Showing posts sorted by date for query MOBA. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query MOBA. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Friday, November 1, 2013
NewNews - 3 Year Anniversary
It's been 3 years as of today since I started this blog, it's crazy! I wasn't sure how persistent I was going to be with writing so much from day to day, but somehow I've been doing this for 3 years! Through these 3 years, we have seen Keiji Inafune leave Capcom and recently start up his campaign for Mighty No. 9 which raised over $4 Million. We have seen the rise in popularity of indie games and MOBA. We experienced the return of Fighting games back into the main stream community of gamers. Tons of MMOs turn Free-to-Play and Valve launches the Steam Greenlight program and lots of games get brought to steam. A lot has happened and it's kind of wonderful to be part of it. I wonder how long I'll be able to keep this up. In any case, thank you for all the support for those who have visited and a Happy third year anniversary to this blog!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Retroview - Demigod
Official Site: http://www.demigodthegame.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/202710/
Source: Youtube Channel IGN
Before League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, DotA 2, and many other Massive Online Battle Arena games (MOBA), Gas Powered Games (Dungeon Siege 1&2, Supreme Commander 2) tried their hand at an original game inspired by the Warcraft 3 Custom game map "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA 1). During the time Demigod was announced, I had already played DotA for several years and was excited to see that a developer was going to take on the mechanics and concept of the game and make an original one without the limitations of the Warcraft 3 engine. So why is it that such a good looking game is so unknown/forgotten to the gaming community? To put it simply, there were a lot of problems with the game and I see them even more clearly now than before since the release of so many other successful MOBAs. You could say that the lack of experience Gas Powered Games had with such a new genre of gaming could be blamed as LoL, HoN and DotA 2 all have members with close ties, experience and work to the original DotA 1 game. I might miss out on mentioning certain aspects as I delve back into analyzing the game, but I'll try my best to explain what developers have learned about making a "DotA-like" game since the release of Demigod.
Things Demigod did well:
+ Obviously not having to be limited to the models of Warcraft 3 models, the developers were able to craft and create unique and original characters. DotA 1's characters had many references to other videogames, animé characters and such. A lot of LoL character's also reference videogame characters and animé characters pretty closely. HoN are nearly direct emulations of DotA characters with different names and looks while DotA 2 recreates and refines the characters of DotA 1. So it really was nice seeing very different characters in Demigod.
+ Skills, items, gold, Health and Mana are neatly organized into a clean bar on the bottom that doesn't take up a large portion of the screen.
+ All the skills and items are lined up into one row of keys instead of being all over the place. Obviously, all other MOBAs did this because it made sense.
+ Games are highly customizable. DotA 2 has a fair amount of customization, which is cool. In Demigod, there are 4 different modes, the ability to change spawn rate, death penalty, experience rate, starting gold, and such. With such diverse rule changes, lots of different custom games can be played with friends.
Things Demigod got wrong:
- First and foremost, online multiplayer connections had lots of problems when the game first came out. It was a tough challenge for the developers to resolve them all. DotA 1 also had problems with connection. Most MOBAs now allow the ability to re-establish connection or re-join if their game/computer crashes.
- A team-orientated game requires lots of intense coordination and movement, so it's a big problem when characters in the game react 1-2 seconds after your command. A lot happens in 1-2 seconds during a team-fight.
- Lifebars on both Demigods and minions look the same. In a sea of enemies and allies, the inability to distinguish the two impedes on the competitive gameplay in an online match.
- You can't see the health of your team mates unless you're near them or hover your mouse over them. A mod was made just so the player could see the condition of their team's health.
Great ideas that weren't executed very well:
* The background graphics are beautiful. They're amazing! But the problem is that they also take up resources, slows down the fps, and makes the game lag. This leads up to another idea that doesn't work too well.
* Full camera control. Aesthetically, it's nice to be able to zoom in and all the way out, change the angle and rotate the camera to see the background. But in terms of cohesive usage in gameplay coordination, problems arise. For one, it's hard to find that balance to how you want the camera to be facing when in battle and any position you put may not feel right. This also affects team-play coordination when calling out positions of the map and the orientation of each player's camera will change how they see the battlefield. Pings can help only so much.
* All items within one shop at base and one secret shop in the battlefield. One of the hardest things I had to learn playing DotA 1 was where each item was found in one of the 10-14 shop keepers around the map. Demigod did a pretty good job of categorizing the items by types: Helmets for Mana, gloves for attack, armor for defense, etc. The problem was that items had vast stat differences which causes an imbalance in gameplay as those that get ahead stays ahead with the items that they get. For this reason, many MOBAs still have items in pieces before it becomes one strong item rather than having lots of strong items as a stand alone.
* Skill builds. Demigod provides different passive and actives for the player to acquire which leads the player to having different builds depending on the situation and playstyle. The problem is that it's one mess of a wall during an intensely paced multiplayer game. The window covers up the entire screen and obscures the view of the battlefield. Most MOBAs have stuck with the usual formula of having 3-5 upgradeable skills that shows up on their skill palette.
* Lots of Maps (8 in total). Having a variety in maps was really nice considering DotA 1 only had that one map. But the problem was the way the maps were designed. A lot of them had open pathways which made it easy to see who was coming and going. Towers are almost right next together, and some Demigod can attack them at very safe distances from their own tower's protection. It was difficult to make plays with team mates to gank, assist and distract because of how the maps were orientated.
* 10 unique characters with different builds. Despite the different builds each character can go for, the small roster of 10 characters made it rather boring for a lot of players. By the time Demigod came out, DotA 1 already had over 70+ characters are so. MOBAs such as LoL has over 100 characters now.
*Lots of ideas put into a mess. There are a lot of ideas behind Demigod: deep character skill builds, a neater shop, lots of different maps, various game modes, etc. But the lack of character variety, item imbalance, undynamic maps, delayed character reactions to player commands, a skill chart that covers the whole screen, and the many other flaws pointed out makes it difficult to enjoy for various reasons (bored with the same characters, imbalanced for competitive play, lack of team involvement because of map orientation, etc.).
I'm pretty sure I missed out a lot of points, but I want to show just how much effort and progress developers have made towards the new MOBA genre to get to the point we have reached in LoL, HoN, and DotA 2 as well as other MOBAs (I've recently played Solstice Arena and am very impressed with it). Don't get me wrong, Demigod is actually a pretty fun game (at least playing against computer AI in single-player is), but the various problems with the competitive and online multiplayer side of the game kills the longevity of the community and their interest in the game. I bought Demigod over the Steam weekend sale for nostalgic purpose ever since the first time I tried it back 4 years ago and had a bit of fun with it. But it also showed me just how far this genre has gone since then and what the industry has learned from it.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/202710/
Source: Youtube Channel IGN
Before League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, DotA 2, and many other Massive Online Battle Arena games (MOBA), Gas Powered Games (Dungeon Siege 1&2, Supreme Commander 2) tried their hand at an original game inspired by the Warcraft 3 Custom game map "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA 1). During the time Demigod was announced, I had already played DotA for several years and was excited to see that a developer was going to take on the mechanics and concept of the game and make an original one without the limitations of the Warcraft 3 engine. So why is it that such a good looking game is so unknown/forgotten to the gaming community? To put it simply, there were a lot of problems with the game and I see them even more clearly now than before since the release of so many other successful MOBAs. You could say that the lack of experience Gas Powered Games had with such a new genre of gaming could be blamed as LoL, HoN and DotA 2 all have members with close ties, experience and work to the original DotA 1 game. I might miss out on mentioning certain aspects as I delve back into analyzing the game, but I'll try my best to explain what developers have learned about making a "DotA-like" game since the release of Demigod.
Things Demigod did well:
+ Obviously not having to be limited to the models of Warcraft 3 models, the developers were able to craft and create unique and original characters. DotA 1's characters had many references to other videogames, animé characters and such. A lot of LoL character's also reference videogame characters and animé characters pretty closely. HoN are nearly direct emulations of DotA characters with different names and looks while DotA 2 recreates and refines the characters of DotA 1. So it really was nice seeing very different characters in Demigod.
+ Skills, items, gold, Health and Mana are neatly organized into a clean bar on the bottom that doesn't take up a large portion of the screen.
+ All the skills and items are lined up into one row of keys instead of being all over the place. Obviously, all other MOBAs did this because it made sense.
+ Games are highly customizable. DotA 2 has a fair amount of customization, which is cool. In Demigod, there are 4 different modes, the ability to change spawn rate, death penalty, experience rate, starting gold, and such. With such diverse rule changes, lots of different custom games can be played with friends.
Things Demigod got wrong:
- First and foremost, online multiplayer connections had lots of problems when the game first came out. It was a tough challenge for the developers to resolve them all. DotA 1 also had problems with connection. Most MOBAs now allow the ability to re-establish connection or re-join if their game/computer crashes.
- A team-orientated game requires lots of intense coordination and movement, so it's a big problem when characters in the game react 1-2 seconds after your command. A lot happens in 1-2 seconds during a team-fight.
- Lifebars on both Demigods and minions look the same. In a sea of enemies and allies, the inability to distinguish the two impedes on the competitive gameplay in an online match.
- You can't see the health of your team mates unless you're near them or hover your mouse over them. A mod was made just so the player could see the condition of their team's health.
Great ideas that weren't executed very well:
* The background graphics are beautiful. They're amazing! But the problem is that they also take up resources, slows down the fps, and makes the game lag. This leads up to another idea that doesn't work too well.
* Full camera control. Aesthetically, it's nice to be able to zoom in and all the way out, change the angle and rotate the camera to see the background. But in terms of cohesive usage in gameplay coordination, problems arise. For one, it's hard to find that balance to how you want the camera to be facing when in battle and any position you put may not feel right. This also affects team-play coordination when calling out positions of the map and the orientation of each player's camera will change how they see the battlefield. Pings can help only so much.
* All items within one shop at base and one secret shop in the battlefield. One of the hardest things I had to learn playing DotA 1 was where each item was found in one of the 10-14 shop keepers around the map. Demigod did a pretty good job of categorizing the items by types: Helmets for Mana, gloves for attack, armor for defense, etc. The problem was that items had vast stat differences which causes an imbalance in gameplay as those that get ahead stays ahead with the items that they get. For this reason, many MOBAs still have items in pieces before it becomes one strong item rather than having lots of strong items as a stand alone.
* Skill builds. Demigod provides different passive and actives for the player to acquire which leads the player to having different builds depending on the situation and playstyle. The problem is that it's one mess of a wall during an intensely paced multiplayer game. The window covers up the entire screen and obscures the view of the battlefield. Most MOBAs have stuck with the usual formula of having 3-5 upgradeable skills that shows up on their skill palette.
* Lots of Maps (8 in total). Having a variety in maps was really nice considering DotA 1 only had that one map. But the problem was the way the maps were designed. A lot of them had open pathways which made it easy to see who was coming and going. Towers are almost right next together, and some Demigod can attack them at very safe distances from their own tower's protection. It was difficult to make plays with team mates to gank, assist and distract because of how the maps were orientated.
* 10 unique characters with different builds. Despite the different builds each character can go for, the small roster of 10 characters made it rather boring for a lot of players. By the time Demigod came out, DotA 1 already had over 70+ characters are so. MOBAs such as LoL has over 100 characters now.
*Lots of ideas put into a mess. There are a lot of ideas behind Demigod: deep character skill builds, a neater shop, lots of different maps, various game modes, etc. But the lack of character variety, item imbalance, undynamic maps, delayed character reactions to player commands, a skill chart that covers the whole screen, and the many other flaws pointed out makes it difficult to enjoy for various reasons (bored with the same characters, imbalanced for competitive play, lack of team involvement because of map orientation, etc.).
