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Updates stopped for this blog. Last post 20 August 2013.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
I've just completed Guild Wars. Guild Wars came out really long ago, and it took me years to be able to complete it, mainly because I had a lack of dedication (and a lot of time wasted changing characters). Well, my warrior/monk has just saved Tyria, and here are some pictures. First, another Guild Wars christmas picture. I must be weird, people are uploading real life christmas pictures and I'm uploading virutal christmas celebrations.
That's me dancing in front of gingerbread men
No more pictures of the process of the end-game, but I got some pictures of what happens after the game is complete. Celebrations!
Fireworks
Meet the King of the Deldrimor Dwarves
In the celebration area, everyone you've met and helped appears. Brings back good memories.
The King gives you a token, which you can use to exchange for a green item. That's the green item I chose to exchange for.
Guild Wars is great. Can't wait for Guild Wars 2, should be no more than a year to wait. Honestly, completing Guild Wars gave me the most satisfaction out of all the MMORPG's I've played. There are some problems though. What do I do in Guild Wars now? Stop? Make this character even stronger? Play a new character?
posted @ 1:07 am
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Monday, December 29, 2008
I went back to play Guild Wars again, and I took some Christmas pictures.
Above are some pictures of the Christmas decorations in Lion's Arch
These 2 are pictures of the funny creatures that appear in the game, and you can transform into them as well. I'm the grentch (green thing).
These 3 show me wielding the 3 Christmas rewards that can be earned when you do the Christmas quests.posted @ 11:55 pm
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Friday, December 26, 2008
Well, I've been playing Runes of Magic for almost 2 weeks now, and I have to say that the game has potential. Currently, its one of the best free to play MMORPGs I've ever played, but I feel that its still rather broken and the fun factor is killed because of that.What they have done right is that the usual grinding you have in MMORPGs is almost eliminated. You have to level up by doing quests, just like in WoW. This makes it fun enough, and the occasional world bosses that you have to kill will kind of force you to find a group. The community is surprisingly decent, and there are no idiots you usually see in free MMOs. Leveling isn't too slow, skill progression is fine, and crafting is a little draggy, but still bearable. The size of the map is good enough so that travelling isn't a pain, and teleporters are found in cities so that you can navigate around the city is the shortest possible time.
This all sounds great, but what makes me feel that its so broken?
The classes. Currently now there are six classes to choose from, with two more new classes coming in sometime in the future. The classes are rather standard: warrior, rogue, scout, mage, priest, and knight. Usually in an MMORPG, the classes will be balanced some way or another, and they will have a unique twist to their class. Some classes will provide damage (DPS/RDPS), some will heal, some will tank, and some will provide several crowd control (CC) abilities. If one class has lower DPS than another, then that class will usually have something to make up for it. The problem is, classes here aren't balanced in terms of capabilities.
First, a breakdown on what each class is for:
Warrior: DPS
Rogue: DPS
Scout (ranger): DPS/CC
Mage: DPS
Priest: Heal/buff
Knight: Tank
So there is a relatively large amount of DPS classes in the game. The problem is, only two out of the four classes seem to be a good choice for DPS. The warrior and scout are practically useless. Apparently the scout can only shoot when the creep is not near him, and should melee once in range. About 80% of the warrior's skills only work when you use a one-handed weapon (and who the hell uses a one-handed weapon as DPS?). The knight is a pain in the butt to level. Sure, he isn't made to DPS, but why make their life annoyingly difficult? Why does the knight have to take 30 seconds to kill a creep when the mage takes at most 10 seconds? And the mage loses at most, 10% of their HP.
I'm sure you can see that I'm not very happy with the game right now, and I'm considering waiting a few weeks or maybe months before I go back again. I'm currently a mage+priest (you can take 2 classes in this game), but honestly, its not what I want to be. I'm rather sick of DPSing in MMORPGs now, and I'd like to be a tank. And the aggro system is screwed up as well. Gah.
Well, yeah, you can take two classes when you play. Shouldn't that even out unbalances? Unfortunately, to do that, you seem to be forced to take another certain class. Lets talk about that warrior. 80% of a warrior's skills need you to use a one-handed weapon for maximum effect. And a rogue as a secondary class allow you to dual-wield, hence you use a one-handed weapon. And so most warriors become warrior+rogue.
Sometimes, even taking a secondary class will not even out the unbalance. A secondary class for a knight sounds like either or warrior, priest, or rogue. A warrior will be good, if not for the screwed up rage generation system, and so, the knight's DPS remains low. A priest brings insane longevity to the knight, but that doesn't solve the knight's DPS problem. A rogue seems great, as it has the best melee DPS. The knight will even be able to dual-wield later on. Most of the damage doing skills are disabled as a rogue secondary, and so the knight's DPS improves only slightly. However, a knight+rogue's HP is far less than a knight+warrior. But a knight+warrior is definitely more of a pain to level up than a knight+rogue.
