Grumpy Old Nerds

Well, another year, another batch of games to occupy our time.  We here at Grumpy Old Nerds felt that given this was our inaugural year of providing snarky commentary at a semi-regular frequency, we should at least give our favorites of 2011 (NOT named SWTOR).  So, naturally, we thought that the two loudest of the bunch would probably give us a decent list.  Well, they didn't disappoint, that is for sure.  So here now are the top 5 games from our own Mimic and Numbspoon.

Mimic's Top 5 Games of the Year

Gears of War 3

It pushes a solid war story that reminds you of those great WW2 epics while allowing you to be a deranged killing machine.

Batman: Arkham City

It's so well done that you really buy into the fact you're playing Batman himself.  It's not a game made to cash in, it's a game made to make you feel like you're really the dark knight.

Uncharted 3

 It rehashes a few things, but you really get that maturing feeling from the characters.  It shows character growth and doesn't ram it up your ass like a 10 ton hammer.

X-Men Destiny

It honestly was a good game, worth playing, and it can honestly be hours of fun if you stop looking for something to blow your mind.  It's just good on it's own, but 6 playthroughs worth of a game is well worth a high-honor to me. 

Captain America

It's not the movie, but it's sure as shit like you're playing the movie.  You're in WW2, the slang is there, the bad 40s humor is there, the washed out colors, even the style of dress is well done.  And you get to play the ultimate super soldier without trying to defy physics too often.  It was hard to do, but they did it well enough I'd be doing it a disservice by not mentioning it.

Numbspoon’s Top 5 Games of the Year

Portal 2

There was a time when you mentioned Valve and you would either think Half Life or Team Fortress.  So when the first Portal came out as essentially a FPS that did not involve any….well….shooting in the traditional sense, I was skeptical to say the least.  I played it, loved it and wanted a lot more.  Portal 2?  Gave me more.  It is visually engrossing, it makes you think of a solution rather than shoot your way through a problem, and the voice work?  Amazing.  I did not want to miss a single syllable uttered in that whole thing just because of how great it was.  I know we said we wouldn’t go in any particular order….but this is my Game of the Year.  Hands down.


Batman: Arkham City


This game could have easily been my Game of the Year had it not been for Portal 2.  The people behind this budding franchise have done what so many before them were incapable of doing: making good Batman games.  They got writers that know the subject matter, they got voice talent that is passionate about the characters as well as their own work, and it shows in every second of game play.  This is one that you should be giving a try even if you are not a fan of the Dark Knight simply because of how well done a game this is.


Uncharted 3

I am going to level with you all; the Uncharted series is the biggest reason why I own a PS3.  Like the two before it, Uncharted 3 tells us a great story, shows some character development and gives us some insight into what we could be seeing next from our pal Drake and company.  If Spielberg and Lucas are thinking about making another Indiana Jones movie, they need to stop what they are doing and pay attention to what Naughty Dog has put together with Uncharted.  Take notes, boys because these cats can write CIRCLES around you all.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

This one to me is a pick wrapped in nostalgia.  The first of this series was easily one of my favorites back in the day.  Invisible War was disappointing and I was afraid the franchise would die because of it.  Then Human Revolution finally came out and I have to say, it makes up for Invisible War and it was an enjoyable time.  Though, I do suggest that this one be played on the PC as the console experience isn’t as….rewarding.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Okay, look.  Some person on the staff….I won’t name any names but for the sake of argument I will just call them Spanky…hated this game.  Which is fine, it wasn’t the best of the franchise, I’ll admit.  But the multiplayer is without a doubt, one of the most fun experiences I have had online via a console game.  And the continuation of the Desmond Miles story was what I really enjoyed.  It wasn’t anything new in terms of game play, but if you consider that Ubisoft has been cranking these AC games out every year, it is truly hard to expect drastic changes.  Regardless, I liked the game and it is certainly worth a look.


So, there you have it.  Thanks to the guys for giving us their selections and hopefully we’ll get some more insight into the year that was 2011 before we’re through.  Keep your eyes peeled from more from us in the years to come, and those of you that do visit the site, we just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the support and don’t stand in the grass.  Just mowed it and she’s fragile.   

Well I blew the 12 days of Christmas riff. Not entirely my own fault. Holidays sort of sucked my life away. Between work, spending time with my son, more work, and trying to get things done around the house in preparation for Christmas... I sorta didn't get to do what I wanted. So I'm sorry. There. I said it. Never again, though. So take this as everybody gets one, and you just got yours.

However I feel like I should post something now that work and life have slowed down, and what better thing to post than a review of The Old Republic's Jedi Knight? Now in the beta weekend I played a Knight, and I reviewed the Bounty Hunter's story for the site here because I felt it was due a lot of praise for how well it was handled. Now that I'm actually getting some playtime into TOR, I wanted to do the same for the Knight, but with a more expanded venue. So with some spoilers in coming, I'm here to review Act 1 of the Jedi Knight.

Story

As you start off your character has handed on Tython, the new home of the Jedi Order, and is suppose to begin his trials to become a fully fledged Jedi Knight. However the academy is under attack from local primitives now armed with blasters, and doing a pretty good job of stressing out the blaster deflection skills of the Jedi Order. Not to mention attacking and killing Padawans fairly regularly.

So you are thrown into helping since you're one of the most advanced students while the more advanced Jedi Knights are doing more heroic things. This... leads to a long road. Not because you're a chosen one, or that you're so extraordinary that the stars bend to your will, but because your story follows you being in the wrong place at the right time repeatedly. You're a hero, to be sure, but you're not some crusading uber-Jedi. You're just the guy who the Force picks on to do the dirty work. And it shows.

From helping save padawans from flesh raiders, to helping a local Twi'lek village with their issues, to unlocking secrets from the ruins of Tython (swarming with old droids), you just happen to be where you are needed. Really given credence to the whole "will of the Force" thing. In fact this whole planet may be a bit bland, but it's the sort of non-galactic threat that makes it more entertaining. You're not saving all of creation, your just doing something good (or maybe bad) with your own back yard. Of this: I approve.

Afterwards you go on to Coruscant to begin, what I like to call, the decent into hell. Not because Coruscant is bad, in fact it's really entertaining. From helping a guy find his kidnapped girlfriend, to resolving corruption in the Senate, there are dozens of things to do and not a lot of it really seems to affect the galaxy as a whole as an impending doom hanging over someone's head. It's the sort of thing you expect Jedi to do when they're not on some super task they write novels about.

However at the end you seal your own fate by facing down a Sith Lord who stole super-weapon plans and was nice enough to e-mail them to his dad. A REALLY high ranking Sith Lord you'll know well if you read the Deceived novel. Darth Angral. Now... let me make this clear, here. You were just doing a random assignment and you were just the closest one to the issue when things broke bad. Not that they thought a ranking Jedi Master couldn't do it and you could, but you were sort of the Obi-Wan Kenobi of this scenario. You were the only hope. The only one who was close enough.