I'm pretty sure I missed out a lot of points, but I want to show just how much effort and progress developers have made towards the new MOBA genre to get to the point we have reached in LoL, HoN, and DotA 2 as well as other MOBAs (I've recently played Solstice Arena and am very impressed with it). Don't get me wrong, Demigod is actually a pretty fun game (at least playing against computer AI in single-player is), but the various problems with the competitive and online multiplayer side of the game kills the longevity of the community and their interest in the game. I bought Demigod over the Steam weekend sale for nostalgic purpose ever since the first time I tried it back 4 years ago and had a bit of fun with it. But it also showed me just how far this genre has gone since then and what the industry has learned from it.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
GameLight - Solstice Arena (Steam)
Official Site: http://www.solsticearena.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/240380/
Source: Youtube Channel SolsticeArena
Five months ago, I mentioned a new MOBA in the making that was releasing on mobile devices such as iPhone and iPad. It was a bit of a surprise to see it on Steam yesterday and I decided to try it out. I was a bit hesitant about the decision since it's published and seemingly developed by Zynga who are known for questionable practices in the Videogame industry. What gave me some hope was that the game was being developed by "A Bit Lucky" studios before they joined Zynga in finishing the product before putting it out in the market. Solstice Arena boasts itself for being the first Speed-MOBA in the market which delivers fast and exciting PvP matches. It takes out minions to farm, lanes to gank and focuses on positioning and utilizing the abilities of all the characters in the team. What's left is a bare-bones PvP action that, surprisingly, was a lot of fun.
Some Pros:
+ Eased into the game: tutorial isn't long and the game has the player play at least one bot match and one co-op match before they're thrust into a real match between players so that they can familiarize themselves with the characters, items, mechanics and map.
+ Matches are short: You don't have to invest a lot of time to get the excitement and action of player vs. player. Even if you lose, it was a short duration and you can jump right back in for another match.
+ Various characters and skills: The characters are rather distinguished and fun, though missing a bit of personality with the lack of story. Each match is dynamic and different as each player will have their own playstyle and different composition of characters brings something new to the game.
+ Intense PvP: A lot of abilities are skill shots which requires aiming and timing
+ Super easy account creation: I've played dozens of Online games and it's quite frustrating when creating an account is a hassle. The account can be created in-game with a display name, email, username, and password. The game can also be played as a guest before you decide you want to stick with the game and create an account to carry over what you progressed.
+ No chat: Why is this a plus? Because if you've played enough online games, you might be familiar with people who consistently argue, yell, and rage throughout a match and ruin the experience for everyone else. There are in-game pings which is more than enough to communicate with the team and a button to say "GG" (Good Game" to everyone at the end of the match.
+ Fast loading: Get into the game quicker. The game isn't very big and loading is very short. Shorter load times = more play time.
Some Cons:
- Imbalanced characters: Some matches can work against you and you won't be able to do a thing when characters leap towards you, slow, stun, knock up, and burst you down perhaps across the map. It can be a bit depressing, but it reminds me of DotA where characters are balanced by fighting broken with broken. It's not a very balanced game, but it sure makes it fun (so it can be seen as a plus).
- Terrible interface: The game is essentially a straight port of the iPad version. Buttons will even have the words "Tap here" on it. It works well for touch screen, but the interface isn't designed very well or elegantly for PC.
- Graphics aren't very good: The game is a straight port of the iOS version which has a lot of blocky lookin' characters. I actually think the graphics are pretty nice for a game that originated from a mobile device, but there will be players that will be turned off by its presentation.
- No chat: Some people want to yell or maybe playfully jeer at the enemy, and not having any form of communication with the enemy other than saying "GG" at the end of the match might not be what some players want. I have met those who enjoy bullying other players in online games and play those games to feel superior. It's rather depressing...
- The meta-game: Players can level up a character that they play often to make their abilities even stronger. This is an interesting meta-game that's a nice incentive to keep playing a single character and have an advantage over players, but players of all levels are matched up against each other which puts lower solstice level players at an immediate disadvantage.
- Everything is incredibly expensive: If you play League of Legends, 6300 IP already sounds like a lot just to earn enough to buy a new character. Characters can get up to 30,000 points before you can get them unless you use real money to purchase them which might be the whole point. This is Zynga we're talking about, the business portion won't be handled by the developers and you can expect some shenanigans coming from Zynga here.
- Cross-Platform Multiplayer: If I understand this correctly, players on Steam/PC will be playing with players on iPads and iPhones. The controls do look pretty good on iPad, but the fact that the player's hand gets in the way of the display already puts a disadvantage on them. Players on PC will be able to kite, react and cycle through their skills much faster than those on touch screen in general. This isn't much a con for PC players, but I find this really unfair to iPad users who have been supporting them for the past 5 months.
To put it simply, the game isn't perfect but is a whole lot of fun. The action is pretty consistent and the experience isn't ruined by other player's complaints and whining. I'm actually very impressed that the developers found a way to give the player the means to communicate within the game without having to add text/voice chat. The game isn't too hard to learn compared to most MOBAs, but has enough customization and depth to keep it interesting. If anything, it's a fun game to mess around in. Solstice Arena can be downloaded through Steam up on the link above.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/240380/
Source: Youtube Channel SolsticeArena
Five months ago, I mentioned a new MOBA in the making that was releasing on mobile devices such as iPhone and iPad. It was a bit of a surprise to see it on Steam yesterday and I decided to try it out. I was a bit hesitant about the decision since it's published and seemingly developed by Zynga who are known for questionable practices in the Videogame industry. What gave me some hope was that the game was being developed by "A Bit Lucky" studios before they joined Zynga in finishing the product before putting it out in the market. Solstice Arena boasts itself for being the first Speed-MOBA in the market which delivers fast and exciting PvP matches. It takes out minions to farm, lanes to gank and focuses on positioning and utilizing the abilities of all the characters in the team. What's left is a bare-bones PvP action that, surprisingly, was a lot of fun.
Some Pros:
+ Eased into the game: tutorial isn't long and the game has the player play at least one bot match and one co-op match before they're thrust into a real match between players so that they can familiarize themselves with the characters, items, mechanics and map.
+ Matches are short: You don't have to invest a lot of time to get the excitement and action of player vs. player. Even if you lose, it was a short duration and you can jump right back in for another match.
+ Various characters and skills: The characters are rather distinguished and fun, though missing a bit of personality with the lack of story. Each match is dynamic and different as each player will have their own playstyle and different composition of characters brings something new to the game.
+ Intense PvP: A lot of abilities are skill shots which requires aiming and timing
+ Super easy account creation: I've played dozens of Online games and it's quite frustrating when creating an account is a hassle. The account can be created in-game with a display name, email, username, and password. The game can also be played as a guest before you decide you want to stick with the game and create an account to carry over what you progressed.
+ No chat: Why is this a plus? Because if you've played enough online games, you might be familiar with people who consistently argue, yell, and rage throughout a match and ruin the experience for everyone else. There are in-game pings which is more than enough to communicate with the team and a button to say "GG" (Good Game" to everyone at the end of the match.
+ Fast loading: Get into the game quicker. The game isn't very big and loading is very short. Shorter load times = more play time.
Some Cons:
- Imbalanced characters: Some matches can work against you and you won't be able to do a thing when characters leap towards you, slow, stun, knock up, and burst you down perhaps across the map. It can be a bit depressing, but it reminds me of DotA where characters are balanced by fighting broken with broken. It's not a very balanced game, but it sure makes it fun (so it can be seen as a plus).
- Terrible interface: The game is essentially a straight port of the iPad version. Buttons will even have the words "Tap here" on it. It works well for touch screen, but the interface isn't designed very well or elegantly for PC.
- Graphics aren't very good: The game is a straight port of the iOS version which has a lot of blocky lookin' characters. I actually think the graphics are pretty nice for a game that originated from a mobile device, but there will be players that will be turned off by its presentation.
- No chat: Some people want to yell or maybe playfully jeer at the enemy, and not having any form of communication with the enemy other than saying "GG" at the end of the match might not be what some players want. I have met those who enjoy bullying other players in online games and play those games to feel superior. It's rather depressing...
- The meta-game: Players can level up a character that they play often to make their abilities even stronger. This is an interesting meta-game that's a nice incentive to keep playing a single character and have an advantage over players, but players of all levels are matched up against each other which puts lower solstice level players at an immediate disadvantage.
- Everything is incredibly expensive: If you play League of Legends, 6300 IP already sounds like a lot just to earn enough to buy a new character. Characters can get up to 30,000 points before you can get them unless you use real money to purchase them which might be the whole point. This is Zynga we're talking about, the business portion won't be handled by the developers and you can expect some shenanigans coming from Zynga here.
- Cross-Platform Multiplayer: If I understand this correctly, players on Steam/PC will be playing with players on iPads and iPhones. The controls do look pretty good on iPad, but the fact that the player's hand gets in the way of the display already puts a disadvantage on them. Players on PC will be able to kite, react and cycle through their skills much faster than those on touch screen in general. This isn't much a con for PC players, but I find this really unfair to iPad users who have been supporting them for the past 5 months.
To put it simply, the game isn't perfect but is a whole lot of fun. The action is pretty consistent and the experience isn't ruined by other player's complaints and whining. I'm actually very impressed that the developers found a way to give the player the means to communicate within the game without having to add text/voice chat. The game isn't too hard to learn compared to most MOBAs, but has enough customization and depth to keep it interesting. If anything, it's a fun game to mess around in. Solstice Arena can be downloaded through Steam up on the link above.
Monday, May 6, 2013
GameLight - Solstice Arena
Official Site: http://www.solsticearena.com/
It is evident that Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBA) or DotA-like games have become a popular genre in the market of games, and thus many developers try their shot at making the next successful MOBA. One particular game that's in the works is Solstice Arena. The "A Bit Lucky" team joined Zynga in the project in hopes of delivering and exciting mobile experience to the masses. Many problems arises with this project. Lots of MOBAs are available for PC, consoles, and mobile devices, so what exactly do they have to offer over others? (Hopefully something better, right?) Zynga has proven themselves to be successful in the past, but much of their revenue comes from casual players. Considering on how complex and steep the learning curve is for most MOBAs, can they really attract casual players to the game? They also claim that the game is both for casual players and hardcore players. For hardcore players of MOBAs, communication is key to good teamwork. Will they be able to provide that for hardcore players? I'm not saying that this will be a bad game or that they should give up, but they are valid points to address when they're developing the game. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to testing it out when it releases.
It is evident that Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBA) or DotA-like games have become a popular genre in the market of games, and thus many developers try their shot at making the next successful MOBA. One particular game that's in the works is Solstice Arena. The "A Bit Lucky" team joined Zynga in the project in hopes of delivering and exciting mobile experience to the masses. Many problems arises with this project. Lots of MOBAs are available for PC, consoles, and mobile devices, so what exactly do they have to offer over others? (Hopefully something better, right?) Zynga has proven themselves to be successful in the past, but much of their revenue comes from casual players. Considering on how complex and steep the learning curve is for most MOBAs, can they really attract casual players to the game? They also claim that the game is both for casual players and hardcore players. For hardcore players of MOBAs, communication is key to good teamwork. Will they be able to provide that for hardcore players? I'm not saying that this will be a bad game or that they should give up, but they are valid points to address when they're developing the game. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to testing it out when it releases.
Monday, January 7, 2013
GameOn - Games of 2012 - Played and Liked
Hopefully everyone had a great holiday season and is prepared for the new year. 2012 was an amazing year for gamers as it was filled with tons of wonderful titles. It was one of the funnest years for gaming despite the decline in retail sales in the market. For this week, there will be a GameOn reviewing 2012. I'll be going through games I played and enjoyed, played and disliked, great games I missed out on, games I'm probably glad I didn't get, and a final pick of games I would personally recommend from 2012.
These are the games I played in 2012 that I enjoyed:
Highlights
Awesomenauts (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel ronimogames
The game looks silly and absolutely absurd, but I believe that's part of the charm to the game. It's made to be a 2D MOBA, but is probably better understood as an Action-Platformer Tower-Defense game. I was pretty hesitant about getting the game as I wasn't sure how populated the game was as most multiplayer-intensive games I've purchased in the past end up being empty or bad. Thankfully, as the game got 3 sales within the last 3 months of 2012 the population rose and provided some really fun games. The game's fairly easy to learn but still challenges even the most hardcore of players. It was one of the most delightful games I played in 2012 and hope that it continues to grow in popularity as time passes on.
