Planetside 2: Second Wave

My first impression was written very shortly after release, which puts a slight positive spin on my perception of the game as everything is new. The real test of any MMO is longevity. Can it keep you coming back for more? This year I’ve already been slightly disappointed by Guild Wars 2. It was defiantly the biggest MMO release of the year, yet after a month’s play, I found very little to keep me playing.

So what does Planetside 2 have to offer to hold your attention? In terms of game mechanics, the certification system presents the standard Skinner box found in every multiplayer FPS these days. You put your time in, and get your new guns and upgrades out. Despite being an entirely obvious and transparent system, it still provides little moments of pure satisfaction when you unlock each item.

Beyond that mechanics are fairly standard fair. The vehicles and different classes provide the means for you to mix up your play. Either trying something new or enabling different strategies. Some of my favourite moments have come from swapping class in the thick of battle. If I’m moving to assault a watch tower, I always swap to Light Assault. Being able to jetpack between floors often allows you to flank opponents, like an Eagle swooping in on scurrying prey.

The core gameplay has held up well through a few minor balance tweaks. Each faction has its own distinct approach to weapon design, so it’s important to do your research into the weapon handling before you invest to heavily into a character. Regrettably researching weapons is also advised before spending any certifications. You can free trail weapons, but for only thirty minutes and without any weapon modifications. So you can only get a brief taste before buying.

Sony has shown that they’re happy to throw out a lot of deals for paying customers. In the run up to Christmas there was a series of daily deals that saw fifteen per cent off all items, and the option to buy triple in-game currency.  There have been some pay-to-win accusations thrown around on the game forums. However, having spent the time and effort to unlock and trail different weapons; the choices available are side-grades. The real problem is the few underwhelming weapons that can be bought. Those few items often specialise too much in particular area such as close quarters, and then barely outperform the well-rounded options. This leaves players with buyer’s remorse until Sony gets round to doing a much needed rework.

At the moment, the longevity of Planetside 2 comes from only a couple of different sources. If you’re the sort of player who enjoys the standard multiplayer FPS gameplay, there’s plenty here to keep you going. The certification system is extensive, so there’s always something to work towards. The second reason to keep playing is getting involved in the community. Joining up with an Outfit provides great structure to the game. Co-operating with like-minded people to achieve dominance over the continents is a challenging goal. Although currently there is little reward for doing so, only a minor discount on acquiring particular resources such as vehicles and grenades.

The ‘meta-game’ is set to receive much needed expansion in the future as Sony has hinted at what’s on the drawing board. Possibilities we might see include extra continents, naval combat, a fourth AI faction and low-orbiting carriers acting as mobile bases. Whether or not this all makes it into the game, it shows there are more ideas to come.

For the time being, Planetside 2 still has the ability to stand out. However, as time goes on Sony may need to look at ways of making the game more accessible to new players. It’s hard to bridge the experience gap to veteran players. But the in-game information on territory control and its importance is still lacking. Also there’s a big difference between a player wielding a weapon of choice with a twenty five per cent health bonus, and someone new clutching a stock carbine.

The Worst Decisions of the Year

For all the good that has happened this year, the growing recognition of the indie scene and expansion in the free-to-play market. Some developers and publishers still managed completely cock things up. It didn’t matter what negative feedback from the community the top offenders received this year. They ploughed on, destined to make a silly amount of money. It’s fair to say that what annoys one person in a game will no doubt be defended by another. But my top two worst decisions this year are perfect examples of what I never what to see in gaming again. So what has managed to earn my scorn this year?

First up is Mass Effect 3. Surprisingly neither the ending nor the reworked version are main my complaint. The original was a bit lacklustre and the revamped version did a lot to turn it into a fitting end. It was a fantastic game with an excellent multiplayer mode added on. But what annoyed me about this title was EA’s blatant cash-in on the end of the series.

Taking a page straight out Activison’s Call of Duty book, EA jacked up the launch price and went straight for the day one DLC. Now day one DLC by itself is not a problem if it is handled with care. EA’s approach was to use it as an opportunity to encourage people into buying the overly expensive Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Editions.

The DLC itself contained Javik, a Prothean team member and the side mission that introduces him. So why was this such a big deal? Well for any fan of the series, the Protheans are one of the most interesting pieces of the backstory. They were the last great civilisation to inhabit the galaxy, and by the time of the third game, any clues they have left behind could be key to Commander Shepard’s success. Of course nothing important is withheld from those without the DLC. But EA’s change in day one DLC attitude was pretty ridiculous.

With previous titles such as Dragon Age series and Mass Effect 2, EA had been leading the way. Day one DLC was available as a free pre-order bonus for any customer. You didn’t have to splash out on a special version or spend extra to have a complete game. And to add insult to injury, console versions of the game had a bug that could prevent you from carrying over your Commander Shepard from the previous game. You’d hope EA would learn from this. Better not wait for miracles though, EA has shown before that is more corporation than publisher.

