When Valve announced that they had copyrighted the term DotA, Blizzard was befuddled by it as the Custom Campaign game originated on their property (Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne). Everyone's only guess was that they were working on a "DotA" game as well. Sure enough, Blizzard announced "Blizzard DotA" sometime after. Months later, a trailer is finally shown (earlier today at BlizzCon 2011).
Source: Youtube Channel starcraft
So what I hear is that it's a MOBA-based game, much like the original DotA, with a cast of heroes (and villains) from the universe of Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo. The characters are categorized in the usual terms: A tank to take damage, DPS (Damage Per Second) to deal the most damage, Support to keep the team in the front lines, and a siege is possibly a pusher (the one to move a team's minions into the enemy base). It is being built on Blizzard's Starcraft 2 Campaign Editor and will be free to play (granted that you have bought Starcraft 2 already) as a custom campaign on Starcraft 2's servers. This seems like a really fun custom campaign to play, and it's a reminder that the whole purpose to buying Starcraft 2 for me was to utilize the Campaign Editor to improve as a game designer...
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
NewNews - Ezio of Assassin's Creed in Soul Calibur 5
So yesterday, I saw this on Penny Arcade:
I wondered "why would they make a comic like that?" I looked up online and sure enough, Joystiq had received a screenshot of what looks like Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed 2 in the roster of Namco Bandai's upcoming Soul Calibur 5.
So the rumor is that Ezio is going to be the cameo character for the game. This isn't the first time a character from a totally different game (or universe since Darth Vader and Yoda didn't start from a game first) appear as a combatant in the Soul Calibur series, but it was still a nice surprise to see Ezio being the one to possibly make an appearance as a playable character. I wasn't very sure about getting Soul Calibur 5 considering how little I played the 4th in the series, but Ezio's inclusion makes a nice incentive for me to get the game now.
UPDATE: Not a rumor anymore (took just one day to reveal, haha):
 |
| Source: http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/10/19 |
 |
| Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/17/rumor-assassins-creeds-ezio-coming-to-soulcalibur-5/ |
UPDATE: Not a rumor anymore (took just one day to reveal, haha):
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
GameLight Review - Torchlight
Official Site: http://www.torchlightgame.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/41500/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Available on Steam), Xbox 360 (Available on XBLA)
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Very easy to pick up and play
-Bright and colorful art style makes it easy to navigate around the game
-Intense action for beginners and veteran players (inclusion of hardcore mode)
-High replay-value
Cons:
-No multiplayer
-Can get repetitive
-Some dungeons are confusing
For a game I paid $5 for, it was quite an entertaining experience playing the game. The pet system allowed me to continue venturing through dungeons while my pet goes back to town to sell items for me. The simple gameplay made it very easy to follow along and learn how to play. The bright and color art style is charming and also made it easy to distinguish objects within the game such as characters, enemies, items, traps, and environments. It was a very good game to play when I wanted a break from all the others games as the game focuses a lot on exploring, spamming a lot of flashy skills, and killing a ton of baddies while taking their loot. If you're one of the people waiting for Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2 or have played similar games in the past, I recommend giving Torchlight a try.
