Just an update - 12/26/2012

Happy Holidays, people! I made another blog post!~

Well there been too much going on with me, but I finally got back to doing MMO news recaps for OnRPG! This week, I got to talk about The Secret World going B2P, Tera's 2013 letter, the new smite god reveal Xbalanque, Jade Dynasty's expansion launch, and Defiance accepting beta invites. 

Also near the end of the video, I host a little get together for TERA players on CH to come along and have a little holiday fun.

Just an update - 12/12/2012

It's been way too long since my last post on this here blog. My Fall semester is just about other, so I'll have some free time to do what I want this winter break, which is mindlessly playing and writing about video games, of course.

I've been having some trouble trying to get some requested reviews during the semester, so I feel like I may be a bit rusty on writing my usual articles. This month, though: I decided to snag a review for Webzen's Arctic Combat, with looks like a pretty shameless CoD: Modern Warfare clone, but has some nice touches here and there. I previously got to try the game out a few months ago during a special VIP test and it wasn't half bad, I'd say. Expect a full review this month.

I'm (surprisngly) STILL playing TERA, despite En Masse dropping the ball on several occasions, like just recently: En Masse decided to release the heavily desired bunny suit outfits in the vanity shop, only except they weren't actual bunny suits: They were 'leotards', instead. They removed the cuffs, bowtie and the fake bunny tail, making the entire outfit look incredibly plain and boring. Not only that, but they've put the black version of the suit inside another RNG chance box to boot. As if the whole Gym Bag chance box fiasco wasn't bad it enough, it seems like they didn't learn their lesson from it at all.

Sure, it seems like a really small thing to gripe about, but it's all the little small things that add up over time and really makes En Masse look like a very amateur game publisher.

...and yet, I'm still playing it and keeping my subscription going through Chronoscrolls, all because I enjoy my character and roleplaying too damn much. Still: I'm expecting En Masse to pull off something very crazy that will make me drop the game cold turkey, and soon. Like I keep telling myself and others: If it wasn't for my friends, the RP server and the CH community, I would have quit playing TERA after the first month.

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I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things for video news updates for OnRPG this week. I was hoping to get back into last week, but it seems like DizzyPW got distracted in giving me a script to work with, or whatever... I'm sure I'll be able to get back on Saturday, though. It really is a good way for me to keep taps on whatever is going on in the western MMO industry.

That's all for now.

Just an update - 11/19/2012

Oof! The month is almost over and I haven't posted much of anything! College is really taking a lot of me, so I haven't found the time to get any new posts up. Not only that, but I also haven't been working on any articles for OnRPG recently, which sucks because I could really use some extra money.

At the moment, I'm working with OnRPG and covering for JamesBl0nde as the weekly MMO news update guy, so from now on I'll be doing video news re-caps of MMO news for each week!

Getting to do these video recaps is fun and a nice way of keeping pulses on news for upcoming MMO and PC titles.

I've also been bumping around Mabinogi for just a little bit. checking out some of the game's new content. So much of the game has changed since I last played it, so I'm completely lost and confused on what to do! At least I have a partner card that I saved from last year that I can get to try out...

That's it for now.

GunZ 2 - 2nd VIP Test

Today, MAIET Entertainment held a second VIP test for a selected few to test out some new features before they launch another closed beta. The client has been updated with some tweaks here and there, but it more or less plays the same as it did in the last version.

They've redone the tutorial a bit and made it shorter so players can breeze through it easier while learning all the game's core mechanics. Another noticeable change is with the Z-point system: They've now included lesser skills and attacks that can be performed, and players now have three bars that can be filled up by attacking enemies or collecting Z-point canisters. Lesser skills and attacks with Z-point can be performed from using up one bar (activated by pressing the E key), but the more powerful skills and attacks require three full bars (activated by pressing the Q key)

From one Z-point bar:

• Silent Avengers can perform a quick kick that will knock enemies on the ground (can be performed with any weapon)
• Gunslingers can perform a scan that will temporarily show enemies that are hiding anywhere on the screen (only lasts for a two seconds.)
• Shield Troopers can perform a jumping smash attack (can only be performed using a riot shield)

The more powerful Z-point attacks also no longer have cinematic cutscenes with them, so they no longer break the pacing of gameplay to a screeching halt.

Other than that, they've made some changes to the UI, added an item shop, player stats/ranking info, one new map for DM/TDM/TDM-E and three new missions along with some briefing videos that play at the start of every mission.

That's as much as I could make from my time spent playing in the VIP Test. I couldn't get any decent footage with some PvP action, because they've made some hefty changes to the netcode that makes my lag issues more prominent than before, and I didn't want to record footage of players flashing and disappearing all over the screen due to my 300+ ping, so I sure hope someone else out there will have something recorded.

