A Life In Tyria – A Guild Wars 2 Exploration – Character Creation – Races

So, one of my favorite games, or perhaps more accurately, game series has been the Guild Wars games. It started with Guild Wars (later Guild Wars: Prophecies), then came Guild Wars: Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall and finally Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Then came Guild Wars 2. I’ve been playing Guild Wars 2 since the first beta weekend, courtesy of a friend buying me a pre-order when my luck was down. I did have about a six month hiatus, after I burned out and wanted to explore other games but I’ve come back to it. Then fun thing is, I don’t have to pay monthly fees for it, so I can come and go as I please. Always a bonus for a cash strapped person.

And yet, despite my love of it, I’ve never written a post about Guild Wars 2. Shame on me. The simple fact is, you can’t just play and beat this game, which, for me, makes it hard to review it. A guild mate of mine is doing a walk through of Tyria (the continent and world) on her blog with pictures and I thought, that could be kind of cool. Yet, I didn’t want to do the exact same thing, so I’m going to go through the stories, lore, and the things I find interesting about Guild Wars 2.

So without further ado, let’s start with character creation!

For me, character creation is always fun and frustrating at the same time. Always. I like playing and making my character unique as possible. With Guild Wars 2, that’s easily done, though you may surprise yourself and find a twin, but that happens with thousands upon thousands of players playing.

Here’s an example from the eight characters I currently have (one for each profession, which I will go into in depth, later in this article):

My Guild Wars 2 Characters: Emma Frostsummers, Orjanus, Eoghan Emrys, Tearlag, Marqi, Karawyn Aquilus, Hrolf Valraven, Tigris Nox.

Chronicles of Tyria Guild

As you can see, lots of choices. First choice up is race. And here is where I get into some of the lore. I love lore, I love learning back stories and culture…I’m a nerd and I freely admit it.

Starting alphabetically, you have the Asura – the little guy in the middle. Admittedly, the Asura are one of my least favorite races. It took me a long time to get past the arrogance. It took seen an Asuran Guardian with a greatsword running around to make me go ‘Awww.’ and thus Marqi was born. The Asura are magical-techno geniuses. If it’s a magical device, then they’re in their element.

The in-game description for them is as follows:

These alchemagical inventors may be short in stature, but they’re intellectual giants. Among the asura, it’s not the strong who survive, but the clever. Other races believe they should rule by virtue of their power and strength, but they’re deluding themselves. In due time, all will serve the asura.

Next up is the Charr, the cat-looking fellow on the end there, Tigris. He’s actually a itty bitty Charr, who looks bigger in that picture. (He’s standing on  milkcrate…shhh.). The Charr are the technical masters of the land. Steampunk and explosions, always a fun combination. They don’t like magic due to their past and subjugation by the magic-loving Flame Legion.

The in-game description for them is as follows:

The charr race was forged in the merciless crucible of war. It is all they know. War defines them, and their quest for dominion drives them ever onward. The weakling and the fool have no place among the charr. Victory is all that matters, and it must be achieved by any means and at any cost.

After that are the humans. They’re sort of the jack-of-all trades. They’re going through a rough spot, going from spanning most of the continent to only have really one major city and some small towns in a fraction of what they used to span. They have a lot of history, a lot of lore and some interesting dynamics.

The in-game description for them is as follows:

Humans have lost their homeland, their security, and their former glory. Even their gods have withdrawn. And yet, the human spirit remains unshaken. These brave defenders of Kryta continue to fight with every ounce of their strength.

The Norn are next and they are generally a favorite. They’re very Viking-based, which is seen in the armor, the architecture, and the naming conventions. They love to fight, they love to drink and they are very big. They worship the animal spirits in a shamanistic way. Oh, they also transform into giant were-beasts.

The in-game description for them is as follows:

This race of towering hunters experienced a great defeat when the Ice Dragon drove them from their glacial homeland. Nevertheless, they won’t let one lost battle – however punishing – dampen their enthusiasm for life and the hunt. They know that only the ultimate victor achieves legendary rewards.