My second offender is Diablo 3. Again it managed to sell a truck load of copies despite its problems. This does send a worrying message as games which are always online are a pain in the arse. Now I have to hold my hand up and admit I bought a copy. And now I understand the complaints Ubisoft received for trying this DRM trick with Settlers and Silent Hunter.

Of course Blizzard claimed it would improve the experience. Everyone would be able to access the auction house. Easily accessible drop-in and out multiplayer would encourage more people to play in groups. However, it never really worked. The majority of players played the game exactly how they always said they would. In single player; as one person against the legions of Hell.

So Added to their single player experience, they now had the penalty of playing a game that could lag in single player. Not even a stable connection can give you a perfect experience. The way the system is set up is just ridiculous. For myself, it never got to the point of complete frustration. But a quick Google search on the issue will return plenty of players who have lost characters in hardcore mode because the game lagged at a critical moment.

The problem could have been mitigated by providing an offline experience. Just give players the choice to completely remove a character from any online content. Alternatively, the game could have checked in with servers periodically, rather than reporting every last click.

In the end, Blizzard’s decisions have no doubt pushed consumers away into the arms of their completion. I’m sure they’re ruing their foolishness whilst swimming through a pile of money Scrooge McDuck style.

Hopefully continued pressure from communities will help persuade publishers and developers into more consumer friendly practices.  And the next Sim City is on the horizon, already in the firing lines for its always online requirements.

The BIG Award!

Well it’s nearly the end of the year, and no gaming blog would be complete without a set of awards to give out. So without further ado, the Best Indie Game award!

This year I’ve found myself playing more indie titles than ever before. Part in thanks to Kickstarter giving a new funding source to budding developers, and part to the greater recognition indie titles are receiving in the mainstream gaming media. It wasn’t an easy decision as I’ve enjoyed all three games in this list, sinking may hours into them all. The runners up are:

Endless Space! Amplitude studious set themselves the lofty goal of making the best strategy games and Endless Space was an impressive first release. They took the strategy 4x sub-genre and axed the complexity leaving a highly streamlined game. A brave move when these games are defined by having an instruction book longer than a short novel.

The end result was a stylistic sci-fi world which you could dip into briefly and get a lot of enjoyment. Ship design and combat is too simplistic which is the game’s only negative point. But some nuance is added by the tactics system. Correctly predict your opponent’s strategy and pick the counter move gives you a powerful advantage. Enough to overturn a tech advantage, which allows players to explore different avenues within the tech tree, without having to keep a constant focus on war. Since its launch, Endless Space has had some free bonus content added, including the option to create your own space fairing race. Tailoring a faction to your preferences is good fun, but there are some combinations which are a bit unbalanced.

The second runner up is Legend of Grimrock! This game revived a genre that had been dormant for many years. And I’m glad it did as it introduced me Dungeon Crawlers, a category of games I would have completely missed out on otherwise.

Adventuring through the depths of Grimrock with your rag-tag bunch of four criminals is both tense and satisfying. Puzzles are everywhere and they’ll test you. There are many that you have to solve to progress and even more that are hidden, guarding the game’s greatest treasures. The game is well thought out as out of the hundred or so puzzles, I found only a few that completely confused me. The vast majority follow good logic, so with a bit of patience, you should not find your progress impeded at any point.

Combat was surprisingly tense throughout the game. Screenshots don’t really do the game any justice, as they can’t explain the feel of the grid based system. Moving around is simple with a few direction keys, leaving the mouse free to active your fighting abilities on your character portraits. You often hear enemies before they reach you, building the suspense as some horror stumbles out of the darkness. When the enemy is in sight, you engage in a ballroom dance of death. Gliding around the tiles, trying to land attacks on your foe before neatly side-stepping away.

The story is the driving force of the game, leading you deeper into the depths of the mountain with the promise of freedom for staying alive. How long the game takes to complete depends on how many of the secrets you try to find. It should give most people a good ten to fifteen hours for their first play-through. Unfortunately there is only one dungeon created by the developers to explore. There is now a dungeon editor, so the game content possibilities are endless, but the quality may well not be the same as the main game.

So who is the winner of the first BIG award!?

It’s Faster Than Light! This stylish rogue-like has really captured my attention this year, and kicked my arse whilst doing so. You play the part of a Federation scout ship on a mission to deliver critical information on the Rebel fleet. Your journey takes you through varied and random systems as you try and escape the pursuing Rebels.

Each time you jump to the next system you encounter new hazards: derelict ships, asteroid fields, nebulae and pirates. If you survive the perils of space, you salvage parts to improve your own chances. Upgrades for your ship include new crew members and more powerful weapons. The further you progress, the higher the stakes become. You’ll need to develop clever strategies in order to take down ships that are much larger than yourself.

FTL’s presentation is a fantastic combination of excellent two-dimensional sprites and animations. You quickly forget that your ship is static in the centre of the screen. When combat starts, missiles and laser fire starts flying. You have to manage your weapon systems to do the maximum damage to the enemy whilst putting out fires and patching up holes in the hull. The whole game is accompanied by an excellent sound track that captures both the emptiness of space and the franticness of combat.