Also: Engrish.

Just an update - 10/30/2012

Lazy, lazy, lazy. I've been so lazy with updating my blog recently. I've had plenty of chances to get some posts up, but rolling back into classes after my trip down to New York for the NYCC just made me very neglectful. I've had a lot of work done over the past few weeks with recordings for panels and interviews at NYCC, too.

I managed to snag interviews for World of Tanks, Marvel HEROES, Age of Wushu and HAWKEN. It was really a fun week and a nice learning experience for me. Personally, though, in my interviews I felt like I was way too unprofessional about the whole thing compared to my brother, that kept stressing over every little detail for his interviews. He kept saying his interviews weren't as good as mine, but I honestly feel it's the other way around. I got some critique on my Age of Wushu interview which is did take to heart and will use that advice to improve myself in the future.

As for games on my list: There's not much going on for me in terms of new stuff. I got into the HAWKEN CB test but I haven't been playing it a lot, which I really should, since the game looks and feels great even though it's considerable more fasted paced that "realistic" mech games. I'm still bumping around TERA (surprising), although I may be done soon enough. There's a Battlegrounds tournament coming up soon and some members from my server are trying to get a team going to participate, although I'm not sure if I want to be in it or not, because after the month I spent playing Battlegrounds mode just TRYING to get the top spot and dealing with so many idiots and assholes from MT, I don't think I can handle that mode ever again. Still: the people on my server that are signing up for the tourney may end up short of a few members, so I'm considering whether I should join or not and make one last big splash.

That's all for now. Will be posting my interview videos soon.

NYCC 2012 - Day 4

So the last day of NYCC came, and it was going to go by a lot quicker than expected due to some unexpected issues, but to start things off: Our last appointment for the event was an interview with some of the developers behind the upcoming “Marvel HEROES”, an MMO Dungeon Crawler created by David Brevik, the man behind the original Diablo 1 and 2 from Blizzard Entertainment. During the interview, we got a chance to try out the game first hand, along with some newly revealed heroes. Isaac was a total Marvel Comics fan, so he was more than willing to do the interview on such short notice. We got the whole thing recorded so expect the video this week.

NYCC 2012 - Day 3

Third day of NYCC was here, and today was going to be a busy day. I and my brother got up as early as possible so we could prep up for our interview with the creative director behind HAWKEN. Even though we showed up early, we were able to get our interview in almost as soon as we showed up .During the interview, I threw in some questions that some members of the OnRPG forums wanted to know, such as bigger map sizes, clan features and immersive features such as fully viewable cockpits. Overall, the creative director was very excited to talk about HAWKEN and the recording for the interview turned out well, so expect the full interview soon.

NYCC 2012 - Day 2

It's the second day at the NYCC, and today was actually kind of slow compared to yesterday. There sadly wasn't a lot going on in terms of MMO related panels, but there were still plenty of crazy cosplayers to take pictures of!

NYCC 2012 - Day 1

Me and my brother have been waiting for this event all year and it’s finally here! New York Comic Con is the largest pop culture convention on the East Coast, and we managed to get some last minute sign ups to the event.

After getting our hotel reservations set up and ready, we set out from Jersey City to New York via subway, and walked several blocks up to the Javits Center.

Getting press passes was completely changed up from last year, with no on-site registration. Everything had to be registered beforehand, which was a much better system since we were able to get our passes without hassle.

Just an update - 10/4/2012

Sorry for the lack of posts last month, but like I've mentioned before: College is really taking a toil on my free time, so I haven't been able to make a lot of updates. This month, I should have plenty to post though, because the NY Comic Con is next week!

My and my brother managed to get our press passes near the few remaining registration days in September. I'm looking to do a much coverage as possible, provided that I don't get completely distracted like at last year's NYCC, where I almost missed an appointment with the guys behind the Transformers MMO.

THIS YEAR: I'm getting the chance to meet up with some of the devs that are working on HAWKEN, a multiplayer FPS mech game. The game is currently in alpha testing and I'm asking around the OnRPG forums for questions: What would you guys like to know about HAWKEN? (NYCC 2012)

Just like in the thread posted above: If there's anything you'd like me to ask the devs about HAWKEN, leave a message there or in this post!

Ghost Recon Online - OB Interview

Now launching into open beta, Ghost Recon Online is set to bring a new winter-based expansion called the “Artic Pack” which includes new weapons, new equipment and a brand new map, all created with the community’s suggestions and assistance.

I got another chance to speak with the creative director of GRO to get some insight on the game’s current status and the new Arctic Pack update.

