A brief mention as I did participate.
It was very lack-luster and kind of a disappointment. I am aware it was a stress test and am in no way slanted negatively towards them, but I was very underwhelmed in my experiences (~3 hours over 2 of the blocks). The root cause imho was a combination of the UI and the new systems implemented therein.
1) Story
While I wasn't expecting a great arc the sad, single quest with 4 sub-parts would take ~20 minutes to do solo unless your system crashed. Mine did twice but only once during the quests, so I had to start all over. The story chose the two decisions for you, railroading you in your script instead of presenting the options they're so proud to brag about in HoT. The events, day/night cycle, and outpost events were interesting but gave little to no indication of what you were supposed to do. 3 times I failed objectives when no enemies appeared, no interactive material spawned for us to 'deliver' and took a long time for use to figure out the 'to do'
2) User-Interface & Integration
So they bragged we would experience some of the new systems, masteries, and abilities for the new expansion. 3 hours in and a few rare people had figured out how to actually add points to their system. I ended up with 5, but I couldn't figure out how to actually spend them even though the mastery page said it was already full. To be honest gliding was the one thing I wanted to try and see how it went. No one was explaining anything in chat to assist other gamers and the vast majority of people didn't get to from what I've discussed with guildies and read in the forums.
3) Instructions
This was possibly the most heinous mistake that occurred and you';ll see the vein in the other points. There was no instruction. There was no intuitive design to implement any of these new systems as such leaving many people more unimpressed than I was. As I mentioned I had 5 mastery points, I had 8 or so tracks "open" to me to view, but everything was either grayed out and locked or already said I was fully trained and locked (1/1, 3/3, etc). I tried the classic double-click, went key-by-key down my board, even the drag and drop ability which left nothing accomplished. I hope they hold another one with better us of their players time. After I explored as much of the map as I cared to I just swapped to normal play and left the Beta with a sickening, empty feeling that didn't sit well for all the hype and attention this has been getting.
All grieving aside it looked pretty. That said in an age where anything sub-photo-realistic is considered retro, stylized, or cheap. I think no more than what I had with the teaser trailers thus far: it has potential but will likely be very small in comparisons to similar expansions [in other games] in both scope and newly accessible areas. This may be a glimmer at what is to come with a fuller-engrossing Season 3 Living World. This could rework a masterful overhaul to the game world we already know. There are too many unknowns and too many theories and speculation about where it all is going.
I previously had the experience the PvP map Conquest. This looks promising but a lot more play will be needed to understand all the new features going on in it. For it ~ 6/10
Still hopeful if a little less optimistic for HoT. 3.5/10 for the limited Beta
**Full Release Update** 5/10 was alright just way too small and limited to be taken serious as a MMO contender. ArenaNet will really have to step it up to keep its population, because everything I've seen and heard in chat and on forums (even from major content creators like Wooden Potatoes) has been steadily declining in favor because they're not keeping the audience entertained between content and they back back-pedaling more and more on their promises.
Showing posts with label Multi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multi. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (2015)
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (2015*)
Ubisoft Montreal
PC
Arcade, Multi, Free2Play
Short one today as I attempted to grab an older title that I thought I'd played sufficiently and would require little refresher and I'd have it reviewed and could move on. At very few if any points in this transaction did any of that happen. Let me start off by assuming that I was in some kind of beta or early access for this because I remember playing it a bit in late 2013 or mid 2014 so the February 2015 date listed on the Steam page is incomplete or outright wrong. This makes no sense to me. The game from what I can gather has also changed drastically in the interval I was not playing to the point I am level 20 and have nothing in my castle but the starter resource nodes (x2). Previously I'd bought or hired traps, creatures, bosses to keep my loot safe and my many other nodes in working order. I couldn't figure out how to manage my lack of resources and the UI has a poor interface that lets you do nothing you want to where it would seem logical, everything must be selected, them toggled what you're doing, then proceed. Clunky does not even begin to cover it and I was so hoping for something a bit better. I guess I should say the reason I came back is in a game code trade I got a pet or something and decided to try it out. Well it follows me around and 'helps' but I have a semi-large, empty castle and now you apparently have to craft or summon the items using mats I did not have nor any idea how to get them. The game had just changed too much and was not being of any use for me to 1) rectify it or b) begin anew so I could learn again. Possibly I will try again on my smurf account (non-standard, usually just for extra storage or extraneous attempts at similar circumstances.
3/10
That said let me tell you why I wish it was better. The comical cartoons and the art style are very nice and approachable. It gives the impression od a Clash of Clans style game without (previously) all the strategic management of resources. I acquaint the minor sarcastic humor to the similar 'kid at heart' jokes present in alot of animated films and kids' shows you see today (I have younger cousins, some of my friends have kids, etc I HAVE seen some recent kiddie programs). There is nothing endearing me to attempt any further progress on my main account as it is free to play anyway so until I get around to doing this, "au revoir."
Ubisoft Montreal
PC
Arcade, Multi, Free2Play
Short one today as I attempted to grab an older title that I thought I'd played sufficiently and would require little refresher and I'd have it reviewed and could move on. At very few if any points in this transaction did any of that happen. Let me start off by assuming that I was in some kind of beta or early access for this because I remember playing it a bit in late 2013 or mid 2014 so the February 2015 date listed on the Steam page is incomplete or outright wrong. This makes no sense to me. The game from what I can gather has also changed drastically in the interval I was not playing to the point I am level 20 and have nothing in my castle but the starter resource nodes (x2). Previously I'd bought or hired traps, creatures, bosses to keep my loot safe and my many other nodes in working order. I couldn't figure out how to manage my lack of resources and the UI has a poor interface that lets you do nothing you want to where it would seem logical, everything must be selected, them toggled what you're doing, then proceed. Clunky does not even begin to cover it and I was so hoping for something a bit better. I guess I should say the reason I came back is in a game code trade I got a pet or something and decided to try it out. Well it follows me around and 'helps' but I have a semi-large, empty castle and now you apparently have to craft or summon the items using mats I did not have nor any idea how to get them. The game had just changed too much and was not being of any use for me to 1) rectify it or b) begin anew so I could learn again. Possibly I will try again on my smurf account (non-standard, usually just for extra storage or extraneous attempts at similar circumstances.
3/10
That said let me tell you why I wish it was better. The comical cartoons and the art style are very nice and approachable. It gives the impression od a Clash of Clans style game without (previously) all the strategic management of resources. I acquaint the minor sarcastic humor to the similar 'kid at heart' jokes present in alot of animated films and kids' shows you see today (I have younger cousins, some of my friends have kids, etc I HAVE seen some recent kiddie programs). There is nothing endearing me to attempt any further progress on my main account as it is free to play anyway so until I get around to doing this, "au revoir."
