tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194008187291375522023-11-15T23:46:07.864-08:00Bentback RevueAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-27111801886357818942012-09-03T15:58:00.003-07:002012-09-03T15:59:45.941-07:00Neverwares Artist Statement<strong style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">War Once Raged Across These Planes</span></strong><br />
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<strong style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">"Smoke rose and blotted the sun, fire lit the smoke from below, and death fueled the fires of war one lost life at a time. Those days of legend and valour are long gone now, centuries of dust have settled on this ancient battlefield, and even the scavengers have left for richer gains. But one small house now stands atop a crest of dirt, a crystalline optic scope jutting from it like a left-over antenna.<br /><br />He lives there. Some call him infirm for the theories he publishes year after year, his library taken up by the moldering tomes of his science. He has mastered the art of seeing into the past. By day he sits perched on a rickety stool, held together only by twine and purpose, peering into the tiny lens of this great, masterwork temporal looking glass. By night he feverishly writes his findings in records and theses which will eventually lead directly to his demise.<br /><br />But what of this man's daughter? Neglected and forlorn, she wanders the ancient, barren landscape, carving hidden places and finding curios amidst the aged, unused ruins. She builds with the ancestral fever that encompasses her father, but her pursuit is a much more dramatic one. Sculpting her found art into what must have looked to anyone, were there anyone to see, strange amulets glinting in the heat, rings of great power to keep the past at bay, and full suits of eccentric armour. She was more a historian than her father ever was, and she reforged artifacts of the past in minute detail and scale.<br /><br />These are her artworks."</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.neverwares.ca/" target="_blank"><b>Neverwares Website</b></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-37691548876058457522012-03-21T15:07:00.000-07:002012-03-21T15:09:47.496-07:00Review - In Deep with Sine MoraGameplay: 8<br />
Presentation: 10<br />
Replayability: 7<br />
Overall Score: 9<br />
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sine Mora</em> is a modern 2.5D (2D plane of movement, but rendered in 3D) side-scrolling shoot ‘em up with the heart of a classic. If you are a fan of old-school games like <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gradius</em>, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">R-Type</em>, or<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Darius</em>, you will certainly feel at home with the fairly simple gameplay mechanics, frantic dodging action, and the huge mega-bosses that permeate the seas and skies of Sine Mora. The game has been co-developed by both Digital Reality (<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sky Drift</em>, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dead Block</em>) and Grasshopper Manufacture, (<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle</em>, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Chainsaw Lollipop</em>) and is being published by Microsoft exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade.</div>
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Starting the game, there are several game modes to choose from. You can opt to play Story, Arcade, or Score Attack. Playing Story mode is, predictably, the way you unlock all the characters and ships. That’s where most of the presentation is held with it’s story sequences, prologue chapter, and threaded pilot banter. Story mode also houses the two easiest game settings, Normal and Challenging. Arcade mode ramps up the difficulty with more and tougher enemies, limits your life (here represented as a time limit) to only a few seconds, and also cuts out all of the story bits that you’ve probably seen too many times if you’re willing to jump into this difficulty level. There are two difficulty levels here, Hard and Insane, the latter boasts “FOR THE MANIAKKU OR SUPERPLAY ATTEMPTS ONLY!” It is true, this mode is soul-crushingly hard. Score Attack allows you to play a single level through over and over again, rising in rank on the leaderboards until you are satisfied with your score, then you may move onto any other level you wish to improve upon. This mode also has the Hard and Insane difficulty levels, like Arcade mode.</div>
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The action itself is some heart-pounding, side-scrolling stuff. Your ship can take a few hits, but you don’t have a life-meter as much as you do a time-limit. Displayed prominently at the top-centre of the screen, this time-limit can be increased by killing enemies and collecting certain power-ups as you progress and depletes as time wears on into the level. This tends to keep you in the action as you will want to constantly be killing enemies rather than sweeping around them to avoid their fire. There are no breaks in any of the modes other than story, where presentation plays a much bigger role in the game progression.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen09.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3593" height="127" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen09-300x127.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sine_mora_screen09" width="300" /></a>Your ship has three kinds of weapons. Your basic A-button fire, a secondary weapon, and a time-manipulation device. The basic pea-shooter is auto-fire (you can simply hold A to fire, rather than tapping the button repeatedly) and upgradable in 9 steps. The tutorial at the beginning calls these upgrades “permanent” but the power-ups tend to fall out of your ship when you get hit, making them very difficult to hold on to. Imagine you’ve been collecting power-ups for a while and you have just acquired your 7th-step, you come to a particularly hazardous bit of the level and the screen is suddenly filled with projectiles, one of them grazes you and all of your hard-earned power-ups go flying out the nose of your ship. Since this bit is particularly hairy, you dare not sweep across the screen to try and collect them and they all fly off-screen. What you are left with is what amounts to a squirt gun, ineffective and unimpressive. This promotes a feeling of transience in the level of your basic firepower, how very un-permanent. Since the enemies have a true life-meter and take at least a couple hits to take down with the bottom-tier basic weapon, and since killing enemies is how power-ups appear on the screen, it becomes increasingly difficult to acquire power-ups as your machinegun lowers its step.</div>
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The secondary fire is dependent on which pilot is flying your ship, each pilot has a different form of secondary fire that they prefer, so there is a little flavour in weapon selection that other similar games are lacking. In Story mode the current pilot is a predetermined value, but in Arcade and Score Attack, you can choose which pilot you’d like to have in the seat. The weapons are anything from basic seeker missiles to splash-damage bombs and some more exotic weaponry. They are generally standard fare, I nearly always choose the seeker missile to help me garner more time when I’m running low.</div>
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The time-manipulation devices are one of the main features in this game. When I first heard about this game, I thought that it would be like <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Braid</em> where you need to puzzle out which things to do at the same time and use a time looping function to achieve that goal. I was disappointed with the final choices the developers made for these devices. They don’t play nearly as much of a role as I thought they would, and, while there is a time-reversal device, none of the devices are utilized as a puzzle mechanic. Indeed, there are no puzzley bits at all in this game. That might be my fault for expecting something different from what, to other people, probably looks like a very standard side-scrolling shooter, but I feel like they missed something that could have made this game stand out, wave their arms, and scream “Look at me! I’m something you’ve never seen before!” At any rate, the manipulation devices range from the aforementioned time-reversal (even after you explode in a firey ball,) to speed-up (which makes everything else look as if it is moving slowly, a huge help for getting out of tight spots,) and even bullet-reflection. Don’t ask me how bullet-reflection is a time-manipulation device, this is not exactly hard sci-fi here. The device that you select before entering a stage is displayed with your other stats on the upper right-hand portion of the screen. Interestingly enough, this gauge appears as a little tube filled with blue, rather than a group of units. This means that you can use your device exactly as much or as sparingly as you choose.</div>
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The large multi-part, often multi-screen bosses are impressive and very deadly. Once you’ve played through on Story <a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen08.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3592" height="127" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen08-300x127.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; float: right; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sine_mora_screen08" width="300" /></a>mode and are ready for the Arcade experience, you will fight these bosses over and over again before bringing them down at these higher difficulties. Example: A seemingly impossible-to-avoid lasers that sweeps the screen, depleting your time and killing you instantly can be avoided by flying right up to the optic lens and remaining a constant half centimeter above it as is cleanses the rest of the screen in holy fire. This took me three tries to figure out and another two to actually execute the maneuver in the time between realizing that the enemy is about to shoot and when it actually does. Once I got this technique down, the boss was actually fairly easy. There are numerous patterns for all of the bosses in the game, and as a player you will likewise be trying again and again to figure out that pattern and execute it so that the bosses can be taken down.</div>
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One interesting and very useful function is the addition of a Boss Practice mode, which can be selected at the mode selection screen after you have defeated and unlocked the first boss of the game. This allows you to hone your skills for the boss battles without actually having to go through the entire level to do so. I can think of a few games which would have benefited greatly from this function. (The entire <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Mega Man </em>series, I’m looking at you.)</div>
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One major gripe that I have with this game is that you can’t reconfigure the buttons. Under the “Local Capabilities” heading in the description of the game on XBLA, is states specifically that arcade joysticks are supported. Now, let’s disregard the fact that arcade joysticks are supported in ANY game which uses the D-pad in the same way that it uses the left analog (for movement.) That leaves us with either a convenient button arrangement for use on the arcade stick or input reprogramability to make it work. This game has neither of those things, meaning that when using my HORI arcade stick, the active buttons are spread out over the face button in a very awkward and clunky way. To clarify, what it does have is three control schemes. These schemes may or may not work with whichever arcade stick you currently have, so I will list them here so that you can compare them with your stick layout.</div>
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Type A – Primary Fire=A, Secondary Fire=B, Time Capsule=RT</div>
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Type B – Primary Fire=A, Secondary Fire=X, Time Capsule=Y</div>
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Type C – Primary Fire=A, Secondary Fire=B, Time Capsule=X</div>
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The story is told by way of both narrated text at the beginning of each level, and also pilot banter. The opening level narrative is entirely voiced in what sounds like Russian to me, but the text is in English. There is a distinct lack of feeling in each of these sequences. Having the Russian voice-acting seems too melodramatic a move for so flat a delivery, and I find myself skipping over these sequences quite often. On the other hand, the pilot banter sequences are quite good. They are full of character and feeling, you can feel the hatred when one pilot sincerely wishes death on another pilot with whom they are trying to pull off a mission. The character interaction is well written and executed, making for some messed up emotional reactions on the player’s part when you realize, for example, that the pilot you are currently utilizing is blackmailing another into working for him. I ended up rooting for one particular side of that tension, even though I needed to wield all the pilots to their utmost capacity in play.</div>
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The timeline in the earlier levels is a little bit convoluted as you play several different points of view that take place simultaneously through the missions. The pilots have strong personalities and are well-characterized, so playing some of them is bonding, and certain stages are memorable, not only for the gameplay and boss battles, but for achieving a goal that the pilots have set for themselves. The dialogue is used as a benchmark as you hear the same clips of conversation before and after communication is broken with some characters and then established with others, introducing new characters and new facets to the increasingly emotionally complicated story of wartime ethics and morality. Unfortunately, during the middle levels, the story is put on the backburner as dialogue doesn’t amount to much more than “I’ll kill you, you giant hunk of metal!” Which leaves us with only he aforementioned flat Russian narratives at the beginnings of each level. In the end, I ended up confused, not because the story was badly written, but because the ethics involved were confusing and I ended up never touching certain pilots in arcade mode because I truly didn’t like their character.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen06.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-3590 alignleft" height="127" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sine_mora_screen06-300x127.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sine_mora_screen06" width="300" /></a>The graphic design is advertised as Diesel-Punk. I don’t know precisely what that means, but it ends up looking like a WW2-era cross between <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">1942</em> (the game,) <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Metropolis</em>, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">James Cameron’s Avatar</em> (more in the jungle level),<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dark Cloud 2</em>, and <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Last Exile</em>. The game is completely epic in scale and everything big looks, sounds, and feels big. Small things are hard to hit and everything is just impossibly heavy. Deadly, poisonous insects must be navigated around or shot down, huge war Zeppelins fill the sky, floating cities with dubious yet hauntingly beautiful underbellies become the playing field for epic struggles for domination and liberty.</div>
