever made. More blogging will naturally follow.

Jaye Dub - Jaye Dub will make a strong comeback this year, only this time as a hockey blogger.

Hunter - Hunter's Insight will come into its own this year when Guild Wars 2 releases. Assuming he doesn't explode from all of the work, it will be the blogging destination of the year.

Bronte - I might have counted Bronte out until his post from a few days ago. Now that he's following my lead and blogging whatever the hell he wants, I suspect that he's going to have a great year.

Tesh - Zomblobs! will be a surprisingly quirky and fun little experience for anyone lucky enough to play it this year.

Top Five: Video Games of 2011

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here they are, the five games that defined the year for me. As always, keep in mind that I'm only picking games that I've actually played. So if there is some awesome game that I'm missing, it's likely that I never played it. Or maybe you have really poor taste. Whichever excuse works for you.

Bastion - Everyone wants to parody the narrator now, but no one can find the right voice. That's because it is not just some trick. There is a strong, well told story throughout Bastion that only Supergiant Games could tell. But even acknowledging that, it would be a crime to let that distract from the amazing art style and its tight Action RPG roots. It works on every level, as a story, as a game, and as a work of art. Bastion is a game that will stay with me for a long time.

Dark Souls - There is no way I can think of that I should have liked this game. Any one of the punishing difficulty, the opaque game systems, or the lack of any direction would normally be enough to keep me from even purchasing a game. But Dark Souls proved to me that I actually can enjoy such a game. I may have put the game aside for now. But I will return. I will return and I will earn every soul that I can take.

Portal 2 - Valve was in an impossible position when they built a sequel to Portal, one of the best games of all time. That Portal 2 was not only a great sequel, but arguably a better game is amazing to me. It may not have been as surprising (the twist is not so surprising and Want You Gone is no Still Alive), but the emotional resonance is much more intense. The long, melacholy climb through the history of Aperture Science and the frantic, inspired finale left me stunned when the game was over. It may have been a little long, but I can't think of a single thing to cut. And I love the game this much without ever trying the co-op. It is that good.

Rift - Try as I might, I have trouble staying away from the launch of a new MMO. The sense of discovery and the inevitable community discussion are a strong attractor. So Rift drew me in and, for a few weeks, it was great to visit an entirely new world. Eventually I ran aground on the single player content, but I don't regret the time I spent with the game.

Saints Row: The Third - The insanity of this game paired with the quality of its systems means that playing Saints Row: The Third is pure joy. The missions are great, the open world activities are challenging, and the exploration is actually fun. If there is one compliment that I can give this game, it is that SR3 is the one game that I would consider attempting to complete one hundred percent and I never do that.

My honorable mention goes to Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht. It has one of the most fulfilling tutorial campaigns that I've ever seen. If only I hadn't been distracted before I got very far into the real campaign.

Now that you've seen my list, what were your favorite games of the year?

Random Shots: The Year That Was 2011

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we look back at 2011. There are two themes that run through this post that played havoc with the crazy predictions I made last year. One, we had a baby and my gaming time fell precipitously. Two, several of these games didn't even come out this year. So I'm not expecting to have done very well. Let's take a look.

Diablo III - Did I really predict that D3 would be out this year. Shame on me. I didn't even get into the beta. (Insert un-smiley face here.)

Guild Wars 2 - When I made my predications at the beginning of the year, I knew that there were two ways that I could go. I chose wrong. But in my defense, I really, really, really wanted to play GW2.

Dragon Age 2 - I thought that would hold out longer against the DA2 lovefest. However a $20 price tag on Amazon broke my resolve. I was right about the second half of my predication though. I did regret buying it.

Mass Effect 3 - More wishful thinking on my part. I'm sure ME3 will be a great game, but not until 2012.

Torchlight II - Again, still not out. I haven't even preordered it, though. Anytime you're ready, Runic.

Dawn of War II: Retribution - I couldn't help myself. I went ahead and bought Retribution, but I haven't played it very much. Someday, I would really like to.

LA Noire - I wanted to like this game. I really wanted to. But I didn't finish it. And here is a spoiler for you: it's not on my Top Five. I do want to see this one though here.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Finally, a predication that I was (mostly) right about. Skyrim did come out on time and I haven't bought it. But all of the hype around the game is weakening my resolve.

Portal 2 - The only thing that I got wrong about this predication was that I didn't wait to buy it. It was a lot of fun, it did feel a little long (mostly because of the climb through the old Aperture Science facility), and I still haven't played the co-op. I'm glad that I didn't bother to wait.

DC Universe Online - Home run! I still have not played DCUO and it seems like few people are. Yay?

Rift - I was pretty close on this one too. I did get caught up in the hype, I going in during the head start, and I did burn out pretty hard. However I was smart enough to unsubscribe in time. I get extra points for not being stupid, right?

Tera - Again, failure to launch makes this prediction moot. At this point, I'm starting to doubt that they will even bother.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - SWTOR came out so late this year that my predications haven't had enough time to prove themselves. I was right about the very first thing, though: my brother was in at launch and wants me to play. And considering the gift card burning a hole in my pocket, I'm sure that a purchase is not far away. For my reaction to the actual game, we'll have to wait until next year. Oh, and I'm going to give myself credit for predicting that SWTOR will be the most talked about. You can't turn around in this community without bumping into a Jedi or Sith. But so far, I haven't had the opportunity to tell anyone "I told you so."

Considering how bad I did, I should get out of the prognostication business. But why would I do that? Look for my 2012 predications here in a couple of days!

Random Shots: In Memoriam - 2011

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

As the video game industry has grown and matured, it is only fitting that we at Bullet Points look back at the game developers and executives who we lost in 2011.

Matt Stubbington, 39, artist, co-founder of Iguana Entertainment and Big Sesh Studios

Don Barnes, 41, artist, credits include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Kung Fu Panda

Heather Thompson, 42, producer and project manager, credits include Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and Dead to Rights

Jerry Lawson, 70, creator of the Fairchild Channel F, the first cartridge-based video game console

Norio Ohga, 70, former president and chairman of Sony, launched Sony Computer Entertainment

Takeshi Miyaji, 45, founder of Game Arts and creator of the Grandia series

Bill Kunkel, 61, pioneer of video game journalism, founder of Electronic Games, the first video game magazine published in the United States

Will Townsend, 33, producer, credits include DJ Hero, Command & Conquer: Generals, Medal of Honor: European Assault, and Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth

Carl Wade, 40, programmer, credits include Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and South Park: Chef's Luv Shack

Please take a moment to reflect on the lives of everyone, in the game industry or not, who we lost this year. They will be missed.

This post is in honor of my father-in-law, Wellan Briggs. There is a hole in our lives where he belongs.

Read Lately: On Basilisk Station by David Weber

2011-12-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

One might think that with all of the novels available in the world that I would have dug something up out of Amazon's catalog when I got my new Kindle Fire. Instead I turned to Baen's Free Library and tried out a book that I've been wondering about for a while, On Basilisk Station by David Weber.

On Basilisk Station is the first book in the Honor Harrington series. Commonly thought of as Horation Hornblower In Space, the novel follows Harrington as she takes command of the light crusier Fearless and deals with the incompetance and politics within the Royal Manticoran Navy. Assigned to the backwater Basilisk system, Harrington refuses to let her current position define her command.

In establishing the series' sci-fi trappings, Weber has created a system wherein ship-to-ship battles play out much like Napolionic navel battles. He does take into account modifications to account for three dimentional space and inertia in a vacuum. So instead of a line of battle, ships array themselves in a wall. And the outcome chases are determined not by relative velocity, but by relative acceleration. But otherwise you could drop these ships in water and have the battles play out quite familiarly.

The level to which you can accept that will go a long way to determining whether you think the book is clever or crap. If you prefer your science fiction of the hard variety, you will probably like this as much as you like Star Wars. But if you don't mind science fiction being used as a backdrop to tell interesting stories, then you should be just as delighted as I was.

David Weber is an excellent writer and this novel got its hooks in me from the start. There is nothing flashy about his prose. But he is deft in his characterizations and the creativity of his plot. With On Basilisk Station he has built a future that I can understand and visualize with ease, and that is a great accomplishment.

Played Lately: Saints Row: The Third

2011-12-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when tend to reflect on where the year started when how we got here. When I wrote my post looking ahead at 2011, Saints Row: The Third was nowhere on my radar. At most, the game was an off hand joke because of its childish "Strap It On" tagline. I knew about Saints Row 1 & 2, but they never sounded like anything that I wanted to play. But then the hype for this game started to build and I got super curious. That, plus the fact that I had enough gift cards to buy it for five dollars, was enough for me to try it out.

I am so glad that I tried this game. Saints Row: The Third is the game that every pseudo-nanny thought that GTA was, only played entirely for laughs. Sure the gangster story is played straight, but it is in service of making the over-the-top gameplay stand out that much more. There is really nothing ordinary about the missions. That's not good enough for Volition. Either the mission is crazy or it's not worth putting in the game.

And while it emulates the GTA formula, it doesn't suffer from the hazard of poor controls. Whether it was driving, shooting, or just running around, I haven't ever felt like the game was fighting me. Truly, I'm do die a lot and end up losing more missions and activities than I care to admit. But I've never been able to blame that on anything other than my own poor abilities.

As much as I'm enjoying the game, let me make one thing clear: the QTEs suck. I hate them so very, very much. They don't come up that often. Only in two places: whenever you fight a brute or when you perform a flashy melee takedown move. But they flash by so quickly that I rarely have to ability to react. Just no, folks. No.

Barring that one idiocy, I love Saints Row: The Third. The only thing keeping me from finishing it is that I have to take care of my family and work first. Every other bit of free time, though, will find me in Steelport, expanding my criminal empire, laughing the entire time.

Random Shots: Dear SantaCorp

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

It has come to our attention that your company is taking proposals regarding the administation of gift assignments this year. We are aware that Bullet Points is a fiendishly difficult corporation when dealing in this field. As such, we have prepared this guide to assist with your preparations

Although our game playing has been severely curtailed this year, we will not be requesting a greater portion of time to do so. Instead, we request the wisdom to remember why we have chosen to spend our time free time with our family instead.

While we are thankful that so many are enjoying their time in Star Wars: The Old Republic, we request that they be mindful that they are still playing a Bioware game. Therefore we hope that they will be circumspect about posting spoilers, else we will find ourselves reading far fewer blogs in the coming months.

While we appreciate the effort that Hasbro has made in releasing its boardgames as apps for the Kindle Fire, we would be very grateful if other developers decided that it was worth their while. We are sure that involves the Kindle Fire actually becoming popular, so we are asking for a miracle here. But you didn't become SantaCorp by playing it safe now, did you?

Finally, with all of this years ups and downs, we hope that 2012 will be a happier and healthier year for everyone, family and friends, online and otherwise.

We hope that will ease your decision-making burden.

Sincerly,

Anjin
President & CEO
Bullet Points

P.S. Can you do something about all of these blogging memes? They are driving us up the wall.

Played Lately: Dark Souls

2011-12-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

It is funny to me how much my time with Dark Souls has changed with study and practice. I have nearly memorized the extent of the Undead Burg. I know about the hollow warrior just to the right as I exit the bonfire room. I know that I have to watch out hollow crossbowman on the rooftop nearby that I have to keep my sheild toward as I fight the first. I know about the warrior who charges up the steps as I finish those two off. I know where every single enemy is in that stretch of the city. Knowledge makes me powerful, but it also makes me cocky.

Dark Souls is not a game that rewards sloppy play. You can certainly bash your way past opponents. And I have been as I've started leveling and gearing past these initial enemies. But I'm still being punished for not playing the game the right way, even though the punishment is now longer as dramatic.

Since my last post, I decided that I needed to stop farming for souls and finally took on the Taurus Demon atop the wall overlooking the Undead Burg. Luckily for me, I knew the trick (flinging myself from the tower onto its head) and was able to bring the beast down. And then the Hellkite Wyvern burned me to a crisp and I lost all of those souls I just won.

I was able, however, to snipe the beast's tail with my bow and arrows to win the fabled Drake Sword. I made short work of it because my Wanderer focuses on Dexterity, also the required statistic for archery. Whoever that left me low on Strength, leaving me to only wield my new blade two handed. It is an remarkable weapon, so I was able to farm souls quite well afterwards and build up my statistics. But I felt quite naked without a shield to protect me.

Unfortunately, that is were I have stopped playing. Not because I ran into a brick wall, though that wyvern seems unkillable. Instead, my attention was diverted to other things. Like Saints Row: The Third.

But Dark Souls is an amazing game. A game that I did not know that I was yearning for. So I will be back when the time is right.

Played Lately: The SWTOR Beta Test

2011-11-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Despite what I've said in the past, I found myself wanting to try out the best test for Star Wars: The Old Republic. So as is required to keep my MMO Blogger membership in good standing, I must record my thoughts about the game.

It was not bad. I may even have liked it, had I the time to play longer.

It is not really fair to SWTOR to talk about it when I had so little play time. I rolled a Sith Warrior (the opposite of the class I would want to play when the game goes live) and, across three short play sessions, I made it through the opening quest zone to the Sith Academy on Korriban and achieved the grand level Three. And half the time I was playing one handed because I was holding a baby. It was not, I'm sure you would agree, the ideal testing situation.

For all that, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the game in such little time. I am not afraid to admit that I like themepark MMOs. Even playing as a Sith (woo, evil chick with a lightsaber), I enjoyed fighting things, running around, and questing. I did not get a handle on the UI, though I suspect more time with it would help. Being able to use two hands would also help.

And, although I was a wee bit skeptical, I actually enjoyed the talky bits. Bioware pulled off a conversation system like their single player games. Unfortunately, I was only able to take part in a few of these. But avoiding the wall of quest text was huge improvement.

I still doubt that I will be playing at launch. As long as I can avoid spoilers, I see no reason to subject myself to the massive crowds the game is likely to see. But I am much more likely to eventually play it instead of skipping it entirely.

And I just might try a character on the Sith Empire side.

Random Shots: Crackpot Theory of the Day - SWTOR Edition

2011-11-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

Consider two items:

EA/Bioware is spreading beta keys far and wide, effectively putting SWTOR in open beta in all but name only.

SWTOR is still under NDA.

Conclusion: EA/Bioware is trying to put millions of players under NDA so that no one can talk about the game!

Oh, look at that. Time for my medication again.

Random Shots: SWTOR Is Going To Be Big

2011-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

If there is a surefire way to determine if an MMO is going to be hit based on the amount of gold selling spam it generates. By that measure, Star Wars: The Old Republic is bound to be a success.

Bullet Points is a small enough blog that the spam bots (machine or human) don't even bother to try. So when someone dropped a link on an old SWTOR post, I knew that things were going EA/Bioware's way. I have a couple questions, though:

The spam comment was advertising "swtor credits." Is that right? I'm not in the beta, so I'm not sure if it is credits is the correct currency or not. No comment either way.

Who exactly are they selling credits to? The beta testers? Maybe they need to beta test their credit selling operations.

I hope EA and Bioware have those authenticators available at launch. If not, watch for news of an early rash of account thefts. Game safely, people.

UPDATE: I just had to delete a spam comment off of this very post. Hilarious!

Random Shots: Agreement By Degrees

2011-11-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

I don't mean to pick on Jayedub (who is a really great guy), but his recent tweet is perfectly illustrates a common attitude in a certain sector of the gaming community.
How is it that everyone but this guy likes Uncharted 3? http://www.honestgamers.com/reviews/9640.html And people wonder why game reviews shouldnt be taken seriously.

The review he linked to is the 4/10 review on Honest Gamers by noted contrarian Tom Chick. But here is a little exercise for you. Try to pick out which of the following quotes comes from that review. (Links provided, but don't cheat.)

The fact that failure means you're simply sent back to the latest checkpoint turns what should be an exciting and visually compelling sequence into a game of trial and error. It's hard to get a sense of flow during the chase sequences when you're only playing the game in ten-second chunks between failures. I'd love to see the chases uninterrupted to get a feel for the rhythm and nuance of the scene, something that's impossible when you're playing them. (Link)

Uncharted 3 is the most exciting game in the world, but only until you deviate from the script. Even in this chase the conflict between the developer's theatrical choreography and player-controlled interactions is clear. In order to ensure each set-piece is set off correctly, the game commits the cardinal sin of insinuating you have full control of your character, but in fact tugging you towards trigger points - making sure you're in the right spot to tumble over the bonnet of that braking car, for example. (Link)

But as the spectacles get grander, the player’s interaction with them lessens. For example, there’s a visually astounding scene where you’re trapped on a sinking cruise ship. Rooms around you become flooded almost as soon as you enter them. But as long as you press forward and jump occasionally, you’ll make it through without a scratch. (Link)

You have to participate by holding the analog stick up to move Drake forward. You are almost literally pushing him, as surely as you push a truck in one of Uncharted 3's many non-puzzling puzzles. Push him through stretches of exposition, through flashbacks, through hallucinations, through wilderness, through crevices, up walls, along railings. In the climbing sequences, which have zero sense of exploration or uncertainty, you push Drake up a wall much as you might push a child up a jungle gym to help him feel a sense of accomplishment. (Link)

Some of the game's more tightly scripted action sequences, particularly the ones where you're running somewhere at breakneck speed, can fall apart if you don't do exactly what the designer wanted you to do exactly when they wanted you to do it. When you're running toward the camera from a giant wall of water and can't really see where you're going, one split second's hesitation or missed jump means you're going to repeat everything you just did, which is a detriment to the frenetic way these games move. (Link)

Did you figure it out? What is funny about all of these reviews, and several others that I looked at was that they all agreed about what they liked and did not like about Uncharted 3. What they differed on was the degree to which that swayed their opinion of the game. There are several 100 point scores on Metacritic, several in the 80s, and then there is Tom Chick with his 40. A 40 has the same problems with the game as everyone else, but could not overlook those problems like nearly everyone else.

