Musings of a Virgin

The Witcher

I raved about The Witcher previously, and I still love the game, but for right now that game is being shelved till May. It seems that The Witcher is so popular that the developer has decided to release a new version with enhanced features in May. What we can expect is some new content, enhancement of existing content and fixing issues like the current load times in game. Best of all is that this new stuff will be available for all those who have already purchased the game as a download. I'm only about 8 hours into the game so I don't mind starting over come May.

Sins of a Solar Empire

In the meanwhile, I just got this awesome new game called Sins of a Solar Empire. I highly recommend this game, its been getting great reviews and got a metacritic score of 89. Its a real time 4X game, which translated means a Real Time Strategy game set in space but with elements of empire building and skill building.

I'll freely admit that I'm soooo bad at strategy and I'm getting my butt kicked by the AI even on easy mode, but I'm having such a blast. I can't recommend this game enough.

Finally, I'm still playing World of Warcraft, and raiding Thursday and Fridays with my guild. My current goal is simply to amass more gold and also collect more Badges of Justice in preparation for patch 2.4 and the Sunwell content.

Labels: Computer Games

Posted by emyln at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

Well I got 2 new games this last couple of weeks.
Assassin's Creed

I got this from GameTap, a great online game rental service, it allows you to try out games before actually buying them. A good thing because so many games are failures these days. I got Assassin's Creed because of the awesome reviews it got, and I must say I'm very early in the game but I'm loving it so far. The story telling aspect is amazing and fresh, I don't think any other game has done this before.

The Witcher

The Witcher got lots of super reviews and was billed as PC's best role playing game. I must agree. I've only completed the tutorial so far but this game ROCKS! It literally is a great story and I'm totally hooked.

World of Warcraft
Yes I'm still playing World of Warcraft. Here's an up date on my adventures in Aseroth.
Isale finally hit Level 70! My 2nd level 70 character and all ready for Wraith of the Lich-King.


The guild killed Magtheridon and Astir even got a little souvenir from it. Here's also a group photo of the guild by Mag's head.

Here's little Emyln, my warlock who just hit level 58 this weekend and is posing before he takes his frist step into the portal to the Burning Crusade.

And finally the biggest news of all, (for me at least) most of my guild decided to switch servers so here are all my guys on the Ghostlands server. I don't feel too much regret, Doomhammer had almost nightly queues and I was getting sick of it.

Labels: Computer Games, Gaming

Posted by emyln at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

Those reading this blog will know that computer gaming has long been in my blood and is a life long hobby. And more recently MMORPG's are my new passion. That said I will be skipping Tabula Rasa when it comes out on 19th Oct.

I am currently in the Tabula Rasa beta and I have to say that I'm not all that impressed. I won't bother with doing an actual review of the game. For that you can read these reviews:

Tobold's preview
Keen and Graev Review

For myself, the graphics on High are gorgeous The gameply of aiming and shooting mobs like in an FPS is unique and different. Its also fun... for the forst few hours. Then it gets very very old real quick. They have quests for you to kill 400 of a mob. I'm sorry but that's worse than anything World of Warcraft ever came up with.

But the biggest transgression for me was the classes. In any MMORPG or RPG game, a player should be excieted to level up. Tabula Rasa fails on this point. The names and descriptions of their classes are mandane and ordinary. Enduring over 30 levels in this game, you can look forward to becoming a Spy, Sniper, Engineers, Medic and several more classes I won't bother to mention. Uhhhhh... Medic? What genius thought that Medic as a high level class description was a good idea?

To top all this off, I have some beef with Richard Garriott. If you read the blogsphere, many people seem to think of him as some visionary and such junk. What many many many of them forget or don't know is that he was the idolt that was responsible for Ultima IX: Ascension. A game so broken that on launch day, less than 50% of people could play it on their systems and those that did were faced with game breaking bugs.

I was one of those dumbasses who paid over $70 for the Dragon Edition of the game and it was at that point that I vowed that Richard Garriott went from the hero who invented the Ultima series to an untrust worthy ass and who's future games would need significant success before I ever paid another dollar for.

That said I see Tabula Rasa as a game that might rival LoTRO in fame initially, but will need to improve their end game significantly before it will be worth my dollars.

Labels: Computer Games, Gaming

Posted by emyln at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

I'm a gamer, as in a computer gamer. Have been since I was 14 years old when my parents got me my first computer and probably will be for the rest of my life.

All gamers are look for their next "fix". Almost like an addict. I've been playing World of Warcraft for the past 2+ years and it's very rare to find a game that can catch my interest for longer than 3 months. That's why Online games are catching on like wildfire, they have the unique ability to capture a gamer's interest for long periods, giving us our fix.

Sadly, the summer months are notorious for being slow game months and now that I'm over World of Warcraft, I'm finally finishing up some games like Neverwinter Nights 2 and Final Fantasy XII.

Yesterday I found a cute little game called Fairy Godmother Tycoon. Its only $20 and really fun. I highly recommend getting the demo and trying it out for yourself.

