Deponia Impressions
| February 22, 2013 | Posted by Jeff under Gaming General |
Hiya Players! This week I was fortunate enough to give some new and unplayed steam games much needed alone time. The game of choice that got most of that attention was none other than Deponia, which I picked up from the Indie Gala Magicka bundle not too long ago. After a few hours with this fantastic game, I’m almost ashamed to say it took me this long to try it out. (Continue Reading…)
Flipping items on the Black Lion Trading Post
| February 20, 2013 | Guild Wars 2 |
Hiya Players! Today I’m going to give a quick run down on the idea of ‘flipping’ items on the Black Lion Trading Post (BLTP) in Guild Wars 2. Flipping is the action of buying an item for one price, and reselling it for a higher price to make a profit. This can actually be a fairly profitable venture for those willing to put a little bit of time into it. On the flip side, you can also make money by just letting it sit. It’s all about how you active you feel like being. Let’s get going. (Continue Reading…)
Black Lion Trading Post Basics
| February 18, 2013 | Guild Wars 2 |
Hiya Players! Today I want to write up a brief introduction to the Black Lion Trading Post (BLTP) in Guild Wars 2. It has a few extra layers to it compared to many games’ markets and I’ve heard from a few people that it’s intimidating and they don’t understand it. I understand that. Having a look around the web I’m not seeing a lot of people laying out just the basics of how it works, but instead merging the basics with money making schemes making it overly complicated Today, we’re going to cover those basics so the BLTP becomes your best friend. (Continue Reading…)
Zombies.: Free @ Green Man Gaming This Weekend!
| February 9, 2013 | Indie Gaming |
Hiya Players! Just wanted to throw a quick blurb out there about Zombies., a great little 8-bit zombie game. I’ve been hearing non-stop about how great the soundtrack for this game is from people such as @MikeB, and finally got the chance to get my hands on a copy of the game. This weekend only Green Man Gaming and PlayFire have teamed up to offer Zombies. for $0.00 ! (Continue Reading…)
Humble Bundle 7 Impressions
| January 30, 2013 | Indie Gaming |
Hiya Players! Awhile ago I went ahead and bought the Humble Bundle 7 and it’s taken me more than a little while to make time to find time to play all of the games that came with it. I’m going to say right off the bat I don’t regret purchasing this bundle at all since a chunk of it goes towards charity and the rest of it going to support indie developers. That said though, not all of the games are as much ‘my taste’ as I was hoping they would be. Regardless of my taste, simply knowing that indie developers out there are being pushed that little bit further to keep making games is good enough for me. Check out the jump for my opinion on the games. (Continue Reading…)
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
| January 29, 2013 | Posted by Jeff under FPS Gaming, PVP |
Hiya Players! This year during Steam’s giant Winter Sale I was fortunate enough to get Chivalry: Medieval Warfare as an Xmas gift (Thanks Del!). Though not one of my better genres, I picked this game out because it just looked awesome. Truth be told, I’m horrible at First Person Shooters (FPS) or first person anything in general. In fact, anything fast-paced where I can’t get a good FoV I’m boned. But who can resist being able to chop off somebody’s head, arm and/or leg with a broadsword? I know this is why I got it. Hit the jump for my full view on this great game. (Continue Reading…)
Does the Pokemon anime take away from the Games?
| January 24, 2013 | Posted by Jeff under Handheld Gaming |
Hiya Players! Today I’m going to stick with the Pokemon thing (hopefully I can get it out of my system). I’ve spent the last week dedicating a large chunk of my time to Pokemon Black 2, completing all the various post-game gauntlets and fights online. For those of you who haven’t picked the game up yet, it’s pretty great. Today I want to discuss more the Pokemon anime than the game itself though. Let’s dig into this sure-to-be opinionated piece.
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PVS Pokemon Black 2 Review
| January 7, 2013 | Posted by Jeff under Handheld Gaming |
Hiya Players! Over this past holiday period I was fortunate enough to be gifted one of the latest in the Pokemon series, Pokemon Black 2. I don’t often like to admit it, but I’m a Pokemaniac. I may have taken a break for a bit, but with the quality of this game it’s not a wonder it’s sold so well. Let’s jump into the review.
