Video Games and Gaming

Shadow of Mordor - Overveiw and Showcase

2014-11-10T00:16:00.001-05:00

PS4 at launch! And Live streams becuase Live streams are cool!

2013-11-18T12:41:00.002-05:00

I Just bought a new PS4 at launch! Heres an Unboxing video because hats what people do when they drop 600 bones on an expensive plastic box with metal bits inside it right?

Also Becuase of this I have a new Streaming channel! The PS4 Natively supports live streaming to Twitch.tv and ustream.tv I personally Use Twitch because it is literally NOTHING but gaming and gaming related streaming, where Ustream can be just about anything. So here is my stream, With a link to it.

http://www.twitch.tv/otrovai

Watch live video from Otrovai on www.twitch.tv

Minecraft Days

2013-02-08T06:04:00.001-05:00

I Cast Blog Ressurection!

2013-02-02T00:29:00.004-05:00

Wow I Really let this thing die again. Well Never fear, A New post is here! A New post to tell you that there will be a whole new batch of Lets plays hitting my Youtube channel in the near Future!

Minecraft - a duo lets play with my lovely Wife
Amnesia - My first full play of the game, I am probably going to die.
A Secret special surprise video of me playing an "Indie" Game.
I will also be picking a random Browser game every two weeks to play

Look for these on my Youtube channel www.youtube.com/user/Otrovai

So I have been attempting to create a tabletop gaming system.

2012-04-28T21:42:00.003-04:00

As some of you may have seen on my girlfriend's blog (Linked on the side under "Maybe I'm Depressed") I am currently designing a game system. This is completely a solo project thus far as it is concerned with number crunch and setting. Lillae has done some "fluff", or role playing work on the system.

The system is called "Wavermoth". This system will allow for the creation of literally ANY character concept you wish. Do you want to play a character who sneaks around using bladed rings to deliver toxins to unsuspecting victims, and when she is caught deploys a magically powered, mechanized. miniature eagle with bladed wings to distract her foes, while she uses tiny bombs that create a blinding flash to flee?

How about a character that follows a goddess of light who can channel the essence of pure light into his weapon to create a flameless torch, that when striking his foes causes severe burns?

How about a character who uses the force of his own body as a force that causes the weapons he throws to return to him?

How about a character who never fights direct combat and instead leads his foes through a series of increasingly complicated traps and snares?

All of these character concepts are completable at the very start, the first and most fleshed out of which is one my girlfriend has created for the specific purpose of pushing the limits of creativity with a fresh unmodified character.

If this concept intrigues you please post in the comments below.

So I took a random quiz.

2012-04-27T03:05:00.001-04:00

I was trolling around looking for something relatively "Gamey" to post and suddenly became trapped by this insanely long quiz.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

This quiz is LONG so make sure you have time to complete it. Here are my results.

I Am A: True Neutral Human Cleric (3rd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-14
Dexterity-17
Constitution-15
Intelligence-15
Wisdom-17
Charisma-17

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grants the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn. A cleric's Wisdom score should be high, since this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

Some things can just be more of a hassle...

2012-04-25T16:04:00.001-04:00

Lately I have been attempting to get the proper permission to do Let's Play videos of two games. Now I know most people simply do not do this and post videos of Let's Plays with abandon. I, however, would actually like to get the proper permission from the companies who own the games to do so. This brings me to the point of this post: sometimes being the guy who will survive the angry stream of copywrite enforcers trodding through youtube is almost not worth the headache of searching. The only consolation that we get is that our content has sheilds against people who go about reporting content for little to no actual reason. Something that would be smarter for a lot of companies to do is place a link or have a page where video makers can request permission to use their games or content in their videos.

As a note, never be the guy demanding permission. Always be a gracious consumer and see if the terms of the agreement are possible to comply with and still make your video. If they are not, let them know in a polite manner.

And now for something completly different..

2012-04-16T07:30:00.003-04:00

If you did not read that title in a snarky British accent, go back and read it again. I'll wait. Now that I have your Monty Python muscles going, I want to say that having this to do each day once more is invigorating. Hopefully, I can get a decent following like I once had on this site.

Now, onto the business of what you are here for: video games and gaming information, news, or something along the lines of all things "game".

Today I am going to speak about game design. As you can undoubtedly deduce from my previous postings, game design is something that I find interesting, and having the proper design makes or breaks ANY game. First, let's go over the trump card of any computer nerd's day: MMORPGs. Or, say it with me, Mummorpuggers! These games have all sorts of different profit-making models but these are not what I, as a...What should I call myself here? For now I think "Game analyst" will work, though I don't enjoy the professional ring that has, as I do not get paid to do this. So as I was saying: as a game analyst, I am more interested in what sort of game they have and not so much interested in how I get their permission to play it.

Let's take WoW for a first off. Everyone who has even sniffed at online gaming has heard of this beast of a Mummorpugger. People nay-say for weeks on end about this game. However, I am here to take the heat of the lynch mob and tell you something mind-blowing. This game is very good, based on the merits of being a game. Take away the shitty community of elitist assholes and troll ninja looters and you have yourself a very good game. However, this being a Mummorpugger, it has the one pitfall of ALL Mummorpuggers, and that is the grind-fest of endlessness.

The grind-fest is not entirely a bad thing. It is what keeps us playing for more than 6 days and then dropping it like a broken toy. The problem is changing this grind-fest up in new and exciting ways so that those of us who have been doing it for years can attempt to justify to our fried minds that it's not the same old thing over again.

Now let's go to another game front: the console game. Not that these can truly be homogenized into that category, but they all have one thing that they ALL have to show us. Console games have to have replay value. Replay value is what keeps us still playing the game AFTER we have "beaten" it. If a game that hits the shelves doesn't have a high replay value, people will be very wary of shelling out to meet the high price tags that these games have these days. Coughing up 60-90 bucks for a game you play once and are done with is not something ANYONE wants to do. So either they do not buy it on release day and wait for it to go down about 40-50 bucks in price, or they buy it at a store like GameStop and then bring it back for an exchange after they have beaten it within the return time frame, and get a game with some true replay value.

