[ES5] Skyrim Review: Arnold Dracunegger!

It's a little early for a proper review, but the amount of hours I've clocked on Skyrim since it plopped through my letterbox midday Friday kind of rules out me calling it a "first impressions" so here it is - my pseudoreview of Skyrim.

Plot + Sidequests
Dragons. Of course. You can't go two steps this financial year without bumping into a knapsack full of dragons. Hey, can you pass me the salt? - oh, I'm sorry, there's a dragon in the way. Must be because of the Chinese new year.

As usual, you are "the one". In fact, you turn out to be "the one" in a lot of senses. I'm working through a particular guild's storyline and it turns out that not only am I "the one" in terms of being the Dragonborne but I'm also "the one" in terms of being the only person to whom a particularly crispy dead lady will talk. The main story, so far at least, is fairly standard fantasy fare. Dragons bad, kill dragons, use your new found powers to find and kill big badass dragon. Game over.
Well, I say that, I'm not actually far enough through the story to see if Bethesda have thrown in some insane plot twists. I've been far too distracted by the typically bewildering number of side-quests, dungeons, bandit holes, castles, forts, dwemer ruins and guild plots in which to get embroiled.

In Skyrim, as soon as you walk through the city gates there is a scene being played out in front of you. When I entered one city I was witness to a brutal murder, another and I watched as two burly nords bullied a local dark elf, another and a traitor was being brutally beheaded. There is always something happening and something to do. Oblivion had much the same thing, although it felt a bit more structured - you always knew that every town would have a mages guild, fighters guild and a thieves guild, and there would be various little quests to pick up about town but usually you had to go looking for them.

It was a little odd not to be directed straight towards a guild hall. I'd started a sneaky light armoured bowman so I knew I'd be straight off to join the thieves guild, but it was ages before I even knew how to find them and even when I did find out (on a tooltip during one of the loading screens) their base was in a far flung city and it took me a good half an hour to walk there (this was before I discovered the handy horse-and-cart fast travel system). When I eventually could start the thieves guild storyline I wasn't disappointed, I even got to a particularly spectacular part where, having battled with an invisible foe atop a gigantic statue of an elf, I had to find my way out of an Aladdin-esque cave of wonder as it quickly filled with water. And that wasn't even the final quest! When this amount of effort is put into what is essentially a side quest, you know you're on to a winner.


Graphics and Audio
It's a beautiful game, there's no ignoring it. The landscapes are fantastic - at first I worried that the almost constant snow I was experiencing once I got out into the world would obscure the beautiful sweeping landscapes which were so abundant in Oblivion, but once I started to explore and the snowstorm lessened, the vast world spread out ahead of me. One interesting thing to note is their use of light - it really is fantastic, and creates some pretty epic dungeon moments. They've obviously taken a lot of time to get it just right, even to the point of having your eyes take time to adjust to different lighting conditions. I can't really appropriately describe what Skryim is like, so here's a couple of screenshots:

By the way, with that last image - I'd avoid that area if I were you, unless you have an army in tow, of course. Nuff said.

The audio, similarly, is fantastic. They've put together a really beautiful score and it adds to the whole ambiance of every dungeon, sweeping valley or murky castle hall. The ambient sound audio is also excellent, I hurry away from swinging blade traps because the swoosh and slice of those flying axes is almost deafening. I hear most enemies before I see them, particularly howling wolves and the cries of an angry dragon.

I do have one small question though: where on earth did they get the accents for the nords from? You can be speaking to one guy and he will sound like Count Dracula whereas the next will be Arnold Schwarzenegger, one second you're talking to a guy with a Glaswegian bark and the next guy sounds like the Swedish chef from the muppets. It's not a bit issue, just amusing that they've managed to squeeze a linguistic span which traverses almost a whole continent into just one country.

Gameplay
The combat in Skryim has been greatly improved over Oblivion. Magic and physical attacks can now be used simultaneously as you can add different weapons and items to each hand (ie, you could dual wield swords, or have a fire spell in your left and a dagger in your right, you can even dual wield different magic spells and combine their effects). It really adds a new element into designing your character - am I a noble sword and board paladin? Am I a crazy dual axe wielding orc beserker? Am I a wizened old mage with a staff and a lightning bolt spell? Personally I went for the "shoot you in the eye with an arrow from about a mile away and hide" route, and it works pretty well. They've also added in slo-mo killing moves, which add a whole new cinematic feel to close-combat.

What is also quite nice to see is that they've made a concerted effort to introduce the puzzle element back into the game. Whilst, admittedly, most of your adventuring is going to hinge on your combat ability, there is plenty for the sneaky thieves and those who like a good puzzle to get their teeth into. The enhanced menu system really helps here, as you are able to open up your inventory and manipulate every single item in the game. This means that Bethesda can put little puzzles and clues onto an item if they wish - such as the image below (SPOILER btw!) where you have to examine the item in your inventory to learn the combination for the locked door.

Leveling has changed a lot - every action you undertake increases a skill and each time you do this it gives a little exp towards your next level. With the new Fallout 3 style perk system I really look forward to every level I'm able to attain. It adds a nice little bonus for the work you've put in. Plus, with a couple of the perks I've picked up, it means I can slow down time like in the Matrix! Swwweeeeeeettt!

Alright, let's wrap it up:
It's a beautiful game and if you were thinking about getting it then my opinions won't sway you in the matter at all. In fact, from what I can gather almost every person on the planet has a copy of this game by now: my Steam friends list was jam packed with people playing it over the weekend (I myself have almost hit 24 hours which is both depressing and inspiring in almost equal measure).

When I got to Friday evening (having clocked in a good few hours by then) I was starting to question whether Bethesda had made any real advancements from Oblivion, but having played it like a crazed crack addict since then, I can confirm that Skyrim outstrips its predecessor by quite a way and the differences become more apparent the longer you play. Graphics are sharper, audio is richer, gameplay and combat is more varied and interesting, and whilst the plot seems fairly fantasy-standard there are so many side-plots that you will be engaged for months. In many ways its is familiar fare for Elder Scrolls veterans, but it adds so many little tweaks and unusual little changes that you can't help but consume it like Brian Blessed at a wedding reception buffet.

