- Mass Effect RTS. Space Combat RTS set during key points in Mass Effect History (First Contact War, Battle with Batarians, Reaper invasion and other odd events.
- A Direct Sequel to Shadow Of the Colossus
- A Pokemon Dungeon Keeper Game where the Player organises a Pokemon Gym
- A good PC Kingdom Under-fire game
- A Remake of Black and White
- A RTS Set in a Zombie Apocalypse. You manage what survivors do, where you get supplies and how you deal with the Zombie invasion. All the mean time dealing with other groups of survivors
- Too Human 2
- A total Remake of Black and White 2 where it doesn't suck
- A total Remake of Fable 2 where it doesn't suck!!!
- A game where the players presses a button to squeeze a turd out upon a disk of Fable 3
- Warcraft 4 (not to be mistaken with World of Warcraft 2... no one wanna see that!)
- An EA game on PC that doesn't use Origin
- RPG in the 40K universe where the Player plays as an Ork
- Anno 7010 - Set in space... with a Flotilla of Space Ships!
- GTA Gotham City
- Free to Play games without Microtransactions
- A FPS set in Supreme Commander where you take control of a ACU
- A New Crash Bandicoot game
- Brutal Legend 2 - Invasion of the Pirate Metal
- Sim City 6 - Good, none watered down version
- A Star Wars Dynasty Warriors Game
- A Warhammer Dynasty Warriors Game
- -Enter Franchise Here- Dynasty Warriors Game
- War of the Monsters - PC Edition
- 40K TCG
Sunday, 15 September 2013
You Canny Always Get What Ya Wanna! - ThespianHunter Rant - Ideas For Games That I Want
Hello and welcome to the ThespianHunter Blog. These are game ideas that I want to be made, but will probably never be done. If a developer want's something to give to me for Christmas.. Here's my Christmas List!
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
The Nomad: A Short Story - Part 1
It seems my brain over works itself at night. This is a short story I've been playing around with for a while now. Leave you comments below and I hope you enjoy it.
The Nomad.
She walked across the grassy plains. Hill after hill she kept walking, never looking back and never losing pace. She just kept walking forward, forward across the grassy plains.
This had been the third day of walking, not something to be snuffed at for a young woman to walk across the plains by herself. She left her home and begun her journey, just like any hero would. But she wasn't wanting to be a hero, she didn't even know what a hero was, let alone how a hero would start a journey. This wasn't about glory or some quest that needed fulfilling. This wasn't an act to show the others of her tribe that she was better or more skilled, this was simply a walk across the grassy plains. She had nothing to prove, not even to herself, there was nothing to gain by completing this journey, no long time goal. She just wanted to walk.
The Grass plains had been a hot spot for the tribe for almost a hundred years, known to the Elders as "The Gnoll Plains" Named after the mythical creatures that were said to inhabit it. It was due to this occupation for small humanoid dogs that no one from the tribe would dare risk travelling across the plains without a very good reason to do so. Yet the girl had no reason to walk across the plains, it was just a walk after all. The grassy plains were said to stretch for miles across an entire continent. The Elders said that the Gnoll Plains were "The only connection to the other tribes that exists."
The sun was shining and the green grass filled the air with the smell of tranquillity and peace. The sky was blue with no a single cloud in the sky and the occasional sparrow was the only contrast to the ocean of sky above. A beautiful day to say the least. The girl's cloths however were a contrast to this beauty. They were made from the skin of animals long since dead and sown together by a mere peasant, clearly no an artisan of apparel. Nay, these cloths only served the function to keep the wearer warm during cold nights. They weren't comfy at all, in fact they itched like a bug bite. The girls skin under the seems in the cloths had become red through her continuous scratching. However She had no time to complain, after all she was walking through the grassy plains and time spent itching was time spent not walking.
This had been the third day of walking, not something to be snuffed at for a young woman to walk across the plains by herself. She left her home and begun her journey, just like any hero would. But she wasn't wanting to be a hero, she didn't even know what a hero was, let alone how a hero would start a journey. This wasn't about glory or some quest that needed fulfilling. This wasn't an act to show the others of her tribe that she was better or more skilled, this was simply a walk across the grassy plains. She had nothing to prove, not even to herself, there was nothing to gain by completing this journey, no long time goal. She just wanted to walk.
The Grass plains had been a hot spot for the tribe for almost a hundred years, known to the Elders as "The Gnoll Plains" Named after the mythical creatures that were said to inhabit it. It was due to this occupation for small humanoid dogs that no one from the tribe would dare risk travelling across the plains without a very good reason to do so. Yet the girl had no reason to walk across the plains, it was just a walk after all. The grassy plains were said to stretch for miles across an entire continent. The Elders said that the Gnoll Plains were "The only connection to the other tribes that exists."
The sun was shining and the green grass filled the air with the smell of tranquillity and peace. The sky was blue with no a single cloud in the sky and the occasional sparrow was the only contrast to the ocean of sky above. A beautiful day to say the least. The girl's cloths however were a contrast to this beauty. They were made from the skin of animals long since dead and sown together by a mere peasant, clearly no an artisan of apparel. Nay, these cloths only served the function to keep the wearer warm during cold nights. They weren't comfy at all, in fact they itched like a bug bite. The girls skin under the seems in the cloths had become red through her continuous scratching. However She had no time to complain, after all she was walking through the grassy plains and time spent itching was time spent not walking.
As she walked to the top of a hill she gazed over the remainder of the plain still yet to walk. She realised had barely scratched the surface as she noticed the plains were so great that they stretched over the horizon. Her thoughts quickly went to her family that she had left behind in the village, her son and her husband. She could remember the wails of hysterical crying her baby had made as she left the village. She could remember the curses from her husband as he shouted after her calling her all sorts of names. They didn't understand.
Hours pasted of walking, her feet beginning to hurt again. She sat and relaxed, she decided to make the most of her journey and take in the surroundings. She gazed across at the countless hills before her, thinking of the best route to take over them. Suddenly something broke her concentration. A small dog like head peered over the lip of the hill next to her. It didn't make a sound it didn't move quickly it was just... watching her. As her eyes met it's, it darted back behind the hill trying not to be seen. It was here when the girl realised what she had seen: the head of a Gnoll. She called out to it "Don't be shy little fella... I'm merely travelling through these parts!" She then waited for a response. She heard none. She started to walk away. She she walked to the bottom of the hill she noticed the head again, peering over the hill and watching her as she moved. When the two traded glances the Gnoll disappeared out of view.
This charade continued for a good couple of minutes before the young woman bucked up the courage to approach the little creature at the hill. As she reached the hills top she looked over to see a two foot tall ginger haired Gnoll looking up at her. He had bright yellow eyes and long white teeth. He wore a a small outfit not dissimilar from hers and carried a spear on his back.
"Hello there" she whispered to the creature. It's response was a quite chuckled followed by a huge grin on the creatures face. The Elders had said that Gnolls were vicious creatures who were to be killed on the spot. Obviously no one had bothered trying to communicate with them as this one seemed friendly enough.
"You hungry?" She asked with a smile as she reached into her back which rested on her back. The creature nodded excitably whilst licking its lips and the thought of receiving food. As the woman pulled out a piece of cooked chicken the Gnoll ran right up to her, she was in touching distance of a creature thought to be merely mythological. As she extended her hand the Gnoll snatched the meat and began to eat it, all the while looking very pleased for himself.
"I'm walking across the plains... want to come with me?" She asked lowering herself to the creatures level. The creature nodded and began to walk in front of her, indicating her to follow.
"Hello there" she whispered to the creature. It's response was a quite chuckled followed by a huge grin on the creatures face. The Elders had said that Gnolls were vicious creatures who were to be killed on the spot. Obviously no one had bothered trying to communicate with them as this one seemed friendly enough.
"You hungry?" She asked with a smile as she reached into her back which rested on her back. The creature nodded excitably whilst licking its lips and the thought of receiving food. As the woman pulled out a piece of cooked chicken the Gnoll ran right up to her, she was in touching distance of a creature thought to be merely mythological. As she extended her hand the Gnoll snatched the meat and began to eat it, all the while looking very pleased for himself.
"I'm walking across the plains... want to come with me?" She asked lowering herself to the creatures level. The creature nodded and began to walk in front of her, indicating her to follow.
She had found someone to accompany her, someone to lead her across the grassy plains. She had found a friend in the most unlikely of places. They walked across the grassy plains. Hill after hill they kept walking, the creature occasionally looking back but never losing pace. They just kept walking forward, forward across the grassy plains. All the while danger, could be just over the next hill...
