Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Normally I'm a fan of lengthy posts, mostly to appease my own ego I suspect. But all I really have to say about this is Assassin's Creed and Pirates. Also Blackbeard sounds like Barbossa.

New Mass Effect Game Announced

So, time for us to do more of that Breaking News stuff! Bioware Montreal has just published a new blog post, an in it reveals that a new game set within the Mass Effect universe is already under development.

So what do we know? Not a lot. It'll be using the Frostbite game engine (which fans of Battlefield should be happy about), though with some of the snazzy updates developed for Dragon Age 3. I have to be honest, I'm a little behind on my Dragon Age 3 knowledge, but I know they've been doing quite a lot of interesting stuff (my personal favourite is the idea of generic armours that look different on different characters, so that they retain some of the personality starting costumes had).

Other than that, it's all up for speculation! Thankfully the Extended Cut endings clarified that the mass relays were only damaged, so at least a post-Shepard world isn't going to be some depressing post-apocalyptic setting. Other than that, who knows?

Personally, after the military-centric events of the previous three games, I'd like to see some other aspects of the universe fleshed out; the underworld of the Terminus systems would be a good choice. What does everyone else think?

Female Turians!

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wondered how we managed to get through an epic adventure the size of the Mass Effect trilogy without ever finding out what the hell a Turian woman looked like. Hell, all we know is that they possess the capacity for greater flexibility, possibly at the expense of reach.

Well, wonder no more!

I gotta be honest here. I probably would.

CVG has some screenshots from the upcoming Omega DLC, finally revealing female Turians; expect a net-wide increase in Rule 34.

Skyrim: Dragonborn

So, generally when I make a post I do a little intro bit, like this. Then i post the video, like this;

Then I give my thoughts. Unfortunately, all I can say following this video is "wibble".

Actually, I lied. The other thought is; we all knew that Bethesda had put access to Morrowind and Cyrodill in the game. So if we're getting Morrowind, maybe...

Sony 007 Text-Based Adventure

So, anyone else old enough to remember the old text-based adventure games of old? I actually missed their heyday, as by the time I picked up and Amiga they'd pretty much been replaced by good old Point-and-Click games (and now that I've typed that, I've got a serious hankering to go play one. Maybe Flight of the Amazon Queen...)

As Dr Cooper says, they run on the most powerful graphics card of all; Imagination.

But if you've a powerful hankering for some nostalgia, or perhaps just want to kill some time before the evening showing of Skyfall (I saw it last night, but most of the Quantum Geek team are off tonight), this might be just the thing for you.

Turns out, Sony have commissioned their own text-based adventure, which can be found here, to tie into the release of Skyfall and their new Xperia. Best of luck, agent...

Injustice: Gods Among Us- Tokyo Game Show Trailer

Hanzo hasashi is dead.

FFVII Remake (Sort Of)

Hello all! Sorry about the delay, it happens to have been one of those summers. Normal service should resume shortly; in particular, I suspect you'll get to see me fail my studies as I instead devote an ungodly amount of time to playing the awesome looking Baldur's Gate remake.

Speaking of remaking classic RPGs of my childhood, this made me all manner of happy. Maybe it'll help tide us over until Square finally give in to peer pressure and remake FFVII, so grab a cool beverage and kick your feet up. My hat is tipped to you Jamie Colliver, whoever ye be.

Gamescom is here & Tearaway is coming...

So there's this thing called Gamescom happening this week in Cologne, it's the worlds largest video games trade fair and today it kicked off with a whole bunch of press conferences by some of the worlds biggest publishers showcasing their upcoming games.

Sony also held a press conference which seems to have been a direct responsie to most of the criticism they received following E3 - namely that they neglected their new handheld, the Playstation Vita - of which I am a happy new owner (why I got the Vita and how I'm getting on with it I'll save for another blog post or two).  Suffice to say, they kicked off their Gamescom conference by announcing new games for the Vita, this was the one that caught my eye though - it's by Media Molecule, the guys that made Little Big Planet and it looks... well... amazing:

If you are quick you can also pick up a Vita for the BARGAIN price of £144 from Tesco - click here to learn how...

Transformers Fall of Cybertron Retro Optimus Prime Trailer

Obscure Games you might not have heard of: Persona 3

So, Howell's back again for another obscure game.
Although I confess, this isn't hugely obscure. That is to say people might recognise the name at least.
But dammit Jim, it's not well-known enough!

So. Shin Megami Tensei.
More specifically, it's spinoff, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona.
More specifically again, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3.