Graphics
I was a bit surprised with how the game looked the first time I started it up. It has a cartoon-ish type look to it with an almost cel-shaded type of style. I learned along the way that this was possibly a design choice as I had a easy time distinguishing the many objects around me. I was also shocked that the game's art was done within the Ogre engine (look it up). The character designs, vivid color effects from the skills and amazing dungeon environments are quite impressive using an art program I find very rigid and limiting. But because of this, some models look blocky and some of them can look archaic. I really like the colorful environment in the game as it stands out. Some of the areas do feel sort of repetitive and boring at times though. Some dungeons can be dark as well, and the many path breaks can make for a confusing journey. After fighting for 2-3 hours in one type of dungeon, you'll want nothing more than a change of scenery. Besides the environment, I really liked the effects and animations for the character skills. They're bright, flashy, and dynamic. And for a game that focuses a lot on the usage of character skills, it makes a big difference. It's quite satisfying seeing all those lights and powers mow down hundreds of enemies as the screen shakes from the sheer power your character unleashes. For character creation, there isn't a lot the player can customize and there are only two choices for pets. In lacking a in-depth character customization, equipment does have a change in appearance for the character. So armor and weapons will be more than just mere point progression but will also show the differences each particular item has on the character. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The composer for Diablo 1 and 2 joined Runic Games in creating an awesome soundtrack for Torchlight. The music is more melodic than the compositions he did for the Diablo series, and so they're actually pretty enjoyable to listen to even out of the game. It has the similar fantasy/mysterious atmosphere in the delayed/reverb guitar strumming with the low drums and synth tones playing. The music is subtle and is between thematic and ambiance. One of the reasons I enjoyed playing through Torchlight was listening to the music, especially in the one in town, the mines, and the lava kingdom (which is the one playing in the trailer above). The sound effects were important in many of the gameplay aspects. Certain items such as gems and rings made a distinct sound when dropped by a enemy. Certain enemies can be heard from a distance and prepare the player on how to react. Voice cues notifies the player of particular situations such as running low on mana, health is low, pet is fleeing, backpack is full, etc. And the usual things such as getting a critical hit makes it so satisfying. Overall, a superb job in the audio department. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The game is developed behind veterans who worked on Diablo 1+2, Fate, and the original Mythos (done to test out the servers for Hellgate: London originally) and has a strong background in creating Action RPGs. The game started out how I imagined it. Something is wrong, you go into town, talk to the NPCs, get a quest, and then you start killing stuff in the dungeon. The story, while not incredibly enticing, moves the game along. Syl, one of the main NPCs, is summoned by her mentor Alrich to see him; however, she arrives at the town of Torchlight with her friend Brink only to find a swarm of monsters at the entrance of the mines. The player finds out that Alrich is corrupted by the power of the embers below and attempts to awaken Ordrak, a powerful being deep below Torchlight. The game consists of a lot of clicking (on items, enemies, objects, and paths) and a whole lot of spamming of character skills on the number row. I've always hated how so many RPGs use the number row since it stretches so far from each other. Luckily, I have a programmable speedpad (which has made my experience with a ton of RPGs much more enjoyable) so that all my skills are withing reach. I didn't get the game at first and just used my regular attacks a lot. After realizing how many potions I kept picking up, I started using my skills a lot more often and I saw the strategies I could use in large hordes of enemies by utilizing all my skill abilities rather than having them be a small complimentary attack damage to my regular attacks. It's fun when there's a lot of fighting, but traversing through some of the dungeons can be bothersome if not repetitive. After a while, it feels like you're just mashing a lot of buttons. I got the most fun out of fighting bosses (though most all of them were easy except for the final boss Ordrak) and swarms of enemies. Whenever I missed a quest because I didn't go to one of the forked paths, it's a bother to run all the way back to get it. The gameplay will be much slower to those who are used to Diablo 2, but I suppose it was made that way so that it's easier for even beginners to gaming in general to cope with the game and be able to reaction to situations. After beating Ordrak, the player can continue playing the game in a new dungeon. They can also retire their character and pass down an item with improved stats for a new character. After beating Ordrak, I wasn't very compelled to continue playing other than trying out the other two classes (I played through as a marksman vanquisher). I'll probably jump on it once in a while to play through the new area and my newly created Alchemist, but I think I'm mostly ready for Torchlight 2. Gameplay 7/10
Overall
I had fun with it, and I got my $5 out of it. And if I really wanted to continue playing, I could. One of the main reasons I'd go back to Torchlight, were I to play it again, would be to try out different builds and skills for the characters. I mostly enjoyed the game, but at times I felt like I wasn't getting very much out of playing it. Still, I'm glad I got the game and played through it. It's a simple and fun distraction to play once in a while between my other games. But because of Torchlight, I have very high hopes for Torchlight 2. I'll probably play Torchlight a little more before the 2nd one comes out. Overall: 8/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/41500/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Available on Steam), Xbox 360 (Available on XBLA)
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Very easy to pick up and play
-Bright and colorful art style makes it easy to navigate around the game
-Intense action for beginners and veteran players (inclusion of hardcore mode)
-High replay-value
Cons:
-No multiplayer
-Can get repetitive
-Some dungeons are confusing
For a game I paid $5 for, it was quite an entertaining experience playing the game. The pet system allowed me to continue venturing through dungeons while my pet goes back to town to sell items for me. The simple gameplay made it very easy to follow along and learn how to play. The bright and color art style is charming and also made it easy to distinguish objects within the game such as characters, enemies, items, traps, and environments. It was a very good game to play when I wanted a break from all the others games as the game focuses a lot on exploring, spamming a lot of flashy skills, and killing a ton of baddies while taking their loot. If you're one of the people waiting for Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2 or have played similar games in the past, I recommend giving Torchlight a try.
