Attack on Titan and Megalobox 2: Nomad

Start with despair and go from there.

Attack on Titan

I've mentioned this anime in passing many times through the years and now that its finally done I can review it properly! Featuring excellent art, awesome music and some pretty nice action scenes this show focuses on people who live in a walled city, trapped but safe(ish) from the ever hungry giants lurking outside who they refer to as Titans. It has one of the strongest openings of any story, and this momentum carries forward through the first few seasons but alas - peters out as the stranger events are given not-so-strong explanations and titans seemingly become less and less dangerous (because the protagonists are improving right? Like in the Walking Dead, season 1 a single zombie is like OMG, season 11 its "oh another zombie horde, whatever"). While I do still recommend it, I don't like the way the story went at the end so no perfect score from me here.

Megalobox 2: Nomad

We catch up with our protagonist Joe, five years after the events of Megalobox and he is not in a good place. The questions of "why?" and "what happened?" are what kept us around, despite the first part of the season having him serve only as a side character (which is weird but makes sense if you stick to it). While the first Megalobox was all about an underdog trying to clinch every win, this season is all about loss and is framed very differently. I made a comment about the original where everyone but Joe gets character development - well here he develops in spades. Recommended only if you liked the first season. If you can put up with the episodes at the start where he doesn't do much, it does improve and finishes pretty strong.

Forgotten Waters: Nature's Splendor

[A board game session from Forgotten Waters]

Having failed to win the race to Ghost Island, Captain Stroopwafel took a job from a trio of wealthy scientists from the Royal College of Natural Philosophy to locate and capture new and fascinating creatures from beyond the Ocean's Edge. Among her crew was Jane Doe, Bassam, Edward Darkdawn and the chef Roberta Foodie.

Since Jane was smitten by the time a merfolk saved her, she has a keen sense to navigate the ship right to the isle they nest upon. The mer quickly attempt to defend their home though, and it is only thanks to Edward's martial skill that they prevail - as he slaughters all but one of them. The surviving baby is then taken to appease the scientists.

Just off the coast they find a leviathan nesting ground and Bassam manages to steal one of their hatchlings. One of the great sea serpents gives chase but is cut down by cannon fire. On the next volcanic isle Roberta tries to steal an egg of a giant bird but fumbles and drops it from the cliff face. Luckily Jane locates a lava lizard in the caves below that is easily lured to the ship with treasure.

With the three beasts in the hold the scientists offer to double the pay if they are taken to visit one more island said to be the home of magnificent and deadly beasts. Captain Stroopwafel lets her greed get the better of her and agrees, and upon landing the three scientists begin sacrificing the captured animals in a scientific black magic ritual to summon their quarry... a forest titan!?

The ship is torn apart and the crew are put into a furious battle against the powerful giant on land, but no matter what damage they do it constantly regenerates and gets angrier. Eventually it bellows in rage which summons more creatures just like it! Panic sets in as the giants begin feasting on the crew, the captain and the scientists... there are no survivors. 

Pretty much felt like Attack on Titan in that last fight. :P

Yep, that was a game over as it is a really tough fight but also I thought it was a fitting end for this scummy crew of kidnappers! This is also the last adventure available for Forgotten Waters without the DLC.

Divergent

If you are different, you must die.

At it's core this is a girl's coming of age story, trying to find her place in the world. It just so happens that it's the future and that some genius decided to make a faction system in an attempt to prevent war (because that always works!). While most people get sorted into one of the groups rather easily, a few people, like the main character, show aptitude for being in multiple groups. This makes them a target for elimination since they are the chaotic element in an otherwise standardized formula.

*sarcastic* Totally looks like a servant of chaos. For Khorne!?

Despite her joining the supposedly most "active" group (which in my opinion is filled with moronic thrill seekers), there are few meaningful action sequences until the last act which makes it a bit slow but fortunately it does just enough to hold one's interest. I do quite like that she has no "chosen one" syndrome as she isn't unique, and that in most physical tests she gets her ass handed to her. All up, I give Divergent three reflections out of five, and am interested enough to watch the sequel.

Extra points for having a giant wall which is unexplained. Are there titans out there? :P

Today I Smiled: Live Action!

Been awhile since my last "Today I Smiled" entry and there sure are a lot of things for me to smile about. My Neverwinter Online: Vigilance Guide got featured as a "Bag of Tricks" entry on NWO-uncensored. I also quite like that the Wizards of the Coast release content on all mediums simultaneously which means that Elemental Evil is also hitting DDO and the table top game, meaning there are write ups for each of the evil cults.