A console game with replay value is not something that is so hard to find these days. It is something that, after a long time of games being one-shots (albeit 90 hour one-shots), is a nice change to see. Take an old favorite, Final Fantasy 9. That game took weeks to properly play through, but once you had done it, there were so few secrets to find that replaying the entire game for just those was not worth it. To top it off, some of those secrets were only completable if you rushed through certain parts of the game and thus were meant for speed plays, which is not something I place into the replay value of a game.

Let us continue by going into the realm of the hyper nerd. Tabletop games have just about always been something that is under the stereotype of the basement-dwelling momma's-boy with his basement-dwelling momma's-boy friends who meet every weekend to play at being cool. This stereotype cannot be farther from the truth. This will scare and shock a few of you, I am sure, but many thousands of our U.S. Military play tabletop games whilst overseas. I kid you not when I say that some of our most bad-ass people in this country are nerding it up while in danger of having a bomb dropped on them. Some celebrities also enjoy the game. Vin diesel (Or his real name, Mark Sinclair Vincent) is rumored to have his D&D character's name tattooed somewhere on his body. Oh, and you know those people who invent the very things you are reading this blog post on right now? Avid tabletop players exist among them.

Now that we have the stereotype shattering out of the way, let's get into game design for these. The basic game design for these tabletop games involves the use of a randomized polyhedral object being tossed onto the table to determine an outcome. In other words, a die is rolled and that can be the deciding factor in whether or not your character lives. This design is just about universal to the mainstream tabletop world. This is basically putting the RNG (Random number generator) that video games use into the players hands, and is overall good design when used properly.

To avoid going too in-depth into this subject I will avoid explaining the ins and outs of why DnD 3.5 edition is the single most horribly balanced game in the history of the world. However, I will explain why it works in theory. The class-based system relies on placing a label on your character and defining what your character is and what they can and cannot do in the world. This works because people like having choices, but they also like being secretly told what choices to make. If you look at the cover of the game it looks like everything works out for magic vs melee being even. This is due to smart class tables and clever wording. However, when you get your feet into the game it quickly devolves into a game of "Put the fighter in the middle of the battle and have the squishy mage who used all his spells already in a barrel". This is at low levels. As the levels come and go you will quickly switch positions. "Put the silver bullet mage in the middle of the fight and put everyone else in a barrel lest they get caught in the blast!".

The specifics of why this is have been put into much more detail than I am capable of, over the entirety of the internet. So I will not be doing that here. Now onto what constitutes good tabletop design. Above, I may have made it seem like a class-based system MUST fail. This is simply untrue, though a class-based system must be done properly. Magic and mundane must be able to compete with each other at an even pace the entire way. This is much easier said than it is done. A good way to think of it is this, "If one side looks more promising than the other, no one will choose the other, and thus there is no reason to place it in the game." There is, however, a universal truth with magic: magic will always appear more powerful than the mundane counterpart.

So what are we to do? The answer is simple: do not relegate your game to a "power fest". By this I mean, do not have battle rely on the constant use of abilities. Give your characters abilities, but give the use of these abilities a cost that matters to the characters. So the mages will have to think about whether or not to use a major spell or simply continue to attack with basic things. You might think from the surface that this favors the melee characters, but when a mage can bring out a weapon that is powered by his magic to blast a foe with a spout of arcane energy, the archer might get a bit envious. This is all about game design. Placing incentives to play different things for different situations is something that is difficult to work around with, especially for tabletop, where all the things that can be resolved with complex math that a computer usually does for a video game would have to be done by the players every time they wanted to do those particular actions.

Thank you for reading my ramblings on game design.

Long time no see!

2012-04-15T08:26:00.001-04:00

Hello to you all. As you can probably notice, there has been a major overhaul of the site since my last posting. This is a change that will hopefully open a doorway to more new posts in the near future.

The best thing I could think of to come back to posting with is a celebration of nostalgia. What better way to celebrate nostalgia than by playing our oldest and most favorite games on consoles so old that your mom remembers you playing them in elementary school. Wait a second?! Where is my Super Nintendo!?! You say you can't find yours either?!?! Well I guess we can't play our oldest games anymore...or can we?

Enter the emulator. These programs that function on your computer and even some smart phones and most tablets are a wonderful invention. They aim to function like a virtual console on your hi-tech device. To work, they require a ROM, or an ISO file. The distribution of these files and the legality of such things is not the focus of this posting. A ROM file is simply the same information that is contained within the game's chip, extracted and put into a file that is stored on your computer. An ISO is more complicated and used to emulate disc drive consoles. An ISO is a digital image of the information stored on the CD (Compact Disc) game. Then you must mount this image artificially onto a disc drive in your computer.

By now you are throwing your hands up in the air in frustration at all this technical crap. I am here to tell you that it is no more complicated than placing a file in the right place on your computer to deal with ROM files. Emulation of disc drive systems is much more complicated and I recommend you simply keep your PS2 around for that.

Now you must be wondering how you hook up your old school controller up to your computer. That's where things get tricky, however I have an easier solution to your PC emulation needs. Get yourself a wired Xbox 360 controller equivalent. Download the relevant software for this so that your computer will recognize the controller as a controller (Link to be at the base of this post). Now simply go into the config/key mapping of your emulator and start applying the relevant keys to where you would like them to go.

For tablets, this is much different. Since there are no files for the Xbox 360 controller to be recognized on the tablet or even smart phone, there is another option. Hear me out on this one, as it sounds outlandish. A Wii remote can be hooked into just about any tablet or smart phone that has Bluetooth communication. It does require a fair few applications and can get tricky to pull off but once it's done, your Wii Mote can be used as a controller for your emulator, if it supports the communication.

