Runescape

Yes, yes, it is true. Pokemon Pots is over. But don't worry. Tonight we have my favourite game to share with you.

Runescape

I, Titus Proxima, have been playing Runescape since I was old enough to understand the concept of RPG. For 8 years I’ve enjoyed endless hours of free time in this imaginative, ever-growing, world. I began as a curious 10 year old, seeking something to do in the 1 hour a day I was allowed on the family computer. My brothers and I were addicted to this game. It is what originally got me into gaming.

Since then the game has changed dramatically. I began again a few weeks ago so as to compare it to what it was before. In the original game you could pick your gender and your appearance and your outfit and then you went through the starter world were you were directed to each point at which you would learn something new about the game. When you reached the end of the training you were sent to the mainland with a few start possessions and told to make your way to the top.

You began in a castle called Lumbridge Castle were there was a bank and around it a few activities that you could get started on. There were also low level goblins and spiders to slay to begin growing your levels and also masters who you could talk to, to learn more about each career route. You could change careers on a whim and not lose levels or anything. Once you had grown a small amount you could begin to venture out one path led to Falador and a small fishing port and the other let to Varrock the capital city of Runescape. Here there is the main trading facility and the higher level soldiers and enemies for attacking. As you grew levels you could venture further and find stronger enemies and gain more property including better armour and weaponry or tools such as Mithril Pick axe’s or Adamant long swords.

There were quests for all levels for those who prefer structure and to further one’s avatar in the game. For members there were better quests, better weaponry and even places where you could build your own residence.

Discovering new places also meant unlocking new music tracks and learning more about the game as a whole (I was level 56 when my first account got hacked).

Personally I think some of the updates are unnecessary and inconvenient (especially for people like me who hate making decisions). At the beginning now there you must make a decision as to what class you want to be and then there is no training world but you are immediately cast into the mainland to stumble along on your own in a new world. If it wasn’t for my previous understanding of the game I would have been totally lost. As it was people were asking me questions about what they were supposed to do because I clearly knew despite being such a low level.

One thing they have kept which pleases me greatly is their holiday events such as Halloween parties which you had specific Halloween quests to complete and prizes at the end, normally an outfit that indicated your participation and a prize box. They also every now and then drag you into a spontaneous quest where you have to help something out of a situation and then at the end you are sent back to where you were with a mystery gift box and an item.]

The graphics have mostly stayed the same but there is less lag which I used to get all the time. The controls are simple and easy and I recommend this to anyone who wants a simple enjoyable game to pass a few hours in the evening. I recently managed to get Valhalla to have a go. He was sceptical at first but he definately got into it.

I have to give this game a good rating because I TOTALLY LOVE this game. So here goes.

GGGGGGG (7/10 Gamer rating) I'd give it more but I think it's let itself go a bit.

World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria

At Blizzcon this year it was announced that a new World of Warcraft expansion would be released. Its name, Mists of Pandaria. Since it’s been announced we’ve seen a lot of opinions on the content that has been released so far, and whilst some of what we’ve seen written is good, a lot of it has been pretty bad. So, in this post we’ll tell you what we know so far about the new expansion and as information is released, we’ll be sure to keep you Warcrafters updated.

I have a WoW character named Findor who is on the EU realm Mazrigos. Titus’ laptop is evil and so currently he can’t play WoW, but we’re working on that one (I WILL have him playing). During the WoW posts that aren’t related to this awesome new expansion (such as posts on the upcoming Patch 4.3) we’ll most likely follow the adventures of out characters through festivals and changes in the game.

So, in this post, let’s have a look at the latest information released regarding Mists of Pandaria.

New Race

“Couched in myth and legend, rarely seen and even more rarely understood, the enigmatic pandaren have long been a mystery to the other races of Azeroth. The noble history of the pandaren people stretches back thousands of years, well before the empires of man and before even the sundering of the world.” – Blizzard.