Graphics
I was a bit surprised with how the game looked the first time I started it up. It has a cartoon-ish type look to it with an almost cel-shaded type of style. I learned along the way that this was possibly a design choice as I had a easy time distinguishing the many objects around me. I was also shocked that the game's art was done within the Ogre engine (look it up). The character designs, vivid color effects from the skills and amazing dungeon environments are quite impressive using an art program I find very rigid and limiting. But because of this, some models look blocky and some of them can look archaic. I really like the colorful environment in the game as it stands out. Some of the areas do feel sort of repetitive and boring at times though. Some dungeons can be dark as well, and the many path breaks can make for a confusing journey. After fighting for 2-3 hours in one type of dungeon, you'll want nothing more than a change of scenery. Besides the environment, I really liked the effects and animations for the character skills. They're bright, flashy, and dynamic. And for a game that focuses a lot on the usage of character skills, it makes a big difference. It's quite satisfying seeing all those lights and powers mow down hundreds of enemies as the screen shakes from the sheer power your character unleashes. For character creation, there isn't a lot the player can customize and there are only two choices for pets. In lacking a in-depth character customization, equipment does have a change in appearance for the character. So armor and weapons will be more than just mere point progression but will also show the differences each particular item has on the character. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The composer for Diablo 1 and 2 joined Runic Games in creating an awesome soundtrack for Torchlight. The music is more melodic than the compositions he did for the Diablo series, and so they're actually pretty enjoyable to listen to even out of the game. It has the similar fantasy/mysterious atmosphere in the delayed/reverb guitar strumming with the low drums and synth tones playing. The music is subtle and is between thematic and ambiance. One of the reasons I enjoyed playing through Torchlight was listening to the music, especially in the one in town, the mines, and the lava kingdom (which is the one playing in the trailer above). The sound effects were important in many of the gameplay aspects. Certain items such as gems and rings made a distinct sound when dropped by a enemy. Certain enemies can be heard from a distance and prepare the player on how to react. Voice cues notifies the player of particular situations such as running low on mana, health is low, pet is fleeing, backpack is full, etc. And the usual things such as getting a critical hit makes it so satisfying. Overall, a superb job in the audio department. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The game is developed behind veterans who worked on Diablo 1+2, Fate, and the original Mythos (done to test out the servers for Hellgate: London originally) and has a strong background in creating Action RPGs. The game started out how I imagined it. Something is wrong, you go into town, talk to the NPCs, get a quest, and then you start killing stuff in the dungeon. The story, while not incredibly enticing, moves the game along. Syl, one of the main NPCs, is summoned by her mentor Alrich to see him; however, she arrives at the town of Torchlight with her friend Brink only to find a swarm of monsters at the entrance of the mines. The player finds out that Alrich is corrupted by the power of the embers below and attempts to awaken Ordrak, a powerful being deep below Torchlight. The game consists of a lot of clicking (on items, enemies, objects, and paths) and a whole lot of spamming of character skills on the number row. I've always hated how so many RPGs use the number row since it stretches so far from each other. Luckily, I have a programmable speedpad (which has made my experience with a ton of RPGs much more enjoyable) so that all my skills are withing reach. I didn't get the game at first and just used my regular attacks a lot. After realizing how many potions I kept picking up, I started using my skills a lot more often and I saw the strategies I could use in large hordes of enemies by utilizing all my skill abilities rather than having them be a small complimentary attack damage to my regular attacks. It's fun when there's a lot of fighting, but traversing through some of the dungeons can be bothersome if not repetitive. After a while, it feels like you're just mashing a lot of buttons. I got the most fun out of fighting bosses (though most all of them were easy except for the final boss Ordrak) and swarms of enemies. Whenever I missed a quest because I didn't go to one of the forked paths, it's a bother to run all the way back to get it. The gameplay will be much slower to those who are used to Diablo 2, but I suppose it was made that way so that it's easier for even beginners to gaming in general to cope with the game and be able to reaction to situations. After beating Ordrak, the player can continue playing the game in a new dungeon. They can also retire their character and pass down an item with improved stats for a new character. After beating Ordrak, I wasn't very compelled to continue playing other than trying out the other two classes (I played through as a marksman vanquisher). I'll probably jump on it once in a while to play through the new area and my newly created Alchemist, but I think I'm mostly ready for Torchlight 2. Gameplay 7/10
