Recent Buys: Episode 2 - Of Souls and Swords

I know February just started but things happened (me watching a bunch of videos on the internet) that ended up with my getting a new game.

Up until a few days ago I had absolutely no interest in Soul Calibur V, then Maximillian’s videos of it. Early on it looks just like any other Soul Calibur game but then I started seeing some of the super and ex moves and that made me go “whoa! That looked cool”. Now I know that supers in SC aren’t new but with me not playing since SC2 I got caught off guard. Max then brought the game online and it sounded like SC5’s netcode is really good which peaked my interest even more because, from experience, fighting games and online don’t really mix all that well. Caught a SC5 stream from CrossCounterAsia too and watching the players go at it while hearing the commentators totally geek out about the game was like throwing gasoline into the fiery pit that is my hype. I looked a bit online in formus both local and worldwide and they also said that the netcode is something that Project Soul can brag about. So yeah, I caved.

After playing some matches online, and losing most of em, I gotta say that the definitely were true to their word. For the most part the game is really responsive online and I’ve only experienced that “UMvC3 style” input lag once and even then it was still very playable.

It’s a bitch that there are a ton of characters to unlock but I guess that we’ve been spoiled by fighting games of this generation that have all the characters already unlocked from the get go.

I’ve been playing this game using an arcade stick and the move from pad to stick here is easier and feels a lot less awkward.

Weekend, what are you playing?

First week of February, can you believe that we’re already 2 months in the New Year and there are already game releases happening left and right. What are you playing?

Migoy: Spent some more time with Grand Theft Auto IV. Already got safe houses in Algonquin and I can now access all the other islands in Liberty City. Once I beat the main game I’ll go and pick up a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV Complete Edition since it has the main game and both DLC episodes in it and because the copy of GTA4 that I am currently playing with isn’t mine. Also went and picked up Soul Calibur V. That’s right, I got yet another fighting game. Haven’t really played Soul Calibur since Soul Calibur 2 and I gotta say they have done some major improvements since then.

Quash: After coming home exhausted one day, I had this sudden urge to do a second playthrough of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Last playthrough was when the game came out back in 2008. Remembering what to do and where to go is a blur since it's been a couple of years, but the boss fights I still remember very well. It's still a great game after how many years.

Monthly Gametime Roundup - January

We are now officially one month in the new year and it's time to count up the hours, minutes, and seconds that I've spent gaming for the month of January.

Quash had this idea of timing himself when playing video games and I also decided to partake in this little experiment. But instead of just having a single total number of hours and minutes, I decided to take it a step further and list down each game session and list it down in an online spreadsheet via Google Docs.

Now, this list isn't a 100% accurate as I have missed a few minutes and at most an hour or two because of failing to remember to start the timer right away, I'm only human after all.

Here's a list of all the games I have played during the month and what platform I played them on.

PS3: Heavy Rain (Demo) Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 DiRT 3 Grand Theft Auto IV Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (Demo) WWE All Stars (Demo) Asura's Wrath (Demo) Super Stardust HD (Demo) Castle Crashers (Demo) NBA Jam: On Fire Edition Elevator Action Deluxe Marvel vs Capcom 2 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (Demo) Saints Row: The Third Gotham City Impostors Beta Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Demo)

Wii: Just Dance 3

PSP: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact Super Stardust Portable

DS: Mega Man Zero Collection Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butoden

PC: Super Mario Bros. Crossover (Flash) Tetris Battle (Facebook) Abobo's Big Adventure (Flash)

My total game time for the month of January - 112:00:38

Demo Impressions - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

This is one game that I didn't even know existed. It's coming out on February 7 and I only noticed it because the release is a week away. Thankfully, 38 Studios released a lengthy demo. The demo is pretty much the start of the game, and not only was I impressed by the game, I spent two hours on it.

Not only is it a fresh title, this is one of the first project's of 38 Studio as game developers.

What interested me in getting the demo? Well you get some freebies for Mass Effect 3 if you download and play the demo of Kingdoms of Amalur. Like i said, I spent two hours on the game and it really showed me what this game will bring.

It's a hack and slash action RPG with a surprisingly deep character customization. When you start the game, your character is pretty much a blank slate. You are presumed dead and get dumped in a pile of corpses. When your character gets out of the pile you get to control your him/her for the first time. As you progress in the starting area, the game teaches you different ways to dispose your enemies in the game. You learn how to equip and fire a bow, silently kill an enemy, and even cast your first spell which is some lightning bolt. You come out as like a jack of all trades kind of hero at the start but with three skill trees to invest points in. Might Finesse and Sorcery are the skill trees, so it was obvious you can either go the warrior, rogue, or mage route.

This game has pretty decent controls but a targeting system that would bring problems to players. Its auto targeting so it takes a lot of effort to target the enemy you actually want to attack, especially when you want to cast a spell on them or shoot them with your bow. The camera is also a pain since it can sometimes zoom in too much into the fight making you also worry about adjusting your view during the battle.

