That was the year it was: 2012

So this will be my last post for 2012 - Because the festive season is here and there are people who I should spend some time with. And besides, I haven't had a lot to say recently but considering the time of year, it doesn't seem that much of a surprise.

So what does 2012 represent for me in gaming terms? I think it can be easily be boiled down to two things: Online gaming and Good Old Games. It may not sound like much to some of the rest of you but since when I've been concerned with what people think about this blog? I move to my own beat and I like it like that.

But I digress.
Firstly, online gaming. I haven't had much to do with it previously, but 2012 will forever be the time I took my first step into this unfamiliar territory.  And what better way than with the untouchable king of all online games, World of Warcraft. As a newcomer to this I did find a lot to enjoy with playing a game with the same group of people, regular meetings (twice weekly) for questing and making friends. In retrospect, I think I enjoyed the social element of online gaming better than the actual game itself.
But I also found that online gaming does indeed require a large time commitment - even to the point of excluding all other games. And it does seem absurd to have sunk countless hours into World of Warcraft when I have so many other games left unbeaten.
So in the end I did find much to enjoy with online gaming and it's something I would indeed like to return to future - but to do so would require two things on my end: a) a game that is actually heaps of fun to play and b) a lot more strikings from my Hall of Shame.

And then there's Good Old Games. It's not my first foray into downloadable games but it as a source of tracking down classic games it can't be beat. Much of the games I've picked up through GoG have been the kind that slipped my grasp the first time around and it's great to finally play something my gaming comrades experienced years earlier. I like the preservation that GoG offers and one can only wonder how much effort their lawyers went to to make these games available.

Funnily enough, since discovering GoG, along with World of Warcraft, a lot of time has been devoted to my PC as a gaming platform. As such my 360, Wii and even my PS2 have been looking rather unused of late. Needless to say, it would be interesting to see, over the course of the next twelve months, which platform gets the most use.

And that's the end of Game Tumour for 2012. Thank you for reading this blog throughout the past twelve months and I hope to see you on the other side of 2013.
(unless of course the Mayans turned out be right all along....)

Planet of Sound (no.13)

Name: Rick Clarke
Birthdate: 14th December 1979
Instrument: Guitar
Affiliations: Dire Tribe
Bio: An old friend of Spike’s, both Spike and Rick came to know each other through living in the same town. There, Rick was something of a bully but he ended up in the same street as Spike and, by accident, found out they had similar musical tastes. Eventually they began playing together and Rick learnt how to play guitar. In return, he stood up for Spike against the bullies of his school.
Although Rick never quite achieved the success Spike did, there is no bad blood between them – as such, when Rick began writing songs, Spike decided to use his status to get a start for his friend. And thus the Dire Tribe was formed.
Through his background as a bully, Rick’s experiences have left him hardened and cynical. He has a rather morbid outlook on life (he insists this is to keep himself sane) but he does possess a degree of intelligence and the ability to make snap decisions. He is married to a woman named Maria.

Join the DotTs

Hey: 12/12/12

Anyway, Simon the Sorcerer wasn't the only game I beat last weekend: Another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame in the form of the adventuring classic Day of the Tentacle.

I mentioned earlier this week in that the graphic adventuring games have always been something that has constantly eluded me: In particular, the LucasArts games that have been held in constantly high regard during the nineties (and still do). So, in the name of tracking things down that may have escaped my notice first time around, I was fortunate enough to pick up several titles for a really cheap price. These titles were The Dig, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Grim Fandango and Curse of Monkey Island. As these titles are hard to track down nowadays you wouldn't think that I got these games, in 2006 may I add, for a really good price. And you certainly wouldn't think that I got these games at my local Post Office.
Yet it is only now that I've been able to finally get them working. Needless to say, as this is my first time encountering these games (with the exception of The Dig) it would be interesting to see how these games hold up. Plus, it is always reassuring to know that LucasArts made something that didn't have the Star Wars brand attached to it.

So about Day of the Tentacle. I was fortunate to pick this up online based around the understanding that it was one of, if not THE, finest game of it's genre. Looking back I feel compelled to agree: There is certainly a lot going for Day of the Tentacle: The graphics are nice to look at, the animation is great, there's a lot of hilarious jokes and some real inventive solutions to the many puzzles throughout this game. The time travel element is used to great effect and the voice acting, the first of it's kind may I add, is remarkably stellar. Throw in a surprisingly threatening villain and

All in all, there's not a lot I can add about Day of the Tentacle that hasn't already been said before. The game has endured the passage of time remarkably well and still looks great nineteen years on.
Guess it goes to show that, once again, if it's well regarded it's often for good reason.

Simon Says

On the weekend I had the satisfaction of striking another game from my Hall of Shame. Goodbye Simon the Sorcerer.

Looking back at my previous post about Simon the Sorcerer, there's not really much more I can add: The writing's great, the voice acting is all top-notch and there are moments of hilarity abound (the Woodworm scene had me rolling). And special mention must go to the gorgeous backgrounds  which, in all honesty, are the kind that makes me want to frame them and put them up on my wall.

Having lived through the supposed 'Golden Era of Gaming' - that would be the early to mid-nineties - I did recall Adventure games being something of a big deal. I knew little of this as I was a Commodore 64 user and my experience with adventure games were those of the text base variety (Zork anyone?). Yet I knew that people who regarded the likes of Kings Quest and Monkey Island with a sense of awe. Having grown accustomed to the aforementioned text games, I was puzzled how actual gaming graphics could work within an adventure game context but I did manage to play the Leisure Suit Larry games and was surprised how it worked so well.
Other than that, my experience with graphic Adventure Games has been minimal to say the least. I've played through the Dig and found it a fascinating gem - even if the Dig is the least regarded of the LucasArts canon. Yet it is only recently I've manged to finally play some forgotten classics - both through collecting and GOG.

Needless to say, Simon the Sorcerer is only the beginning - seems there's a whole lot more Adventure games waiting to be explored......

Alterations required

Back from a week off - Real life kinda took over for a minute there.

Anywho, for today, lets talk about Altered Beast: One of the infamous of all the games Sega ever made. Originally an arcade game, it found fame as the original bundled game for Sega Genesis/Megadrive.
I remember seeing this as a kid played out on the Megadrive and me immediate thought was the striking presentation. For me it came across as a game leaden with doom: Your character is constantly fighting a horde of shambling zombies and other monstrosities, the end boss appears throughout the level as if in a taunting fashion, the music was somewhat grim and the Player Character is turning into some beastie to defeat the foes in his path. Embracing some bizarre, potentially irreversible power to defeat the baddies? Now there's a thought!

Of course all of this was largely built upon the imagination of my youthful mind. When I finally got to play it, well over a decade later of course, the game came across as total trash: The gameplay was ghastly with too may cheap deaths and button mashing. And for a game offering the beast modes the time spent using them is sure slim - and indeed painfully slim when one considers the ratio of time spent trying to find the power ups necessary.

I know I've spoken a lot about retro games in this blog and how they seem to have a lot more heart and soul than many of the games around today but not everything can be viewed with rose-tinted glasses. Still, whilst Altered Beast may be crummy game it is interesting to see how my imagination made it look better than it actually was. In fact I would like someone make a game based on my descritpion listed above.

There's a challenge for you. Any takers?

Time the Avenger

Here's something I came across: Someone trying to establish a time line of history across a large number of games.

Well someone's keen....

Hiliariously bad voice acting

Not  much to say for today so what to do? Post an amusing youtube video!

Falling back into third gear

Some random thoughts about my progress insofar with Mass Effect 3 (in the middle of Priority: Palaven at time of writing):

 - I didn't like the idea of a reduced crew in ME3 and I still don't like it now. These people were loyal to me dammit, so it's kinda puzzling to see them pack up and go. No to mention that is kinda depressing going about the Crew Quarters and not seeing Kasumi, Garrus, Thane, Samara and Legion where I'd left them.

