Marvel Heroes is Free-To-Play and servers are now up

The Free-To-Play Action RPG Marvel Heroes has finally gone live. Playing your favorite hero in the Marvel universe will always be fun, but being able to play them Diablo style is a different story.

Each playable superhero has their own style of play, which makes it appealing since they have quite a good amount of characters on launch. Sadly, you don't have all of them unlocked when you start off. You are given a choice to pick one hero to start with and from there unlock the rest by simply playing the game. Or, you can spend your hard-earned real cash to buy the hero that you want. Again, this is a Free-To-Play, it kind of makes sense.

When I heard it went live, I left my computer all day just to let it go and download. Thankfully, the client was ready for me to launch the game. currently playing and started with Daredevil. Not the best choice in my opinion, sorry daredevil fans.

Marvel Heroes Launch Trailer

[Updated - MP trailer]The Last of Us multiplayer details and gameplay footage

With nearly a week until The Last of Us finally hits stores, Naughty Dog is finally releasing information about the multiplayer aspect of their new IP.

One preview by TheSixthAxis gives in detail about how multiplayer works. Multiplayer for The Last of Us will be called 'Factions'

In Factions, there will be two clans to choose from. Now, Clan's are important because it's all about trying to keep your clan stocked up in supplies and making sure they survive for 12 weeks. For each match in multiplayer, that represents a day in the game, and as you progress, your survival count grows.

Quick facts about Factions

• Choose one of two clans
• Each match represents a day, try to survive 12 weeks
• There are two game types
• There are seven maps
• Plenty of customization options and load-out tweaks to keep things interesting

UPDATED - Now the previews have now gone live, but how does the gameplay look? Well, have a look at the trailer then.

At this point, the Multiplayer doesn't look appealing at all. I still don't have a full grasp on what makes Factions different, aside from the lack of bullets you will have to spray on your enemies. With this game, everybody is really going to focus on the Single Player campaign. How successful the MP will be for Naughty Dog will really depend on how much we will like the gameplay found on the Single Player experience.

Multiplayer I think isn't necessary for a game like this, but I've said that to Mass Effect 3 and Uncharted 2, and both proved me wrong. So I'll keep an open mind until I get to play it myself.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Official Scorpion DLC Trailer

So Scorpion has been officially revealed as the next DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Scorpion's move set similarities to Batman are more apparent now. He seems to have a starting low kick that leads to a high. The low slide is also present. The spear that pulls opponents towards you as opposed to Batman's grapple that pull HIM towards the opponent. Meter burning the spear stops them and puts them in a stun state while putting Scorpion into a neutral state to enable for combo extension. Scorpion's teleport has also made a comeback, no telling yet how cheap this might be in the actual game. He seems to have a move that lights himself on fire. I'm guessing it has similar properties to that of Grundy's fart gas. And finally the hellfire that he summons below his opponents. My guess is that move will still be unblockable.

The grab animation and his clash animation are hilarious and kinda awesome. His super is a little elaborate while still being a tad underwhelming though the initial hit does look really good. The intro and win poses are fantastic though I find the win pose a little bit on the long side. Looks like we'll be getting another free costume once Scorpion rolls out, this time it's Superman running his Black Lantern look.

Oh, and that Martian Manhunter teaser at the end.

Dark Souls 2 coming March 2014

E3 2013 will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center and every where, the city is filled with ad signs for games. This one I'm particulary proud of since they are actually advertising this franchise as a triple A title. Dark Souls 2 is coming, and based on the sign, it's coming on March 2014.

If you've played Dark Souls, then you have a pretty good idea what you'll be getting with the sequel. From gameplay footage and trailers revealed so far, it looks like they won't be turning down the notch when it comes to difficulty. This is one franchise I'm pretty excited to get my ass handed to me.

Dark Souls Trailer

I have a feeling that the sequel just might feel like a big expansion more than anything else with notable differences, but that's not a bad thing for this game because you don't have that many titles similar to Dark Souls, and I actually want more of the same game.

Dark Souls 2 - 12 minute demo by IGN

The game's visual is definitely better based on this demo. One aim the developers mentioned when the game was first revealed is that they want to bring a good narrative for the players. A much needed goal since the previous games, even it being a great action RPG, had close to no story whatsoever.

