May 14, 9:00 am
I’m a sucker for HD remakes. While it’s nice to see a game revamped and redone completely, sometimes they’re best staying just the way they were originally – with a fresh coat of paint. Some prime examples of incredible HD remakes are Perfect Dark, the Jak and Daxter Trilogy, and Beyond Good and Evil HD. Same great gameplay, but more visually appealing.
Furthermore, there are many titles out there I dream of seeing remade in HD, while still having the general gameplay untouched. These solid titles need not be changed, and I miss them so very dearly.
Kingdom Hearts
The first two Kingdom Hearts games hold a special place in my… heart (cheesy, I know). These action-rpg titles had some of the most memorable cast of characters I’ve ever seen in any game, and this includes some of the new original characters as well. Of course having some of the Final Fantasy and Disney cast make appearance really helped feed into that, but even the three main original characters: Sora, Riku, and Kairi, were so unforgettable. Let’s not forget the gameplay, though. Kingdom Hearts 2 had some of the most difficult battles I will not forget (Sephiroth, anyone?). They really nailed it with the characters, story, environments, and good ol’ challenging gameplay.
Tales of Symphonia/ Abyss
I have some very fond memories of Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss. Like I mentioned about Kingdom Hearts, these games had some memorable characters I don’t think I could ever forget, and the gameplay was very thrilling, especially when played with a friend. Good RPGs are hard to come by, and I would love to get my fix by playing these games again in HD goodness.
Timesplitters
I was a huge fan of the Timesplitters series back in the day, and I cannot even imagine the excitement that would run through me if these titles ever received HD remakes. Particularly, Timesplitters 3 was fulfilling in the fact that you could shoot heads off, but at the same time, this game had some of the best humor I have ever seen in a game. The multiplayer was also fantastic, especially for its time (even though monkeys had the advantage for the most part, apart from ducks on the snow level). I would love to see this title come back in HD, with the multiplayer included. Timeplitters will always be one of my favorite shooters.
Maybe one day we will see some, or all (wishful thinking), of these titles come back to our television screens in HD glory. What are some games you would like to see remade in HD?
Apr 30, 9:00 am
Oh the joys of MMOs – can’t get enough of them. However, not all MMOs are capable of keeping me engaged for prolonged and unholy lengths of time. It really takes a special game to do that (namely, the PVP has to be good *cough*).
I’ve been keeping up with Tera Online for some time now, and have been eager to try it out. Once the open beta dropped, I was thrilled to get my hands on it. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Not at all.
First and foremost, the game looks absolutely gorgeous – the environments and the characters, along with everything else. After traversing the landscapes and entering the town called Velika, I pretty much decided I’d live there if I could. One can wish, right? I’m also a big fan of character customization, and there are plenty of options in that department.
However, the most important part of an MMO in my opinion is the PVP. But first I want to go over the combat in general. Unlike most MMOs out there that require you to tab or click your target to focus them while your spells and abilities pretty much automatically head in their direction, Tera takes a more action related approach. To elaborate further, a reticule is always on your screen (unless you press esc or alt on the keyboard to click around the UI), and simply moving your mouse will cause your character to look in the direction of the reticule. If you’ve played the F2P MMO, Dragon Nest, you will notice a little bit of a similarity in regard to that mechanic. In short, it’s brilliant and refreshing to have to actually aim your attacks at your target. I’m a big fan of this.
As far as PVP goes, I didn’t get a chance to try it out apart from dueling, but I do have very high hopes. My first opponent was a Priest, and I played a Slayer. Early in the duel I hopped around a bit (and shortly discovered that you’re more likely to be knocked down by doing that) and played around with the general mechanics. The Priest had a lot of distance on me and kept wailing spells at me while I stood afar and had to take the hits. After suffering about a third of my health to this Priest, I tried getting closer so I could use my gigantic sword on his face! However, he was kiting pretty well, which posed a challenge. I discovered that simply running up to him alone would not work, so I started executing my dodge ability and it worked like a charm. His kiting efforts were futile, and I left my first duel with a victory. I moved on to defeat a Berserker as well, but later lost to a Warrior, which brought me back down to earth. At least for a little bit.