--To be Continued--
ThespianHunter's Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks
Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another post in the ThespianHunter blog. It's been a while hasn't it? Well, I've been working on a bunch of stuff lately and haven't quite had the time to write up a post. The Dark Messiah review IS coming, so don't worry about that. To tide you over until tomorrow here's a little list I've been pondering for some time. My favourite Video Game Soundtracks.
Now, here's some little pointers. 1. I'm, by no means, a musician, I can play a didgeridoo and sing a little. But that's it. So I'm not an expert on these things! What I am is a video gamer who likes music and especially soundtracks. 2. As always, this sorta thing is MY subjective opinion. These arn't necessarily objectively the best, just my favourites. and finally 3. I'm ONLY going to list FULL soundtracks and not individual songs from each soundtrack.
With the last point in mind. Here's some honourable mentions to games that miss out on being on this list due to the rest of the soundtrack not making it on the list.
Castlevania - Bloody Tears. If you haven't listened to it... do it... now. Open a tab and go listen to it right now... I'll wait for you... seriously it's amazing!
Street Fighter - Guile's Theme. Ironically it doesn't go with this with this list. But it does go with everything!
Dragon Age Origins - Main Theme. God dam it, it makes me want to ride into battle on the back of a Dragon. But alas other than one other track from this soundtrack... The rest of it just misses out on the number 10 spot. Sorry :(
So with all that out of the way, let's get onto the list... Without further ado...
Number 10.
Heroes Of Might and Magic V
Sometimes it most tried and tested methods succeed. Epic Orchestral themes with Latin opera singing. This would have just missed out on the list (and in fact in the first draft it actually did.) but the more and more I think about it... this game's soundtrack is just epic! The entire game SHOULD/and does portray a greater sense of large scale war. You realise that you're commanding the fates of hundreds even thousands and that undertaking requires a soundtrack to match. Heroes Of Might and Magic 5's soundtrack does that and some. The best soundtracks being from inside the different cities that the player can control. Added with the fact you can have a dynamic and almost cinematic view of the city with the music as accompaniment just makes you appreciate that it's there.
Number 9.
.jpg)
Yeah... So this soundtrack is one of the geekiest, yet funniest soundtracks ever. As with all sonic soundtracks, the fast pace and the pure fun breathed into each track is a joy to listen to. Sonic Adventure's soundtrack is on another level!! Any person who doesn't sing along to it at least once is a fool and should be treated as such! (just kidding) There are also some funny tracks in there that I urge you to listen to.. just expect to feel like a little kid at the end of the soundtrack.
Number 8.
The Elder Scrolls
Technically Cheating due to the fact that this refers to 3 game's worth of Soundtracks. But I can't have one of them on the list without the others. I'm conflicted with the Elder Scrolls soundtrack. I really like it, like really like it, so much so I put it at number 8 on this list. But... I actually prefer to listen to the soundtrack... without the game. Which is, I'll assure you, a good thing that I would listen to a soundtrack when I'm not even playing the game and Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim have very engaging worlds which the music accompanies to make all the more potent. I just think that the soundtracks are just good as of them selves. The reason this isn't higher on this list is because, well... As a soundtrack these would be in the top 3. As a VIDEO GAME soundtrack... it places here. I just don't think they go far enough in accompanying situations in the game. When orchestral, power music kicks in when you're fighting a crab it doesn't really bode well for them game. But as I said, as just a soundtrack, this is fantastic.
Number 7.
Fable
Yeah... Bet that surprised you!
Why so low down the list? Well, The other soundtracks in the list are just so much better. Which should, if anything, excite you for the rest of this list. Go and listen to the Fable soundtrack, all of it. Better still, go play Fable (or wait until the HD remake) and play it with some headphones on. Every track fits with it's setting, the character it surrounds and the situation. It makes the world and everything else stand out and drag you in. You'll find yourself standing still to take it all in. if they mess with even a single track in this soundtrack I'm going to be pissed. (they can add new tracks, sure, but don't mess with something that isn't broken.)
Number 6.
Legend of Zelda
Yeah... so this is an even bigger cheat than The Elder Scrolls. But here me out. I'm not even a big fan of Zelda. I've played a bunch of Zelda games, sure, but I've never been a fan of the series. However what I am a fan of is the music. For me, makes the game more enjoyable. I wouldn't have played Zelda if I hadn't had heard my uncle playing it from down stairs, wondering up into his room being lured in by the fantastic music. When a soundtrack can turn a game from "meh" to "Really Good" You know it's done well. It's emotional, gripping and well... just... great. I want to be a little more objective .. but ... I just can't.. I just REALLY like this soundtrack.
Number 5.
Mass Effect
Sure the ending sucks. We get it. Sure, it left a sour taste in a lot of gamers mouths. Sure, WE GET IT. But don't you dare take it out on the rest of the game. And especially it's soundtrack.
For this list I sat down and listened to it all. Every single track. Then something accorded to me (maybe because of all the times I had played the dam series, maybe because I just have a good music memory) But I could recall, every single scene from the soundtrack (not word for word obviously) and as I did so, all those emotions and memories came back. All the fun I had with all the game, every surprising little turn, all the suspense all the wonder... all of it. Sure, some of the tracks kinda sound like they've been auto-tuned and the general theme changes from game to game (even this is kinda a good point considering so does the entire dam feel of the games) but as a Sci-Fi soundtrack, this one is ace! This is defnetly the dark horse of the list. But I beg you, please, Just sit down, and put at least Mass Effect 2's soundtrack on.. and just listen to it. It wouldn't feel misplaced in a move and that, for me... is a dam good thing.
Number 4.
Persona
Never listened to this soundtrack? Go play the game and listen to it now. You back? Sweet! Persona is on oddball and kinda hit and miss at times. But when it's god, holy shit! Is it good! For me, this soundtrack set's the bar for RPG's. I like it that much. It's just fantastic and seemingly endless! But as I said, a little hit and miss here and there but you'll wont regret your time with it!
So... here's the top 3. These will take a while. So what I want you to do, is I want you to listen to each soundtrack in this top 3. To understand what these soundtracks are like, you must experience them in their setting. Go and spend hours upon hours completing these games and listen to the music! You won't regret it!
Number 3.
Final Fantasy 6.
The greatest RPG soundtrack of all time! Without question. Even with the limitations of the system it was on, this soundtrack blows me away every time. You must have gathered that a Final Fantasy Game would be up here, after all FF7 seems to be in every one's Top music list all the time! But nay, they over look the fantastic Final Fantasy 6 soundtrack! The fools (I kid) Lasting for over 3 hours long. This soundtrack is phenomenal. This game's soundtrack presents everything a soundtrack should have, a musical accompaniment that assists the telling of the story and in a game where no one makes a sound the music becomes the character's voices and that is just something... magical, for lack of a better term.
Number 2.
Journey.
I've tried summing up this soundtrack in a way that sounds somewhat objective. I can't. I can only say this;
Go play Journey. Then you'll understand!
My mere mortal words can't even start to do this music justice. Just go play the game!
Number 1.
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus.
When I do the Belated Review of Shadow of the Colossus It will be the last review I'll ever do. This game isn't a game... it's a piece of art and a master piece at that. The fact that this game didn't make it into my Top 10 List of Favorited games of all time is due to the single reason. Shadow of the Colossus isn't a game you compare to others to do so is to miss the entire point. It would be trying to re-enact a piece of dance by talking it out. This game is like trying to sing a song by painting it. I true work of art.
It's up the top for similar reasons that Journey is just behind it. The game's music tells you everything you need to know, the music, is the games blood, circulating at all times to keep the game alive. There's you, your horse, the open world, the Colossi and the music... and that's it!
Go play the game if you haven't already. It's simply a phenomenal soundtrack and the best dam one in my opinion.
Well, that's been my Top 10 Video Game Sound Tracks. That you for reading, feel free to leave your favourite video game soundtracks bellow. Until next time, My name's been ThespianHunter, I am the music and this is my song... and I'll catch you next time!
Now, here's some little pointers. 1. I'm, by no means, a musician, I can play a didgeridoo and sing a little. But that's it. So I'm not an expert on these things! What I am is a video gamer who likes music and especially soundtracks. 2. As always, this sorta thing is MY subjective opinion. These arn't necessarily objectively the best, just my favourites. and finally 3. I'm ONLY going to list FULL soundtracks and not individual songs from each soundtrack.
With the last point in mind. Here's some honourable mentions to games that miss out on being on this list due to the rest of the soundtrack not making it on the list.
Castlevania - Bloody Tears. If you haven't listened to it... do it... now. Open a tab and go listen to it right now... I'll wait for you... seriously it's amazing!
Street Fighter - Guile's Theme. Ironically it doesn't go with this with this list. But it does go with everything!
