Final Fantasy makes its way to the PC as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
thought I'd put this out there because I see so many reviews that are basically summing up their reviews with day one open beta problem. Much of what people talk about has been either changed, doesn't work that way in the first place, or that person hasn't played MMO's before this.
Quests: All MMO's pretty much have quests. Some make you grind a bit more then others. FFXI made you grind the whole way from start to finish, after level 10-15 though most of your grinding would be done with a group. FFXIV takes away a big part of that grinding, while not being quite as quest focused as say World of Warcraft.
UI & Mouse: That problem was quickly addressed, they just didn't have hardware mouse in place at the time. The UI itself is a turn off to many MMO players because most enjoy keyboard mouse setup, while FFXI worked and played much better with a gamepad or on the ps2. Same thing applies to FFXIV, it feels and plays much better on a gamepad.
Empty World: Almost everything was locked out during open beta.. That would be why. Even all the monster stats, placement etc weren't correctly set. They just wanted to know the servers could take it once they had the problems ironed out.
Anyways, to sum it up it not a good idea to actually review games in beta; or at least not to summarize it being horrible and broken purely off beta restrictions. it causes a lot of misinformation, deliberately or not.
Source from gamespot.com
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Civilzation V
Strategy fanatics have lost hundreds of hours of their lives to Sid Meier's beguiling creations over the years, and they should prepare to lose hundreds more. Civilization V is yet another glistening example of turn-based bliss that will keep you up long past your bedtime. It exercises its power over your mind using many of the tricks the series has long been known for: varied ways of accomplishing your goal of world domination, the thrill of expanding a paltry city into a bustling empire, and the suspense of venturing into unknown territory. The latest Civilization game takes those basics and layers onto them new features that make moment-to-moment gameplay feel more dynamic than in the past. Most noticeably, the square grids of previous Civilization games have been jettisoned in favor of hexagons that nicely accommodate the other most consequential transformations: Military units can no longer be stacked, and ranged units can fire from multiple tiles away. The tactical combat that rises from these modifications is a lot of fun and makes warfare a lot more exciting than in Civ games of yore. AI quirks and a few other minor issues become apparent the more you play, but these are wholly forgivable foibles in an attractive and sophisticated game that constantly begs you to remain at your keyboard for just one more turn.
First, here is a quick primer for newcomers. Civilization V, like previous games in the series, is about leading a nation through the eras of history, starting with a single city and expanding across the map. At the outset of any given game, you select a leader (in this case, one of 18, or 19 if you purchased the special edition from Steam), each of whom possesses a particular benefit that disposes his or her civilization to a particular style of play. Americans get a range of sight bonus; the Siamese get diplomatic bonuses with miniature nations new to the series called city-states; the English get naval perks; and so forth. From here, you collect resources; make deals with other civilizations; manage your economy; and go to war and attack the cities of your enemies when the time is right. There are four main ways to win a typically lengthy game of Civilization V. You could dominate through military means and defeat every civilization's capital city. You could be the first to gun through the technology tree and build the parts necessary for a spaceship that whisks you away to Alpha Centauri. You could ally with nations and city-states across the globe and win a diplomatic victory via a vote at the United Nations. Or you might become the cultural envy of the world by developing a large number of government policies and researching a mysterious undertaking known as the Utopia Project. There is also a fifth victory condition: possess the highest score when the turn limit has been reached.
Whether Civ is new to you or not, it's easy to appreciate the newest game's user-friendly interface, which makes figuring out what to do next a breeze, meaning more of your time is spent strategizing and less of it is spent fumbling around. The organized nested menus are intuitive and easy to get used to, and Civ V does a good job of only displaying vital information on the screen while making other information easily available with just a few clicks. A single action button leads you through every aspect of your turn. If a unit is waiting for orders, the button says so, and clicking it takes you to the unit in question. If it's time to research a new technology, you click the button and it opens the research menu. There are a few aspects of the interface that could have been cleaned up. Switching between a city's production menu and the production queue is needlessly clunky, and the diplomatic overview doesn't label the tiny icons indicating what luxury resources other civilizations are producing. But most of the time, you always have the information you need when you need it, and neophytes should never feel in the dark.
