Pirates! Legend of the Black Kat

http://www.westwood.ea.com/games/pirates/

I picked this up yesterday, mainly because I liked the look of the big titted heroine on the front cover, but the game looked like a swashbuckling romp.

Anyway, what a nice surprise, I didn't have high expectations for the game, just thought I'd give it a rustle and it was the only new game out on the PS2 recently that I fancied.

It's a blend of a game. Sea battles and land exploration. The sea battles are like a spruced up version of Overboard. The land exploration is a simplified Tomb Raider - not based around puzzles more fighting enemies and collecting treasure.

The Sea battles are really lively and look very good, mainly due to the camera being fully under your control - you can pull out all the way like Overboard or you can zoom in down to deck level and watch the action from there. Ship control is simple, use the left analogue stick for turning and forward for opening the sails, there is even a gust of wind meter that builds up and allows you to catch the wind at speed for a short period. There is an element of strategy in that your ship can carry an assortment of cannon ammo (grape shot for ripping sails, burning pots for fire damage, poison pots for choking the crew affecting their aim). For a good all round arcade clipper ship battler its really quite good.

Tied into the sea battles are land exploration, collecting treasure and artifacts. The gold collected can be used to upgrade your boat and buy extra weapons for our buxom heroine (like throwing knives, sleeping gas etc). The "tomb raider" portion of the game involves jiggling around various islands and slaying the enemies with your cutlass and dagger. Attack combos are possible but only in a limited way, a bit like the triple A bashing of Phantasy Star Online. There is a block which seems to be effective if timed right against all but the heftiest of foes (some ham-fisted gorillas can actually hit harder and knock you in a daze). Striking the enemy also boosts your special attack meter, which collects sword upon sword from a single special to a double orange special to the triple crossed swords red special. You can fire the special anytime, as long as it has attained a sword (or number of swords) icon. These specials fire off like a Dynasty Warriors special, all glam and glitter with a touch of matrix-style bullet-time swirling. Satisfying, especially if cornered.

There are a few things lacking in the TR exploration, early on the islands are very compact and samey, there are some objects you cannot jump on top of, and you cannot splash around in the sea at the waters edge. All of these draw away from the generally pleasant graphics and pirate island mood. Our heroine does a nice rock slide down any slope thats too steep to climb, and she leaves footprints everywhere that can be used to judge some jumps and where exactly a rock slide will kick in, on some tricky hard to get at places. You save your game on the island at the nearest parrott on a perch. There are sometimes shops found where you can buy more kit - and you sense buried treasure with the rumble pack, and have to use the strength of vibration to dig up the chest and reveal the gems within. Other nice touches are when an enemy ship will sail past you as you are on the island, and you quickly board your ship and give chase.

The enemies re-spawn in an area if you re-visit it, and since the game advances the heroine character through items she finds rather than anything gained by engaging in combat, often the battles become tedious and you use your ability to jump and run unpredictably to escape the enemy, rather than run them through with cold steel. I think an element of character progression could have added to blend and put the icing on the cake. As it stands you sometimes wonder why you are attacking the "jason and the argonaut" skeletons for the sixth time running - just because you forgot the way back to the ship. There are several teleports around an island and these make quick exits back to the docks where your ship is berthed possible. There are bosses hidden in each group of islands and defeating them usually leads to you finding a torn portion of a map unlocking a new set of islands. Once you have unlocked them, you can pretty much roam as free as you want between the islands, and in fact some of the keys and collectibles have to be unlocked from one island in order to collect them from another.

In order to upgrade your ship, you need to dock at a fortress, on new islands this fortress is often held by the enemy and as well as taking on the enemy ships, you may have to bombard the fortress and any associated cannon towers. When enemy ships sink down to Davey Jones locker they often spew forth chests of gold, piles of wood and sail material that can be salvaged by picking them up. The wood and sail can be used to repair damage to your ship whilst at sea. You can also have a full repair in the fortress if you can afford it. Some of the islands are set at night, and the water effects are really eye catching, particularly one island where a massive full moon lights up the whole arena and the moon's reflection shimmers in the sea as you do battle. Some really nice lighting and environment effects on display.

Overall, its nice to see something a little different. Even if it is a blend of a couple of gaming styles that have come before. They tie in nicely and keep you amused - which is all you can really ask from such a title. It's apparently due out on the Xbox also.

There is a head to head Sea Battle mode, which I'd imagine will be real good fun after a night out on the grog.

