Fear Not This Night

Nothing really interesting today so I'll just post a song I really like :)

I never knew that there is a version of this song that has lyrics in it. I only know about the version that they usually use in the trailers:

I instantly fell in love with the song. It sounds great and the lyrics are also good. Here are two more versions of it:

Guild Wars 2 Exotic Armor

A guy on Reddit posted a website that he made that shows all of the exotic armor sets in GW2 and how to get said armor set. It is easy to browse and all information you needed are there on the site, including where and how to get the armor, the items you need and even armor stats. Sadly it does not include cultural armor sets but it is still a great site.

Check it out, here: http://www.gw2armor.com/

Today's OST: Guild Wars Nightfall Theme Song

Guild Wars 2 Combat Mode Mod

This has been out for quite awhile but I just heard about it. It is a mod that changes how the GW2 combat system works to give a more action game feel. It is perfect for those who uses melee characters and still works great with ranged character.

For more info, check out the reddit page here: http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10amev/combat_mode_10_released_arenanet_repond/

This mod is legal to use as ArenaNet has approved the use of this mod by the community's request. Enjoy a new way of playing GW2!

Today's OST: Guild Wars Factions Theme Song

Planetside 2 Beta

Allright, I got into Planetside 2 beta :)
Downloaded the game immediately and tried to play for a few minutes. One thing for sure is that it looks gorgeous, even on the lowest graphical setting(I have an old PC). From the few minutes I tried the game it seems quite fun to play.

The maps are very large and large battles definitely feels awesome but small skirmishes felt like a chore because enemies could easily hide. I haven't tried grouping up with people or play with my friends though so that might be what I needed.

I will play more of this game and as usual share what I think about it here :)

Oh, and btw glory to the Terran Republic!

This post's OST: Terran Republic Main Theme

Further thoughts on Borderlands 2

On my first impressions of Borderlands 2 a few days ago I find myself liking the game very much. It is fun and has an interesting gameplay but I find myself not going back for more as often as when I'm playing other games that I love(let's say Guild Wars 2).

Don't get me wrong, I like Borderlands 2 but I felt that something is missing. Until i realized that it is essentially the same game as the first Borderlands. This is what makes the whole experience a bit...boring to me. Not boring because it's bad but boring because I felt like I've played this game before. Some might argue that that is also true for most games nowadays especially of the same genre. But for a sequel, Borderlands doesn't seem to add too much to the first game.

Sure it does have better graphics, more weapons and enemy types and a new story. But still, it all feels more like an expansion rather than a brand new game. And this is what makes me a bit dissapointed.

However that doesn't mean that I won't be playing the game again. on the contrary, i will be playing Borderlands at least until I finish the story and I will be playing it co-op with my friends. But for me, the game just feels that it lacks something really new.

And the co-op, aside from the fun that you're having with your friends, what is really the point? The game doesn't actually reward you for playing co-op. In fact playing in co-op just makes it harder and not as fun if you think about it.
Tougher enemies? even in solo the enemies are already tough.
No instanced loot? seriously, even Diablo III have instanced loot.
No skill combo? and no, 1 skill(Phaselock) doesn't count as having a valid skill combo in the game.
No weapon limitation? everyone can use every weapon, yay...so...everyone will have the same role then?

I feel that Gearbox should at least address these issues first to make co-op a more rewarding experience.

With that said, would I recommend Borderlands 2 to anyone? of course I will. It is a fun game and if given proper attention will be even better in the future. And like I said before, If you love the first Borderlands, you'll love the second one. Even if it doesn't really innovate it does improve the old formula.

Today's OST: Wiosna from Katawa Shoujo

Something to look forward to

When browsing through the net I found out about some games that are currently under development that looks quite interesting. These are some that really took my interest.

