Just a little update.
I met my goal of hitting level 77 this weekend. The groups were going like mad, and I completed several huge quests. I also tapped a couple of new weapons for use from some really good drops. I have a new axe, which I got that looks great, and I will hopefully be able to post that image later.
I also tried to play in DX9 this weekend, as sometimes if I get a large set of mobs attacking, I experience some nasty lag spikes. But, I just had to go back. I can really tell the difference (DX9 looks like mud compared to DX10), so I will play with my settings a bit to keep it around. Most of the time I get a good 60+FPS, so, just need to find the magic tweak for massive mobs!
I posted my feelings on the Vanguard freebie (for 30 days?) that started this weekend (btw, I was an older player, and had subbed for the 30 days I got with my box...played 15 of those before the boredom and issues set in)...and some commenter's seemed to be a little touchy over my post.
The game is sadly more niche than Warhammer or AoC, and I just do not see any staying power for that game. It really is quite boring ( I have tried multiple classes, and just cannot get past level 20), and it just does not offer anything new to the MMO genre (even when it came out)...oh, and BTW, for those who go on about the Zoneless huge world...Zoneless Huge World equals very EMPTY world also...so believe me...it is not an advantage.
Lets just call this my "Eurogamer" opinion (as some people believe you must play hundreds of hours before you can decide a game is junk...uh yea...NOT!)
SOE could save a wad of cash shutting this baby down.
Anyways, I also started playing Deadspace again this weekend. My second run through. Hard Mode, and trying for a few achievements (using only the Plasma Cutter, killing a certain number of beasties in hand to hand, etc.). This game really is a major piece of work, and for any Horror Survival genre fan, you must buy this. RE5 is weak compared to this game. RE5 was good, just Deadspace is way better.
I want to at least get these achievements, and then see what the new DLC's are...some look cool.
Well...quiet weekend otherwise. We are strapping down and keeping the spending to a minimum for our vacation in two weeks to Great Wolf Lodge (a new one opened just 2 1/2 some hours from us, an indoor waterpark, this place is a self contained fun zone...awesome).
So, gaming is really the way to go for weekend fun.
Cheers
Showing posts with label Dead Space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dead Space. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Resident Evil 5 - An exercise in adding realism
If any Horror Survival (HS) game has tried to advance it's own genre, it is Resident Evil.
For the longest time, each HS title has kept a locked camera perspective or a combat system that sucked beyond all get out.
Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark and the original RE's all had systems in place to make you wish that you could throw your controller out the window.
I cannot count how many times I have screamed at my screen as I died another cheap death.
Then RE4 came along. With a new angle for the camera (behind the shoulders) and a combat system that was more forgiving with tons of ammo and health all around. The control of how you lived or died was handed back to the player.
Throw in an RPG like system of upgrades and ability to buy the stuff you could not find...RE4 is truly a new age in HS gaming.
Thanks to RE4, we got Deadspace, which has proven that a Western influenced HS title can work, and quite well. Using the same formula of RPG style upgrades, better camera control, and less of the "cheap" deaths due to sneaks, etc., the genre is coming pretty far.
Silent Hill tried to fix their game with the last release, Homecoming, with full visual controls to allow you to see all around you, and combat that worked...most of the time.
Alone in the Dark also tried some new formulas (but still kept locked camera's, and the combat is slightly wonky to be almost buggy).
RE4 still wins hands down.
Now we have Resident Evil 5. In comparison, it holds a lot of the "in the moment" style of action like Deadspace. What this means is that you do not have a pause to get an item type of gameplay that most HS titles still cling to.
Released this week for XBL and PS3, the demo gives an idea of the hectic "OMG" moments that a real person would be dealing with as they try to survive being attacked by these new forms of "zombies".
And it has been frustrating as you play the demo.
For the player who is use to fast turns in 3rd person like Gears of War...it is not here. Standardized controls like Left Trigger, Right Trigger, reloads, etc...not here.
RE5 went with it's own control scheme which can be frustrating, but also manageable if you PRACTICE.
This is what I had to do with RE4 and their unusual scheme. Same for RE5.