A few of Civilization IV's features have been eliminated--most notably, religion and espionage--though many players aren't likely to miss them. However, longtime aspects of the series have returned. Your advisors are there if you need a bit of direction, though unit automation and little icons representing each advisor's suggestion in the production menus mean you won't often need to pay them a visit. The exhaustive Civilopedia is only a click away and offers a wealth of information on every aspect of every feature. You still build wonders like the Egyptian pyramids, the hanging gardens, and the Great Wall, which generate the culture resource and provide other tangible benefits, without coming with the turn-by-turn maintenance cost of standard structures. The culture you gain is spent on social policies, which have replaced the governments of Civilization IV. Each time you reach the cultural resource benchmark, you select from the policy list, which is split into multiple policy types, each of which has its own sub-tree. The benefits you reap are cumulative, and while there are certain balancing restrictions in place, you still get a lot of freedom in how you want to progress. The mid- and late-game flexibility make it an excellent addition to the franchise. The first change you'll notice, however, has even more impact on Civilization V: The map is divided into hexagons rather than squares.
The move to hexagons sets the stage for Civilization V's tactical combat. In the past, you could stack units into one army of doom (or a few armies) that rolled across the map. Now, with the exception of special units (the great general, for example) and workers, units cannot occupy the same space. As a result, you must be extremely conscious of each unit's weaknesses and strengths; a unit's position in regards to both its enemies and other friendly units; and whether or not any terrain bonuses apply. There is a rock-paper-scissors relationship among units that further deepens as units level up and you progress through the eras. When units level up, you choose one of several upgrades for them, such as an attack bonus when attacking from flat terrain. As they level up further, the possibilities expand, which means healing bonuses for the unit, as well as neighboring units, or greater degrees of the same enhancements. Helpfully, you can also choose to fully heal the unit when it levels at the expense of choosing another bonus, which is a mighty handy ability that can save a veteran unit from the jaws of defeat. This excellent new system layers tactical combat onto the strategic map, making battles much tenser--and much less abstract. It also encourages you to keep your veteran units alive. And while it costs you a bit of gold, you can also upgrade units into more powerful iterations (a trebuchet into a cannon, for example) when your research path allows it.
Source from gamespot.
First, here is a quick primer for newcomers. Civilization V, like previous games in the series, is about leading a nation through the eras of history, starting with a single city and expanding across the map. At the outset of any given game, you select a leader (in this case, one of 18, or 19 if you purchased the special edition from Steam), each of whom possesses a particular benefit that disposes his or her civilization to a particular style of play. Americans get a range of sight bonus; the Siamese get diplomatic bonuses with miniature nations new to the series called city-states; the English get naval perks; and so forth. From here, you collect resources; make deals with other civilizations; manage your economy; and go to war and attack the cities of your enemies when the time is right. There are four main ways to win a typically lengthy game of Civilization V. You could dominate through military means and defeat every civilization's capital city. You could be the first to gun through the technology tree and build the parts necessary for a spaceship that whisks you away to Alpha Centauri. You could ally with nations and city-states across the globe and win a diplomatic victory via a vote at the United Nations. Or you might become the cultural envy of the world by developing a large number of government policies and researching a mysterious undertaking known as the Utopia Project. There is also a fifth victory condition: possess the highest score when the turn limit has been reached.
Whether Civ is new to you or not, it's easy to appreciate the newest game's user-friendly interface, which makes figuring out what to do next a breeze, meaning more of your time is spent strategizing and less of it is spent fumbling around. The organized nested menus are intuitive and easy to get used to, and Civ V does a good job of only displaying vital information on the screen while making other information easily available with just a few clicks. A single action button leads you through every aspect of your turn. If a unit is waiting for orders, the button says so, and clicking it takes you to the unit in question. If it's time to research a new technology, you click the button and it opens the research menu. There are a few aspects of the interface that could have been cleaned up. Switching between a city's production menu and the production queue is needlessly clunky, and the diplomatic overview doesn't label the tiny icons indicating what luxury resources other civilizations are producing. But most of the time, you always have the information you need when you need it, and neophytes should never feel in the dark.
A few of Civilization IV's features have been eliminated--most notably, religion and espionage--though many players aren't likely to miss them. However, longtime aspects of the series have returned. Your advisors are there if you need a bit of direction, though unit automation and little icons representing each advisor's suggestion in the production menus mean you won't often need to pay them a visit. The exhaustive Civilopedia is only a click away and offers a wealth of information on every aspect of every feature. You still build wonders like the Egyptian pyramids, the hanging gardens, and the Great Wall, which generate the culture resource and provide other tangible benefits, without coming with the turn-by-turn maintenance cost of standard structures. The culture you gain is spent on social policies, which have replaced the governments of Civilization IV. Each time you reach the cultural resource benchmark, you select from the policy list, which is split into multiple policy types, each of which has its own sub-tree. The benefits you reap are cumulative, and while there are certain balancing restrictions in place, you still get a lot of freedom in how you want to progress. The mid- and late-game flexibility make it an excellent addition to the franchise. The first change you'll notice, however, has even more impact on Civilization V: The map is divided into hexagons rather than squares.
