Year: 2012

HALO 4 REVIEWED

console FPS. that phrase will make some people gag and puke, like a saturday night drunk. i clearly remember the first time i played halo 2 on xbox. it was horrifying trying to make a microsoft console controller do what i knew a mouse/keyboard could do so much better. i was playing a fucking FPS with a console controller, it was terrible, it was 2003 or 2004 i think. there were two HUGE BLACK xboxs linked with a cable of some kind and it was 4 v 4 on two tvs in separate rooms in one house. 4 players on one tv, a tv screen split 4 ways. that layout was HORRIBLE in comparison to the MANY LAN parties i had attended where each player had there own computer, monitor and mouse/keyboard. YA I GOT FUCKING HOUSED by these console FPSers most of the time because of my console controller problems, but my PC FPS tactics did translate pretty well and I was able to hold my own after an hour of play all the while hating the controller and most of the people i was playing with. console FPS people are different from computer FPS people.

in 2006 i picked up a xbox360 for gears of war because you could take a chainsaw gun and cut bad guys in half. some time later i picked up halo 3 and played that some, it was okay nothing great and the controls sucked in comparison to mouse/keyboard. i played it because i had a friend that was NOT a pc gamer and he wanted to multiplay that shit up. so we did.

in 2008 i played COD4 on the xbox360 and finally went full on gay for FPS on consoles. so easy to just play mutliplayer game after game, the console made the multiplayer portion of the game so easy that going back to PC networking options looked completely archaic. so ya FPS can work fine/better on a console in some respects though M/K control on the PC will always be more accurate/brutal.

oh ya, HALO 4 REVIEWED. i guess i would call HALO 4 the best the xbox 360 has to offer in the halo bag. BUT LET’S BREAK DOWN THE OFFICAL KEY FEATURES OF HALO 4 ACCORDING TO AMAZON.COM!

Key Features

– The Reclaimer Saga Begins: Experience the dawn of an epic new Halo adventure, solo or split screen with up to three friends.

yep, sure like me some options playing the ENTIRE store co-op. but uh, the story is not very epic. it’s a linear who the fuck care’s affair where you are just ushers from shooting gallery to shooting gallery. why i love it so much worries me, i do love it but i know in my heart it’s pretty mindless. i think it works so well for coop because it’s so simple.

-Go Beyond the Story: Halo 4’s Infinity Multiplayer features a vastly expanded suite of multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and Spartan-IV player progression system.

CALL OF HALO’D. yes the multiplayer mode is your industry standard xp/upgrade slog. i’ve played about 4-5 hours of it not nearly enough to dig into all the customization options and i most likely never will play long enough to experience all of the “player progression system”. that sounds pretty geyh. yet again what i’ve played of multi is giggle inducing fun. i like the crazy vehicular combat, dude getting mowed down from heavy turret fire or run the FUCK over. it’s all easy to understand and less of a gawddamnedclusterfuck like in the BattleField games. what i mean to say here is a suck at battlefield games and with little or no effort i do well in halo 4. you tell me what that fuckin means about the games.

– Spartan Ops: Extend your campaign experience in a massive-scale adventure that builds upon the “Halo 4” Campaign. Receive a weekly series of cinematic episodes on Xbox LIVE followed by new gameplay missions, played solo or cooperatively with up to three friends – effectively delivering two campaign experiences in one game!* (*Online multiplayer and Spartan Ops missions require Xbox LIVE Gold membership (sold separately). System requirements forthcoming. See www.halo4.com)

sure sure sure, i like this part. i’ve played about 3hrs with my friend and it was nice easy fun blasting shit up all over the place. it works well and there is a metric shit ton of content being released, 5 new maps every week for fuck if i know how many weeks. it will take months of playing 2hrs a week with my friend to get through it all. massive-scale? no so much it’s bigger but not fucking massive, perhaps has massive as the xbox360 can produce without shitalloveritself. two campaigns? they reuse some/all of the maps from the main campaign in spartan ops so this is kinda a fucking lie but only internet assburger dickjags complain about that misleading key feature.

