So Dawn Guard and Hearthfire have been out for a few months now with both adding several hours more Skyrim goodness to my spare time. However, due to my excessive playing and no Elder Scrolls game for at least another four years (which I will hate waiting for) DLC is a very good idea for fans. I, as a fan, would pay any amount of money to play more of Skyrim or have more varieties and differences from each of my characters. Enter Dragonborn DLC...
The main idea for this DLC is a hint from Bethesda's file names that you might be able to MOUNT DRAGONS. That's right; mount dragons. Some have said that this would kill the game as the story would not make much sense anymore but just imagine firing spells/arrows off your massive dragon as you torpedo towards an enemy. It might not make much sense anymore but it does sound pretty awesome.
Excitement for past Elder Scrolls' fans comes the idea that there are quest markers put in place that feature places in Morrowind, so a tour back to places like Solstheim, Telvanni, Castle Karstaag, Raven Rock and Miraak Temple could be on the cards. Personally, I'd like to visit Morrowind due to my lack of experience in the region which I would like to reconcile by spending several real-time days there. There's also Morrowind armour being available which would spice up dressing up characters a bit more and bring back some nostalgia for those that remember such things.
I'm certainly looking forward to the Dragonborn DLC and looking at the hints, it could be the best DLC for Skyrim yet. The price tag is still unconfirmed but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 1200-1600 MSP which can be seen as quite steep by a lot of people including me. Time will tell whether it will be worth buying but, as always, I'll be giving this blog updates on how the DLC will eventually pan out. Here's hoping it will be as good as it looks!
SkyrimAddict
Monday 22 October 2012
Thursday 18 October 2012
Assassin's Creed: Revelations: A very late review...
For Christmas last year, one of my main presents was Assassin's Creed: Revelations (AC: R). I have always been a massive fan of the series since my obsession with the first Assassin's Creed all those years ago... Anyway, I didn't play it straight away; I had Skyrim to keep me more than occupied despite my tradition of having the first game played on my Xbox 360 after Christmas being an Assassin's Creed game. I eventually got round to playing the game and due to two months or so of playing Skyrim, I just felt underwhelmed by the whole experience... It wasn't as big or as diverse an open world as Skyrim and it felt more like a movie than a game. I played up until Ezio Auditore da Firenze gets to Constantinople for the first time and then gave up to play more Skyrim. So... What brings me back? Assassin's Creed 3. I needed to play all of them to get an idea of what's going on. So, a few days ago I tore myself away from FIFA 13, sat down and played AC: R for the first time in about ten months... What have I been missing?!
Set in Constantinople when Ezio is in his 50/60s, the master assassin's main quest is to find the five Masyaf keys scattered around the city in underground spaces that require an assassin's touch to complete. The challenges over the five keys are varied from 3D platforming puzzles to on-rails chases to just plain-old killing everyone in sight... Which is nice... As usual for an Assassin's Creed game, there's a tonne of stuff to do which will keep you occupied for a few days/weeks/months/years depending on if you get addicted to it, which is likely. There's Sofia quests to do which involves recovering books and you meet the sultans of the Ottoman empire, do their dirty work and get angry at them... Obviously... This is Ezio's last game and it is suitably tear-jerking at his last scene. I won't spoil it for you though; you'll have to play it for yourself :P
The Ezio part of the story takes up about 80-90% of the campaign and for the other parts of the story, you have to complete Ezio's storyline so as to re-live parts of Altair's life and you have to collect Animus data fragments from around Constantinople to play through Desmond's life. This is most likely Altair's last game too and as such, it ties up all the loose ends and answers all the questions that fans such as myself may have had like what happened after Assassin's Creed (1) and did Altair find anymore pieces of Eden. As with the Ezio storyline, the end of this one is equally as gut-wrenching due to the amount of my time played on AC. Desmond's is weird. His story takes place inside the Animus due to a lack of synchronisation from him and his ancestors due to AC: Brotherhood and the end of that story (you really have to play all four to get all the references). It's not as emotional but is equally as interesting as the other two are passionate.
There's also a continuation on from AC: Brotherhood's multiplayer which I've had a few hours on and it is still as fun as Brotherhood's with a larger variety of ways to kill people now but with the same core mechanics that makes the multiplayer as fun and as stressful as last time.