Dragon Age Origins - Main Theme. God dam it, it makes me want to ride into battle on the back of a Dragon. But alas other than one other track from this soundtrack... The rest of it just misses out on the number 10 spot. Sorry :(
So with all that out of the way, let's get onto the list... Without further ado...
Number 10.
Sometimes it most tried and tested methods succeed. Epic Orchestral themes with Latin opera singing. This would have just missed out on the list (and in fact in the first draft it actually did.) but the more and more I think about it... this game's soundtrack is just epic! The entire game SHOULD/and does portray a greater sense of large scale war. You realise that you're commanding the fates of hundreds even thousands and that undertaking requires a soundtrack to match. Heroes Of Might and Magic 5's soundtrack does that and some. The best soundtracks being from inside the different cities that the player can control. Added with the fact you can have a dynamic and almost cinematic view of the city with the music as accompaniment just makes you appreciate that it's there.
Number 9.
.jpg)
Yeah... So this soundtrack is one of the geekiest, yet funniest soundtracks ever. As with all sonic soundtracks, the fast pace and the pure fun breathed into each track is a joy to listen to. Sonic Adventure's soundtrack is on another level!! Any person who doesn't sing along to it at least once is a fool and should be treated as such! (just kidding) There are also some funny tracks in there that I urge you to listen to.. just expect to feel like a little kid at the end of the soundtrack.
Number 8.
Technically Cheating due to the fact that this refers to 3 game's worth of Soundtracks. But I can't have one of them on the list without the others. I'm conflicted with the Elder Scrolls soundtrack. I really like it, like really like it, so much so I put it at number 8 on this list. But... I actually prefer to listen to the soundtrack... without the game. Which is, I'll assure you, a good thing that I would listen to a soundtrack when I'm not even playing the game and Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim have very engaging worlds which the music accompanies to make all the more potent. I just think that the soundtracks are just good as of them selves. The reason this isn't higher on this list is because, well... As a soundtrack these would be in the top 3. As a VIDEO GAME soundtrack... it places here. I just don't think they go far enough in accompanying situations in the game. When orchestral, power music kicks in when you're fighting a crab it doesn't really bode well for them game. But as I said, as just a soundtrack, this is fantastic.
Number 7.
Fable
Yeah... Bet that surprised you!
Why so low down the list? Well, The other soundtracks in the list are just so much better. Which should, if anything, excite you for the rest of this list. Go and listen to the Fable soundtrack, all of it. Better still, go play Fable (or wait until the HD remake) and play it with some headphones on. Every track fits with it's setting, the character it surrounds and the situation. It makes the world and everything else stand out and drag you in. You'll find yourself standing still to take it all in. if they mess with even a single track in this soundtrack I'm going to be pissed. (they can add new tracks, sure, but don't mess with something that isn't broken.)
Number 6.
Legend of Zelda
Yeah... so this is an even bigger cheat than The Elder Scrolls. But here me out. I'm not even a big fan of Zelda. I've played a bunch of Zelda games, sure, but I've never been a fan of the series. However what I am a fan of is the music. For me, makes the game more enjoyable. I wouldn't have played Zelda if I hadn't had heard my uncle playing it from down stairs, wondering up into his room being lured in by the fantastic music. When a soundtrack can turn a game from "meh" to "Really Good" You know it's done well. It's emotional, gripping and well... just... great. I want to be a little more objective .. but ... I just can't.. I just REALLY like this soundtrack.
Number 5.
Mass Effect
Sure the ending sucks. We get it. Sure, it left a sour taste in a lot of gamers mouths. Sure, WE GET IT. But don't you dare take it out on the rest of the game. And especially it's soundtrack.
For this list I sat down and listened to it all. Every single track. Then something accorded to me (maybe because of all the times I had played the dam series, maybe because I just have a good music memory) But I could recall, every single scene from the soundtrack (not word for word obviously) and as I did so, all those emotions and memories came back. All the fun I had with all the game, every surprising little turn, all the suspense all the wonder... all of it. Sure, some of the tracks kinda sound like they've been auto-tuned and the general theme changes from game to game (even this is kinda a good point considering so does the entire dam feel of the games) but as a Sci-Fi soundtrack, this one is ace! This is defnetly the dark horse of the list. But I beg you, please, Just sit down, and put at least Mass Effect 2's soundtrack on.. and just listen to it. It wouldn't feel misplaced in a move and that, for me... is a dam good thing.
Number 4.
Persona
Never listened to this soundtrack? Go play the game and listen to it now. You back? Sweet! Persona is on oddball and kinda hit and miss at times. But when it's god, holy shit! Is it good! For me, this soundtrack set's the bar for RPG's. I like it that much. It's just fantastic and seemingly endless! But as I said, a little hit and miss here and there but you'll wont regret your time with it!
So... here's the top 3. These will take a while. So what I want you to do, is I want you to listen to each soundtrack in this top 3. To understand what these soundtracks are like, you must experience them in their setting. Go and spend hours upon hours completing these games and listen to the music! You won't regret it!
Number 3.
Final Fantasy 6.
The greatest RPG soundtrack of all time! Without question. Even with the limitations of the system it was on, this soundtrack blows me away every time. You must have gathered that a Final Fantasy Game would be up here, after all FF7 seems to be in every one's Top music list all the time! But nay, they over look the fantastic Final Fantasy 6 soundtrack! The fools (I kid) Lasting for over 3 hours long. This soundtrack is phenomenal. This game's soundtrack presents everything a soundtrack should have, a musical accompaniment that assists the telling of the story and in a game where no one makes a sound the music becomes the character's voices and that is just something... magical, for lack of a better term.
Number 2.
Journey.
I've tried summing up this soundtrack in a way that sounds somewhat objective. I can't. I can only say this;
Go play Journey. Then you'll understand!
My mere mortal words can't even start to do this music justice. Just go play the game!
Number 1.
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus.
When I do the Belated Review of Shadow of the Colossus It will be the last review I'll ever do. This game isn't a game... it's a piece of art and a master piece at that. The fact that this game didn't make it into my Top 10 List of Favorited games of all time is due to the single reason. Shadow of the Colossus isn't a game you compare to others to do so is to miss the entire point. It would be trying to re-enact a piece of dance by talking it out. This game is like trying to sing a song by painting it. I true work of art.
It's up the top for similar reasons that Journey is just behind it. The game's music tells you everything you need to know, the music, is the games blood, circulating at all times to keep the game alive. There's you, your horse, the open world, the Colossi and the music... and that's it!
Go play the game if you haven't already. It's simply a phenomenal soundtrack and the best dam one in my opinion.
Well, that's been my Top 10 Video Game Sound Tracks. That you for reading, feel free to leave your favourite video game soundtracks bellow. Until next time, My name's been ThespianHunter, I am the music and this is my song... and I'll catch you next time!
Thursday, 1 August 2013
ThespianHunter: Let's Press the Issue
The Mass Effect "Fan-Fic" And The Past & Future of The Blog.
A lot of the posts on this blog are of a semi-formal nature. I don't get a chance to express myself about things outside from gaming or the mass effect writings. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to just share thought on things going on with me. In a segment I like to call "Press the Issue" name after the PCPR radio station from Vice City. So, let's press the issue.
So firstly is what the aim of the blog was to start with. Some of the Facebook readers will know what I'm heavily dyslexic and some of you may be able to tell what I struggle with writing. The blogs aim was to improve some of my skills before I started at university after taking a year out to teach. The over all experience so far has been surprising, fulfilling and at the same time scary and even at times mildly stressful. For one I never expected so many Non-English readers to be the majority of my viewer and commenter base and it's been really fantastic to get my thoughts and opinions out to all the readers from all over the world. I feel like I managed to do my job (some what) in giving the readers something interesting to read and I hope that it hasn't been too painful to read.
It's really been a test for me and I feel like I've mostly overcome the barriers set out by my own brain. For those who don't know my main issue is finding the words to express my thoughts. I'll often under-sell what I'm thinking or use the wrong words entirely when making a point. I also can't spell and spelling some words that I've used required me to take three minutes to search. Furthermore due to my "interesting" vocabulary it's meant that writing a post can be very time consuming. Thank **** I enjoy it! It's been a brilliant learning experience for me and has helped in ironing out some of the kinks that cause such hurdles for me when I write. I still don't know how to properly construct paragraphs and I'll probably never will, but it's been fun to try.
The fan fics were an idea that I'd been playing around with for a very long time. I often find myself playing with ideas for a short novel but then (due to my lovely dyslexia and over hurdles) the ideas ether become crap, too "out there" or just simply non-structured. Then the idea came to me "why don't I just write from an all ready existing setting and create characters from there?" I hope the results of which have been as enjoyable to read as they have been to write and I look to end the mini series soon (maybe until the next set of games come out.)