For those who loved the old Pokemon gameplay the simplicity of starting off with a Pokemon and fighting your way through to be the best, you’ll be in luck. BW2 follows this same formula that we all know and often love. Given this is the first direct sequel Pokemon game though, it’s a little different but not enough to feel out of place. Of course with any Pokemon game, we need a Team of antagonists to get in the way of our seemingly simple rise to power. With BW2, we get another shot at Team Plasma, and the involvement with them plays through pretty well. In addition to the gym crawl and fighting back Team Plasma there was an additional amount of story content, even compared to the first BW, which was more than welcome. Comparing it to the first BW, Black 2 added enough content to the initial story for about 10 Pokemon levels before you beat the Elite Four (putting the Elite Four’s Pokemon around level 60). This change was great considering how short and easy the first BW was end-game. (Continue Reading…)
The Secret World’s Sub Eaten by Zombies!
| December 14, 2012 | Posted by Jeff under MMORPG Gaming |
Hiya Players! Today’s post comes on the heels of Funcom announcing that The Secret World is doing away with the required subscription fee. For those of us in the gaming world this is often looked at as a good thing, until the realization that most companies and games (*cough*SWTOR*cough*) end up screwing this up in lieu of nickles and dimes. Today though we may be in luck. Let’s have a look at what Funcom is offering us.
For starters The Secret World isn’t going free to play. As we’ve talked about before free to play would mean there is no charges anywhere to play or enjoy the game. The Secret World’s business model instead most resembles the Buy To Play (B2P) model where a player buys the game, and can play as much as they’d like without any additional charges. This is similar to that which Guild Wars 2 is currently using, or the idea behind most classic console games.
That said though, subscriptions will still exist. The difference here is that it exists as a bonus to players that get it not a negative aspect on those who don’t have it. With a standard monthly subscription of $12.99 USD a player gets:
- ‘The Time Accelerator’. This clickable item increases experience gain for defeating monsters by 100% for 1 hour and has a 16 hour cool-down. This item can only be used by Members and Grand Masters.
- $10 worth of Bonus Points given out every month which can be used towards any product in the Item Store of The Secret World (bonus points are valid for 6 months).
- Membership Item-of-the-month gift (given out every month).
- 10% discount to everything in the Item Store except Content Packs or other Packs (discounts to the Item Store do not stack with other offers).
Based on those descriptions (taken from the FAQ), there really isn’t anything that screams “OP!”. In fact most of it just looks to be cash shop stuff; None of which would make or break a players gaming experience. To be honest, I think most players will find the subscription to be underwhelming if anything at all.
Now that’s all pretty awesome but the question comes down to ‘What’s the catch?’. The answer here is Issues. Issues are TSW’s DLC/mini-expansions that usually include a new zone, dungeon, or weapon. In the past since all players were paying subscribers these were included for free. Players who bought TSW before the end of the year will be rewarded with the current 4 issues, as well as Issue #5 which is scheduled for January for free. After that though each issue will be $5.
At face-value this seems like an excellent business model if the Issues end up being optional and not required to progress your character. Though the FAQ says there will still be core content released for free, the question of what that will include and if the Issues will truly be completely optional will remain to be seen. I’m hoping for the best since the core of this game and the idea behind it could show a lot of value. I fear though that due to the negative press it got when releasing, and the fact that EA is involved, that there will be bad news soon enough.
In any case, I’m downloading it again now and this is a push to give it a round two. How about you players, does this change your mind on giving it a chance? Let me know in the comments below.
More Info: The Secret World Subscription Changes – FAQ
The Five Ingredients That Make the Best MMORPG Games
| December 10, 2012 | Posted by Jeff under MMORPG Gaming |
Today’s guest post is brought to you by Daniel @ MMO Attack
Massively multi-player online role-playing games have increased in popularity due the advancement in content and systems we have available in the genre. The addition of unique features constantly entice more players to play role-playing games. However, massively multi-player online role playing games must include certain elements to keep players hooked.
First ingredient: Skill-set
An MMORPG must have a unique and flashy skill-set for players to use. Skills are actions that players can perform to deal extra damage to monsters or to assist a party member. Skills are arguably a major feature that players look for in a role-playing game. If skills are not impressive graphically and do not have unique effects, it may deter a player from continuing the role-playing game.
Second ingredient: Amazing worlds
MMORPGs must have creative and unique worlds for players to explore. While most players will prefer to experience how the game works, many players find themselves playing role-playing games for the expansive worlds they offer. Players will usually deter from an MMORPG that has bland and tasteless environments. To attract more players, an MMORPG should have unique terrain features and a variety of areas to explore. Repetitive environments cause players to become bored with the game.