GunZ 2 - Impressions (Video)

I finally finished my impressions video on GunZ: the Second Duel! I really wish I could have gotten this out sooner, but college started so I really was pressed for time.

As a quick summary: I had a lot of fun trying out GunZ 2, but it’s clear to me that MAIET Entertainment is trying to appeal to veteran players, old generation players and newcomers to the series, and while I feel that some veterans are probably not going to be digging on this because they have a lot to look past in GunZ 2 with the removal of K-style, anyone that hasn’t played the original and is looking for an alternative to their everyday third person shooter will find a lot to like about this.

Just an update - 9/19

Sorry for the lack of posts for this month, but I've just been very busy since my senior semester started at Richard Stockton College. Trying to juggle and balance time between school, work and play is very difficult for me, and I've been slipping a lot in my article contributions for OnRPG.

I've been trying to finish up my first look/impressions video on GunZ: the Second Duel, and I'm just about halfway through with it. I just need to do some re-recordings of my voice (I STILL hate it, though!) and it should be ready by friday (which is the deadline for articles this month!)

Also: I've recently got a second chance to chat with Theo Sanders, the creative director behind Ghost Recon Online, to talk about their recent open beta launch and the new Arctic Pack update. I already got some questions out to him and I should be recieving some answers very soon.

Lastly: An impressions article on ArcheBlade from the recent closed beta test that I managed to get in, thanks to the guys at CodeBrush games that were able to hook me up with a beta key. Also finishing this one up before Friday.

That's about it! My recent review for Ghost Recon Online will also be up soon.

GunZ 2 - More gameplay videos

I've been kinda busy this week due to the start of a new college semester, so I haven't been around to get some new videos on GunZ 2 up in a timely fashion. Since the weekend just started, I figured I'd get a few up now before I have to get some more work done.

Here's a couple of matches of me playing as a Gunslinger in both TDM and FFA. I did pretty damn well making use of the Blade & Revolver combo and totally dominated in that FFA match, though I was kind of wondering whether or not I was really playing so much better than my opponents or I was just lagging badly enough to trip them up.

GunZ 2 - KR CBT Gameplay Videos

After re-configuring my system locale, re-downloading patches and dealing with 15+ error messages, I finally got into the GunZ 2 closed beta test for South Korea. As soon as I logged in, I wasted no time and recorded some footage just to show you guys how GunZ 2 looks in its current state. I got plenty to show and tell, but for now I have some early footage of the game's tutorial mode and first playthroughs with different classes.

Keep your eyes peeled on this post and/or my YouTube page as I'll be uploading GunZ 2 gameplay footage throughout the day, as well as my initial thoughts on the game once all my videos are up.

Just an update - 8/29

God damn, there's too many games on my radar this week! I've had my eye on a couple of upcoming F2P titles and it seems a whole lot of them are having their beta tests happen ON THE SAME WEEKEND!

First up: GunZ: the Second Duel. Even though I have very little knowledge of the Korean language, I decided to sign up for the Korean closed beta which will be happening tomorrow (I'm downloading the CBT client as I type this.) It seems that I was one of the lucky ones to get accepted, including Steparu who got access to the game with a bunch of media press accounts. I'm hoping that I'll get the chance to play with Steparu and a few other English speakers when CBT starts.

Also happening this weekend: A CBT for ArcheBlade. I've actually been tracking this game ever since I found alpha development videos on YouTube several months ago. It's touted as a 3rd person fighting game and fighting games are right up my alley. The game also seems to have some MOBA style gameplay modes, as well. Just today I found out that they're planning an international closed beta on August 30th.

Registration for the CBT happened on August 23rd with a set amount of keys that were sent out fairly quickly, and I wasn't able to snag one for myself. I decided to email the developers and see if they could hook me up with one, and they were nice enough to give me two keys instead of one. I'm not sure who I'll give the second key too, though.

Last up: Gamingo is having their CBT for their upcoming MMORPG: Otherland. It's a Sci-Fi and Fantasy inspired MMO based off Tad William's novels of the same name. I never read any of the Otherland books before, but the style and the vibe of the game looks incredibly breathtaking. The actual combat that I've seen from the GamesCom 2012 footage and from the Next-G 2012 footage, however, looks kinda dull and clunky. If nothing else, though, Otherland could end up being a really cool MMO to just hang around and socialize.

Well that's a whole bunch of titles that I wanna stick in before college begins. Not a bad way to end my summer, though.

I'm still bumping around TERA, even though my subscription was supposed to end on the 28th of this month, but I decided to stick around a bit longer as one of my in-game friends wanted to sell me a Chronoscroll for cheap. I'm really grateful to have met such nice people on the Celestial Hills RP-PVE server. If it wasn't for them, I would have quit this game months ago (I know I said that before, but I can't stress it enough. TERA is really in shambles right now.)

