Grumpy Old Nerds

Before I get into this, I just want to say that just because we are grumpy does not mean we are going to nerd rage and be ridiculous like a lot of the folks have been in response to the ending of Mass Effect 3. Am I perturbed? Maybe...I still don't really know what the hell I am feeling about this, not anger or disappointment, but....I do feel empty. I do understand why folks are upset. Which is why I intend to give my two cents (albeit no one has asked for them, nor I wager are they welcomed) on the matter and why damn near everyone is wrong, including the self-righteous poser douches that fancy themselves artists in the "gaming media" biz. So, before I get to it...let me just say that there be spoilerth ahead. I will distract those of you who have yet to beat the game with a picture of kittens. For those who want to read on...well, fight the urge to keep staring and scroll forth!

There, weren’t they just adorable? Now back to the issue at hand. The first thing I would like to do is to commend Bioware, Casey Hudson, and all the people that were involved in the Mass Effect series. No, seriously. They did a fantastic job. These people managed to make a universe so engaging with characters that people connect with so strongly that when they came up with an ending that the alleged majority did not like, they were attached enough to damn near riot. I think any aspiring writer would wish for even a little bit of that kind of loyalty to a work.

Having said that, I can not say I am really happy with the ending but for much different reasons than the supposed popular one in which the outcome is “too dark”. I honestly expected Shepard to die, and I expected the war to not end as well as any of us would have liked. It is a sad truth of war, they aren’t exactly pretty, neat, or perfect. However, I do feel as though the uproar over the lack of decisions mattering for the player is one in which they have a point. You can not say that all of the choices you make are important when in the end, they really weren’t. It is bad for business. So because of these two things, there is a movement demanding a better ending, which has caught the attention of every asshole with a blog or is in charge of some arbitrary news blip.

There have been some sensationalists who are likening this demand for a better ending to changing Hamlet, or The Great Gatsby. Another bit I had come across stated essentially that it is the public’s misguided sense of the first amendment they feel they have the right to demand that a company bend to their will. It is to these people I’ll go ahead and refer to Dick Cheney. The people do have every right to make these demands, and they have every right to be upset. Belittling that just makes you look like a bigger asshole than I am…bravo. The companies however can choose to ignore the demands as is their rights, so there ya go.

There are however milder stances similar to the Gatsby and Hamlet folks essentially equating to “one shouldn’t try to change a work of art”. Which, yes I get that. I would never want a work of mine to be changed just because someone doesn’t like the ending. There are a few problems with this however.

First, this is not a new thing. Arthur Conan Doyle was given endless amounts of hell because the public hated him for killing off the beloved Sherlock Holmes. He eventually caved and wrote him back to life. I am sure the people who played the Gatsby and Hamlet card would argue that this is totally different. Not really. His vision, his art was changed because of the will of the people, his fans. Despite any of this however, the second thing to keep in mind is that this series has been extremely interactive. You could have a room of 10 people who have played the entire series and up until the end of 3, each one would have had completely different game experiences. They (we, really) arguably shaped the story and made it their (more our….but hey) own. Giving the people this kind of control and then severely limiting it in the final installment is just begging for backlash, plain and simple.

My personal opinion, the ending was dark enough, and I was okay with that, it just didn’t feel completed or very…Mass Effect. What bothered me more were the massive plot holes that my ending seemed to be chalk full of and I had done this ending three times now with every game in the Deus Ex series. I chose option 3, which was to blow up the citadel which would then destroy the Reapers, the Mass Relays, and logically speaking, every other ship in the stars. I unleashed the equivalent of a doomsday EMP blast that covered the entirety of the galaxy. With this ending, I watched as Joker managed to get away and crash on an unknown planet, amazingly enough with Liara (who was with me on the final mission) and other crew members who were on Earth while Joker was supposed to rejoin the fleet. How exactly did THAT happen? Was that just him imagining a happy ending for his friends? It was a little hard to tell, really. Which then leads me to the ending you get only if you have adequate galactic readiness; you know…the split second where you see a body of someone you assume is Shepard because of the N7 tags (who else flaunted that logo in this series, I ask you) gasping for air. How exactly, does a man (or woman) survive an explosion AND re-entry? And where was the citadel debris? I didn’t see any around him, did you?

