I stumbled upon the Disney Channel original movie; Descendants a little while ago and while I clearly wasn’t the target audience, I got a few laughs out of it. The story of the children of super villains trying to step out of the shadows of their parents was an interesting take on the Disney villain mythos, and the version of “Be Our Guest.” Was surprisingly kick-ass.
Even though the film was such a hit, I was super surprised to discover that Disney are releasing a brand new mobile tie-in game simple titled Descendants. Unlike the usual match-three puzzle games, Descendants has you creating your own avatar from over 450 different clothing options, and then playing through the game and doing things like;
Style showcase: Players can create their own unique character and stand out from the crowd with millions of fashionable combinations, from stylish Auradon preppy to edgy Isle style.
Exciting missions: As they progress through the game, players can organise school parties with Mal, tailor costumes with Evie for a play, and unveil more exciting quests with the help of the coolest students at Auradon Prep.
Be legendary: Players can collect special rewards along the way to raise school spirit and grow their ‘Legendary’ status.
Explore Auradon: Ride on Ben’s scooter to travel between locations and uncover iconic areas such as the Tourney Field, Gallery of Villains, Carnival Grounds and many more.
Descendants is available now as a free download through iTunes and Google Play, so download it today and live life as a villain!
Multiplayer Zelda games are not exactly the mainstay of the series, but when the occasional Four Swords pops up it is usually a barrel of laughs to play with a few friends. Tri Force Heroes is the spiritual successor to those Four Swords games and puts players once again in the shoes of Link as he battles monsters, solves puzzles and collects loot with two other players. Sadly, the game lacks the charm and excitement that you want from a Zelda title and suffers from gameplay issues that make it a challenging and tiring multilayer experience.
Story
Tri Force Heroes is set after the events of Link Between Worlds and has our hero, Link travel to the land of Hytopia, a kingdom whose inhabitants are absolutely obsessed with Bing fashionable and wearing the best clothes. Once he arrives our hero discovers that an evil witch known as “The Lady,” has cursed the princess Styla into being unable to ever wear nice clothes…
The problem with the story is that it just doesn’t feel like a Zelda game. There are only a handful of characters in the game and they are all really over the top caricatures with puns for names. Even the stages that the player goes through are known as the Drablands, which just really hammers whole the whole “fashion,” theme this game is going for. In the end the wacky, zany, ham-fisted setting and story feels like it is more akin to something from a Paper Mario game than a Zelda one and what’s worse is the story just seems to serve as a tenuous link to the game’s 39-something stages instead of a real, living world.
Gameplay
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a bit of a departure from the series’ norms and instead of the single-player dungeon crawling exploits, goes for quick bursts of multiplayer puzzle solving. This is a game that has been designed from the ground-up for three people to play together and they aren’t shy about expressing it. Whether you are playing online with strangers, with friends, or via local Co-Op you will always need EXACTLY two other players to enjoy the game. It is a bit of an odd limitation that works thematically but not so well mechanically.
You are also able to play through the game on your own, switching between three playable Links at any given time. It is funny that they included the ability to switch between Links during single play, but not so during online sessions (an issue I will touch on shortly). However, single-player is a bit of a drag and really just makes you wish you were playing with other people.
The game’s strength is definitely in its local co-op. Tri Force Heroes offers download play, meaning that you only need one copy of the game to play wi your friends. This is probably some of the best use of Download Play that I have seen outside of Mario Kart games and gives players access to just about every aspect of the game aside from making their own costumes.
Those of you who are familiar with the Four Swords Zelda games will immediately recognise the formula that Tri Force a Heroes uses. You select your stage based on a few different locations and then once in that stage you will have to use the combination of your swordplay skills, provided weapons and your partners in order to solve the puzzles and progress through. Depending on the difficulty of the puzzle, the ability of you and your partners to work together, and how far into the game it is, it can take anywhere from 3-8 minutes for each puzzle, so anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour for any complete stage. Beating all the stages in an area will unlock some new challenges that you can accomplish, but sadly these don’t offer much more to the gameplay experience and often just have you racing through again with a limited time or less hearts than you would otherwise normally have.
As you progress through the game’s stages, you will collect new items that can be crafted into costumes for you to wear. Aside from the obvious aesthetic changes, these costumes also offer some unique bonuses; the Kokiri Costume allows you to shoot three arrows at a time while the Big Bomb costume makes your bomb’s blast radius even wider. It is a really cool concept but sadly doesn’t feel fleshed out enough for a full game. None of the costumes provide any real new ways to tackle the puzzles. Which is something I would have really liked to see.
