So I just reached the point in the Thieves Guild questline where I got my own Nightingale armor set. And boy does it look kick ass. My only complaint is the bonus on the hood (15% Illusion spell cost reduction) since I have zero use for it, and the other piece bonuses are amazing compared to it. Here's a pic (not mine):
What about you, found any set that you just keep in your bags to pull out every now and then to make you feel like a badass?
When I'm writing this it's a mere five days until Skyrim is unleashed on the world. At first I had my copy pre-ordered from Amazon UK, but since I live in Sweden I wouldn't get my copy until the 14th at the earliest. I imagined going insane in the few days I had to be without a copy while reading on all the cool stuff online, so I cancelled my order and placed a pre-order from a Swedish retailer instead, even if it meant paying 10 more Euro.
But five days still feels like an eternity, and I honestly can't remember the last time I was this excited over a game release. I played both Morrowind and Oblivion to death, and from what I can tell Skyrim will only improve on things. Unless the game is flat-out broken I have a very hard time thinking it will disappoint me in any way.
Today I've been thinking a lot about areas I'd like to see in the game. I remember the somewhat spooky village in Oblivion with its residents seemingly didn't want you around. If you stayed at the inn you wake up at night, and all the villagers have moved below ground to worship some evil deity. They also kidnapped a young girl, which you could of course set free. The whole thing was a really terrifying experience, and I still remember it today when I think of Oblivion.
I really want to see similar locations in Skyrim; small villages where something is clearly wrong beneath the surface. Or maybe a deserted village, you find a bed, only to be awaken at night by some horrible and strange sounds? A mist have filled the village streets, and it becomes clear what happened to the residents.
I'd also love to see gigantic towers, begging to be climbed and explored. Another awesome idea would be finding a trapdoor in the middle of nowhere in a forest, only to discover it leading to an upside-down tower going far downwards to treasure and fiends.
All in all I can barely wait any longer for Skyrim. My expectations are soaring high, and hopefully the 12h marathon with Greg on Thursday can calm me down enough for the Friday release. If you happen to read this and care enough to comment, what areas do you want to see on Friday?
So yesterday I FINALLY got my copy of the game and I was excited as all hell. I managed to stay away from wikis and spoilerfests as much as I could for this game, which is quite unique for me. I picked a Thief (mostly because of the cool-looking armor) and went on my grand adventure.
Things were going quite well. I killed a lot of demons and they in turn killed me a lot. It was a weird ying-yang thing going on, but it was all in good fun. Until I met a prisoner in a cage behind a breakable wall inside that church with one of the bells up top. At first I didn't think twice about freeing him; after all I had just joined the Way of White covenant and felt I had to live up to my new vows. But then he just sat there, laughing like a mad villain, promising me of a "future reward after he do some work". I panicked, thinking I've set loose Lucifer, and swiftly hit him with my blade. Unfortunatly he didn't like that one bit, and slaughtered me faster than I could say "oh piss".
After returning back to life I slowly started to ponder what the fuck I was doing. I attacked a NPC, and I was well aware of that once you attack one of those there's no going back. It's his life or yours. Did I fuck up an awesome questreward down the line? Maybe he was just a misunderstood bloke with a creepy laugh? I had to sleep on it, and today I'm sure of it: I'm restarting with a new character where I won't attack him. Bad idea? I'll see eventually, but I at least want to see what this promised reward will bring me down the line...
So what about you? Have you played with only one character, accepting any and all consequences you've brought upon yourself? Or have you, like me, just said "fuck it" and restarted all over again no matter the amount of lost progress?
Tonight I took my jeep for a spin in the jungle in search for new adventure. I found a lady in trouble on a bridge deep inside the jungle, and zombies were quickly trying to turn her into dinner. Her cries for help had me alerted, so I quickly jumped out the car and made short work of the undead rascals. When just me and the lady were left standing (covered in blood) she informed me that she managed to drop all the boxes of medicine off the bridge, and since she was injured it was up to me to pick 'em all up and drop them off at the nearby village.
