Hands on with: Arkadian Warriors

When I put up the press release for this game I had no idea it was coming out so soon. This is the kind of thing I have wanted to see on Xbox Live Arcade for a long time. Is it worth it? Maybe. The game gives you three characters to choose from: a Warrior, an Archer and a Sorceress. I have played to level five with a Warrior and have not tried the other two classes. The game plays like Diablo and all of its clones. That is to say, it is very familiar. You get quests in a small town and a gateway opens up to portal you to the quest location. No wandering around trying to find where you are supposed to go with this game! You then proceed to travel through randomly generated dungeons hacking and slashing your way past a veritable cornucopia of monsters. There isn't much strategy to combat, after all it is a Diablo clone. You can find magic items and as you level you unlock various abilities for your class. One odd thing is that when you slash your sword, it doesn't make a sound when it contacts a monster. It feels like you are just swishing it around. Oddly, it does make a sound when you hit other objects. So far the quests have been the standard fare that one sees in these types of games and in MMOs. I think games like Dungeon Runners and Fate are better and I would dearly like to see them on Xbox Live Arcade. This games seems to be a fun diversion and if you are a fan of Diablo/Gauntlet clones then you will enjoy it. You can also link up with a friend to do some coop dungeon exploring. By the way, speaking of Gauntlet, where the hell is Gauntlet 2 for Xbox Live Arcade?

Yahtzee Reviews Guitar Hero 3

Hilarity ensues...

My cat Frodo as a LOL Cat

I have been busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond, so here is a picture of my cat.

Xbox 360 dashboard updated.

Redmond , Washington—Your Xbox LIVE® friends list is about to get a whole lot bigger. Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Windows LIVE™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft® Windows®-based PCs and Windows Mobile®-powered devices.

Chat with your friends via Live Messenger.

Chat with your friends via Live Messenger.

With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.
"Xbox LIVE has really become the
largest social network on television."
—Jerry Johnson, Microsoft

Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 Spring Update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox LIVE social network.

More details here.

I downloaded the update last night and for the most part I liked what I saw. I did have some problems though. Everyone's gamerscores showed up as 0 and I kept crashing when I tried to voice chat with a friend of mine. I am putting that down to network overload. I'll check it out more tonight along with the new Xvid support.

It's like they read my mind... Uh oh.

Arkadian Warriors™
Release Date: December 12, 2007
Studio: Sierra Online
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Wanako Games
Number of Players: 1 - 2

Define your legacy… Awaken your inner-beast…

Fight with one of Artemis' three powerful warriors to the ultimate confrontation with Gorgon herself. Spanning treacherous dungeons consisting of countless enemies, heinous and powerful bosses, your warriors will embark on a trek of unimaginable proportions.

* 3 Mighty Warriors – Soldier, Archer and Sorceress – each with unique leveling-up ability

* Monstrous Shape-Shifting Ability – Each Warrior transforms into their own iconic alter ego – Phoenix, Lion or Dragon – with increased power to crush their enemies

* Diverse Dungeon Generator – Never battle enemies in the same dungeon twice.

* Intense Multiplayer Co-Op Action – 2 players online or off






I have been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have a Diabloesque game for Xbox Live Arcade. You know, a nice little dungeon crawl you can pop in to and get your adventuring on for a while, maybe even play with a friend. Looks like Sierra has gone and done just that. The game should be out in a few months. I'll have more on it when it is released.

Mass Effect Raises the Bar.... REALLY high.

Mass Effect™ is a sci-fi action RPG created by BioWare, the commercially and critically acclaimed developer of Jade Empire™ and Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™. Mass Effect delivers an immersive, story-driven experience coupled with awe-inspiring visuals, delivered exclusively to the Xbox 360™.

As one of the first human beings to step onto the galactic stage, you face a grave threat that may destroy all of civilization. Your job is complicated by the fact that no one believes that there is any threat at all. Travel across an expansive universe, exploring the uncharted corners of the galaxy, searching for pieces of the truth in order to discover how to defeat the coming destruction.

• Explore uncharted worlds: Uncover a mystery that defies imagination as you travel to the far corners of the universe. Visit unexplored planets, finding side quests that unfold parallel to the main story. Discover alien life, new resources, ruined civilizations, and powerful technologies.
• Fight in real-time: Mass Effect features a real-time, squad-based, tactical combat system. Enjoy intense and exciting third-person action as you face off against your enemies. Engage your foes with ranged weapons, biotic powers, science-based magic, and tech powers, all accompanied by astonishing visuals.
• Customize your character: Build a stunning, photo-realistic character, expanding your skills and statistics as you progress. Utilize a deep reward system as you travel further afield and discover more about the coming invasion. Change the appearance of your characters with the additions of newly discovered weapons, equipment, and armor to make each one truly unique.
• Experience the next generation: Mass Effect takes full advantage of Xbox 360 hardware, providing players with photo-realistic high definition graphics, amazingly realistic characters, branching dialogue with A.I. responses, and a massive universe to explore. As the future of gaming continues to expand online, look for premium downloads on Xbox LIVE®.