After killing this Sith in front of Daddy and his home-boys (a whole group of Sith Lords) you've now got a mark on your head. One you keep finding as you travel from planet to planet to recover the Super-Weapon data that was stolen while the Masters take on more dangerous worlds. So they're not at the sidelines, in fact they give you the light work. Again: You're not Jedi-Jesus. Keep this in mind.

With every planet you get to face down another of the pantheon of Sith Lords. All of them are right royal bastards in their own right, and all of them want you dead because Angral says so. But does this really feel heroic? The short answer: Damn right it does! Through the play you never feel like you're some Chosen one, or that you're some unstoppable juggernaut who can do what the Jedi Council cant (though from time to time you can), and as you get closer to the end of the act every boss fight has more and more twists behind it. Mechanics or story, it doesn't matter. The fights aren't just "beat x guy down", there's something going on. It's not like Luke trashed Vader by standing in 1 spot and doing a rotation, you actually fight it out by knowing when to dodge and sometimes when to just hit them extra hard. And often times things get pretty interesting.

All of the fights are memorable, and you get exiting dialog of some sort every time. So it's not a "he's dead, go turn this in" sort of thing, you actually get invested in how things played out. And that's not including the fact that there is at least 1 Sith Lord you can turn into a Jedi. Yeah... I said it. JEDI SITH PUREBLOOD! But I digress... The story sometimes pulled me forward so much I had to leave to go level just to have a prayer of seeing what happens next. You wanted to keep going. And honestly it's just that good. There is no doubt in my mind that this story is so well written it could have been a series of novels and people would have read them gleefully. I know I would have.

Even David Hayter's voice not sounding like his usual Solid Snake didn't slow me down. At first I may have been disappointed, but after a while it grows on you. So much so that if I goof around on a Consular (voiced by the wonderful Nolan North) I feel like he's just too loud. And honestly those moments where ole Dave smarts off with a snarky comment are priceless. He doesn't do things by half, that's for sure. Like telling a "Jedi Killer" that he thought he'd be taller, or cracking a joke with a soldier about which way the gun points, it's well done, even if it takes a little while for it grow on you.

Game Play

This is where things get bad, kids. Not that I don't love the gameplay myself, it's great. But mechanics... ey. Let me start by saying you get a lot of tools in your kit to handle a lot of situations. Damage from built focus points, damage on cooldowns, tanking cooldowns, stun removers, knock backs, channeled damage abilities... you have a sizeable kit. And you can work through a lot of various issues. The problem is one of two things depending on your advanced class.

I've played a Maurader (Sith's version of a Sentinel) and my most beloved character a Jedi Guardian specced for Vigilance. However if you're a dual weilder you're squishy. And I mean REALLY squishy. Pretty much anything can blow you in half, so you have to hit hard, hit fast, and pray to God it dies before you do. On the other side the single saber... well it doesn't hit very hard. You can live through a long LONG string of betting pummeled, but you don't have the power behind you to cause massive damage. So you're slowly dying while barely scratching a boss.

And I've had some pretty epic last stand saber fights, I admit to that. But the talent tree for the Guardian doesn't get interesting until later levels, making all the early choices barely able to keep up with current content, much less shine. Now I'm the first to say I don't want easy content, but I don't want to be button mashing and praying for the stars to align so I can manage that perfect crit streak to win. There has to be a happy medium. And so far it's just not there.

The game is just out, it was released early (they admitted to that) and I hold out hope. So there will be no class changing for me, but throughout Act 1 I felt lack-luster. My story was so good it kept pulling me on, but by gameplay was horrible. Often times so bad I wanted to punch a wall and scream when I had to out level my class quests by 5-ish levels to have a chance to beat certain bosses. And I wont lie... I called in backup from a friend a few times. He wrecked all my stopping points with minimal effort, and I felt good for progressing along this amazing story, but I felt terrible because I needed help to do it. So you can see where a lot of mixed emotions come in with this game.

The Verdict

Between a lot of polish needed, some balancing required, and honestly just some bad design choices, this class is fun. You may want to bring a friend as you take on those big story fights to help you along, but you'll never feel like you're shorted on pure cool factor. If you're wanting a PvP review then I'm not the guy to talk to. I'm a very casual PvP player and honestly I may be good at being the underdog in a PvP match, but this class lacks to compete without support in PvP. At least from what I've seen so far.

People will cry foul for me smashing the difficulty, but you ARE talking to a guy who plays all his console games on easy for a reason. When it comes to this class, I think you'll have fun, and if you can get past Tython, get your ship and apprentice, then you're in the golden age. However just keep in mind that you'll have to be patient with it. Time will bring it where it needs to be, but until then? Enjoy the ride. And some day you can look back at newer Jedi Knights and say, "I beat Act 1 before the nerf bat sent it into orbit!"

And that's always a good thing.

Papa Mimic's Final Score: Under Construction

Never score something that's a work in progress, folks. And this class is just that: A work in progress. When things change (or Act 2) comes along I'll throw you another review, but until then enjoy your gaming, and I hope you had a great Christmas and a safe New Years.

Do we really need to say it?  We have only been going on about it since the last Beta weekend.  We've been spending as much time as we can there rather than working on this site, which...we are sorry.  But come on....you'd do the same thing if you were us.  But you really are going to make us say it.  Well, fine.  What we're looking forward to this week?  Is this:


That's right.  FINALLY!  This game has been eating away at us for months, YEARS even!  And finally it is upon us.  We have been loving this (mostly) and hope to continue to do so for some time after the "newness" wears off.  This, could have easily been the best game of this year, and next year for that matter....time will tell won't it?  So for those of you who have enjoyed the early release time?  Congratulations and keep up the good work in there.  The community, outside of a few issues has been great.  As for those of you who haven't picked it up yet?  Give it some thought.  It isn't your idiot neighbor's MMO.

Normally by now most people don't have their shopping done. You should, but most of you don't. You'll wait till the last second, praying for that perfect item to come in stock, or that sale on the item you want to get for someone (but don't want to fork over the cash). And every year you tell yourself "I'll have it done early next year." But do you ever? Well some do, I admit. But most of you? Nah. You're like me and slack off till the last second.

Fear not! For I have come to help you pick out gifts that most likely haven't been thought of, asked for, and fit into a small budget. These gifts may not fit your intended hopeful every time, but I'm here to review and suggest items to help out you last minute shoppers hoping to get what they want. Now this is in addition to the wonderful reviewed items we've done here. I couldn't recommend a copy of Gears of War 3 enough for a gamer. But they may already have that, or you can't fork over $60 for a friend in this economy.

So starting today I'm going to throw out three movie ideas for your movie lover. Different genres, and to be fair it's not the sort of thing most people think about right out of the gate. So without further pimping I present to you Papa Mimic's First day of Christmas (shopping).