– War Games: Battle the competition in fresh, immersive new game modes and strategies.

this is pure marketing asspeak. nothing in this game is that fresh/new. it’s very HALOY which MOST of the internet halo geeks are happy to smoke.

– Track your groups, stats and scores on HaloWaypoint.com

stats. fine sure stats. my e-penis is larger then your internet butt hole will accommodate, see! see right here! this e-dick is much too massive and would split your brown starfish into uneven pieces. surgery may be required.

– Edge-of-your-seat Entertainment: Immerse yourself in Halo 4’s graphics, sound and epic game play including a mysterious and deadly new class of enemies* (*Online multiplayer and Spartan Ops missions require Xbox LIVE Gold membership (sold separately). System requirements forthcoming. See www.halo4.com)

graphics are TOP notch. this can and will not be fucking understated. the shit looks like doom3+rage with a solid FPS. okay you PC GAMING CUNTS halo 4 is not as good looking as current PC games played on 1500$ computers, but shit the xbox is 200$ and old and fuck and halo 4 rides the xbox like a FUCKING CHAM-PEE-YOEN! we are seeing GREAT PROGRAMING AT WORK and should be happy some nerdgod programmers are still milking that sweet xbox teet for me. i have multiple times stopped during single player to have a slack jawed look around like a cleatus, marveling at the graphics. i’m pretty sure the designers are paying homage to doom3 with some of the spaceship interiors and rage with some of the air landscapes, that is OKAY BY ME.

NOW LISTEN HERE PEOPLE! so you bought a xbox360. you are a poor person so you didn’t get a hard drive with your xbox. you are poor and you pay for xbox live gold access every year. you are poor and bought a 60$ xbox game and now you want to play this $60 game on your $200 xbox that has a internet connection, at least another $40 bucks a month and use your $60 a year xbox live gold access for some multiplayer HALO 4! oh you are too poor you cunt, you can’t play multiplayer HALO 4 on the xbox without installing the second DVD to the xbox hard drive which you are too POOR to purchase. on the back of the HALO 4 case you are told about this in the smallest possible writing. (you can now use any 8 or 16GB usb 2.0 flash drive instead of a offical xbox hard drive for game installs so you have to be too poor to buy this even). i’m sure some poor xbox players got pissed the fuck off when they could not play multi on the day they bought HALO 4 because they couldn’t install disc2. WHAT THE FUCKALL EVER! if you have a xbox360 with no harddrive you should not even be spending money on xbox shit at all. just stop breathing now.

HALO 4 is a great xbox360 game and one that should be owned by all xbox360 peeps.

HALO 4 is a 1 on said official binary scale.

FATE Core kickstarter soon

Golden Gunman, Ting Ting and Silverback…l oops wrong system!

Set up to fund the art and get feedback, the FATE Core Kickstarter is a low amount (3K) and as soon as you get in on it you get a demo version of the system (with no art obviously) at any level.  If you’re interested in what they are doing with the system, you can throw a buck at it and get the goods.  The image shown as a teaser (a Robotic Gorilla, a KILLER-esque dude with pistols and a chick with a sword) screams Shadowfist/FENG SHUI to me, which is not a bad thing at all.  Since the core rules are likely to be quite generic, it’s going to be up to other systems designers to apply it to the worlds of fantasy and science fiction where needed.  Will this blow away some of the older versions of FATE?  For sure Dresden Files and Spirit of the Century will be dinosaurs BUT I think Kerberos Club (Strange FATE) and Bulldogs are still completely viable builds off the older versions.  Bulldogs because of it’s simplicity and clarity and Strange FATE because it totally hits ALL the numbers for a high-powered/super hero game with both the way powers are built and the tier levels (which let you replace a fate die with a D6 based on your tier compared to the opposition).  That said, the new FATE Core will probably push the developers of both of those games further into RPG bliss land.