If there is a reason to not take games seriously, it is because so many reviewers give inflated scores to big budget games before the deeper flaws become apparent, not because some people have different opinions. I have not played any of the Uncharted games, so I have no idea who I might agree with. But what I do believe that I would rather have a range of opinions than a line of yes men ready to stamp their seal of approval on every high profile game that comes down the line.

Played Lately: Dark Souls

2011-11-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

It feels like accepting a dare.

After watching a recent Giant Bomb video of Ryan Davis playing the first couple hours of the game (which I would link, but it's subscriber only), I decided that I finally had to try out Dark Souls . Everything you have heard about this game is probably right.

Dark Souls is hard. And it is unforgiving about its difficulty. The very first armed enemy that you come across will kill you if you aren't careful. And you can never take any enemy for granted. No matter how many times you've killed that one undead at the top of the stairs, you can't just rush him. If you don't go in with your shield up and wait for an opening, he's just as deadly as any of the demon bosses.

This isn't easy to get used to. The pace of combat is slow and methodical. You might hear people complaining about being locked into animations, so they can't escape when they find themselves in trouble. But Dark Souls is not an action game; it is a game of choices and consequences. Button mashing will get you through some fights, but taking your time and planning your attacks is always the best course of action. The slower pace means that even someone as uncoordinated as I am can succeed at the game.

At least, I can as long as I keep the controls straight. (Attacks are on the Right Bumper and Right Trigger? Really?)

I've only played the game for a few days, and I have taken my time to explore, harvest souls, and learn how to play. But each and every one of those minutes has been nervewracking and thrilling. I suspect that this is similar to what MMO PvPers feel when they really get into a game like EVE or Darkfall. I'll never be hardcore enough for that, but this allows me to edge a little closer to that kind of exhileration.

It is a game of skill instead of stats. It is a game of exploration and discovery. It will not hold your hand, but it rewards your achievements. I didn't not even know that I've been looking for this kind of game until I played it. I wish that there was a demo available because you won't know if you like it until you play it. But if you have the chance, you might give it a try. Maybe you'll discover that it fills a hole that you didn't know was empty.

Random Shots: The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass

2011-11-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

I briefly alluded to this in regards to the annoucement that Diablo III would be free to WoW annual pass subscribers, but I think it deserves its own post. Very likely, if reports are to be believed, the Golden Age of the MMO is coming to an end.

Don't panic.

(I've used that joke before, right?)

The thing to keep in mind is that this is the natural evolution of any cultural phenomenon. It is a cycle that has repeated time and again in gaming. Board wargaming had its hayday in 1970s. Tabletop role-playing games were huge in the 1980s. Collectable card games were everywhere in the 1990s. None of these genres are the colossi that they once were. Neither is the Nindento Wii. And so too will go the MMO.

People try to blame the games, the companies, or even their fellow players for the loss of popularity. However each of these genres exploded because they caught the attention of the mainstream for a time. People bought and played Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and World of Warcraft who had no intention of looking at anything else. They were caught up in the cultural zeitgeist and were done when it passed. That is what the golden age of each of these genres looks like.

Some people will tell you that games in these dead genres have never been better. They may be niche games instead of mainstream, but they are still around for those of us who care about them. The same thing will happen with MMOs. We may never again see a WoW sized juggernaut. But in a way, we don't want that again. If real innovation is to take place, we need the people making MMOs to do it because they love games, not because they love money.

News Filter: Grand Theft Auto V Trailer

2011-11-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

It has been three years since Rockstar Games released GTA IV. So when they announced Grand Theft Auto V a couple of days ago, I was curious where they would take the new game.

I actually got chills watching that trailer.

My history with Rockstar games is not the best. I tried out all of the GTA III games, as well as GTA IV. I got the farthest in GTA IV, but never was able to get to the end. It was their other games, Bully and Red Dead Redemption, that I thought were their best. And I was able to complete each of them. I can only hope that they learn something from those games and apply those lessons to GTA V

After the drought that this year has been, I'm glad to have something to look forward to in 2012.

Admin: Wrecking The Curve

2011-10-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

I was up late Wednesday night/Thursday morning, trying to soothe an unhappy baby. As I was feeding her, I noticed a new post by Tobold. A post wherein he linked back to my post discussing different reactions to Mists of Pandaria. My first thought was "Tobold actually reads my blog?" My second was "I wonder if anyone will follow that link."

Thank goodness that I don't pay for bandwidth or I would be in big trouble with my wife now.

It is always amazing to me when one of the top tier blogs like Tobold's MMORPG Blog, Player Versus Developer, or Kill Ten Rats links back to me. If there is any doubt about that Tobold is a major blogger, you just have to look at the spike on that graph. I'm sure that I received those hits because I found myself in the middle of the ongoing Tobold/Syncaine feud. Heck, Syncaine even commented on my post (which I appreciate. Thanks!)

Things have come back down to normal now. And I'll try to keep it here with more comic book and fake RPG campaign posts. But it was nice to have my moment in the blogging spotlight.

Comic Roundup: October 12, 2011

2011-10-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Comics! More comics! Too many comics?

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris issue 7 & Warlord of Mars issue 10 - More Warlord books. Still good, solid stories, even if they are painting around the edges of the original books. I wonder when they start on The Gods of Mars.

Optic Nerve issue 12 - This is one of those books that I've heard vaguely about, but never thought to pick up. Now that I'm approaching middle age, I feel like I should be reading grown up books like this. Sometimes, grownups are right about things. Now I need to look for back issues.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issues 1 & 2 - Remember everything that I just said about being a grown up? Screw that. TMNT is rad. Especially ones that aren't color coded.

Batwoman issue 2 - I love everything about this book. I miss having Greg Rucka on it, but JH Williams and company make it like he isn't even gone.

Also purchased: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 issue 2, Stormwatch issues 1 & 2, Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom issue 3, and Glamourpuss issue 21. All are currently unread, waiting on my nightstand for me to find the time.

Random Shots: Are Pandas The Apples Or Oranges In This Metaphor?

2011-10-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

I want to link a couple of posts here, both because they are interesting and because they illustrate a point that everyone in the debate seems to be missing.

Werewolves in top hats, gnomes performing the dance moves from Bloodhound Gang’s Bad Touch, steampunk motorcycles and planes, Murlocs, escorting orphaned children through the Dark Portal in Hellfire Peninsula, ridiculous sexual dimorphism in PC races, non-combat pets, Haris Pilton, giant cow-men riding on chocobos[...]

And you’re worried about pandas?

- Melmoth, Killed In A Smiling Accident

Somehow I don’t think pre-teens were running around knocking out elite mobs in the open-world, organizing town raids, playing the first version of the PvP system, min/maxing the second system, or sitting around with 39 of their closest pre-teen friends to knock out Rag after a five hour raid. And to suggest that this was just a ‘very minor’ part of the game, well, guess Blizzard disagreed when they expanded that ‘very minor’ part for well over a year straight, while at the same time picking up millions of new subs. Naw, total coincidence.

- Syncaine, Hardcore Casual

I don't think that there has been greater instance of two sides of an argument talking past one another. (Hyperbole alert!) When people argue that World of Warcraft is a silly game, they are talking about the world. When people argue that it is a serious game, they are talking about the systems. So when you look at their seperate arguments, they are both right.

Just a reminder: an argument where both sides are right is a stupid argument. Now go play some video games, for goodness' sake.

Random Shots: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Panda

2011-10-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Green Armadillo tweeted that he feels strange looking forward to Mists of Pandaria while the blogging community is almost universally negative. Blizzard has handed more ammunition to people already dissatisfied with World of Warcraft. And their voices are loud, no matter how long they have been away from the game. But GA is not alone.

I signed up for the annual pass on Saturday.

I understand that it is not in vogue to like WoW anymore, but I do. It's not a game that I'm going to dedicate my life to, but it is one that I will go back to from time to time. So when Blizzard announced that Diablo III would be free for anyone who commits to twelve months of WoW subscriptions, I knew that I would be back sooner than I expected. Yes, it feels like a ploy to buoy their flagging subscription numbers, but it is a ploy that I can get behind. The total cost to play WoW and D3 makes it more than worth my while.

And the expansion still looks like a lot of fun. Yes, Blizzard is lifting systems from other games in toto. Yes, they are going to rewrite whole game systems again. Yes, questing is five more levels of "more of the same." Yes, the endgame will probably be as exclusionary as before. But I really don't care. That is all the stuff I sign up for when I buy a new expansion. World of Warcraft is the ultimate known quantity in MMO gaming. If I wanted something vastly different, I would subscribe to something else.

That said, Guild Wars 2 can't get here fast enough.

I'm sorry if WoW isn't for you anymore. I'm sorry if the pandas aren't ushering in the game's second coming. However I'm happy to see WoW get a little bigger and a little crazier.

News Filter: Mists Of Pandaria Officially New WoW Expansion

2011-10-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

As has been expected for the last two months, Blizzard has officially announced that Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion for World of Warcraft.

Let's get this out of the way first: wow, I was really, really wrong about that. Oops. Even more hilarious, I completely blew it when I tried to prognasticate how Blizzard my handle new races or classes. Double oops. I suppose this shows why I'm a blogger and not a psychic.

From MMO-Champion, here is the list of features for the expansion, along with my commentary:

Level cap raised to 90 - Five levels seems like the norm after Cataclysm, so no surprises here.

New Class: Monk - I really wanted a Brewmaster, but monk sounds to be very interesting. Curious to see where it falls on the tank/healer/DPS spectrum.

New Race: Pandarens - For both factions??? That is crazy awesome.

PvE Scenarios - Huh?

Pet Battle System - Using non-combat pets? I image that MMO Gamer Chick will have a huge advantage if that is the case.

New Talents - There is an entire panel dedicated to this update, so I'm reserving judgment until then. But so far it sounds like a huge change.

New continent - If anything, this was the least surprising announcement.

Challenge Mode Dungeons - Huh? part two.

News Filter: Diablo III Free to WoW Subscribers

2011-10-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

The craziest news ever just came out of Blizzcon 2011. Diablo III will be free for World of Warcraft players who have a twelve month subscription.

There has been talk that the Golden Age of MMOs is coming to an end. If ever there was a desperation move in response to that decline, this is it. Blizzard is obviously trying to establish a bulwark against declining subscriptions with Diablo III. And I think it is just crazy enough to work.

I still like World of Warcraft enough that I know that I will subscribe again. If you consider the eventual retail cost of D3, that would be an amazing deal. Actually, now that I look, I don't know what the price of an annual subscription would be. The website only shows options up to six months. Curiouser and curiouser.

UPDATE: According to Blizzard's website, this is not an annual subscription. Instead, it is a commitment to subscribe for twelve months under any of the prior subscription options. So if you subtract the cost of Diablo III (approximately $60), the subscription cost is effectively $120 (monthly), $108 (quarterly), or $96 (semiannually). If you were already going to buy D3 and want a WoW subscription, this makes it a no brainer.

While I'm at it, I should also point out that signing up for an annual pass also grants the Tyrael's Charger mount as well as automatic access to the next beta. Looks like I'm headed back to WoW.

News Filter: SWTOR Press NDA Is Up, Nothing To See Here

2011-10-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Bioware has finally lifted the Press NDA for Star Wars: The Old Republic and opinions are flooding the internet. Instead of linking all of the various articles, I'll point you toward Syp's list at Bio Break where he's done a good round up.

Unsurprisingly, I am not participating in the beta. I didn't sign up because I never do. (An exception will be made for Guild Wars 2 if the opportunity arises.) But if I ended up with an invite, I would have given the game a try. Although I've avoided the hype like the plague, I actually want to read about the beta. I'm much more interested in the opinions of people actually playing the game. If anything would sway me to try it out, this is what I need to hear.

So far, the take away is that the story is good, but the gameplay is more Kill Ten Rats. I don't mind a good KTR is there is a good story behind it, so I'm curious about how well these balance out.

There is still the Star Wars barrier that I can't get over. I watched the laserdisc version of the original movie the other day (i.e. the version that doesn't even have the Episode IV label on it) and was reminded that, once upon a time, I was a fan of the series. Maybe SWTOR will rekindle that love, but the hurricane that was the prequels did a lot to extinguish any feelings I had for the franchise.

I suppose we will see what happens this December.

Listened Lately: I Come To Shanghai, Eternal Life Vol. 1

2011-10-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Although it was released back in July, I hadn't taken the time to sit down and listen to the new album from I Come To Shanghai. All of the usual excuses apply. But they all break down to "I'm stupid" because this is an amazing follow up to their debut.

Eternal Life, Vol 1. lasts only twenty two minutes, with nine songs shoved into three tracks, but it is mesmerizing from start to finish. It is much more conspicuously electronic than the first album, but it is never gaudy or overbearing. The lyrics are just as askew as you would want.

The album is free to download, but Sam and Robert really deserve your cash. I paid because I want to encourage creative people to be creative.

News Filter: Co-Op Missions In Mass Effect 3

2011-10-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

On various magazine covers previewed earlier today, we discover that Mass Effect 3 will feature some sort of multiplayer. Since then, Bioware has confirmed that the multiplayer mode will be four player co-op missions.

They also said, "Don't panic." It's too late for that. But then, this is the Internet.

There is a post to be written about the stupidity of tacking multiplayer modes onto single player games to curb used game sales, but it was already written several times in several places over the last couple years. It is just as true now as it was then. But that's not the post I want to write.

I don't like multiplayer games. I don't like to leave my fun in the hands of other people. I don't want to be the reason that other people do not have fun.

How much do I dislike multiplayer? I have never played the co-op mode in Portal 2. I play League of Legends entirely with bots (and I still lose). I played Borderlands front to back, both on 360 and PC, in single player, even though I had several invitations to play with others. (Sorry, Jayedub.) I solo my way through MMOs. As far as I'm concerned, multiplayer is a waste of disk space.

Just because I don't like multiplayer, don't mistake that as me wanting to impinge on other people's fun. It would be hypocritical of me to mimic all those who say that single player games are an aberation, though in inverse. I understand that I'm in the minority here.

But is this really necessary? Is co-op the thing that was keeping people from trying out Mass Effect? I doubt it.

UPDATE: Chris Priestly posted the details of the co-op missions as well as the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy At War system. I'm glad that they are going out of their way to say that you don't have to play multiplayer to get the best ending in single player. Gee, Bioware, thanks for putting all of this stuff in the game that I'm going to ignore. What the hell is going on over there? Why foist that on this game at all?

UPDATE 2: I tweeted this late last night, but I think it bares repeating here:
They didn't call it #ME3 Galaxy at War just for co-op, folks. Just wait until they announce the Facebook game and iOS app.

News Filter: Did The Mittani Just Win EVE Online?

2011-10-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

A pair of posts have appeared on the EVE Online website that signal a major shift in where and how CCP directs the game in the future. In the first, CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson admits that CCP has lost sight of its player base as it tried to push the game in ways that were of no interest to the subscribers. In the second, Senior Producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason provides a list of all of the updates coming to the game now that the company is refocusing efforts on Flying In Space.

Somewhere out in cold dark, The Mittani is smiling to himself because he just won the biggest EVE Online metagame of them all. It looks like taking over the CSM and issuing his ultimatum actually worked.

Bravo, sir.

Played Lately: Magic: The Gathering - Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012

2011-10-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

With my limited time to play lately, I've had to seek shorter games when I can. It turns out that a game of Magic: The Gathering is perfect for a short fix.

Released just a few months ago, Magic: The Gathering - Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012 is this year's iteration of 2009 game. I didn't know this had turned into a Madden-like franchise. But it is fitting if you look at how the game was updated. Like Madden, this update is primarily about adding a few tweaks, a new mode, and a new roster...er, card list. So if you liked the first game and want more, this is definitely more. If not, there is little here to change your mind.

The biggest update involves deck management. Although full desk construction is still not available, this version allows you to remove base cards from your deck instead of just your unlocked cards. Beyond that, the new Archenemy mode is a great change of pace. The UI is improved in almost every way, especially the layout of the campaign interface.

Disappointingly, there are a few bugs that crop up in the game. The card-like main menu has a tendency to spin in the opposite direction than I'm clicking. And the campaign screen lists the first mission in the expansion's Archenemy campaign no matter which screen you come to. These are little nags, but point to a lack of polish. Also, there is still no way to track in game which desks you have used to beat different duels. Since this is necessary to unlock different cards, I would like the game to help indicate this instead of needing a separate spreadsheet. (Copies available upon request.) Also, they want to sell you deck unlocks and foil conversions again. Really, WotC?

Again, Magic 2012 is more Magic. I really liked the first game, so I'm happy to get more. In fact, I have progressed farther in this edition than I did in the previous. If you want full deck construction, this is still not the game for you. But if you want to pit balanced preconstructed desks against one another, upgrading is a no brainer.

Top Five: Songs That Got Stuck In My Head

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

While my beautiful wife falls in love with songs because of the lyrics, I get hooked solely based on the melodies. Many times I don't know what the words to a song are until long after I've been listening to it for days. The songs that stick with me, though, are the ones that evoke some emotional response with only the power of its sound. Here are five songs that, at one time or another, were placed on permanent repeat on whatever electronic device was nearby for days at a time. Beware: I can talk video games, comic books, movies, etc. until my lungs fall out, but I have no talent to discuss music. Fair warning.

The Killers, When You Were Young - The Killers have an amazing facility for writing catchy tunes. This may be one of their best. But even more than the music, the conflicting currents of hope and disappointment in the lyrics twist the song every which way. There are so many highs and lows in just a few minutes and I can't help was ride this rollercoaster over and over again.

MGMT, Time To Pretend - There is something to be said for great tune that is completely nihilistic. The song builds over its course so that the music is as bombastic as the lives that the singer portrays. It is a beautiful and terrible song that I cannot listen to enough.

Kelly Clarkson, Already Gone - I love songs that evoke melancholy and longing and this may be my favorite. Every time I hear it, I can't help but be washed over with a wave of sweet sadness. Clarkson's voice drives the emotion to powerful heights.

