Born to be Wild(star)

So Over the past couple of months I've been playing the new MMO (coming out in June) titled 'WildStar' and they've just (about 20 days ago) dropped their NDA... wait... no, they've lifted it. So We can talk about it now!

It's Great.

Tubage
- Ja- Okay! Okay! I'll talk more about it, get more on the subject and explain why it's different from other MMOs.

Aiming Dev Speak

So Wildstar doesn't work the same way that most MMOs work. It doesn't use the traditional style of select an enemy and press a number to attack that enemy (with the occasional area of effect attack). There are a couple of abilities that do use this - though I think just heals - but for the most part they do not.
What they use instead is the telegraph system. telegraphs are images that appear on the floor to show the user where the damage (or heals) will be. Players can't just sit back and auto aim, throwing attacks no matter what they're looking at and hitting. They have to aim. They have to target and they have to hit.
The whole game requires a lot more skill than any other mmo I've seen. TSW came close, but this really works. Even the enemies use telegraphs, making it so that the player- if they are good enough -can avoid every enemy attack sent their way.

Customisation Dev Speak



Customisation is a huge part of the game and they throw the costume selection screen in right from the start. One of the big things for Wildstar will be player housing. Now hold on, it's not just something pretty, it's actually really useful, even from a gameplay perspective.

First and foremost, logging off in your house gives you rest XP - a multiplier to your XP gain as you play - but even more than that it gives you more rest XP the more customisations you have made to your house. Got 2 items in your house, you'll get a bonus. Got 1,000,000 items in your house you'll basically one hit level (Disclaimer: I don't know if theres a limit on number of items you can have in your house, probably less than 1million, players probably can't rest XP their way to lvl 50 in 1 go) You can also put in plots around your house that allow the player to mine, farm, craft, go directly to PVP or dungeons with extra added Buffs.

Plus it looks seriously cool. Yeah other games have got customisation, and some other games have got player housing, but no other game makes use of it so well.

Adventures Dev Speak

Replayable choose your own adventures where the outcomes really do matter. From the characters who survive the mission to the rewards you get at the end. at the moment there are only abotu five of them, but I would guess that more are coming - they'd be stupid not to add more. The most interesting sounding of which is the gangster murder mystery. I mean seriously, how awesome would that be? in an mmo to solve a murder mystery.
Sure it's PVE, but lets take it one step further. PVP where you dont have to kill everyone, but instead you have to figure out who the person who is trying to kill everyone is! Sure it's not actually in the game nor have they made any plans to and so I probably shouldnt put it here... but the Adventures show a hell of a lot of potential.

All Dev Speak playlist

Just... the style of the whole thing. sure there have been space mmos, there have been anime mmos, but this one... it just makes me feel epic without ever telling me I'm important. I am just one of a million players, but still, every tiem I level up they make it the most exciting thing in the universe with fireworks and huge Death Metal writing.
They could work on making the quests feel as good, but otherwise it just screams exciting.

Anyway, that's what I've seen so far. I'm really looking forward to release. it comes out on June 3rd, click HERE to preorder!

Tubage
- James

3 games that should be on the Vita

So in the wake of the FFX/X-2 HD release on the PS3 and the PSVita I've been thinking about a lot of games that should be on the Vita. Mostly I've been thinking about the ones that ARE on the PS3 but I would like to play on the Vita. Don't get me wrong I understand that there are limitations to the PSVita that the PS3 doesn't have, but it's still a robust and powerful machine and I don't understand why these games haven't been released on it.

So here are my top three games that I feel should be on the PSVita!

Number 3
So I had originally intended to write number 3 as "Any PS2 re-make ever" but then I remembered that all of these games are PS2 games. So I kicked that plan to the curb. Number three is Ultimate Spider Man.
Ultimate Spider Man is a great game, and the best super hero game I had ever played. it fully captured the feel and essence of Spiderman, without compromising anything. The story didn't completely fit into the time line (it wasn't cannon for the comic) but it still felt like it made sense and it was really fun. all the relationships seemed real and the gameplay was spectacular. other games required players to learn one move and do it over and over to win, Ultimate Spiderman kept the player on their toes and made it interesting. Made it fun.
It's not a hugely memory intensive game and it was on the PS2, so it wouldn't be terribly difficult to port (nor need to convert the control type too much.
It is fun and would work on the Vita.

