27.12.13
9.12.13
Armies of Gielinor
Armies of Gielinor is a FunOrb, turn-based strategy game that was based of off the Runescape world, and it also has a name which is extremely hard to pronounce or type. I am not really sure if this game has any lore or background, if it does I cannot find it. But I don't really think it needs lore, background, or a plot because it makes up for it in pure fun and the ability to play a online strategy game with friends. Also it feels like something that would be found in an arcade. I personally enjoy strategy games, so Armies of Gielinor was a welcome change to the usual shoot-em-up games that seem to dominate these modern times. The game itself is simple, short, and sweet; you need to capture buildings to get points to make armies and defeat your opponent. You start the game with 1 portal and some buildings close at hand, your opponent also gets a portal and some buildings. The objective is to use your troops to capture your opponents portal and buildings so that he cannot spawn anything to fight you. In order to do this you have to use your troops in a strategic manner: this manner can be stealth, trickery, brute force, or actual tactics. Everyone you can spawn has different powers that are explained and that when used in the proper manner can change the tide of battle. Overall, Armies of Gielinor is not a very big game, nor is it very advanced, but it is fun and I would recommend playing with friends for the full experience.
"Yes, I see your King Black Dragon... and yes, I'm going to kill it with three mages."
Warframe
Warframe is a free-to-play cooperative third person shooter who's playable characters can best be described as "Killer Space Ninjas with Guns". While this may feel like another shooter that doesn't have background, I can assure you that it is not. Instead, it is one of those shooters that has a lot of background that you don't really have to pay attention to in order to play. While this game is classified as a third person shooter it also focuses a lot on melee, although they have utterly ruined it in update 11 when they removed stagger from melee attacks. I will talk about their little shortcoming later.
As I said, this is a hack and slash shooter, and it has the guns and knives (and swords and scythes and whips ect.) to prove it. They have a ton of ranged weaponry that can help in any situation, such as: shotguns, marksman rifles, assault rifles, lasers, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, and acid spewing... things. So, while you may be facing a copious amount of practical problems, you will adopt one saying, "I have a gun for that". Also, when you are not running on a wall towards enemies duel wielding SMGs, you have your melee weapons: which range from swords, duel swords, knives, whips, hatchets, really big swords, and your fist.
But while you can have a ton of weapons, there is not a whole lot of aesthetic customization. You can change the color of your warframe and maybe the helmet, but you cannot have a space ninja running around with a trench coat, cowboy hat and a white mask. There are sixteen warframes to choose from, each warframe has its own special ability and stats. Some warframes can turn invisible, some can be invincible, and some can punch the very soul out of a enemy, each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so choosing one depends on your fighting style. In Warframe you can level up your gear by using it on mission, leveling up gear unlocks power so that you can equip mods on said gear. Mods can be found in missions and there are several different mods that can increase weapon fire rate, weapon damage, and reload speed. Earlier I might have mentioned that they ruined the melee system in Warframe, and I believe they have. since update 11 your melee weapon no longer has stagger, which means that enemies can attack you AS you are hitting them with your melee weapon. This makes melee fights a game of "who has the best shields", and when you get to higher level enemies you will start to lose. However this is a recent update and they may yet fix it. But while I was complaining about the melee system I forgot to point out the biggest problem with Warframe, the grinding. While Warframe has a ton of cool weapons and playable characters, there's really no use for them. You keep playing the same levels over and over to get a new gun, and then you use that gun to play the same levels over and over again. There's no big objective, and there's no point in grinding away to get something new just so you can use it to do the same thing you were doing without it. So, Warframe is pretty fun, until you get 20 missions in and realize you are doing the same thing you were 20 missions ago.
As I said, this is a hack and slash shooter, and it has the guns and knives (and swords and scythes and whips ect.) to prove it. They have a ton of ranged weaponry that can help in any situation, such as: shotguns, marksman rifles, assault rifles, lasers, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, and acid spewing... things. So, while you may be facing a copious amount of practical problems, you will adopt one saying, "I have a gun for that". Also, when you are not running on a wall towards enemies duel wielding SMGs, you have your melee weapons: which range from swords, duel swords, knives, whips, hatchets, really big swords, and your fist.
But while you can have a ton of weapons, there is not a whole lot of aesthetic customization. You can change the color of your warframe and maybe the helmet, but you cannot have a space ninja running around with a trench coat, cowboy hat and a white mask. There are sixteen warframes to choose from, each warframe has its own special ability and stats. Some warframes can turn invisible, some can be invincible, and some can punch the very soul out of a enemy, each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so choosing one depends on your fighting style. In Warframe you can level up your gear by using it on mission, leveling up gear unlocks power so that you can equip mods on said gear. Mods can be found in missions and there are several different mods that can increase weapon fire rate, weapon damage, and reload speed. Earlier I might have mentioned that they ruined the melee system in Warframe, and I believe they have. since update 11 your melee weapon no longer has stagger, which means that enemies can attack you AS you are hitting them with your melee weapon. This makes melee fights a game of "who has the best shields", and when you get to higher level enemies you will start to lose. However this is a recent update and they may yet fix it. But while I was complaining about the melee system I forgot to point out the biggest problem with Warframe, the grinding. While Warframe has a ton of cool weapons and playable characters, there's really no use for them. You keep playing the same levels over and over to get a new gun, and then you use that gun to play the same levels over and over again. There's no big objective, and there's no point in grinding away to get something new just so you can use it to do the same thing you were doing without it. So, Warframe is pretty fun, until you get 20 missions in and realize you are doing the same thing you were 20 missions ago.
3.12.13
Planetside 2
Well, I am thoroughly impressed by this game. Planetside 2 is a free to play, massively multiplayer, online, first person shooter that takes place on continents. That's right, you have entire continents to fight over. However, because Planetside 2 is focused on scale and combat, it has little to no background and story. I have yet to figure out why we are fighting over this planet and why we can't just get along. Peace treaties aside, I will have to admit that this game is an amazing combat simulator, and I am unsure if it has a equal when it comes to all out war. The tutorial is a bit lack-luster and only shows you the basics, but it does give you enough time to adjust your settings and learn how to shoot. But then the game ruins the gradual learning curve by making you press a little button called "instant action". That button throws you into the middle of the largest and most intense fighting it can find and there is a large chance that you will be killed as soon as you land. Every class in this game is extremely useful in its own way: The medic can heal and revive, the engineer can repair and build turrets, the light assault has a jetpack, the heavy assault has a rocket launcher, the infiltrator can snipe and turn invisible, and the max can be a juggernaut. However, while all of these classes are effective, they can be made more effective if they all work as a team. So, while Planetside 2 is a shooter game, is relies heavily on teamwork. So if you want to win, you will have to fight together. When traveling from location to location you will be able to enjoy the wonderful scenery, which makes the game more in-depth and also provides all sorts of natural cover. The game creators really outdid themselves on the world you fight in: the time changes from day to night, there are natural obstacles such as hills so you have to plan your invasion so that no tanks will get stuck trying to climb a mountain, and its just a beautiful sight seeing your army climb to the top of a hill and rain fire down on fleeing enemies. Overall, if you want one of the best combat simulators online gaming has to offer, join the battle for the Planetside. Oh, and then join the Vanu Sovereignty, we have lasers... and cookies.
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