I can tell you the applications I use. Wiicontroller with Droid EMU lite. You will also need a Bluetooth mac address finder to find the address of your Wii mote. These are all free applications. Once you have your applications, make sure your Bluetooth is on for your device, and then access the mac address finder.

Once inside the address finder pres the "1" and "2" buttons on the Wii mote simultaneously, and then tap the address that appears on the screen right after that. Copy the address to the clipboard and then go into the Wii mote controller app. Click the menu and find the connection setting. Go inside to manual discovery and paste the copied mac address to the 1st controller address.

Once this is complete, go to the main menu, press the "1" and "2" buttons simultaneously once more, and then the "Init and connect" button on the tablet screen. Press the "Yes" button on the prompt and your controller should appear on the screen as connected.

Once the controller is connected press the "Select Wiicontroller IME" button and select Wiicontroller IME as the input method. Note! You will not be able to type while this input method is selected, so remember to switch back to your preferred keyboard after you disconnect the controller.

Now that your Wii mote is connected to your tablet, you can go into Droid EMU lite and begin to set key bindings for the different systems it supports.

Have fun playing your old games anywhere you can bring your tablet/smartphone/laptop!

Links for the Controller software:
Xbox 360

Edit: I was browsing different game site today (4/18) and I came across this - An awesome browser-based Gameboy Color emulator! You don't have to download anything. Just pick the game you want to play from a fair-sized selection and play!

Thief Deadly Shadows

2011-06-01T00:57:00.002-04:00

Where Video Games and Gaming are concerned there is such an enormous selection of game types, systems and players that even those who do not yet play may get enticed with the strangely unusual sorts of games like Thief Deadly Shadows by EIDOS played on the old Xbox system. The game play and controls of Thief Deadly Shadows are very similar to other Xbox games, but the play style is very creative with movie quality clips set in old European style homes, towns, and villages. A rated M for mature (over the age of 17) has been established for violence, graphic colors, and language to some extent I presume and the over all nature of theft in general.

The game play and controls of Thief Deadly Shadows are very similar to other Xbox games, but the play style is very creative with movie quality clips set in old European style homes, towns, and villages. A rated M for mature (over the age of 17) has been established for violence, graphic colors, and language to some extent I presume and the over all nature of theft in general.

"Cry Brethren for the Betrayer has come. Your hands will be crippled and you will perish as the wretched outcast in the bleak unwritten and you will know the face of the Destroyer" a recovered text from the Propheticus missing for 132 years in Thief Deadly Shadows.

To begin the game you enter the first mission briefing. Set your difficulty level to easy, normal, hard, or expert modes and view your main objectives in the mission area. Check these objectives often as they will change as your game play advances.

The Gear area shows your arrows, tools, loot, quest items, and maps to keep you informed of your supplies and location. You will need to keep track of the arrows you have on hand mainly but checking in with your available tools and map locations will help throughout the game.

Your first mission is a training tutorial that will gain you extreme navigation and sneak skills. Following the blue footprints along the path will bring you through this quest. Don't try to attack anyone randomly on this mission, wait for the tutorial to direct you. Taking as many water arrows as you can carry will assist you greatly not only in this mission but in the next. The water arrows that you use on the first quest will replenish for the next. As long as you have around 25 arrows when you pick them up, you will have 25 arrows when you leave the first area even if you spend them all in training.

Upstairs in this first mission, as soon as you enter the side room the guard will not even see you anymore. No longer having the threat from a guard will get you extra loot, some are throwing items.

After training, game play begins with Garrett (you, the thief) walking through corridors, homes, city streets with a rather old London feel of dark, dingy, and a creepy sort of "Jack the Ripper" days ambiance. As you sneak around as the story unfolds, Garrett is just a thief as far as the player is aware. Later in the game, Garrett's stealing for the sake of stealing morphs into an investigation of sorts. Your curiosity as a player peaks as the Keepers fill you in on the prophecy (Garrett already knows this information and through narration, together, the Keepers and Garret let us as players in on it all).

Keepers are a magical society obsessed with books, writing, pages, and glyphs. These Keepers are central to the story line and involve Garrett in some interesting travels beginning in Garrett's home town of the South Quarter, a poor region of the realm.

Your second mission brings you into the South Quarter. Shooting a torch holding guard with a water arrow will put him on higher alert, but gives you the added bonus of more shadow and more stealth. Thumping guards with your black jack weapon will also help you get through this mission. Hit them from behind, then pick up and hide the bodies in the shadows. Use a water arrow to wash away the blood stains, this keeps the other NPC's (non player characters) at bay and does not send them into alert frenzies.

Retrieving your killing arrows that miss and stick into any wooden object will keep your arrow counts higher. Being a thief, you will need to hone your lock picking skills at your home. You begin with two practice locks and can purchase others later in the game in certain shops. Becoming adept at the lock picking skill and actually memorizing the positions of some of the easier locks will help you progress much faster.

Waiting and listening are two more of a thief's greatest asset skills. Tips that flash on the loading screens, conversations between NPC's, and added hints left unsaid by NPC's to Garret will assist you greatly in knowing things before Garrett acknowledges that you, as a player, know them. Locating secret passages and cubbies along your path is well worth your time, though you may not come by these very frequently.

Where does a thief go to sell his ill gotten gains? Why a "fence" of course! A dealer who knows how to sell your stolen swag. You will become friendly with a few of these people along the way but some fences only deal with certain types of goods. Generally, each will direct you to another if they do not bother with your particular item at the time, sending you on to meet a new fence.

The feature to change the difficulty for each mission selected is quite the useful assistant. Missions can actually last in real time up to and over 16 hours and saving "in mission" is another great feature to this incredible game and leaving an area does not necessarily mean that the enemies will respawn, a mission has many areas.

A very dark, both dimly lit and Medieval feel game full of information fed as a story style narrated by you, Garrett the Thief of Deadly Shadows. Keep your ears alive as in the narrative lies clues to help you gain your way to the truth of the game. "In the years, the seven great families have become neither great nor families".

Stealth, surprise, strategy, and trickery are the plan in Thief Deadly Shadows. If you master lock picking, sneaking in the shadows, patience, and aim, your video games and gaming Xbox experience will be great fun and an awesome challenge.

The Bards Tale - The Game, The Story, The Song

2011-06-01T00:50:00.003-04:00

The Bards Tale is set in an old European land with castles, damsels, beasties, sorcerers, and song taking you on your quest for coin and cleavage. A one player, teen rated, top view, story based, high graphic video game full of snarky, campy humor.

The greatest of innuendo, alliteration, and jovial jostling is laid throughout the tale. The Bard and narrator banter back and forth between each other or there is the option of choice to be pleasant or a bit more pointed which is directed towards other NPC's (non player characters) you happen to encounter in the regions.

Begin your adventure with The Bard in a tavern called The Drunken Rat with a buxom barmaid who enlists your help in her cellar slaying rats! "All Hail The Bard, rodent bane and rat killer!" The tutorial downstairs will help get your entirely comfortable with the controls and is recommended highly.

Winning The Bards Tale without the very public cheats found at many of the Game Faqs style sites on the net can be a bit tricky, especially at the beginning if you take the wrong choices in your chosen sequence of events. Screaming "What is the combo cheat for the one hit kills?" and succumbing to the temptation may allow the enjoyment of a game, but it will leave you with the bitter knowledge that you did not actually win.

Your starting stats begin differently at each difficulty level and if you have never played without the use of even one cheat, I suggest going easy mode your first time out. There are normal and "olde school" modes as well. Concentrate on adding your given stat points to the strength, vitality, and rhythm sections first, these should be set in a higher priority to level than your other choices. Each stat like strength has a beginning setting to then build from; easy mode starts at 8, normal at 6, and olde school at 4. A stat is hardly even noticeable until is up around and over 10, so you can see what is so difficult beginning at olde school. With the stat levels to build on, you gain 12 additional stat points that you choose to place as you wish before the start of the game and get 2 each time you gain a level. The remaining stats are Luck, Dexterity, and Charisma. You will find tokens in game to help boost your levels in the areas you do not focus on.

Before you leave the Drunken Rat, be sure to talk to the band, it is a joy to be had, but don't linger too long as you have a friend awaiting your exit. The friend is an old man who bestows upon you a special amulet and a few adder stones which power said amulet which will heal and protect you in these early levels especially, but much needed later when you encounter some powerful bosses. Adder stones are replenished in certain enemy drops, found in chests, and you are given some by special NPC's. The majority of chests in The Bards Tale are actually tree stumps so keep your eyes pealed for the shorter ones.

Before the commencement of your campaign in search of coin and cleavage coursing the community of Houton, it would be in your felicitous future to first frolic off to the forest, the Houton Forest, to frighten and finish the free-lancing, formidable, and not so furry Trow. Getting used to the alliteration yet? Strewn randomly among the narratives, you will come to quite enjoy it.

Taking a swing by the Houton Jail in the Houton Forest to see what the Kunal Trow have to say is always entertaining, provided you get here before going to the Fairy Haunt Woods and speak to Bannafeet. Don't just talk to the guard once, it gets funnier as you converse with him, a real game treat. The end result of visiting these areas in a certain order will gain you much needed added experience accompanied by a little extra enjoyment.

Your next area to peruse should be the Fairy Haunt Woods. As you enter this woodsy sector, there will be a random hunter standing in the sunshine, speak to him. After you visit the shop in Houton and obtain your bow, hunt a few grouse and speak to this same hunter again, a secret area gets opened for you to rack up even more early experience (which, frankly, is when you need it most). After completion of both wooded areas, searching well for treasure filled stumps laden with goods, explore the town of Houton.

Visit the Blackhammer Smithy Shop to secure your ranged weapon and if a friendly dog crosses your path, be certain to reply in a friendly sort of way, you may have a friend for life and the Bard needs as many allies as he can get. Checking out the brochs (little homes) for swag and side quests will not only benefit you in experience points, but accumulate special tokens that while in your possession, add to your stat levels like increasing your luck or strength. There are a possible 25 different tokens to secure along the way, so keep a sharp eye for situations that could end with a token. Common sense will get you far in this realm, being pleasant where it is the social norm is advised, but feel free to take on the Bards endearing nature when you reply to many of your interactive toons in your travels. The choices are actually reversed when you encounter your "love" in Kirkwall, so be ready for that.

Talents are also quite the added help as you level. The Bard has the choice of one talent at the start of the game. Treasure Hunter will dramatically assist your requirement to fund your expedition. Choosing Critical Strike or another weapon specific Talent as your second pick like Dual Wield. Some of the other Talents to accrue are Dog Training, Two Handed Weapons, Flail, Shield Bash, and Power Shot, receiving one selection per four levels up.

Becoming adept at blocking, especially when you encounter the raging boar creatures, will keep your adder stones in your pocket longer playing without cheat combination codes. Saving often is always a "given", but certainly worth repeating here as you will be sorry to have forgotten this golden rule.

Taking multiple trips to the Blackhammer Smithy for new weapons and armor (and the must have treasure map) as you go in and out of the two forest areas to acquire more coin and experience will prepare you for the other towns you will venture off to. Some of these towns include Kirkwall, Finstown, Dounby, Neversdale, The Furlbolg Mines, Stromness, and Highland Park. Somewhere between the purchase of your armor and the acquisition of the treasure map is when you want to take on the Bugbear Cairn. You will not need to invest in an upgraded sword if you take a right upon first entering the Bugbear Cairn and locate an actual chest.

The Kirkwall meeting with Bodb is a journey in itself. React accordingly and you will reach your destination much more quickly. The Velvet Hammer is the shop in Kirkwall with a snooty sort of shop keeper who has a higher price tag on his goods than the Blackhammer Smithy did. If you only have coin for one item, let it be the Harp. This musical instrument let's you summon two assistants instead of having just one available and ready to help in a fight.

Each new tune you acquire summons a new personality type ally. Some assist in your battles, others replenish the Bards health or light your way. Experiment with having different tune personalities out in different areas, they seem to occasionally interact with other NPC's. In Kirwall, be sure to have the Mercenary out as you pass by any women, he can be a hilarious addition to the already humorous narrative.

Take the time to chat with and listen to any and all NPC's, it will fill you in on some of the happenings in and around town, opens up new quests for the Bard, and helps you on your way to becoming the Chosen One for Princess Caleigh.

On your trek through Highland Park, keep on the watch for a helper as he is a bit hidden in the trees. His name is Mel and can be a tad skiddish around the Trow. Stay focused and check his fear meter to be aware of the time limits. Encountering dead Chosen Ones as you course through your trails will benefit the Bard incredibly as they drop items of great worth and value to the completion of the game and remember that the save points are there for a reason, save often.

The Bard has a reward waiting in Finstown, be sure to converse with everyone in Kirkwall to open up this exciting and much needed area. You will come into Finns Farm and is your entry into main city of Finstown so be sure to rush right over there to gain what the Bard has coming to him. Essential coin and cleavage await the Bard here in Finstown.

Revisit any underground sectors when you have secured the upgraded Trap Finder. He will locate secret doors to treasure rooms curiously concealed crammed with copious counts of cache. All alliterations aside, the tips for defeating the tower guardians and navigating the towns are basic. Each tower needs a healer ally out and a strongman of sorts like the Body Guard or the Mercenary. If you can acquire the added instrument before entering the first tower, take out the Light Bee as well, he has an incredible amount of health and stuns the opponents for easy targeting.

As to not spoil the quest, the Bard is now on his own to complete his adventure with stat settings enough to do so in this aforementioned knowledge gained. With allies not much more helpful than his foes, you can begrudge the Bard his ill mannered ways and with the three selections to the finish, The Bards Tale has many jubilant hours of game play.

http://VideoGamesandGaming.com

Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter Google Me:)

The Hobbit - The Greatest Adventure

2010-10-21T16:28:00.001-04:00

Check Out Lord of the Rings Online! Too great! They are free to play now if you missed the grand opening in September 2010 so come on out ... Oh! The Fall Festival is going brilliantly! They have one of the most scary Haunted Creations of the season (a serious must-see). Bob for apples, pick a pumpkin, race a horse and enter the Haunted Burrow at your your own risk! Don't forget the Inn League or Ale Association, have a toast to the Fall Festival! The Greatest Adventure is what lies ahead at LOTRO.com =)

Video Games and Gaming

Wyverex and Wavecritter =)

The Chronicles of Spellborn PvP & Combat Video HD

2009-05-29T12:57:00.005-04:00

The MMO with the Most Below:

Check out this video and pay close attention to the explanation for style here:

What have you been hoping for? Maybe The Chronicles of Spellborn has it:

Wyverex and Wavecritter

Video Games and Gaming

Video Games and Gaming Guess That Video Game

2009-04-25T16:28:00.004-04:00

Here are the text answers to our Video Games and Gaming Show Guess That Video Game:

The show is either currently playing on the Utterli Widget here on the site or the direct link to the show :) Or as Wyverex calls it ... You Don't Know Pixel ... Sticks :)

Game 1 for Game Cube and Sega:

1. Zelda Windwaker
2. Resident Evil 4
3. Tales of Symphonia - Dawn of the New World
4. Paper Mario
5. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
6. Phantasy Star Online
7. Resident Evil

Game 2 for the Wii

1. Mario Cart
2. Rune Factory Frontier
3. Zelda Twilight Princess
4. Sonic Black Knight
5. Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga
6. The Conduit
7. Call of Duty World at War

Game 3 for XBox 360

1. Halo 3
2. Street Fighter 3
3. Fable 2
4. Rock Band 2
5. Star Ocean The Last Hope
6. Godfather 2
7. Gears of War 2

Game 4 for the Nintendo DS

1. Pokemon Platinum
2. Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars
3. Valkyrie Profile Covenant of the Plume
4. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time
5. Super Robot Taisen K
6. Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
7. Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Game 5 for the PS2 and PS3

1. Final Fantasy 10
2. Kingdom Hearts 2
3. Ultimate Ninja 4
4. God of War 4
5. Little Big Planet
6. Metal Gear Solid 4
7. XMen Origins Wolverine

Enjoy the Game :)

Video Games and Gaming
Wyverex and Wavecritter aka Dalton and Stephanie Haile Google Us

Entropia Universe Video Games and Gaming

2009-03-17T12:46:00.004-04:00

Entropia Universe has the cutting edge CryEngine2 to bring a Real Life Look into the Worlds Safest Virtual Universe!

