HD Remakes

A trend is growing in the gaming industry: outdated games are being re-released with graphical updates. Last December, GameInformer posted an article about their five favorite remakes and the folks at IGN have also posted their opinions. As for me, let me speak from my own experience.

Most recently, I purchased Age of Empires II HD. AoEII was a game from my childhood, one that I poured countless hours into. I still think that the scenario builder in that game is one of the most fun to play with, and that was a large part of why I wanted the remake. Since downloading the game, though, I've spent maybe an hour with it. I went back for the nostalgia once, but not again. That leads me to my critical feelings towards the gaming trend.

When AoEII HD was announced, I was interested. When the twenty dollar price point was set, I was disappointed. I waited until I could get the game on sale for five dollars before I would even consider it. And that seems to be the norm for re-releases lately. A number of Final Fantasy games from the Playstation era are popping up for sale on Steam, but they're just too expensive. I can't say I'm familiar with the degree of difficulty in re-texturing an entire game, and it's likely that there's more to getting an old game to run on modern systems than changing the image files, but I can't believe that I'm expected to pay as much for an old game as a new one. I feel that these re-releases will never sustain momentum in the market if they can't be marketed to more consumers, and I feel that many consumers are like me in feeling that the price points of these games holds them back. Would I like to go back and play through Final Fantasy VII again? Sure, maybe not all the way through, though, so I don't feel that I would be getting eighteen dollars of entertainment there.

In the particular case of AoEIIHD, new DLC was also released. I like this idea quite a bit. If I'm going to buy a game I already own (or used to own), it is a definite incentive for there to be something new to do in that game. At the same time, however, making an old game new somewhat defeats the purpose of branding it as a re-release. If I want to play the game again, I could buy a re-release, but if there is new content to be had why put it in an old box? I think this idea worked for Age of Empires, where adding a new campaign was facilitated by the form, but in other cases it would be awkward. Imagine adding side missions to Final Fantasy VIII--they would be necessarily impotent in the story and probably not considered canon by  those who played the original. Such treatment of narratives has been treated with derision before, and in the microcosmic narrative of a straight story-line it would be irritating to fans of the original (which is precisely what a re-release is meant NOT to do).

And speaking of not irritating fans of the original, Fable: Anniversary (the re-release of the original Fable) is set to be released at some point this year. Seeing the multitude of posts coming up on my Facebook feed is what originally got me thinking on this blog post. I was a fan of the game back on Xbox, and played through it's two sequels despite their diminishing entertainment value. Thus, it was on my list of favorite games and thus I get to see every post about the HD remake. I'm sure I don't want to play the game again myself, but the re-release has gotten me thinking that there are people I might like to introduce to the series if it's being brought up to a modern standard. I think that's the most valuable aspect of this trend: the opportunity to get an old favorite into new hands without having to excuse anything.

While I don't believe that HD remakes are a good time for fan service, I do believe they have real value in two ways. First, there is a feeling of nostalgia in going back to an old game. It wears off relatively quickly, but it's enough to sell some units. Second, there is the opportunity for that game to be shared again and for a second wave of gamers to get to enjoy it. This is the way that the trend needs to develop, and this is the way that HD remakes can solidify their momentum and become a real part of the growing game industry. There are a lot of gamers who, like me, might not want to buy the game again for oneself but would for a friend. If publishers can facilitate that kind of action, then old titles can become relevant again.

SolForge, Again.

Since my last post was a repeat, I thought I'd make a thing of it. SolForge is another game that I've kept on playing since I posted about it. That's where the similarities end.

My last post praised Smite for its updates and innovations, but I can't say the same for SolForge. Still, I will begin with the positives. SolForge has had two things going for it after their most recent update. First, they added a few new cards and changed both the art and abilities of a few existing ones. Stuff like that makes me feel like the game is getting worked on, getting polished, and getting ready for a full release. Second, Stoneblade Entertainment's latest e-mail blast informed me that the game has been released on iOS. I have an iPhone, so this was great news for me, but my brother (who plays the game with me) is not so lucky. I was pleased to find that the game is nearly identical on an iDevice, but that left everything feeling a little cramped. I'd think that on a bigger screen that wouldn't be much of a problem, and considering that I think it would be great to play on an iPad. Games can be played between iDevices and PCs which is convenient, as your ongoing games and saved decks are available anywhere.

But the game is stagnating. The new cards are few and the balancing they tried to do did not even touch Grimgaunt Predators, which is one of the strongest creatures in the game. Still, new art and new cards are what the game needs right now, and I'll take anything over nothing. I feel like I've run out of things to do in the game, and that's a huge no-no. Sure, I can play a few games every few days and earn a few chances for the rare new cards, but I have no reason to desire those cards. I can keep using the same deck I've been using for weeks now to win game after game, or try something new only to be faced with a variation on my last deck. In short, the game is not yet balanced. There isn't enough of a "come back and win" feel to most of the matches. They end up feeling tedious. Like reading short sentence after short sentence. There's too much punctuation--not enough flow. Nothing to excite me. Nothing to entice me.

Simply put, I wish there was more I could say about SolForge at this point. In the weeks since my first post on the game nothing has gotten me excited to keep playing. New cards, I feel, are something that the game needs and so the most recent update is a step in the right direction, but it's like giving a starving man a cracker. There has also been a "campaign" button grayed-out on the main menu since release that I would like to hear more about. There does seem to be some backstory to the game (some explanation of just what a "SolForge" is will be nice) and I would hope the campaign aims to explore that, but obviously at this point it is impossible to know. Maybe Stoneblade is planning to wait for an official release before bringing out the campaign mode, which would seem to make sense, but why sacrifice the opportunity to get feedback on it? Furthermore, as the game is starving for attention at the moment, it seems like it would be a better idea to make what they have available sooner than later.

I hope that SolForge will make some improvements and expansions soon, because my interest is waning. It's the kind of game I want to like, but I don't see the developers making the effort for me right now.

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.