Giving Bitmob a Try

I've been writing this blog for around 7 months now, and while I am enjoying it, I have one major problem: I don't know how well I'm doing. Since I've had no previous experience in writing articles and reviews, the only knowledge I have is my own. Editing, in particular, is something I've mostly guessed at. That's not good enough if I want to eventually write professionally.

I've come across a website named Bitmob, which seems like a good place for amateurs looking to improve their writing. I only started visiting it last week, but I've already learned a hell of a lot about editing, as they have some great articles on the matter. If I were to look back on some of the stuff I've written here, I imagine I'd find plenty of cases of stylistic features that should actually be avoided.

They have a team of staff writers, all of whom have had plenty of experience writing within the video games industry. Voluntary writers can submit their own articles, and the Bitmob staff pick out any they deem front-page material, edit them, and put them up alongside their own posts. Along with a few writing exercises every now and then, the whole thing seems to be designed to help rookie writers improve their work.

I'm going to try it out. I need feedback, and this seems to be the place to get it. There was a post last week, asking for more articles about Skyrim. That seems like as good a place as any to get started. I wrote a short piece about the game I've been obsessing over for the past couple of weeks, and I've spent some time focusing on editing, paying attention to some of the advice I've read.

From now on, I'll be writing articles for Bitmob. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with this blog yet, but if I do happen to have any regular readers, you can follow me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to any articles I write for Bitmob.

If there really is anyone out there, thanks for reading, and may your nets always be full!

This Week, I 'Ave Been Mostly Playing (14/11/11 - 20/11/11)

Skyrim (PC)

Like so many others, Skyrim has me. The amount of buzz surrounding this game is incredible, and I can't remember the last time I heard so many people talking about one game. It's strange to think that it was only two games previous that the Elder Scrolls series wasn't that well known, and was mostly for hardcore western RPG fans. I'll admit that I didn't even know what Morrowind was until a few years after its release. By the time Oblivion came out, a lot more people knew of the series, and now the latest entry is towering over this year's Call of Duty game, with at least 3 times as many players. I guess you could say the series has... gathered steam (ho ho ho).

It's all I've played this week, and I'm enjoying it a lot. I skipped Oblivion, but I heard that it was a little repetitive, and empty compared to Morrowind. I did play some of the third Elder Scrolls game and enjoyed the open world that, despite its size, was still packed with things to see and do for the inquisitive explorer. Skyrim seems to follow that style, but looks a lot better, and brings in a slightly streamlined skill leveling system that makes it more accessible. I appreciated that, for once, I was able to begin playing this game without too much prior planning. I merely decided on a race that started with bonuses to the skills I was interested in, and they've developed naturally as I've played in my own preferred style.

I've barely touched the main storyline. Whenever I'm on my way to the next objective, I find caves to loot and new quests to embark on. Merely visiting a new town fills your quest log up with plenty of opportunities to completely ignore the main questline and enjoy the feeling of freedom.

I decided on an orcish character, as I tend to favour orcs in any game that doesn't represent them as dumb beasts. I'm going with my usual approach of wielding a one-handed weapon and shield, and playing defensively, bashing enemies in the face with the shield and striking when they're open to attack. It's working out well. Meanwhile, I've been dabbling in a bit of smithing and enchanting. I love crafting in RPGs. It's even better when you can actually use the stuff you create. I'm currently working on a full set of orcish armour, in order to look the part.

I haven't decided between the Stormcloaks or Imperials yet. It seems there are plenty of reasons not to join either, but it's probably something you should get involved in at some point. I guess I'm leaning towards the Imperials at the moment, seeing as the Stormcloaks hate everyone that isn't a Nord. Yes, the introduction to the game gave a pretty good reason not to join the Imperials either, but hey, we all make mistakes. Maybe they deserve a second chance.

Anything Else?

My druid reached level 83 in World of Warcraft, and we're nearly done with Deepholm. I still have Arkham City to finish, but it's really difficult not to play Skyrim when I sit down to do some gaming. I'll try and get round to it this week. All it would take is to log out of Steam. I can never remember my password, and the effort of resetting it might serve as enough of a block to sway me towards switching the PS3 on instead.

Review: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Release Date (PS3, Xbox 360): NA: November 16, 2010 EU: November 19, 2010 AUS: November 18, 2010 JP: December 9, 2010 

Release Date (PC): NA: March 22, 2011 EU: March 18, 2011 AUS: March 17, 2011 JP: June 3, 2011

Developed By: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft Annecy

Genre: Third-person action-adventure

Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac

Platform Reviewed: Playstation 3

This review focuses on the single player component of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. With Revelations now out, most players of Brotherhood's multiplayer will have likely moved on to the latest game in the series, so to review it would perhaps be somewhat redundant.

Annual releases of the same franchise are becoming a common thing. With such little time to improve on the previous game, you might wonder if it's worth investing more of your own time and money into something that could be a little too familiar. That's why Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a big surprise. Released only a year after Assassin's Creed 2, you may be fooled into thinking it was a convenient way of putting out a game in the series with multiplayer in it, with a mandatory single player mode tagged on as a formality. After all, it would have been simple enough to continue Ezio's story just by putting out more DLC for Assassin's Creed 2. But what actually we have here is a follow up that proves its worth as a standalone entry in the series.

Set immediately after the events of Assassin's Creed 2, Desmond Miles is still looking for the piece of Eden and is once again thrown into the time of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the hooded hero that has grown into a wise, skilled assassin. And he really has come a long way from the boyish rogue he was at the beginning of the previous game, which is made very apparent when you experience some of the flashbacks Brotherhood takes you on. After an attack on Monteriggioni by the Templar Borgias, Ezio travels to Rome with his family to take revenge, and put an end to their tyrannical rule over the capital city.

When in Rome...

The game starts out slow as it has to cater for anyone new to the series, and spends a good few hours refreshing your memory of old Assassin's Creed concepts, while introducing you to the new ones. It's not until a few chapters in that the story reaches a point where it can truly open up and allow you to take on all the different gameplay elements Brotherhood has to offer.

Every action you take as Ezio is a step towards taking down the Borgia. The main story missions are traditional in the sense that they have you taking out important Templar figures using the proven methods of assassination you learned in the last game. Meanwhile, every side mission has you disrupting a specific part of their rule. Side missions are plentiful, and involve tasks such as taking control of Borgia guard towers, destroying war machines, and rebuilding derelict buildings to gain support of the citizens. Rather than feeling like arbitrary tasks that have been tacked on, each side mission you complete ties into the story of taking down the Borgia really well, and the more you get involved with them, the better experience you have as a whole. 

Not only that, but many of them are just plain fun to play through. Special mention has to go to the sabotaging of war machines sequences, which feature scripting on a level that you'd usually only expect in the main line of missions. You also encounter new game mechanics when you get to spend a little time trying the machines out before their inevitable destruction. It gives the impression that the developers put equal amounts of effort and polish into every aspect of the game, rather than just focusing on the main sequences.