One of the biggest issues I have with Tri Force Heroes multiplayer is that the online network for the game is absolute atrocious. Every time I played with others online I either experienced lag so terrible that it made the game nearly unplayable, or I was stuck waiting around for a game. Often times these waits were up to 45 minutes. The wait times are partially due to the game needing three players, and this combined with the lag just resulted in a broken, horrible online experience for me. Even the local co-op suffers from lag, although it was much less frequent and a lot more bearable when it did occur.
The final gripe I have with Tri Force Heroes is that is suffers from really bad options for communication. When playing online, your only means of talking to your fellow players are with a series of eight buttons that when pressed will flash up a logo on the screen with some text that say something like “Over Here!” Or “Noooo.” Now, being a multiplayer puzzle game, limiting the ways in which players can communicate really creates a tonne of problems that just shouldn’t be there. This is of course not the case when playing local co-op because you can actually talk to one another and work as a unified team.
Visuals & Audio
I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Tri Force Heroes visuals. The game is built on the same engine that Link Between Worlds was, so things look almost identical here as they did there, which creates a nice sense of visual cohesion between the two games, plus the art style was pretty on-point in LBW so it is nice to see it revisited here.
Audio is again similar to LBW, with Link, his items, the enemies and the world items making largely the same sounds as they did them. This again creates some cohesion between the game’s with is really nice and keeps it feeling like a part of the same world. The music that plays when you are in a stage is usually pretty frantic and high energy, encouraging the players to rush around with a sense of urgency, and it also adds a bit of excitement to the overall product.
Overall
I’ll be frank; I didn’t really enjoy my time with Tri Force Heroes. From its ham-fisted tone and setting, to its incredible limits on gameplay; and online connectivity and communication issues that are unforgivable in a game that is designed around online play, I just felt that Tri Force Heroes is flawed in almost every fundamental aspect. The sad part is that there are some cool concepts here; the costume abilities and co-op gameplay are really interesting and could really do with more fleshing out, and if you have two other friends then the local co-op can be an absolute barrel of laughs. It is hard to recommend this game at full retail price because it really does feel like a small downloadable title that you can just muck about with and waste a little time on
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Overview
I am not much of a PC gamer. I do remember hearing all the buzz when Divinity: Original Sin first released as it seemed like a nice enough title, but alas I stuck to my console gaming ways for all of 2014. Luckily, a lot of big-named releases usually find their way to other platforms, and Original Sin is no different. This RPG originated as a dream from a little studio and has now hit the big time, with a sequel in the works as well as a fanbase that are extremely loyal to this one title. Divinity doesn’t just have a heart, it has a brain – and that is an absolute rarity. With that said, can this gem bring all of its worth to consoles? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
For the most part, Original Sin Enchanced Edition is an isometric RPG set it the world of Rivellon. As the player, your objective is to band together with a friend (via up to flour player co-op) or with an AI preset to rid the world of an evil, prohibited magic by the name of “Sourcery”. To be honest the overall plot comes secondary, as the world you are within is the most magical part of the entire experience. Every single character usually has something of value to say, and every action you perform – wherever you are usually has some sort of consequence for later. Sure, I enjoyed the story, but the interaction between the characters within Divinity truly makes the universe its set in come alive – and luckily that spreads over to the gameplay.
The combat within this title is fantastic when it is working at top gear. Players utilize a turn-based mechanic, ditching the usual grid system to allow for more freedom of movement. Once the player has gone through their AP (attack points), their turn can end – with the enemy and your team each stepping up to the plate to perform an attack or a method of defense. Its a lot like chess to be honest, as Original Sin allows pure strategy with its combat, and benefits ten fold for how well the environment can play into one battle. For instance, if you are fighting an enemy that is protected by an oil fire, you can cast a rain spell to put the fire out – or even throw something toxic into the fire and hope for an explosion that would hurt the foe. There are a lot of little ins and outs for combat, and it would take multiple playthroughs to be able to run out of options entirely for how to decimate a field of foes in a quick fashion. I will say however it is extremely easy to be unintentional suicidal in this game, or even homicidal for that matter. The first time I saw a barrel blocking my path I thought “HA! I will blow it up”. It worked, but my partner also died. The area of effect for techniques has a weird way of taking your partner out it seems, so a lot of practice and place shuffling is needed in order to avoid a bit of frustration.
While I guess combat is important, I truly feel that Divinity is a game of exploration and discovery. This is a large title with great variety of locales to explore, and the game rewards exploration with items that you will need on your journey ahead. Items such as scrolls, potions, and so on only come to those who check that extra crate or that go out of their way to constantly search the area, and while it sounds so minor – this actually adds a very rich layer of depth to the overall scheme as having a potion handed to you is one thing – but having to search for not only healing items but quest related trinkets definitely keeps the player on their toes and wanting to do more poking and prodding as they traverse through the game. Divinity also features a bit of a curve with this as if you are going to be lazy and skip through cutscenes, expecting for everything to fall in your lap – you will quickly learn you are in the wrong place. This title will not hold your hand and while it is more forgiving than the “I exist because I’m hard” fare like Dark Souls, it still has a nice set of teeth.