 - Where once I was irritated by the Scions a new foe has arisen to annoy me: The Brutes! Oh what joy is there to be had when you're facing not one but two Brutes and a whole of mercs are shooting you. Oh Bioware, you sadistic bastards...

 - I'm not too fond of Diana Allers either: She looks more like a lingerie model and she pinched Zaeed's room. In fact Diana's presence raises an interesting question: if a journalist is coming aboard the Normandy to keep track of Shepard's progress then why couldn't I have Emily Wong instead?  I liked her a lot better than Diana dammit!

 - Where are the neutral dialogue options? Don't tell me by selecting the Paragon options my Shepard will result in getting a romance going with EVERYONE....

For the Masses

Well it happened: I took the plunge and picked up Mass Effect 3. I said I would buy it only when the fracas over the ending would die down so now seems good enough - that and it was on sale.

Going in I'm not sure what to make of it: The general consensus I gathered was that: "it's a great game UNTIL..". Such a mindset seems to suggest that the journey may not be worth taking and thus my perception is ultimately shaped by it.
So what do I think of ME3 so far? Well it's not bad. It still has some ME2 familiarity and the graphical quality is staggering. What does bother me though is the continual highlighting of items on the screen which comes across as kinda messy. And I'm still cut up over the fact that many of the crew from ME2 have packed up and left (some loyal crew-member you are!). And indeed, there are some moments that come across as heavy-handed - ie the kid on Earth in the prologue.

Still, this is all first impressions. It would be interesting to see where we go from here...

Touched by the hand of God

You know what I'm sick of? Villains that aspire to godhood. I've seen plenty of them in JRPGs - the Final Fantasy series being a frequent offender - but the same could be said for movies, TV, and books. It's something that I've heard so many times that now it comes across as being run into the ground. Granted in gaming terms it does raise the stakes quite considerably with the villain seeking the infinite, universe-shaping, powers of a divine entity but the 'villain-seeking-godhood' has been so many times it seems more like an endorsement for secularism. Or worse, a lazy writer doing a half-arsed job.

But despite my grumbling, I still think there is an idea there. As stated above, it does raise the stakes for the player for a mortal man to defeat an immortal is certainly an incredible achievement (just ask Kratos). However, if that is the case then balance must be determined - in the form of the villain's task to achieve godhood being a grueling undertaking in itself. You never see a villain do such a thing don't you? You never see the lengths the villain goes to in their quest and with such a goal one can assume said quest will never be easy. Okay so maybe Kratos could be an exception but it should be noted he wasn't actively seeking godhood - he just happened to replace the guy he bumped off.
How come you never see the lengths the villain goes to secure his goal of godhood? Previous experience shows such villains are either dismissed as just being bonkers or seeing divine ascension as a way to a) exorcise some childhood resent and/or b) get revenge one some prick. However, with the right thought behind it, the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope could be made to work. It is, after all, the story of a person of a humble background doing something that ultimately changes the world around them in a major way. And those stories will never get old - because if it's not Jesus Christ then it's Luke Skywalker. Or G'Kar. Or Harry Potter. Or Twilight Sparkle.

That being said if I were to write a villain based on the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope what would I do? Well, I would do an extensive exploration of his motivation. Not the tried and tested motives explained above - no my 'villain-seeking-godhood' would be someone who would use it to justify their existence. He/She would be leading an empty life and, upon seeing the adulation lauded on the heroes figures around them, concludes that such adulation would suit them very well - and give their life meaning. So believing that divine ascension is goal worth fighting for, they set out to get it. 

That's what I'd do and that's what I believe the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope needs to get some life back into it - and hey, the further the villain movies away from the Chaotic Evil alignment the better.
But I still think people won't buy it - at least in a gaming sense. After all, why would anyone play a game where they have to fight a villain who is doing what they do in an attempt to find meaning in an empty life?

Bastion your head in

As some of you may have noticed, there is a XBLA tenth anniversary currently going on (at time of writing). I myself used this to pick up, at half price, something that I've been wanting to play for a while: Bastion!

Beyond that though, there's not much I can say about Bastion that hasn't already been said before. I like the setting, the art direction, the narration and the idea of rebuilding a world. I guess I'm getting the same feeling I got when I played through Braid: Much has been said about this game that's not much room for something completely new. I'm going through the same experience that many people before me have already been through so what more can be said/experienced?
Still I haven't made a lot of progress in Bastion so it would be interesting to see how this turns out....

Equal Rights

With Mass Effect 2 I’ve heard a lot of complaints aimed at the large selection of characters – stating it was difficult to keep track of them all and it seemed futile when all you’re going to do is use the same two characters with each mission.  I however don’t think so: I thought the loyalty missions was a masterstroke on Bioware’s part where we get to know the characters and see them develop significantly from what they were at the beginning of the game.
So I decided to try an experiment: With a recent run through of ME2 (if anything to have a decent Shepard to take into ME3) I decided to keep track of where and when I used characters and to see if it’s possible to have everyone give an equal share of the action.

The results are as follows:

Conclusion from this experiment?
I have far too much time on my hands XD

It's the End of the World (no.4)

Well it’s been a week since I quit World of Warcraft – so what of the aftermath?

Truth be told, I’d actually quit weeks earlier. You see, I was part of group with two other friends where’d we meet twice week and do quests. Then one of us decided he’d had enough so he left. And in doing so the group more or less disintegrated. Suddenly everything looked different and I was a lot less enthusiastic about visiting this world called Azeroth. In a classic tripod fashion, when one leaves the others crumble in their wake .And thus I didn’t feel like playing World of Warcraft anymore.

Weeks prior to this event, however, my view of World of Warcraft has been in a state of decline. Whilst World of Wacraft may have been exciting at first it was only through the progression of time that the enthusiasm slowly eroded away.
Don’t get me wrong: World of Warcraft has been fun to play and great on a sociable level but to me there a number of factors that come across as a deal breaker. I don’t like the repetitious nature of the game (seriously: how many times have the Blood Elves been granted admission into the Horde?!), I hate the grind, I’m finding not much left to see having travelled from one end of Azeroth to the other, I’m seeing similarities in both Alliance and Horde quests, I’ve reached the realization that I’ve done the same quests several times, It occurred to me that once you hit level 60 things start getting dull, I’m not too fond of coughing up fifteen bucks a month and I’m particularly irate with the abolishment of the talent trees with Mists of Pandaria. All of these reasons are reason enough to quit and all I needed was a catalyst: And one came with the afore-mentioned group disbanding.

And then there’s this blog. Those who’ve been following my blog will note that I’ve been playing World of Warcraft a lot this year – even to the point of playing exclusively as the other games in my collection have been gathering dust. In addition, I’ve been talking about World of Warcraft a lot in this blog – even to the point where it’s taken up the big text in the subject cloud on the right panel - a sign, if any, that it may be a good time to shut up about it. Indeed, the lack of World of Warcraft-related posts in recent weeks may have been something of a clue I was already in the process of moving on.
When I started this blog back in 2010, I had no plan in mind – However it only took a month before one emerged: I made a post listing my Hall of Shame. And suddenly I found a purpose for this blog: To play all the games I’d left unfinished and document my progress as I went. However this mission has been derailed this year with me sinking so many hours World of Warcraft. Now I don’t want to think about how many hours I’ve invested in World of Warcraft but it does draw attention to how big a time commitment a MMORPGer is. And suddenly playing a MMORPGer now seems like a counteractive move when I have so many games left unfinished.