Everyone has that friend who's into the sort of movies that seems absolutely outrageous. Or maybe you're like me and you like twisted concepts because they're fresh (or somewhat fresh) and they appeal to you. However there are few classic movies with that sort of feel. Every so often someone makes a movie with a concept that cannot be repeated. And in moments like these there is only one true movie that stands out: The Crow.

Sure it's well known for being the movie that killed Bruce Lee's son. Hell, it's also filled with images that make you question if perhaps the director was a closet Emo, but there's no denying this movie was good. It may be strange, it may be violent as hell, but it really expanded the concept of what could happen if you tried to fuck up someone's happy ending. This movie has been one of my favorites since it came out, and now it's out on blueray. So HD undead men with swords and guns who heal instantly? Yes please.

You can pick up a copy of this movie for less than $20, and even at your local Wal-Mart if you don't feel like being a pro and going Amazon or to a more major retailer like Bestbuy. Honestly for a Blue Ray this is a decent price, and considering the movie has endured well through the years on it's own, the face lift only makes it more accessible to your big movie fan who might enjoy a movie made before the Star Wars prequels.

The next movie on the list isn't actually a movie. It's a series. Now most people probably just flinched. A season of a series can go for as much as $80 without breaking a sweat. Entire series have gone as high as several hundred dollars. However you can get a complete series for a sci-fi show many consider to be the most under rated classic in history for a mere $26 if you catch it at the right place at the right time. AKA: Amazon right now. The series I mean? Firefly.

Originally a blend of Science Fiction meets a western, this show bombed in ratings quit simply because Fox is run by idiots. They rushed the show long and killed it by the time they were 10 episodes in. However the DvDs have a 12 episode list, and is a great distraction for anyone who has become a fan of Nathan Fillion from his work on Castle. In fact the show has made so many small nods (and sometimes big ones) to Firefly that it's no hard transition for even that crowd to enjoy this show.

And if they like it they'll probably fork over even more cash themselves to get the movie. However this is a great series that really is worth the time, and I'm sure you'll know someone who'll love it this holiday season. So if you can't afford a season of Castle or you just know a nerd who needs some love: There you go.

My final pick is for comedy fans. I figure we've covered gritty, science fiction with some action and some comedy, but what about the laughs?! Well I got you covered. Most people may not have seen this pick, which is sad. It's popular in that George Clinton the Parliament Funkadelic sorta way, but not in the Beiber sorta way (thank God). If you know someone who's sense of humor is somewhat crude, or if they just love people like Ryan Reynolds, then might I suggest 'Waiting'.

A movie about a day in the life of a crew who works at a restaurant, puts up with their own small life issues, and try to have a good time despite it. So if you know someone who works at even McDonalds, goes to college, or maybe just likes the idea of a cast FILLED with stars (I dunno how they afforded it) then they'll enjoy this one. And you may want to spread this word. Because Reynolds does state the cardinal rule of eating out: Don't fuck with the people who make your food. You have been warned.

That's today's gift ideas, and tomorrow I'll hand you some more. I do take ideas on a type of gift, so if you're stuck and need some advice, I'm here for you. And remember I'll be doing these once a day until Christmas it's self. And on Christmas day... well no more gift ideas (cheap bastards) but I'll throw you a little fun. So this is Mimic wishing you a safe and happy holiday season, and saying good night.

~Mimic

The VGAs were coming, and we here at Grumpy Old Nerds felt like we should be there...and then we realized the cost of travel, lodging, and actually getting in was a little too steep. So instead, we had our own Coolstorm and Numbspoon put on their finest tuxedo t-shirts and watch the event from their homes! So without any further adieu....

Numbspoon: Well, the Spike TV Video Game Awards were held on Saturday the 10th of December, and Coolstorm and I caught the whole thing.

Coolstorm: Unfortunately, usually with each year of the VGAs, only the first 15 minutes are worth watching to catch the really good trailers and then avoid the rest of the abomination, but sadly this year I was like a deer staring into headlights of an oncoming bus.

Numbspoon: There was no turning away, and for me it was a gross reminder that not only do the folks in charge of the event know NOTHING about the people in which the show is meant to be geared towards, they also can’t tell a joke to save their lives.

Coolstorm: Indeed, year after year the show comes off as unrehearsed, being filled with washed up has-beens for actors that have reached their peak of success and are trying so desperately to climb up to any further success they can get their greasy paws on.

Numbspoon: Exactly. So what we are going to do is just go over most of the aspects of the show and examine where they went wrong, what they did right (HA!), and anything in between. The usual review format, really. You ready to do this Coolstorm?

Coolstorm: Ready, Numbspoon. It won’t be pretty, but the worst has already happened to me for the night. I am hoping the nausea will subside.

Numbspoon: Well, I think the best place to start would be with the host. On paper, Zachary Levi ticked all of the things that I would expect from a host of an event such as this. He is a star of a show that has a fairly significant cult following, he himself plays games, and he can be a bit of a smartass. Here’s the problem though….he was pretty damn awful. Though I still would have taken him over Neil Patrick Harris.

Coolstorm: That’s a pretty bold claim. I am unable to say anything about NPH’s performance because let’s face it I watched last year’s VGAs only long enough to see the debut trailer for Mass Effect 3 and then went about my business. However, I am sure NPH was a lot more charismatic in his performance than Zachary Levi. Levi bored me nearly to sleep. This host definitely pulled off being a smart-ass, I won’t deny that. His executions on his jokes were horrible though. You said he plays games, but with his performance, it almost seemed to me like he knew just the basics. Like he had a brief read through of Video Games for Dummies before he stepped on stage.

Numbspoon: I do agree there. It seemed as though, despite what we are lead to believe, he knew damn near nothing. Which leads me to another point…where was the actual gamer presence?

Coolstorm: It’s like this every single year. A bunch of celebrities that claim to be avid gamers and end up trying to toss out masturbation and dick jokes that stereotype the gamer nation. With these awards shows it seems to me to be less about the players and more about the marketing. This is just one big business ploy to try to get gamers to go out there and grab the games that have already been on the market for a few months now.

Numbspoon: We’ll get to the stereotyping bit in a moment, but I want to build off of what you are saying…I do agree, but it seemed to be even worse this year. I mean, look at those dipshits from that TV show Workaholics. Did you notice they said Albert Hitchcock? What the Hell? Was that supposed to be funny?

Coolstorm: Idiots, that is all I can say. I do give credit to one of the jokes on the show though. The “social gamers” sitting together around a table playing on their cell phones not even bothering to be social with each other was pretty good in my opinion. I believe that’s the only credit in entertaining me with humor that I will give them.

Numbspoon: I did have a mild chuckle, but to me, it was quite a dated remark. I would say that we are expecting an awful lot out of the presenters, but when there are people like Ice T and Kobe Bryant out there, you know….people that are bona fide celebrities that actually PLAY games that they could have tapped into….I don’t see much of an excuse here.