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The characters are Furries. I’m not going to beat around this too much, they are Anthromorphs. The females are designed to look sexy and the males are designed to be hulks. I am not a lover of Anthromorphs utilized in games, but I don’t have a strong aversion to them either. I can forgive the game this slight transgression because the rest of the game is so good. I didn’t mind the cast of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">StarFox</em> either, since the game was solid and even boundary-pushing for its time, the same holds true here. If you can’t stand Furries in your video games, then I wouldn’t recommend this game to you. If you either don’t mind or love Anthromorphs, these ones are well drawn and characterized. The characters are worthy of the names and personalities they are given.</div>
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The music was designed by none other than Akira Yamaoka (<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Silent Hill</em>, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Shadows of the Damned</em>) so be prepared for some eerie delay in the atmospheric noise and piano so soft that it sounds as if the instrument is made of feathers. There are some creepy off-key parts which honestly send chills up my spine in remembrance of older survival horror experiences. A+ music for sure.</div>
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If you’re looking for a solid arcade experience, deep characters, and an amazing presentation and find a few extra pesos in your pocket, buy <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sine Mora</em>. If you came for <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Braid</em>-style, genre-shattering, time-manipulation-based puzzle gameplay, take another look at what makes up the core of this game before purchasing, though I still recommend it to everyone with a 360.</div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-58120416183818767132012-03-17T15:02:00.000-07:002012-03-21T15:04:11.496-07:00Reflections on a Save Crystal Episode 5<br />
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In this episode we have more goofs per minute than is federally allowed, they are coated in so much trans fat and poo that we warn against ingesting them all at once. This weeks news was about Diablo III, Mr.Tit, Obsolete PSP games, Birds in space, and Journey.We also tried something new with the audio, let us know what you think.</div>
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This episodes reflection is: “We can all agree that music plays an important part in games, but just how important? Can a game be made or broken by its soundtrack? When has music been great, and when has music been terrible for you? During a multiplayer competitive game should there be music? What do you think about the move from actual music to ambient sound? Are there any soundtracks or songs from games that we carry with us from day to day? If so is it because it is good music or is it because it is tied to the memories of the game? Opinions on Custom soundtracks, games they should or should not be in and why?”</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><em style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="mailto:ReflectionsOnASaveCrystal@Gmail.com" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Send us emails, you might just get a free game.</a></em></strong></div>
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First Song was <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/view.php?id=638435&sub=32194" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Without Taking the Jewel by Cronamut</a></div>
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Second Song was <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/467018" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Walking in Circles by O4ranges</a></div>
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Final Song was <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/461312" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Megaman Dubstep Remake</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-80741555021885975622012-03-15T08:19:00.000-07:002012-03-15T08:22:18.213-07:00Diablo III Launching May 15 – Digital Pre-Order Open Now<br />
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The End of Days approaches…. Diablo III will be unleashed from the Burning Hells on May 15, 2012, and you can be ready to play the minute the servers go live by <a href="https://us.battle.net/account/activation/landing.html?product=D3" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">pre-purchasing the game digitally on Battle.net</a> today.</div>
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Beginning May 15, players around the world will be able to return to Tristram to discover the dark secrets of a fallen star and begin their quest to save Sanctuary from the impending demonic invasion. To secure your place as a barbarian, monk, demon hunter, witch doctor, or wizard right now, simply log in to your Battle.net account, and then purchase and download* Diablo III, and you’ll be ready to play when the game launches.</div>
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– Blizzard Entertainment</div>
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There you have it, folks. An official release date for the long-anticipated third installment in the venerable Diablo series. This Blizzard classic has captured the imagination of millions of fans across the globe and the latest chapter is shaping up to be just as engrossing.</div>
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The free copy with every annual pass to WoW is also still available, but only until May 1. If you are a World of Warcraft fan, and have been waiting patiently for this, <a href="http://us.media.blizzard.com/wow/promotion/wap/en-us.html" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</a> is your in.</div>
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With pre-sales now open, I will be securing a copy immediately. Meet you in Tristram!</div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-44639499952027472592012-03-12T08:38:00.000-07:002012-03-14T09:22:29.288-07:00Warlock: Master of the Arcane coming to PC<br />
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The land is a place of magic and mystery. Mages are powerful and benevolent beings who are looked to, not only for direction and wisdom, but also to rule over the lands they survey. One by one, the Mages came to realise that there is only one solution to the world’s perpetual and perennial problems, one Warlock to rule them all. The bond was struck and the test of might began between all the most powerful wizards in the world, who would become the Warlock?</div>
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Nothing less than complete control over the entire world is your ultimate goal in Paradox Interactive’s new upcoming title, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Warlock: Master of the Arcane</em>. To be released in the second quarter of this year, this hex-based strategy game looks, on the surface, to be a Civ-like game in a fantasy setting. Judge for yourself with the new trailer unveiled during the recent Game Developers Conference.</div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-22041941977952035142012-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:002012-03-14T08:49:03.625-07:00A Wild Trainer Appeared Episode 1<br />
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<img alt="A wild trainer appeared ep 1" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/A-wild-trainer-appeared-ep-1-600x300.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="A wild trainer appeared ep 1" width="600" /></div>
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In this episode Raven and Chris talk about how they have not played Pokemon so very much recently. They talk a little speculation about Black and White 2. They also dive deep into Torterra and make one killer moveset.</div>
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If you want to join in the conversation send an email to <a href="http://levelsavepodcasts.podbean.com/admin/awildtrainerappeared@gmail.com" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">AWildTrainerAppeared@gmail.com</a></div>
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Intro was <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/405159" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Pok by Thepipandgrimble</a></div>
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Closing song was <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/416891" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Temporal Tower Remix by TheGuitahHero</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-15676409703996856472012-03-09T08:50:00.000-08:002012-03-14T08:53:09.837-07:00War of the Roses – Death Before Dishonor Video Series Debut<br />
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<img alt="WaroftheRoses_.logo.red-white.final.v" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WaroftheRoses_.logo_.red-white.final_.v-600x300.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="WaroftheRoses_.logo.red-white.final.v" width="600" /></div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">War of the Roses</em>, a multiplayer action game published by leading strategists Paradox Interactive, is currently under development and slated to be released in the third quarter of this year. On the surface the game seems to be somewhat similar to <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Mount & Blade</em>, though with notable exceptions: Your control of a knight, rather than a commander, being the first and formost difference between the two games; the greater focus on multiplay being a close runner-up. In fact, reports have it that the two games will be played very differently.</div>
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A series of videos will be released by Paradox in order to promote the game. The videos, entitled the Death and Dishonor series, have recently received its debut installment, episode 1. This video is somewhat gruesome and may not be for the easily startled, you have been warned.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tfBwL6e-lSg" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Also, here are some screencaps.</div>
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<dt class="gallery-icon" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WaroftheRoses_GDC_Alpha_Crossbowman.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="WaroftheRoses_GDC_Alpha_Crossbowman"><img alt="WaroftheRoses_GDC_Alpha_Crossbowman" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WaroftheRoses_GDC_Alpha_Crossbowman-150x150.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="WaroftheRoses_GDC_Alpha_Crossbowman" width="150" /></a></dt>
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<dt class="gallery-icon" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WaroftheRoses_.logo_.red-white.final_.v-e1331314330358.png" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="WaroftheRoses_.logo.red-white.final.v"><img alt="WaroftheRoses_.logo.red-white.final.v" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/WaroftheRoses_.logo_.red-white.final_.v-150x150.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(207, 207, 207); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="WaroftheRoses_.logo.red-white.final.v" width="150" /></a></dt>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-13308269270347443442012-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:002012-03-14T09:01:26.942-07:00New Wakfu Character Class Videos<br />
<div class="post-thumb" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/img-bg.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: repeat repeat; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<img alt="wakfu" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/wakfu-600x300.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="wakfu" width="600" /></div>
<div class="post-entry" style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Showing off the barbarian Sacrier’s Blood and the clockwork Xelor’s Sandglass character classes, these videos give us a peek at the powers and feel of each of these options. Beautifully rendered, multiplayer Tactical RPG <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Wakfu</em> by Square-Enix offers up much in the way of choice and strategic action, and the character art is so cute.. Kawaai! ^._.^</div>
<div class="video-shortcode" style="margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/torhfIQf7LE" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eWMH3ZR1m2o" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Wakfu</em> on the web: <a href="http://www.wakfu.com/na/mmorpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.wakfu.com/na/mmorpg</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-40842496694347195632012-03-07T08:55:00.000-08:002012-03-14T08:57:39.552-07:00Defenders of Ardania Coming to XBLA and Windows PC on March 14<br />
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<img alt="Defenders_of_Ardania_logo_White" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Defenders_of_Ardania_logo_White-575x300.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Defenders_of_Ardania_logo_White" width="575" /></div>
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The critically-acclaimed iPad sensation, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Defenders of Ardania</em>, has been out on the iPad for a while now and is garnering the attention of strategy gamers everywhere. It was instantly recognized as a quality Tower Defence game with a twist, you control only one faction on a field full of other towers. You send your troops across the perilous paths of traps laid by your enemies and set down damage-dealing towers of your own as one of several unique factions making up the denizens of the <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Majesty</em> universe.</div>
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This recent hit now has a date connected to the release of its XBLA and Windows PC iterations, March 14! The wait is almost over and to celebrate, Paradox Interactive has graced us with a new gameplay video. Let’s take a look:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LfngDuEwFs0" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<a href="http://www.defendersofardania.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Defenders of Ardania on the web.</a></div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/reviews/defenders-of-ardania/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read our review! </a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-32502915587015299822012-03-04T20:33:00.000-08:002012-03-04T20:33:57.079-08:00Review - Vessel: A Steam-Powered, Dystopian Romp<br />
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<img alt="vessel_title_no_train" class="attachment-review-thumb-big wp-post-image" height="138" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/vessel_title_no_train-e1330920107946.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="vessel_title_no_train" width="145" /></div>
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<div class="overall-score green" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/big-rating-green.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: left; height: 102px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative; width: 102px;">
<span class="the-score" style="color: #333333; font-family: BebasNeueRegular; font-size: 54px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 29px; width: 102px;">8</span><span class="overall-text" style="color: #777777; font-size: 10px; left: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; top: 20px;">Overall Score</span></div>
