Anjin Unleashed

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Bioware has finally lifted the Press NDA for Star Wars: The Old Republic and opinions are flooding the internet. Instead of linking all of the various articles, I'll point you toward Syp's list at Bio Break where he's done a good round up.

Unsurprisingly, I am not participating in the beta. I didn't sign up because I never do. (An exception will be made for Guild Wars 2 if the opportunity arises.) But if I ended up with an invite, I would have given the game a try. Although I've avoided the hype like the plague, I actually want to read about the beta. I'm much more interested in the opinions of people actually playing the game. If anything would sway me to try it out, this is what I need to hear.

So far, the take away is that the story is good, but the gameplay is more Kill Ten Rats. I don't mind a good KTR is there is a good story behind it, so I'm curious about how well these balance out.

There is still the Star Wars barrier that I can't get over. I watched the laserdisc version of the original movie the other day (i.e. the version that doesn't even have the Episode IV label on it) and was reminded that, once upon a time, I was a fan of the series. Maybe SWTOR will rekindle that love, but the hurricane that was the prequels did a lot to extinguish any feelings I had for the franchise.

Although it was released back in July, I hadn't taken the time to sit down and listen to the new album from I Come To Shanghai. All of the usual excuses apply. But they all break down to "I'm stupid" because this is an amazing follow up to their debut.

Eternal Life, Vol 1. lasts only twenty two minutes, with nine songs shoved into three tracks, but it is mesmerizing from start to finish. It is much more conspicuously electronic than the first album, but it is never gaudy or overbearing. The lyrics are just as askew as you would want.

The album is free to download, but Sam and Robert really deserve your cash. I paid because I want to encourage creative people to be creative.

On various magazine covers previewed earlier today, we discover that Mass Effect 3 will feature some sort of multiplayer. Since then, Bioware has confirmed that the multiplayer mode will be four player co-op missions.

They also said, "Don't panic." It's too late for that. But then, this is the Internet.

There is a post to be written about the stupidity of tacking multiplayer modes onto single player games to curb used game sales, but it was already written several times in several places over the last couple years. It is just as true now as it was then. But that's not the post I want to write.

I don't like multiplayer games. I don't like to leave my fun in the hands of other people. I don't want to be the reason that other people do not have fun.

How much do I dislike multiplayer? I have never played the co-op mode in Portal 2. I play League of Legends entirely with bots (and I still lose). I played Borderlands front to back, both on 360 and PC, in single player, even though I had several invitations to play with others. (Sorry, Jayedub.) I solo my way through MMOs. As far as I'm concerned, multiplayer is a waste of disk space.

Just because I don't like multiplayer, don't mistake that as me wanting to impinge on other people's fun. It would be hypocritical of me to mimic all those who say that single player games are an aberation, though in inverse. I understand that I'm in the minority here.

But is this really necessary? Is co-op the thing that was keeping people from trying out Mass Effect? I doubt it.

UPDATE: Chris Priestly posted the details of the co-op missions as well as the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy At War system. I'm glad that they are going out of their way to say that you don't have to play multiplayer to get the best ending in single player. Gee, Bioware, thanks for putting all of this stuff in the game that I'm going to ignore. What the hell is going on over there? Why foist that on this game at all?

UPDATE 2: I tweeted this late last night, but I think it bares repeating here:
They didn't call it #ME3 Galaxy at War just for co-op, folks. Just wait until they announce the Facebook game and iOS app.

A pair of posts have appeared on the EVE Online website that signal a major shift in where and how CCP directs the game in the future. In the first, CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson admits that CCP has lost sight of its player base as it tried to push the game in ways that were of no interest to the subscribers. In the second, Senior Producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason provides a list of all of the updates coming to the game now that the company is refocusing efforts on Flying In Space.

Somewhere out in cold dark, The Mittani is smiling to himself because he just won the biggest EVE Online metagame of them all. It looks like taking over the CSM and issuing his ultimatum actually worked.

With my limited time to play lately, I've had to seek shorter games when I can. It turns out that a game of Magic: The Gathering is perfect for a short fix.

Released just a few months ago, Magic: The Gathering - Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012 is this year's iteration of 2009 game. I didn't know this had turned into a Madden-like franchise. But it is fitting if you look at how the game was updated. Like Madden, this update is primarily about adding a few tweaks, a new mode, and a new roster...er, card list. So if you liked the first game and want more, this is definitely more. If not, there is little here to change your mind.

The biggest update involves deck management. Although full desk construction is still not available, this version allows you to remove base cards from your deck instead of just your unlocked cards. Beyond that, the new Archenemy mode is a great change of pace. The UI is improved in almost every way, especially the layout of the campaign interface.

Disappointingly, there are a few bugs that crop up in the game. The card-like main menu has a tendency to spin in the opposite direction than I'm clicking. And the campaign screen lists the first mission in the expansion's Archenemy campaign no matter which screen you come to. These are little nags, but point to a lack of polish. Also, there is still no way to track in game which desks you have used to beat different duels. Since this is necessary to unlock different cards, I would like the game to help indicate this instead of needing a separate spreadsheet. (Copies available upon request.) Also, they want to sell you deck unlocks and foil conversions again. Really, WotC?

Again, Magic 2012 is more Magic. I really liked the first game, so I'm happy to get more. In fact, I have progressed farther in this edition than I did in the previous. If you want full deck construction, this is still not the game for you. But if you want to pit balanced preconstructed desks against one another, upgrading is a no brainer.