Yes, the pandaren. A new and exciting race that looks just like...well, pandas. This is Blizzard’s first neutral race as you can choose whether your pandaren will be Horde or Alliance. From what I’ve read (and this is in need of confirmation) you begin as a pandaren with no set faction and choose which side to take before leaving the starting area. Some players have said that this is a step forward for Blizzard, that being able to choose your faction gives the player that little bit more freedom. However, I would have to agree with those who claim it to be a bad idea, that choosing your own faction is a little pointless and just adds confusion to a simple game. I also believe this new race to lack creativity and bear (oh, the pun here was SO unintended) too much resemblance to ‘Kung-Fu Panda’.

As with all races, the pandaren come with their own lore which has been fantastically worded by Blizzard, and I would feel as though I had defiled their work if I shortened and summarised it. So, here is the currently available lore straight from Blizzard’s website.

“Denizens of a wondrous and fertile land, the pandaren once labored under the oppressive thumb of a monstrous race of ancient warlords known as the Mogu. Through tenacity, diplomacy, and a unique form of unarmed combat, the pandaren staged a successful revolution that deposed the Mogu and established a pandaren empire that would prosper for thousands of years.

During the bleak days that preceded the sundering of the world, when demons flooded onto Azeroth and threw the entirety of the mortal realm into jeopardy, the last Emperor of the pandaren discovered a way to protect his land from the devastation. His deal with fate shrouded his land within an impenetrable mist for ten thousand years, but the nature of his transaction has left Pandaria haunted ever since...

Wanderlust

It is the rare pandaren indeed who sought a way beyond the mist. Generations ago, pandaren explorers began to gather on the back of a giant turtle: Shen-zin Su. The great sea turtle roamed Azeroth's oceans, perhaps the only contact pandaren had with the outside world. Eventually, they too lost contact with their mist-shrouded homeland.

Players who choose to create a pandaren character will start their journey on the back of Shen-zin Su. When the great turtle is threatened, and their whole wandering homeland is in jeopardy of being swallowed by the sea, players will have to accelerate their training and spring into action.

During their time on the turtle, players will first encounter the Alliance and Horde. Before they are finished, they'll have to make the most important decision of their lives: Which of the two factions will they support as they venture out to heal a world broken by the Cataclysm and threatened by a global war?” - Blizzard

Racial abilities and available classes

The pandaren, as with other races, have their own racial abilities which are listed below.

EPICUREAN

Increases the stat benefits from food by 100%

GOURMAND

Cooking skill increased by 15.

INNER PEACE

Your rested experience bonus lasts twice as long.

BOUNCY

You take 50% less falling damage.

(How cute is that!?)

QUAKING PALM

You touch a secret pressure point on an enemy target, putting it to sleep for 3 seconds.

The classes available to the pandaren are:

-          Monk

-          Hunter

-          Mage

-          Priest

-          Rogue

-          Shaman

-          Warrior

Did you just say there was a Monk class?

Yes, yes I did. If you’ve ever played table top games like Dungeons and Dragons or Castles and Crusades, you may be familiar with the Monks, martial artists and masters of chi and energy. Well, the soon to be introduced Monks are very much like this. They are experts in martial arts (a form of fighting introduced by the pandaren masters) and are also able to use chi energy expertly. They can be Tanks (defence), DPS (Damage (per second)) and Healers (kind of obvious there) in raids, dungeons and battlegrounds.

Monks can wear cloth and leather armour and are able to wield fist weapons, one handed axes, one handed maces, one handed swords, polearms and staves (which seems like a fair selection of weapons). Instead of mana they use chi in order to use special abilities (for example, the move ‘roll’ which enabled the pandaren to roll a short distance requires 50 chi to use). Blizzard have only released three of the abilities that will be used by Monks, one being roll and the others are named spinning crane kick and statue of the jade serpent. The class is available to all races in each faction, like the Death Knight class in Wrath of the Lich King.

Other new features

So far, Blizzard has only released two additional features to the public and they are: challenge modes and pet battle system. Let’s learn a little bit about each of these new features.

Challenge Mode

The aim of this mode: finish the dungeon as fast as possible and try to beat its best completion time. Through that you can earn a bronze, silver or gold medal.  Your armour will be neutralised, meaning that your own armour is temporarily stripped from you and replaced with armour that is suitable for the instance you are entering in challenge mode – making it fair for everyone who is entering. For this mode it is vital that you work as a team in order to achieve the best possible time. You can compare your medals with everyone else in the realm.