Cee Lo Green, Forget You - I'm going to admit something here. I was not listening to this version. For some reason, I'm feeling a little circumspect about embedding that video, but the two version feel very similar. Green's open aggression in the face of heartbreak is thrilling. It's everything that I would want to say were I rejected by a woman. And when he breaks down near the end, the facade fall away and you can see the pain behind his bold words.

OK Go, All Is Not Lost - When it comes to videos, you can't do much better than OK Go. So when the latest video came out on the Nintendo 3DS, this song hooked into my head and would not let go. If you were worried about me, All Is Not Lost stands in opposition to the songs that proceed it. Its message that we will come out the other side no matter what comes down the road. I'd not go in for hopeful songs too often, but that's because they don't connect with me the same way this does.

Of course, I did spend the entire time writing this post listening to Little Sister by Miracle of Sound. We'll see if it makes the next list.

If you are interested to see which songs my wife picked, check out her blog here.

Random Shots: Release Dates Are Big News

2011-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Something amazing happened over the weekend. At least six different blogs that I follow reposted the news that Star Wars: The Old Republic had a release date. I'm not reposting the date because 1) this isn't a News Filter post, and 2) you find it just about anywhere else on the Internet by now. Try one of those links above if you really don't know.

When I thought about writing about the release date, my first inclination was to point and laugh that so many people had so much to say about something so insignificant. On second thought, though, I think it says something about the state of MMOs and the anticipation of SWTOR in particular that so many people had so much to say about something so insignificant.

Where once we could count on release after release after release of new MMOs, we are now in a cycle where Triple-A games are few and far between. Sure, there are more MMOs being released now than ever before. But these are the lazy knock-offs and cash-ins that should have been cancelled years ago but somehow weren't. Only Rift stands out this year and that came out back in March. People are hungry from something new.

Random Shots: Your Fifteen Minutes Have Arrived

2011-09-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

As I commented on Bronte's latest post, the Internet just gives and gives and gives.

Netflix recently announced that it was splitting up its DVD and streaming services, spinning the DVD rentals off to a new company called Qwikster. I would be indifferent to this news were it not for Jason Castillo. It turns out that someone at Netflix didn't Google the name because the holder of the Qwikster Twitter account is a stoner and a fan of Elmo. Evidently he's waiting for his payout. As Chris Remo tweeted:
This @Qwikster affair is one of my favorite internet things to happen ever

And because things don't get any saner on the Internet, there was this little scuffle on the Twitter account of Mark Davidson. Evidently Mark pays ghost-tweeters to make him look good online. Only he fired one of them but didn't change his password. Hilarity, as it will, ensued.

And this is why I spend all day on the Internet, folks.

Comic Roundup: September 14, 2011

2011-09-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Things have been upside down recently, so I'm quite behind on comic reviews. I rarely get to the shop now. And when I do, I have less time to read. So I have roughly a full month of comics to go over. Better get started. In order of anticipation:

Mystic issue 1 - Marvel continues their renewal of the Crossgen franchises, this time with Mystic. I read very little of it in the first incarnation, but there is something winning about this version. The first issue deals with two girls who dream of escaping their orphanage to learn magic. It is a classic tale where the ending is written based on how it began. But the writing and art have me interested in how they execute it. I'm very likely to see this miniseries to the end.

Justice League issue 1 - The all-star team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee take on the all-star cast of the Justice League, showing how the group came together. If I have a compliment to give it, it's that this issue reminded me of the Marvel Ultimate books. The story will obviously take its time to build, but that makes the anticipation that much greater. Assuming it holds up, there may be a second DC comic that I end up reading on a monthly basis.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine issue 1 - Did you know this was happening? I certainly didn't. I lost interest in Season Eight as it went along as the story went real wacky there at the end. But considering how that series wrapped up, I was at least curious how this would go. This issue could very well just be the next issue in the series instead of a new number one. But I'm still curious what Joss does with Buffy from here. Especially since I get a strong Season Six vibe from the issue. And I intend that to be a compliment.

Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness issue 3 - This series continues to be the best Danger Girl since the original series. I don't know if adding Ash to the mix was required to make it good again, but some thing works.

Rocketeer Adventures issue 4 - As last issue in the series, it did not end on the strongest of notes, storywise. The Ashley Wood pinups at the end actually were amazing, but the stories did not live up the the great start. Nonetheless, I'm so happy that IDW has helped to bring the Rocketeer back to life with so many creative people. I'm sure Dave Stevens would be proud.

Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom issue 2 - Like the first issue, Fall of Barsoom is an interesting take on Burroughs' world. As long as the quality keeps up, it looks like I'll keep buying Warlord of Mars books.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris issues 5 & 6 - Like these.

Warlord of Mars issue 9 - And this one too. I really hope they don't start any more series.

Batwoman issue 1 - I've been waiting for this comic for a long time. You could say I've been waiting since November 2010 when issue zero came out. Or you could say I've been waiting since April 2010 when her last issue in Detective Comics came out. It is worth the wait. J.H. Williams produces beautiful art with an amazing eye for how a page is designed. And his writing, alongside Haden Blackman, feels like a perfect continuation of the story that Greg Rucka started. If Batwoman fell off your radar because of the long wait, it's time to come back. (And it's time for me to fire up my Batwoman look-alike in Champions Online, I think.)

Criminal: Last of the Innocent issue 4 - I know that everyone love this arc, but I continue to be left cold by it. I think that it is because I lack any connection to the comics that it is referencing. It's a fine story. An interesting story, even. But it feels like I'm at arm's length from it because I'm not in on the joke. That may be my fault or the comic's. Either way, I hope that the next Criminal series speaks to me more.

Farewell To Ascalon: Let's Play Guild Wars - 4

2011-09-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Savich, oh my dear Savich. He was so sweet. Our love was bright, but fleeting. He could see how much I loved the gloves, but he could not meet my clothing needs. So he told me that there were others, brothers of his, who would be willing to trade for matching garments. He pointed me toward Fort Ranik and my destiny. I will never forget those ten minutes we spent together.

Fort Ranik is northeast of Wizard's Folly, but it is not a straightforward climb down the mountain. The path down leads through a cave full of ice elementals. Not that my Flare spell and I were in any danger. In a way, it was a very leisurely, scenic trip.

Have I mentioned before how beautiful this game is? Even this cave is beautiful. The game is six years old and it still holds up.

As we left Wizard's Folly (we being Gwen, my gloves, and I), we found ourselves on the bank of a river. Runoff from the snow flows through here out to, well, who knows where. We're nowhere near the ocean, right?

As we walked down the river, we were set upon by Giant Aloe Seeds. Ascalon is a crazy dangerous place. And here I thought the Charr were bad. You can't even walk through the countryside without being set upon by bandits, scales, and these freaking seeds.

Okay, we need to talk about naming things. Aloe Seeds are already giant when you compare them to regular seeds. Giant Aloe Seeds are not all that giant when you compare them to the already giant Aloe Seeds. Somebody has their scale set all wrong.

After we overcame many obstacles, we arrived at Fort Ranik. My goal was finally in sight.

The fort itself was rather barren. The soldiers must be out patrolling the countryside, right? Since it's so dangerous out there, right?

Savich's brother, Hatcher, was easy to find. He hadn't mentioned that they were identical twins. Be still, my heart. Hatcher was willing to trade a Krytan Robe in exchange for five unnatural seeds. Since I had harvested several from the Aloe Seeds, I handed them over and took my reward. The robe was more like a halter top with wings, but that's what he called it. The trip was already worth all the trouble.

Hatcher pointed out his other brother, Varis, also an identical twin! Three identical twins, if you can believe it. He was offering Krytan Leggings in trade for, um, something else.

"Did you say you wanted three spider legs?" I asked, hoping that I heard wrong.

"Yes, three spider legs," he replied earnestly.

I repressed a shiver. "Spider legs are pretty small, though, right? How about I just find you a spider and you can pick off the legs yourself."

"You misunderstand. I need the legs off of giant spiders."

"Is that anything like the Giant Aloe Seed where they aren't much bigger than a regular Aloe Seed?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe that you are correct."

That calmed me down a little. "Okay. I've heard of giant spiders like tarantulas. Do you mean about that size?"

"Maybe a little bigger."

I bit my lip. I really don't like spiders. Really don't like them at all. But if I could get some nice new leggings in return for some a-little-bigger-than-tarantula spider legs, I would do it.

"You have yourself a deal," I told him.

When I left Fort Ranik, I ran across Mary Malone. The poor woman had been collecting apples, but was forced to leave her basket behind when she ran across some giant spiders. She had run all the way back to the fort and was hiding behind a tree. I told her that I would be happy to help recover her basket. And if I can find some spider legs along the way, all the better.

I followed the road to the south, keeping my eyes open for any spiders. The basket was sitting alone in the middle of the orchard, completely devoid of arachnids. Well, at least I can return it to Mary, right?

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

When I finally escaped the madness and dropped off the apples, I returned to Fort Ranik with spider legs for Varis to claim my prize.

And then I punched him square in the face.

Here ends part four. We are close to the end of Pre-Searing now. Next time we'll delve into the Catacombs, and then we're off to the Ascalon Academy. See you next time!

Random Shots: The Age Of The Dragon Is Over

2011-09-09T02:36:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that I will never play Dragon Age II again. Not even that great song could get me to go back and play it. It was a mistake to purchase the game in the first place. And considering how little I enjoyed the first game, I regret even only having spent the twenty dollars for the game.

Having come to this realization, I dug back into the archives of the Gamers With Jobs Conference Call and listened to the Dragon Age II spoiler section in episode 234. I figured that I had already heard enough spoilers that going back and listening to an in depth discussion would not make matters any worse. Having listened to the podcast only cemented my decision. Although the individual character arcs seem interesting, the overall plot arc sounds like a complete mess. I'm not going to spoil the game for anyone else, but the ending sounds nonsensical.

I've already learned my lesson from this experience. No matter how excited everyone else is about a game, it is not worth spending the money on a game that I have reservations about. It has been some time since I have bought a new game. I do not intend to do so until something comes out that I'm looking forward to. I like getting caught up in the conversation around a new game, but playing games that I'm not excited about is no good for anyone.

Especially if all we get out of them are lame posts like this one.

Farewell To Ascalon: Let's Play Guild Wars - 3

2011-09-07T01:05:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, there was this one guy who asked if I had a devourer egg. Something about using it to lure a worm queen and driving the vermin from a field. It's not the work of heroes. But hey, I have an extra egg, right?

Upon my return to Ashford, I discovered that the place was overrun with pigs. None of them tried to kill me, but they certainly did not belong here. With a little effort, I corralled them and Farmer Dirk gave me 25 gold for my trouble.

This pig herding event is actually a hidden quest, one of two available in Pre-Searing. I'm not aware if this mechanic is used anywhere else in the game.

Pitney was happy, and a little shocked, when I returned with a devourer egg. We wrapped up the worm problem without any trouble. As we returned to Ashford, Devona mentioned that she wanted to investigate the rumors that the Charr had been seen south of the wall. Since killing Charr is the reason I came to the Academy, I agreed to help.

Devona was right. There was a real and actual Charr roaming the path from Regent Valley. The coward ran off before we could get to him, but we finished off his Grawl buddies who stuck around.

Not shown: me losing my chance at the Survivor title before I get out of Pre-Searing. Pathetic.

Devona was quite concerned about this Charr running loose, but she knew I had business in Wizard's Folly. As I left Ashford, she told me, curiously, "Think warm thoughts." Okay.

Wizard's Folly, it turns out, is up in the hills. As I made my way south, I came upon this waterfall. The sound of the rushing water was so peaceful that I took a moment to catch my breath and reflect on my journey so far.

This waterfall, overlooking Ashford, is one of my favorite sites in Pre-Searing, much less the game. There is no real reason to come up here other to take in the view. For as game-centric as most of the environments are, ArenaNet still found a way to put in these little explorable wonders.

Once I got up the hill, I understood what Devona was talking about. Snow, lots and lots of snow. What she should have mentioned were all of the elementals roaming the hillside. I can't help but wonder if this wizard's folly involved making to many elementals.

As Gwen and I made our way up the mountain, I discovered a small, green valley untouched by the snow. Since the frost was setting into my clothing, I decided to explore a little.

A number of tents and wagons ringed the clearing. A merchant and various people milled around the makeshift encampment. This must be Foible's Fair, I thought. Such a fitting name for the camp, a foible in the shadow of a folly. As I looked across the camp, I saw a woman with blue hair. An elementalist for certain. I walked over and introduced myself.

The woman drew herself to her full height as she addressed me. "I am Ralena Stormbringer, master of the element of air."

"Stormbringer?" I mused. "That would be a perfect name for a Charr."

"Do I look like a Charr to you?"

"Not in the least," I replied, although her expression looked just as hateful as one of the fanged beasts.

"Hmm," she said as she appraised me. "You have the stink of one of those fire fetishists. Well, there is more than one element in the world, you know."

"Oh, I only know a Flare spell. I would love to learn more about Air Magic."

"Would you? Very well, listen carefully." Ralena taught me how to cast Lightning Javelin and Blinding Flash. I'm not sure how a Lightening Javelin is any better than a flare, but I smiled and kept my mouth shut.

Ralena also let me know that another elementalist, Aziure, was performing research up at the tower atop Wizard's Folly. She asked me to go slay the Tower Guardian using her Air Magic and rub that fact in Aziure's face.

Really.

I thought that was a little bitchy, but I wanted to see Aziure anyway. If I could wipe out a guardian on the way, more fun for me. With Gwen in tow, I set out for the top of the mountain. We found the tower surrounded by earth and ice elementals. The guardian was easy to spot and easy to kill. It ignored all of the rampaging elementals, but it made a beeline right for me when I came into view. Not surprising really.

The amiable Aziure was quite happy to have the guardian gone. In fact, she even asked if I would help her with her research.

It turns out that she wanted me to help by acting as a bodyguard. Since I am just a novice, she taught me how to cast a Fire Storm and the Glyph of Lesser Energy.

Aziure began casting her Ward Against Harm which immediately drew the attention of all of the elementals in the area. As she taught me, I covered the area with Fire Storms and the elementals melted away. Take that, Ralena!

Her task complete, Aziure gave me her thanks and went about her way. Without teaching me how to cast the ward. To make sure the day was not a complete waste, I collected the various lodestones that had energized the elementals. Some sorcerer would find a use for them.

As we walked down the mountain, we passed a shrine where an odd man was waiting. "Hail, good lady," he called to me. "I was hoping you might help me. My name is Savich and I am in need of icy lodestones to help a friend. I have no money, but I could trade you these gloves which are too delicate for my rough hands. If you have the time, I will share with you a tale that will..."

"Shhh, shhh," I said to him, reaching out to take his hands. "You had me at gloves."

And here ends this episode. For a second time because Blogger ate the first version. You might think that having a second go would let me polish the story, but mostly I'm just annoyed. At least it's done.

Join us next episode when Khilesia says "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" See you next time!

Random Shots: Gaming Superstitions

2011-09-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

As promised by Nintendo, the 3DS Ambassador Program has gone live and the ten NES games are now available. I played and enjoyed a number of those games back when they first come out. In fact, one of the first things I did when we moved into the new house was hook up my Nintendo and slap in The Legend of Zelda.

As I fired up the games, memories came rushing back to me. Zelda, Zelda II, Metroid, and more. I can't wait to relive these classics on my fancy little handheld.

As I've played through these games so far, I find that I've fallen into the same patterns as before. There was an unspoken rule that I always followed. Whenever an item drops, I take the time to pick it up even if my energy/hearts/missiles/bombs are full.

Somewhere along the time, I came to the conclusion that if I passed up a power up I did not need, I would not receive a power up later when I really needed it. It's almost as though there is some gaming god who would punish me for turning away from their gifts. And even though I know that item drops are decided by a random number generator, I still follow this old behavior. I doubt that I could overcome this superstition even if I wanted to.

Are there any gaming superstitions that you still observe?

Played Lately: Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht

2011-09-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

In a moment of weakness, I started the main campaign, 1939 - Early Blitzkriegs, on the Easy difficulty. I tell myself that I just want to see all of the scenarios that I wouldn't be able to reach under a real difficulty and that I'll go back later and try the other campaigns on Normal or harder. In reality, I just like things easy.

Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht starts with the invasion of Poland. It was hear that I discovered how the difficulty is implemented. All of the opposing units are at half strength. So while combat is not super tense, I still has to plan my attacks to insure that I'm not taking costly casualties. Even as I took my time, I easily rolled over all of the objective cities and reached Warsaw well within the allotted time.

I followed the conquest of Poland with an invasion of Norway (quite a maneuvering challenge), the Low Countries, and finally into France. My troops bowled over the defenders quite satisfactorily and with plenty of turns to spare. I would like to say that the lack of challenge was no fun, but I did enjoy myself immensely. Next up will be the 1940 launch of Operation Sea Lion to take over England. On a normal difficulty, I probably wouldn't see the mission outside of the scenario menu.

That said, the farther I go, the more I'm interested to see if I really have the mettle to take on a fully equiped opponent. I may do well, but I hope to surprise myself. But I'm not ready to do it yet. I have a world to conquer first.

Random Shots: Two Years After The Fact

2011-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Torchlight has been out for almost two years now. That is a long time for any game, especially a single player game, to occupy so much real estate in my brainspace. I've enjoyed it now on two platforms and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. However, after all this time, I finally figured out that I have one nit to pick with the game.

Sending your pet back to town is useless.

I know that it's cute and it could be handy, but it is just not. There are a couple reasons why. First, town portals are plentiful and cheap. In every case where you might send your pet off, you are better off going yourself. Second, with new quest becoming available for every dungeon level, there are plenty of reasons to head back to town on a regular basis.

If Runic really wanted the system to work, they would give potent medium term buffs (five to ten minutes) make staying in the dungeon worthwhile. That way you have to weight the tradeoff of leaving the dungeon and having your buff expire versus sending your pet away and pressing on alone.