After several play throughs, I found one scheme that worked for me.
But, then comes the Inventory system. This is definitely something Deadspace did right.
In Deadspace you could assign weapons to slots. Then using the D-Pad, select weapons as needed (for instant switching). Then all of the "heals" could be put in one spot for instant access.
RE5, everything is wherever you put it, and you need to align items as you get them for easier access. That or be prepared to die horribly and many times.
The issue is the menu screen comes up with a press of the Y button (on the 360). Then you use DPad or the Analog stick to move to an item. Then hit A to bring up a menu to Equip, Give or Throw away that item.
So, basically, we have 3 steps...Y, A, A to open, select and equip.
BAD!!!!
Think of heals. Y to open the menu, find the item (lets say you picked up an herb earlier, and it just went into the menu, so you do not know where it will be), move to that item, hit A, "USE?"..YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS....hit A......OMG, I am dead!
Frustration ensues.
So, as I played, I experimented with some options.
A unique aspect to the game is the AI driven partner. In this game, your partner is not some whiny girl you have to save...nope, this is some badass mama (who is HOT also...yum), that can also be controlled by another player...
She is a good shot, and heals you when needed.
So started the test. I would give her specific ammo. So she got all the handgun ammo, except maybe one or two loads for me. I took all the machine gun and rifle ammo.
I then started to give her all the herbs (which you can take back at anytime you have a breather).
But, there is no doubt that as a healbot, she proved very effecient. As long as we stayed close, we were good.
Another aspect that you learn is using various "hotspots" to hold yourself in as you are taking out mobs. Like GoW, cover is important (though not used as well).
Several burned up and gutted buses proved to be life savers, as the mobs used the doorways to enter, funneling in single file for easy removal from my weapons.
Backing yourself into corners helped somewhat, yet also proved to be death tombs, so you had to be careful.
Tactically the game is actually proving to be fun after the intial "OMG these controls suck".
This game is definitely on the "MUST BUY" as we the family being RE fanatics, must have it. Even with the frustrations (which seems to be a keyword when you associate Horror Survival with gaming...) I think the gorgeous graphics, and tense world of this lastest outing will be awesome.
I am sure the main game will give you more time to learn the in's and out's first, as the demo really throws a TON of stuff at you...difficult for sure. But, satisfying when you beat the level.
Just gotta learn those controls...ARGH!
For the longest time, each HS title has kept a locked camera perspective or a combat system that sucked beyond all get out.
Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark and the original RE's all had systems in place to make you wish that you could throw your controller out the window.
I cannot count how many times I have screamed at my screen as I died another cheap death.
Then RE4 came along. With a new angle for the camera (behind the shoulders) and a combat system that was more forgiving with tons of ammo and health all around. The control of how you lived or died was handed back to the player.
Throw in an RPG like system of upgrades and ability to buy the stuff you could not find...RE4 is truly a new age in HS gaming.
Thanks to RE4, we got Deadspace, which has proven that a Western influenced HS title can work, and quite well. Using the same formula of RPG style upgrades, better camera control, and less of the "cheap" deaths due to sneaks, etc., the genre is coming pretty far.
Silent Hill tried to fix their game with the last release, Homecoming, with full visual controls to allow you to see all around you, and combat that worked...most of the time.
Alone in the Dark also tried some new formulas (but still kept locked camera's, and the combat is slightly wonky to be almost buggy).
RE4 still wins hands down.
Now we have Resident Evil 5. In comparison, it holds a lot of the "in the moment" style of action like Deadspace. What this means is that you do not have a pause to get an item type of gameplay that most HS titles still cling to.
Released this week for XBL and PS3, the demo gives an idea of the hectic "OMG" moments that a real person would be dealing with as they try to survive being attacked by these new forms of "zombies".
And it has been frustrating as you play the demo.
For the player who is use to fast turns in 3rd person like Gears of War...it is not here. Standardized controls like Left Trigger, Right Trigger, reloads, etc...not here.
RE5 went with it's own control scheme which can be frustrating, but also manageable if you PRACTICE.
This is what I had to do with RE4 and their unusual scheme. Same for RE5.