Labels: Computer Games

Posted by emyln at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

Here's the latest revision that Nintendo made to their sales forecast.

Bottomline, Nintendo's net income is 120,000 million yen. That's over 1 Billion dollars or more accurately $1043478260.87 which is very impressive. Of course that's Net Income, profit is a whole other matter. It involves subtracting taxes and operating costs, etc. So this number should be whittled down quite a bit.

Me thinks that this poster on Digg never took accounting classes. He equated Net Income with Net Profit. However, unlike Microsoft and Sony who lose money with each console system they sell, Nintendo actually makes a profit with every single unit. And with the success of the Wii, I think its good to be Nintendo right now.

Labels: Computer Games, News

Posted by emyln at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

Just installed my copy of Neverwinter Nights 2 last week and I'm in 7th Heaven. If you've never played Neverwinter Nights and you enjoy the RPG games then hesitate no longer. Get this game.

The Good
- This game follows D&D 3.5 edition rules. It chock full of D&D goodness. If you currently play D&D or have enjoyed D&D in the past, get this game and wait no longer.
- Playing a Mage used to be a pain as you could only memorize spells once every 8 hours. Well its now called resting and it lasts 5 secs. I know its a departure from D&D rules but it works really well for a computer game.
- Wizards too slow and stuffy? Then try out the new Warlock class. Trust me on this one. Warlocks were over powered in pen n paper D&D, but in a computer game, THEY ROCK!
- 9th level spells are included, which means level progression goes all the way till level 20
- Races and Classes. They have done absolute wonders here, allowing players to play a myrid of sub races such as Drow and Tanglefoot halflings. Oh and beware, Drow do have a +2 level racial adjustment.
- This game uses the reputation system introduced in Knights of the Old Republic. This is a VERY good thing. Each decision tree discussion in game could cause you to lose faction with your party members. EXCELLENT!
- Charisma is no longer a filler talent. My 1st character was a warlock and I enhanced my Diplomacy and Bluff skills. trust me, it paid off very well in several game options. This also means the campaign story is excellent!!!
- Don't fret about hating the first 1-5 levels too much. The tutorial (which plays as the prologue for the campaign) will up you to level 3 by the time Act 1 starts.

The Bad
- Fairly high system requirements.

The Ugly
- Not everything is hunky dory. Many people are having problems patching the game. I had about 5.5 GB of free HDD space and while patching the game, it would say insufficient space! Well, I did 2 things. (1) I Patched my windoes update. Reason for this was the game will install .NET Frame 2.0 on your system. But you need to go to microsoft's website to download the additional patches for Frame 2.0 Once this is done, ensure you have about 6.5 GB of space on your HDD and patching should go smoothly. I know this is totally retarded, a game needing 6.5 GB to patch itself? Just swallow it and patch, you'll be happy you did when the game starts.
(Face facts, Atari is the publisher and we all know Atari's support is TERRIBLE!)


I'm currently leveling 3 different characters at the same time. Isale, a chaotic neutral Human Warlock. Sialeeds, a Chaotic Good Sun Elf Mage. Dro'shanji, a Lawful Evil Thiefling Monk. Its AWESOME! The plot is the same right now but even then, the game play for all 3 is so different. Sialeeds - Sun Elf Wizard with 20 Intelligence

Tips:
- If you're a Warlock, get the feat Point Blank Range. You'll need it.
- If you're a Mage, 2 spells to ALWAYS memorize is Mage Armor and Ghostly Vistage

I highly recommend this game, especially if you enjoyed the Baldurs Gate series and Neverwinter Nights. I give it a 8/10 for RPG gamers and a 9.5/10 for D&D fans. Isale - Human Warlock with 18 Charisma

Labels: Computer Games

Posted by emyln at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is a game where you can build your own Rollercoaster and essentially a theme park. If you've never played it you should try it out, it even lets you ride the Rollercoasters you create.

This guy made a park where all the people fill up in one path and then he sets up half a roller coaster. See what happens!

Labels: Computer Games, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

Been playing a new game called Titan's Quest. Its an amazing game, addicitive as heck. It's basically a Diablo2 clone. You have different classes and skills, tons of magical items, and even set items. Its got 3 levels of difficuilty, Normal, Epic and Legandary. Sound familiar?

Unlike Diablo2 the maps are not random but it does come with an editor so expect lots of future player created maps. The game is in full 3D, is very polished and looks amazing. There are 3 "acts" like in Diablo2, but here its called Greece, Egypt and China. The quests and storylines are very well done.

But its not all a bed of roses. Many have graphics problems including yours truly. I had to download a program called ATItools and basically underclock my graphics card to avoid crashes. The fact that I can still rave about the game despite my techincal issues should show you how good it is.

Currently I'm a Pyromancer and eventually I intend to be a Summoner. If you liked Diablo2, you'll love this game.

PS. Its single player only, although you can have lan and internet games. Sorry no Battlenet.com

Labels: Computer Games

Posted by emyln at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

Ever heard of a little game called Sim City? How about The Sims? Now, be prepared for SPORE!!!!!

