Evaluations
I am very pleased with choosing to cash in some vacation time between Christmas and New Years. As previously mentioned Lasse and Adrian shoved SWTOR down my throath. On top of that Steam had Skyrim on a special offer and after trying it out at Torill‘s place I was pretty anxious to give it a shot.
I am very pleased with both games. SWTOR is the newest and most ambitious MMO on the field. Sporting the powerful Star Wars brand and coming from Bioware it is a high powered, fast moving object. Skyrim is a single player game and despite the lukewarm reception Oblivion, the previous installment in The Elder Scrolls series, recieved it has been highly anticipated. Skyrim now sports all of the experience, good and bad, gained from Oblivion and I feel like some solid inspiration has been gathered from Dragon Age as well.
Mae-Lin, my virtous jedi, is now level 15 and Kean, an emotionally detatched and ruthless bounty hunter, is level 11. In Skyrim my Dunmer warrior-mage is level 16 and has three dragon kills under her belt. I’ve decided to share my experiences so far in the form of a simple pro/con list.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Pro:
- It’s Star Wars. It feels like being in the movies and the depiction of a grand universe is very convincing.
- Storytelling. Every class has it’s own unique story, for the first time I have felt like doing just one more quest because I want to know what happens next. The
- Relating to your character. Through the simple system of light/dark points and choices in conversation you get a feel for your character. Mae-Lin is strong willed and virtous but not understanding of the fact that others may not be. Kean is loyal only to the highest bidder but has a strict code of honor inhow he conducts himself once he is on the job.
- Character animation. Combat feels dynamic, powers have a very individual feel to them and when fighting another toon there’s is a distinct feeling that the two are actually engaged in combat.
- Everyone gets a pet. Your companions have opinions and influence how you play both in terms of the story and mechanics.
Con:
- Still some things copy-pasted from WoW (the benchmark of MMOs). Do we need a skill point based crafting system?
- A lot of effort put into making YOUR character seem like the center of the universe. It’s an MMO and there is a lot of other universal nexuses running around. My impulse is to ignore them.
Skyrim
Pro:
- Streamlined. The newest incarnation of the mechanics are a huge step up from the previous games. None of the skills feel awkward to use and, get this, theres a talent point system that works!
- Reaction/immersion. In Oblivion NPC’s would turn to face you and some times greet you with a standard phrase. in Skyrim these messages are highly individual. They relate to where you are in the story. In Whiterun your identity is known. In another city it is not (and this may depend on wether you choose to use your special powers within the city or not) and as such the responses will be different.
- Atmosphere/graphics. Skyrim is just beautiful. Mists and weather artistically blend with the landscape. Mountains tower above you in the distance and the ruins are, as always, creepy as fuck (as are their inhabitants).
- Freedom of choice. As always you have a choice to go where you want and do what you want to do. Pick sides in the great war, go study magic, make friends with the reclusive orcs… it’s all up to you (ps: the orcs are assholes).
Con:
- Sometimes it happens I get tired of being awesome. In Skyrim you cannot sneeze without everyone complimenting you and if you’re in luck a priest will show up just then and declare you the herald of the mucus god. You are so fucking special it hurts.
- There’s some balancing/power level issues that get to me.
- Someone should have bothered to name all the dragons. Killing “Dragon #16″ is anticlimatic (yes I’m nitpicking)
Forced
As I was handed a bag from a cupcake shop I was, as one does when handed a bag from a cupcake shop, thinking: “uuuuh, cupcakes!”. As it turned out, however, the bag contained a little box with lightsabers and the Lucasarts logo on the front. That’s when it hit me: I had been Forced.
Puzzle Quest II
Since Lasse and Adrian are actually using their TV these days (for what we shall not speak of) I’ve had to take steps. Drastic steps. Thankfully Puzzle Quest II is also avaliable on Steam and I’ve just played through the storyline.
Barfday
I’m never comfortable around birthdays. In my early 20′ies I learned to enjoy them by throwing grand theme parties thus entertaining my friends and myself (and hopefully distrac everyone enough as to not start SINGING). I don’t like being the center of attention when I don’t feel like I’m earning it (being born does not constitute earning it). After venturing into the late 20′ies I’ve taken to just spending time with family and friends. The birthday becoming an excuse to take time for a cosy one-on-one. This year I will be spending the evening with Lasse and Adrian. I will play Puzzle Quest II on their console, relax and enjoy their company. (more…)
Conan – The Barbarian
Not Conan – The Pastry Chef (although I can see why you would confuse the two).
Lasse and Adrian are responsible for 46% of my trips out of the house. Trips that usually takes me straight to their place and some times to cinemas. This time we were in for Conan the Barbarian. The movie is not really a remake of the old classic from 1982 although they share a name. Rather the new movie tells yet another story about the lovable brute and this is in man y ways very much in keeping with the whole Conan “tradition”. Conan is a universe in itself (his pecs contain one universe each actually). There’s movies, comic books, games and now even an MMO set in the Conan mythology.
Super 8
Lasse and Adrian took me to Empire Bio to see Super 8 this Friday. Empire is in my optics the best cinema we have in Copenhagen. The place has atmosphere, the lights are dimmed slightly… it’s a place where you don’t feel like its inconvenient to pick up your tickets half an hour before. It’s a place where I could easily spend a few hours with my book and thanks to their very cosy lounge that would not be a problem at all.
Empire bio has, in my behinds opinion, the best seats which easily makes up for the rather small screens. Also: after the movie I like going to Skt. Hans Torv which is just around the corner with it’s nice bars and places to eat.
As for the movie itself I was very pleased. Spielberg fans will feel a strange tingeling in the place that’s normally reserved for love towards the classic E.T.
Easily the best movie I’ve seen this year though I might revise when I finally manage to pull myself together and get Melancholia over with.
