[Review] Guild Wars 2

Yes, I know that MMO reviews are crap, because what really matters is how long it can stand the test of time, but, I also know that a lot of people are looking into GW2 at the moment wondering if it's a game they would be interested in picking up. So here it goes!

I think that Guild Wars 2 is an amazing game, and is hands down the best MMO gameplay wise I've played. As many of you probably know, I started on MMO's with Runescape, and then moved on to WoW. In that time I also played a bit of GW1, and since then I've played almost every MMO to come out. The only two to hold my interest for years have been Runescape and World of Warcraft though. When I moved on from RS, and onto WoW, it was like, I knew that I was moving on to a better game (even though I had no idea about raiding, or endgame, or hell anything at that point in time.) I just knew that I liked that way WoW handled things better and that I was going to play it. This is how I feel about GW2.


Onto why I like it so much, (and soon, what I don't like). I like that the questing in GW2 doesn't focus around hubs, and is more "here's a world, go explore it". I like the way that generally all of the classes play (stay tuned because I will be writing class reviews, as I play them all extensively). I also like the dungeons, to a degree. I will be the first to admit that the few that I have done have been a pain, but then again, this is a new game, were all learning it, and we try to tackle the group content with 5 random strangers who are all new to the game at this point. Probably going to have some problems there. Once we figured it out, we were golden. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the thing that I like the most about GW2, no subscription fee. Play whenever, don't feel any obligation.


Some things that I dont like: you only have 5 character slots, but there's 8 classes. That means that without forking out money for new character slots you can't play every class. That annoys me, and I'm sure many others as well. Other then that, I will say that as much as Arena.net says that they worked on underwater combat, it's still not good (like any other MMO). I'm also a tiny bit worried about the endgame, and how Arena.net is going to handle adding new content to the game. So far, as far as I know, we havn't been given much info on that topic, so its a "wait and see" kind of thing.


A few things of note: vistas/waypoints/point of intertests/and map completion all add rewards to exploring the map. You get real rewards for exploring an area 100%. You get experience, and items. Another thing to note is that renown hearts are not there to be a main source of content. They are there to get people moving around the map, and to help people find dynamic events (which give so much more experience.) You can still level doing nothing but renown hearts, but it requires going to other maps to do it. As far as I can tell you are supposed to do a little of everything to level, which includes crafting, wvw, dynamic events, renown hearts, exploration, and generally just playing the game.

This has been my review of Guild Wars 2, remember, MMO reviews are not that great, because many different people play MMOs for different reasons. I just know that a lot of people have been asking about it, so I decided to write this. If I gave it a number I would say 8.5/10. It's a really fun, great game, but it does fall a bit short on a few points, so if your interested, I would give it a shot.

[Review] Smite

So, the first question a lot of people may have is... what exactly is Smite? Smite is a 3rd person Moba, where you play as Gods from different cultures. Currently the game is in Beta, and as such there are not many gods, but I will review what I can.

First off, like most Mobas there is a very steep learning curb to the game. You can play a 1v1 match versus a bot to get a feel for the gods, and the way the game plays, but eventually you will make your way into PvP. Aside from some balance issues the game plays great, personally I am not very good at the game, but I have played around 10 matches now. It is fast paced, engaging, and very, very addicting. After every match, all I want to do is Que again. The gods are diverse, and most of them are insanely fun, from what I have experienced thus far.


So, now for those of you familiar with the genre, you might be asking, "why try Smite, I already play Dota 2/LoL/HoN" Well, the answer is simple. Its the same tower gameplay with a few interesting tweaks. One, the third person gameplay really gives you a different perspective, it's less strategic and more action based. Two the inhibitors are phoenixes that attack back, and the nexus is a Minotaur that moves around and attacks as well. 3, the gods abilities are flashy, fun, and highly skill based. (by which I mean you have to choose carefully how you use them to get the best effect.) For example Ymir can summon a wall of ice that can inhibit movement, you can use it to slow enemies getting to you, or cut off two enemy gods from each other. Basically, what I am getting at is that the gameplay feels different enough where you might like it, and might enjoy playing both. I know I do.


My general thoughts on the game: I think the game has a lot of potential, it is very, very fun to play, and very fun to watch and cast. The E-Sport ball is in Hi-Rez's court now. It all depends if they balance properly, keep the game fair (i.e no 'pay to win' items in the cash shop) and implement all the right features (spectator mode). I think the game is very entertaining, even if I do suck at it, and will continue to play it as long as it remains fun for me to play. What I'm hoping for most is new gods. I want to see them add them in consistently. I also want to see them try new game modes, (like LoL has done).

