Thoughts on Journey and Okami

     Last Thursday I brought my PS3 and let Walyn play Journey and Okami. Granted, he inadvertently skipped over 3/5ths of Journey and Okami had an opening that was way too long, but I still would like to know what you all thought of the two. I won't be here this Thursday as I will be out of town. I plan on doing more showcases of games like this. Hopefully I can let people play a game for a full hour and I will even prepare a save file ahead of time so that players can jump into the gameplay immediately without having to sit through a long opening. As for which games I will have for the next time I show up, feel free to make suggestions, but I will be limiting it to the PS3 for this semester seeing it was the only console I brought. The purpose of this showcasing is to let people try out some of these games and see if they like them. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment or email me or Zach Hardy.

Walyn's Guide To Skyrim Legendary Difficulty, Part 0.5: The Clothes Make The Dragonborn (not die)

Previous: Part 0: When There's No More Room Left In Helgen

If you don't want to deal with a lot of information-dumping and just want to see what we will be getting (skills, quests, equipment), skip to the end of the post. However, you may miss some valuable information.

So first, we need to find out what we need to reach. According to uesp.net, we reach the armor cap at 567 armor. Let's deal with that first. The Lord Stone gives both 50 armor rating and 25% magic resistance. The Lord Stone is pretty much the best Standing Stone to use for Legendary, when not actively leveling. This brings the required armor to 517. Full Glass Armor, when Legendary, gives 156 armor, 390 armor after Light Armor perks (+150%). So, we have 127 more armor to chew through. Luckily, every point of Light Armor skill increases armor rating by 4%, so that 390 becomes 429, putting us at 98 armor rating left to get. This is almost close enough to be comfortable, so we just close the distance to 80% physical damage resistance by putting Fortify Light Armor on and we're good. Combining this with the 10% chance to negate all physical damage from the final perk for Light Armor, and we end up at an effective 82% physical damage reduction. We can also use potions for temporary boosts in armor rating, and Alteration spells will surely fill the last bit of armor we may need (the reason that we don't rely on it is because we may forget to use it).

Now, for the resistances. They all cap at 85%, and we can only place the 4 major ones (fire, frost, shock, magic) on shields, rings, necklaces, and boots. This may seem like a strange decision, but other than that boots have nothing going for them in the enchantment department, and if other items could use those enchantments it would be very easy to reach max resistances. Tackling Resist Magic first, the quest The Book of Love can be done at level 1, carries no risk except through traveling around Whiterun's plains, and gives us a permanent 15% magic resistance. As stated earlier, the Lord Stone gives us 25% magic resist, so that brings us to 40%. The Magic Resistance perks in the Alteration tree gives us 30%, bringing us to 70%, just short of the cap. However, this is all we need. I will explain after we go over elemental resistances.

Sadly, there isn't any free bonuses for elemental resistances, so we have to enchant our equipment to handle it. The cap is 85%, but we should simply shoot for 75%. The base magnitude of all Resist Element enchantments is 15% (which is what we get if a level 0 enchanter used a Grand Soul Gem to enchant it). 125% in total from perks from the Enchantment tree put us at 33.75, which is not close enough, even with two enchants. However,  as we will be getting 100 Enchanting, this will end up being enough, and even then, we can use an Enchanting potion to boost us to 75% total if we need to. But why is this enough, on freaking Legendary? Because we will only be taking 7.5% elemental damage, because all elemental damage is considered to be magical, including dragon breath attacks. So even an Ancient Dragon's Fire Breath will only be doing 45 damage to us. (The bite is more worrisome, dealing 60 damage at the armor cap)

For offensive purposes, a key thing to note is that elemental effects on weapons are multiplied by the Destruction perks related to them, will also multiply other damage effects on the weapon, and if the enchantment on the weapon  is a Destruction type enchantment (which most of them are), a higher Destruction skill will let us use less charges when using the weapon, similar to a staff. In particular, there are two enchantments that give a Fire effect - Fire Damage, And Fiery Soul Trap. The first one is common enough, but the second one can only be found in a specific dungeon. By using both of these, we don't need to spend more points on multiple perks, and get the full 2.25x damage bonus from the Destruction perks we will be taking. In addition, we will be using Archery and Two-Handed weapons, as these do higher damage than One-handed weapons, and we don't need a shield.