Yes, that is the one thing that bugs me about the game after all this time.

Enough complaining. Did everyone see that Torchlight 2 is going to be $20? I don't know if that price is crazy good or just crazy.

Farewell To Ascalon: Let's Play Guild Wars - 2

2011-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ashford Abbey is as grandiose as the town it is named for. Which means not at all. The Abbey consists of one building, a shrine to Dwayna, a nice tree, and an entrance to the catacombs. I considered seeing what all the fuss was about with the catacombs until then I remembered how hard it is to get dirt out of this material.

It did not take long before I found Meerak the Scribe, the man Devona sent me to speak with. "Well, hello beautiful," he said, strolling up to me. His eyes roamed up and down. "What can I do you for?"

"Devona tells me that you won't man up and report what you know to the proper authorities."

That stopped him in his tracks. He started to look everywhere but at me. "Oh. I suppose I could. I've just been a little busy. You don't suppose that you could help me out. I could maybe write a letter if you could run it up to the city. I don't want to go out there if Devona is around."

"Devona is the least of your worries. I've run into river skales, giant worms, an entire camp of bandits, and a huge swarm of bees. Do you hear me? Bees! I don't want to go out there either."

"Not a problem! Let me show you on this map how to avoid all of that and get to Ascalon City before you know it." Meerak may have been a lech, but he did know his way around a map.

And here we have the start of a beautiful relationship. No, not with Meerak. I mean with the map travel system. I can't even imagine this game without it. In a normal MMO, I can understand wanting to limit fast travel to maintain the illusion of a large world. You can't get away with that in Guild Wars because the world actually is massive. I can't even fathom how long it would take to run from Ascalon to the deepest part of the Maguuma Jungle. The map travel system really helps to fulfill ArenaNet's goal of getting right to the good stuff whenever you play.

Yes, there is a quest in the game to teach you how to use the map. I may have embellished the details.

Following Meerak's instructions, I quickly returned to Ascalon City. I looked for Sir Tydus, but he did not seem to be around. Instead, Armin Saberlin was standing watch at the gates to the Academy. I hurried over and handed the letter to him.

"This is grave news, if true," he said, the words echoing through his helmet. "Do you understand what this means?"

"That it's finally time to march on the Charr?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, no. It means you'd better train some more if you are going to be of any help to the kingdom."

"But I've already learned how to cast a Flare and an Aura of Restoration."

I could see a smile within the shadow of his helm. It was not a kind smile. "Good for you, miss. But shouldn't an elementalist know spells from more than one element."

I might have tried my pouty face on him, but he did have a point. "Fine, but next time I'm expecting you to let me into the Academy."

He had already turned his attention to one of those death freaks by then, so I headed back toward the city gates. "Excuse me, miss," came a gruff voice. "Maybe I can help you out."

Standing near his stall, a weaponsmith waived me over. "That's a fine wand you have there, but it's not fitted right for your grip. I can fix that up right quick and for cheap too."

"This old thing?" I asked, holding up the wand. "It's just for show. Thanks anyway!"

The Guild Wars answer to binding equipment is what they refer to as customization. Armor is automatically customized when you buy it, but not weapons. You are free to use them or trade them freely. However if you customize your weapon, it receives a twenty percent bonus to damage. This is not an inconsiderable amount. At least for people who use their weapon for damage. If an elementalist is wanding something to death, they are probably doing it wrong. However, it's still an idea wish more games ran with.

With all of my errands accounted for, I headed out of the city again, intent on continuing my education. Gwen was there with her usual cheerful demeanor. I can't shake that girl to save my life. Also waiting was Haversdan. I'm not sure why he was still out here, but he did point me toward Wizard's Folly, where a great elementalist might instruct me.

What luck, I thought, and immediately set out in entirely the wrong direction.

I'm not sure how I misunderstood, but soon I had crossed over the river and through some hills until I happened upon a man in heavy armor standing outside a cave. This I did not expect.

"Greetings, madame," he called as I approached. "By the style of your dress, I take you to be the type who would aid a bereft nobleman in the procurement of his breakfast."

"I beg your pardon?"

His expression fell. "Can you help my man, Fadden, get some devourer eggs out of the cave?" I told him I would and we were off.

Fadden is not so brave facing down the devourers. Maybe if the duke had lent him his very impression armor and mace, he might have been more daring. As it was, the twin-tailed terrors were no match for my stream of Flares.

As a reward, Duke Gaban gave me two eggs. Yay?

I'm going stop here because I prepared twice as much material as I actually need. So the ending may not be entirely satisfactory, but you can look forward to a second post this week.

Thank you to everyone who voted, even the spiteful trio who voted for Legendary Defender. With seven of the thirteen votes cast, I will play through Pre-Searing long enough to get the entire collector armor set before moving on. This task will give a good survey of Ascalon before it all goes to hell, so we can enjoy a couple more weeks of greenery.

One final note, I may have been overly optimistic about polling the audience each week. There aren't that many decision points in the game, but I will let everyone take part in the ones that do come up. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Admin: Post Five Hundred

2011-08-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Back when I wrote post four hundred, I had estimated that I would reach this post some time in June. Based on prior performance, it normally takes about seven months to knock out a hundred posts. This year has been anything but normal. Between dealing with both an attempted and a successful house break in, selling that house to the city and moving to a new one, as well as having our first child, the blog just could not compete for my attention. That everything I just mentioned only added two months to the timetable is amusing to me. I'm not making any guesses as to when the next milestone will be reached, but I'm fairly confident that there will be a six hundredth post.

Out of prior top five posts, only two of them have held on a spot here. My top post of last nine months was not one of them. Top Five: EVE Online Stories received twice as many hits as the next down. It has been a perennial favorite for months now. The post saw a major spike in activity June 27, 2011, at the height of MonocleGate.

Sometimes, you just want more hits. So I decided, in a perfectly mercenary way, to write a speculative post called Random Shots: The Expansion After Cataclysm. Considering that we knew absolutely nothing at the time, people have been eager for any news or rumors and I certainly cashed in on that. Hits have been consistant since posting, though they have been trailing off in the last month or two.

The prior top spot holder, Top Five: Things To Do Before Cataclysm, fell to third place this cycle. Hits stayed quite high from the start, spiking up on December 5 and 6, 2010, but then dying completely when Cataclysm launched December 7, 2010. It had a good run.

The other top five survivor, By Request: Champions Online Q&A is the little engine that could, averaging a hit every day, even though it was first posted way back in September 2009. The reason the post in on this list, though, is because of the surge in popularity it received on January 26, 2011, the day after Champions Online went free-to-play.

The final post in the top five is a little more unique in its trajectory. After the announcement of the collector's edition for Star Wars: The Old Republic, I wrote Random Shots: CEs The Way God Intended Them. It's not a post I'm super proud of, but it did its job. I posted it July 21, 2011, it spiked on July 22, 2011 after receiving a high profile link from Kill Ten Rats, and it was dead by July 29, 2011. So even though it only received hits for about a week, that was enough to get the post onto the top five. Thanks for all the traffic, Ethic.

Gaming has been, much like my posting, rather sparse over this cycle. Rift certainly dominated a couple months of my gaming time. Otherwise, there were a number of smaller games like Bastion, Torchlight, and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. And let's not forget Portal 2. So mainly I've been focusing on games that can be played and completed in a reasonable about of time while staying away from, or putting aside, the monster epics. As it stands, I'm not missing them.

On the creative front, I continue to be very happy with my Unexplored Worlds series. I only got five posts up in this cycle, but they are some of my favorites. And now I've started my Farewell To Ascalon series which is really exciting for me. And, funny enough, it's actually helping me to enjoy Guild Wars again, a game that I haven't been able to play for a few years now.

Finally, I would like to say thanks once again to all the commenters who make this place so much fun for me. So thank you to Blue Kae, Jayedub, Yeebo, MMO Gamer Chick, Bronte, Hunter, Tesh, and our newcomer, Straw Fellow. You make the hard work worthwhile. Now here's to the next hundred.

News Filter: Go Buy Wing Commander Right Now

2011-08-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

If I started this blog twenty years ago, you would have read any number of posts about the Wing Commander games. WC1 was the game that made me buy a sound card (a Sound Blaster Pro, installed myself in my 386-20). And it's the game that made me buy a joystick. I know a lot of people preferred the X-Wing games, but I was a Wing Commander man all the way.

Fun Fact: When I selected my callsign for WC1, I chose Anjin. And it has stuck with me ever since.

The good news is that GOG.com just release a bundle of both Wing Commander 1 & 2 (minus the expansion packs) for $5.99. The bad news is I'm stuck at work so I can't play yet.

Just looking at that image brings back the memories. I remember trading off missions with my brother. He was always much better at the game than me.

I wonder if I still have that joystick somewhere. Heck, I wonder if I have a serial port to hook it up to.

News Filter: Blizzard To Launch Darkmoon Faire 2.0

2011-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Via MMO-Champion, Blizzard posted a preview on their blog stating that Darkmoon Faire is being updated with Patch 4.3. Originally launched with Patch 1.6, the Faire has received some small updates over time, but hasn't received the attention is deserves until now.

With Patch 4.3, Darkmoon Faire will have its own island with new games, quests, and shows. And there will be new rewards which I'm just going to quote here:
We have adorable companion pets includin’ a fez-wearing monkey, a plethora of profession recipes, toys, balloons, souvenirs, delectable carnival snacks and beverages, heirlooms for the little ones, and even replicas of long-lost suits of armor that we’re offering for your Transmogrification needs.

Did you see that, MMO Gamer Chick? Fez-wearing monkey. You know that you'll have to resubscribe now. As will I, I suppose.

Random Shots: Considering A Trip To Detroit

2011-08-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for another lame gamer admission: I never played Deus Ex. It didn't interest me at the time and it has not aged gracefully. So when Deus Ex: Human Revolution was announce, I shugged and did not thing about it again. That was until this week.

Giant Bomb livestreamed their Quick Look of the game yesterday. Damn, this game is beautiful. The near future setting is fascinating to me. I just want to crawl into that world and explore.

And if that wasn't enough, I saw that Blue Kae was on Steam playing last night while I was writing a blog post. No fair! It probably won't be soon, but someday I'll be buying a ticket to the dark future.

Read Lately: Go Make Me A Sandwich

2011-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

The gaming community is, as a rule, pretty disgusting. From the 13 year old homophobe on Xbox Live all the way up to the developers and publishers who push sexual objectification to sell their games, gaming can be spectacularly unfriendly. It does not have to be that way, and it should not be.

Unfortunately, many of the blogs and websites that discuss these issues are unfriendly in their own ways. A lot of the language used and the tone of writing can feel quite exclusionary, which I find terribly ironic. I might have thought that of all such blogs until someone introduced me to Go Make Me A Sandwich.

Although her blog focuses primarily on sexual imagery, Wundergeek's work is a call to arms over all that is wrong with gaming. She makes strong arguments backed by extensive statistics and a multitude of egregious examples. While other blogs of its type leaving me rolling my eyes, Go Make Me A Sandwich just makes me mad that we have to put up with this in today's world. Woman are becoming much more prevalent in gaming, and yet the gaming world does everything it can to remind us that it is still a boy's club.

It's sad to admit, but several times I've found the example images on her blog quite appealing. No matter how enlightened I may pretend to be, the animal part of my brain cannot help but be titillated. It should not be surprising since these images are laser focused on appealing to me. But that makes me even more angry, knowing that their sexual thoughtlessness is incidental to their work at manipulating me. They are trying to sell games to me so hard that they can offend an entire sex without even caring about the consequences. And the occasional positive portrayal the Wundergeek points out are no less interesting as characters without devolving to objectification.

We should expect more from our community. I can't expect that we can change every idiot on the internet, but we can certainly lead by example. And that means that developers and publishers have to take responsibility for designing and marketing their games in a more inclusive way. And until they do, they can all get their own damn sandwiches.

Random Shots: Pandaren Possibilities

2011-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Because there can never be enough baseless speculation on the internet, I'm going to discuss three possible ways that Blizzard could add the Pandaren with their seemingly inevitable expansion, Mists of Panderia.

Hero Class - If one believes that there is some grand plan at Blizzard, the next expansion will introduce a new hero class. I hadn't considered this idea until the most recent episode of The Instance (a failure of imagination on my part). In this option, the Pandaren open up their schools to all comers, training characters of every race. So expect Goblin and Gnome monks running around the world. This seems like the most likely option.

New Race - Now if there is no grand plan, maybe Blizzard will add the Pandaren as a new race. There is no telling which faction they would join. But in either case, this would require a second race to be added. It would fit that ancient planning list if they did so. Blizzard would just have to figure out which classes are available, and then there would be pandas everywhere. I know that I would roll a Pandaren rogue immediately. Or paladin. Or mage. Or anything really. Giant pandas, you know?

Pandaren Brewmaster - This idea is off the wall, but what if Blizzard combines both ideas and makes a Brewmaster hero class that can only be a Pandaren? I'm not sure if that would make more work or less. But it does have the side benefit of preventing Chris Metzen from fabricating some lore to explain by the pandas might suddenly ally themselves with the Horde and Alliance.

Did I miss something? Do you have a better idea? Come to the comments and tell me how full of it I am!

Farewell To Ascalon: Let's Play Guild Wars - 1

2011-08-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

What I remember most about that morning was the warm breeze.

Welcome to my first post in my Guild Wars Let's Play article, Farewell To Ascalon. All thanks go to Jayedub for giving me the idea. I just wish I'd thought of it first.

In this series, we will follow the adventures of Khilesia Lanfier, a young elementalist, as she makes her first journey to Ascalon City. All of my Guild Wars characters belong to the same family, which seems strange in retrospect, but I'm not about to change it now. Just you wait until you read the story of how the Lanfier line carries over to Guild Wars 2. You're getting chills already, right?

Before we get started, I want to take a look at our new character as we exit the creation process. Quite the looker. Well, they are all like that.

I love ArenaNet unreservedly, but we have to talk about the character models. Complain about other games all you want, but Guild Wars was the reason the word hypersexualized was created. There is some theory that the models are a nod to NCSoft's home, Korea, where the game did meet with some success. Honestly, these characters would not seem odd if you tossed them into Lineage.

I will vehemently deny that I bought the game based on screenshots of scantily clad women, no matter how true it may be. Enough dawdling. Let's get back to our story.

It was an auspicious day. My first day at the Ascalon Academy. The King put out a call for every able bodied woman and man to defend the Wall against the coming Charr onslaught. As an elementalist, I knew it was my duty, no, my privilege to serve. So I dressed myself in something appropriate for the season and made my way to the city.

It was there that things became . . . strange.

"You there," the man cried. "The woman with the heaving bosoms."

"Are you speaking to me?" I asked.

He nodded down at me from his platform. "Yes, you. Are you Khilesia?" I said that I was. "Good. Sir Tydus has been asking after you. I was worried that you might have been caught in that snarl of bodies down the road. Who knows what black magic the Charr are up to there?"

When you create a character in Prophecies, you start on a path in the northeast corner of Ascalon City. The problem is that so does everyone else. When I started this night, there were four characters all stacked one on top of the other, with various bits of geometry sticking out. It makes the opening camera swing down to your character unintentionally hilarious. They fixed this in Factions and Nightfall by starting you in an instance.

I thanked the Town Crier and continued down the road. It ran straight to the gate of the Academy. Just off to the side was my good friend, Sir Tydus. He started to greet me as I jogged up, but then he bit his lower lip and smiled oddly. "Khilesia, it's good to see you. So much of you."

"Oh, Tydus, I'm so excited to be here," I said as we embraced. "I'm ready to take on the Charr whenever you are! Just the two of us."

"Maybe more than the two of us." He took a couple steps back, looking around as though he expect a warband to pop out from anywhere. "I know what we should do. I have a friend by the name of Howland. He is an elementalist too. Why don't you meet him outside the city in Lakeside County. I can convince him to share some of his magical spells with you. Or something."

Nothing could have made me happier. "Tydus, you are the best. I'll go see him now. Make sure he doesn't keep me waiting." I kissed him on the cheek and ran down the path to the city gates. Along the way, I passed Tydus's wife as she walked toward the Academy. She gave me the strangest look.

Outside, Howland the Elementalist was waiting for me. "Tydus told me that you were going to train me."

His eyes narrowed as he looked me over, judging me. It was like he could see right through me. It was exhilarating and frightening all at once. I wondered what kind of magic this was. "You were up late last night. Having a party before coming to the city, perhaps?"

"A little celebration, maybe. But mostly I was too anxious to sleep. You can tell all that just by looking at me?"

"I can tell all that because you forgot to dress after you woke up this morning."

I laughed at his jest. "Tydus did not tell me you were so funny. No, this is what all the young elementalists are wearing."

If it were possible, his eyes narrowed even more. "So, young elementalist, what spells do you know? Can you summon a Meteor Shower? Do you know how to cloak yourself in the Obsidian Flesh? Do you know the secrets to assume the Form of Mist?"

"I don't know any of that. I don't know any spells at all."

This is true. A starting character has no skills whatsoever. And if you skip this quest, you can go quite a while without them.

"Well then," he said, his eyes even narrower. "Let's see if you can kill a River Skale Tad and bring me back its scale."

Tad. Scale. It wasn't heroic, but every hero has to start somewhere, right?

As I traveled to the river, I ran into a little girl, dancing along by herself.

"You dance funny!" she said with a laugh. I explained that I wasn't dancing. "Oh. Are you okay?" When I said that I was, she told me her name was Gwen and that she had lost her flute.

If you are coming in from a standard MMO, you're going to get a shock just moving around in Guild Wars. Click-to-move is on by default. Even though I played the game for years, I still have trouble moving around.

Gwen is, of course, the iconic character who took on a life of her own in the community. I doubt that she would have a place in the bonus missions and Eye of the North if people hadn't connected with her so much.

It wasn't just a scale. There was the strongbox. There were the bees and the massive honeycomb. Heroism seemed like a lot of busywork. Eventually, Devona took pity on me and sent me to Ashford Abbey to speak with one of her friends. It was a nice place to catch my breath.

And here ends part one. That implies that there will be a part two. This is where you come in. Farewell To Ascalon is an interactive experience. Whenever I post a new part, I'll add a new poll to ask what we should do next. This week's poll is to determine how much of Pre-Searing that you want to see. So please vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain about how bad the series is.

Random Shots: The Demand For Grind

2011-08-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Syp over at Bio Break has a post up about the horrendous grind involved in building up the Hall of Monuments in Guild Wars. In the post (in the title actually), he wonders if ArenaNet is going to carry the grind forward into GW2. The funny thing is that Guild Wars was never a game about grind. It's time for a history lesson for those of you who were not there from the beginning.

A question came up in the comments about the endgame, which I think explains a lot. ArenaNet designed Guild Wars to finish with a PvP endgame. The idea was that after people played through and finished that campaign, they would naturally want to pit their characters against one another on the field of battle. The campaign even trains you in the PvP mechanics during the missions in the Crystal Desert.

But a funny thing happened with their game. People started playing who had no intention of ever participating in PvP. (Conversely, there were though who hated the PvE and fought for [and won!] the ability to play PvP only. But that's a different story.) ArenaNet suddenly found themselves with an entire crowd of players who rejected their endgame. So in one of the most amazing moves I've seen from a game developer, they made an entirely new endgame.

New high level areas were added to the game: Sorrow's Furnace and Tomb of the Primeval Kings. These new endgame zone offered unique "green" quality weapons that came with the best bonuses available by default. Grinding these zones for green drops quickly because the new PvE endgame.

But that wasn't enough for most people. Everyone wanted to see bars going up, so that's what ArenaNet gave them. Titles were added with the Factions Early Start Weekend. And, oh boy, did people go crazy. In every way you might suspect. But titles were just things to help you pass the time. I gave you a goal when you had nothing else to do. And you got a nice title to wear out of the bargain.

But titles did not get that intense until Eye of the North was released with its Hall of Monuments. Now that grinding titles helps fill out the monument, people who had little interest in doing so before through themselves into the fray just to get the rewards in GW2. People for whom the system was not designed.

So when someone asks why Guild Wars is such a grind, remember that it was the players who wanted it that way.

News Filter: World of Warcraft Lets You Change Your Appearace

2011-08-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

The hype train is coming up to speed for World of Warcraft Patch 4.3. As usual, MMO-Champion is gathering all of the info it can track down. Remember this screen shot that I posted a few days back? It turns out to have been a teaser for the patch and the new services it will make available. Darn it. I really want to play an ethereal.

The two unknown services, the Transmogrifier and Void Storage, have been revealed. The Transmogrifier will allow you to change the appearance of any weapon or armor to match another piece that you own, within type and class restricitions. And since people will be saving up so much gear, Void Storage will allow players to keep around one hundred pieces of armor outside of the normal bank. (The Arcane Reforger does the same old reforging from Patch 4.0.1.)

Syp believes that World of Warcraft is no longer the hegemon that it once was. In light of recent moves (these annoucements along with Mists of Pandaria and the change to threat mechanics), Blizzard must agree. For many years, they have stood firm against constant pressure to add appearance gear, but they have finally crumbled. I believe that these are all signs that Blizzard has shifted from attracting new players to maintaining their current player base.

At this rate, can player housing be far behind? Is it already too late?

Random Shots: Getting It Backwards

2011-08-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

I have, since the game came out, resisted playing Bioshock. Even though it received numerous raves and won countless awards, including several Game of the Year trophies, something about the game (likely its shooter roots) kept me away. I even tried the demo and it wasn't enough to interest me.

Then I listened to Little Sister by Miracle of Sound. Now I want to play the game. What I really want to know is if Bioshock is as good as the song makes it out to be. Does it have the same haunting tone?

So, yeah, I'm wondering if the game holds up to the song? How messed up it that?

Random Shots: You Can Lead A Horse To Gamestop...

2011-08-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

As I look over the rest of the year, I'm having some trouble working up any excitement for any of the games scheduled for release. And there are quite a few games ready to go. I even made a list for you (thanks, IGN): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Dead Island, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Tomb Raider, and Batman: Arkham City. And that's not to mention the sports games and rubber stamped shooters coming out. I think it was most telling when the one game that caught my eye was Chrono Trigger, off in the sidebar, already released on Virtual Console for the Wii, a system that I don't even own!

I'm kind of at a loss about what to do with myself. There is still The Pile to get to. Thank goodness for The Pile, I guess. Lots of good things in there. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not excited about any forthcoming games. There is a chance that I'll get that Pile under control. (Stop laughing. That's not nice.)

That's not to denigrate games like Torchlight II, Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. I'm sure they will be good, assuming they come out this year at all. And that's the problem with them. Since I don't know when they are coming out, I'm not inclined to ride the hype wagon so early. But someday (soon, I hope), a game will come out that I can be excited about.

Of course, now that I'm thinking about it, there is a version of Chrono Trigger for DS. Hmm....

News Filter: Blizzard Trolls The Fan Base, This Time With Ethereals

2011-08-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

The hype train is ramping up as we approach Blizzcon this coming October. First there was the discovery of the trademark for Mists of Pandaria. I wasn't so sure at the time, but I'm coming around the closer we get to Blizzcon.

This time Blizzard decided to tease us directly. Over on their Facebook page (thanks, MMO-Champion), Blizzard released this image:

You can be excited about your pandas all you want, but I want to play an Ethereal. Ever since The Burning Crusade came out, I've thought that these guys were awesome. They make a great counterpoint to the money-grubbing goblins. And I love that they are such an off the wall addition to the Warcraft universe. They remind you that this is not your traditional fantasy.

Even if Ethereals aren't playable, I'm glad they are returning to the game. I enjoyed seeing them whenever the Consortium popped up in Outland and I can't wait for them to make their way to Azeroth.

Random Shots: I've Been Thinking About The Scrolls Thing

2011-08-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

What "Scrolls" thing? Educate yourself, friend.

If your clicky-thingy isn't working, the gist is that ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, the publishers of The Elder Scrolls games, decided that they own the word "Scroll". This is pertinent because Mojang AB, the company headed by Notch, creator of Minecraft, is making a game called Scrolls. There would obviously be so much confusion between a first person action oriented immersive role playing simulation and a card game that Mojang has no choice but to change their name.

I agree with ZeniMax.

Trademark/patent/copyright law is so messed up right now as to be a joke, so I'm not supporting ZeniMax based on those grounds. Here is the real reason:

Scrolls is a damn stupid, boring name. Elder Scrolls is doubly so. Triply if you include The.

There you have it. Notch, ZeniMax is doing you a favor. Get a better name and leave the lame for the companies who deserve it.

Aside: This would have been a News Filter post if I hadn't written it five days after the fact. I'm not feeling all that well (ah, babies and their new germs) but I'll try to keep up with the posting here. Have a great day, friends.

Played Lately: Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht

2011-08-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've never been a hardcore strategy gamer. There is a part of me that wants to be one. That's the part that reads the grognardy forums on BGG, listens to Three Moves Ahead, and owns more board games than I will ever play. But I know that once the complexity of any game reaches a certain level, my brain shuts down and I can't do anything more than look at the pretty pictures. So when Panzer General came out in 1994, I was instantly drawn to it. Easy to learn, attractive graphics (for the time), and a lot of fun, it was everything I wanted from a strategy game.

Time passes, of course, and Panzer General does not stack up to today's graphic and interface expectations. And the fact that I own it on 3.5" disks doesn't help either. When I heard about Panzer Corps: Wehrmacht I was unreasonably excited. Not that I rushed out and bought a copy. Not at first. What if it wasn't as good as the original? What if I spend a bunch of money on it and then just add it to "The Pile"?

These thoughts kept me away for a full week, but eventually I gave in. It is everything I loved about Panzer General polished for the modern era. It looks great, with a nicely textured map and attractive units. The statistics are easy to understand and easily accessible. The controls have been updated to match current conventions. The opening movie was really interesting and imaginative. And the music and sounds are perfect. The only hitch I had was with the voice over for the tutorial. It sounded like someone who does not speak English as their first language was trying to fake a German accent. Very confusing! But that is the only part of the presentation that was lacking.

Before I jumped into the main campaign (which I have read is not a pushover), I started with the tutorial campaign. And I call it a campaign for a reason. The silly thing lasts for six scenarios. It took me three play sessions to complete. And I actually had a lot of fun playing it. The tutorial! I really think it was a good choice to go this route. The Poland scenario in PG acted like a tutorial, so it was startling easy to roll to Warsaw in just a few turns.

So I have been having a great time with Panzer Corps and I haven't even started the grand campaign. I'm looking forward to starting my blitzkrieg any day now.

Random Shots: The Pile

2011-08-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

If you play games, chances are that you have The Pile. Back when everything came on cartridges or disks, it would be a literal pile. Nowadays it maybe partially digital and spread over multiple platforms, but it's still there. It's that pile of unplayed games that mock you with their very existance. This list is off the top of my head, so there are likely two or three times as many that I don't remember or have given up all hope on.

L.A. Noire - I had been looking forward to this game for quiet some time. Then stuff got in the way and I haven't gone back. I believe that I'm a couple cases into the Homicide desk, so I have a lot of game ahead of me.

Pride of Nations - After hearing about the game on the Three Moves Ahead podcast, I decided to try out what sounded like a fascinating game. I got as far as buying and installing it during the Steam sale. And now the icon stares at me.

Dragon Quest IV - I love the Dragon Quest series and I've played serveral of them. But for some reason I'm stuck on DQIV. Even though it's on the DS and I have it available eighty percent of the time. I've played through all of the side chapters and I'm in the main part of the game. I just need to get my hero and his companions back to work.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 - I was really in the mood for a golf game this year, especially since it included The Masters for the first time. I got as far as playing the first round of the first tournament and I haven't been back. Ugh.

The Witcher 1 & 2 - I so want to try these games out. I played a little of the first game, but who has the time to sit down and play big RPGs like this. I might as well stick Drakensang here as long as I'm listing Eastern European RPGs. So many games!

Starcraft II - First, I wasn't going to play this. Then Blizzard put it on sale, so I gave it a shot. I'm playing on Easy, but I'm actually enjoying myself. At least, I was for the first four missions and I haven't been back. /sigh.

Panzer Corps - Although it's on the pile, Panzer Corps is the one game that I've actually been trying to play recently. I just finished the tutorial (after three sessions, it's so long) and I'll probably write about it soon. Now I just to try the real campaign.

It's a lucky thing that there are no good games coming out for a while so that I'm not tempted to add to the pile. If it were up to you, what would you play first? What games are on your pile?

News Filter: Runic Gave And Runic Hath Taken Away

2011-08-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Even though Torchlight was a great game on Xbox Live Arcade, Eurogamer is reporting the Torchlight II may be too large to fit on the service. In an interview with Runic Games CEO Max Schaefer, he said that the game would have to be significantly redesigned to accommodate the service. They still hope to bring it to Xbox someday, but there are no plans for the time being.

I think we all remember when Microsoft stated that the technical size limit for XBLA games is two gigabites. That seems like a lot of room unless TL2 is fabulously huge. Or maybe there is still a soft cap in place that I'm not aware of. (Google has been little help in this.)

Whatever their thinking, I will buy, play, and finish TL2 (and then buy more as gifts) on PC long before I have to worry about whether it makes it to XLBA or not. But I would love to have it available on both platforms.

If you haven't read the article, there is a lot of other good stuff in there. Don't miss it.

Admin Note: Yes, this news is pretty thin, but I wanted an excuse to post this: if you enjoy my Unexplored Worlds posts, make sure that you don't miss the one I posted earlier today. The RSS feed was borked due to an accidental early post, so it looks like the final post went up yesterday. So if you missed it, so check it out.

Unexplored Worlds: Random Crazy Person Generator

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Gender (1d10): 1-5 - Male, 6-10 Female
-1 is encounter is outdoors
+1 if encounter is on an estate or in a sanitarium

Age (2d10+16): total indicates actual age
For apparent age, roll 1d20-3 and add to age.

Hairstyle (1d4+1): total indicates number of directions hair projects

Manner Of Dress (1d8): see table
1 - dressing gown
2 - torn dressing gown
3 - soiled dressing gown
4 - rumpled dressing gown
5 - torn and soiled dressing gown
6 - torn and rumpled dressing gown
7 - torn, rumpled, and soiled dressing gown
8 - nothing

Who Is After Them (1d6): see table
1 - Them! You know who they are! They're everywhere!
2 - His/Her ungrateful, spoiled childred who are just after his/her money
3 - The bugs! Can't you see all the bugs? They are all over me!
4 - Afraid of being swallowed up by the ground (if outside)/the sky (if inside)
5 - Cats! Haven't you seen them watching! They're always watching!
6 - The triple headed demon goddess, Keec'klaq'clook

Possessions (1d3-1): total indicates number of possessions, roll 1d12 on table once for each item, roll 1d5 to determine how attached to the item the person is (5 is highly attached, 1 is not attached at all)
1 - a bit of string
2 - a dull knife
3 - a stone pestle (without mortar)
4 - half a string of wooden beads
5 - a wooden bowl, cracked down one side to the bottom
6 - a lady's painted fan, soiled
7 - an iron barrel hoop
8 - a straw brush, missing one third of its bristles
9 - a brightly polished river rock
10 - a treasure map (roll again on table to determine what is buried there)
11 - an unsettling doll
12 - something valuable (roll on Valuables table)

Valuables (1d10): roll once for each "something valuable" result on the Possessions table
1-6 - a number of silver coins (roll d6s equalling the result)
7 - a ruby the size of your thumb
8 - a tarnished crown that fits the person's head
9 - a talisman of magical protection
10 - a ring of invisibility, engraved with an ancient script

Motive (1d6): see table
1 - "Can you help me find my pet squirrel, Fluffy?"
2 - "I'm really the king/queen!"
3 - "GO AWAY!"
4 - "The voices tell me to follow you."
5 - "That [thing] looks very pretty. Can I have it?"
6 - "I just want to dance!"

Unexplored Worlds is my attempt to design an RPG campaign in the open. Since I have not rolled a d20 in anger in many years, this is my way to keep playing without actually playing. All posts are written to be system-agnostic, so please use whatever keeps your interest in your own games. Just let me know how it goes.

Played Lately: Bastion

2011-08-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

I wish that I could count on you all having played Bastion though to the end because I so want to talk about spoilers. I'm not going to, but it is taking every bit of self-restraint to do so.

A hidden RPG - It amuses me to no end that Bastion is actually an RPG. Only they obfuscated or filed off just about every number you could find. Funny thing is that I don't miss it all that much. You have health points, but you don't know how many. You earn experience points and levels, but you have to go to the distillery to see your level. You discover weapons, but you find out how effective they are by testing them out. The weapons can be upgraded, and you can see the effects of the upgrades, but only when you are looking at them in the forge. And it works. Even though the stats are in the background, you spend your time focusing on the game and making interesting decisions, not whether you have enough Agility or Stamina.

So many weapons - One of the coolest things about Bastion, and one that sets it apart from other action RPGs, is the huge variety of weapons in the game. In most Diablo-like games, you have a melee weapon and a ranged weapon, but with a huge variety of stats. In Bastion, each weapon introduces a unique play style. And the beauty is that there is no bad combination of weapons. They are all effective so choose what is most comfortable, or most fun, to you.

Fantasy western - The tone and style of the game reminds me quite strongly of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The game has a western feel, from the weapons and characters to the music and the story. It is so different than most games and is a welcome change of pace.

The end - Ugh! I so want to talk about the ending! It really is great. Supergiant mixes things up right at the end giving you new abilities and forcing you to make big choices. So brilliant. Good enough that I immediately started again with the New Game Plus option. I want to see how everything turns out if I go the other way.

This will probably be my last post about Bastion until you folks all swear that you've beat the game. Now get to work. I'm counting on you.

News Filter: There Really Is A Borderlands 2

2011-08-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

After a long week of rumors, Gearbox has finally announced that Borderlands 2 is in developement. Scheduled for release in Take Two's 2013 fiscal year (starting April 2012), it is still a way off. But at least we have something to look forward to.

Borderlands had been a huge surprise to me. I have mentioned more than once that I've purchased both the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, including all of the DLC. When I blew out the graphic card on my PC, I started over playing on the console. It's slick mixture of Diablo loot and quest with a tongue in cheek shooter made me a lot happier with the game than I expected. So I am eagerly looking forward to the new game.

In the meantime, I really need to go back and finish off that DLC.

There is more information to come in Game Informer. You can see the magazine cover image here.

News Filter: Blizzard Trolls The Fan Base, This Time With Pandas

2011-08-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

MMO-Champion is reporting that Blizzard, overlords of World of Warcraft juggernaut, have copyrighted the name Mists of Pandaria.

Epic troll, Blizzard.

Folks, I highly doubt that Blizzard is launching an entire expanion about the Pandarians. If anything, this will be a mini-expansion available in the Battle.net shop to add a new starting zone.

In the fullness of time, if there were more leaks, I will admit that I was wrong. But I just, I can't see it.

Random Shots: So Many Things

2011-08-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few odds and ends. I'm not really in the mood for writing a full post today, but I do have a few thoughts rattling around my head.

We just came out the other side of an EQ2 bonus weekend. My play time: zero. An all too common occurance recently, but I was busy this weekend. Being a grown-up sucks.

Since I haven't had time to even play free games, I cancelled my subscriptions to World of Warcraft and EVE Online. With the former, I really have enjoyed my time back with the game, but I haven't had the time to dedicate to playing. For the latter, I subscribed primarily to see the launch of Incarna. It launched, I saw it, I uninstalled. I'm likely to head back to WoW some day, but the chances of my playing again EVE are slim to none.