Coolstorm: What’s even more inexcusable in my opinion is the fact that they have someone with a huge amount of gaming knowledge in the beautiful Felicia Day, but what did they use her for? A wall clinging game, swinging a katana half an inch from the audience to slice fruit, a cupcake contest, and presenting one award. She was definitely the best actress on the show, but with her knowledge, they really need to have her host the show.

Numbspoon: AHA! Yes!! She would have been more effective as the host of the event rather than Levi. At least she was energetic and enthused about the product.

Coolstorm: It’s a shame that this show cannot be taken as seriously as any of the other shows out there.

Numbspoon: I think they are all equally dull. And the VGAs were, if I’m to be honest, trying to copy the MTV VMA bullshit nonsense that stopped being funny around 10 years ago.

Coolstorm: You do have a point, but I have seen some of the presenters at least show some enthusiasm when they announced a winner. With this show it was like “Your winner is….Uncharted 3…yay…” and the whole thing was done with tons of sarcasm. I was reminded of Ben Stein a LOT tonight.

Numbspoon: Well, I am not entirely convinced that anyone gives a damn about this award. Anyone that is actually worth mentioning, at least. If you are Activision and Blizzard I am sure you would rate the VGAs up there with the damn Oscars.

Coolstorm: Speaking of Activision, Modern Warfare 3 won the award for best shooter, the very shooter we gave a 3 out of 10. There were only two other contenders mind you, but paying attention to the live chat during the show, I noticed that the odds were highly stacked against CoD, with the majority of the chat stating that Battlefield 3 was the more superior of the two.

Numbspoon: Well, our score notwithstanding, I do agree that Battlefield seems to be the more popular, not to mention the fact that Gears of War 3 was also in the mix. Gears, in a lot of people’s minds, are a solid Game of the Year contender, after all.

Coolstorm: No doubt Gears of War 3 is good; though I have trouble classifying it as a shooter when you’re not in first person. In my opinion it should have been categorized in action/adventure, but yes it definitely should have been a contender for game of the year, but the winner of that was a game that we still don’t get why it is so popular. That’s right, claiming the game of the year is Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Numbspoon: The category was shooter, not First Person Shooter, so there is that loophole there. As for Skyrim….I really can’t explain it. You heard the ovation Arkham City got in comparison, or even Uncharted 3. And nothing against the series…I mean I have tried to like the Elderscrolls games…I just cannot for the life of me get into them. Dragon Age: Origins is far superior in my opinion.

Coolstorm: I agree with you there. Sure, there might be better ways of advancing your character in that game than in others and more to explore, but the way the characters interact just seem so dull. I will say this about this year. Not ALL of the awards went out to the undeserving. I was happy to see Uncharted 3 win a few as well as Portal 2 and even Mortal Kombat. What about you, Numbspoon?

Numbspoon: They were kind of no-brainers, though. I mean, did they deserve recognition? Absolutely. Does it matter considering the source? Not. So. Much. Let me put it this way. Them getting it right and recognizing those games for things that they obviously deserved to be recognized for is like rewarding a 40 year old for getting dressed on their own; a feat they have been performing since they were tiny.

Coolstorm: The awards almost seem like a simple pat on the back than anything else. I mean did you see how horrible that trophy looked? Who would be proud to show that off? Oh and what are your thoughts about the Legend of Zelda series winning the first ever hall of fame achievement?

Numbspoon: I just kind of shrugged that off to be honest. I get that Zelda is iconic. But there are other things out there that might have deserved the first spot more. How about Donkey Kong? Mario? Doom? Wolfenstein….I can keep going obviously. Hell, you could even make a case for Frogger. The thing that caught my attention though was Miyamoto trying to figure out what in the blue hell that trophy was. He seemed genuinely terrified of it.

Coolstorm: I would have been ashamed to have been there. If I were Miyamoto san I would have said “I have brought shame to my country for winning an award from this place” and tried to commit Seppuku with the end of the trophy.

Numbspoon: I think that might have made it worse. BUT aside from all of that rampant stupidity and utter shit that the VGAs had this year, there were also some things we liked. Granted, they were all trailers…but still. We liked them.

Coolstorm: Absolutely, and one of the things we liked was without a doubt something we were looking forward to the entire show: new clips for Mass Effect 3.

Numbspoon: It was great, but honestly I want the game to come out. Enough hype…give us the goods!

Coolstorm: Another item that caught our attention is the new game from Naughty Dog, creators of the Uncharted series. The title of their upcoming game is The Last of Us.

Numbspoon: Yeah I am still a little iffy on this one. Don’t get me wrong, I love Naughty Dog and I am glad to see them continue to get bigger and branch out into different titles. I hope they become even more successful than they are now. But I am not a big zombie guy. Never have been. So as great as this looks now, I am still kind of thinking….what else you got?

Coolstorm: Zombies? Genetic mutations? Aliens? Hard to say at this point what that was, but the antagonists in the trailer didn’t appear to be a typical zombie as far as facial features went. I believe though there are fans still wanting that serious zombie game, which Dead Island failed to deliver. If anyone can pull off the next survival horror game, I have high hopes that Naughty Dog will be able to do it. Now, let’s talk about those two game trailers that left us a little confused: the new one from Bioware, and the new Metal Gear game.

Numbspoon: I think it is great that Bioware is trying something new, especially the RTS…that is a genre that could use some life breathed into it. But why Generals? Does this mean they now are working on all future Command and Conquer properties, or is it just this one? It is really hard to say at this point. As for Metal Gear…this one probably is the most head scratching. This was originally going to be called Metal Gear Solid: Rising, and we’d been hearing about it for a few years before all fell silent. So now we learn that it is being picked up by Platinum Games and is going to be redone, complete with a weird as hell name to boot. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance? The hell you say??

Coolstorm: The theme of the game from the trailer seems a bit redundant doesn it? Revenge with a Vengeance! Is this one of those rough translations that just went somewhere horrible? I'm really concerned for this game as Raiden is the main character again, which last time that happened with Metal Gear Solid 2, I disliked it. Metal Gear should just belong to Solid Snake. The gameplay also concerns me, as it seems to be loaded with gore and focuses more on swordplay than the covert stuff that the Metal Gear series is known for. It almost looked like the game was copying the Wii classic (do they have those?) No More Heroes.

Numbspoon: Hard to say with anything coming out of Japan. Nine times out of ten, the whole thing will wind up confusing the hell out of you. ESPECIALLY if it has a Kojima stamp on it.

Coolstorm: Yes Kojima does tend to have the ability to be artsy to the point of you just mouthing "What the hell?" by the time you either get mid-way or to the end of the playthrough of most of his work. As much as we've talked about some great trailers, there were a few that it definitely seemed like we didn't care about. One game though we appeared to have mixed reactions on, and that was The Amazing Spider-Man, I was impressed by the trailer, it seemed like they are trying to redeem themselves from Spider-Man: Edge of Time, which our own Mimic gave a rather low score to, but still pretty generous compared to other reviewers.