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<div class="score-item" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-bg.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;">
<span class="score-label" style="color: #666666; left: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">Presentation:</span><span class="score" style="color: #777777; font-weight: bold; left: 94px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">9/10</span><div class="score-bg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-9.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; left: 131px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; width: 200px;">
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<div class="score-item" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-bg.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;">
<span class="score-label" style="color: #666666; left: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">Gameplay:</span><span class="score" style="color: #777777; font-weight: bold; left: 94px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">8/10</span><div class="score-bg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-8.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; left: 131px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; width: 200px;">
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<div class="score-item" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-bg.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;">
<span class="score-label" style="color: #666666; left: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">Replay Value:</span><span class="score" style="color: #777777; font-weight: bold; left: 94px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; text-shadow: rgb(255, 255, 255) 1px 1px 1px; top: 8px;">6/10</span><div class="score-bg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/score-6.png); background-origin: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 32px; left: 131px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; width: 200px;">
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<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Do Fluros dream of liquid sheep? That is the unanswerable question posed in Strange Loop Games’ new title, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Vessel</em>. Combining a run-n-gun/puzzle-platformer game style with an engine built to model particle liquid effects, this game has you working out how to activate the various buttons and levers required to fix each or the 8 broken machines in this Bioshock-esque universe.</div>
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You begin the game with a cutscene, stills and text pieced together in true indie game-fashion. The opening movie tells the story of a well-meaning scientist who creates a race of unintelligent creatures known only as the Fluros. These passive creatures would do humanity’s dirty work: The hard and dangerous jobs. After a few years of idyllic, virtually free labour, people began to notice something. Changes in the way the entirely liquid-based Fluros act began to become apparent. New forms of Fluros began being sighted in the bowels of the machinery. Some were not as friendly as their engineered counterparts, and problems began to arise. The factory was shut down and our hero, the aforementioned scientist, is called in to discover the problem with the Fluros and fix the issues so that life can go on once again as normal.</div>
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Friendly Fluros always try to press buttons.. Always.</div>
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The way this game is feels, with it’s rooms and caverns filled with secret passageways and inaccessible rooms, is often reminiscent of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Braid</em> or <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Myst</em>, as if a deeper meaning could be found in the basic gameplay and images left behind your eyes well after you lay down for bed. The lighting is eerie in certain parts, leading you to believe that there must be some mechanical value to the sparse, lonely lamp hanging from the overhead trolley that you are trundling along on. Unfortunately, Strange Loop missed the boat on that particular mechanic and chose instead to focus more heavily on liquid-physics and lever-pulling. The liquid itself is peculiar, looking more like balls rolling around on the screen than real liquid. I would be hesitant to call this a liquid-physics based puzzle-platformer if the designers didn’t coin it so. It looks more like sophisticated but coarse (as opposed to fine) particle-physics. The environments themselves are in a style that speaks to steampunk, industry, and dungeon-delving. The protagonist seems cut straight from <a href="http://www.thomasdolby.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Thomas Dolby’s mythical dystopia</a>, while the abandoned factories seem to scream the word “alone” in the space between our hero’s footsteps, and the caverns drip with water from the damp ceilings. The machines are another matter altogether. These hulking pieces of metal are very functional pieces used almost exclusively to propagate and enhance the gameplay. The steam collectors, iron platforms, and water spouts never seem to quite fit into the look of the environments, as if the rooms were made first and the puzzles built to fit the room, rather than the other way around. This particular phenomenon left me with a feeling that I felt while playing The Incredible Machine. I felt that I should be able to add and remove pieces of machinery at will, which of course would break every puzzle in the game.</div>
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The sound is really something else. Your overlarge boots loudly ring out in steel corridors and thud against wet dirt, your begoggled helmet bangs against the ceiling as you try to avoid ground-level lava in a low passageway, and the music.. Strange Loop really scored when they got <a href="http://www.jonhopkins.co.uk/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jon Hopkins</a> (who worked on the sci-fi hit <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Monsters</em> and with artists such as Coldplay, Brian Ino, and Imogen Heap.) He has created an original, haunting, full-length electronic album which is dynamically remixed into each puzzle and scene. Returning to themes from earlier levels and providing audio clues as to how to solve each problem that you encounter. If only life had such a soundtrack. The soundscape in this game is nearly perfect.</div>
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The main mechanics used in solving these puzzles are smart utilization of the Fluros, your extra hands, your super-soaker backpack/nozzle combo, and the Fluros seeds that you pick up along the way. Each Fluros (Fluro?) is made out of two pieces: 1) The liquid which makes up it’s bulk, and 2) the seed which directs it’s mass to do useful things. Liquid can be found nearly everywhere in this game, I never really found myself running out of water and the canister in my backpack was almost always full. The Fluros take on the properties of the liquid that they’re made out of. Water Fluros are your mainstay cheap labour, lava Fluros act in the same way as their watery brethren, but are much too hot to touch. If water and lava come together, they create great geysers of steam that can be used to power certain</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/vessel-screen-03.png" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-3263" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/vessel-screen-03-e1330920800557-265x300.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="vessel screen 03" width="265" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Different liquids have different properties</div>
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machines. Some Fluros were not engineered by man and act in some strange ways. Predator Fluros will actively attempt to kill you, while one made out of globular fruit-flesh will attempt to assimilate more and more liquid until it reaches a critical capacity and dramatically explodes. Utilization of these various properties are one key to solving the various puzzles you come across. Another tool is your backpack. Made out of a canister and a nozzle, it looks very much like a self-contained fire-fighting tool, or a very primitive proton pack. This backpack has the ability, not only to shoot water, which is expected, but also to reverse the flow and suck up various kinds of liquids which can then be spat back out. This comes in handy from many different puzzles (shooting water down a drain so that it mixes with the lava below, creating enough steam to activate the collector above the chamber, for instance) but is also used as an offensive weapon against the lava Fluros when they are closing on you. A second or two of exposure to water will cool seeded lava enough to destabilize it’s body, crumbling it into a sad little pile with a doomed seed floating around in it. The seeds, yes! These products of high biological tampering are what are used to conform the water around them into a useful form. The friendly spheres with tentacles and legs are fairly fragile but used in almost every puzzle in the game, so you will learn that having an infinite supply of seeds is not only handy, but necessary. The seeds literally attract water in what was coined a “molecular attraction” by the developers. Not only does this make it easier to form Fluros, but you can also manipulate liquid even through walls. This mechanic is utilized sparingly but effectively in many different parts of the game, adding an unexpected element to a fairly simple puzzler.</div>
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The puzzles themselves are simple enough that you can retain their entirety in your working memory for days, even if you can’t make it back to the PC. I never lost any sleep going over them in my head, but I can say that coming back to a challenging screen that I’ve been thinking about and solving it nearly immediately is a very rewarding experience. The puzzles don’t ever get too hard, either. There wasn’t ever a point in the game where I scratched me head and saw no way to solve it. There was always some niggling clue (“if only I could figure out why this button is here” or “why does this door open?”) that kept me from giving up.</div>
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The replay of this game is hampered by the fact that once you know how to solve the puzzles, there is no challenge anymore, and therefor no satisfaction is gained in replaying the game. With 10-12 hours of gameplay, I would say that this game is priced perfectly at $14.99 on Steam and Strange Loop Games’ own website. I recommend this game to anyone who liked<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Braid</em> for it’s gameplay elements or is looking for a concise, quirky puzzle experience.</div>
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There are plans for <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Vessel</em> to be released on XBLA and PSN, though no timeline has been released for those iterations.</div>
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Buy the game for $14.99 on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/108500/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Steam</a>, or a DRM-free version at <a href="http://www.strangeloopgames.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Strange Loop Games</a>.</div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-27891928720287546452012-03-04T11:21:00.003-08:002012-03-04T11:23:01.841-08:00Valve to Develop New Gaming Platform<br />
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Valve co-founder, Gabe Newell, recently told Penny Arcade that, ”Well, if we have to sell hardware we will.” This opens up some interesting debate about what a platform that fully integrates Steam, Valve’s digital distribution hub, would look like. Would there be integration into a current platform? How complete would such integration be? Would games even be playable on said platform?</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/steam-mobile-games-view.png" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-3232" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/steam-mobile-games-view-200x300.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="steam mobile games view" width="200" /></a><br />
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Steam Mobile Games View</div>
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Valve answers these questions handily by stating that they will make their own platform and that it will simply run PC games. This “Steam Box” will basically be a console for the living room that runs just like a PC, and will have an upgradable central GPU unit. The unit upgrades forgo the need to buy an entirely new system every generation. So instead of shelling out $500-700 for a new box to play the current games, we may be seeing $150-200 upgrades to your current system. Seeing as the Steam Box is basically a PC, all of your old games would simply work natively on the new upgraded platform.</div>
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There will likely be proprietary controllers that come packaged with it, but they will be in standard USB format. This opens up so many possibilities as far as controllers go. You may just be able to use your wired 360 controllers on the Steam Box. You may also be able to use your USB arcade stick, or your Logitech wireless USB Dual Analog controller. You could use your trusty flight stick or your analog racing rig. Think of it as a miniature, dedicated gaming PC for the entire family.</div>
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There is no required devkit and there will be no development fees associated with making games for the Steam Box. This means that we will see the same amount of indie games being made for the Steam platform. Possibly we may even see more, seeing as the Steam Box will be as accessible as the current console giants but much easier to develop for.</div>
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I’m excited to see what kind of developments occur over the next few months on this subject. I’ve got nearly 200 Steam games poised to make the jump to my 52″ TV.</div>
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Visit Valve’s site <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</a>.</div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-28360443134914010452012-02-28T11:24:00.000-08:002012-03-04T11:27:42.131-08:00Lovecraft Original Publication Up For Grabs<br />
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<img alt="Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land Promotional" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/coctwl_green-600x300.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land Promotional" width="600" /></div>
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A copy of the March 1936 publication of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Astounding Stories</em> is the the drool-worthy prize of a contest over at Red Wasp Designs (<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Lands</em>.)</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/astounding_stories_march1936_lovecraft.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-3081" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/astounding_stories_march1936_lovecraft-247x300.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="astounding_stories_march1936_lovecraft" width="247" /></a><br />
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Astounding Stories, March 1936</div>
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Red Wasp Design, the developers of the new Cthulhu-mythos horror/strategy RPG ‘Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land’ have announced a competition where you could win an original 1936 copy of a pulp fiction magazine featuring the writing of H.P. Lovecraft.</div>