There are countless theories about the endings on forums all over the place. Which are great, the people are thinking, and I applaud that. However, I am not holding my breath on this one. I get the feeling this is the end we have to deal with, and Bioware is going to have a hell of a time getting themselves out of the proverbial corner they just wrote themselves into. For now, however, I am going to wait and see what happens and what the company says on the matter. But for now, if their intent was to give me the finger and leave me an empty shell of what I once was until something good and pure comes along to bring me back? Mission Accomplished.

I don't think I really need to go into my loathing of the genre again. Anyone that has read anything on this site from me knows how I despise the MMO. The genre brings nothing of value to gaming and if anything it attracts an element that a good chunk of which probably should have been drowned at birth. Harsh? Probably...but I don't care much. Loud, obnoxious people piss me off and that seems to be what MMOs attract the most of.

Having said this, I have fallen in love with Star Wars: The Old Republic. Even had a sweet little love note put together for Bioware thanking them for the offering. Everyone here at Grumpy Old Nerds has in fact been doing almost nothing but logging on to the game and spending literally hours per day exploring the rich environments, the epic class unique stories, and even running flashpoints with friends. The interesting thing is, the rest of the gang are grizzled MMO veterans, having played 3 or more for an extended period of time a piece. I am going at this experience from the approach of an actual game, and am learning the MMO stuff as I go along. Here is the start of my journey.

When I started the game, I approached it from the standpoint of "which story would suit me the best" rather than "what class does the guild need". I honestly did not care what was needed, this was an experience that I wanted to enjoy. If I wanted to have to consider what would be best for an entire group, I'd go back to the office. Pass. So, I selfishly picked the Jedi Knight, mostly because of the story and who wrote it....another thing that I have mentioned on the site (Hi Drew....I love you man). I went along and played my character, and saw the other players as invaders in my experience rather than being a part of something bigger.


When the buzzwords that go hand in hand with MMOs started floating around, I honestly had no idea what they meant and to be frank....when they started seeping in, I got extremely annoyed. At first it was because they were muddying up my GAME with that World of Warcraft bullshit nonsense, but the more I thought about it....it was more because I had no idea what they were babbling about, and I kinda needed to. This was to be sure a rather lofty conflict for me because I loathe the culture that the MMO has created, and yet here I was finding myself needing to learn more about it and....God help me....embrace some if it in order for me to really get the most out of this game that I was only interested in for the story. Logically, I decided to hell with everyone and I stuck to my single player experience, kept my head down and plowed through the game. The quicker I was done, the quicker I could cancel my subscription and be done with all of it, before I started resenting games, friends, Star Wars, and anything else I might have overlooked.

This all worked great until I ran into a proverbial brick wall so massive...so immovable that it knocked me backwards a few hundred yards and gave me a little bit of a concussion. But I'm better now all head my think good is all....uh oh.

TO BE CONTINUED

Follow me on Twitter @Numbspoon

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.   

"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.

When I saw Halo CE on the list, I was hoping that I was to be reviewing a game called Halo: Cooking Exalted. The protagonist would be Master Chef Bobby Flay and his mission would be to rescue key leaders in the Catholic Church with his ability to cook divine meals. The whole thing would have played out as Diner Dash meets the Da Vinci Code. I WANTED it to be that. Anything, ANYTHING but another damn Halo game. If that was the case I was absolutely willing to go get ABBA: You Can Dance and review that just so I didn't have to deal with the ridiculous bullshit nonsense that comes with this franchise. But, NOOOOO. I am not lucky.

So instead of something new and different, we get yet another addition to the slew of toys, videos, books that cut into the shelf space of Star Wars literature at my local Barnes and Noble, oh yeah and all 7 (going on 8) video games. You remember when Halo 3 was supposedly the last we were going to see of the series? And then they put out what....2 others and have announced a 4th on the way? Glorious. Just glorious. So with these games, we are also getting a steady supply of Halo. And since Bungie is now owned by Activision...a name synonymous (NOT REALLY) with quality, we are likely to see at least 20-30 more, whether they are good or not. I'm going to go ahead and put my money on the whole....NOT thing. HOW EXCITING, Right?

Hell, even as I am writing up this review they are finishing up the storyboard for Halo 12: The Search for Spock. But hey, whatever, right? Let's just go ahead and review this sucker before that stroke I've been warned about finally kicks in.



