Smite is (still) the best game you aren't playing

Back in August, I wrote my first post about Smite. Lately, I've been playing the game again quite a bit. A few friends of mine are playing it with me regularly and I find myself wanting to post about it again.

Since August, the game has received updates and new gods. The interfaces have undergone numerous face-lifts and the game modes have been expanded and refined. The new mode, Assault, is a copy of League of Legend's ARAM (All Random All Middle) and works very well in Smite. Randomly assigned gods push players to learn new characters and play-styles while making teamwork essential to victory. Not only does this make the mode exciting, it also encourages players to branch out in other gametypes. Several older gods have gotten new looks along with brand new gods from Central American and Chinese mythologies. Unlike new characters in LoL, they don't come out overpowered to garner interest and instead require the player to learn a new combination of abilities.

The game does a great job of just being fun to play. Since I've been learning to play with more gods, I've grown more enamored with the variety of play and importance of teamwork. Over the course of just a single game, as a team learns to play with one another, you can witness huge swings of momentum that turn a blowout into an exciting comeback. Too few games offer that kind of emotion.Smite is a game where even when things seem lost you can come back and win with a little luck and the right items.

And speaking of items, it's one of the things I still don't love about the game. There are a few that are essential, and a number that simply aren't. It would be nice if there was a greater variety in what items were good for each character, but as it is there are a few that are simply too good. It's not a huge problem; there are some items obviously geared toward certain styles of play while others offer better all-around stats. That said, it makes the game a little easier to learn, and that's good for helping out new players a bit.

In certain gametypes, the right items can be game-breaking. Hi-Rez removes some items from certain types, but it's still possible to make certain gods nearly unkillable and others so deadly that, all other things being equal, some games are decided before they start. In the real world, of course, "all other things" are never held equal, and sometimes you can have a lot of fun stealing victory from a match you shouldn't win. But, in any case, it's a problem when the players are being assigned gods (like in the ARAM-style Assault Mode) that can't do the job.

A good game lets you start it up and get playing fast. Smite could do this better. Queues tend to take about a minute and a half, whereas in games like LoL and Starcraft 2, queues can take only a few seconds. Their current queuing system is pretty dedicated to the countdown aspect, with a new round of each game type beginning every 4 minutes, but if I never had to sit in another 3-minute queue I'd like the game more.

All that aside, there is truly just one thing keeping me in this game: I'm playing it with friends. The simple fact is that without a few people who want to play with me I wouldn't still be playing this game. It takes too much teamwork and I haven't found many other amiable players online. I worry that the community in this game is toxic in the same ways as the LoL community. Old players should try to be more understanding of new players and, if they can't be encouraging, should at least offer substantial criticisms that describe what was being done wrong. It doesn't do the team any good to throw insults--if something isn't working, you should fix it, not yell at it.

If this game keeps finding ways to improve itself, and if my friends stay interested in playing it, then I expect this will not be my last post about this game. I really look forward to people finding the game and the community of players growing. It should be coming out of beta in the near future and so I'm hoping to see it make a splash with a little well-placed advertising (Steam sale, anyone?).

Dragon's Prophet

I've been meaning to post about Dragon's Prophet for a while now. I think that alone says something about the game. It's another one of those that's getting left behind.

So let's not waste any time getting to the review. The game is aesthetically pleasant, not gorgeous but still nice to look at. There are dragons and creatures in wide varieties that add color and life to the world. The character models are nice and are very customizable. The combo-style of the combat is engaging and the objectives are very clear from just the mini-map, but here's where things start to go downhill.

The gameplay overall is familiar--you pick up quests, kill the things, return to questgiver. Nothing about the gameplay is better or worse than you can find elsewhere and this contributes to the biggest problem with the game. A clever and entertaining premise loses its shine as it doesn't continue to impress. the quests themselves aren't anything special. You won't encounter new mechanics as you level and things become repetitive all too quickly. The combo-combat is a nice variation from the norm, but when I use the same combo the same number of times over and over to kill each enemy it doesn't feel special anymore.

I must qualify my opinion, however, in saying that I didn't play the game all that far. I finished the first two zones and wasn't finding anything new, so I was ready to move on. What I could have missed later on in the game was something I didn't feel compelled to discover. I would have liked an early taste of what excitement was still to come (if there was any) because I found the game very easy to put down.

If wrangling dragons is something you've always dreamed of, hop in Dragon's Prophet and get your kicks. If it's not, though, I'd say this is a game you can pass on. It's not going to be discussed in future gaming conversations and, while I think the premise could be revised and re-done by another game, Dragon's Prophet isn't really worth the time an MMO asks for.

ESO Impressions

I recently got a chance to participate in a weekend beta test of the Elder Scrolls Online. While I won't be talking specifics, I would like to talk a bit about my impressions on the game and how my expectations have developed.

My first Elder Scrolls game was Oblivion. I remember envisioning my dream game as something that could combine my fascination with the fantasy genre with the gameplay style of Halo, and in TESIV I realized that dream. Suffice it to say I fully explored Cyrodiil.

