Kodiak Night Light

Sorry Blog.. I'm Gaming and Stuff

2012-05-25T00:30:00.001-04:00

Eh, at least that's my excuse for why I haven't posted anything in.. uhm 3 weeks?! Yikes. Tera + Finals + Diablo 3 = ~20 minutes. That is, the approximate amount of time I've had each day where I wasn't occupied by at least one of those three things. That being said I have a ton of info, pics, videos, tips, complaints, etc that I need to get down and post about Tera. I'm probably going to wait for the results of the upcoming Vanarch Elections and see how that all plays out before I do my initial review. I'm hoping the elections will help stimulate some more end game content through GvG wars and just world PvP in general. We'll see soon enough.

I also spent the past week specing and assembling a new gaming rig for my girlfriend and I've got to say I'm very jealous. I'm hoping to add a lot to the DIY computer tab, now that I have more pictures it will definitely be a better resource for anyone and everyone who's interested. I was pretty excited to get to experiment with the speed of an SSD for the first time, and so far it's really impressed me.

The Build
i5 - 3570k CPU
G.Skill Sniper 2x4GB RAM
Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD
OCZ Agility 3 120GB SSD
Radeon HD 7850 2GB GPU
Rosewill Blackhawk Chassis
ASRock z77 Extreme4 Mobo
OCZ ZS 650W PSU
Samsung 22x dvd burner
Win 7 Home Premium

Tera Tera and.. more Tera!

2012-05-02T00:13:00.001-04:00

Oh boy.. I know it's been a while and for that, I apologize, I've been swept up in the whirlwind that is Tera. First it was the Open Beta, then the head start, plus all the last minute launch schedule tweaks and then the level cap for the head start was lifted a day early... sort of, it ended up being more like 8 hours early. But anyway, that's what I've come to expect with the launching of any ground-breaking MMO. Surprises, queues, crashes, errors, very bad gateways, and most importantly, plenty of fun in between. Overall, I've been having a blast playing this game. It's always interesting to monitor the race to the level cap whenever an MMO is launched. In Tera's case the race to 60 is well underway and will likely end later today (crazy!). I'll be sure to organize and post some of the better screen shots I've taken since my last post on the closed beta as soon as I get a chance.. and when I feel like it :P .

Until then.. have a puppy:

Tera Videos

2012-04-13T20:24:00.001-04:00

**Updated, now that all race videos have been released**

As Tera's release date grows ever nearer, excitement levels will continue to mount. If you're still not convinced then maybe a video or two will help you change your mind... If not, there's still open beta next week, enjoy!

Tera Race Series Videos

Aman*

Human*

Baraka*

Castanic

High Elf

Popori

Elin

If you need more streaming Tera goodness then Enmasse's Youtube feed is here to help.

Closed Beta Test 4

2012-04-06T00:58:00.000-04:00

Considering today is the beginning of the 5th and final Tera closed beta it'd be an understatement to say that I've procrastinated a bit with my beta recaps. So sorry for that. Nonetheless, here is what I was able to scrap together from my leveling adventures in the 4th closed beta weekend (levels 32-38).

I don't know why there was a giant
pumpkin-frankenstein here, there just was.

Shaboom

/poke

/leavealone

My girlfriend's warrior, slicing up some mobs

The Labyrinth

Full of these guys...

and this guy..

Bhaozurbas in the level 38 instance, Cultist's Refuge

Terkasia, the final boss in Cultist's Refuge (Dark Cathedral)

Overall it was a 'good' beta. There were lots of new areas to explore, including an impressive new instance. But I can't help but feel I've been missing out on some great PvP. So I think I'm going to be re-rolling today on a PvP server and try to have some fun with that. Until next time!

Diablo 3 Release Date

2012-03-18T15:11:00.001-04:00

Finally! A release date for D3 has been announced: May 15th. That's only

Tera CB3

2012-03-17T23:23:00.001-04:00

One more weekend in the world of Arborea came and went. The week after was a fairly busy one as well, only now have I really found the time to recap my experience with the third closed beta. I might as well just come out and say it, Tera CB3 was boring. At least, being on a PvE server and no new dungeons becoming available with the level cap only being raised to 32 (up from 27). There were however some new regions to explore, new big ass monsters (BAMs) to kill and a much needed fix (in this case a removal) to the game's profanity filter.

