Can you believe it! The love of your life has been hiding inside your pocket all this time.
The Lunchtime Gamer – 9/1/2009
The World of Warcraft servers were down over lunch (until 2PM PST) so I decided to jump into Guild Wars. After spending some time reorienting myself to the game interface, I was off on a quest with a group of henchmen. Ruins of vast old cities, minotaurs, and ice giants were just a few of the sights and creatures that were encountered. Fun stuff. I had forgotten just how beautiful the graphics in this game are. Not only are the graphics beautiful but the scale and vastness of the games world is simply incredible. So why did I leave this game in the first place?
- Guild Wars lacked that hook that other MMOs (WoW, LOTRO) have to keep me going.
- Confusion over PVE versus PVP characters. I’d prefer to build a character for all seasons.
- A level 20 cap that ended in gameplay being focused on finding the perfect skill set. I did not have the time nor interest to do this.
The lunch hour is only so long, and so are my musings. Until next time.
Surf Report – 8/31/09
Welcome to a Monday edition of the Surf Report.
.: God :
.: Life :
Too busy. You?
.: Gaming :
This week I thought I would take a break from the great Pokémon experiment to instead talk about my recent adventures with Dragon Quest IV (DS).
As a gamer, I have had limited exposure to the world of Dragon Quest. My Japanese RPG experiences to date have mostly consisted of the Final Fantasy series. Granted, I have deviated away from the Final Fantasy series occasionally and explored the worlds of Skies of Arcadia (DC), Golden Sun (GBA), and Chrono Trigger (DS). However, the Dragon Quest series is one that I have read much about but never played until now.
Dragon Quest IV marks my first experience in the world of Dragon Quest. The game is divided up into five chapters, with each chapter introducing a different character/ perspective that will eventually build into the final chapter that features the games main hero. Ten hours into the game, I have reached chapter 4. A tale of revenge, chapter 4 follows Maya and Meena on their quest to avenge their fathers death. Difficulty wise, chapter 4 seems too short on money drops and thus upgrading weapons/ armor has been a pain. Overall, I am enjoying the games simplistic gameplay and engaging storyline. If you haven’t jumped into the world of Dragon Quest, now is the time to do so.
That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!
BlizzCon: Day 2
JBG correspondents Scotto and Lord Andrew write from the depths of Blizzard Entertainment’s BlizzCon. Follow their adventures below!
———— Photo Update ————
Wow, Lord Andrew and I have had a chance to play a lot more of the new games.
Starcraft 2 is really fun. I wasn’t that excited about it before, but now I cannot wait for it! It is SO polished. The units are gorgeous. The in game cut scenes are incredible. Lord Andrew kicked my butt really bad but it was still amazingly fun.
Diablo 3 is great too. Lord Andrew and I stumbled into a dungeon this last time. The atmospheric effects are so cool. Everything is beautifully animated…and it runs very fast. I was playing the witch doctor this time and Lord Andrew tried the monk. The spell effects make it very fun too. I love that every creature had rag doll physics so the deaths always look different.
We’ve gotten to play both of the new races for the new WoW expansion Cataclysm. The Worgen look great. You start as a human and you can transform into a worgen whenever yo want. His racial is a swift run ability that you can trigger every minute or so.
The new goblin race for horde is awesome too. They added a ton of facial detail…he looks awesome! He probably has the most fun racials of any class too. He can rocket forward with a jet pack, and also shoot a missile!?? So good. We liked him a lot.
We just heard that they will be bringing the old Onyxia boss fight back….all new updated items and stuff. They are going to make it possible to do cross-server LFG’s with th new path. So you can do 5 man PUGs really easy now. WAY easier to find groups.
I‘m really looking forward to being able to go back through the original game and play it with all new content.
———— Update ————
We are leaving now 😦 so sad. Lord Andrew kicked my butt at Terran, Protoss, AND Zerg. Really really kicked my butt. Great way to end BlizzCon! Wouldn’t have it any other way.
(Note to self – build more units…build them faster.)
– Scotto
This concludes JBG’s BlizzCon coverage. Hope y’all enjoyed the ride!
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Announced
For the trailer click here.
– Two New Playable Races: Adventure as one of two new races—the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
– Level Cap Increased to 85: Earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to improve characters.
– Classic Zones Remade: Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been altered forever and updated with new content, from the devastated Badlands to the broken Barrens, which has been sundered in two.
– New High-Level Zones: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great Sunken City of Vashj’ir beneath the sea.
– More Raid Content than Ever Before: Enjoy more high-level raid content than previous expansions, with optional more challenging versions of all encounters.
– New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations.
– Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
– New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
– Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
– Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms like never before.
For more information, please visit the Cataclysm FAQ.
JohnnyBGamer 