Articles tagged with: Videogames

The Elder Diary: #20140418

As my spare time becomes more scarce and I prefer to write fewer blog posts but with more interesting content (at least more focused and containing less offtopic clutter), it's been quite a few months since I posted something about my painting progress or CRPG related entries.

As a summary, that I will probably do again in the future, this is more or less all what I've been doing:

Boardgames

D&D Castle Ravenloft: Not much to say, we played the first missions, it is interesting but hard to win the bad guys!

Our ongoing Risk Legacy campaign: Finished battle 9, really cool how the game develops, and still way to go until the map "becomes fixed".

Descent 2nd edition: I liked it so much I bought the base game. Expansions seem a bit meh, until I get tired of the base game I doubt will buy anything else.

Flash Point: A collaborative game where up to 6 firemen try to save 7 people from a house while fire and smoke spreads and causes explosions.

CRPGs

Braverly Default: I'm loving it. Same as Final Fantasy series are dead (last games being a disgrace), this is a nice spiritual successor, combining Final Fantasy III job system with summonable friend special moves and combat tweaks, plus configurable difficulty setting and encounter %. And lovely graphics. Did I already say I'm enjoying it a lot?

Zelda: A link between worlds: I was reluctant to play this because the 2D Link wasn't appealing, but I tried and I actually like a lot the puzzles, but I agree on the general consensus that it is quite easy. I haven't finished it yet, but due to lack of time.

Project X Zone: More tactical than RPG, it's very similar to Final Fantasy Tactics but with simpler "fighting-like" battles.

Diablo 3 expansion: Now it finally is a roguelike and action house went to hell, so has become what it should have been two years ago.

Warhammer Quest on iOS: Along ALL expansions, and now I'm playing the additional characters, so you can imagine how much I like this game. One of the best purchases for my iPad, it's so great to have a "portable WHQ" even for holidays.

Space Hulk: One of my big dissapointments, and not due to the game itself, because the mechanics are so nicely replicated, but due to the mess of technical issues and bugs that come and go on most game updates. From neverending turns to glitches, sound muting or crappy 3D performance (I recently updated my graphics card, which makes the situation even more absurd), if the game worked tecnhically correct it would be great.
Also the DLC plague made it a "just buy the basic game, and if on sale, better" approach.

Shadowrun Returns: After finishing the main game, how with the Berlin campaign/addon free for being a backer I'm having more netrunning and turn-based combat. I still have my hopes in the fan-made content for the long term, but even without it is a nice old-school like RPG.

Fire Emblem: Awakening: This was a cool strategy-RPG mix, that hooked me to my 3DS for weeks. I pumped 30+ hours to finish the main story and didn't managed to do every side-quest and character sub-plot, so it can become a really long game if you want.

RPGs

Not much, although I'm reading a lot of Warhammer 40,000 codexes for the lore and background (literally skipping the rules). I must have read around a dozen codexes, along with companion books (new Games Workshop way of squeezing more money, put half of the lore in another book), and of course the books which I still do reviews here.

But no pure RPGs since a while...

Painting & Assembling

I'm still assembling all Deadzone minis, plus a cool Imperial Knight and some unexpected things; GW's new website and the exclusive minis touched my collector weak point so I grabbed my wish list and now have a few more things to take care of.


I'm currently painting the Imperial Knight, and had some started minis pending (some old Rogue trader-era MKVI Space Marines and some Necron basic troops) also on the queue for whenever I want to change a bit.

As usual, with my rate of painting It'll take weeks, but I prefer to go slow but leave it in a decent painting level (decent for my skills, not for normal standards which are way higher).

Apart from normal miniatures, I've finally started painting a Star Trek Enterprise model I had from my trip to Australia a few years ago. I expect to finish it soon as I don't want to ad too many details.

