My recent disgust of MMOs has caused me to go back and enjoy games that aren’t utter disappointments.  I recently wrote a review for Devil May Cry 4 (PC) for CheatCC.com, which kept me busy much longer than I anticipated.  How was it?  Besides some minor issues as a result of porting the game from the console, it was fun, which, in this gamer’s opinion, has far more weight and value than any point scale could possible have.

Anyways, back to the point.  Day of Defeat Source was finally given an update by Valve.  I hesitate to even call it an update though beause it didn’t really do much of anything.  They released a new official map, which I have yet to play on, and tweaked the gameplay a little.  The most notable of these tweaks is the amount of time it takes to aim down the ironsights of the rifles.  It used to take so much time it felt like you were reloading a 18th century musket.  It still isn’t as quick as it is in games like Call of Duty 2, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

So my friends and I have been passing our evenings by playing Day of Defeat Source like we did in the good old days.  And, like in the good old days, it took us a while to find a server that was good.  See, in Day of Defeat Source, the actual gameplay has a lot less to do with the “fun factor” thant he server you play on.  Seem odd right, well let me just say that practically anyone who plays will tell you the same thing.

A server’s rules, settings, maps, and frequent players have a lot to do with whether Day of Defeat Source is fun.  For example, you could go into a server that runs exactly the same way another one does, hate the other players in there, and have a terrible time.  Conversely, you could join another one just like it, with people that aren’t annoying, and have a great time, but I digress.

Back to the point!  We were playing in this server called The Church of Chuck Norris, which gets its kicks by playing the Walker, Texas Ranger theme song for you when you enter and by displaying Chuck Norris jokes every minute or so.  It wasn’t bad, but then we went back to one of our classic servers: Soldiers of Foreign Wars (SOFW)!

Now, this server is run by a clan called, yeah how’d you know, “Soldiers of Foreign Wars.”  The only odd thing about this server is that they have a “no cursing” rule, and not just for the biggies.  Even words like “shit” and “crap” are seen as curse words, leaving the player who said them on the receiving end of warning.  Despite the oddly strict rule, my friends and I still have a blast in there.  We often break the rule at least once while playing just because it’s funny to listen to the SOFW guys say, “Hey!  Watch your language!”

So here’s the thing, Day of Defeat Source hasn’t seen proper attention from Valve since its initial release.  The official maps gets boring and most of the custom maps are absolutely terrible.  However, SOFW had a custom map in its rotation the other night that was abosolutely amazing.

It’s called Silico and, according to Map-Factory.org, it was created by SLi-WooDy.  Here is the description for the map:

It’s 1944 and the war has entered the coastal town of Silico.  Heavily outnumbered by Axis forces, the Allies are forced to enter via a narrow inlet and recap the main towns center.  With both sides facing uphills battles, only the ruthless will succeed.

There really isn’t much to Silico either.  By most mapping standards, it is simple.  However, its fun lies in its sheer simplicity.  Unlike most Day of Defeat Source maps, or any maps developed by Valve, this maps has more than 2-3 ways to approach the enemy, allowing for players to explore different avenues of attacking rather then being forced down the same two corridors over and over again.

The center of the map is a large courtyard with two destroyed buildings on each side and a church at its point.  Both buildings on each side can be used for cover fire while your teammates attempt to capture the fountain in the middle.

Unlike most custom maps, Silico is detailed.  In fact, if you didn’t know it was a custom maps before playing on it, you’d swear it was an official map.  Oddly, this map really reminded us Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, which is strange because there really isn’t a map like this one in Allied Assault.

Anyway, the only thing I love better than video games is 3rd-party designed mods and maps that are the result of talent.  And, this one, simple Day of Defeat Source map impressed my friends and I enough that I’m sitting here writing about it!

The author, SLi-WooDy, didn’t appear to have any other Day of Defeat Source maps avaialble on Map-Factory.  However, he does have an official website where he provides updates to his latest project.  Apparently, he is working on designing a Counter-Strike Source map based on a museum of natural history.  It isn’t exactly an ideal combination, counter terrorists facing off against terrorists inside a museum with dinosaur bones probably wasn’t the first thing gamers were hoping to see, but so what?  Perhaps he just has a passion for natural history and thought, “Hey, I’m good at creating custom maps, maybe I’ll make a museum.”