With plenty of achievements and ships to unlock, FTL has an excellent amount of replay-ability. Combined with its price point, FTL is excellent value for money, and this makes it the winner of the first BIG award! 

Sword of the Stars 2: Enhanced Edition

To say Sword of the Stars 2 (SotS2) has had a troubled release is an understatement. Developer Kerberous made a real impression with their take on the Sci-fi strategy 4X sub-genre. So when the sequel was unleashed on unsuspecting consumers (me) with more bugs than an Ant hill; it hit their credibility and the goodwill they had with fans very hard.

On start-up you were greeted with barely functioning menus and incomplete features. If you got a game running you’d need to pray to the old gods and save regularly to avoid crashes ruining your fun. Alpha versions of games shown by other developers at conferences have been more complete than SotS2 at launch.

A year later, SotS2 is back with an enhanced edition. Supposedly this is close to the version of the game developer Kerberous intended to release. They certainly get a medal for effort as they could have just cut their losses and run. Now there is new DLC including an extra faction and it’s been added for free.

Sadly the game is still not quite up to standard when it comes to setting up a multiplayer game. The menus are still tedious and feel unresponsive; however the real killer is the long load times. So long I assumed my game had crashed. Users have posted on forums that you have time to take a shower before you’ll be playing.

Single player is now mostly functional, but this is the sort of game best played with friends. The AI still aren’t the sharpest tools in the box and only function as training opponents. It’s a shame that the sequel still hasn’t achieved its full potential, as the original was an innovative. And SotS2 builds on those features, in particular an expansion of the semi-random tech tree. Rather than standard tech trees found in other games, SotS has a set of core technologies that when researched, may branch out into other intriguing systems and weapons. It’s carefully balanced to avoid a player lacking firepower or key ship structures. And it adds uniqueness to each game, stopping players from relying on set strategies.

Hopefully Kerberous will carry on polishing the game with further patches to remove the remaining issues. But for now, my total playtime is going to stay around the one hour mark and my go to game for the genre will still be Endless Space.

Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

Yes, there back again! Those Planeswalker chaps (whoever they are) with their menagerie of sorceries and twisted bestiaries. Too once again do battle for some reason or goal; maybe? Meh; who cares about the Lore of Magic, let’s just play a card game.

It’s the latest edition of the yearly franchise that brings you the core card set of Magic wrapped up in a convenient bundle. And for its price point, there’s some real value for money here. If you’re not already familiar with Magic; Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 takes the popular collectable card game and digitises it all. Allowing you to enjoy a game against the AI through a series of different game modes, or play against human opponents through the online multiplayer.

The game ticks the most important box for new players. It has some extensive tutorials to introduce the basic mechanics, before all the special rules of the various cards are piled on top. During duels, you can inspect any played card at any time. It gives you a nice close up of the card so you can appreciate the artwork, as well as get a detailed explanation of any rules on it.

Any veteran of the 2011 and 2012 titles will find this year’s offering very familiar. It has the expected changes such as a slightly different  interface and the 2013 card set, which swaps a few new cards in and takes a couple out. The single player campaign mode is slightly extended with more duels and challenges. The AI is capable of providing a good few hours entertainment by itself with three different difficulty settings. But in a somewhat silly move, you have to play through the single player to unlock a lot of the card decks. So you can’t just jump straight into multiplayer as your options will be very limited.

The new game mode for this year is Planechase, a free-for-all four player duel with a twist. An extra deck of Planes are added which can affect the game in various different ways. These can throw out extra creatures, provide healing or reset the playing field. To add to the chaos, each Plane can be activated by the roll of a die, throwing out another twist into the game. Alternatively the same die roll can cause the Plane to change and cause other effects. Rolling the die is limited by how much spare mana a player has in a turn, but any Planechase game can quickly devolve muddled mess. Forget your perfectly crafted and honed strategy, ‘cause it won’t work here.

Planechase also replaces the Archenemy game mode that was included in 2012 which is a real shame. Archenemy was a rather fun three against one mode, which admittedly does similar problems to Planechase. But it’s the only three against one format and I feel that 2013 should be bigger and better than the previous title in every way. Not losing segments.

The presentation of Magic has changed much from the previous titles. Mostly because they got it pretty much spot on the first time. The animations do a good job of depicting spell abilities and making you aware of cards moving in and out of the playing field. However the sound in 2013 is a bit off. The menu sound effects are very distant, as if the games sounds are coming from the bottom of a well.

Game options are still fairly limited with not many options. You can tweak a few gameplay settings if to determine if you want full control, or if you’re happy with the AI making certain choices for you so duels move at a faster pace.