Chivlary: Medieval Warfare (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel TornBannerStudios
I played a bit of the original Half-Life 2 mod back a while ago and enjoyed concept of medieval fights with swords, shields, and lopping heads off. So when I heard that a stand-alone version was finally going to be made, I was happy for them and was ready support them when I could. During the Steam Winter Sales not long ago, I bought the game and finally got a chance to play it one night for about 3 hours. Although the game felt familiar from the original, the improvements were evident and limitations were lifted. The game's a lot of fun mixed with a lot of frustration. Thankfully, winning isn't a big part of the game. It's all the fights and kills you racked up that makes this a fun distraction to hop into and mess around in much like in Team Fortress 2. So far, the community is very strong and hopefully continues to grow throughout this year.
Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel mentaldagger
I mentioned this game quite often throughout the year and finally started playing it only to find that the game was significantly more challenging than I had anticipated. I started the game playing on the hardest difficulty as my friend in this video did and completed the game. It was definitely possible to get through the game, but there was a lot more grinding and persistence required just to get to the next part of the game. I had restarted the game on the easiest level and am still able to enjoy the game as it reminds me of the Castlevania games I've played in the past. It's tough trying to get this game under $10, but it's worth it if Action-Adventure games is your thing.
Hotline Miami (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel DevolverDigital
This was probably the most surprising game of the year for me. I had no intention of getting the game after seeing the cover art and some of the gameplay. But day after day, I saw this game pop up on blogs, reviews, and comments of how great this game was. I decided to give it a chance when it got a 50% off deal during the Steam Winter Sales. The game's a puzzle game! It's weird to say and it's not listed as so, but that's what it is. The player must find the quickest and most efficient way to kill off all the enemies of each floor without getting killed themselves which was pretty easy considering all it takes is one hit or one shot. The action is fast-paced, challenging, completely hilarious, and has one heck of a soundtrack to match it up. I also really like how visceral the game feels. From the graphics to the sound effects, all the action the player makes has a very tangible feel to them and it makes each kill feel very satisfying.
Persona 4 Arena (PS3)
Source: Youtube Channel AtlusUSA
I wasn't planning on getting the game so early as I haven't even played the original Persona 4 game yet and do not know the story or characters. Still, I had friends who really enjoyed the game and urged me to get the game. After about 20-30 matches, I have come to the realization that Persona 4 Arena is possibly the most accessible 2D fighting game I have ever played that anyone can pick up and play. The mechanics to the game are universal through all the characters and they're as simple as mashing one button to do an incredible combo. Because of this, I was able to convince all my friends who don't play fighting games to give it a chance. A lot of fighting games were released in 2012, and I believe this was the most unique and original title to come out throughout the year.
The other games I played:
-Ace of Spades
-Blacklight: Retribution
-BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
-Borderlands 2
-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
-Diablo 3
-DotA 2
-Dragon's Dogma
-Dustforce
-eXceed Collection
-FTL: Faster Than Light
-Forge
-Guild Wars 2
-Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Ultimate Boy
-Heroes of Ruin
-Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
-Legend of Grimrock
-New Super Mario Bros. 2
-Phantasy Star Online 2 (Jp)
-PlanetSide 2
-PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
-Primal Carnage
-RaiderZ
-Realm of the Mad God
-Resident Evil: Revelations
-Sine Mora
-Street Fighter x Mega Man
-Street Fighter x Tekken
-Symphony
-Tekken Tag Tournament 2
-TERA Online
-Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
-The Darkness 2
-Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD
-Torchlight 2
-Tribes: Ascend
These are the games I played in 2012 that I enjoyed:
Highlights
Awesomenauts (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel ronimogames
The game looks silly and absolutely absurd, but I believe that's part of the charm to the game. It's made to be a 2D MOBA, but is probably better understood as an Action-Platformer Tower-Defense game. I was pretty hesitant about getting the game as I wasn't sure how populated the game was as most multiplayer-intensive games I've purchased in the past end up being empty or bad. Thankfully, as the game got 3 sales within the last 3 months of 2012 the population rose and provided some really fun games. The game's fairly easy to learn but still challenges even the most hardcore of players. It was one of the most delightful games I played in 2012 and hope that it continues to grow in popularity as time passes on.
Chivlary: Medieval Warfare (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel TornBannerStudios
I played a bit of the original Half-Life 2 mod back a while ago and enjoyed concept of medieval fights with swords, shields, and lopping heads off. So when I heard that a stand-alone version was finally going to be made, I was happy for them and was ready support them when I could. During the Steam Winter Sales not long ago, I bought the game and finally got a chance to play it one night for about 3 hours. Although the game felt familiar from the original, the improvements were evident and limitations were lifted. The game's a lot of fun mixed with a lot of frustration. Thankfully, winning isn't a big part of the game. It's all the fights and kills you racked up that makes this a fun distraction to hop into and mess around in much like in Team Fortress 2. So far, the community is very strong and hopefully continues to grow throughout this year.
Fortune Summoners: Secret of the Elemental Stone (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel mentaldagger
I mentioned this game quite often throughout the year and finally started playing it only to find that the game was significantly more challenging than I had anticipated. I started the game playing on the hardest difficulty as my friend in this video did and completed the game. It was definitely possible to get through the game, but there was a lot more grinding and persistence required just to get to the next part of the game. I had restarted the game on the easiest level and am still able to enjoy the game as it reminds me of the Castlevania games I've played in the past. It's tough trying to get this game under $10, but it's worth it if Action-Adventure games is your thing.
Hotline Miami (PC)
Source: Youtube Channel DevolverDigital
This was probably the most surprising game of the year for me. I had no intention of getting the game after seeing the cover art and some of the gameplay. But day after day, I saw this game pop up on blogs, reviews, and comments of how great this game was. I decided to give it a chance when it got a 50% off deal during the Steam Winter Sales. The game's a puzzle game! It's weird to say and it's not listed as so, but that's what it is. The player must find the quickest and most efficient way to kill off all the enemies of each floor without getting killed themselves which was pretty easy considering all it takes is one hit or one shot. The action is fast-paced, challenging, completely hilarious, and has one heck of a soundtrack to match it up. I also really like how visceral the game feels. From the graphics to the sound effects, all the action the player makes has a very tangible feel to them and it makes each kill feel very satisfying.
Persona 4 Arena (PS3)
Source: Youtube Channel AtlusUSA
I wasn't planning on getting the game so early as I haven't even played the original Persona 4 game yet and do not know the story or characters. Still, I had friends who really enjoyed the game and urged me to get the game. After about 20-30 matches, I have come to the realization that Persona 4 Arena is possibly the most accessible 2D fighting game I have ever played that anyone can pick up and play. The mechanics to the game are universal through all the characters and they're as simple as mashing one button to do an incredible combo. Because of this, I was able to convince all my friends who don't play fighting games to give it a chance. A lot of fighting games were released in 2012, and I believe this was the most unique and original title to come out throughout the year.
The other games I played:
-Ace of Spades
-Blacklight: Retribution
-BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
-Borderlands 2
-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
-Diablo 3
-DotA 2
-Dragon's Dogma
-Dustforce
-eXceed Collection
-FTL: Faster Than Light
-Forge
-Guild Wars 2
-Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Ultimate Boy
-Heroes of Ruin
-Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
-Legend of Grimrock
-New Super Mario Bros. 2
-Phantasy Star Online 2 (Jp)
-PlanetSide 2
-PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
-Primal Carnage
-RaiderZ
-Realm of the Mad God
-Resident Evil: Revelations
-Sine Mora
-Street Fighter x Mega Man
-Street Fighter x Tekken
-Symphony
-Tekken Tag Tournament 2
-TERA Online
-Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
-The Darkness 2
-Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD
-Torchlight 2
-Tribes: Ascend
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
GameLight Review - Awesomenauts
Official Site: http://www.awesomenauts.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/204300/ Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaTrailer
Developer: Ronimo Games
Publisher: Ronimo Games
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, [PC]
Release Date: Apr 10, 2012
Genre: 2D-Action Tower Defense (Action, Platformer, Strategy, RPG)
Pros:
+ Cute and charming characters in a cartoon-ish world
+ Fairly easy to learn how to play compared to most MOBA-like games
+ Fast-paced and lots of action going on right from the start
+ Player drop-in/drop-out makes it easier to find a game to play
+ Continually unlock more characters, features, and items, even if you lose
+ New characters being added without having to pay more for them
+ Can play 3-player co-op locally and host private games up to 6 players online
+ Controller compatibility as well as keyboard/mouse combo controls
Cons:
- Limited customization in character builds
- Online community is fairly weak with very few players playing online (PC)
- Even with 3 distinct maps, they can wear out in interest very quickly
- Other than practice mode, there isn't much for solo play when no one's online
Recommended: Yes, if you can get 3-6 friends together, this game can be very fun
If we were to mix a 2D Multi-player shooter like "Soldat" with popular Warcraft 3 Mod "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA), masking it with our favorite 80's cartoons, we'd end up with something like Awesomenauts. Players choose from a variety of characters in a 3 versus 3 battle royale to push their robot army into the enemies towers, base, and eventually destroy the drill. Throughout the battle, players will gather "solar" from enemy droids, enemy players, and scattered around the field which will allow the player to buy more items to become more powerful. Unlike most MOBA-like games, a character's strength and abilities come from purchasing them at the store rather than gaining experience points. The game was really easy to learn and very enjoyable once the mechanics of the game was grasped. It did bother me a little that the amount of customization to item builds were so limited. This doesn't allow for much variation. Still, for a regular price of $9.99 provides a decent amount of game play time.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 80's Cartoon style
+ Distinct and charming characters
+ A really "awesome" opening
+ Maps are colorful and easy on the eyes
+ Objects are easy to distinguish
+ User-interface is shiny and clean/organized
+ Each character has their own theme song and killing spree verison
+ Voice acting is great and embodies the characters
- Frame-rate drops drastically and erratically during split-screen multiplayer
- Lag issues from one side can be seen by others and affects hit-boxes
- Songs can be annoying and repetitive at times
Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons
Controller: Any gamepad with directional keys and 4 buttons; keyboard/mouse
+ Compatible with a lot of different gamepads for PC
+ Keyboard and mouse provides the best controls for multi-directional aiming
+ Controls are easy to grasp and feels great in game
+ User-interface for the shop is easy to navigate and figure out
Buttons: 9/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Push droids into enemy base while getting more powerful
+ Smart approach for a 2D-Platformer MOBA with simplified game mechanics
+ The whole 80's theme is realized with the theme songs, graphics, and characters
+ Story is simple, but gets its point across on why these characters fight each other
+ 3 distinct levels thus far, each with their unique gimmick
+ Characters are gradually being added to the game for free
+ All extra paid content is solely aesthetics: alternate character outfits
+ Being able to bring certain items vary the playstyle of the player each time
- Item build variety is very limited
- The maps and gameplay can grow weary on a player after a while
- Some characters feel overpowered while others feel very useless
- Can't browse through available games, all match-made
Concept and Content: 8/10
Duration
+ Matches generally don't last that long, so lots of matches can be played
+ The level/unlocks system is a good incentive to keep playing
+ The game's a lot of fun, and time will burn through quite quickly
+ New characters come out slowly, but players will revisit the game for each one
+ It takes around 5 hours to unlock all the characters, so there's no grind for them
- The novelty of the game can wear out rather quickly, best to take breaks from it
- Can be hard to continue playing if no one's online or friends aren't on
Duration: 8/10
Fun
+ The title opening is what really got me, reminds me of Battlefield Heroes teaser
+ I really liked the idea of each character getting their own killing spree song
+ All the characters are lovable, especially Clunk, I love to hate him so much...
+ Battles are really exciting and fairly constant in action, less passive action
+ I like Leon and Raelynn the most, they're challenging to play but so satisfying
+ A few of my friends got the game as well and made it extra fun to play
- Not having that many people online makes it hard to enjoy playing multiplayer
- The game can get boring playing long durations in a short amount of time
Fun: 9/10
Overall
Awesomenauts is a solid multiplayer game. I can't see it being a highly competitive e-sport tournament game, but it can provide a decent amount of entertainment for casual players among friends. With the ability to play 3-player local, 6-player online, and against bots, the game can be a really fun distraction from other games or one that can be played during short breaks in the day. It's not too complicated, so it's easy to jump in and out whenever one feels like playing it. I'm not too certain with PS3 and Xbox 360, but PC players should try to grab a few friends who they know they can join playing together or against each other as the Online community is scarce. Also for PC players, Steam occasionally has some good discounts for the game so be sure to look out for the game as cheap as $2.49-$4.99 from its usual $9.99. Overall: 8.6/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/204300/ Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaTrailer
Developer: Ronimo Games
Publisher: Ronimo Games
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, [PC]
Release Date: Apr 10, 2012
Genre: 2D-Action Tower Defense (Action, Platformer, Strategy, RPG)
Pros:
+ Cute and charming characters in a cartoon-ish world
+ Fairly easy to learn how to play compared to most MOBA-like games
+ Fast-paced and lots of action going on right from the start
+ Player drop-in/drop-out makes it easier to find a game to play
+ Continually unlock more characters, features, and items, even if you lose
+ New characters being added without having to pay more for them
+ Can play 3-player co-op locally and host private games up to 6 players online
+ Controller compatibility as well as keyboard/mouse combo controls
Cons:
- Limited customization in character builds
- Online community is fairly weak with very few players playing online (PC)
- Even with 3 distinct maps, they can wear out in interest very quickly
- Other than practice mode, there isn't much for solo play when no one's online
Recommended: Yes, if you can get 3-6 friends together, this game can be very fun
If we were to mix a 2D Multi-player shooter like "Soldat" with popular Warcraft 3 Mod "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA), masking it with our favorite 80's cartoons, we'd end up with something like Awesomenauts. Players choose from a variety of characters in a 3 versus 3 battle royale to push their robot army into the enemies towers, base, and eventually destroy the drill. Throughout the battle, players will gather "solar" from enemy droids, enemy players, and scattered around the field which will allow the player to buy more items to become more powerful. Unlike most MOBA-like games, a character's strength and abilities come from purchasing them at the store rather than gaining experience points. The game was really easy to learn and very enjoyable once the mechanics of the game was grasped. It did bother me a little that the amount of customization to item builds were so limited. This doesn't allow for much variation. Still, for a regular price of $9.99 provides a decent amount of game play time.
Aesthetics
Art Style: 80's Cartoon style
+ Distinct and charming characters
+ A really "awesome" opening
+ Maps are colorful and easy on the eyes
+ Objects are easy to distinguish
+ User-interface is shiny and clean/organized
+ Each character has their own theme song and killing spree verison
+ Voice acting is great and embodies the characters
- Frame-rate drops drastically and erratically during split-screen multiplayer
- Lag issues from one side can be seen by others and affects hit-boxes
- Songs can be annoying and repetitive at times
Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons
Controller: Any gamepad with directional keys and 4 buttons; keyboard/mouse
+ Compatible with a lot of different gamepads for PC
+ Keyboard and mouse provides the best controls for multi-directional aiming
+ Controls are easy to grasp and feels great in game
+ User-interface for the shop is easy to navigate and figure out
Buttons: 9/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Push droids into enemy base while getting more powerful
+ Smart approach for a 2D-Platformer MOBA with simplified game mechanics
+ The whole 80's theme is realized with the theme songs, graphics, and characters
+ Story is simple, but gets its point across on why these characters fight each other
+ 3 distinct levels thus far, each with their unique gimmick
+ Characters are gradually being added to the game for free
+ All extra paid content is solely aesthetics: alternate character outfits
+ Being able to bring certain items vary the playstyle of the player each time
- Item build variety is very limited
- The maps and gameplay can grow weary on a player after a while
- Some characters feel overpowered while others feel very useless
- Can't browse through available games, all match-made
Concept and Content: 8/10
Duration
+ Matches generally don't last that long, so lots of matches can be played
+ The level/unlocks system is a good incentive to keep playing
+ The game's a lot of fun, and time will burn through quite quickly
+ New characters come out slowly, but players will revisit the game for each one
+ It takes around 5 hours to unlock all the characters, so there's no grind for them
- The novelty of the game can wear out rather quickly, best to take breaks from it
- Can be hard to continue playing if no one's online or friends aren't on
Duration: 8/10
Fun
+ The title opening is what really got me, reminds me of Battlefield Heroes teaser
+ I really liked the idea of each character getting their own killing spree song
+ All the characters are lovable, especially Clunk, I love to hate him so much...
+ Battles are really exciting and fairly constant in action, less passive action
+ I like Leon and Raelynn the most, they're challenging to play but so satisfying
+ A few of my friends got the game as well and made it extra fun to play
- Not having that many people online makes it hard to enjoy playing multiplayer
- The game can get boring playing long durations in a short amount of time
Fun: 9/10
Overall
Awesomenauts is a solid multiplayer game. I can't see it being a highly competitive e-sport tournament game, but it can provide a decent amount of entertainment for casual players among friends. With the ability to play 3-player local, 6-player online, and against bots, the game can be a really fun distraction from other games or one that can be played during short breaks in the day. It's not too complicated, so it's easy to jump in and out whenever one feels like playing it. I'm not too certain with PS3 and Xbox 360, but PC players should try to grab a few friends who they know they can join playing together or against each other as the Online community is scarce. Also for PC players, Steam occasionally has some good discounts for the game so be sure to look out for the game as cheap as $2.49-$4.99 from its usual $9.99. Overall: 8.6/10
Friday, August 31, 2012
VGCulture - GW2, TL2, and MOBA Tourneys, oh my
Guild Wars 2: https://www.guildwars2.com/en/
It's been a week since I've started playing Guild Wars 2 and it has gone far beyond my expectations for the game. I didn't see myself enjoying PvP and WvW as much as I do now. The fluidity of the game makes the progression of PvE feel seamless. I don't pay too much attention to levels as it's not as important. I'm able to enjoy each aspect of the game with its spontaneity. I'm not sure how long the replay value will last, but so far it's pretty good.
Torchlight 2: http://www.torchlight2game.com/
Source: Youtube Channel TotalHalibut
Runic games finally stated a release date for Torchlight 2. On September 20th, players will be able to download it from their choice of distributor. To be honest, it would've been better if they had came out last year or early this year to avoid the competition from Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2. At least then, they'd have players willing to try their game out who aren't already Torchlight fans. It seems some mechanics have been changed from the first one, and the addition of multiplayer and mod capabilities is a plus. For me, I'll probably wait a while before getting it as I'm already full on my play list and don't have a reason to get it right away.
League of Legends: https://tournaments.leagueoflegends.com/s2-na-regionals
DotA 2: http://www.own3d.tv/TheInternational
I haven't been keeping up with the tournament matches, but both MOBA games are holding them right now and streaming live. Some pretty crazy stuff. That's all for now, have a great weekend everyone!
 |
| Source: http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/829 |
Torchlight 2: http://www.torchlight2game.com/
Source: Youtube Channel TotalHalibut
Runic games finally stated a release date for Torchlight 2. On September 20th, players will be able to download it from their choice of distributor. To be honest, it would've been better if they had came out last year or early this year to avoid the competition from Diablo 3 and Guild Wars 2. At least then, they'd have players willing to try their game out who aren't already Torchlight fans. It seems some mechanics have been changed from the first one, and the addition of multiplayer and mod capabilities is a plus. For me, I'll probably wait a while before getting it as I'm already full on my play list and don't have a reason to get it right away.
League of Legends: https://tournaments.leagueoflegends.com/s2-na-regionals
DotA 2: http://www.own3d.tv/TheInternational
I haven't been keeping up with the tournament matches, but both MOBA games are holding them right now and streaming live. Some pretty crazy stuff. That's all for now, have a great weekend everyone!
Monday, July 9, 2012
GameLight - SMITE
Official Site: https://account.hirezstudios.com/smitegame/
Source: Youtube Channel smitegame
I finally got my hands on a beta key to try out Hi-Rez's highly anticipated MOBA game SMITE over this weekend. SMITE is a 3rd-Person Action Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that's structured much like familiar MOBA games such as Defense of the Ancients, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth but plays and controls much like an Action game. The world and its characters are based off of Mythology all over the world with players taking the role of a god in aims of defeating the enemy Minotaur. The game currently have gods from Greek, Norse, Hindu, and Chinese Mythology with the possibility of more in the future. SMITE isn't the first MOBA to be played in the 3rd-Person perspective with Action game elements to them as games like Dungeon Defenders, Orcs Must Die!, and Land of Chaos Online (LOCO) have tested the water in that department; however, the game plays much more closely to traditional MOBAs rather than having it play more like a straight up action game. The way spells have an image projection of where skills will end up is akin to what League of Legends changed from DotA and makes for a more certain and strategic use of skills during a team fight. My first experience with the game was actually an odd glitch. I entered the game without the ability to attack or use skills, but I could still level up by being near defeated enemies and buy items. After that, the game has been running normally. So some of the first impressions are:
-Controls and map layout is what I expected it to be
-Third-Person Action style is tougher as most attacks are skill shot reliant
-A little disappointing to be limited to 5 Gods in the beginning, but it helps learning the game faster
-The game is rather polished and has a balanced gameplay (LOCO was extremely broken in beta)
-Coordinating ganks and team fights is a little difficult since it's hard to see everything that happens
-Won my first match with 4/2/8 (Kills/Deaths/Assists) using Artemis, it was fun using a ranged character
-There were times where the game skips or lag, I'm not sure if it affected everyone
-Jungling is tough to do in SMITE
-I can't tell if the game has any lasting power in it as it stands (one map, 18 available characters)
Overall, it's looking to be a fun game; however, I'm not sure if it can hold the community's interest. I have faith in Hi-Rez studios though as I've been a fan of theirs ever since the launch of Global Agenda and know of their belief in quality games. SMITE is currently still in beta and is bound to have problems and have players who aren't familiar with the game yet (please go easy on each other). SMITE doesn't have an official launch date yet, but it will be Free-to-play with the ability to buy Gods if players do not want to earn them through game time.
Source: Youtube Channel smitegame
I finally got my hands on a beta key to try out Hi-Rez's highly anticipated MOBA game SMITE over this weekend. SMITE is a 3rd-Person Action Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that's structured much like familiar MOBA games such as Defense of the Ancients, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth but plays and controls much like an Action game. The world and its characters are based off of Mythology all over the world with players taking the role of a god in aims of defeating the enemy Minotaur. The game currently have gods from Greek, Norse, Hindu, and Chinese Mythology with the possibility of more in the future. SMITE isn't the first MOBA to be played in the 3rd-Person perspective with Action game elements to them as games like Dungeon Defenders, Orcs Must Die!, and Land of Chaos Online (LOCO) have tested the water in that department; however, the game plays much more closely to traditional MOBAs rather than having it play more like a straight up action game. The way spells have an image projection of where skills will end up is akin to what League of Legends changed from DotA and makes for a more certain and strategic use of skills during a team fight. My first experience with the game was actually an odd glitch. I entered the game without the ability to attack or use skills, but I could still level up by being near defeated enemies and buy items. After that, the game has been running normally. So some of the first impressions are:
-Controls and map layout is what I expected it to be
-Third-Person Action style is tougher as most attacks are skill shot reliant
-A little disappointing to be limited to 5 Gods in the beginning, but it helps learning the game faster
-The game is rather polished and has a balanced gameplay (LOCO was extremely broken in beta)
-Coordinating ganks and team fights is a little difficult since it's hard to see everything that happens
-Won my first match with 4/2/8 (Kills/Deaths/Assists) using Artemis, it was fun using a ranged character
-There were times where the game skips or lag, I'm not sure if it affected everyone
-Jungling is tough to do in SMITE
-I can't tell if the game has any lasting power in it as it stands (one map, 18 available characters)
Overall, it's looking to be a fun game; however, I'm not sure if it can hold the community's interest. I have faith in Hi-Rez studios though as I've been a fan of theirs ever since the launch of Global Agenda and know of their belief in quality games. SMITE is currently still in beta and is bound to have problems and have players who aren't familiar with the game yet (please go easy on each other). SMITE doesn't have an official launch date yet, but it will be Free-to-play with the ability to buy Gods if players do not want to earn them through game time.