T-t-t-t-touch me!

Games come in all shapes, sizes, formats and age restrictions, but almost every single one has the same tool in common: hands. They hold controllers, flick switches, move mice, press buttons and tear hair out when it all goes to pot. You might argue that in fact the most used tool of a gamer is the brain; a fair point, I’ll concede. However, I’d argue that for the most part whilst you see with your eyes, hear with your ears, think with your brain etc – they all feed that information into actions carried out by the hands.
There are obvious exceptions; Kinect and to a certain extent Wii and Playstation Move remotes employ the whole body, and that strange new game where it measures the electrical activity of the brain and translates that into movement are all examples of such. But for the most part if you want to play a game, you’re going to need to use your hands.

I find it odd, then, that the one thing the hands do best – touch – is a sense which hasn’t really got past the “rumble pack” stage it was at about two decades ago. We have the capacity for such vast experiences through feeling something with our skin. We can tell shape, texture, viscosity, weight, movement and relative force. Thermoception (temperature), equilibrioception (balance) and even nociception (pain) are all wondrous functions which our body permits us to use and yet they are largely (with the exception of balance and the Wii fit system) unexplored in game design.

Of course, it’s an area which would have to be explored delicately. We don’t want developers shocking 12 year olds with 40000 volts, recreating the feeling of being shot in the gut by a high powered 50 cal sniper rifle etc. Furthermore, the ability to replicate the warmth, texture and movement of human skin would have many… *cough* sordid… connotations.

My Racey Dilemma!

I've been in a bit of a dilemma over the past couple of weeks. Gamescom and PAX Prime revved up the GW2 hankering which dwells perpetually within my stomach and I'm finding myself eternally torn when it comes to both races and professions. Racewise, particularly, I find myself facing an inescapable question.

The source of my turmoil lies in an essential question I have to ask myself when I venture into a game world - who am I? Am I me? Will - the human male; 6'3, around 15 stone, all round suave entrepreneur and geekeratti? Or am I something other than that?

Am I Bristleback Firepit: The ferocious charr warrior?

Am I Willem Stillwater: Secondborn sylvari ranger?

Am I Vilhjálmr Nix-talker: Tearaway norn guardian?

Or am I Distilled: genius asuran thief?

I've always been drawn towards the sylvari, they seemed to fit the ranger profession and, having played ranger all the way through my Guild Wars 1 career, I had fully expected to take this choice into the next game. But as I have said in the past, the focus which the ranger places on the pet in the new game just hasn't grabbed my attention. As I began to question my choice of profession, so too did I question my choice of race.

In the initial flurry of excitement over the sylvari redesign I overlooked some of my doubts. I loved the fact that they embraced the leafy design and really focused on the organic growth of the race as a whole, but I don't know whether I fully agree with Ree Soesbee's assertion that the sylvari are a totally new race in the fantasy scene (let's be realistic!). Admittedly, they aren't just humans with leaves attached to them, but they aren't enough of a break from the norm to pull me away, and they aren't exciting enough to pull me away from my new loves: the asura and the charr.

The asura and the charr represent a true step away from the norm. Whilst the sylvari could be seen as essentially humanoid, the two more "animal" like races are very much a step into the other. Their animations are so much more full of life than the humanoid races - they sway and shift their centre of balance in a much more expressive way than what I've seen from the other races. It is this venturing into the unknown; into the territory of the more beastly side of role play which really intrigues me. Having asked myself the question: "Who am I?" I've come out with the answer; "Whoever the hell I want to be!" (possibly adding a: "BITCH!" onto the end of it, if I'm feeling frisky).

ps. I'm hoping to refine my choice later this month when I go to EUROGAMER BABAY! Yay.

Milestones - How can I make Time Faster?

The next big game milestone for me is Batman: Arkham City and that's not until October. That's right - OCTOBER! What on Earth am I going to do till then?

And it's true - when it rains, it pours. November sees Uncharted 3 (still working my way through the first game, but it's a lot of fun and I'll probably eventually get this), Modern Warfare 3, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Saint's Row the Third and, of course, Skyrim. That's going to be one hell of a month.
Ultimately, Skyrim will probably win out and dominate my November, December and pretty much every waking second until Guild Wars 2.

The only problem with this is that I'll be missing out on so many other nuggets of hot fried gold which are on offer.

My Extended Experience - If you know what I mean

The Web 2.0 revolution has come a little late to the gaming scene, they seemed to grasp multiplayer online gaming with both hands - but then it stopped. Social networks, on the other hand, stormed ahead - Facebook, Google+, Skype, YouTube and Twitter are all fantastic behemoths of frontline technology. It seems that now video game developers have realised the potential which the Internet really poses, and are beginning to introduce further "extended experience" elements into their games to allow the video game experience to flow out of the screen and into the rest of the world.


1. Web/Mobile Apps

Web applications allow players to interact with their game without actually having to log in to their console/PC. Typically they take a small section of the game (such as the chat or trade feature) and allow players to interact with this feature from their computer or mobile phone. It's a clever idea; not only does it allow the player to interact more freely and regularly with the game, but also it keeps the game fresh in the gamer's mind at all times.
eg, For FIFA 11 EA introduced their Ultimate Team online web app which allowed players to trade, set their squad and buy player packs without having to turn on their console. Similarly, ANet have reported that Guild Wars 2 will have an "extended experience" app which will have features such as trade and chat (although we don't know a whole lot about that yet).

2. Cross Game Achievements

One of things about making a good game is that you're expected to make a sequel. The problem with this is that you build up a playerbase on your first game, and suddenly everything they've worked for is lost because you want to line your pockets with just a little bit more gold. One way to get around this is to create some way for their achievements to pass over to the next game.
ANet have done this with the Hall of Monuments and it has really rekindled a lot of players' interest in the game. Even with a game as old as Guild Wars, if players feel like they will get advantages in the next game; they will work hard in the current one. Come to think of it, it's almost Biblical.

3. Gamer profiles
People like to know that they are getting one up on other people. If they can compare their scores against another dude then they will feel a kind of visceral, primal wave of euphoria. A nice way to allow players to do this is to add a "player profile". The profile could show stats such as kills, money and achievements earned etc.
It kinda links into my first 2 points: this profile can persist across games (from what I understand this is what EA are doing with the FIFA12 "football club" feature) and be accessible from outside the game (in a web or mobile app).