Overall, for those familiar with Magic. The Duels of the Planeswalker games are serious value for money. The entire game costs a similar amount to one physical deck of cards. Duels does have some restrictions as your deck building options are limited. But for players of any skill level, the ability to play against each other online with fairly balanced decks is an excellent selling point. If you haven’t already played any of the Duels games, there’s not enough new features in 2013 to justify buying it over a previous, possibly cheaper title. Also, the advertising for physical card game is somewhat more egregious in 2013. I don’t want special cards Wizards of the Coast, I just want to play my card game! 

Planetside 2: First Impressions

It’s landed with quite an impact. Plenty of people have turned out for Sony Online Entertainment’s (SOE) revival of its unique franchise, Planetside. Remarkably there have been no real attempts since the original to deliver multiplayer combat on a massive scale. Planetside 2 dwarfs rivals such as DICE’s Battlefield series. Thousands of players battle each other to take control of the planet Auraxis which is split over three huge continent maps.

The launch has had a few bumpy moments, leading to some quick server down time and quick patching. But for the most part, the game has done a good job of getting players straight into the action; giving them a real taste of the gameplay right from the start. Once you’re online; you pick from a choice of the three factions, character gender, name and face. Not a great deal of customisation, but for the most part you’ll rarely see an opponent’s face behind their helmet. The majority of the customisation comes from cosmetic items purchasable through the in-game shop.

As soon as you hit go, you’re given a brief introduction into your faction and the planet being fought over. After that you’re promptly deployed in a drop pod into the heart of a ground battle. I ended up in a close quarters scrap, defending a tech plant from an assault by the Vanu Sovereignty. Having played the beta, I was able to get my bearings pretty quickly and jump into the thick of the fighting. But for a new player; it will be a little overwhelming as none of the mechanics are explained, and there’s no tutorial to get you up to speed either.

This was my biggest criticism of the beta and SOE have done little to fix it. The first time you enter some of the menu screens, you get a pop-up to explain its purpose. But beyond that there’s no explanation of anything. Want to know how to capture that base? How to acquire vehicles? Customise your loadouts? Well you best find an explanation on the internet. There are some very useful video tutorials produced by SOE which are linked to on the game’s launcher. But why isn’t there an in-game wiki or help function? Providing an easy way for new players to get answers would build on the great first impression made by the initial drop into combat.

Most importantly, the game design leads to the natural formation of large scale conflicts between players. This is a big plus for the game. Seeing armoured columns roll out to the nearest battle is a sight to behold.  Objectives are clearly marked on the map, allowing you to set both squad and personal waypoints to advance too. The map also highlights areas of activity and allows you to redeploy reach the front lines faster.

When in range of a base, the current capture situation is displayed above your mini-map. Points are fought over in a tug of war style. Holding key objectives and killing opponents will increase your team’s score towards victory. However in some of the large scale facilities, this system can feel slow. Especially when your opponents are stuck in their spawn point with no chance of repelling you.

Spawning is generally well handled throughout the game. On the deployment screen you’re given an overview of the map with a current list of held locations and what vehicles can be obtained there. Added to this list will be any deployed Sunderers and squad spawn beacons. These are activated by players to create forward bases. Allowing teammates to quickly spawn nearby and support the offensive; rather than having to travel several hundred metres from the closest base.

To try and prevent any spawn camping. Which is always the most infuriating tactic in any multiplayer FPS; team colour coded shields cover the entrances of any base spawn point. This allows defenders to freely fire at any attacking force, without the risk of being killed as soon as they appear. This would be incredibly imbalanced, but clever placement of these areas means defenders still have to leave the sanctuary of the spawn point to achieve anything useful. As soon as the base falls, the ownership of any spawn points changes. This will slowly kill off any stubborn defenders who refuse to die like men and allow attackers entry to gun them down.

The gunplay is well done and up to the standard of any current FPS. There’s a wide selection of gun unlocks for all classes and vehicles. Each provides a unique feel though the combination of recoil, damage and ammunition capacity. Successful hits are displayed through the crosshairs flashing red; which hits a nice balance by being simple and unobtrusive, whilst providing satisfying feedback. There are plenty of additions to attach to every weapon to tweak its performance. However it will take a long time to customise any weapon with all the available options.

All unlocks are obtained through the certification system. Simply get two hundred and fifty experience points to earn one certification point. Everything costs a certain amount, but the order of unlocks is entirely your decision. No horrible, set linear progression system which has been the staple of many FPS recently. You can play however you want to earn experience, and then invest your hard earned points how you want.

Sadly this freedom of choice is let down by how the free-to-play economy is set up. Many useful weapons such as lock-on missile launchers cost a lot of certification points; representing a significant time investment. You can certainly have a good time with the default equipment, but unlocking one new weapon can feel like quite a grind.

Now obviously the time investment has to be fairly steep. SOE would like to make some money and they have to encourage players to get out their wallets somehow. So far developers like Riot have led the way by showing how popular purely aesthetic items are to the consumer. And SOE have followed this format somewhat. There’s already an excellent selection of helmets, body armours and camouflage patterns to buy. These will no doubt make a fair bit of money; nevertheless weapons are purchasable and at incredibly steep cash prices. At the moment, the combination of pricing structure and the default equipment comes across as a bit greedy.