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Khet 2.0 (2014)
Khet 2.0 (2014)
BlueLine Games
PC
Single/Multi
Arcade
This is a relatively new addition to my collection and without a doubt a byproduct of some Steam sale or various bundle offer recently. That said, it's actually not that bad at all. I was expecting something akin to a clunky crossword or sudoku interface I've seen a dozen or so times in assorted incarnations and formats, but this went fairly smooth. Re-watching the trailer I think I got hooked by the puzzle aspect of it and the clincher--LASERS! Of yeah, you're playing a distinct, technologically superior Egyptian chess with laser-beams! Dr. Evil would be so proud. :)
Like most novice (or better) gamers I dove headfirst into it without consulting rules, instructions, or tutorials (not sure if it has any tbh, but I was in the mood to game). The learning curve is't that steep--use your turn to position or rotate a single piece while attempting o destroy you'r opponent's pharaoh. Mirrors will reflect in the 90-degree direction they are angled to. Anubis (2x each) require to be hit on their side or back to destroy. Scarab pieces can override/replace lesser pieces from your opponent's side otherwise they are locked where you place them. Just over an hour played so far and I felt so giddy I decided to throw a few lines down. I have yet to find a way to destroy scarabs, but I seem to be about a 50/50 W/L on medium difficulty.
Its a fairly involved little puzzle or strategy game with enough variations that it could very easily be applied to a mobile app or such. The back-and-forth gameplay is not timed so this could easily fit in a similar niche to 'Words with Friends' or even the early precursor online chess bouts. For the completionist in some of us there are Steam achievements, cards and therefore badges. It may not be something for everyone but it's a fairly inexpensive (on sale) game that casuals and strategy junkies could appreciate.
7.5/10
Upon reviewing their Steam product page apparently it won a few awards including a Mensa Select recognition. So yeah play this game and feel smart!
BlueLine Games
PC
Single/Multi
Arcade
This is a relatively new addition to my collection and without a doubt a byproduct of some Steam sale or various bundle offer recently. That said, it's actually not that bad at all. I was expecting something akin to a clunky crossword or sudoku interface I've seen a dozen or so times in assorted incarnations and formats, but this went fairly smooth. Re-watching the trailer I think I got hooked by the puzzle aspect of it and the clincher--LASERS! Of yeah, you're playing a distinct, technologically superior Egyptian chess with laser-beams! Dr. Evil would be so proud. :)
Like most novice (or better) gamers I dove headfirst into it without consulting rules, instructions, or tutorials (not sure if it has any tbh, but I was in the mood to game). The learning curve is't that steep--use your turn to position or rotate a single piece while attempting o destroy you'r opponent's pharaoh. Mirrors will reflect in the 90-degree direction they are angled to. Anubis (2x each) require to be hit on their side or back to destroy. Scarab pieces can override/replace lesser pieces from your opponent's side otherwise they are locked where you place them. Just over an hour played so far and I felt so giddy I decided to throw a few lines down. I have yet to find a way to destroy scarabs, but I seem to be about a 50/50 W/L on medium difficulty.
Its a fairly involved little puzzle or strategy game with enough variations that it could very easily be applied to a mobile app or such. The back-and-forth gameplay is not timed so this could easily fit in a similar niche to 'Words with Friends' or even the early precursor online chess bouts. For the completionist in some of us there are Steam achievements, cards and therefore badges. It may not be something for everyone but it's a fairly inexpensive (on sale) game that casuals and strategy junkies could appreciate.
7.5/10
Upon reviewing their Steam product page apparently it won a few awards including a Mensa Select recognition. So yeah play this game and feel smart!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Killing Floor 2 (2015*) Early Access
Killing Floor 2 (2015*)
Tripwire Interactive
PC/Steam
Single, Co-Op, Multi
Instance
So one of the primary reasons I did the first one so early was I had been planning on getting the sequel on launch. However all the hype and demand and "something" from the many throngs of followers online prompted Tripwire to release an 'Early Access' version of the game in late April. I have enjoyed it thoroughly whether just jumping into matches with randos or having a few friends join me who also got it. That said this is a [better than] Beta release. Only 4/10 perks or classes are available and only 3 maps are present at this juncture, with no solo play mode yet. I've followed all of the developer diaries thus far (only 4 or so) and watched a couple of let's plays that came out earlier this year. I will not be regurgitating soundbites for you, but know that more information is out there and likely to continue until an official launch is performed.
Location, location, location:
That's it--3 maps: Burning Paris (France); Biotics Lab (Horzine HQ); Outpost (aka Hoth on some servers). I love these maps so far. They are large enough to warrant exploration and provide actual strategy for their new destructible environments they've implemented in the game. The one issue I've found is sometimes things get destroyed while you weren't there. And I'm not talking about a chair or something, but entire dorrs or [glass] walls that we purposefully avoided to leave them for later wave use are destroyed off-camera. For the time we're unsure if that is truly a bug or just a random affect of the zed (C) invasion. Makes for an interesting challenge so long as it's not persistent every time we do that map.
Perky, Classless Bastards
More of an homage to the semi-filthy language was associate, expect, nigh on demand from this game developer--and we are not disappointed. Good selection of sayings each character and/or class has could only ask for more on the basis I will probably hear and be tired of them whenever my gaming group starts the grinding of skill levels. Currently we have Berserker, Commando, Medic, and Support. I have never been fond of not expect to be of the Berserker--despite my up-close-and-personal play-style on similar games, this is just not my cup of tea. Maybe with more experience and practice. Support is one I have a feint interest in, but haven't had the opportunity to play it much--mostly due to the fact friends or randos, just too many Supports on most maps. Commando is my only niche perk thus-far released. I love the feel, control, and style of the Commando and the visual tracking of stealth stalkers is more convenient than most other starter perks imho. Finally we go to the surprise leader for me the Medic. I am more often than not on this baby for many reasons. The weapons systems here are phenomenal and so unique with the blue iridescent glow. It also makes me very useful to the rest of the team, not to mention that by healing and killing I typically go up a skill level each successful win. Sure that will change as we go higher.
