Magerealm

If you ever wanted to feel like a clone, this is the game for you.

Magerealm is another "adventure" browser game that has mechanics almost identical to Blood and Jade, Bleach Online, and League of Angels. To its credit, it actually surpasses all of those in terms of gameplay and loading times as well as having less eye candy for male players (which might be a plus for some but I actually find a severe negative for this genre). However at its heart it is an idle game, with options to auto navigate to quests, auto fight through dungeons (but this time only those on your main quests - extra dungeons you must control yourself! How mean!), and meditate (AFK) for XP. Yup, you can gain levels by not playing. So... what's the point right? :P

You are unique, just like everyone else.

Where it goes lacking once again (if it wasn't lacking enough) was the single tracked quest path meaning you will see doppelgangers of yourself (other players) doing the exact same thing you are doing. The other games I mentioned try negate this somewhat by taking you out to other mini games, battle maps or having a pretty big map with a bunch of different objectives players can do but here it doesn't even attempt to hide just how on the rails it is. Also, I have to question the art assets being used, or perhaps re-used I should say. For the sake of being nice let's just say a lot of them feel like de ja vu?

Can you feel the originality?

In the end I give still only give this game one winged clone out of five, and recommend everyone give it a miss. If you really must play one of these types of games, League of Angels is still the best in my book - and that only scored two out of five.

Jurassic Shark

Yesterday's post was a bit heavy so back to more light-hearted stuff today!

There's a shark... in a lake... and it eats people. :P

LOL. Just from the title you can imagine what type of movie this is! It's amateur hour all round with mandatory wooden performances, poor script, laughable CG and equally poor camera work. I think there's around five minutes of opening credits with just water lapping up onto a lake shore which is utterly stupid and takes the prime spot currently for "worst opening title sequence ever".

To summarize, some secretive company who have no offices as all their shots are filmed in random hallways or staircases are drilling for oil on an isolated island with a lake but they dug too deep and somehow freed a megalodon... Into the lake. Mandatory stupid people are there for ridiculous reasons, such as a group of robbers who escaped the police by crossing the lake? On an island? What? Also almost all the female cast have long undressing shots. It's just like it sounds.

Shh, I'm being very very sneaky!

I was also confused as to how a giant shark could survive in a lake, especially in some of the shallower parts, but hey - it survived in some ice apparently from the prehistoric period so I guess it's tough? Anywho, I give this movie 1 out of 5 computer generated sharks and declare it "Not Worth Watching"!

Don't let the World get you Down

Not my intended entry for today but I decided to go with it thanks to Bel's "Be Stronger than Me" post on Aggronaut. Unlike him, I've been lucky on the "not having people in my immediate circles commit suicide" front. This doesn't mean I remain unaffected.



This is Laura, a pretty, 17 year old student with decent musical talent. In December 2012, she jumped in front of a train near where I lived.

I didn't know her. I didn't know her family or friends, but I saw them holding vigil on the railway bridge. I saw them leaving flowers day after day. I saw them cry. I saw their pain. It's not my business, but for some reason I kept thinking what could have been done to prevent it? What could -I- have done to prevent it? Probably nothing right? I'm a stranger.

On the last Ultima Online shard I played, I was equally dismayed when one day I learned that one of the players also killed himself. It was a small shard so while you may not have befriended everyone, you certainly knew who was who. Especially as a GM (Game Master) - like I was, invisibly watching the ones who would just play, even in the slowly emptying world as the population dwindled, raging against all the monster spawns alone as if they were actually seeking death. Perhaps I should have paid more attention?

It's unlikely we can do much for strangers but we can at least help, even just a little bit, the people we know.

How? Just talk to them! I'm not sure if the "Are you Ok?" thing is world wide but regardless, its just a phone call or text message for you. It's worth visiting their site too. Especially with social media these days it should be easy for you to find people that you care about and haven't been in contact with for a bit. It's also important to spread the word, which is kind of the point of this post. That way you might actually inspire someone else to do it and so on.

Australian readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. If you are feeling keen on offing yourself, then you certainly have nothing to lose by calling those numbers first.

300 / 300: Rise of an Empire

This is SPARTA!

"300" follows the story of King Leonidas, from his childhood when he is brain washed and trained like the rest of his male kin to become fearless warriors and focuses more upon his command of three hundred Spartans defending a narrow pass against the uncountable armies of Xerxes, the incredibly tall and gifted with a poor sense of fashion. The plot has a narrator which is forgivable for me in how it is used here, and it also calls for a lot of violence, decapitation, awesome FX and combat routines and a tiny bit of sex.

They probably deserved some Maccers after training to look like that!

But what it has the most is: slow motion capture. Yep. That dude getting hit by a spear? Slow mo! This guy getting hacked to pieces? Slow mo. Sex Scene? Slow mo. Guys walking / traveling from point A to B: Slow mo. That last one irritated me a little as it's basically just filler. Also filler is the majority of Lena Headey's role here. She and the council bit could have been entirely cut or at least been tied in better to the one eyed guy who basically is the one who gets shit done in the end.