The premise of the game is that you are a human cyborg or a cyborg human, I really wasn't paying that much attention to the particulars. Anyway, this Master Chief guy comes in and starts running around shooting people and yelling like one of those frat kids that you see in Revenge of the Nerds. (Quick little side bar here....playing just Madden and Halo does not make you a gamer. It makes you a douche.)

ANYWAY, Master whatsis saves the planet or the diamonds or the princess or whatever through the magical combination of running jumping climbing trees....and shooting things. I just thought of something though. Perhaps this Master guy is one of those action transvestites that Eddie Izzard was talking about all those years ago.

In all seriousness this game is the same as it was 10 damn years ago. They just improved the graphics and slapped it in a shiny new box. And you bought it. Congratulations Halo fan: you've just been George Lucased (See definition 1). I am sure most people in the business of reviewing games are going to give this a nice chunky score, but not me. Call me when you people do something new with the genre and we'll talk. Until then? Same old same old isn't it? But with that.... screw it, let's just go on to the Break Down.

THE GOOD

• It wasn't another Mario game....so there's that.
• The graphics are greatly improved so it DOES look nice.
• Controls are pretty much typical of your run of the mill shooter.
• It gives some people something to do before SWTOR comes out.

THE BAD

• The shooter genre is tired, lame, and RIDICULOUSLY redundant.
  
• Launching a remaster of a 10 year old game doesn't help either.
• Another in a long line of games that are absolutely irritating.
• The remaster job looks pretty, sure...but graphically it looks like crap compared to the last Halo game: Reach.
• This probably means we'll get hit with more books and movies. ...Great.

Numbspoon's Numeric Value: 5.0

A BIT OF A DISCLAIMER. I know we have been hard on the FPS games we have reviewed here, and it is easy to, based on that, draw the conclusion that we hate them. Not true. We have been fans since the original Wolfenstein. We just feel as though the genre has become over saturated and because of that, the products have suffered greatly. So...since no one else is going to say it we will. FIX IT!

Earlier in the month, DC Universe Online was announced as being free to play. While it is cool to have another MMO free to play there is another MMO that had an official launch on September 28th called Dragon Nest. So which is the better one to play? Well honestly if you have time for both or are playing a better MMO then the two mentioned, more power to you. However since these two MMO's are so close together in releases, I am going to pit these two against each other and give you my opinion on which is the better one to play. I am going to pit the two freebies against each other in gameplay, graphics, sound, and overall fun factor. So without further adieu, lets start off this battle.

We'll start off with the sound category. This I'll give the edge to Dragon Nest as the sounds of connecting with the enemies and connecting with an object are a lot better. I feel like DC Universe Online's sound effects could have been a lot better if they actually wrote out the sound effects along with your moves like the Adam West days of Batman. It just sounds off, for example, the sound effect of flinging a punch sounds like your flag being swung as fast as possible, another example is an acrobatic taking big strides create a woosh sound instead of actually hearing feet hitting solid ground. Dragon's Nest on the other when you hit a barrel, it sounds like you connected with a barrel, and breaking it you get the sounds of shattering wood and swinging a flail (which glad to see as a weapon in a game by the way) sounds like a flail being swung.

Next part of the sound category is music and voice acting. The music in Dragon Nest is ok but quite common for the fantasy MMO. If you don't understand what I mean, I'm talking about the folksy festival music that almost sounds like you should be clapping your hands to a gypsy dancing circles around a bonfire or that sounds like a flute away from being a legend of zelda song. The music side for DC Universe Online is a bit bi-polar, some places like the police headquarters/nightclub places (yes you heard me police headquarters and night clubbing are apparently one in the same in this game...) deliver such horrible music that sounds like a techno version of elevator music while other places like outside in Gotham City, the music is well orchestrated and almost sounds like the start of the Batman theme. If only Metropolis had the same care as outside of Gotham City...I would have loved to have flown around in a knock off version of the Superman theme. Even though DC Universe has some bad music I do like that it strays from the common MMO music, so that's why DCUO gets the edge there, leaving it down to just the voice acting to determine the winner.