Aside from visuals and a working and fluid control scheme on a Playstation 4 or Xbox One controller, there really isn’t many gameplay additions for this re-release – sans a few quest bits. If this title had seen life on the platform before, I might have had an issue but personally I welcome even half of the party Original Sin brings as it truly pushes the limit with content and dialogue option, making every moment matter. There are so many isometric RPGs that I just sigh at as ever since Diablo, we have seen a lot of other clones trying to do the same thing (TAP A THE GAME), but Divinity is just so different that it deserves to be on the newer platforms, and hopefully it will be more appreciated due to the quality inside.
Visuals
Divinity is full of rich color and detail. Not a lot has changed from the PC front on the graphical front, but I honestly enjoyed being able to zoom in and get even more acquainted with my surroundings – and the popping textures and well made models made it a pleasure to do so. Animations are also smooth, running at a fluid 60 fps, rather than the usual 30 frames that other titles have pushed out before. Its a great sight to see something as small as a candle flicker from a distance and not only getting to view it, but also interact with it, and that is why the scope is so large here as you don’t just get to look at the visual candy – you also get to feast.
Audio
The soundtrack is also exceptional. It is kind of hard in any open-ended title to throw together a set of tunes that capture the battles and environments around the player, but the nice arrangement here do the job and then some. The voice acting is also something new to this version of Original Sin. No – we had some voice acting in the PC release, but now we get nearly every NPC fully voiced, making the world feel more alive as not only is there a lot of personalities – each actor also did a great job filling even the smallest of parts.
Overall
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition is a superb released with a thick coat of polish on its mass amount of detail. There is just so much to take in in this world, with lively characters, interactive objects, and a battle system that is refreshing and fun throughout. Sure – there are a couple of small things that keep this release from being perfect, but they are minor and can be avoided with a little more training and finesse. Those who have yet to travel to Rivellon, now you have no excuse as this console release brings its wonders to a whole new audience.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
After nine years of waiting, it is finally here. Blizzard and Legendary Pictures released the first trailer of the upcoming Warcraftmovie. The two minute trailer premiered during the opening ceremonies at BlizzCon 2015. The trailer features plot teasers for both the Alliance and the Horde and some epic battle scenes. Popular heroes like Garona Halforcen, Durotan, Sir Anduin Lothar, and even a baby Thrall get plenty of screen time in the new trailer.
Warcraft covers the opening of the Great Portal between Draenor and Azeroth. The film stars Travis Fimmel as Sir Lothar, Ben Foster as Medivh, Toby Kebbell Durotan, and Robert Kazinsky as Orgrim Doomhammer.
As part of their Halloween double feature screening, In the House screened David Fincher’s classic serial killer movie; Se7en. You can also read about the second film they screened, Evil Dead 2, here. Released in 1995, it made an immediate impression with critics and audiences as a dark and haunting entry into the genre. I was, of course, excited to see it and promptly made my way down to George St cinemas to have watch the screening.
As all In the House events do, it started with the hosts David ‘Quinny’ Quinn and Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis MCing a costume competition before the movie started. As it was the night before Halloween, not too many people were dressed up but for the ones who did come in some sort of get-up; they got a mysterious box (filled with prizes… hopefully). The subsequent trivia discussion by the two hosts was (as always) interesting to hear as they talked about various aspects of the film.
Story
The film follows two detectives David Mills and William Somerset (played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman respectively) as they walk the beat of the urban sprawl. Mills is a newly transferred to the big city while Somerset is a few days away from retirement. Their first cases together involves an unusual murder in which a morbidly obese man was forced to eat himself to death. The detectives clash with the younger and brash Mills clashing with the older and thoughtful Somerset.
However, as the body count begins to mount, the pair realise they’re on the trail of patient but sadistic serial killer. Each of the murders they investigate appears to have a direct link to the seven cardinal sins, with the victim dying in a manner which relates to that particular sin. As they find more victims and get closer to finding the killer, things come to a head between hunters and hunted in a surprising turn of events (which I will not spoil for you here).
The cast pull out a stellar performance in this film with the protagonist detectives bringing to life the conflicting sensibilities of the two personas. Pitt does a good turn as the headstrong Mills with his outbursts of anger throughout the film lending a believable conclusion to the film’s climax. Morgan provides a good foil as the jaded but empathetic Somerset with a restrained performance but no less powerful screen presence. The performance of the serial killer, John Doe, is also similarly amazing even though we don’t finally meet them until the third act of the film… by that time, however, we’ve seen enough of their handiwork that it feels like we already know them.
The screenplay itself is very well constructed with a narrative that is both deep and rich while leaving very few threads hanging at the end. The pacing is slow and measured with a steady build up in tension to keep the audience guessing. Everything we learn about the characters, including the stuff that seems innocuous, comes together at the end to resolve the climax. I am in awe of how neatly all of these plot points came together to produce a story which is pretty much perfectly self-contained. It might just be that modern cinema works to setup sequels and trilogies a lot of the time, but it’s pleasant to see a work which doesn’t attempt to build up anything beyond its own runtime.
My one caveat with the narrative is the limited character of Mills’ wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the role she plays in the movie. She makes an appearance a couple of times in the film and we don’t really learn too much about her beyond she’s a relatively nice person who is lonely after moving to a new city. She feels a bit underdeveloped and I felt that more could have been done to make her more of character. I feel that if steps had been taken it that direction, it would have given the climax even more of an emotional payoff but I understand that would have run the risk of losing the lean narrative focus of the film.
Visuals
Fincher is a master at using the lens to create interesting and compelling cinema. The grey urban setting in which most of the shots are made draw heavily upon older cinematic traditions like noir. The colour palette is subdued and although it’s not black and white, as with traditional noir, we do get an oppressive desaturation of urban greys through many scenes. The city is almost crafted as its own character with rain and decrepitude reflecting the dreary existence of its inhabitants. The scenes climax takes place away from this oppressive environment but Fincher keeps things just as intense through clever cutting and framing of empty space.
In particular I loved the opening credit sequence. This sequence originally came about as Fincher felt that the first act focused too much on the detectives without showing us anything happening with the antagonist. So with the title sequence we are treated to one of the creepiest montages I have ever had the pleasure to see. If you remember the feeling you got the first time you watched the opening of Dexter, then this will reignite that by a magnitude of ten.
Audio
Of the film’s soundtrack, I particularly enjoyed the opening credit’s industrial soundtrack which included some sampling from Nine Inch Nails’ Closer. The track really turns up the creepiness factor and with Fincher’s awesome use of montage; we get the sense of something truly unsettling unfolding. Beyond that opening sequence, there is little non-diegetic music to be found throughout the film. There are a number of parts throughout the film where music is played diegetically to help keep the audience interested in the somewhat dry experience of research montages. Most of the soundscape simply works to reinforce the urban setting with the sounds of traffic, police chatter, and apartment life filling in for the rest of the city we don’t see.
Overall
This film is a masterpiece of cinematic art. The story is a masterclass in self-contained narrative creation. The visual composition and direction are some of the best which Fincher has pulled out in his career. The audio is spare but creates a soundscape which compliments the scenes as they unfold. The film deserves its title as a classic and I can find almost no faults with it. It was very enjoyable to see it up on the silver screen and I recommend it to anyone who loves cinema.
For other films which In The House is screening, feel free to check out their schedule here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
In the House screened Evil Dead 2 as the second film in their Halloween double feature screening. Directed by Sam Raimi, the Evil Dead series is a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy with a pretty strong cult following (at least among my friends). The film originally came out in 1987, and I unfortunately haven’t had the opportunity (or taken it upon myself) to see it. I was glad to see that it was on the bill for In the House this year.
This film was the follow up to Se7en (which you can read about here) and provided an interesting and fun contrast to the heavy themes and story of the first. Before the film started, MCs David ‘Quinny’ Quinn and Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis held a costume contest with prizes. A number of Ash William cosplayers (some with moving chainsaw hands) came down to the front and were awarded prizes. They followed this up with talking about some of the film’s trivia. An interesting tidbit for me was the fact that all the shots which have actors being whacked in the face with branches were shot with Raimi himself being the one waving those branches about in people’s faces… and that Evil Dead 2 was not an isolated incident of this occurring as he’s apparently gone on in his career to smack other actors in the face with various objects on camera.
Story
The narrative begins with a focus on Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda as they a romantic vocation to an abandoned cabin in the woods. While there, Ash plays a tape recorder from the cabin’s previous inhabitant, an old archaeologist, who recites pages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (the book of the dead). Reciting words from the book ends up summoning an ancient evil from the darkness of the woods which possesses his girlfriend, forcing him to kill her. The evil spirit then possesses Ash before losing control as the sun rises. He unsuccessfully attempts to escape the woods and becomes trapped in the cabin.
As the evil presence torments him, we see his sanity start to fray. The evil presence torments him by reanimating his recently deceased girlfriend and attacking him once more as a ‘deadite’. Furthermore, his hand becomes possessed and attempts to kill him after being bitten by the severed head of Linda. After a hilarious sequence where Ash fights and loses to his own hand, he is finally successful in subduing his hand and promptly cuts it off. His severed hand continues to attack him throughout the night.
Meanwhile, the daughter of the archaeologist finds more pages to the book and decides to visit the cabin with her partner to see what her father will make of it. After securing the help of a redneck couple, she’s able to make it through the woods on foot to the cabin and are mistakenly attacked by Ash. After subduing him, the group settles in and they soon learn of the ‘deadite’ threat to which lurks in the cabin…
Lets agree straight off the bat that the narrative in the Evil Dead series is not the most intellectually stimulating. A lot of the time’s it is nonsensical and even inconsistent with the rules it has set up in its own fictional universe. In some movies, this can become a sticking point where the audience loses all belief in the plot as the story no longer retains any sort of coherence or sense. This is not the case here, as Evil Dead 2 displays some of the series best over-the-top moments which create enough spectacle to make you to laugh through any (reasonable) concerns you might have.
The performances throughout the film are generally suitably hammed up and over-the-top which is a joy to watch. Campbell as Ash is delightfully B grade with every expression and line delivered with such camp that I couldn’t help but smile. His chiselled chin, dulcet voice, and near perfect ‘crazy eyes’ made him perfect for the role. The dialogue might be clumsy and convoluted but dang if the whole cast make it work with comedic timing to become something charming.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals in Evil Dead 2 are timeless. Raimi doesn’t just throw blood on the actors and set in small patches here and there… but rather takes a more liberal approach to gore. There are buckets upon buckets of blood (probably delivered with a fire hose) that he aims at his actors. Everything is so over-the-top that even I, who does not do well with blood or horror in general, could not help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the movie. Subtlety is not this films strong point, and that is a point in its favour.
One instance which comes to mind is where Ash is tormented by the reanimated corpse of his deceased girlfriend. She doesn’t just come back as a shambling zombie, she comes back and does a dance atop her own grave. She doesn’t just come at him with her bare hands, but steals a bloody (not literally) chainsaw to charge him with. It’s this unrestrained ridiculousness which made the movie easy enough for me to watch without being too unsettling. Kudos!
The soundtrack matches the film’s B grade tone with suitably corny tracks to match the scenes. Suspenseful moments are accompanied by plenty of screeching strings while horns punctuate deep notes of doom. It’s as corny as the rest of the movie and adds to the charm.
Overall
I loved this movie far more than I thought I would as I’m not a fan of horror films to begin with… but this movie is a rare exception. The absurd story and performances sold the film to me for the hilarious horror comedy that it was. The visuals are surreal and hilarious in equal measure in just how over-the-top things can get while the soundtrack is suitably corny to boot. It was a ridiculous amount of fun to watch and I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I would. I can recommend it unreservedly for horror fans for those who aren’t. Kudos to Raimi and Campbell for making such a fun film and kudos to In the House for screening it in a cinema!
For other films which In The House is screening, feel free to check out their schedule here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Blizzard announced at Blizzcon that they are now accepting pre-orders for their upcoming team based FPS Overwatch. The game will cost $89.95 AUD / $104.99 NZD on PC and $99.95 AUD / $114.99 NZD on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Pre-order copies will come with hero skins for Reaper, Soldier: 76, Bastion, Pharah, and Tracer, plus Overwatchthemed items for Blizzard’s other games. A digital version is available for PC gamers for $69.95 AUD and contains only the base game. All pre-ordered copies will also come with a Noire skin for Widowmaker. A retail Collector’s Edition will launch for $189.95 AUD / $214.99 NZD on PC and $199.95 AUD / $229.99 NZD for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The edition will come with an artbook, the soundtrack, and a statue of Soldier: 76. Pre-orders are available at local retailers and at buyoverwatch.com
Blizzard also released the first look at the new map Hollywood and the three remaining characters in the 21 person roster. Genji is a cybernetic ninja armed with a deadly sword, D. Va is a former pro-gamer who now pilots a mech, and Mei is a scientist who wields the power of ice.
Overwatch is currently in closed beta and is slated for launch in Fall 2016.
It has been three years since the launch of Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet has spent those three years hard at work providing two full season’s worth of content for the MMORPG, creating new stories for Tyria that were distributed for free to a player base that pays no monthly fees. Earlier this year, ArenaNet announced that they would finally launch a paid expansion pack for the game, and almost eleven months later, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is finally upon us.
Story
At the end of the The Living World Season 2, the player’s personal story has been focused intently on Glint’s Egg, the last remaining part of the Elder Dragon that assisted Destiny’s Edge years before. All the while, the multiracial army called Tyria’s Pact led by Tyria’s most famous heroes sailed into Meguuma to destroy Mordremoth. The Elder Dragon Mordremoth cast out his thorns and obliterates the fleet, sending the army into disarray. Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns picks up just after the crash. The player is trying to balance the hunt for the egg, while attempting to rally the broken army. To complicate matters further, Tyria’s Pact is not only physically broken.The Elder Dragon isn’t just raising the dead to serve him, Mordremoth is causing weak willed Sylvari to serve him which is leaving Tyria’s Pact demoralized and distrustful of their own Sylvari members.