"Fear not, fair lady" I exclaimed, as I made my way down the mountain side in search for medicine boxes. The final box of said medicine was deep down the ravine, and I suddenly realized that I had no way to get back up again. As I pondered if the lady in distress had jacked my car and was halfway to Mozambique by now, I noticed a small path leading away from the ravine. "Jolly good, this will surely lead me to safety" I thought, and readied my machete in case of ferocious monkeys.
Walking along the path I suddenly noticed a small hut in the middle of absolutly nowhere. My stomach was beginning to scream for snacks and/or energy drinks, so I quietly made my way to the front door. A sort of panting was getting more and more noticeable the closer I got, like an energetic moose being closeby. Suddenly a man with a hockey mask was standing behind me, and I swiftly turned around while grasping my left arm being sure a heart attack wasn't far off. I quickly introduced myself, asking if the gentleman had any snacks and/or energy drinks nearby, to which he replied with a scream "BRAAAAINS!!" and held up a huge and bloody machete.
As I am both swift on my feet as in my mind, I replied with a molotov coctail to his face, which unfortunatly only made him more angry. Thankfully I was by then inside his hut, so I followed my polite reply with shutting the door between him and me. I am now writing these lines from the mad man's bedroom, where between two severed heads lies a chainsaw.
I can hear him out there. Laughing. Screaming. Clawing at the door. His energy seems to be beyond human, and all his snacks and/or energy drinks are slowly running out.
2011 is looking like it could be a truly amazing year for gaming, and with excellent titles like Dead Space 2 and L.A. Noire already released I'm starting to plan what to buy during the second half of the year. This is not a definate list, but it at least helps me keep track of what to keep my eyes open for when it starts getting colder outside. I'll sort the list by release dates, which may or may not be accurate for all regions since I'm from Sweden myself. I'm getting my release dates from Amazon UK.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (August 23rd in US / August 26th in EU) I'm going to be totally honest: I never played any of the old Deus Ex games when they were released in 2000 and 2003. I heard great things about them, and by all accounts they should be right up my alley. I even have them in my Steam library! The trailers for Human Revolution look absolutly amazing, and I've also heard mostly great things from the die hard fans who played the recently leaked Beta build of the game. The only thing I can complain about so far is the so-so voice acting presented in the trailers, but hopefully that won't ruin the experience when playing.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (??? in US / September 9th in EU) Final Fantasy XIII was a game I really wanted to like, and to some extent I also did. Square Enix have promised that they have listened to the complaints and changed a whole lot to this wierdly named sequel tie-in. Let's just hope it's not riddled with awkward J-Pop and dressing up girls like a certain other -2 title. My expectations are slim at the moment, but I'm hoping this will be the grand return the Final Fantasy franchise needs.
Dead Island (September 6th in US / September 9th in EU) I love zombie games, and I keep on loving them even while most seem to steer away from them. Dead Island seems like a mix of Far Cry and Dead Rising. Big paradise island up for exploring while combining weapons to smash skulls in, but without the goofy side from Dead Rising. My expectations are soaring high, I just hope that they won't focus too much on online co-op or multiplayer mayhem.
Gears of War 3 (September 20th in US / September 20th in EU) What would a must-buy-list for X360 be without the latest Gears of War title? I'm even one of those oddballs who never even play the much praised multiplayer in the GoW franchise, but rather love the single player experience they bring. I know that some love to hate on the franchise for various reasons (some will probably even comment on it here), but I don't need to defend my interest in these games to anyone. Either way it's the end of the franchise, and I hope they go out with a bang.
Dark Souls (October 4th in US / October 4th in EU) I'm one of the poor souls who never got a PS3 so I could never enjoy Demon's Souls like everyone else apparently did. Imagine then my joy when they announced that the sequel (I'm sorry; "spiritual successor") was going to be released to both major platforms. What I've seen so far from Dark Souls seems really awesome, especially how the huge world can be explored and seen from afar. One of the titles I'm looking forward to the most this year, I just hope I won't be slaughtered too much.