If that weren't enough, many of the main and side missions have optional challenges too, in the form of '100% sync' objectives. An example of this could be during a combat heavy section, where you're tasked with not losing more than 3 squares of health, or you'll sometimes get out of the ordinary goals such as staying out of water that would have otherwise made for a convenient escape route. You can play through the entire game without paying any attention to these, but completionists will find themselves busy trying to get 100% in every mission. It provides an extra challenge to those who may find the main objective of the mission too simple.

Stabtastic

One of the drawbacks of Assassin's Creed 2 was the eventual repetitive nature of the combat. It generally boiled down to waiting for an enemy to attack and countering, which felt slow. Brotherhood improves on this with a new kill streak ability, which allows Ezio to smoothly move from kill to kill, cutting through large crowds of guards with ease. 

It's still on the simple side, and it doesn't seem like Ubisoft's goal is to actually challenge the player during combat anymore, which may not even be possible without a major overhaul to the system. While that would have been appreciated to make combat more engaging, the increase in overall fluidity and speed means that it at least doesn't suffer from repetitiveness as it once did, and always feels satisfying.

Sneaking is still where the real danger of failure applies, and there are plenty of sections where detection isn't an option, forcing you to use all your assassin skills to remain unseen. There were times in Assassin's Creed 2 in which this created an unnatural spike in difficulty, but Ezio now has a few more tools at his disposal to relieve some of the frustration you may have felt in his last outing. A crossbow makes for a more suitable silent, ranged weapon, as opposed to the noisy pistol you had last time (though you can still use this, if you like everyone to know where you are). 

The only problem that comes up in these sections is that it sometimes seems that the game wants you to play through the sequence in a very specific way, and it's not always clear what that is. If you don't catch on, sometimes even the most logical of plans can fail simply because you're unaware of what is and isn't permitted.

With a Little Help from My Friends

Of course, the title feature of Brotherhood is just that; the brotherhood of assassins that you take charge of. Recruits can be found causing civil unrest, and when aided, will join your cause in liberating Rome from the Borgia. These brothers and sisters in arms can then be called upon at any time, subject to a cooldown after each use, to take out any target in Ezio's sight. Since this doesn't count as detection for Ezio, it can make for a really powerful tool in sneaking through a heavily guarded area, or for keeping enemies busy while you're chasing down a specific target. And most of all, it just feels really stylish to whistle, and have a fellow assassin instantly leap off a nearby building, striking your enemy down.

Recruits can be trained up through a new system of overseas missions that they can be sent on. Missions have a varying difficulty level attached to them, with a proportionate reward on offer when successfully completed. Up to 5 recruits can be sent on one mission, and the combination of recruit levels, mission difficulty and number of assassins add up to a percentage chance of success. Once sent on a mission, assassins are unavailable for around 10-20 minutes, so there's a lot of management involved in sending away recruits for training while keeping some available to help you out on your mission, at least until you unlock more recruitment slots by completing other side missions. All of this is done through menus, but it does well in creating the illusion that you're heading up your very own assassin's guild and taking on Templars across Europe. If you put enough time into it, you'll ultimately be rewarded with a small army of Ezio clones. A sight to behold.

Presentation... by Da Vinci?

This is a beautiful looking game, more so than Assassin's Creed 2, which was a great looking game in its own right. 15th/16th century Rome is just as majestic as you would imagine, and it all seems to be down to some dramatic improvements in lighting and shadows. The framerate is a little more consistent now, but still suffers from slowdown in busier areas due to the massive scale of the cityscape. The music still consists of a romanticised Middle Ages style, with some dramatic pieces to accompany the more action orientated sequences. The voice acting is, as always, brilliant, and each actor is on top form, smoothly interlacing Italian into English when the script calls for it.

The main drawbacks of Brotherhood are mostly technical. Loading times still feel just a little bit too long, which is noticeable if you find yourself failing a sequence a few times in succession, leading to some irritation. It also still suffers from interface overload, as the screen can become busy with distracting prompts which often aren't necessary. They can also pop up at inappropriate moments; one that comes to mind being a romantic scene in the beginning of the game which was hard to take seriously when a loading icon kept appearing, yelling "video game!" profusely.

Overall

These are only small complaints, however, as Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is pure fun throughout. "The sum of its parts" is a term often thrown around when it comes to video games, but in this case, it describes the game in question perfectly. Every mission and gameplay element, whether side content or part of the main campaign, adds up to form a plot about rebellion and uprising that you always feel fully invested in. 

Considering this is a sequel to a sequel, Brotherhood fully earns its place in the Assassin's Creed series by improving on the previous entry in many ways. For the developers to have achieved that only a year after releasing their last great game is no simple feat.

Rating: 9/10

This Week, I 'Ave Been Mostly Playing... (31/10/11 - 06/11/11)

Trophy Huntin' wasn't working out. It seemed like a good idea when I started it, but I've discovered that some achievements and trophies offer very little in the way of something to comment on. Team Fortress 2 is a good example, as most of its achievements are earned by accident. On weeks where I'm playing a game that dishes out frequent trophies for even the smallest thing, I end up with quite the intimidating list to tackle. One look at all the plot-based Arkham City trophies I got this week made me realise it was time to scrap Trophy Huntin'.

So, I'm giving this format another try; a casual overview of what I've been playing during the week. This blogging thing... it's a learning process.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Finishing one set of distracting side-quests led to another. After completing the fantastic 'Leanardo's Machines', I just couldn't bring myself to continue with the story until I'd paid a visit to each of the Romulus shrines, which would eventually lead to the locked treasure room. For once, I hadn't read any spoilers as to what was unlockable in the game, so I had no idea what I was going to be rewarded with. It makes for some surprises, and without spoiling anything, the reward for destroying Leanardo's machines came completely out of nowhere and provided a new, fun way to travel around Rome, and even pull of some ridiculous looking assassinations. The eventual reward for completing all the Romulus shrines was more traditional, but still worth it.

I've really enjoyed the assassin guild system, which allows you to train up your recruits by sending them away on missions around Europe. It may feel more involving than it actually is, but it keeps up the illusion well. The outcome of half a dozen Ezios to call upon at any time is worth the time spent training them up.

With side business taken care of, I finally found myself on the home straight. The last few sequences weren't particularly long, but built up to a suitable climax. There was a strange moment where, in the penultimate Ezio sequence, the gameplay became absolutely terrible. For plot reasons, you were unable to use any weapons except for a certain item you'd recently retrieved. Using it didn't make a lot of sense, and I'm still not convinced I worked out the correct way to complete that section. I ended up calling on my assassin recruits to do the killing for me, but I can't imagine what it'd be like for someone who hadn't paid a lot of attention to assassin leveling. A minor glitch in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable game.

And I finished it. I'm glad it was 1am when I did, because it was the perfect time to have my mind blown. The ending had me interested in Desmond's story for the first time ever. That's how much of a shocking cliff hanger it was.

I'm looking forward to Assassin's Creed: Revelations, but I'll probably give it a few months before playing it, and let the hunger for some more assassin action build up.

Batman: Arkham City

I'm not going to hide it; I was a massive fan of Arkham Asylum. The combat was engaging, the gameplay was solid, and there was a generous amount of Batman villains, all of which were very well represented. So far, these qualities have all been carried over to Arkham City.