Check out his website!

I always get a laugh out of people who think PvPing in MMOs makes them tough.  For some reason, these people believe that their abilities as a gamer are 100% responsible for their wins.  What about the gear that gives them +15 to a skill or stat?  What about the fact that they were 3-10 levels higher in experience points?  What about the fact that their character class is the most powerful in the game?  My point is this, when a video game’s mechanics are based on nothing more than a virtual rolling dice, skill is barely part of an equation.

I can admit that things like knowing when to attack, knowing which skills to increase, knowing where and how to get a certain type of gear could be considered “skill.”  I will not, however, believe for a second that these are the main reasons for why one person beats another person.  How can a genre claim to have great PvP gameplay when the mechanics of combat are older than most arcade games? 

Say what you will about FPS games, but the amount of skill required to play and win relies far more on a person’s reactions and instincts than on the gun he is carrying or the armor he has on.  Instead, FPS gamers rely on their senses, the main three being sight, hearing, and touch.  In an MMO, hitting the hotbar key to perform a spell happens the exact same way each time.  You have your target, you hit the key, the spell happens.  Then, the a ton of equations are computed to determine how much damage you do.  And, the only real impact you have upon that damage is what level you’ve gotten to, what gear you’re wearing, and what skills you’ve chosen, all of which are more likely a result of time played rather than skill.  Meanwhile, the rest of the factors are left to the computer to determine, which are usually the result of % chances.

Overcoming Your Opponent

One major difference between PvP in an MMO and an FPS is the ability/inability to overcome an opponent.  In an FPS, no matter how good the other player is, there is always a chance you can win.  Some of it may be based on luck, but the rest could be pure decision-making.  Your opponent could frag you 50 times out of 51 tries, but you were still able to get that one frag.

Conversely, in MMOs, when an opponent is “better,” and I use the term loosely because what is considered “better” in an MMO doesn’t really equate, there is a 100% chance you’ll never win.  Scenarios where an enemy player just finished a fight and has low HP don’t count and neither do encounters where you have an advantage in numbers.  Instead, I’m talking about simple 1v1 encounters. 

Why is there a 100% chance you’re going to lose?  In the end, no matter how many macros you have, years of MMO experience under your belt, or knowledge of game mechanics, your level 20 will never kill that level 25.  And, even when you are the same level and same class, the chances of victory are still mostly determined by statistics and equations, which are a result of time, not skill.

Combat = ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

On a more general note, combat in MMOs, regardless of where you stand on the issue of “skill,” is just plain boring.  Seriously, it puts you to sleep!  Walk up to targeted enemy, watch character auto attack by swinging a melee weapon every 3 seconds, hit F1 for special attack, resume auto attacking until dead.  Sure fighting an NPC that will stand and take a beating over and over again until death is one thing, but fighting against other players really isn’t any different.  All of the same mehanics still play out.  You are more of an observer than you are a direct player.

If FPS Combat is “Mindless,” MMO Combat is for the Comatose

Somewhere along the line, the notion that FPS combat is “mindless” took root.  I find this odd considering it is an opinion largely held by those who play MMOs, a genre where people are notorious for not paying attention while playing.  And, if running, jumping, and gunning isn’t your thing, and it probably wouldn’t work in the realm of most MMOs, a more tactical FPS would probably be suitable.  Games like the Tom Clancy shooters are good examples of slower-paced, tactical games.  Then again, maybe that’s why MMO gamers tend to hate FPS games.  They think they are mindless because they don’t understand how to play them, which usually means they get cropdusted, flagshipped, and pwned until they cry and go back to skinning hides and “PvPing” in their favorite MMO.  When, in reality, the best FPS players are the ones who think about how to achieve the goal, whether its killing all the opponents, planting a bomb, or defending a flag.