A few hours after the servers came up on Friday this
System message was broadcast

She's tall.. probably means she's important or something

An Ovolith outside Sinestral Manor

Go go priest AoE

I.. don't know

Tera: Second Closed Beta

2012-03-01T22:55:00.000-05:00

The second weekend of Tera closed beta brought a fair number of expected changes. Some of the more noticeable of those changes included the level cap increase to 27 (up from 22), 2 new PvP specific servers (up from 0), and an additional character slot on each server (up from 1 slot per server). I also experienced my first unexpected server downtime period late Sunday night around midnight (EST). Here, enjoy some fresh beta pictures:

Sumo time

Sumo down.. and missing limbs

Strategizing is always exciting

What kind of game doesn't have fluffy little things
like this guy hopping around?

Nice a.. horse!

He looks mad.. and he has a hat.. hmmm

The city of Pora Elinu

Pora Elinu is the capital of the popori race

The closest I could get to an action shot, healing in
Bastion of Lok

It's a ladder, and yes, I'm climbing it

The final hall in the Sinestral Manor instance

Apparently these things are a thing

Tera: A Look at First Closed Beta

2012-02-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

The first closed beta weekend began on Friday the 10th around noon Pacific time (3pm Eastern) and lasted until Sunday the 12th at midnight PST, just as advertised. I also want to mention that I didn't experience any issues as far as downtime or anything that kept me from playing the beta. Unless you count having to wait in queue to play on the more populated server, and for that I was compensated with a 'rested experience bonus' for the same amount of time that I had to wait in queue. Although I didn't get to play as much as I would have liked due to some real life circumstances, here's a taste of what I did get to experience:

I started playing a Priest because I wanted to get a feel for real-action healing and having to 'aim' my ranged attacking and supporting abilities.

the Unreal Engine 3 at work


Teleportals take you to instanced areas to complete quests

Ding!

STOP DOING SIT-UPS!

My first BAM encounter (Big ass monster)

First flight path taken to a major city

After I'd spent a fair amount of time playing the priest I wanted to give a melee class a play through, so I chose a Slayer. Unfortunately, during this first beta period each person was only allowed to create one character per server. So these were the only classes I was able to experiment with in this first session.

Real-time dodging abilities allow for creative animations

Batman: Arkham City Review (XBox 360)

2012-02-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

Intro
Arkham City, it's a dreary and dark place to say the least, where the forecast is always a steady snow. But honestly Batman couldn't have dreamt up a better playground, where every major crime boss has staked out their own respective hideouts throughout the city. Sounds to me like a perfect game of hide and seek.

Game Overview
This single player 3-D compatible game is played from a third person perspective as one of two characters, Batman or Catwoman (assuming you entered the ~25 character code needed to unlock her). From the game menu there are two playable game modes, story mode (campaign) and custom challenges. After story mode is completed on normal or hard difficulty, a hardcore mode known as 'story mode plus' is unlocked. Arkham City features a multitude of optional side quests that are completely separate from the game’s main plot which is told through the main quest line. This allows players the ability to play through their own unique experience as Batman and Catwoman, in a less linear and more 'open world' story than is typical in this story-based type of game. It is able to ensure that the main plot is still told without it being the only choice that the player has. You get to play through the story at the pace and in the way that you decide. In her debut as a separate playable toon, Catwoman makes her mark on Arkham City, with a story of her own that manages to neatly intertwine itself into that of the infamous Bruce Wayne.

Gameplay - Throughout the game's story mode, your role switches back and forth between each character's story. Each pursuing their own agenda (by way of the main quest line), they have no trouble running into the plenty of villains. Leaving them no choice but to beat them up, and in turn, level up. Unlike most in most games, levels are not kept track of in Arkham City. Once you have the required amount of experience (6500 to be exact), you can 'level up' by selecting a new upgrade. These upgrades are acquired from what's known as WayneTech, which is divided into the five categories: batsuit, gadgets, combat, predator and catwoman. Upgrades vary from increases in passive armor to entirely new abilities. A plethora of gadgets including the batarang (manual and remote control verions), batclaw, explosive gel, cryptographic sequencer, smoke pellet, remote electrical charge, line launcher and freeze blast help add versatility and fun to your arsenal; many of which are required at certain points throughout the game to open locked gates, dispatch powerful enemies, and reach what otherwise would have been undiscoverable locations. Some of these undiscoverable locations within Arkham City house Riddler trophies. Many are hidden while others sit in plain sight; each one, when obtained, grants 200 experience in addition to unlocking one piece of hidden content (challenge maps, concept art, etc). Obtaining many of these trophies requires both problem and puzzle solving skills. It is in no way a requirement to be able to defeat the game, but it provides optional brain-teasers and other challenges. In terms of additional content (other than story mode and its more difficult relative, story mode plus), the custom challenge maps offer a refreshing change of pace.