So, really quickly some FAQ's from the "Fan-Fics".
- Why do you refuse to call them what they are; Fan Fics. For me there's a certain stigma associated with Fan-Fics? One of them is that they overly fantasise over characters. I didn't want that, and thought due to the relationship what two of my characters have from the outset I didn't want the reader to start reading with this association in their minds. I wanted to tell them what they were about to read. A short story set in and based around a pre-existing universe what I'm a fan of.
- Why "The Nameless Turian"? I like to, in my writings have a character which the reader can reflect themselves upon however still be the basis of the story. Having a silent protagonist is almost impossible (in my opinion) in a novel and thus I had to work around it. What I came up with was the Nameless Turian. The readers don't know his name, and its only refereed to by the opinions of other characters. This allows the reader to make their own name for him and construct what they think he looks like by their own understanding of what a Turian is. And I like it this way.
- What's the planning process? I set a basic plan for each chapter (which sometimes changes in turn for a better idea) and I plan a skeleton for the post on a post by post basis. However despite this from the start I had to things all ready planned out. The main characters and the ending. The rest seemed to fall into place during creation. Originally it was going to be the Blue Suns as the main villains however this didn't make much sense due to them joining Shepard's army against the Reapers, then it was just the Reapers, however they lacked a certain kind of mystery that I wanted from a villain, we pretty much know all that needs to be learnt by the reapers. So instead I picked the band of mystery mercenaries who's intentions are just a pure unknown to everyone, which I liked the idea of. There's that fear of playing Russian Roulette which I wanted to portray. And they're most certainly that personified
- Is Shepard a Male of a Female and what are they good or evil? I never want the reader to know. I wanted it to be up to the reader to decide who Shepard is. The only this is assumed is that He/She completed the events in the Leviathan DLC. That's it. The story was meant to be separate from the Mass effect Games and that's how it will stay.
So what's the future of the blog? Well I'll still be doing the reviews (and The next in the Heroes of Might and Magic reviews will be out next week) as for the Mass Effect Fan-Fics they are on their final chapter until the next game, whether that will be a prequel and just a continuation will be up to what happens with the game. Regardless I look forward to then. Everything else is down to the reader. You have total reign over what happens. I have ideas for other short stories (though they will be an ORIGINAL idea and not based on anything.) Reviews will still be posted every so often however much less frequent due to time restraints from Uni. Other than that... we'll just see where the wind takes us.
That's been tonights Press the Issue. Hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my brain. Please be sure to leave a comment in the box bellow. And Until next time.... My name's been ThespianHunter, I dropped a 25KG weight on my foot while writings this.. and I'll catch you next time!
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Mass Effect Inspired Writings - The Prentive Disaster - Part 1 - Arrival
Hello and welcome to the next part of the Flaggorn Legacy. Thank you to everyone (all 5 of you) for adding your suggestions they have been counted. Let's get it on! But Please remember I do not own any of the intellectual property owned by Bioware or the Mass Effect writers, I'm merely someone inspired by them.
-- Urgent distress message--
-- Importance level 9 --
-- N7 Mission Request --
-- Unidentified creature attack civilians on the planet Prentive in Turian Space--
-- Operatives deployed >> Turian sentinel [[confirmed]] Human Adept [[confirmed]] Krogan Vanguard [[confirmed]] --
-- Reaper threat in area at time of message >> N/A --
-- Other details >> Army of Green terrorists assisting the creature - Unlikely Cerberus --
-- Day's until deployment >> immediate --
-- Reward >> thirty thousand credits --
-- Mission status >> Failed --
-- Survivors >> All MIA --
-- Survivors >> All MIA --
-- New Mission Priority >> Retake Earth --
Sometimes completing the mission is sometimes a second priority, sometimes to fail is to succeed and sometimes to succeed is to fail. This became abundantly clear to Viki as ceiling was still collapsing all around her. The ash and debris began to fall all around the prison complex as both mercenaries and prisoners ran for their lives in blind panic. Occasionally the crescendo of explosions and screams was pierced by the mighty roar of the Scylla and sound of nuclear weapons in the distance. As a single tear ran down her face at the prospect that her life was nearing an end, she remembered what her team mate, her lover had told her only moments ago.....
46 hours earlier -- High Security Prison Planet Prentive - Jyi System
The squad had been sitting in the UT-47 Kodiak for a few hours now. They had met up on an Alliance dreadnought and given time to catch up. Flaggorn who had been on mission only days before hand had been catching up with his trustworthy comrades. Viki had started calling the Turian Sentinel "Vulture" due to her being unable to pronounce the name and Flaggorn had started calling him it as well. The name was given for a number of reasons. One being that, Turians somewhat look like birds on earth and that this particular Turian looked a lot like a vulture. Another reason being how the Sentinel would behave in a battle situation against superior numbers; if given the time, he would slowly work away at the enemy force and then when they were weary from a number of engagements he'd pick them off. Much like a scavenger bird.
Vulture liked his new nick name and embraced it, he even started signing off messages with it as his alias. However when ever he would say the word he'd put emphasis on the wrong parts. Making the word sound more like Val-Ture than Vul-Ture. He liked the number of pet names Viki had been giving him since they'd been together and this one was rather more... clean... than some of the others she called him.
As well as taking the time to socialise, the Krogan had also informed the pair on his previous dealing with the Emerald Scylla. He took the time to describe their mega-structure underground and their almost endless number that he had seen walking within... while also mentioning how easily he managed to defeat them single handedly. He also cared to mention that in the time he took looking around the base before arriving on the dreadnought he had not found the prised weapon the Drell had demonstrated to him the last time they met. To say this made to couple even more nervous about what they were about to face on Prentive would be a slight understatement. They were, after all, quite nervous already about fighting a huge monster, now it was being probably protected by a formidable legion of Green Mercenaries who may or may not have experimental weaponry? It was grim news indeed.
However all of this was dwarfed by the shadow that loomed over them all. The alliance, Shepard and the army assembled by them both was getting ready to retake Earth from the Reapers. Not only this but the N7 initiative would be the vanguard of the invasion force. Meaning that most of them would be drafted up for a suicide mission very, very shortly. Flaggorn had just finished his final vendetta and was just getting ready to relax for a while, but instead his vacation was to be snatched away from him by a mission he was unlikely to return from. Viki and Vulture had in-turn wanted to just relax for a while. They were even planning to pull out of the N7 initiative all together in order to go about living together away from all the conflict as soon as possible. However every time they thought about it they knew that there wasn't going to be a safe haven for them until the Reapers were annihilated... They were just scared of what that would cost.
Nevertheless, these doom filled thoughts would have to wait. For now they had a job to do. To stop a mercenary army from destroying the most high security prison in Citadel Space. Prentive, as it was called, was the Turian equivalent to Australia's founding on Earth. A place to put the worst criminals in the galaxy in order keep them away from the populous of other planets. Prentive was an arid desert with occasional pockets of lakes which spanned for miles. It rarely rained during its 200 day cycle around it's pair of suns which orbited each other but when it did rain, it would rain for weeks, only over the lakes. This meant that the only real inhabitable locations on the planet were around these lakes. As a result the Turian government built giant military installations around these lakes in order to take out anyone wanting to free inmates from the prisons. In order to make escape as physically impossible as possible many precautions were put in place. Firstly, the prisons were all ether underwater or underground access to the surface was possible via going through the military bases. Secondly the entire planet was covered in a large shield barrier which was only lowered for Turian military vessels, all supplies were taken to a space station and sent down via convoy of large ships. Thirdly, all inmates were equipped with a tacking beacon, if any of these beacons detected that the inmate they were attached to was even a centimetre above sea level, without being disable by a warden, it would let off a toxin into the inmates body that would react with the brain stem. It would send off singles similar to that which an Ant Queen experiences when its looking to build a nest. The inmate will immediately experience an involuntary impulse to attempt to ether head underground or dig underground. These effects can last for many weeks earning intimates who attempt to escape receiving the nickname "Antmates" Thought despite all these procedures, nothing could have prepared it for the mercenary assault and the giant creature they brought with them.
The first SOS reports gave clues to how the attack took place. The arrived via a captured Turian War vessel called "The Stygian" a ship that was often used to ferry resources to and from the planet, however was sent to Millian in order to "pick up new recruits" instead an elite force of Emerald solderers overwhelmed and captured the ship. They then replaced the majority of the ships cargo hold with a enormous water tank holding a single Scylla which was then dropped into one of the planets oceans. By the time the Turian military knew what was going on it was too late. Hundreds died in the first hour as the aquatic beast ripped through at a section of the prison that went under water which flooded the majority of the lower levels. Prisoners couldn't escape during the panic due to their tracking beacons, all those who tried anyway were immediately overridden with the Antmate impulse. It wasn't totally sure what the Mercenaries were there for, but one thing was clear: they weren't there to liberate a prisoner. That would require not killing all the inmates one by one execution style as they passed through the different prisons. They weren't there to capture any of the military bases as most of them had been destroyed by the second day. It was now 4 days in, and their intentions weren't the slightest bit clearer at all.
