Today, the Non-Disclosure Agreement for Warhammer Online has (for the most part) been lifted. Just for fun, and in an attempt for a bit of exposure, I submitted my review to the Vault Network. Much to my approval and amazement, my review was featured on the front page of WarhammerVault (see the snippet below). This site is visited by thousands of users daily, and its numbers are expected to increase exponentially up to and beyond the commercial launch of WAR.

As of today, I am also an official staff member of WarhammerVault and will be contributing more to the site in the future. This is a great opportunity for me to challenge my creative talents.



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Tuesday, 19 August, 2008 - Warhammer Vault News

"Along the way, players will discover Public Quests. PQs consist of different events occurring simultaneously within the game-world – and these PQs are everywhere. PQs are broken up into multiple stages. The first stage is where individual players can each contribute to the progression of the quest without requiring support from other players. It is in this stage that players are most likely to trickle into the quest area. Each PQ has its own story and amount of stages. By the time the PQ is in the final stage, anywhere between one and three groups working together may be required to successfully complete it. After a PQ is successfully completed, any player who helped to contribute (and didn't just pop in at the last minute) will receive a chance at loot rewards on the spot. You don't even have to be grouped. If you don't win anything and choose to try the PQ again, your odds of winning will continually increase until you get something for your efforts. PQs invigorate a long-dormant MMO tradition of getting players to group up and kill bosses at even the most entry-level stages in the game."

Read the entire Warhammer Review by clicking here...

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Go check it out!

I have been a WAR beta-tester for the past several months. As a tester, I have not been permitted to discuss the game. Unfortunately, this has not yet changed. However, I am contemplating a process of preparing pre-release review for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Once the Non-Disclosure Agreement is lifted and I know what I can and can not discuss, expect to read some of the most up-to-date, nitty-gritty details of the game. Tell your friends, set your bookmarks....

In the meantime, I recommend reading-up on WAR to get caught up for the forthcoming review.

WAR is coming...

Update [Jun.16.2008]: Age of Conan has been out for nearly a month now, and I have yet to purchase it. Judging from all the reviews and reports, it is a good game with much potential -- but not for me. If you are itching to play a new MMO, or have only played World of Warcraft, I recommend you give AoC a go for the next 3 to 6 months. If you fancy yourself patient or an MMO connoisseur, just hang in there a few more months before you jump on the new MMO bandwagon. You'll thank me with your inside voice someday.

Original article:

Thanks to Gamespot and Funcom, I was able to play Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures last weekend during a PvP test. I've been itching to talk about it, but at the time I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to mention I was in beta... so much silence about betas these days. Well, as it turns out, not only am I allowed to tell you I was in the PvP beta last weekend, but I can also tell you my impressions of what I experienced in that short time-span.

The game truly leaves a good first impression. Character creation is detailed and varied. You can scale your class model proportionately to your tastes, select various face and hair style, and add a large handful of special markings. The opening and subsequent quests are also narrated. Unfortunately, the tutorial island could have used a little more polish and balance for being single-player only. My caster felt a little underpowered at first with respect to the island. The PvP, however, was the focus of the test. I created a level 20 Ranger to really wreak some havoc -- as it was mentioned in the patch notes they were temporarily overpowered. I only had the weekend to test, after all.

All PvP this weekend was conducted through instanced matches accessible through a quick menu system. Each match began after a very brief queue time. Once the game begins, each player is placed on either a red or blue team. In one mini-game, the two teams attempt to capture a few objectives. It takes a very short time for the objectives to switch hands, and the games only tend to last a few minutes. In another level, each team attempts to capture its opponent's flag -- but I never even got that far.

Combat in AoC feels like a scaled-down version of the standard MMO model. Everything moves along at a decent pace, but the battles felt a bit too simplistic and gimmicky. With my level 20 character, I had about five unique abilities. Battles consisted of my character running around, sometimes sneaking, and shooting people with arrows in the back. Depending on the type of shot, each would be capable of yielding normal damage, high damage, or slowing them down respectively. Although my character was also capable of melee, it proved generally foolish in practice. There are three types of swings: a slash from the left, and overhead swing, and a slash from the right. While the various attacks deal well with multiple foes, they feel somewhat gimmicky and non-fluid.

While I realize that instanced PvP games are only a small part of AoC, it became obvious that the combat complexity was pushed aside for a sense of speed. With its large interface buttons and player controls, Age of Conan feels like an MMO designed to accommodate a console controller. Considering the console version isn't due out 'till much later this year, I would recommend waiting altogether -- or at least for the PC review. If you are looking for the next great PC MMO, this may not be it. While your mileage may vary, you have been warned

That's it. Not another word about it, as I consented to a legally binding agreement. I'm practically busting at the seams here. Hopefully, in a few months time, I can tell you all about it.

Until then....

-Erebus

My knowledge of gaming borderlines trivial. It shows my dedication to a point that proves useless to all but other gaming aficionados. Of course, that makes me, at the very lest, a self-proclaimed analyst.

...I will just spoil it for you a month in advance: Super Mario Galaxy will take Gamespot Editors' coveted 2007 Game of the Year Award. This is not a statement of bias, nor do I have any personal investment one way or the other. After careful consideration of the competition, the choice is quite simply obvious. While many gaming editors and sites may pick the latest shooter with the same-old gunplay, I trust Gamespot's judgement a bit more than that.

Many superb games were released this year: Crysis and Call of Duty 4 (PC), Halo 3 and Mass Effect (Xbox 360), Assassin's Creed (PS3/Xbox 360), and The Orange Box compilation (PC/Xbox 360) -- just to name a few. However, Super Maro Galaxy (Wii) is more unique, polished, universal, and entertaining than them all. There really is no single reason why the game is so superb, rather a cacophony of them.

First of all, Super Mario Galaxy (SMG) has a unique control set never before experienced in a video game. The combination of aiming the remote (or using it in various ways), motion controls, analog movement, and button pressing combine to form an enthralling interaction with the game. Next, SMG's game-play and style are brilliantly intertwined. It is so abundantly clear the amount of care and detail that went into making as many creative and unique experiences as possible to cram in one video game. Finally, it's fun and challenging. While the game is easy enough for a child to finish, it offers significantly deeper challenge for gamers willing to go beyond the bare minimum to complete the game.

Not only has Nintendo created a game that everyone can enjoy, they made it more innovative and at least as fun as any other game released in 2007.

[UPDATE- DECEMBER 28]: Gee, what a shocker, I was right. This isn't going to hinder my gaming arrogance any, you know. The developers really earned this one.