Friday, April 20, 2012
GameOn - MOBA Games - League of Legends
Official Site: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/
Source: Youtube Channel RiotGamesInc
If we are to talk about MOBA Games, League of Legends (LoL) is bound to be the one game to be brought up (other than DotA 2 which isn't officially out yet). I have accumulated close to 600 hours on LoL since I first started 2.5 years ago when DotA was still my main MOBA game. That is perhaps the most I have ever spent on a single game (even more than Phantasy Star Online). It is undeniable that Riot Games' League of Legends is the most popular MOBA game on the market and one of the most played online games. Although there are many similarities from DotA's cast of characters, many of the champions in LoL are distinct with their own personality, unique play-style, and story background. The game is constantly expanding, improving, and updated so that the game's quality continues to further itself. A new champion is released every month with changes to existing ones to balance out the gameplay. There are many things that Riot does right with the new MOBA genre: simple to learn gameplay while still keeping it highly competitive and challenging, organized user-interface and comprehensible item shop, impeccable level design and art style that distinguishes objects from each other and the environment, and listening to the community to keep them involved. Like many other games, it does have its faults. The community is filled with younger audiences which unfortunately brings a lot of immaturity, whining/raging, name calling, and profanity filled goodness along with high egos and arrogance (this is not a generalization, you can tell the difference before schools out and right when the time they get back home). Children aren't the only ones to blame as many adults can be just as disrespectful and uncouth as they are in the streets. In short: the general community of LoL is ill-mannered and hard to get along with. That doesn't mean that everyone who plays LoL are going to rip your head off if you happen to do something wrong. In fact, I had a few matches where players from both teams were very courteous and joked around a lot which made the game really enjoyable (rare case, but they exist). Another problem is that the game frequently suffers from lag, bugs, disconnections to the server, glitches, and problems (usually right after a new patch). The Riot team is incredibly hard working though and has always made it a point to notate all issues and remedy them. The following for LoL is very strong and so there are a lot guides and videos that help players understand the game better. LoL is very balanced and the dynamics of how the game can be played makes for a very interesting match each time one plays. I highly recommend League of Legends for anyone who wants to play a MOBA game as an introduction to the genre as it's one of the easiest to learn and get into. Click on the top link and click play for free on the upper right hand corner to begin downloading and playing. This concludes this week's GameOn event, I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Source: Youtube Channel RiotGamesInc
If we are to talk about MOBA Games, League of Legends (LoL) is bound to be the one game to be brought up (other than DotA 2 which isn't officially out yet). I have accumulated close to 600 hours on LoL since I first started 2.5 years ago when DotA was still my main MOBA game. That is perhaps the most I have ever spent on a single game (even more than Phantasy Star Online). It is undeniable that Riot Games' League of Legends is the most popular MOBA game on the market and one of the most played online games. Although there are many similarities from DotA's cast of characters, many of the champions in LoL are distinct with their own personality, unique play-style, and story background. The game is constantly expanding, improving, and updated so that the game's quality continues to further itself. A new champion is released every month with changes to existing ones to balance out the gameplay. There are many things that Riot does right with the new MOBA genre: simple to learn gameplay while still keeping it highly competitive and challenging, organized user-interface and comprehensible item shop, impeccable level design and art style that distinguishes objects from each other and the environment, and listening to the community to keep them involved. Like many other games, it does have its faults. The community is filled with younger audiences which unfortunately brings a lot of immaturity, whining/raging, name calling, and profanity filled goodness along with high egos and arrogance (this is not a generalization, you can tell the difference before schools out and right when the time they get back home). Children aren't the only ones to blame as many adults can be just as disrespectful and uncouth as they are in the streets. In short: the general community of LoL is ill-mannered and hard to get along with. That doesn't mean that everyone who plays LoL are going to rip your head off if you happen to do something wrong. In fact, I had a few matches where players from both teams were very courteous and joked around a lot which made the game really enjoyable (rare case, but they exist). Another problem is that the game frequently suffers from lag, bugs, disconnections to the server, glitches, and problems (usually right after a new patch). The Riot team is incredibly hard working though and has always made it a point to notate all issues and remedy them. The following for LoL is very strong and so there are a lot guides and videos that help players understand the game better. LoL is very balanced and the dynamics of how the game can be played makes for a very interesting match each time one plays. I highly recommend League of Legends for anyone who wants to play a MOBA game as an introduction to the genre as it's one of the easiest to learn and get into. Click on the top link and click play for free on the upper right hand corner to begin downloading and playing. This concludes this week's GameOn event, I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
GameOn - MOBA Games - Avalon Heroes
Official Site: http://avalonheroes.en.alaplaya.net/
Source: Youtube Channel alaplayaMovies
One MOBA that is rarely talked about or even known to many is Avalon Heroes. Little background information can be found on the development of the game, so I'm unsure if the game was Korean developed or when it was first launched, etc. Avalon Heroes is also one that follows DotA quite closely from the 25 level cap, to the various shop merchants, and Warcraft 3 engine feel. What's unique about Avalon Heroes is that other than the usual battle mode, there's an adventure mode where up to 8 players can traverse a dungeon and fight a boss, a scenario mode where it tells a story, an arena mode where the goal is to eliminate the enemy hero, and a lobby where players can hang around to socialize and trade. It's pretty evident that the quality in development is a bit low. The graphics are outdated and blocky, the user-interface is convoluted and incredibly difficult to navigate through (the shop organization is atrocious), and descriptions of skills and items are much too wordy. The game does take quite a bit of getting used to, even for DotA veterans and it's possibly why the game isn't very populated. Still, there's quite a variety of heroes to choose (still a lot more than Rise of Immortals) and the various modes make for a different experience. I think it'd be a fun game if one can find a group of friends to play adventure mode.
Source: Youtube Channel alaplayaMovies
One MOBA that is rarely talked about or even known to many is Avalon Heroes. Little background information can be found on the development of the game, so I'm unsure if the game was Korean developed or when it was first launched, etc. Avalon Heroes is also one that follows DotA quite closely from the 25 level cap, to the various shop merchants, and Warcraft 3 engine feel. What's unique about Avalon Heroes is that other than the usual battle mode, there's an adventure mode where up to 8 players can traverse a dungeon and fight a boss, a scenario mode where it tells a story, an arena mode where the goal is to eliminate the enemy hero, and a lobby where players can hang around to socialize and trade. It's pretty evident that the quality in development is a bit low. The graphics are outdated and blocky, the user-interface is convoluted and incredibly difficult to navigate through (the shop organization is atrocious), and descriptions of skills and items are much too wordy. The game does take quite a bit of getting used to, even for DotA veterans and it's possibly why the game isn't very populated. Still, there's quite a variety of heroes to choose (still a lot more than Rise of Immortals) and the various modes make for a different experience. I think it'd be a fun game if one can find a group of friends to play adventure mode.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
GameOn - MOBA Games - Heroes of Newerth
Official Site: http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
If you're a DotA veteran and you seek challenge from a hard-core game, Heroes of Newerth (HoN) would be the game for you. With the help of major DotA contributor "Icefrog", S2 Games had developed Heroes of Newerth within the world of their "Savage" series with the gameplay mechanics from DotA. Many of the limitations and problems the Warcraft 3 engine suffered from has sought solutions within HoN. The game is very fast-paced, highly competitive, has over 100 heroes to choose from, and is now free to play. The graphics are beautiful with a more up to date graphics rendering compared to the Warcraft 3 engine and has a really nice lighting and effects visual that creates really nice animations for spells and attacks. Unfortunately, HoN has its own problems. Because of its steep learning curve, the game is very difficult to pick up and play. Furthermore, the community within HoN is relentless and unforgiving. Players will talk down each other, even within the same team. The attitude of players can range from the immature to the most profane one can encounter on the internet. Although the animations and effects are really nice, the overall color scheme and graphics style makes it really difficult to distinguish units from the environment. Others might complain that the game is "too" similar to DotA and doesn't offer anything new. Still, my experience with HoN was mostly good and I really liked all the different characters to choose from. There's still a lot of dynamics and variation to keep the game fresh and exciting every time I play it, and it's definitely worth checking out now since it's free to play (originally a $30 purchase).
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
If you're a DotA veteran and you seek challenge from a hard-core game, Heroes of Newerth (HoN) would be the game for you. With the help of major DotA contributor "Icefrog", S2 Games had developed Heroes of Newerth within the world of their "Savage" series with the gameplay mechanics from DotA. Many of the limitations and problems the Warcraft 3 engine suffered from has sought solutions within HoN. The game is very fast-paced, highly competitive, has over 100 heroes to choose from, and is now free to play. The graphics are beautiful with a more up to date graphics rendering compared to the Warcraft 3 engine and has a really nice lighting and effects visual that creates really nice animations for spells and attacks. Unfortunately, HoN has its own problems. Because of its steep learning curve, the game is very difficult to pick up and play. Furthermore, the community within HoN is relentless and unforgiving. Players will talk down each other, even within the same team. The attitude of players can range from the immature to the most profane one can encounter on the internet. Although the animations and effects are really nice, the overall color scheme and graphics style makes it really difficult to distinguish units from the environment. Others might complain that the game is "too" similar to DotA and doesn't offer anything new. Still, my experience with HoN was mostly good and I really liked all the different characters to choose from. There's still a lot of dynamics and variation to keep the game fresh and exciting every time I play it, and it's definitely worth checking out now since it's free to play (originally a $30 purchase).
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
GameOn - MOBA Games - Realm of the Titans
Official Site: http://realmofthetitans.aeriagames.com/
Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaRealm
Realm of the Titans was lead and designed by two DotA professional players who entered in various tournaments around the world and saw potential in the genre. After the two returned to China from studying in Australia, the now CEO and Lead Designer of Realm of the Titans got a team together and started development. Realm of the Titans was still in development when League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth was announced and eventually released and so it was dealt with much negativity from the fanbase of LoL and HoN. Unfortunately for me, I never got to try Realm of the Titans yet and have been waiting for it to go out of beta for who knows how long. So far, those who have tried the game thoroughly have praised it for its large cast of characters (more than twice as much as Rise of Immortals), its balance in competitive play, and its polish. I can't back those claims just yet as I have not tried the game, even though I've been meaning to for an entire year now (Alpha Testing started back last year April 7, 2011). In terms of gameplay, map design, and core concept, the game is closer to DotA than most MOBA games (aside from Heroes of Newerth). For a Chinese developed game, it sure looks impressive. I'm very willing to try out this game.
Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaRealm
Realm of the Titans was lead and designed by two DotA professional players who entered in various tournaments around the world and saw potential in the genre. After the two returned to China from studying in Australia, the now CEO and Lead Designer of Realm of the Titans got a team together and started development. Realm of the Titans was still in development when League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth was announced and eventually released and so it was dealt with much negativity from the fanbase of LoL and HoN. Unfortunately for me, I never got to try Realm of the Titans yet and have been waiting for it to go out of beta for who knows how long. So far, those who have tried the game thoroughly have praised it for its large cast of characters (more than twice as much as Rise of Immortals), its balance in competitive play, and its polish. I can't back those claims just yet as I have not tried the game, even though I've been meaning to for an entire year now (Alpha Testing started back last year April 7, 2011). In terms of gameplay, map design, and core concept, the game is closer to DotA than most MOBA games (aside from Heroes of Newerth). For a Chinese developed game, it sure looks impressive. I'm very willing to try out this game.
Monday, April 16, 2012
GameOn - MOBA Games - Rise of Immortals
Official Site: http://riseofimmortals.com/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
It's been a while since I've done a GameOn and have chosen to talk about Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games this week. It's a fairly new genre and is not officially called MOBA but is used to describe any game that plays similarly to the globally popular Warcraft 3 custom campaign map "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA). In a MOBA, there is generally two teams consisting of players taking different roles to fulfill a need to win a team fight. Throughout a match, both teams try to push their own army into the opponent's base and destroy the main core to win. What's unique about MOBA games is that its core concept is similar to a tower defense game, plays similar to a top-down Action-RPG, and originated from an RTS custom campaign map which retains some of its elements in the genre (MOBA originated from a Starcraft custom campaign, DotA made it popular). There are dozens of characters to choose from, the dynamics of the game changes all the time with team compositions, players level up throughout a match and learn new skills, buy items to become even stronger, and participate in mini-boss fights in the map.