The Newbie Blogger Initiative is also going full swing and this year I'm in charge of the Poetry Slam - looking forward to more entries coming in before the end of the month. Also happy to report I'm now up to 100 links from 59 when the event began. As a fan of the TV series Arrow and the Flash I'm also looking forward to Legends of Tomorrow, and am hoping the live action version of Shingeki no Kyoujin (Attack on Titan) does well. Kinda surprised to see a live action Parasyte there too!

If none of those interest you then perhaps this clip of Guildwars 2 killing, deleting and then banning a cheater will be enough to brighten your day, or if you want a more hands-on experience, try out the first two browser bragging games for this years NBI: the PvP blob consuming game called Agar and the colorful pixel gore of Critical Annihilation. :)

Today I Smiled: Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day all (yeah I'm probably one day early)! :P Regardless if you are spending this with someone or on your own I hope to have something in today's post that will get everyone smiling. I figure I may as well start with "things cats do that'd be creepy if you did them".

Not a cat person? Well, how about learning of the people volunteering for a one way trip to Mars? Honestly, a few years ago when I first heard of this mission, I would have loved to be one of them.

On to game related vids, I'm not sure if you saw my Attack on Titan game tutorial compilation post but this opening, made from Feng Lee's tribute game is pretty damn cool. Another game that seems to have been getting upgrades without my attention is ye olde Sherwood Dungeon! I remember trying to reach the bottom with Juris via running - obviously we never made it. :P

As usual, I have to have a paragraph about music in here since it is one of my passions and I was super pleased to hear that Australia is joining Eurovision this year as a contestant. Also I've recently come across a strange instrument called a hang drum (because I don't get out much) and thought I'd share this clip of it in a solo by Daniel Waples.

If that's too zen for you then I also have a newly released piano solo by Animenz of "Unravel" from Tokyo Ghoul. No idea what Tokyo Ghoul is, but man does that look hard to play. And if that looked tough, here's one more appropriate for today... Animenz's "My Dearest" from Guilty Crown.

Anywho, that's it for me - hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

Attack on Titan: Tribute Game Tutorial Compilation

Since I posted this elsewhere today, I thought I should do it on my own blog too! :P

Feng Lee's Attack on Titan browser game is awesome, has lots of updates, and is doing so well that other people have decided to try make their own versions of it. If you don't know what Attack on Titan (aka Shingeki no Kyojin) is, then I suggest either watching the anime or reading the manga first to avoid spoilers.

You can play Feng Lee's game here.

Now, Feng's game does come with a steep learning curve though so I decided to compile a bunch of tutorials to hopefully make things easier for you. :)

A few tips from me first!

-You'll probably find your mouse goes crazy once actually in a game. Press "C" to toggle the camera until it is one you are comfortable with.

-Spacebar fires two un-aimed cables. Don't use it. Use Q and E to launch individual cables, or press both to launch simultaneous cables.

-You can alternate between Q and E to "walk" up a tree or the back of a titan. Remember: their only weakness is the back of the neck.

Ok, onto the video tutorials. I've tried my best to arrange them in order of easiest to what I think is the most difficult.

Characters Specials
Characters Stats 1.1
Titan Training Basics
Sparrow Strike
Spring Pocket Strike Part 1
Spring Pocket Strike Part 2
Air Equator

That's it! Hopefully we can meet up to save humanity some time! ^_~

Today I Smiled: Video Update Temple

A video-link heavy post today, mostly thanks to my late viewing of the Superbowl related stuff! Apart from Katy Perry's halftime show (yeah, I'm a fan), my favorite ads were the ones for Clash of Clans, Snickers, and Esurance's Say my Name. I quite liked the Toyota Camry one too but for different reasons. Guess I'm a sucker for "dad" ads now.

Seen all of that? Maybe you'll enjoy Penn and Teller's anti-anti vaccination vid, or these Japanese commercial featuring sizzling maids or this ... other weird one. Tired of vids? Maybe this article on Iceland building a new temple to the Norse gods is what you need.

I've also revisited Forced recently and found that in now has coop save points, making it much more playable than it was before. Also updated is the link to the Neverwinter Nights module by my brother, Dragonlord, which had moved to the NWNVaults awhile back. In bigger update news Feng Lee's Attack on Titan game has gotten some awesome upgrades. If you are a fan of Shingeki no Kyojin I suggest you give it a try, though be warned - the steep learning curve hasn't changed one bit!