The last race is the Sylvari, the youngest race. This race is less than 30 years old according to game lore, and are a unique race. They’re a plant based race, as seen by the three I play. They’re also my favorite race. Obviously.

The in-game description for them is as follows:

Sylvari are not born. They awaken beneath the Pale Tree with knowledge gleaned in their pre-life Dream. These noble beings travel, seeking adventure and pursuing quests. They struggle to balance curiosity with duty, eagerness with chivalry, and warfare with honor. Magic and mystery entwine to shape the future of this race that has so recently appeared.

So that is all about the races in a basic synopsis. Next post will be about classes.

Video Game #4: Tomb Raider (2013)

Almost a year, and no post. My bad. It’s not from a dearth of video games, I assure you.  It is, unfortunately, a lack of motivation. Hopefully that will change. I will probably even be posting some older games that I’ve discovered and enjoy.

I’ve always been interested in the Tomb Raider series, though I had difficulties with them. Then I just couldn’t get into a character I knew little or nothing about. That was my though, originally with this game, a reboot, if you will, of the Tomb Raider series. If they keep going with this Lara Croft, I think I’ll keep getting the games.

This Lara is young, hasn’t started her adventuring and is more interested in the more, realistic side of history and legends, than believing in the fantastical side. She starts off, not weak but not fully confident in her abilities and with her own flaws. As the game goes on, and she deals with more and more brushes with death and comes out stronger, she grows. I think that the character development on this game is amazing.  I have seen some criticism about how the narrative character differs from the game-play, and that is valid but I don’t think it’s as big a deal as it’s given out to be, as Lara mentions several times that Roth, an uncle figure in the game, had taught her a lot given he’d worked with her father.

Storyline is pretty linear and was, to me, pretty interesting. The various places visited on the island upon which you’ve been stranded are very well done. The characters look real and not so pixelated. I think that all the additional sights to explore, the storylines to pick up are very interesting, though sadly this part I didn’t start doing until the end of the game and I know I missed a lot. I plan to go back and hunt for more of these little tidbits.

The ending left it open for a sequel and I hope that there is one. This is a game that deserves to head up a new Lara Croft and I can’t wait to see what the developers do.

Story – 7

Playability – 7

Visual Appeal – 8

Overall – 7.5

~Tyger

Video Game #3: Dishonored

Dishonored Boxart, courtesy of http://dishonored.wikia.com

A long time, and no posts. For that I apologize. I’ve got a bad habit of playing games and not finishing them straight through, often playing many games before finally beating one. The current review is one that I picked up on a Black Friday Sale in Nov. 2012 and finally beat right before the end of the year. Of course, there were about two weeks where I didn’t play it, or many games, at all.

Dishonored is a game that I wanted to play the moment I saw the first trailer. It was intriguing to me. A steampunk fantasy game was an interesting concept. Yet, I wasn’t willing to pay full price for it. I never am. So I waited and snagged this gem up off of a sale. And let me say, it was worth every penny paid! Of course, I think, in retrospect, it would have been worth even the full price of admission.

You play Lord Protector Corvo Attano, the bodyguard for the Empress. The game starts with you returning from seeking aid from the Rat Plague [think Bubonic Plague.]. After her assassination, that’s when the real story begins. You’re ‘rescued’ from a death sentence and given the ability to seek revenge on the traitors. Though this you’re given supernatural powers by one known as The Outsider, a trickster figure. It’s up to you how you do all this. Do you let all hell reign supreme and go in all guns blazing or are you discreet and find other means of taking down your enemies?

That’s the beauty of this game. You can choose how to tackle a problem, how to approach an issue. Sometimes you’ll take one way, only to realize later there was an easier way to do it. The world is expansive and the lore impressive. It’s dark and gritty.

The graphics are, to me, a bit unusual. Maybe even a bit dated. Yet, it’s not distracting and doesn’t detract from the game at all.