The voice acting for Dragon Nest is ok, but there's no voice you hear in the game that you will actually recognize and fan-gasm over. I read up that the asian version of the game gets Gackt as a voice actor, which Gackt to me is a talented enigma, but that doesn't help us with the U.S. version of this game. The Voice acting for DCUO, all I have to say is "Hey Kids! It's Mark Hamil! Applause!" (A Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back reference to those that didn't get it). That's right, Mark Hamil as The Joker, and various other voice actors from the actual animated series put there voices into the game to enhance the gaming experience. That's a win, and that's why in this category DC Universe edges out over Dragon Nest.

Onward to gameplay! Both games have the same mechanics in that left mouse click is your basic attack, right click is a stronger attack, and then you have the number keys for your various powers and skills you earn. I have to say I give the edge to Dragon's Nest on this because Dragon's nest if you actually hold your left mouse button down you can pull off your four hit combo, there's that and I haven't ran across problems with my moves not registering, where as DCUO is so fast paced that sometimes where your combos involve alternating which mouse button you click, it doesn't register the exact combo you are trying to pull off. I also feel that DCUO also hurts itself with the energy bar and having to recover it by unleashing combos on your target. I understand the argument of "some of the heroes and villains don't use there powers often" which is true but in the case of needing heals and needing your defensive abilities, I find this to be a huge pain in the ass. Also a pain in the ass with DCUO is the boss battles. You will never have a easy boss battle which I can understand the need for back and forth fights making the whole comic thing more authentic but when you can unleash all of your abilities and attack as fast as you can and you still only end up whittling about half of the boss's bar down before he completely destroys you is absolutely cheesy. Also, it makes the battles look horrible with both the boss and you flailing at each other, it looks like two fish out of water flapping against each other (which doesn't look any better with a friend helping out...just looks like more fish flapping against each other). Dragon's Nest fights are smooth and the boss battles are less challenging thanks to having an actual mana bar and the bosses actually taking there times telegraphing moves having patterns like any boss in a video game would so you can fight them stress-free, unlike the DCUO bosses that have no predictability and then rushing up and zerging you.

Onto graphics, I feel like the edge once again has to go to Dragon Nest. DCUO's animation in it's fast paced combat I find to be too choppy, and sometimes the animation of the energy attacks do not appear on the screen, for example the Hand Blaster types have a combo where they charge up a beam of energy, then after connecting with that form a big ball of energy over head and toss it at the target, but sometimes the ball doesn't show and you just have a over head flinging motion, though it still registers that the move connected. I have not experienced that kind of problem with Dragon's Nest and all of the moves have a smooth complete animation behind them. Both graphic wise are cartoony, which doesn't bother me one bit, though I feel Dragon Nest is a lot more colorful and livelier.

On to the topic of Fun Factor. DCUO does deliver when it comes to the inner child at first, having your child hood heroes or villains speaking to you and giving you quests and thanking you for your help (or thanking you for not being incompetent in the villains case). Sometimes getting a chance to actually fight alongside your favorite heroes was epic. I remember doing the battle of Smallville helping Superman fight Doomsday made me giggle like a school girl. However there is some moments where I just wished some of the chain quests could be skipped over and go straight into the fight, like the starting area for Superman, I just wanted to go "Ugh, can't I just go punch Gorilla Grod in the face now?" Circe and Wonder Woman's entire quest arch I found completely annoying as well. Another thing I find weird about the game is you fight the boss, then defeat them, then you get the cut scene on why that particular character wants to rule the world or defend the city, etc. Shouldn't the cut scene be before defeating them to add more impact to the story?

Dragon's Nest though I'm finding more entertaining. Mainly because it has cut scene driven storylines that at the moment seems to be going from the start of the game till the very end (I can't confirm that though since while I did level cap in DCUO, I'm only at level 18 out of the US cap of 32 at the moment). This leads me to one gripe and it could be said for the majority or maybe all of the MMO's so far. Why do they make your character seem so incompetent? It happened with World of Warcraft: Catacylsm where every new zone you went into led to you being knocked out or captured and it's like, ok I helped slay Ragnaros, Illidan, Lich King, but I get knocked out in a cut scene by non-elites of my level? What the fuck?! This game almost made me think otherwise at first because one cut scene a enemy in the game was tossed over to the boss and you just walked into the scene. I was like "Sweet! Change of pace!", but from that point on for the next three boss battles afterwards you get knocked out...and then a few levels later you end up getting bullied and then rescued by someone that deems you worthless and considers you a slave...it's like geeze this game is the worst then Final Fantasy XI in making you feel like you have a worthless character, and in that game your major enemy for 40 + levels is onion creatures, rabbits, bees, worms, and crabs...crabs that take 5 other people to kill! What the fuck Square-Enix?! Despite the worthless seeming character the game's story, graphics, and smooth gameplay just made this game more enjoyable to me then DCUO.