4. Conventions

As I've mentioned before; the stereotype of the gamer is alone, sitting in the dark with the curtains drawn. But it doesn't have to be that way! Conventions bring large numbers of like-minded people together, they promote the game and encourage social interaction. The biggest of these (more specific - ie, not general gaming like PAX or GamesCon) game conventions is probably BlizzCon, but from what I understand the very first CoD Convention will be coming up in the next couple of months.

5. Alternative Reality Gaming (ARG)

ARGs are a bit of a passion of mine. I haven't talked about them for a while, but that's because my interest in them seems to come in waves. Essentially, the idea is that you create a game in the real world, which can be played out through a number of different mediums. A single person or group of people act as the "Puppetmasters" controlling the game, playing the characters and setting the challenges for the players who must work together to solve puzzles and eventually reach the end.
One of the games to embrace the ARG method is Assassin's Creed. If you've played the game you might remember the cryptic nature of the plot, with numerous codes and puzzles which aren't solved in game. Ubisoft created real world websites and media to help to solve and reveal the answers to these puzzles. Assassin's Creed itself is a virtual reality game but it employed alternative reality gaming techniques as an advertising method. Another example would be the "obey/dismantle"campaign which ANet set up to release the War in Kryta content.
Much like most of the other points I've mentioned, ARGs allow for gamers to come together to solve puzzles where they might ordinarily be playing alone. It allows developers to build upon already existing lore and to further progress the game story.


The whole "extended experience" idea is a really exciting one for me. As an avid ARG follower you really get to appreciate how involving a well played out game can be. If the part of the game where you have to sit in front of a computer for hours was just a small part of a whole web of activities, interactions and challenges which made up the whole "game" then that would be no bad thing.

I am GWetarded

Well, it didn't take long.  Having written this post naught but four days ago, I have been once again gripped by my old nemesis Guild Wars.
I figured, well - that Survivor title ain't gonna survive itself, is it?

*HOLD ON STOP THE POST*

Major fail.

I was typing out this post with guild wars minimised in the background.
Having just worked my way through a few worms, feeling pretty good with myself having reached 500k.
I was holding my vampiric weapon.

It's back to the void for you good sir!

Out with the Stats, in with the Feel

They say that only three things are certain: lies, damn lies and statistics. Numbers and statistics bind you to a constant quest to get that +1, that extra little bit on top of what you already have. Often this quest comes at the expense of enjoyment. How often have you heard people on forums and in game groan about the need to grind to attain this, or to farm to obtain that?


Statistics are an easy fall back concept, they provide that drive for players to keep playing and to keep striving to attain the "best stats". It's not just a compunction held solely by MMO players; having spent the past few weeks playing FIFA Ultimate team, I've realised that those little numbers mean a whole lot to gamers.

1.85m? That's like a WHOLE lotta game time.

My point isn't, I suppose, that statistics and numbers are a bad game mechanic. Of course they have their plus sides. I do, however, wish there was more of an emphasis on how a character/player feels. Perhaps you stumble across a lower league Norwegian player who, in your hands, is a complete goal-scoring machine. This would be the kind of emergent gameplay discovery which would inject some enjoyment back into gaming for me.

Guild Wars 2, of course, is trying to put a bit of "feel" back into gaming. By doing away with the trinity and allowing players to create ad-hoc groups, I'm really hoping that GW2's players will appreciate how their character feels as opposed to what armour rating their +5 helmet of sarcasm is.

Rosicky Belts a Stonker

See more Game Videos at EA.com.

Sorry, just got this and couldn't help but post it...

L.A Noire - Of all the Bars in all the World

Listen Jimmy, we know you've been taking a bit of moolah on the side. Don't play me for a mooch, Jimmy! Otherwise you'll end up in the big house, smoking some hooch-goon's cigar, if you catch my drift.

*cough* *Cough*
Phew... sorry. Possibly spent a little too long in 1940s America. The past few days have been a haze of smokey jazz clubs, seedy bars, old-school police departments and mandatory hat wearing.

"Hughes, you know why you're here. Just put the hat on and we can all go home"

 L.A Noire gives you a real taste of what its like to get into the detective biz. You play Cole Phelps, an ex-soldier working his way through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. You are assigned cases, visit crime scenes, search for evidence, interview witnesses and suspects, take part in shoot-outs, car chases, bar brawls and interrogations.

John  Noble's wrinkled elbow skin face is faithfully recreated in game.

The gameplay when you're moving around the city itself feels very much like Rockstar's signature: the third person "GTA" style sandbox world with AI controlled pedestrians and motorists (complete with the option to commandeer any vehicle you choose - although, this time for police business rather than for picking up hookers). Whereas the more intimate crime scene investigations, interrogations and questioning is a whole other matter. A while back my friend linked me to a video about the new technology which Rockstar were employing in order to allow the player to truly use his or her judgement on how to play a suspect. High-tech Motionscan HD cameras allowed the Rockstar animators to map the real life actors faces in real time, almost every important NPC you see is an in game version of the real actor, complete with facial expressions down to the minutest details. This allows players to use their own judgement when deciding whether a suspect is lying, and when they have to play hard ball to really squeeze out the info (It's even got Greg Grunberg in, and he does that thing when he's concentrating where he turns his head to the side like a confused dog trying to get through a catflap - just like in Heroes!)

The world Rockstar have created is backed up by a really haunting sound track mixed with showtunes, jazz and a Godfather-like score which really ramps up the tension when it's required. Admittedly, the graphics on the terrain, buildings, cars etc are nothing to write home about but that really allows you to focus on the investigative elements.

The story is only really just kicking off in my game, I've worked my way through a couple of departments and there appears to be a couple of side-stories which I assume will all tie together in the end, on the whole it feels very fresh and exciting and it's difficult not to get totally sucked in.

There are, however, a couple of criticisms I would raise (WARNING POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS):

1) The crime scene investigation kinda becomes a case of wandering around and waiting for the controller to shake in order to find clues. Of course, some are easily picked out visually but others require a combing of the scene waiting for the music to stop (indicating that all clues are found).