Overall
I had fun with it, and I got my $5 out of it. And if I really wanted to continue playing, I could. One of the main reasons I'd go back to Torchlight, were I to play it again, would be to try out different builds and skills for the characters. I mostly enjoyed the game, but at times I felt like I wasn't getting very much out of playing it. Still, I'm glad I got the game and played through it. It's a simple and fun distraction to play once in a while between my other games. But because of Torchlight, I have very high hopes for Torchlight 2. I'll probably play Torchlight a little more before the 2nd one comes out. Overall: 8/10
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Retroview - Diablo 2
Official Site: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/d2/
Source: Youtube Channel XdiabloX125
Diablo 2 is considered by many PC gamers as the best Action-RPG gaming has to offer, and it took me 10+ years to find out. I finally tried out Diablo 2 last week after beating Torchlight (created by developers who worked on Diablo 2, Fate, and Mythos) and playing Titan Quest last week and found that many gamers still prefered Diablo 2 over it. I had previously tried out D2 a few years back when I was still busy with college and didn't have the time to truly sit down and play the game very much. Both Diablo 2 and Titan Quest took about 1-2 (maybe even 3) hours before I started having fun. It feels slow and monotonous in the beginning as it introduces the story and the gameplay mechanics to the player. But once the real challenging enemies appear, better loot falls out, and the player gaining incredible skills, the game gets really interesting. One very refreshing concept that I always liked about older Action-RPGs is exploration, and Diablo 2 is a ton of that. Sure, the player can revisit past dungeons and gain experience/get better items; however, the player is rarely in the same spot or area for more than a minute. Many RPGs, especially MMORPGs, have players fighting the same spawn of monsters for long durations (for some, it could be hours, or even days). Loot can come in all varieties with some being strong, other more useful, and most being useless. There's isn't a strong linear equipment progression that a lot of RPGs have which forces the player to stick with the same equipment until they find the next level. In Diablo 2, the player has to delegate which equipment would be more beneficial. Diablo 2 has such a strong sense of dynamics in every aspect of the game that I'm surprised so many RPGs now (not all) seem to have gone so linear. I suppose it makes it easier to progress through the game without having to plan and organize as much. After playing Torchlight and Titan Quest, I wasn't prepared the first time my character died in Diablo 2. In Torchlight, you can choose to sacrifice gold and fame to respawn where you died or at least the beginning of the dungeon if not choosing to respawn in town with no consequences. In Titan Quest, you respawn at the last save fountain you came across with some experience penalty. But in Diablo 2, dying meant that you drop everything that was on your body (weapons, armor, shield, charms, and such) where you died and end up back at town with nothing on you. The repercussion of the first death put me on edge from then on, making it more challenging. It reminds me of the tense nature that Demon's Souls gave me whenever I fought a formidable foe. Luckily, I was able to go back to my body and pick up everything I had equipped before. The pace of the game is very fast, and perhaps ARPGs are slower now so that players can be more strategical rather than relying on quick reactions. Still, I am very bothered by games where I'm walking for 5-10 minutes just to get to my destination (mainly in MMORPGs). There are always monsters that needs to be fought along the way or things to do to keep the player on edge and focused rather than watching their character run a marathon throughout the entire game. There's still much to say. But to make it short: if you like point-n-click Action-RPGs or waiting for Diablo 3, I highly recommend playing Diablo 2 (with the expansion).