The Argon Queen update is nice, but I'm already burned out of it.  The new dungeons are fun for the first couple of runs, but then they just become another chore to deal with the enchantment slot-machines...

The new battlegrounds are fun, but the pick-up groups you have to deal with are freaking TERRIBLE. There's also a leader role in battleground matches where one player on each team is assigned as leader, and they get access to two special skills: One that temporarily scans the field for enemies, and another that spawns meteors at pointed locations. I gotten used to playing as a leader a lot and giving directions, and for awhile it was kinda fun, but overall it's such a fruitless job when most people on your team don't listen to a thing you say and the rest just bitch at you for making a bad call even though they're doing very little to help win the match.

I became sick of being the leader after dealing with so many hopeless players in pick-up groups, but yet the IMS LOVES sticking me as the leader, even if I don't select the "Able to lead the battle" option.

In addition to the "Able to lead the battle" checkbox, they should add a "Absolutely does not want to lead" checkbox.

I got some new outfits for my character in the past week, though. I got the T13 Nexus Chest and Glove pieces for my outfit, and let me just say the make my character look so damn classy. I wore this outfit when I was judging the Miss Velika contest and everyone said my character looked FABULOUS.

I also got my complete basic PvP armor set from doing battleground matches (Victor Set). Two of the pieces I got from the "Bounty of the Fray" eggs (Gloves and Boots) and the chest piece I purchased using my BG credits. I also got my enigmatic PvP sword yesterday (Adversarial Blade), since I went into HARDCORE MODE and played BG matches for 7 hours straight. The extra PvP damage you get from enchanting the sword is nice, but I hate the fact that I can't get an extra 8% attack speed on it like with the Nexus hybrid gear, since the bonuses are completely locked and can't be re-rolled. My attacks just feel too damn slow compared to my +7 Swarmsword with 16% attack speed, so with that in mind, I'm thinking I might just go and get the T13 Nexus Sword as well. I'm just hoping I won't have to do a lot of re-rolling to get 16% attack + extra PvP damage on it.

GunZ 2 - First CBT Test

MAIET is finally ready to unleash their stylish action shooter for the world to enjoy, and when I mean 'for the world', I mean South Korea only. GunZ: The Second Duel will be going into closed beta testing this month.

As preparation for the upcoming test, the official GunZ: TSD website is now live on Netmarble KR. The website showcases new screenshots and character demonstration videos of the latest build.

I took the liberty of re-recording the demo videos off the website and uploaded them onto YouTube for those that can't access them on the official website.

In regards of what's to be expected from CBT: They're planning on including a new duel and matchmaking system, as well as some interface changes from the VIP test build.

Closed beta sign-ups for GunZ: The Second Duel are currently going on now, with selected applicants being revealed on the 29th. Closed beta starts on August 30th and will be ending on September 2nd, with the game server being accessible from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m (Korean Time)

Official website: http://gunz2.netmarble.net/

TERA (NA) - Log - 8/11

On the Saturday of August 11th, a player named Arrafina and members of the Empyrean Divine hosted a summer festival, and along with it, a dueling competition. (It was limited to LV60 players with T12 gear only)
I didn't think I would make it very far, but low and behold, I managed to win first place!

Picture from Kayuki's Art Book 

There was a good amount of variety in classes that were competing, including priests, zerkers and lancers. There was one lancer in particular that I was worried for, manly due to to the lancer's high defense and reflect damage, and I was hoping that my re-enigma'd Nexus gear would be enough.What I got when I re-engima'd was an  extra 8% attack speed and 3% player damage reduction (though I was shooting for reflect damage myself, but that was good enough.)

Along with that, my friends decided to lend me some PvP zyrk crystals to use (More player damage reduction.) When it was time to compete, I had up to 52% player damage reduction on my character.

My first match against a priest really put me on edge, because I didn't realize that the priest also had reflect damage on them. First round I managed to defeat the priest with some health to spare, but the second round ended in a tie due to getting defeated by reflect damage. Third round I ended up losing and thought that it was over, but a friend pointed out that it left us both with two wins each. Final round: My new plan was to simply shut the priest down as soon as possible before the priest could heal back up again. I managed to dodge most of the incoming fiery escapes and pulled off multiple knockdowns in a row. Defeated the priest and moved on to the next round.

That battle sure taught me that priests are just as much of a pain to deal with as lancers.