So will Planetside 2 expand its player base and thrive in the free-to-play market? Almost certainly, as it offers an FPS experience like no other. Being part of the fight in Planetside is simply epic, both in the scale of combat and how it’s presented. The sound design is excellent, it puts you into a war where explosions are thunderous and gunfire is everywhere. Graphically it will make your PC chug for middling quality. I’ve ended up playing with many settings on low to keep the framerate high. Especially during night fights where gunfire lights up the sky in spectacular displays.

If you want to jump into the action, the game client is available directly from the Planetside 2 website and through Steam. 

Survival of the Fittest: Natural Selection 2

When I first heard about Natural Selection, I thought the concept was a little crazy. Mixing FPS with RTS, Natural Selection 2 is the spawn of Starcraft mating with Unreal Tournament. Players fight across large scale maps as either a Frontiersman or Kharaa. Simply it’s humans against aliens, do you prefer guns or teeth?

The RTS side of the game is the most interesting. There’s one commander per side who locks themselves away in a command structure. They swap their FPS viewpoint for a top down RTS role and gain a new set of abilities. These allow the commander to place structures to expand and upgrade. Whilst also allowing them to give commands to other teammates and dropping them supplies. Taking out the enemy base will stop players from re-spawning after death, leading to success.

Being on the front lines is wildly different for each side. Humans have to rely heavily on their equipment. Starting out with an assault rifle and torch, they are just about a match for the basic alien known as the Skulk. Sticking together is vital; a lone ranger is an easy ambush target. Crucially there is no friendly fire. So as soon as the lead alien leaps out the shadows, you can open fire without fear of hitting a friend. It creates some fantastically frantic gameplay for both sides. Also, backwards movement is quite slow, so you have to commit to entering a room. Scanning the ceiling and vents for any nasty lurking enemies is vital, or you’ll quickly find yourself chewed to pieces.

The mouth-cam of the Kharaa is a curios perspective to play an FPS from. Trying to line up fangs with flesh takes some practice. A glancing nibble deals reduced damage, whereas a solid bite cuts humans to chunks. You’ll spend a lot of time as the Skulk, a fragile, fast moving alien. Its party piece is climbing up walls and ceilings, giving you access to alternative routes and ambushing possibilities. Again it’s an important skill to learn to be an effective Kharaa player. I found it difficult to stick to the ceiling whilst going through bulkheads. I’d often end up falling to the floor in front of Frontiersmen and end up playing the part of living target practice.

Unlike the humans who power up with new weapons and equipment; the alien players evolve into other life forms. Available at the start of the game is the Gorge, a support and construction role. Its main job is to assist the commander by speeding construction with healing breath. It can also place a few defensive structures to slow human players. It would look like an adorable little Hippo if it weren’t for the horrible tentacles growing out of it. The other alien life forms let you take to the skies, play as a phase shifting assassin and spawn as a living battering ram. All upgrades cost you personal resource which is gained from map control and general play.

A good commander is the key to victory. Their priority is to use teammates to secure the resource nodes dotted around the map. These resources drive the teams’ economy, granting quicker access to upgrades, thus gaining the upper hand.  Each side has different base structures which defines the strategy for each team.

The Frontiersman can place structures wherever they please. This allows them to build outposts and hold quiet corners of the map easily. All humans are equipped with a construction tool. Running up to the outline of a building and holding ‘E’ will slowly build the structure. More players will increase the build speed, but you’ll need someone watching your back. A group of distracted humans is dinner on a plate for the aliens. Power is the Frontiersman weakness. If the Kharaa knock out the power source in an area, all buildings stop working and the lights go out! This denies the resource, and creates the perfect environment to use their night vision.

Kharaa are much more limited in their expansion plans. The base has to be linked by a connected line of Cysts. These small glowing orange blobs spread infestation around themselves like a plague. Any structures placed on the infestation will function and grow. But if the Frontiersman break the chain, the infestation will retreat leaving buildings to wither and die.

Controlling the map’s resources and constructing secondary bases is the main plan for both sides. As the game progresses, the resources earned are converted into research and upgrades. This escalates into an arms race as each side aims to get access to its best equipment first. Humans utilise a variety of weapons such as flamethrowers and grenade launchers, as well as jetpacks and devastating mech-suits.

The aliens can evolve into greater life forms, and add to them with unlocked perks. These can allow them to move faster and in silence. On top of that they can gain quick health regeneration enabling some deadly hit and run attacks. Playing as the assassinating Fade, you can move at warp speed when fully evolved. I’ve run straight past targets accidentally due to ridiculous movement and then had to keep going past them to avoid the bullets aimed at my hide.

Overall, the feel of the game is that of a more old-school arena shooter. The reference to Unreal Tournament is very apt due to the fast pace of the game and no iron sights. With a little practice, picking up the FPS role of either side is straight forward. The command role however is very tricky, but equally very rewarding. There’s links to video tutorials within the game which is handy, but it’s a bit annoying to sit through several videos instead of learning through play.