Though a lot of time is still spent inside buildings, the environment feels a lot more natural now that it's a city, rather than the confines of an asylum. It means you run into more spontaneous brawls, and even groups of armed henchmen outside of the structured stealth rooms. It also allows for a lot more side missions, all of which are distracting me just as they did in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The Riddler's puzzles are back, but there's a much needed sinister edge to them this time, as there are now hostages involved that can only be rescued by playing his insane games.

The Catwoman sections seem interesting enough, but only from a story point of view. She plays mostly the same as Batman, with a few moves swapped out to be more Catwoman-esque but retaining the same function. They do tie in well with the main story though, and I'm glad I'm not missing out. Whether or not it'll be a significant hole for those who buy used copies of the game, I can't say just yet.

World of Warcraft

My alt, the troll druid Grimtoosk, is still making his way to level 85. He reached a milestone this week and hit level 80, so our little leveling group is finally up to Cataclysm content. It doesn't seem that long ago that I took my orc warrior through these zones, but I'm enjoying them again all the same. Hopefully we might hit a few of the dungeons while we level, as I'm still yet to see any of the Cataclysm 5-mans. It's about time I picked up the tanking reins once again.

DLC: The Cupcake to the Expansion Pack's Gateaux

The age of downloadable content (DLC) began with the rise of the online platform for consoles, as well as internal storage space and the ability to install game data. Previously, it was mainly PC games that received additional content in the form of the much meatier expansion packs. Though console hard drives began with a small amount of storage space, there was the potential for expansion packs to become a trend on consoles too.

However, the console market is very different from the PC gaming market, and that's most likely why DLC rose as the dominant method of adding to existing games. For console owners that had never really gamed on a PC, it might have appeared as a strange, alien concept to pay £20-30 for extra content in a game they'd already paid full price for to begin with. The appeal of DLC is that it provides content in smaller, more affordable, easy to swallow chunks.

Whether for good or for bad, DLC has spread to PCs and has begun to stamp out the expansion packs we once knew. Take Civilization V, for example; past Civilization games have had one or two expansion packs, including the rather successful Beyond the Sword for Civilization IV, which included new mechanics, units, buildings and a multitude of playable civilizations. Since the release of the fifth game in the series, several playable civilizations have been released as individual DLC packs. It's looking less and less likely that there's even going to be an expansion to Civilization V, because Firaxis are leaving themselves with less to put in it. The result is that even though we are getting some of the extra content we're used to, the big expansion pack that provides something of an overhaul to the game is unlikely to ever see the light of day. Though games like World of Warcraft and The Sims 3 are sticking to tradition, in many cases, the expansion pack is dying out.

I see several problems with the DLC model, one of which is that, whereas you knew you were getting something substantial with an expansion pack that almost felt like an entirely new game, you can never be quite sure what you're getting for your money with DLC. How many hours of gameplay are you going to get out of it, and is it worth the cost being asked for? You can't really be sure until you take the plunge and play all the way through it. There's not a lot you can do if you finish the content in a couple of hours and feel dissatisfied.

We're potentially getting less out of a full release too. Cosmetic items such as costumes used to be unlockable, but are now only available for a small fee. Detaching this content from the main game has also led to pre-order nightmares such as with Batman: Arkham City, where several different stores in the US were offering a different costume for Batman if you pre-ordered from them.

From an enthusiasts point of view, several DLC packs released over the course of a few months to a year can fragment the experience. When you return to a game that you finished months before, it takes a while to refamiliarise yourself with the controls, gameplay elements, and the storyline. To achieve that re-integration and still have plenty of time to enjoy new content afterwards was possible in an expansion pack. It brought you back into the game's world, and you were reminded of all the great things that you enjoyed about it the first time round in a fresh new experience. It was almost like rejuvenation for a game you thought you'd left behind. DLC, on the other hand, brings you back for two or three hours, then asks you to spend more money on a another pack that's usually completely unrelated and disjointed from what you've just completed.

You also have to ask yourself if it's even worth returning to a game you've moved on from for as little as a couple of hours. This was my experience with Mass Effect 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it when it was first released, but never revisited it to try out any of the DLC afterwards. Short stories were released, introducing new characters or revisiting old ones, even tying up certain plot arcs that have been part of the series since the beginning. But I've had no desire to dive back into Mass Effect 2, even though there's new content waiting for me. This may be all down to personal gaming behaviour, but when I'm ready to start something new following completion of a game, I look for something I can really sink my teeth into. A short, fleeting visit to an older game just isn't something I'm looking for.

It looks like DLC is here to stay, though, as it's seen great success in a business sense. Rather than resist it, I just have to hope that there are developers that can make it work. After recently playing the first Portal 2 DLC pack, I may yet be convinced.

It seems like a winning formula; Portal 2's co-op doesn't really focus on an overarching plot and is more about pure Portal gameplay, which just so happens to be very strong, even without the set pieces of the single player. It still had the problem of re-adjustment to game mechanics, but I happily played through each new chamber with my co-op buddy, and can safely say that I would pay for more. The puzzles were more smartly designed than ever before and posed a satisfying new challenge.

But the real reason I returned to Portal 2 at all was because this DLC was free. With the absence of a price tag, even I couldn't resist at least trying it. Steam downloaded it without me even noticing, so it was all ready for me to play without having to do anything at all. It lured me in with promises of no commitment, and now I have a taste for it.

It's a skill that developers are going to have to pick up if they want DLC to be accepted by the non-believers. Those few hours are going to have to be jam packed with so much quality that we really feel like we've made a valuable purchase. No longer can they provide more of the same and expect us to be sold by the mere addition of some extra plot. It wouldn't hurt, either, if developers followed in Valve's footsteps and started offering their initial DLC packs for free as a taste of what's to come.

I'll miss expansion packs, but I have to hope that there's potential for the DLC model; potential that hasn't yet been fulfilled.

Pandamonium

Blizzcon has been and gone, and we now have the name of the next World of Warcraft expansion: Mists of Pandaria. This is a very risky expansion that doesn't follow the usual format of being centred around a known villain. Instead of all the hype being focused around taking on lore favourites, such as the Lich King or Deathwing, Blizzard now has the task of building up excitement for the overall experience, and is hopefully ready to present a storyline that's just as epic as you would expect.

From what I've seen, opinions are divided on Mists of Pandaria. Blizzard is either going to surprise, disappoint or prove a lot of people right.

Pandas, You Say?

The headline feature of the new expansion is the introduction of the pandaren race into World of Warcraft, as well as their homeland, Pandaria. The race of anthropomorphic pandas has actually been around for some time, and made an appearance back in Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne as a neutral unit. Still, by bringing them to the forefront of Warcraft lore in the new expansion, Blizzard has surprised many who may have only heard of them as an old April Fools joke.

It's easy to agree that a race of pandas seems a little out of place in a fantasy setting, but from the look of the artwork we've been treated to so far, they've made it work. It came as a relief that they don't look overly silly as you might first presume they would. Once you get over the fact that you're looking at a fluffy panda warrior, the creature you're seeing starts to become endearing. Somehow they fit in with the rest of the races, and I can easily imagine them fighting alongside orcs, tauren and goblins (my pandaren is going to be Horde, obviously).