The rewards:  so far we have been told there will be new armour art (patch 4.3 stay tuned for more info on this), mount drops and titles. Blizzard claim there is more, but what it is I have no idea.

Pet Battle System

Hello, my name is Professor Oak. Welcome to the world of Pok—Huh?

No, you haven’t reached the world of Pokémon, Blizzard has just created something similar. Yes, now WoW is appealing to all ages as vanity pets gain the ability to battle each other and level up. Have you always wanted to destroy your best friend’s Lil’ Deathwing? Well, now you can. Your vanity pets each have their own special abilities that they can use when battling each other. Every time they fight, they gain experience points and are able to level up, unlocking new moves and becoming even more powerful than before.

That was bad, but I promise you, it gets worse. You can now catch vanity pets in the wild. Yes, you heard me – the wild. So, whilst strolling through the forests of Azeroth you may come across a vanity pet. Upon crossing its path you will open a battle sequence which will allow you to fight said pet with your own and/or catch it. Not only that, but lurking in Azeroth are vanity pet trainers, who may offer to teach your pets great tricks or challenge you to a battle with your pets in order for them to receive training. In Blizzards words “make a name for yourself as Azeroth’s most renowned pet trainer!” Can Nintendo sue them for this? I mean seriously, can they? What is Blizzard doing!?

So, what are your thoughts on the latest expansion so far? Do you think that the new pet battle system is great, or perhaps you agree with me on that one? Whatever your thoughts on the latest information, share it with us – we would love to know.

Here’s the trailer for Mists of Pandaria as released by Blizzard.

Sims 3 Pets

Tomorrow, the Sims 3 pets will be released on PC, XBOX 360 and PS3. As we come towards October 21^st, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the Sims 3, compare it to the Sims 2 and have a look at what you can expect from the latest Sims 3 expansion pack.

In 2009, the Sims 3 hit our screens for the very first time, offering a new experience with the top selling life simulation game. The aim of the game is the same as its predecessors – build your Sims a really nice house, control their lives, get them up the career ladder and (prepare for the cheesy line) have fun. The Sims 3 can’t really be compared to the first game, as everything has changed so much. It would be better to compare it to the more recent Sims 2, as many of the features are similar with some additions in the third game.

Creating a Sim in The Sims 3

It’s basically the same as the Sims 2 – you are able to choose various faces, hair styles/colours, clothing and personal features (name, age group, skin colour etc.). However, in this version of the Sims the facial details that can be modified are far more advanced than the previous game. Tiny details like nostril size can be edited, and there is even an option to modify eyelash length. Skin tones are more varied than Sims 2, allowing for red, blue and green skin colours. It also includes the option to change the amount of muscle/fat that a Sim has, and with the Late Night expansion you are given the option to modify breast size (now that could be fun). However, something that I found was lacking here was the option to completely alter a Sims face which is available to do in the Sims 2. The Sims 3 may have more detailed face modification options, but the finished face is little changed from the one you started with. I’ve tried everything and my Sims just seem to look the same.

Individual colours on clothing, shoes and socks can be changed by clicking on the individual pieces which opens up the colour tool. Your Sims are also able to wear jewellery like earrings bracelets and gloves, as well as have tattoos and body hair (men’s chest hair has a customisable colour like most other parts of Sim creation). This is a great feature that allows a lot of freedom when choosing what your Sims can wear; it brings a little more individuality to the game.

Personality is an important thing for your Sims, and now they can become even more individual than any other Sims game. You can choose five traits for your Sims to have (things like an evil personality, lazy, athletic, genius, socially awkward, kleptomaniac...the list goes on etc.). You also have options for your Sims to have one of three different voices which differ in sound and tone. The trait system is a good one in that your Sim will behave in a way that is fitting to its personality traits. So, an evil genius Sim who likes to be isolated will generally lack social skills and is nasty to other Sims. It makes the game a little more fun.

General Gameplay

Build mode and buy mode are pretty much the same as the Sims 2, but with the option to change the colour of furniture and other items as you buy and place them in your house.