Justification:  I Like the Idea of the MMO

Now, before everyone dismisses my ideas because I sound like just another anti-MMO, FPS gamer who lives and breathes Unreal Tournament and Counter-Strike, let me say this:  I like MMOs–at least, the concept of what they are.  And, a lot of it isn’t even the fault of the developers and gaming community because technology needs to provide faster connections and more powerful servers before a lot can get rolling.  But that isn’t to say that a lot needs to change.  The belief that the traditional MMORPG combat system is a necessity for the genre is stupid.  The idea that advancement and skill in MMORPGs should be based on experience points rather than a player’s reactions, inputs, and senses, is ridiculous.  At some point, you just have to accept that a genre based on a pen-and-paper system of gameplay needs reworked.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun has the lastest Warhammer Online E3 Trailer posted.  Take a look and then come back.  I’ll wait a few minutes…

Okay, so you watched it?  Did you happen to read some of the comments from RPS viewers?  Almost 99% of them were negative.  Although, I will say I laughed a bit when I saw fellow blogger Heartless_ standing alone in defense of the highly-anticipated MMO:

heartless_ says:

[You do not share my opinions]. You watch a LOW RES movie and go “OMFG the graphics suck”. This graphics debate will never end, regardless of how many billion dollar studios collapse because of it.

Find a HD trailer for the game, like the ones at Gamespot, and then tell me WAR’s graphics are subpar for a game coming out these days.

July 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

A lot of people are really cracking on Warhammer’s visuals.  And, all things considered, I’m one of them.  HD trailer or not, the textures and lighting in that trailer are going to stay the same.  It isn’t like they recorded the video at a 800×600 resolution.  The excuse that it is an MMO and therefore needs to be less graphically intensive to allow more players on the screen at once isn’t an argument I buy into either.  For a video game set to release in 2008, those graphics look extremely dated, and I’m not just citing the trailer anymore.  Go look at some HD screenshots if you want.  Of course, how good they look is really a matter of opinion, but when so many people are in agreement over something, those opinions slowly give way to the majority.

This is just a stepping stone to a larger point I’ve been thinking about: my issues and views on the MMO genre.  I’ve really been thinking about the genre, its affect on the industry and on the gaming community.  That’s why I’m going to start breaking the whole thing down into different posts.

There are too many HL2 mods out there to even start counting but, even with all the mediocrity, there are a few gems to be found.  I’ve been light on the HL2 games lately, but found myself playing the new update to Day of Defeat: Source a couple days ago.  Since then, I’ve started browsing through the ever-increasing number of mods out there and I think I may have found one worthy of praise!

Half Life 2: Wars, no relation to Halo Wars, is a RTS mod for HL2.  Rather than waste time developing its own world and universe for the game, the developers decided to just stick with the HL2 universe, and why not?  The story already breaks the game up into at least two factions, the Rebels and Combine.

Here’s a short gameplay video:

For better videos, check out the mod’s official website and ModDB profile!

Seems like there has been a small fuss over how Blizzard plans to handle PvP in their upcoming RPG, Diablo III.  Of course, you may not realize it because of all the whining about the game’s brightness or some such.  Anyway, Destructoid served up a nice, short summary of the issue.  Someone posted a question about PvP on one of the official Blizzard forums and the unofficial response was something like this:

We have a large focus on cooperative play for Diablo III, and the mechanics and design decisions related to multiplayer are likely going to be based on supporting and encouraging it as much as possible, and not breaking it down.

That doesn’t mean that PvP won’t have its own focus, but those are details and features we aren’t yet discussing.

There is still no official word on how PvP will be handled in Diablo III, only that PvP may “have its own focus.”  Without details, however, many gamers believe that Blizzard just plans to keep the same system from Diablo II, which involved players having to set themselves as “hostile” towards other players while in town.  Then, they would run outside of town and whirlwind and bone wall it up.  The only rewards you received for defeating an enemy player were whatever gold they had on them at the time and their ear, as a trophy.

Okay, so the focus for Diablo III is on the cooperative play, I can deal.  In fact, I prefer it.  However, why not take advantage of all the revamps that will be accompanying the new title, such as the redesign of Battle.net, Blizzard’s now free online service?  Here are some of my ideas:

PvP Here, PvE There

Since players are the ones that create “rooms” for other players to join, there are no “servers” that everyone is at the mercy of, which means players can define things such as difficulty, max players allowed in the room, etc.  Why not also give them the ability to set whether PvP will be the focus of the room, or PvE?  If a player selects PvE, the room is created based on their story progression, just like in Diablo II.  However, if PvP is chosen, Blizzard could really spice it up by adding lots of extra options and features.  Things like PvP-specific maps and game modes could be selected.