Ultimately though, playing World of Warcraft has been my first stab at a MMORPGer (I’ll never stop using that term: why stop saying that’s so much fun to say?). So what do I think of it? Well I have enjoyed it: It was great doing quests with other people and there was a lot to be gleamed form a social level – indeed, as mentioned earlier, going on your own suddenly seems a whole lot different. Will I try again? Well in a way yes –True it is inexcusable of me to take up something that demands a lot of time when I have so many gems uncompleted but I really enjoyed romping through so many quests as a part of a group. So much so, I will admit to miss it and am interested to get back to it sometime. In the meantime though I've being going back to the Xbox and enjoying it - needless to say it will be a long time before I commit to a time-thief that is a MMORPGe. 
But when that day comes, who’s going to step up to the plate? Guild Wars 2? The Elder Scrolls Online (when it comes)? Well whoever it is, it won’t be for a while yet. Not while my Hall of Shame continues to exist anyway…

Not a Lunar anymore

Recently I've been having a crack at the Sega CD game Lunar: the Silver Star.

The Sega/Mega CD has been a continual source of fascination for me. In the early nineties I recall Sega drumming up interest for it promising better graphics & better sound then what was going around and the incorporation of videos into gameplay. Yet my ten/eleven year old mind was skeptical: These features sounded great but how would they fit into the game? And what were the games like anyway?
And as it turned out, such a mindset was prophetic: The Sega CD was plagued with lousy games that relied more on FMV than actual games. Nevertheless, with a such a wretched track record, the Sega CD did however boast some decent games - and to me seeking out these diamonds in the rough sounded something of a challenge worth rising up to.

Which now brings me to Lunar: the Silver Star. I never knew Sega as having much in the way of RPGs so to see an RPG on a Sega machine that isn't Phantasy Star or Ultima certainly raises an eyebrow. Furthermore, the Lunar series came courtesy of Working Designs who were noted for taking little known Japanese games and giving them wacky translations. Some game fans might consider this blasphemy but I'm more curious to this. Why? Well sometimes a free translation may result in something even better than the original (e.g. the anime Ghost Stories and Samurai Pizza Cats) and after playing so many serious RPGs I think it was high time I tried something fun and light hearted. Keep in mind that Lunar was released in the US in 1993 - the following year Final Fantasy 6 would arrive and commence the ultra serious path that the Final Fantasy games have been following ever since.

So far I'm finding a lot to enjoy in this game. The graphics are nice and colourful and the music is great. Okay, it is a bit odd how the music stops and starts - as opposed to following in a continuous loop - but there are some nice themes and a great use of the sound capabilities of the Sega CD, In particular I really love the Overworld theme this game has:



Also of note is that game is fun to play. Now I've had my share of grind in RPGs - even 4th generation RPGs - and here it is no different but somehow it doesn't feel tedious. Yes I've had some moments of grind but they haven't happened very often and the few that have, have gone by at more more quicker pace and never once did I find it dull.

Of course this is only a first impressions and it would be interesting to see how this game ends up for me. But for now I like this game and I look forward to playing more (and eventually it's sequel!)

Its the End of the World (no.3)

Those who’ve been following this blog for the past year would know that I did make infrequent updates on the characters I was guiding through World of Warcraft. Of course, now that I’ve departed from WoW, it seems only fitting to make a denouement. So, after so many countless hours of game time, here’s where my characters ended up.


Rithendal

The firstborn and the only one to make it all the way to level 85, Rithendal went from Outlands to Northrend and Mount Hyjal, Kelp’thar Forests and the Twilight Headlands in between. It’s the furthest any of my characters had even got and what has Rith got to show for it? A devilsaur, a Jormungar and a corehound! Now that I think of it, I did enjoy using the Hunter a lot - being the lazy arse that I am I have to say Beast Mastery hunter is great because you have someone else do all the work.
Not a lot else I can say though: Rith was there at the beginning and stayed with me to the very end. Even when my time has been divided through other characters (both listed here and deleted) I’ve kept returning to my favorite Hunter.  And it is indeed satisfying to know that even if there are millions of characters in Azeroth there is only one Rithendal.


Beldrath

As established previously there were attempts to get a Paladin character going but few of them proved successful – thus it is indeed satisfying to see one paladin character make it all the way to Outlands.
One thing I find interesting about Beldrath is there have been various elements that have cropped up  that suggests that he be something of a mirror image to Rithendal. Rithendal has back hair, Beldrath has white hair. Rithendal wears darkened armor, Beldrath has white armor.  And there is only one Rithendal in Azeroth but there are many Beldraths (and I only got the name from an elf name generator!).
Again there’s not a lot more I can add: Beldrath was a great character and a lot of fun to use. I particularly enjoyed the mining and backsmithing and building up a complete set of plate armour - and it is kinda fitting that a paladin ended up in white amour.
Indeed, looking at Beldrath now it’s kinda hard to believe he grew from such a wimpy looking prat.


Naesandra

My long-suffering mage. Despite the many, many, MANY deaths this is a character that I simply refused to give up on. Whilst there may have been other WoW characters that I’ve scrapped, Naesandra simply refused to go away. I’m not sure why this is so but it is indeed satisfying to see a character make it all the way to Outlands – bloodied and beaten yes but triumphant through persistence.
Nevertheless, despite my frustration about Naesandra dying too easily, I will admit there was some fun to be had with the mage class. I really enjoyed casting the spells and flinging fireballs at the baddies.  However I’ve heard some say that mages are fun for soloists and that makes me call it into question as they tend to be rather brittle in combat situations….
Therefore if I ever decide to take up another MMPORGer I think I will take a mage – although, without question, I would benefit greatly with having someone else to watch my back.


Grimcrag

Hooo boy has this character had a story and a half. If you recall the previous posts where I’ve talked about my WoW characters, Grimcrag started out as a paladin. That didn’t work out so I got rid of the character but kept the name for a Shaman. The Shaman didn’t do much for me either so I returned to the paladin – but this time with a twist: You see, this incarnation of Grimcrag started out as the previously mentioned Drenai paladin Kholek. What happened there was I did tire of the Drenai but I’d progressed far enough to find myself unwilling to part with a paladin character. Solution? Change the characters race and name.
And so, at the end of the day Grimcrag returned to where he started from. And thankfully this dwarven paladin turned out to be far more fun to use than his previous incarnation. So why use another paladin when I already have Beldrath? Well whereas Beldrath is a Protection paladin, Grimcrag is a Retribution paladin. And it certainly makes a change using two different specializations of the same warrior class where one is Tank but the other is a DPS.
So in the end, considering all the problems I’ve had with this character, across various incarnations, it is indeed satisfying to come out with something that ultimately proved successful.


Razormane

And even in a post acknowledging the end result of my various WoW characters, there is still some room for some newbies. Razormane came about because I wanted to try a Worgen – the only other race in the Alliance that interests me. Why such an interest? Well aside from the appeal of being a werewolf, I enjoy how the Worgen speak in such an intimidating-sounding cockney accent – who would’ve thought it possible eh? In addition, I’ve been wanting to try out the Druid class so this was a good enough opportunity to try so.
So yeah, I did find some enjoyment in this character: the starting zone for the Worgen, along with their eventual admission into the Alliance, proved quite compelling – indeed it was quite exciting running through the city as it was being invaded by the undead. And the Druid class proved quite fun – somehow, in any RPG, I find the ‘mixed’ classes far more interesting and satisfying to use than the ‘pure’ classes. Still it’s how I play RPGs and, as far as I’m concerned it’s a damn good way.


Darthenis

Another newbie and yet another Blood Elf - Only this time it’s the obligatory Death Knight character (Well everyone seems to have one). An experiment of sorts, Darthenis came about through me wanting to see how using a Death Knight character would turn out. So how did it go?
Well it was interesting to say the least: I liked using the hero class character where you automatically start at level 55 and already have numerous skills already under one’s belt. Yet at the same time, I kinda hated how limited my resources were (eg finding cloth to make bandages) and, like so many of my other WoW characters, I kept dying far too easily. Still I will admit I did enjoy the Death Knights with their background and seeing some familiar faces of Azeroth being corrupted – seriously, who else could make the phrase “Tomorrow’s Another Day!” sound completely evil?!