Just because I declare Dragon Nest the winner doesn't mean DCUO is horrible, and honestly both of them can use some major improvements in certain areas. Both of them can use improvements in customization, especially Dragon Nest since there's only a single digit amount of hair styles, clothing styles and colors that you can pick. Also gaining costume looks is rare in Dragon Nest unless you spend actual cash but earning levels do give you the gifts of obtaining different costume pieces that only last for a couple of days, so wait until you get the full set before using them all. DCUO needs to do the same, while it does have a variety of outfits it really needs to gain a lot more, I recommend taking a look at the customization of City of Heroes. While I do like the fact that there's extra styles to earn through quests and missions, there need to be more styles to gather in game, and not just through tokens to earn special armor, like using the currency that you currently only spend on sodas (your health potions so to speak) to devote to clothing. Also DCUO really needs to focus on boss mechanics, please look at other MMO's on how to do a boss battle as the bosses shouldn't be recklessly flailing on you with you defeating the opponent determined almost by a matter of luck. Dragon's Nest I want to feel like when I'm playing a MMO that I am playing a hero not an incompetent idiot, but saying that and I'm uncapped I hope the character redeems himself, he really needs to. Also the party mechanic is pretty terrible. You can only party up in the closest town before you go a few screens over to go into the appropriate dungeon portal. Why in the world can you not just find the party before the portal? I can understand trying to make the traffic in the game easier, but would it be that congested? Could you not keep the single player pathways and just have the portals end up linking together if your partied up and go through the portal so you can come out the same end?

So to end things off, they're free. So give both DC Universe Online and Dragon Nest a try and let me know what you think of both. I still do play both but I am playing Dragon Nest more. If you play Dragon Nest, feel free to find me on the Argenta East Server under Woowuo the paladin, or Alraphise the acrobat. On DCUO you can find me on the PVE server under Tenthmandown. Now to sum up and rate everything below.


DC Universe Online - Pros: Authentic voice actors of the animated series interact with you by assigning you the quests. Mark Hamil being a mentor as The Joker is pure win.

Interacting with the heroes and villains that you know from your favorite DC Comics and in some cases getting to fight alongside or against them.

Fast Paced Action can sometimes get your adrenaline pumping.
A good bit of customization (though far from the greatest) Earning new costumes and styles in game can sometimes be better then what you originally chose you hero to wear.

Cons: Bad, almost horrible fighting mechanics if you are a melee fighter (it's much easier as a ranged fighter). To go along with this horrible boss mechanics.

No crafting, some might see that as a good thing but to me, it's just one less thing to do at end game content.

Game has more bugs then Joe's Apartment, resulting in a lot of downtime problems.

Graphics are just ok, almost PS2, regular X-Box quality.

Could use much bigger character customization



Dragon's Nest - Pros: Good graphics, smooth animation

Fun, flashy moves

Smooth controls

Excellent ongoing story with a quest tab that's easy to keep track of the entire story and current objectives

Most dungeons are pretty brief only last 10-12 minutes on normal difficulty. Excellent if you don't have much free time for MMO's.

Cool boss battles

Cons: Horrible party access in my opinions.

Could use more variety of music (dungeon music always converts into encounter music as soon as you get near enemies so your hearing the same music over and over)

Completely lack of customization, and not that much variety in appearance of armor changing (you do get better armor to increase your stats, but the clothing will remain looking the same)
NPC's find you annoying, cut scenes make your character seem like a loser so far (prove me wrong end content) almost feel like your stripped from trying to be a hero in the game.