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The prize is an original March 1936 issue of ‘Astounding Stories’ which features part of Lovecraft’s classic tale of Antarctic horror, At The Mountains of Madness. Not only that but it has the amazing cult illustrations of Howard V. Brown, who was commissioned to bring Lovecraft’s dark imaginings to life.</div>
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To win this rare prize what you have to do is submit a review to the App Store (how to) or rewrite the text of an existing review (how to) of their game ‘Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land’ in the style of H.P. Lovecraft. Red Wasp’s designer Tomas Rawlings explains, “Lovecraft was famous for his distinctive writing style; long descriptions with lots of adjectives, using obscure words, plenty of indescribable and nameless things crawling through the text. He was an evocative writer, which is part of the reason why he is still so widely read today. We want people to go Lovecraftian-crazy in reviewing the game with gibbous, visceral pleasure and wild Bacchanalian abandon!”</div>
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If you want to win this bit of horror history then simply submit your review to the App Store then email a copy of the review, your App Store username (to prove it is your work) and which country store it was posted on to: contact at redwaspdesign dot com with the subject line ‘review competition’. The developers will feature the best entries on their site and pick the winner on Friday 9th March so get entries to us by the 8th.</div>
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So dear reader, ’tis time to retire to the study, shut out the world, ink the writing quill and let the horrors of uncaring cosmic madness guide your fragile scratchings…</div>
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Please note: This competition is not open to employees of Red Wasp Design or their families, residents of Innsmouth or Deep One hybrids. Sorry <img alt=":(" class="wp-smiley" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></div>
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So if you’re the spawn of the antescendant who shares the same fishy bloodline as one who works over at Red Wasp, your stars are have not lined up. Anyone else who shares the non-euclidean dreams of this madman’s works, get over to the iTunes store and get writing.</div>
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Also, because I feel the need to spread Lovecraft’s original works, here is William Hart reading<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">At the Mountains of Madness.</em></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-85351122189417515622012-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:002012-02-09T11:56:38.714-08:00The Difference That Women Make: In Conversation with Hannah Epstein<br />
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If you’ve been listening to our podcasts, you may have heard me talking about something called the <a href="http://levelsave.com/2012/01/reflections-on-a-save-crystal-episode-1/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Difference Engine Initiative</a>. If you have not been tuned in to our podcasts, let me give you a little primer.</div>
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The Difference Engine Initiative is a game-making workshop and support jam for women in this male-dominated industry. There have been two such programs, running six weeks each, with various tutorials on game-making tools and a friendly framework that supports cooperation among it’s participants. This is not a game-making competition, nor is it a formal classroom setting. The DEI attempts to direct their focus on getting women the skills they need to be successful in the industry, while also working towards a product that they will be able to show off at the end of the program.</div>
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I have recently had the opportunity to speak with Hannah Epstein about her experience with the DEI, as well as many other things besides. Our interview was conducted via email as I am a lazy bum with strange hours, but let’s get right into it.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-04.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-2575" height="333" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-04.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Hannah Epstein 04" width="250" /></a><br />
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The Lovely Hannah Epstein</div>
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Hannah: Sure, so the game is essentially a choose your own adventure style of game only it is presented on the youtube platform which means I had to manipulate videos to act as the setting for each level then by utilizing youtube’s built in annotation function I have linked in the web of a narrative you can navigate through by clicking various options.</div>
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The theme of the game is “women in prison” so as a user you find yourself playing the part of a woman in jail who must make decisions in the various prison themed situations you find yourself in. The tone of the main character, Ms. Conduct, veers toward the rebellious and self-empowered, which in jail often mean you wind up having your ass beat.</div>
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I chose this theme for a few reasons. My first foray into the digital design space was with a project I did with two others, John Watson and Monica Law, as a resident at the CFC Media Lab. The project, known as Cats Breaking Antiques, was a psychedelic, schizophrenic exploratory space full of metaphor and critical perspectives, of which my group had many. The end result was something that we as artists were happy with but I couldn’t help but feel that a cross-border critique of Western cultural practices lacked for the impact of targeting with specificity. Not that we didn’t think of that, we did, we just kept coming back to interconnectedness of all our problems and therefore made a touch-screen game that reflected that.</div>
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So, when offered a space in DEI2, I decided to experiment with limiting myself to one issue, one location, one direction. What better to represent the artificially imposed limitations I was giving myself than with prison? It presented itself quite conveniently as an environment that already had a lot of cultural assumptions built in to it and I quickly felt inspired to run with them.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Have you read any of the old Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books? Which were your favourites?</strong></div>
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I remember reading them as a little kid when my parents would take me to visit the library. I can’t recall any specific titles but I remember the feeling of encountering a new way of playing with a long established form and it was a combination of surprise (I’ve never seen this! You mean you’re allowed to do this!?) and a profound sort of realization, that now that I come to think of it, has likely coloured a lot of my doings in life, anyway, a realization that our imaginations were the limit of the function, the form was not the end story. That probably explains why I always end up fascinated by books like “House of Leaves” and “Only Revolutions” by Mark Z. Danielewski who is, in his own way, still working on pushing those limits of the novel.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That’s a pretty ingenious way to deliver a story.Why did you go with this presentation method?</strong></div>
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I went with a youtube platform for several reasons. 1) It is free and largely accessible as a platform, no controller to learn besides how to use a mouse and inexpensive. 2) Because youtube is internet connected with a large built in community of video aficionados, I thought it would be easy to find my audience and 3) because many people on youtube are content creators themselves I was hoping to create a story in conjunction with the user, so if you find a level disturbing or inadequate you could easily make you own alternative option video and send it in and I can link it directly to the game.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Which tools did you use in the creation of Ms. Conduct?</strong></div>
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I used a lot of adobe illustrator, photoshop and video editing programs.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Did you have experience in all the tools you used when you began this project?</strong></div>
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I did have some experience with them, primarily the editing tools ( I have been making weirdo shorts for the past six years, www.youtube.com/hanskigold). The programs available for editing are quickly evolving for mainstream use and I am always excited to see the new features iMovie comes up with, and I feel that a lot of editors will scoff at that, but it’s a fantastically user friendly way of bringing filmmaking and storytelling power to a larger group of narrators. Anyway, and yes, youtube I was familiar with as a result of my other channel (see above) and had developed a sense of comfort in posting there.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What was your inspiration for the game and for Ms. Conduct herself?</strong></div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-03-e1328812236911.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Hannah Epstein, At Work" class="size-full wp-image-2574" height="147" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-03-e1328812236911.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Hannah Epstein 03" width="274" /></a><br />
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Hannah Esptein, At Work</div>
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I have always loved b-movie genre films and Ms. Conduct herself is a small shout-out to Russ Meyer’s film catalogue (see The Immoral Mr. Teas).</div>
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I envision Ms. Conduct as a strong and rebellious female character who even in the face of a lock-down turns to bite the hand that is keeping her down, in this case that hand belongs to prison guards, instrumentsof a system that believes punishment can “fix” society’s “problems”.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You’re encapsulating some words there in quotes. Is this game a personal statement on the current state of the prison system? If so, how?</strong></div>
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Absolutely! I would say my politics colour everything I do. I grew up in an outspoken left leaning household which lived an unconventional existence and supported reason and intellectual debate of authority, and I am very much the product of my upbringing. It doesn’t hurt that I have five lawyers in my immediate family so discussions about the law and it’s role in society have always been common fare. My own personal conclusions on the matter tend to circle around central beliefs I have about a system that is racist and classist, one that models itself, in practice- not so much in preach, on a belief that punishment is the just deserves of the convicted. Aye, thinking about the deep hypocrisy involved in our treatment of those who we so high and mightily declare criminals is appalling and it infuses me with such a deep anger that I have to find some avenue to express it. Does the prison system work? I will repeat. DOES THE PRISON SYSTEM WORK? No. It does not! In most cases people are not choosing a life of high risk and crime because they want to, they do so because they have little other choice. It is arrogant and completely lacking in compassion for a society to believe that punishing the people who have already been punished the most is going to fix anything. It might make the problems less visible to those who find them distasteful, but I still believe our humanity craves more than blindness, I think it craves connection and forgiveness so I advocate for reconciliatory actions be taken for the good of victim and criminal. Especially since we are equally capable of being both.</div>
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This then ties back into the game because in prison you are made to adopt your role as guard or prisoner or warden or preacher etc, and the identification with those roles allows one to view the other as inhuman, as impossibly unlike you as there could ever be, the actions people take once this belief is absorbed are famously documented, the Nazis, need I say more?</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You make a good argument. If we can, I’d like to talk about the future of Ms. Conduct. Are there plans to expand the game, or is a sequel in the works?</strong></div>
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At this point I feel that game expansion is in the hands of the audience. If people start to feel inspired to make their own version, level, storyline, what have you, then I would take that as an encouraging sign and would make any new levels in response to what has been contributed.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">User-created content is becoming a fairly big thing among more mainstream, console games, though that facet has been around for quite some time on the PC. How do you think UCC will affect The Immoral Ms. Conduct?</strong></div>
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I don’t want to presume how T.I.M.C. might effect the user driven to create their own content. If it’s nasty and people want it to become a space where they anonymously spew their opinions about the subject then that’s fine, but I think the possibility here is that UCC can connect and respond to UCC and eventually as it branches, T.I.M.C will have just been the opening question in a conversation- the nature of which can go anywhere! It depends on what people feel inspired to talk about.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are you willing to take TIMC in a completely new direction based on player-made levels?</strong></div>
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Absolutely! I think being unattached to your initial plans is important if you are trying to grow something so new and unpredictable.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How do you think user-created content will affect the direction of games in the future?</strong></div>
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I think that UCC, if it’s going to be good, and it will have to be good, because the novelty of seeing your name on screen will just wear off quickly, puts pressure on the user to make something interesting. To make something that is not a narcissistic time bomb, but something that takes an audience into consideration, also their real and deeper selves in to consideration. I think UCC will eventually (long day in the future) undergo a revolution where it realizes IT has the responsibility to create meaningful content because, y’know what, the content we’re fed is just shit, and we should be upset anyone has tried to wrap it in advertisements and sell it to us as culture.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Have you had any level submissions yet?</strong></div>
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haha. Only like two that I solicited from youtube poop content makers. Early days. But I have started a new youtube channel (www.youtube.com/theclicknplay) where I hope to document all new games emerging in this youtube game genre. Thinking more big picture now.</div>