So after nearly a year of playing World of Warcraft, these are the six that were there at the end. Whilst there may have been others that may have fallen (ie Deathfist, Kholek and Dunmore) these are the ones that lasted until the very end of the journey. And they shall live on – and who knows? One day I might return to them……

Its the End of the World (no.2)

Its the End of the World (no.1)

 There you go folks: It's right there in black and white. World of Warcraft and I are officially parting ways.
I may go into more detail with the posts to come but for now, seeing as I've talked about World of Warcraft a lot this year, it garnered an official announcement.

Planet of Sound (no.12)

Name: John Boston
Birthdate: 2nd November 1978
Instruments: Drums
Affiliations: Tension Heads
Bio: John is an experienced drummer and a journeyman musician who has played in a number of bands prior to joining the Tension Heads. Little is known of his past life but he has a wide knowledge of music and has enough talent to be actively sought out after by Spike.
For some years John has been a contributor to Demon Flower with several song-writing credits to his name and playing both guitar and bass on studio recordings. He even played with Demon Flower for live performances on several occasions. Such was the connection to Demon Flower that when Spike got the Tension Heads together, he offered the role of drummer to John.

Something of a dark horse, much of John’s background is up for speculation. He doesn’t speak much of his past and is extremely defensive when the subject comes up. What is known is a) he has known Thom for years prior to joining the collective, b) he enjoys fast cars and owns a Ferrari and c) he has a wide knowledge of metal music. However, regardless of his mysterious nature, John gets on well with the other members of the collective and often relies on experience to help them with problems – which, in turn, strengthens the mystery of his background….

Raptr Preservation

Yeah it's Halloween so what have I got up my sleeve for this evening? Something completely unrelated! Ha!

Anywho, it's been a week since I started using Raptr. In that time I've notched up over a thousand hour of game time.
Of course, this is only through me going back over my game files, over several consoles, and adding them to my Raptor profile. Thus the 1000+ hours is the product of seven years not seven days (so you can kindly cease typing out that email denouncing me as a loser).

Why go to all this trouble? Well I like the idea that this, Raptr, is there to serve as a record for one's gaming achievements - and not just XBLA achievements/PSN Trophies. I like the idea of Raptr being evidence of doing such things and it serving as a record that may last for years to come. Of course that may not turn out that way but I do like the idea of it being set in stone. Who knows? You come back in several years time and think: Yep, I did that :)

However me going back over my old gaming files does ultimately defeat the purpose of the reward system that Raptr is plugging. The rewards system seem more focused on more recent games not on the classics. There there is really nothing really gained from me putting in so much hours for classic eighties/nineties games. Still I must admit that it's kinda nice to be ranked the no.1 player for Adventures of Lolo, Final Fantasy 1, Secret of Mana, Super Mario Bros 3, Ogre Battle 64, and Burnout 3.

Of course the 1000 hours are the time-frames that I've been able to recover on my PS2, Wii and 360. I have invested many hours in other games on other gaming platforms but they're sadly lost to time. Indeed, I'd like to know how many hours I've blown in Baldurs Gate. However I don't WANT to know how many hours I've sunk in World of Warcraft....

Phun with Fotoshop

Braid Tumour

Not much to say for today: I was hoping to have beaten Braid by today so I would have something to talk about but it wasn't to be. I got to the last level but was unable to complete it as I got to an impassable part where I have to jump over some of those Goomba lookalikes - those who've played Braid would know exactly what I'm talking about.
I hate it when games do that: Luck need not play a major part in beating a game.

Still I do like the 'pin' feature that came with the latest update of XBLA. I hope the person who suggested it in the Microsoft think-tank got upgraded to a new office.

Halt! I am Raptr!

This was passed on by a friend (thanks Aef!): Raptr. A site where gamers can log in and share achievements, notch up game time, share what games they're playing and assess games they like and hate.

True some of you might already be on there but I've signed in and already picked the games I like and enjoy playing. I've even collected data from old save files to add to my game time - after all, if this is going to last for years to come, then I may as well preserve history.

My gamer card as it currently is:



Not much else to say but I approve of this handy little gadget :)

Keep Dreamin'

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sega are really doing themselves by not making their back catalogue of non-Megadrive/Genesis games readily available. Sure there have been a few games on the Master System/Saturn/Dreamcast slipping through the cracks on PSN and XBLA but what about the rest? Whilst Sega may have had more than few failed consoles to their name, I can still think of some games in Sega's back catalogue that could benefit from a second look.

I could see some reluctance on Sega's part namely a) the difficulty of obtaining rights of certain games with certain gaming studios scattering elsewhere b) an unwillingness to release something that has no guarantee of decent sales and c) the idea that maybe Sega's failed consoles is something they would like to forget. Reasonable claims I will admit but I've heard of such games being spoken of in near mythical terms and needless to say my curiosity is piqued.
I can think of several games on the Mega CD that may be worth dusting off and preserving for gamers both now and in the future, namely Eternal Champions, Lunar, Popful Mail, Robo Aleste, Shining Force CD, Silpheed, Snatcher and Vay (and who says it was all Sonic CD?)
And on the Saturn front, I would certainly like to play the likes of DragonForce, Astal, Shining the Holy Ark and Panzer Dragoon Zwei. I know of games that may benefit from a proper translation like Assault Suit Leynos 2, Shining Force 3, Magical Knight Rayearth and Grandia. And need I mention how many people want to see a proper rerelease of the Holy Grail of gaming Panzer Dragoon Saga?

Of course I've gathered this laundry list of titles through research - I've heard all of these titles spoken highly of both Sega fans and (general) gamers alike so it makes me interested in checking them out. One problem though: How do I do it? This in turn goes back to Sega not taking action to preserve their gaming catalogue and make it readily available. Listen to me Sega: Would you rather people get to these games through using emulators and denying you of some actual money?

The recent arrival of Nights Into Dreams to the XBLA provides new, solid evidence to suggest otherwise that Saturn games may be difficult to emulate or even revamped to stunning effect. Sure Nights was also ported to the PS2 but the presence of other Saturn games on XBLA, Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, could be another reason for, right?
But alas if the spectacular revamp of Nights will prove anything, it will be proof fifth generation gaming can be rebuilt in such a manner. And thus yielding another excuse for those wanting a new Final Fantasy 7 to persue their tireless crusade (fingers in the ear and all). Okay but how about we ask for something we HAVEN'T played?

Dreams of Reason

Well Nights Into Dreams has finally made it's way to the XBLA. For me it's the end of a journey that began sixteen years ago: For, from being enamored at first sight of the intro as teenager, to brief instances of actually playing the game since, to debating as to whether or not I purchase the Wii incarnation, I finally have an edition of Nights Into Dreams to call my own :D

I mentioned earlier this year that I managed to play the original Nights Into Dreams on the Sega Saturn where I found the controls hard to get into grips with and the graphics looking dated to the point of horrible. However with the HD revamp, neither seems to be case at all: The graphics are glorious to behold and they great for a sixteen year old game. None of the pixelation that has plagued fifth generation games at all!
Also, the music sounds lively and fun - in fact I'm not sure its the same from the Saturn but who cares? It sounds marvelous just the same.
And the controls are better than my previous experience! As crazy as it may seem, for the first time ever I had a clear idea what to do and where I was going and I was making excellent progress.

Now gaming technology is one where people are constantly in the race to produce the most technological advanced product imaginable - hardly the type of thing that improves with age. But here, it's justified - who would've thunk it?!

Signing up

During my travels on the net i came across this: A petition to remake Panzer Dragoon Saga in HD.

I have little faith in web-petitions. I'm am uncertain whether or not they get heeded and make a difference - unless of course they're signed by Star Wars fans. Still this is a cause I'm all for so I signed it. It may not make a difference but at least I get my voice heard.

You're an all star

I recently heard that a follow up to Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing is currently in development.
I've played the first game and I thought it was all right. Sure I bear the scars of having lived through years when everyone was making their own karting game in an attempt to match the success of the original Super Mario Kart, but Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing was good fun - and a great way to put one's friendships on the line just to notch up a win (although it is bit puzzling as to why the super fast Sonic needs a car....).