2) Sometimes you can suss out who is going to be a major suspect and who will be a minor informant by who plays them. For example, I was on a case earlier searching for a killer. I wandered out the back entrance of a bar and ran into a man delivering goods to the bar from the grocers across the street; we interacted for about 30 seconds and then he moved on. Unfortunately, he was played by Brain Krause so you could kinda tell you were going to see him again and he'd have a larger part to play.

3) The actual facial reading has become a secondary thought when trying to interrogate the suspect. Essentially, you look to see if they look away or shift in their seat at any point after you ask them the question. It's a bit of a "tick box" affair. The real challenge is reviewing the evidence you have to see whether you can outright accuse them of lying and prove it, or whether you have to doubt them and hope they'll spill the beans under pressure.

The above criticisms are the kind of problems which are always going to come up with a new technology such as the motionscan used in LA Noire.However, despite these few drawbacks, the game is, quite frankly, brilliant. It is compelling, dramatic, gritty and above all else it's incredibly enjoyable. L.A Noire is a very solid game, and considering it is breaking pretty new ground I think it does a stand up job.

ArenaNet Reveal the Me.. Oh, Engineer!

The Engineer

This is the class I've been waiting for ever since the profession reveals came out. To be perfectly honest I thought they'd save this one for last, but ho'no they decided to blindside me whilst my internet is still down. Well, you can't stop me, ANet; I'm at my parent's house - mooching internet and free meals! Adulthood? SCHMADULTHOOD! *

I'm in your forest, droppin'' bombz!

The Engineer is the "environmental objects" class that ArenaNet staff have been talking about all this time; with the ability to place turrets, kegs of explosives, mines, oil slicks and all manner of dastardly items to mess up your opponents. The rather tasty looking videos up on the Guild Wars 2.com Engineer page show a shmexy Norn lady dropping a mounted machine gun to hold off a hoard of Devourers (she also employs the ever important "cool guys don't look at explosions" rule).

 

Vitally important not to look at explosions, of course, otherwise major cool points can be lost. 

We also see the use of a Grenade Satchel - which comes with equipping a Backpack kit. This ability allows the Engineer to hurl grenades of all shapes, sizes and functions. Think of CoD4 grenade spam, but add more trolls (actually, there are probably fewer trolls in the MMO market... lolololol... *ahem*). 

Roland Rat wouldn't stand for this kitties' bullcrap

It also seems that the Engineer can employ weapon kits and tool kits to further enhance and change their abilities. 

Akin to every other profession, the Engineer has a bit of everything. Some healing through Elixirs and crazy healing chimneas, but also a crapload of damage from a great number of environmental weapons. One of the things I worry about with GW2 is whether it will really kick off with the hardcore crowd - those who love the numbers. The strict rules of the healer/tank/DPS system allow those players who are so inclined to calculate damage per second, to finely tune their skills and gear to suit a specific situation. GW2 has done away with these rigid restrictions, and so players will have to think on their feet and take into account all of the surrounding factors as well as the parameters personal to their character when entering a battle. I really hope the system is robust enough to stand up.

I have to admit, the info on the Engineer is rather sparse, so I'm hoping we get a blog posts up about it fairly soon to further enhance all the stuff we've already been served (and also, to answer some of the questions being posed). Although, all the info I've seen so far has been very encouraging, I'm seriously considering dropping the ranger in favour of this class upon game release.

With this reveal coming second to last it makes me wonder what exciting things they might have in store for the Mesmer. We all know he's coming, and we all know he's going to mess with our brains. We just aren't sure how yet...

*I'm actually now at home, this statement was a lie.

Guest Post: Five Tips for Starcraft 2 Players

The following article was written for verydistilled by Stephen @ Technected.

One of my favorite PC games right now is Starcraft 2. I’m not that great at it, but there are so many wonderful players all over the world. I’m talking pro players; players who get paid to play. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Well for those of us who aren’t that great, there is a lot we can learn by watching some of the pros at work. Luckily for us the IGN Pro League Starcraft 2 tournament just finished up. 

 

I don’t know about you, but I need to plug my computer into my home theater system to get the full excitement of the game. I just use my hdmi cable and I have gameplay with surround sound. It’s amazing. From doing this, I have a list of 5 techniques that many pro players use in order to outwit their opponent.

1. Always be scouting. It is imperative to be scouting the enemy's base nearly the whole game. To actually scout for the entire game is impossible; your scout will be killed. But it is important to know what your opponent is doing so that you can act accordingly. Also it would be good to scout the entire map to see if your opponent is expanding across the map or close by for a cheese.

2. Be flexible. Now that you know about scouting, your opponent will also be scouting your base. If you had a certain build you were going for and your opponent is able to figure it out, he/she will be able to defeat you easily. Be aware of what your opponent sees. You may want to switch your strategy quickly in order to surprise him. Sometimes it isn’t necessary, but it is good to have a backup strategy at least.

3. Cheesing. I don’t know how many people are aware of the technique (I only recently heard about it), but cheesing is a strategy to box your opponent in his/her main base or take a win. Cheesing happens in the beginning of the game in order to surprise the enemy with an unexpected attack or tactic. Common cheeses are building cannons inside the enemy's base, bunkers, or hatcheries. Cheeses aren’t always effective. A good Starcraft 2 player could thwart a cheese easily, but if the conditions are right, even an expert can fall prey to a brilliant cheese.

4. Always create hotkeys for buildings. If your production buildings have a hot key that you can click at any time, from anywhere on the map, it will become easier to multitask in the game. You can focus on one area while also creating units to defend and harvest. For instance, you may put a lot of focus on a cheese. But if that cheese fails, then your base suffers from a counter attack.

5. Lastly, work on balancing your macro and micro game play. I remember when I used to play Starcraft, I would just throw units away and build new ones. The pros micro their troops as to lose as little as possible. However, this can take a lot of energy. And as I stated in number 4, too much focus on one area will make another area suffer. A tip for this, keep your army on a hot key. The tab button will allow you to cycle through your units. When you send your army to attack, make any additional harvesters and buildings while they are marching out. Once they engage the enemy take back control and guide them as expertly as you can. It will take a lot of practice, but if you want to raise your level of game play, it is essential.