I put off playing this game because of Skyrim. I have had lots of chances in the past to play it again but passed on all of them. I'm glad I finally did play AC: R but I'm also glad that Ezio and Altair's stories have been finished for two reasons; 1. Ezio's had three games and was beginning to get stale. 2. There were so many unanswered questions from Altair's life and 3. AC3 is going to be completely different and I cannot wait to play it. Less than a fortnight left!
Oh, and if you're thinking about buying this game, make sure you buy all of them. It won't cost more than £45 for all 4 and most probably quite a lot less, to be honest. For this post's link under my user name, there's a Let's Play from RoosterTeeth as they play on mulitplayer... It's very funny.
SkyrimAddict
Let's Play Assassin's Creed: Revelations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-5CmCnmbVg
Set in Constantinople when Ezio is in his 50/60s, the master assassin's main quest is to find the five Masyaf keys scattered around the city in underground spaces that require an assassin's touch to complete. The challenges over the five keys are varied from 3D platforming puzzles to on-rails chases to just plain-old killing everyone in sight... Which is nice... As usual for an Assassin's Creed game, there's a tonne of stuff to do which will keep you occupied for a few days/weeks/months/years depending on if you get addicted to it, which is likely. There's Sofia quests to do which involves recovering books and you meet the sultans of the Ottoman empire, do their dirty work and get angry at them... Obviously... This is Ezio's last game and it is suitably tear-jerking at his last scene. I won't spoil it for you though; you'll have to play it for yourself :P
The Ezio part of the story takes up about 80-90% of the campaign and for the other parts of the story, you have to complete Ezio's storyline so as to re-live parts of Altair's life and you have to collect Animus data fragments from around Constantinople to play through Desmond's life. This is most likely Altair's last game too and as such, it ties up all the loose ends and answers all the questions that fans such as myself may have had like what happened after Assassin's Creed (1) and did Altair find anymore pieces of Eden. As with the Ezio storyline, the end of this one is equally as gut-wrenching due to the amount of my time played on AC. Desmond's is weird. His story takes place inside the Animus due to a lack of synchronisation from him and his ancestors due to AC: Brotherhood and the end of that story (you really have to play all four to get all the references). It's not as emotional but is equally as interesting as the other two are passionate.
There's also a continuation on from AC: Brotherhood's multiplayer which I've had a few hours on and it is still as fun as Brotherhood's with a larger variety of ways to kill people now but with the same core mechanics that makes the multiplayer as fun and as stressful as last time.
I put off playing this game because of Skyrim. I have had lots of chances in the past to play it again but passed on all of them. I'm glad I finally did play AC: R but I'm also glad that Ezio and Altair's stories have been finished for two reasons; 1. Ezio's had three games and was beginning to get stale. 2. There were so many unanswered questions from Altair's life and 3. AC3 is going to be completely different and I cannot wait to play it. Less than a fortnight left!
Oh, and if you're thinking about buying this game, make sure you buy all of them. It won't cost more than £45 for all 4 and most probably quite a lot less, to be honest. For this post's link under my user name, there's a Let's Play from RoosterTeeth as they play on mulitplayer... It's very funny.
SkyrimAddict
Let's Play Assassin's Creed: Revelations - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-5CmCnmbVg
Thursday 11 October 2012
FIFA Freezing
- This is just a quick update to the "review" I posted earlier today -
I've played the Career mode twice. Once for a season with West Ham United and one with Bristol Rovers. Both times during the summer transfer window of the second season, the game freezes on me. And it continues to freeze. No reaction from the controller. Nothing. Looking on the Internet, people are saying they have a similar problem and it is an absolute shame because it is a great game. But, there needs to be a fix or update for it because at the moment, it ruins the experience when you can't play the game you've put so much effort into or if think that the game you're playing will freeze on you, which has happened 100% of the time for me.
Fix it EA.
SkyrimAddict
I've played the Career mode twice. Once for a season with West Ham United and one with Bristol Rovers. Both times during the summer transfer window of the second season, the game freezes on me. And it continues to freeze. No reaction from the controller. Nothing. Looking on the Internet, people are saying they have a similar problem and it is an absolute shame because it is a great game. But, there needs to be a fix or update for it because at the moment, it ruins the experience when you can't play the game you've put so much effort into or if think that the game you're playing will freeze on you, which has happened 100% of the time for me.
Fix it EA.