The biggest flaw with the game is that the mechanics lead to a rich-get-richer scenario. When a team is dominating, it becomes impossible to turn a game around through good paly alone. To add to the loosing team’s misery; they have the choice of suicidal attacks, or to sit around and wait for the inevitable. But that is the nature of Nautral Selection 2. To get the most from it, you’ll need to find a server that suits your skill level for more balanced games. The complexity of the game’s mechanics come together to create an interesting, and most importantly fun game. 

This Is The MMO You Were Looking For?

Free to play has finally reached the galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: The Old Republic (SW:TOR) will be changing its subscription model from November 15^th. It’s only taken a year for what was expected to be EA’s flagship MMO, to be forced into a new revenue stream. And the retro fit really doesn’t work.

But before diving into the negatives of the change, there’s a big plus for anyone who hasn’t already tried it. The story content is fully unlocked to all free players. You can enjoy all eight class story arcs; if you have the patience to work your way through the arbitrary levelling mechanics. MMORPGs are often panned for poor story telling. SW:TOR genuinely bucked that trend. The story telling and character interaction got me incredibly invested in my character. I felt like an individual despite being surrounded by hundreds of other players. This is mostly down to the heavy use of instancing in the game. It’s odd to see lots of green barriers everywhere, but it works.

The only downside to the single player experience is that the planet story arcs are only interesting the first time. They’re also necessary to level up your character to continue your own personal story. So if you’re interested in playing more than one Republic or Empire character, you’ll have to put up with repeating a lot of content.

So if the game has gone free to play, how can there be any negatives? Well if you’re playing for free, you’re going to have to put up with some annoying travel handicaps. Sprint is a skill that can only be used by paying players to run faster. It’s really useful at low level for getting around. At the game’s launch, many players complained that it wasn’t unlocked at level one as it is now. Also, your quick travel uses will be limited. So you’ll need to get used public space transport.

Various other game elements have limited access for free players, or are entirely blocked. Most notable is the limitation on operations. Operations are SW:TOR’s  raid content, large dungeons pitting eight or sixteen players against the greatest threats to the galaxy. Like the rest of the game, operations are story driven and are good fun for a group of players. However as a free player, there’s no way to sample this content. You have to pay up front for something you might not enjoy.

This is just one element that will divide the player base. The idea of a free to play model is to let players sample content. Thus encouraging them spend money on accessing or getting more from the game for their time. But who will want to spend money on an unknown?

Ultimately, retro-fitting a free to play model to a subscription based game wasn’t going to be perfect.  It’s not surprising that a free player is treated like a second class citizen. But the smart choice would be to offer subscribers new benefits. There’s little reason to hang around once you’ve had your fill of the story. The endgame PvP and PvE isn’t as other MMOs. And with the imminent release of Planetside 2; and Guild Wars 2 offering a better experience overall. SW:TOR will need to carve out a fan base to survive in the market.

A full list of free to play limitations can be found here on the official website.

To Video!

Recently, I've tried my hand at converting the articles I post here on this blog into a video format. Hopefully this is just the beginning with more to follow, enjoy!

Planetside 2 Preview

Finally, the return of Planetside is almost here with a launch date set for late November. Since the original, MMOs have almost exclusively been RPGs. But now Sony Online Entertainment (SoE) has revived Planetside on an even greater scale and with a free to play model.

It was easy to miss the first the game, which was somewhat ahead of its time when MMOs were still niche. The technology back then could only handle a few hundred players on the same server. Now the battle for Auraxis has been expanded to thousands of players per server, each fighting for one of three factions.

The Terran Republic is the official government of Auraxis, providing law and order, but labelled a dictatorship by their opponents. The rebels known as the New Conglomerate are a rag-tag bunch of fighters with backing of industrial giants. And the Vanu Sovereignty who don’t care for the politics of Auraxis, but instead are focused on finding and utilising the alien artefacts scattered across the planet.

Currently the Beta is still expanding to include all the elements of the final release. At present the majority of the game assets are available to use. With almost all classes, weapons and unlocks being used in the Beta war.

Most importantly the FPS gameplay is solid. Each of the weapons has its own feel that comes from the various elements that define it, such as damage and recoil. The five classes have access to different primary weapons. Infiltrators utilise a deadly mix of a stealth suit and sniper rifles whereas the Heavy Assault carries a powerful light machine gun and anti-armour rocket launcher.

All classes have a personal shield which will regenerate out of combat. Any damage to your health bar has to be patched up by a friendly medic, or by spending resource on medi-packs. Going into battle with both filled makes you an incredibly tough target. Fire-fights are often won by the most accurate shooter as it can take whole clips to take out opponents. It adds a real sense of franticness and desperation to every encounter. Of course if you get flanked you’ll need good reactions to recover. 