Just practice these tips and keep watch for any tournament play. Not only will these tips help, but the players themselves always have some nifty tricks to try out. For best results, pay strict attention to the circumstances and practice, practice, practice.


Stephen is an amateur gamer who writes regularly at Technected. I'd like to thank Stephen for agreeing to write this for me. If you're interested in writing a guest post for my blog (or, indeed, are taking guest posts for your own site and would like me to pen one) then just let me know by email at: will.r.knight@gmail.com

Assassin's Creed: Revalations

'Screed is one the most innovative series out there, and has always been a series which has captured my imagination. Playing each game is like sitting down to watch a new series like Fringe, Heroes etc - you don't know what's going to happen, but you know each little bit of info you are receiving it part of a larger whole. I heard about the latest edition in the AC franchise from The Video Games Blogger.  To be honest "Revelations" is a bit of a non-title - with a game series such as 'Screed, there is always going to be "Revelations". Come on guys - bit more imagination!

Rumours are that the latest story will take place between 1000BC and 2000BC in ancient Greece or Create. This came as a real surprise to me as I expected the story to keep following Desmond's ancestors closer and closer to the present day (Imagine Victorian England and then the Vietnam War!).

[Warning! Certain spoilerage ahead, tread with caution if you plan to play the games]Assassin's Creed 1 followed Altair (12th Century) and his adventures during the time of the Third Crusade. Assassin's Creed 2 introduced us to Etzio (15th Century) and follows him on his lifelong dream to have a bare knuckle fist-fight with the Pope. Having achieved his destiny, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood continues to follow Etzio (now sporting a rather fetching beard) as he gets laid and fires cannons whilst trying to unravel the mysterious messages he received at the end of the previous game.

In a parallel story, we also follow Desmond; a modern day man who has been reliving the above mentioned ancestors' memories through a machine called the animus. The messages which Etzio receives at the end of AC:2 are actually meant for Desmond (and there is a rather pleasingly fourth wall breaking moment when, in the 15th Century, the Goddess Minerva looks directly into the camera - and past Etzio - to address Desmond in 2012).
[/Spoiler]

With the trend seemingly bringing us closer and closer to the present day, it feels strange to take a 2500 year leap back to ancient Greece, but I can certainly see the appeal. Imagine: Triremes and togas, slingshots, gladiators and mythical beasts. 

Interesting link: AC Timeline.



ps. I was going to write an article about Lion's Arch and the lore and changes that have been build up over the years. But I thought it would be remiss of my to write it without having seen the new preview video.

We Gon' Flux it Up Like it's your Birthday

Guys? Really? I go away for like... 4 days and we get Guild Wars updates up the hoo-hah, DDOS attacks on GvG players and the opportunity to become a Guild Wars 2 Ambassador?! Anyway, quick update before I take a look at the Anniversary stuff:

• I still don't have internet access at home - the landline becomes active next Monday and then my broadband provider will have the internet done by the end of that week. So, it's going to be a little longer than I thought before I'm back to daily blogging.
• In addition, apparently the people I work for have read the strict instructions of "you cannot increase the workload" as "increase the workload". So I'm currently facing one hell of a week.

Right, admin out the way - onto the meat of the matter.

  

Recently Guild Wars hit its 6th Anniversary. As Ravious has said over at KTR, it is impressive that Guild Wars is still going strong after so many years and as much as the vocal end of the playerbase might complain after each and every update, there are countless other players who still enjoy it on a daily basis (I've been known to fall into both camps). This year, ANet shook it up a bit with their updates - full details can be read over at the developer update page. Along with Hard Mode quests, Razah becoming some kind of "super" hero and Costume/hat makers being added to presearing - there were a few interesting updates in there - Birthday Tonics, Mutual Friends lists and The Flux.

Birthday Tonics

With each anniversary previous to this one, ANet have released a new set of miniatures and players whose characters have reached their birthday for that year would receive a gift which contained one of those new minis. The upshot of this was that the mini market would grow gradually each year - become ever more diversified and bloated. I imagine there aren't a huge number of new accounts being created each year, but as each player's characters mature and reach their birthdays the market becomes ever more filled with tiny little Rurik’s and Wind Riders. Frankly, the mini market has always confused me and I'm glad they've drawn a line under it.

This year ANet decided to drop the birthday mini and instead release a tonic. Now, when I first saw this I thought - well, that’s just another aesthetic item, just the same as the minis. But actually it's quite clever - it has no effect on gameplay, it doesn't impinge on their costume selling business, it doesn't affect the mini market, and the tonic market is relatively small in comparison. The tonic transforms the user into a legendary NPC or monster, it is everlasting and tradable (so people can liquefy it into money if they so choose it).


Mutual Friends List

Another nifty introduction is the mutual friend list. If you and your friend both have each other on your friend list, you will be able to see where they are at that moment. Its not groundbreaking stuff, but it’s a pretty useful little mechanic. I haven't had a chance to see this yet - but I also imagine it will let you know who your real friends are (as you'll be able to see who has you on their list too) and then you can stop pestering that one monk you met back in '06 who never really seems to want to reply to your PMs. WHY WON'T YOU TALK TO ME!?


The Flux

Probably the biggest change (and the one which has caused the most controversy) has been the introduction of the Flux. The Flux will be an ever changing Meta mechanic which will affect all PvP (from AB/JQ/FA right up to monthly GvG tournaments and HA) - it will change monthly. For example, the first Flux is "Lone Wolf":

Lone Wolf: "If you are not within earshot of an ally, you deal 10% additional damage and take 10% more damage."

Now, where the Flux comes from will take a little bit of lore knowledge so here goes: last October when the Lunatic Court attempted to release the Mad King Thorn from his realm into Tyria all sorts of odd goings on... went... on. Apparently, in their haste to emancipate him, a number of seals were broken and cracks began to form between Tyria and the "Mists". The result of this has been growing instability in places where Tyria and the Mists are closest (i.e., all PvP arenas) - and so, the Flux has occurred (or is occurring, or will occur? Not sure of the tense...).