Numbspoon: Well, you are looking at it from a totally different perspective. I see it as not so much a redemption for that game at all. I see it as another game adaptation of a movie, far removed from the story of the Web of Time and Shattered Dimensions games.

Coolstorm: I gotcha. All the same though, I think it looks pretty awesome and hope it delivers. Any closing comments?

Numbspoon: About this awards show? Absolutely not. Matter of fact, I think we have given it far more attention than it deserves. I will say that we are putting together an end of year piece that will talk about a lot of the games that were honored in the VGAs, as well as each of us at Grumpy Old Nerds giving you our list of favorite games from 2011.

Coolstorm: You heard it from the boss man, thank you all for taking the time to read this. We definitely appreciate it. Also, Felicia Day if you are reading this…You know how to contact me, I look forward to seeing your e-mail. Yes? No? Come on we could get married, I’ll take your last name, we can have kids and name them after holidays. Things like Christmas Day, Columbus Day, and Turkey Day. Good, huh?

Numbspoon: …..Absolutely not.

Coolstorm: Eh, was worth a shot.

You can follow Numbspoon and Coolstorm on Twitter @Numbspoon and @cstormscreation respectively.

Remember the good old days? Which is sort of the point of both our site and the name of it, to be honest. But to be specific I'll start with a single game that defined my generation. Street Fighter 2. It had no story, almost no purpose, yet we loved it to death. We loved it not because it was the most hyped game, but for some reason it was just great. We'd beat up on our friends for hours and if you were anything like me there were house rules.

Little guidelines you had to follow when fighting each other. Our largest one was "no beating up in the corner". So if you got someone in the corner you had to at least jump back and then back in before the next barrage. It was just friendly competition. In fact I still play like that to the computer of modern fighters as ingrained as that rule was.

But even in the old days of Street Fighter when everyone was learning those complicated controller manipulations to pull off special moves and super combos, I was trucking along with just knowing how to throw a fireball. I was cool with that. I used angles and regular attacks to beat up on friends. Sure it wasn't the popular way to go, and some would say it's half the game, but I disagree. It was a viable tactic seeing as until the recent rise in fighters hailing the "super-mega-combo" as the end all be all of the game. Which is why I don't play fighting games much anymore. It's less about fun and skill as simply throwing out special moves to win.

However in more modern games sometimes a company will get something so right the first time you fall in love. It speaks to you and you just cannot help but love it for what it is. It inspires fanboy syndrome. Hell, we here have a certain amount of that for The Old Republic if you couldn't tell. But what about when the things you loved are missing, even though the rest is still there? Or worse yet: If the thing you loved the most is there, but they replace the rest. That's today's topic.

Much like the difference in the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequels, sometimes things change so much that only the very core is still there. And sometimes it's just not enough. We go from truly moving epics about Luke Skywalker and Han Solo to a large alien CGI named Jar Jar Binks who's only purpose was to force comedic situations in absence of something more creative.

But take heart, I wont be smashing Dragon Age 2 today. As much as it deserves it, the fact it showed up on Yahoo's top 10 overhyped games is statement enough for me. For now. Instead I look towards something more recent, but not less depressing. Especially when you consider that a lot of people I talk to keep playing this franchise, but lamenting some of it's horrible game play just to get to the engrossing story. Even our own Numbspoon has said as much to me. And he is the first one to rage all over something for the slightest trespass.

In 2007 Ubisoft released a game now well known, but at the time seemed like a stretch from the usual fair of gamers. Assassin's Creed. At the time it was the end of the fighting game, the start of the shooter, and hack and slash was pretty much dead. In fact the stealth and patience experience was so lost on the gaming populace so long ago, it seemed like a distant memory best forgotten.

Yet Ubisoft gave us a game based around a fallen Assassin trying to do good, and to earn his way back into his order. An order dedicated to preserving life as much as they were trained to take lives. Fighting a religious organization that even today claims to work only for the betterment of humanity, even if some of their most prominent members need to remember that compassion isn't something reserved for the few. And through this game you see the good and the bad of zealots on both sides. Not to mention a wonderfully crafted story that had me enthralled from the first few moments.

That is how a game should be.

However in the years since Ubisoft has churned out new episodes to the franchise regularly. Almost yearly I think. Pumping us full of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, another descendant of Desmond Miles (our real hero) who we play to teach Desmond how to learn his skills as an Assassin. This was great to me... at first. It was a wonderful way to change the all-powerful feel of how you were at the end of the first and continue the story on both sides of the Animus.

The game's story was no less epic, but it didn't have the sense of urgency that the first had. And it left me wanting by the time I was just over half way through. I didn't feel like there was a pressing need to keep going over the course of years, and there was no over-arching plot after I'd gotten my revenge on most of the men who'd had my family killed. In fact the very reason I cared so little was because it seemed like Ezio took a few years of vacation between kills. There was no momentum like the first one. And towards the end I lost interest. Even the great story didn't pull me forward like it should have.

When Brotherhood was announced, however I was happy. They fumbled a little, but I'd read the book for Assassin's Creed 2 and I could run along on the next adventure of Desmond Miles with glee. Then we saw that it would be Ezio... again. Now I didn't hate him in the second one. Despite how lax he seemed to be, and how completely inept he seemed to be about keeping to a time table, I didn't really hate him. And I hate to throw racial slurs, but that spaghetti eating bastard needed to keep out of the next game and give me someone with more spine. Or Altair. Same difference, really.

In fact I realized I hated Ezio's character so much I couldn't even bother opening the copy of Brotherhood I had on my shelf for months. Eventually I sold it without so much as opening it. So someone got a 'second hand' copy of an unopened game. And I honestly hoped they liked it. I read the book and read up on it on wiki because the only reason I even cared in the first place, I discovered, was the story. And even then the story seemed weak to me. Maybe gameplay changed it, but I was not impressed with either format.

This year we get Revelations. And while I've been heavily against giving Ubisoft more money for milking me so far, I bought a copy. Now I will say I'm maybe an hour or so into the game, so that that as your grain of salt. However... this game is just bad. All the elements of the first game (one that continues to sit on my top 10 of best games ever) that I enjoyed are just not there. Rehashed ideas, badly scripted action sequences merged with gameplay, and meager plot pushes so predictable that I could have made money betting on it if I'd cared, just don't fill the hole made from their previous work.

Things are either far too simple or horribly complicated. There aren't any middle grounds to find. Even the carriage chase scene within ten minutes of starting the game is tedious and caused me to lose synch at least five times before I lucked out and reached the checkpoint by the skin of my teeth. I honestly think Ubisoft expects you to play this RIGHT after the last so you don't need to relearn the controls. But since I not only haven't played in the better part of a year, but also go it for a different system: I did need some tutorial.

Now it's there, they tell you, but they don't give you a gentle grade. They skip the gentle reward level made to hook you with the feel of being a heroic protagonist in preference for making you learn super combos before your system has warmed up. The story, I'm sure, is still top notch. In fact I'm DYING to know what happens, but within the first twenty minutes of the game I was so angry at it I wanted to punch someone in the face as hard as I could.