The story Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns spins is entertaining and epic enough to expansion pack material. The racial tensions that erupt create a tense atmosphere in the camps, especially for Sylvari players. It was hard not to feel uncomfortable as I strode through the camp, listening to the non-Sylvari soldiers talk and argue among themselves about things like wanting to get rid of all the Sylvari or if they should be trusted at all. ArenaNet is continuing with Guild Wars 2’s personal story that tailors the game based on the player’s race and the answer to a small survey during character creation. Too bad the options don’t have much of an impact on the story.
Gameplay
ArenaNet made a pretty interesting choice with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns. It could have been incredibly easy to do what most big MMORPGs do when expansions are released and just increase the level cap, slap in a new story, and call it an expansion pack. Instead, ArenaNet has opted to expand the end game content at level 80, with a deep focus on group based content, and add new content for the base game.
Guild halls have been added to provide guilds with a physical meeting place. It has been designed to cater to guilds of all sizes, requiring only five friends to get the ball rolling. Tucked inside the Guild Hall is the expansion’s new crafting discipline, scribe. This one is a little different compared to the others, as its focus is on outputting items to support groups and provide decorations for the guild hall. The guild halls in itself is a group endeavour, starting off with a quest and needing quite a bit of resources to add using buildings to the hall. It’s a nice way to help build some unity in a guild by giving people a common purpose, even if it is a bit of a resource sink. The halls are an even greater addition for Guild Wars 2’s role playing community, providing a private space for players to hold events.
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns introduces the new Revenant character profession. The heavily armoured Revenant brings the profession count to a total of nine, with light, medium, and heavy armour wearers having three professions each. The Revenant is a unique profession. As per Guild Wars 2 mechanics, the weapon equipped decides the first five skills. Unlike other classes, the Revenant equips a legendary figure from Guild Wars lore as their partner, which determines the remaining skills. I found the Revenant has a lot more personality than its other two heavily armoured professions, which has a greater focus on the very bland “offensive” and “defensive” archetype.
Instead of tacking on ten more levels and an extra skill or two, ArenaNet has opted to create an Elite Specialization for each class. Designed to go hand in hand with the Mastery System as Heart of Thorn’s progression system, Elite Specializations unlock a new weapon and specialization skills. It is a much more interesting way to handle new character content in an MMORPG expansion pack. Traditionally, each class may get a new ability or two plus a few talents that might get jammed somewhere in the rotation. Since Guild Wars 2’s skill system revolves so heavily on weapons, a new weapon type gives players an entirely new play style to try out. But because the new specialization is technically optional, players are more than welcome to stick to builds that completely forgo the new content if they like. It is a great opportunity for players to revisit old characters they were maybe on the fence about or to just get a little variation in their favourite profession. The actual progression system is in a bit of a flux. The original 400-point requirement has been dialed down to a slightly more reasonable 250 points. Still, it is a pretty high number that will require some serious effort to complete.
The Mastery System is the second progression tree in Heart of Thorns that provides account wide progression. ArenaNet is looking to replicate the experience of becoming an veteran fighter with Mastery. Once a character hits 80, all experience goes towards toward an active mastery skill. Once a Mastery level is completed, players spend Mastery points collected from the course of the game to pick up a new ability. The old content and Heart of Thorns have two separate sets of Mastery skills to unlock. The base game’s Mastery skills focus on more practical things like crafting, Fractal dungeons, and group play. In contrast, Heart of Thorns’ Mastery seeks to create a feeling of growth from an outsider struggling to survive to a veteran jungle fighter. ArenaNet has done a good job in creating that feeling, as manoeuvring around the multi-level jungle maps becomes significantly less dangerous thanks to a variety of movement options and the jungle becomes much more generous as the player progresses. On the other hand, I think the Mastery skill that lets players challenge a champion each day for a daily prize feels a bit too much like filler.
I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the Meguuma maps. They lack the multitude of quests in each zone, leaving them feeling a bit empty. On the other hand, it feels like ArenaNet has decided to focus on what makes Guild Wars 2 different from competing MMORPGs as each map is packed with several events that drives the meta-plot forward. The events range from humble supply runs to truly epic world bosses requiring the coordination of multiple large raid groups to complete. Even as a veteran MMORPG player, the final meta-map event in Auric Basin still ranks as one of the most epic MMO experiences I’ve encountered. Unfortunately for the lone wolves, the maps are balanced towards groups of players working together, which makes exploring solo a bit of a pain.