The graphics got better, but not quite as good as Tybee Diskin sitting in a tree. :P

Lastly I've added 12 new blogs on the Paths I Travel link to the right, mostly taken from Massively's farewell page. Always good to have more things to read. I'm also interested to see if  they can withstand my simple "rule".

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Today I Smiled: Cover Songs (Reluctant Heroes and Game of Thrones)

Since I'm somewhat musically inclined, I thought I'd share a trio of Youtube clips that brought a smile to my face. Especially the last two which are quite jazzy and contain a bit of improvisation so heads up if that's not your sort of thing.

Mica Caldito - The Reluctant Heroes (Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan)
Swamp Donkeys - Game of Thrones Theme
Dave Koz - "Smooth" Game of Thrones Theme

Have a great day! :)

Today I Smiled: Mario, Ozzy Man GoT and JAAAAEGER!

Got a bunch of Youtube links that got me smiling this week so I thought I'd share them with you, in case you missed any!

First up is Mario in a Mercedes Ad (somehow he reminds me of Roger Federer). He's looking the healthiest he's ever been!

Next is Ozzy Man's improved ending to Game of Thrones "The Mountain and the Viper" - spoilers ahead if you haven't seen that episode!

Lastly is for all the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) fans - why the seiyuu's (voice actors) of Connie Springer and Eren JAEGER(!) should never sing the opening song. :P

Have a great day!

Attack on Titan - Tribute Game

With low res, polygonal graphics where your character and enemies look like dolls and houses look a bit like cubes, no music, spoilerific information that can give away a few plot points in the Attack on Titan anime/manga on which it was based, and a very sparse number of levels you would think that this free, Unity based tribute game by creator Feng Lee is a disastrous enterprise.

Well I can tell you that despite all those short falls the game itself is fantastic and can be surprisingly addictive, especially for fans of the series! It also has a pretty severe learning curve at the start where you will doubtlessly die many times while trying to get the hang of your 3D manoeuvring device.

Knowing where to fire your lines, when to let go and how long to press the gas button is your one advantage over the numerous, people eating titans who can easily kill you with one hit. You can do the same to them, provided you get to their weak spot at the nape of the neck. I've seen some awesome players who almost never touch the ground anymore with their skills.

How did I see this? Because you can play cooperatively! You can lure titans away for your allies to get easier kills, or save your friends from getting devoured if you are agile enough to get in a killing (or blinding) strike. There's room for improvement for sure, but even in its current state I give this game 4 out of 5 potatoes, and highly recommend everyone - especially fans of the series - to give it a try!

I also recommend having one of the songs from the OST playing in the background while doing so to really get you in the zone. Personally, I use DOA.

NBI: Talkback Mixed Bag 2014

While Doone seeds the proper topics I thought I'd try my hand at answering some the suggestions that weren't picked up, rolling most of them into this post! He did invite people to just go ahead and post about them anyway so I invite you all to do the same! :)

What pen-&-paper RPG (D&D and the like) deserves to be adapted into an MMORPG, why, and by which development house?

Vampire the Masquerade and the rest of its cousins, all rolled into one (or if that's too hard, just the Masquerade). I think it has the best chance to succeed over my other choices here (the others being Gamma World and Lovecraft based stuff) as there are enough fans and enough lore to work with in terms of plot, factions, abilities and the like there already. CCP Games had the same idea and tried this with World of Darkness but had to cancel development. I think I'd like to see Cryptic take a shot at it because I like their model (f2p), and that they'd probably have a foundry (mission creator), and because while they don't really have standout games the ones I've tried are rather enjoyable.

Will any MMORPG ever overtake WoW as the leader of the genre? If so, what game will it be, and why?

That's a pretty open ended question. "Ever" as in - till the end of time? Then yes. Something will definitely overtake WoW. The "Why" is easy: new technologies and new IPs will emerge. Will your great, great grandkids be playing WoW? Maybe. But more likely they'll be playing something else... WoW 2, or maybe Starcraft Online? I'm sticking to Blizzard themed IPs since they have  the best resources at the moment (funding and players) to make a game to rival WoW. It would be much harder for a small unknown company to oust them but hey... maybe an Attack on Titan MMO would bleed the WoW base enough to take over. Who knows?

What 'failed' video game deserves to be remade or brought back under new management?

Wizardry Online. SOE failed big time there, leading me and many other disgruntled Wizardry players to avoid any further SOE games. It should also be remade to be more violent, with a higher risk of character permadeath balanced off by slightly easier content. As it is you literally had to suicide your spirit against reapers if you wanted to lose your character or be extremely unlucky/unprepared in dice rolls. Even then, the "Soul" system that your characters shared meant that losing one guy didn't remove all your work anyway, just giving you a minor-moderate set back.