RAGE (October 4th in US / October 4th in EU) ID Software have made some truly great games over the years, that's no surprise to anyone. This new title, which seems like a mix of Borderlands and Carmageddon, have all the things I seem to want from a game: exploration, RPG-elements, shooting, post-apocalyptic world, and good gameplay. John Carmack promises 60 FPS on consoles with their new engine, which looks like it's kicking ass. I just hope it's not a linear experience but rather more of a sandbox feel to it.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (October 11th in US / October 14th in EU) One of the biggest reasons to me buying a X360 back in the day was because of the first Dead Rising. The franchise nowadays is one of my favorites, so even if some claim this is another cash-in for Capcom I still can't help to be excited for it. It's also budget priced which is always a nice thing. There are some minor annoyances that I hope they fix, and also that they include a survival mode that they for some reason didn't in Dead Rising 2.
Batman: Arkham City (October 18th in US / October 21st in EU) Oh boy oh boy oh boy, the sequel to the best game of 2009. Trailers and screenshots have so far been looking amazing in every way. And they've been talking about the big size of the city and more of a sandbox feeling than the previous game. This could truly be game of the year 2011 if they deliver everything they have promised. Of course, there's one other title that's the big rival for that award...
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (November 11th in US / November 11th in EU) Holy fucking shit. Words can't describe how much I want this game. I'm in constant fear that my girlfriend and dog will leave me to rot in my apartment after this game is released. I honestly don't know what to say about Skyrim that express in a well-put form how much I want it. If this title for some reason won't live up to my expectations I will burn my X360 and never trust Bethesda again.
Assassin's Creed: Revelations (November ?? in US / November 15th in EU) I liked the first Assassin's Creed. I loved Assassin's Creed 2. I still haven't played Brotherhood, but apparently that's even better. Hopefully they keep the trend going and make Revelations live up to everyone's expectations. Mine are somewhat low at the moment, since I would rather see an Assassin's Creed 3 with some new people and settings.
Saints Row: The Third (November 15th in US / November 18th in EU) I suppose there are two types of people: those who hate Saints Row 2 but love GTA IV, and those who love Saints Row 2 but hate GTA IV. Oh wait, there're also those who love both titles in different ways. I'm that type of person, but I must admit that Saints Row 2 win in many categories against its nemesis GTA IV. The trailers have been just as goofy as you can expect from a Saints Row game, and I have faith that THQ can deliver what they promise.
So there you have it folks, my must-buy-list for X360 the upcoming months. I'm sure there are a lot of more games I haven't mentioned, but these titles are the ones I have already pre-ordered or at least will do so soon. In many ways one can wonder how 2012 possibly can top this, but then again we'll get Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, XCOM, and many more that year. It sure feels good to be in love with games every now and then.
Thanks for reading, feel free to troll, flame, or praise me!
So with the recent news that Catherine will be released in the US, Internet (and Giantbomb especially) went into full-time celebration. The game is being fully localized, and even some voice actors from Persona 4 will return for the job. That's all great, but us peasants in the rest of the world are still waiting for an update regarding it to be released elsewhere. A problem with Atlus, for example, is that they have no publisher set up outside of Japan and US, which pretty much puts us in hoping that an outside party will pick up the publishing rights. It's a complicated and lengthy process, and often it results into nothingness.
So my first thought is, "well if they have no intention of releasing it for the rest of us, why can't we just import it?". Simple; I don't own a PS3. I only own a region locked X360. So even if I payed the extra moola to import the game from the US upon its release there, I still wouldn't be able to play it on my console unless I in turn imported an american X360. It happened to Culdcept Saga and other games, which I'm still fucking pissed off about. And I'm sure it happens to americans all the time.
