Friday, August 24, 2007
Games for Windows Magazine - Wrath of the Lich King info
GFWM has a great article this month about the new WoW expansion. Tons of little tidbits that I haven't read about elsewhere. For instance: Why does that huge magic bubble surround the city of Dalaran? Because it isn't there anymore, it's floating above Northrend.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
New Hero's Journey screenshots!
Holy crap, Simutronics actually updated the HJ site with some new screenshots.
http://www.play.net/hj/news.asp?id=116
I'm still waiting for this game, but it's looking like it's going to be horribly outdated by the time they release it in 2017.
http://www.play.net/hj/news.asp?id=116
I'm still waiting for this game, but it's looking like it's going to be horribly outdated by the time they release it in 2017.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Recovey: Day 7
I had my one week exam today at the LASIK center. The eye doctor told me everything looks like it is healing nicely. I can see things that are near me pretty well, but distance vision is still crap. Actually, it's mostly crap in my left eye, but that's to be expected, since my left eye was pretty blind before the surgery. I guess it's just going to take a while to heal.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Bioshock
One word: Incredible.
I've been playing this game for hours now, and I barely noticed the time passing. From the awe inspiring graphics to the thundering sound, from the tossing of super power weapons to the chattering of the machine guns, this is one of the best shooters I have played in forever.
If you have a Direct X 10 video card, the water and lighting effects look outstanding. Even with DX9, the graphics are still great. Water blurs your vision if you walk under it, smoke clouds the air, and frost obscures sight. The water reflects the environment, and sends shimmering reflections down the corridors.
The textures are all pretty sharp, and the mapping is superb. My one gripe is that you can't blow things completely apart. A game like this would have been great with destructible environments and deformable models. I'm guessing we missed out on those aspects due to the simultaneous programming of the Xbox 360 version.
The plot is pretty forced, but you honestly don't miss it much due to gasping over the rest of the game. The backstory is much more interesting than the plot, however, full of retro 50s social issues and trappings. Honestly, I could feel the similarities between this game and the System Shock series developed by the same people, and that is a good thing. It's almost like System Shock 2, but the RPG aspects are toned down and the combat sped up, which is perfect for shooter fans.
Speaking of shooting, you do get some nifty guns, but by far the most interesting thing to destroy your enemies with is the genetic mutations you are capable of getting. An electric bolt from your fingers can stun someone like you were a human stun-gun, but if that person happens to be standing in water, it will fry his brains. You can toss a fire ball from your hand and watch your enemies writhe in flames (or jump in to water and create a huge steam cloud when the flames are doused), or you can ignite the surrounding scenery and really watch the fiery carnage.
Finally, the AI is a little more believable than most shooter games. People on fire try to find water to douse themselves with, they will run to healing machines to try to heal themselves, and they generally act like they are trying to preserve themselves. They are all nuts, so some aberrant behaviour certainly fits, but they still act smarter than most games "smart" AI.
All in all, I think Irreverent (or 2K, or whatever they are calling themselves this week...) has a winner on its hands. I can only hope for a sequel or expansion.
I've been playing this game for hours now, and I barely noticed the time passing. From the awe inspiring graphics to the thundering sound, from the tossing of super power weapons to the chattering of the machine guns, this is one of the best shooters I have played in forever.
If you have a Direct X 10 video card, the water and lighting effects look outstanding. Even with DX9, the graphics are still great. Water blurs your vision if you walk under it, smoke clouds the air, and frost obscures sight. The water reflects the environment, and sends shimmering reflections down the corridors.
The textures are all pretty sharp, and the mapping is superb. My one gripe is that you can't blow things completely apart. A game like this would have been great with destructible environments and deformable models. I'm guessing we missed out on those aspects due to the simultaneous programming of the Xbox 360 version.
The plot is pretty forced, but you honestly don't miss it much due to gasping over the rest of the game. The backstory is much more interesting than the plot, however, full of retro 50s social issues and trappings. Honestly, I could feel the similarities between this game and the System Shock series developed by the same people, and that is a good thing. It's almost like System Shock 2, but the RPG aspects are toned down and the combat sped up, which is perfect for shooter fans.
Speaking of shooting, you do get some nifty guns, but by far the most interesting thing to destroy your enemies with is the genetic mutations you are capable of getting. An electric bolt from your fingers can stun someone like you were a human stun-gun, but if that person happens to be standing in water, it will fry his brains. You can toss a fire ball from your hand and watch your enemies writhe in flames (or jump in to water and create a huge steam cloud when the flames are doused), or you can ignite the surrounding scenery and really watch the fiery carnage.
Finally, the AI is a little more believable than most shooter games. People on fire try to find water to douse themselves with, they will run to healing machines to try to heal themselves, and they generally act like they are trying to preserve themselves. They are all nuts, so some aberrant behaviour certainly fits, but they still act smarter than most games "smart" AI.
All in all, I think Irreverent (or 2K, or whatever they are calling themselves this week...) has a winner on its hands. I can only hope for a sequel or expansion.
Recovery: Day 6
I can see! It's still not as good as it was with my glasses, but by God, I can actually see well enough that I can tell it's improving. Which is good, since the game Bioshock comes out today. I have been waiting a long time to pay this game, so it's nice that I will be able to see it pretty clearly.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Recovery: Day 5
I skipped yesterday, since there really wasn't much to say. Actually, there isn't too much to say today. My vision is better than it was before the surgery, but it's not close to as good as it was when I was wearing my glasses.
I'm pretty confident that it will heal, it's just taking longer than I would like. At least now I can do things like take walks and go shopping for short periods of time, although the lights in stores kill my eyes pretty quickly. (Headache inducing...)
On a totally unrelated topic:
I spent about a month last year (or the year before? I'm not sure now...) taking my Hunter to the Swamps of Sorrow every day for an hour, trying to get a Green Dragon Whelp pet to drop. I finally did it, and I was happy. I had my dragon pet.
My wife randomly kills a Searing Whelp last night while helping me on a quest and it drops a Whelp pet for her. Yeah, I was a little jealous.
I'm pretty confident that it will heal, it's just taking longer than I would like. At least now I can do things like take walks and go shopping for short periods of time, although the lights in stores kill my eyes pretty quickly. (Headache inducing...)
On a totally unrelated topic:
I spent about a month last year (or the year before? I'm not sure now...) taking my Hunter to the Swamps of Sorrow every day for an hour, trying to get a Green Dragon Whelp pet to drop. I finally did it, and I was happy. I had my dragon pet.
My wife randomly kills a Searing Whelp last night while helping me on a quest and it drops a Whelp pet for her. Yeah, I was a little jealous.
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