Click the image too see the consistency of SOE!

What game series would you like to see remade (updated graphics, but stays to the original story/gameplay) or rebooted (completely re-imagined with familiar bits)?

I'd like to see id-software's Doom series remade into an MMO. Maybe a survival MMO.

If the NBI formed a guild, would you join it? Where would you want the guild to play?

Unlikely, and if I did it would probably not as a regular member. A number of the NBI folk are people who are always sitting on the cutting edge games, new releases, betas and the like. Another bunch enjoy games that have a pay wall. I prefer sticking to free games that I can enjoy whenever I feel like. I'm also not sure how many of you are in my time zone to play with anyway! ;P

Is the 'holy trinity' really holy? (Coming from the removal of a healer in GW2)

I've spoken about this before but I don't mind repeating the important part: To me, the MMO Holy Trinity is a piece of shit. If you can't do everything yourself, you aren't much of a hero to begin with. I don't mind playing with other people or grouping to do content out of choice. It's when grouping becomes a necessity that I take issue, because it means the game is not letting my character evolve the way I want him to. Especially in games which tout "be whatever you want to be", or "the world depends on you" I generally lose interest when I realize it actually means "be what we catered for" and "the world depends on you... and all those other guys because individually you all just suck. Now check out this cool, unfair, boss whom you cannot solo!".

When you're deciding if you like a game or not, which aspect weighs the heaviest and why? 

Fun! That's a no brainer. There is no point in spending time doing things you don't like. If a game is fun right off the bat or I can see will be fun when I get better at it I'll stick with it. If it's just tedious or of a genre I dislike I'll leave it alone.

MMOs: The Problem With Levels

[Part of my MMO Design Folder]

Most MMOs love putting people into level brackets probably because they think it isn't relevant for you to encounter people higher or lower level than yourself. I think that's wrong.

As I said in a previous post, characters in MMOs should gain individual skill by practicing said skill (and skill loss through neglect) instead of having a generic "experience bar" that measures your whole worth in neatly packaged "levels" which serve mainly to separate the player base in various zones. Can't have those elites that kill gods camp the chicken goblins we're reserving for the noobs in the starting area after all right? All this does is create an upward flow where eventually all the maxed level people are all in the same zones, getting bored once they reach to top rung of the ladder and waiting for "what's next".

The other problem it has is the common sense issue which is shared by Dungeons & Dragons. Picture if you will, a level 1 farmer getting stabbed by a spear in the face. The farmer only has 6HP and the spear does 8 damage, killing the man in one strike. The same spear then stabs a nude mid level fighter (also in the face) for the same damage. What was a fatal blow to the farmer suddenly is just a potential minor injury for a person of the same race simply because the fighter has a lot more hit points that are magically granted when he gains levels. What?

One level can make a really big difference.

I think that mechanic should be done away with. A wolf pack should be just as dangerous to a wandering musician as it is to a knight, or soldier. Sure, the other two can probably fight the wolves better from their skill set, but who is to say that the musician doesn't study martial arts on the side? What I'm getting at is that skill can help them survive the encounter, not a higher number beside their name. And if they stuff up, a bite is a bite. Equal in all regards if they were wearing the same attire.

The anime Attack on Titan (I haven't read the manga) is a good example of what I'd like to see actually. Skilled people perform better, but they are just as susceptible to death as the peasants they are trying to defend. If you still haven't seen it and are into anime, you really ought to. You know it's good when I'm harping on it for two posts straight. :P

What's on my Radar?

While I easily get excited by trailers for upcoming single player games, I don't remember the first time I was excited about upcoming MMO Hype, but I certainly remember the last two. The first was when I heard about Vindictus, and being a big Mabinogi fan it looked awesome despite being heavily instanced - until I read that due to region lockouts I couldn't play it. The next one was TESO itself, but my odds of playing that live look grim since it will be using the subscription model which I never use. Ever.

Now I'm pinning some hopes on the distant land of Black Desert. Yep, all because it looks pretty on Youtube. Open world Vindictus sounds and looks good, but I guess I'll have to wait and see about the region settings, payment model, and platform release. Of course, not everyone is as finicky as me so you should go check it out! Just hope it doesn't go the way of Core Online, or should I say - Core Offline.

I might have to upgrade my PC to run this though.

Lastly Juris has introduced me to the anime "Attack on Titan" and damn it's good. Those who are so inclined and haven't seen it yet should go do so. Also I think an MMO like DayZ with Titans instead of zombies would be a good idea. :P