Now, a lot of people are very excited about this update, and a lot of people are very worried/angry about it. Those who are worried/angry see it as another mechanic which counteracts the balance to which all PvP should be striving - where all skills, builds and professions are equal and all player vs. player interactions are decided on player ability alone. I can see where they are coming from, but I have a counter argument:

You know what I think about balance? Balance is BORING. Balance stays at home on a Saturday night, collecting stamps and watching Antiques Road show. Balance could spend an afternoon alone in a room with a tea cosy and not even consider putting it on his head. Change, however... now that’s where the excitement is. Change spends his Saturdays drunk on rice wine, having hot tub parties with playboy bunnies, snorting coke off an anaconda's back and dancing to hard techno. Change would wear that tea cosy like a boss.

I understand the compulsion to work towards balance, but with 10 professions, numerous primary and secondary profession combinations, hundreds of skills and millions of skill combinations, finding ultimate balance would be nigh on impossible - particularly considering the size of the GW Live Team. The only way to truly create a fun and dynamic PvP environment is to embrace the chaos that all those variables creates. ANet will know sort of what will happen when each Flux is released each month, but they won't know for sure - whatever is dominant in the meta might suddenly become hugely impractical. Eg, if you are running dual E/D Mind Blast spammers with Aura of Restoration, Fire Attunement and Mirage Cloak and then the Flux switches to: "All hexes and enchantments last 50% shorter" you're going to have to rethink your strategy. The Live Team know that they cannot release monthly skill updates to keep the meta fresh and to sort out any kinks which came with the previous update, they simply do not have the time - but they know that with the Flux at least the game will change every month without fail. If players want to be successful in PvP - they will have to learn to ADAPT.


I realise this post is getting on a bit, so I'll wrap it up:
ANet have stated that they are using Guild Wars as a proving ground for mechanics they will be slipping into GW2. So, expect the mutual friends lists and Flux to make its way into the finished product as long as they are well received. If you aren't fond of any of the updates, it's worth voicing your concerns to those in power - they probably won't remove the feature just for you, but they will certainly take your opinion into account.

Alice: Madness Returns comes with free Alice 1 game

[Title extension] "...on the console version"

Video Games Blogger tells me that the console version of Alice: Madness Returns will come with the first Alice game to play through as well. Shweeeeeet. All the more knife-weilding blood fueled card-person frenzies for me then!

This was revealed by American McGee himself in an interview with CVG in which he spoke about the developer’s plans for DLC content (the game will include downloadable dresses with special abilities that you can purchase).

He followed that up by mentioning the Alice 1 deal.



To quote:


“There will be DLC in the form of dresses that the player can download and Alice can wear. Those dresses come with special abilities and enhance how you play through the game. There’s also going to be a pretty significant release which is the original Alice brought over to the consoles so that a person who’s purchased Madness Returns gets a download code and is able to bring Alice 1 onto their console and play through the entire original game alongside playing Madness Returns.”

The game hits the stores (and my PS3) in June.

Here's the article at Video Games Blogger.

I'm a Survivor, I ain't gon' give up!

All that work. So many innocent worms murdered... so many dead Dwarves. Oh god. What have I done? And all for nothing!

 

As you can see, I've gained a bit of experience since my demise. That is mainly because this morning I took out my frustrations on the inhabitants of the Fissure of Woe. 

 

But Will, I hear you cry, it's Monday morning! Why aren't you at work, posting entries filled with pictures stolen from other websites justified by your questionable interpretation of copyright law? I booked a day off! Booyah! Gaming day. To be honest, when you are packing 7 heroes, FoW is a bit of a joke. Nothing really stood in my way, my heroes barely went below 75% health and my energy was absolutely fine.

So - it was a cool 150k or so experience points for 2 hours work. Not bad. Plus I got my hands on 4 obsidian shards, 4 gold items and about 8k worth of gear. All in all - good clean fun.

Also - because the heroes were so good at tearing through mobs, I had a chance to skip through my newly delivered "The Art of Guild Wars 2" (which Amazon is listing for $100 in hardback... odd). There is some really impressive shizno in here; I really hope it all makes it into the game. I'm particularly fond of the Sylvari/Norn stuff. Scrumptious.



So - the rest of my day will be split between browsing some blogs, preparing dinner for myself and the Girl, and generally not getting dressed/bumming around.




Oh, speaking of which... must dash, got fish fingers in the oven!

ps. fish finger sandwiches are best done on wholemeal bread with tartare sauce of plain old ketchup.




EDIT: You jelly?

From Dust - Tech Demo Video

This looks like a really interesting game, kinda like Black and White meets civ/settlers. I shall trawl the web for more info!

From Dust Website

The Sylvari Redesign: Taking a Leaf out of Guru's Book

One of the largest threads on GW2Guru's Tyrian Assembly board is the one focused upon the redesign of the Sylvari. Every player seems to have an idea of what they want (and do not want) the race to end up looking like. The original Sylvari design gave them an appearance which very much reflected the innocence of their character:

Notice: childlike appearance, "Elf" like pointed ears and green complexion.Whilst I see why ANet went down this route, I believe that they can do far more with the race than simply depicting them as "green elves" or "children" of Guild Wars 2, which is what I see above. Whilst the Sylvari are essentially a "new" race in Tyria, they are borne from the Pale Tree with all the working wisdom of their race and I think this needs to be communicated in their appearance.

There are several routes ANet could go down with the redesign, each with their benefits and their downsides:

Make them more "Planty"


Perhaps Avatar of Melandru
could act as inspiration?



This is an idea I really like. In order to distinguish them from humans it might be a nice idea to play on their horticultural origins and give them a far more plant based look than before. With branches and leaves for hair, and stems and shoots growing from the skin, they would be a truly unique MMO race - one which would stand out amongst all the dark elves, dwarves and goblins out there. Quoting Kymeric:

As far as innocence goes, I don't see the need to make them look like wide-eyed children. In fact, I like the tension between something that looks woody and gnarled, but is innocent in heart and mind... A race that looks as ancient as the tree they were born from would make it interesting when they are actually childlike and filled with wonder.

There is, however, a balance to be found - it would be difficult to fit armour over all those branches and twigs. Similarly, we already have a decent description of the Sylvari from Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny, so we can't stray too far.