The only negative I have has to do with the "Early Access" issue where everything is working but nothing is guaranteed to remain as is. Perks, achievements, in-game statistics, etc will all be reset multiple times as they include more features, perks, of this build. I wasn't expressly aware of this prior to purchase but I can understand why it needs to be this way. I would feel much more profoundly pissed if this weren't an online game where you're equally dependent of the other guy as much as yourself. If makes sense and new things come into play and get added some re-shuffling and adjustments are very likely. They've actually done a helluva job interfacing with the community to help wart out bugs and errors in what is released. They seem to be a constant presence on the forums and fairly transparent in why things are changing from time to time.
Can't justify perfection as it is still incomplete, but I do love what I see and have played so far. I love the fact that the entire game is being built so that the modding community can have immediate and ease of access once it gets off the ground. I expect this to rise with its official launch but for now, I give it a strong 8/10.
Tripwire Interactive
PC/Steam
Single, Co-Op, Multi
Instance
So one of the primary reasons I did the first one so early was I had been planning on getting the sequel on launch. However all the hype and demand and "something" from the many throngs of followers online prompted Tripwire to release an 'Early Access' version of the game in late April. I have enjoyed it thoroughly whether just jumping into matches with randos or having a few friends join me who also got it. That said this is a [better than] Beta release. Only 4/10 perks or classes are available and only 3 maps are present at this juncture, with no solo play mode yet. I've followed all of the developer diaries thus far (only 4 or so) and watched a couple of let's plays that came out earlier this year. I will not be regurgitating soundbites for you, but know that more information is out there and likely to continue until an official launch is performed.
Location, location, location:
That's it--3 maps: Burning Paris (France); Biotics Lab (Horzine HQ); Outpost (aka Hoth on some servers). I love these maps so far. They are large enough to warrant exploration and provide actual strategy for their new destructible environments they've implemented in the game. The one issue I've found is sometimes things get destroyed while you weren't there. And I'm not talking about a chair or something, but entire dorrs or [glass] walls that we purposefully avoided to leave them for later wave use are destroyed off-camera. For the time we're unsure if that is truly a bug or just a random affect of the zed (C) invasion. Makes for an interesting challenge so long as it's not persistent every time we do that map.
Perky, Classless Bastards
More of an homage to the semi-filthy language was associate, expect, nigh on demand from this game developer--and we are not disappointed. Good selection of sayings each character and/or class has could only ask for more on the basis I will probably hear and be tired of them whenever my gaming group starts the grinding of skill levels. Currently we have Berserker, Commando, Medic, and Support. I have never been fond of not expect to be of the Berserker--despite my up-close-and-personal play-style on similar games, this is just not my cup of tea. Maybe with more experience and practice. Support is one I have a feint interest in, but haven't had the opportunity to play it much--mostly due to the fact friends or randos, just too many Supports on most maps. Commando is my only niche perk thus-far released. I love the feel, control, and style of the Commando and the visual tracking of stealth stalkers is more convenient than most other starter perks imho. Finally we go to the surprise leader for me the Medic. I am more often than not on this baby for many reasons. The weapons systems here are phenomenal and so unique with the blue iridescent glow. It also makes me very useful to the rest of the team, not to mention that by healing and killing I typically go up a skill level each successful win. Sure that will change as we go higher.
The only negative I have has to do with the "Early Access" issue where everything is working but nothing is guaranteed to remain as is. Perks, achievements, in-game statistics, etc will all be reset multiple times as they include more features, perks, of this build. I wasn't expressly aware of this prior to purchase but I can understand why it needs to be this way. I would feel much more profoundly pissed if this weren't an online game where you're equally dependent of the other guy as much as yourself. If makes sense and new things come into play and get added some re-shuffling and adjustments are very likely. They've actually done a helluva job interfacing with the community to help wart out bugs and errors in what is released. They seem to be a constant presence on the forums and fairly transparent in why things are changing from time to time.
Can't justify perfection as it is still incomplete, but I do love what I see and have played so far. I love the fact that the entire game is being built so that the modding community can have immediate and ease of access once it gets off the ground. I expect this to rise with its official launch but for now, I give it a strong 8/10.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Blizzard(c), Nevermore Asshats
i.e. World of Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, Hearthstone, etc...
If the name Blizzard means nothing to you, I can't hazard a guess as to what you're doing on a page dedicated to gaming. For the better part of 30 years they've been one of the most go-to studios for video games in the industry. They literally developed the MMO genre to create the most successful franchise currently in said niche's industry. They have championed the pleebs of the internets in some aspects, catered to the mindless raid-monkeys at times, tried to incentivize and cajole their patrons out of more and more of their money as the months trudge onward through time. After many years of loyalty I bid them a heavy farewell and a hearty "fuck off!"
Honesty up front. I have never played Starcraft. I have zero interest in Hearthstone and their coming soon MOBA adapation of their titles. I got into Diablo 2 well after release of the expansions when I joined friends in LAN runs. I did play WoW for far too many years thru college, but have been clean since ~2009. Included I splurged on Collector's Editions for Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm. I also pre-ordered two Diablo 3 and made my first ebay snipe (a practice I've abhorred in others but netted me a one-time profit that was desperately needed at the time). I've had my typical spats that come with committing that much time to any endeavor--things that are cute, fun, or eccentric devolve into time-consuming, unskippable, repetition-grinding souless puppet shows that have you going thru the motions more than anything. I've personally lost count of the number f times I've gotten physically frustrated with their online or phone tech support for bug, billing, or technical issues. For my brothers in these arms, their continued ineptitude astounds me and I've seen some shit in both the industry and their clientele...
Now the majority of people do this from time to time. They take hiatuses from 'involved' or repetative games and may come pick them up again at a later date. Often this is preceeded by the release of serious technical overhauls, additions of sought after content expansion, or just forgotten curiocuty ("Why did I ever leave?" only to be reminded shortly thereafter). I don't want to downplay this so I'm making it perfectly clear--I AM DONE WITH THEM 100%. There are many varied nuances to why I'm leaving but as this is a blog and not a discertation I will attempt to convey the most crucial and still grant them the minimal of courtesies I still hold for them.
The story. Warcraft & Diablo had some of the most well-versed canon in a video game at their peek times. Those have massively been castrated and belittled for flash and presentation in lieu for the all-mighty dollar as they have literally made a career of ret-conning their own material. For the uninitialized this means they change the past of their story in future releases to build up something new they've not developed yet. It's very irritating to people who play those style of games FOR the story lines and plot devices--I mean come on guys what does the RP stand for in MMORPG anyway? Warcraft with their expansions continued to invalidate everything you did prior to the newest shiniest new turd they released. Made it awesome for someone to go plow thru zones almost unimpeeded by competing players but that takes away from the MMO atmosphere. It also belittles players who have bragging rights to some of their earlier achievements, i.e before it was nerfed, before it was dumbed down for casuals, etc. Introducing collection and achievement systems that DIDN'T take any previous actions into account were more insulting to some of us who could not go back and beat something again because we PUGged or just got really, really lucky on a drop roll or something. I admit I'm a bit of an achievement hound and showing off stuff can be nice but makes things get taxing when you have to re-complete content that you're well and truly not down for.
