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BigDo6

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Is Conan An Immortal?

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One of our first posts was entitled R.I.P Age of Conan and it detailed my sadness at the passing of what I felt was a great game. This sadness notwithstanding, I was unable to remain a subscriber to the game; I gave into the same issues that had driven away so many. Like them I moved on, chalking up the experience to a fond memory of an opportunity lost. I assumed that Funcom wasn't up to the task of fixing the game's myriad of problems or reproducing content that was of the same quality as the areas that had originally memorized me. But, MMOs are unique in that they get more than one press cycle.


The first of these cycles was a mixed bag for Age of Conan. Sure the game got positive reviews, netting a game ranking score of 81.0%, but the word of mouth was atrocious. I was unfortunate enough to experience this negative reaction first hand, when close friends of mine who I bullied into trying the game, would return with nothing more than a list of game breaking bugs, hard reboots, and visually disturbing graphic glitches. Some of these graphic glitches were actually fairly humorous, I find myself recalling one in particular that caused the breasts of female NPCs to dance up and down much like the lemurs in the film Madagascar. But, on the other hand some were infuriating, causing the world to be drawn in only low res muddy textures, or having your avatar’s hair either change color for entire log ins, or completely disappear. Although one was only able to enjoy these visual bugs when you were able to actually play the game, which the crushing memory leaks, and the hardest of hard locks made more difficult than necessary. But, just as the positive reviews disappeared under a mountain of negative press, so did the game’s problems disappear in my absence.

I really didn’t expect it on my return. I figured I would play it for 15 minutes and then uninstall it, as I am known to do with old PC games. Slowly however, I noticed that the bugs that were once mocking in their persistence were gone. As that realization sunk in I began looking for other bugs I remembered, to prove to myself that I hadn’t counted Funcom out too early. But, in my search I realized that almost every bug of any significance was gone. Not only that, but the game had improved from a reasonably objective standard as well.

The horses that were originally punitive in their pricing were now absolutely attainable by the lonely solo player. The graphics in A.O.C. are the stuff of legend, but required a computer of an equally mythic proportion. But, upon my return they seemed to be much better optimized. Frame rates were up by about 10 in every zone, textures that had previously popped in like a Gears of War 2/Halo 3 cut scene now appeared immediately after loading. The quests which before seemed to peter out after about level 27, now seemed to ooze from every zone I could make it to. These improvement though impressive aren’t what has me the most doubtful of my previously prognosticated demise of A.O.C.

It’s the content that lies just around the corner. Funcom earlier in the games life announced it was cutting employees due specifically to the falling subscriber numbers. But, these cuts were apparently not aimed at the content design team, since a quick search of what they are working on is impressive in its quantity. A new zone Y’mir’s Pass was just recently released along with a sweeping pvp update. This pvp update is being followed up by a second expansion in the next patch, which is scheduled to come out in the third week of February. In the near future Funcom has announced a new zone called Tarantia Commons District where the game play is said to mimic Assassin’s Creed with on-roof fighting and movement. As someone who knows the game’s engine well, this is really exciting. Additionally they will be adding, more items through the three new raid dungeons they are introducing, the pvp ranking system they will continue to flesh out, and their commitment to completely redesign all of the dungeons in the game made for 6 man groups. This redesign will include more engaging boss encounters that are said to be inspired by World of Warcraft and traps inspired by action movies (one includes I gigantic rolling border careening down a narrow stair case once it is sprung). So was my previous lamenting premature?

I don’t think anyone, even Funcom, knows that yet. The game has two chances at a “re-launch”: One when the new Conan Movie comes out in 2010 and the other when the Xbox 360 version of A.O.C. arrives. Either of these events will give a large shot in the arm to a game that is really ready to present itself to the world. And, until this “resurrection” takes place, or the world comes crashing down around my avatar’s head, I will be enjoying Hyboria.

This post is cross posted from http://videogamestheory.blogspot.com/
1 Comments

Disappointed with the Giant Bomb crew.

Placing Bob's Game on the front page of the site succeeds in not only in fomenting such behavior in the future, but it also rewards Bob himself for this self destructive insanity.

P.S. Note, that I did not link to the game. A hypocrisy trap in the making.

1 Comments

Diablo 3 Video

Hype/Caution
Hype/Caution
Video here - http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/19701

             Well it looks, well a little strange. The graphics look have the feeling of a high-res Diablo, but for me the Barbarian just doesn't look right. His animations seem odd, like they are running on an 8 direction framework. But, I suppose that might be because it is running on a PC. Other then those visual irritations, it looks like it is going to be epic and easily addicting. I look forward to seeing the rest of the classes, Necromancer anyone? The gear looked appropriately drool enducing. Also, the concept of class dependent gear-designs is a game mechanic I miss.
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Was it a rational fear?

  

2008?
2008?
       The year has finally wrapped up, and what is the first thing on every gamers mental agenda when the new year begins? Dread and fear of coarse. We aren't afraid of our oncoming return to school, or the possibility that our holiday sales job might disappear (though the recent economic downturn might make that a close second).  We fear instead a fate worse than death. Months upon months without any new games worth playing. In 2008 this same fear gripped us all. Was it rational?

       One could not be blamed for prognosticating a disappointing 2008, with the best year in gaming history still fresh in our memory. But, when you compare the games released
in both years the disparity seems to vanish.