With the success of DotA, many developers wanted to have their take on the new found genre without the limitations of the Warcraft 3 engine. One such game to emerge is "Rise of Immortals" and heavily based on the theme of Mythological beings from various cultures. The game's art style and characters remind me of "Demigod", another MOBA game that was fun but unfortunately suffered from unbalanced gameplay and clunky user-interface. I liked how there was a 3-player cooperative mode to play and practice on a new character in the game. In most MOBA games, players are often tossed into the fray and had to learn everything along the way which made for a steep learning curve (it's not really like that anymore). Rise of Immortals wanted to make the game a bit more involving for players since those who played DotA would know that nothing was kept and a player starts fresh at level 1 every time. In Rise of Immortals, players can earn currency to purchase items that slightly increases an ability of a character to give a bit of advantage and allow a sense of progression like an RPG would. During a match, the player can rotate the camera all the way around and play at an angle they feel most comfortable playing in. The game is still refining itself as all online games tend to do, and here are some things they hopefully improve on:
-The character roster is rather limited (a little better now than when I tried it)
-Gameplay is still imbalanced (some characters are useless while other clearly have an advantage)
-Movement reaction is sluggish or delayed (Not sure why, but there's a slight delay in movement when clicking)
-Less login bugs (A lot of players seemed to have trouble logging in)
It's been a while since I've played the game and I feel like playing it again once more just to check out the new characters. It's free to play so anyone interested shouldn't hesitate to click on the link on top and try the game out.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
It's been a while since I've done a GameOn and have chosen to talk about Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games this week. It's a fairly new genre and is not officially called MOBA but is used to describe any game that plays similarly to the globally popular Warcraft 3 custom campaign map "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA). In a MOBA, there is generally two teams consisting of players taking different roles to fulfill a need to win a team fight. Throughout a match, both teams try to push their own army into the opponent's base and destroy the main core to win. What's unique about MOBA games is that its core concept is similar to a tower defense game, plays similar to a top-down Action-RPG, and originated from an RTS custom campaign map which retains some of its elements in the genre (MOBA originated from a Starcraft custom campaign, DotA made it popular). There are dozens of characters to choose from, the dynamics of the game changes all the time with team compositions, players level up throughout a match and learn new skills, buy items to become even stronger, and participate in mini-boss fights in the map.
With the success of DotA, many developers wanted to have their take on the new found genre without the limitations of the Warcraft 3 engine. One such game to emerge is "Rise of Immortals" and heavily based on the theme of Mythological beings from various cultures. The game's art style and characters remind me of "Demigod", another MOBA game that was fun but unfortunately suffered from unbalanced gameplay and clunky user-interface. I liked how there was a 3-player cooperative mode to play and practice on a new character in the game. In most MOBA games, players are often tossed into the fray and had to learn everything along the way which made for a steep learning curve (it's not really like that anymore). Rise of Immortals wanted to make the game a bit more involving for players since those who played DotA would know that nothing was kept and a player starts fresh at level 1 every time. In Rise of Immortals, players can earn currency to purchase items that slightly increases an ability of a character to give a bit of advantage and allow a sense of progression like an RPG would. During a match, the player can rotate the camera all the way around and play at an angle they feel most comfortable playing in. The game is still refining itself as all online games tend to do, and here are some things they hopefully improve on:
-The character roster is rather limited (a little better now than when I tried it)
-Gameplay is still imbalanced (some characters are useless while other clearly have an advantage)
-Movement reaction is sluggish or delayed (Not sure why, but there's a slight delay in movement when clicking)
-Less login bugs (A lot of players seemed to have trouble logging in)
It's been a while since I've played the game and I feel like playing it again once more just to check out the new characters. It's free to play so anyone interested shouldn't hesitate to click on the link on top and try the game out.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
VGCulture - Watching Tournaments & UMVC3 EVO 2012
Official Site: http://evo.shoryuken.com/
I generally don't keep up with gaming tournaments or professional game players, but once in a while I'll run across some videos of those tournaments and enjoy watching some of the techniques that the top of the elites do and have my mind blown. In the past, I have watched tournament plays for Street Fighter 3 & 4, Super Smash Bros. Melee, World of Warcraft, Halo, and League of Legends. I've even had the chance to watch an actual tournament live at BlizzCon 2008 for Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne and Starcraft 1. You might notice that there are tournaments across an assortment of genres such as Fighting games, Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), First-Person Shooters (FPS), Real-Time Strategy games (RTS), and Massive Online Battle Arenas (MOBA). There were even dance game tournaments before there was "Just Dance" and "Dance Central" around (Dance Dance Revolution by Konami). Videogame tournaments are so fun to watch sometimes because pro players perform techniques that you may normally never see in regular matches. Be it a consecutive tech block chain, moving lightning fast with a heavy character, overwhelming an opponent within 5 minutes of a match, or beating impossible odds in a 1 v 3 fight, tournaments between the most elite players of the world shows a side of a game that is rarely ever seen.
Anyways, I came across some Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (UMVC3) tournament videos of those qualifying for this year's EVO event. EVO is an annual convention where professional fighting game players around the world get together and test their mettle against each other in some of the most competitive environments the gaming community has to offer. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Soul Calibur V, Mortal Kombat (9), King of Fighters XIII, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo are among the games with tournaments. I'm sure there will be other fighting games that are non-tournment orientated there such as BlazBlue, Melty Blood, and who knows, maybe we'll get to see some of Tekken Tag 2. I came across two videos of the qualifying matches for UMVC3 with a player I've never heard of before: (remember, I don't keep up with pro players) ChrisG in both videos.
Source: Youtube Channel teamspooky
For this match, the "must-watch" round is the last one at 6:39. Tourney player Mihe had found a way to exploit Zero's ground dash and lightning dash and cycle through it against a side to stun-lock ChrisG into a combo he couldn't get out of. ChrisG had only 2 chances to get out of it: 7:04 and 7:26. Mihe left little to no room for him to get out of it and left the match untouched with a perfect. Watching the other rounds, ChrisG performs moves and techniques I never would have imagined doing with Morrigan and Doctor Doom. He's able to utilize his tag partner to create openings, use Morrigan's image to cause unblockable damage, and keep his opponent from a distance while still doing damage (which I find very difficult to do in UMVC3).
Source: Youtube Channel teamspooky
This video is between famed Street Fighter Pro player Justin Wong against ChrisG. Again, ChrisG performs some phenomenal attacks, combos and stun-locks against his opponent and was even able to solo it out with Doctor Doom. That infinite stun-lock Mihe performed was questionable shenanigans, but what Justin Wong does at the round on 9:47 is frightening. As long as he was able to lead in with one attack, his opponent was stun-locked. Another round worth watching is at 11:17 where Justin Wong just so happens gets caught in an Air-combo with his support out and loses two characters within that combo. With only Storm left, he...well, just watch it (don't want to spoil anything). I've never seen Storm move so quickly in the game before. I am absolutely terrible with her doing no damage, moving incredibly slow and losing health faster than a broken faucet spouting water. This was a very entertaining match to watch.
It is matches like those that blow my mind away. I love fighting games, but I play very casually. I play so casually that I don't even play online. When you play online, you'll sometimes go against pro players and be completely shut down. Maybe I'll play online one of these days, but I'll practice against my very easy to medium level computers before then.
I generally don't keep up with gaming tournaments or professional game players, but once in a while I'll run across some videos of those tournaments and enjoy watching some of the techniques that the top of the elites do and have my mind blown. In the past, I have watched tournament plays for Street Fighter 3 & 4, Super Smash Bros. Melee, World of Warcraft, Halo, and League of Legends. I've even had the chance to watch an actual tournament live at BlizzCon 2008 for Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne and Starcraft 1. You might notice that there are tournaments across an assortment of genres such as Fighting games, Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), First-Person Shooters (FPS), Real-Time Strategy games (RTS), and Massive Online Battle Arenas (MOBA). There were even dance game tournaments before there was "Just Dance" and "Dance Central" around (Dance Dance Revolution by Konami). Videogame tournaments are so fun to watch sometimes because pro players perform techniques that you may normally never see in regular matches. Be it a consecutive tech block chain, moving lightning fast with a heavy character, overwhelming an opponent within 5 minutes of a match, or beating impossible odds in a 1 v 3 fight, tournaments between the most elite players of the world shows a side of a game that is rarely ever seen.
Anyways, I came across some Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (UMVC3) tournament videos of those qualifying for this year's EVO event. EVO is an annual convention where professional fighting game players around the world get together and test their mettle against each other in some of the most competitive environments the gaming community has to offer. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, Soul Calibur V, Mortal Kombat (9), King of Fighters XIII, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo are among the games with tournaments. I'm sure there will be other fighting games that are non-tournment orientated there such as BlazBlue, Melty Blood, and who knows, maybe we'll get to see some of Tekken Tag 2. I came across two videos of the qualifying matches for UMVC3 with a player I've never heard of before: (remember, I don't keep up with pro players) ChrisG in both videos.
Source: Youtube Channel teamspooky
For this match, the "must-watch" round is the last one at 6:39. Tourney player Mihe had found a way to exploit Zero's ground dash and lightning dash and cycle through it against a side to stun-lock ChrisG into a combo he couldn't get out of. ChrisG had only 2 chances to get out of it: 7:04 and 7:26. Mihe left little to no room for him to get out of it and left the match untouched with a perfect. Watching the other rounds, ChrisG performs moves and techniques I never would have imagined doing with Morrigan and Doctor Doom. He's able to utilize his tag partner to create openings, use Morrigan's image to cause unblockable damage, and keep his opponent from a distance while still doing damage (which I find very difficult to do in UMVC3).
Source: Youtube Channel teamspooky
This video is between famed Street Fighter Pro player Justin Wong against ChrisG. Again, ChrisG performs some phenomenal attacks, combos and stun-locks against his opponent and was even able to solo it out with Doctor Doom. That infinite stun-lock Mihe performed was questionable shenanigans, but what Justin Wong does at the round on 9:47 is frightening. As long as he was able to lead in with one attack, his opponent was stun-locked. Another round worth watching is at 11:17 where Justin Wong just so happens gets caught in an Air-combo with his support out and loses two characters within that combo. With only Storm left, he...well, just watch it (don't want to spoil anything). I've never seen Storm move so quickly in the game before. I am absolutely terrible with her doing no damage, moving incredibly slow and losing health faster than a broken faucet spouting water. This was a very entertaining match to watch.
It is matches like those that blow my mind away. I love fighting games, but I play very casually. I play so casually that I don't even play online. When you play online, you'll sometimes go against pro players and be completely shut down. Maybe I'll play online one of these days, but I'll practice against my very easy to medium level computers before then.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
VGCulture - Games of 2011
I have compiled an extensive list of games from 2011 (not all games from 2011 are listed here) here to share. I have made short comments on ones I was lucky enough to play this past year. I think 2011 was an even bigger year for gaming than 2010 was.
For a very condensed version of the list, scroll to the bottom.
Notes: Numbers after the title is the Metacritic score average
Games that Rocked
-Modern Combat: Domination (67) – This game alright for a downloadable game for only $7. I ended up not buying since I don’t really like DLC games (I only have 80 GB on my PS3), but it was fun playing what I could from it.
-Two Worlds 2 (70) – Two Worlds 2 was surprisingly fun and so I’m waiting for the price of it to go down in Steam (and to finish other ARPG games) before I purchase and play through it.
-Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (84): Fate of Two Worlds – MvC3 was seriously a lot of fun, though I was hoping for more characters since there were so many to choose from in MvC2. UMvC3 remedied that, and by adding Phoenix Wright to the mix!
-Hyperdimension Neptunia (45) – I was extremely worried when I bought the game since it received such low scores. Fortunately, it turned out to be really entertaining! The humor made me laugh and happy, the ability to customize combos made it feel more personal, and the easy going feel of the game made it really enjoyable to play.
-Bulletstorm (83) – It wasn’t mind blowing or crazy awesome as a whole, but there were crazy awesome moments that blew minds away. The game was entertaining, but it’s not something I’d want to replay over and over.
-Dragon Age 2 (82) – Dragon Age 1 was kind of boring when I tried it, but when I played the demo for DA2, I had to get the game. DA2 has a good balance between fast-paced action with the RPG elements of story, planning, leveling and such.
-Crysis 2 (85) – Although the story to Crysis 2 wasn’t as good as the first, the gameplay was far superior in every aspect. Going stealth made a lot more sense, controls were tight, multiplayer was fun, everything about Crysis 2 was a huge improvement over Crysis 1 (albeit the story).