The next couple of matches weren't as difficult as battling the priest, though. I had to compete against a warrior and an archer. The warrior I fought was damn fast, but my attack speed was just as good. The archer was kind of a push over, even though they managed to land most of their shots.

I quickly became the fan favorite at that competition. Having so many people cheer for me was a great feeling. And I managed to gain a creepy elin admirer.

Last I heard: That elin changed her animal form from a rabbit to a squirrel because she couldn't bare the memory of me rejecting her... Such a crazy Elin... wanting to be with me for the sake of genetics... HA. (I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CHANGE. FORGIVE ME ;_;)

Moving on... It came down to me and another priest with reflect damage. Just like the last priest I fought, I wanted to shut the player down as soon as possible. I also switched out my defense cruxs with HP regeneration cruxs to keep me going. I managed to win both matches flawlessly. So I won the competition and my reward: Armor Templates! (Not a very good prize, I know, but I was still grateful that I got it.)

Overall, the whole thing was a lot of fun. Some people are wondering if there will be a WinterFest competition... If it happens, I'll definitely show up.

TERA (NA) - Log - 8/2 to 8/8

OK! So in the past few weeks, a lot of crazy stuff happened to me in the world of TERA, with some expected and not so expected mishaps. First off, I went on another road trip with the travelers of Broken Compass to climb the mountains near Tulufan.

Why did we decide to go on a mountain climb? I'm not really sure, but I think one of them muttered something about trying to capture "whale magic" or something. So we went out, traveled up the mountain and it was all pretty boring at first, but once we reached the top we got to see some sky whales, up close and personal.

Just an update - 8/14/2012

Hello random viewers. I just giving a small update of what's been going on...

In the last couple of weeks, me and my brother have been given the opportunity to start our very on Let's Play series on MMOHut, which was proposed by one of the full-time staff members in the company. I was really excited for the whole thing, since I've always wanted to do a LP with my brother, and the banter that comes from me and my brother when we play video games is pretty hysterical, so I thought it would have been an excellent way to appease the subscribers of MMOHut that crave some entertainment to go with their gameplay videos.

Unfortunately, the MMOHut community did not take us in with very open arms. Due to the recent actions of a previous video commentary, the YouTube community for MMOHut is still in an uproar, and they're not willing to let anyone commentate unless it's coming from Omer, the previous owner of MMOHut, or "The other guy". The amount of negative feedback was pretty massive, and it left me a bit sad and depressed.

Almost a day after the video went up, I received word about management deciding to cancel our LP series (I guess since it was just one video, it was more of a "pilot" than a series at that point). It's understandable, though. There's way too much drama happening on MMOHut right now and it just doesn't seem like it's going to die down anytime soon. I really wanted to comment on the video me and my brother made from my own account just to say "Give us a chance!" but after reading the 50th "YOU GUYS SUCK BRING BACK OMER AND "the other guy" comment I just couldn't bare view the video anymore, and I'm usually thick skinned when it comes to direct criticism.

I will admit that it wasn't a great first try for a LP session, and I really do believe that the video could have been a lot better. The sound quality was off since I was messing with primary sound devices, and there was several interruptions and recording issues. We had to re-record three times, and by the time we did our 3rd recording, all the good material that we came up with was used up, and if we tried to re-use it, it would have just seemed a bit force on.

While the series has been cancelled on MMOHut, DizzyPW is looking to keep the series going by having it moved over to OnRPG. I really hope we get another shot and have a chance to do a much better job than last time.

For those that are wondering: The video we did was on SMITE, a 3rd Person MOBA game developed Hi-Rez Studios. You can look it up on MMOHut's YouTube channel and all that. I, kinda don't want to link it here myself. Still can't bare to re-view the video and see all those negative comments. *sigh*

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Anyway, what else has been going on for me? Well I have been looking forward to Gamescom, mostly for new character reveals for the upcoming Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale. I was expecting a really big character announcement due to all the hype building messages coming from the NeoGAF and /vg/ message boards. Instead, all we got was characters that were already mentioned in the previous roster leak: Spike from Ape Escape, Dante from Ninja Theory's DmC, Racket & Clack from their game series and Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet.

Not really interested in Sackboy or Racket & Clank, but Spike looks hella fun to play, even though I've never played an Ape Escape game in my life, and DmC Dante actually looks great in terms of how he plays out and has style cancels. As cool as he looks, I REALLY just wish they had went with classic Dante, instead. What I'm thinking is that SuperBot asked for regular old Dante, but Capcom gave them Ninja Theory's Dante instead, and since SuperBot is a new dev company and can't really go around pushing demands, it was either "Take it or leave it" for them.

I hope that SuperBot at least got permission to include a classic Dante skin as DLC, but Capcom would probably make people pay a lot for it.