The land of Pandaria also seems to be in keeping with the rest of Azeroth. I've always enjoyed the variation in landscapes when travelling between Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms and Northrend, so it's interesting to now see an Asian inspired continent being added. What's impressive is that they've taken this Asian theme and made it look like it still belongs in World of Warcraft.

Furry Fists of Fury

Another risk that Blizzard has decided to take on is the introduction of a new class; the monk. The death knight, introduced in Wrath of the Lich King, caused all sorts of balance issues that have taken a lot of work to iron out, so it does appear to be very brave of them to be adding another new class so soon. Perhaps the revamped talent system (covered later) has somehow simplified the process of adding a new class. Whatever the case, a new class is always exciting, especially one that will have the low level zones full of pandas fighting boars and raptors.

The monk is a melee class that will rely primarily on his or her fists. The roles of dps, tank and healer will all be available to the monk, most likely in an attempt to increase the numbers of tanks and healers to shorten queue times for dungeon groups. I'm very much looking forward to following in the footsteps of Chen Stormstout and taking on the illusive title of Brewmaster, which will be the tanking specialisation for the monk.

War! Huh!

After putting down some of Azeroth's most troublesome foes, many were wondering "who are we fighting next?" It came as a surprise then, that Blizzard answered with "each other." Mists of Pandaria will further the story of the growing hostility between the Horde and Alliance.

It's been building up throughout Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria could be when it all comes to the crux, and full on war breaks out between the two factions. Thanks to certain events in Northrend, and a shift in leadership to a more vicious, warmongering chieftain, the Horde is fragmented, while the Alliance is standing as a more powerful, united force than ever. I'm sure it's not going to be quite as simple as one side against the other. Blizzard loves its shades of grey.

Cookie Cutters

Possibly the most drastic upcoming change is the revamped talent system. Talent trees, which have been in the game since the beginning, are to be thrown out. Specialisations will remain, so there'll still be such a thing as Arms, Fury and Protection for a warrior, for example. The difference is that you'll now be automatically given the abilities and bonuses that would have been in the talent tree, and you'll only make a choice once every 15 levels between 3 different talents. The aim is that none of these talents will be mandatory, and that it will all come down to personal choice and how useful you'll find them for your own style of play.

As expected, I'm seeing the knee-jerk words "dumbing down" being blurted out all over forums. If you actually stop and think about what's happening here, Blizzard is just removing a redundant system and replacing it with something that'll allow for more character customisation than ever before.

When a character reaches the level cap, the majority of WoW players will look up the talent spec that's best for their character, because someone has crunched the numbers and worked out the most optimum way of distributing talent points. It's usual that you'll find a 'cookie cutter' spec, with a few talent points left over to make your own choices with. Since you're only going to be putting yourself at a disadvantage by taking anything other than the optimum talents, most players will copy the spec they've found, and dump the remaining points in some filler talents.

The only part of this that Blizzard has removed is the mindless allocating of points to the talents that someone else has worked out as the 'correct' ones. Looking at the new warrior talents (my class of choice), it looks like I will have some real decisions to make that could change my style of combat significantly.

Of course, another advantage that comes with this is that players who DON'T do their research when deciding on their talent build no longer have the risk of ending up with a sub-par character. Coupled with the item level restrictions on the dungeon group finder, putting players on equal ground like this might be one more step to making pick up groups a little less painful.

Not All About Raiding

I don't raid, these days. I did once, and I enjoyed it, but through all the repetition and scheduling, it's a lifestyle I just couldn't keep up with in the end, at least not if I wanted time to play games other than WoW. I'll probably give the raid finder a try since it'll require less of a job-esque commitment than regular raiding, but I still need something more to keep me entertained at the level cap, or I might find myself just endlessly leveling alts.

That's why I have a great amount of interest in some of the new in-game activities announced.

PvE scenarios, for a start, could be a brilliant evolution of the now abolished group quest. The problem with group quests was that they only worked during the first month or so of an expansion, while everyone was leveling. Several months down the line, it's difficult to find enough people to help you with group quests as most people are done with leveling altogether until the next expansion. By moving these types of quests to the end-game and integrating them into the group finder tool, they could work again. Not only that, but by turning them into a series of quests with an ultimate goal, they should bear a little more meaning. The rewards won't hurt, either.

Dungeon challenges could add new life to the 5-man dungeons that would otherwise grow stagnant. Just as achievements nudged players into doing things they might not have usually thought of doing, challenges that reward medals (read: bragging rights) and vanity gear for transmogrification should offer plenty of fun goals for non-raiders and raiders alike to strive for.

And then there's pet battles. Let's take a look at the feature list:

• Companion pets can be leveled and used in battle against other players' pets. 
• You can capture wild pets, some of which will only appear in certain locations, at certain times or during certain weather conditions.
• You can train up a team of battle pets.
• Combat will be turn based, with each pet using a set of abilities.
• Pet masters will be found all over the world. When beaten, your pets can take on one of their abilities.

It's not in the least bit subtle, is it? I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard decided that being part of the Alliance or Horde denotes playing Blue or Red version of WoW, respectively.

For now, I'm going to call it an interesting idea and leave it at that until I can actually try it out for myself. Playing Pokemon while playing WoW is not something that's ever had a place on my wish list of features, but if Grymtooth the Hallowed, equipped with the Horseman's Helm and Blade, can send his Sinister Squashling into battle and strike fear into pet battlers everywhere, I might be on board. Maybe we'll all unwittingly catch pet battle fever, and there'll be an entire section on Elitist Jerks (The Elitist Four?), theorycrafting pet teams. Who knows?

Trophy Huntin' (25/09/11 - 22/10/11)

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 
(Playstation 3)   

Fixer-Upper
Complete DNA Sequence 3

This sequence acted as another introduction to some of Brotherhood's mechanics, focusing on the various guilds (thief, courtesan and mercenary), which I haven't paid much attention to since. The different NPCs act the same way as they did in Assassins Creed 2, and you now get to choose which of them to deploy in each district. Honestly, with all the other tools Ezio has at his disposal, I've rarely made use of thieves, courtesans or mercenaries. Fellow assassins make them a little bit redundant.

Principessa in Another Castello
Complete DNA Sequence 4

With regards to stealth sections in games, I've been spoiled by Metal Gear Solid. It was the first game of its kind that I played, and got me used to playing with a radar that clearly pointed out the field of vision of guards. Many games that have you sneaking about don't include such a luxury, and I generally choose head-on combat when given the option.

Escaping from the manor in this sequence, fighting my way out was indeed an option. But Brotherhood hit me with another of its '100% sync' objectives, challenging me to sneak out without being detected at all. Usually, I wouldn't have bothered with remaining stealthy as killing is so much quicker and easier, but a challenge like this is not so easily ignored.

Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun approaching the mission this way. It required some concentration and observation, but it really made things interesting to be playing in a totally different style to what I'm used to. Thank you, Brotherhood, for putting me in touch with my rogue-ish side and making me feel like a true assassin.

Fundraiser
Complete DNA Sequence 5

More of the same; sneak in, kill a guy, run away. The target was one of those annoying debt collector types hidden behind a small force of armed help. I hate characters like that. Ending him was a pleasure.