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At the moment I have actually been out of a game head space though still a narrative focused one and have been making my first feature.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-02.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Hannah Epstein, Flower Girl" class="size-full wp-image-2573" height="284" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-02.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Hannah Epstein 02" width="194" /></a><br />
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Hannah Epstein, Flower Girl</div>
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Sure, I can tell you. It’s an exploration of male-female relationships but it is incredibly intimate because I shot it with a friend of mine, Darcy McMann, just as we were getting to know each other and starting to date, so much of the footage is documentation of our relationship and then scenes we orchestrated as we planned to develop a narrative. We have been editing for the past month and I have to say that I am incredibly happy that filming is finished. It was impossible to tell by the end which scenes were real and which were fake. Were we having conversations we couldn’t normally have because we had the guise of acting to hide behind? Or was it all make believe? It has been a huge undertaking and many of our first are on film, waiting to be shared, which in a way is sad because it feels like we no longer have the opportunity to genuinely have those moments. As it stands now- we are watching the start and end of our relationship during a period of time over and over again as we edit. Scenes that were at first difficult to look at are now funny or invoke nostalgia. It has been a unique experience that we are still excitedly waiting to see if it will pay off by way of movie- other pay offs will take more time for consideration.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are you plans for the future?</strong></div>
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I really love the gaming world for it’s audience and it’s designers the same way I love the film world so the more I can work on finding combinations of the two mediums the better, I’m not certain what formthat will take yet but y’know, that’s’ pretty typical of the future.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You mention the game and film worlds as separate but similar. What parallels can you draw between the two?</strong></div>
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Whenever I am watching a film I become completely embroiled in the character. It is the specific thing set up in my life where I can clearly channel emotions and project myself into various roles, this seems to me to be exactly what gaming does as well. In film you are the viewer seeing yourself do these things, in games you are the user feeling yourself do these things, when at the end of the day, you’re just sort of numbly staring at a bunch of light. I think both really require an active engagement on the part of the participant if the film or game is to be fully experienced and enjoyed. I also find games to be cinematic in the sense that they are playing with a combination of sound and visuals to illicit a response the way films do. And come on, how many animation interludes does a game need!? Well, a lot, because they are enjoyable, they move the story along and they sometimes feel like a reward for the gaming work you have been doing along the way. This is not as articulate as I would hope, so I am going to just add that at the end of the day they are both mechanisms of storytelling. I suspect gaming and storytelling will overlap in broader strokes more and more.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tell me about your experience at the Difference Engine Initiative.</strong></div>
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I love the difference engine. I really do. I was accepted into their second round of the program and had no idea what to expect, except that there would be girls and chips every Wednesday. It turns out that those girls were the coolest girls I have met in the city and that the chips also came with salsa.</div>
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We all had very different and strong ideas about where we each wanted to do and nobody was stepping on anybody else’s toes so we had a lot of room to grow and were excited to give suggestions every week when we would meet up and review our progress.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So there were suggestions given by participants to other participants? Sounds like the community there was fairly tight knit.</strong></div>
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It was incredible and it still is. Dames making games has been an avenue of continuing our get-togethers and many strong personal friendships have developed.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What was your best experience out of the 6-week program?</strong></div>
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It would have to be when I realized that these girls weren’t judging me, that they were like me and I didn’t have to worry about sugar coating anything for the sake of remaining in good social graces with anyone, we were all just relaxed and interesting and engaged women getting together at an important juncture in the gaming industry’s development. I think that was week 2 or 3.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What was the most important thing you learned at the Difference Engine?</strong></div>
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That gaming was a welcoming place for the most bizarre digital experiments. Have you ever played “Where’s an egg?” SO GOOD!</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">How did you get involved with DEI?</strong></div>
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I was pointed in the direction of the Hand Eye Society by Emma Westecott who I met while doing a residency at the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab program. I had played a lot of Nintendo 64 while growing up but never saw myself in the game world or as a “gamer” but during Emma’s time with us at the CFC she casually mentioned that I was the most “gamer” of the bunch. This small comment sort of stuck a seed in my head about a possible venue to explore which I had never previously considered.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So your initial intention when you started down this twisted path was to get into film?</strong></div>
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No, the media lab covers all sorts of new media, I was trying to get an overview of what was available to me.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">There has been some crossover between film and games. A lot of newer games are going with big budget-style cinematography and story-telling while there has been quite a few story-light movies based on video games. The lines seem to be blurring and you are straddling that divide. How do you think this will affect your work in the future?</strong></div>
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haha, hopefully this means there will be work in my future!</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What obstacles do you see standing in the way of women in the gaming</strong></div>
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I actually don’t really see the obstacles in the industry for women, especially as a newcomer, it looks more like a wide open gate with a sign that screams GIRLS NEEDED. I feel that gaming is a rapidly expanding industry with an equally broadening audience, the kind of audience that 20-something male geeks just won’t be able to please and probably aren’t interested in pleasing anyway. I think the call for more women in the industry is also just a call for more diversity, which is exciting because the result of that sort of thing is the emergence of a lot of new sub-genres.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So instead of being roadblocked, you see the need for women in gaming as a vaccuum that really can’t be filled quickly enough. Do you think this might lead to women getting onto game production teams based on their sex, and not solely on their skills?</strong></div>
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Perhaps, but it might mean more interest based teams. I’m not really wanting to be on a team with girls making a Barbie game. The skills aspect feels like a small speed bump. DEI was great at driving that home. You can get skills, they are not as mysterious and intimidating to acquire as you might think, so get to it!</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">When you say diversity, do you mean socially or diversity of games being produced?</strong></div>
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Both, I mean (fill in the blank with an underrepresented group/issue) making games. I think that includes everything but games involving body counts.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-01.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-2577" height="168" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Hannah-Epstein-01.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Hannah Epstein 01" width="155" /></a><br />
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Hannah Epstein</div>
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I like that question. I think that “women” make all sorts of games and are as varied from each other as they are from the games men make. I don’t know if gender is inherently part of what makes up that difference but it must play a role at some point, gender identity seeps through most everything we do so of course our creative works will be equally effected.</div>
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I think there is a perception of games that girls want (casual, playful, nothing that will reek of geek) that is different from the perception of the games guys want (shoot to kill, headcount) but most of that feels reducible to stereotyping, especially when I hear DEI ladies talking about the kind of shit they talk on Xbox live. It’s kind of too bad that a lot of hyper conscious gendered advertising seems to spew out of the game industry. I think the contemporary approach should be more sensitive that the generation coming up feels that the world is more gender neutral and it is archaic in a sense to focus on girls v. boys. But what do I know? It’s those marketers making money, not me.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">@_@ What kind of shit are they talking about in the DEI that they would also say on XBL?</strong></div>
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HA! Sworn to secrecy.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Awww.. I agree that gender identity gets into all of our creative projects, since it’s generally such a big part of our personal identities. The stereotype persists, though, that women want casual games with colourful graphics that pop, whereas men suffer that games need to follow the bloody formula of Call of Duty and StarCraft. How much do you see that mould broken? Is the gaming gender gap really as wide as the marketers would have us believe?</strong></div>
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I think I see this mould not broken so much as played with- appropriate to the gaming genre- those assumptions are becoming the material which can be reshaped and put re-imagined by designers who see themselves pigeon holed and want to flip this notions on their head and play with all of the industry expectations. For example, I love the game LadyQuest by DEI2 participant Mikayla Carson who used those colourful graphics expected of her gender and made them syringes, pills, cakes and explosions. There is an element of the bad girl acting innocent here where she is taking a cute aesthetic and injecting full of horror that somehow tastes like candy. Indie games coming from men also contain a subversive factor and I think it’s all well and good to not just break the mould but point out that the mould is there is there to begin with and shame it into a redundant joke.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Are there any other groups that you see being under-represented in the industry?</strong></div>
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I can’t comment for certain but I will say that when I see ads for games everything looks white washed. White, white, white. The number of groups not represented by that are countless!</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Doesn’t that speak to advertising on the whole, though?</strong></div>
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Of course, I just think that the game industry has no reason to restrict itself to an embarrassing status quo.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Everywhere there are gender-specific advertisements featuring Causcasian people. I happen to know that some huge cultural groups in Toronto and all over the world are just as, or more involved, in gaming than their Caucasian counterparts.</strong></div>
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Oh yes, of course the population in reality is going to be mixed but the population as represented by advertising is not always as inclusive as it could be is all.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What do you think of this apparent rift between ideal vs. reality?</strong></div>
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Oh yes, of course the population in reality is going to be mixed but the population as represented by advertising is not always as inclusive as it could be is all. And I don’t think I would call the advertising world an ideal, I just think that there is a marketing belief somewhere that believes white middle class families are the ones with disposable income so we might as well target them with images they can immediately identify with and take their money.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">OK, now let’s talk about Hannah Epstein: Gamer. Which was your first video game?</strong></div>
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Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. I didn’t have a video game console in the house until I was fifteen so it was only twice a year during Hanukah and Passover that I could sneak downstairs at my cousin’s house to play with their Nintendo system while upstairs the adults were boring the hell out of each other.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Those sound like great memories. I’ve got a bunch of happy places like that about my brothers coming to stay with my family. We would suck back Pixie Stix and stay up until we couldn’t stand that damned laughing dog anymore and rage-quitted. Ah, good times.</strong></div>
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Nice.</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It’s surprising how many from our generation either didn’t know or have forgotten that Duck Hunt is multiplayer. Did you ever play as the ducks?</strong></div>
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No! I actually only just found out you could do that the other day, mostly through a few youtube themed videos on the matter, one with ducks playing multi-player duck unt. Meta, no?</div>
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<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">What are you playing now?</strong></div>