The other option here is that Blizzard hosts several types of rooms that aren’t created by players.  These rooms would allow for a certain number of maximum players and have all their setting predetermined and made unchangeable by players.

Competitive Team-Based PvP, Leagues, and Casual

Now, let’s take the idea one step further.  It is no secret that Blizzard is a fan of what is becoming known as the “e-sport.”  Online competitions, tournaments, and leagues are becoming the norm outside of the FPS genre.  Well, here is another opportunity to really spice things up.

What if both Blizzard-hosted PvP rooms and player-created PvP rooms were available?  The Blizzard-hosted rooms would be the official rooms for things like leagues, tournaments, and ladders.  The player-created rooms would be for a more casual PvP experience or practice for the official.

Allow players to form teams and compete against one another.  And, if evolved far enough, allow them to form their own unofficial leagues through Battle.net!  Suddenly, you have websites for different leagues popping up, communities forming, guilds forming teams and their own tournaments.  What isn’t to love?

PvP Game Modes

Diablo III has some serious potential.  Right now, Blizzard has said that 5-player rooms may be the cap for the cooperative play, a disheartening idea when Diablo II allowed rooms up to 8.  Nevertheless, a PvP-specific room should theoretically allow for more players.

Even if the maximum number was 16 players, that’s still 8 vs. 8, a respectable team-based matchup even by FPS standards.  With 8 vs. 8, simplistic game modes like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and King of the Hill all come to mind.

If the max number of players could be increased, perhaps even game modes like Siege could be incorporated, requiring one team to assault another team’s stronghold.  Regardless of how you feel about certain PvP game modes, it is certainly difficult to deny that they couldn’t have a home in Diablo III.

PvP Maps

This is the most basic part of the idea.  Maps will obviously have to be designed for the PvP rooms.  While these maps would be generally small in size, with the exception of Siege maps, the amount of detail and variation will remain important.  As long as there are a wide variety of maps to choose from, it will be hard to be disappointed.

Dealing with Imbalance

Okay, so you like the whole PvP idea, the leagues, the competitive-based PvP, the game modes, and all that jazz.  But now reality has set in and we are realizing that we’ve forgotten the most basic problems associated with RPG, stat-based combat, BALANCE.

Many developers have dealt with balance issues in different ways.  Some attempt it by creating two types of gear, PvP and PvE.  However, I don’t see this as much of an option for Diablo III considering how much emphasis is placed on dropped items.  Not to mention that you’d have to incorporate the acquiring of gear via PvP games, which may involve one of those cheesy “stores” you’d have to browse. 

Would you be forced to create a different character that could only join PvP rooms and not PvE rooms?  Diablo III’s focus is on cooperative play, and separating the two would only divide the community and cause a ton of other problems.

So I’m thinking that when you create your character, the only thing you need to designate is whether it is a hardcore character or not.  Other than that, you should be free to jump from PvE to PvP, and you should get to use any items and gear found during PvE.

Yeah, I’m aware that there are issues with balance and how things work.  Should someone who PvEs all day have an advantage over someone who doesn’t?  Normally, I’d say no, but with Diablo III, I should think so.  The truly great thing about this setup, however, is that the player is never forced into a PvP situation unwillingly.  If you choose to join a PvP room, you understand what you’re getting into.  And, to help deal with level imbalance, room hosts could set level ranges as well.  An auto-join feature should be available to let players quickly join rooms with other players based on level and class.

Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any clear answer on how to deal with imbalance.  It’s like poverty… as long as people exist, we poverty exists.  In this case, you replace “poverty” with “imbalance” and “people” with stat-based, gear-dependent RPGs based on an archaic, pen-and-paper, dice-rolling mechanic, but that’s just my FPS side stealing the keyboard.

Regardless of balance issues, does PvP have a place in Diablo III?  If you think it does, in what form and to what degree?

Thoughts?

I haven’t had time to write about this until now, but Blizzard’s announcement at their Worldwide Invitational in Paris certainly detonated a well-hidden bomb–one that, apparently, has been hidden for about 4-5 years. The aftermath can only be described as chaotic. Blogs and larger-scale news sites have been feeding the large crowds of gamers with bits of information since this past Saturday.