Forget Paris
Complete DNA Sequence 6

Attack of the pallet swap guards! The blue uniforms mean they're French.

One of the things I enjoy about Assassins Creed is the variety of scenarios you're given. This time, I led a fairly sizable group of men, all disguised as guards, right into the middle of the enemy's base. There was no giant wooden rabbit involved, unfortunately.

Undertaker 2.0
Discover the Shrine in the Catacombe di Roma

That's the second of the Shrines of Romulus done, and I believe there are four more to go. There's a locked off room with a big, shiny treasure chest in the middle of it that I can only get to by completing all the shrines. I'm sure curiosity won't let me complete the game without finding out what the treasure is.

Bang!
Destroy the Machine Gun

Splash!
Destroy the Naval Cannon

Kaboom!
Destroy the Tank

As far as side missions go, Leanardo's machines have to be the best in the game, by far. The amount of scripting in them is impressive, and these could easily be part of the main line of missions.

I'm glad I did get myself acquainted with sneaky tactics in earlier missions, as all of these have included a section where detection is an instant fail. They require a lot of patience, but the pay off is that you get to play with a unique weapon of some kind, before destroying it for good so that it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

So far, I've fired a machine gun from the back of a horse and cart during one hell of an escape sequence, fired a cannon from a small boat at the sails of some gigantic ships, and driven a tank. That last one doesn't even need further description. It's a tank.

Home Improvement
Renovate 5 buildings in the Antico district

I've got to the point now where money is no object. If I see a building pop up on the minimap that hasn't yet been renovated, I'll do so. It's not something I've had to pay much attention to; I'm just idly rebuilding Rome, as you do.

Brotherhood
Recruit 3 Assassins

This is the game changer, so much so that the game has been named after it. Having a guild of assassins that can be called upon at any time, at any location is unbelievably useful. Where they actually come from, I don't know, but they're very efficient and will arrive at the scene as soon as you make the call.

Best of all, having your assassins spotted by the guards doesn't count as detection for Ezio, so it's a very convenient way of removing a few pairs of eyes (not literally, blurgh) when you're trying to stick to the shadows.

Dust to Dust
Find 1 Artifact in 2012

Scanning the list of trophies, I found that this was the only one I had left that I'd need to obtain as Desmond.

Reluctantly, I returned to the present to grab it, before stupidly sticking around long enough to check Desmond's emails. I'd gone from the epic tale of a guild of assassins trying to overthrow Rome's evil dictators, to the story of a stolen yoghurt. And then my face rested firmly in my palm.

Spring Cleaning
Kill a guard with a broom

Trophy or not, why wouldn't you?

Your Wish is Granted
Throw money in a well    

I wished for a trophy. It came true.


Katamari Forever (Playstation 3) 

Single Player
Played through 50 single player Requests in a row

I never did finish Katamari Forever. Last time I played, I got stuck on the level that involves lighting a bonfire with a fiery katamari that annoyingly extinguishes when you're several minutes in. Loading it up again this week, I completed the level on the first attempt. It's an odd phenomena, but I find that happening quite a lot.

I made a lot of progress after that, before hitting another wall with a level that has me increasing the temperature of a katamari up to a certain point. Cold items are my worst enemy, and they are everywhere.


World of Warcraft (PC)

Character: Grymtooth (Orc Warrior) (Formerly Grimtooth. Transferred to a server where the name was already taken... /sniff)

Working Around the Clock
Obtain 525 skill points in two primary professions

Blacksmithing was a lot easier to max out this time around. I now have even more stuff to sell for profit! I'm sitting on a respectable 50000 gold right now. Let's see if I can double that by the end of next month.

Character: Zulgrim (Troll Death Knight)

Dual Talent Specialization
Visit your class trainer when you are at least level 30 and activate your Dual Talent Specialization

I wanted to try my hand at some group quest soloing, and picked up a second specialization (blood) purely for that purpose. It worked out pretty well, and I managed to finish all the group quests in Hellfire Peninsula all on my own.

Character: Grimrott (Undead Hunter)

Level 10
Reach level 10

Another alt? Since returning to the game after Cataclysm's launch, I haven't really touched the Eastern Kingdoms. There are a few things I want to do before the end of the expansion, and completing all of old world zones again is one of them. I started this undead hunter, and I'll be sticking to the Eastern Kingdoms while leveling. I'm sure there's a lot of new lore to discover there, and I don't want to miss any of it.


Team Fortress 2 (PC) 

General Achievements

Hardcore
Accumulate 1000 total kills

1000 people have been unable to "outsmart bullet."

Impenetrable Defense
Successfully defend Dustbowl without giving up a capture

Dustbowl has become a favourite map, alongside Badwater, and tends to be part of our weekly rotation. I don't know what the blue team were up to, but apparently it wasn't pressing forwards.

Demoman Achievements

There Can Be Only One
Decapitate your nemesis

I finally picked up the sword to go with my chargin' targe. I've never really played a demoman, but I've been killed many times by one charging towards me, sword swinging. Turns out it's quite fun when you're the decapitator, rather than the decapitated.

Spy Achievements

Counter Espionage
Backstab a disguised spy

I could claim that I've been observing spy patterns, and learning all their tricks, but I think this happened when a spy disguised right in front of me. A fluke, as usual.

May I Cut In?
Backstab an enemy and the Medic healing him within 10 seconds of each other

I crafted myself 'Your Eternal Reward', a knife that instantly disguises you as whoever you kill, and doesn't show the death animation to anyone around the victim. It's as if the kill never happened. This unfortunate medic didn't notice that the heavy he was healing had actually become me. It's a fun knife.

A Cut Above
Kill a gun-wielding Spy with your knife

I tend to panic when I'm discovered as a spy. Instead of switching to my gun, I usually flail around with my knife. This time I was lucky enough to be discovered by a spy who was a really bad shot.

Engineer Achievements

Quick Draw
Kill a spy and two sappers within 10 seconds

The Wrench Connection
Kill a disguised spy with your Wrench

"Spy sappin' mah sentry!" Both of these achievements were earned at the same time. This spy clearly hadn't realised you're supposed to run away when you've sapped a sentry gun, as it always results in an angry engineer, swinging his wrench around.

One Previous Owner, Liked to Dress as a Cat

Batman: Arkham City's release this week has been accompanied by the news that the Catwoman sections will only be available to owners of a brand new copy of the game. Anyone that buys it pre-owned will find these sections missing. This type of strategy to convince consumers to buy a game new has popped up on numerous occasions recently. Online passes are being utilised in more and more games, restricting online functionality to those that either buy a game new, or pay an extra fee on top of what they paid for their used copy.

Understandably, many gamers are not happy with this. It's not an uncommon view that a game, no matter how it was purchased, should be complete. After all, that part of the game is on the disc, it's just locked away to anyone who purchased the game used. Developers should be persuading us to buy their games new with the overall quality of the title, and promises of longevity that'll ensure we get our money's worth. There's nothing illegal about buying a pre-owned game, and there are many legitimate reasons to do so. Gaming can be an expensive hobby, and sometimes it's nice to get a good deal on a game that's been around for a while, and has started to show up in the used section of game stores.