So, if I can't be what I want to be in an MMORPG, then the fun is lost. If I go ahead and play what I want, but get pissed off about how it works, then I don't get any fun as well. So, what do I do? Quit? Wait? Play in agony with a screwed up class? Play a good class but one that I don't want to play?
posted @ 10:44 pm
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Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
posted @ 5:30 pm
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Saturday, December 20, 2008
Its been a pretty long time since I last blogged, I think the longest period of time so far.Anyway, I haven't been doing much besides reading books and playing games. So far, I've read four books, and that's Twilight, New Moon, Warcraft: War of The Ancients Trilogy book 1 and 2. They're all pretty good books, interesting and refreshing.
I recently started playing a new game, and that's Runes of Magic. Open beta started on 15 December, and that's five days ago. Named by many "the best free to play MMORPG", its currently the #31 most played game on Xfire. Just five days. A few reasons why its so good is that its shockingly similar to WoW. I'd say about 70% of the content is from WoW. Another reason is that there is no creep grinding like you see in stupid Asian MMORPG's like Maplestory (worst game ever). Instead there's quest grinding, which is still grinding, but I finally submit to the fact that 99% of MMORPG's have to have some grinding of sorts. Besides, you quest grind in WoW too.
I've also completed Loco Roco 2 on the PSP. Its a great game that surpassed my expectations. Never imagined such a game could be that good. I don't think I'll be doing a review on it, but I'll give a quick rating of the game. 9.2/10.
Anyway, I don't think I'll be playing WoW very often anymore. I've had a lot of fun in WoW, especially the crap people can talk about in the global channel. However there isn't really anything else left to do in WoW, and its getting rather boring to have 5 or 6 level 70s.
IGN's game of the year for the PSP kind of makes me go "wtf?"
posted @ 11:56 pm
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Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Need For Speed: Undercover (PSP)
Initially I didn't want to get this game, as the Need for Speed (NFS) series has been deteriorating, especially in terms of its fun. The NFS series has lost its charm since NFS: Carbon came out, and Prostreet was a disaster.
Some few months ago the trailer for NFS: Undercover came out. If one watched it without being told what was it, I bet almost everyone will think that its a trailer for a new movie coming out. Honestly, that trailer was rather enticing, but thinking about the recent NFS releases made me wonder if I should really play it. At that time, I would actually prefer an NFS movie over a game. The trailer is at the end of this review for your viewing pleasure.
Anyway, I got this game mainly because the current state of new games for the PSP is seriously horrendous. There are hardly any good new games coming out at all.
To the main review. EA has decided to go back to the style of NFS: Most Wanted, where cops come into play. When cops, illegal street racing and undercover comes into play, the main storyline is rather predictable. You are an undercover cop who is working to bust some street racing gangs, as well as some car smuggling acts. The story ends with a surprising (or maybe not) twist, but unfortunately, that twist came right at the end of the game, and I felt that the ending was rather abrupt.
The game starts off by throwing you right into a race. A race with one of the best cars available in the game. I have no idea why EA put this in, but it definitely gets you into the mood of the game. You will start off by buying a really slow and ugly car, and progressively throughout the game, you will be able to unlock faster and cooler cars. Cars are unlocked by a bounty system, where you will have to complete races to gain bounty.
The cars are also modifiable, with a comfortable amount of modifications available for you to choose from. Body kits, hoods, spoilers, rims, engine, nitro, those are just some of the modifications that you can make to your car.
Unlike the PC versions of the usual NFS games, you are not able to explore the world and drive around wherever you like. Instead, you choose the events that are currently available for you to race in, and you are immediately placed on the street for racing. I actually prefer this, as it is rather mundane to drive around town just to get to places such as race events or a garage. It just brings you right into the race.
There are also a few types of races that you can take part in. There is the usual races such as circuit laps or a straight track sprint, and there are some unique races where you have to take out a certain number of cops, or outrun an opponent. For the more unique races, you are actually able to drive anywhere in the city (the world is divided into 3 cities), making it slightly close to the open world system PC versions have.
There are some problems with the game though. The way cops drive is beyond the law of physics. They can turn an amazing 180 degrees at unbelievable speeds and go from zero kmh to 300 in a second or two. The AI is also unrealistic. It seems as if the AI players are given a railway track to run on, as they do not seem to be driving according to how a car should operate at all. I've also seen the AI get stuck on the track, making them complete the race in 7 minutes when I complete it in one and a half. What I've also noticed is that the AI will slow down if you happen to be too far back, but don't count on it to win.
When under pursuit by cops, the communications between the cops and their headquarters becomes very annoying. There is hardly any variety in their speeches, and the nagging feeling really kicks in. Thankfully, their conversations can be turned off in the options.
There is also very little engagement in the story. Its mainly text which is read out to you, and the occasional cutscenes which are acted out by real people. The quality of the speech is also poor, and I'm judging this based on the PSP's sound system. This makes it a bit hard to catch up on the storyline, and with so little of the story appearing, you don't really remember much or care much about the story anyway.
