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Conglomoblog: Marvel, DC, SWTOR, and Amalur

May 22, 2012 by

Marvel Heroes

I have zero faith in the MMO devs of this generation to create a MMO based on a major IP, especially an IP like Marvel.  I think the isometric view is a great choice, like Ultima Online, but I doubt Marvel Heroes will be a true virtual world.  In fact, I bet it won’t resemble a MMORPG at all.   Everything I’ve seen leads me believe it will work like Diablo 3 does, and if that’s a MMO then I’m out of touch. Then there’s the free-to-play, and I don’t need to elaborate.

SWTOR Layoffs

First and foremost, I feel for the employees losing their jobs.  This can’t be a surprise to anyone, though.  SWTOR hasn’t done as well as anyone hoped, and I think this is exactly what I was talking about yesterday.  MMO’s are not single-player games, and single-player games were never meant to be turned into MMO’s.  SWTOR is a mediocre MMO and a sub-par single-player game -only- because Bioware chose to go for this hybrid model instead of focusing on making it one or the other.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Open World Trailer

Heads up LEGO game fans! LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes looks amazing.  500 square miles of city to explore, voice acting, and a whole lineup of DC Super Heroes and Villains.  If you’re one of our long time readers you know we love the LEGO games, so we’ll be all over this when it launches.

 

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – Completed!

I also finally beat Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning today.  To avoid spoiling it for anyone, click ‘read more’ to see some of my thoughts. SPOILERS AHEAD.  You have been warned. Continue reading “Conglomoblog: Marvel, DC, SWTOR, and Amalur” »

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Project Copernicus World Fly-Through

May 18, 2012 by

In the wake of yesterday’s post I am very excited to see a Project Copernicus world fly-through video just released today (30 minutes ago)!  I’ve read statements in the news today that Project Copernicus has a June 2013 release date, but I haven’t seen or heard anything official.  Whatever the case may be, I’m going to take this as a sign of good news.

My thoughts on the video are simple: I love the world so much.  I wrote yesterday how Reckoning is a good game, but it’s the world of Amalur that has made me a devoted fan.  This video definitely reenforces my feelings.  The diversity of environments, the color, and the details of Reckoning appear to be present in Project Copernicus.

I would love to hear from someone at 38 Studios about how much of the world in Copernicus will be familiar to Reckoning players.  Will we go to some of same places at all or should we expect Project Copernicus to be set in a completely different region?  I think this ties in to the questions I have about how much of the world was done prior to 38 Studios acquiring Big Huge Games.

Definitely check out the video, and let’s all hope this means we have a lot more to look forward to from 38 Studios!

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Long Games: A Gift and a Curse

April 24, 2012 by

I used to like long games a lot.  I used to think games should definitely be a certain length.  Maybe I’m getting older, but I don’t like it when games are very long anymore.  Sometimes a longer game gives you more to do, but other times there isn’t necessarily ‘more’ to do, but instead it drags on and you just want it to end.

I’m maybe just over halfway through Xenoblade Chronicles at 64 hours, and there is still a ton more content. I should be rejoicing that my $49 investment is netting so much enjoyment — and it is enjoyment!  This is one of the best JRPG’s I’ve played and definitely one of the better Wii titles.  There are 480 side quests.  I’m the type that likes to clear all side quests in an area, but in Xenoblade they reward you too well and I’m 10 level higher than the content every time.  I’m starting to think I’d like it to just end.

The same thing happened to me when I got to this point in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and still have half the game left.  I started to just run through the quests as fast as possible. I even stopped doing side quests at one point.

Why do I want longer games to end, despite having tons of fun while playing?  I feel like I can’t get involved in other games, like I can’t do anything else, until the game is over. At a certain point, I want to start playing other things.

What do you guys think?  Do games drag on for you at a certain point, or do you wish they’d be longer?

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Reckoning Impressions Part 2

February 9, 2012 by

Killing rats is fun when they're this cool looking!

I want to update you guys with more of my Reckoning Impressions.  I’ve logged over 10 hours with the game which is far fewer than I would like, but I’ve been cramming for a midterm.   My pure mage is coming along awesome.  I have some very powerful spells now like my upgraded lightning, a passive chain lightning component, some fire executions, a summoned skeleton, a heal, and soon some ice shards.

Reckoning’s combat is still winning me over.  Combat is very action-packed, but don’t get the impression that it’s all crazy swinging and spazzy.  Combat feels very thought out.  If mobs get close, I’ll staff attack them with three attacks to cause an ice push-back.  When they’re at range, I’ll continue attacking with my chakrams.  If the mobs gang up on me, I have my fire and lightning to bring down larger numbers.

Dodging and blocking are thoughtful as well.  I’m learning to intelligently dodge attacks to give me better positioning for attacks.  Blocking at the right moment parries, giving me the chance to either roll away or strike them with my staff.

Reckoning mode makes fights much easier. Try to save it for when you need it most.

The stories in Reckoning have received mediocre reviews from some sites.  I’d challenge those sites by pointing to their reviews of Skyrim, which was not docked for side-quest mediocrity when the quests read nearly identical.  In my opinion, both games have good quests.  I just finished a quest line in Reckoning where I tried to figure out who was behind attacks on a village.  The story started out simple but culminated with a great boss fight and a great reward.

I don’t want to compare Reckoning to Skyrim all the time, since they’re quite different, but Skyrim is a newer RPG that many are still playing or contemplating playing over Reckoning.  Reckoning feels more ‘pick up and play’ than Skyrim.  One reason I haven’t progressed as far as I would like in Skyrim is that I get discouraged when I realize to get anything done in-game I have to sit for several hours.  I can hop on Reckoning for an hour and get things done.

Yes, Reckoning is more linear than Skyrim.  The world has a slight funneling feel.  I would argue, though, that the world of Reckoning is very large and given how much of the map I’ve explored vs. how much more I have to go, I’d say it feels as big as Skyrim.

More to come.

[If you're looking to buy Reckoning, Amazon has the PC download version 15% off.]

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