I’ve had a good times with FATE the too few times I’ve run it–Dresden Files as well as the Atomic Robo beta.   The FATE system makes more complicated systems look WAY too complicated in comparison because FATE strips down everything to the minimum of what you need to run an RPG game without turning it into freeform madness or diceless chaos.  When I look at WFRP 3rd edition and the Marvel CORTEX system– I just see complexity over the top of what is essentially FATE.  Granted WFRP has all the neat stuff in the box and some really awesome ideas to it with the stances, action cards and party card, but CORTEX seems a bit too complicated for what it needs to be.  Exalted– well that’s a different beast entire…

Anyway here is the link to the kickstarter.

Atomic Robo beta session 1

While I don’t want to spoil any of the default adventure that will likely come with the game, I do want to babble at length about the first session of Atomic Robo.    We ended up with a group of 5 players (it was almost EIGHT) and it turned out to be a good number– even when the party got split a couple times it was still manageable.  With eight it would have been MADNESS.

Character Creation

This was SHOCKINGLY fast for any RPG game with 5 players.  We used the ‘no math’ version of character creation, and while people had a week or so to think of a concept, the work on the ground was minimal as some only had a name coming into the session.  Aspects are always tough to work out (but worth it) and stunts can just be added during play so that did not slow up much.  It’s difficult to make a stunt for players that have never played the game before as they typically break some sort of rule and when you don’t know the rules….

The only real confusion that may get worked out in the final is the Modes sharing skills that then get a bonus to the skill in the highest mode.   For example if you have a skill that’s shared in your Action and Intrigue mode, the mode with the highest rating has that skill within it getting a bonus of +1.  This, plus the pluses for skills during character creation on top of it, caused a great deal of erasing on the character sheets for everyone.  Players had to pick their modes, then find the skills that overlapped and bonus them, then add their bonus skill points on top.

Play

Well, it’s FATE so you’re not going from room to room killing 66 Gnolls!  Smooth. That’s how I describe the sessions I’ve run of FATE and Atomic Robo was no exception.  Looking in the book for stuff? Almost never.  Players engaged?  Almost always.   Like I noted above, we had a party split two times and it can be handled handled easy on both ends because you are not looking up Grappling or obscure charm rules or building a dicepool for 5 minutes (a shot across Cortex’s bow there).  There’s always explanation about Aspects and invokes and compels and the new thing called ‘bonuses’ for new players of FATE and it can still be difficult for everyone to get until they see it in action.  The main economy driver, getting compelled as a player, is easy to understand so there wasn’t any issues there.  Using aspects in all the possible

Combat

There was only one fight so far and it seemed to go– fast!  Actually attacking is very easy in FATE without any stunts and even with stunts it’s quite simple.  Stunts in FATE are different than Stunts in Exalted or Feng Shui as it’s really just the word they use for a ‘Power’ of some kind.  Where it gets crazy for people from the D&D world is the “Create Advantage” and ‘Block’ actions in combat.  These are both very easy once figured out.  Creating advantage is essentially using a skill that you have that you THINK the enemy does not have a good defense against, not to do damage, but to create an Aspect, either on yourself, the enemy or the area you are in.    This aspect can later be used by you or someone else to ad bonuses to an attack that WILL do damage.   There are other narrative effects of Aspects as well– i.e. if you have stunts that can be used under water you better get your opponent in there somehow.  It’s all very fast and loose, but not at all to the level of say Amber diceless.   My favorite part about FATE combat are the ideas of Zones for movement and distance.  I think almost every good RPG is using that model now (including Marvel and WFRP 3rd).  This means maps, even 3d ones, can be easily created and used but in addition, it makes ‘no miniatures’ play very easy to do.

 Brainstorming!