• Story – 8
• Playability – 9
• Visual Appeal – 7
• Overall – 8

Tyger

Video Game #2: Alpha Protocol

The cover of Alpha Protocol, video game from Sega and Obsidian Entertainment

This is the next game I’ve chosen to review – Alpha Protocol. It’s a great game. A cross between an RPG and a first-person shooter. I was hoping that there’d be a sequel but sadly, at this time, there aren’t any plans for it. There are issues for it. You can find articles online about how the combat was awkward, or flawed. I didn’t see it so much but most people who write up games are much more hardcore in their gaming than I am. I found the combat, once I got used to it, rather easy. Okay, so someone who is shooting me should take me down before I karate chop someone to death but hey, feeling invincible is always fun. But the strength of this game isn’t about the combat, but about the story and level of player choice.

The main character in the story is Agent Michael Thorton, he has a standard base look that you can fully customize as well as a customizable base of skill. You can choose presets or choose whatever you wish. The main thing about Alpha Protocol is you choose how to play. There’s little that isn’t up to the player. Want to be a gun-blazing type? Pick the skills that work. Want to be a sneaky spy type? Again, choose. Want to be a tech nerd? Again, you choose. Of course, it helps to pick a few skills and specialize and not a little of them all. Just like any RPG.

Storyline wise, this game shines. You’re sent to track down missiles that went missing. After that, you wind up navigating a complicated path, trying to find who is responsible. Each decision has consequences that resonate further down the game. If you’ve played the Mass Effect or Dragon Age series by Bioware, it’s like that but deeper. Much deeper. Kill someone early on, you may regret it at the end of the game. Let someone live, and something may happen causing you to regret that decision later.

I enjoyed this game a great deal. I felt that it was a strong game and deserves a sequel. However, I’m not the one making those decisions. Often now you can find this game to pick up rather cheap. I’d recommend doing it and playing it. It has a lot of replay value due to the decisions made affecting your outcome.

My ratings for this game:

• Story – 8
• Playability – 9
• Visual Appeal – 7

Overall: 8

Tyger

On The Big Screen: The Woman In Black

What did they see?

Another movie seen and this time it was a slightly different one for me to post here. The others have all been action films and this one was definitely not. I’m talking about “The Woman in Black” with actor Daniel Radcliffe.

Now, I’m not a big horror movie fan. I’ve never been big on being scared. Hell, in Independence Day, when the alien throws Brent Spiner against the glass, I jumped (Okay, my dad chose that  moment to slap his hands on my shoulders but still…). But this had sounded interesting and my roommate had also wanted to see it. So off we went on Monday to see it.

It’s good. It’s very good.

It started out as a novel of the same name, published in 1983 by Susan Hill. It’s been adapted into a play, another movie and some radio series, none of which seem to follow the book exactly, and neither does this one. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_Black ).

The basic synopsis is that Daniel Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer widower with a son who is sent by his law firm to this small, remote town on the English coast where he’s to put into order a recently deceased woman’s affairs. He finds that the town folk are not willing to discuss the old manor and tell him to leave it be. Yet he, of course, persists and finds himself the center of some very strange happenings while revealing the story of the woman in black.

It was well done and a very good first feature film for Daniel to choose to break away from the Harry Potter role. I loved him as Harry but I think that this shows he has a lot of staying power as an actor and will be remembered for far more than that one role. I hope his other castmembers can find the same success.

As I said, my roommate who grew up on horror films and loves them, was with me. She doesn’t scare easy, if at all. Yet this one had her hunched in her seat as well, fists in front of her mouth, watching avidly.

Another interesting tidbit for folks, this is a Hammer film. That’s right, the same folks who brought you Dracula, Frankenstein, and other black and white horror films with film legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing bring you this great thiller.

Tyger

On The Big Screen: Real Steel

So, it’s been a while since I’ve done a movie review nearly right after seeing a movie in the theater. I’ve seen a lot of good ones – Thor, Captain America. Green Lantern wasn’t horrible as a movie but I’m not DC Comics fan so it wasn’t something I was into beyond it being a movie with Ryan Reynolds. I also saw Straw Dogs which was good. But this review is about a movie I saw this weekend with Hugh Jackman headlining: Real Steel.