SPORE will literally be THE hottest game when it is released in 2007. Why? The same makers of SimCity and The Sims is making SPORE> Think.... being able to create almost any creature your imagination can think up. This creature will undergo evolution and evolve. Eventually your creature (type) could become an actual race that discovers the written word, civilization, space travel, global domination. What's next? why the galaxy of course! (PC Game) (Official Site)

Labels: Computer Games, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

The number 2 spot goes to.... WOW. I've been playing WOW for 18 months now so obviously I'm hyped about this game. There's Jewel crafting, soacked items, Lvl 70, 2 new races, New spells and flying mounts. This is a confirmed purchase for me and my only question is will it be out this November? (PC Game) (Official Site)

Labels: Computer Games, WOW, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

If you like PC gaming and RPG then this game needs no introduction. The first NWN was pretty good but even better was the ability to create your own adventures. This time round its 3D, huge advance in graphics and using D&D 3.5 rules. Nuff said. (PC Game) (Official Site)
- They are using the Faerun book: Subraces like Assimar and Thiefling are included.
- Alignment is Impt for Quests/Rewards/Companions
- Characters will be able to get Strongholds (WOOT!)

Labels: Computer Games, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

Think Diablo2. Randomly generated maps, Skill trees, tons of weapon types from guns to magic. But this time its 3D, and you can choose 3rd person or 1st person view. I get more and more interested about this title as the months go by. The only thing I want to know is how will multiplayer be like? (PC Game) (Official Site)

Labels: Computer Games, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments

Yes its another Final Fantasy game but before you roll your eyes, take a look at the trailer. This FF looks amazing with a darker storyline than any of the others (ie. more adult oriented). The graphics and music are top notch as are all FF games and the gameplay really looks cool to me. This is already out in Japan and will be coming in October 2006 on the PS2.

Labels: Computer Games, YouTube

Posted by emyln at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Its been a really great week for me, watching all the game trailers and browsing forums and sites about E3 news.

I won't comment on the hardware wars because anything said now is pure speculation but I will post my Top 5 picks of hottest games to come.

Labels: Computer Games, Entertainment News

Posted by emyln at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

Games aren't just for kids anymore. Sure we've known that, but the masses don't seem to think so. A recent poll featured on MSNBC could start to change all that, however. From the article: "According to a new AP-AOL Games poll, 40 percent of American adults play games on a computer or a console. Men, younger adults and minorities were most likely to play those games. Among those who describe themselves as gamers, 45 percent play over the Internet."

[Source:Joystiq]

Labels: Computer Games, Entertainment News

Posted by emyln at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

Two bundles of the PS3, one with a 20 gigabyte hard drive and one with a 60 gigabyte one.

November 11th launch in Japan.

20 Gigabyte PS3 - US$499 US/Europe November 17th
60 Gigabyte PS3 - US$599 US/Europe November 17th.
By the end of March 2007, they will have shipped 6 million units. (This basically means there is going to be a worldwide shortage of PS3's on Nov 17th. But better than with XBOX 360 )

The PS3 will have an online marketplace that will, at the very least, allow you to download songs for your SingStar game. It will also work with the PSP in interesting ways, such as using the PSP as a "wing-mirror" for Formula-One racing. In this mode, the PSP shows you the rear view while your 60" Plasma shows you the front view.

The Blu-ray disc drive sets the PS3 apart from the XBOX 360, which currently has a standard DVD player built-in but plans to offer HD-DVD, a Blu-ray competitor, in the near future.

A big surprise: the new PlayStation 3 Controller. It looks and feels very much like a PlayStation 2 Dual Shock controller, but it has a secret inside: tilt and motion sensitivity with six degrees of freedom. While they demonstrated mostly tilt-based functionality, the controller is reported to also track horizontal and vertical movement, which emulates most of the Nintendo Wii controller functionality.

PS. For those that don't know, Nintendo's next generation system was previously called Nintendo Revolution but in the past few weeks it has been officially called WII. (Pronounced Wee)
This is the actual stock photo of what the PS3 will look like.
Here are the differences between the "base" and "premium" version of the console.
* You lose 40GB (20GB base vs. 60GB)
* You lose HDMI output
* You lose MemoryStick / SD / CompactFlash slots
* You lose 802.11 b/g wireless
* You save $100
Bottom line? Skip the base version. Why? The whole idea of Blue-ray is True HDTV, but without HDMI its just a very expensive beefed up PS2 machine.

Labels: Computer Games, Entertainment News

Posted by emyln at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

E3 or the Electronic Entertainment Expo is the largest game expo in america. Any game that has even a slightest chance of being the next big hit will be at E3. Companies (like Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) spend millions here to promote their next big game or game machine. And all gamers (like me) await E3 because this is also when companies release information and trailers and demo's on their upcoming games.

E3 2006 started Yesterday in Los-Angeles, California and will last till May 12th. So expect lots of E3 gaming updates this week. If you want more in depth info on E3 visit this site.

Labels: Computer Games, Entertainment News

Posted by emyln at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments