I used to be a(n) [insert occupation here] like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee...

You may recognize this as the phrase that's slowly taking over the world. If not, just read a few comments on basically anything related to Skyrim. Otherwise if you've seen it once, then you've seen it a thousand times. And yes, all the cool kids are doing it. Reminds me of the good ol' days. Like when I used to be a reader just like you. Until I took an arrow to the knee. That single arrow took away my ability to read and ever since that day I've been forced to ask other people to read things for me. See what I did there? Pretty cool, wasn't it? Of course it was. Be sure to try this line with family members, or maybe the next time you're at the grocery store... I was thinking something like this,  "You know, I used to be a cashier like you, until one day when I took an arrow in the knee." But feel free to improvise as you see fit. Oh and don't forget to get it on video... and to give me the link once you post it on youtube. Thanks much.


Only kidding of course (sort of).

Skyrim Slow-Mo

Pre-decapitation, gotta love it.

Gaming Etiquette at its Best

As I headed to kill another quest mob in lineage 2 the other day I witnessed a surprising display of online gaming etiquette (if there is such a thing) that I'd never seen before.

Watch it on YouTube

After 37 levels of  almost constant free for all / kill-stealing when it came to quest mobs, this was the absolute last thing I expected to see in this game. After all, from past experience in MMOs I'd learned to expect the free for all attitude, especially when a game has just been launched and everyone is leveling up at the same time. In this case the game obviously wasn't new but the fact that it had just become free to play and this was on one of the new servers, Shilien, made for a near exact replica of a new mmo's environment.

Before I started recording my exact thoughts were "What the line?! What is going on?".  Even after lagging and accidentally running out of the line the dwarf behind me actually moved back to let me back in. Honestly I thought this whole situation was both hilarious and awesome. Of course there are always going to be the players that will take advantage of the anonymity of being behind a computer screen, but in this particular situation there were very few that did. And about a minute after I'd finished my recording everyone was rewarded when the GMs mass-spawned the quest mob right next to us. Good thing too, because as much as I'd like to believe everyone would've waited patiently, to me, it was already a miracle that people had waited as long as they did.

See what happened shortly after the GM mass spawning... (sorry it's so short, but you still get the picture)

or watch it on YouTube

Epic? Bizarre? Funny? I'm voting for all of the above...

As always, thanks for reading : )

Skyrim: Using Traps to Your Advantage

If you've ever been inside one of Skyrim's many dungeons then you've most likely come across a number of different contraptions that have been deviously devised with the sole intent of causing you pain (and sometimes in some cases, like the one below, death). Fortunately after falling victim to a few of these traps the warning signs become pretty clear. Spikes = bad, anything on the ground that isn't lootable or loot itself = 0 benefit to you so, bad. While these should obviously be avoided at all times, using them to your advantage whenever possible can be both helpful and fun.

If you can't view the video full screen here, you can watch it on youtube.

The classic bear trap

Pressure plates trigger flame jets through the holes

Never know for sure what will happen when you step
on one of these...

The only thing this alarm system is missing is the ADT
sign

Spikes of doom

Petition to Ban Skyrim

I can already see it now, the president of the United States signing the documents that will forever ban SkyRim, Blizzard Entertainment's latest and most deadly video game released to date. And right after I finished reviewing it too, who will want to read a review for a game that's been banned? Nobody. Man this is depressing...

In all seriousness though, this is funny.

*Edit* - The petition expired, possibly due to the ineffectiveness of trolling, but here's a print screen of the petition in its prime.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC) Review

Intro
I dismounted from my horse and left him by the path to scout ahead. After a short while I spotted someone in the distance, not sure whether they were a friend or foe I quickly saved the game before approaching them. That someone turned out to be an old orc who, to my surprise, had no interest in me. Instead he was only concerned with one thing, receiving a proper death. Being the selfless soul that I am, I told him that I would attempt to provide him with that which he so deeply desired, and our duel ensued. I opted to use my frost enchanted axe and my iron banded shield to compliment. My strategy was to make sure to block as many of his attacks as I could while countering whenever I saw an opening and I stuck to it. While the orc put up a respectable effort, in the end his old age had caught up to him and I emerged victorious. I healed my injuries after equipping my healing spell to both hands and left my defeated adversary to be buried by the bilzzard as I retrieved my faithful steed.

Game Overview

After each level you're given the choice of increasing
any of the 3 main stats

Skyrim (sky-rim) is the fifth chapter in the well known Elder Scrolls series. In Skyrim, you have 10 different races to choose from when creating your character, all of which have a unique ability (an actual skill that can be used once daily) and bonus traits (for example: +10 to beginning archery skill, 50% bonus resistance etc, you can check out the full list for each race here). After choosing a race, your 'class' is what you make of it, over the next 69 levels you can became as specialized in one area as possible (for instance, if you know you want to solely focus on being a magic user, or the case of Skyrim, a 'magicka' user, you can spend the majority of your stat upgrades each level on increasing your magicka pool and your skill upgrades on the different magic school trees) OR you can take the Jack of all trades approach (which will likely be the case no matter what as you reach the higher levels).

Main stats - Health (red bar) is health, you know the deal when you run out of it you die. Magicka (blue bar) is used for spells whether it's for shooting fireballs, healing yourself or allies, or for reanimating the dead. Your magicka pool and its regeneration rate can be significantly increased by the use of cloth armor. However, it provides minimal protection from physical attacks. Stamina (green bar) is used when you sprint, use a power attack (holding down the mouse button with a melee weapon equipped) or bash (holding down the mouse button with a shield equipped). The amount of weight that your character can carry depends on your stamina. If you're carrying more than your limit then your character moves very slowly and you are unable to fast travel.

Perhaps the most important part of the game, leveling, is also the most different aspect you will come across in Skyrim. Unlike in your typical rpg, simply slaying wild boars and completing quests in Skyrim does not grant 'experience'. Instead you level up by increasing any of your 18 skills (archery, 2-handed weapons, heavy armor, restoration, etc.), through specific use of that skill. For example, absorbing an enemy's blows while you're wearing heavy armor has a chance to increase your heavy armor skill and of course, your level. Another way to increase one's skills is through literature...

Who would've thought you could learn something from
reading??

Tips

Word Wall's are often accompanied by some sort of
guardian

- When stealing or pick pocketing just looking at the contents of a container or a person's inventory is perfectly legal. Just don't get caught if you see something you can't resist
 - Reading books is by far the easiest way to increase   your character's skills, they can also give quests
- After you kill a dragon whose location shows up on your map be sure to visit their Word Wall to learn another word in dragon language
- Remember to use your shouts, sometimes it's easy to forget you have them. They can be used frequently and can easily be the difference between life and death
- Pressing ' r ' while you have an arrow nocked or are channeling a fireball allows you to reset without losing your arrow or magicka. It also sheaths or readies your weapon
- I should have learned to watch out for traps from playing Fallout 3. In Skyrim there are a lot more than just bear traps so be sure to keep an eye out whenever you're in a cave or dungeon. That is, until you have the light foot perk. Then all you need to worry about are the bear traps...

Pros

- I'll get the easiest one out of the way... Dragons, dragons, dragons.. they didn't disappoint

- Enthralling and creative quests kept me wanting more
- The favorites list, which allows you to quickly switch between different weapons, abilities or apparel with the QuickKeys (#s 1-8) that you assign to them. Anything that isn't assigned by keys 1 through 8 can be easily equipped with a click of the mouse
- Soundtrack is awesome, as if killing a dragon by itself wasn't enough... just wait until you do it to the sounds coming out of your headphones/speakers
- General stats tab in your journal keeps track of just about every statistic you can think of
- After exploring the endless drought stricken wasteland in Fallout 3, Skyrim was truly a sight for sore eyes. The world is incredibly diverse and the environmental graphics are excellent.
- There is SO much to do. No matter what you might want to do, explore, quest, craft, talk to people? it doesn't matter, the possibilities are endless

Dynamic terrain ... quite a skid mark

Cons
- Bugs (See bugs section below)
- No minimap
- Spectators sometimes get in the way during brawls (see other thoughts/suggestions)

Other Thoughts/Suggestions
- As previously suggested, a minimap of some kind would be a real time saver. The world is so enormous and when you're always exploring it becomes a hassle to have to open and close the full-screen map over and over
- Fast Travel, lockpicking and the slow motion kill camera view are all copy and pastes out of Fallout 3. I also think Bethesda made a good choice in doing so
- Many disputes in Skyrim are resolved through a brawl (fist-fight) with the opposition. Which is fine by me, I love a friendly boxing match every now and again. The problem I have is with the spectators that inevitably gather round for these events. Some of which have run right between me and my opponent and taken an inadvertent jab to the face from me. I'm not sure why this happens but when it does it usually ends with me dead or in jail  : (
- Bethesda must have been listening when I asked for another form of transportation in Fallout 3 (other than walking or using fast travel) because now I can ride my horse instead

I definitely did NOT fall off the mountain after taking
this picture.. 

Bugs
- It definitely didn't bother me but I don't think this was intended...

Floating cart

..And now it's on fire

- There was one instance where I dismounted from my horse on a bridge I fell off the side to my death. Now I'll admit it wasn't the widest bridge but if I'd known my character lacked the survival instinct I would've stayed on the horse...
- Mob pathing can get a little funny at times, but with a game this large I can't really fault anyone. As long as you don't mind the rare cases of an AI getting stuck momentarily on environmental objects (rocks, steep inclines, etc.), taking what may seem like the longest path possible to reach you or sometimes just wandering around aimlessly then it shouldn't be a problem
- It was both confusing and annoying  at times to have my arrows blocked by an 'invisible' barrier an inch or two from an actual 'visible' one. Check out the picture to see what I mean.

Score - 94
Bethesda delivers, with a new, stunning world that is overflowing with possibilities. Skyrim is without a doubt the best game I've played all year.

WoW meets Skyrim

After reading this I knew it was too great not to pass on, courtesy of Chris Hanel at The Daily Blink...

Lineage II F2P Date Announced

Following up on my previous post, Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction Goes F2P, Lineage 2 is going to be free to play with the upcoming patch on November 30th.

Get all the details here.

*Edit* - Lineage II is 'truly' free as of 11/24/11

A Look at Skyrim

Here are some of the screen shots I've taken. From what I've seen so far, this game is looking like the real deal...

This just isn't fair

Something about that large 'button' next to that wall of
spikes made me want to go around

Dragons are nice when they're sleeping, unfortunately
I couldn't get close enough to pet it

Uh oh

Not too shabby

Dragons aren't as friendly when they're awake... and
hungry

Update 11/10/11

It's time for an update. So here it is.

Currently Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3 are occupying my time. Both of which have definitely impressed me so far, one of them slightly more so than the other. Which game I'm playing at any given time honestly just depends on the mood I'm in. If I feel like flying around a prison-city, saving damsels in distress, beating up bad guys and doing all that other awesome stuff Batman does, then I'll hit up Arkham City for a few. Oh and you get to play as Catwoman too, she's like Batman, except she's a she and she's pretty much nothing like Batman. BF3 of course, satisfies my need for shooting things, blowing things up and occasionally stabbing things. Which is a good thing. As always, their respective reviews are in progress but I'd be lying if I said either of them would be done before I spent some quality time with Skyrim and my PC.

What can I say... besides DRAGONS! Really looking forward to Skyrim. I'm hoping it will be much more than just a filler until I can get my hands on the next great MMO. We'll see how it all turns out soon enough :)

Rawr

Until then, thanks for reading!

Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction goes F2P

With the upcoming release of its Goddess of Destruction update, Lineage II has announced it will going 'truly free'. In other words, Lineage II is moving from its very long-standing monthly subscription fee to the micro-transaction business plan (the game itself will be entirely free but item packs etc., will all be available for purchase from the L2 Store, much like in PWE's games).

Q: What is Lineage® II: Goddess of Destruction™?
A: Goddess of Destruction is the largest content update in the history of the Lineage II fantasy MMORPG. Now you can play Lineage II—with its deep story, rich gameplay, and diverse and intense action—truly free. 

Q: What does "truly free" mean?
A: Goddess of Destruction gives you truly free access to the largest Lineage II content update ever. You will receive free packs at key milestones in the game that supplement your game progression. You can also accelerate and enhance gameplay with items or packs from the L2 Store. "Truly free" means you can enjoy Lineage II in a way that suits your play style and budget.

Q: Can I really play Lineage II for free?
A: Yes, you can! Goddess of Destruction content (character creation, races, classes, skills, zones, bosses, quests, clans, crafting, warehouse, auction house, chat, mail, forums, customer support, and so on) is absolutely free. While we will offer some gameplay acceleration or vanity items for purchase in the L2 Store that we hope you'll enjoy, buying them is completely optional. 

Q: Are there any incentives for me to maintain or reactivate my subscription before Goddess of Destruction launches?
A: Yes. If you continue to progress to maximum level, you will be one of the first to experience the Awakening process and the new suspenseful and action-packed high-level content in Goddess of Destruction. At launch, any remaining game time is converted to NCoin, so you'll have prepaid funds ready to spend on L2 Store items. 

Q: I used to play Lineage II, but I'm not currently a subscriber. Can I access my previous characters?
A: In most cases, your previous characters are still available and you can play them for free when you reactivate your account. Depending on how long you've been away and whether you remember your credentials, you may need to go through additional steps to gain access to your characters.

Q: Now that the game is free, will there be future content updates and expansions?
A: Yes, Lineage II continues to evolve! There are already multiple chapters planned for Goddess of Destruction, and the game will offer additional expansions for as long as players continue to support it. 

Q: Will current, former, and new players play together on the same servers?
A: Yes. When Goddess of Destruction launches, current players will remain on their current servers. Additional servers will be added to accommodate the influx of new players and returning former players. After launch, if you decide to resettle your character to another server, you will be able to purchase a character transfer.

See the details and full FAQ on the L2 site here.

Fallout: New Vegas Review

Intro
Oh boy, where to begin... Unlike most things having to do with Vegas, you won't need to worry about betting on Fallout:NV. That's because you'll know what you're getting, after all, it's been a year since it was released in October of 2010 and it will now only cost you $20. However, if you do happen to have an extra $40 on you, I'd recommend sticking with the new stuff. Like I mentioned one of my previous posts, Coming Up..., this review was mostly written with the purpose of getting another game of a different genre under my belt.

Game Overview
You, my friend, are none other than 'the courier'. After crossing paths with the wrong mobsters your character was shot, buried, dug up by a robot and then patched up good as new by the local town doctor.

After you pick your character's looks, attributes and special skills you are free to do whatever your heart desires. No really, I mean it, if you want to try to take over the town that just saved your life the only thing to lose is, well, your life that they just saved. While your primary objective is to track down the friendly folks that tried to murder you, New Vegas offers a vast wasteland crawling with bandits, giant scoripions and the undead, all of whom are begging for both discovery and some rain.

And here's where I spent most of my time as a child

As is often the case with huge and open action RPGs, there are so many possible paths to take that no one will have the exact same experience on their way from point A to point B.

There's nothing like some good old fashioned art to
brighten up the workplace

Something to keep in mind: The game's level cap is 30 and with all the downloadable content that cap can be raised to 50.

Tips
- Get into the habit of saving the game frequently, if something goes wrong (which it will) it becomes a very handy time-saver

No worries, we're just both on fire

- You might have a valid point if you're thinking this should be considered common sense but hey... you don't know until you give it a try. Turns out it's in your best interest to refrain from using a flamethrower in a small enclosed space
- Pick up all the quests you can, even if you don't think you'll do them. They're the quickest and easiest ways to level up and increase your rep with the locals

Pros
- Attaining attribute points and special perks (of which there are a ton, 82, to be exact) after each level allows you to mold your character into some as specialized or as well-rounded as you desire

Using V.A.T.S.