Let me just say that I am sorry about the pun in the title. And by sorry, I mean I am not really, so shut up. I think it is safe to say that in terms of gaming, I am a story first kind of guy (I look forward to your e-mails that I won’t read). That isn’t to say that I don’t appreciate game play, scrutinize every facet of controls, layout, graphics, etc….it just means that if you want to really get me, better make sure your narrative is solid. So when a certain 500 dollar block of plastic and Blu-ray playing fun known as the PS3 first advertised the original Uncharted…I knew that I had to get one just so I could play this game. That’s right….I bought a PS3 just so I could play Uncharted. Honestly? I don’t regret it for a second. Drake’s Fortune was one of the best told stories I have ever experienced, and coupled with game play that wasn’t perfect but had a lot of potential to grow, I was one happy little nerd. The second game was also a hit for me, despite a few little gripes I had with game play and the story gaps between the first and second were a little irritating; but I was still in. And now we have the third installment of the franchise….a franchise that appears to not be going anywhere anytime soon. There is some good and bad in this puppy, which we’ll discuss later. But first…the run down.

The game gets right down to business as we have our intrepid heroes Drake and Victor “Sully” Sullivan entering into a pub that subsequently leads to a bar fight breaking out…well, more aptly a pub brawl. The prize that is being sought after in this installment of the franchise is the lost city of Iram; referred to in the game as the Atlantis of the Sands. The quest to find this city requires Drake and some familiar faces to scour the globe in locations such as London England, southern France, Syria, and Yemen as they trace the steps of not only Francis Drake but also T.E. Lawrence better known as Lawrence of Arabia.

As far as character interaction goes, the main focus is on the relationship with Sully and Drake and their history with the main antagonist, Katherine Marlowe. Through this, we see the first meeting of Drake and Sully, as well as the first encounter with Marlowe that sets the story up as Iram being a bigger find than even El Dorado itself from the first Uncharted. The dynamic and relationship between Nate and Sully is good and compelling, but the problem is the same kind of chemistry and dynamic with other characters seems to suffer. Chloe for instance does not seem at all like the character we experienced in Among Thieves, and we again find Elana Fisher and Drake being estranged from one another again…a trend that I really hope does not continue in any future Drake games.

Another trend that I am a little worried about is the use of gimmicks from the previous games showing up in this one. Escaping from crumbling ruins, while effective, can get old really fast if it shows up in every title. Repackaging the concept would be a good idea. I was also left scratching my head at the use of a quasi-supernatural obstacle in what can only be described as “Arachnophobia level” spiders. There really seemed like they were put in for no logical reason at all, especially when the city itself has no connection to the insects whatsoever…yet here they were at every necessary location in their quest to Iram.

There are some additions to the series that did not show up in the other two, however….and they were great. For instance, new melee finishes like pulling the pin on an enemy’s grenade that is still strapped to their belt. That kind of flourish made you want to engage in hand to hand combat as often as possible just so you could get the satisfaction of blowing a guy up with their own grenade.

For all of the good that we got, there were moments where you had to sit back and scratch your head and figure out in what way did this seem like a good idea…like with camera angles. The camera has been a point of irritation for me in a lot of games, and Uncharted has been no exception there. The camera in the franchise does do things better than most, but when they get things wrong, you really see it…and potentially feel it. Angles like one on the sinking ship part of the game (OMG SPOILERTHHHH!) that must have been pitched by a kid that took one film class/and or dropped out of filmschool but believes themselves to be an artist. The angle is SO ANNOYING you would be hard pressed to beat said kid with a bronzed replica of an Oscar yelling “YOU ARE NOT SCORSESE” with each blow.

Despite my gripes (which you will see more in the Breakdown), Drake’s Deception is a really solid game that is extremely entertaining as well as addicting. I say this because what was intended to be a “first impressions” piece ended up being the full fledged review just because I couldn’t put the damn thing down. It is another winner by Naughty Dog who I hope continues to grow and improve. A great game that demands you play it at least once.

The Breakdown

The Good:

• Epic story we have come to expect from the franchise
• New melee combat “finishes” that give us more than just a “knockout”.
• Art is top notch, doing a phenomenal job in sucking you in to the game.
• The cover system seems to have improved over the course of the three games.
• Top Notch Voice Acting….you once again feel like you are experiencing a film rather than a game.
• The throwing (be it grenade or propane tank) seemed to be a lot smoother this time around.
• AI was a lot meaner this time around.
• Co-Op feature is a nice treat.