After several play throughs, I found one scheme that worked for me.
But, then comes the Inventory system. This is definitely something Deadspace did right.
In Deadspace you could assign weapons to slots. Then using the D-Pad, select weapons as needed (for instant switching). Then all of the "heals" could be put in one spot for instant access.
RE5, everything is wherever you put it, and you need to align items as you get them for easier access. That or be prepared to die horribly and many times.
The issue is the menu screen comes up with a press of the Y button (on the 360). Then you use DPad or the Analog stick to move to an item. Then hit A to bring up a menu to Equip, Give or Throw away that item.
So, basically, we have 3 steps...Y, A, A to open, select and equip.
BAD!!!!
Think of heals. Y to open the menu, find the item (lets say you picked up an herb earlier, and it just went into the menu, so you do not know where it will be), move to that item, hit A, "USE?"..YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS....hit A......OMG, I am dead!
Frustration ensues.
So, as I played, I experimented with some options.
A unique aspect to the game is the AI driven partner. In this game, your partner is not some whiny girl you have to save...nope, this is some badass mama (who is HOT also...yum), that can also be controlled by another player...
She is a good shot, and heals you when needed.
So started the test. I would give her specific ammo. So she got all the handgun ammo, except maybe one or two loads for me. I took all the machine gun and rifle ammo.
I then started to give her all the herbs (which you can take back at anytime you have a breather).
But, there is no doubt that as a healbot, she proved very effecient. As long as we stayed close, we were good.
Another aspect that you learn is using various "hotspots" to hold yourself in as you are taking out mobs. Like GoW, cover is important (though not used as well).
Several burned up and gutted buses proved to be life savers, as the mobs used the doorways to enter, funneling in single file for easy removal from my weapons.
Backing yourself into corners helped somewhat, yet also proved to be death tombs, so you had to be careful.
Tactically the game is actually proving to be fun after the intial "OMG these controls suck".
This game is definitely on the "MUST BUY" as we the family being RE fanatics, must have it. Even with the frustrations (which seems to be a keyword when you associate Horror Survival with gaming...) I think the gorgeous graphics, and tense world of this lastest outing will be awesome.
I am sure the main game will give you more time to learn the in's and out's first, as the demo really throws a TON of stuff at you...difficult for sure. But, satisfying when you beat the level.
Just gotta learn those controls...ARGH!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Weekend Gaming Wrapup
And so we say goodbye to Deadspace, hello to the Darkness and discussion of the future of our gaming trends in the house all take up this weeks wrap..
Deadspace became the obsession over the weekend, finishing the game in a Marathon run between Saturday and Sunday. This title proved difficult to put down, as the feel of combat, the overall RPG fun and the story became quite compelling.
I wish more games exhibited such polish and fun. It seems a lot are just dropped on the player, and they expect you to do a lot to figure things out, or is just overall shoddy in some way.
An example of this is the Infinite Undiscovery title. I was really enjoying this game, but directions of where to go, what you are doing becomes an issue. The only objectives you ever get is a simple "I did this" or "I plan to do this" comments on a pause screen. If someone wishes a sandbox title with a lot of running around blindly and figuring out what to do next, this game is for you.
The combat has become very "MMO", and a lot of times you feel like you have no major control of the action.
The issue lies with your party. Their AI is SO good that you have no need to worry about death. A lot of times when you finally get to a mob to attack it yourself, it dies from the other party members already taking their shots. The game seems to run itself, and that is not so fun.
Back to Deadspace. A killer boss fight at the end, had us all excited.
So, at this point, I looked through my games, and decided on one I have had sitting around since I bought the new 360 (so I could give my son the old 360).
The Darkness distributed by 2k Games. The game is based on a best selling comic by Top Cow productions. The developers, Starbreeze Studios, is also known for developing a killer movie to game product, The Chronicles of Riddick, which is being remade for the 360 (and that other console...uh...PS something), along with some new content as well. It was considered the first movie to video game title that did not suck...hard.
Seems this game was well received, and follows the vein of our gaming mantra..."Story is important".
More on this as we progress.