Make them more "Nightmare Courty"



Look at me, I'm a badass.



One of the most interesting elements of the Sylvari culture is the shady Nightmare Court. The Sylvari are guided by dreams and visions from the Pale Tree, within these dreams there also exists nightmares. These nightmares go largely unexplained by the Sylvari - the Nightmare court embrace the nightmares and attempt to understand them. Their embracing of this terrible way of life corrupts the Sylvari who choose to join the Nightmare Court, and their appearance is suitably changed.

Some players have asked whether some of the concept art for the Nightmare Court might act as inspiration for the Sylvari redesign. Giving them a wholly more dark and gothic feel.

Whilst it might be interesting; there are obvious problems with this suggestion. There is a need to visually distinguish the Sylvari from the Nightmare court, in the same way as we need to distinguish the Sons of Sanvir from the regular Norn. Without this distinction, it would be difficult to tout the Nightmare Court as truly corrupted. They might appear to be nothing more than Sylvari with a different point of view.

Make them more "Elfy"

Ever got halfway through a forest walk
and realise you've forgotten your trousers?

The Elves have been a staple of fantasy stories since Tolkien said "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if there were people who were like humans, right? But better. And with pointy ears". The original Sylvari design was pretty "elfy" to begin with, and a number of players are hoping that ANet haven't totally axed the Elf root entirely. I can see the attraction, the standard fantasy elf has a great deal in common with the Sylvari - an innocence, a connection with nature and a lithe, quick and lean air about them.

The Sylvari could easily be akin to "Wood Elves" or even "High Elves" of Elder Scrolls fame.

ANet have always cleverly danced around the subject of Elves in the past and I've always respected them for that. I believe that going further down the Elf route would be a bit of a cop-out. I hope that ANet have balls enough to do something a little more daring and not pander to the crowd (plus, can you imagine the Charr on Sylvari Elf-porn? No thanks).

Make them more "Bowie"

Have you seen his codpiece in Labyrinth?
 Jesus.

Just kidding.

That would be awesome though, right?

In the end, the new Sylvari design is likely to be an amalgamation of all of these ideas, at least I hope. Players have come up with some really interesting and innovative ideas for the race over the past few months, from TedTheShred's pollen roots whereby the race would have a constant pollen trail leading into the ground to symbolise their link to the Pale Tree, to Ammanelle's photosynthesis depicting flowers and leaves opening up on their skin whilst under the sun to invigorate the Sylvari with greater health regeneration. ANet would do well to listen to their community as they consider where they want to go with the race, they have a real opportunity to do something very exciting with them, I hope they don't pass it up. 

Guild Wars: The Challenges that Remain

There is no doubt about it; with the release of the hero cap and the introduction of mercenary heroes the monsters of Tyria are really taking a beating. There isn't a zone which isn't currently taking a thorough thrashing by teams of Ritualists and Mesmers c-spacing their way to victory amid a cloud of dust, blood and experience points.

So proud when I got this!
Ah - those heady days of Yore

Similarly, with the changes to the "Survivor", "Legendary Defender of Ascalon" and "Drunkard" titles, a lot of players who might not have thought it possible are now considering a run on the "God Walking Amongst Mere Mortals" title. GWAMM being one of the highest PvE accomplishments a player can achieve in Guild Wars; it is astounding to stand in Lion's Arch and watch the many many messages of "John Smithington has achieved God Walking Amongst Mere Mortals - the Gods have extended their blessing" - "Smith Johnington has achieved God Walking... blah blah blah" cycle past the chatlog.

So - what remains for the intrepid Guild Wars adventurer? What challenges do we still face? How do we keep the game fresh and interesting when some of the hardest content in the game can be completed by a gnat with severe brain deformities?

The answer is challenges we create for ourselves. Engineering builds and vanquishing areas using only core skills. Finding ways to solo entire explorable zones (Witte Was stylee). Doing elite areas without consumables, PvE skills or advantageous title effects. Etc.

It is up to us as a community to work to keep the game alive, there is only so much we can lump on the developers if we ourselves let our game fall into misuse. All the devs do is give us an environment in which to play. The game only exists as long as there are people to play it, and so the game itself is defined by those players. As long as we are enthusiastic, imaginative, creative, inquisitive and most of all excited about Guild Wars then we can continue to enjoy it to its fullest.

Rift: To Play or not to Play

I'm on the edge of a precipice, or so it feels. It's the same feeling I get whenever I start a major new MMO. I felt it when I started Aion, when I dabbled in WoW and even a little bit when I tried DC Universe Online. If I commit myself, I spend the money on the game, pay for a month, spend 3 hours downloading and installing the stuff, 5 hours queueing to get into a server and then if it all falls flat - well, then I'd feel like a right plonka.

The blogosphere around which I orbit has been a'buzz with Rift information for the past few weeks and I can't help but feel like I'm missing out on something new and exciting. Unfortunately, for every good review I get, there is a bad one. Now, I'm a fairly level headed guy and I know that I should take most reviews with a pinch of salt, but when the evidence is so conflicting it's difficult for me to make up my own mind.

I was speaking with TashaDarke earlier today and she explained it thus:

Think the Guild Wars profession system (you get 3 which you can change at will) and Guild Wars 2′s dynamic events & grouping (has a few issues but that’s another blog post), with Aion’s looks and WoW-post-Cataclysm feel & crafting. Its not better than other MMOs, its just a less broken system than the others.

Tasha's assertion is supported by other reviews:

Generally speaking this game plays virtually identically to warcraft, even to things like the menu options to switch on extra bottom and right hand menu bars!

I tried the game because I dont like where warcraft has ended up, I prefer a more perenial immersive sandbox experience, rather than spoon fed button mashing repetition experience. But this game is so similar to wow its ridiculous. (Unfortunately all developers seem to be desperate to emulate warcraft and so are all of this ilk).


And so if you love warcraft, you will like this.... but erm hey warcraft has years of content under its belt so erm.... just play warcraft instead.