The Bad:

• Camera Angles at times were just awkward….like on the ship for instance (yes yes…spoilerth. Go to hell).
• Quick Time Events in melee combat did not seem to work consistently. You could be wailing on triangle all day and still get a face full of fist.
• Too many of the “big guy” minions in combat mode. They were a unique addition to the game, but their continued use took away from the novelty.
• While the game tells a great story, it is once again way too short….a minor gripe here but with something as good as Uncharted, you always want more.
• I know I said the cover system was improved…but there were still moments where it seems off. There were places that one should (if they employ logic) be able to crouch behind or lean against that instead made for some awkward moments where you roll against a wall.
• In the same breath, movement of Drake could be really sloppy at times as well. I noticed times when you wanted Drake to move slowly made him look like he was constipated because the engine felt that for the particular situation, he should be running.

Numbspoon’s Numeric Value: 9.1

A few things to talk about this week; some of it good….but most of it is just down right annoying as hell. We have gotten a lot of news on some anticipated titles as well as tired old standards; and I felt it important that we talk about them. By we, I of course mean me, and by talk I mean go on a tirade (for the most part) over these offending news items in question. But how would I go about it? How could I convey the kind of irritation that is being experienced? Why, in this new segment: Get Off My Lawn! So without further adieu…

Blizzcon took place this past week and I can’t adequately convey how big a waste of time this ridiculous “convention” is. Where E3 and others feature hundreds upon hundreds of titles, Blizzcon features two or three that we probably won’t get our hands on until three years after the fact. Of course we can’t forget the wildly popular World of Warcraft, a title that features the best society has to offer. When it became obvious that the upcoming title from Bioware, Star Wars: The Old Republic was going to pose as competition to a game that has begun to see its numbers dip...outside of those who like to sodomize themselves with TV remotes, it was clear that they needed something big….something that will draw people back into the World…of….well you get the idea. Their solution?

Pandaria and the new race: Pandarans. The new expansion: Mists of Pandaria sounds like a kind of Naruto vehicle you would find on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon. But no, this would be how the Blizz responds to immersive multiplayer experiences, innovative companion systems, and a setting created by a bearded madman that has generated billions upon billions of dollars in movie, action figure, and clothing sales worldwide: put some Jack Black Kung Fu Panda in their game. Great idea. No seriously…I know my first instinct when having to compete with a Galaxy Far Far Away would be to open up content that reminds people that they need to order the Peking Duck from the local Panda Express. BUT on the bright side….this might actually be the thing that gives Gungans the street cred that idiot Lucas had been hoping for since he unleashed that Jar Jar monstrosity upon the world.

If I could go back to Bioware if I may, we had mentioned the news about multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 back when it was announced by the game’s head honcho: Casey Hudson. Since that time we have gotten small bits of info on what the feature would entail, and assurances that this is a separate experience entirely from the main story. As a matter of fact, we have learned that no one will be able to play as Commander Shepard in this (up to) 4 player survival mode, and in honesty? I think that it could be a good thing if done properly. Though I still wonder why in the hell we need to have multiplayer for every damn game that comes out. I mean come on….what happened to simple single player? Do we HAVE to have a feature that forces us to interact with other people online? And great question…what is it about online play that turns a person into such a little douche? All I know is the first person I hear saying something like “nice one noob” or however those little shits talk, I am unleashing friendly fire upon.

Earlier I had reviewed Batman: Arkham City and had given it a rather high score (9.0 out of 10). While I stand by it, this is not to say that there isn’t a lot wrong with the game. There are a lot of little things that really make you disappointed in the work. If it was anything else, it would have gotten a 7.5 or an 8.0, but considering how good the positives were, it really helped balance it out. The story in particular leaves you with a “holy shit” feeling that makes you forget all but for a moment how cliché’d boss battles were. Regardless, I stick by the 9.0 and if you are any fan of Batman at all, you will agree. And if you don’t….well odds are you are a terrorist.

The next big title to be coming out this year is the highly anticipated Uncharted 3.

I can’t help but worry that this latest Nathan Drake adventure is going to be a narrative letdown in comparison to the first two of the franchise. Regardless, all that we have seen looks breathtaking and I hope that I am not disappointed with it. We’ll have a first impressions write up the first night and then a review this week so keep an eye out for that. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @Numbspoon. For now? I am going to go sit out on my porch and yell at children with a bullhorn.

- Numbspoon