Games of 2007:


Halo 3
Rock Band
Mass effect
Crysis
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Assasin's Creed
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lion
Super Mario Galaxy
God of War 2
Bioshock
The Orange Box
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune

Games of 2008:

Gears of War 2
Fable 2
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Call of Duty: World at War
Prince of Persia
Fallout 3
NHL '09
GTA 4
MGS 4
Dead Space
Soul Calibur 4 (sorry Jeff, this game kicked ass)
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe (but, so did this one)
Little Big Planet
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Burnout: Paradise

           So in retrospect 2008 turned out to be a great year for gaming. But, as the holiday season wears off, the fear is reborn. In forum surfers, podcast wielding critics, and our own creeping sub-conscience we see the dread of months without quality gaming return. Are these fears rational? We will see...

Edited for mistakes: I apologize for those maimed during my posting.
13 Comments

A self defeating system.

Online you say?
Online you say?
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/38549.html

         For some reason i find the dialogue placed over this video really cool. It makes it seem like a really awesome multiplayer game. That being said, as soon as I remember that this is a Playstation 3 exclusive, I lose all interest.

         First the the PS3's Controller seems specifically designed to irritate anyone attempting to play a fps. (in regards to the general gameplay mechanics, not menu navigation :) For example, I played the grossly overrated Resistance: Fall of Man (just as good as Gears of War...pfft) every menu ever seemed to take 3 times the conscience effort that it would taken on the Xbox 360. The L & R buttons are in a terrible location, most likely due to the fact that the controller hasn't really been redesigned since it was introduced for the PS 1. Just think about it logically, where does a trigger go? On top of the gun? No, Sony wrong answer.  Where is the gas pedal? On top of the steering wheel? Nope, wrong again Sony. Additionally, the controller is way too small. This diminished size makes the controller lighter (especially if you have one of the rumble'less ones ;) but, it also makes longer play sessions pain educing. But, it isn't really the controls that make Killzone 2's awesomeness mute.

         The PS3 is like like a celibate super model girlfriend. Sure she has all the parts necessarily to fulfill her purpose, but it just isn't going to happen. The PS3 can indeed provide games over the intertubes, but going online and enjoying online are two completely disconnected events. Multiplayer PS3 games are adaptions of one of two types.

1. Wedging a well running Xbox 360 multiplayer game into an archaic, un-unified framework, with poorly maintained servers.
2. Or the Socom: Confrontation method of taking a PS2 online interface and raising the resolution.

          Both of which just leave me with a strong unwillingness to play my 499$ PS3 online. This is appropo of another problem in general. The Japanese business culture analyzes decisions in terms of decades, and not quarters. This mindset protects you from over-reacting, but it also severely hampers your ability to react. If everyone in your yard (Japan) plays by the same rules that's fine, but when outsiders show up Microsoft, Bio-ware, Criterion, Bungie, and Blizzard everything starts moving too fast to compete. Nintendo and Sony missed the online boat completely. Recently, Sony has made some valiant attempts at fixing the above problems. But, some of the problems seem a little systemic.

           Can this problem be fixed without launching an entirely new console. Does the system hardware allow for a better, quicker, and unified online interface? I personally don't know, it would seem that such a process would be pretty expensive. Since the service is free, coming up with the funding could prove difficult. This coupled with a shift in general attitude from the gaming community favoring the Xbox 360.



        
15 Comments

Great Quote

"You know a game is bad when people stop what they're doing just to watch it suck." - Brett Elston of Games Radar

1 Comments

The Second Best RTS of All Time.

           We all love Starcraft. It sits alone alone atop the majesty that is RTS greatest.
But, who is its successor? Some might say Red Alert, others Command and Conquer. But, I gleefully break from the curve by announcing Battle for Middle Earth 2 the second best RTS of all time.

           Before you throw tomatoes at me, I ask, have you played it? If not, feel free not to argue. In the rare case that you have, think back... The music was perfectly orchestrated and synced to every unit-based decision. The care taken, when any unit was moved or used in combat was astonishing. The soundtrack was in my opinion is the best in the history of gaming (granted with cinematic'ly-derived help). The unit responses, were incredibly deep and inexplicably based on the situation, if you were headed back to your base, your units would say as much, if they were overwhelming an enemy, both the unit-response and the music would affix themselves to that reality.

           But, it doesn't end there. The combat was not only beautifully realized with clever animations, but populated with units that were painstakingly ripped from the pages the evasive Tolkien lore. Each unit drips with not only personality, but also authenticity. At not point do you feel like you're playing the translation of a book to code, but that you're playing the inevitable realization of what Tolkien meant when he wrote of the Three-Army-War.

          Not only this, but your units work along side the most well thought out heroes in RTS history. Most of the time, heroes are either rush bots, or they are overbearingly HP'd units. In LOTR BFME 2 they are not only your best units, they are also the hinge on which war swings. At any moment Heroes can win or loose you the battle. But, in this same way, the earned-powers of the player, provide him with the power to destroy worlds.

         Some RTS matches can at times last forever, with forces equally strong, lead by commanders of equal skill, in which a distant resolution is their only hope for reprieve. Not only does LOTR BFME 2 cultivate this feeling, it also brings its resolution home quicker, and more cinematic'ly than any RTS in recent memory.

        In a war this grand, no aerial bombing would suffice, only summoned Watchers, Rohirrim, and dragon gods would suffice. No game in RTS history has taken as much pleasure in wiping entire armies off the map as LOTR BFME 2. The game can change on the width of a dim, and swing back on the swiftness of a click. Is this unfair to the overly skilled? Probably, but is it intoxicatingly fun? Yes.

        Is it the most refined, balanced RTS of all time? No. But, you will never forget the experience you had with the forgotten masterpiece of the RTS genre. Do yourself a favor and play it.

2 Comments
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