November 2010 Update

It’s been a while since the last update here, so I’m checking in to let everyone know what’s going on with e-AAGH.net.

The short answer? Nothing bad. I’m reviewing Fallout New Vegas at the moment, and it’s been great. I like some things about it much better then Fallout 3, but it’s got some hiccups that I’ll cover in the final review. The picture above is from one of the most memorable moments in the early game. How did you handle that situation?

I’m also still writing my NBA 2K11 My Player blogs on AlphaSports. The above picture is my favorite so far. You’d think landing a haymaker on a floor mopper would be a flagrant foul at the very least (intent, windup and follow through – aren’t those the requirements?), but apparently side line folk are fair game. Next I’m going to see if I can knock out the mascot – Bennie the Bull always has irked me (but not as much as his blow-up counterpart, who I call Inflata-Bull).

Alazar is currently on hold and may not see any real activity until Cataclysm. I just don’t have the drive to log in and repeat the same quests and dungeons I’ve been doing for months when in less then 30 days the expansion will hit and change everything.

I’d love to acquire either Fable III or Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller to review but those are both very much up in the air. Fable’s more likely simply due to it’s more reasonable cost but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to tackle either one right now. One reason is that my ancient upstairs computer has finally completely died so I’d like to replace it at some point (ideal situation: replace the main ‘puter with something better and use the old one down here for upstairs as an upgrade to both situations).

To sum thing up, everything’s pretty much as it’s always been around here. I’ll try and get my Fallout: New Vegas review live as soon as I can. Later, all.

Champions Online Goes Free to Play

Champions Online, Cryptic Studio’s super hero MMORPG is going free to play in early 2011. I really support this concept because the game is fun but seems to lean more towards on-and-off-again play. Personally I’ll occasionally restart my subscription and play for a month and then take a few months off. The new F2P model will be limited to two character slots and the base power sets (no customizing starting powers).

The press release is as follows.

(Los Angeles, CA) October XX, 2010 – Atari Inc., one of the world's most recognized videogame publishers, and renowned MMO developer Cryptic Studios have announced today that their superhero MMORPG, Champions Online™, will be free to play beginning Q1 2011. Players will be able to download and enjoy the game at absolutely no cost.

Champions Online free-to-play also features additional premium content for purchase. Adventure Packs, items, powers and costume pieces can be selected a la carte inside Cryptic's innovative C-Store. Additionally, current players may continue subscribing as Gold members, while new players may also optionally upgrade to Gold status, which unlocks most of the game's content and includes extra features for a set price of $14.99 per month.

"Transitioning Champions Online to the free-to-play model is a great opportunity to reach a whole new audience of PC gamers that view subscription fees as a barrier to entry," said John Needham, CEO of Cryptic Studios. "By taking care of our current subscription-based community and welcoming the addition of new players through free-to-play, Champions Online is poised to build upon its success and to establish a new leadership position as the first free-to-play superhero MMO."

Champions Online has been lauded since its launch for the customization options it gives players. The switch to free-to-play gives players even more control over their gameplay:

• Unlimited Play Time – Play as much as you like, as long as you like, at absolutely no cost. No subscription or credit card required.
• Your Own Hero, Your Own Story – Become a hero, encounter his or her Nemesis, and advance to maximum level at no cost.
• Play Your Way – Utilize the optional web-based and in-game C-Store to purchase gameplay upgrades or additional premium content.

The Champions Online free-to-play closed beta test begins on November 9, 2010 and will be made available to a subset of current players, with potential openings for new users.

Champions Online brings epic heroism to the MMORPG genre with depth that challenges the most experienced online gamers, while its fast-paced action engages new entrants to the online superhero universe. Join with Defender and the legendary Champions to stop Dr. Destroyer and his minions in the ultimate showdown between good and evil.

To learn more about Champions Online Free-to-Play, please visit:
http://www.champions-online.com/f2p

ABOUT ATARI, SA
Atari group is a global creator, producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Atari's brands and content are available across all key traditional and digital distribution touch points, including browser-based and social online platforms, PC, consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, and advanced smart phones (i.e. iPhone, Android and RIM devices).

Divisions of Atari, SA include Cryptic Studios, Eden Studios, Atari Interactive, Inc. and Atari, Inc.

Atari benefits from the strength of its worldwide brand and its extensive catalogue of contemporary classic game franchises (Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Lunar Lander®), original owned franchises (Test Drive®, Backyard Sports®, Deer Hunter®), MMO games from Cryptic Studios (Star Trek™ Online, Champions™) and third party franchises (Ghostbusters®, Rollercoaster Tycoon®, Dungeons and Dragons®). Atari also leverages the power of its franchises to deliver movies and merchandise to consumers around the world.

For more information please visit: www.atari.com
© 2010 Atari Europe SASU. All rights reserved.
Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc.

ABOUT CRYPTIC STUDIOS
Based in Los Gatos, CA, Cryptic Studios is a leading developer of massively multiplayer online games committed to delivering the next level of MMO gameplay. Cryptic develops AAA titles for PC and consoles, including Star Trek Online and Champions Online. For more information on Cryptic Studios, please visit the official website at: www.crypticstudios.com. Cryptic word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Cryptic Studios, Inc.

You can find more information at on their site.

Kirby's Epic Yarn, Renamed

I've been playing Kirby's Epic Yarn tonight and its allot of fun, but I can't help but think that the name needs something. Here's a few of the replacement titles I've scrounged together.