Also, while the fighting scenes really take more than a few liberties in that the Spartans hold a phalanx for... oh around 60 seconds in the entirety of the film and spend most of the battle out in glorious solo combat like Highland berserkers, Leonidas' decision to "not use" the hunchback doesn't make sense. Yes, he's no good in a phalanx but that's not exactly what you guys were doing anyway! Still I give this violent and bloody film three and a half swords out of five, and wouldn't mind watching it again.

~-~

The sequel "Rise of the Empire" again makes use of a narrator, not so well this time, and follows the Athenian champion Themistocles (who ironically doesn't have the charisma of Leonidas acting wise). It also acts as an origin story about the war and Xerxes himself, how he was a normal dude before jumping into a magical pool of godliness. Erm? Also, the "bad guys" look less hideous this time around, while the "good guys" are less buff (makes sense since they aren't Spartans) - which also smells a bit like saving some cash for the props and training department.

While most of the combat here focuses on ship to ship combat it is still a brutal and bloody affair. There's also less slow mo which is better for me as you can appreciate the fight choreography more. Alas some of that goes out the window with the feats of jumping, throwing, and magical sniper-archery involved but perhaps the worst plot part is the "we need to put a sex scene in". The scene itself is nice (hello Eva Green!) but just ... story wise, you'll see what I mean. Anywho, I give it two and a half out of five heat-seeking arrows and also wouldn't mind watching it again (though the first one would be preferred).

F*** you, physics.

Mabinogi: What the hell G19?

So, I've been one to always (usually) sing praises about this cute little game especially on its core combat mechanic which is like a more complicated rock-paper-scissors affair where the skill of the player can often make up for a weak character. Guess what they did in Generation 19?

They've thrown that out the window for the new story line, and have made the majority of the regular spawns have heavy stander. For those that don't know what that means: If you previously countered an enemy, they would get knocked back. If you defended an attack, they get stunned. If you smashed them, you knocked them back and bought room to prepare a defense or counter again. Heavy Stander negates all of that.

Now you counter, you do damage but they continue to attack. You defend, it blocks one attack but they continue to attack. You smash, they take damage and continue to attack. Ehhhh?

This does give new weaknesses for the AI when they defend though because usually a knock back triggers the AI to change their move. Now when they defend, you spam smash and when they counter you spam windmill.

But that's just the normal spawns. Wait till you run into a -full powered- Gigrashiy (winged form), the first of whom you must beat in a solo mission. Definitely way worse than Glas!

Wearing a pink sea bream robe probably didn't help. 

• It is an HP sponge.
• It has a strong staff swing (evade by being behind it)
• It poisons you from range (unavoidable, hits through mana shield).
• It can pick you up and stab you with the staff (unavoidable).
• It can freeze you in ice which does damage when it explodes (unavoidable).
• It can fly up and land right where you are, dealing damage (unavoidable even if blocked).
• When <20% health, it summons a shade of yourself where you are which runs towards it.
• If your shade reaches his hit box he gets healed, and you die. Instantly.
• He can and does spam all the above. 
• You need a specific skill set to fight them which you won't have yet at this fight.

Not sure who thought up of changing the combat system like this but I for one hate it. No point in thinking what to do, nor can you have fights where you take no damage if you time the correct moves. Now it's just "use your most damaging attacks". Yep, just like all the other mmos out there.

Correction: I think I found who thought up of this change.

Stupidest design decision ever. Way to kill your own uniqueness, Mabinogi. If I want to just DPS my way through fights I'll just go play Neverwinter Online.

How to train your Dragon 2

Much less training than the first movie, guess they're improving! :P

Five years have passed since Hiccup's last adventure and the gang are all a little bit older now. The explorer in him has taken over though, and on his quest to map the world he's run into some new adversaries. Much like the first movie I think this one is fantastic. The art is a little cartoony but having various and cute dragons who behave like a mixture of dog and cat is fun to watch. The humans of the tale also strike a chord making the entire movie engaging.

There are cute bits, lots of action bits, plenty of funny bits, some sad bits and generally has something for everyone I would think. Just not so much training of dragons but I guess they needed to keep the title. I definitely recommend this to everyone, and give it four and a half fish out of five but also recommend you watch the first movie... first, because it sets the scene very nicely, and is in its own right a great movie. Would I watch this again? Yes!

Also, if you are a fan of this series you should take a look at their short stories too (which chronologically happen in between the two movies):

• Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon - a mix of 3D and 2D cartoony stuff, funny but not movie quality.
• Book of Dragons - lots of reused 3D and mostly 2D cartoons. Again pretty funny but mainly aimed at child fans I think.
• Gift of the Night Fury - all 3D and fantastic, my favorite of this lot which I consider movie quality. Highly recommended!
• Dawn of the Dragon Racers - all 3D but I feel they skimped on the texturing a little. Still pretty good though.

Mabinogi: Iria Sagas 1 and 2

[Part of my Mabinogi Tutorials.]