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I'm actually getting back into doing some reviews: This month I'm reviewing Ghost Recon Online. I previously did an impressions video stating the games strengths and (many) weakness. Most of the issues I had with the game could easily be fixed, though.

Planetside 2 is having CBT sessions all this week, so I'm looking to get in a few games and see what all the buzz is about. I've always wanted to play a game like this because it reminds of of the Battlefield series but on a much larger scale.

Lastly, I'm currently on the fence about reviewing the recent Pyromania update for Team Fortress 2. I'm thinking it might be late to jump on it, but Valve just recently revealed their Mann vs. Machine update which is a 6-player co-op mode where players of both RED and BLU can work together and team up against robot versions of TF2 characters. Still on that fence whether I should go with the review or give it up to someone else, though.

 I might do another update post regarding my time spent on TERA, but that's all for now.

RaiderZ - Early Access Preview

MAIET, creators of the stylish third person shooter “GunZ: the Duel”, is back in action with a new MMORPG, and they’re looking to give a few AAA titles a run for their money.

RaiderZ is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game centered on the theme of hunting. It takes many nods from other action RPGs such as Capcom’s Monster Hunter, and while throwing in several unique features into the mix, all this and more as a F2P title curiosity of Perfect World Entertainment.

I previously had a chance to try out RaiderZ during its alpha phase a few months back, but I didn’t get very far into it due to some optimization issues and client bugs. Now with closed beta on the horizon, it was time to jump back in and give this game a proper walk through.

MMOHut - League of Legends Play Session

As some of you may already know: OnRPG and MMOHut are now sort of merging together as the company that owns both sites wants to combine viewership and communities. As a part of the new changes, the company is now looking to have me help out with "Let's Plays" and "First Look" sessions on the MMOHut YouTube channel.

I'm very excited, as well as very nervousness about this new opportunity. Mainly because I have to fill this shoes of another guy that was a popular commentator for MMOHut. Luckly, I won't be doing these videos alone, as I'll be doing them with my brother. I'm usually not very good at trying to commentate by myself, as I feel very awkward when speaking to myself during a recording, even though I know that I'm speaking for an audience. With my brother, I won't feel so awkward and I'll be able to speak out naturally, plus he's a pretty funny guy at times, so I'll be able to bring gameplay and info while he brings the energy and laughter, so I think it works out pretty well.

Sort of as an ice breaker for members of OnRPG and MMOHut to mingle with each other, we had a live session of League of Legends featuring DizzyPW, JamesBl0nde, ColbyCheeze and Omer from MMOHut. I didn't have much experience playing LoL or any DotA/MOBA game before, and the same went for my brother and James. Omer and DizzyPW had tons of experience, though. We played a bot match before the recording and did pretty well. The live match against real players, however... not so much.

Still, I had fun and so did everyone else.

TERA (NA) - Log - 7/14 to 7/21

I know that I haven't done one of these logs in awhile, but there has been a couple of events and activities that I participated in recently that I would really like to share with everyone! The month of July was filled with so much adventure and excitement that I'm hoping to have more of these experiences like these soon (before my subscription runs out, that is.)

On Saturday July 14th, Fiora Laurent of the High Elves Council held a fashion show in the Velika Outskirts dueling ring. I personally thought it was a weird place to host a fashion show, and figured it would have been better to have it hosted at the podium in one of the Velika Plazas, but whatever, I said. It was their event after all...

The contest was a bit long winded, as contestants were asked to bring two outfits: One formal and one other outfit of their choosing. Contestants were also required to ask questions regarding why they choice their outfits and what their favorite hobby was... I could understand asking the contestants about why they decided to go with the outfits they brought, but a question about your favorite hobby? I thought it was supposed to be a fashion contest, rather than some kind of beauty pageant...

Anyway, I wore my usual outfit as my formal one: The open chest cuirass with the rope binding in the middle, along with my new favorite outfit: The aviator suit!

I didn't have anything special to say about the suit, other than I wanted to make use of a gift (the aviator cap) that I got from working with Invasico for months.

Shootmania - Closed Beta Impressions

It seems like games with sandbox features and user generated content are becoming increasingly popular this generation, with such titles like Minecraft kicking off the trend. However, one developer in particular has been making games focused on user generated content BEFORE it was cool: Nadeo, a France based game developer better known for their ever expanding Trackmania series is now looking to give their same brand of D-I-Y with the FPS genre.

Shootmania is a multiplayer online first person shooter where players can jump, run and shoot in a futuristic virtual world, on several different maps and modes created by the players. It also features several tools for map creation, easy/intuitive gameplay and matchmaking features.

