Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim inbound!
Some people consider this a special day it being 11-11-11. Some say you should make a wish, some say it's going to be a lucky day; but for us gamer's it's Skyrim day! Just got my 360 copy and around 2 hours in so can't really say much but so far so good. It cost me PHP 2,000 for the 360 version in Datablitz and I got the NTSC-J version. No US version yet here so thank god my 360 is an asian unit. Is it region locked? I hear the NTSC-J is, the US might work for PAL units but that needs to be confirmed.
In the reviews coming from the critics - they seems to give double thumbs up for the 5th Elder Scrolls. Some even gave a bold statement of considering Skyrim a better game than Morrowind, that's huge believe me. It's literally Skyrim day as my Xbox 360 and PS3 friends list are showing mostly all are playing Skyrim. It feels worth the wait so far, so I'll end this post real quick and get back to being the Dragon Born...
TMG Podcast Episode 7 - Holy crap! World of Warcraft Will Never Die
In this episode we take more about battlefield 3 and Dark Souls, only difference is Battlefield 3 is out and we've been playing it. After our banter we tackle a bit of news. Two big announcements coming from Blizzcon 2011 and the reveal of GTA V. Excited for another Grand Theft Auto?
End of October had some pretty interesting reveals. Blizzcon 2011 ended, and instead of earning a released date for Diablo 3 in the event, we find out another expansion for WoW is on the way. Mists of Pandaria? Man their running out of ideas seriously. Blizzcon wasn't a total lose for me since they revealed Starcraft 2's new units coming form Heart of the Swarm.
We wanted to talk more about Nintendo as a whole since I think they need to get their act together. The future of Nintendo is the Wii U and we still have little information, at the same time the 3DS isn't earning as much as they expected leaving them to add stuff like peripheral for a right stick(Most likely for Monster hunter-ish games). Also wanted to talk about some Uncharted 3 since I've finished the epic campaign. We'll talk more about that next time.
Impressions:
- Dark Souls - Battlefield 3
News:
- World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Expansion announcement - Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm new units reveal - DC Universe Online going Free to Play actually working - GTA V announced
TMG Podcast #7 - Recorded on 11/02/11
Spending extra hours on that game means you love it
It's true. Be it farming for unlocks on a competitive multiplayer, farming XP for your character, or earn all those trophies/achievements to see that 100% complete, you absolutely love playing that certain game over and over. Ok maybe that last one some of you just love your chievo hunting, damn virtual goals. For me, it's currently Dark Souls which is getting so close to being my top game for 2011.
My official review of Dark Souls will be out soon but I can't help but say how it sucks most of my free time. I finished Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception's single player last saturday(which by the way is an amazing game) and the next day I went straight back on working on my second character in Dark Souls. I'm really determined to get all achievements and fix up my character for PVP. I don' usually get all the achievements or bust out those extra hours playing the game differently, but if it's a game that I really enjoyed, I'll definitely try.
Going that extra mile
Uncharted 3 will be one of those games, but Dark Souls comes first. The achievements on the third game is almost identical to the last two games which means it should be a piece of cake. Not having that 100% though doesn't mean I didn't like the game that much to go that extra mile. I currently have two games that I just loved and is stuck on either 98% or 99%. Demon Souls and Red Dead Redemption. I've spent at least 100 hours on each game but those last achievements for these games are taking too long to unlock that I sometimes simply forget to get back and try to earn them.
In Demon Souls, I just need one special upgrade - A maxed moonlightstone weapon. The drop for that item I need to max out a moonlightstone weapon is pretty damn rare and I have two tries to get it in a Demon Souls playthrough. Believe me, I've spent four extra playthrough to just head over to that spot and take my chances. Each time, no luck. As If those damn Crystal Lizards(Where the item drops) are purposely not dropping it to mock me. Maybe I should have increased my drop rate, or actually asked a friend to lend me the weapon for the achievement to pop. Well, all I can do now is just regret not getting it since I've already let go of Demon Soul's copy. I'm so considering in getting a second hand copy just for that damn trophy.
Red Dead Redemption is another pain in the ass. I actually got all the hard ones done, it's just my laziness is getting the best of me. All I need is 500 kills in a mounted gun and win 4 straight times in a online team match, that's it! I consider Red Dead Redemption as one of the best games last year, but the online aspect of that game wasn't that fun for me so it felt hard for me to gather a good group of friends to just get that achievement. The 500 kills in a mounted gun, easy, just haven't bothered. You have to know when it's time to stop trying for now, hopefully I get back to it.