Star Trek Enterprise model

Tags: Boardgames Deadzone Final Fantasy Miniatures Offtopic Painting Risk Legacy Roguelike Shadowrun Space Hulk Videogames Warhammer 40000


Everquest Next's Landmark Beta

Well, seems that there is already a signup for the winter beta of this nicely looking MMORPG.

Anybody can apply from here.

While the highly deformable terrain looks really cool and kinda like Minercraft, I'm going to let this one pass as my free time is quite scarce.

 

Source: Rock, Paper & Shotgun

Tags: MMORPG Videogames


Warhammer 40,000 games overflow? [Updated]

Videogames are an increasing source of piles of money, and Games Workshop has been "there" since long with all kind of games from their IPs, specially Warhammer Fantasy and 40k.

But lately, with yet another game announcement for Warhammer 40,000, it looks as a overflow of grim darkness ones while the fantasy worlds are left out. Let's recap all recently announced and released games:

  • Space Hulk: 2009's limited edition boardgame edition computer version, just released few weeks ago.
  • Warhammer 40,000 Eternal Crusade: MMO with strong PvP focus in development, scheduled for 2015. 3rd person battles between a few races, in theory could extend to all available ones with time in expansions.
  • Warhammer 40,000 Armageddon: Turn based strategy game. Imperial Guard + Space Marines vs Orks in the 2nd Battle for Armageddon setting. Probably for 2014.
  • "A Warhammer 40k game": Unspecified side-scrolling action game for smartphones and tablets. Not many details yet.
  • Warhammer 40,000 Space Wolf: A digital collectible card game about Space Wolves vs Chaos Space Marines and Necrons. In 2014.
  • Space Hulk: Deathwing: First Person Shooter depicting the famous Dark Angels chapter Deathwing company. You will control a single marine or librarian (I hope the CPU controls the rest or will be really weird "a one man army"). In 2014.
    UPDATE: Teaser video available.

Whoa, that's 6 games in the same setting... compare it with just one recent game for each of their active IPs (Blood Bowl, WHFB and Talisman) in the last months or even years, and you can clearly see where the trend goes...

But at least we will have plenty of options to choose from when not having our 40k minis at hand!

Tags: Videogames Warhammer 40000


Shadowrun Returns is looking really great

Shadowrun Returns logo

When I backed Shadowrun Returns at Kickstarter nearing a year ago I did it based on pure faith. SR was a game I read about when I was young but never had the chance to play. I now have the third edition book + companion so at least I can read and learn specific rules, but in general I love the aesthetics of this futuristic fantasy world and was curious about how the computer videogame might result.

Well, the first screens and "alpha gameplay" footage is here, and I can't be happier.

Screenshot

Screenshot

Screenshot

Screenshot

In the video we see conversation options, skill points assignment, combat and exploration modes (the first turn-based, the second realtime). It also has the "old school CRPGs" isometric view, but with hi-res graphics and what looks to be a simple but powerful user interface.

And best of all, the level editor is going to come with the PC version!

I love how the whole game is being done: open and transparent communication with backers, frequent updates, early screenshots and even videos, and no desire to get greedy; As they already have quite some money, even non-backers will get a nice RPG that will feature near-endless hours of fun due to the editor.

Tags: RPG Shadowrun Videogames


More proof that Warcraft was based on Warhammer

In 2011 I found some "mouth proof" from an ex Games Workshop sculptor about Warcraft being originally a computer version of Warhammer Fantasy.

This week, reading the Retro Gamer Magazine issue 111, I would more proof, this time from the other side.

Starting at page 86, there is an interview with Patrick Wyatt about the making of the first Warcraft videogame. Patrick was an ex-Blizzard designer and coder, so we're not talking about gossip but words from one of the game creators.

As the text fragment is in english no translation is needed, so read it for yourselves:

Making of Warcraft article excerpt

So that more or less settles the "legend" as confirmed. To what extent influenced or why the license was not used we will probably never know, but at least it is not fake.

Tags: Videogames Warhammer Fantasy