Despite all of my protests above, I did find the time to finish Bastion. I had to trade sleep to do so, but it was so worth it. I'm contemplating another blog post because I really enjoyed the game. Enjoyed it so much that I put it on my list of potential Top Five games for the year.

Although I loved the movie Firefox way back when I was a kid, I never knew it was based on a book. So when my father-in-law showed up with a copy of Winter Hawk, a follow up to Firefox by Craig Thomas. I never have been a huge fan of the techno-thriller, but I asked to borrow it when he was done. Not sure when I would get to it, but I am intrigued.

After a bit of trouble, I finally received a copy of C3i Magazine issue 25. If you don't know what that is, be assured that you are not alone. C3i is the house magazine for GMT Games, one of the largest remaining board strategy game publishers. It is a beautifully produced magazine with interesting articles. And it comes with so many extras that the supplemental material is a thick as the magazine itself. I haven't read a great board game magazine like this since Avalon Hill's The General. But since issues are only produced when preorders reach a certain level, I'm have no idea when the next will come out. I had better savor what I have.

And that's it. Not much more to say about the Diablo III thing except what I posted earlier. I am still amused that those two tweets showed up one right after the other. Have a good one, everybody.

Random Shots: Guess Which Game I'm Looking Forward To More

2011-08-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted without comment (except the one in the post title, I suppose):

Comic Roundup: July 27, 2011

2011-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Although a couple of these books are from last week, I actually picked up quite a few new issues this week. Although I went to pick up Criminal, I was surprised to find the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. And while I was there, I might as well pick up one or two other books, right? Time to get reading.

Rocketeer Adventures issue 3 - It's hard to write about an anthology series month after month. Especially when everything included is good stuff. I should say that the stories this issue were the strongest yet, each a great addition to the Rocketeer universe. The pinups may not have been as strong, but two okay pages do not drag down the issue.

As an aside, Dave Stevens: Complete Sketches & Studies was available and it took everything in my power not to slap $50 down right then and there. I almost hope someone else buys the one copy they had so that I don't have to face it down again next week. I'm not that strong.

Warlord of Mars issue 8 - John Carter carries on his mission to rescue his beloved Dejah Thoris. Since she is now betrothed to another, Carter must find a way to free her from captivity without transgressing Mars customs that might prevent the two of them from ever being together. The action is still strong and I love how Burroughs' crazy imagination shines through. I'm still enjoying this series a lot more than I thought that I might.

Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom issue 1 - Fall of Barsoom is to Warlord of Mars as The Old Republic is to Star Wars. This is a good thing. The story takes place 100,000 years before the main book and explains how Mars fell into its current predicament, with its failed oceans and atmosphere, and with racial tensions between the various peoples on the rise. I liked the writing and enjoyed the Jim-Lee-esque art. It could have been bad, but the book seems like a worthy addition to history of Barsoom.

Kirby: Genesis issue 2 - Jiminy Christmas, this book is packed full of crazy. All kinds of crazy. I've never actually read a Jack Kirby book, but this seems like the kind of crazy that everyone wants me to think Jack Kirby books were like. Still reading, still curious about the crazy. At least it looks pretty.

Glamourpuss issue 20 - In this issue, we get a rummination on the love triangle between Nelson Algren, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre, the continued examination of Alex Raymond's final day, and more fashion model art. In other words, just another issue of Glamourpuss.

That's a good thing if you like Dave Sim and enjoy following whatever lacunae he wants to investigate. It's not your average comic book. And thank goodness for that.

Criminal: The Last of the Innocent issue 2 - After all of the breathless reviews ruined my enjoyment of the first issue, The Last of the Innocent comes back much stronger in the second. Brubaker, Phillips, and Staples continue to kill it with each issue. I'm not going to get me to spoil anything, but I will say that all of the action promised in the first issue finally comes to fruition this issue. Don't miss it.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1969 - You know, this is a long book and I'm tired. Maybe I'll come back to it later.

Random Shots: EA Marketing Does An Bombastically Predicatable Thing

2011-07-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing that the marketing department at EA does shocks me anymore. Starting with Dragon Age: Origins and Dante's Inferno, they have consistently shown that they have no respect for the actually audience for their games. Instead they try to fool the Madden and Call of Duty crowds into playing something that is outside of their comfort zone. When EA does something stupid, it should come as no surprise.

So here is another stupid thing they did. Surprise.

For those you afflicted with the inability to click on links (good luck finding your way off my blog if that's the case), EA decided to respond to the many and various calls to include a female Shepard in the marketing material for Mass Effect 3. The statistics indicate at 80% of players use the male Shepard, but those of us who play females are dedicated. In order to recognize those players, Bioware has agreed. And in order to pick the iconic female Shepard, they put it up to a vote on Facebook. Instead of, you know, using the perfectly awesome default Shepard that is already available in the game.

The results are predictable.

/sigh

At a loss for words here.

The title is a tip of the hat to Idle Thumbs and Jake's description of the marketing for Dante's Inferno. And for more on the topic, check out Shamus Young's Twenty Sided.

News Filter: 3DS Price Drop Announced One Month After I Finally Buy One

2011-07-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm bitter.

The news coming from Patrick Klepek over at Giant Bomb is that Nintendo will reduce the price of the 3DS to $169.99 beginning August 12. I, of course, used my stack of birthday gift cards to buy one for $250 in June.

Again, not that I'm bitter.

The 3DS has not hit the stratosphere like its predecessor did. And with the Playstation Vita on the way, Nintendo had to do something to better differentiate themselves from Sony's offering.

Not all is doom and gloom, though. Those of us who purchased the handheld at the higher price will receive ten NES and ten GBA games through the Virtual Console free of charge. They revealed five games of each so far. The NES are Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda and the GBA games are Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Not a shabby lineup if you intend to use the system for a retro gaming, something that I am likely to do. I'm not sure that it makes up for the price differential, but it's not awful.

Really, I'm not bitter. I'm hoping that if I say it enough, I'll start to believe it.

News Filter: THQ Takes A Sledgehammer To Red Faction

2011-07-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Giant Bomb is reporting that THQ is putting the Red Faction series out of its misery, citing poor sales for the franchise. Considering how poorly Red Faction: Armageddon performed, both as a game and on the sales chart, this comes as no surprise. What should be surprising is that this is the same franchise that spawned Red Faction: Guerrila.
CLICHÉ ALERT: THQ is tossing out the bathwater and the baby is going right along with it.

As you watch me shake my head, don't mistake this as some disapproval toward THQ. They had their reasons and they are definitely the right ones. No, the head shaking you see is an echo of the one started way back when Armageddon first came out and it was nothing like Guerrila.

I suspect that Volition, the developers of the Red Faction series, decided after Guerrila that they needed to return to their roots and design a game that was closer to the first two. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Guerrila was a fascinating game. It even inspired a brilliant song. Whatever their reason, it did not work. Oh well.

Watched Lately: HGTV

2011-07-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have have to turn in my Geek Card (yes, I have a Geek Card), but I can't keep this to myself anymore: I'm hooked on HGTV.

It happened a few weeks ago after my entire family caught the same cold. My wife, my baby, and I were all sick and grumpy. Not feeling well enough to do anything but care for our miserable child, my wife turned on the TV and flipped channels until an episode of House Hunters came on. I was hooked.

Now most nights, and most weekends, I do nothing but watch people shop for houses or apartments, prepare their homes for sale, or landscape and decorate their homes. As I mentioned to MMO Gamer Chick via Twitter, watching these people work and shop is so comforting.

It's dangerous too, because I often find myself thinking "We should do something like that here." I'm draw primarily to the landscaping and decorating shows, like Curb Appeal: The Block and Candice Tells All, because I love all of the ideas they throw around. Not that I would ever go to such extremes, but I do want to steal some of those ideas to spruce up our home.

I'm so hooked on the network that my DVR is set up to record HGTV Design Star. I need help. Actually, I need a lot of help if we're going to get this backyard project started. Are you coming?

Played Lately: Bastion

2011-07-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as it became available, I bought a copy of Bastion. Nothing was going to stop me. Nor should it have because the reviews have been amazing so far. Not that I've been able to play it as much as I want to. Because what I really want to do is skip work every day until I finish it. I did stay up too late a couple nights rebuilding the Bastion and tackling various Proving Grounds. I may even have pouted when I reminded myself that I had to go to bed.

Here are a few disconnected thoughts about Bastion:

"He gets up." - I know that it's just a stupid little thing, but I love, I adore the fact that The Kid starts almost every level by landing flat on his face. He just lays there until you push the stick and make him get up. Hilarious!

The Narrator - Oh my goodness that guy is cool. It is not some astonishing dynamic system, but it doesn't need to be. The part is sharply written and superbly acted. And everything about it oozes cool. Sadly, I can't help but wonder how many crappy narrations we'll have to sit through because of copycats.

Old school action RPG combat - As much as I love Torchlight, the combat is pretty straight forward. Bastion feels a lot more tactical, a lot more demanding. It feels good to have so much control of your attacks. It's rewarding to defend and evade effectively. Because it is more demanding, the fights are more difficult. Even for a perpetual newb like me, I want to overcome the challenges instead of a throw my controller.

I want to steal this setting - The world building in this game is spare, but highly effective. The efficiency with which Caelondia, its inhabitants, and environs is breathtaking. I'm sure it took a lot of work to pare the descriptions that finely, but you learn so much seemingly very little effort.

And the names! How could you not want to visit a place called the Rippling Walls? Or explore the Wild Unknown? Or join up with the Slingers or the Breakers?

If my Unexplored Worlds posts start looking vaguely Bastion like, please forgive me.

A word of warning: when you start a new game to show your wife the cool narration, it tells you that you about to overwrite your save game. It's not kidding. I did it anyway because it was too cool not to share. And, to be perfectly honest, I wanted to see it all again. See you in the Bastion!

Random Shots: Old Genres Made New Again

2011-07-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Every time I read something new about Xcom, it makes me want to smash my head into a wall. Way back when it was announced in April 2010, I said my peace and let the subject lie. But then this interview with Christoph Hartmann from 2K Games comes out and drives me up the nearest vertical surface.
He explains: "The '90s generation of gamers all love Xcom and we own the IP, so we thought OK, what do we do with it? ... But the problem was that turn-based strategy games were no longer the hottest thing on planet Earth. But this is not just a commercial thing – strategy games are just not contemporary.["]

I don't really know how to react to that. Is Hartmann, and by extension 2K Games, willfully ignorant or is he just spinning his PR plates as fast as he can? Not that the answer really matters because it's just as stupid either way.

All one has to do is look at some of the biggest games coming out recently to see that old game genres are still viable:

One of my favorite games of the last two years is Torchlight. There hasn't been a decent action RPG for years, but then Runic gave us a game that calls back to the original Diablo in feel, but updated for the modern era. How good is it? Well, Runic recently announced that they sold one million copies. And I cannot stop playing it.

Starcraft II. Blizzard released a game that plays just like a game that came out in 1998, dismissing all of the innovations in the RTS genre from the intervening twelve years. Business suicide? Of course not. It sold 4.5 million copies.

One can discuss the merits of the game from here until the end of time, but Duke Nukem Forever sold a crazy number of copies. According to NPD figures, it sold 376,300 units in its first month. While some (many?) of those sales are from people wanting to see the train wreck firsthand, I believe that there are also many who yearn for a style of shooter that has disappeared in the Call of Duty era.

And although it's a brand new game, Panzer Corps follows in the footsteps of SSI's classic Panzer General. I'm glad that the developer, Lordz Game Studios, reminded us that even hardcore strategy games can be made for a mass audience.

I might not have bothered to write this post if it were not for this article from Ars Technica. I've been hearing a lot of grumbling lately that people miss space simulations like Wing Commander and TIE Figher. Evidently someone at Seamless Entertainment was listening because they are developing SOL: Exodus. If there some way to preorder, I would have done so already.

These examples are not unique. Game genres don't go bad, they just fall out of fashion. It takes work, dedication, and some small amount of love, but there is no reason that any genre of game cannot be resurrected.

If 2K Games can't figure out how to make Xcom into a true successor to the original game, while modernizing the design, I call that a failure of imagination. Maybe, just maybe, they should be ashamed of themselves.

For more discussion of the issue, check out the most recent episode of Flash of Steel.

Random Shots: CEs The Way God Intended Them

2011-07-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Oh look! An honest-to-goodness controversy in the MMO community. Thank goodness to Bioware because this place has been getting awfully stale. For those of you who don't know.... Excuse me for a second.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. Heh Heh. Oh boy.

Sorry about that, we all know what we're talking about here. Is $150.00 too much? Is it, dare I ask, too little? Let's look at what the community has to say:

MMO Gamer Chick decided to listen to her wallet when it came to preordering, even though she is one of the game's biggest proponents (at least from my point of view). And although I want to, I'm not giving away the addendum to her post.

The Ancient Gaming Noob, also going CE-less, discussed the included authenticator. He's right about its necessity. If SWTOR is going to be the next big thing, it is going to be a huge target for all kinds of nefarious activity. Hopefully EA/Bioware gets out front with security (as opposed to Trion who had to play a very fast catch up) or they will face all kinds of problems.

Syp from Bio Break ordered his as soon as humanly possible. And then to rub all of our noses in it, he made a list of all of the goodies he'll be playing with any day now.

And as crazy as it seems, Syncaine of Hardcore Casual is a lot closer to my point of view than I'm really comfortable with. Let me quote:
My plan for SW:sRPG is to pick it up for $5 on a Steam sale a few months after release. At that point I’m sure most will have moved on and I can enjoy the game in peace, without the hassle of others to ruin my immersion*.

Kill Ten Rats has been silent on the issue. What is going on over there?

EDIT: Well, look here. Someone just remembered that they own a blog. (Hi Ethic!)

Although I said I agree with Syncaine, I'm actually a little more torn than that. I love the idea of preordering and collector's editions. I'm just not sure I love SWTOR. I want to be caught up in the hype like everyone else, but will I really miss anything if I wait a couple months for the mania to fade? Probably not.

That said, the collector's edition does sound amazing. And considering the audience, I think Bioware would sell out at $200. You folks may actually be getting a deal.

Random Shots: Damages, A Steam Sale Story

2011-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Steam Summer Sale came and went with barely a notice by most. I suspect that so many people engorged themselves at prior sales to such a degree that this year's sale had little to offer most people. The same could be said of me, but I did find a few deals that I could not pass up. First, the games I've actually played.

Frozen Synapse - Holy crud, this game is an interesting as it is frustrating. I have resigned myself to not being good at it, but it's kind of fun to order dudes around in five second increments and watching them blast the hell out of one another.

EDIT: I bought the version with the soundtrack because, Damn, it is really good. Really good.

Super Meat Boy - Although I have only played a little bit, I already understand why everyone likes this game so much. It is demanding, but the levels always seem fair. And I love the graphic style of both the cutscenes to the game itself. SMB is a testament to the ability of a small team (two people!) to make a great game. I need to find more time to play.

Monday Night Combat - I tried the demo before and enjoyed it. Just not enough to buy it. When it went on a crazy discount, I did not have any more excuses.

As for games I haven't tried yet, each with a tip of the hat to who convinced me to buy them:

Trine - Trine became on of several memes running through the Idle Thumbs podcast. I didn't try it back when it was hot, but I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype.

Mount & Blade: Warband - I have to blame Syncaine for this. I thought M&B was okay, but I didn't get deep into it. Syncaine's stories have made me very curious about both the game and the available mods.

AI War: Fleet Command - I'm pretty sure (Sort of sure? Have a hunch?) that I hear about AI War on the Gamers With Jobs Conference Call. Not that is matters where, a game of galactic conquest against an AI that ramps up in difficulty the more successful you are sounds really interesting. There seems to be a needle you have to thread where you conquer just enough to drive your war effort, but not so much that you wake the dragon and get overwhelmed.

The only thing I didn't get from the sale is more time to play everything. Maybe they'll put that up for the Christmas sale. Please?

Comic Roundup: July 13, 2011

2011-07-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Every so often, I check out a new comic book on a whim. Out of everything I've bought for the last couple weeks, only one was a premeditated purchase. Everything else was me taking a flyer and hoping for the best. Lucky for me, most of these turned out pretty good.

Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword issues 1 & 2 - I'm usually not a big fan of anthology books. I usually don't want to pay a higher price for all the dross just for the few good bits. In the first two issues of Savage Sword it is all good bits. Each issue bundles stories of different Howard creations, several that I wasn't aware of. And each issue has included a recolored old Marvel comic. This may be the one instance where the anthology format is actually worth the price.

Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness issue 2 - The one series (if you can call it that) that I picked up today. Ash finally makes an appearance and Danger Girl does their best to track them down. The plot is pretty silly, what that what I want from a Danger Girl book. And the art continues to be the best the series has see since J. Scott Campbell's initial run. For DG fans only, but thankfully that includes me.

Kirby: Genesis issue 1 - So although this came out a couple weeks ago, I picked this up off the large pile of left over issues. The story follows a college student named Kirby who, along with the girl he has a life-long crush on, witness the emergence of super powers into their ordinary world. The art is very nice and the story is very reminiscent of Kurt Busiek's Marvels. Like that series, this book is dense with characters. But since they are all new, there is no context that helps keep them straight. So it feels like the creators tried to jam as much into the pages for fear of being cancelled before the second issue. Hard to decide if I'll come back, but it was pretty for me to consider.

The Red Wing issue 1 - After hearing Jonathan Hickman on the Word Balloons podcast, I decided to keep my eyes open for his new book. The Red Wing is not an easy comic to read. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable in the way that good science fiction does best. The premise of the story, about a war that takes place between two time travelling factions, was so unsettling to me that I had to put the book down and return to it the next day. I'm glad that I overcame the mental dissonance because there is an interesting story in here. And the art evokes a European/Heavy Metal look that does not appear in American comics often. I'm not sure what direction the story is going in, either deeply philosophical, really dumb, or pretty dang cool. But I'm an interested enough to find out.