The slightly more organized group events have seen a bit of an update in Heart of Thorns. Fractal dungeons have been revamped to be a little more accessible and a new area has been added for Guild Wars 2’s famed World vs World vs World PVP zones. A MOBA inspired Stronghold map has also been added for those preferring smaller PVP instances. Interestingly enough, ArenaNet has opted to not release the much vaunted raids on the release of Heart of Thorns. Instead, it will launch in the coming months in the first content update. While it is hard to say how good the ten person raids will be without participating, I can applaud a decision to hold back content until its polished until pushing it out the door in a messy state. Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thrones reflects a good overall polish, with hotfixes getting pushed out at an impressive rate. However, in my playtesting, I did encounter a few bugs, including one that broke a personal story quest because I moved too far from an NPC.
I must address is the game’s pricing structure. When it was originally announced that Heart of Thorns was going to include the base game for the price, there was some confusion and some understandably angry gamers. Let’s make this clear, Guild Wars 2 has gone free to play, with some restrictions for new free account, with these restrictions removed back for original Guild Wars 2 owners. Those who own the base game but skip out on Heart of Thorns get the same experience they purchased. Moving forward, all new Guild Wars 2 buyers simply need to buy Heart of Thorns to get the full Guild Wars 2 experience. It’s not the greatest situation for those who have owned the base game, but considering the steady stream of free content updates the base game received and the fact the game has no monthly fee, I’m not too upset by this. Although ArenaNet may have flubbed the initial delivery a bit, they are on the right track when it comes to new buyers. It is a much better system to have one purchase price for everything than having to figure out what expansion packs or DLCs you also need to own to get the full game experience.
Visuals
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns looks good. It doesn’t feel like the graphical engine has seen much of an upgrade from the base game, but it hasn’t aged too poorly either. The game’s cutscenes are definitely the weakest part of the game, as they are rather blurry. It’s especially noticeable with the graphics maxed out, as the cutscenes are significantly worse than the actual in-game quality.
Audio
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns continues to provide a strong audio experience. The voice acting is excellent, the sound effects are solid, and the music is enjoyable. There is plenty of voice acting NPCs around the world, which really help build a great atmosphere for the game.
Overall
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is the expansion pack the game deserves. ArenaNet made a bold move to expand the existing end game content instead of tacking on some extra levels. Heart of Thorns isn’t perfect, but it’s an incredible experience. If you haven’t played Guild Wars 2 yet or you haven’t picked up the game lately, there is no better time to play.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Prepare for the Burning Legion’s return with early access to the expansion’s Demon Hunter hero classInstantly boost one character to level 100 TODAY†
The Burning Legion’s assault on Azeroth begins next winter†—but for heroes around the world, hunting preparations start now. Today at BlizzCon® 2015, Blizzard Entertainment announced that World of Warcraft®: Legion™, the sixth expansion to its acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now available for pre-purchase at www.wowlegion.com.
Players who pre-purchase World of Warcraft: Legion digitally can immediately boost one character of their choosing to level 100. In addition, those who pre-purchase will get early access to the brand-new hero class coming with Legion, the Demon Hunter, prior to the expansion’s release.†
During today’s BlizzCon opening ceremony, Blizzard also unveiled the intro cinematic for the expansion, setting the stage for the demonic Burning Legion’s devastating return. As the Horde and the Alliance battle against hopeless odds, heroes of both factions must seek salvation among the Broken Isles—ancient centre of a doomed night elf civilisation. There, they’ll take up mighty Artifact weapons and make a forbidden pact with the dread Demon Hunters of the Illidari—a final, desperate bid to save their world from falling under the Great Burning Shadow.
“World of Warcraft: Legion is one of the most intense chapters in the Warcraft saga yet, filled with features and content that will push new and veteran heroes to their limits,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Whether players want to boost a new character or get a head start on mastering a Demon Hunter, they’ll be primed and ready to battle the Burning Legion when the expansion launches next winter.”
Prepare for Battle
World of Warcraft: Legion will be available in a Standard Edition (physical and digital versions available; 69.95 AUD), which players can pre-purchase digitally now at www.wowlegion.com. Players also have the option to upgrade their pre-purchase to the Digital Deluxe Edition (94.95 AUD), which contains the following in-game bonuses for World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games (available upon or before the expansion’s launch):
World of Warcraft – Illidari Felstalker Mount and Nibbles Pet—Stalk the invading demonic forces atop one of the Burning Legion’s own twisted hounds of war, and summon a delightfully demented companion to keep you warm by the fel fire—both available immediately upon pre-purchase.
Heroes of the Storm™ –Felstalker Mount—Charge down the lanes of the Nexus and wreak havoc on the opposing team astride this fierce fanged terror.
StarCraft® II – Fel Protoss Portraits—Take back Aiur in infernal style with psionic-infused StarCraft II portraits of Illidan and Gul’dan.