It's a story driven game. Your hero is the typical silent hero but everybody around you have decent voice acting which is a plus. You engage them in a conversation wheel somewhat seen in games such as Mass Effect or Dragon Age. After learning the basics, find out about the main story, and looting some items, I found myself outside the starting area and introduced to a huge open world.

You find out the main plot of the game as you leave the starting area. Just when I thought it was going to end soon, the demo informs me that I have 40 minutes to roam around the world and just do whatever I want really. Going to the menu screen or engaging in a conversation will pause the timer. With that in mind, I explored and saw myself doing a couple of side quests and leveling up during my 40 minutes. it was an hour of open world freedom and I saw myself hooked into the world 38 Studios created. I was able to hit level 3 before the demo ended and I invested points in finesse, to become more of a rogue type.

Deep RPG elements is always a win for me

There's 22 skills per tree, and each skill had a couple of levels in each of them in order to max it. There's a lot of variety on how you want to level your character and what's so interesting with the character progression is you can further make your character unique by these destiny cards. it's sort of the class system in the game. Certain cards will unlock depending on how much points were invested in a certain tree. Invest 6 skills in finesse and you can equip a destiny card that gives you bonuses as a rogue. There are some destinies that require points on different trees. Add 8 points in Might and Sorcery and you get a destiny that gives you interesting bonuses like replacing your roll with a teleport. Thanks to these destinies, becoming more of a hybrid character is possible.

When you level, you earn higher life and mana plus 1 skill points and 3 points to be added in either of the three skill trees. That one skill point is for improving your skill on either blacksmithing, alchemy, persuasion, lock picking, those kinds of skills. Yes, crafting is also present in this game and I noticed somewhat like gem slots on some green items I found during the demo.  The RPG elements really feel deep.

The world map of Kingdoms of Amalur is huge. It gave be the impression that this is no 20 hour action RPG but more like a 50+ or more kind of game. There seems to be factions, tons of side quests and what looks to be five regions in the map. Todd Mcfarlane(Spawn) is doing the art of the game and they also have a lead designer that worked on Elder Scrolls III & IV. Which makes sense seeing how broad the game is.

During my 5 minutes left in the demo. I was sold to what Kingdoms of Alamur : Reckoning has to offer. So I stopped with the questing(avoid further spoilers) and decided to give hell to the first village in the game. Pressing the up directional enables you to attack friendly NPC's and at level 3, the whole town and guards were wiped out.

What does it feel like? - Open world RPG games like Elder Scrolls or Fallout. Only difference is combat is very fast paced. It looks like a huge world filled with dungeons and quests, and a story worth telling. A very unique character customization and a really face paced combat that have a bi of problems because of the camera and targeting but loads of fun. Western RPG fans, this one looks like a winner.

This game is definitely up my alley and I'm seriously considering on getting it when it comes out.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is out on February 7 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Migoy's Impression:

I have to admit that I have never really played a fantasy RPG before. I played a bit of the first Diablo as a kid but didn't get far, missed out on Diablo 2 and basically the whole MMORPG scene when it boomed so I was going into this completely fresh not knowing what to expect.

Let me set things straight, I enjoyed this demo. The world looks gorgeous and I found it fun to run around the fields and killing monsters. Equipping different armor and leveling up spells and abilities are standard fare in games like this but what set this apart, in my opinion, was the combat. It plays more like an action game when it comes to hacking down enemies, shooting your arrows and casting your spells. All of this happens in real time as opposed to clicking your enemy, doing a slash then waiting for the cool down time to run out. I like combat that is more involved and after the demo ends, the trailer played shows off some more combat where the characters are doing combos and juggling their opponents which made me even more excited about this game.

Now I know that I should get Skyrim first and I set Battlefield 3 to be my February purchase but I might cave and pick this game up once released.

Weekend, what are you playing?

It’s the last weekend of January and I hope everybody had a good first month in this new year. But enough about that, what are you playing?

Migoy: Got my arcade stick replaced because it had a faulty Home/Connect button and got a 2^nd stick too. The afternoon that ensued was filled with some Capcom fighting game action. Namely Street Fighter III: 3^rd Strike Online Edition, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Super street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. I’m planning on playing more of Saints Row: The Third too and maybe try out some new demos that I just downloaded.

Quash: When friday night hit, I was bored and turned on Terraria to play around with it. I didn't think I'd get addicted but it happened. The next day, all I did was play Terraria. It's loads of fun and playing it blind without wiki help makes the game even better.

Terraria is pretty much Minecraft but in a 2D plane. it's an indie RPG game with the ability to shape the world around you. Exploring this world, crafting different things, and even building your very own home to have NPC's to move in can leave you invested for hours. I had my first taste of a boss in Terraria and it was not easy. After celebrating my victory over the Eater of Worlds, all of a sudden my house was attacked by an army of goblins. Not a couple, an army! I defended it the best I could but none of my NPC's survived. I was left speechless but thankfully my home repopulated itself slowly.

I'm loving it so far. I bought the game when it was on sale. $2 bucks for this awesome game was just too good to be true. It's original price is $15 but with how great this indie game is, it's still worth that much.