A look at the WayneTech upgrade tab

Challenge Maps
Challenge maps are completely separate from the game's story mode. They provide a way to test your skills in an instanced environment. There are two primary types of challenge maps: combat and predator. Both have a different 3 medal reward system, which I'll explain in their respective descriptions below.

Combat Maps - As the player of your choice, you take on 4 separate waves of enemies, with a break in between. Each successive wave increases the number of enemies and consequently, the difficulty level. In each round your performance is scored, based on how cleanly you dispatched of your opponents. Bonus points are awarded in a round for not taking any damage (perfect round bonus), defeating all the enemies in one flawless string of attacks (flawless freeflow bonus) and just like in story mode, the longer the combo, the bigger the point bonus. Medals are attained in combat maps after reaching a specified point total for the map.

Predator Maps - In a Predator map you're given three tasks to complete, each task completed counts as a completed medal challenge. The challenge itself is timed, so the faster you can complete all three tasks successfully, the more points you're awarded and the higher your score.

Campaign Challenges are another option. They are a combination of 3 total challenge maps where either 2 are combat type maps and 1 is a predator type or vice versa. Before you begin the challenges you are allowed to select up to 3 modifiers, some that will make the challenge more difficult and others that will provide some sort of benefit.

Combat
The game's combat system is relatively simple and beginner friendly. The three main attacks at your disposal are strike (X-button), counter (Y-button), and cape stun (B-button). An additional attack that can be performed while out of combat is the predator style silent takedown ability (Y-button while hidden from the target). Successful combat encounters are the game's primary source of experience. The amount of experience that is awarded from each encounter is affected by a number of factors, not including obvious reasons such as the level of difficulty (i.e. a 'boss' level opponent such as Mr. Freeze will give much more experience than defeating a few of his henchmen would) or the number of enemies involved in an encounter. The greater the combination (number of consecutively landed blows on opponents without being hit) the greater the amount of bonus experience that is awarded when combat has ended. This rewards players for the level of skill demonstrated in each particular encounter. Other combat bonuses include the intimidation bonus, awarded upon a successful enemy takedown, and the variation bonus which rewards the use of varying kill tactics rather than deploying the same strategies over and over again.

Catwoman (Differences)
Her gadget collection includes bolas, caltrops and the whip; all of which are things I'd like to think a ninja cowgirl might carry around with her, if there were such a thing. Catwoman's thief vision is a downgraded version of Batman's detective mode. Allowing the player to use x-ray vision and make other useful observations, such as identifying whether an enemy is armed or unarmed, discovering hidden clues and showing interactive objects. Although gliding isn't an option she is able to 'leap' a fair distance and instead of grappling with a gun, she makes use of her whip and cat-like climbing abilities to scale buildings and other large structures.

Tips
- Avoid getting caught in the middle of large groups of enemies, or you risk being blindsided from behind
- Make use of your gadgets if you're ever having trouble defeating an encounter
- Use the batclaw to reel in hard-to-reach Riddler trophies
- Use gargoyles and other specifically placed ledges to plan your attack before jumping into a room full of inmates

Pros
- AC is an open world, as a player you're not forced to follow any specific path through the game.
- Riddler trophies provide additional challenge and content.
- Challenge maps are a fun way to test your skills for fun or against friends.
- It's 3-D compatible, which is more than most console games can claim. Sadly, I lacked the proper hardware to test it out myself.