A look at the character list reveals some familiar faces: Vyse of Skies of Arcadia, Nights from Nights into Dreams, Gillius Thunderhead from Golden Axe and Joe Musashi from Shinobi. Much like the first game, the character roster seems spread across Sega's history with some classic figures stepping back into the light and some lesser-known faces getting a second shot. The titular character from the upcoming movie Wreck it Ralph is also present (nice tie-in there), real life racing driver Danica Patrick is also in, and the racing tracks will be inspired by the likes of Outrun, Panzer Dragoon and Afterburner.

Whilst it is nice to see Sega dust off some of their other IP, it does make one wonder if they may have something up their sleeve. Years earlier Nintendo did the same thing with Super Smash Bros Brawl - notably with the presence of the character Pit which eventually led to a new Kid Icarus game - twenty years since the last one.
Could this be a sign a change may be afoot? Considering that Sega finally released Nights into Dreams on the XBLA with a new HD remakes one would think that Sega may be trying some market research to see if some old IP may be worth something.
It maybe too early to call but for the romantics among us, it would be nice to think that Sega may finally be moving past their Megadrive/Genesis glory days and digging up some lost treasures to preserve. The Saturn games have built a reputation for being notoriously difficult to emulate but the presence of Nights (even if it was also on the PS2) is a step in the right direction.
If so, how about Panzer Dragoon Saga eh?

Silent Bill

I find the idea of silent game characters a rather strange choice in gaming. Why build a world where everyone can talk and interact with other bar one? Why give character a face and a name but refuse to make the final jump in giving them a voice? I just find it odd that worlds get built with so much detail but one detail is missing with the player's entry point into said world not saying single damn thing.
In fact to have a Player Character silent when everyone else isn't does portray them in a rather puzzling manner. Do they have poor social skills? Do they have trouble interacting with the people around them? Are they shut-ins who spent many years of their life cut off from the rest of the world that they missed out on some vital communication skills?
If anything, the lack of voice in a Player Character doesn't really suggest anything about them: What they think, how they view the world around them and how they perceptive being repeatedly handed tasks to complete for the populace. The last point is of particular note: We know the scenario: The Player Character is given tasks by the populace in order to advance further in the game - but the PC accepts this without a second thought. But really how does he/she really feel about this? Would they get irate that no one can do things for themselves? Would he/she get annoyed that he/she's continually getting sidetracked from their main quest? I think Lenny Bruce said it best when he declared that: 'Take away the right to say "fuck" and you take away the right to say "fuck the government."'

Yet many gamers think otherwise - and as result, the likes of Link, Samus Aran and Gordon Freeman are continually thought highly of in gaming circles. The reason being is that because the character is silent, the gamer is free as they please to build their own opinion about them. I guess that argument has weight with one's personality being built up through one's actions rather than the words spoken - and previous attempts to make a personality (ie Legend of Zelda cartoon and Metroid Other M), have been pathetic to say the least. That may be the case but I refuse to accept the idea that the silent character is meant to be the eyes of the gamer in the game world. They aren't me: Why? Because they have an appearance and a name that I don't really have a say in. The characters I've played in both Baldurs Gate and World of Warcraft are mine because I made them and guided them through their
respective game worlds - whereas Link is....... well.... everyone's Link.

So yeah, for me playing a character who already has a name and face but no voice doesn't mean they are me in the game itself. If anything, the games that want to involve the player themselves are those that a) address them directly, b) make the player feel like they're making some kind of difference and c) remove any visual representation of the PC.
That being said I think the games that have done this best are Starcraft and Bioshock. Starcraft did so by having a well-written script with characters address the player directly - helped considerably by some solid voice acting - and really created the impression the player was making a difference. Bioshock also took a brave step by refusing to make any visual reference to the PC (apart from hands and a bit of arm) and through placing the player in situations that challenged linear gameplay.

So, if anything, building a character a face, a name but no voice strikes me as a little odd - like a runner that jumps numerous hurdles but then chooses to not clear the last one. If this is a character that's meant to represent me, the player, then why do I have a set name and appearance?

I don't give a damn about my bad reputation!

Something else that has cropped up whilst playing WoW: What is the point of the reputation system? Okay, so it's kinda cool to see a character progress through Azeroth and making an impression as they go, and to see whose worth hanging around but my beef with the reptuatation system is that it seems to go against the lore that Blizzard established for themselves.

Allow me to explain: In World of Warcraft, out of all the races available, the only one's that seem in any way antagonistic are the Humans, Night Elves, Orcs and Undead (fittingly, all three playable races in Warcraft 3). As for everyone else, they're all bound together by their respective alliances - yet that doesn't make them in any way friends. And in the case of the the Horde, most of the races therein have been victimized and so they've gathered together in a show of unity. But the unity is showing cracks leaving many races distrustful of one another.

So with all that considered, what does my reputation prove? I like using the Blood Elves and they're distrusted by the other Horde races due to their magical prowess - although the BE's do share some kind of common ground with the Undead. Through Rithendal I have only reached Exalted status with one racial faction and it's one of the undead factions - fitting but in terms of lore not surprising.
So in lore terms what happens when Rithendal reaches Exalted status with another race? Do race relations soften? Do they recognize someone decent in a sea of idiots? Or will achieving Exalted states do nothing to prevent knives in the back?

I don't know - most likely through playing other RPGs, I've become accustomed to making world-shattering changes in the world presented before me. And such changes may be something beyond the scope of a MMORPGer....

Don't give Hate a chance!

As some of you may be well aware, there is a movie based on Metal Gear Solid in development. Can't say I'm surprised: Metal Gear Solid drew a lot of inspiration from Hideo Kojima's love for cinema and some say (well, the more cynical amongst us) that the Metal Gear Solid games are more cinematic than being an actual game. But no matter: One can't deny that the transition from game to movie would be natural one for Metal Gear Solid.

But a problem has arisen: Apparently David Hayter will have no involvement whatsoever. Granted David Hayter has probably had more success in Hollywood with his scriptwriting than his acting but to be honest, I can't imagine Snake being played by anyone else. I heard Christan Bale was interested in playing Snake but Snake being played by someone who isn't David Hayter would...well...not be Snake. He's been playing the role for four games now so why stop now?
Come on, it's not like he doesn't look the part:


But whatever: I'm just a grumpy blogger who doesn't have a say in how Hollywood casts it's movies.
But I will say I live in hope that whoever they cast for Meryl, that it be Rachel McAdams.^__~

Mud slinging

This headline has been generating a lot of attention recently: US politician Colleen Lachowicz is in the running for Democrat candidate for the State Senate of Maine. But her election campaign has hit a snag with some dirt being dug up by some Republican rivals. What kind of dirt? Apparently Lachowicz is a big fan of World of Warcraft so her political rivals have fashioned site displaying images of her Orc charatcer and the posts she made on the Blizzard forums.

For the full story click here.

Whilst mud-slinging is nothing new in a political campaign, I find this hilarious. I will admit that yes this could result in some people seeing doubt in Lachowicz's ability to make crucial decisions (part and parcel of being leader - playing Peace Maker would do that to you) the rest of the smear campaign is just absurd: It's scare-mongering by people who don't know what they're talking about. Worse still, it's big step backwards when I thought we were all moving away from the incorrect notion of 'games are evil things played by psychotically damaged misanthropes'. Hate to back this to you losers but computer and console games are enjoyed all kinds of people from all walks of life - including politicians.

Still, whilst it may be far too early to call, I can see this backfiring in spectacular fashion - for now that a politician is a keen user of WoW, no doubt this will work in Lachowicz's favor as many people will be getting behind her. 
And it doesn't sound far-fetched that people will back someone who's a step away from the straight-laced politicians that keep running for government. After all, this story takes place in the US - where it's president, Barack Obama, is a fan of Spiderman comics.