I spent so many hours in that game that it only stands to reason I had fantasized about being able to take it multiplayer (if only to show off my fabulous wealth and treasure chests that took entire minutes to load). My desire for a game like Elder Scrolls Online began there, several hundred hours into Oblivion.

When I heard about the ESO project, I could not help but send an e-mail asking for more information. I got no reply, but, undeterred, when the beta sign-up became available I wasted no time submitting my information.

Ultimately, what I'm saying is that this game was sold to me six years ago and I've just had to wait to buy it.

That being said, I was still apprehensive going into this beta weekend. I had similar aspirations for SWTOR and, while the game at launch was very fun, it has since been micro-transactioned out of my good graces. I've seen a lot of discussion about ESO's expected pay-to-play model and a lot of it hasn't been positive, so I worry that ESO is following SWTOR down the same crooked path.

What I found in the game has reassured me, however, as I am once again sure that I will be playing the game at launch (game servers willing). The developers have certainly paid attention to making the game sound and feel like any other Elder Scrolls title. That doesn't just mean they have all the playable races or that the first-person mode has the health bar in the right spot, it means being able to descend into the rabbit hole and find oneself (or one's elf) wholly enrapt by the familiar variety of people and places characteristic of the franchise.

I enjoyed questing, earning achievements, and sifting through loot in ESO. I was disappointed that I was not able to be as loot-crazy as I am in Skyrim, where I check every body for loose change, but I also feel that if such a thing were an expectation in the game it would be rather pedantic. The voice acting which was present  contributed to getting the feel of the game just right, but in the beta there were also a number  computer-generated voices that, while providing a enriching contrast, upset that same atmosphere.

Speaking of things that were missing in the beta, the crafting systems had not been implemented. I was able to gather a variety of resources, even a few of rare quality intended for crafting specific items, but I was not able to tell if the number of resources I was able to gather easily would suffice to level a crafting skill. It basically meant that I was picking up a lot more vendor-fodder than intended and I really would have liked to try a little enchantment.

And some things were downright bad. I'm talking about the PvP, which I won't discuss in detail any further than to say it faces the same problems that Guild Wars 2's World vs. World combat system did. I haven't been back to play GW2's WvW since around the time of the game's launch, so I don't know if they've managed to improve it, but if they have then I would hope ESO can follow their lead. If not, then I really just need a better way to get where I'm going to die than running for five solid minutes.

While the character choices are nice, I think we all have a tendency to make the same characters. During my time I seldom felt that my character stood out in any real way from the hordes of other player-characters. Don't get me wrong, when you're at the character creation screen making your toon you'll be able to get him or her just the way you like them, but when you enter the world you'll find that there are about a hundred other bodies that look just like yours. That upset the feel of the game for me, but I'd wager that it's a smaller problem once your character has levelled some and had access to a wider variety of gear. If too many armor pieces end up being based on a single model, however, I think the problem of characters not looking unique is going to be a real issue. At least in SWTOR if you wanted to look remarkable you could always choose the fat toon--no such luck in my experience with ESO.

But similar character models is small potatoes compared with my disappointment in the combat. Let me say, first, that it is reminiscent of past games but that, as you might expect, first-person isn't a great choice in an MMO kind of game. So, you will be playing the game in third-person, which isn't so bad and it's nice that first-person remains an option for when you're feeling adventurous. And, moreover, the third-person view tends to look pretty good: the game is pretty, the models, motions, and armor are all pretty. The effectiveness of this control was lacking for me, however, as having my reticle just to the right of my character while I was trying to swing while facing head on was problematic for me a few times. The problem, in short, is just that the player needs to watch the reticle and not the toon, but that kind of sucks, doesn't it? And that's not all that wasn't peachy keen, but laggy controls and interrupted/bugged animations are the sort of things that can be expected in a beta so I'm willing to forgive and forget those little hiccups. Also, the controls felt like they were limited by the constraints of  mere controllers and that was unequivocally sad.

But enough with nearly bashing the beta because all-in-all I really did enjoy getting a chance to play the game. I look forward to its release albeit with somewhat tempered expectations, and I suppose that's got to be a good thing when it's all said and done, but I'm also not thrilled by the prospect of paying fifteen dollars a month. WoW was worth 15 a month when there weren't so many good, cheap options out there, but today MMOs are a dime a dozen and perfectly good ones are F2P (with micro-transactions). Like I said, I haven't played GW2 in months but it wouldn't cost me anything to go back and as a consumer I really, really like that.

Smashmuck Champions

If you've played Monday Night Combat, Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends, then I can describe this game to you rather easily: Smashmuck Champions is to LoL as MNC is to TF2.

But that's oversimplified and, anyway, I don't think many folks have played MNC. So here are the basics of what Smashmuck Champions is: Isometric camera angle, Character "Champions", minion waves, and a few game modes across fewer arenas.