Anyone who has played a Battlefield title will feel right at home. Vehicles are the lifeblood of any offensive action. There are several land and air vehicles accessible to each faction, with core vehicles shared between them. Battles are often won with the simple Sunderer. An armoured personnel carrier with two turrets; it has neither the punch nor speed of other vehicles. But it acts as a spawn point for all players who are part of your group, as well as letting you resupply ammunition and swap class. They are the linchpin of any assault; their value usually means they are parked in dense cover to protect them while troops pour out.

When battles get underway, they quickly reach an epic scale as the map alerts all players to the conflict. You soon find yourself fighting amongst armies over key objectives.  In one session, I found myself swept up in a two hour battle for a bridge linking facilities. We were outgunned by the tanks on their side, with no tanks of our own to return fire. Instead we brought a lot of Heavy Assault, running between the large support struts that provided cover. The bridge quickly became an alley full of rockets, their engineers unable to cope with the incoming fire. Sadly we were still outnumbered and unable to push forward off the bridge.

The stalemate was broken by a change in the enemy tactics.  Suddenly our forward squads were being picked off in cover. Their Infiltrators had stealthed in behind our positions while Light Assault troops had jet packed on top of the structure, reigning down fire from their vantage point. It wasn’t long before our position was broken. We were pushed back to our spawn point, and their armoured superiority meant it was only a matter of time before the facility fell. Having lost the battle, it was clear that Planetside 2 was going to distinguish itself in the FPS market. Not only because of its scale, but the fact strategy plays an important role. Planning you actions and acting as a team is the key to victory.

So far I only have one complaint; however it’s a fairly big one. The game doesn’t explain itself. Currently there aren’t any tutorials, so working out how to play beyond point gun and pull trigger has meant searching the internet for answers. The most important part of the game is teaming up with others, which can be simply done by pressing ‘p’ to bring up the party menu. It’s simple and clearly labelled in the key bindings, but you’re unlikely to stumble across it by searching through the menu. Any new player will quickly have a long list of questions they need answers too.

There are a lot of menu screens with many options. All are very functional with little clutter, but your first half an hour will be best spent understanding them. Hopefully the final release will have tutorials included to explain the basics. If SoE want the game to be a success, they need to remove this large barrier to entry so new players can quickly get into battle.

Play Expo

Last weekend Play Expo made its debut in Manchester, and it was a welcome sight. There’s a real lack of gaming events in the UK considering how large the sales of games are here. The event was billed as cosplay, retro games, pro gaming and new releases all under one roof. My real hope for the event was that the major publishers would showcase their upcoming releases, considering the Christmas period is just around the corner.

Sadly the event was a little disappointing on this front. Some big names attended. EA brought the latest Need For Speed and Medal Of Honor. Halo 4 was playable in a small multiplayer area and Nintendo brought a WiiU / 3DS booth. It was great that they attended, but the booths themselves were small and run by marketing firms. It was a long wait to get hands on for anything. The Nintendo area was quite open, so it was easier to just watch the WiiU in action rather than queue. It seems that the best way to play upcoming releases for Brits is to make the trip over to Germany for Gamescom.

The European Gaming League took up the majority of the expo floor. Rows upon rows of 360s were set up for competitive Call of Duty and Gears of War. It was easy to spot the more professional teams, turning up with team jerseys and matching headsets.  At the back of the event there was a large stage area set up. Unfortunately it was never used while we were there on the Saturday. It would have been great to see teams competing on the large screen. Instead, watching any part of the competition meant crowding around the teams, peering over their shoulders. There were no leader boards set up anywhere, so it wasn’t possible to keep track of anything.

The real highlight of the show was the large retro area. Once you got fed up in the queues for the few new releases, you could always grab a seat and enjoy some classic gaming. There was massive variety of games and consoles on show. I took the opportunity to play some Lemmings on an Amiga 600, alas the poor thing crashed after level 3 and needed resetting. There was also a large retro stall which at the start of the day had a selection that could rival eBay.

The best part of the event for me was the array of Pinball machines. They were a rare sight when I was young. So it was satisfying to sample an era of gaming that was before my time. All the machines had clearly been cared for and looked like they had come fresh from the arcade.

All in all, it was a fun event. And it’s good to see these events taking place as they are few and far between in the UK.

DLC and Play Expo

It's been a busy week, so only a quick update this week. Borderlands 2 has had it's first DLC appear sooner than expected. The Mechromancer is now available and is possibly the best class for playing solo. The class is designed around a summonable companion Deathtrap. A bigger and meaner version of the ever irritating Claptrap.

Deathtrap comes with the amazing power of no clip, which initially looks a bit silly, but makes sense as he's a melee death machine. He comes armed with a pair of combat claws and gets stuck in. This distracts enemies a lot and alleviates the problem of being the only target in single player. Most importantly the character is unique and doesn't feel like a re-work of a character from the first game.