It's inevitable that most popular P2P MMOs (and MMOs in general) will be compared with the big Daddy of them all. WoW has taken the MMO genre to its highest level yet and many a game designer could learn a lot from the tomes in Blizzard's dusty halls. I also understand that a lot of the old school WoWers are looking to Rift to be a replacement to what they view to be a severely broken game. Consequently, if Rift is going to be trying to tap into the disillusioned WoW player demographic (a big one, I'm sure) then I'm confident that it will flourish at first - although I don't have much faith that it'll nab many real loyal fans.

I think my main concern about Rift is that it doesn't appear to be adding anything new to the MMO genre, and I'm not sure I should reward this cowardice with my playtime and my hard earned moolah. I'll probably give it a few months for the dust to settle and to find out what the players think about the game in it's entirety.

Taking the Pee outta PvP: ANet's WvWvW

Nowadays we are spoilt for player vs player gaming. Not much more than 7/8 years ago the majority of games were primarily single player, with the possibility of multiplayer (if you had an additional controller or friends who were willing to cart their xbox and an extra telly over to your house and remember all the cables). Multiplayer was an addition to the single player campaign, I played Medal of Honor through without "pwning" anyone but Nazis. I played Black and White online once but my creature made friends with the enemies' monkey and we agreed to kiss and make up. Good times.

With ArenaNet keeping suspiciously quiet about how their WvWvW player vs player instances will work, I've been thinking about my experiences in the multiplayer online arena and how my absolutely ideal PvP games would work.

Objective Based Gameplay

Some people like to drop themselves into an arena and just hit their opponent. These people play Team Deathmatch on Black Ops and Random Arenas in Guild Wars. I totally understand the need to taste the blood of thine enemy, but when it comes to the crunch, I'd much rather play Domination or Jade Quarry. Objectives add an extra spice to PvP, in many games you get praise for being an "objective player" as opposed to a "kill-whore" who just hunts enemy players. I'd like a PvP system which rewards both of these types of play, but encourages objective-based players. For example:

Perhaps we could have an arena with strategic outposts to capture (in strategically advantageous positions or applying advantages to the side which holds it). Obtaining and controlling these outposts would give the players points (it's important to reward not just capturing the point, but also defending it). Players would easily get their fix of death and destruction whilst battling to an outpost and whilst defending it, but more strategic "objective" players can fill their boots with identifying key outposts and capturing/defending them.

It's also important that the outposts mean something. This was a problem I had with Alliance battles; from a lore standpoint, I couldn't see why we were capturing the points. In Jade Quarry, we were making sure that our turtles could mine Jade from the seabed, in Fort Aspenwood we were breaking down the defenses of a Kurzick stronghold in order to stop them producing their final weapon. In AB we captured points because... well, because the game said we had to. In my ideal PvP there would be a justification for us fighting to the top of a hill to capture a shrine or a windmill etc. Perhaps us fighting to the entrance of a mine would allow our catapults to reload faster due to a more abundant supply of boulders for yacking?

Ongoing Struggle

I'd like my battles to feel like they mean something, not just for my stats or for the thrill of victory, but for my actions to have a lasting impression on the battlefield. In the traditional "arena" type battles, you fight your enemy, perhaps you win, perhaps you lose and when the dust settles all you have to show is a certain number of points (depending upon whether you won or not). There is no lasting impression and all your hard work doesn't really mean anything once the timer runs down.

ANet have promised large scale World vs World battles with ongoing battles which players can drop in and out of. This sounds exactly what I'm looking for. I like the idea of an expansive battlefield, which could house large scale battles and sieges, but also allow for small groups of players to employ flanking and stealth tactics to gain ground behind the enemy lines (this would really utilise the Thief/Ranger's stealth abilities). For example:

World A are sieging World B's fortress, B are holding strong but they can't last forever, they are being picked off slowly and they are having trouble finding the resources to keep the gate repaired. B send out a group of Thieves to flank the enemy and capture a nearby watermill to help increase production and get their catapults/gates back up to full functionality. The flanking group are able to sneak past the sieging forces and capture the mill, but in doing so World A's army becomes aware that they have escaped, sending their own counter force out to recapture the outpost. Now, having had to split their forces, A's army is weakened and B are able to push them further back from their walls.

That kind of flowing battle awareness would be far more exciting than the long slogs of the Aion fortress captures or pinning the enemy in their base in Guild Wars' Alliance Battles. Over time, World B might push World A further and further back - different players dropping in here and there and employing different strategies each time (capturing cliffsides to gain a height advantage, setting traps and lying in wait for their enemy - see my Mesmer post for my ideas on this!). Players would feel empowered because their decision to come up with an inventive strategy might have a real impact upon the outcome of the war.

Skill Based Gameplay
Guild Wars did a brilliant job of removing the advantage given by "epic gear" or having a higher level. I understand that you can still create a PvP character that will be on equal terms with other players in the arena and I'm glad ANet haven't abandoned the level playing field entirely despite the higher level cap in Guild Wars 2. Success in Guild Wars 1 PvP revolved around having a better build, knowing how to use it and playing a tactically better game than the opponent.

The most "serious" I ever got in GW PvP was playing ladder matches in Hero Battles (I was in the top 200! Although only like 2000 people ever played it). In HB you directed your 3 AI controlled heroes to shrines and attempted to outplay and out maneuver your opponent and his heroes. A lot of players didn't like HB because it resembled too closely the AI controlled elements of PvE - but those who played it knew it was actually an incredibly strategic game. You needed to know which of your heroes could survive against/kill which of your opponents heroes - you needed to learn when to back off and concede a shrine and when to rush and collapse on a single unwitting hero.

I liked HB because you knew that every other player had exactly the same tools available to them as you did, but you played a better game. You ran your heroes better than him and planned your tactics more efficiently. Your victories weren't as a result of your luck in getting "uber blue gold helmet drops" it was because you outplayed them. It was less WoW, more Chess.



So, there it is. Objectives, Strategy and Equality. My three tenets of a good PvP battle. I'm hoping that ANet have adhered to at least a couple of them in their new formats, Aion almost got there, but their fortress sieges were just gank fests and the "Abyss" was just a PvE area with roving bands of angry Asmodians...
Ultimately, if ANet can create a PvP environment which feels flexible and immersive, then I'll be a happy Sylvari.

Or Norn.

Or Asura.

...