Number 2
Shadow of the Colossus. (and I suppose Ico, but I care less about that). Shadow of the Colossus is another PS2 game, but this one is on the PS3 Network. It's a great game, its interesting and its the only game I've ever played where the enemies are the levels you have to play through. Yes there are games where you feel like the world is out to get you, btu for the most part we're talking about the things that enhabit the world.
In SotC you are literally killing the level. you have to figure out how to get onto these giant colossal monsters and then work your way around their bodies to kill them in their week points. It's fantastic and just plain beautifl (in story and imagery).
Again its not memory intensive and if my PS2 can play it my Vita can.
Plus I don't like that I have ot stop playing to go to work. I want to go to work and keep playing.

Number 1
Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.
Kingdom hearts 1 is already on the PS3, but only as a disk game that can be bought and played. As yet there is no PSN version but it's the perfect game for the PSVita. its fun its exciting. Its fast paced and it works with several of their target audiences.
It's a vibrant, fun game with a depth that most people don't understand. plus Disney characters, whats not to love.
Sora, Rikku, Kairi they're fantastic characters and the team that designed it actually managed to make a game that gives edge and darkness to a mickeymouse Disney story.
It's absolutely fantastic and the Vita is a perfect place to gain a fresh new audience, especially in the lead up to the KH3 release.

- James

Second Son in Review

So I completed Infamous Second son yesterday.
First of all I want to start by saying that yes it is a lot like the original two games, Infamous and Infamous 2. But that doesn't mean its bad. I mean, it was a great couple of games. the gameplay at the very least worked really well. It's how a sandbox environment should work. You're in a city, you have a way of getting around, there's plenty to do in the city ranging from collections, rescues and main missions to fights, drug busts and area captures.
Plus you have super powers, and they aren't your normal stagnant powers. electricity, fire, water, these are the traditional power sets, but Second son uses Smoke - which admittedly is a lot like a toned down Fire power - Neon, Video and concrete.
The powers are fun and creative. They let you get around and play in your own style. Each of the powers allow you to kill your enemy or subdue them for good guy points.

But if you've played infamous and infamous 2 none of this is new to you. Its all pretty standard. In this however there are some differences.
The Characters.
The characters are relatable and interesting. You might not like them, and you might think they're whiny but they are relatable. Infamous's characters were unrealistic, boring and lacked emotion. In Second Son I can understand every one of them. I can see their motivations and I know what they're thinking. It makes things more believable - despite the super powers - and so the story comes together a lot better.
The Story.
The story is much more interesting. It makes a lot more sense and progresses nicely, from the beginning where you think you know who's the good guy and who the bad guy is, right up to the end where things become a little ambiguous.
When you get the villain speech at the end it... well it kind of threw me. I was expecting a super stereotypical villain who was out for big villainy things (world domination or something) but when I get the explanation... yeah not sure I was definitely the good guy. very ambiguous.
The Moral Choices.
One of the major things that annoyed me in the other infamous games - and games in general - was the moral choices. They tend to make you choose between evil and Good at the most extreme ways possible. The choices would be save a cat from a tree or set it on fire with no middle ground. One instance of this that was particularly annoying was Bioshock's endings. One ending you save the little girls become their dad and live happily ever after, die and have them around you at your death bed. the other ending you let all the villains up to the surface and kill the world. It's a bit extreme.
The best example of a mission - that I can think of - is Infamous 2, a mission where you can either save cars of police from trucks that they're being paraded around in or blow up the enemy house and burn the people held captive in it alive. It made no real sense.
Second son, however gives the player much more reasonable choices.
Do you tell the soldier that you're a conduit and save the people of your tribe, sacrificing your self or do you stay quiet and save yourself?
When you find another conduit, do you help them and convince them to be better people? or do you just show let them keep hurting people and just get their help?
When you have a guy who helped kill someone you care about in your grasp do you kill him in your anger with his previously kidnapped daughter a few meters away or to you let him live?
Legitimate decisions, all.

In my opinion it's a good game that you should definitely play. its fun, it has a good story and compelling characters. Seriously, what more do you want?

Tube
- James

Heroics

Hey guys!
I just wanted to post up another couple of scenes from my Exile sidequell, Hero.
If you haven't read Exile yet go here for the UK or here for US to get it on your kindle!

If you haven't read the first part of this story, here it is.