Money. I had previously thought it to be the only well-known MMO to still be subscription based game out there, but was recently proven wrong as another veil from my past contacted me about re-linking and returning to my account, Dark Age of Camelot--which despite the 13 year anniversary just passing is still subscription only. Anyone who was aware of Everquest in the day knew you could find rare items and sell them on ebay or a similar site for real-world money. There was some* of this going on but due to their drop-system was more of a 'hire me and we complete _____ until you get your macguffin." It's also one of the first games I was ever aware at for the volume and exploitation of micro-transactions over the internet. In today's market we're used to the ideals of DLC or pay-to-play games on our smartphones or even free--to-play/pay-to-win versions coming up on their stores daily. Blizzard pioneered parts of this business model with exclusives available thru online stores or live events they would attend or host (BlizzCon). Citing the most heinous Diablo 3 real-money auction house would just be too easy but yeah it existed. Now this week we get a press release stating new micro-transactions will be added to the game. I can only assume they're to unlock new dungeons or loot tables that were previously attainable to all within the game.
Security & scrutiny. Here's the cherry on top and the final nail in their coffin as far as I, personally, am concerned. Remember when I said they fought FOR the users on occasion (lol at Tron reference). Well in the mid-2000s when hacking financial data thru game accounts became a serious threat they implemented what was one of the simplest fixes to the problem imaginable--a key dongle. It would generate a random number that was tied to their servers so only if the username, password, AND authenticator were correct could you access the information. Fairly genius and cheap to implement fix. I will also say I credit that at least in part to why my info was NOT hacked the 2-3 times I'm aware of Blizzard getting hit. Now you could send away money for a keychain or just download a free app for your smartphone. Guess which one this cheap bastard on the other side of your monitor chose :). In all the years since I got it it has let me down exactly twice. Once about 5 years ago after x-months not logging in it became desynced with the host servers. It was a fairly simple process to unbind it from my account and then re-connect it~2 hours just with passwords, verification, and confirming identiies, etc. This is where we start to see the neurosis of their paranoia. I'm all about protecting my information but I'm spending almost as much time getting into my own info that I KNOW that a hacker would theoretically spend brute-forcing his way into the encryption. The most recent authenticator issue was about 3 months ago when again it desynced. This one I'm not willing to contribute to inactivity cause I was playing D3 with friends every few weeks. Anyway expected the same tedious, but simple fix. untold man hours later going thru my account, speaking with tech support tiers 1-2, and bouncing emails back and forth with them I am informed that my account has been locked due to new security measures in place. By unbinding my authenticator to fix an desync issue I had engaged one such protocol and I would not be allowed to access ANY of my accounts and such without providing a copy of a photo id from an official documentation source (driver's license, passport, etc).
So Blizzard(c), I bid you a not-so fond farewell, waving my middle fingers high in proclamation and for added emphasis to say I'm done with you. I don't care if you donate 100% proceeds to cancer research. I don't care if your game you continually shit on goes free-to-play. I don't care if you come to my house and offer to pay me some of the untold (but sadly calculated) thousands of dollars I spent on subscription fees back--well you might get my attention briefly if I'm being 100% honest, but it'd have to be a competitive rate in this economy.
If the name Blizzard means nothing to you, I can't hazard a guess as to what you're doing on a page dedicated to gaming. For the better part of 30 years they've been one of the most go-to studios for video games in the industry. They literally developed the MMO genre to create the most successful franchise currently in said niche's industry. They have championed the pleebs of the internets in some aspects, catered to the mindless raid-monkeys at times, tried to incentivize and cajole their patrons out of more and more of their money as the months trudge onward through time. After many years of loyalty I bid them a heavy farewell and a hearty "fuck off!"
Honesty up front. I have never played Starcraft. I have zero interest in Hearthstone and their coming soon MOBA adapation of their titles. I got into Diablo 2 well after release of the expansions when I joined friends in LAN runs. I did play WoW for far too many years thru college, but have been clean since ~2009. Included I splurged on Collector's Editions for Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm. I also pre-ordered two Diablo 3 and made my first ebay snipe (a practice I've abhorred in others but netted me a one-time profit that was desperately needed at the time). I've had my typical spats that come with committing that much time to any endeavor--things that are cute, fun, or eccentric devolve into time-consuming, unskippable, repetition-grinding souless puppet shows that have you going thru the motions more than anything. I've personally lost count of the number f times I've gotten physically frustrated with their online or phone tech support for bug, billing, or technical issues. For my brothers in these arms, their continued ineptitude astounds me and I've seen some shit in both the industry and their clientele...
Now the majority of people do this from time to time. They take hiatuses from 'involved' or repetative games and may come pick them up again at a later date. Often this is preceeded by the release of serious technical overhauls, additions of sought after content expansion, or just forgotten curiocuty ("Why did I ever leave?" only to be reminded shortly thereafter). I don't want to downplay this so I'm making it perfectly clear--I AM DONE WITH THEM 100%. There are many varied nuances to why I'm leaving but as this is a blog and not a discertation I will attempt to convey the most crucial and still grant them the minimal of courtesies I still hold for them.
The story. Warcraft & Diablo had some of the most well-versed canon in a video game at their peek times. Those have massively been castrated and belittled for flash and presentation in lieu for the all-mighty dollar as they have literally made a career of ret-conning their own material. For the uninitialized this means they change the past of their story in future releases to build up something new they've not developed yet. It's very irritating to people who play those style of games FOR the story lines and plot devices--I mean come on guys what does the RP stand for in MMORPG anyway? Warcraft with their expansions continued to invalidate everything you did prior to the newest shiniest new turd they released. Made it awesome for someone to go plow thru zones almost unimpeeded by competing players but that takes away from the MMO atmosphere. It also belittles players who have bragging rights to some of their earlier achievements, i.e before it was nerfed, before it was dumbed down for casuals, etc. Introducing collection and achievement systems that DIDN'T take any previous actions into account were more insulting to some of us who could not go back and beat something again because we PUGged or just got really, really lucky on a drop roll or something. I admit I'm a bit of an achievement hound and showing off stuff can be nice but makes things get taxing when you have to re-complete content that you're well and truly not down for.