"Thirteen minutes till landing, best suit up!" came the pilots voice whistling through their omni-tools.
"Plenty of time, meat bag! Relax a little, I wanna try and enjoy this shitty little shuttle ride before I get riddled with weapons fire" Flaggorn laughed in response as he loaded spare thermal clips into a compartment on the side of Sar't'too.
"Just wanted to let you know, sir!"
"CALL ME SIR ONE MORE TIME! I'm not some fancy assed Turian sitting on a throne. I'm a Krogan!"
"Ah! Yes, yes... Sorry Si- I mean ... I mean uh, I mean...."
"HA! Relax Pyjak! Was only pulling you're leg! I get bored on these shuttle journeys. Call me what ever you want, as long as it ain't some soppy little pet name like these too little "darlings" call each other" Flaggorn then proceeded to state a mere small collection of these names whilst putting on his most adorable voice. This was received by everyone with much laughter, even by the pilot who hadn't yet realised that someone was shooting at him.
"INCOMING FIRE, Brace for-" He was quickly cut off as a bullet flew directly through the front of the shuttle and into his head. with no pilot of the controls the shuttle was spinning out of control and accelerating towards the ground.
"No time to wait" Viki nervously whobled to her team "we need to evacuate this shuttle!"
"Bit difficult, meat bag!.. We've only just breached the stratosphere... it's quite a way down!"
"It's ether that or we die... I vote to fall" She slammed open the shuttle door and leaped out! The Turian gasped out crying her name at the very shock of what she done. After mere seconds he followed diving out of the falling shuttle.
Flaggorn was left alone in the shuttle, in free fall, the sound of the air rushing in being the only possible sound in the shuttle. He was a little bit fed up of falling down all the time. He calmly swaggered over to the open door, activated his biotic-amp and jumped out. He quickly picked up speed as he fell and was able to get a good view of the planet from a birds eye position. At this point he was quite the way up, he could see the horizon bend with an endless desert. Every building within eye shot was ether on fire of a mass of rubble, apart from one building. It was tall tower like building, unlike the block like buildings around it. It was also a different colour. Where all the other buildings were industrial grey and quite new, this building was a chalk white and had clearly been there for some time. Flaggorn guessed that it must have been a Prothean ruin but there were no reports of one being on the planet.
He could spend as much time as he wanted in the sky sight seeing but he knew that eventually he would meet the ground unless he some how found a way to land softly. Unlike in the factory where he could just charge around and not worry about hitting the ground, he knew due to gravity and the shear speed in which he was descending that this tactic will only excel at making him a very squashed Krogan. He instead dived to gather his squad mates who were also falling. With the Turian under one arm and Viki under the other he hatched his plan.
"Viki, when I say 'GO' you fire the biggest singularity you've every created right at the ground. Vulture; When I say 'NOW' I want you to throw a grenade set to 10 seconds at the ground. I'll then charge... Got it?" The two looked at each other bewildered, this didn't sound like a plan to survive but rather a fancy way to kill themselves in the coolest way possible. They both knew however that falling in style was Flaggorn speciality. They merely nodded... and waited.
Time liturarlly files when you're falling through the air and about a minute passed before Flaggorn was ready to hatch his plan. No one was shooting at them any more, probably because no one expected them to survive this fall but they weren't going down today, so to speak. Flaggorn began to shout his orders "Ready?...Now...GO!" The singularity hit the ground as instructed catching the grenade a mere second before it hit the ground. It then exploded furiously with a large shock wave, a shock wave that the three had just managed to catch. this slowed down their descend just enough to be caught in the singularity. They hovered around for a moment and then hit the ground, a lot softly than they would have.
As they looked around inspecting their conditions and pulling them selves up their minds only pointed towards a question... Why on earth was that white tower they saw as they were falling... now glowing green?!
--To be continued--
Thank you so much for reading, if you have a positive or negative response please leave them in the comments below or on the Facebook comments section below this post. Be sure to keep your eyes open for the next part.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
ThespianHunter's Belated Reviews - The Heroes of Might and Magic Franchise - Part 1 - Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the ThespianHunter Blog where I talk about all those lovely things that we call entertainment. Set your mind back to your childhood. You're young, you're free, you don't have a care in the world and the world is your oyster. If you were an avid gamer like me and the tender age of eight you may have had a gaming PC and you may have had a classic on there that (due to your age) you had no idea that it was as fantastic as everyone made it out to be! ... That's me when it comes to today's game of Heroes of Might and Magic 3!
Yes I played this game, and I may have at the time completed a selection of missions on there. But that's about it. To me, this game was bloody hard at the age of eight and I would have rather played Pokemon Red any day! But people much older and wiser than myself call this the holy land of turn based "non 4X strategy games" of them all. A game which, if you would refer to yourself as a gamer you should have played and completed 100% and own all the expansion packs and have a tattoo of the Game cover on your ass cheeks.
Me... I'll be honest... I think there are much better "Heroes" games out there although the amount of time I put into this game, as I grew older I had a greater and greater appreciation of this game and (as some of you may know) this game is one of my top 10 games of all time! And in this belated review of The Heroes of Might and Magic Franchise I will go through, all the different Heroes Games that I've had the joy to have played! Including:
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic 5 ( + all expansions )
and Heroes of Might and Magic 6 ( + all current expansions at the date of July 2013 )
Now, I can hear you reader, shouting out "Bat Thesp Wat bout all da ovar Heroes Games Y aint U doin dem?!" Well, grammatically challenged reader, I'm only doing the games that I have actually played. Right by the side of me I have Might and Magic 8 Day of The Destroyer but in all the five years I've had the game, I've never been able to get it to work on something that isn't a Windows 95! And it's been so long since I've played that game, I would do it an injustice to do a review on it, with my very very limited knowledge! I'm missing a lot of games from my list of the franchise, but I just don't have a clue about them, so I'll miss them out... sorry!
But anyway, with out further ado! Let's get to the review!
(normally I'd put a Spoiler Warning but well... I'll get to that.)
Chapter 1 - Looky Looky
How do I start? Really, how? The only way I really know how is to say how this game looks into comparison to other games.. but ... THIS GAME CAME OUT IN 1999. You know what else came out in 1999?! The original Silent Hill, Pokemon Snap, Even Sonic Adventure, the game that just missed out on being in my Top 10... All of them, 3D games. Heroes 3? 2D. I mean... Look!
That's the battle screen! I would have put the over world map in there too, however let's be honest, the battle screen looks better as an example of the games graphical fidelity.
The defence I think of to describe Heroes 3's look is that it's nostalgic or it's "old school"... You're telling me that a game that came out the same year as Star Wars X-wing Alliance is "more" nostalgic looking? No sorry. The graphics in this game, look dated even for it's age. This game looks is if it was made in 1995 (the year that Mortal Kombat 3 came out) Ironically that's when the first Heroes of Might and Magic came out!
The sound is alright considering, it's much better than how it looks (in my opinion) however the same music will be used, again, and again, and again, and again and again! So you best really, really like the music! Your by your tenth hour you'll just want to play some different music over the top! There's only voice acting in opening cinematic for the game and each campaign, which has it's moments but it's nothing fantastic or memorable. I only know "I think of my beloved Roland and my son Nikolai" because of the cut-scene.
Looky Looky - Conclusion, It's functional for what it is, however it doesn't have much of an excuse considering what other games look and sound like in the time of it's release and even before it. Saying "it's okay because it's nostalgic" Doesn't cut it when you don't say the same for games like Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver which came out before it and look better.
Chapter 2 - Clicky Clicky
The game focuses around your Heroes, the leaders of your army who you control directly on the over world map. They can be from may different factions such as a Demonic Faction focused around Christian Demonic entities such as Cerberus and the Devil, A faction of Orc barbarians, a Jungle focused faction which uses creatures like Hydras, gnolls and lizard men, and an array of many others. Most of these play quite differently, like the Undead who summon units after a victorious round of combat and who can turn captured enemy units into skeleton warriors. However some like the "not quite elven, but elven" Rampart faction who's only special effect is that their units are slightly faster than others.
The game is split into two parts, the first being the over world map.
Here you manage your resources, scout the map find locations in which to explore, such as Naga banks, where you must defeat the guard in order to gain artefacts which your Hero can use or Leprechauns you can find dancing in the middle of a battle field who can give you extra luck in your next battle. The addition to an dungeon plain, where you can travel underground as well as over ground, is a fun addition allowing for strategical map control on certain maps.