The pirate stepped back, shaking his fist, flexing his fingers. Charlie imagined that the man’s fist must be hurting after so many punches to a man’s face. Sure; Charlie’s cheekbone and nose were broken, he had a bloody split lip, a cut over his eyebrow, a black eye, his teeth were rattling, there was a high pitched ringing in his head that wasn’t necessarily the first sign of a concussion - though Charlie wasn’t prepared to rule it out completely - but poor pirate and his hand.
Charlie spat the blood from his mouth out. He tried to get it on the floor but a mixture of pain and exhaustion had it land on his shoulder. “Captain Charles Crowe. Identification code two-two-three-five-seven-jay.” He mumbled, head lolling forward.
“Yeah, yeah. Know that already.” The pirate sighed, squeezing his hand back into a fist and releasing with a final shake. “Funny thing; we never asked.”
‘We’ again. Charlie thought. Who is ‘we’? It was true, however; they hadn’t asked. So far they hadn’t asked a thing. It was like they didn’t care. Or perhaps they just wanted to weaken him, weaken his resolve before they asked.
Maybe they just enjoyed hurting him?
“I’m sure you must be wondering why we haven’t just killed you.” The pirate rumbled, dropping down into the chair opposite. In a manner of speaking, yes, that was exactly what Charlie was wondering. “You’d think I’d be happy to just tell you. You’re not leaving this place. You’re going to die here.”
He sighed and reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a cigarette. He had to know that Charlie hated the smell of cigarette smoke. You weren’t allowed to smoke in the Navy - too many important things you might accidentally burn - so whenever he visited home and his mother was smoking… He had to know. It was so subtle… or accidental.
That Bastard.
He lit the cigarette up and took in a long drag. He breathed the smoke out and blew it into Charlie’s face. “Still; I’m impressed. Would’a expected one of you Navy boys to crack by now. The other- your crew mates. They’re all just as quiet as you. Pretty impressive.”
Charlie ignored the smoke, he didn’t even cough. Admittedly it was less resilience and more exhaustion. “‘Course your crew mates are all dead. Died when we boarded. On’y reason we di’n’t kill you was, ‘cos you weren’t shootin’ at us.” He was trying to rattle Charlie. Trying to make him emotional, reactionary, but that sort of thing didn’t work on charlie.
Not anymore.
Not in a long time.

~|~

“I don’t understand.” Charlie said, his eyes red and puffy. Tears streamed relentlessly down his cheeks. “We saw him the day before yesterday! He was fine! You must have the wrong person!”
“I’m sorry, Charles.” His mother sighed, placing a hand on his knee. “But Dylan didn’t make it home.”
“You’re wrong!” He shouted again. “He’s joining the Navy! He’s going to become an Admiral! He’s going to stop the pirates!”
Charlie’s mother winced at his son’s outburst. “I’m sorry, Charles, but Dylan is gone.”
Charlie choked on his tears, gasping for breath as he cried deep sobs, turning into his mother and burying his face into the woman’s dress. “Why?” He moaned.
She sighed, wrapping her arms around her only son. “Because... Because sometimes bad things happen when they shouldn’t. To good people who don’t deserve it.”
He cried for hours, holding his mother, heaving deep breaths into her dress, soaking through it until he could cry no more. The whole time she rubbed the back of his head, stroking him gently in a calming motion.
After what felt like an eternity, his throat sore, he asked, “What happened?”
She sighed. “Oh, child...” She squeezed him tight. “It was the pirates. They-” She was cut off by a buzzing from outside his room, the front door. Charlie’s mother looked towards the door with concern and squeezed her son tight before releasing him. She got up and left the boy alone in the room to cry, to blame himself, to wonder what would have happened if Dylan had stayed at the sleepover.
For a moment he fell onto the bed and began to curl up, weeping into his sheets. His friend was gone. Killed by the very pirates he had wanted to stop. Yes, he was fifteen, he shouldn’t cry, but his friend was dead. Snuffed out at a mere twelve years old.
Who could blame him?
He didn’t remain there long however. A scream from below pierced his ears and he leapt from his bed. He forced his way out of his room and thundered down the stairs to find his mother on her knees, weeping, sobbing as a man in a uniform knelt beside her, trying to comfort her.
Charlie looked down at the man, a naval officer. His grim expression, his mothers wailing it could only mean one thing...
“Dad’s dead.” He said. His friend was bad enough... but his dad as well? It was too much. It was too much to be able to feel, too much to want to feel. It was just... just too much, and it broke him. A numbness consumed him, burying deep inside and taking root.
Charlie sat down on the third step from the bottom and closed his mouth, remaining quiet. A calm logic settling over him and taking up residence where his emotions had once sat.

Thanks for reading! More coming soon.

Tubage-I can - like - see everything...
- James