Given the Boot

Last week I was playing World of Warcraft and tried my hand at a dungeon. This wasn't the first time  I've tried a dungeon but I've had a go of two before and found them enjoyable & lucrative in both gold & xp. So I used the dungeon finder, got Rithendal into a group and set off. I had no plan in mind beyond shoot anything that moves (a plan I've used in the past and which worked well enough). Then, after one particular boss fight, I was shown the door (so to speak). I was uncertain what I'd done - in retrospect though I think I might've attacked the boss before everyone else was ready - but my dungeon party members started turning on me and I got the boot.

While I may have some idea what went wrong I was uncertain at the time. Needles to say, it was surprising when the party members started calling for the removal of the Hunter. Any protesting I did was met with disdain through my lack of dungeon experience - Obviously these were pros I was dealing with (i did see the comment of 'noob' crop up at least once in the chat window).
I guess that;s the thing with WoW dungeons - you will almost inevitability be surrounded by people who KNOW what they're doing.

Now whilst this may not been the first time I've had a bad experience with WoW, it is the first time it involved the Horde. It may sound odd but my long-held impression of the Horde that it's filled with friendly people and this is the first time I've seen, firsthand, that maybe there are some elitist types in there.
Before I started playing WoW (and well afterward), my impression between the two factions was that the Alliance was full of rude, surly people who liked the hotties whereas the Horde was full of friendly, helpful people who liked being a monster. In short, the 'noble' Alliance was full of gits whilst the 'monstrous' Horde was full of helpful people (because there's no such thing as an 'Evil' Alliance or a 'good' Empire - thanks a lot Star Wars). Yet the longer I''ve played WoW, the more opposite that notion has become: My dwarf Grimcrag has been involved with a large Alliance guild that has been very helpful and friendly whilst in the Horde......you have the encounter I described above.
But then again, any MMOPRGer is just like the Internet: there's an equal amount of idiots and nice people XD

Planet of Sound (no.11)

Name: Sam Brooker
Birthdate: 1st October 1984
Instruments: Lead vocals / Guitar
Affiliations: Demon Flower
Bio: Sam was born and raised in New York. He is the middle child of five and has three sisters and a brother.
At first, he was a well-mannered lad from a good family, with a decent education, handsome looks, overflowing charisma and many admirers. Things however took a nasty turn when his father died when he was in high school. This put Sam on the path of delinquency he skipped school and joined a gang of troublemakers, engaging in gang violence and property destruction. It was during this time that he discovered Metal. Inspired, Sam decided to clean up his act and commit his time to learning a guitar. He went back to school to learn all he could about the guitar - and when he was done, he moved onto the bass. He would later credit metal as saving his life.
By the time he came to Spike’s attention, Sam had become a talented musician. With his skills and dashing good looks to match, he was welcomed into the ranks of Demon Flower. However, it didn’t take long before Spike figured that his presence would be better off suited up front entertaining the crowds.

Sam was already involved with Demon Flower before Jasmine left. He was already working with Demon Flower on tour and in the studio so went it came time to find a new vocalist he was a natural fit. With good looks, stage presence, guitar playing and a powerful roar in him, Sam quickly won over the crowd and the press and made his presence known. And when Jasmine returned, he agreed to share vocalising duties. 
In the collective, Sam is more or less the front man: He talks to the media and the fans – being the only one who can stomach such attention. This suits both Sam and the other band members who are then left to concentrate on their duties. Nevertheless Sam has made put forth several ideas to the collective and has had several song writing credits to his name.

Back in the Eighties

I was playing World of Warcraft last night and I noticed something: Whilst there are already some Pandarens wandering about, I did see a Pandaren Monk who had made it all the way to level 80.

Didn't take them long....

Run a good race

Here's something I've been pondering on: Who's the most popular race on World of Warcraft?
Well as is often the case on the Internet, one need only ask:

Source: Warcraftrealms

Well there certainly a lot of surprises here. Whilst the high ranking of the Blood Elves isn't a surprise the fact they aren't the most popular race of all is. So humans are the most payed huh? I guess it makes sense considering the familiarity (it is, after all, humans playing this game) but then again, the humans in Azeroth are quite frequently portrayed as complete jerks - but then again who isn't a jerk in this fricking game?

Also of note is how many of the other races ended up with some the older ones - Dwarves, Gnomes, Orcs and Trolls - all being outpaced by the more recent arrivals. One kinda gets the impression that when the new race arrived a whole lot of Race/Faction changing happened XD

Conversely there aren't many surprises within the Class table but the least popular Classes are interesting to note. What, no one likes the Shamen? I find that interesting seeing as the other "mixed" classes (Druid and Paladin) are both at the other end of the spectrum.

Still it should be noted that this screen cap was taken before the release of Mists of Panderia. So it may be interesting to see how the presence of the Pandarians and the Monks will shape these charts in future...

All wrapped up

Because game commercials are always fun, may I present the commercial for the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on the original Nintendo Gameboy:


Man Nintendo sure made some weird ads in their day but I find this oddly fascinating: Getting past the cheesy rap I realize there is little connecting this ad to the game itself: The Zelda logo is shown briefly, and the gameplay footage takes a back seat to the rapper. Indeed, what game footage there is  projected onto the wall of the set. EH?!?? Indeed, so much emphasis is placed on the rapper one finds it hard to see this being an ad for video game.

Still maybe next con i should get my Link cosplay out and perform this rap as a skit - has anyone ever done such a thing? No really, have they?

Mind you this ad does inspire the rather amusing notion of going Down ON Zelda XD

Twilight Time

Help! She's trying to preach to me about Team Edward!!!!

Adventure Time!

Wanting to try something new, I reconnected with my friend Good Old Games and downloaded some Adventure games! I will admit i had something off a soft spot for Adventure games when I was a kid. Whilst most of the ones I played were text adventures on the Commodore 64, I did appreciate the fact that these games were something else from the action games I enjoyed: Adventure games were built around problems that required imaginative thinking, they told awesome stories and they required patience to a point where a lot of thought was placed within the setting and they could build worlds unseen in other other gaming genre.

So here's what I downloaded recently:

Kings Quest VI
I remember the Sierra graphic adventures when I was a kid. At the time I was used to text adventures so seeing the same thing being transplanted into a genuine graphical environment was mind-blowing to say the least. Although I recall the Leisure Suit Larry series (I doubt few who have played it have ever forgotten it), I never played the Kings Quest series so this is a new experience for me.
Needless to say, I had no idea what to expect: I knew no.6 was the best of the lot but that was it. And so far I'm liking what I've seen. Sure some of the puzzles may be a bit absurd and some of the character animations looking wonky now but on all other fronts, this is game that has aged quite well. The voice acting is pretty good (I'm still astonished that the voice actor of Alexander is the same one who did the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast) and I LOVE the backgrounds. Seriously, some of these are a work of art and proof that sometimes hand-drawn graphics can trump anything more recent.
So in summary, Kings Quest no.6 is turning out rather well and certainly a game that warrants further playing.

Simon the Sorcerer
I recall this game from my days as an Amiga owner. Sure I never played it but I was aware of it and it certainly looked interesting. So what do I think of it eighteen years later?
It's brilliant. And I think it's down to three factors: Firstly, the writing is hilarious and I really enjoy the various fairy-tale/fantasy tropes that this game is messing around with. Simon is a great character and whilst a sarcastic git would make for a dis-likeable character, here it works.
Secondly, the voice acting is fantastic. Simon is voiced by Chris Barrie (Rimmer from Red Dwarf) and it helps considerably. I love the one-liners and fourth wall breaking Simon does. And the other voice acting is pretty good too - special mention must go to the scene involving the tree stump.
And thirdly, the backgrounds are gorgeous to behold. Above I mentioned the beauty of hand-drawn graphics - it certainly applies here and many of the backgrounds still hold up nearly two decades later. It really adds so much to the world and proves that, for many years, when to came to world building adventure games were miles ahead of everyone else.