-Dynasty Warriors 7 (57) – Following up the disappointment of DW6, I didn’t want to get DW7 until I saw the gameplay. One of the very few games I bought for full price in 2011, DW7 is possibly the best in its series and has become one of my favorite games for the PS3. Story mode is a huge change from the previous 5 games and made me care about characters I didn’t before. The game mechanics are more diverse and even more fast-paced than before. I absolutely love this game!
-Portal 2 (95) – Of course Portal 2 would be a great game. It’s a co-op centric game that emphasizes solely on team-work and is a great game to play with a friend.
-Mortal Kombat (84) – This iteration of the game is a lot different from its predecessors in terms of game mechanics. It’s a lot more challenging, but fairer for a competitive environment. Still, I’m not a huge MK fan and so I ended up not buying it. But anyone looking for a fighting game should consider this version of MK as its one of the best they’ve done in a long time.
-Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (80) – Since I didn’t get the original “Super SF4”, I felt okay dishing out the $40 for what was only 4 extra characters and some new enhancements for those who already owned SSF4. The treat for me between the “original” Street Fighter 4 and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition was that the stories were different (cinematics essentially). SSF4:AE is a solid fighter and one I should probably play more often…
-Section 8: Prejudice – I honestly don’t know why more people don’t play this online. The game has nice twists to it, it’s different from other shooters, and it’s only $15. I was lucky enough to play multiplayer with some people online before it died out entirely, and it was a lot of fun. I mainly have it now to play through the story. I think I can also play multiplayer against bots, so I might still play it for that too.
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution (89) – The game is a lot harder than I thought, but does have that open world environment that the previous installments did. This will be one game that will take me the rest of the year to finish, haha.
-White Knight Chronicles 2 (60) – WKC2 comes with the first game which is good since I didn’t get it before. WKC2 went far and beyond my expectations and is a lot more fun than I thought it’d be. I didn’t expect there to be such a decisive story with cinematics and other characters joining you. There’s a LOT of planning needed, but that’s half the fun when you get to invent your own combos and build your own type of character. The combat is more entertaining than I had expected as the action gauge style put me off and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the game because of it. This will be one game I’ll be playing for a while.
-Dungeon Defenders (81) – Playing DD single-player is a really challenging task and a lot of its entertainment value comes from playing with other people. I really like the game, but I do not like how it’s constantly charging more and more for DLCs like Magicka has been doing.
-Beat Hazard Ultra (64) – This was one DLC I was okay with as it didn’t cost too much (at least during sales). Having those few extra bosses and perks changed the game around and added a lot more depth to it.
-Payday: The Heist (70) – I’m not sure if I could say that the game was awesome, but it definitely wasn’t terrible. $20 feels like a bit much, but it provides a decent amount of missions to play on with a Left 4 Dead sort of gameplay along with character leveling to change the role/class one plays in the team. It’s fun, I suppose, but it’s also really difficult.
-Dark Souls (89) – The level structure of Dark Souls is exactly how I imagined Demon’s Souls to be when I first heard about the Demon’s Souls. Dark Souls has a lot more unexpected moments than Demon’s Souls does and it’s really frightening not having that feeling of respite that Demon’s Souls had inside the Nexus. I do love the extended amount of freedom that Dark Souls offers and it makes it feel even more adventurous than before. I’m not sure if I’ll be playing this as much as I did Demon’s Souls, but so far it’s been really fun.
-Battlefield 3 (85) – I’m going to be doing a review for it soon, hopefully. The single-player campaign was boring and disappointing seeing how EA and DICE made a really fun campaign in Medal of Honor (2010) and Battlefield Bad Company 2. Thankfully, the multiplayer is fun and exciting or I would have felt very ripped off. BF3 feels more like a continuation of the Bad Company series than its main series in terms of the way the gameplay is setup, but it’s fun nonetheless.
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (88) – There’s a lot of love and hate for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. I wasn’t going to get it just because of the dispute IW and Activision had with the result of having many great minds of IW leaving the studio. But I couldn’t help myself as I really enjoyed MW2 and Black Ops disappointed me (to an extent, it was still fun) and so I ended up buying MW3. Campaign has become routine and doesn’t seem to offer anything too new (it’s semi-entertaining at least). Multiplayer is more challenging than ever with players knowing what they’re doing and not being able to take as many hits as usual. I love the changes done to multiplayer and favors to more playstyles than just a few. I still miss the great level designs that MW2 had (probably the best in the series), but it’s not worth paying $15 DLC map packs for.
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (92) – It is game of the year for a reason. The world is huge, there’s lots to do, the player has tons of freedom, messing around is just as fun as the actual game, and the changes to class specific abilities emphasizes the advantages even more than previous installments. Skyrim is my relaxation game, and it’s just a lot of fun.
-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (80) – I think it was worth the purchase. I’m upset that its essentially the same game with extra stuff, but the additional characters and mode made it worth while to play through if one has played through the original thoroughly or hasn’t even played it at all. Playing as Phoenix Wright is a lot of fun~
-Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition (85) – This was, hands down, the best game when the 3DS launched. The 3D was okay and the action perspective wasn’t incredible, but it delivered the solid console fighter really well on a portable system. It is kind of hard executed 3 punches and 3 kicks without a dedicated button for it, but at least you can easily perform a special via the touch screen.
-Samurai Warriors Chronicles (61) – It’s an interesting take on the series. I’m glad it allows the player to move freely around the whole map like the original game does as many portable version goes for a turn-based strategy sort of movement. What the game lacked was extra content for the replay value. It was an okay launch title for the 3DS and is at least a lot better than the other games that launched along side with it.
-Bloodline Champions (80) – It finally came out and eventually joined the many free MMOs on Steam’s list of games available for download. A few of my friends thought it was boring so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The game turned out to be fun, but really hard to learn everything so quickly. It’s competitive, fast-paced, but ultimately an entertaining online game to jump on and play a few rounds once in a while.
-Monday Night Combat (82) – I’m glad the game finally came out on PC. There are some issues with lag, hosting private games, and glitches within the game that deters me away from it, but it’s still fun. The variety of classes offers many play styles and “tries to” promote teamwork. Super Monday Night Combat is in the works right now, set to release this year.
-Who’s That Flying?! (76) – I’m not sure if I should place it under here. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not great either. It’s a pleasant distraction I suppose. It feels a lot like a flash game played on a browser page.
-Magicka (74) – Magicka is both great and horrible at the same time. Playing solo is frustrating and extremely difficult; however, playing multiplayer provides some of the most hilarious and whacky fun that a multiplayer co-op game could deliver. The game is still bugged as balls with the game (or the entire OS) crashing, so that’s frustrating too. I don’t like how it’s become so money hungry with all the DLCs that keeps releasing. I’ve stopped buying DLCs and have settled for what I have now.
-Amnesia: The Dark Descent (85) – I definitely need to play more of this because the first two hours I played, I fell asleep (played during Halloween in the dark). It’s a horror game! I think this game would be more entertaining to play with a friend so that both of you can scream together.
-Atom Zombie Smasher (75) – It was mildly entertaining; A fun distraction.
-Total War: Shogun 2 (90) – I couldn’t believe how detailed and complex they made the game. There’s so much you can do and plan to make the most out of your raids and attacks against the enemy. This is one of those games where you can continually play for hundreds of hours.
-Forsaken World (69) – I can’t say that the game is incredible, but it’s decent WoW clone. Quests can be kind of repetitive or mundane, but the game’s pacing is a lot better than the other hundred free MMORPGs out there.
-Sanctum (70) – It’s a fun FPS Tower-Defense game, but the game truly shines in multiplayer. Single-player can be semi-relaxing to very frustrating. It’s difficult to see what’s going on when the action finally starts. It’s a game I jump onto to play once in a while. I prefer Dungeon Defenders or Orcs Must Die! For Action Tower-Defense games.
-Capsized (80) – The game mechanics makes this quirky Action-Adventure game interesting, but I really don’t like the art style. The colors, environment, objects and characters all clash and make it very difficult to see what is what. Again: another fun distraction sort of game.
-Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword (68) – I like the Mount & Blade series, but this latest one isn’t too big of a leap from Warband. Still, the game is pretty fun if you can make it that way. The Mount & Blade series has always been very open world and makes it hard to enjoy for new comers. Having the guns fire a little faster would be nice.
-Terraria (83) – I love this game. From the building to the looting, this Action-Adventure RPG Sandbox game offers so much such simplistic manners. The graphics are 8-bit retro style, the combat isn’t super complex, yet the game has so much you can do and play from it. I probably spent the most time on Terraria in 2011, but sadly I lost my save files when my laptop’s hard drive was wiped 2 weeks ago. 101 hours down the drain…yet I still feel like playing the game once more.
-Frozen Synapse (85) – Everyone who’s played this game seems to really like it for some reason. The game takes quite a while to get the hang of and requires a lot of time to plan. If the round didn’t go well, you felt like you’ve wasted a lot of time. The simulation of movement, action/reaction, and strategy is pretty impressive, but I find it difficult to enjoy the game.
-Jamestown Jamestown
-Dungeons of Dredmor (79) – Rogue-like RPGs aren’t popular anymore and have a small niche group, yet these daring developers decided to make one anyways. This game is seriously a lot of fun. All the sorts of ways to play and items to loot, the game randomly generates levels, items, and enemy placement for an infinite amount of replay value.
-Cthulhu Saves the World (78) – If you enjoy old classic RPGs from back in the late 80’s early 90’s, you’ll probably get a kick out of this game. The game is mostly parody and hopes to keep the player humored and laughing.
-Breath of Death VII: The Beginning (N/A) – Same with Cthulhu Saves the World, the game is retro 8-bit RPG that mimics the gameplay of Dragon Quest, Wizardry, and Ultima while referencing a ton of pop-culture and videogames along the way.
-Tobe’s Vertical Adventure (75) – The game is more enjoyable with a friend than solo, but it’s a decent platformer.
-Chantelise: A Tale of Two Sisters (62) – I’m so glad they translated this game. It’s a simple Japanese indie-developed Action game with some RPG elements mixed in. It has a certain charm to it that only Japanese games seem to have that makes it so enjoyable.
-Bastion (88) – Like many other gamers, I loved the narration of the game. It’s a great way to tell the story and added a lot of humor. It’s quite a polished action-adventure game for an indie developed project.
-Blocks That Matter (76) – With a bit of puzzle solving and platforming, this makes for a nice distraction of my main games.
-Rock of Ages (74) – This game is trippy. It’s like Super Monkey Ball versus.
-Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad (76) – I’m not sure if I really like the game yet. The community isn’t as large as I thought it’d be, but at least I’m still able to play it (most people are playing in “realistic” servers, making it hard to learn). The game is quite difficult, but it has a sense of realism that is both thrilling and not too punishing. I hope I get more hours into it to make the payment worth it.
-Xotic (67) – This Action Puzzle platformer is pretty unique and though it isn’t mind blowing, it’s still a semi-relaxing game to sit down and play.
-Rusty Hearts (79) – I waited quite a while for Rusty Hearts to release internationally, and I was happy when it finally did. The game plays well for an online beat-em-up and the humor has me interested in the dialogue and story. This was probably my favorite free MMO for 2011.
-The Binding of Isaac (83) – The game is disturbingly grotesque with a creepy atmosphere and gross humor. The creators of Super Meat Boy did a pretty good job with The Binding of Isaac in creating a high replay-value Action-RPG arcade shooter with Rogue-like aspects. It’s challenging, provocative, and keeps calling you back for more.
-Orcs Must Die! (83) – With a dumb and generic name like “Orcs Must Die!” I didn’t expect the game to be so dastardly fun. It’s such a riot seeing mobs of Orcs get flung around by traps, explosives, and your own weaponry. This would probably make a really fun co-op multiplayer game, but it does really well as a single-player game.
-Sequence (68) – The unique blend of music rhythm and RPG made for a tempting purchase, yet I was so confused when trying to play the game. Once I got the hang of it, it was kind of fun. I’m hoping that the music rhythm part picks up and has some challenging and fun beats to play to.
-Cave Story+ (N/A) – I had finished the original game back in 2008-2009 but loved it so much that when I saw it available on Steam, I bought it. I don’t particularly like the “new” music and graphics, but it is optional so I can change it back to the original assets if I wanted to (I’m giving the new stuff a chance). There’s also a remastered soundtrack as well.