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How embarrassing. I am currently stuck on the Wii revisiting my favorite game world of Hyrule with Zelda, Twilight Princess. The reason for this is nostalgia. It’s a long cold winter and Link has become quite the attractive young man.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Well, let’s leave that up to the reader’s imagination then.. And the million dollar question: Which is your favourite game of all time?</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></strong>Connected to your last question: Ocarina of Time! Love that Zelda. I think because I grew up watching so much television, I learned to experience emotions directly tied to some very cliche visual cues and could often predict what was coming next, so formulaic at the time. Then, playing Zelda, Ocarina of Time, I am standing outside of the Spirit Temple and I remember feeling fear, genuine fear and even though it was not capable of actually hurting me I wanted to turn and run. I am still surprised that the game was able to illicit this kind of emotional response from me, it was unexpected and I had no idea what would happen next as there existed still no pattern for these experiences in my memory. It was a moment where I felt I had encountered the virtual world the same way one encounters the real world, there is no telling what surprises await. I think that is a great triumph of a creator, to remain the invisible reason for the existence of a space in which still the uncontrollable and chaotic can happen. What an illusion of coding!</div>
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And there you have it. Toronto’s own wild and witty Hannah Epstein makes bold strokes with her words, her games, and her films.</div>
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To play The Immoral Ms. Conduct, get yourself over to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1--XKAZMl7Y" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">her YouTube page</a>. WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT! Language, mature themes, and dope tracks.</div>
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If you’d like to learn more about the Difference Engine Initiative and the rest of the participants, visit the <a href="http://www.tiffnexus.net/jamsincubators/the-difference-engine/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Toronto International Film Festival website</a>.<br />
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** Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">Levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-26668361861677421632012-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:002012-02-09T11:46:58.840-08:00Sanctum 2 is Coming to PC, XBLA, and PSN<br />
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<img alt="Sanctum Logo" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Sanctum-Logo-600x300.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sanctum Logo" width="600" /></div>
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Some of you may know that<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Sanctum</em> was one of my picks for <a href="http://levelsave.com/2011/12/our-goty-picks-are-here/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Game of the Year</a>, so I am definitely excited to announce that one of my favourite genre-defying Tower Defense / First Person Shooters for the PC has a sequel on the horizon. Developers Coffee Stain Studios, have signed on with Reverb Publishing to create <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sanctum 2</em>. Princes among recent indie developers, Coffee Stain has produced one of last year’s best multiplayer experiences. Reverb, being always on the lookout for innovative and fun IP’s, has recently published <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dungeon Defenders </em>for PC, another Tower Defense game that elevates the genre with it’s RPG-like leveling system and quirky graphical style.</div>
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This time, it’s coming to PC, XBLA, and PSN.</div>
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In the words of Ted Lange, executive producer of Reverb Publishing,</div>
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“Sanctum has been a huge success on Steam for Coffee Stain Studios, and bringing the next version to console players as well as the PC market is a great next step to share this unique experience. We all have logged quite a few hours with Sanctum and can definitively say that what Coffee Stain has in store for Sanctum 2 will blow the minds of Sanctum fans and new gamers alike.”</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RB6RNEE3xDo" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Sanctum on the web: <a href="http://www.coffeestainstudios.com/products.php?id=Sanctum" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.coffeestainstudios.com/products.php?id=Sanctum</a></div>
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Reverb Publishing: <a href="http://www.reverbpublishing.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.reverbpublishing.com/</a><br />
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** Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">Levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-39250797449210727032012-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:18:52.997-08:00Crusader Kings II Pre-Order and Demo Available Now<br />
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<img alt="crusaderkings2art" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="280" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/crusaderkings2art-600x280.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="crusaderkings2art" width="600" /></div>
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If you’ve been looking forward to <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Crusader Kings II</em>, today is your lucky day. In advance celebration of the Paradox Interactive’s Valentine’s Day release, you can now pre-order your copy of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">CK2</em>. In doing so, you not only secure your copy of the game and show your allegiance to the country you will be ruling over, you will also get ample bonus content.</div>
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This bonus content includes a copy of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Crusader Kings Complete</em>. The game that started it all, bundled with every DLC package ever released for it. This will keep the royal throne warm until the release of the sequel on February 14th.</div>
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You will also receive two additional bonus DLC packs for <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">CK2</em>. <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Mongol Families</em> will include face combinations unique to characters of the Mongol culture, as well as new units. <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Dynasty Shield</em> will add 50 unique emblems for the most famous families in Medieval Europe to the game.</div>
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Along with today’s pre-order availability comes the official <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Crusader Kings II</em> demo. If you’ve never heard of the game before now, this would be the most accessible way to begin your conquest of the Known World.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3kX5ggw5AIU" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Pre-Order your copy: <a href="http://www.crusaderkings.com/buy" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.crusaderkings.com/buy</a></div>
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Paradox Interactive on the web: <a href="http://www.paradoxplaza.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.paradoxplaza.com/</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">Levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-41185767635001160432012-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:16:11.610-08:00Skullgirls: A New 2D Fighter for Competitive Players<br />
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<img alt="SkullGirls_Logo" class="attachment-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SkullGirls_Logo-600x300.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SkullGirls_Logo" width="600" /></div>
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Reverge Labs, along with publishers Utumn Games and Konami have a new 2D fighting game in development for PSN and XBLA named <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Skullgirls</em>. This brand-new IP is headed up by tournament veteran Mike Zaimont and focuses on hardcore, competitive gameplay.</div>
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Skullgirls is nothing if not fast-paced, deep, and strategic. With character swap-out gameplay and various customizable assists á la Marvel Vs. Capcom, six-button control scheme like Street Fighter, and the beautiful presentation of the all-female roster like nothing I’ve ever seen before, this game could well hold a regular spot on the list of competitive events at your local game store.</div>
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To give you a taste of the character design in this game, I present to you the official 411 on <strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">PAINWHEEL</strong>.</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/painwheel-reveal-skullgirls.png" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-2483 alignleft" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/painwheel-reveal-skullgirls-231x300.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="231" /></a></div>
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Character Biography:<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Once a normal schoolgirl named Carol, Painwheel was kidnapped by Valentine and delivered to the Anti-Skullgirls Labs’ secretive Lab Zero. There she was implanted with the synthetic Buer Drive and Gae Bolga parasites and infused with experimental Skullgirl blood, transforming her into the monster she is today. Violent and unstable as a result of these experiments, as a precaution she’s mentally controlled by Lab Zero’s powerful psychic director, Brain Drain.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Fueled by rage, she draws her power from her pain and fury. Despite that, the soul of that scared young girl still lives on inside this monstrous body, desperately fighting off the onslaught of voices that would control her.</div>
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Age: 15</div>
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Birthday: October 23</div>
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Bloodtype: SG</div>
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Height: 5’1</div>
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Weight: 375 lbs</div>
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Measurements: 21B-18-23</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Likes:<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Flowers, Gardening, Walking on the beach at sunset, Family, Sound of wind chimes, Dogs, Nostalgic memories, Friends, Magenta, Proper etiquette</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Dislikes:<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />ASG Labs, Valentine, Brain Drain, The Skullgirl, The Skull Heart, People, Her Body, Mind Control, Torture, Pain, Frustration, Gossip, Styrofoam sounds, Loud noises, Bad puns</div>
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<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<strong style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Painwheel Character Trailer</strong></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9c1CAurqbr8" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Keep an eye out for this game’s release later on in Q1 2012.</div>
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Skullsgirls on the web: <a href="http://skullgirls.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://skullgirls.com/</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">Levelsave.com</a> **</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-24854222610772625822012-02-05T08:11:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:12:18.371-08:00Victoria II: A House Divided Screens and Trailer Available<br />
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Paradox Interactive have released the first expansion to their political and military strategy game, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Victoria II</em>. Entitled <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A House Divided</em>, this expansion will focus more on the American Civil War, and include a new starting point to encompass the entirety of the US’ rise to independence and their emergence as a global super power at the beginning of the 20th century.</div>
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With this expansion, they have released a new trailer!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QNolMbj2uSM" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Also, here are some new screencaps!</div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_5.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2475" height="150" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_5-150x150.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: black; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: black; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_1.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2476" height="150" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_1-150x150.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: black; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: black; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="150" /></a><em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_3.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2477" height="150" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/victoriaii_ahousedivided_3-150x150.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: black; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: black; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="150" /></a></em></div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Victoria II: A House Divided</em> is available for the PC.</div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Victoria II</em> on the web: <a href="http://www.victoria2.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.victoria2.com/</a></div>
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** Originally published on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">Levelsave.com</a> **</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-89182916390043783042012-01-25T06:49:00.000-08:002012-01-25T06:49:10.732-08:00Command and Conquer: The Web App?<br />
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/browser-Command-and-Conquer.jpg" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img alt="C&C HTML" class="size-medium wp-image-2225" height="228" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/browser-Command-and-Conquer-300x228.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="300" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
C&C HTML5 Screencap</div>
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The defining Real-Time Strategy game, Command & Conquer, is in the process of being rendered entirely in HTML5 for use on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Originally released in 1995, Westwood Studio’s epic game of strategic unit control and base-building ripped into the strategy gaming market with a vengeance. Since it’s inception, the C&C franchise has seen the release of nearly 20 sequels and spin-off games, fleshing out the universe’ lore as well as inspiring many other developers to follow an RTS format for their games.</div>
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Looking to bring this once-popular game to the masses again, the enlightened Aditya Ravi Shankar has begun the project, keeping all copyrights intact, with a promise to “Take this game as far as possible.” I have personally sunk some time into the game and, while the HTML version remains unfinished, its core is truly C&C.</div>
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From the website:</div>