Now that the game is about to launch, I can hardly contain my excitement. I may be a big MMO gamer, but I’ve never been that engaged in PVE. When it comes to MMOs, I do what is absolutely necessary in PVE and jump into PVP without looking back. Although, I must admit, I actually enjoyed the PVE elements in the Tera beta. The quests were similar to many typical MMO quests in general. Some farming quests, gathering, boss fights, etc. The combat is so fun to execute though, so it doesn’t feel so much like a grind.
In conclusion, Tera Online will consume a large portion of my life, no doubt about that. Be sure to join me in Basilisk Crag – make sure you bring your game face.
See ya on the battlefield,
-Cryptik
Apr 04, 9:00 am
Overview
Hours:
Friday, April 6th 10:00am — 6:00pm
Saturday, April 7th 10:00am — 6:00pm
Sunday, April 8th 10:00am — 6:00pm
Ubisoft Booths:
Booth# 824
Booth# 836
Location:
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
415 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Assassin’s Creed III invites players to experience the untold story of the American Revolution through the eyes of a new Assassin, Connor. Designed from the ground up over more than two years, Assassin’s Creed III takes one of gaming’s most beloved franchises to new heights.
SWAG: Assassin’s Creed branded playing cards and t-shirts will be awarded to attendees for answering trivia questions and participating in line activities. In addition, attendees will also receive a PAX exclusive Assassin’s Creed inflatable tomahawk!
PRE-ORDER: Pre-order Assassin’s Creed III at the Ubisoft booth to score some limited Assassin’s Creed III t-shirts and Steel Books!
Beyond the limits of civilization lies an island, a lawless place ruled by piracy and human misery, where your only escapes are drugs or the muzzle of a gun. This is where you find yourself, trapped in a place that’s forgotten right from wrong, a place that lives by the principles of violence.
SWAG:On Friday only, attendees will have the opportunity to get their own Far Cry 3 tribal themed tattoo. On Saturday and Sunday, a barber will be on-sight for your chance to get a Far Cry 3 branded Mohawk and receive a red tank top just like Vaas wears in the game. Photographers will be available to take pictures of attendees who participate in these activities and upload the photos on the Far Cry facebook page.
PRE-ORDER: Attendees who pre-order at the Ubisoft booth will receive a Far Cry 3 pint glass!
There is nothing fair, honorable, or just about combat. There is only winning and losing - the dead and the living. The Ghosts don’t fret about even odds. They do everything in their power to overwhelm and obliterate the enemy. Future technology is the key to winning an asymmetric battle. In Ghost Recon Future Soldier join an elite team of highly trained, cut-throat special-ops soldiers. Armed to the teeth with unrivalled combat technology and cutting-edge military hardware, Ghost Recon takes you to the globe’s most deadly warzones to hunt down the highest value targets. Only the dead fight fair.
SWAG:Everyone who participates in the multiplayer demo will receive a raffle ticket and have a chance to win GUNNAR Optik glasses, Ghost Recon Future Soldier beta code dog tags, Ghost Recon key chains, and a Limited Edition Abuv t-shirt and button pack.
PRE-ORDER:Pre-order your copy of Ghost Recon Future Soldier at the Ubisoft booth to receive a lenticular green-screened Ghost Recon themed photo of yourself!
PLAY: Ghost Recon online, Mad Riders, Trials HD, I Am Alive, Monster Burn, Moto Heroes, Prince of Persia Classic HD, and Babel!
TOURNAMENTS: Tournaments for Ghost Recon Online, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, and Far Cry 3 will be running every day of the show, so don’t miss your chance to show your skills and score some sweet swag in the process!