The move to hexagons sets the stage for Civilization V's tactical combat. In the past, you could stack units into one army of doom (or a few armies) that rolled across the map. Now, with the exception of special units (the great general, for example) and workers, units cannot occupy the same space. As a result, you must be extremely conscious of each unit's weaknesses and strengths; a unit's position in regards to both its enemies and other friendly units; and whether or not any terrain bonuses apply. There is a rock-paper-scissors relationship among units that further deepens as units level up and you progress through the eras. When units level up, you choose one of several upgrades for them, such as an attack bonus when attacking from flat terrain. As they level up further, the possibilities expand, which means healing bonuses for the unit, as well as neighboring units, or greater degrees of the same enhancements. Helpfully, you can also choose to fully heal the unit when it levels at the expense of choosing another bonus, which is a mighty handy ability that can save a veteran unit from the jaws of defeat. This excellent new system layers tactical combat onto the strategic map, making battles much tenser--and much less abstract. It also encourages you to keep your veteran units alive. And while it costs you a bit of gold, you can also upgrade units into more powerful iterations (a trebuchet into a cannon, for example) when your research path allows it.
Source from gamespot.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Star Craft II : Wings of Liberty - Final Thoughts
While fans are still waging war in multiplayer matches twelve years after the original's release, the Zerg invasion finally continues in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, the first entry in the three-part sequel. Wings of Liberty’s single player campaign focuses on the Terran race and familiar faces like the now-outlawed Jim Raynor and the Queen of Blades Sarah Karrigan. But unlike the first game, your choices actually make a difference with branching mission structures, which allows you to guide the destinies of the characters. On the multiplayer front, fans playing the beta can already tell you that there's also a ton to look forward to, including completely rebalanced classes, new unit types, a match replay system, and more. So don't get Zerg rushed and stay tuned to our launch center to find the latest news, previews, and videos for what could be Blizzard's biggest game yet!
Cheat codes
Press enter during gameplay to bring up a message prompt. Type in the following code to get the desired effect. Warning: These codes disable Achievements.
| Cheat | Effect |
|---|---|
| terribleterribledamage | Invincibility and increased damage |
| moredotsmoredots | Units/Structures no longer cost resources |
| whysoserious | Gives 5,000,000 credits |
| tyuhasleftthegame | disable victory condition |
| jaynestown | granted resources |
| realmendrilldeep | 5,000 Vespene Gas |
| SoSayWeAll | Disables tech requirements |
| IAmIronman | Upgrades Weapons, Armor (and Shields) by 1 |
| eyeofsauron | Opens cutscene menu |
| OverEngineeredCodPiece | Plays the song "Terran up the Night" |
| furabranchery | Opens the UNN broadcast menu |
| NeverGiveUpNeverSurrender | Disables defeat conditions |
| Qrotero | Disables the time of day |
| DZMHairSpring | Gives 5000 Custom resources |
| = | Re-enters the last cheat used |
| HanShotFirst | Disables Ability Cooldown |
| cadeasygoin | Lose the current game |
| reversingnazaire -or- basestarsprimative | Fast Build |
| fsbcomunicacion | Fast Heal |
| mintmansoperator | Disable food requirements |
| smoldersbolds | 5,000 Minerals and Gas |
| stroaksmolts | 5,000 Minerals |
| ypoonsvoicemail | Disable defeat conditions |
| sawnoutofmemory | Fog of War disabled |
| cmethodfeedback | Win current game |
| lyingpect | Mission Select |
| wapboinkers | Research points granted |
Secret Mission: Piercing the Shroud
To unlock the secret mission, on the "Media Blitz" mission, where you get to control the Odin in the city, head down to the far bottom right corner of the map. There's a civilian building on a little floating platform. Destroy it, and "secret documents" will be revealed. Pick these up with any ground unit, and then complete the mission as normal. After, you will now have the secret mission available for selection from the Star Map.
Source from gamespot.
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