GBA

A week or so ago, I forked out for a GameBoy Advance. I previously vowed never to touch this badly lit over priced peice of retro gaming. Putting all the power of a SNES back in your hand, and dealing out games that are of a similar aged quality. Thing is, I was never captivated by the SNES, was too busy getting on with my life when the Sonic generation were spinning hedgehogs around fairground loops. So, the GBA was going to pass me by.

However, one game has changed all that. Advance Wars. As soon as I clapped eyes on it, and saw it in action, I knew it was for me. Take the old PC classic Panzer General and jazz it up with cutesy anime graphics, but hidden behind that beauty lies a very complex and rewarding strategy game. Something of a rarity in the handheld arena.

So the deed has been done. I own a GBA. And have started branching out into the retro RPG's and have started playing Breath Of Fire on it too.

See, you can teach an old dog new tricks on old games on a new console. But hats off to the folks who have brought old strategy players to the GBA with Advance Wars.

Camelot - A lesson in Realm vs Realm Gaming

Last night, after piddling around in Hibernia with Saulf and Halen, under the guidance of Nym and Telmorial we tasted our first (my second) bit of RvR spanking. It was very tense, and strangely exciting, creeping around the Milefort and flitting about with worried expressions on our faces.

We headed out to find ourselves some action. We stumbled across a small collection of enemies and we proceeded to puff out or chests and stare each other out. One was a massive troll with the taste of human blood on his mind. I foolishly thought, hide in the trees, within healing range. So I crept over to my hideout. Although in a full RvR battle this plan might have worked, in a small group battle it wasn't the best option. I was alone. Away from my protectors, and a stealthed little kobold had obviously watched me slunk off. So he come round my behind, and promptly slit my throat. I didn't die straight away, and even popped a repel evil on him, but alas I was doomed, my insta heal and sprint could not save me. Before anyone else knew it I was down.

This act of barbaric savagery without thought for honour or combat-manship could only have come from these fat dark simpletons from the other realm. Anyway, it lead to a frontal attack from the troll, he charged our party, the uncloaked kobold had already met his end to them and they netted some well earned realm points. The troll was now beating down on our party, Nym threw me a rez, and in my rage I decided it was time for a mez and another repel evil.. erm with my health less that nought, and my power about the same. My gourd had risen and my instincts told me to attack. How foolish your instincts can be at times. I should have ran to the hills, rested a little, healed and maybe pop off a smite. Instead I chose to stand there and get my bonker out. One swift cast from the trollie and I was down again. What a pillock I am! Our party started falling, although they gave him a good run for his money, and he was almost done - when Saulf breathed his last breath and the Troll found some luck that day. Damnit. One smite from a half eaten cleric could have swung the outcome. What a pillock I am!

Well, all was not lost I suppose. We'd had our first real encounter, and some of us had gained realm points, and it was a welcome intermission from our levelling treadmill.

After being blooded we decided to do some forest sausage mobs, however on our way back to castle sausage, there was a gathering. About 40 Albion players, organising themselves into groups and practising group movement and co-ordination. What a sight! I decided to lurk about and listen in on the yells. A couple of guilds were getting together a sizable RvR force, and they moving in staggered phased groups anticipating enemies and assigning tasks to each phase. They even had some members (dressed in black) acting out enemy attacks. Very organised, or at least trying to be very organised. Anyway, I decided to tag along with them and see what transpired.