So, this weekend also had my wife up in arms over something, which was the issue of playing a game again. She said she missed being in control of the game, and it may be that she may be the one who will play an MMO soon. The issue is what game will work best for her.
She is quite picky, and as such, it proves to be difficult to find a specific game for her.
Story of course is foremost. Visuals are important (no cartoony characters so games like Domo or Wizard 101 will not work), strategy is important...
Fantasy is also number one, and she hates Sci-Fi.
I debate about maybe some type of card based battle game, as she loves those types of systems.
Has anyone played Magic online recently? Is it any good? Any other card style game? (besides LoN, which has an issue with font sizing like LOTRO on big screens...)
...Taking suggestions..
Anyways, a new week, and I plan to start debating about some games (Infinite is on the short list now), and of course, I wonder how 2009 is going to start shaping up...
Have a good week folks...
Deadspace became the obsession over the weekend, finishing the game in a Marathon run between Saturday and Sunday. This title proved difficult to put down, as the feel of combat, the overall RPG fun and the story became quite compelling.
I wish more games exhibited such polish and fun. It seems a lot are just dropped on the player, and they expect you to do a lot to figure things out, or is just overall shoddy in some way.
An example of this is the Infinite Undiscovery title. I was really enjoying this game, but directions of where to go, what you are doing becomes an issue. The only objectives you ever get is a simple "I did this" or "I plan to do this" comments on a pause screen. If someone wishes a sandbox title with a lot of running around blindly and figuring out what to do next, this game is for you.
The combat has become very "MMO", and a lot of times you feel like you have no major control of the action.
The issue lies with your party. Their AI is SO good that you have no need to worry about death. A lot of times when you finally get to a mob to attack it yourself, it dies from the other party members already taking their shots. The game seems to run itself, and that is not so fun.
Back to Deadspace. A killer boss fight at the end, had us all excited.
So, at this point, I looked through my games, and decided on one I have had sitting around since I bought the new 360 (so I could give my son the old 360).
The Darkness distributed by 2k Games. The game is based on a best selling comic by Top Cow productions. The developers, Starbreeze Studios, is also known for developing a killer movie to game product, The Chronicles of Riddick, which is being remade for the 360 (and that other console...uh...PS something), along with some new content as well. It was considered the first movie to video game title that did not suck...hard.
Seems this game was well received, and follows the vein of our gaming mantra..."Story is important".
More on this as we progress.
So, this weekend also had my wife up in arms over something, which was the issue of playing a game again. She said she missed being in control of the game, and it may be that she may be the one who will play an MMO soon. The issue is what game will work best for her.
She is quite picky, and as such, it proves to be difficult to find a specific game for her.
Story of course is foremost. Visuals are important (no cartoony characters so games like Domo or Wizard 101 will not work), strategy is important...
Fantasy is also number one, and she hates Sci-Fi.
I debate about maybe some type of card based battle game, as she loves those types of systems.
Has anyone played Magic online recently? Is it any good? Any other card style game? (besides LoN, which has an issue with font sizing like LOTRO on big screens...)
...Taking suggestions..
Anyways, a new week, and I plan to start debating about some games (Infinite is on the short list now), and of course, I wonder how 2009 is going to start shaping up...
Have a good week folks...
Friday, January 2, 2009
Deadspace - You got your RPG in my Horror Survival
Playing through Deadspace gives me some nostalgia, and then adds some tense experiences on top of the likes of Crafting and leveling.
Yup, you guessed it. EA's new IP venture proves that when you take some chances, you can garner success without resorting to previous motives and mechanics.
What has been a pleasure in this game is not only a visually intense setting, but mechanics that eschews the old school survival horror system of small amounts of ammo, enclosed camera angles and frustrating combat.
If we took Doom 3 and added some RPG elements of upgrading armor and weapons, and then give the player a 3rd person OTS camera view to give that enclosed suffocating feel that is the right horror survival ambiance, you get Deadspace.
The wife has pointed out that the "creepy" factor is not as high here as say an old Silent Hill or Resident Evil setting, yet, the game makes up for it by enhancing your game play with thinking before advancing mechanics, and making the right choices in weapons and armor.