Source: Youtube Channel XdiabloX125
Diablo 2 is considered by many PC gamers as the best Action-RPG gaming has to offer, and it took me 10+ years to find out. I finally tried out Diablo 2 last week after beating Torchlight (created by developers who worked on Diablo 2, Fate, and Mythos) and playing Titan Quest last week and found that many gamers still prefered Diablo 2 over it. I had previously tried out D2 a few years back when I was still busy with college and didn't have the time to truly sit down and play the game very much. Both Diablo 2 and Titan Quest took about 1-2 (maybe even 3) hours before I started having fun. It feels slow and monotonous in the beginning as it introduces the story and the gameplay mechanics to the player. But once the real challenging enemies appear, better loot falls out, and the player gaining incredible skills, the game gets really interesting. One very refreshing concept that I always liked about older Action-RPGs is exploration, and Diablo 2 is a ton of that. Sure, the player can revisit past dungeons and gain experience/get better items; however, the player is rarely in the same spot or area for more than a minute. Many RPGs, especially MMORPGs, have players fighting the same spawn of monsters for long durations (for some, it could be hours, or even days). Loot can come in all varieties with some being strong, other more useful, and most being useless. There's isn't a strong linear equipment progression that a lot of RPGs have which forces the player to stick with the same equipment until they find the next level. In Diablo 2, the player has to delegate which equipment would be more beneficial. Diablo 2 has such a strong sense of dynamics in every aspect of the game that I'm surprised so many RPGs now (not all) seem to have gone so linear. I suppose it makes it easier to progress through the game without having to plan and organize as much. After playing Torchlight and Titan Quest, I wasn't prepared the first time my character died in Diablo 2. In Torchlight, you can choose to sacrifice gold and fame to respawn where you died or at least the beginning of the dungeon if not choosing to respawn in town with no consequences. In Titan Quest, you respawn at the last save fountain you came across with some experience penalty. But in Diablo 2, dying meant that you drop everything that was on your body (weapons, armor, shield, charms, and such) where you died and end up back at town with nothing on you. The repercussion of the first death put me on edge from then on, making it more challenging. It reminds me of the tense nature that Demon's Souls gave me whenever I fought a formidable foe. Luckily, I was able to go back to my body and pick up everything I had equipped before. The pace of the game is very fast, and perhaps ARPGs are slower now so that players can be more strategical rather than relying on quick reactions. Still, I am very bothered by games where I'm walking for 5-10 minutes just to get to my destination (mainly in MMORPGs). There are always monsters that needs to be fought along the way or things to do to keep the player on edge and focused rather than watching their character run a marathon throughout the entire game. There's still much to say. But to make it short: if you like point-n-click Action-RPGs or waiting for Diablo 3, I highly recommend playing Diablo 2 (with the expansion).