In this overworld you can also travel to the different cities and castles that you own, in order to build faction specific buildings, miscellaneous buildings such as markets and taverns to hire heroes for your faction and buildings that allow for the training of different units in your army for gold.
Speaking of gold their are seven resources in this game which you must collect in order to build your epic cities and armies. (From Right to left) these include, Wood (for building) Mercury for building and training certain units) Stone (for building), Sulphur (for building certain high tech buildings and training certain units) Crystals (for building high tech buildings and training epic creatures) Gems (for building High tech buildings and training units) and gold, used in pretty much in everything you do, from buying things to training units. You can ether find these resources scattered around the ground, retrieve them after defeating certain buildings on the map or you can generate them once per day via buildings that can be captured by your... or your enemies.
Speaking of days there's the nifty little feature of the calender which represents each turn made during the game. Each turn represents a day, every week there's a certain event; like a random creature being able to train faster on a certain week and being able to find easily on the map and even a week where every unit that dies in combat is turned into wood... random, but a nice touch! Weeks are incredibly important for a number of reasons. For one, you can only train a set number of units at the beginning of each week, meaning that you have to make sure that your spending your time wisely with the numbers you have, After every week creatures on the map get more powerful, meaning that if you just spend your entire time training units, you'll have your ass handed to you later down the line. This combination means that turtle play pretty much grants only defeat! You're forced to be constantly on the move and spreading your influence. Which is a very good thing indeed.
Now... Heroes... they're a part of of The HEROES of Might and Magic, right?! YES, yes they are. Hugely in fact. Your hero levels up after battles and after finding certain objects on the map. This confers different passive abilities such as units under the heroes command having higher Defence of Moral. The hero can also learn spells that they can use in combat, such as lightning bolts, giant flame walls stopping units from moving in certain areas and even summoning creatures to aid you in the conflict. Not only this but the hero can find loot on their quest and equip them on certain parts of their bodies. Whilst these don't confer any aesthetic upgrades, these can further increase your passives in certain interesting ways. Such as making your units immune to damage inflicted by tier one units such as Skeletons or Imps.
All this over-world gameplay ultimately leads to their battles. The glorious battles. These are as turn based as you get. Each army deploys on each side of the battle field represented in stacks. If you refer to the picture in the Looky Looky section that each of those units would have a number underneath them representing how many units are in the stack. Example being that there are 5 angels represented by a single angel in the stack. As damage is dealt to the stack when a significant amount of it has been dealt a unit will die and the stack will die after all the units in it have been slaughtered. Your units have different stacks and abilities depending on their tier (level) and whether or not they're an upgraded form. Example from Angel to Arch Angel, Arch Angels having the ability to resurrect fallen comrades in battle. Once per turn your hero can cast a beneficial spell in order to help the conflict. Furthermore when attacking a city there will be a siege battle where the invader must deal with defences.
I'm two minds about Heroes 3's gameplay... Firstly, it's fun, their no denying that and it's very compelling with an insane amount of depth and strategy in there. This works a bit both ways due to there not being a detailed tutorial of any kind in this game, instead you're forced to learn as you play, which may be appealing to some people. The second thing is that... well... Due to this teaching yourself style, there's no way of telling that what you're doing is actually any good until the moments comes when you'll ether lose your hero or you wont.
The only description you get of an enemy before you enter combat is a very, very, very rough explanation of how many units are in each stack like "lots" or "a throng" and no explanation of whether or not it would be suicide to attack them. Also the game isn't afraid to dick you over at any time it chooses. Think you're doing well? well surprise here's an enemy hero who is better than you in every way... and he's now attacking you with not a moments notice! Didn't expect this? Well you've lost, gg. This might be interesting for gamers who really long for a challenge, however for me this isn't the case, I like to have details of what I will do when I press the button, rather than just hoping for the best due to my lack of knowledge of the mechanics. Only due to my knowledge of the game since I was an eight year old trying to desperately figure out what the hell was going on did I manage to get some what far in the game... It did take me two years of trail and error though.
Clicky Clicky - Conclusion: Enjoyable and very in-depth, huge time synch in order to be able to be any good at it. Requires a lot of trail and error to play well.
Chapter 3 - Fluffy Fluffy
Without looking online, tell me the story. Can't do it? That's because it's SO DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. It's drip fed to your very very slowly and very lightly and the beginning of each campaign. The ending is so, so, so, so, so unexpected and so insanely bizarre that it's like taking a trip through the "plot twist forest" with M Night Shyamalan after spending an entire night injecting pure poppy seeds into your blood stream... It's ... weird. It takes off and returns, and sidetracks itself so often that it's, for me, almost impossible to follow, even summaries of the story cut out about 50% of it cause it's so unnecessary. The setting is very nondescript (unless you've played previous games, which it assumes you've done so) to the point where it just turns into a standard stereotypical fantasy setting that doesn't do much to stand out of the crowd with anything other than it's kinda cool looking factions.
I thought of a fun thing to do when a certain Chapter is so particularly bad and all over the place to make it stand out... and I made it ...
Congrats Heroes of Might and Magic 3... You get... THE MOLYN-AWARD! an award that can only be matched, by the quality of Fable 3.
Fuffy Fluffy - Conclusion - Awful, un-followable, bog standard, and with some very odd plot twists that don't make sense. Just.. BAD!
Chapter 4 - Yay or Nay
It's controversial I know. I know for a fact that people will disagree with me, And I know that some of you will take a torch to me at the earliest convenience. But... I don't think the game play carries it enough for me. Don't get me wrong, the game play (easily the best part) is fantastic, while having a learning curve as steep as a vertical drop! And the game as a turn based strategy game is a classic. However it every other aspect, this game is ether just bog standard or bad. For me, I like a reason to play a game other than just playing it. The gameplay whilst being fantastic has HUGE problems and has aged very poorly in my honest opinion, as has the game.
My honest opinion unless you REALLY like turn based strategy games I wouldn't bother, IF your ether a fan of the later Heroes of Might and Magic games or a huge fan of turn based strategy games, then it's worth picking up if you wanna play something from back in the day. And for $10 for the complete edition (with a bunch of expansions) It's hardly going to brake the bank.
Well, that's been my belated review of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments bellow, maybe even try to prove me wrong? Would be nice to discuss it further.
Before I leave you, fine reader, I would just like to take the opportunity to promote a Facebook Page via the name of DGuy Photography (https://www.facebook.com/DGuyPhotography). FOr readers living in the UK, Mr. Guy is able to work for you at a very modest cost if you require a photographer. For those living outside the UK or for those who have no need for a skilled Photographer, his Photographic art is something to admire. So I urge you to go and check it out!
Until next time, My name's been ThespianHunter, I've got an endless sack equipped right now! And I'll catch you next time!
(Next time, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic)
Yes I played this game, and I may have at the time completed a selection of missions on there. But that's about it. To me, this game was bloody hard at the age of eight and I would have rather played Pokemon Red any day! But people much older and wiser than myself call this the holy land of turn based "non 4X strategy games" of them all. A game which, if you would refer to yourself as a gamer you should have played and completed 100% and own all the expansion packs and have a tattoo of the Game cover on your ass cheeks.
Me... I'll be honest... I think there are much better "Heroes" games out there although the amount of time I put into this game, as I grew older I had a greater and greater appreciation of this game and (as some of you may know) this game is one of my top 10 games of all time! And in this belated review of The Heroes of Might and Magic Franchise I will go through, all the different Heroes Games that I've had the joy to have played! Including:
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic 5 ( + all expansions )
and Heroes of Might and Magic 6 ( + all current expansions at the date of July 2013 )
Now, I can hear you reader, shouting out "Bat Thesp Wat bout all da ovar Heroes Games Y aint U doin dem?!" Well, grammatically challenged reader, I'm only doing the games that I have actually played. Right by the side of me I have Might and Magic 8 Day of The Destroyer but in all the five years I've had the game, I've never been able to get it to work on something that isn't a Windows 95! And it's been so long since I've played that game, I would do it an injustice to do a review on it, with my very very limited knowledge! I'm missing a lot of games from my list of the franchise, but I just don't have a clue about them, so I'll miss them out... sorry!
But anyway, with out further ado! Let's get to the review!
(normally I'd put a Spoiler Warning but well... I'll get to that.)
Chapter 1 - Looky Looky
How do I start? Really, how? The only way I really know how is to say how this game looks into comparison to other games.. but ... THIS GAME CAME OUT IN 1999. You know what else came out in 1999?! The original Silent Hill, Pokemon Snap, Even Sonic Adventure, the game that just missed out on being in my Top 10... All of them, 3D games. Heroes 3? 2D. I mean... Look!