INTERACT:The Frag Dolls and Cadettes will be at all the Ubisoft booths helping attendees demo all the incredible games. Come hang out with us—but don’t forget to check in at our booth on Foursquare. Show us, and we’ll give you a cool prize!
LIVESTREAMING: For those who cannot make it to PAX, have no fear, you can still watch us livestream every day of the show from the Twitch.tv booth! We will be featuring Assassin’s Creed III, Far Cry 3, and Ghost Recon Future Soldier.
This PAX East will be the best one yet, and we are very excited to see many of you there!
Mar 28, 9:00 am
Every PC gamer cherishes the lovely moments of building their gaming rig from the ground up – such a glorious experience. It’s like making a baby… kind of. Or not. Needless to say, having a PC you put so much time and effort into customizing can certainly make you feel like a proud parent of a hunk of metal, plastic, and wires.
Much to my happiness, and my wallet’s dismay, the time has come for me to once again build my dream PC – within reason. I wanted to stick to a reasonable budget, but at the same time, I didn’t want to limit myself too much. Having said that, I think I found a happy balance.
Take a look at some of my specs:
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500k Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz Quad Core (Will overclock)
• Memory: 8GB
• Hard Drives: Intel 520 Series 120GB SATA III SSD (for OS booting) and Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
• Graphics Card: MSI N560GTX-Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB (Will probably upgrade again in a couple months)
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3
• PSU: 650W
• Case: COOLER MASTER Storm Scout
Of course, PC building doesn’t end with what’s inside. Eventually I want to set up a sweet triple monitor setup, but in the meantime, I’ll be using the ASUS VE247H 23.6” HD monitor.It’s so gorgeous!
Undoubtedly, there’s not much point in having a killer gaming PC if you suit it up with crappy gear. I wanted nothing less than the best, and that’s why my PC will be fully equipped with Razer Ferox speakers, the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth mechanical gaming keyboard, and the Razer Naga Molten gaming mouse. I also have quite a few different Razer headsets that I’ll be using when strategizing with my teammates on Ventrillo.
So there you have it. My baby… erm, hunks of metal. I’m anxiously waiting for all the parts to come in the mail so I can put this together, which will be any day now. Be sure to stay tuned to the Frag Dolls TwitchTV channel, because I will definitely be livestreaming some awesome games there.
GLHF,
Mar 19, 9:00 am
Recently I had the chance to go to SXSW for the first time ever, and I have to admit, it was one of the most fun events I have ever attended. Of course, hanging out and working with my fellow Frag Doll, SiREN, made everything infinitely more fun. I’m pretty sure we fit in rather well in the weirdly awesome city that is Austin.
Nevertheless, it comes as no surprise that the game SiREN and I were promoting was Rocksmith — ever so fitting for SXSW. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13 years old, and I honestly cannot get enough of this game. Though I already have over 10 years of experience playing the guitar, Rocksmith really does help me improve my abilities each and every time I play it. Watching attendees play at the event was very exciting as well, because I got to witness Rocksmith work its magic on players of all different skill levels — beginners, amateurs, pros, and flat out noobs. Needless to say, Rocksmith was quite the crowd pleaser.
When we weren’t working, SiREN and I met up with our good buddy/ fellow Frag Doll community member, Chase, and took some time to explore Austin a bit. I really can’t stress enough how awesome this city really is; I was blown away. The food trucks had some of the tastiest treats ever, and walking around 6th Street late at night was definitely a crazy adventure. Oh, and eating a whopping plate of French Toast at 3:00 in the morning was just plain awesome. Good food, good music, good people, we had a blast!
While I couldn’t capture all of our SXSW adventures, I did manage to get a video of SiREN and I nearly crashing to our doom in a petty cab.
SXSW 2012 was so incredible, I undoubtedly want to make this event a yearly tradition of attending. Now that the excitement has died down, I’m absolutely pumped for PAX East next month. Will you be there? Let us know!
Until next time,