While we're on the topic of The Elder Scrolls, here is a beta key for The Elder Scrolls Online (stress test, starts this Friday at time of posting) : 5CGN9NYE5YXF55X5CNPT (once you have redeemed the code, or if it says it is already used, please post in the comments that it is so that I can edit this post to address it being used)

So, what weapons do we want to use? Surprisingly enough, it is quite easy to get some very good weapons very early on. The Ebony Blade, which can be acquired once we finish Dragon Rising (which in itself is very doable, but the danger lies in the random dragon attacks), is a very powerful weapon that can be gained starting at level 20, and the Bound Bow with the Mystic Binding perk, even with Dragonbone weapons being added with Dawnguard, has the highest DPS out of all the bows - at least, before enchantments. We can switch to a Dragonbone Bow once we have plenty of arrows and can enchant it to be outright more powerful than the Bound Bow. Two things we won't replace, however, is the Wabbajack and the Sanguine Rose. Being able to turn enemies into sweetrolls and summon Daedra is so amazingly good, we cannot afford to leave them at home. Eventually we will get a weapon known as the Longhammer, which has the highest DPS of any two handed weapon once upgraded, but attempting to get it before you have all of your gear is suicide at its finest (And no, having the Nord or Imperial "Get out of Fights Free" card won't help - I tried it.)

For skills, we're going to be focusing first on getting our crafting skills (Alchemy, Smithing, Enchanting) up to needed levels, except for Alchemy, which we can level at our leisure, then we want to level the skills that open up the way for defensive stats (Light Armor, Restoration, Alteration), and finally we will get the perks that let us deal damage (Archery, Destruction, Conjuration, Two-Handed, Sneak). I'll be going over what to level and when in greater detail throughout the guide, just keep those skills in mind. Those skills are what we care about.

Finally, we want access to a few other things. We will be joining the Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, and The College of Winterhold. Those three factions have some very nice loot inside that we cannot get otherwise. The Thieves Guild even gives us a fence, which helps greatly with cash flow, and also gives us some good starting armor. We do not bother joining the Companions as we can just waltz in and steal their items.

Also, since it's important to use every tool in our arsenal, we will be going to go for max Conjuration so we can have two Storm Thralls (unlimited time Storm Atronachs) at our side. However, this will take a long time to be prepared for (with the Master Conjuration perk, it costs 325 or so magicka to cast), so we'll just be preparing for it as we go along.

So in all, we have:

Armor
Light Helmet (Fortify Archery, Destruction)
Light Chest Armor (Fortify Light Armor, Fortify Health)
Light Gauntlets (Fortify Archery, Fortify Two-Handed)
Light Boots (Resist Fire, Frost) - If Nord or Dunmer, replace your resisted element with Fortify Two-Handed
Ring (Resist Frost, Shock)
Necklace (Resist Fire, Shock)

Weapons
Ebony Blade (until replaceable with:)
The Longhammer (Fire Damage, Fiery Soul Trap)
Bound Bow (until replaceable with:)
Dragonbone Bow (Fire Damage, Fiery Soul Trap) with Ebony Arrows for normal use, Dragonbone Arrows for bosses
Wabbajack
Sanguine Rose