The time of minimal health packs are gone, and is replaced by a system that does not "pause" the game so you can take one, which presents a more tense situation than the frustration of "Crap, I have no health left".
Instead of hoping you find that next weapon to use (like a pistol, shovel, etc.), you get a single gun that, if you wish, you can use through the whole game. Complete with the capability to upgrade the weapon with damage, capacity and reload speeds with crafting benches through the game. Luckily, this does NOT mean you are stuck with that weapon, and as well, little built in "shops" exists through the space ship you are supplanted on, to allow you to buy other cool tools to kill with.
What has been a pleasure in this game is not only a visually intense setting, but mechanics that eschews the old school survival horror system of small amounts of ammo, enclosed camera angles and frustrating combat.
If we took Doom 3 and added some RPG elements of upgrading armor and weapons, and then give the player a 3rd person OTS camera view to give that enclosed suffocating feel that is the right horror survival ambiance, you get Deadspace.
The wife has pointed out that the "creepy" factor is not as high here as say an old Silent Hill or Resident Evil setting, yet, the game makes up for it by enhancing your game play with thinking before advancing mechanics, and making the right choices in weapons and armor.
The time of minimal health packs are gone, and is replaced by a system that does not "pause" the game so you can take one, which presents a more tense situation than the frustration of "Crap, I have no health left".
Instead of hoping you find that next weapon to use (like a pistol, shovel, etc.), you get a single gun that, if you wish, you can use through the whole game. Complete with the capability to upgrade the weapon with damage, capacity and reload speeds with crafting benches through the game. Luckily, this does NOT mean you are stuck with that weapon, and as well, little built in "shops" exists through the space ship you are supplanted on, to allow you to buy other cool tools to kill with.
And that is also included on top of upgrading your armor in various ways with health upgrades and inventory capacity (again an issue with most Survival horror).
Finally, the game gives you an easy way to kill the creatures that exists on the ship, but it requires you being semi patient and not slamming ammo into the mobs willy nilly. Taking off limbs helps slow or even kill the mobs faster.
Finally, the game gives you an easy way to kill the creatures that exists on the ship, but it requires you being semi patient and not slamming ammo into the mobs willy nilly. Taking off limbs helps slow or even kill the mobs faster.
The only other comment I have is that the variety of different gameplay options as you go through the space ship (at one point you are stuck trying to eliminate debris hitting the ship using a huge laser cannon) and the sound (which has been nominated on many sites for the best sound for a game in 2008) really drives up the scary fun factor.
What really hits the fun home is thinking how I can go back through and play the game on hard to see how it stacks up...in so many words, the game is fun enough to warrant a replay later down the road. Not many games do that for me.
I am glad EA is taking a different approach to development with these new ventures. Deadspace is a load of exciting fun, and I am glad I found this title.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Weekend gaming wrapup
And a quick hello.
I have returned from some time off, and boy, lots of cool stuff going on.
First off, for Christmas, I got the very fun Infinite Undiscovery for the 360. While not being a killer title for critics, it did have some overall good reviews.
It has some issues like really bad voice acting, yet it DOES have a good story for playthrough. And as combat and mechanics go, it is an excellent RPG with fast paced realtime sword and magic play (you cannot even pause for health, etc.), and a minor crafting system that gets the job done.
Puzzles require some thinking, and overall visually it looks great and the controls are spot on.
Not bad for Square Enix first major exclusive 360 outing.
Also, since Christmas vacation started, Silent Hill finally came to an end. With a VERY frustrating end boss (thanks Danshir, you were not kidding) and getting the crappy ending (I think there were a total of 5 different endings...), I was not pleased at the outcome.
Lets just say, be a good person within the game and keep a moral center...prepare for a not too happy ending. I do not get that, and overall was ticked off. I took it back over holidays to sell. Figure thanks to the youtube generation, I feel no need to play though again for my endings, and instead watched the videos online.
But, thanks to Silent Hill being done, we moved on to Deadspace. Some things of note.