Ok, blah blah blah. How does it play? Like a Sci-fi geek's wet dream, that's how! Playing this game is like being in a great Sci-Fi movie and controlling the outcome. It's the kind of thing I always pretend to be doing in most other RPGs. In this case, Bioware has pulled it off. There are plenty of tuff decisions that effect game play, stunning graphics and a great story. Everything is streamlined so much you are almost never taken out of character and feel as if you are watching from the outside. The combat is visceral and engaging with a myriad of options. You can micro manage your party members or let them go on their own according to their personalities. Each NPC is well developed and has a long and interesting back story. I can't say a lot more without giving away some of the plot so I will just leave with this: Buy it.

Yahtzee takes on the latest F.E.A.R. expansion.

Bloodspell

I am not a huge fan of Machinima, but this is truly great. Some folks took the Neverwinter Nights engine and made a really cool fantasy movie with it. The writing is fantastic and so is the soundtrack. It takes a few minutes to get over the fact that it is done with such an old engine, but it is well worth it. I have to credit Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality for the find. Enjoy.

Movie.

Synopsis:

It is a story of a world where men and women carry magic in their blood, and spilling it can unleash terrible power.

Where these "Blooded" hide in fetid slums from the Church of the Angels, commanded by their divine masters to "cleanse" the Blood Magic.

Where choices are fraught, alliances rarely safe, and blood is all.

A young monk named Jered flees the Church when his own Blood Magic is released. Now he must survive the pursuit of the Church, the gladiatorial pits of the Blooded underground, and the hidden truths of the ancient struggle. The choices he makes will tip the balance of the war between Church and Blooded, and change his world forever.

Mixing a vivid world with fast-paced action and punk attitude, we think BloodSpell will be like no film you`ve ever seen.

It is made using the game Neverwinter Nights, and is written and directed by Machinima pioneer Hugh Hancock

Shivering Isles for PS3 owners....finally.

November 20, 2007 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that The Elder Scrolls® IV: Shivering Isles™ for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system from SCEA is now shipping to North American retail stores. This standalone disc will allow gamers who already own The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® to experience the award-winning expansion.

This new retail product follows the October release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (GotY) for PLAYSTATION®3 system, which includes the Shivering Isles expansion. Originally released in March 2006 for Windows and Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and in March 2007 for PLAYSTATION®3 system, Oblivion has already earned countless awards from publications around the world and won numerous Game of the Year and RPG of the Year awards.

Oblivion features a powerful combination of free-form gameplay, unprecedented graphics, cutting edge AI, character voices by acting legends Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terrance Stamp, and Lynda Carter, and an award-winning soundtrack. Gamers can choose to unravel Oblivion’s epic narrative at their own pace or explore the vast world in search of their own unique challenges.

With more than 30 hours of new gameplay, Shivering Isles allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion – the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides – Mania and Dementia –filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. Sheogorath himself looks to you to be his champion and defend his realm and its inhabitants from destruction as you discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and much more.

Shivering Isles for PLAYSTATION®3 system will also be available for download on the PLAYSTATION®Network (North American, English only) beginning November 29^th. Shivering Isles is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Oblivion, Shivering Isles, or The Elder Scrolls, visit www.elderscrolls.com.

Bethesda unleashes some Star Trek Wii goodness

Bethesda Softworks Announces

STAR TREK®: Conquest Now Shipping in North America

STAR TREK®: Conquest to be Available This Week for

Wii™ and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system

November 19, 2007 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced that STAR TREK®: Conquest for the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 system is shipping to North American retail stores. Conquest features a blend of strategy and intense action set in the STAR TREK: The Next Generation® era and will be available on store shelves throughout North America as early as tomorrow.

Take control of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, and Breen forces and lead them in a campaign to control the Galaxy, one planet at a time. You can build and manage your growing empire in turn-based strategy, fully utilizing the Wii Remote™ as you select and maneuver your Starships throughout the large, galactic map.

Strategically, you must effectively manage limited resources to expand your empire. You decide how to best achieve objectives by ordering your fleets and admirals, building support structures, researching technology, and engaging your enemies in combat.

Once battle is initiated, Conquest switches to a ship level tactical view allowing direct command of your ships as you engage in real-time combat. While maneuvering your Starship with the Nunchuk™, you can take direct aim and fire away with the Wii Remote™.

Conquest has been rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will retail for an estimated MSRP of $29.99 on the Wii™ and $14.99 on the PlayStation®2 system. For more information visit http://startrek.bethsoft.com.