- The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.) allows you to simply pause the game, pick the parts on your target you want to aim for and watch as it carries out your combat instructions from a 3rd person camera view in slow motion

Cons
- Your only mode of transportation in this enormous desert hundreds of years in the future, are your legs (now I can see where it would take away from the experience if I were able to ride around in my hover car at 100 mph, but my point is, the walking definitely gets old)
- Bugs, the Mojave is unfortunately not a glitch/bug-free environment
- Neither is it a diverse environment, it's pretty much just the same overly expansive desert

Other Thoughts/Suggestions

- Would've loved to have been able to drive one of the many vehicles that I saw during my travels (on foot)
- I love having the freedom to be the bad guy or the good guy or the 'whoever-my-choices-make-me' guy, although I almost always end up being the good guy; the fact that I can save the game and then kill the shopkeeper that just ripped me off and go back to my save point like nothing happened just gives me that little bit of satisfaction and almost makes up for the fact that he took all my money
- The game itself is over a year old, and I have yet to play the additional content that has been released since then

Bugs
- The Mojave Wasteland is full of them, in fact the very first things I killed in the game were giant praying mantises that had 'taken over' the town's schoolhouse...
- On a serious note though, New Vegas does contain a few bugs that may require reloading your game from previous save to fix... For instance, these gang members that I needed to kill for a quest bugged out to where they weren't able to be killed, but they also didn't attack me either, they just stood there absorbing Ringo's bullets:

My buddy Ringo on the left still thinks they're fair game,
after assessing the situation for a few minutes it
was clear that he'll run out of ammo

- Some less serious, but equally entertaining issues

Beware: Angry Floating Dog (AFD?)

Something tells me she needs to get her eyes checked

Score - 70
I can't help but appreciate all of the content that this game has to offer, including that which I wasn't able to experience firsthand. That being said though, it's mostly non-issue glitches and dry gameplay make it a relatively easy call as a second to most of the latest releases.

*Note: I have yet to play this game even close to 'all the way'* through, but my priority now has to turn to the latest releases
*I honestly don't even know what all the way through means with Fallout:NV

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

It had been a while since I checked up on that MMO I played for so long, so I decided to see what, if anything, had changed. After scouring the web for days without food or water I found, among other things, this trailer of the expansion's new race/class combo, the Pandaren Monk:

I also came across this screen shot on mmo-champion... funny stuff:

I know it has been a while since I've played WoW, but seriously, what in the world of warcraft is going on? After watching a Kung Fu Panda jump around and beat up some monkeys I really don't know what to make of this game anymore. I'd heard about the next race likely being pandas quite a while back and the idea didn't bother me at all. Now that I've seen this trailer though, I can't help but see the Kung Fu Panda game that came for free with my Xbox a few years back.

All of this nonsense begs the obvious question,  does
WoW + Kung Fu Panda = Mists of Pandaria?

What's that name in the
bottom right corner?

Of course not... But it had to be mentioned. Realistically speaking, it's clear this common "Kung Fu Panda" theme won't define the whole expansion like it does the general feel of the above trailer. On another note, if there's one thing that I'm sure about in this whole situation though, it's that the Activision of, Activision Blizzard, had nothing to do with this.

Tomorrow: Battlefield 3 + Natasha

It's about time! And with it will come my first game review for Xbox! That is, with the release of Battlefield 3.

Some interesting stats from BF3's Open Beta

Tomorrow will not only be the day of unveiling for a highly anticipated shooter on my game radar, it will also bring about the unlocking of the final member of Rusty Hearts' cast of character classes, the dual pistol wielding Natasha.

Thanks for reading!

Random Blue Screen Errors

After troubleshooting some recent blue screen errors and updating my video driver (hopefully that fixes it), I noticed something rather depressing... I have yet to make it through one whole month (since assembling this PC in April) without coming face to face with at least one blue screen of death. It seems like every time I think I've found the cause and remedied the situation accordingly, I get a new one out of no where. At this point it's just more of a nuisance than anything. Just one of the less attractive aspects of my dear friend Mr. PC I suppose... 

bleh

Good thing I can Check for a solution...

Blue screen errors make everyone sad :(

To be honest though, I'm feeling good about November... I'll be sure to share whether or not I'm able to survive, especially since I'll likely be pretty upset if my Skyrim sessions are interrupted.