Game features for Dark Souls 2:

• Prepare to Die… again: Dare yourself to engage against intense gameplay in a vast world powered by an all new engine that leaps graphics, sound & FX forward like never before.
• A labyrinth of monsters & bosses: Immerse yourself into mind-bending environments filled with new twisted monsters and deadly bosses that could only come from the imagination of From Software.
• Sensory assault: A wide range of threats will prey on human senses & phobias – auditory hallucinations, vertigo, acrophobia, etc.
• Deeper and darker: More intricate customization options provide weapons and armor tailoring to player style.
• Evolved multiplayer: Updated multiplayer system enables improved online interaction to bring forward cooperative & competitive play.
• Go beyond death: Dark Souls II features fluid motion-capture animations, upgraded combat system, a vastly expanded suite of characters, deeper customization options, new weapons, armor abilities, and balanced player progression system

Dark Souls 2 will be out for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, but sadly won't be a next-gen title, so keep your current platforms in good change for next March.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - A great RPG, and still satisfying after a year

You know one of days when you walk up to Datablitz(or your usual gaming store) and just look for a specific genre you were craving to play? Well, at the time, I was looking for an RPG that requires hours upon hours to finish, with grinding required to get the best gear and to take on the hardest content. Not only did Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen provides just that, I was reminded on how this game is, even after a year since the original version was released.

I was looking for a game on my Xbox 360, and after 20 minutes of staring at the stacks of games all lined up neatly, only two caught my eye - Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and Dark Souls: The Prepare to Die Edition. Oddly enough, they were two games that I have finished. But with my sudden crave, they were the perfect games since they fit what I was looking for, but which one to get. The new Dragon's Dogma was P1,200, while Dark Souls was P1,800. Price wasn't an issue at the time so it was tough to pick. In the end, I decided to let the coin pick. I do this a lot, toss a coin, call a side, and go whatever comes out. I called tails, and it was Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. That was two weeks ago, and boy am I thrilled that the coin landed on tails.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a re-release of one of Capcom's latest franchise released last year for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I played the game the first time on my PlayStation 3 and enjoyed the Monster Hunter nostalgia it gave. A game that provides that satisfaction of fighting enormous monster in an epic scale. Not stabbing dragons on their feet, I mean literally given the option to climb them and hit them were it hurts. You combine that, with the large-scale world for you to explore, and a surprisingly deep character progression,  and you got yourself a game that deserves to be in any hardcore RPG fan's collection.

Now, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is an expansion for the original game that includes new monsters to slay, new gear to loot, and a new island to explore. Now you'd think this would come in a form of a DLC(Downloadable Content), but no, this game is made by Capcom, and what that means is that they like to provide you with new content in the most unusual way. The new content has been repackaged along with the original game and re-released at a lower price, with no way of earning it separately online or on retail. So for previous Dragon's Dogma owners, you kinda have to buy it again. For players who have yet to experience the game for the first time, you're all good, the price is actually a steal. In my case, I didn't mind so much since it has already been a year since I played it, so it felt refreshing. Reminding me how great this game was.

What's funny though is that I'm enjoying this game even more now the second time around. I really can't pinpoint what's making the game better - Is it the new Hard Mode(Which I'm currently on)?, the new monsters and gear? Or the fact that the Japanese Rock song that used to play on the menu screen is finally gone? I'm not too sure. It could be a collection of everything, but the Dark Arisen version of the game definitely provides a better experience

It really hit the spot on what I was looking for as well. Story is still unforgettable, but everything else was perfect. I got an RPG with a big world to explore, and a character progression that would require a lot of thought and planning, as well as grinding in order to conquer the hardest content there is. The combat can be intense and strategic. With you battling against creatures like giant Cyclops, Chimeras, Gryphons, Dragons, and many more iconic high fantasy monsters that are big in size.

The biggest selling point for me was how each monster you encounter has an effective way of taking it down. You can do it the old fashion way, which is attack and attack and chip away its life until it dies, or you can bring it down in a more cooler fashion, which requires a small amount of effort in your part, and if done right, it will be the fastest way as well. For example - A cyclops. It's weak point is its eye, and you mostly find these creatures with a helmet protecting its eye. What you can do is climb on its back, slash it behind the neck and force him to try and grab you off of it, move out of the way at the right time and you just might get him to remove his helmet, and now you can re-climb the beast, jump on its head, and start stabbing its eye. This process was satisfying and epic. This game is also about preparation. Bringing the right group, items and tools for the right encounter. Fight a Gryphon without any means of setting it on fire? Good luck keeping it on the ground.

BitterBlack Isle 

Thanks to me remembering most of the important parts of in the game, I have already finished it. It took me 44 Hours, with not every quest finished and not completing the new content included in Dark Arisen. Now at level 78, I'm now on my second playthrough, and is ready to test that new content called Bitterblack Isle. From what I understand, Dark Arisen content is Capcom's way of giving high level players a challenge. The Ur- Dragon was the only big challenge at the end of the game(still is), so I guess they wanted to add more end-game content. You can access the new island at any time in your playthrough, I tried it when I was level 44, and...well let's just say its not recommended. It is said that this content is just as challenging as Dark Souls or Demon Souls, which is hard to believe. I like a good challenge though, and hopefully it provides just that. Will I need to grind some more levels? Or is my current gear enough to kill whatever comes in front of me? Either way, I'm still having a blast even after finishing the main content. The grinding isn't tedious yet at this level and with the max level being 200, seems like I have a long way to go.

Note: This isn't a full review since I have yet to experience the new content included in this re-package.