So will I play through the game to see the next chapter of what is surely (I have no doubt) a great story told with third-rate gameplay designed for the non-casual gamer? Probably not. There's no hook here. And while the story should be the hook that keeps me coming back, it's easily the most frustrating part of the game when you hate playing it just to get to story moments. It makes as much sense as punishing someone for reading a book and expecting them to keep their library card.

Ubisoft has taken a game that rates up there in terms of how great it is, and ripped it's sequels so horribly that I now honestly see the franchise as the proverbial Jar Jar Binks of video games. I don't know if I can stomach another round of it, and maybe I should just trade it in. But with all the games that could have been great this year it seems so few actually make the grade where it counts. I'm starting to think I'm too old to enjoy modern games. I don't want to master a controller to play, I want to just play for fun.

So is Ezio the cause? Mostly. He's not an interesting character. How much would we all love Han Solo if Lucas had cast Tom Selleck instead of Harrison Ford? The story wouldn't have changed, but there's no feeling of connection with the character. Which is huge in games that rely on story as much as these do. Now I eagerly await the game where you're just Desmond the whole time. One where you're not forced to play Mario and Luigi's bastard uncle. But until then I may just get the book and read up on wiki to keep up with the story until the game is released.

And to Ubisoft, "Mesa thinkin' you's all ca-wazy if'n yousa wantin' to keepa dis fwanchise alive!"

Thank you, and may the Force be with you.

~Mimic

Well let's start this article off correctly. As of today GamePro, a site and magazine dedicated to reporting on video games since 1989, goes the way of the do-do. Why post this here, might you ask? Well it's because we here at Grumpy Old Nerds are happy about it. Sure it's a little mean spirited, but we're not paid to do these reviews, nor do we get early copies of games.

We, in fact, do this because we enjoy it. Even when we're ripping on your favorite game, we know we're doing our job right because it's our passion. And honestly we have the obligation to report properly. Not to what you want to hear or what we think ourselves. Or at least most of the time. You'll notice we mark certain reviews as Editorials for a reason.

So a few days ago while searching through some info on The Old Republic for an upcoming article, I found a few minutes of review that, honestly, if someone got paid for doing it they should be laid off. Which made me happy to note that it was GamePro and they were, in fact, being laid off. Now this strikes deeply to the rest of us on the site because we have no asperations of being paid for our work. We just do our thing, enjoy what we do, and work 40+ hour weeks to pay our bills. Yet in the span of 44 seconds... I noticed something fishy.



Now we here at Grumpy Old Nerds don't review everything. We can't afford to. No cash inflow, ya know? So we try to get to the big stuff, we definitely get to the stuff we're interested in, and for the most part we don't force a review. Even my review of Multiplayer Gears of War 3, Modern Borefare, Skyrim ect were games I wanted to try out at least passingly. So I don't consider that a stretch to write up my impressions. But if we ever ran into a brick wall of just HATING something we wouldn't review it. So you will not see a Twilight MMO review here. We'd rather be run over by Steve Hawking until dead.

Yet within less than a minute of the review posted here: I noticed that someone at least was phoning in a review. Now granted we sometimes don't complete games before we review because sometimes that could take a while. And without getting them in advance as a recognized press site we don't feel like we're doing you ANY favors if you're sitting on the bench by making you wait 2-3 weeks before we tell you what we think. So sometimes we blast out reviews after a couple days of play or whenever we feel we've gotten a solid grip on the game.

However we refuse to accept phone-ins as a valid review. We don't get paid, therefore we have integrity or nothing. Not to say the two are exclusive, but you don't do this sort of thing for simple fun without having some integrity about it. Yet while I watched this review I couldn't help but not that after (supposedly) playing the TOR Beta since the friends and family access level (long time ago) she couldn't remember the name of the Republic.

In fact called them the 'Blue-Side' or 'Alliance Side'. Now I may forget names in reviews here and there, but I go look it up when I sit down to do them. It's courtesy. But this was such a huge part of the character creation alone... I had doubts. This is within 44 seconds of a 10 minute video, mind you. So by then I knew I was in for a bad ride. Not from being told the Sith Warrior's story was slow. It sorta was for me, so I get that. But not remembering a major mechanic? That's... not professional. There. I said it.

And also keep in mind by 5:47 miss 'Love You Long Time' admits to not getting a companion yet. After being in the game since F&F beta. And I got my first companion in less than 3 hours on every class I played.

Just saying...

Well I won't detail the rest of the review, because honestly some of them seem to be trying, and honestly seem to have valid points, but when you hear the bit about how the story gets in the way of the game and that Bioware doesn't know how to write a story because WoW's Death Knights had a better story... well if you're a die-hard WoW fan you may get it. I'm a recovered Warcrack addict. So I can sorta see it, but the differences are night and day between how story is displayed. Being that WoW is subtle and none of your quests really matter, where the TOR ones are prominent like an RPG game.

So what's the point of all my ranting? Because officially today GamePro is completely no more and after this horrible review (not only do I disagree, I also see most of it as unprofessional) I will not lament their passing. In fact I have my days where IGN and Gamespot upset me with fanboyism. In fact I can list at least 1 game that got good reviews from both, got great critic revies on metacritic, but got decimated by player reviews so badly it was clear that someone got paid. And if I mention the name of that game Numbspoon will just keep talking about 'Regan Smash' while I turn myself purple and foam at the mouth. So we'll skip that.

However the point is thus: We at Grumpy Old Nerds support different view points, welcome opinions, and even want competition even though we do this for free. But we do not want to see people acting like spoiled kids because they're getting laid off, or taking the money and not reviewing their assignment. If they paid us to review? We'd do the Twilight MMO. Depending on the cash. And we'd try to be objective as we could. In fact I might get my girlfriend to proof read it. She's a team twinkler. But I didn't dump her despite that. See. I do have a heart.

So on this joyous day we invite you to remember the 5th of December. The day where twits and idiots joined the working class on the unemployment line.

Dear Bioware,

I know we kind of had a fight the last time we talked. You said Dragon Age 2 was great, I said I hated you…then you talked about The Old Republic, and I said go to hell you’ve been working on it for 3 years, I wanted some commitment….and I left you. Sure we saw each other from time to time when I’d play Mass Effect, or Mass Effect 2….but it wasn’t about you. It was about Shep and company. Joint custody of the kids was great. I was moving on with my life. And then I got that email with that magical phrase, “You are invited to test Star Wars The Old Republic”.….damn you and your way with words. I promised myself I wouldn’t fall for your act again, that I knew better….I wasn’t going to let what happened to me in Kirkwall happen again. But that email was just so…damn beautiful! So I played it the first time…a Sith Warrior, with a scar on his face. A scar that represented the scar you left on my heart Bioware…a scar you left on my heart.