Monday, October 17, 2011
Retroview - Titan Quest
Official Site: http://www.titanquestgame.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/402/?snr=1_5_9__13
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Released back in 2006, Titan Quest was not much of an interest to me. I actually don't even remember the game coming out. I just knew about it last year when I saw a friend playing it. I asked her whether it was fun and she said it was to hold her down until Diablo 3 came out. Up to that point (and even up till just last week) I have not play any of the Diablo games. I don't remember what the reason was that I didn't get it (probably because I wasn't even allowed to play much videogames, much less buy one) back when I was in Jr. High and everyone was talking about it, but I suppose it's good to know that I've given it a try now. So a few years back (about 3-4 years ago), I tried out Diablo 2 for about 5 minutes and I thought to myself "I fail to see what was so great about this game". It was during this time I was still in college and had very little time to play games and so I had stuck with a lot of Fighters, Shoot-em-ups, and First-Person Shooters since they were all short and required little time investment. Fast-forward to the present where I've already graduated and have more time to myself, I've gotten back into RPGs and Action-Adventure games. I got to try out Diablo 3 back in 2008 at BlizzCon and really liked it. So with the anticipated wait for Diablo 3, I've been trying to fill in that void and thirst for Diablo 3 with similar games. I had beat Torchlight recently (which I need to do a very late review for) and felt I needed something more.
Just last week, Titan Quest and Titan Quest Immortal Throne (packed together as Titan Quest Gold) was on sale for $5 on Steam. Watching back at the gameplay (such as the one above) and screenshots, I really didn't have much interest in it. But I remembered my friend told me it was fun and it was much like Diablo. I decided to take a risk and bought it, and boy am I super glad I did. The game's class system is what really turned me on in the game. A player starts out naked (figuratively) with no specialties or skills. They eventually choose 2 different masteries which narrows them into a certain type of class. I'm playing the original one right now which has 8 masteries to combine (the expansion adds 2 more I think) and has all sorts of different combinations that define the class the character plays as. I combine the mastery "warfare" which focuses on dual-wielding and strength with "rogue" which excels in poison and damage to create an Assassin. I'm able to dish out a ton of damage and combine all sorts of elements with my weapons so that I have fire damage, lightning attacks, poison, bleeding, and leech life going when I'm attacking hordes of enemies. The game is exciting in that with an alarming amount of enemies coming at you, the player still finds a way to overcome them. It does get challenging at times and isn't just a clicking game (as most have pointed out in top-down, point-n-click Action RPGs such as Diablo) as strategy, timing, and skill/equipment allocation all contribute to a wholesome Action RPG experience. The biggest problem I had to face in the beginning was having to go back every 2-3 minutes to sell all the items that drop. I learned from a buddy of mine from playing Diablo 2 with him that you don't have to pick everything up and just picking up rare items to sell them is enough money for all that the player needs. I'm seriously having a ton of fun playing Titan Quest and can't believe I didn't try it sooner. I'm questing around, killing tons of enemies, learning new skills, looting incredible weapons and armor, and fighting formidable bosses.
Even with all the fun I'm having with Titan Quest, I read up online that many ARPG fans still prefer Diablo 2 over it. I still had the Diablo 2 from the 3-4 years ago I tried and decided to give it another try (this time with the expansion and playing longer than just 5 minutes). I'll admit that both Titan Quest and Diablo 2 were kinda boring and made me skeptical in the first 1-2 hours. But after that threshold, I got hooked. I can't stop playing as I'm always trying to find better loot, fight harder enemies, and gain more experience to get more skill points to utilize new abilities in the game. I'm very glad I bought Titan Quest and more so that I bought the expansion with it so that I may try out some new class combinations. This will hold me out until Diablo 3 I think.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/402/?snr=1_5_9__13
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Released back in 2006, Titan Quest was not much of an interest to me. I actually don't even remember the game coming out. I just knew about it last year when I saw a friend playing it. I asked her whether it was fun and she said it was to hold her down until Diablo 3 came out. Up to that point (and even up till just last week) I have not play any of the Diablo games. I don't remember what the reason was that I didn't get it (probably because I wasn't even allowed to play much videogames, much less buy one) back when I was in Jr. High and everyone was talking about it, but I suppose it's good to know that I've given it a try now. So a few years back (about 3-4 years ago), I tried out Diablo 2 for about 5 minutes and I thought to myself "I fail to see what was so great about this game". It was during this time I was still in college and had very little time to play games and so I had stuck with a lot of Fighters, Shoot-em-ups, and First-Person Shooters since they were all short and required little time investment. Fast-forward to the present where I've already graduated and have more time to myself, I've gotten back into RPGs and Action-Adventure games. I got to try out Diablo 3 back in 2008 at BlizzCon and really liked it. So with the anticipated wait for Diablo 3, I've been trying to fill in that void and thirst for Diablo 3 with similar games. I had beat Torchlight recently (which I need to do a very late review for) and felt I needed something more.