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“This is a recreation of the original Command and Conquer, Real Time Strategy game entirely in HTML5 and Javascript… My goal is to take this game as far as possible – Add more units, optimize the code, add better AI and multiplayer games. You would be able to come to this page, find a random partner and start playing!!”</div>
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Find the game here: <a href="http://apps.nahklick.de/cnc/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://apps.nahklick.de/cnc/</a></div>
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Aditya’s personal webspace is found here: <a href="http://www.adityaravishankar.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.adityaravishankar.com/</a></div>
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Official C&C website: <a href="http://www.commandandconquer.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.commandandconquer.com/</a></div>
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Thank you Shankar, we’re watching you!</div>
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** Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-69383563267148208882012-01-24T07:48:00.000-08:002012-01-24T07:48:36.290-08:00Final Fantasy Origins: Old News in a New Package<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DQL4AfbP6M1_L3atd4w-qL1mcFV0XgWNStN5BOKLJ_Vim8yb4XGZkEKrx-Gv3osl8ac7XlO4rM9TAG-hMx92tCv3HihLYzWj3UooZEU7O6KL72_xCprlQblhnwCKF-R9X9wPptgDTgc/s1600/FinalFantasyOriginsfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DQL4AfbP6M1_L3atd4w-qL1mcFV0XgWNStN5BOKLJ_Vim8yb4XGZkEKrx-Gv3osl8ac7XlO4rM9TAG-hMx92tCv3HihLYzWj3UooZEU7O6KL72_xCprlQblhnwCKF-R9X9wPptgDTgc/s320/FinalFantasyOriginsfront.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These Square-Enix titles have been released in many formats over the years. This latest iteration, being from the PS1 era, remains my favourite version because nearly every single aspect has been modernized and beautified. <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Final Fantasy Origins</em> comes packaged with updated versions of <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Final Fantasy I</em> and <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">II</em>. Updated, that is, from their original Nintendo Entertainment System counterparts. If you enjoyed the original games on the NES or Wonderswan all those years ago, you will not be disappointed with these fairly faithful remakes.</div>
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Now, when I say this is a fairly faithful remake, I lie. This iteration has updated graphics, sound, and functionality. NES purists might have a hard time with the beautifully rendered cutscenes and Super Nintendo-style in-game sprites and landscapes. The audio has more channels, so the music is much more than it was. Also, while Final Fantasy retains it’s hardcore difficulty, it also introduced a new ‘easy mode’ which reduced the toughness of the enemies you face. Final Fantasy II includes a collectible feature so that you can be even more completist about your playthrough.</div>
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My point is that they <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">feel</em> similar to the originals. That feeling of satisfaction in gaining your new, shiny, very expensive armour remains the same. When you level your mage’s stamina in FFII without having her die a million times in the process, that feeling of accomplishment speaks directly to the old school of console RPGs. That’s what makes the most recent distribution of these legacy titles appealing for the older gamers out there who have the experience of playing these games with a rectangular, grey controller.</div>
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I’ve got a more comprehensive list of the more important changes from the originals which have been included in this package of games. They are as follows:</div>
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Final Fantasy I</h4>
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<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Updated graphics and audio. Raising the bar for Final Fantasy remakes to include full FMV cutscenes and Super Nintendo quality in-game graphics, user interface, and audio.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">An optional auto-retargetting ability has been added so that characters do not try to swipe at dead enemies anymore. This can be reverted back to the original mode under settings.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Stores sell good in bulk. No more clamping down the A button and walking away for 20 minutes to buy 99 potions!</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Descriptions of items and equipment are available. Meaning you don’t need to guess if a particular sword is more powerful than your current weapon before buying and equipping it.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Items are stored in a common item menu, rather than on individual characters.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some musical scores have been replaced with entirely new original scores.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The game can be saved anywhere via a temporary save state. Going to an Inn or using tents and sleeping bags are still the only way to permanently save to the virtual memory card.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Optional Easy Mode makes leveling quicker, and enemies easier to beat.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The entire text has been re-translated and expanded from the original Japanese. This helped me a lot to clarify some plot points and reminded me more easily about some of the spell effects (ie. Xfer is now Dispel.)</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Collectible encyclopedia of monsters, geographic locations, and items is available through the title menu.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Various bugs breaking certain spells and armour have been fixed.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You can run!</li>
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Final Fantasy II</h4>
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<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Updated graphics and audio. While FFII was updated graphically from the original already, this distribution updates the game in a similar way to FFI, seen above.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Some scores have been replaced with entirely new original scores. This is especially obvious in combat with bosses. There was, in the original, a standard “boss score,” which has been replaced by unique pieces of music for each boss.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The maximum number if items you can hold has been increased.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Items are described in menu for ease of use.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Collectible encyclopedia of of monsters, concept artwork, enemies, and geographic locations is available.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">You can run!</li>
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In fact, the only problems I can find are very slight. That is, the graphics and sound, while updated from their original 8-bit splendor, are still not up to FFXIII-2 standards. But then again, this particular distribution is nearly ten years old, so that’s like comparing night and day. Also, some of the new added functionality detracts from the toughness of the games, which are part of why I played them in the first place. This last is countered by nearly all of the newer additions being optional, so it’s a non-issue.</div>
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In conclusion, both long-time fans of the series and current-gen initiates can find an incredibly cache of value in <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Final Fantasy Origins</em>. With its classic gameplay and feel, as well as it’s modernized and accessible functionality, there isn’t a whole lot that can be used as fodder against this distribution by the Final Fantasy fanboys and fangirls out there. I had a hard time tearing myself away from the quest of the lightbearers to write this review, but I’m glad I finally got around to it.</div>
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On my way to see Bahamut now, wish me luck!</div>
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** Originally posted at <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-80372495640730245792012-01-12T09:29:00.000-08:002012-01-12T09:30:29.958-08:00Final Fantasy Origins Available on PSN** Originally posted at <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **<br />
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One of the longest running console RPG franchises bring us back to it’s roots with a new distribution of Final Fantasy Origins. Containing both Final Fantasy and the follow-up, Final Fantasy II, it’s a great deal at $9.99. I remember seeing this particular disc in game stores for $60 and up, I also remember thinking “I need this game!”</div>
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This package of games is completely reworked from their original forms on the Nintendo Entertainment System, and is arguably the best, most fully functional version available. Released nearly a decade ago the original FFO has been tuned- and gussied-up with cutscenes and a graphical overhaul to bring the style of the games more closely in line with the original concept art and functionality that we are used to in modern RPGs.</div>
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This new digital distribution of FFO propagates Sony’s Winter of RPGs promotion, which saw the release of Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy V on PSN. Let it be said that this is the only time that I am glad that.. Winter is coming.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-81342935664079652312012-01-12T09:26:00.000-08:002012-01-12T09:26:07.370-08:00Crusader Kings II: Greed in the House of the King<br />
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** Originally posted at <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</div>
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Following the tradition of the Seven Deadly Sins trailer series, Paradox Interactive has released another satirical video. The flailing king featured in every trailer is slowly becoming head-canon as he endearingly fails at everything he does. I believe he survives through an aura of sheer luck, but I have no proof of that.</div>
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This particular trailer recreates one moment of gameplay which I experienced and it plays out almost exactly the same. There may have been more explicit language on my part, though the twisted scheme at the end is very accurate.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8xIxrx5i1To" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="YouTube video player" width="600"></iframe></div>
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Read our preview of Crusader Kings II <a href="http://levelsave.com/2011/11/hands-on-crusader-kings-ii/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-31698170106844659732012-01-04T19:06:00.000-08:002012-01-04T19:11:05.295-08:00Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Lands HD Screenshots** Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ExkbPYgSS5tZpGN-8qZLdzjF9wRPwW-trURlCJcbnwnwCm9utlOLyQDks8NfX_mm3osivIqN6T0QvIOUs8FjMGq9q5pLLL0xGXkDHhgZjSh_rcqpj_CUfwMSrqWEVik6cMQ11QFe3Bg/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_01.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ExkbPYgSS5tZpGN-8qZLdzjF9wRPwW-trURlCJcbnwnwCm9utlOLyQDks8NfX_mm3osivIqN6T0QvIOUs8FjMGq9q5pLLL0xGXkDHhgZjSh_rcqpj_CUfwMSrqWEVik6cMQ11QFe3Bg/s400/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_01.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Have you ever wanted an app so horror-inducing that it dements the mind and perverts the soul? Have you ever wanted to play a game based on the award-winning </span><a href="http://catalog.chaosium.com/pages.php?CDpath=29" style="background-color: white; color: #006acd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chaosism Call of Cthulhu tabletop role-playing system</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> right in the palm of your hand? Have you been wanting a new tactical turn-based RPG for a portable format? Well it’s coming January 30th and it’s entitled Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Lands.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Set in World War I, you play as a group of investigators and soldiers pitted against, you guessed it, a cult bent on using the anguish and fear of the state of the Theatre of War to open the gates to another dimension. The story screams <a href="http://www.hplovecraft.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">H.P. Lovecraft</a>, who wrote the Cthulhu mythos and upon who’s works this game is inspired.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Initially to be released on iPhone and iPod formats, indie developer <a href="http://redwaspdesign.wordpress.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Red Wasp Designs</a> also intends to create versions for the iPad, Android, PC and consoles. The game has been developed in co-operation with Chaosism, so I’m hoping that the basic gameplay mechanics feel authentic and similar to their tabletop counterpart.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Along with this announcement came several HD screenshots to whet our appetites for facing our fears and beating down betentacled fish-men. From what can be told of the screenshots, the game looks like it will implement a gridless tactical combat system with a fairly simple list of what can be done on each combat round, as well as a sanity system. <a href="http://redwaspdesign.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/sunday-summary-sanity-in-the-wasted-land/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post by the designers</a> relieves any fears I had about this game having a broken sanity system (as nearly all of these systems are in video games) and leaves me interested to see how their’s actually works within the game.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">But instead of telling you, why don’t I just show you?</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V8ZMumY7VxRQV7px0A8CE-Egcuabg06JJ7ASOOdDSIjCh4tdEO0prC-vscTuFXpTXcGnBJIoe_pzZ7xyV6lkGTzAMZ9t8pY_5ijZr44kacKtdirZrHsFs0qqUQUMfVu82_ETLi9Z51I/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_07.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V8ZMumY7VxRQV7px0A8CE-Egcuabg06JJ7ASOOdDSIjCh4tdEO0prC-vscTuFXpTXcGnBJIoe_pzZ7xyV6lkGTzAMZ9t8pY_5ijZr44kacKtdirZrHsFs0qqUQUMfVu82_ETLi9Z51I/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_07.png" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw_zgclq0OSAMEXCnZoh0y1GLZ7TEUyurFMmjm-Kg7a9wzICgCNjGz6YuKkhfzkbANkpk9LcoDaxRjPhCL3sqiWqGysKX8Umn3eIDgnNDdJpOY6g8J1cHUY2_I_wuAzHqP0m2DrGYf2o/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_06.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUw_zgclq0OSAMEXCnZoh0y1GLZ7TEUyurFMmjm-Kg7a9wzICgCNjGz6YuKkhfzkbANkpk9LcoDaxRjPhCL3sqiWqGysKX8Umn3eIDgnNDdJpOY6g8J1cHUY2_I_wuAzHqP0m2DrGYf2o/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_06.png" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjn7BpiJ2jIY5X6Q7D4pqELSXNADfhh5vTMcE7e96JPy5G9GQllRjuo2dzazbi3d3jFdjVlwhr_GkztY8V3eJQSWYXXU1OGnXdnWHopLlqsnKqWP4tF09kC16BK17KJEnOXRIrZQiv0Q/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_05.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjn7BpiJ2jIY5X6Q7D4pqELSXNADfhh5vTMcE7e96JPy5G9GQllRjuo2dzazbi3d3jFdjVlwhr_GkztY8V3eJQSWYXXU1OGnXdnWHopLlqsnKqWP4tF09kC16BK17KJEnOXRIrZQiv0Q/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_05.png" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjewBByNTgo-9m5E-1VafBWr0RDI4C04WmXjZt3gseEI6pcvL1ZlOPgvbjEgmPh-SwFNn3uxGXe6P9rubttS2zl1Bej7NYVDPrNQjkFY10f2pSp9zcqVBB70cI7SR6WLzp81HSWbQFUY/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_04.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjewBByNTgo-9m5E-1VafBWr0RDI4C04WmXjZt3gseEI6pcvL1ZlOPgvbjEgmPh-SwFNn3uxGXe6P9rubttS2zl1Bej7NYVDPrNQjkFY10f2pSp9zcqVBB70cI7SR6WLzp81HSWbQFUY/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_04.PNG" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoFPPvNDaMyu-vx4-jjASnZkchSUpuvbxEcjrEVq9UEt-gHgPnG6pLY99oE2TWSs3LEBcMRrHV1QOT7KqFKbcphPMsWRY9D1SAPwW9X5_AWRKAM3BPlwUthnP1emZCtMxpgKrXZqg0FE/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_03.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoFPPvNDaMyu-vx4-jjASnZkchSUpuvbxEcjrEVq9UEt-gHgPnG6pLY99oE2TWSs3LEBcMRrHV1QOT7KqFKbcphPMsWRY9D1SAPwW9X5_AWRKAM3BPlwUthnP1emZCtMxpgKrXZqg0FE/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_03.PNG" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1BO22j3qEESXIXBvKx8ks4ZCZ3Bvr_WT9lc6RCfvIjhxnnwft1ZbubF2lsUP-nK18rgvBTpwulSApSjxb50Ol0Ol31VYBXlkuXguYeV0BhTeiWpw2o8QuUg2o6QrztNTvaSwLnQY2q4/s1600/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1BO22j3qEESXIXBvKx8ks4ZCZ3Bvr_WT9lc6RCfvIjhxnnwft1ZbubF2lsUP-nK18rgvBTpwulSApSjxb50Ol0Ol31VYBXlkuXguYeV0BhTeiWpw2o8QuUg2o6QrztNTvaSwLnQY2q4/s640/callofcthulhu_wastedland_HD_02.png" width="640" /></a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-66159668824531557162011-12-27T20:26:00.000-08:002011-12-27T20:35:45.185-08:00Review - Jolly Blast: Soccer<div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div>**Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **<br />