Checking the minimum requirements will be a huge plus to begin :)

Then move onto checking out the Planet Roster: Calypso for Entropia, Entropia Universe. The newest Areas coming soon like: Creative Kingdom, CRD, and Next Island :)

Entropia Universe is Real People, Real Activities, and a Real Cash Economy. A MMORPG Virtual Universe of Rare Proportion :)

Checking into the Participant Guide will help you next with a Start, Login, and Connect instruction; Avatar Creation, Arriving on Calypso, Movement and Interaction Guides, Customize Your Controls, Finding Your Way, Hunting, Mining, Tailoring, Beauty, Homes and Estates, Managing Your Lands, Shops, Banking Guides, Skills and Professions, Mindforce, and Events Guides. These helper pages will get you a fierce understanding of the game and the Entropia Universe :)

Video Games and Gaming

Wyverex and Wavecritter aka Dalton and Stephanie Haile Google Us :)

Thief Deadly Shadows Video Games and Gaming

2009-02-22T18:56:00.004-05:00

Video Games and Gaming Thief Deadly Shadows Tips

Find Article #1 at VideoGamesAndGaming.net for an game review and more tips :)

Thief Deadly Shadows rated M for Mature (age 17 and up) played on the XBox and PC.

First and second mission tips and other game tips for Thief Deadly Shadows can be found on our article above but here are some additional tips for easier leveling and game play:

You, no doubt, have noticed how easily enemies lie in the Video Games and Gaming Worlds. The narrative can be exceptionally taunting in Thief Deadly Shadows. Don't listen to the enemies :) They say things like "Come on out, we won't hurt you" lol Yes they will!

Fire arrows are collected in flame pits and other "hot" areas.

It takes 2 arrows to drop an alert guard but only one for a guard just patrolling.

Read all the journal guides on your missions. They give you much needed tips to help on your quests.

Be sure to cover all ground before moving along, completing each step or you will find yourself backtracking into each area multiple times. Although this can gain you additional experience, it gets monotonous :)

Missions can actually last (real time) over 16 hours, so the added save while "in mission" really is useful. Save regularly.

Lockpicking: Rotate your left thumb stick (clockwise or counter) until you feel a vibration (if you have this feature in your controller) or you will hear an audible "click". Keep your position and click the "A" button. Repeat the circular motion and "A" as many times as it takes to open the lock.

All locks of the same shape and color will open the same way so try to memorize the easier early locks, it will save much time. Practice on the lock sets at your home. You can obtain more later in the game from certain shops.

South Quarter is a poor region (also your where your home is) and Auldale is where the nobility live. Stone Market Plaza is the most dangerous of places. It houses many Hammer Guards and Pagans.

Turning off the standing candles can be done just by targeting them, but the wall torches, guard held torches, or fires need to be extinguished by a water arrow.

Pick up water arrows by looking in fountains.

Attacking regular townsfolk is ill advised as they will "story tell" helpful hints.

Wagon signs above shops with a red hand are seller shops for your loot.

Certain "fences" (dealers of your stolen property) will only deal in certain types of goods. Some items they will give premiums for but some items they will send you off to someone else to purchase.

To be able to differentiate between guards and other people look at the tabbards they are wearing (the shirt deals and markings on them).

The Pagans are real tough guys so don't let them hit you if you can help it :)

Throughout the game are some awesome graphical cut scenes of epic movie quality!

With no on screen map, you will need to pay closer attention to your given maps.

A feature to be able to change the difficulty levels from easy, normal, hard and expert modes is available for each individual mission :)

Not all doors with visible locks on them are actually locked.

Noise maker arrows are quite useful to send your enemies away if you get too many in striking distance.

Moss arrows are used to muffle noises like walking across metal or to shoot right at a rather loud or potentially loud guard or towns person.

Listen into the Video Games and Gaming Show on Thief Deadly Shadows and Circus Maximus for more :)

Dalton Haile aka Wyverex Google Me

Packing The Knight Away

2009-02-07T00:32:00.003-05:00

My friend Shawn just Twit Pic(ed) the coolest of Golden Knights and I thought I would share it :)

http://twitpic.com/1d8j6 - Packin the knight away ;-)

Video Games and Gaming

Dalton Haile aka Wyverex Google Me

Video Games and Gaming Steel Series

2009-02-02T10:34:00.004-05:00

The Steel Series Gaming Gear Line has something for every serious gamer out there. From the mouse to headsets ... from your hand to your head and everything in between, the Steel Series seems to be the gear to get.

Partners, Software, Keyboards, Surfaces, and Accessories ...

Sign up for the newsletter to stay in touch and in tune with their latest and greatest products and information ... SteelSeries.com

To find the latest about the WoW Mouse Software update, check out FragYou.com, SteelSeries Blog site:

"First off, we’ve received complaints quite a few times from customers trying to rebind buttons to continuously send a single key. This is a known issue since currently all custom macros are treated as long macros and therefore only allowed to be sent once or looped a given number of times. This will be fixed in the February update as shown below - for now you can use the commands from the Game Commands list which are handled correctly and can be repeated." READ MORE

Steel Series, the latest technology in gaming accessories ...

Video Games and Gaming

Dalton Haile aka Wyverex Google Me :)

Video Games and Gaming GemCraft Armor Games

2009-01-24T10:27:00.005-05:00

I thought we would talk about this fun, clever game from Armor games called GemCraft!

An Armor Games creation for Video Games and Gaming! This is a flash based online game, totally strategy based tower defense game that is well worth your time to check out :)

You want some handy tips to get a "feel" before you begin, you say? OK :)

Begin the game with the mindset that you want to be able to "best" yourself on every level at least once (don't give it your all the first go round because you will want to complete each level at least twice, besting your own score, to get your score up and overall level higher).

To gain more points: from the scrolling bar (wave bar) to your upper left, click on the "next wave" to automatically send out the next enemies, this will increase your score immensely. Don't do this on fast mode unless you already have rank 4 gems in your towers.

You add gems to the towers already situated on the board and add towers as you go (best to add them toward the entrance to the enemies), these gems are your defense. Add the biggest rank gems to your tower as you can and trade the lower gems out as you go through the board, creating new gems along the way to annihilate the critter hoards.

Gem Bomb Tip: learn the "hot key" for the Gem Bombs in GemCraft and be sure to use these drag and drop style bombs frequently. reading the handy tips on the game along the way will help dramatically, don't discount them :)

Placing the water trenches back to back to ensure the longest time slowed on the enemy and try to place them near your "gauntlet" of towers (many towers in a row).