1. Don't Starve

This is a game you can play from Google Chrome app store and will also be released on Steam when it's done. The game focuses on survival and the player must gather resources to survive the night. The artstyle loks good and the game also has interesting gameplay. Preordering now will cost $7 for two copies of the game while the full release will cost $15 each.
http://www.dontstarvegame.com/blog/getting-started/

2. Cube World

You like Minecraft? would you like it if there were more gameplay than just mining and building stuff? Cube World is offering just that. This voxel based RPG offers a huge world to explore with the same interactivity as minecraft(well, almost). Terrains are destructible and a lot of actions can change the face of the world. Of course there will also be plenty of monsters to kill and loot to gather.
http://wollay.blogspot.com/

3. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club

This game is actually already released, but I was hoping it would be featured in Steam like they promised. However it is now available on Desura so I think I might buy it. The game has quite a unique story and gameplay where the player must manage their time to train and get people to join the Comedy Club. The artstyle is also quite nice if you like anime.
http://cherrytreehigh.com/
http://www.desura.com/games/cherry-tree-high-comedy-club

That's it for today I suppose. I'll try to look for other interesting games to talk about. Oh and these games here? I will definitely do a more thorough preview/review at GameQQ Max http://max.gameqq.net/

Today's song, School Days from Katawa Shoujo:

Borderlands 2 First Impression

Borderlands 2 is out...and I love it! Well, at least my first impression on it is good.

Graphic looks good, same cell shaded style as in the first Borderlands but with improved looks while still playable on older PC(a.k.a. My PC). Environment and enemies in the game looks good and the game runs smoothly on my 5+ years old PC.

Gameplay? feels great. Control is very responsive, combat felt great and the loot you get feels very rewarding, unlike a certain hack & slash RPG which I consider dead to me after a certain patch.

I'll be writing about this game again after I play more of it but so far the game doesn't dissapoint. Heck, I even forgot to take any screenshot because I was having too much fun :P

That's it for today, I'm going back to Pandora!

Almost forgot, today's song :)

Some...news

A bit late, but better than never :)
Humble Bundle 6 is out! it's a very great deal with Rochard, Shatter, S.P.A.Z., Torchlight and Vessel if you pay below the average price and you get Dustforce if you pay over the average price that people paid. As a plus, you'll also get each game's OST. And all of them are activatable on Steam! Buy it here: http://www.humblebundle.com/

Second, I want to make a shout out to some VNs that are under development currently that are inspired by Katawa Shoujo: Missing Stars and Love Despite. These two VNs will have almost the same setting with some different twist as Missing Stars handles the topic of mental disabilities(they got some flak because of it but I say if they handled the topic well, it definitely have the potential to be great) and Love Despite deals with both mental and physical disabilities. These two are still in development and I'm looking forward to playing both of these games.

Want to know more? visit their sites:
Missing Stars: http://somnovastudios.blogspot.com/
Love Despite: http://www.love-despite.com/

And starting today I will post whatever OST I'm currently listening to the post, just because i want to.
Today's OST is Stride, from Katawa Shoujo. Enjoy :)

Games I Currently Play

As usual, I post about games that I'm currently playing. At the time of this post I'm actually not in the mood for any game. However there are some titles that I've been playing these few days. Let's have a look :)

1. Katawa Shoujo

This one should be obvious since I already post a short impression of it 2 posts ago. But for those who still want me to tell you how great this game is, read on. Katawa Shoujo is a Visual novel, so expect to see A LOT of text and only a few choices a long the way. Despite this however, KS is a very enjoyable experience because of the great story. There have been mixed reviews by different people but the general consensus is that Katawa Shoujo is a damn good game and everyone should try and play/read it. Download, here: http://katawa-shoujo.com/

2. Analogue: A Hate Story

Got this from a bundle a few weeks ago. Played it for a few hours and only touched the surface of the game but I can safely say that this is an interesting game. People say that this is a Visual Novel and while it is indeed have the same basic concept as a VN it is IMO more interactive and has a more unique "feel" to it because of the setting and how the game interface works. The story is quite enganging even though it is shown more in the form of journals and logs with some short conversation with Hyun-ae the AI. For those of you who likes reading or playing VN, Analogue could be an interesting game to pick up. Available on Steam, here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/209370/