SkyrimAddict
FIFA 13
There is a massive craze for FIFA games amongst my peers. Being 17 years old kind of makes me the prime target for EA and their annual release schedule but I don't mind it. About half of my "friends" on Xbox Live got the game the day it came out... as did I. I've been following the brand for about six years now with my first game on my Xbox 360 being FIFA 09... Good times :')
Throughout the years, there has been a pattern in which one year there's a massive change or "revolution" of how the game is played and the next year is an improvement in which the game is refined or "evolved". This year is an "evolution" year. But don't be put off by that though; it's for the better.
The main new features of this game includes the use of variability of first time touches of the ball, Match Day mode and skill games...
First time touches - Changing this was a good idea; not all players can sponge the power of a shot as easily as Xavi or Messi and, depending on the power, angle, person passing and person receiving, the first time touch can be extremely erratic. I have played as Bristol Rovers, for example, and the way that balls fly everywhere when you try to play a clever pass, unlike division 1 teams, definitely adds to the realism of the game which can only be a good thing, right?
Match Day mode - Attempting to blur the gap between real football and simulated games comes Match Day mode; a game type where you can play current fixtures using current teams that have their ratings adjusted due to how they have been playing in real life. Playing as West Ham United, several players had their ratings adjusted with several defenders having their stats boosted due to a good defencive game the last time they turned out, whereas the injured footballers (Collision, O'Neil etc.) has their overall rating slashed due to a lack of "form" or at least, playing time. I played a few matches using this mode and it does feel good to have beaten the team that last thrashed your favourite side or to add to the victories. In all fairness though, it's not addictive and isn't essential to enjoying the game.
Skill games - Replacing the practise arena comes skill games; the new way that will make you addicted to FIFA for a few hours. Described as "helping beginners improve their game", EA has brought in an assortment of mini challenges that progress from Bronze to Silver to Gold and then to Skill Challenge in which getting Legendary status is what's required. The skill games are based on the basic attributes of players; shooting, short passing, lobbing, penalties etc. And at the point of writing, I have completed all skill games on Gold with one Skill Challenge on Legendary. They are great to waste a bit of time on when you find yet another match tedious but I have completed them quite easily, so maybe more to come? DLC?
In terms of the modes, there's FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), that allows you to relive some nostalgia due to its collector cards format, Seasons, that lets you play a series of games online against real people to progress to higher leagues and, of course, Career mode.
Career mode has always been my first port of call, as it were. When I a new FIFA game, I play about 50 hours on the Career mode before attempting other modes, just so that I can get used to the game. This time, however, I think I will probably spend more time due to an addition of several new features including internationals, different transfers, more interaction with your "team", the press and scouting.
The internationals part lets you play as an international side if you do well during the previous season. I, for example, played a season at West Ham. I won the league and the FA Cup and was offered to come and manage Peru, Bolivia or Chile... I'm not saying you start big but you don't have to give up your domestic side to manage your international team and I heartily recommend it.
The difference in transfers is not massive but it didn't need to be, anyway. The only real difference is the clubs won't let their star players go without some serious dosh laid out in front of them which can actually lead you to look elsewhere at lesser teams or future stars. This year you can also add players to a bid to secure a new player by offering them as part of the deal which is good for when your money is tight and nobody wants to buy that player anyway.
This FIFA also includes a considerable amount of more interaction and reaction from your players. During the transfer part, you have to say how the player will be used in the squad (crucial 1st team player all the way down to reserve team player) and if you don't keep your promises then the player will get really pissy with you. I bought two strikers due an injury problem. The two that were injured came back from injury. The two that I bought were in form and I enjoyed playing with them and so didn't change the strikers back. The two previously injured attackers got incredibly pissed off and demanded that they be transferred during the transfer period due to a lack of games. I can imagine that's what a real manager's life must be like and if so; I pity you managers because it is very frustrating.
The press is different this time in that rumours spread like wildfire and they seem to have an opinion on anything and everything you as the manager does. A player not scored in the last five games? Must be on the way out. A player refusing a contract? Disloyal. Refusing to take another job? Saint. Very much like real life, most of it is crap. Tread carefully.
Scouting is actually very similar to last year but I wanted to include it as I find it a great way of finding a new generation of stars. Definitely use it at the start of your career if you're planning long term.
The reviews for FIFA 13 are great. The game is, of course, great. If you like football/soccer then it's very, very good with only one negative of a career save that doesn't work due to freezing but it seems like an isolated incident so buy it anyway. Oh, and below my username is some more propaganda for you if you have some free time.