I'm sticking to the third one, just because it's the main one I've played.
Not to say I've completed it, but, well, I know what happens...And the only other one I've touched is Persona 2, and only briefly.

I don't half ramble at the beginning of my blogs do I?

Anyway, I thought I'd write about this one, as, well, I enjoy it. I even wrote an essay on it, which may get paraphrased in here in tiny bits. But yes. It, along with most RPGs, gets brushed under the carpet by Final Fantasy, and as much as I like the Final Fantasy games, I still think that's a shame.

So, on my fifth paragraph, it's about time I start.

Why yes, he did just shoot himself. Oh, I should mention, the game's themes are a little messed up. This is me, did this surprise you?

So, you're the new kid in school, your parents are nowhere to be seen, and you get put in a mixed-gender dorm. Hmm, this seems more like a dating sim setup. But surely this isn't one of those kinds of games?

Oh, sorry odd angelic girl, I'll just close the door.

Oddly enough, that gameplay does form a large chunk of this game. In fact, to cut this blog a few paragraphs short, this game is a *deep breath* Dating Sim/Monster Breeding/Dungeon Crawling/Japanese RPG, or DSMBDCJRPG, maybe. Do try to keep up.

You see, I'll come back to the dating sim idea. For now, monsters. In this game, you control a party of up to 4 characters at once, but each character has what is known as a Persona (Ahh, the title, it makes sense! Now what about Shin Megami Tensei? Oh, that just means True Goddess Reincarnation, let's ignore that).
A Persona is "another side to a person's character, behind the mask they put up for people in real life. Or simply, it's a summon. It's how you do magic or special skills. You, the main character, have a unique gift however. You can use multiple Personas (not sure what that tells us about his psyche...).
Early on, you meet Igor, the owner of the Violet Room. In there, you can merge Personas into (normally) a better, stronger one. And depending on the related Social Link to the Arcana of Persona you are creating, it can gain bonuses.

Woah, slow down Howell, Social Link? Arcana? Okay.
Every Persona has an Arcana, like those seen in Tarot cards, you know, The Priestess, The Heirophant, The Fool, The Devil, all of them.
Every Social Link you make has their own unique Arcana too.
So if the Persona's Arcana has a high level Social Link, it gets bonuses.

So what's a Social Link? Oh, that's the dating sim-like aspect.
You see, you're a school student. A new one at that. So what's something you might need to get? Friends.
The gameplay is actually split into several segments of the day. Morning, which is usually School Time, with lessons, which, unless relevant, are skipped. Afternoon, which is when you can socialise, or get jobs for money and stat boosts, and Night, where, like any normal student, you venture into the Tower of Tartarus, and go around killing monsters called Shadows. What, you don't do that?

I mean, this isn't weird, right?

So, you might be wondering. I mentioned creepy things. All you've seen is a weird tower, named after the pit of the underworld, and a guy shooting himself. Sorry, I should go into that.

You see, that's not a gun. Well, it is, but...

It's an Evoker. It looks like a gun, goes BANG like a gun, but doesn't kill you. It's explained that it gives the feeling of death to the user, which clears their minds completely, allowing their true persona to shine through, their Persona. That's just how you summon the monsters.

Old video, but relevant. And amusing. Don't try this at home.

So, suggested mental suicide, and the underworld. Still, it's Japan, so not so weird.

The Dark Hour. This is an hour between one day and the next. To the usual person, they either sleep through it, or they don't notice it happen. That'd be because this is what happens to normal people in the Dark Hour.

It's like a depressing Abbey Road isn't it?

Yeah, we get trapped in coffins, and likely blackout. Nothing big and creepy.

For those who are awake however, they have to fight the Shadows. That is, if they have a Persona, or know how to use it. The game suggests the others are killed by Shadows. So hey, you're lucky you can fight.

You might think, "I'd rather be in the coffin". Oh, the plot thought of that. You see, the Shadows have a bad effect on people. They make them all depressed and zombified. They call it Apathy Syndrome. The end results being coma, or suicide. Yup, suicide is apparently all because of monsters we never see.

So, you go around killing them, and then, on every full moon, BOSS BATTLE!

The game has an in-game calendar, which forces the progress in the story.

So, you kill the boss, and people return to normal. Then the next one starts showing up.
The initial stages do seem mildly repetitive, but the rest of the story keeps you from thinking that most of the time. You get to know people, you can even fall in love.

And even get scenes like this. I SWEAR IT'S NOT A HENTAI DATING SIM!

So, I've managed to skirt around the main plot, and avoided big spoilers. I'm impressed.

I could go into how the game's constant progression feels like the days ticking you closer to death, and other factors, but I'll be nice, and just leave you with the intro video to the PSP version I play.

And as an added bonus, a picture of one of the many Persona you can create. Maru.

I SWEAR IT'S NOT THAT KIND OF GAME!

Oh yeah, happy 99th post on the blog!

Wibby Wobbly Mass Effect-y

The Dr has an Omni-tool now.
Omni-tools are cool...

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut: Review

So, a while back I promised that as soon as I finished a replay of Mass Effect 3 I'd give you all a wonderful review of the new Extended Cut DLC. By now I reckon you must all think I'm a really, really slow gamer. I promise I'm not completely useless, but a few real life commitments took over (including my performing in support of Gillian Mother****ing Clarke I might add; glory in my magnificence!) and it's taken forever to get this written up. Sorry about that...

Anyway, enough about me. You don't care about me, you care about Mass Effect. And so you should, as I've never stabbed a Husk with a kitchen knife, much less an omni-blade. Spoilers abound, after the handy cut...

[Stop the press] Star Wars MMO is free to play*

Up to level 15 anyway... http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20120710-0

Extra Credits

Greetings, I am Sir Thomas. Not Saint Thomas. Not Lord Thomas. And certainly not Lord British, that is a completely different person entirely. I will repeat my moniker until you manage to repeat it.

I am here today to tell you about certain people. I am talking to you about them because I had literally nothing else to talk about. These are the people I turn to when I want to think of something new, perhaps something innovative, perhaps something I've known for a long time, but never looked at from a particular angle. I was racking my brains to think of something, anything, to present you with. In my hubris I turned to these people for inspiration, something to think about. I decided, the moment the page had loaded, to instead tell our dear readership about them instead.

These people are James Portnow (in Blue), Daniel Floyd (in Green) and Allison Theus (in Pink), or, as I shall hence on call them, "Extra Credits". They are a mostly gaming show that examines the industry, the structure, the jobs, the market, the laws, the best moments that have ever happened and the darkest shadows that have crept across their medium. These people, these talented, intelligent people, have made me feel as if I am the future of a new art form, an unexplored horizon... and then a few episodes later, can make me consider myself a base beast of ignorance and spite, and question my choices in life. They do not shy away from the hard questions, or the ugly and difficult truths.

Make no mistake, they are not all about gritty realism and the issue of gender politics in games. They spread humour in their videos, through art, word play, and just... to me... the atmosphere. There are very few places on the internet I go to learn and laugh. This is one of them. I suggest you watch it. If not for the fact that you're learning from people directly involved with a developing industry, but for the fact they are always on top of the latest and most vital news. A PIPA and SOPA episode? Certainly. Crowdfunding and Kickstarter? Of course. They even recently had a Politician guest starring to discuss how the public can effect Government, because their fans sent in so many letters displaying their feelings of powerlessness when PIPA and SOPA were introduced. They go above and beyond the cause.

To me, although I blush to admit it, these people are something to aspire to.I know it might sound strange, but someone who does a day's honest work, comes home and develops an internet show with their friends, just to better inform and educate the masses... there is something noble in that. An honesty to them, if you will. Perhaps I am aggrandising them too much, I am rather a fanatic of theirs, but I'll give you an example of what they do.

A while ago, Allison, the artist, had an issue with her arm. I'm not certain what it was directly, I am no doctor, but I believe recalling that it was an issue with the tendons. This would make drawing, her profession, incredibly difficult for her, and she would require an operation to fix the issue. This operation, since she is in America, would have to be paid for out of her own pocket. She did not have the money.
The people at Extra Credits turned to their fans. They made it clear, it was a charitable donation, they asked you only give what you can to help Allison. The result was... incredible.
Fans gave money so quickly that they reached the desired amount in a few hours. Then they kept giving. Extra Credits had inspired so many people that the final amount received staggered all previous expectations. And now, they had an issue.
Allison had her operation, a smashing success, with guest artists coming in in droves to take her place and support Extra Credits while she recovered. But by the end they had a lot of money extra. Ask yourself what you would do in that situation. Refund it? Impossible. Give it away? It rather defeats WHY these people gave the charitable donations to you, doesn't it? How about giving it back in a different way?
These people, these wonderful people, came up with a plan. They would take small time developers, indie companies surviving off of scraps, and they would nourish them. They would support games with these funds. And what is more, the fine people at Extra Credits are aware of all the traps and foils of the Game industry. They knew when people were being abused, or tricked, by crafty Publishers. They lined these problems out in front of the audience, and they killed them all, promising that they would be a fair Producer, and all money made by this venture, would fall straight back into the fund to Produce bigger and better games.