The game is VERY fun. You gain more ways to take control of the situation with various sci-fi like items (for example, using a Stasis module to slow down time to kill off creatures is quite satisfying). Puzzles are good and again another visual treat here. EA really went all out to make a new IP, and this is very impressive.
But, with that comment, let me say...whoever keeps calling this the "Scariest" game, really does not know horror.
The creepy factor is top notch, but it is more like Doom, in that it goes for the cheap scares, droppping stuff on you, things coming to life in front of you and jumping in your face.
But, there is no doubt, that along with Resident Evil and Silent Hill, this new franchise goes on my list.
This only leaves Alone in the Dark, for horror games, so, it also goes on my list to buy soon.
This past weekend saw the launch of Fusionfall. For Christmas, my son got a PC for learning to type and what not...but, also we plan to play a few games together.
Basically the Cartoon Network universe is setup for an MMO.
Install was easy, character creation wortked quite well, and in no time, my son was in and rocking.
Visually, I was impressed that a browser based game could look this good. The animations were well done, and the use of various characters who were quite recognizable, equals a better MMO than most of the available titles in the genre.
I will probably join him to play this. We will be setting up Xfire on his system to do voice also. More on this as we progress.
As for Tabula Rasa, I am still on hiatus. But, I plan to get my son up to speed, and may start a new character there. But, I am unsure if I will continue my main. The game really does start to get more boring as you progress, and I have just not felt inclined to log in. And with so many great single player games, I may just say goodbye to TR.
Otherwise, the holiday has been "Movie Madness" here, with Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight, Resident Evil (the new CGI movie, which for what they have done, is not too shabby), Hancock and tons of Netflix to watch, truly some great stuff...I have enjoyed all of these so far..and more to come.
And of course, the Doctor Who Christmas Special broadcast this past week, and that is queued up to watch soon.
Anyways, I hope everyone had a good Holiday, and will be talking at you soon..
Cheers
I have returned from some time off, and boy, lots of cool stuff going on.
First off, for Christmas, I got the very fun Infinite Undiscovery for the 360. While not being a killer title for critics, it did have some overall good reviews.
It has some issues like really bad voice acting, yet it DOES have a good story for playthrough. And as combat and mechanics go, it is an excellent RPG with fast paced realtime sword and magic play (you cannot even pause for health, etc.), and a minor crafting system that gets the job done.
Puzzles require some thinking, and overall visually it looks great and the controls are spot on.
Not bad for Square Enix first major exclusive 360 outing.
Also, since Christmas vacation started, Silent Hill finally came to an end. With a VERY frustrating end boss (thanks Danshir, you were not kidding) and getting the crappy ending (I think there were a total of 5 different endings...), I was not pleased at the outcome.
Lets just say, be a good person within the game and keep a moral center...prepare for a not too happy ending. I do not get that, and overall was ticked off. I took it back over holidays to sell. Figure thanks to the youtube generation, I feel no need to play though again for my endings, and instead watched the videos online.
But, thanks to Silent Hill being done, we moved on to Deadspace. Some things of note.
The game is VERY fun. You gain more ways to take control of the situation with various sci-fi like items (for example, using a Stasis module to slow down time to kill off creatures is quite satisfying). Puzzles are good and again another visual treat here. EA really went all out to make a new IP, and this is very impressive.
But, with that comment, let me say...whoever keeps calling this the "Scariest" game, really does not know horror.
The creepy factor is top notch, but it is more like Doom, in that it goes for the cheap scares, droppping stuff on you, things coming to life in front of you and jumping in your face.
But, there is no doubt, that along with Resident Evil and Silent Hill, this new franchise goes on my list.
This only leaves Alone in the Dark, for horror games, so, it also goes on my list to buy soon.
This past weekend saw the launch of Fusionfall. For Christmas, my son got a PC for learning to type and what not...but, also we plan to play a few games together.
Basically the Cartoon Network universe is setup for an MMO.
Install was easy, character creation wortked quite well, and in no time, my son was in and rocking.
Visually, I was impressed that a browser based game could look this good. The animations were well done, and the use of various characters who were quite recognizable, equals a better MMO than most of the available titles in the genre.
