Erathoniel's Musings

Ok, I recognize that what I am playing is an emasculatingly light-hearted kid's game, but it's still pretty good.

Picture a 3d Zelda game in the perspective of the original Zelda, then put it in a clockwork (I hesitate to say Steampunk, since while the theme's there the mood isn't, but it may give an idea of how the world's set up) and cooperative play.

It's pretty good, all things included, though there is an energy gauge that can wind up meaning that you can only play a limited amount per day, though additional energy can be bought with cash (in-game or in-reality). It's published by Sega, so that could give you an idea of the quality level - it's a full quality game with F2P MMO trappings.

Ultimately, it's a kid's game. However, it's a really solid, fun kid's game that a parent could play without too much shame (since it is, after all, awesome for the gameplay and art).

Sorry, my memory is awful, and I forgot to update.

Short last-minute update: Splinter Cell Conviction.

It is awesome. Other than swearing every other sentence, probably more than sailors do, it's really a fun and awesome game.

Oh, and The Mutant Epoch. Great game, not one for the kiddies, though. Lots of content on their site, and priced lower than some competitors with at least as good content, one to check out at DriveThruRPG for $13!

The Borderlands DLC is evil. It was on sale this week ($7.50 for all four), and it's pretty darn awesome.

They swear a lot more than I remember them doing in the original, but otherwise it's the same old Borderlands fun, with a lot less restraint (they seem to have embraced the over-the-top nature in more ways, if that's possible), and a lot more guns.

Y'know, I don't think I ever reviewed Borderlands, so here goes:

Sci-fi post-apocalyptic-ish awesome RPG shooting fest. It's got gorgeous comic-book style graphics, lots of guns, more guns, and even more guns, shields and grenades with special effects, four characters to play as, each with a unique skill tree (Mordecai is my fave) that makes them unique without making them unbalanced, and loads of zany over-the-top humor. However, it's important to note that it's *not* one for the kids. Even slightly. There's a lot of innuendo and swearing, as well as gorgeous bloody violence. Did I mention that there are decent vehicular sequences?

Worth every cent.

Seriously though, Mordecai needs a new Equalizer. Badly.

Some people may have noticed that the site's been on hiatus, what with me being busy and having other stuff that I've been working on, namely reviewing for DriveThruRPG (on site there, rather than here).

From now on, I'll be updating on a weekly basis, and if I don't, write an angry letter to [email protected].

Anyway, I'll start off with a list of ten products I've reviewed during the hiatus that I'm sure will appeal to anyone's fancy (ok, maybe not all of them to everyone, but a lot of people will love them).

I'm not gonna link to each product. Just look to the right and go to DriveThruRPG via my Recommended SItes panel, and then type them in search. They're there.

Eclipse Phase: Absolutely awesome sci-fi horror, but you could really run it as just a relatively hard sci-fi game. Transhumanism is fun!

Outbreak Undead: Realistic zombie survival, lots of fun, I loved pretty much everything here. Plus, you can take a short test on the creator's website, and I'm not sure what to say, but check out the quick-start rules and look into getting the whole thing because it's awesome as all get out.

Chronicles of Arax: Free solo adventure game with additional content that you have to pay for, but even if it's not your thing you can get the core rules and an adventure free. It's at least worth a look, especially if you're into a quick fantasy game akin to Sryth or Avernum in tabletop form (albeit shorter, but that's the result of being meant for a quick play session rather than months of booting up your computer).

Spellbound Kingdoms: Wow. Just wow. It's a fantasy game that's pretty much one step short of Steampunk, but it's got a great system for both combat and non-combat that is one of the most unique and interesting I've ever seen.

Die Type System: It's video games in a tabletop game. Reminds me of all the JRPG's I've played (which is quite a few!), and makes me happy deep inside. It's pretty fun, the rules are simple, and you probably wanna skip to the fluff before reading the entirety of the rules, but it's worth it, since the fluff's pretty good.

Oathbound Seven: Best d20 game ever. I'll go that far. Yes, it even beats the Star Wars licensed game. I haven't seen anything as unique and well thought out with as much system background and more.

Legend of the Five Rings: Medieval Japan with a great system. If you haven't played this, you should. If you have played this, you'll know why. The art is magnificent, too. I love everything about this.

Stars Without Number: Free sci-fi RPG that earned its way into DriveThruRPG's print line, it's very simple and retro, but I love it for its depth nonetheless. Definitely a read through, since it's free.

Grey Ranks: This one makes me cry due to the depth and quality of characters and stories created while playing it. Seriously. It's that well written. WWII era storytelling game set in Poland. I'm not sure if I can say anything else about this, but it's moving and dramatic. Missing out on this is like missing out on a hundred lesser games.

Heavy Gear Arena: Yeah, it's Heavy Gear, which I've been a fan of even before my hiatus, but it's also awesome. How awesome? If I were to spread out my arms, I'd come nowhere near to describing how awesome it is. Basically it's got everything you would want in an arena fighting game, and more. More of a wargame than a tabletop RPG like I'm usually into, but it's still really, really good.