Money. I had previously thought it to be the only well-known MMO to still be subscription based game out there, but was recently proven wrong as another veil from my past contacted me about re-linking and returning to my account, Dark Age of Camelot--which despite the 13 year anniversary just passing is still subscription only. Anyone who was aware of Everquest in the day knew you could find rare items and sell them on ebay or a similar site for real-world money. There was some* of this going on but due to their drop-system was more of a 'hire me and we complete _____ until you get your macguffin." It's also one of the first games I was ever aware at for the volume and exploitation of micro-transactions over the internet. In today's market we're used to the ideals of DLC or pay-to-play games on our smartphones or even free--to-play/pay-to-win versions coming up on their stores daily. Blizzard pioneered parts of this business model with exclusives available thru online stores or live events they would attend or host (BlizzCon). Citing the most heinous Diablo 3 real-money auction house would just be too easy but yeah it existed. Now this week we get a press release stating new micro-transactions will be added to the game. I can only assume they're to unlock new dungeons or loot tables that were previously attainable to all within the game.
Security & scrutiny. Here's the cherry on top and the final nail in their coffin as far as I, personally, am concerned. Remember when I said they fought FOR the users on occasion (lol at Tron reference). Well in the mid-2000s when hacking financial data thru game accounts became a serious threat they implemented what was one of the simplest fixes to the problem imaginable--a key dongle. It would generate a random number that was tied to their servers so only if the username, password, AND authenticator were correct could you access the information. Fairly genius and cheap to implement fix. I will also say I credit that at least in part to why my info was NOT hacked the 2-3 times I'm aware of Blizzard getting hit. Now you could send away money for a keychain or just download a free app for your smartphone. Guess which one this cheap bastard on the other side of your monitor chose :). In all the years since I got it it has let me down exactly twice. Once about 5 years ago after x-months not logging in it became desynced with the host servers. It was a fairly simple process to unbind it from my account and then re-connect it~2 hours just with passwords, verification, and confirming identiies, etc. This is where we start to see the neurosis of their paranoia. I'm all about protecting my information but I'm spending almost as much time getting into my own info that I KNOW that a hacker would theoretically spend brute-forcing his way into the encryption. The most recent authenticator issue was about 3 months ago when again it desynced. This one I'm not willing to contribute to inactivity cause I was playing D3 with friends every few weeks. Anyway expected the same tedious, but simple fix. untold man hours later going thru my account, speaking with tech support tiers 1-2, and bouncing emails back and forth with them I am informed that my account has been locked due to new security measures in place. By unbinding my authenticator to fix an desync issue I had engaged one such protocol and I would not be allowed to access ANY of my accounts and such without providing a copy of a photo id from an official documentation source (driver's license, passport, etc).
So Blizzard(c), I bid you a not-so fond farewell, waving my middle fingers high in proclamation and for added emphasis to say I'm done with you. I don't care if you donate 100% proceeds to cancer research. I don't care if your game you continually shit on goes free-to-play. I don't care if you come to my house and offer to pay me some of the untold (but sadly calculated) thousands of dollars I spent on subscription fees back--well you might get my attention briefly if I'm being 100% honest, but it'd have to be a competitive rate in this economy.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
League of Legends (2009) Profile Stats & Lists
So I won't be calculating the RP/IP I've spent--not that I'm sure I even have access to the information, but here's my stats, skins and whatever else I can pull off the UI.
Level 30
User-User Interaction Ratings
Friendly 9
Helpful 2
Teamwork 12
Honorable Opponent 0
(Classic)
Takedowns 2820
Monsters & Minion Kills 44497
Wins 148
(Dominion)
Takedowns 204
Monsters & Minion Kills 280
Wins 9
(ARAM)
Takedowns 0
Monsters & Minion Kills 0
Wins 0
I don't pretend that these stats are excellent in any way but I was curious when I wrote the breakdown review yesterday. I like the personalized rating system but was already mostly out of my LoL routine when they implemented it. I don't really care for Dominion but I used it to break the monotony I was feeling towards the end of my active participation. ARAM is something I know nothing about other than it's a gamemode option in the drop down window. It's been so long they've apparently reset any ranked/league info I had because those are blank or asking if I'd like to join a league.
Runes
9x Greater Mark of Armor Penetration
1x Greater Mark of Attack Damage
9x Greater Mark of Attack Speed
9x Greater Seal of Attack Speed
9x Greater Seal of Magic Resist
1x Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration
1x Greater Seal of Scaling Health
1x Greater Glyph of Armor
9x Greater Glyph of Attack Speed
9x Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
1x Greater Glyphy of Scaling Mana
3x Greater Quintessence of Attack Speed
1x Greater Quintessence of Revival
1x Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power
3x Greater Quintessence of the Deadly Wreath
3x Greater Quintessence of Piercing Present
Item Sets
I know for a fact they've discontinued at least two of my go-to items with my various builds so I'm not going to bother. This tab wasn't here when I was playing though I would have loved it. They rotate, introduce, and retire items as their season come and go so I'll leave this blank in case I ever do want to drop my 2-cents worth.
Characters
Owned 109
Skins 264 - 109 (Classic Skins) = 155 Unique
Noticed a lot of new skins when I was browsing/counting also quite a few art redesigns and splash replacements. Like the grittier art style as opposed to their cartoonish animesque. As you may can tell at one point my group was trying to sync into a specific theme with skins. I was one who tried for the Ocean skins since my handle is Skelefish. We could never agree on one we all liked and so much of the skins I did acquire never saw gameplay.