Placement of towers is very important, place as many as you can in a row and in a focused striking area.

Listen into Video Games and Gaming GemCraft Blog Talk Radio for more tips on Armor Games and more!

Video Games and Gaming

Dalton Haile aka Wyverex Google me ;)

Spore the Game and Creature Creators

2009-01-20T14:47:00.002-05:00

The Spore series of Creature Creators and the actual EA game take you through the wondrous adventure of a being from the cell stage to the space era. The civilizations, buildings, transportation choices, and scenery reflect the evolution of your creature along the way.

The complexity of the Spore video game program will stagger the mind, the graphics will entice the senses, and ease of play will astound even the newest video games and gaming player. The Creature Creator series alone would keep you mesmerized for hours at a time. Delving into the world of Spore in the main game will not only tap the unused portions of the brain, but instill a retention to the scientific verbiage and understanding of theory whether or not you buy into the theory of evolution.

The structure of this intense game will gain you a better idea of societies and civilizations as a whole just by playing. It teaches basic Sociology, points of Geology, History to some extent, Physics, and many more subtle lessons as you venture along through the worlds.

Coming up with some helpful tips for new players was quite an easy undertaking. While I left out the trial and error issues (for the most part) because they are part of the discovery of Spore, I wanted to list some rather important tips that I would have found useful before I began the game.

Beginning from the early creature directly following the cell stage, the list of Creature Creator Stages is as follows: Creature Creator for fully evolved creatures; The Tribal Outfitter; The Civilization Outfitter; and The Space Outfitter. These Creations will be used by the computer (depending on which stage you are in): The Cell Stage; Creature Stage; Tribal Stage; The Civilization Stage; or Space Stage.

The Cell Stage: Starts with the beginning of your Planet choice (at this time, omnivorous feeding is not yet a choice) You must work for an omnivorous mouth and it is the most challenging of the three: Omnivorous; Carnivorous; and Herbivorous. Your creature floats around eating plant cells (herbivore) and meat cells (carnivore) and calls their mates to follow sonic waves to find them to mate.

Choosing Your Theme: Choose "No Theme" for a random generation. Creations you have made on the Creature Creators will be randomly generated into the game at different intervals :) Your creations ... in game!

A Tip: Going to the Creature Creator Section to create a "Space" something will automatically unlock that section of the game, but we do suggest going from Stage to Stage as you develop. Each Zone Creation that you make will allow access into said zone. Remember that each stage unlocks different things in the latter stages and the Creature and Cell Stages are the only two where you can actually customize your creations body.

The eating process gains you cell points to evolve into a larger creature. As you get bigger the dangers to you also increase. It is survival of the fittest really here and you can destroy other creatures for their cell parts. This will be how you attain the role of omnivore if you wish. I did find the spit poison cell part to be a bit overrated but if this is an option for you, use it until you can find another part.

So what happens when your creature gets destroyed or eaten? You just go back to wherever you last evolved from. You can also check this periodically by viewing your History. While checking this area, you are completely safe from enemies.

Tips for the Omnivorous Mouth: If you are trying for an omnivorous adventure here at Spore, either attain the omnivorous mouth (proboscis) while still in the water (Cell Stage) or keep switching between carnivorous and herbivorous mouths so you would stay in keeping with an omnivorous style of feeding, evening out your eating habits. Stay in the blue on your feeding bar.

Perks: Different Stage perks that being either an omnivore, herbivore, or carnivore are exciting. The first perks you receive are: Siren Song for the herbivore's; Summon Flock for the omnivore's; and Raging Roar for the carnivore's.

When you are on the road to a sentient being, you can now think and have a pack of creatures. I recommend keeping with a pack of your own kind as you will know better who they are and what they are likely to do.

Along the way you are unlocking parts and evolving your creature. Once you emerge from the water, the new, strange, wonderful world of the Spore video games and gaming series unfolds, with the race to evolve being first on your agenda.

Stephanie is a co-host on 2 Blog Talk Radio shows! Check them out: http://www.VideoGamesAndGaming.Info
http://www.BlogsAndSocialNetworks.Info

Stephanie is a business owner, wife, mother of two brilliant teenagers, friend, research and beach enthusiast, video gamer, and blogs and social networks buff who enjoys writing, playing video games, keeping up with blogs and social networks, reading, learning, and teaching.

Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter Google Me :)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Haile

Ogre Island New Mounts Video Games and Gaming

2009-01-18T23:59:00.014-05:00

Ogre Island New Mounts

Check out the coolest of Mounts they have just added with the latest contest winners receiving their ride of choice :) Woodly and Zach chose a Black Dragon Mount, Wyverex and Sabine chose the Blink Unicorn, and Blizzy and Lew each chose a Pig Mount :)

The three Black Dragon Mounts above show the town of Plymouth Wharf in the background with the "Contest Key Chest" near the Unicorn Statues and Woodly, Rooker and a third Black Dragon winner posing for the shot.

Here are some other snapshots of the Pig Mounts, Unicorn Mounts, and Crazy Creatures that emerged from the town of Binxonia's chest (where you took the keys to try for a prize after retrieving them from the Plymouth Wharf Key Chest). The big prizes are all claimed now, but there are still smaller prizes to be won in the Ogre Island Key Chest Contest! Come on over and take a chance on a prize :) http://OgreIsland.com

Wavecritter's Invisible Dragon :)

This is Sheiktar in front of the new addition tower in Binxonia on Ogre Island (Watch out! It shoots Spark Bolts! Yikes :)

Here's Sabine's Unicorn :)

Wyverex on his New Unicorn Mount and Woodly on his New Black Dragon Mount

Woodly at the Key Contest Chest in Binxonia on Ogre Island

Wyverex, Wavecritter, and Woodly The Sawdust Taco aka Dalton and Stephanie Haile Google us :)

Video Games and Gaming Morrowind

2008-12-24T16:17:00.003-05:00

Morrowind from the Socucius House - Census Office

If you are planning to be a theif in Morrowind, now is the time to start your career. There is even a lockpick on the table next to the candlestick to unlock the chest on the bottom of the bookshelf. Warning: Not every theivery will be this easy ... this is a gimmee, a big gimmee but worth over 400 gold.