Just last week, Titan Quest and Titan Quest Immortal Throne (packed together as Titan Quest Gold) was on sale for $5 on Steam. Watching back at the gameplay (such as the one above) and screenshots, I really didn't have much interest in it. But I remembered my friend told me it was fun and it was much like Diablo. I decided to take a risk and bought it, and boy am I super glad I did. The game's class system is what really turned me on in the game. A player starts out naked (figuratively) with no specialties or skills. They eventually choose 2 different masteries which narrows them into a certain type of class. I'm playing the original one right now which has 8 masteries to combine (the expansion adds 2 more I think) and has all sorts of different combinations that define the class the character plays as. I combine the mastery "warfare" which focuses on dual-wielding and strength with "rogue" which excels in poison and damage to create an Assassin. I'm able to dish out a ton of damage and combine all sorts of elements with my weapons so that I have fire damage, lightning attacks, poison, bleeding, and leech life going when I'm attacking hordes of enemies. The game is exciting in that with an alarming amount of enemies coming at you, the player still finds a way to overcome them. It does get challenging at times and isn't just a clicking game (as most have pointed out in top-down, point-n-click Action RPGs such as Diablo) as strategy, timing, and skill/equipment allocation all contribute to a wholesome Action RPG experience. The biggest problem I had to face in the beginning was having to go back every 2-3 minutes to sell all the items that drop. I learned from a buddy of mine from playing Diablo 2 with him that you don't have to pick everything up and just picking up rare items to sell them is enough money for all that the player needs. I'm seriously having a ton of fun playing Titan Quest and can't believe I didn't try it sooner. I'm questing around, killing tons of enemies, learning new skills, looting incredible weapons and armor, and fighting formidable bosses.
Even with all the fun I'm having with Titan Quest, I read up online that many ARPG fans still prefer Diablo 2 over it. I still had the Diablo 2 from the 3-4 years ago I tried and decided to give it another try (this time with the expansion and playing longer than just 5 minutes). I'll admit that both Titan Quest and Diablo 2 were kinda boring and made me skeptical in the first 1-2 hours. But after that threshold, I got hooked. I can't stop playing as I'm always trying to find better loot, fight harder enemies, and gain more experience to get more skill points to utilize new abilities in the game. I'm very glad I bought Titan Quest and more so that I bought the expansion with it so that I may try out some new class combinations. This will hold me out until Diablo 3 I think.
Friday, October 14, 2011
GameOn - Fighting Games - Street Fighter x Tekken
Official Site: http://www.streetfighter.com/us/sfxtk/
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomUnityVideos
I remember being excited and confused when Capcom announced Street Fighter x Tekken when both fighting games have a totally different battle system. It seems that it falls more into the Street Fighter cross over style with games like SNK vs. Street Fighter and such. The game features a 2-person tag team which means you can play along side a friend and even a full out 2 vs 2 with all 4 players on the screen. The 2-player tag system allows a player or players to switch smoothly between the characters to chain a long string of attacks between them for the maximum damage output. With a cast from both Street Fighter and Tekken, it's going to be very interesting with the mash-ups a player could do. I'm not sure if they're going to be adding all the characters that people want since players already devising match-ups such as Fei Long versus Marshall Law and Akuma versus Heihachi. Currently, there are 22 characters listed on the site. There could be more, and I hope there will be without the need to buy them as a DLC. But this is Capcom we're talking about, and they've been milking with DLCs like crazy lately. I'm actually pretty hyped for this game since it's a different battle system and won't really replace a game that I'd be otherwise be playing (example: getting Soul Calibur 5 might mean playing Soul Calibur 4 a lot less). Looks like this won't be out until March 2012, which is fine. I hope this means more characters will be added.