The tracks you race on also lack flavour. After a while, the tracks all look the same, with the only difference being the turns and the straights. A little more variety is needed in the environment surrounding the tracks. Also, there are absolutely no shortcuts on the track, and the only destructible objects on the track are cones, benches, basically, small objects. The only time you will be in the air is only when a car hits you really hard, or when there is a hump on the road.
Fortunately, I have to say that the controls for the game are good. All the essential buttons are easily and quickly accessible, and that is important in a fast-paced racing game like this.
Overall, it is a fairly good game to have on the PSP. Solid (but boring) tracks for you to race on, cops, traffic, an AI that is a bit odd, that alone gives a PSP owner quite a lot for a game. It might get a little repetitive when you just go for race after race, but what racing game isn't like that? If played till the end, it guarantees at least eight hours of gameplay. However, if you are looking for a racing game with a PC/360/PS3 standard, this game will not pack much punch.
Some few months ago the trailer for NFS: Undercover came out. If one watched it without being told what was it, I bet almost everyone will think that its a trailer for a new movie coming out. Honestly, that trailer was rather enticing, but thinking about the recent NFS releases made me wonder if I should really play it. At that time, I would actually prefer an NFS movie over a game. The trailer is at the end of this review for your viewing pleasure.
Anyway, I got this game mainly because the current state of new games for the PSP is seriously horrendous. There are hardly any good new games coming out at all.
To the main review. EA has decided to go back to the style of NFS: Most Wanted, where cops come into play. When cops, illegal street racing and undercover comes into play, the main storyline is rather predictable. You are an undercover cop who is working to bust some street racing gangs, as well as some car smuggling acts. The story ends with a surprising (or maybe not) twist, but unfortunately, that twist came right at the end of the game, and I felt that the ending was rather abrupt.
The game starts off by throwing you right into a race. A race with one of the best cars available in the game. I have no idea why EA put this in, but it definitely gets you into the mood of the game. You will start off by buying a really slow and ugly car, and progressively throughout the game, you will be able to unlock faster and cooler cars. Cars are unlocked by a bounty system, where you will have to complete races to gain bounty.
The cars are also modifiable, with a comfortable amount of modifications available for you to choose from. Body kits, hoods, spoilers, rims, engine, nitro, those are just some of the modifications that you can make to your car.
Unlike the PC versions of the usual NFS games, you are not able to explore the world and drive around wherever you like. Instead, you choose the events that are currently available for you to race in, and you are immediately placed on the street for racing. I actually prefer this, as it is rather mundane to drive around town just to get to places such as race events or a garage. It just brings you right into the race.
There are also a few types of races that you can take part in. There is the usual races such as circuit laps or a straight track sprint, and there are some unique races where you have to take out a certain number of cops, or outrun an opponent. For the more unique races, you are actually able to drive anywhere in the city (the world is divided into 3 cities), making it slightly close to the open world system PC versions have.
There are some problems with the game though. The way cops drive is beyond the law of physics. They can turn an amazing 180 degrees at unbelievable speeds and go from zero kmh to 300 in a second or two. The AI is also unrealistic. It seems as if the AI players are given a railway track to run on, as they do not seem to be driving according to how a car should operate at all. I've also seen the AI get stuck on the track, making them complete the race in 7 minutes when I complete it in one and a half. What I've also noticed is that the AI will slow down if you happen to be too far back, but don't count on it to win.
When under pursuit by cops, the communications between the cops and their headquarters becomes very annoying. There is hardly any variety in their speeches, and the nagging feeling really kicks in. Thankfully, their conversations can be turned off in the options.
There is also very little engagement in the story. Its mainly text which is read out to you, and the occasional cutscenes which are acted out by real people. The quality of the speech is also poor, and I'm judging this based on the PSP's sound system. This makes it a bit hard to catch up on the storyline, and with so little of the story appearing, you don't really remember much or care much about the story anyway.
The tracks you race on also lack flavour. After a while, the tracks all look the same, with the only difference being the turns and the straights. A little more variety is needed in the environment surrounding the tracks. Also, there are absolutely no shortcuts on the track, and the only destructible objects on the track are cones, benches, basically, small objects. The only time you will be in the air is only when a car hits you really hard, or when there is a hump on the road.
Fortunately, I have to say that the controls for the game are good. All the essential buttons are easily and quickly accessible, and that is important in a fast-paced racing game like this.
Overall, it is a fairly good game to have on the PSP. Solid (but boring) tracks for you to race on, cops, traffic, an AI that is a bit odd, that alone gives a PSP owner quite a lot for a game. It might get a little repetitive when you just go for race after race, but what racing game isn't like that? If played till the end, it guarantees at least eight hours of gameplay. However, if you are looking for a racing game with a PC/360/PS3 standard, this game will not pack much punch.
Need For Speed: Undercover Trailer (1:04)
Graphics: 7.0
Sound: 6.6
Gameplay: 7.0
Lasting Appeal: 6.0
Overall: 7.0
Sound: 6.6
Gameplay: 7.0
Lasting Appeal: 6.0
Overall: 7.0
posted @ 8:14 pm
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