The most interesting premise behind Shootmania is that Nadeo plans to promote the game as an E-sport. Personally, I would have to say that trying to create a new IP with the full intention of making it a competitive E-sport is fairly risky. Only a few competitive video games have ever been e-sports, as those games managed to evolve with deep metagames over time as players discovered and developed play styles and strategies over time, which begs me to ask if Shootmania has enough going for it consider having such a competitive scene.

The closed beta was currently available only to a few early registered users and pre-order members, but I was lucky enough to snag a key for myself.

FreeJack Revamped - Impressions

FreeJack is a multiplayer online racing game, focused on the discipline and sport of Parkour and Free Running (respectively). It features cartoon cell-shaded visuals with a hip-hop and electronica soundtrack.

To sum FreeJack up in one sentence: its Mario Kart meets Jet Set Radio meets Mirror’s Edge. The game was previously released by GamerKraft in 2010. Back then: it received several updates including new courses, missions and outfits, but these new additions weren’t enough to keep players interested. A full release of the game was announced in 2011, including a brand new graffiti race mode, but unfortunately the initial release date was pushed back to fall, and then an undetermined date. After two solid years, FreeJack is finally ready to lace up its running shoes and step back up to the starting line with a revamped version that includes many game changers.

Maestia - Press Tour

New to Gravity’s Warp Portal of F2P titles comes Maestia, a fantasy MMORPG focused on everything for everyone, including a mercenary system, faction based PvP and small tweaks on several time-tested MMO features. Even though I ended up showing a little late to the tour, I managed to get a quick look at Maestia during for its Open Beta launch. When starting out, players will have a choice between one of two factions: The Superion Guardians and the Temple Knights. The Temple Knights are trying to prevent an evil Dark Lord from rising, while the Superions are trying to summon the Dark Lord so they can defeat it once and for all. It’s an interesting premise where both factions are good guys, but still at odds with each other.

Just an update - 7/18/2012

Holy cow! Already halfway into July and I haven't made any updates to my blog other than the Ghost Recon Online post! Well here's a little something to let people know that I'm still alive:

I've been procrastinating (as usual) on a few of my projects for this month. The first one that I'm kinda sorta working on now: A press tour article on Gravity's Maestia MMORPG. Even though I showed up a little late to the party, I managed to get a quick look at the game, showcasing all the features that will be available with the upcoming Open Beta launch.

Seems like a pretty average MMORPG, but I do like some of the features it has like Mercenary system and the faction-based PvP. I should be done with article by the end of the day.

Also on my to-do list is the upcoming RaiderZ CBT from Perfect World Entertainment. I tried the game out during it's alpha phase and it was so incredibly un-optimized back then. I did like how the combat played out, though. Looks like it could be a nice F2P alternative to TERA.

Speaking of TERA: I'm still playing but I'm starting to get bored with it now. This is due to the lack of things to do at the end-game, and because En Masse's incompetence.

From CBT1-4, everything was swell, but then CBT5 and OB came and everything went downhill from there:

• Removed mischief engines, effectively screwing up the crystal economy
• Removed lucky eggs for the sake of 'making alchemy more useful'
• Removed crafting quests, effectively making crafting more difficult and tedious than it needs to be.
• Remove pets/vendor shops (this is the only change that makes some sense, but is still VERY debatable since a couple of MMOs have both player shops and an Auction House/Trade Broker that co-exist together.)>
• Lowered the item drop rates for everything.
• Re-arranged dungeons for late game and end-game without proper re-balancing (Ascent of Saravash, anyone?)
• Made the ToT dungeon more tedious for earning master glyphs (In K-TERA depending if you defeat 1 to 3 bosses, you can earn 1, 3 or 5 dire badges towards earning master glyphs that cost 60 of then, but in NA TERA, you can only earn 1, 1 or 3 dire badges.
• Lowered success rate for equipment enchanting and made it twice as hard as it is in K-TERA
• Made changes to elin and castanic outfits just so they won't offend the dumb soccer moms that can't tell the difference from fantasy and reality.
• They reduced nexus times so that only a select few can participate (Both K-Tera and TERA EU has Nexus runs everyday. TERA NA only has Nexus runs on the weekends
• They basically made the game inferior to its Korean counterpart in several ways

Kinda funny how the EME version of TERA has more gear grind and RNG than the Korean version, huh? What's even funnier is that K-TERA got bashed by South Korean gamers for not having enough grind in it. Maybe BlueHole should consider switching the two versions of the game? They'd would probably be more successful if they did.

Ha.