Going through I see a disparagingly sad spread on some characters. Some have of the devs favorites (Fiddlesticks, Annie, etc) continue to get more and more skins while others continue with the 2-3 they premiered with over a year ago. As someone who played one of their niche characters I can tell you it's frustrating that you're good, but the community doesn't like your character so there's always a limited number of skins while others keep getting more and more. I get the marketing aspect: if a character is popular give them more personality options, but hit up the black sheep occasionally guys.
by Character... Name (# Skins) Faves if any
Ahri (1); Akali (5) Blood Moon; Alistar (5) Matador; Amumu (3) Little Knight; Anivia (1); Annie (5); Ashe (2) Amethyst; Blitzcrank (3) Boom Boom; Brand (3) Zombie; Caitlyn (5) Officer; Cassiopeia (2); Cho'Gath (5) Gentleman, Loch Ness, Jurassic; Corki (4) Urfrider, Red Baron, Dragonwing; Diana (2); Dr. Mundo (1); Draven (1); Elise (1); Evelynn (4); Ezreal (1); Fiddlesticks (3); Fiora (2) Headmistress; Fizz (2) Tundra; Galio (1); Gangplank (1); Garen (3); Gragas (4) Scuba; Graves (3) Riot; Hecarim (3); Heimerdinger (3) Alien Invader, Snowmerdinger; Irelia (2); Janna (2); Jarvan IV (4); Jax (7) PAX, Jaximus, Nemesis; Jayce (1); Karma (3); Karthus (3) Grim Reaper; Kassadin (2) Deep One; Katarina (3); Kayle (6); Kennen (1); Kha'Zix (1); Kog'Maw (5) Lion Dance, Deep Sea; LeBlanc (2); Lee Sin (2); Leona (4); Lissandra (1); Lulu (1); Lux (1); Malphite (2) Coral Reef; Malzahar (3); Maokai (3); Master Yi (2); Miss Fortune (7) Candy Cane; Mordekaiser (3) Pentakill; Morgana (1); Nami (1); Nasus (3) Galactic; Nautilus (1); Nidalee (5); Nocturne (2); Nunu (4); Olaf (1); Oriana (2); Pantheon (1); Poppy (2); Rammus (2); Renekton (4); Rengar (1); Riven (2); Rumble (1); Ryze (3) Professor; Sejuani (3); Shaco (1); Shen (4); Shyvana (1); Singed (3); Sion (2); Sivir (5) PAX; Skarner (2); Sona (4); Soraka (1); Swain (2); Syndra (1); Talon (1); Taric (2); Teemo (2); Tristana (4); Trundle (2); Tryndamere (1); Twisted Fate (2); Twitch (3); Udyr (1); Urgot (2); Varus (1); Vayne (1); Veigar (5); Vi (1); Viktor (1); Vladimir (2); Volbear (2); Warwick (3) Hyena; Wukong (1); Xerath (2); Xin Zhou (2); Yorick (1); Zed (1); Ziggs (2); Zilean (3); Zyra (1)
Level 30
User-User Interaction Ratings
Friendly 9
Helpful 2
Teamwork 12
Honorable Opponent 0
(Classic)
Takedowns 2820
Monsters & Minion Kills 44497
Wins 148
(Dominion)
Takedowns 204
Monsters & Minion Kills 280
Wins 9
(ARAM)
Takedowns 0
Monsters & Minion Kills 0
Wins 0
I don't pretend that these stats are excellent in any way but I was curious when I wrote the breakdown review yesterday. I like the personalized rating system but was already mostly out of my LoL routine when they implemented it. I don't really care for Dominion but I used it to break the monotony I was feeling towards the end of my active participation. ARAM is something I know nothing about other than it's a gamemode option in the drop down window. It's been so long they've apparently reset any ranked/league info I had because those are blank or asking if I'd like to join a league.
Runes
9x Greater Mark of Armor Penetration
1x Greater Mark of Attack Damage
9x Greater Mark of Attack Speed
9x Greater Seal of Attack Speed
9x Greater Seal of Magic Resist
1x Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration
1x Greater Seal of Scaling Health
1x Greater Glyph of Armor
9x Greater Glyph of Attack Speed
9x Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
1x Greater Glyphy of Scaling Mana
3x Greater Quintessence of Attack Speed
1x Greater Quintessence of Revival
1x Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power
3x Greater Quintessence of the Deadly Wreath
3x Greater Quintessence of Piercing Present
Item Sets
I know for a fact they've discontinued at least two of my go-to items with my various builds so I'm not going to bother. This tab wasn't here when I was playing though I would have loved it. They rotate, introduce, and retire items as their season come and go so I'll leave this blank in case I ever do want to drop my 2-cents worth.
Characters
Owned 109
Skins 264 - 109 (Classic Skins) = 155 Unique
Noticed a lot of new skins when I was browsing/counting also quite a few art redesigns and splash replacements. Like the grittier art style as opposed to their cartoonish animesque. As you may can tell at one point my group was trying to sync into a specific theme with skins. I was one who tried for the Ocean skins since my handle is Skelefish. We could never agree on one we all liked and so much of the skins I did acquire never saw gameplay.
Going through I see a disparagingly sad spread on some characters. Some have of the devs favorites (Fiddlesticks, Annie, etc) continue to get more and more skins while others continue with the 2-3 they premiered with over a year ago. As someone who played one of their niche characters I can tell you it's frustrating that you're good, but the community doesn't like your character so there's always a limited number of skins while others keep getting more and more. I get the marketing aspect: if a character is popular give them more personality options, but hit up the black sheep occasionally guys.
by Character... Name (# Skins) Faves if any
Ahri (1); Akali (5) Blood Moon; Alistar (5) Matador; Amumu (3) Little Knight; Anivia (1); Annie (5); Ashe (2) Amethyst; Blitzcrank (3) Boom Boom; Brand (3) Zombie; Caitlyn (5) Officer; Cassiopeia (2); Cho'Gath (5) Gentleman, Loch Ness, Jurassic; Corki (4) Urfrider, Red Baron, Dragonwing; Diana (2); Dr. Mundo (1); Draven (1); Elise (1); Evelynn (4); Ezreal (1); Fiddlesticks (3); Fiora (2) Headmistress; Fizz (2) Tundra; Galio (1); Gangplank (1); Garen (3); Gragas (4) Scuba; Graves (3) Riot; Hecarim (3); Heimerdinger (3) Alien Invader, Snowmerdinger; Irelia (2); Janna (2); Jarvan IV (4); Jax (7) PAX, Jaximus, Nemesis; Jayce (1); Karma (3); Karthus (3) Grim Reaper; Kassadin (2) Deep One; Katarina (3); Kayle (6); Kennen (1); Kha'Zix (1); Kog'Maw (5) Lion Dance, Deep Sea; LeBlanc (2); Lee Sin (2); Leona (4); Lissandra (1); Lulu (1); Lux (1); Malphite (2) Coral Reef; Malzahar (3); Maokai (3); Master Yi (2); Miss Fortune (7) Candy Cane; Mordekaiser (3) Pentakill; Morgana (1); Nami (1); Nasus (3) Galactic; Nautilus (1); Nidalee (5); Nocturne (2); Nunu (4); Olaf (1); Oriana (2); Pantheon (1); Poppy (2); Rammus (2); Renekton (4); Rengar (1); Riven (2); Rumble (1); Ryze (3) Professor; Sejuani (3); Shaco (1); Shen (4); Shyvana (1); Singed (3); Sion (2); Sivir (5) PAX; Skarner (2); Sona (4); Soraka (1); Swain (2); Syndra (1); Talon (1); Taric (2); Teemo (2); Tristana (4); Trundle (2); Tryndamere (1); Twisted Fate (2); Twitch (3); Udyr (1); Urgot (2); Varus (1); Vayne (1); Veigar (5); Vi (1); Viktor (1); Vladimir (2); Volbear (2); Warwick (3) Hyena; Wukong (1); Xerath (2); Xin Zhou (2); Yorick (1); Zed (1); Ziggs (2); Zilean (3); Zyra (1)
Saturday, February 14, 2015
League of Legends (2009)
League of Legends (2009)
Riot Games
PC
Multi
MOBA
I'm not aware of a hotkey or shortcut to find the number of time spent in this "free-to-play" multi-player online battle arena that is arguably the most successful right now. QQ more Dota players, can't get behind you. Now admittedly I haven't played this game on a regular basis in 2 years give or take, but it still brings back quite a few fond memories. I log in every now and again to prevent the 6-month lock out to engage and to occasionally see if anything is on sale I can spend some of my remaining RP/IP on. Not going to get into a stat-heavy post, maybe later.