My point is, why even region lock games? I can understand why some game companies think their game won't sell as well in certain regions and don't bother releasing it there, but why rob the selected consumers the right to purchase it from a region that actually has it? Are they so hell-bent on promoting the domestic market, or what's the problem?
I know the simple solution would be to buy a PS3 and give region locking the middle finger. But I'm not exactly swimming in cash, and having one HD console is more than enough for me at the moment. I just want some clarification to why region locking is still something we're using in 2011, a time where people can't stop going on about "free market this, free market that".
Today I had my first job interview in six months since I got unemployed. I previously worked at a record store, but we all know how good business they are these days, and it had to close down eventually. Since then I've been looking for something similar...you know, record stores, video game stores, etc. Last week I finally got called back from a DVD store that told me that me and seven others (out of hundreds of applicants) have been called to an interview. Obviously I got extremely excited.
The title is Store Manager, and even if I my knowledge of managing is a tad low they still seemed impressed by me. It was an hour long interview, and I walked away satisfied. Now it's playing the waiting game for another week when they'll call me with news, and hope the other seven somehow fucks up on their interviews. No reason to be sleepless over this, since I can't really affect my interview at this point. I just really badly want this job...really really much.
Here's hoping! Take it from me; it fucking sucks to be unemployed.
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Yes, another one of "those" blogs. The kind of blog where a sad human being tells the world that he, as well, was hooked on that godforsaken drug. I'm speaking of course of World of Warcraft.
I played pretty much without pause since the closed Beta in 2005 (or was it 2004? The years flew by). That's a long fucking time to spend on a single videogame. I played hardcore, even if I had my characters on one of those awful RP realms. I was hated by the roleplayers for not being "roleplayer enough" (whatever that meant, it wasn't like I was standing in Orgrimmar spamming lol all day), but I didn't care. I had my RP outfits and shit in the Bank for when they were needed. I enjoyed "server first" (IE, my Guild killed the major shit before anyone else did), my epics, my legendaries, and all that. I had a blast.
I'm also one of those who firmly believed that the game got only better with each update and patch. I didn't give two shits if my class got "nerfed" or if someone else was "OP". I had a great time, and I thoroughly (boy, hard word to spell for a Swede) thought that both Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King were both excellent expansions.
Then shit hit the fan. One day, while doing my usual dailies, I noticed myself being bored. Really bored. All WoW-players get it every now and then, the feeling that you just want to turn the shit off and relax in the couch with your console, or go out to pick flowers, or do your laundry, or whatever. My guild was doing awesome progress in Icecrown with the hardmodes and everything. Our gear made players weep when they saw us. Our mounts were so shiny they made the sun pale in comparision. Sadly, we also lost a lot of key members over the years. People were getting married, getting kids, and myself got girlfriend who didn't understand WoW nor would she ever.
So that day I said goodbye to WoW and my Guild. They didn't hate or resent me, even if I was the main tank and class leader since four years. They wished me luck, and I uninstalled WoW for the first time since its release. Shortly after the Guild disbanded, and everyone went their merry way. Don't know if it was my fault, but I doubt it.
The urge is kicking in. I'm fucking jonesing over here. I haven't played WoW, or even given it much thought, in the past months. But with Cataclysm around the corner I'm seriously weighing in the option to pick it up again. Just find an awesome Guild somewhere who'd want me and jump right back into the jungle.
I'm fighting a losing war. The urge is overwhelming.
So tomorrow I'm buying a Wii second hand from a dude. One controller, motionplus, and four games that honestly don't interest me that much (I think they were Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, EA Sports Active, and Grand Slam Tennis). So with those pathetic titles I'm now obviously looking to expand my library, so here's a list of planned purchases.
So with those games in mind, any game you think I should take a look at as well? Epic Mickey and Kirby's Epic Yarn both look really good as well. To my delight I heard that I can also play GameCube games on the Wii if I get a controller and memorycard (and actually find those games...), which means I could play more awesome classics like Wind Waker and Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door! So while I'm on that topic, any classic RPG/Adventure GameCube games I should try and find as well?
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