When playing the Sims 3, you choose an active household to play with. As you play around with that house, the homes and families around you live their lives as though they were being played with too. Other families you create may have children, age and die without you even touching them once, something that could be seen as both good (because it’s more realistic) and bad (in that you lose the ability to fully control your Sims). When playing with your chosen household, you are able to view the whole town map as you play and so can see inside the homes of other Sims and your Sims can walk or drive to a community lot without even having to go through a loading screen. It saves a lot of time, especially if your computer is a little slow.

However, when visiting community lots you cannot enter the building and must wait outside for your Sim to finish, something that I disliked about the game as I enjoyed entering community lots and socialising with other Sims.

Enough of the explanations

Well, I’ve given you the basic information on the Sims 3 in general, but one of the big questions is “What can we expect from the Sims 3 pets?” In anticipation of this particular query I have below a list of features that you will see when the latest expansion is released tomorrow.

The List

-         -  Unicorns are now available for your Sims. They can bless and curse Sims, set things on fire and teleport. Groovy, eh?

-         -  You can own cats, dogs and horses

-         - There are over 100 breeds of animal to choose from

-         - Give your pets personality traits like hunter, skittish and piggy

-          - With the limited edition game you get pet costumes for your Sims

-          - Sims have new traits (dog lover, cat lover, equestrian and animal lover) which contain special relationships with the chosen animal

-          - Mix and match the fur/main and tails of your pets to make crazy and funky combinations

-         -  New ranch town called Appaloosa Plains

-          - You can have SIX pets in your home, raising the maximum household number from 8 to 1

 I know we're looking forward to the Sims 3 Pets release tomorrow, and I wonder if you are too. Tell us your thoughts in the comments; we’d love to know what you think of this latest expansion.

Take a look at this trailer for the Sims 3 Pets too.

Pokémon Pots Volume III: Console games (Battle Revolution)

As Titus is at Shakespeare’s Othello tonight (I wish I could go), it looks like it’s going to be me posting solo. Well, issue 3/4 of Pokémon Pots is all about console games, so for the GameCube and WII...stuff like that. Sadly, my childhood gaming consisted of my trusty PS1, and when that eventually died I didn’t get another console until a few years ago when my mum brought home a WII, and when my sister was given an XBOX for Christmas last year. That in mind, I have only played one Pokémon console game, and my experience with it is less than expert, so you must excuse me if this is a short post. I will, however, do my best to make it as informative as possible!

The only console Pokémon game I own is Battle Revolution for the WII. I’ve played the GameCube colosseum before at a friend’s house, but that’s about it. All the colosseum-type console games seem to work in the same sort of fashion – you battle your Pokémon and try your best to win each round. The big difference with Battle Revolutions is that you also have the Stadium Mode which has special effects such as randomising the order of you Pokémon or setting level limits (I do quite like the whole level limit thing, I find it a challenge).

In this game there are 11 different colosseums to choose from that can include normal battles or special changes to the arena. Each one has its own Colosseum Leader – sort of like the Elite Four in the main games, but with only one person...maybe not entirely like them. The concept is the same.

The Crystal Colosseum holds 16 person single player battles. It goes through a process of elimination, so those defeated leave the battle and the winners play on until the last two players where the champion of the tournament is revealed.

The Gateway Colosseum is something that I know little about as it requires a pass to enter. I’ve heard it is pretty good from those who have entered it, but I still know very little about the goings on.

The Neon Colosseum uses a wheel to choose the Pokémon that the player and opponent will use to battle (spin, spin, spin the wheel of excitement!). As you progress through the colosseum the number of Pokémon that you are able to rent increases, thus increasing your power.

A few notes about the game

-          The currency of this game is called Poké-Coupons and they can be spent customising your in-game character including their hair colour and face paint (I was so excited about that I had to attempt to type face paint three times).

-          In this game there is no story mode so it’s just battle, battle, battle and be the very best!

-          Pokémon have their own animations for each attack making the battle a little more interesting to watch

-          You can win Pokémon on Battle Revolutions and transfer it to you DS game through the Mystery Gift feature (awesome stuff!)

-          To win these hard to find Pokémon you must achieve certain goals or enter a special code into the game. This enables you to send Pokémon to your DS game that would usually require a cheat to get.