Perks (not listing prerequisites)
Smithing (Level 70 Perks, Level 76 Needed For Legendary Items): Dwarven Smithing, Dragon Smithing (from Light Armor side)
Light Armor (Level 100): All perks
Sneak (Level 40): Deadly Aim
Conjuration (Level 100): All perks except Dual Casting, Necromancy, Dark Souls, focus on getting to Soul Siphon first
Restoration (Level 90): Avoid Death
Alteration (Level 100): Magic Resistance 3, Atronach
Enchanting (Level 100): All perks except Soul Squeezer and Soul Siphon
Two-Handed (Level 100): Barbarian 5, Deep Wounds 3, All Perks Past Champion's Stance
Archery (Level 100): All perks except for Steady Hand, Hunter's Discipline, Ranger
Alchemy (Level 100): All perks except for Green Thumb and Experimenter
Destruction (Level 60): Augmented Flames 2

Quests and Standing Stones
The Book of Love
The Lord Stone
Taking Care of Business
With Friends Like These
First Lessons

Thoughts so far: To me, a good way to see how a game is balanced is to crank the difficulty setting up as high as you can get it and see if you can plan effectively. This took me a total of two hours to plan out completely. Some of the skills (Speech, Pickpocketing, Lockpicking) seem to only have luxury perks.  Overall, the skills all have some usefulness if you look well enough, although typically it is only worth a small splashing of perk points. In particular, the Smithing skill tree is a pain to deal with, as to get Ebony weapons when you're a Light Armor wearer, you have to go through two perks you do not care about, and if you stay on the Heavy side of the Smithing skill tree, there are large gaps between perks (goes from 30 to 50 to 80).

Next: Part 1: Sheogorath is the One NPC I Don't Skip Dialogue On

ESRB Ratings

     Notice the little black and white box on the corner of every game you see? That is the ESRB Rating. These guys look over the content of a game, then assign it a random letter of the alphabet to show which audiences the game is appropriate for. The lowest is the EC rating which means “Early Childhood” and is suitable for kids 3 and up. The highest is the AO “Adults Only” rating. There are only a handful of games that have been launched with an AO rating as most retailers will absolutely refuse to stock such titles. The most common ratings are E for “Everyone,” E10 for “Everyone 10 and up,” T for “Teen,” and M for “Mature.”

      They haven't always been around though. The idea of rating games for their content never occurred to anyone until Night Trap for the Sega CD released in 1992. There was a bit of controversy over the game that was bad enough to warrant a court hearing about it. That, and other games such as Mortal Kombat were responsible for the creation of the ESRB.

      I noticed the ESRB is becoming a bit more lenient on their ratings nowadays. Metro: Last Light, for example, has an M rating. Yet, if you look through the Metro: Last Light Community on Steam, you will see one tenth of the screenshots are of the strippers doing their dance with their breasts completely exposed. Something like that would have been an AO, but it seemed fine enough to warrant an M. Let's just think of the implications of this for a moment.

      The rules of the ratings goes like this: if someone wants to buy an M rated game, they must show proof they are at least 17 years of age. The exception to this rule is if a parent purchases the game for their underage child. I'm all for this, but sometimes the parents don't know what the ratings mean. Yes, the descriptions are clear, however, parents should do some research on the game itself and see if it is truly appropriate. A term like “Sexual Themes” could be something as little as an exposed leg or as blatant as full frontal nudity. 

 

      I am not expressing disappointment with the ESRB. I'm sure they know what they are doing. All I am saying is that a letter in a black and white box is one thing. Knowing what is appropriate for your kids is your responsibility. If you dislike them seeing blood and gore, research the game and see how much violence is in it. If it is so much that it discomforts you, then don't buy it. The ESRB only tells you so much. It is up to you to make the final verdict.

   

What is an underrated title that you think is good?

     When you hear about the hype of a new game, you get stoked about it. Shortly after its release, the game is given critical acclaim and some critics even state that it is “the game of the year” before you even get to buy it. A game might can have potential to be the best game of the year, but it only gets attention because of the publicity behind it. The game was advertised, trailers were made, news surrounding it appeared on popular sites, and the finished product was satisfactory for its intended audiences.