That's the battle screen! I would have put the over world map in there too, however let's be honest, the battle screen looks better as an example of the games graphical fidelity.
The defence I think of to describe Heroes 3's look is that it's nostalgic or it's "old school"... You're telling me that a game that came out the same year as Star Wars X-wing Alliance is "more" nostalgic looking? No sorry. The graphics in this game, look dated even for it's age. This game looks is if it was made in 1995 (the year that Mortal Kombat 3 came out) Ironically that's when the first Heroes of Might and Magic came out!
The sound is alright considering, it's much better than how it looks (in my opinion) however the same music will be used, again, and again, and again, and again and again! So you best really, really like the music! Your by your tenth hour you'll just want to play some different music over the top! There's only voice acting in opening cinematic for the game and each campaign, which has it's moments but it's nothing fantastic or memorable. I only know "I think of my beloved Roland and my son Nikolai" because of the cut-scene.
Looky Looky - Conclusion, It's functional for what it is, however it doesn't have much of an excuse considering what other games look and sound like in the time of it's release and even before it. Saying "it's okay because it's nostalgic" Doesn't cut it when you don't say the same for games like Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver which came out before it and look better.
Chapter 2 - Clicky Clicky
The game focuses around your Heroes, the leaders of your army who you control directly on the over world map. They can be from may different factions such as a Demonic Faction focused around Christian Demonic entities such as Cerberus and the Devil, A faction of Orc barbarians, a Jungle focused faction which uses creatures like Hydras, gnolls and lizard men, and an array of many others. Most of these play quite differently, like the Undead who summon units after a victorious round of combat and who can turn captured enemy units into skeleton warriors. However some like the "not quite elven, but elven" Rampart faction who's only special effect is that their units are slightly faster than others.
The game is split into two parts, the first being the over world map.
Here you manage your resources, scout the map find locations in which to explore, such as Naga banks, where you must defeat the guard in order to gain artefacts which your Hero can use or Leprechauns you can find dancing in the middle of a battle field who can give you extra luck in your next battle. The addition to an dungeon plain, where you can travel underground as well as over ground, is a fun addition allowing for strategical map control on certain maps.
In this overworld you can also travel to the different cities and castles that you own, in order to build faction specific buildings, miscellaneous buildings such as markets and taverns to hire heroes for your faction and buildings that allow for the training of different units in your army for gold.
Speaking of gold their are seven resources in this game which you must collect in order to build your epic cities and armies. (From Right to left) these include, Wood (for building) Mercury for building and training certain units) Stone (for building), Sulphur (for building certain high tech buildings and training certain units) Crystals (for building high tech buildings and training epic creatures) Gems (for building High tech buildings and training units) and gold, used in pretty much in everything you do, from buying things to training units. You can ether find these resources scattered around the ground, retrieve them after defeating certain buildings on the map or you can generate them once per day via buildings that can be captured by your... or your enemies.
Speaking of days there's the nifty little feature of the calender which represents each turn made during the game. Each turn represents a day, every week there's a certain event; like a random creature being able to train faster on a certain week and being able to find easily on the map and even a week where every unit that dies in combat is turned into wood... random, but a nice touch! Weeks are incredibly important for a number of reasons. For one, you can only train a set number of units at the beginning of each week, meaning that you have to make sure that your spending your time wisely with the numbers you have, After every week creatures on the map get more powerful, meaning that if you just spend your entire time training units, you'll have your ass handed to you later down the line. This combination means that turtle play pretty much grants only defeat! You're forced to be constantly on the move and spreading your influence. Which is a very good thing indeed.
Now... Heroes... they're a part of of The HEROES of Might and Magic, right?! YES, yes they are. Hugely in fact. Your hero levels up after battles and after finding certain objects on the map. This confers different passive abilities such as units under the heroes command having higher Defence of Moral. The hero can also learn spells that they can use in combat, such as lightning bolts, giant flame walls stopping units from moving in certain areas and even summoning creatures to aid you in the conflict. Not only this but the hero can find loot on their quest and equip them on certain parts of their bodies. Whilst these don't confer any aesthetic upgrades, these can further increase your passives in certain interesting ways. Such as making your units immune to damage inflicted by tier one units such as Skeletons or Imps.
All this over-world gameplay ultimately leads to their battles. The glorious battles. These are as turn based as you get. Each army deploys on each side of the battle field represented in stacks. If you refer to the picture in the Looky Looky section that each of those units would have a number underneath them representing how many units are in the stack. Example being that there are 5 angels represented by a single angel in the stack. As damage is dealt to the stack when a significant amount of it has been dealt a unit will die and the stack will die after all the units in it have been slaughtered. Your units have different stacks and abilities depending on their tier (level) and whether or not they're an upgraded form. Example from Angel to Arch Angel, Arch Angels having the ability to resurrect fallen comrades in battle. Once per turn your hero can cast a beneficial spell in order to help the conflict. Furthermore when attacking a city there will be a siege battle where the invader must deal with defences.
I'm two minds about Heroes 3's gameplay... Firstly, it's fun, their no denying that and it's very compelling with an insane amount of depth and strategy in there. This works a bit both ways due to there not being a detailed tutorial of any kind in this game, instead you're forced to learn as you play, which may be appealing to some people. The second thing is that... well... Due to this teaching yourself style, there's no way of telling that what you're doing is actually any good until the moments comes when you'll ether lose your hero or you wont.
The only description you get of an enemy before you enter combat is a very, very, very rough explanation of how many units are in each stack like "lots" or "a throng" and no explanation of whether or not it would be suicide to attack them. Also the game isn't afraid to dick you over at any time it chooses. Think you're doing well? well surprise here's an enemy hero who is better than you in every way... and he's now attacking you with not a moments notice! Didn't expect this? Well you've lost, gg. This might be interesting for gamers who really long for a challenge, however for me this isn't the case, I like to have details of what I will do when I press the button, rather than just hoping for the best due to my lack of knowledge of the mechanics. Only due to my knowledge of the game since I was an eight year old trying to desperately figure out what the hell was going on did I manage to get some what far in the game... It did take me two years of trail and error though.
Clicky Clicky - Conclusion: Enjoyable and very in-depth, huge time synch in order to be able to be any good at it. Requires a lot of trail and error to play well.
Chapter 3 - Fluffy Fluffy
Without looking online, tell me the story. Can't do it? That's because it's SO DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. It's drip fed to your very very slowly and very lightly and the beginning of each campaign. The ending is so, so, so, so, so unexpected and so insanely bizarre that it's like taking a trip through the "plot twist forest" with M Night Shyamalan after spending an entire night injecting pure poppy seeds into your blood stream... It's ... weird. It takes off and returns, and sidetracks itself so often that it's, for me, almost impossible to follow, even summaries of the story cut out about 50% of it cause it's so unnecessary. The setting is very nondescript (unless you've played previous games, which it assumes you've done so) to the point where it just turns into a standard stereotypical fantasy setting that doesn't do much to stand out of the crowd with anything other than it's kinda cool looking factions.
I thought of a fun thing to do when a certain Chapter is so particularly bad and all over the place to make it stand out... and I made it ...
Congrats Heroes of Might and Magic 3... You get... THE MOLYN-AWARD! an award that can only be matched, by the quality of Fable 3.
Fuffy Fluffy - Conclusion - Awful, un-followable, bog standard, and with some very odd plot twists that don't make sense. Just.. BAD!
Chapter 4 - Yay or Nay
It's controversial I know. I know for a fact that people will disagree with me, And I know that some of you will take a torch to me at the earliest convenience. But... I don't think the game play carries it enough for me. Don't get me wrong, the game play (easily the best part) is fantastic, while having a learning curve as steep as a vertical drop! And the game as a turn based strategy game is a classic. However it every other aspect, this game is ether just bog standard or bad. For me, I like a reason to play a game other than just playing it. The gameplay whilst being fantastic has HUGE problems and has aged very poorly in my honest opinion, as has the game.
My honest opinion unless you REALLY like turn based strategy games I wouldn't bother, IF your ether a fan of the later Heroes of Might and Magic games or a huge fan of turn based strategy games, then it's worth picking up if you wanna play something from back in the day. And for $10 for the complete edition (with a bunch of expansions) It's hardly going to brake the bank.
Well, that's been my belated review of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments bellow, maybe even try to prove me wrong? Would be nice to discuss it further.
Before I leave you, fine reader, I would just like to take the opportunity to promote a Facebook Page via the name of DGuy Photography (https://www.facebook.com/DGuyPhotography). FOr readers living in the UK, Mr. Guy is able to work for you at a very modest cost if you require a photographer. For those living outside the UK or for those who have no need for a skilled Photographer, his Photographic art is something to admire. So I urge you to go and check it out!