That was perhaps the case a few years ago, but for some reason, video game retailers appear to be getting into competition with games publishers. Games that have only been out for a couple of weeks can be seen with a big fat "pre-owned" sticker on them, diverting attention away from the new copies of the game on the shelves a few feet away. Retailers stand to make more money from used games as they take all the profits, as opposed to with new games where the developer gets their cut. It appears that retailers are pushing for more used game sales than ever.

I was actually shocked at some of the tactics being employed. A games retailer here in the UK is running an 'experience points' system; your typical way of rewarding customers for their purchases with points that can be redeemed for discounts. However, there are extra ways of earning these points. Keeping up with the times, this retailer advertises 'achievements' that can be completed for extra experience points. Many of these achievements involve trading games in, an example being "trade in a game within 14 days of its launch." They're filling up their pre-owned shelves with the latest games by coaxing customers with promises of discounts and good deals.

The fact of the matter is every used game sold in place of a new copy is one less sale for the company that actually produced the game. This may not matter as much for a game that's been out for a couple of years, but when it's only been out for a couple of weeks, it affects the sales statistics drastically. Since sales figures play a large role in determining the success rate of a title, developers may only be seeing a portion of the success they were expecting. Revenue from games put out by a developer allows them to flourish, and continue making their next great game. When used games hurt the sales, budgets are going to be lower, and that affects the quality of the games that they can put out. And most obviously, if it's the developers that have spent time and effort making the games, shouldn't they be the ones that are rewarded for it?

This is why developers are resorting to drastic measures, such as charging owners of pre-owned copies of games to access online content, or by keeping certain content exclusive to new first time purchases only. It's not devious; they're just trying to do what they can to make money off the games that they've put so much work into.

I'm not arguing that we should all stop buying used games altogether. We can't help it. When faced with two prices for the same product, most people will choose the cheaper option, as it's usually the smart thing to do (yellowed Wii controllers that stink of smoke being an example of when it's not the smart option). What I'm arguing is that games developers are in their right to be using these new tactics to get us to buy their games new, as the stores now appear to be working against them, and their actions will ultimately damage the developers.

Rocksteady shouldn't need to do this with Arkham City. The general consensus from the press is that it's a high quality game that's of a decent length. It has plenty of side-content, challenge modes, and a higher difficulty level unlock that makes a second play-through of the main game worthwhile. That sounds well worth the £35-40 price tag for a new copy of the game. However, with used copies of the game being aggressively harvested and sold back to customers, can you blame Rocksteady for trying to add a good enough incentive to sway them back to a brand new copy of the game?

Trophy Huntin' (18/09/11 - 24/09/11)

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Playstation 3)

Technical Difficulties

Attempt to access DNA Sequence 9 for the first time.

You're good enough at video games that you can watch an intro movie. Congratulations, you've earned a trophy. Best take a break before continuing. You're going to need a lot of mental and physical preparation for the next scene, which actually involves picking up the controller. Think you're up to the challenge?

Battle Wounds

Complete DNA Sequence 1.

It's been a few months since I finished Assassin's Creed 2, and with Revelations not far off, it seemed like the right time to have a crack at Brotherhood. DNA Sequence 1 acted mostly as a tutorial, but presented an entertaining opening to the game nonetheless. By the way Ezio was cheerfully wandering around Monteriggioni, it was painfully obvious that all hell was about to break loose. Bad for Ezio, but exciting for the player. The sacrifices these video game characters make for us...

Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

Find a secure place to hide and re-enter the Animus.

...And the sacrifices we make for them. Following on from DNA Sequence 1, you're dragged, kicking and screaming, into the world of Desmond once again. This time, you get quite a lengthy climbing sequence and a fair few cutscenes, so there's plenty of time to get to know female romantic interest, sarcastic British guy, geeky tech lady, and of course, average guy.

I'm sure they have names, but I was too busy trying to hang myself with a white hoodie to be paying attention. Hey, now I'm sarcastic British guy.

Mailer Daemon

Access your email in 2012.

As if it couldn't get any worse, you now have the option of leaving the Animus and playing as Desmond, any time you like. Just to remind you, a very intrusive text box will flash up on screen, alerting you to a new email received in present day. I think the first email I read said: "Don't forget, this is just a video game. Don't go getting too immersed."

Golden Boy

Discover the Shrine in the Terme di Traiano

Finally, we're back with Ezio, the true main character of Assassin's Creed. Despite all the negativity so far, I am really enjoying Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. I just have nothing good to say about anything involving Desmond Miles, if you haven't already guessed.

This area was a throwback to one of my favourite types of section in AC2: what I like to call the indoor climb-em-ups (I doubt it'll catch on). I ended up playing through this particular shrine 4 times, thanks to Ubisoft's new way of appealing to the perfectionist in me. Each DNA sequence consists of separate memories, as usual. Here, "memory" is interchangeable with "mission", as that's all they are: objectives that must be completed to progress. However, each mission now includes an optional "100% sync" objective. By completing a memory under extra criteria, such as without taking damage, or within a certain time limit, 100% sync can be achieved, rather than a lesser percentage that reeks of failure.

I couldn't ignore it, of course, when the game challenged me to complete this climbing section in under 8 minutes. That's why I played through it 4 times. I have a feeling this game is going to take a long time to finish.

Deja Vu

Replay a Memory.

Like I said, 4 times. I'm my own worst enemy. Good thing there aren't any amazing games coming out in the next few months that I need to clear my gaming schedule for. Oh, there's that sarcastic British guy again. Uh oh...

Rome in Ruins

Complete DNA Sequence 2.

Alright, I'm starting to remember how this works. "Requiescat in pace," and everything goes all Matrix-y as the next chapter is loaded.

Perfect Recall

Achieve 100% Synchronization in any Sequence other than Sequence 1.

I wasn't actually aware of the rewards you get for 100% sync of a DNA sequence. It turns out that I now have the option of immunity to injury when replaying a memory, and I can also turn all horses into unicorns. Worth it.

World of Warcraft (PC)

Character: Grimtoosk (Troll Druid)

Does Your Wolpertinger Linger?

Obtain a Wolpertinger pet.

Brewfest is back! I have fonder memories of the first year, as there were a few more quests going on that have been removed for reasons beyond me. It still creates a good atmosphere though, so even though I was pretty much done with the festival after completing all the achievements a couple of years ago, I thought I'd still drop in to get into the spirit of things.

And of course, I couldn't resist picking up this little fellow, just so that I could click on it and listen to the strange noises it makes.

Down With The Dark Iron

Defend the Brewfest camp from the Dark Iron attack and complete the quest, "This One Time, When I Was Drunk..."

With all the years Brewfest has been going on for now, it's surprising to still see cries of "WUT I DO?" when the Dark Iron dwarves attack. Chug and throw. Chug and throw. Your reward: motion sickness.

The Empire of Zul'Drak

Complete 100 quests in Zul'Drak

Zul'Drak was the one zone I hadn't really explored fully in Wrath of the Lich King. I now see the error of my ways, as it's actually one of the best that Northrend has to offer, possibly second only to Storm Peaks. I might have a little bias for the zone, what with it being one big troll-fest, but I think the race deserved a little attention after being mostly ignored in the Burning Crusade. It was also good to see the return of ice trolls, which, as far as I know, haven't been seen since Warcraft 3.