It was a fun movie to watch. Basic synopsis is Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Keaton, a former boxer who got shoved aside as robots took over the boxing ring who happens to be an underground robot-boxer. He is summoned to court to sign over custody of his son, Max, played by Dakota Goyo, who was also Young Thor in the recent Thor movie. However due to other things, he winds up taking the kid in for the summer and when the boy finds a sparring bot, they work together to take things to the top.

It’s a very good movie. Hugh Jackman does a stellar performance as Charlie. Dakota really is a young actor to watch. The kid can act and I hope to see great things from the boy as he grows up. If he keeps acting in quality movies like this, I don’t see that being an issue.

It rates 4.5 out of 5 for me. I definitely will get this when it comes out on DVD.

Tyger

On the Big Screen: X-Men: First Class

I will admit to being a bit…apprehensive of the idea of X-Men First Class, especially as things were told about it across the internet.  Somethings like Havoc versus Cyclops.  Mystique being so young. All of these, had me raising my eyebrow and I’ve never read the original X-Men comics. I’ve seen X1 and X2, and the Wolverine series but I’ve never read them until recently, and even then, I’ve been in to X-treme X-Men and most recently Uncanny X-Force.  So I’m not the most knowledgeable about the X-Men/Marvel universe.

However, despite my misgivings, seeing it in the theatres…I enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. The story line, which while it contridicted information from the first trilogy (the comics do this all the time…should a movie shock us for following suit?) , was solid.  Given that Bryan Singer, the director of the original two, was involved, that should come as now shock.

The casting was well done. While it was odd to have anyone other than Sirs Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart playing Magneto and Professor X, respectfully, I feel that Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy did a wonderful job making these roles their own. Jennifer Lawerence was marvelous as Raven/Mystique, which is good because I loved her when played by Rebecca Romjin. Kevin Bacon played a wonderful villian as Sebastian Shaw and January Jones was very and I mean, very yummy as Emma Frost, one of my favorite female comic book characters.

Of course there are continuity issues, as with any series but I don’t fel that those take away from the movie. As with any X-Men title, there are a million and one realities and this is just another one. I think that it’ll be a good series if they keep it going.

Tyger

Video Game #1: Crysis

I’m a video game addict.  I enjoy playing them, and while I’m not a technical expert or a professional judge of video games, I know what I like.  I’ll rate games on playability, story line, and how likely I am to play it again.

Crysis

The first game up is a game that was released by Crytek Studios, Crysis, in 2007. I didn’t pick it up until late 2010. It’s a very graphic intense game and from all reports that I read, was barely able to be handled by the graphic cards of its time.  Needless to say my card that I recently bought was able to handle this game just fine.

Storyline wise, the game isn’t super imaginative but there are worse out there. You play Nomad, a US SpecOps sent to an island in the Pacific, with your squad, to find out what’s happened to a team of archeologists when the North Koreans took over the island. Needless to say, it starts bad…and doesn’t get any better. Between the North Koreans and Aliens, it’s just a really bad day for Nomad and his Raptor team.

The game is rather straightforward in it’s play. It’s a first person shooter (FPS).  You have several ways to customize the weapons you find through out the game from silencers to flashlights to types of ammo.  The neat part of Crysis, and it’s sequels, is the Nanosuit. This is a cutting edge suit that gives Nomad an edge over the enemy. There’s four modes – Armor, Speed, Strength and Cloak. The two I used the most was Cloak and Armor. Speed is used sometimes out of necessity of travelling to point A to point B. Strength was used when I had to punch through and break things. I didn’t get the ability to use the suit to it’s full capabilities down but I suspect that comes with practice.

Overall, I rather like the game and will play it again at some point.

• Story – 7
• Playability – 7
• Visual Appeal – 9

Overall – 8

Tyger