3. Guild Wars 2

Because this list is made in no particular order, Guild Wars 2 is here. It is actually my most played game right now although I don't play this as much because my character already reached level 80. However I still play the game regularly and still plans to play this game for many more months. I don't hink I need to tell any of you about Guild Wars 2 because it is really popular so...yeah.
Buy it, here: http://buy.guildwars2.com/

Games I'm going to play
There are sometitles I downloaded but still haven't have time to try. I will play these games eventually :)
- Juniper's Knot: http://junipersknot.dischan.org/
- Cradle Song: http://cradle-song.com/index.php
- Borderlands 2: http://store.steampowered.com/app/49520/

Kickstarter Watch #4: Sealark, an Oceanic Adventure Game

I actually don't know much about the actual gameplay for this game but the art style is definitely interesting. From the game's description it seems like a combination of a fishing game with adventure elements and a large focus on story and character interaction.

What interests me:

- Interesting Art Style

- Focus on story and character relationships

Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1338986832/sealark-an-oceanic-adventure-game

Katawa Shoujo

Well, I've been following the development of Katawa Shoujo since 2007. I've been on and off since then waiting for a release. When the Act 1 Demo was out I downloaded it but only played very little of it, mostly because at the time I was currently bored of VNs and didn't even want to try to start playing VNs.

Even after Katawa Shoujo was released earlier this year I only downloaded and installed it but never play it. This time it's because I was playing SWTOR at the time. fast forward a few months until last month and I decided to play Katawa Shoujo for the first time. As a note, I haven't even read any reviews at the time so I don't know what I was about to play. I only know it as "a VN about crippled girls", not in a negative sense since I always thought that if they are going to make this they would do it right and not some stupid fetish crap. I don't know why, but I just believed that.

I...was...surprised. After I met all the characters in the game and played for around 30 minutes I was already in love with the game. I love all the characters and their personalities(minus some annoying side characters) and it drew me in even more.

Since the game is still in development I've set my eyes on Hanako and decided to play her route first and that is what I did. Almost got into Emi's route but I realized that I've made a wrong choice and reloaded the game before I chose THAT choice(you know which one, the one which locks you into Emi's route). 8 hours later, after finishing Hanako's route I felt something that I haven't felt for a few years from playing VNs. Last time I felt this way was when I finished Aeka's route in Yume Miru Kusuri. I love it, I love every single moment of Hanako's story.

Even though most of the conflict are packed into the end of Act 3 and Act 4 it's a really really great rollercoaster of emotion or as most KS players say it "it gives me so many feels". The events are heartwarming and heartwrenching. That moment when Hanako broke down in the middle of the class really got to me and that ending, it was so beautiful, even if the story is quite short(and yes, I wanted more but what we have right now is good enough I suppose).

I almost don't want to do the other route after finishing Hanako's, just like after I finished Aeka's route on Yume Miru Kusuri. That feeling of "If I do another route, what will happen to Aeka/Hanako?". But I felt that it would be a waste if i did that(even though I really did that with Yume Miru Kusuri) and played through Rin's route, and then Shizune, Emi and Lilly.

I haven't finished Lilly route(currently in Act 4) mostly because I currently have so many feels that I don't think I can finish it right now. I got some problems IRL that needs to be dealt with and I don't want to ruin my experience with KS because of that. And besides, I'm having way too much fun with Guild Wars 2 :P

For those of you who doesn't know what the heck Katawa Shoujo is, I suggest looking at their website here:  http://katawa-shoujo.com/ . The concept might make you think "omgwtf cripple porn game" but the way they handled the topic is so good that you'll never feel that they are just using the "disability" part as a fetish object. Katawa Shoujo is much much more than that...and this picture here describes it the best:

Give the game a chance and play it with an open mind, it'll surprise you as with so many people who now love this game. The link to download the game is in the website I linked earlier. The game's free btw :)

Note: I wrote more about KS on GameQQ Max #7. Note that it's in Indonesian Language.
Download it here: http://max.gameqq.net/