Enjoy.
SkyrimAddict
FIFA 13 propaganda - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KTWk2raYh8
Throughout the years, there has been a pattern in which one year there's a massive change or "revolution" of how the game is played and the next year is an improvement in which the game is refined or "evolved". This year is an "evolution" year. But don't be put off by that though; it's for the better.
The main new features of this game includes the use of variability of first time touches of the ball, Match Day mode and skill games...
First time touches - Changing this was a good idea; not all players can sponge the power of a shot as easily as Xavi or Messi and, depending on the power, angle, person passing and person receiving, the first time touch can be extremely erratic. I have played as Bristol Rovers, for example, and the way that balls fly everywhere when you try to play a clever pass, unlike division 1 teams, definitely adds to the realism of the game which can only be a good thing, right?
Match Day mode - Attempting to blur the gap between real football and simulated games comes Match Day mode; a game type where you can play current fixtures using current teams that have their ratings adjusted due to how they have been playing in real life. Playing as West Ham United, several players had their ratings adjusted with several defenders having their stats boosted due to a good defencive game the last time they turned out, whereas the injured footballers (Collision, O'Neil etc.) has their overall rating slashed due to a lack of "form" or at least, playing time. I played a few matches using this mode and it does feel good to have beaten the team that last thrashed your favourite side or to add to the victories. In all fairness though, it's not addictive and isn't essential to enjoying the game.
Skill games - Replacing the practise arena comes skill games; the new way that will make you addicted to FIFA for a few hours. Described as "helping beginners improve their game", EA has brought in an assortment of mini challenges that progress from Bronze to Silver to Gold and then to Skill Challenge in which getting Legendary status is what's required. The skill games are based on the basic attributes of players; shooting, short passing, lobbing, penalties etc. And at the point of writing, I have completed all skill games on Gold with one Skill Challenge on Legendary. They are great to waste a bit of time on when you find yet another match tedious but I have completed them quite easily, so maybe more to come? DLC?
In terms of the modes, there's FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), that allows you to relive some nostalgia due to its collector cards format, Seasons, that lets you play a series of games online against real people to progress to higher leagues and, of course, Career mode.
Career mode has always been my first port of call, as it were. When I a new FIFA game, I play about 50 hours on the Career mode before attempting other modes, just so that I can get used to the game. This time, however, I think I will probably spend more time due to an addition of several new features including internationals, different transfers, more interaction with your "team", the press and scouting.
The internationals part lets you play as an international side if you do well during the previous season. I, for example, played a season at West Ham. I won the league and the FA Cup and was offered to come and manage Peru, Bolivia or Chile... I'm not saying you start big but you don't have to give up your domestic side to manage your international team and I heartily recommend it.
The difference in transfers is not massive but it didn't need to be, anyway. The only real difference is the clubs won't let their star players go without some serious dosh laid out in front of them which can actually lead you to look elsewhere at lesser teams or future stars. This year you can also add players to a bid to secure a new player by offering them as part of the deal which is good for when your money is tight and nobody wants to buy that player anyway.
This FIFA also includes a considerable amount of more interaction and reaction from your players. During the transfer part, you have to say how the player will be used in the squad (crucial 1st team player all the way down to reserve team player) and if you don't keep your promises then the player will get really pissy with you. I bought two strikers due an injury problem. The two that were injured came back from injury. The two that I bought were in form and I enjoyed playing with them and so didn't change the strikers back. The two previously injured attackers got incredibly pissed off and demanded that they be transferred during the transfer period due to a lack of games. I can imagine that's what a real manager's life must be like and if so; I pity you managers because it is very frustrating.
The press is different this time in that rumours spread like wildfire and they seem to have an opinion on anything and everything you as the manager does. A player not scored in the last five games? Must be on the way out. A player refusing a contract? Disloyal. Refusing to take another job? Saint. Very much like real life, most of it is crap. Tread carefully.
Scouting is actually very similar to last year but I wanted to include it as I find it a great way of finding a new generation of stars. Definitely use it at the start of your career if you're planning long term.
The reviews for FIFA 13 are great. The game is, of course, great. If you like football/soccer then it's very, very good with only one negative of a career save that doesn't work due to freezing but it seems like an isolated incident so buy it anyway. Oh, and below my username is some more propaganda for you if you have some free time.
Enjoy.
SkyrimAddict
FIFA 13 propaganda - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KTWk2raYh8
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