Odd enough, the way I found out about Diablo III was very similar to the way I found out about Starcraft II. In both cases, it was within 10 minutes after I woke up. What, you don’t check your RSS feeds right after rolling out of bed and before even thinking about the shower? I’m normal.

Anyway, my brother and two friends came to visit the night before, so they were all sleeping in my living room when I walked out to check the Internet. To my surprise, there were only a handful of blogs that weren’t headlining “DIABLO III” like it was the cure for cancer. Actually, come to think of it, I think mine was the only one that wasn’t.

What, you don’t put your own blog’s RSS feed on your main feed page?

Back to the story; within 30 seconds of opening and reading the first “OMG DIABLO III IN UR FACE” article, I was yelling at my brother to get up. We spent most of the morning watching the gameplay video and looking at the screenshots. We even got our two friends, both of which have never played a single Blizzard game, to say, “I’d buy it.” Of course, that certainly has less to do with my persuasive abilities and more to do with Blizzard’s.

So here’s the deal: Blizzard has effectively chosen what I’ll be playing for the next 4+ years. Sure, say what you want about World of Warcraft (I’ve never really been a fan), but Blizzard holds itself as the epitome of a good developer.

Here’s the premise for the 3rd installment, as written by Blizzard:

Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.

When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram’s Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.

I don’t know about anyone else, but Deckard Cain must be rivaling Yoda in age at this point.  Not to mention that Yoda had a little down time to relax before being forced into exile.

The Best of the Diablo III Coverage

Blizzard Opening Ceremony: Live Blogging - Alec Meer @ Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The Man Behind Diablo III Talks Plot, Lore and Battle.Net - Kotaku gets an interview with lead designer Jay Wilson

Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: “There Is No Penguin Level.” - Kotaku explores the possibility of a secret level based on a mysterious hint found in a CSS file

Joystiq chats with Jay Wilson on Diablo 3 - Joystiq interviews Jay Wilson, gets definitive answer on whether Diablo III will be available on consoles

Yawn - Hearless_ Gamer provides a seemingly solitary anti-Diablo III announcement article

Blizzard’s Official Website - Check out the official videos, screenshots, and info on the lore, duh!

This game, combined with Blizzard’s Starcraft II, should be enough to effectively dominate my Xfire profile for quite some time.  I’ve noticed that I’ve been focusing a lot on the MMORPG genre as of late, which is odd considering how I’m consistently disappointed by it.  Even FPS games are losing their allure, although Left 4 Dead looks like it may have something to say about that.

So here I am, playing Age of Conan but finding less and less time to dedicate to it.  In my desperate attempt to find a fun reason to sit down in front of my computer after work, I’ve downloaded Bioshock.

What, you’ve already played through it 1,000 times and am wondering how I, an FPS fan, haven’t played past the demo?

Bah.  This is disgusting, but what I get for not updating regularly.  By the time I sit down to write again, I just end up pouring it all out at once in a convoluted and grammatically disgraceful manner.  If I keep this up, I’ll end up like Deckard Cain, saying things like, “Stay a while and listen,” only realizing later that “nobody ever listens…”

A guildmate posted this video in our forums recently.  It is a video of some people playing Age of Conan who ran across a bug in the way Casilda, one of the friendly NPCs, speaks to you.

There should be a new rule among developers in the industry.  If you’re going to have bugs in your game, at least make them hilarious.

There seems to be an event happen–reawakening?

A press release from Lockpick Entertainment, a Swedish developer that has been working on what they call an MMORTS, states that Dreamlords has officially gone live!

Here is an excerpt:

“I am still a bit shaken by the events but very happy. We knew that the game was long awaited but I must say this was quite a surprise. Luckily the game was ready but in the end we had to release the Thűl before he’d taken a shower and put on some decent clothes…that is why he’s looking grumpy and acts pretty aggressive in the game,” said David Rosén.
 
About Dreamlords The Reawakening:
A follow-up to last year’s acclaimed MMORTS debut title from Swedish Lockpick Entertainment, Dreamlords The Reawakening blends the immensely popular RTS and RPG genres. The Reawakening is set in a ravaged world where each player control a Dreamlord, a celestial warlord, in their quest to restore order and peace.
 
