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!