In general I would give the game a 7/10, and would raise the score with better balancing, and more gods. (There are only like 20 gods compared to LoLs nearly 100 champs, and Dota 2's huge election of heroes.)

[Review] Burnout Paradise

Today I will be taking a look back at a game that has been consuming much of my free time in the last few days, Burnout Paradise. I know it's an older game, but I just recently picked it up.

I have to say, my decision to pick this game up was a great one to make. It is probably the best racing game this generation, in my honest opinion. It does have it's faults, but through all of that it stands out in my mind as what a driving game should feel like. The controls are top notch, the crash physics are great, and the game itself is beautiful. There's a variety of game modes, although most racing games have that. Although, even with that, I have found that I spend most of my time just driving around, trying for the best crash, or the fastest speed I can get. I don't really care to do the races, although they are very fun as well, and it's how you unlock new cars.


My biggest complaints are the lack of any meaningful car customization, and the lack of any story whatsoever. I was always a fan of the last gen Need For Speed games, like Most Wanted. Some semblance of story, an open world to drive about in, and in depth car customization. I didn't get two of those things with this game, but as I mentioned it is very entertaining in it's own right.


Probably the thing I like the best is the crash physics. I didn't expect that that feature would entertain me as much as it did, and therefore wasn't really looking forward to it, but I now know why people love the Burnout games. They might not have the best customization, but they are addicting in there own right, and they do leave you feeling satisfied.


Overall I would give the game an 8/10.

[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D is what I think every remake should be. The graphics are better then the original, and it makes great use of the 3ds hardware. This wasn't a simple, "let's port it to this handheld". To me it felt like more of a "let's re imagine the game for the 3ds, and yet, it stuck so true to the original game.


The menus make great use of the touchscreen, as we have come to expect from games on the original ds, and the rest of the controls fit the 3ds very well. I do get confused sometimes when using the ocarina, but that is mainly because I have the original N64 buttons memorized to this day.

The revamped game also includes the maser quest, from the gamecube port (this makes the puzzles and enemies harder.), and a boss challenge mode, to re fight bosses you have already beaten. Once you beat all the bosses a second time you can do boss rush mode, which pits you against all the bosses one after the other. Other small changed include a hint system called visions (these are disabled in the master quest) and certain things were made generally more pointed out, such as previously hard to find chests, or other points of interest.


There are a number of subtle changes, to many to name them all here, to say the least. For a complete list of changes you can go here.

All in all, I actually like the 3ds version more then either the gamecube or N64 versions. It's a full length game that I can now play on the go, couple that with the improved graphics and gameplay and we have a winner. I should mention that I dislike numbered ratings, but, to give an idea I would give the game a 10/10.


To see what I think about the 3ds in general, you can click here.

[Review] Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS has been out for a while now, but I want to kick off my reviews with this.

Overall, I was impressed with the 3DS when I first got it. The graphics were better then I expected (Although not up to par with the Vita), and the 3D wasn't as gimmicky as I originally thought. I had fun playing through Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and the buttons feel as great as I would have expected from a Nintendo handheld.

The circle pad is a great addition to to the console, although I think that most people would agree that there should have been two. (In fact they made an accessory that adds a second one.) The one it does have, however is a joy to use, and seems to be really well designed. There is one gripe I have with it though. I loaned my 3DS to a family member for a few weeks, and when I got it back, the circle pad stuck. I came to find out that there is a plastic (I think it's plastic at least) film under the circle pad, and it somehow got ripped. I know that it is likely on my family member and not on Nintendo, but it still put me off to a slight degree, because I hadn't had it long when this happened.

The 3D adds to games in a very unexpected way, because it's not traditional 3D. To me, the 3D gives the allusion that the screen is not there, and adds an extra sense of depth. Because of this, it can sometimes, if your really immersed give the allusion of something popping out at you, but not really often. As I stated, I think the main reason for it is because it adds an extra level of immersion.

Other than that, the handheld is a joy to use. I like it just as much as my old DS lite, although, why not, when I can play all of my old games along with some awesome new ones?

Oh yes, one more gripe. If your using the 3D functionality the battery tends to drain pretty fast, so I would actually recommend against using it when your not able to charge the 3DS for a long period of time.

Overall, I would say that the 3DS is a worthy successor to the original DS, although, it might be wise to wait for a redesign, unless you really, really want one. I would give this model a 7/10, but if redesigns fix my few issues (only one circle pad, short battery life) I will score it higher.