Dreamlords – The Reawakening is a Free-2-Play MMORTS that will be available at www.dreamlords.com as of today.

Now, it appears that you manage the MMO side of the RTS through an Internet browser when you aren’t logged into the game client, and then you play out the RTS side of the game when you are.  I will be truthful here, but I usually am anyway so telling you that just makes it sound like I’m not always… anyway, I haven’t been following this game much.  I signed up to receive updates on the game a while back and have watched its progress through the emails I’d receive.  However, while I don’t think it will be something I play in the long term, I will be downloading it to try it out.

Remember, it’s free to download and free to play.  I just hope those two factors aren’t the only reasons to play.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Well, I had to turn it around very quickly, with only a 1-day notice, but I did it. 

Check out my AoC review over at CheatCC.com titled, “No ‘Flagshipping’ Here.”

I’m not going to write too much about this game because it is taking up most of my gaming time anyway, so I’ll be writing about it from time to time.  However, I will say one thing about Age of Conan and that is it has promise.  What it does well right now should only be a prelude to what it can do well in the future.  Let’s just hope that Funcom continues to progress as a developer. 

So my review of Mass Effect (PC) is available to read now and before anyone gets to the score, let me clarify a few things.

You may be wondering how I could give it a 3.5/5 when the Xbox 360 reviewer gave it a 4.8/5.  I’ve always maintained that PC games have higher standards to be met by developers.  When a game is ported from a console to PC, there is always a large margin for problems.  However, one thing I do want to mention is that BioWare did an excellent job providing PC gamers with the same great experience.  If you want to see a bad example of a console to PC port, see Warrior Orochi or Lost Planet.  At least BioWare gave the PC version mappable keyboard/mouse configurations in their options menu.  When a developer’s PC version still has the Xbox 360 controller layout on it… you know you’re in for a rough ride.

Anyways, enjoy the review.  I’ll also be writing the review for Age of Conan, which was actually a slip-up, but I’ll take it!

We’ve all played a sports video game at one point or another.  And, as far back as Super Techmo Bowl, I can remember there being a CPU vs. CPU option.  While the idea of watching a video game play itself doesn’t sound all that entertaining to many, having it accurately predict the outcomes of real games is another story.

Erin over at Playgirlz wrote an interesting article today called, “Lakers to Prevail, Says EA’s NBA Live 09,” about how EA had used NBA Live 09′, which hasn’t even been released yet, to predict the outcome of the Lakers vs. Celtic NBA Championship series.  Erin mentioned some interesting results:

NBA Live 09 got the result of the first game correct, even if the score was a little off-base, predicting a Boston victory in the opener. Boston won the second game as well, contrary to the virtual version that saw the “Lakers quiet Celtic fans at Fleet Center winning 96-90″. Game 3 went to the Lakers in both real and simulated versions of the series, with Game 4 tipping off tonight at 9pm EST.

So far, it appears the video game conducting a rather impressive simulation, and not just for the final scores.  Even details such as player performances by quarter are showing some suprising connections.  But, in the end, how useful and, more importantly, accurate is this really?

Sports games aren’t like what they used to be, where one developer didn’t hold the only license to create games based on professional/college sports leagues.  However, with that being the case today, one major focus of the developer is to accurately define each team’s skills.  With that being said, what really makes games like NBA Live 09 any less of a simulation than an Air Force simulator?  Both are based on equations and statistics.  On the other hand, the Air Force simulation is directly impacted by the pilot, which adds the human element into the equation in a way that makes sense.

NBA Live 09, while having the equations and statistics, doesn’t take advantage of the human element the way it would need to.  For example, if you’re playing against the Lakers as the Celtics, whether or not you’re tired has nothing to do with the players on the team.  And, since the video game can’t accurately compensate for whether Kobe Bryant stayed up to late, there is a very large chunk of data missing.

Although, the simulated games still have potential.  I can see it now… every gambling man in the country will be simulating the upcoming World Series and next year’s Super Bowl on his Xbox 360.  Hmm, maybe I’ll have to do that with next year’s NCAA March Madness bracket and finally win the office pool!