So yeah, I've played these games and enjoyed them insofar. Say what you like about the Adventure game genre but when it got it all right, the results were nothing short of magnificent.

Hill of Skulls

I discovered a WoW screen cap I'd thought I'd lost (turns out it was in the ScreenCap folder XD)

Beldrath stands triumphant over a mound of corpses (they really should've left him alone):

Planet of Sound (no.10)

Name: Bernard Free
Birthdate: 15th September 1988
Instruments: Drums

Affiliations: Dire Tribe
Bio: A recent addition to the Planet of Sound collective, Bernard came to Spike’s attention through answering an advertisement for a drummer. Little is known about his background although it is understood he spent several years living on the streets – this in turn has shaped him into something of an aggressive character. Eventually, through social support, Bernard was assigned to play drums in a community musical project. Finding an out let for his anger, Bernard took to drumming like a duck to water. And within time, he eventually found his way to the Planet of Sound collective.

In the collective, Bernard doesn’t contribute much to discussions or put forth any ideas – he’s more intent on drumming and as long as he does so, he’s happy. His relationships with everyone else seem somewhat strained as he seems intent on following on from his experiences on the streets. As such he seems to enjoy the idea of living like a rock star and the rebelliousness that comes with such a lifestyle. Whilst this make for some difficult times, Rick is intent on keeping Bernard largely due to his drumming prowess and the fact that his presence certainly livens up due moments backstage and on the tour bus.

I'd like to be under the sea

Can't say I'm happy with the changes Blizzard have brought about with the latest patch to WoW - in particular how the Hunter class has changed. Still, I'm just glad that I managed to go to Mt Hyjal and pick myself a Core Hound for Rithendal. I like this pet a lot - even with the changes - but it does present some odd situations. Situations like this:

How can my Core Hound survive under water? Surely the water would doused out the lava and flame that keeps him going?!

The Sky is Falling

I heard a rumor that Skies of Arcadia may be coming to XBLA - well not so much a rumor but it seems to be listed as a an unconfirmed upcoming title on that font of reliability Wikipedia.

Whilst wikipedia isn't the best source of information, I am intrigued with the idea of Skies of Arcadia appearing on the XBLA. As mentioned previously Skies of Arcadia is a favorite and, for me, good enough reason to keep hanging onto my Dreamcast. Still I would get any XBLA version if all the DLC is included and the graphics get a HD rejig - seriously I've recently seen Skies of Arcadia on a HD and it looks weird.

Still I do welcome the idea the idea of more Sega games appear on XBLA and become more readily available. If the reappearance of Nights into Dreams is a harbinger of what's to come then I'm all for it. After all, without past games becoming readily available then everyone will simply start using emulators and the game companies can't allow that now can they?

The Mario Opera!

The title says it all really:

Times they are a-changin'

As Mists of Panderia rumbles ever so closer, the latest patch of WoW is let loose. Some changes have been made, no doubt to keep in line with the latest expansion, and to be honest? I do not like some of them. Granted such a response is atypical of a system that is in command of thousands upon thousands of users but some of the changes made are jarring and, in most cases, come across as unnecessary.

The biggest two changes for me are the Talent Trees and the glyphs. With the talent trees have disappeared – in its place is a far simpler system of selecting one particular skill every so often and other skills being implemented into the character class. Funny thing is, I actually sat down and plotted out a plan for my characters to take with their respective talent trees. Funnily enough such effort now feels redundant.

And the glyph system! I really enjoyed the glyphs but now the Prime glyphs have been dropped and all of the glyphs have had dramatic changes to their effects. Again this is cause for redundancy: I’ve spent a lot of time and money on obtaining certain glyphs for certain characters. I even had one of my characters, Naesandra, to make glyphs for an entire guild. It took a lot of hard effort on both accounts but now it seems it was all for nothing.

I’m not sure why these changes have come about. The glyphs and the talents trees were working just fine the way they were and Blizzard come across as trying to fix something that wasn’t broken in the first place. Indeed, it has been stated that WoW’s numbers have dropped dramatically and the once untouchable game is now looking like it’s running out of juice. Thus one would think Blizzard are trying to stay ahead of some potentially stiff completion (Guild Wars 2 anyone?). Granted I do understand the necessity of staying ahead of the competition in such a cut-throat business but why change that which didn’t need it? Why not fix something that was actually broken? I can think of several quests in the other expansions that were utter rubbish and could’ve well dome with some fixing.

But I think the biggest slap in the face was, for me, putting a lot of hard effort into this game and it ultimately didn’t matter one damn thing. I once made mention that I felt cheated by Blizzard by the ending of Starcraft but that’s nothing compared to this. Why, one would think that Blizzard are deliberately going out of their way to get people to hate them – which is never a good business model.

Still this patch does represent one more drastic change in a line of many in WoW’s evolution. Why, I started playing WoW with Cataclysm and have grown accustomed to the system that was presented within such a context. Therefore I can only wonder what WoW would’ve looked like in its original incarnation.….

The Other Two

Last week I made a post pointing out how Darksiders doesn’t really represent the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse and how they favor War and Death but pass over Famine and Pestilence (seriously Fury and Strife? Are Vigil games even trying?)
Yet bitching is one thing but doing something about it is another. So if Famine and Pestilence may not make for interesting game characters then there’s no reason to at least make an attempt. So I will do that: I will try and write up both Famine and Pestilence as game characters. If Vigil games did indeed balk out then that seems more a challenge to me. If War and Death can work in a God-of-war-esque scenario can Famine and Pestilence? Let’s find out…

Famine
I can imagine Famine taking the form of a heavy – much like his brother horseman War. But if War takes the form of a muscle-bound, bloodthirsty warrior wholly dedicated to laying waste to anything in his path then Famine takes a different approach taking a defensive stance. I can imagine Famine taking the form of a bloated sack of crap – a huge humanoid form that take multiple blows and still emerge unscathed.
Because of being of tremendous defensive capabilities, Famine’s fighting skills would be reduced. But he has numerous powers that make up for it. As Famine represents…well famine, it makes sense that his powers should focus on making him stronger whilst making those around him weaker. I can imagine Famine being capable of :
-    The sprouting of grapevines (a crop destroying plant) for a multiple enemy attack
-    Drain the life of an enemy at the touch (enemy freeze doubling as a healing spell)
-    (close range attack)
-    Summoning a plague of locusts at the wave of his hand (long range attack)

Pestilence
If War and Famine both take the forms of heavies than it makes sense for Pestilence to join his brother Death in being a thin type capable of doing fast, acrobatic movements. But as befitting his name, Pestilence should take the form of a deformed freak, with warped features, green/unhealthy-looking skin and take the appearance of something rotting and decaying.
Largely due to being a fast guy, Pestilence should be the weakest fighter of the Four Horsemen but he should also have the largest number of special abilities – most of which should be akin to a mad scientist looking for something to conduct experiments most foul upon:
-    Slime attacks capable of slowing an enemy in their tracks
-    An attack that rips out organs and other body parts
-    Going with the scientist motif, attacks based upon throwing a beaker of liquid or pulling out a bag with something in it.
-    Casting out a pox to attack multiple enemies at once.
-    Making the enemies around him rot away
-    Using the power of plagues to regenerate hits
-    Alternatively, Pestilence could do an attack based upon infecting a foe and striking their name from a list.

Having written this, it has become clear to me that this is but a mere starting point. And Vigil games most likely would’ve written up far more information-heavy documents in designing War and Death. Maybe that’s why Famine and Pestilence got passed over for Strife and Fury – the latter two offered a lot more ideas.  Still, there’s no excuse to not try.
Mind you, in doing research for this post, I found out something interesting: The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse originated from the Bible where the first Horsemen was not Pestilence but Conquest. The change only came about through mistranslations. In gaming terms Conquest may sound appealing as a character but next to War he sounds kinda redundant. Oh well….