-          Purchase items, TM’s and evolution items

Gameplay

To be honest, I found it to be a little strange. Everything seemed so futuristic that it stopped feeling like the Pokémon games I have always known and loved so well. The controls are really simple and don't take very long to learn, you can pretty much get the jist of it without looking at the manual I found. The graphics are standard Pokémon style - nothing spectacular but still decent. The only problem is that the Pokémon all felt really 3D and I felt it took a little bit of the experience away because, like the surroundings, it all felt way too futuristic. It's rather enjoyable trying to find the hard to get Pokémon for your DS game, but sadly I never got to finish Battle Revolution as it technically belongs to my younger sister /mumble /grumble.

So yeah, that’s all I really know about Colosseum – I don’t to play many of the console versions of Pokémon. Titus is always gone when I need him most /cry. Well, to make up for the poor quality of this post (I tried my hardest, honest) I have some fun little Pokémon videos for you to watch! By the way, what are your thoughts on the colosseum games and have you played any of the other console versions? If so, tell us about it in the comments!

~ Valhalla

Follower Saturday: Assassins Creed II and Assassins Creed Brotherhood

We both sincerely apologise for the unschedualed delay.(I sound like the intercom at an airport)
I think we'll go cronologically so we can begin with assassins Creed II as we aren't doing I today.
Assassins Creed II is set in 21st century. The main protagonist is a man named Desmond Miles and it begins with his escape from Abstergo Industries.
 
He has received, through genetics, the memories of an assassin using a machine called 'The Animus'. The assassins name is Altair ibn La-Ahad. Here he discovers prophetic warnings of the end of the world from subject 16. After Desmond's escape from Abstergo Industries he enters 'The Animus 2.0', which is far more advanced than the original, in which he receives the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, an early 15th century assassin in Italy. Ezio becomes an assassin after his family are murdered by family traitor. As Ezio the player can explore Italian cities in open world game play. Throughout this period, Desmond, as Ezio, discovers glyphs left by subject 16 that when pieced together make a video of Adam and Eve in a futuristic Eden. The video ends with the Binary code from this futuristic Eden. Desmond can only visit the memories that begin in 1499 and there are years missing.
The assassins memories begin whith the asassination of Ezio's father and brother and his escape to his uncle Mario's villa in the country with his mother and sister. The search for the conspirators takes Ezio from Florence, to San Gimignano, to Forli, to Venice and eventually to Rome.
As Ezio proceeds, he destorys many political enimies and gains allies like Niccolo Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci who helps him to improve his gear using schematics fround in Altair's Codex pages.
Eventually Ezio discovers that the main offender is Rodrigo Borgia who ultimately meant to detroy the Medici family with the help of the Doge of Venice and the Pazzi family(basically everyone is corrupt).
When ezio finds Rodrigo Borgia, he is in posetion of the apple from Eden, the one which Altair recovered centuries before and that borgia believes himself to be 'The Prophet' who will lead the Templars to a fabled 'Vault'.
Ezio recovers the apple and Borgia flees and Ezio's allies reveal that they are also assassins and believe that in fact ezio is the fables Prophet.

Ezio strikes Borgia done but cannot kill him because doing so will not bring his brother and father back, he uses the apple and the Papal cross(also part of Eden) to find the vault where he finds a holographoc figure called Minerva who talks directly to Desmond and the others in 2012. She explains that she is from a future far advanced to those they coexisted with, the early human race. the two humanoids hada  great war and then there was a global disaster and the survivors of both races banded together to prevent it from happening again. She tells Desmond(using his name, a bit creepy) that 'the rest is up to you'.
Desmond and the other 21st century people are forced to flee with the Animus as Abstergo troops attack. While on the run, Desmonds companion, Lucy, explains that there are faults with the Earth's magnetic fields and that a meteor hitting these would result in a global catastrophe just as Minerva said so they headfro the Temples built by the two races from the future and prepare to reenter the Animus.