Game reviews are an important part of the industry, there is no denying that.  Everyone has people they trust more than others when deciding on what games to buy, but that is beside the point.  One thing I find interesting is the variety of ways we decide to review games.

We tend to take a stance without even recognizing it.  For example, sequels are almost always compared to their forerunners, and then given specific scores based on how they stack up against them.  It is important, as a reader dealing with the review of a sequel, to understand the stance of the reviewer.  Sure, the most common style of reviewing a sequel is to compare it to the original, but this isn’t always the case.  Perhaps the review has decided to critique the game based soley on what it does on its own, rather than how it connects with the original.  The style of the review can most certainly impact the overall rating of the game, so understanding how you want a game reviewed is just as important as the overall rating it receives.

Another interesting review, which I should know because i just wrote one, is for a game that has been ported to another platform after its original release.  So, this excludes game that release for multiple platforms at the same time, since it would be very difficult to play all the versions and compare them for each review.  However, games like Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Lost Planet were all originally Xbox titles that eventually made their way to the PC.  For these reviews, it is almost impossible to avoid the comparison between the two versions.  And, the version for the platform that releases later is always stacked up against the original.

Things get even better when the developer has made alterations to the game for its release on a new platform.  Maybe they tweaked the combat system or messed with the menu navigation, but regardless of whether changes were made or not, a reviewer just can’t help but make the comparison.

On a side note, there is one particular thing that gets to me more than anything and, unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of doing it myself.  Why do reviewers feel the need to provide summaries of game and features in their reviews.  Sure, one could argue that it is essential that the reader be given the background before reading, otherwise he or she may be lost.  On the other hand, is it unreasonable to assume that if someone is reading a review, it means they probably already know a little something about the game?  Maybe a brief background on the larger features is necessary, but only if they are directly related to the review.  For example, saying something like, “The game has 12 unique classes and over 30 different types of weapons,” just for fun is just a waste of everyone’s time.  But, if you say it and then mention something about how they all seem the same, then you are giving the reader some insight.

Okay, so you get the idea… there are a lot of styles of reviews out there, so what?  What I’m thinking is that the major reviewers out there need to provide gamers with a variety of scores, each one determined by the type of review.  Universal standards need to be created that allow gamers and reviewers to effectively communicate.  Let’s use Mass Effect as an example.

Mass Effect (PC)

Styles of Reviewing:

• Console to PC - Compare the two versions
• Stand-alone PC - As if it was the only version
• Genre-Specific - Based on how it stacks up against other games of the same genre
• Developer-Specific - Based on how it stacks up against other games created by the same developer

These are just examples, but the idea is that the reviewers would have a focus and the readers would have an idea of what to expect.  This would also help to make reviews shorter and more defined.  Each reviewer could provide a review and score based on each style.  Then, an overall average could be determined and used as general score out of 5.  Let’s use Mass Effect as the example again.

• Console to PC - 5/5
• Stand-alone PC - 3/5
• Genre-Specific - 3.5/5
• Developer-Specific - 3/5

General Score:  3.6

Maybe I’m being overly complicated about this, creating more work where no additional work is needed.  Then again, maybe that is what gamers expect from their reviewers… more work.

I took a lot of time away from AoC and my guild this weekend to play Mass Effect (PC).  A few months ago, while visiting my brothers at home, I played Mass Effect on their Xbox 360.  I put about 16 hours into the game and really enjoyed it, despite my constant annoyance with navigating RPG menus using a controller.  But, once I found out a PC version was to be released, I decided to wait and let my experience with the PC version dictate how I felt about the game.

All things considered, the game is still awesome.  Of course, that is to be expected coming from Bioware, who also made the Knights of the Old Republic series.  The menus were easier to navigate with the mouse, combat (for me at least) was a lot easier ot manage, and aside from a few visual glitches during the dialogue scenes, the game looked just as good, if not better.

It took just over 25 hours to complete from start to finish, which includes doing most of the side missions.  I say most because I didn’t hold off on the story to find all the little trinkets and good-luck charms spread throughout the universe.  Unfortunately, I feel like the main mission lines were too short.  There are only 5 different story missions after the opening battle and basic starting area missions.  Each story mission takes place on a different planet and they usually take a decent amount of time to complete.  However, most of that content is just side-mission dialogue that takes place during the story mission.  This gets very difficult to explain without attempting to throw a walkthrough guide-sized entry at you.