The main reason I stuck with this game for so long was because I enjoyed the time and friends I've made on the RP server, but just recently I cancelled my sub and will be using two chronoscrolls I got for this month and the next to see if the Queen of the Argon Part 2 update will make a difference. Besides that, I really hope En Masse is starting to see the error of the ways and will start putting things back in order. They already started backtracking a little since they re-added the Valkyon’s Response reward even though it was removed when OB started, with an excuse stating "Grouping is its own reward". Sure the rewards now are crappier than before, but it's a start.

I have a little bit more I want to say about TERA, but I gotta get going. Will update this post later!

Ghost Recon Online - Impressions (Video)

Last week, I spent my time trying out Ghost Recon Online, a F2P third person shooter developed and published by Ubisoft. The game is apart of the Tom Clancy series, best known for series of novels and books based on military and science action.

and a lot of people are saying that Ghost Recon Online is considered to be the ‘poor man’s version” of the recently released Ghost Recon Future Solider which is available on the PC and Consoles… And for the most part, they’d be right, because both games seem to share some similarities between them.

TERA (NA) - Night at the Doomcrypt

So I attended the Val Elenium Dance Party, hosted by the High Elves Council on Saturday. I wasn't really looking to dance or socialize, so decided to work the place as a guard & bouncer. I made a pretty nice haul working the floor as a guard and bouncer. It was a very dangerous place for a dance party for those that are under LV50. There was spawning monsters all over the dance floor, so I wanted to keep them from killing anyone...

I ended up dancing anyway, got distracted and someone got knocked out. I felt bad about that... In fact, multiple people died and had to be revived that night. I should consider myself lucky they didn't demand grievance pay, and it was a good thing that I wasn't the only one working the floor as a bouncer, so it's not ALL my fault.

Besides, I think some of the guys that got knocked out were all too high or drunk to care, anyway.

Still, it was an interesting place to have a party, what with the real working disco ball and everything. I'm not so sure that "The Doomcrypt" is an appealing name for a dance club, though.

Overall: Made 100g from the event planner and 40+g in tips.
I think should do more odd jobs like this...

Guild Wars 2 - World Vs. World mode overview

I participated in the previous Guild Wars 2 beta weekend, and I spent all my time trying out the World Vs. World game mode. It's was a bit confusing at first, but once I got an idea of how the battlefields play out, I fell in love with it.

My new microphone makes my voice sound a lot better, but my speech is still pretty bland. I hope to get better with some enunciation practice.

Arctic Combat - CBT Impressions

New to Webzen’s upcoming titles for 2012 comes Arctic Combat (also known as Battle Territory: Battery), a multiplayer online first person shooter. Set in the not-to-distant future, U.S.A. and Russia are fighting for resources in what is shaping up to be the beginning of World War III.

My initial reaction to the game was: “Oh great, another modern war shooter… Yawn.” I was expecting this game to be nothing more than a complete Call of Duty: Modern Warfare clone…

I was in for a big surprise.

Arctic Combat (CBT) - Quick Look

So I downloaded Arctic Combat today, expecting this game to be nothing more than a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare clone.

I was in for a big shock. It actually plays like a mix between COD4 and Counter-Strike, since soliders aren't total bullet sponges and can get picked off and killed easily if you're not careful. Trying to run through maps like Rambo is an easy way to get yourself killed. It has a similar perk system like COD:MW, but none of the perks are completely abusive or overpowered like in recent MW games.

Also: The game (initally) doesn't have regenerating health. Players will have to pick up health packs which are dropped randomly from players in order to regain their health, adding a small layer of strategy as in "should I pick it up now or later? Should I used it as bait while I wait for enemy players to try and take it? Is their any players around that could use it instead of me?" (This IS a skill/perk that gives players some regenerating health, but it only fills up 50% and it only happens randomly)

Overall: I'm really surprised by this one. Will be giving full impressions on the game soon.

Renaissance Heroes - CBT Impressions

In a sea of modern war shooters, old fashion arena style FPS games have taken a backseat in both popularity and general appeal, but ChangYou’s latest title is set to bring back classic FPS action while mixing the old mixed in with the new.

Renaissance Heroes is a multiplayer online first person shooter developed by Bridea, which is set in a fictional 16th century Renaissance where warriors, scientists, thieves and other combatants are on the hunt for the blueprints of the Da Vinci Machine.

Fun fact: Bridea is the same development group behind the now indefinitely suspended Huxley, a previously planned futuristic MMOFPS. It’s a bit disappointing that they decided to scrap their first original game in favor of something less ambitious, but hey: at least this game isn’t stuck in development hell like Huxley was.

Closed beta for Renaissance Heroes began recently with their servers now available 24/7 (was previously available from 4 to 6 PM PST only). With my schedule all over the place, now was the perfect time to jump in.