Cons
- You have no access to any type of last resort skill or ability (one time self-healing or 'super' attack)
- In story mode there's no manual save option, instead the game saves at checkpoints

Other Thoughts/Suggestions
- Downloadable content for Arkham City is available through XBox Live. Two more playable characters, Robin and Nightwing, can be purchased for 560 microsoft points (~$7). The catch is that they are only playable on challenge maps and lack their respective playable stories. The character bundles also include 2 new challenge maps.
- When using Batman's grappling gun you will sometimes be pulled through objects (metal beams, railings, signs etc) that are between you and the point you're grappling to.

Bugs
- There was one instance where I attempted to continue story mode from the main menu and it loaded to a gray screen which forced me to restart my XBox, this only occurred on one occasion though.
- Other than that one instance though, Batman: Arkham City was refreshingly bug-free for the duration of my stay

Score - 87
Arkham City is a cohesive beauty that is sure to please both Batman lovers and gamers alike, particularly those who thrive on its 'big brawl' type combat.

Tera Now Available for Pre-Order

2012-02-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

En Masse is steadily rolling out the plans for Tera. The first closed beta session is just over a week away and they've announced that your ticket into every one of those sessions is secured when you pre-order the game.

Benefits of Pre-Ordering Tera
- Grants you access to all Closed Beta Testing periods as seen below.
- Also allows you to keep the same character throughout the duration of the closed beta testing

Closed Beta Test 1: February 10 – 12
Closed Beta Test 2: February 24 – 26
Closed Beta Test 3: March 9 – 11
Closed Beta Test 4: March 23 – 25
Closed Beta Test 5: April 6 – 8
Open Beta Test: April 19 – 22
Head Start: April 28 – May 1

(Regardless of which edition you pre-order)

Unique Mount
- Order from En Masse to get the exclusive White Stallion
City Wheel Earring
- Level 10+, Defense +7, Balance +3, Max HP +178
Seren's Sand Ring
- Level 35+, Attack +57, Damage +30, Max MP +82
Early Name Reservation
- Create a character and reserve your name before launch
Head Start
- Servers open April 28^th for Pre-Order accounts

What edition should I Pre-Order?
- Depends on what you want and how much you want to pay... here are the options
*Note - if you purchase the digital standard edition initially that you have the chance upgrade to the digital collector's edition at any time (while saving yourself a whopping $.01 in the process!!)

En Masse Store Digital Standard Edition

Amount: $49.99
30 Day Trial Included
Access to all Beta test
White Stallion Mount

En Masse Store Digital Collector's Edition

Amount: $59.99
30 Day Trial Included
Regal Frostlion Mount
Velik's Bloodstone Necklace
Shakan's Bloodstone Necklate
Access to all Beta tests

Digital Collector's Edition Upgrade

Amount: $9.99
Must be applied to Standard Edition game account
No gametime included

Retail Merchant
Preording from a retailer will also grant you a horse mount. The details around the type of horse mount are still being finalized and will be announced through that retailer.

Amazon
Best Buy
GameStop
Target
Walmart

Retail Standard Edition

Price: $49.99
30 Day trial included
Access to Beta Tests
Horse Mount (details to be announced at later time by retailer)

Retail Limited Collector's Edition

Price: $79.99
Letter of Marque
Federation issued compass
Cloth map of the world
Field Guide/Artbook
Original Soundtrack
Regal Frostlion mount
Equippable items
30 Day Trial Included
Access to all Beta tests

Tera Release Date Revealed!

2012-01-19T13:52:00.003-05:00

En Masse has announced that Tera will be released in North America on May 1st! The MMO that has been live in South Korea for almost a year now will be released in Europe 2 days later on May 3rd. Now it's a little later than I had it on my countdown, but I much prefer a date that is set in stone over one that vaguely refers to a season (spring 2012). A release in May will also put students, like myself, closer to the end of classes. This is good. Now I'll just have to wait and see how it coincides with the other games I'm looking forward to, most importantly D3 and Guild Wars 2.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Tera I'll give you real quick rundown of why it has my attention. The game has 7 playable races that each have a choice of being one of 8 unique classes. I am really looking forward to this game because of its most unique aspect (in my opinion), which is the "true action" play style. What true action refers to is that the player has more control over their character than in typical MMOs. This is because combat involves actual aiming of one's abilities, with the help of the cross hairs on your screen, which decides whether your Berserker will successfully land his killing blow on the opponent or whether your Priest's life-saving heal connects with the groups tank (typically a Lancer or Warrior). Timing and strategy become much more important in a game where I can't just spam one heal while standing safely in my little corner, not worrying about where the rest of my party is positioned because well, I just don't need to. And that idea more than intrigues me.