A moment of clarity...

Today I went into my local JB Hifi where I saw a poster for something Nuketown 2025.
I then noticed it was for Call of Duty: Black Ops but not before mistaking it for the title and release date for a Duke Nukem Forever sequel.

The things you find in Northrend

I look at this image and for some reason I feel like playing the soundtrack to Shadow of the Colossus...

Planet of Sound (no.9)

Name: Robin Banks
Birthdate: 25th August 1985
Instruments: Guitar / Bass / Keyboards
Affiliations: Dire Tribe / Demon Flower
Bio: Robin is the daughter of a single mother: Her father, disappeared when Robin was at a young age and has never been seen since. As such, her childhood has been fraught with feeling different to the others around her and building up resentment. During high school, she built up a reputation for being difficult to work with amongst students and teachers alike, even to the point of being dubbed ‘The Ice Queen’. Eventually dropping out of school, Robin entered a rebellious phase where she became a goth, bought clothing to match her nickname, and listened to The Cure, Joy Division and Nick Cave. Inspired by this music, Robin got her act together and applied for a proper musical education - studying the ins and out of musical theory.

Eventually, Robin coming out the other side a talented multi-instrumentalist, proficient in guitar, bass and keyboard. In time, she caught the attention of Spike and invited to join Demon Flower. Since then, Robin and Spike became good friends.And as the star of Demon Flower began to rise, Spike began to rely upon Robin’s musical expertise and suggestions.

At first Robin was the replacement bass player for Jasmine but when Jasmine and Rock left, Robin became part of a brains trust that Spike often deferred to for song writing and band decisions. And when Jasmine eventually returned, Robin deferred bass duties for the guitar and keyboard.
As part of the Planet of Sound collective, Robin is still the same Ice Queen and, along with Evan, part of the brains trust that works with Spike. She is also known for defusing arguments on tour. Robin as all too aware that Spike considers her too valuable to let go but is too loyal to walk out on him – after all, who’d be stupid enough to walk away from the rock star lifestyle?
Robin is also known for bass duties in the Dire Tribe during her downtime.

Come to the Darkside

So Darksiders got a sequel? I didn't realise it was such a big deal.
Okay, okay. I never played Darksiders but the impression I got from it, based upon what I saw, was it was a God of War clone with the player character being one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

Whilst the God of War-esque nature of Darksiders doesn't interest me, the notion of controlling one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, to me, has some potential. But therein lies a problem: For you can divide the Four Horsemen into two groups where one is made up of the Horsemen which are considered interesting (War and Death) whilst the other is made up of those no one seems to give a toss about (Famine and Pestilence).
I do like the idea of building up a series of games where each game has you control a different Horsemen but in doing so, you'll eventually get to the Horsemen no one wants to play as - and it would seem that the makers of Darksiders, Vigil Games, will agree as they've gone straight to Death for the second game. Talk about about shooting your big guns off first.

What, is playing as Pestilence and/or Famine a dumb idea? Can't Vigil Games think up anything interesting to do with them? Aren't they even trying - I mean they certainly lavish a lot of attention to the design of War and Death so it can't be that hard....

Oh wait - in this game's universe the Four Horsemen are War, Death, Strife and Fury.
So they're not really the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.
I guess Vigil games really weren't trying then.

Me Grimlock no bozo! Me King!

Rithendal finds himself leading a group of three dinosaurs:

Pandering

Well, well ,well what is this that has come into my sights? Why, its the trailer for the new World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria!


Seems that as this expansion draws closer, everyone's intent on making Kung fu Panda jokes - not me however (but I will admit that not having Jack Black to do a celebrity commercial would indeed be a wasted opportunity).

But really, this cinematic is our first glimpse at the Pandarens and their chance to show us all what they can do and what they can offer to the war-torn world that is Azeroth. And judging from the narration it would seem that they are a neutral faction, interested in balance and seeing the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance rather inane. Note the moment when the Pandaren monk breaks up the fight between the Human and the Orc - to which the human responds by giving the Orc his spear.

Mind you I do like the idea about the Pandarens that is suggested in this trailer: They are interested in balance, they have decent enough reason to go into battle and they don't seem too pleased with members of the both the Horde and the Alliance turning up on their doorstep. But if the purpose of the Pandarens is to challenge the very long-running conflict between the Horde and Alliance then somehow that seems more a fool's errand. As mentioned before, one reason WoW has lasted so long, and may continue to do so, is that both factions are in an eternal stalemate with no ground being gained or lost.
If anything, as evidenced by the Orc and Human in the trailer, they've both been at this for so long that that's all they know - thus anyone who wants to break up a fight somehow comes across as being the bigger threat.

But even if this approach does have potential, it doesn't really explain why, upon hitting level 10, Pandaren players have to choose which faction to join. Damn...

Truly legendary

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of striking another game from my Hall of Shame: Get on your horse Legend of Zelda, you're out of here! (would that horse be Epona?)

When I say Legend of Zelda I am, of course, referring to the original on the NES. Now, unlike most people, this is not the first Zelda game I've sat down and played all the way through - that honor belongs to Link to the Past.
Therefore Legend of Zelda is going to be a tricky game to assess: First, as Link to the Past was the first Zelda I've played, it will ultimately influence my opinion through providing a benchmark. Second, Legend of Zelda is up against twenty six years of technological advancement and Third, Legend of Zelda is essentially a wellspring where many it's ideas have since been replicated by other games many times over.

So what do I think of the original Legend of Zelda? Well the first thought is that I have played other Legend of Zelda games and this strikes me as perhaps the most difficult. I say that because I do remember there were numerous moments when the enemies gave me headaches, namely the DarkNuts, Wizzrobes and the LikeLikes – the latter in particular was of particular annoyance: Believe you me, the annoyance of having your shield eaten only to go back, raise enough rupees to buy another one and having THAT one eaten as well can only be speculated upon. Granted I have had trouble with the other Legend of Zelda games but none on a level comparable to my troubles with the original – at least Link to the Past had fairies that could resurrect you when you died! In fact at one point, I felt like it was battle of wits to see who would break first: me or the game itself. But then again, this game is a product from an earlier era where difficulty was a gaming mainstay.
But what I found interesting with the Legend of Zelda difficulty is that it presents the same problem I had with the Super Mario games in that the lead-up to the end of game big-bad proved more challenging and more difficult than the final showdown itself. Indeed, after get lost, beaten and frustrated with the last dungeon, I ended up confronting Ganon and….whupped him on my first go.

And then there’s the legacy behind Legend of Zelda: This was, more or less, the first sandbox game where the player had the freedom to go anywhere and could accomplish any of the tasks necessary for ultimate victory in any order. Even more significant, the idea of extensive exploration and getting the necessary gear gave way to an eventual leveling of the playing field – but as in my defeat of Ganon showed, an eventual pushover.
Now I’m not the biggest fan of the sandbox genre (save one or two exceptions) so coming across the progenitor is interesting to say the least. Sure there isn’t a variety of things to do beyond go here/kill this guy/get this item, but it seems that a lot of the sandbox stems from the player finding clues and working things out for themselves. But to me, that creates conflict in that the Hyrule presented in NES graphics is kinda…well…… dull. The place looks barren and minimal in colour – as well as being populated by lot’s of monsters and few in actual human residents. Granted there is only so much the NES could do with its limited technology, but I still maintain the setting of Legend of Zelda would’ve made a great setting for a post-apocalypse setup with a ruined landscape, a host of monsters and only three characters (but I suppose Shadow of the Colossus as already been made).

But I digress. It is interesting to see the origins of Legend of Zelda and see how some the ideas in it were strong enough that they were reiterated in the subsequent sequels. Yes Link to the Past took those ideas and improved on them in every single way but you have to start somewhere.
So in the end, despite the gripes I had with the difficulty, I did enjoy playing Legend of Zelda. It was good fun and it’s good to finally put that game to rest.

Now about Ocarina of Time….