Diablo® III – Wings of the Betrayer—Equip your hero with Illidan’s wings and strike terror into the hearts of Sanctuary’s demons.
Players who pre-purchase either the digital Standard Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition of Legion through www.wowlegion.com will be able to immediately†boost one character to level 100, allowing them to experience the latest World of Warcraft content alongside their friends††. Players who wish to prepare multiple characters for battle against the Burning Legion also now have the option to purchase additional level-100 character boosts directly through the game at 66 AUD each. Further details on character boosts, including information on the gear, skills, and Garrison upgrades boosted level-100 characters will receive, can be found at www.worldofwarcraft.com.
Pre-purchasing Legion will also grant early access to the Demon Hunter prior to the expansion’s release.† This dexterous and deadly new hero class turns the twisted power of the Burning Legion against them; drawing on fel forces to fuel their attacks, Demon Hunters pursue their prey with uncanny agility, unleash pent-up fury in the form of devastating attacks, and metamorphose into terrifying demonic forms. As a hero class, Demon Hunters begin their journey at a higher level than other World of Warcraft classes. During the pre-launch early-access period, players will be able to complete the Demon Hunter’s unique starting experience and achieve level 100—leaving them fully prepared to join their allies on the Broken Isles the moment the expansion launches. Further details on the Demon Hunter upcoming early-access period, including the timing and duration, will be announced at a later date.
World of Warcraft: Legion will also be available in a retail-only Collector’s Edition (RRP 129.95 AUD), which includes the digital bonuses from the Digital Deluxe Edition along with a full-colour hardcover art book, a behind-the-scenes two-disc Blu-ray/DVD set, a CD soundtrack, and a Legion mouse pad. Supplies are limited; players should check with their local retailer for pre-order details and availability.
World of Warcraft: Legion Features
World of Warcraft: Legion is filled with features and content that will transform Azeroth’s heroes into Legion-slaying avatars of vengeance, including:
New Hero Class: Demon Hunter—Unleash the demon within as an all-new melee hero class gifted with preternatural mobility—and the ability to metamorphose into hellish new forms.
New Feature: Artifact Weapons—Smite the Legion with class-specific weapons of lore. Unlock awesome abilities and traits, and customise your weapon to suit your needs.
New Continent: The Broken Isles—Discover the fate of a lost night elf civilisation, confront twisted fragments of the Emerald Nightmare, and hunt agents of the Legion in all-new zones.
Boost to Level 100—Come fully prepared to battle the Legion with a level-100 character boost, and fight alongside your friends in this epic new chapter of World of Warcraft—available immediately upon pre-purchase†.
New Feature: Order Hall—Unite fellow NPC members of your class’s order to carry out missions at your command.
New PvP Honour System—Fight for fame, glory, and a range of new PvP-specific powers as you face the opposing faction in Arenas and Battlegrounds.
JOIN THE EXPEDITION! THE LEAGUE OF EXPLORERS™ COMING TO HEARTHSTONE®NOVEMBER 13
Mystery and wonder await in new Adventure, featuring 45 all-new cards
SYDNEY, Australia—November 7, 2015—Grab your hat and torch; it’s time to go exploring! Today at BlizzCon®, Blizzard Entertainment revealed The League of Explorers™—a brand-new Adventure that sends brave duellists far and wide on harrowing expeditions to recover a mysterious lost relic. The newest addition to Hearthstone’s Adventure Mode, The League of Explorers will pit adventurers against dastardly villains in fierce encounters that will require unique strategies to conquer. And yes, there might be serpents.
“League of Explorers is a fun mix of memorable locations from Warcraft and exciting new locations to battle through,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Players who join the expedition are in for a good time and will walk away with some great new cards for their collections.”
The League of Explorers introduces four intrepid adventurers—Elise Starseeker, Reno Jackson, Sir Finley Mrrgglton, and Brann Bronzebeard—and invites players to join their journey through a series of exotic destinations, some familiar and some new, to recover an artifact of immense power. These brave explorers will face many perils as they navigate through the Temple of Orsis, Uldaman, the Ruined City, and the Hall of Explorers in hopes of discovering lost artifacts that will lead them closer to the relic. Escaping giant boulders and emerging from all of the locations in one piece will reward adventurers with a combined total of 45 treasured new cards, bringing a slew of new tactics to the game.
Available for exploration starting November 13 on Windows® and Mac® PCs; Windows, iOS, and Android™ tablets; and iOS and Android mobile phones, the four League of Explorers locations will open on a weekly basis (one per week) over the course of a month, with a one-week break in the middle during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. The League of Explorers can be purchased in full for $24.99 AUD, one location at a time for 700 gold or $8.99 AUD each, or in discounted bundles based on the number of individual locations already purchased.
Prepare for the perilous journey ahead and learn more about Hearthstone at www.playhearthstone.com.