Character: Zulgrim (Troll Death Knight)

50 Quests Completed

Complete 50 quests.

What's this? A death knight? I played through the starting zone when Wrath of the Lich King was first released, but never took it any further. Being quite partial to plate wearing melee classes, I always had some interest in death knights, but didn't really have the time to level one.

The perfect opportunity has now arisen, as I want another character at level 75, giving me access to two more professions. What could be more convenient than a class that starts at level 55?

The majority of these 50 quests made up the starting zone; a fine example of quest design and the use of phasing to simulate progression. There hasn't really been anything like it since, in my opinion.

Level 60

Reach level 60.

It doesn't take long. You leave the starting area at level 58, and the next two levels fly by in Outland. This is going to be a pure grind. I've read the Outland quests enough times now that I can just accept them and get straight on with it. I'm a killing machine. I'll be 75 in no time.

Into The Wild Blue Yonder

Learn the expert riding skill. 

I splashed out on the eery looking winged steed of the Ebon Blade. I need to look the part.

Team Fortress 2 (PC)

General Achievements

Escape The Heat

Jump into a pool of refreshing water while on fire.

Steam reports that I've played 32 hours of Team Fortress 2, and it's only now that I've made the smart decision to jump into water when on fire?

Soldier Achievements

Where Eagles Dare

Get the highest possible rocket jump using jump and crouch.

Awesome drum intro. Piece of Mind is a great album.

During the victory screen, when it doesn't matter how much I hurt myself, I've been practicing rocket jumps. This was a good 'un. 

Soldier Milestone 2

Achieve 11 of the achievements in the Soldier pack.

Thanks to this achievement, I'm now in possession of the Direct Hit, a rocket launcher that favours those who can aim well. Not for me, then. I like the one that fires rockets really fast. The less I have to make each shot count, the better.

Spy Achievements

High Value Target

Backstab an enemy who is dominating 3 or more of your teammates.

There's nothing I hate more than a demoman with that irritating sword and shield combo. Neither a shot to the head or a backstab compares to the pure frustration felt when a demoman charges towards you, and it's too late to do anything about it. It's always too late. This was a very satisfying backstab.

Spy Milestone 2

Achieve 11 of the achievements in the Spy pack. 

I've been rewarded with the Cloak and Dagger, a new method of cloaking that recharges when standing still. I've not really got to grips with it yet, but I imagine it's good for hiding in strategic locations, waiting for the opportunity to strike. I suppose the choice between this and the default cloak depends on how much I want to move around the map.

Review: Demon's Souls

Release Date: JP: February 5, 2009, NA: October 6, 2009, EU: June 25, 2010
Developed By: From Software
Genre: Action RPG
Platforms: Playstation 3

Note: The online mode referred to in this review will eventually be shut down. However, you still have plenty of time, as it has been recently announced that the game will remain online until at least some way into 2012.

Whenever a game gains a reputation for being difficult, the hardcore gamers who yearn for the tougher days of gaming past seem to crawl out from their shrines, where greats such as Viewtiful Joe and Ninja Gaiden are worshipped, to quickly initiate the newcomer into their dark cult. Demon's Souls is one of the most recent games to grab the attention of hardcore gamers, boasting unforgiving gameplay that does not suffer fools well.

I'm a Soul Man

Set in the kingdom of Boletaria, the story is based around the use of 'soul arts', dark magic fuelled by souls. Overuse of such power has awakened the ominous Old One, bringing with it a deep fog that has trapped many a hero, taking their own souls from them. What makes you so different is anyone's guess, but you enter the fog in the hopes of freeing the troubled kingdom. Your courage is your downfall, of course, as you are slaughtered only moments into your quest.

This introduces the first major component of the gameplay; body and soul forms. You begin the game alive, in body form. Dying while in body form returns you to the deep fog as a soul. In soul form, your health is cut in half, while your attack power is increased. The only way to restore your body is to defeat a boss. Yes, this is the first deliciously cruel punishment the game has in store for you: dying makes it easier for everything to continue killing you. Unfortunately, the punishment isn't quite as devilish as it first seems, as it's possible to obtain a ring, very early on in the game, that increases your soul form health to only marginally less than your full, body form health. Amongst others, this is one of the reasons that playing in soul form is actually a more preferable choice, at least the first time playing through, and it's a decision I went with, even going so far as to commit suicide after each boss kill to instantly become a soul again. It's a shame, because what could have been a very inventive way of punishing failure actually turns out to be quite cosy and safe.

Another reason that most prefer soul form is due to the game's next major mechanic: world tendency. Certain actions push the 'tendency' of a world towards black or white. Achieving pure white or black tendency in a world can unlock new events, areas or items. Dying in body form pushes the world tendency towards black, whether you want it to or not, whereas dying in soul form has no effect. It's yet another reason why body form seems redundant, and it's not really clear what From Software were trying to achieve with this system.

World tendency itself is an interesting mechanic, though, as it has you returning to levels you've already completed for further exploration. For instance, you might find that a particularly nasty dragon that was blocking access to a plethora of tasty loot decides to take a holiday when world tendency is pure white. You may also discover that the locked gate that was previously just a curiosity is now open, beyond it a whole new area full of items and potentially, an optional mini-boss. When you get the hang of manipulating the world tendency, you find yourself with a lot more interesting objectives.

And then we have the backbone of Demon's Souls, the traditional gameplay elements of an RPG. Everything from statistical customisation and weapon and armour upgrading is here, with a striking amount of freedom. The class that you choose at the beginning of the game is by no means a blueprint that you're forced to stick to; it merely defines the abilities you start with, and it's from then on that you can shape your character in any way you like. Doing your research can help immensely here, as characters that have been carefully planned out will end up much more powerful than those that are based on 'on-the-fly' decisions when it comes to leveling. I absolutely don't mean that in a bad way either, as it just goes to show how deeply you can be drawn in to the obsession of shaping a perfect hero.

Nerf Hunters

The combat is in real time, and involves a great deal of timing on the player's part. The enemies are ruthless, and only by learning their attack patterns and identifying the safest time to lower your guard and attack will you make it through alive. Choices between melee, ranged and spellcasting are all available to the player, depending on the type of character they have in mind.

I began playing with the intention of fighting toe-to-toe in traditional melee style. Some of the bosses I fought this way were suitably tricky, and required multiple attempts before finally being put down. Somewhere along the way I acquired a rather beastly bow, allowing for some sneaky ranged combat. Because I'd focused on the dexterity stat, good for both melee and ranged combat, I was already set up to deal significant damage from afar. This is where I discovered a major imbalance, as boss battles quickly turned from nerve-wracking events to simple target practice. Whether intentional or not, many of the arenas of combat included a 'sniper perch', allowing for complete safety while firing off arrows at the now completely helpless boss.

It's true that by sticking to melee combat, I might have faced more of a challenge with some of these bosses, but with the option there, and the game's unforgiving threat of returning me to the beginning of the level if I died, the easy way out was always too tempting. The point is, in a game so revered for its brutality, 'cheese tactics' shouldn't exist at all.