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<a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jolly-blast-soccer-145x204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="jolly blast soccer vertical" border="0" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jolly-blast-soccer-145x204.jpg" /></a>Overall Rating: 3<br />
Educational Value: 6<br />
Age Appropriateness: 2<br />
Enjoyment Factor: 1</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I am a great lover of childrens’ literature. I have rows upon rows of picture books intended for an array of age ranges, and I can often be caught with my nose in some beautifully illustrated fairy tale or pop-up books of dinosaurs. My collection of books is steadily growing larger, and they are practically used in my work with small children all the time. There are a few programs that I am enamoured with as well. Good childrens’ interactive fiction (and non-fiction) is useful in educating kids, has replay value, challenges the child, and even remains fun, and that’s exactly what Jolly Blast: Soccer tries to achieve. Unfortunately, this app falls flat in several of these areas.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Jolly Blast: Soccer is well-intentioned and educational, but doesn’t serve to capture the imagination or even hold attention. It’s purpose is to teach it’s users about the basic concepts of soccer, as well as the vocabulary used. It does this aptly with the more interactive pieces of the program. There is a glossary of soccer terms which is quite informative, and one bit where shapes are associated with different parts of the soccer field which goes into more detail about rules. These parts are well-done from an educational perspective, but they have none of the fun involved in capturing and holding the attention of children. These good pieces are more a reference that can be checked for definitions and clarifications.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Where this app falls flat is in the fun and replay value, as well as the lack of attempt to put forth any appropriate challenge to the child. First, the font is too small to be read on my iPhone. I found that both my daughter and I had to squint to read some of the text, and some of the dialogue bubbles were nearly unreadable for their tininess. I would have been happy if there was a font-scaling function, so that if this game is bought on an iPhone 3GS (which does not have as high a resolution as the iPad or iPhone 4) it wouldn’t be nearly impossible to read. There is also the problem of the main story’s length, amount of text on each page, and the complexity of the language being used. It would seem to me that the content within this story is aimed at very young readers, but the sophistication of the actual words on the screen would be more suited to someone with a bit more aptitude in the art of reading. This can lead to either a frustrated younger one or a bored (or worse, insulted!) older child. The saving grace here was the voice-over function, which allowed the user to listen to the story audibly. This will ease some of our child’s frustration, but won’t allow him to practice his reading.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Also, children know how to use iPhones. The controls are as intuitive as shuffling papers around on a desk. Swiping to go to the next page, or to trigger an event on-screen in this kind of app is a no-brainer. Children will utilize their current understanding of how an iPhone works and try these things out first. The problem here is that Jolly Blast: Soccer does not utilize this native control scheme. I found myself tapping nearly everything, even when the item on-screen needed to be dragged across a surface or when I needed to flip pages. The tap-detection boxes are very, very small, as well. I was constantly double- and even triple-tapping one of the sparkling auras which signify an interactive item. This led to more frustration and even anger on the part of my daughter. iOS devices are expensive things, and personally, I wouldn’t want an angry child holding my $500 piece of hardware.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jolly_tony.png" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Jolly Blast Tony Gonzalez" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1810" height="300" src="http://levelsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jolly_tony-171x300.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; float: left; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="171" /></a>Tony Gonzalez, Tight End for the Atlanta Falcons is featured in this game. He has a video that can be navigated to via the main UI in which he details.. something. And here’s the thing, the audio for the video is much, much too quiet to hear. This negates much of what makes having an iconic sports presence in the app a benefit, and is yet another satellite of frustration orbiting this dead rock of an app.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">None of this even mentions that there is no part of this game in which either my daughter or I were having any fun. This game is simply no fun at all. Well.. We did make fun of it a little bit, and that was quality father-daughter bonding.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Honestly, I can’t recommend this game less. Not only does it fall flat on it’s face in most respects, it also confuses it’s intended age level. I can’t even tell you which age this app is really intended for, and I have been to school to learn all about child development. Don’t waste the $1.99 required to own this interactive story. Put that money towards either a good, informational book about soccer, or just get your child a real ball.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Jolly Blast website can be found <a href="http://www.jollyblast.com/" style="color: #006acd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-37369551800590727522011-12-14T21:18:00.000-08:002011-12-14T21:18:16.550-08:00Raven Plays - Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta Testing Weekend 8<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In which my meditation is rudely interrupted by a.. Huge Pokemon?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="437" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MG4vXcmou2k" width="600"></iframe></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219400818729137552.post-33616342897867458662011-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:002011-12-14T21:13:37.810-08:00Review: Defenders of Ardania<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">** Originally posted on <a href="http://levelsave.com/">levelsave.com</a> **</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK3p61-Y20cLnTjfQk7KV1yIAfTSvaz3PtC6RARMvyEkPwatOJ9gICBHWywq7ggwWvI8WcwzYB_gHHOG308dxCZcEFmW55OxPluIAVMgKQCS4wiLNQ0C7-EfwWCKz1yN4rWvsnX1b3tY/s1600/defenders_of_ardania_packshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDK3p61-Y20cLnTjfQk7KV1yIAfTSvaz3PtC6RARMvyEkPwatOJ9gICBHWywq7ggwWvI8WcwzYB_gHHOG308dxCZcEFmW55OxPluIAVMgKQCS4wiLNQ0C7-EfwWCKz1yN4rWvsnX1b3tY/s320/defenders_of_ardania_packshot.jpg" width="228" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Defenders of Ardania is a beautiful tower defence game set in the world of the Majesty series. Paradox Interactive (Magicka, Crusader Kings II,) bring us a TD game with a twist. You play as one of three factions: Human, Nature, and Underworld to defend your sanctum against incoming would-be marauders. The difference here is that you also send forth waves of enemies to crush your opponents, lending some light RTS elements into a saturated and stagnating genre.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This game is presented very well. Colourful, vivid scenery comprises each level. There are three distinct level styles, one for each faction: Humans have their city streets and farmland, Nature has the lush greenery of the jungle, and the Underworld have their dark citadels and dead landscapes to oogle, ensuring you will never get tired of looking at these beautifully rendered environments.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The music is something else, too. An epic soundtrack heightens the feeling of heroicism, especially int he campaign mode, since mid-level battle tends to be a little dry and straight-forward against the AI. The sound effects do their job well, and blend into the music.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ah, but the voice acting is terrible. I HAVE heard worse acting, but only in Japanese bullet-hell shooters that have been localized for North America on a near-nil budget.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">That being said, the dwarves end up being ridiculously funny, giving you quests to secure beer instead of actually helping you investigate the main plot. Their awful, awful Scottish accents only lend to their drunken, uniquely dwarven charm.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The level selection screen is a nicely painted map that is a pleasure to scroll through. There is none of the interactiveness that you find in other Paradox games, (Crusader Kings, Sengoku,) but then the game doesn’t take place on the overworld map. It’s not even a flaw.</div><div class="video-shortcode" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/crJR8OPvoYw" width="600"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Defenders of Ardania is played very much like other tower defence games. Units walk along the shortest route to your citadel along divergent paths, which you can change by putting shooting towers in the way. But there is a slight difference: You are also sending out units to annihilate the opposing sanctums. This kind of game has been done before, but not quite in this upgradable, heroic, RPG-style manner. I say upgradable because there are successively tiered unit levels as in other TD games there are different tower tiers. Sending out ten units of any particular type will upgrade the unit type, making them tougher, hit harder, and cost more resources than their predecessors. This can be done three times, at which point a heroic unit becomes available. All of the heroic units have special capabilities, are much tougher to kill, are incredibly strong, and cost vast amounts of resources to call forth.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The heroic units are not quite as expensive and rare as the spells. Spells which heal and hinder can cost most-to-all of your resources to cast and on top of that have a cooldown time. This ensures that you can’t spam a healing spell if you are being pummelled. I feel Paradox has done this to add balance to the factions and also creates a more thoughtful, strategic game.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The two complaints I have about the gameplay is so niggling, I wondered if I should include them… But of course I will! Basically, you can only upgrade your towers once. Also, you are only allowed to have very limited towers on the map at once. This creates a flat, ceilinged tower strategy in dual-player matches. Once your towers are placed and upgraded, there is no need to change them up unless there is a gaping hole in your defence that needs to be patched. This leaves you with nothing to do but to spend all your time on the unit menu upgrading and spamming soldiers and dwarves onto the map. Though during four-player matches, I am grateful for this limitation. The chaos of having four people all building towers on the same small board and sending out wave after wave of units is more than my poor brain can handle.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The game modes aren’t all that varied, but they tend to be fun anyway. All modes are played on the campaign maps that have been presented in the main story-line with no extra challenge or multiplayer exclusive levels. Trying to find multiplayer matches is difficult, since the servers are devoid of open lobbies looking for players. Make sure you make a date with a friend to experience four-player chaos, it is well worth it.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The single player game modes include:</div><ul style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Campaign, which is straightforward Defenders of Ardania against an AI enemy.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Limited Resources, which increases starting resources but eliminates any way to gain more over the course of the game. This leaves you with some tough choices to make.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Survival, which is pure tower defence. Sending units is disabled and the enemy comes in ever-toughening waves which never end.</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The multiplayer game modes include:</div><ul style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Full Frontal Assault, which is an every-player-for-themselves, deathmatch style game</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">2 vs. 2, team deathmatch.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Team Survival, as single player but you co-operate with a friend in order to survive tougher and tougher waves.</li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://levelsave.com/wp-content/themes/leetpress/images/ul-dot.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 28px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Sudden Death, which can be added on to any of the other multiplayer modes. This function reduces all sanctum’s HP to critically low levels, creating a sense of immediacy and real urgency during the first few seconds of the game.</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As tower defence games go, this isn’t the best one on the market, but it makes up for that by being slightly left of centre within a recently saturated genre. I can only givew credit to Paradox Interactive for participating in the evolution of the TD game, when they could have just built on the already perfected defence genre. If you’re a fan of the genre, I’d keep an eye out for this game.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Defenders of Ardania is available for PC and iPad, with PSN and XBLA versions coming soon. The PC version was used for review.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15569283442357192067noreply@blogger.com0