I was one of the people who got into it when it still typically came in the paper box in store. I own the vast majority of their possible characters and as such been with them from nearly the very beginning--not from the beta as my desire but unobtainable skin list shows (i.e. King Bowser Rammus). As in most game-acquisitions I DO purchase I wait for sales and bundles, Riot used to be really good about giving a champ and 2 skins on a regular basis--as I'm not a regular I can't speak to it now. I got a handful of them for free when myself of a friend went to a gaming convention and got a code, and I'll admit once or twice of purchasing a similar code from ebay if none of use were capable of going. As far as cosmetic re-skins I'm reminded a lot of the Penny Arcade comic concerning that exact notion --though I stress I did NOT spend $8000+ I did spend a few hundred over the course of the many years I was playing it. There is no gameplay mechanic necessity to buy from them, the entire game can be unlocked by just playing the game, but you miss out on the personalization of your chosen champion and I'll admit they do a decent job making them inticing and some of them (due to rarity) are kind of status symbols and bragging rights.
My favorite characters (due to my own personal play-style) are Jax, Corki, Caitlyn, and Jarvin IV. My heyday would be around season 2 where, along with some IRL friends we made a good stab at Ranked. Time schedules and living a fair piece from each other is what we attribute most to that failed venture, but c'est la vie. We did have a really good routine down and they were good enough that they could typically hold off a full 5-man push and I could backdoor (a flanking strategy) 1-2 of their turrets by stacking pure attack speed and 'on x hits' items like the Ionic Spark (R.I.P.) and Guinsoo's Rageblade. That sais the game lost a lot of my interest when it started trying to be so focused on competitive. Ironic though it sounds I'm citing where they pushed to make it like a Counter Strike event--not that it couldn't be, but I'd gotten to level 30 in a more or less casual pursuit.
Some of the major disheartening practice I associate heavily with Riot are their lack of content. Yes they had the 2-weeks new character roll around, but all that did was make new people pissy about unbalanced games when a heavy hitter joined in OP. For the entire length of time they did that they couldn't work on new features to the game for the sake of continually tweaking balance. I'm STILL waiting for a new map. I've seen the rough mocks up for it, I've heard devs confirm they've got it in the pipeline, where the fuck is my g.d. Molten Core map? I hate they and apparently most of the players are ok with their new gametype instead of new map strategy. I can stand Dominion, but I don't like it. I've yet to try whatever ARAM is but I see it listed in my profile. That said there are well over 100 characters and 3 maps to my knowledge: one solely for 3v3 Twisted Treeline; one for 5v5 Summoner's Rift; and Dominion. 4 if you count the solo-instanced bridge you play thru the tutorial in.
Where I think Riot vastly succeeded and suddenly failed was with their community efforts. Nika Harper was one of the *honestly* most hyper-positive, bubbly, recognizable personalities on the internet at the time and what she and Riot did with their weekly* Summoner Showcase was brilliant at keeping the community up on new developments and stuff other fans and players did. It got a bit stale as they scaled it back prior to her leaving Riot, but at it's pinnacle was a very looked-forward-to distraction each week. When she left there was a massive void in the Riot community and to date nothing has stepped up to do so to the level the Showcase did. Like most things online if you follow, lurk, or troll the forums or social media sites of your selected distraction you will likely be abreast of recent big developments but otherwise the nuance and sparkly shimmer was gone.
I do not recommend this game as a solo attempt, but if you'd like to try your hand feel free. I believe the base game itself is free-to-play so if you can wrangle one or more friends to share in the learning curve I do recommend that. As with all microtransaction-heavy games, unless you have some commitment to play it, test the waters before you drop hard coin on it. Every champion will eventually become free playable on a rotation so you can try them out before you buy. There were frequently bundles in their online store that gave you a handful of stuff at a decent discount, and there are always the occasional game unlock code at conventions or thru ebay.
7/10 imho best MOBA out there
Riot Games
PC
Multi
MOBA
I'm not aware of a hotkey or shortcut to find the number of time spent in this "free-to-play" multi-player online battle arena that is arguably the most successful right now. QQ more Dota players, can't get behind you. Now admittedly I haven't played this game on a regular basis in 2 years give or take, but it still brings back quite a few fond memories. I log in every now and again to prevent the 6-month lock out to engage and to occasionally see if anything is on sale I can spend some of my remaining RP/IP on. Not going to get into a stat-heavy post, maybe later.
I was one of the people who got into it when it still typically came in the paper box in store. I own the vast majority of their possible characters and as such been with them from nearly the very beginning--not from the beta as my desire but unobtainable skin list shows (i.e. King Bowser Rammus). As in most game-acquisitions I DO purchase I wait for sales and bundles, Riot used to be really good about giving a champ and 2 skins on a regular basis--as I'm not a regular I can't speak to it now. I got a handful of them for free when myself of a friend went to a gaming convention and got a code, and I'll admit once or twice of purchasing a similar code from ebay if none of use were capable of going. As far as cosmetic re-skins I'm reminded a lot of the Penny Arcade comic concerning that exact notion --though I stress I did NOT spend $8000+ I did spend a few hundred over the course of the many years I was playing it. There is no gameplay mechanic necessity to buy from them, the entire game can be unlocked by just playing the game, but you miss out on the personalization of your chosen champion and I'll admit they do a decent job making them inticing and some of them (due to rarity) are kind of status symbols and bragging rights.