This weekend has seen the Play Expo visit Manchester. The Saturday was definitely well attended. I was hoping to see a lot of current games on exhibit, but the majority of the expo was the EGL and the rather fantastic Re-Play event which I had seen earlier this year. Ninetendo brought a small booth to demonstrate the Wii U, but it wasn't big enough to accommodate the crowds. A full write up here next week!

Borderlands 2: Even Shootier!

One hundred and eighty, one hundred and eighty one, a critical hit for two hundred and fifty! Bingo! Destruction! Numbers swarm around your screen like a pack of angry maths Bees in Borderlands 2 and it never gets old. Unfortunately the same can’t be said of the NPCs and objectives they give you.

The sequel has built lightly on the foundations of the original. Tweaking the little things and putting a high polish on the funky fusion of FPS and ARPG. Still set on the planet of Pandora. A fresh group of four vault hunters set out on their quest for riches. Utilising the random weapons and explosives you loot along the way to build your arsenal and take down Handsome Jack. And find the real vault of Pandora.

Handsome Jack is the driving force of the game’s narrative. Having tricked the vault hunters in the first game. He’s now using his power as CEO of the Hyperion Corporation to unlock the real vault. Of course he’s not going to get it all his own way. You quickly become a thorn in his side by escaping his trap to kill any new pesky Vault Hunters. Only to discover a planet ravaged by his efforts. You quickly side with the resistance. The Crimson Lance led by Roland, one of the original Vault Hunters and set about taking Jack down.

Currently there’s only a choice of four characters. Salvador the Gunzerker, Maya the Siren, Axton the commando and Zero the assassin. They are all very familiar in theme to the first game’s characters in that their powers are similar. But this is where Borderlands 2 takes its first step forwards. The old powers were very disruptive to the FPS gameplay, which made them feel as if they had very limited use. The new powers synergise with the FPS nature of the game a lot better; either increasing your firepower or providing damaging support.

However it still suffers from a lack of active actions you can perform. Shooting is the majority of the action, with a few on-kill effects and your class power to liven things up. It would have been nice to see some minor powers thrown into the skill trees, giving the player more tools and active abilities to throw at enemies. Admittedly it would be a push for space on a controller, but it would help with replay-ability.

Another mechanical improvement is the introduction of badass ranks. These replace the old gun levelling system which married you tightly to your favourite gun in a literal shotgun wedding. Now you gain badass points for achieving the mass murder of hostile locals in a variety of ways. Get enough points and you can choose from five random character stats. Each provides a small percentage bonus to gun damage, shield capacity, melee damage etc. The bonuses have diminishing returns to discourage min-maxing.

The scenery also received a much needed upgrade. You’re no longer stuck in a desert environment for hours on end. Instead Borderlands 2 starts in a frozen tundra and within the first few hours of gameplay, the story takes you through other settings. Each of the new locations fits well with the cell shaded aesthetic.

The sequel makes further improvements over the first game. Most notable is the ridiculousness of the guns. The designers have clearly had a lot of fun coming up with new designs. The combinations of gun parts the game generates keeps providing moments of looting glee. There’s a lot more variety within the gun types as well, so you have a choice to make between guns. Do I go for the assault rifle that’s masquerading as a mini-gun, or the high power single shot for the tougher enemies? And these moments keep happening throughout the game, although the start is still a case of pick the one with biggest numbers.

If only the same variety could be found in your quests. The vast majority can be categorised into kill this and fetch that. Even worse, quests that make you back track through weaker enemies. After doing a few, I found they served little purpose. They weren’t even entertaining distractions. It was just a check-list of things to do, which exposed the shallowness of the experience. When you notice you’re doing tasks that pad-out the game, the numbers driving the ARPG side of the game take over. Everything you do simply pushes up arbitrary bars until you’re awesome enough to progress.

The problem would be muted if the minor NPCs actually did anything interesting. After a usually dramatic introduction with a funky splash screen, they promptly hand you their first list of chores. If they had back pockets, you’d see a whole wad of them stuffed in there. It would be nice if they actually played an active part in the quests they gave. I’d love to go out in the world and box some locals with Sir Hammerlock, but no; he just stands in Moxxi’s bar not even drinking. Barking fairly polite orders at you over the radio.

Thankfully the major NPCs aren’t quite so unanimated. Every now and then plot allows some of them to join in the fun. Handsome Jack steals the show as the best written character. His lines strike the right balance between the silliness of the world, and atrocious acts of evil. Brilliantly voice acted by Dameon Clarke. You get the sense that every line is delivered with a sadistic smile.

Ultimately Borderlands 2 is still a game that is best enjoyed in multiplayer. Playing solo is ok, but after a while you do get tired of all the enemies shooting you. Having allies makes the combat a lot more satisfying, hiding the monotony of the gameplay. It also allows you to get something out the equipment and skills with team benefits. If only the game was designed to let characters at different levels join the same game. You can always join a friend at low level, but you’ll be able to kill everything with a single melee attack. The game sticks to rigidly to a levelling system. Borderlands 2 is a high quality game, but if the series wants to progress for good to great. Quests and multiplayer need a big overhaul.