We spent about half an hour practising phased movements at the keep over in Hibernia. It was good to see so many Albion folk move as a co-ordinated whole. After a while, we moved over to the Milefort. There was word of an approaching Midguard offensive. I spent my time, buffing the tanks I could, moving in a confusing manner around near the gate (acting my role of disruption officer) and generally taking in the battle atmosphere. An attack started, plenty of fireworks from our caster teams, and the phased attack system seemed to be working quite well. I nipped in and out of healing range and healed who I could. The enemy starting sending runners forward into our backlines and several of our frontline pulled back to take care of them. I rezzed as many fallen comrades as I could. We had about four runners that made it to the Milefort gates but who were viciously pounded down. The main Midguard attack group were still engaged at our frontline, and a number of them were dispatched and the remainder fled. I felt pretty good healing the wounded from the frontline as they stumbled back to the gates. Obviously the Middies will be back with larger numbers and after this initial battle our numbers seemed to dwindle a bit. The next objective was to take Milefort and hold it. So we mobilised what we had and in staggered phased fashion we moved onto Milefort2. When we got there, there was already a number of big trolls waiting for us. Spread out and exhausted we waited for the remainder of our lot to assemble up, ready for battle. There seemed to be a very long time between getting there and any action starting. Some mentioned that this pause in the attack, affords the enemy time to assemble troops from further afield to join in later. The attack began, I was well behind our main force and again as the tanks engaged volleys of firecrackers were being slung in to the mix. I could see the Midguard Mez holding our boys at the front. I think the yellow sparkle of death rousted some of our troops to move forward onto the caster. It was to lead to our deaths. The guards from the keep ran out to meet our boys, currently either mezzed or engaged in combat. Our front lines were falling. I ran in closer to get within healing range and healed a couple of folks who were still moving around but were hurt bad, and on my way out caught the infectious lemon sparkle myself. I tried all I could to break it with insta heals and group heals - but alas, nothing fired off. I was pinned waiting my turn for slaughter. I was kept waiting for what seemed like an eternity - held against my will, forced to watch others being slain, without any means of helping out. Suddenly, a purple jet of smoke surrounded me and shot up in the sky, I felt my body racked with pain and along come a troll and flattened me with one blow. All I could do was gasp at the carnage and watch as the stragglers where taken down systematically by a combination of the enemy troops and their marauding guards. Not sure how many of our troops escaped with their lives, but it was very few. There seems to be some really pretty but effective group casts that wipeout several people at once. It was a nasty place to be caught that night.

Anyway, top fun! Really enjoyed feeling a part of the "big thing" - even though I was just a hanger on.

I can't wait to get much higher - so that I can feel a more effective part of the battle group, rather than just a cursory low level who can heal and rez a bit if he stays alive long enough.

Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance

Well, I got it, I played it - I'm spent. Simply a beautiful game, well put together, is a Diablo freaks wet dream. If it had online play they'd be leaving D2 in droves.

9 hours later and I have completed it with a Dwarven fighter clad in full plate with an ice burst double edged axe. I did bluster through it - mainly because the weapon acquisition/gold collecting and character levelling and development spurs you on. There was always another skill on my agenda, another piece of armour, a couple more damage points to the weapon. There are side quests, I did a few of these early on, but I found the drive of the main storyline quest enough to want to make progress.

The graphics are beautiful. The different areas have a nice characteristic feel to them, the ice lands are barren and icy, the swamp lands are swampy, some of the castle-type dungeons really are nicely engineered. The water effects are the icing on the cake for me. It is a joy just to go jumping in the puddles and watching the ripples. At one point the effect is essential in taking care of whipping dogs that cloak with invisibility. You quickly cotton on that the water is your best friend. As you see through their invisible veil using their water trails to aim your axe.

There are some simple jumping puzzles, some lever puzzles, but all in all its pretty straight forward - and you are more or less led to the conclusion of each dungeon - simply by strolling around adventuring. The bosses are nice, some of the mobs are MASSIVE and scarey. From rhino type dinoasaurs emerging from the swamp mud to fecking HUGE mechanised warriors. There is even an ice dragon in there for us PSO ver2 dragon lovers who never managed to catch a glimpse of the ice dragon in Sega's tawdry update.

You get three class/race combinations to choose from, dwarven fighter, elven sorcerer and human archer. My nipper wanted the dwarf first. But I started a sorcerer just to get a feel for the magicks. The dwarf is pretty much a diablo slasher. You can block, or twirl around and slash. Many of the mobs can be dispatched with jumping and twirling taking them from behind. Although if you get surrounded by 6 mobs all pounding down you cannot jump out over them, you have to break the circle to get out. Later on there are two specific disciplines that allow you to impart damage on multiple mobs (one with an axe - a spin, and one with a warhammer - a bash to the ground that affects all nearby mobs). At least one of these disciplines was essential for the later stages - I found I could kill 5 or 6 minotaurs easier with my axe spin, than I could taking them carefully one at a time.

Alot of the loot dropped off mobs isn't as good as you can buy from the shops until very much later on in the game. So you tend to scoop up the trash and sell and save for the good stuff. Theres something lovely about a dwarf in full shiny plate armour. It took me to the last level of the game to get him fully kitted out.

It may seem a little short, 9 hours, but given that there are three character types to play and they seem to handle quite differently (although I found archery with the dwarf a bit tricky and the damage dealt was piss poor compared to my axe) - I think nearly 30 hours of play is pretty good. Plus the two player co-op game will add to this nicely if you can find someone to team up with for 9 hours. It's a shame they all go through the same story though. So you will know the route through the game the second time round, I'm using this as an advantage because the sorcerer (steamy sexy temptress that she is) is way below par at getting going - the initial magicks don't seem to help her much and she hasn't got the hit points to take the blows. She can however use her cunning knowledge of whats up ahead to plan round-the-corner toastings.