      Yet, some of these games seem “overrated.” The idea that something is overrated is that it has gotten so much attention that you don't want to hear about it anymore. Either that, or you don't think it is quite as good as the majority says it is. There are also “underrated” games out there. The games that are really good, but are unpopular and never seem to reach the eyes and ears of people who might just like it. So I ask you: what is an underrated title that you think is good?

      For me, it would be Radiata Stories. I found out about this reading Game Informer a long time ago. It appeared as a magazine ad and nothing else. It looked like a fun RPG, but I didn't give it much though. Then I saw it sitting on shelves in Wal-mart. Out of spontaneity I bought it. I am glad I decided to play it because it was one of the best games I have ever experienced on the PS2. I let a friend borrow it after I finished and he thought it was the best game ever! I even wrote a review for it. You can find it here:  http://multiplayerfanatics.com/index.php/topic/434-radiata-stories/

CREDD, PLEX, Bonds: Are these a good idea?

     For those of you not familiar with these terms, CREDD, PLEX, and Bonds are a special method of paying for subscription based games. This is how they work: say you want to play Wildstar when it launches, but only feel comfortable paying the retail price. Wildstar plans to use a subscription, but the developers (Carbine Studios) will be implementing CREDD. CREDD is something you can buy with money equal to the subscription fee, but can be traded in game for currency. CREDD is a usable item that grants a month's worth of a subscription. Players who do not want to pay for a subscription can grind in game currency to trade for this CREDD. Other players can pay for their subscription and buy CREDD, then sell it in game for a tidy profit. 

 

      One way to look at it is “Legally trading for gold.” Most games do not allow players to buy in game currency from third party dealers as those are a bit shady. No guarantees you will be getting your money's worth. This way, players can pay money for gold traded between other players. No extra gold is generated by this CREDD. Some argue this is pay to win. I see that only in one game so far. That game is Runescape.

      Runescape use something similar to CREDD called Bonds. Players pay in game coins for one Bond that grants them 30 days of membership. I played Runescape for years and if I know anything, it's that money is quite literally power. I have made my fair share of gold and am sitting comfortably on a stack of 36M in coins. That is pocket change compared to the rest of the economy! I met players running around with hundreds of millions of gold. Gold gets you the best gear and items.

If a player grinds long enough, they can use their gold to buy Bonds from other players and extend their membership. At the same time, if a player buys lots of Bonds, they can trade those for in game gold. Bonds are well over 20M at the moment (last I checked), so if Player 1 buys 5 Bonds and trades them to Player 2, they will have earned 100M. That is $40.00 USD! It makes sense that Runescape's Bonds are arguably pay to win.

      Not only that, players who purchase CREDD or PLEX have a bit more leverage than the guy who doesn't buy those items. Player 1 has 1 CREDD up for sale. They offer, say, 5000 gold (assuming that might be high around Wildstar's launch), Player 2 has only one day to renew their subscription after their first month of freedom from debt. Player 2 can either fork over $15, grind that last bit of gold before the day is up, or cancel their subscription. Player 1 could lower the price, but if Player 2 wants to play bad enough, they will do anything to get that CREDD.

      On the plus side, CREDD, PLEX, and Bonds offer alternative means to people who want to play a subscription based game and have lots of free time to grind, but do not want to pay additional money. On the minus side, players with these items have the power. They can effectively manipulate the economy to their advantage and this could potentially turn into a pay to win scenario. I kind of like the idea, but it does need a lot of work to make it fair to both the seller and the buyer. Any thoughts on this method of payment?

 

What Sim Games Do You Recommend?

     I like the idea of sim games. Simulating an experience that may or may not be readily available to you in reality. Thing is, I have only played the most obvious sim game: The Sims. Not any of the expansions, nor the sequels. Just the originals Sims game. My question is what kind of sim games have you all played that you absolutely enjoyed? It can be any kind of sim. Seeing this week is Valentine's Day, I'm sure someone has a good dating sim game on their mind. Be sure to list what platform it is for and if it is a PC game not on Steam, list the website or retail store to obtain it.