The best thing about the session was the brainstorming.  This is in a type of scenario where the characters are trying to figure out some type of problem presented in the plot.  Because it’s FATE– what the characters figure out turns out to BE the plot.   Each player rolls dice based on applicable skills and the winner in a round puts forth a FACT about the  problem.  This is typically derived from the plot so far, but may be something they’ve deduced via science or intuition.  After 3 facts are created a final roll off for the ability to create the hypothesis is granted to the victorious player.  Aspects can be used, invoked, etc as normal.   They hypothesis then becomes an Aspect in the story.  While this isn’t necessarily the actual final thesis, the facts created become facts in the story.   This is pretty friggin’ awesome as it frames up a new way to create campaign or story aspects.  I can’t mention the Hypothesis created by the group– but it was INCREDIBLE.

Overall

Well we are playing again this weekend, so we’ll see if it continues to hold up.  Again it’s just a beta, but it looks like it’s quite close to the final based on the quality of the system.  The Updates to FATE Core are nifty and streamline things even more (if you can imagine that).  I’m looking forward to not just the game, but what other people do with it as well down the road.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd edition acquired after much internal debate

probably no dwarf wizards

I’ve been looking at this version of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay from afar for a few years now and had a gift certificate that just had to be used. Holy fuck is it a huge box filled with goodies.  I’m about halfway through the rules and it reminds me a bit of Cortex (Marvel Super Heroes base engine) with it’s dice pools but still absolutely has the feel of Warhammer up inside.  While I have played the game before, I haven’t had a chance to really go through the components much and I tell you, this shit is IMPRESSIVE.  Fantasy Flight is boss at using little counters and chits for stuff, sometimes a bit overboard, but all of the components make sense and from what I’ve played and read, make the game flow really well.

What I’m looking to solve with this version is the common problem with First and Second edition: whiffing.  The last time I ran 2nd edition (back in 2006) combat was fun but very long– very long with three players against a small group of skaven….and that ain’t right.  Let’s look at an example from Second edition.  Human has an axe vs a Human with a sword and shield.  Axman has a WS of 35% (pretty good) and the Sword and Shield guy has a WS of 30%.   2/3rds of the time, these guys are going to miss when they attack.  In the case of the Axman, not only does he miss 2/3rds of the time, but the sword and shield guy can parry 1/3rd of the time giving him about 11% chance of hitting every swing.  That’s bad.  That’s very, very boring.  As much as we loved the critical hit charts and all that, it’s tough to get through a large combat in WRFP 1st and 2nd edition, not because there is so much going on (ala Exalted or Champions) but because it’s a WHIFF FEST.  No one is hitting anyone.  Is that realistic?  Maybe.  Is it interesting and make for fun combat?  No.  Unlike Exalted, where ALL hits except the killing blow miss, there is not interesting powers or economy of motes in Warhammer 1st and 2nd edition– it’s just a percentile roll followed possibly by a parry or block roll mostly leading to whiffing.

Third edition completely solves this both by giving players choices of improving their own chances at a cost (like Exalted) and making sure SOMETHING happens whenever there is an exchange of blows, whether it’s pants falling down, weapons breaking or just something happening that effects the fight.  While each attack is appreciably slower to determine action and dicepool in third edition, each attack MATTERS, so if you have to spend a few minutes determining your pool, that’s OK.

Character creation looks like a bitch, but if I remember from last year, it was fairly straightforward overall.   Career advancement, at least from reading, gets rid of the Career exit paths that we knew and loved from first and second edition– you can go to any career after your initial one (or even during) but it costs a lot more to go to once that is dissimilar.  The determination of similarity is sort of odd and I’ll likely have to re read it.

One point of confusion about the system is what to get OTHER than the giant box set.  You need pieces for another player if you want to play with 4+, but where do you get them?  What’s the best module?  How do you get access to more careers to choose from?   Since everything is very component driven, there are some limits as to how much stuff will be out for the game.  A career isn’t just something on a sheet of paper photocopied from White Dwarf circa 1990, it’s a set of cards and chits as well. This makes it tough to JUST own the base set.  Some of the modules have more careers (ouch), and since they came out with books by themselves, FF released component sets that can be purchased without getting the base set…

Otherwise, I’m looking forward to digging into this.  A buddy of mine has had a campaign going for almost a year now and they play every week so here goes!