In the end, Mass Effect has a great story, but if you don’t go and do the side missions between your story missions, the pacing could be a little odd.  One minute you became a spectre, which is a prestigous rank among all the alien races, and about 6 hours later you’re standing face to face with the end boss.  While this type of pacing is common in other genres, I’d expected a little more longevity from Mass Effects story.

Nevertheless, let it be known that my disappointment in the shortness of the story is directly tied to how much I loved it.  I’ll be writing a an official review for CheatCC.com, so if you want a more in-depth read on Bioware’s PC presentation of Mass Effect, I’ll link to it from here.

Age of Conan has been sucking up a lot of my time recently.  It is one of the first MMOs that I was excited to play, played, and plan to continue playing.  WoW didn’t stand the test of time for me and Tabula Rasa lacked so much substance that it felt like I was being thrown into George Lucas’ next original movie.

However, there is one major squabble I have with Funcom–the ranged combat!  Come on, with all the tweaks to melee combat that were made for AoC, you’d think the ranged combat would get some love, right?  Yeah, well they definitely pulled a fast one on us when they packaged the same old MMO ranged combat mechanics and added a shiny little bow and called it “FPS Mode.”  Yeah, I’m sure it could be considered that if “FPS” stands for “Fucking Pointless Shit.”  The only advantage to using Ef Pee Ess mode is the increased range, which ends up being so small you’d rather equip a Super Soaker 50 and have wet t-shirt contests with the female NPCs.  Future AoC event?

Anyway, so the task is to make the ranged combat better.  But, rather than have to think of all the ideas ourselves, let’s just strip the only decent parts about Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, put them in AoC, and sell the rest for scrap.

Right now, ranged combat in AoC involves clicking on targets or cycling through targets using a hotkey, and firing.  Sure, you have to keep your character facing in the direction you are attacking, but this is pretty much the only thing that is different from other MMOs.

Here, watch this video of Tabula Rasa and notice how the crosshair works and how the combat works. 

That is all that needs to be done.  And, best of all, it could be done for all ranged combat, regardless of class. 

Okay, so maybe you’re saying, “But AT, Funcom won’t listen to us.  They are making money and don’t care about little things like this.”  If you’re content with the Eff Pee Ess Mode and ranged combat in general, fine.  But, if you think Funcom needs a tabula rasa (fresh start) on ranged combat, show your support and reply to the thread I made on the Suggestion forum.

FPS Mode Needs Tweaked - My Idea

You’ll have to forgive my misleading titles.  This really has nothing to do with the video of Vegeta revealing Goku’s power level to Nappa.  However, it is interesting to note just how popular that phrase has become among gamers.  It is even finding its way into the official Age of Conan forums, which might seem difficult to regular people who believe that making references mean that the reference made is also revelant.  What they forget, on the other hand, is that gamers believe that relevance is a timesink.

Oh fine, here is the remix!

Now that is out of the way, I can finally provide some updates.

Age of Conan

Yes, I’m still playing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.  I have a level 44 Ranger on the Tryanny server and have been enjoying the game.  In fact, I’ve been enjoying it so much that I actually forgot to purchase the latest game I need to review for CheatCC.com.  And, worse yet, I really don’t want to play a different game and write a review… at least not right now.

I don’t know if it is the guild environment or the game itself, but I’m just having more and more fun playing this game.  Maybe it is just the anticipation of the guild vs. guild siege battles that are to come or the fact that there isn’t much else out there to play.  I know there have been a number of fellow bloggers that have already cancelled their subscriptions to Age of Conan, saying that the game just isn’t what it should have been.  I don’t know if it is the jaded MMO ideology or what, but Age of Conan is one of the best MMOs to be released.  It is already being hailed as having one of the smoothest launches of any MMO, which should be a huge indicator of its quality.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect should be arriving soon.  I pre-ordered the PC version a while back, which is good because I need to write a review on it.  It is going to be hard to put AoC down for a few days to play these other games.