My favorite characters (due to my own personal play-style) are Jax, Corki, Caitlyn, and Jarvin IV. My heyday would be around season 2 where, along with some IRL friends we made a good stab at Ranked. Time schedules and living a fair piece from each other is what we attribute most to that failed venture, but c'est la vie. We did have a really good routine down and they were good enough that they could typically hold off a full 5-man push and I could backdoor (a flanking strategy) 1-2 of their turrets by stacking pure attack speed and 'on x hits' items like the Ionic Spark (R.I.P.) and Guinsoo's Rageblade. That sais the game lost a lot of my interest when it started trying to be so focused on competitive. Ironic though it sounds I'm citing where they pushed to make it like a Counter Strike event--not that it couldn't be, but I'd gotten to level 30 in a more or less casual pursuit.
Some of the major disheartening practice I associate heavily with Riot are their lack of content. Yes they had the 2-weeks new character roll around, but all that did was make new people pissy about unbalanced games when a heavy hitter joined in OP. For the entire length of time they did that they couldn't work on new features to the game for the sake of continually tweaking balance. I'm STILL waiting for a new map. I've seen the rough mocks up for it, I've heard devs confirm they've got it in the pipeline, where the fuck is my g.d. Molten Core map? I hate they and apparently most of the players are ok with their new gametype instead of new map strategy. I can stand Dominion, but I don't like it. I've yet to try whatever ARAM is but I see it listed in my profile. That said there are well over 100 characters and 3 maps to my knowledge: one solely for 3v3 Twisted Treeline; one for 5v5 Summoner's Rift; and Dominion. 4 if you count the solo-instanced bridge you play thru the tutorial in.
Where I think Riot vastly succeeded and suddenly failed was with their community efforts. Nika Harper was one of the *honestly* most hyper-positive, bubbly, recognizable personalities on the internet at the time and what she and Riot did with their weekly* Summoner Showcase was brilliant at keeping the community up on new developments and stuff other fans and players did. It got a bit stale as they scaled it back prior to her leaving Riot, but at it's pinnacle was a very looked-forward-to distraction each week. When she left there was a massive void in the Riot community and to date nothing has stepped up to do so to the level the Showcase did. Like most things online if you follow, lurk, or troll the forums or social media sites of your selected distraction you will likely be abreast of recent big developments but otherwise the nuance and sparkly shimmer was gone.
I do not recommend this game as a solo attempt, but if you'd like to try your hand feel free. I believe the base game itself is free-to-play so if you can wrangle one or more friends to share in the learning curve I do recommend that. As with all microtransaction-heavy games, unless you have some commitment to play it, test the waters before you drop hard coin on it. Every champion will eventually become free playable on a rotation so you can try them out before you buy. There were frequently bundles in their online store that gave you a handful of stuff at a decent discount, and there are always the occasional game unlock code at conventions or thru ebay.
7/10 imho best MOBA out there
Friday, February 6, 2015
Killing Floor (2009)
Killing Floor (2009)
Tripwire Interactive
PC/Steam
Single, Co-Op, Multi
Instance
I currently sit at 132 hours played and 157 or the 286 achievements unlocked on my Steam profile. Albeit I like this game. I had the distinct pleasure to visit with some of Tripwire's development team and personnel when I attended the inaugural PAX South recently and was in awe of how light and friendly they kept the typically stagnant atmosphere of developer-focused conventions. They were very personable with the audience and any individuals who decided to approach them and ask questions. They were so at ease it only too one slip of an expletive until the entire panel resorted to name calling (for fun) as one of them would incorrectly explain or misinform an answer to a question or so forth.
As the game itself goes it was originally developed as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 and was so successful it was redone into its own game (similar to the original DOTA). It is a standard FPS zombie survival game but what it uniquely does to my knowledge is their PERKS system. Very similar and specialized to other games CLASS systems it goes a very welcome step forward and allows you to progress them based not only on which class you selected, but the weapon you are wielding. Example I typically roll with some friends as a Firebug (Pyro, flamethrower, etc) but if I ever solo on my own I will use the Commando (battle rifles) perk which I have leveled enough to see invisible enemies well before they pose a threat to me.
I've spent the time and jokingly created my own storyline in some of the many maps I'm curious to see what they officially say are there. They do have 3 objective mode maps where a loose tale is woven I just wish there were a few more, it's an interesting fictional world they've created. No story to speak of otherwise but highly enjoyable with IRL friends online working as a unit. In multiplayer mode you get to deal with unknown quantities and play-styles with PUGs (pick up groups, randos, etc) just like any other online game. Recommended as you learn but always risky for completions of anything you're aiming for.
8.5/10
Tripwire Interactive
PC/Steam
Single, Co-Op, Multi
Instance
I currently sit at 132 hours played and 157 or the 286 achievements unlocked on my Steam profile. Albeit I like this game. I had the distinct pleasure to visit with some of Tripwire's development team and personnel when I attended the inaugural PAX South recently and was in awe of how light and friendly they kept the typically stagnant atmosphere of developer-focused conventions. They were very personable with the audience and any individuals who decided to approach them and ask questions. They were so at ease it only too one slip of an expletive until the entire panel resorted to name calling (for fun) as one of them would incorrectly explain or misinform an answer to a question or so forth.
As the game itself goes it was originally developed as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 and was so successful it was redone into its own game (similar to the original DOTA). It is a standard FPS zombie survival game but what it uniquely does to my knowledge is their PERKS system. Very similar and specialized to other games CLASS systems it goes a very welcome step forward and allows you to progress them based not only on which class you selected, but the weapon you are wielding. Example I typically roll with some friends as a Firebug (Pyro, flamethrower, etc) but if I ever solo on my own I will use the Commando (battle rifles) perk which I have leveled enough to see invisible enemies well before they pose a threat to me.
I've spent the time and jokingly created my own storyline in some of the many maps I'm curious to see what they officially say are there. They do have 3 objective mode maps where a loose tale is woven I just wish there were a few more, it's an interesting fictional world they've created. No story to speak of otherwise but highly enjoyable with IRL friends online working as a unit. In multiplayer mode you get to deal with unknown quantities and play-styles with PUGs (pick up groups, randos, etc) just like any other online game. Recommended as you learn but always risky for completions of anything you're aiming for.
8.5/10
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