Game Review Ratings: The Trouble with Numbers

     A brand new title has just been launched. It's something you haven't heard of, so you have virtually no expectations for it. However, you have bought and played an unsatisfactory game in the past, so you look at a review online. You take a glance at Metacritic and they have reviews in the 9 to 10 range. Seems like an awesome game! You buy it and play it, yet somehow feel like it wasn't as amazing as Metacritic said it was. Why is this?

      Because first of all, numbers in the review sense are highly subjective. I am not a fan of racing games, so naturally, I would rate them lower. Meanwhile, another person can love racing games and think they are all outstanding. In other words, there is some bias on certain games. Trouble is, these games don't deserve these numbers or star ratings slapped on them based solely on genre or hype.

 

      Numbers are not objective, yet we see them as just that. As soon as we see that number 8, 9, or even 9.5, we immediately think “That is a good rating. Must be worth my time and money.” If you actually bother to read through the entire review, you will see the positive and negative points written by the author of the article. It's especially suspicious when the game has a rating of a 9, yet not a single negative point is mentioned. If it's so perfect, why give a less than perfect rating?

      The second reason to be careful with what you read about games is that some websites are paid to write fake reviews that praise the game and ignore all of the downsides. Most sites will even post the rating at the top of the page so it is the first thing you see. Don't just look at the review and be satisfied that the game you wanted turned out good. Actually read through it and see what the game has to offer. It also helps to look at more than one source. I have written reviews myself for over a year and have described the games as an experience. If the experience was good, then I end it on a good note. Otherwise, I advise readers to avoid the game entirely. No ratings involved.

      Have reviews helped any of you make a good decision for buying a game? Have any of them let you down? Do you know of any sites with trustworthy reviewers? Say something in the comments below.

Free Trials in Games

     Alright, imagine this scenario: a new MMORPG has just been launched. It is not F2P. There is a retail price and a monthly subscription fee. Yet, you love the ideas and opportunities offered by this game. So you either buy it based on what you think you will experience or you don't buy it and never find out if it was the kind of game you would have truly enjoyed for years to come. Fortunately, some of these games have free trials (also known as “demos”).

      I really love the idea of demos. I don't know a lot of games that offer free trials, however. World of Warcraft has a free trial that lets people play until level 20. That seems like enough time to see if the player might enjoy the game. The Stanley Parable has its own demo that almost feels like an entirely different game. I am aware demos and free trials usually cost additional funds to set up, but it would be great if more developers offered players chances to see if their game is really worth their time.

The closest we can get to finding out if a game is worth playing is by looking at reviews. Usually, we might just stop at one view with a number higher than 8. That is just one person's opinion. You have to look at multiple reviews to really know if a game is worth your time and money. 

 

      Free trials are typically set up with two types of modes of expiration: the first being time. Most games will give you thirty minutes to play a level and then that's it. Some MMOs let players go for a full week before locking them out. Usually the first part of a game is the most enjoyable. Everything else seems diminished and less engaging. It makes sense to let the player see only what the developers want them to see until they buy a full retail copy of the game.

      The second mode of expiration is capping. Capping could apply to time, but this most specifically refers to level caps or experience caps. As I mentioned before, WoW lets players level up to level 20. They are also not permitted to chat with players, trading, or using the auction house. When Diablo 3 was in open beta, players were allowed to make it to King Leoric and once he went down, they beta ended for that character. Open betas can be a nice way to try out a game to see if it's good, but it is usually limited to just the first few areas. You may have all the time in the world, but once that section is done, you will have to make the choice to either buy the game or try to play the trial again.

      My question is should developers make free trials for all of their games? Should they be extended? Should the idea of demos be eliminated entirely?

Supercon2K

Here is the link to supercon2k They seem mostly legit to me, but some of the links to their sponsors did not work. I think there worth looking into, but I think we should wait until January.
Let me know what you think in the comments.