I do not believe I have to tell you anything more. These people are honest. If I was to describe them in one word, it would be Honest. Yet, this is my own opinion. My own beliefs of them. You should watch. You should observe, and either deem me mad, or praise their excellence. I ask for none myself. It is their work. I merely pointed it in your direction.

Good day, my friends.

Obscure RPGs you've probably never heard of, or will unlikely ever play - Suikoden

So, It's been a little while *ducks from all the "boo"s and bottles being thrown*. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes.


Anyway, on with the show.


So, it has come to my attention that my two main areas of expertise in nerd culture, is mildly obscure anime, and very obscure videogames. Particularly RPGs. As that list is very long, and very geeky, I thought I'd show it some love on the blog. So this might become a regular (for me at least) section.


So...Suikoden.

For the purposes of this blog, I'll talk only about the first 2 games, and not mention 3, 4, 5, or any of the spinoffs.


So, Suikoden. Made by Konami for the Playstation (3, 4 and 5 on PS2, and one spinoff, Tierkreis on DS).
So, shocking that it's Konami yet you haven't heard of it? Strangely, it has always been quite a 'cult' game, never becoming as massively popular as Final Fantasy.


So why am I bothering talking about it?
Not just because I'm a hipster gamer (No, I'm not, I just love JRPGs).
It's just that these games have amazing story, great gameplay, (Oldschool JRPG battle with an 'Auto' attack button? Thank you so much!) and amazing characters.


Oh the characters...I should really mention that. Every Suikoden game has one thing in common. Recruitable characters. Not a shocking prospect. However, the sheer amount. 108 is the usual number, with it occasionally going higher with 'bonus' characters. Now I don't just mean there are 108 characters you just befriend. How about a diagram?

There we go. The 108 recruitable characters in the first game. The ones with blue borders are your shopkeeps, mapmakers, etc. that can't fight in your battles. Those in red? Those can be in your party. Up to six at any time (with the top left being your player character, so he has to be in it).
A nice added bonus is that, due to the games taking place in the same world, you begin to see familiar faces if you play multiple games, and occasionally, if save data from previous games exists, you can get their old, awesome equipment, as well as some other bonuses on occasion. But the best part about these characters? They all have their own stories, varying from a ditzy teleporting magician, a family of blacksmiths all working to become better than each other, a former enemy army commander, to a little old gambling lady.




I mentioned army commander. Because that is essentially what you are making. An army. You see, while this is mainly a normal RPG, there are several army segments, different in each game.




These army battle however are rather important, as they are the only time that your recruited characters can die permanently. And that means bye bye to your completion bonus, and your good ending.


Yes, these games also can have multiple endings, or at least added bits, normally simply by getting all 108 characters, though in the second game at least, certain actions, along with whether or not you recruited everyone, can give you many different endings.




So that shows the interesting gameplay and the characters, what of the story? This time, I really won't give spoilers, as I'll talk of the series as a whole. Simply stated, they are all about war, usually caused by runes, like the 27 True Runes, which give people immortality, as well as untold power. So, war inevitably breaks out over them, and so begins several stories of betrayal, friendship, war, death, and glory. Enjoy. Oh, and here's a nice little opening video from the second game and a reminder, it's a rare game, yes, but there is the internet. I'm sure you have your means.

And as an added note, I'm kinda going as the main character from the second game to October's London MCM Comicon expo. Should be fun to see if anyone recognises me. The tonfa will make it quite fun too.

Gamers FTW - Foldit

If you're a gamer you've probably been told off a fair few times by your mum for wasting your time on something that's no good for anyone.

Well, it's not true! Turns out gamers are super-good at solving some important scientific problems. I'll let Hank from the wonderful SciShow explain it to you (on a side note, SciShow is freaking amazing, go subscribe).

And you can help! Yes, you. Go forth to Fold.it and make the world a shiner place.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron: Through the Matrix trailer

Behold carbon based units - the latest trailer for the next Transformers game...

... WANT!

Who's the monster?

I really should get around to playing MineCraft...

My god it's true... Guile's theme DOES go with everything!