At this point, either continue on if you are enjoying your character, or start a new game to discover other classes, races and venues of play.

Resting is an important action to take, especially when your fatigue bar changes from green to black. If you are entering an enemy area, rest before you start to engage. In town though, don't worry about your fatigue bar.

Immediately when leaving the census office, find a wood elf named Fargoth and give him the ring from the barrel found earlier in the census office. This will get you better prices in the census office here at Seyda Neen (a squat town along the southern coast).

Sell the booty acquired in the census office and purchase the best equipment you can afford, even if it is just one weapon. Spells are available but pricey in Seyda Neen.

Speak with all NPC's (non player characters) as they may have tips on certain side quests.

The main quest begins after you to talk to a main NPC in Balmora (south western estuary trade city. Be certain to Save at this point.

Either play out as this character or change up and try it as a different one to get used to the game play at Morrowind.

Choosing your birth sign is going to be important if you are choosing to be a theif or a mage, but it is self explanatory.

Running increases your athletic skill.

Jumping increases acrobatic skill. Caution: Don't jump too high as you can get hurt or possibly die :)

Sneaking increases that skill.

Fighting in your armor will increases that type of armor skill ( light, medium, or heavy).

Using any type of spell will increase that type of spell proficiency.

The hardest skills to level up are mercantile and speech craft. I suggest you visit a trainer located at various sites around Morrowind. Spend some money and remember that certain trainers can only level your skill up to a certain point. No trainer can level up a skill higher than its governing attribute.

To find out which attribute governs which skill, highlight the skill that you want and press the info button.

Books also level your skills up as you read them. Caution: Be careful not to hit the action (A) button twice because you will end up stealing the book instead of reading it and get in trouble :)

Stealing is an option of play that is extremely difficult to pull off unless you are a thief and have the right spells.

Be sure if you are going to attack someone in town that you allow them to attack you first. Just pull out your weapon, then they will attack, it is now not a crime against you :)

After you go to Balmora, go and join the Mages Guild. This will give you a fast travel point to key towns :) You can also get the "Mark" and "recall" spells much easier this way, it will cut your travel time immensely.

Silt Striders and boats are also fast travel for a fee.

Listen Into the Video Games and Gaming Morrowind Online Radio Show

Dalton and Stephanie Haile aka Wyverex and Wavecritter Google Us :)

Ogre Island Christmas Video Games and Gaming

2008-12-19T03:25:00.004-05:00

What a Christmas Season on the Major MMORPG sites like Ogre Island! We have "captured" the moment at OgreIsland.com, the moment of Christmas on the Island :)

We thought we share the festivities with you all here on the blog Video Games and Gaming. Now, we haven't spotted Santa Claus yet, but you never know on Ogre Island! We have been told about a few events though, like some character/player spun trivia contests, a house contest, and then I am sure as the week progresses we will here about some additional fun that will spring up along the way :)

Enjoy your Christmas and Have a Merry Christmas on Ogre Island :)

Dalton and Stephanie Haile aka Wyverex and Wavecritter Google Us :)

World of Warcraft Through The Countries Video Games and Gaming

2008-12-06T11:05:00.004-05:00

German: Hitler gets banned from World of Warcraft

France: Jean Claude Van Dame Blizzard "World of Warcraft" commercial

Spain: World of Warcraft Commercial Willy Toledo

America: World of Warcraft Commercial - Vic Mignogna

Britian: Ozzy Osbourne- World of Warcraft Commercial TV Ad

Italy: Steve Van Sandt (Silvio) World of Warcraft Commercial TV Ad

Star Traveller/Global: WoW Commercial - William Shatner

WoW Commercial - Mr T

I'm Wyverex and I'm a Knight Elf Rogue!

WHAT'S YOUR GAME?

Dalton Haile aka Wyverex Google Me

Video Games and Gaming Ogre Island Southern Vale

2008-12-02T03:03:00.002-05:00

The home of some of the “Elite” of Ogre Island, Southern Vale calls the adventurous to its towns walkways. Equipped with a full service bank; potion vendor; arrow and warlock vendors; rose bushes, grape vines, blueberry bushes, and a pumpkin patch; stoves and a cooking fire; with easy access to Myer Falls; plenty of enemies to enhance your excitement; and a short (but treacherous) excursion to the south to Dragon Vale or to the north west towards Mhorinia.

Travel outside the gate and a bit north to the Werewolf Lair or to the east into the Rover and Worm laden Wastelands where the Wizard Tower, Worm Lair, Thak Kaar, and Lome await hungrily your visit :)

A peek into Southern Vale is an easy goal to achieve. Step into the free warp hut located in Underleaf and arrive safely in the beautiful town of Southern Vale. Keep in mind that both Underleaf and Southern Vale are PVP (player vs. player) towns where unsuspecting noobers have been known to wander across a major pwnage player. No worries if you die though, you just end up back at the town you attuned your life force to via the numerous life stones on the island.

*Here’s a tip: When you take the free warp back to Underleaf (recall a PVP area) if you survived death in Southern Vale and do not wish to die when you get into Underleaf, take your warp key and step into the nearby warp hut to go someplace safe :) Many major high veterans of Ogre Island also call Underleaf home :)

Dalton and Stephanie Haile aka Wyverex and Wavecritter Google Us :)