Other than that, Demon's Souls does live up to its arduous image, providing a journey of just the right levels of frustration and satisfaction. Its difficulty shouldn't act as a deterrent to anyone, though, as with a little practice, patience and persistence, you end up getting a feel for it, and attack patterns start to become clear.

It was at around the last quarter of the game that the difficulty seemed to wane, but this is mostly a consequence of its design. Each world can be completed in any order, meaning you're going to naturally out-level a couple of them before you get round to playing through them. It's also around this point that the game has no more surprises for you. You'll have developed a sixth sense for when an enemy is about to ambush you, and you'll likely have become proficient enough in combat to take care of yourself. While it would have been great for the difficulty to persist until the very end, it's not a huge problem as by this point, you're having way too much fun with the game to care.

Silence is Golden

Presentation wise, Demon's Souls captures the spirit of dark fantasy well, creating a grim, harsh atmosphere. Its various settings carry a different category of horror theme, from a rotting prison to a diseased bog, which serve to unsettle the fearful souls who enter. The character models are well done, and in particular, the armour is nicely detailed with some impressive lighting effects making it shine. Music is mostly absent, which actually works in the game's favour as it heightens the tension, the unnerving silence concealing the hidden fiends lying in wait just around the next corner. The only time immersion is really broken is when the overactive rag doll physics kick in. Corpses of your defeated foes will fall naturally over walls and down stairs, but a simple step over the motionless dead causes them to leap about as if puppets, controlled by a puppeteer who has just tripped over the strings.

Ghost Town

The game includes an online mode that offers some highly innovative features. While connected, players can leave messages on the ground, offering hints to others, such as a warning about an ambush up ahead. Pools of blood will also litter the ground, which, when touched, will replay the death of another player, showing you how you might avoid a similar fate. Occasionally, you'll even see ghosts of other players that are in the same areas as you. All of these ingenious features add up to make you feel part of something big; a world in which you're not the only lost soul.

More directly, you can call upon the souls of other players to help you defeat bosses, an action which will grant any soul their body back. If you're into a little player versus player action, you can invade someone else's game and murder them, purely for the thrill. Of course, you can be invaded too while in body form, another reason that pushes many players into sticking with soul form.

All of this integrates well, and it seems that From Software's intention was to create a single player game that could be played online, passively or actively. Unfortunately, there came a point where I was forced to choose between remaining online or playing offline. World tendency shifts to the average of every connected player when you log in, making it much more difficult to manipulate, as it 'resets' every time you begin a session. Online players have the option of helping others in boss battles or invading another's world to shift their world tendency, but these appear to be more mandatory if you find that the average tendency is a few levels away from the pure white or black that you require. By playing offline, world tendency stays just as you left it, meaning it's the better choice if you're aiming to see all the game's extra tendency-related events, but don't want to stray from single player. In the end, it splits single player and multiplayer in a way that contradicts the game's intention of having an always-online experience that blends the two.

Overall

Despite some minor faults, this a very rewarding game. While the difficulty eventually lowers, and there are definite 'cheese' tactics that have snuck through, the pure fun of playing what is otherwise one of the most brilliantly designed RPGs in years remains throughout. The online features feel new and inventive, and will make for many impressive moments should you decide not to get too wrapped up in world tendency manipulation. With satisfying combat, deep systems and various ways to build your character, this is one you may even find yourself starting up for a second time after completion. It's at that point that the game may restore your faith in its tribulation, as its new game+ mode increases difficulty to the point where it won't matter how much health you have. It's going to destroy you, one way or another. And you'll love it.

Rating: 9/10

Trophy Huntin' (11/09/11 - 17/09/11)

WoW achievements only this week. I played some Starcraft 2 also, but what were the chances of me getting any achievements in that?

World of Warcraft

Character: Grimtoosk (Troll Druid)

Explore Zul'Drak

Explore Zul'Drak, revealing the covered areas of the world map

We're actually far from finishing the zone. I got this while waiting for the others to catch up on a gathering quest, in which the druid's flight form gives you quite the advantage. I decided to just fly all the way around the zone and take in the sights. It's a very gloomy, evil looking place, but for once it's in an appealing way. The remnants of a corrupt and ruined troll empire make for some interesting environments. I'm very much looking forward to getting to the troll part of the questing.

Working Day and Night

Obtain 450 skill points in two primary professions

We finally hit the coveted level 75; the level at which you can start crafting at cataclysmic levels. I took the opportunity to sink some gold into jewelcrafting, unlocking the daily quests in the process. Time to see how profitable this profession can be.

Safe Deposit

Buy 7 additional bank slots

The amount of glyphs I'm producing per crafting session was getting far too vast for my existing storage space. I spent a fortune buying glyph and herb containers to make the crafting process a little less time consuming by taking out the need to mill the herbs in batches. I'm sure the amount of time saved will be worth it overall.

Character: Grimtooth (Orc Warrior)

Help the Bombardier! I'm the Bombardier!

Kill 10 Schnotzz infantry with one artillery shell during the Fire From the Sky daily quest in Uldum

I could pretend that this was due to incredible judgement and timing skills, but it was all down to luck. I wasn't trying to hit 10 at once, it just happened. Yay?

 

Unearthing Uldum

Complete 105 quests in Uldum

Following on from two zones that seemed to regress back to the old style quests of grindy killing and looting, Uldum was a breath of fresh air, presenting plenty of variety. While Deepholm took me quite a while to finish due to it being a long slog, I completed Uldum relatively quickly, mainly because of how much fun I was having with it. It was also great to see cut scenes being put to so much use, as they really flesh out the story. When your main mode of narration is a text box, you need to make use of all the extra tools available. I think cut scenes like the ones you see in Uldum are vital to the evolution of WoW's storytelling. Hopefully, we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the next expansion.

Explore Uldum

Explore Uldum, revealing the covered areas of the world map

It was only a matter of time before a zone heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian architecture surfaced. It's a setting that's been used in many games before it, and I'm honestly surprised that it's taken this long.

I would like to ask though; what are these cat things? I wasn't really following WoW when Cataclysm was being previewed, so they came out of nowhere for me. It's not uncommon for Blizzard to introduce new non-playable races in an expansion (when Ethereals do become playable, I am on that), but for some reason, these Tol'vir took me by surprise more than any other race ever has. I can't really decide whether they fit into Warcraft or not.

In a Thousand Years Even You Might be Worth Something

Compete the Coffer of Promise quests in Uldum up to and including Harrison Jones and the Temple of Uldum

Alright, it's time to come clean. I'm aware that this questline was a massive Indiana Jones reference from start to finish. I have a terrible admission to make: I have never seen an Indiana Jones movie. It's true, and it means a lot of these quests were probably lost on me, but I still enjoyed them nevertheless.

I should rent those movies.

Level 85

Reach Level 85

There it is. This is the third time that Grimtooth has reached the level cap. This time, the momentous ding was attained by the rather anti-climactic act of mining. Still, I was relieved that I hadn't leveled moments before when I was doing a quest that involved killing naga. That would've been so, so wrong.

Now that Grimtooth is level 85, he'll wait until Grimtoosk's party has caught up, before grabbing sword and board and taking on the role of my main once again.