Captain America issue 1 - When you are reading a series in trades, it is almost never a good idea to just into the singles unless there is a seamless transition. So when I picked up Captain America #1, I discovered that Steve Rogers is Cap again, SHIELD has been dissolved, and Bucky Barnes is nowhere to be seen. Huh. In this issue, a former WWII ally of Cap returns in the present to menace our hero with the aid of a major villain. The plot will be very familiar to fans of Ed Brubaker's run on the series: that's how the Winter Solder and the Red Skull several years ago. It's not a bad start, but it was not very special either. That's what I get for skipping ahead.

Loose Ends issue 1 - Whenever a comic comes along that seems even vaguely crime related, I like to give it a shot. The oversized cover of Loose Ends immediately grabbed my eye. The first issue revolves around the various people in a bar in the American South. The series is labeled as "A 4 Issue Souther Crime Romance", and story is driven by the interactions of the customers and waitresses. The issue ends violently (as you might hope) and left me wondering what would happen next.

Terry Moore's How To Draw Women - Okay, I haven't read this yet. But how could you not buy this book?

Unexplored Worlds: The Holy Order of Nama Wiggert, The Assassin

2011-07-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

In AE 134, an argument over religious doctrine caused a schism in the Cathbrechtian Church. The argument related to the gender of the church's patron, Terry Cathbrecht. The Orthodox Cathbrechtians maintained that their deity was male, as per tradition. The Wiggertian faction, named for their leader, Nama Wiggert, insisted that the church had suppressed the fact that Cathbrecht was in fact a woman who disguised herself as a man to avoid gender discrimination that ran rampant in her time. The church's eighty-seven members quickly divided between the two factions, with the women largely supporting Nama Wiggert and the men supporting the Cathbrechtian Lector.

The two factions operated as separate churches for some time until Terry Cathbrecht, angered over the divide among the faithful, appeared before both congregations to reveal that he was a man. Although Cathbrecht intended for this to end the schism, it instead drove the Wiggertians further into denial. Nama Wiggert accused the Orthodox Cathbrechtians of treachery and assassinated the Lector, a pair of priests, the lector's valet, a groundskeeper, the groundskeeper's horse, and a three legged dog.

As is the norm in the Land Of The Ten Thousand, Nama Wiggert ascended to immortality and the Wiggertians began worshiping their former leader instead. The Holy Order of St. Wiggert became the de facto Assassin's Guild in the Land Of The Ten Thousand as murder is one of their sacraments. Over the years, the church has grown to include congregations in each major city-state in the region.

According to the sacraments, a perspective employer is required to make a substatial donation to the order to hire a Wiggertian assassin and must do so in person at one of the church houses. However the restriction has been eased as the order has grown so that a representative can make payments in the employer's stead and negotiate the price for frequent patrons. Assassinations are frequently bloody and entail several bystanders, much like Wiggert's original killings. However, some individual Wiggertians can be convinced (monetarily) to perform their sacraments in a much lower profile.

The hierarchy of the Holy Order is dominated by older women, but the congregation is open to all ages and genders. Although tradition holds that Nama Wiggert was a woman, some men within the order have come to believe that Nama was an ancient title, not a name, that Wiggert was instead a charismatic male with uncommonly long hair and fine features. Although the belief is spreading, it has not yet grown to such an extent to cause a schism of its own.

Unexplored Worlds is my attempt to design an RPG campaign in the open. Since I have not rolled a d20 in anger in many years, this is my way to keep playing without actually playing. All posts are written to be system-agnostic, so please use whatever keeps your interest in your own games. Just let me know how it goes!

Played Lately: World of Warcraft

2011-07-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

After my recent forey into Star Trek Online foundered, I turned back to my MMO security blanket, World of Warcraft. With Patch 4.2 on the horizon, I wanted to get back to the game and see what I had missed. What I missed, it turns out, was a lot. I'm going to take advantage of all these bullet points and make a list:

Pretty much the entire Cataclysm expansion. No lie.

My mage was level 80 with Argent Tourney dailies in her quest log.

No Goblins, no Worgen.

Never made it to level 60 in the revamped old world.

Never got my Archeology above 150.

When I quit WoW the last time (and I have quit several times), I had burned out after running my human paladin through Mount Hyjal and falling into static leveling group. WoW is, and always has been, a single player game to me. In those instances where I've obligated myself to even one other person, I burn out faster than a kobold candle in the Firelands.

I am losing it. I just made a WoW joke.

When I logged in, I went back to my beloved blood elf mage, the one I've been neglecting ever since leaving the game the prior time. Since I never even started her into Cataclysm, I ran off to buy my upgraded trade skills, purchased Archeology, and started off for Vashj'ir.

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Listening to The Instance, I was expecting to be exceptionally frustrated with the underwater fighting. But Blizzard really did figure out how to lay out the zone properly. The quests took a long while (according to the achievements, it is the longest zone in the expansion), but it had some great moments and an interesting ending. It wasn't a real ending since the story continues into an instance that I've very unlikely to see. Nonetheless, I had a good time.

Since then I cleared Mount Hyjal and Deepholm and, with patch 4.2 out, started on the Molten Front dailies. I've also been returning to Orgrimmar every day to do the fishing and cooking dailies, as well as pick up any new crafting recipes that I've earned. I wasn't too far into Deepholm before I hit level 85, so quests are free gold from here on out.

I still have two full zones to complete and I still haven't seen Tol Barad. As well, I would like to go back to my blood elf paladin and explore Outland more fully again. And I really do want to see the Worgen and Goblin starting zones. There is quite a lot to do. So for the time being, I'm glad to pull my comfort MMO around me like a warm blanket and settle in for a good time.

Played Lately: Star Trek Online

2011-07-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

Back when Steam put Star Trek Online on sale for a vanishingly small amount (less than cup of Starbucks coffee, at least), I thought to myself, "Anjin, I don't think you gave STO the effort it deserves. There are plenty of people who have a great time. How about I try it again the right way?" So I bought the cheapest MMO ever (price-wise, that's not a comment about quality) and gave it another go.

My trial character was still there, pacing around the character select screen. She was deleted real quick. I can't go back to an old character unless I've spent a long time with them. Considering the fact that she had only just escaped the tutorial, I wasn't losing anything by starting over. I rolled up a new character (almost identical to the last) and began the tutorial.

Once again, like in my last play through, it took me two play sessions to get out of the tutorial. I don't know why this bothers me when I'm just fine with long tutorials in other games (like Rift and Cryptic's own Champions Online.) And when I got out, I headed to spacedock, tried a mission, quit, and never restarted it again. That, it turns out, was the exact same place I quit during the trial.

I could see where the game had been improved, but none of that made it fun to me. And once again, it feels more like the problem is with me, not STO. Since I'm not a big fan of the franchise, its Star-Trekiness is not enough to keep my attention. So all I'm left with are game systems and design choices that leave me baffled. It seems silly to me in some ways that I'm sure fans could overlook.

My subscription ran out Friday and there is little chance that I will renew it. But at least I gave it the old Star Fleet try one more time.

Played Lately: Torchlight

2011-06-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Even with all of the new titles available (LA Noire, Duke Nukem Forever) as well as the old standbys (World of Warcraft, Champions Online), I have been spending most of my time playing Torchlight. I love the game so much that I've bought it a total of three times (one on PC, one on XBLA, and one as a gift). This last month, I dedicated what little gaming time I had to beating the game on my Xbox.

Where the PC version is an improved version of Diablo, the XBLA version feels more like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. And that's a good thing because (like Diablo style games) there hasn't been a good BGDA style game for years. In some ways I prefer it to the clickfest. Torchlight feels like it could have been designed for a console.

For my new character I decided to try something different and rolled a Vanquisher. That's a joke because I only ever play Vanquishers. I often tell myself that I want to play one of the other classes, but I always (three times now) roll a Vanquisher. I just love the shooty classes in Diablo-style games.

It only took a few weeks of intermittent play, but I eventually reached the lowest levels and defeated Ordrak (for a second time). My intention is to continue delving the Shadow Vault (the infinite dungeon that opens after the story is over) so that I can max my character and earn the final achievement. However work has intervened and I haven't been back to the game since. But when the sun goes down and everyone else is asleep, I can't help but think I could sneak in a little more dungeon delving.

Just because I'm having so much fun on the 360 does not mean that I'm skipping the PC release of Torchlight II. Nothing is coming between me and more Torchlight goodness.

News Filter: The Twin Suns Set Over Tatooine

2011-06-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Stargrace (via Twitter) for the news that Star Wars Galaxies will come down as of December 15, 2011. Over at Massively, there is a short interview with John Smedley to explain the reasons, go over some particulars, and discuss the game's long run.

Any day an MMO closes is a sad one for the entire community, even one as divisive as SWG. One of the conceits of MMOs is that these are virtual worlds, whether they are sandboxes or theme parks. Because of that, there is some expectation, no matter how mistaken, that these worlds will exist forever. When a game closes, we are forced to consider the finite nature of any game that we have invested in. It is not comfortable.

My time in SWG was exceptionally limited. I downloaded the trial one time. I think I even completed the tutorial and made it to Tatooine before I gave up on the game forever. I've never been a Star Wars fan, not even before the prequels, so the game did not especially speak to me. Nonetheless, I hate when any game that people are enjoying closes forever.

I had friend that I met through World of Warcraft whose preferred game was The Matrix Online. We lost track of one another over time, but my mind immediately went back to him when I heard the news that MxO as shutting down. A lot of games have closed down that I haven't been personally invested in, but the time will come. Will ArenaNet finally bring the Guild Wars to an end? Will the World of Warcraft some day stop spinning?

Best wishes to everyone who make SWG their virtual home. Take lots of screenshots.

News Filter: CCP Does Cash Shops Wrong

2011-06-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

The $10 horse, the $20 bag, the $25 sparkle pony. Just mentioning them bring up memories of flame wars and eternal forum threads. Vanity item stores have run amuck in MMO games. CCP has decided to blow them all away with a $60 monocle.
Check my math on this: a 60-day time code is thirty-five dollars US. That converts to two PLEX. Each PLEX is 3,500 AUR. That give you $0.005 per AUR. With the monocle priced at 12,000 AUR, that converts to US$60, right?

Stuff, as they say, has hit the fan. The EVE forums are the obvious place to watch the faithful melt down. But don't overlook the comments thread on Massively for an extra helping anxiety.

Venerable EVE blogger Kirith Kodachi opines that CCP set the prices to prevent a run on PLEXs. Maybe, but only time will tell.

I'm not in a hurry to give CCP any extra money, so the prices aren't a personal affront. But were I a serious capsuleer, I would find these prices insane. As I have said in the past, I want to support the games that I play. I actually bought customer packs in Champions Online before I got the monthly stipend. With stupidly high prices like this, game companies tell me that whatever I can afford is not good enough for them because there are plenty of others who will pay anyway and they are worth more.

There are two schools of thought about MMO cash shops. They could follow the Wal-Mart model and price their goods so that everyone can buy them. Or they could be the Rodeo Drive boutique and sell only to those who want to display their wealth with vanity items. Almost exclusively, MMOs have followed the second option. I'm sure there are economic models that show they will get the greatest returns by doing so. But there are many who wish that these cash shops were open to more people.

Played Lately: Champions Online

2011-06-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I spent any time in Champions Online. Maybe just after the game went free to play. Thus, there has been a lot to catch up on.

I've been spending my monthly Atari Point stipend on costume bits that catch my eye. But this month, Cryptic released the new travel power, Phoenix Flight, which is perfect for my main, Arcfire. It is just a reskin of the standard Flight power, much like my prior Fire Flight. But how can you pass up giant flaming wings?

Once I had my powers reset, I finally checked out the most recent Adventure Pack, Resistance. This mission sees your hero traveling to Multifaria, an alternate dimension akin to DC Comics' Earth-Three. There are some neat analogues to the main Champions universe that are fun for lore nerds like myself. The mission starts off in a standard fashion, reminding me of Serpent Lantern quite a bit. But then it takes a number of twists and turns, both with the story and the gameplay that were very interesting to me. I hate to give everything away (actually, don't look at that screenshot if you want to avoid spoilers), but Cryptic makes use of temporary power swaps to change up gameplay in interesting ways. And the ending ties up some long running stories and sets up some interesting threads for future adventures. Wow, that was really vague, but only because I want you to discover it for yourself.

Then the next day, Cryptic released the first issue of their first Comic Series, Aftershock. Interesting enough (at least to me), this mission is a follow up to Serpent Lantern. So if you haven't played that adventure pack (and you care about continuity at all), you might want to play through Serpent Lantern first. The mission is very fast, starting with a quick investigation, followed by hunting down some bad guys.

The highlight of the mission is the defending a base that you just cleared from waves of VIPER soldiers. There are various turret defenses that you can startup and control directly if you want. At higher difficulty levels, that may be required, but I let them fire automatically while I flew from squad to squad, taking the baddies out. The final fight against Ripper was very straight forward and the mission finished with a cut scene setting up the next issue. It was fun, if very fast, and I'm looking forward to this coming Wednesday. See you all in Millennium City!

Random Shots: You Must Pay To Be Elite

2011-05-31T13:30:00.001-07:00

I tweeted about Call Of Duty Elite yesterday, but that's not really the right venue for this. So, allow me to share here:

Current Me: Not surprised that Activision will be making Call of Duty a subscription game.

Near Future Me: Not surprised by the backlash against a bunch of money grubbing suits trying to milk gamers for all they've got.

Far Future Me: Not surprised by the obscene amount of money Activision makes from Call of Duty subscriptions.

I didn't play COD in the past and I won't in the future, so I don't have a horse in this race. But you can see this coming, right?

Random Shots: Many Games, Little Time

2011-05-31T02:30:00.000-07:00

I am now two weeks into my bonding time with my new daughter. Amazingly enough, she has only required 99% of my attention. The rest of the time I've actually been able to play some games. Yes, some of that is Zen of Sudoku because I can play it one handed. But in those rare instances that I have two hands free, I've been squeezing in as much gaming into fifteen and twenty minute blocks as I can.

LA Noire - The big console release of the moment, I've been looking forward to LA Noire since I first heard of it and I'm not disappointed. I enjoy the investigations, as well as the occasional opportunity to chase dudes and shoot them. I am, like many people, having trouble with the interrogations. But I like messing them up just as much as I like figuring them out. When I eventually finish (and it will be eventually at this point) I'm looking forward to going back to try various cases again to see how they might have played out differently.

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance - When we set up the loft in our new house, one of my goals was to turn my corner into a retro console station. So with my NES, PS2, and Xbox all set up, I decided to pop in an older game that I haven't played in a long while. In this case, it was Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance. It's amazing how well the game holds up, especially compared to modern versions like none too impressive Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale. I didn't get too far into it yet, but it was nice to remember how great it was.

World of Warcraft - I finally redeemed my free seven days to return to WoW. It is amazing how much I missed that game. Since I abandoned my mage at the launch of Cataclysm in favor of my paladin, I decided to go back to her and see some of the what I missed before. In this case, I took Ashlynh to Vashj'ir, the underwater zone. Although I was expecting some vast, oceanic wasteland, Vashj'ir is a tightly focused and dense zone. In other words, just like a new WoW zone. I'm not sure why I was expecting different. This is a good thing, though, since these tight zones are Blizzard's forte and I've really enjoyed my seven days. In fact, when I'm sure I have time, I will be resubscribing again.

Everquest II Extended - Speaking of returning to older games, I jumped back into EQ2X as soon as the servers came up to take advantage of the bonus experience week. Since I also temporarily have a gold level account, I pushed my AA slider over to 100% and hit up some alternate zones. I quickly wrapped up 12 AA points in the little time I had. I've read other people decrying how vast the game is, but I actually enjoy having so much to discover about the world. Maybe that's because I'm a seasoned player and it would be imposing to a neophyte, but those people aren't going to play anyway.

Rift - Actually, I haven't been playing Rift at all. In fact, I've cancelled my subscription. There is still a month to go in my ninety day sub, but I'm not sure I'll even be using them. I enjoy the game, but I have other things on my mind.

Champions Online - Speaking of which, I haven't been back to CO for too long. I haven't even tried the latest adventure pack, Resistance. However since the first comic series, Aftershock, is starting (tomorrow?), I'm going to be correcting my error soon.

Star Trek Online - When I first tried STO, it didn't click for me. But then Steam put it on sale for $3.75, so I have to give it a second chance. I look forward to seeing all the changes that have happened over the last year.

Although, I haven't had a lot of time to play, you can see that I've been taking advantage of the time I have. What have you been up to lately?

Unexplored Worlds: Ritual Of Connection (ritual magic)

2011-05-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

For the Ythetian marriage rite, see Ritual Of Connection (marriage).

Also referred to as Anchoring, the Ritual Of Connection is a spell that tethers the spirit of the magician to that of another person. So long as the spell is in effect, each person has an absolute sense of the location of the other across any difference and upon any plane of existence. As well, any strong emotion will be transmitted along the connection, though the emotions are attenuated by distance.

Magicians have long used their abilities to teleport themselves to anywhere their imaginations could carry them. However, while teleportation can be safely made to a specific destination over reasonable distances, the risk of the spell going off target magnifies as the distance from the destination increases. Some magicians mitigate this by binding their spirit to the destination magically, but this has various drawbacks. Famously, one magician bound himself to his tower, only to have it destroyed and the stones scattered for miles around. Since the binding spell unexpectedly attached itself to one particular stone in the tower, the magician found himself constantly teleporting into the home of a poor tenant farmer and his family. Instead, magicians now bind themselves to another being. Since these connections are bidirectional, the accuracy is perfect over much greater distances than even the destination binding allowed.

The spell generally takes half an hour to cast. The magician and subject stand, sit, or lie within a magic circle for the duration of the ritual. There is a short incantation spoken at the beginning of the ritual, but the major of the time is spent in mediation as their two spirits are attuned to one another. The actual duration of the ritual can vary from as short as ten minutes to as long as three hours depending on how willing the subject is to participate actively in the spell. The spell itself will last a number of years depending on the ability of the casting magician and will linger after death.