Nothing stands out in this game, and there isn't anything that brings you back to it day after day. I played it three times and, although I enjoyed it, I think I'll be uninstalling it soon. I just don't have any desire to go back.

I think about SolForge, which had a rocky start to say the least, but has a daily reward system that keeps me interested. Daily rewards are common in games these days, (particularly with F2P games) but they need to offer something you want in order to be effective. In SolForge, the prospect of getting lucky with a big pack of cards in my daily reward is enough to keep me earning them day after day.

Smashmuck Champions is altogether too forgettable. To be fair, I haven't tried all the champs, but I don't really care to, either, and in all fairness that's a bigger problem. It's not that the game doesn't have it's quirks, it's idiosyncrasies, and it's not that those aren't a nice change from the games I play every day, but there isn't enough there that's pulling my attention back.

All in all the game has two major problems: the gameplay, which doesn't stray far from the usual and fails to excite, and the relative obscurity of the title. The latter is a disadvantage not to be critical of the game itself for, but in the realm of free-to-play multiplayer games it's a hurdle that has to either be jumped or worked around. Smashmuck Champions does neither, and as a result the game is all too forgettable.

Gaming Playlists: Game On, Game Hard

I've been assembling and refining a few gaming playlists on YouTube over the last few weeks. Having dual monitors is great for this; I fullscreen the playlist on the smaller monitor and game on the larger one. I do the same thing with Netflix sometimes, but splitting my attention isn't always a good idea. Many of these songs are music videos, others are lyrics videos, but in either case you can stay focused on fragging. 

Don't forget to shuffle.

Here are the links:

This playlist is for fast-paced gaming. The songs tend to be louder and have a faster tempo. I use it when I play competitive game because they are the kinds of songs I'd set montages to.

Play it loud. Game Hard.




This playlist is for longer gaming sessions. The songs are generally longer and are better for playing in the background. I use this playlist for MMOs and casual games like SolForge.

 Play it long. Game On.




This playlist combines the previous two. As a result, the music is of a wider variety and there are about twice as many songs as the other two playlists. This playlist is best if you don't want to hear the same thing twice.




Finally, here is a link to a Pandora station I've used for a few years. If Pandora is more your thing, Castlevania Radio is a personal favorite.

Edit: Here's another Pandora link that a friend of mine suggested. It's based on Pretty Lights, but brings in rockier stuff as well. I like it for longer, chiller sessions.

Ridge Racer: Driftopia

Let's get one thing straight right away: I like racing games; racing games don't like me.

That in mind, I downloaded Ridge Racer: Driftopia because it was free to play and available on Steam. I can forgive a lot of frustration if I'm not paying for a game with real dollars, and that's a good thing with this game because it quickly had me spouting curses.

If you crash, you spend repair kits to fix your car. The better your car, the more kits it will take to repair it and if you can't afford it you'll lose the car permanently. Now, that doesn't bother me outright, but it is very easy to crash either by your own hand or due to the ruthless "spirits" of other players which race against you. I've had to close the game and come back the next day with more repair kits just to save my best car more than once.

Were this a more impressive game, I would feel more compelled to discuss the rest of the notes I made while playing the game, but the simple fact it that the game isn't special. There's nothing glaringly wrong with it, either, so if you're someone looking for a game to waste a little time with, this is as good a candidate as any. You get a car, you drive the car, you get boosts, you get a new car, you drive the new car, ad infinitum.

This is a game you can play for a few weeks, and then forget about forever.

Don't Yank Me!

Tom Warren, Senior Reporter at The Verge and founder of WinRumors, published this article this morning comparing iOS's Siri personal assistant to a new assistant reportedly coming to Windows phones in update 8.1 codenamed...wait for it..."Cortana".

Now, I'm a fan of all things Halo, but this news is, for me, bittersweet. The fact is that this isn't fan service. I don't think this is what I wish it was. It's a codename, so it's very possible that, copyright laws being what they are, Microsoft will decide to change the name before the official release. So what! Right? What's in a name?...Well, actually, probably everything. Smart AI constructs are, unfortunately, entirely fictional. Whatever is meant by "a system that will learn and adapt" probably falls short of a virtual lady with exceptional technical prowess who inspires you to keep fighting when the whole of humanity suffers the devastation of intergalactic warfare and all hope seems lost.

You know what I think the significance of this will amount to? A few easter-egg responses.

It breaks my heart to believe that "Cortana" can't be much more than a Siri-clone with just enough flashy improvements to throw into a snappy commercial taking cheap shots at the PA who came first. I feel like I'm being sold to, and I don't believe there's really much substance to the connection with the Halo franchise. It's a hollow ploy, a Trojan horse, if you will, looking to pull consumers towards buying a Windows Phone.

My iPhone 4 is showing it's age these days, and in the coming months I might be in the market for something new. I'm hopeful that this whole "Cortana" thing is cooler than I think it is, but I will definitely be waiting to see what other fans think of it first.