Disney


For the premiere of Pinocchio Walt hired 11 midgets, dressed them up like the little puppet and put them on top of Radio City Music Hall in New York with a full day’s supply of food and wine. The idea was they would wave hello to the little children entering into the theater. By the middle of the hot afternoon, there were 11 drunken naked midgets running around the top of the marquee, screaming obscenities at the crowd below. The most embarrassed people were the police who had to climb up ladders and take the little fellows off in pillowcases.

Atomic Robo character #2: Tessai

U mad?

Having fun with the “Weird” character builder.  Like Kerberos Club, Atomic Robo allows custom skills and modes, so you can conceivably build just about any type of character, and so here we go with one of the greatest anime villains there is: Tessai from Ninja Scroll.  This is not even in the wheelhouse of what Atomic robo is about, but here we go.

Tessai

Organization: 8 Devils of Kimon!

Modes and Skills

Good (+3)
Ninja (9 points for mode) (3 Skill point upgrades)

Athletics (+4)^
Combat (+4)^
Intimidation (+4)^
Physique (+5)^*
Stealth (+4)^
Will (+4)^
Fair (+2) (9 Points)
ACTION

Average (+1) (9 Points)
INTRIGUE

^ upgraded by cross skills
* upgraded with points

Aspects
Contept: Stone bodied Ninja

NINJA: Trained by Gemma

ACTION: All strategy is deception

INTRIGUE: A dead girl might be an interesting lay

Open: I am the strongest of the Devils of Kimon
Stunts:
Signature aspect: Stone Bodied Ninja

Weapon return: Always have thrown weapons made of metal return by next action.
Extras:
Immune to normal weapons (Armor 4, At a Cost)

Stronger than Normal humans (At a cost)

Equipment Extra:

Double Edge sword
Function: Slice!
Flaw: Huge

Weapon Stunts:
Spinning Death: Attack Effects everyone in a zone either current or one zone away (at a cost)

Massive Weapon: Weapon 4
Stress Boxes
Physical: XXXX

Mental: XX

So  Tessai  is a typical Brick with invulnerability to normal weapons and some armor against abnormal attacks.  Both are “At a Cost” which creates a narrative difficulty or aspect when it’s used.   I built a custom mode (NINJA) for him but no custom skills (didn’t seem necessary to get him to where he should be).   As one of his extras, he has his double sided sword that he can throw to hit everyone within his zone or one away and does a lot of damage.  One way to do the Brick style is to create a stunt where he can defend with his physique.  Since it’s only +5 (nothing super human there) I wanted to go with the invulnerability extra instead.

Next up, I’m going to try something really odd, like Arakune from Blazblue and the like

Almost made it!

I put myself on two weeks away from video games (not non video games, that would be preposterous) and the personal ban ends tonight at midnight.   I usually get to play stuff a few hours at night at the most and a bit on the weekends here and there.  So what did I accomplish instead?  Seems like there would be a huge list right?  uhhhh….not really.

1) Reading the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition rules and first campaign

2) Reading and prepping for a session with the Atomic Robo RPG beta

3) A game of 40K 2nd edition (!?)

4) Painting 3 bestigor and getting a long way on three more.  20 more after that is still pretty daunting..

5) Finishing Undaunted Courage (biography of Louis of Louis and Clark).  It’s great but the end is very sad indeed.

So during the two weeks, what game was I joneseing for the most?  the new Xcom was up there– I really wanted to play that more after losing my first campaign game embarassingly.  Torchlight 2 of course, but the one I really really wanted to play was Dark Souls…I’m stuck at the Capra Demon– I know HOW to beat him but I just haven’t executed properly to do it yet and this is gnawing at me something fierce!

Now however, look what’s out?  Hotline Miami, Blood Bowl Chaos Edition and a Steam version of Conquest of Elysium 3 from Illwinter– all ripe and ready for the nerdery action but Dark Souls is going to be the first taste…