I, Titus, have played this game for endless hours. It is exiting, sometimes difficult and allways murderously(see what I did there?) enthralling. I have wasted more time than I care to admit in my dark computer room staring at the screen for hours, not even realising the time passing. It's exiting learning new ways to kill people and running from the guards and planning strikes and leaping off of buildings. Some times I'd forget the story completely and just go on a killing spree to see how many I could kill in half an hour. I wont boast my awesome score becasue I am a modest being. Sometimes.
The graphics are realistic to a complimentary extent and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline. It just goes to show that a story doesn't have to have an original storyline to have an original story. I think the creators, Ubisoft, did a highly commendable job and I am eagerly looking forward to the next one coming out on the 15th of November(which happends to be just 2 days before my birthday(all the best stuff is coming out in November, like Christopher Paolini's New book in the Eragon series). What can I say. November is the best).
I give Assassins Creed II an GGGGGGGG(8/10) rating for his great use of killing and cool graphics.

 

And now for Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

It's 2012, and after escaping the Templars' attack at the end of the previous game, Desmond and the crew escape to Monteriggioni where they are able to build a new hideout in the ruins of a village (this being the first AC I played I was rather confused).

In order to power up the base and get all the equipment (including the Animus), the electricity must be restored. This is your first mission playing Desmond. Once the electricity has been fixed and is able to power the equipment you are hooked up to the Animus so that you can control Ezio through Desmond (something to do with his genetic memory - Titus can explain). Your mission: Find the Apple of Eden as it could prevent impending doom That is said to be coming within the year (suspense).

Ezio:

The year is 1499 and Ezio exits the Vault, still confused by what he saw inside (yeah, I was confused by this as a noob to AC). Together with his Uncle Mario, they escape Rome and arrive at  Monteriggioni - Ezio's home. Once he's settled in, he is pleased by the fact that his personal vendetta has been taken care of and his days as an assassin are over. Sadly for Ezio, Niccoló Machiavelli - Leader of the Assassin Order - challenges Ezio's decision to leave Rodrigo Borgia (the new Pope) alive rather than do away with him.

The next morning, Ezio awakes to an attack on Monteriggioni by Rodrigo's son Cesare Borgia. Resistance is futile as Mario is killed by the cold and ruthless hands of Cesare and the Apple is lost to Rodrigo's son and the Templars (really not a good day so far). Gathering his family, Ezio escapes with them (Aenead style) to Rome - the centre of the Templar Order in Italy (damn). Again, he is seeking vengeance against the Borgias - poor man gets no rest. It is in Rome that he discovers that the assassins are failing in the battle against corruption. With a strong determination to bring the Guild together, Ezio convinces Machiavelli that he will be able to lead and build a Brotherhood powerful enough to destroy the Templars and Cesare Borgia (cue dramatic music).

Over the next four years, Ezio performs tasks that will cripple the Borgia's hold on the capital, sabotaging resources and assassinating people that are especially close to Cesare or working for him. Slowly, these actions prove fruitful as Rome is slowly returned to its former glory.  Not only this, but Ezio has managed to turn the Brotherhood into an orderly, capable and respected force. As thanks for his work, Ezio is promoted to Head of the Order and given the rank II Mentore.

Learning of Ezio's actions, Cesare confronts his father, pleading for more money...and the apple. Rodrigo, knowing of Cesare's lust for power, refuses. He then attempts to poison his son (the Borgia family were always so kind), but the plan backfires and Cesare ends up killing his father. Ezio was witness to all of this, and after learning the location of the Apple (St. Peters Basilica), retrieves it and uses its powers to force Cesare's followers to back down, leaving Cesare open for arrest and Rome in peace.

However, when Ezio uses the apple to check Cesare's whereabouts all is not well and something must be done...

Gameplay

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood is a fantastic game, there is no doubt about it. The controls are generally easy to navigate, although having to read the extensive guide on which controls to use and when can become a little tedious.
For me, the beginning of the game and previous events were not explained (or if they were I missed them completely), and although many people who played Brotherhood will have played the previous two games, I was one of the minority who did not and would have appreciated a retelling of prior events.
Graphics were brilliant - dispute the comical blood spurts - and whilst they may not be as grand as other games, it was definitely playable and character movements and features were great.

Overall rating for Brotherhood: GGGGGGG (7/10) rating
ENJOY