• Kirby: Nightmare in Pantsland
• Kirby's String Theory
• Kirby's Complete Fabrication
• Kirby's So-Sew Adventure
• Kirby: Knit ware in Dreamland
• Kirby's Canvas Calamity
• Kirby's Loose Threads
• Kirby's Coming Apart at the Seams
• Yin-Yarn Strings Kirby Along
• Kirby Can't Lose No Matter What
• Prince Fluff's Fetch Quest

I know I missed some easy ones. Any suggestions?

Back in Action

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates, but it’s been busy here at e-AAGH.net. I re-did every single review, cataloging them and fixing their myriad formatting and typing errors.  I’ve also cleaned up all of the ‘junk’ on the pages and made them more browser and search-engine friendly. As I bonus I streamlined the review creation  process, so I can get more reviews up more easily. My latest reviews are for The Guild 2 Renaissance and NBA 2K11 – two games at totally opposite ends of the quality spectrum.

You may notice that advertisements have been placed on the site. I decided that I can only run e-AAGH.net as a charity for so long, and it’s been running at a loss since it’s inception. It’s cost me just about  $1,000 to keep this site up and running since I leased the domain in 2004, so even a dollar here and there will help.

Now, don’t think e-AAGH.net is in danger. The site is still I safe and sound hands and I’m perfectly capable of keeping the site online as it stands. However, any ad revenue I receive would go towards the hosting fee, or if that’s already covered for the period, another game to review.

Donations are also welcome, but I’m not going to post a link or button asking for donations at this time. I don’t think it looks good on a small site like mine. It tends to give off whiff of desperation, in my mind. One may one day appear, but not as it stands. If you wish to make a donation, contact me directly and I will help arrange it.

In any case, enjoy the upgrade to e-AAGH.net and let me know if you have any comments or opinions. Later, all.

Minecraft Craziness

Like seemingly half of the gaming community these days, I’m playing Minecraft. This seemingly simple game has incredible depth and potential. You start with your bare hands and nothing but wild spaces around you. After harvesting some raw materials and building some basic amenities, you need to put up shelter for the night. Why? Because if you don’t you’re not going to see the morning.

Monsters come out at night, ranging from the mundane spiders and zombies to the arrow-shooting skeletons and the exploding creepers (seen above – he’s the green guy). It’s wise to be indoors somewhere when the sun falls, but without light to chase the shadows from your borough, monsters will spawn there too. So you build torches, and you begin to see the depth this game has. You can dig into the earth with your pick axes (keep a couple at all times, because they break) looking for rare minerals or random caves, you can build amazing structures around the landscape out of stone, brick, wood, glass or whatever else you dig up or make, or you can make a farm with food and animals to live on and just be a homebody.

If I had to leverage a complaint right now, it would be that it’s too easy to  lose your shelter in the wilderness early on. I had a nice three story cave home in my first game that I lost track of while trying to find food and leather. I never did find it again, actually. Also, the game can eat up memory like no one’s business, which can lead to crashes.

The game has a lovely 3D 8-bit look that belies it’s amazing depth. If you’ve got any mind at all for creativity, this is something you have to try.

NBA ELITE 11 Delayed

Um, wow. Consider me shocked. NBA ELITE 11 is being delayed indefinitely right now by EA Sports. I didn’t like the Xbox 360 demo this year (then again, I’ve not really liked a next gen EA Sports basketball game to date) but this came completely out of left field. I personally didn’t think the demo was substantially worse then previous EA Sports b-ball games. It featured the same robotic animations, over-saturated coloring and stiff control as in past games, with some confusing new controller-input changes added on top. EA had allot to lose by putting this product head-to-head with NBA 2K11, which has a head of steam going, hype-wise, with the new features, improved graphics and the inclusion of Michael Jordan (something EA did back in 1999 with NBA Live 2000). However, this delay could be very dangerous to EA’s basketball brand.

First they renamed the venerable NBA Live series, giving up name recognition in the process. Now they’re missing the opening gate and giving 2K Sports a head start. This could lead to neutral fans who would normally flock to Live because of the name to go to NBA 2K11. What happens there is anyone’s guess. They may get attached to the new brand, or they could get turned off on basketball games as a whole. It almost gives me the vibes from 989 Sports’ NBA Shootout series that EA’s game killed off. 989 skipped Shootout 2002 (on the PS2) to perfect their product but never really got back in the game. Eerily, it was NBA Shootout that was originally trying new and unconventional things to hang with NBA Live on the original PlayStation (such as their unique create-a-dunk feature), which reminds me of the innovations EA has implemented to stay with 2K’s game (freestyle dribbling on the PS2/Xbox, ELITE’s complete overhaul on the PS3/360).

EA has scrapped a franchise in the past and it’s worked. Triple Play Baseball got a really bad reputation in the early 2000s for low quality, so EA shut it down and made a new game, MVP Baseball, that by many accounts was the best baseball game of it’s day (before 2K Sports locked up the MLB license and killed the series). That means that EA Sports isn’t on entirely uncharted ground here. They just need to be careful to not lose too much territory to NBA 2K11 this fall. Time will tell if they can.

Civilization V Review Progressing

I’m still reviewing Civilization V, and I’m almost done. The game is – so far – one of my favorites of 2010, up there with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and StarCraft 2. I hope to have a review by Monday, but no promises.