I will probably join him to play this. We will be setting up Xfire on his system to do voice also. More on this as we progress.
As for Tabula Rasa, I am still on hiatus. But, I plan to get my son up to speed, and may start a new character there. But, I am unsure if I will continue my main. The game really does start to get more boring as you progress, and I have just not felt inclined to log in. And with so many great single player games, I may just say goodbye to TR.
Otherwise, the holiday has been "Movie Madness" here, with Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight, Resident Evil (the new CGI movie, which for what they have done, is not too shabby), Hancock and tons of Netflix to watch, truly some great stuff...I have enjoyed all of these so far..and more to come.
And of course, the Doctor Who Christmas Special broadcast this past week, and that is queued up to watch soon.
Anyways, I hope everyone had a good Holiday, and will be talking at you soon..
Cheers
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tabula Rasa - Post 20 blues
And so it came to pass....
Level 20 is here. And I am forlorn.
I am not compelled to login right now. I have a mission that I am working through (Tocastra Prison...something like that), and basically, it is brutal.
But, also, I hit that wall that always comes at level 20. The compelling need to go on starts to waver.
I start to think "Why should I even play?". The game will end in February. There is still not that many people on to form any friendships with or start any groups. I never have enough time to do these big dungeon runs like Tocastra.
And of course...the grind. It felt harsh for level 19, what will the next 10 levels be like? And if I do not finish the particular mission, I am pretty much stuck in progressing the story.
And why progress. There is not an outcome?
This makes me think of how Star Wars will be with it's Bioware'd story focus, Will the game end with chapters? Will it be like Guild Wars where there is a story with a beginning and end (which I love).
I have enjoyed Tabula Rasa though, but it is not the game to end all games for me. It never pulls you in fully. But, mechanically it is sound with some awesome crafting that I got excited to do all the time as I leveled. And the capability to progress solo even though the spawns were ridiculous..well, that was important.
I wonder how TR would have been with Henchmen?
Anyways. I am sure it is the lull before the holidays. I have quite a bit of work (when it rains it pours. Year end is my big money maker...even when the economy is down...how awesome is that?)...and I am not keeping regular hours, so morning game time will be small for a bit. Evenings are filled with Silent Hill, where I have progressed enough that I think I am almost at the end. And then I have Dead Space waiting for me (the wife is really excited over that one...), plus some movies will be making their way to me for Christmas..
Yea...gonna be crazy. Anyways, I will be off for a day or two for the Holidays..
Wish you and yours the best...
Cheers
Level 20 is here. And I am forlorn.
I am not compelled to login right now. I have a mission that I am working through (Tocastra Prison...something like that), and basically, it is brutal.
But, also, I hit that wall that always comes at level 20. The compelling need to go on starts to waver.
I start to think "Why should I even play?". The game will end in February. There is still not that many people on to form any friendships with or start any groups. I never have enough time to do these big dungeon runs like Tocastra.
And of course...the grind. It felt harsh for level 19, what will the next 10 levels be like? And if I do not finish the particular mission, I am pretty much stuck in progressing the story.
And why progress. There is not an outcome?
This makes me think of how Star Wars will be with it's Bioware'd story focus, Will the game end with chapters? Will it be like Guild Wars where there is a story with a beginning and end (which I love).
I have enjoyed Tabula Rasa though, but it is not the game to end all games for me. It never pulls you in fully. But, mechanically it is sound with some awesome crafting that I got excited to do all the time as I leveled. And the capability to progress solo even though the spawns were ridiculous..well, that was important.
I wonder how TR would have been with Henchmen?
Anyways. I am sure it is the lull before the holidays. I have quite a bit of work (when it rains it pours. Year end is my big money maker...even when the economy is down...how awesome is that?)...and I am not keeping regular hours, so morning game time will be small for a bit. Evenings are filled with Silent Hill, where I have progressed enough that I think I am almost at the end. And then I have Dead Space waiting for me (the wife is really excited over that one...), plus some movies will be making their way to me for Christmas..
Yea...gonna be crazy. Anyways, I will be off for a day or two for the Holidays..
Wish you and yours the best...
Cheers
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