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomUnityVideos
I remember being excited and confused when Capcom announced Street Fighter x Tekken when both fighting games have a totally different battle system. It seems that it falls more into the Street Fighter cross over style with games like SNK vs. Street Fighter and such. The game features a 2-person tag team which means you can play along side a friend and even a full out 2 vs 2 with all 4 players on the screen. The 2-player tag system allows a player or players to switch smoothly between the characters to chain a long string of attacks between them for the maximum damage output. With a cast from both Street Fighter and Tekken, it's going to be very interesting with the mash-ups a player could do. I'm not sure if they're going to be adding all the characters that people want since players already devising match-ups such as Fei Long versus Marshall Law and Akuma versus Heihachi. Currently, there are 22 characters listed on the site. There could be more, and I hope there will be without the need to buy them as a DLC. But this is Capcom we're talking about, and they've been milking with DLCs like crazy lately. I'm actually pretty hyped for this game since it's a different battle system and won't really replace a game that I'd be otherwise be playing (example: getting Soul Calibur 5 might mean playing Soul Calibur 4 a lot less). Looks like this won't be out until March 2012, which is fine. I hope this means more characters will be added.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
GameOn - Fighting Games - Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Official Site: http://www.marvelvscapcom3.com/us
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomEuro
It makes me sad that I'm going to be buying another copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it seems to be the trend in fighting games to add some extra content to the existing game and resell it. The thing is, there will be 8 new levels and 12 additional characters. The one I'm most excited about is Phoenix Wright among other characters such as Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Strider Hiryu (yay for his return!), Fire Brand, and Vergil. With so many new characters joining the roster, I can't help but buy it when it's released. I'm hoping there will be a new mode of sorts to play since I play solo quite often if I'm not playing local multiplayer. I don't play any of my fighting games online, though I really should for the "Ultimate" experience. From my experience with online play on MvC3 (the only fighting game I've played online so far), the connection is pretty smooth and delivers a pretty legitimate competitive experience. One of the problems I had with MvC3 was the amount of characters compared to MvC2, and this new expansion seems to remedy that. I'm not sure if I really want to spend $40 for those new characters right away. I should probably wait it out and actually play the fighting games that's barely touched right now until I can get it for $20. The only problem is if suddenly Capcom decides to release "Super Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". They seem to do that quite often. I skipped over getting "Super" Street Fighter 4 and then got it when "Arcade Edition" came out. Nonetheless, I can't wait to play as Phoenix Wright!
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomEuro
It makes me sad that I'm going to be buying another copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it seems to be the trend in fighting games to add some extra content to the existing game and resell it. The thing is, there will be 8 new levels and 12 additional characters. The one I'm most excited about is Phoenix Wright among other characters such as Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Strider Hiryu (yay for his return!), Fire Brand, and Vergil. With so many new characters joining the roster, I can't help but buy it when it's released. I'm hoping there will be a new mode of sorts to play since I play solo quite often if I'm not playing local multiplayer. I don't play any of my fighting games online, though I really should for the "Ultimate" experience. From my experience with online play on MvC3 (the only fighting game I've played online so far), the connection is pretty smooth and delivers a pretty legitimate competitive experience. One of the problems I had with MvC3 was the amount of characters compared to MvC2, and this new expansion seems to remedy that. I'm not sure if I really want to spend $40 for those new characters right away. I should probably wait it out and actually play the fighting games that's barely touched right now until I can get it for $20. The only problem is if suddenly Capcom decides to release "Super Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3". They seem to do that quite often. I skipped over getting "Super" Street Fighter 4 and then got it when "Arcade Edition" came out. Nonetheless, I can't wait to play as Phoenix Wright!
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