I know I'm incredibly late with these but really, if you've played through all the generations in order there shouldn't be much here that would phase you, what with your transformation and demigod skills. Half the time you are role playing someone else anyway so dying is not really a biggie, just a learning curve. Furthermore, it's all completable solo (and I think mandatory solo too). Still there are a few tips I can think of to make life easier:

How to Start:
Just pick an episode from this button. You can only have one episode active at a time.

Monster Lag and Space
Sometimes you enter a mission and all the NPCs seem stuck in place but you are free to do whatever. This is more prevalent in quests with lots of NPCs and big spaces. I believe it also happens more often in busier channels so if you want a helping had on hard quests try start it from there. Regardless if they are moving or not most of the quests give you a lot of room to work with so bring a bow or whatever ranged attacks you like and be proficient with your pet revolver and mount summoning / stuns / knock backs. Yes, this makes some really tough fights pretty inconsequential. Especially if you have a strong spirit bow. Muahahahaha. It won't happen all the time, but just be aware you have some control over it.

Shyllien Nature Reserve and Hillwen Mine
You have to go into these two for the first saga to collect stuff. Both have lots multiaggro enemies so be prepared and be careful. Lure and kill. You can even bring friends to help if you like.

Retreat to Vales (S1 E3)
In this mission you must escort NPC engineers from the mine to the city and it obviously won't work if they are suffering from Monster Lag (above). Get into an instance where they can walk and ignore the large skirmish against the White Dragon, you'll get to fight it soon enough. Patiently kill all the goons that appear in your way (they might be late) and you will be fine.

The End of Bhafel (S1 E6)
One of those annoying role play missions, make sure you use the potion to run faster and put up mana shield. Also knowing when to final hit is key. Try save it for the last two pillars (or patiently wait for the recharge) as those ancient ghosts will get annoying.

Macha (S1 E10)
She's a bit of a pushover for an end boss. Pet revolver or using a mount to kick her while you are landing fast attacks will take her down in no time (61 hits and she's done). Shylock's step and final hit with little knives will probably do this fastest.

Last Attempt (S2 E1)
The most irritating shadow mission of the entire saga, you play as yourself with no powers and crappy stats. So crappy that any of the boars can kill you in one or two hits. Way to go hero! While giants and elves might be fast enough to actually do the stone throwing thing and then climbing ladders this is what worked for me as a human (slowest race in game) - without throwing one stone:

• Look straight ahead, lure single boar off to the left and open with defense. Combo three hits and it leaves. Now switch to weapons slot 2 (bare hands).
• Get attention of 1 boar, climb up ladder when it gets close.
• Immediately jump back down as it loses aggro and rush it with your fists (fast hitting). Combo three and it leaves.
• Repeat until boss boar appears at which point you should switch back to slot 1 sword and shield.

Aliens and Balloons (S2 E3)
When you encounter the alien blobs, only target the alien map eater as all damage you do to all aliens hurts yourself too. Be prepared with health pots. Also for the balloon part, you can get away with using the "forward ballista" (1st one where wyverns spawn) then switching to the one to its left when you are out of targets. Don't move from that position, instead swivel the gun from side to side to gun down the enemies. When the enemy balloon appears you might need to switch again.

Snowfield Pursuit (S2 E4)
This skiing mission looked like it would be fun if it didn't make me fail after 5 seconds of entering with the enemy distance of ???. How to get around it? Use Ch1 and monster lag that sled for a 5 second win.

Dian Cecht (S2 E5)

I've spotted a weakness in her defense! *drool*

With her poor armor choice the only thing defending her really are her magic crystal shield generators. Just break those (faster with a pet) and then you can do what you want with her.

Final Fights (S2 E6)
There are lots of tough fights in the final episode of the second saga. Cessair's Heart, the Cessair Army and Ruairi. Guess which one is the hardest? If you said the Cessair Army you are correct. Handling multiaggro in this game is tough, and tougher still with dozens of respawning enemies who can use advanced magic, wire pull and final hit. Be prepared to run as your allies aren't enough to distract all the bad dudes.

Ruairi can be problematic because of his dopplegangers (again multiaggro) so try lure and fight him at an edge where fewer of his shades can find you. Also, you should abide by his decision and go all out. I found him more dangerous in his first form than his second. For all the aforementioned, I suggest you get ready to demi-up.

Cessair's Heart on the other hand is a decent fight but she's alone so your regular transformation should be more than enough to get past her.

Grinding EXP And Gold
You can replay episodes for 5000 gold, which also means you can grind their rewards. The two "best" ones I would think would be:

The Missing (S2 E2)
You need to: Solve easy puzzles, travel in Uladh (gates open all the time now), argue/fight easy pirates, fight dragon (which you don't need to live through)
Reward: 100K+ XP, 50k Gold

Heroic Path: The Choice (S1 E7)
You need to: Do 1 talky RP mission, 1 combat RP mission, 1 shadow mission of running away, travel a little in Iria (best with flight + gate timing)
Reward: 100K+ XP (Daily Bonus on Thursday and Weekends gains another 100k XP and 30k gold)