Sign up for the Beta!!! Why? Because...
• Invitations to TERA's open beta test will be distributed to everyone who signs up to be a TERA beta tester.

Also enter the Tera Beta Retweetstakes for your chance to win an all-access invite to every closed beta session! Good luck!

SOPA - The End of the World?

2012-01-18T00:21:00.000-05:00

Almost.The Stop Online Pirating Act (or SOPA) builds on to the Protect IP Act (PIPA), and it sounds like something that's perfectly reasonable right? I mean, we all know pirates are bad, especially ones that are online! Unfortunately, all the fine print that follows this seemingly harmless bill's name is anything but that to the internet's regular users like you and I. Feel free to watch the video and read more in the links below to decide for yourself...

**Correction** - In the video's description, its creator says that he mistakenly labeled Activision as supporters of SOPA when they in fact are NOT. It was actually EA (Electronic Arts) who support it.
Watch it on YouTube

And if you somehow managed the impossible task of making your way to my blog before visiting Google then you need to see where they stand on the issue...

If you're feeling strongly opposed to these bills then be sure to sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Skyrim: Werewolf Rage in Riften

2012-01-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

Watch on YouTube

So there I was, just doing one of the entry quests to become a member of the Thieves Guild in Riften. At the time I was getting kinda bored just going through the motions. That was, until I got an idea from an image on a loading screen and decided to try a different method of subduing my targets. Unfortunately, I forgot one small condition. Oh well that's why you can save and load the game at any time I suppose.

1 minute in, just another reason why I love this game

Back to the Blog Again

2012-01-04T08:39:00.002-05:00

Luckily I was able to enjoy a superb holiday with my family to finish off the interesting year that was 2011. Hopefully everyone else was able to enjoy any time off they had from the norm as well! Now that 2012 is unfolding with each passing day I can honestly say I've never been more excited for a new year and its gaming potential. With so many highly anticipated games on the horizon I can only wish that they would all wait for the end of my spring classes before being released. Seeing as how that has no chance of happening however, I'll likely end up in a situation where I'll need to come up with some clever excuse like, "Sorry I missed the last six sessions of class, but Diablo 3 came out, surely you understand why I still deserve an 'A', right professor?" And all will be forgiven. Oh yes that's right, 2012 will be the year where all educators will finally realize and accept the importance of video games, I'm sure of it!

And if not, well... maybe next year?

Happy New Year everyone! :)

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

2011-12-15T14:56:00.002-05:00

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

Only kidding of course (sort of).

Skyrim Slow-Mo

2011-12-12T13:18:00.001-05:00

Pre-decapitation, gotta love it.

Gaming Etiquette at its Best

2011-12-04T14:52:00.006-05:00

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

Watch it on YouTube

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

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

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

or watch it on YouTube

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

As always, thanks for reading : )

Skyrim: Using Traps to Your Advantage

2011-12-02T21:06:00.004-05:00

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

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

The classic bear trap

Pressure plates trigger flame jets through the holes

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

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

Spikes of doom

Petition to Ban Skyrim

2011-11-26T21:03:00.002-05:00

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

In all seriousness though, this is funny.

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

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC) Review

2011-11-26T12:17:00.003-05:00

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

Game Overview

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

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

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

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

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

Tips

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

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

Pros

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

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

Dynamic terrain ... quite a skid mark

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

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

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

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

Floating cart

..And now it's on fire

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

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

WoW meets Skyrim

2011-11-22T00:32:00.000-05:00

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

Lineage II F2P Date Announced

2011-11-14T15:23:00.001-05:00

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

Get all the details here.

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

A Look at Skyrim

2011-11-13T12:37:00.004-05:00

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

This just isn't fair

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

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

Uh oh

Not too shabby

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

Update 11/10/11

2011-11-10T07:04:00.003-05:00

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

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

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

Rawr

Until then, thanks for reading!

Lineage II: Goddess of Destruction goes F2P

2011-11-05T13:09:00.009-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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