BTW the tits on the barmaid at the Tavarn are unbelievable and put DOA to shame. The beauty of independant movement brought about by arm gestures is mesmerising. I had to run through it at least another couple of times - just to get it out of my system. Did I mention every bit of kit affects the characters look? So in theory, you can de-armour the sorcerer and have her running around almost naked in a very skimpy leather thong and bra. If her magicks could hold the mob off thats how I would take her through the whole game :)

I'm off to spray fire from my fingertips..

Devil May Cry

I grabbed this yesterday. Mainly because I had an £8 GAME voucher burning a hole in my pocket and the terrible realisation that Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance doesn't look like its going to hit the shelves over here till after christmas. Now I like the idea of a red velvet glad goth boy slaughtering the undead with a God of a sword and twin
rapid fire pistols. The graphics look nice and crisp something Crapimusha couldn't boast). I can live with the "alone in the dark" camera tracking - only just - it seems to handle it better than aforementioned "musha" product - although there is still a lot of "distance play" - I guess to give the game a bit of scale this has to
happen. At least no climbing stairs/opening doors loading cut scenes.

But you can't get away from the fact that its got RE breeding. You can't shake that feeling that you are playing a cool idea trapped in the body of a dire genre (my thoughts on the RE series being well known). I'm hoping theres less of the shite puzzles and more of the kill em action, with progression, rather than just endlessly spawning monsters in the same couple of areas. Theres some cool moves, shooting whilst jumping backwards, reminiscent of max payne a bit as you hang in the air - matrix style. I wanted to like this game so much. I wanted to block out the capcom RE influences. But as I began to get stuck - traversing the same corridor - over and over again - meeting
the same monsters over and over again - endlessly spawning - getting more and more frustrated I am starting to get that Onimusha feeling. I'm feeling cheated again...

Admittedly, I haven't played it much at all. Give it about an hour. I will take it by the horns and see if it develops much more - I want to be an action packed red gothchild of hate. But I'm not prepared to put up with tat game mechanics for a few bursts of action.

Camelot: Arthurian Excitement

DAoC, has the levelling treadmill in there, but it isn't as painful as EQ. The quests system is very clever and keeps you busy. You can get "kill tasks" of any guards for experience and cash. Also, there is a bonus if you don't camp a mob. Rare items drop less and less the more you have been camping. It promotes moving on to kill rather than sitting in one spot and raping it.

You get to level 5 and then specialise. After that you are free to specialise in your trained disciplines. The game is geared towards making levelling a nice and fairly fast experience - they want you in the Realm vs Realm game. So you level up to 20+ in player vs environment (a la EQ) then you take an army of you into another realms frontier lands and try to kill them and/or take over their forts and keeps. You earn realm points for kills and victories. You can spend these later of special realm items. It takes what EQ started and makes it more enjoyable, nicer to look at, and adds the spice of not only gearing up to level up, but specialising your character to be successful in battle.

I play a cleric. Now in EQ clerics heal. Mainly. In Camelot, you specialise and you can be a healing cleric, or a smiting cleric (mainly direct damage spells and area mezmerise). You can balance your skills between the two, or go with one or the other. The classes are much more flexible and you can tweak them as you want. The Realm vs Realm stuff bristles with elements from Team Fortress Classic and other combat based games, advancing over EQ's player vs Player stuff. You are battling for land and territories and ancient artifacts that bestow statistical bonuses on all players in your realm. Top stuff. Very exciting. Lovely to look at. I can see me playing Camelot a lot longer than EQ or PSO ever held me, and thats saying something!!!

Dark Age of Camelot: Excalibur

Well, my life has been taken over by this game. I knew it would be big, but not this big. An obsession that equals my PSO one.

It's basically a much nicer to look at, well rounded online role playing game. It caters for people who can't afford massive time committments. Levelling isn't as arduous as in EverQuest. The questing mechanism relaly is entertaining and enjoyable. The characters are based in Arthurian legend (on the realm I play) and there is good scope for taking each class and specialising them in different ways (eg. a cleric could be a smiting force, or more healing and enhancements).

Watch this space for some of my antics within the game. Since I imported Camelot from the US, I haven't really touched any other game.