Until next time, My name's been ThespianHunter, I've got an endless sack equipped right now! And I'll catch you next time!
(Next time, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic)
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Mass Effect Inspired Writings - The Flaggorn Legacy - Part 3 - The Scylla Emerges
Hello and welcome to the next part of the Flaggorn Legacy. I'll jump right on into it. But Please remember I do not own any of the intellectual property owned by Bioware or the Mass Effect writers, I'm merely someone inspired by them. AND be sure to read to the end for a chance to be a part of the creative process.
A tremendous clang of pieces cat-walks hitting metallic floor rang throughout the now rather hollow facility, now visibly miles down into the ground. There were still green mercenaries scurrying around this floor however rather than taking shots at the Krogan, they were much more concerned with fleeing for their lives whilst trying to avoid debris.
It was now a clear run towards the Drell, just through one final high security bulkhead door. The familiar display of blue light and force opened the door like a tin can and Flaggorn victoriously stepped through. The room he entered was unlike any other in the facility, but rather a giant aquarium that surrounded a walk way to another high security door. The vanguard could notice many sea creatures that he was familiar from the restaurants he frequented on different space stations in his time and others that he didn't.
There was one life form in the tank that he thought could have been a mermaid from Human mythology, however he soon realised that it was actually an Asari that had been drowned in the water and who's body was left to be eaten by the fish. There were all sorts of creatures, some ranging from the size of a small Pyjak and others the size of Thresher Maws all living in the same vast underground ocean.
"Typical place for a Drell to live" Flaggorn muttered under his breath as he walked the long hall way.
On the bulkhead door was a symbol that the Krogan guessed was the mercenaries emblem due to it and the circle around it barring that same leaf green colour that the mercenaries were wearing. It was a sea creature that looked too bizarre to be a real creature and Flaggorn figured he would have heard about it if it was indeed real. It appeared to be a form of Hybrid monster, half Krogan looking prehistoric bipedal creature from above the waist, squid like tentacles bellow ,with large Dragon heads coming from the chest and the sides of the waist. Underneath it was a simple name, finally something Flaggorn could associate with his enemy; "The Emerald Scylla" HQ.
A tremendous clang of pieces cat-walks hitting metallic floor rang throughout the now rather hollow facility, now visibly miles down into the ground. There were still green mercenaries scurrying around this floor however rather than taking shots at the Krogan, they were much more concerned with fleeing for their lives whilst trying to avoid debris.
It was now a clear run towards the Drell, just through one final high security bulkhead door. The familiar display of blue light and force opened the door like a tin can and Flaggorn victoriously stepped through. The room he entered was unlike any other in the facility, but rather a giant aquarium that surrounded a walk way to another high security door. The vanguard could notice many sea creatures that he was familiar from the restaurants he frequented on different space stations in his time and others that he didn't.
There was one life form in the tank that he thought could have been a mermaid from Human mythology, however he soon realised that it was actually an Asari that had been drowned in the water and who's body was left to be eaten by the fish. There were all sorts of creatures, some ranging from the size of a small Pyjak and others the size of Thresher Maws all living in the same vast underground ocean.
"Typical place for a Drell to live" Flaggorn muttered under his breath as he walked the long hall way.
On the bulkhead door was a symbol that the Krogan guessed was the mercenaries emblem due to it and the circle around it barring that same leaf green colour that the mercenaries were wearing. It was a sea creature that looked too bizarre to be a real creature and Flaggorn figured he would have heard about it if it was indeed real. It appeared to be a form of Hybrid monster, half Krogan looking prehistoric bipedal creature from above the waist, squid like tentacles bellow ,with large Dragon heads coming from the chest and the sides of the waist. Underneath it was a simple name, finally something Flaggorn could associate with his enemy; "The Emerald Scylla" HQ.
The Krogan closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He knew that beyond this door awaited his vengeance, the simple pulling of a trigger could be the end of his life as a mercenary, he could fight on for the survival of the galaxy and then from there... the sky's the limit. He charged his amp harder than he had ever charged it before, he stepped back, lunged forward and charged right through the door with a deafening warp.
As the the Vanguard slammed into the room he entered a large white room and there... were dozens of Emerald solders with weapons drawn along the walls and up above on a walkway that went across the middle of the room. And there in front of him was the smug looking Drell mounted on a gun emplacement armed with an assortments of gatling lasers and missile pods, the Drell wasn't taking chances!
"We... Meet....Again...." The Drell wheezed. It was now abundantly clear that this little amphibious man was reaching the good-old ripe old age of about 80 years old.
"Why, hello old man! See you gathered up some guests for our little shindig!" Flaggorn Jested
"Ha!...didn't want you crawling away again like the lame Varren you are, Krogan!"
No one insults Flaggorn and lives!
He reached behind his back to pull Sar'i'too out in front of him ready to enter into a bullet hell thunder dance (1.564 seconds) He dived out of the way of the incoming fire and fired three shots into different groups of assailants (4.217 seconds) he then charged across the room giving a chance for his barriers to refill and a chance to move and attack the upper walkway (5.542 seconds) He then rammed himself down the cat-walk punching, hitting and head butting all the men in the way (19.741 seconds) he then biotically charged behind the Drell who had just turned the heavy gun up towards the walkway and opened fire (1.428 seconds) Flaggorn then positioned himself behind his target grabbed his head and twisted it all the way round until he heard the click (5.041 seconds) He then armed the turret and blasted everyone else in the room into ash (14.545 seconds.)
In 51.988 seconds it was all over. Flaggorn had done it, he had defeated that bastard who betrayed him all those years ago. He was finally able to leave his life as a Mercenary behind and join the N7 allies initiative fully. He spent a moment, as he took the open elevator out of the military base that he had just single handedly annihilated, to think about what he would do next; like if there was any other back stabbers that he had to assassinate, when his omni-tool lit up like a super nova with a urgent message... from the Turian he had helped on Tyr again a Reaper invasion force.
-- Urgent distress message--
-- Importance level 9 --
-- N7 Mission Request --
-- Unidentified creature attack civilians on the planet Prentive in Turian Space--
-- Operatives deployed >> Turian sentinel [[confirmed]] Human Adept [[confirmed]] Krogan Vanguard [[Pending]] --
-- Reaper threat in area at time of message >> N/A --
-- Other details >> Army of Green terrorists assisting the creature - Unlikely Cerberus --
-- Day's until deployment >> immediate --
-- Reward >> thirty thousand credits --
"Ha! I would have done it for ten!"
--To Be Continued--
Thank you ever so much for reading this instalment of my Mass Effect inspired writings, really having fun writings these. If you have a positive or negative response please let me know in the comments and also...
A chance for you, the Reader, to get involved in what way the story progresses from here! (thought this would be a good way to interact with you guys even though so far your famously illusive (even more than the Illusive man for sure!)
I may put these at the end of a "chapter" (selection of parts) in order to decide certain aspects of the next chapter
You have 4 multiple choice questions to fill out, and I'll go for which ever results get the most views, just put the question number and ether A B or C at the end (eg... Question 1. C) Enjoy and I'll catch you next time!
Question 1 -- What is the planet of Prentive like?
A) Snowy planet with not much atmosphere, large accommodation cities within large glass "spheres" habitation, large ocean in the middle of the planet.
B) Arid Desert Planet, Assortment of military bases and prisons scattered around the border of a number of small oceans.
C) Aquatic world raining constantly, Large floating and under water cities with booming trade.
Question 2 -- Who does the story follow?
A) The group as a whole (Novel writing style)
B) Viki (1st person Novel with rhyme structure)
C) The Nameless Turian (no, I'll never reveal his name, but Viki may have came up of a nickname for him that the group would use) ((Personal log writing style)
C) The Nameless Turian (no, I'll never reveal his name, but Viki may have came up of a nickname for him that the group would use) ((Personal log writing style)
Question 3-- Who is the leader of this band of Emerald Scylla's?
A) Elcor Vanguard
B) Salarian Assassin
C) Raloi Bounty Hunter (yes they're a thing, yes I'll be creating what they actually look like and how they behave myself within existing fluff)
Question 4-- At the end of the mission they'll be contacted by a person existing in the actual Mass Effect universe, who is this? ((D option available))
A) Admiral Steven Hackett
B) Primarch Adrien Victus
C) Captain Kirrahe
D) No one, keep it separate (I'm totally cool with this and fully understand/expect this option to get the most votes)
PLEASE LEAVE ANSWERS ETHER IN THE COMMENTS BELLOW OR ON FACEBOOK, THANK YOU!
VOTING ENDS ON JULY 20th 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)