Traditionally, subjects are deprived of all garments for the duration of the ritual. However later research has demonstrated that clothing does not interfere with the spell in any way. It is assumed that the Ebon Keep mages were dirty old men who would devise any excuse to spend time with a naked woman.

Unexplored Worlds is my attempt to design an RPG campaign in the open. Since I have not rolled a d20 in anger in many years, this is my way to keep playing without actually playing. All posts are written to be system-agnostic, so please use whatever keeps your interest in your own games. Just let me know how it goes!

Comic Roundup: April 20 and April 27, 2011

2011-05-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself eager to write about comic books. Here are the books that crossed my threshold recently.

Warlord of Mars issue 6 - I've been a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series even since I discovered it on Project Gutenberg. So when Dynamite announced that they would be releasing a comic based on the series, I had to give it a try. Six issues in, I am very happy with how it has turned out. Warlord of Mars does a good job of capturing the feel of the original stories (much like Busiek and Nord did with Conan) while bringing to life the world quite closely to the one Burroughs described, right down to the costuming. In this issue, we find out more about the Green Martian, Sola, and John Carter finally admits his love of Red Martian princess, Dejah Thoris. It has been a while since I read A Princess Of Mars, but this comic evokes that story very well and I'm looking forward to reading their continued adventures.

Sigil issue 2 - The second issue of Sigil ends right where the last ended, with Samantha Rey and the crew of El Cazador under attack by another sigil wielder. Samantha eventually comes into her power and leaps around in time (with another unfortunate trip to her school and the tone-deaf writing of the bullies) before returning to El Cazador to resume the fight. I wonder what Marvel intends for these books once the series finishes, especially since it will take four issues to end this origin story. But I'm enjoying it enough to see where it goes.

Ruse issue 2 - Of the two CrossGen books, I feel like Ruse is the most successful. While the first issue reintroduced the series, this issue gets into the heart of the mystery and action that I remember from the original series. Archard and Bishop are great partners, each playing off the strengths and weaknesses of the other. While the issue was good, the cliffhanger (a very shocking one for a Victorian era mystery) has me eagerly awaiting the next issue.

Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness issue 1 - I have a soft spot in heart for Danger Girl. It is the one comic series that I treat as a collector instead of just a reader. I do like the series, even though it lost a lot of its charm after J. Scott Campbell turned over art duties to other pencillers. However, they found a decent replacement with this new series in Chris Bolson. I could try to explain the plot, but there's now point. Danger Girl has always been an action movie in comic form and this issue is no different. Since it is the first issue of six, it is primarily set up, but it's the kind of gun fire and explosions set up that you normally get in a James Bond movie. The Army of Darkness universe seems like an excellent fit for the occult mystery of Danger Girls past, so I expect a return to classic form for the series.

Played Lately: Rift

2011-05-11T07:54:00.002-07:00

I received a message last night from my brother telling me that Patch 1.2 for Rift murdered the servers. That didn't sound great so I waited until this morning to patch up and check out the game. Not that I had time to play, but there was something in particular that I was curious about.

Sure enough, when I logged in there were two letters in my mail box informing me that I had earned the first two Ascend-a-Friend rewards. The first was a corgi companion pet named Courage and the second was a cosmetic hat called the Trailblazer's Hat. It's not mentioned on that page, but in the email I got it mentioned that they were also linking anyone who used the Allies of the Ascended from the earlier promotion. So thank you to Yeebo for buying the game and getting me some rewards.

Not a bad bit of work for posting a code on your blog, eh?

And yes, the entire point of this blog post is to brag. Sorry.

While we're talking about it, though, does anyone want to try out Rift? I'd really like to get that mount. /smile

Random Shots: Chaos

2011-05-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

It has been about a week since my family packed up and moved to a new house. Just Monday we resumed internet service and the most that I've done with it is to make sure my virus definitions are up to date. There is too much going on and not enough time. So I'm exhausted, distracted, and I don't have the time to fire up a game. Things are slowly coming together, though. Life feels a little more normal, even with all of the changes we've been facing. We finally bought a new TV and are having it installed today. All that said, there are a few things I'm looking forward to.

Rift - It has been too long since I've played Rift. There is the new event going on and I'm afraid that I'm going to miss it entirely. Even if I do miss one event, there is still so much game ahead of me that I don't lacking in content. I'm not sure if the 3-month sub was the right option for me anymore, but I do appreciate that the game will be there when I come back. But I'll probably go a month at a time from here on out.

Dragon Age 2 - A few weeks back I picked up the 360 version of DA2 for the grand price of $20. But without a property television to play it on, it has languished on the To Be Played pile. Hopefully now that we are returning to the twenty-first century monitor-wise, I'll be able to see what Jayedub likes about it so much.

LA Noire - Of all the games on this list, this is the one to which I am most looking forward. As a huge Raymond Chandler fan, getting to walk around that world and solve crime is my holy grail. I have watched all of the videos, read all the articles, and preordered from GameStop so that I can get the additional case. All this anticipation could be setting me up for a huge let down, but I think this game will turn out all right. I can't wait to give it a try.

Duke Nukem Forever - I know. I mean I really know. As a modern, mature human being, I should be shocked and offended that this game even exists. Screw that. I just want to shoot dudes in the old school way. I loved Duke Nukem 3D back when it first came out and I want to see what they've been wasting their time on all these years. And I plan on having fun doing it.

World of Warcraft - I just got a email from Blizzard offering me seven days of game time to see what's new in WoW. I'm thinking about taking them up on the offer. I even reinstalled the game, even though I didn't redeem the trial. I don't know how long I will stay. I may not even play the entire seven days. But I'm interested enough to dust off my mage and take a longer look at Cataclysm.

I'm sure there are other games to play, but that's all the typing I can do for now. I hope all is well with you and yours.

Played Lately: Portal 2

2011-04-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Once again, this post and the following comments is a spoiler-free zone. I may be past the point where spoiler affect me, but I know not everyone has finished the game. So for now, let's keep this a safe place for all readers.

Friday night, sometime after midnight, I finally reached the end of Portal 2. Like the first game, it was an amazing, cathartic experience. The ending was wonderful and wonderous. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went back to the main menu and started again. Only this time I played with the developer commentary on. And now I want to play it again.

It took me three days to work through all the puzzles the first time. The second time, even while listening to the commentary, I finished it in a night. Like the first game, it changes the entire tone of the game when you aren't beating your head on your desk working out the puzzles. Subsequent trips are more about technical execution and thoroughly exploring the environment. There is so much to look at and listen too that is easy to overlook the first time. And since you already know the puzzles, you can challenge yourself to finish them better and faster.

Quotes keep coming up that Portal 2 makes you feel smart for figuring out the puzzles. I think it is deeper, though. Playing though the game and manipulating the environment gave me a sense of empowerment that few games can match. Usually, the extent of your interactions are shooting dudes and occasionally chasing down a dialogue tree. Here you are changing the world to fit your needs. With your portal gun, you are no longer constrained by the reality as we normally experience it. It really makes you feel like your abilities are only constrained by your imagination.

Again, I'm not going to spoil anything, but the end of this game is amazing. From the final boss confrontation to the denouement to the end credits, I love it unreservedly. If you thought the end of Portal was great, play this game. Play the game anyway. It is so worth it.

As it stands now, I have already started my Top Five Video Games list for 2011 and Portal 2 is at the top. Everyone else better step up because those last four positions will be going fast.

I may have to post some spoiler talk here one of these days. I promise there will be plenty of warning.

News Filter: Champions Online SotG Is Amazing

2011-04-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Once again, right around the time I'm wondering what Champions Online is up to, Cryptic reads my mind and unloads the news. Yesterday, producer Rob Overmeyer posted the State of the Game for April. Please excuse any errors with this post. It's hard to type with all of the drool. I'm really excited with the direction the game is going, so I may need a towel to mop up the mess.

Let's start with the stuff we already knew about:
- The next Adventure Pack, Resistance, will be hitting the PTS this week. I have really enjoyed the challenge posed by the prior two APs, so I'm looking forward to this one. I'll probably avoid testing, just because I want to experience it first on Arcfire. But I really do want to play this.
- They also just patched in the Heavy Weapons power set and archetype. Considering how much fun the powers are in this game, more can only be better. Since this is only the second new framework added since Celestrial, it is doubly exciting. Time to roll another alt.
- It sounds like the Comic Series, CO's version of STO's Feature Episodes, are coming along well. Rob says that they will be doing five or six issues per series and that they are working on issue three now. I'm looking forward to the end of May to partake in the same appointment gaming that my starship captain friends have been enjoying.
And now, the stuff I didn't know about:
- I will, nay, I must own the new costume sets. Okay, not the Harajuku set which actually is okay. But I'm in love with the Golden Age and Pulp Comics costumes. If CO ever gets a mission creator like STO's Foundary, I am so doing a time traveling series.
- Although the new costumes are a great addition, the most shocking news is the addition of Hideouts to the game. There is very little detail other than the four initial options (Mom’s Basement, Cave, Arcane, and Moonbase), each of which you can own simultaneously, and that various amenities will be available. We'll learn more as we get closer to the July update, but I'm hoping there will at least be some sort of customization options. Even if there is not, it will be a nice touch of personalization for the game.

With more news like this, it is great to see how committed Cryptic is to Champions. I'm glad they keep giving me reasons to come back to the game.

Played Lately: Portal 2

2011-04-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

There will be no spoilers in this post and I will not allow them in the comments. I just want to share my impressions so far without spoiling the game for you.

Have you played Portal yet? If not, go play Portal. Right now. Don't even read this post. You might have read the memes or heard the song, but that is all nothing without the context. So go and don't come back until you have.

I'm assuming the rest of you aren't Cheaty McCheaterpants, so let's talk Portal 2. So far, about halfway through, it is amazing. It is everything you remember from the first game, but with more polish and greater detail than before. It is the iconic form of a game sequel: everything you loved about the prior game, but bigger, better, and with something new that you didn't realize was even missing from the first game. The environments are bigger and more intricate, the characters are more interesting, and the puzzles are move varied.

Valve gets a lot of credit for storytelling through environment. I finally, with Portal 2, understand what everyone means. Instead of littering text or audio logs through their levels, the environment itself tell you the story. Sure, there are characters that talk to you (the classic silent protagonist), but if that is all you are paying attention too, you will miss out on some of the most interesting parts of the game.

I had forgotten how much the puzzles drive me crazy. Since the environments here can be so much bigger, it is harder to get my head around them. So many times it helps to step away for a while (to change a diaper, for instance) and come back more rested. But when you do figure out the trick, it feels so great, and so insane, that it all worked.

I'm done. At this point, anything I could talk about is a spoiler. Instead of writing this, I want to get back to the game and finish it. And you should too, Cheaty McCheaterpants.

Played Lately: Rift

2011-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am still playing Rift every chance I get. Those chances are few and far between, so I scramble for play time like a crack addict looking for that last rock lost in the carpet. Here are a few more random thoughts because there is too much to say and I don't want to dedicate a full week of posts to the game.

Resubscribed anyway - I fully intended when I first bought the game to cancel my subscription after the first month. I figured that was enough time to experience what I wanted about the game and move on. So when I was balancing my bank account and noticed that my three month subscription was charged, I was a little surprised. Not that I had missed the date, but that cancelling didn't cross my mind at anytime in that first month. Looks like I'm in for the long haul.

The roads are not safe - One of the things that alternately surprises me and freaks me out is when I find myself attacked even though I'm following the roads. WoW has trained me that if I stay on the road that I can run across a zone with impunity. Not so in Rift. Mobs have no problem wandering right up into aggro range of the roads, almost like they are daring you to ride by. And of course there are the invaders who happily jog right down the road toward you if you're not paying attention. It certainly makes the world more exciting. But it also makes finding a refuge so that you can take a bio break that much harder.

Personal shiny farm - I found the perfect place in Gloamwood to farm shinnies. (No, I'm not telling you where because I'm not sharing.) I'm so hooked on this mini-game that I actively look for out-of-the-way places were people rarely go so that I can pick up all the artifacts that spawn there. Every night when I log in I head out to my farm and check all of the usual spots. One night I only found one and I was so furious. I knew someone else had been there before me. How dare them! Never did find such a place in Silverwood, but that zone was always swarming with people. I wonder if there any likely farms in Scarlet Gorge.

While I'm at it, I must suggest trying to log in right after a server reset. I have been their twice after a reboot and I ended up with about ten or twelve shinnies within a half hour of starting each time.

More about the quests - I promise that I'm not going to go into this again, but Tipa brought it up in her one month report over at West Karana. It is well worth the read.

Can I cap my crafting before level 30? - With help from my brother, I hit the cap of 300 in Runecrafting for my level 27 mage. I'm suitably impressed that Trion lets you get away with that. Almost as though they are encouraging crafting alts. One thing to keep in mind before you do it yourself, though. While I was leveling up that fast I ended up outleveling a bunch of crafting daily quests, so I am way behind on collecting Artisan's Marks. I'm sure that once I get to max level, I'll be able to run those high reward quests to my heart's content. But in the mean time, I'm missing out on a few interesting recipes.

The (non-) event - The final two phases of Grim Harvest came and went with more drama that it was really worth. I did get to experience phase two in Gloamwood, taking part in killing all three of the invaders. (No queue because I rolled on Dimroot at launch. I didn't want to be on 1) an RP shard, and 2) put up with the queues on the launch servers.) Phase three might as well be a myth as far as I'm concerned since there was no way I was hauling my level 27 backside to Stillmoor. Heck, I'm not even sure where Stillmoor is. I suspect that making that part an entire separate phase made it seem like more than it was worth. I think it is funny that, even though I got bored with it pretty quick, I think that Phase one was the best handled of the three. Although it didn't come off perfect, I have actually enjoyed the event and I'd like to see what they do in the future.

If that's not enough, SynCaine has a great wrap up of the event, what went well, and what went wrong. (Has everyone else noticed that SynCaine has become readable again? It's about time.) Also, Scott Hartsman's post talks about this learning experience and gives us hope about future events.

Now excuse me while I go play Portal 2.

Read Lately: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

2011-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don't get in a fantasy mood much anymore. Although at one time it was all I ever read, I burned out on the genre long ago when I could no longer stand the poor quality of writing in most fantasy schlock. So when I do find an author who infuses fantasy with actual decent writing, I take notice. One such author is Joe Abercrombie and I have long been interested in reading his The First Law trilogy. So when I finally had the opportunity, I plucked the first book off the shelf and dove in.

The Blade Itself was not a book that I could read quickly. Abercrombie writes well and he evokes the action and emotions of his character in a grounded, believeable way. But the book is very deliberately paced, so I read it a chapter at a time over the course of a few weeks.

As slow as the book unfolded, it always had me coming back to read more. I was hooked on the adventures of the barbarian warrior Logen Ninefingers, the roguish army captain Jezal dan Luthar, and inquisitor Sand dan Glokta. Each of the characters is fascinating in their own ways, both in their achievements and in the failings that they must overcome.

While I would normally spend time setting up the plot of the book, but The Blade Itself defies that. There are plans and dangers to be overcome, but that does not seem to be the point of the story. It is very much a character driven book. But at the same time, it is just the first third of a trilogy and the story stops cold at the end.

At the end, I am conflicted about the book. On one side, I am really loved the writing and the characters. On the other, reading the book was work, which is not something I'm used to in my fantasy fiction. I know that is more a statement about me than about the book. But if the rest of the series follows suit, it may be a while before I'm ready to tackle them.

Comic Roundup: March 30 and April 6, 2011

2011-04-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I've done one of these. Since I miss writing about comics, it's time to get back. I don't buy enough comics to for a weekly thing, so I've throwing a couple weeks together to bulk it up. You are welcome.

Axe Cop volume 1 - As I grow older, I think back at some of the things I created as a child and wonder what I was thinking. Through the haze of years and maturity, I've lost touch with self that could be that wildly inventive. Axe Cop broke through all that and reminded me what it was like to be a child again. The comic is mad crazy, but it's also inventive and hilarious. And let's not forget the art. Malachai and Ethan Nicolle have created something unique and I am a happier person for having read it.

Blue Estate issue 1 - I probably would have passed right by this book without thinking twice if not for the beautiful cover. Blue Estate seems to be a mystery/crime comic. It's really interesting. I know that is damning with faint praise, but it is the best I can do. The entire issue is told in caption boxes over the panels with very little dialogue, setting up the premise of the story. But that is the problem; it is all set up. Maybe it reads better in the trade, but it's not the strongest start for a monthly periodical. Nonetheless, I'm curious enough to pick up issue two.

Glamourpuss issue 18 - There is no way I'm going to sell anyone on this comic by now. If you really are interested in seeing Dave Sim hold forth on women's fashion magazines, the cartooning styles of Alex Raymond and Stan Drake, or pretty much anything else that comes to his mind, you probably want to read this. I suspect the audience for such a product is vanishingly small, but I happen to fall on the Venn diagram so I enjoyed it.

Incognito: Bad Influences issue 5 - Incognito has always felt like the poor second cousin to Brubaker and Phillips' Criminal. But since anything by them is an order of magnitute more awesome than most other comics, that is not such a bad thing. This final issue of the arc takes some nice twists and turns, leaving the series in a much darker place. While my reaction to the first arc wasn't as positive, I think Bad Influences actually makes the series as a whole that much stronger.

Ruse issue 1 & Sigil issue 1 - I'm just going to do these together because this is already getting old. I was a fan of CrossGen back in the day and I was disappointed when it crashed and burned. Ruse in particular had a lot of potential. Yes, it was one of the recent fad of "he's just like BLANK, only now he's an asshole" (in this case BLANK is Sherlock Holmes), but the writing and art really rose above that premise. Both of these issues were a lot of fun and I'm glad that Marvel is giving them a chance to fly again.