Creepy? Oh my yes, but let’s face it, Dragon Age 2? TOTAL disappointment. Hell, I know a certain fellow by the name of Mimic that went on a month-long tirade at the mere mention of that game. We’re talking a full-on Reagan Smash kind of tirade. But when I had the pleasure of taking part in a Beta weekend, I was enamored with this title….and I HATE MMOs. No seriously, ask the others. I have been of the opinion that anyone that takes legitimate joy in a game in this genre is severely and irreparably brain damaged. But this? No no no…this is damn near brilliance in digi-whatsis form. It takes everything I LIKE about real games and puts it in an environment where if you wanted to mingle with sticky human people…you could. But you could also tell them to suckit and you go on your merry way. (I like the suckit option myself). I wanted to tell my chums at Grumpy Old Nerds all about my experience, but due to the NDA at the time, I could not. Looking back though, even if I wanted to…I was so hypnotized by what I was seeing, I am not sure I could have adequately given a description that would do it justice.

So when word came out that not only was I going to get another crack at the Galaxy Far Far Away, A LONGER Time Ago than when George Lucas decided to shit on the franchise….I was ready. When I found out that my friends at Grumpy Old Nerds was going to get to play along with me? I was absolutely EXTATIC. So, if anyone is curious as to why there were no updates on the site until recently….SWTOR and gearing up for it would be why. We meant to do stuff…really we did. But we had SWTOR Fever. Yes it is a real thing. And no it isn’t a rash. So you should probably get that looked at.

For my second go-round, I decided to take on the Jedi Knight as I was a HUGE fan of the Knights of the Old Republic games. So, when I found out that writer extraordinaire, Drew Karpyshyn was responsible for the story of this class, I had to give it a whirl. Now let me preface what I am about to say with before I even got a chance to test the game, I was planning on becoming a Trooper for our guild. Mostly because the “Can we shoot them now?” mentality is pretty much…well…me. However, getting my feet wet with the Knight made me realize that there is no way in hell I can start with any other class for the Republic. The Knight’s story is just too damn good. I am not just saying that, it is outstanding. The further along I went, the more I wanted to experience. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I got to touch down on the wilds of Taris, going through the planet I could make out little pieces of the civilization that was there during the time of KOTOR when I was leading Revan, Bastila, Carth, and Canderous through her streets. Combat with a lightsaber I had figured would seem repetitive and clunky, but somehow the developers managed to make the process engaging nearly every time. There were numerous occasions where I had to remind myself that I was actually playing an MMO. But on to the less glamorous bits….like functionality. I took to the whole MMO process easier than I expected, simply because when I listen to fellows talk about their game experiences, I swear they seem to be speaking in tongues…the urge to drown them in holy water and set them on fire is great, I assure you. As for hardware issues….not to be a dick, but I had none. The machine that I play on was custom built to ensure I would be able to play this thing at the highest level possible. To borrow from former President George W. Bush: “Mission Accomplished”.

I did notice some bugs and glitches in the game that I am sure will be addressed before launch if not shortly after, and the matter of hearing everyone else’s companions run their mouths was more than a little irritating, but all in all this game has ruined any chance of another MMO coming along and convincing me that anything other than SWTOR is worth my time. The bar, she has been raised to a standard that is going to take a lot of work to meet let alone top. Which leads me back to my letter to Bioware….

I just wanted you to know, I forgive you. DA2 never happened as far as I am concerned, and whatever differences we had…we can work them out. I know we can. It is clear to me now that SWTOR is proof that you learned your lesson, and I for one am ready to give you another chance. Just don’t break my heart again. I swear if I see a damn gungan at any point, there will be blood.

Huggles,

Numbspoon

"Holy Shit!" Those were my first words when I read the e-mail saying that I was chosen to test out Star Wars The Old Republic last weekend. I felt like I won the lottery until I was told that everyone was testing it out this weekend. Still even though I was one of the mere common folk I still had my time to test it, and by the maker I used Friday night, weekend, and Monday night to play the game to the fullest. There is so much to cover where do I even begin?



Well I will start off about with how I progressed. I didn't do what Mimic and Numbspoon did and took something to 20. I didn't want to progress that far knowing I would just have to do it over again, but thinking about it now, I would have no problem with doing exactly that. Instead though, I had the Consular at level 13, Inquisitor at 12, and Smuggler at 12 and tested the rest of the classes to about 4 or 5.

Let me just say this about the game, this isn't one of those "my basic computer should be able to handle the specifications" games. I have a fairly old pc that ran World of Warcraft fine with no lag. This game I had moments of severe lags and crashes, which while yes the game was still in beta, I was having more problems than my buds were, so I know the problem was coming from my system. I recommend getting one of those video cards in the hundred dollar range and above for maximum enjoyment. Regardless of the few crashes I had and some of the graphics being not so great on my screen, the game is amazing,

Don't get me wrong though, it's not true perfection. Here are some down sides that I discovered. Customization is really lacking, basically it's the same customization that you have seen in other Bioware games; limiting, and being Pre-Mass Effect 3, lacking long hair options for the female characters. That's not to say that this game in the future isn't going to have more customization options or an expansion down the road with a galactic barber shop, just stating what was there at the start. The choices in customization so far were limited also, like the Miraluka as you can alter what mask they wore and give them scars, but no tatoos or facial hair, while another race you can have scars and facial hair but no tatoos or masks. Also there is only four body types: scrawny, average, tall and muscular, and husky, you can't adjust the height or weight to your liking. Oh and being able to customize your companions? I was under the impression that once we earned them we could customize them just like we did for our character. Instead of that we earn certain packs and items to help change the characters looks just like upgrading your own equipment, so unfortunately everyone runs around with the exact same companion from the start (level 9) because you can't customize them right away. Overall, customization is disappointing, but it's an obstacle that for me, is easy to get over.

Another down side I can point out is a bit of a double edged sword for me. The voice acting is definitely a blessing and a fresh concept for the MMO's and well done through the majority of the quests. However, as I went through, I noticed that the downside can be with your companions spamming their chatter. Even if it's not your companion you could walk by someone else's companion and hear them speak. There was even a bug to where you would randomly hear Mako (Bounty Hunter companion) in the starting levels even when no one brought their companion to the level 1-8 areas. Most of the time though I was too focused on what I wanted to accomplish to notice these things, but this was brought up in our discussion through ventrilo.

Other than that there were a lot of bugs, but most of them could be summed up as minor, However, let's not forget people, every game even at launch time suffers from bugs, that's why there are things called patches and maintenance days. Hell, even to this day, WoW still used patches to fix bugs, and it's been the number one MMO for how long now?