When achievements started, I always thought the concept was dumb. But when I got my PS3 and was exposed to it, I see it's purpose. It's technically extra content in a way. After finishing the game and enjoying every second of it, you have that urge to spend some extra hours challenging yourself to earn some achievements. It also is a good reference for those secrets in the game. Some gamer's though take it overboard by being competitive about it which is fine. Seeing who has the higher gamerscore, or the most platinums. People have like 100 Platinums, and the highest gamerscore in the world I believe is close to 700,000 in gamer points. Absolutely crazy.
Some of you might not like earning all those chievo's but I'm sure there are some games that you cherish in a way that it's like you owe the game that much to at least try and get a 100%. For me, when I finished Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and L.A Noire, those games blew me away and right after the credits stopped rolling, I just had to try. It it necessary? Not really, but if a gamer spends at least 10 more hours thanks to achievements, that's a win for game developers.
Typing about that 99% in Demon Souls is tempting me to just run out now and get another copy, but screw it. I'll just keep playing it's sequel instead.
Weekend, what are you playing?
You know the drill. It’s the weekend, what are you playing?
Migoy: I started up the 4th game in the Professor Lqyton series, Professor Layton and the Last Specter. A prequel to the 1st Layton game and the animated movie that came out a few months ago as this is where Layton meets Luke, his apprentice. Same ol same ol, you solve puzzle, solve the mystery, watch the cutscenes and save the world? A typical thing in the life of the Professor.
Arlie: Already done with Battlefield 3 campaign on Hard Difficulty (really short, btw) and played some Co-op missions with a friend. PLAYING MORE MULTIPLAYER! Must reach Colonel Rank 45. AAAAAAAHHHHHH! I want to play Uncharted 3 so baaad.
Quash: Got the steelbook edition of Uncharted 3 and just finished the epic campaign last friday. Such an amazing game! Is it better than the second game?? if your talking about graphic wise and the movie-like action scene that makes you go "Oh SH*@!, did that just happen!?" then yes, but I personally prefer the story and pace of Uncharted 2. Not the perfect game everybody wanted it to be, but still an amazing third Uncharted.
Uncharted 3 - Does it Earning a Perfect Review Score Matter That Much??
Uncharted 3 is out tom(November 1) and game reviews from big gaming websites have been up for two weeks now. Drake's next adventure has been getting mostly near perfect score. Some gave it perfect scores, while some didn't. These near perfect scores, pissed off so many Uncharted 3 fans calling it BS, acting as if this hyped up game received a horrible score and thinks that the reviewer believes it's a bad game. Did we all want this game to be perfect that much???
I honestly don't care. I'm not buying Uncharted 3 because it's going to be a perfect game, I want it because it's Drake's next adventure. So it made me think, does that score towards the end of the review matter that much? does it actually give you second thoughts of the game when you haven't actually read the full review? or even played it? Let's face it, most of us do go straight to the end to see the score, I too have that urge. G4's Adam Sessler reviewed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, is why some people think about the review score too much. The reactions on the game earning a 4/5 was hilarious. Everybody was shocked and some sounded like they don't trust G4's crew in reviewing games. Didn't you want their opinion in the game?
One comment said that G4 gave Dance Central a 5/5 while Uncharted 3 get's a 4/5 and says it's BS. huh? Those are two completely different games, why are you comparing a dancing game with an adventure game? I read the review coming from G4, and it was a good and honest review. He compared Uncharted 2: Among Thieves with Uncharted 3, and that's to be expected. Naughty Dog raised the bar so damn high that even after I finished Uncharted 2: Among Thieves I even wondered if a sequel can top this. For him, he believes Uncharted 2 was a better game and Uncharted 3 was overshadowed by the second game. there we're issues in the sequel that prevented him from giving it that precious 5/5.
An honest opinion coming from someone who played the game. It earned a 4/5 in the end of the review, a 95/100 for some. A near perfect score, and gamer's are still unhappy. The game isn't even out and people have their own opinion in the game. Most of their reactions are coming from the score rather from what the reviewer actually said about the game. It's completely different when you've actually finished the game and think you don't agree with the reviewer's opinion. When you haven't even played the game and insist it needs a perfect score, and he's wrong, well that's just dumb.
A game worth a perfect score. That's what people expect Naughty Dog to produce now thanks to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The bigger problem is people's trusting over that review score more than the actual review. Some gamer's at times don't have the attention span anymore to actually sit down and read someones opinion in the game - Where it lacks, what they love about it. A lot jump to the score and judge the game and the reviewer instantly based on it. The score is just a score, and we forget that. It's one of the factor's in one person's opinion towards the game. The purpose of actually opening a review to get someone's opinion sometimes get ruined thanks to the score at the end.
The reactions towards Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a bit too much if you ask me. It still sounds like an amazing game. Don't let that score in the end ruin your need for Nathan Drake's next adventure. I will be on a hunt for a day one purchase of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception tomorrow, hoping it comes out on time here in the Philippines.