-APB Reloaded (59) – It doesn’t seem like too much has changed from its original launch, but at the very least there are more players on now. I really like the immersion in the game. Perhaps I’ll play it a bit more and see if it’s worth sticking to.
Games that did not
-Homefront (70) – The game wasn’t terrible per se, but players spent $60 on a 4 hour campaign mode. And although multiplayer was fun, it was still glitchy, lacked content, and eventually the community died out which made multiplayer a pointless mode to have. I was disappointed.
-Brink (72) – Years of waiting led to a disappointing shooter that SHOULD have been awesome. The core concept of team-work in this FPS was a good idea, but not entirely thought out. For a game to rely solely on multiplayer, you’d think the developers would hold up a dedicated community for it. Nope! Community died out and the game was pretty much not longer playable. You can play with bots, but the ally bots are so dumb that all responsibility will fall on the player. It’s frustrating playing with bots (though it was with human players too) and the challenges weren’t entertaining enough to warrant spending any more time with it. This game had a ton of potential, but it didn’t live up to it.
-Dungeon Siege 3 (71) – It wasn’t what I was expecting, and I suppose I haven’t played enough of it to have a solid conclusion that it wasn’t that great. The first two games were fun, despite being slower paced and open-ended. DS3 is more action-orientated, but it felt boring for some strange reason. I kind of gave up on it, but perhaps I’ll revisit it and give it another try.
-Lord of Arcana (53) – This game made me really sad. The main reason I decided to try the game out was because the score was written by Nobuo Uematsu (famed composer for the Final Fantasy series). Sadly, the game is extremely multiplayer centric to the point where it’s boring/impossible to play alone. The opening tutorial was pretty fun, especially with the boss fight. Then I wasn’t able to progress any further after the 2nd mission because it no longer gave me Guild points to get a new mission and the multiplayer map is impossible alone.
-Breach (61) – I wasted money on this, but I sort of enjoyed the game a little. This FPS had a lot of aspects of great shooters such as R6: Vegas’s 3rd-Person View cover and shoot, BF: Bad Company 2’s destructible environment and CoD’s leveling up and shopping for upgrades and equipment. The mouse aiming was unruly and very floaty, lag was a huge issue, and it was glitches galore all over. Despite having bad controls and issues, the game was pretty fun and the community was incredibly civil (like, uncharacteristic of the internet type of kindness). The game was poorly developed, but I had good memories of it for some strange reason. Multiplayer is dead now (of course).
-Battlefield: Play4Free (68) – Let me say first that I did enjoy the game when I played it. It has all the basic things you would want from a Battlefield game. It’s similar to Battlefield Heroes in that the class that they choose is what they’re stuck with unless they create another character. It is inevitable that there will be glitches and lag issues when it launched. I stopped playing it after a while because it didn’t hold my interest as strong as I thought it would. I heard later that paying players had too much of an advantage, and then after a nerf or two paying players were ripped off. It lacked a variety of maps, leveling was slow, and it was difficult acquiring new weapons. It has the lowest user score of 0.7 average I have seen on Metacritic. It’s free, it was fun, but I lost interest in it. It could have been a lot better.
-Darkspore (65) – It was a good attempt at a top-down Action-RPG, but it just wasn’t interesting after a while.
-Garshasp: The Monster Slayer (49) – The artwork and graphics were unbelievable for an indie-made game; however, the game was poorly constructed. Combat is kind of fun, but has a clunky combo system, odd jumping animations, and the quick-whip camera angle change which throws me off. The game mimics many other Action Adventure games such as God of War and Prince of Persia (the 3D ones), but doesn’t have the same polish which makes it seem like a lesser game. I think this was a good game for me to “study” and see all the problems that can go on in an Action-Adventure game.
-Steel Storm: Burning Retribution (55) – It has a nice arcade-like action to it, but it gets kind of boring after a while and back tracking makes the game feel very slow and tedious.
-War Inc. Battlezone (N/A) – A free2play 3rd-Person Tactical shooter. The game is mildly entertaining, but lacks content, polish, and is riddled with problems such as server lag, graphic/hitbox glitches, spawning (literally) right behind an enemy, etc. The game’s community eventually died out and only 1-5 servers will be active if one should want to play.
-E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy (60) – The game is interesting and has a nice immersion to it; however, the game is so horrifically bugged that it’s near impossible to play without it crashing every level. The inventory and skill tree is also poorly designed as it’s cluttered and messy. I’ll eventually do a full review of it.
-Rise of Immortals (N/A) – It’s a good attempt of a MOBA, but RoI doesn’t have enough content, is seriously unbalanced, and has too slow of a reaction to clicks and movements to be enjoyed by the community as a whole. There seems to be people still playing it. If the developers still stand true to their game, then I hope that they polish it up and make it playable.
Games that were probably great
-LittleBigPlanet 2 (91)
-Dead Space 2 (89)
-Dead Space: Extraction (79)
-Back to the Future: The Game (75)
-Killzone 3 (84)
-Fight Night Champion (84)
-MLB 11: The Show (90)
-Yakuza 4 (78)
-Hard Corps: Uprising (76)
-Top Spin 4 (82)
-Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel (61)
-Shift 2: Unleashed (81)
-Arcana Heart 3 (73) – I want a retail version!!! 80GB in the PS3 is not enough space!
-SOCOM 4: U.S.
-MotorStorm: Apocalypse (77)
-L.A.
-DiRT 3 (87)
-inFamous 2 (83)
-Record of Agarest War Zero (50) – User Score: 8.5
-F.E.A.R. 3 (74)
-Shadows of the Damned (77)
-Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 (58)
-Catherine (80)
-El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (78)
-Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (86)
-Driver: San Francisco
-BloodRayne: Betrayal (69)
-Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (80)
-Resistance 3 (83)
-Dead Island
-NHL 12 (86)
-From Dust (80)
-God of War Origins Collection (84)
-Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (67)
-Child of Eden
-The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (91)
-Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (80)
-Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland (74)
-NBA 2K12 (90)
-NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (81)
-Rage (81)
-Spider-Man: Edge of Time (58)
-Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (56) – User Score: 8.4
-Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (71)
-Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (76)
-Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (77)
-Rocksmith (83)
-Batman: Arkham City
-Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (92)
-Sonic Generations (76)
-Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (90)
-Rayman Origins (87)
-Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends (64)
-Saints Row: The Third (82)
-Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (80)
-The King of Fighters XIII (78)
-Trine 2 (86)
-NFL Blitz (80)
-Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
-The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (93)
-Gears of War 3 (91)
-Dance Central 2 (86)
-Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (87)
-Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! (68)
-Shift Extended (76)
-Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle (65)
-Gods Eater Burst (71)
-Jikandia: The Timeless Land (60)
-Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy (78)
-The 3rd Birthday (70)
-The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (79)
-Patapon 3 (74)
-Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection (77)
-BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 (PSP – 77, 3DS - 64)
-ClaDun x2 (74)
-Shin Megami Tensei Persona 2 – Innocent Sin (75)
-Fate/Extra (57)
-Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (77)
-Ridge Racer 3D (75)
-Dead or Alive: Dimensions (79)
-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (94)
-Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (65)
-Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (80)
-Star Fox 64 3D (81)
-Bit.Trip Saga (75)
-Tetris Axis (74)
-Pokémon Rumble Blast (56) – User Score: 8.5
-Cave Story 3D (82)
-Super Mario 3D Land (90)
-Shinobi (69)
-Mario Kart 7 (85)
-NightSky (78)
-Men of War: Assault Squad (77)
-Din’s Curse: Demon War (75)
-Gemini Rue (82)
-Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution (80)
-Rift (84)
-SpaceChem (84)
-Risk: Factions (77)
-The Sims Medieval (77)
-LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (76)
-Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (88)
-Anomaly: Warzone Earth (80)
-World of Tanks (80)
-Hector: Badge of Carnage (75)
-Universe Sandbox (83)
-Avadon: The Black Fortress (77) – Bought it, just haven’t played it yet
-The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (88)
-Fable 3 (75)
-Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (77)
-Critical Mass (81)
-Runespell: Overture (69)
-LIMBO (88)
-Tropico 4 (78)
-Serious Sam: Double D (66)
-The Baconing (63)
-F1 2011 (83)
-Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
-Worms
-Might & Magic Heroes VI (77)
-Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (64)
-Renegade Ops (75)
-Minecraft (94) – Considered officially out now?
-Serious Sam 3: BFE (72) – Sam is still taking the spotlight away from Duke Nukem
-Star Wars: The Old Republic
Games that weren’t 1st rate
-Venetica (47)
-DC Universe Online (67)
-Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 (63)
-Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll (55)
-Knights Contract (51)
-Warriors: Legends of Troy
-Battle
-Rush’N Attack Ex-Patriot (47)
-Thor: God of Thunder (39)
-Armageddon Riders (62)
-Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale (53) – Yet I still bought it, haven’t tried it yet
-Hunted: The Demon's Forge (57)
-Operation Flashpoint: Red River (67)
-Red Faction: Armageddon (71)
-Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (61)
-Alice
-Duke Nukem Forever (51)
-Transformers: Dark of the Moon (57)
-Call of Juarez : The Cartel
-Bleach: Soul Resurreccion (58)
-Bodycount (50)
-Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (70)
-X-Men: Destiny (50)
-The Cursed Crusade (45) – I was hoping for this to be good…
-The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (63)
-GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
-Need for Speed: The Run (64)
-Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (51)
-Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
-Tekken Hybrid (64)
-AMY (33)
-Conduit 2 (64)
-Ys 1 & 2 Chronicles (63)
-Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive
-Asphalt 3D (43)
-Madden NFL Football 49 (49)
-Bust-A-Move Universe (49)
-Steel Diver (58)
-Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D (53)
-Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions (60)
-Driver: Renegade (48)
-Pac-Man Party 3D (45)
-Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (56)
-APOX (48)
-Magic: The Gathering – Tactics (62)
-The Ball (68)
-Dungeons (65)
-Painkiller: Redemption (43)
-Trapped Dead (50)
-Fate of the World (70)
-Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime (43)
-Theatre of War 3: Korea
-Hoard (65)
-Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops (34)
-Dino D-Day (53)
-Elements of War (49)
-The Rockin’ Dead (45)
-Your Doodles Are Bugged!
-Fortix 2 (73)
-Lume (68)
-Hydrophobia Prophecy (64)
-Allods Online (69)
-The First Templar (57)
-Solar 2 (72)
-Lucid (N/A)
-Dead Horde (45)
-Trauma (62)
-Edge (74)
-Space Pirates and Zombies (74)
-Age of Empires Online (71)
-Sengoku (70)
-Hard Reset (73)
-King Arthur: Fallen Champions (54)
-A Game of Thrones: Genesis (53)
-Stronghold 3 (47)
-Global Ops: Commando Libya
-Sword of the Stars 2: Lords of Winter
-Grotesque Tactics 2 :Dungeons of Donuts (47) – Really? I thought it was supposed to be pretty good?
-FlatOut 3: Chaos & Destruction (22) – Ooo, ouch, 22?
-Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (67)
-Postal 3 (27)
Condensed Version
Overall, these were the games I really enjoyed from 2011 the most:
-Hyperdimension Neptunia (PS3)
-Crysis 2 (PS3)
-Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3)
-Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition (PS3)
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3)
-White Knight Chronicles 2 (PS3)
-Dungeon Defenders (PC)
-Dark Souls (PS3)
-Battlefield 3 (PS3)
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3)
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3)
-Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 (PS3)
-Magicka (PC)
-Terraria (PC)
-Dungeons of Dredmor (PC)
-Rusty Hearts (PC)
-Cave Story+ (PC)
This was a difficult year for Nintendo as no new Wii games really came out that was worth while other than Kirby and Zelda. On the bright side, Nintendo sold millions of 3DS units after they dropped the price. I just hope better games are on its way as the 3DS is lacking good games. Xbox 360 had a lot of great games that was also available on PS3 (so a lot of the ones up above are on Xbox 360 and PC as well) with the exception of highly acclaimed shooter "Gears of War 3". Out of the condensed list, I would recommend Dynasty Warriors 7, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, TES5: Skyrim, Ultimate Marvel. Vs. Capcom 3, and Terraria to any and all gamers.
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