During my gameplay, I realized something that set SWTOR apart from the usual MMO. From the start the character you create is a bad-ass, which is much different than my last entry stating that your character is usually always worthless in an MMO. Right from the start you are already in the thick of things: whether it's a slave training to become a Sith Apprentice, a Smuggler who landed at the right place at the wrong time, or a Consular Apprentice about to train with his master when the shit hits the fan. Action is intense from the get go, usually involving you killing 3 enemies at a time. Not to worry though, at the start you shouldn't have any problem dispatching them as your skills are more then enough to handle the starting crowd. Another great addition to the gameplay is having a rest button that restores your health and force powers to full in about 15 seconds (and that ability has 0 cooldown so you can constantly fight and rest up). The rest ability is unique to all characters, imperial agents have a droid that brings up a holo screen and he swipes through the profiles of his targets like Tom Cruise did in the Minority Report, Bounty Hunters test their equipment, Smugglers practice shooting a coin out of the air, Sith Inquisitors pace back and forth like Darth Maul waiting to battle Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, just to give a few examples.

Back to the voice acting, for the most part it is okay, but I feel like, even though it would have cost a lot more money out of Bioware's pocket, they should have had multiple voice actors for each class. I feel like the male voice actor for the soldier really didn't fit how a soldier should sound. Plus the male voice for the consular really didn't match the husky build I created. Some are really good though, I enjoyed the voice acting of the male smuggler and the female inquisitor.

One thing to mention is that two classes share the exact same starting area but they both start off at slightly different points. Each class has their own individual story but other than that you share the exact same side quests. Also, traveling about, there are some zones that only your specific class can access unless you partied with a member of the other class, then they can help you out, but they don't interfere in your story options. Entering those class specific zones are like entering your own instance where you don't see other players taking your kill, making you wait for respawns, and other bits of frustration so you can enjoy your storyline progress in peace.

Eventually at around level 9 you end up getting the ability to get your first companion. This varies from class to class, for example, the Smuggler's companion will join right away starting with the level 9 quest of your story, and others like the Sith Inquisitor involve you going through an incredibly hard fight to defeat your companion to earn having him by your side. Once you earn your companion, they are a significant help to fighting enemies, any of the quests in the starting area that are deemed as heroic are now easy to complete and sometimes they will chime in on character conversations and there will be a special option in certain instances like these, for instance, I was able to use the Sith Inquisitor's companion as a threat to eat some enemy out for your head. Once you hit level 10 you can send them off to do crew skills, which is your crafting for the game. You can choose from 3 skills and those are abilities that your companion will be able to use. These skills so far from my progression can range anywhere from 3-6 minutes, that might increase depending on higher skill levels. I will tell you this right now: diplomacy is not the light side/dark side speed booster that you would think it would be. You only gain a +1 to either side depending on which to pick (which are easily labeled as light side or dark side options so you can remain on the path you wish to rise in), though in return you gain medical items (which are good for some of the bio-chem creations) and companion gifts, which just like in other Bioware games help gain approval ratings....very handy if your Sith Inquisitor has a heart...which your starting companion will hate the options you pick with a fiery passion.

There are some down sides to the crafting, however. Companions can come back from certain tasks that you send them on as complete failures, which I wouldn't mind if it didn't actually cost credits each time you sent them out on a task (if they are actually crafting an item for you it's free). Sometimes the item you get back is completely random then what you need. Archeology was the only one I seen that was constantly giving me the materials I needed for synthweaving (didn't get to try salvaging, scavenging, and the tech crafts though). Bio-analysis I would seem to have a 50/50 chance of getting what I needed, the other item might have been for later crafts, I have no idea at that point. Another downside is if you just have the one companion and you get out of the starting area, some conversation spots actually require having your companion around, so if you sent them off on a six minute task and find the conversation spot just a few seconds later you have a long wait on your hands. These were just minor problems and the credit issue I didn't really have a problem with at the start, and that's just selling any items and junk to a vendor, I didn't even bother trying to market the items.

At level 10 you get to pick out how you are going to specialize your character. You find a quest giver on a ship to talk to a person (normally the person you need to go see is right beside your class trainer) and that person will explain your two specs. You also get to preview each spec before you hit confirm (decide carefully as there is no specialization switching...you only get to re-do the talent trees for that particular specialization). Usually you get a gift that will be in a big in your inventory once you specialize, like the Consular, if he went the sage path, you'll get a off-hand item that will boost your force abilities, Smugglers that spec into gunslinger will get there second pistol, Inquisitors that spec for assassin will get there double-bladed saber, and so on.

Speaking of class skills, there were a few minor issues that I believe will be fixed up. My Consular was a healer and sometimes the ability didn't register properly; sometimes my 1.5 cooldown bar went past it's mark, sometimes it would reset itself halfway through a heal if I was spamming the heal button, and other times it took a few clicks to register the ability. Some of those problems could have been with my computer though. Another problem I had was the cover system of the Smuggler and Imperial Agents. While it's absolutely fun, sometimes I just wanted my character to crouch where they were to face an enemy and instead they would roll over to the green image of them that only popped up after you hit the cover button (usually if the green image appears when you hit cover you automatically take the space of that green spot...otherwise you crouch down) which ended up making you face away from your target. Once your facing away from the target, if you use the mouse in the slightest, like holding right click down to bring the enemy into the center view, you would break cover. A minor problem, sure but if you're doing a flashpoint, that could be a waste of DPS, which could cause some unnecessary extra damage that the party will be taking.

One last thing I can discuss is flashpoints, which most might know as dungeons or instances. You come across your first one at level 10 once you board the ship that leaves the starting area. The republic side was definitely more entertaining than the Sith side, but that's not to say that the Sith side was bad, and maybe the fun factor evens out with the Sith have a few that are more fun than the republics and vice versa. The Esseles, which was the republic's flashpoint, was action packed from start to end and each side had several conversation sections through each flashpoint. While your entire party gathers and picks their options and you see who wins the rolls you get sucked into the story but each character having their own say-so throughout the entire flashpoint. There are certain scenarios during the flashpoints to that effect the outcome, but does not affect the points you earn. For example there's a section where you either got to spend time helping engineers out, fighting more enemies, or you choose to sacrifice them and continue on. If the dark side person won the roll and they die, but you picked to spare them, you'll continue on from the dark side section of the story, but you still earn your light side points that you picked.
The action is intense in these flash points too, enemies are trying to take over your ship and the walls will explode and then enemies will pour out of that hole in the wall, you'll be rushing through the cargo bay and you'll witness a ship crash close to you, and all sorts of intense shit that simulates an downright space warzone.

I really have nothing else to say at this point. The few days I had to test the game proved to be an amazing experience, and while there were a few small bugs here and there I would say this game is ready to go. I know I'm anxious for the early access bonus in less than two weeks time. I can tell you I'm already hooked on this game by making game references in real life already. I came out of a convenience store and my receipt fell to the ground when it was suppose to go in the trash can. It was freezing rain at that moment and at first I shrugged and walked to my car, but then I had a change of heart, returned to the receipt and put it in the trash can. After I did that I immediately said "Light side points" and went in to my vehicle. So I've already shown that I'm addicted to this game and when it comes out, I will be more than happy to call this game my new MMO to get zombified into. It's kind of amusing that I managed to cleanse myself of World of Warcrack and now I'm getting into a new drug call Star Warscrack: The Old Republic.