Arche Age – The Best New Sandbox MMO in 2014 - Where Have You Sailed?

Arche Age – Everything You Want in a Sandbox MMO

   Sandbox massive multiplayer online games have been up and coming for years now, yet not one has been able to provide gamers with everything needed in this game version. From games like Elder Scrolls Online and Mortal Online there have been too many bugs, missing abilities and game breaking features.  Sandbox MMO's need to give gamers absolute freedom with choices of player progression, customization, exploring and of course player owned custom buildings.

   Fortunately game developers in South Korea have created a game that has all of these aspects that every gamer longs for in their sandbox MMO. Arche Age which was developed and created by Trion Worlds, was released in the Asian Pacific in January of 2013, and is now in North America and Europe. After seeing game play from the original version of the game released in only Asian Pacific languages, there was so much demand from the English community for a game of this caliber that Trion Worlds created an English version set to release on September 12^th 2014, bringing the next best MMO to English markets.

   Arche Age is currently in open beta for all owners of Glyph gaming engine to try out, however all servers will be wiped prior to the release date. During my experience in the beta (which was only up to level 10 out of 50 levels), I was able to run swim and even fly freely, use a boat, horse and abilities to travel quickly, craft weapons, items and even a house for a fellow gamer. The player versus environment and player versus player battles have all the aspects of what World of Warcraft was known for with even more diverse abilities. After talking with various end game players that have played the closed alpha, they were able to attest to the wide variety of skills and abilities to morph in your skill tree. As well as an abundance of secondary crafting skills that give the game so much playability with so many different avenues of expertise to explore. These range from farming, gathering, weapon and armour crafting, building, potion making and much more. The PVP in Arche Age can range from you seeking out battles in vast contested areas, to running into raids (large enemy force), and my favorite, running into pirates while at sea. Yes this game comes complete with galleys, cannons and scurvy, players can choose the life of a pirate, taking other players ships and lives at sea, something no other game has been able to achieve on such a large scale.

   So to all my fellow gamers and sandbox MMO enthusiasts, I recommend that you try Arche Age out come release on September 12^th 2014. You will not be disappointed by the vast amount of things to do and places to see, and of course gold to be plundered.

Wallpapers Wide - Arche Age

Cheers!

Brian Frazer – Gaming Enthusiast 

Please comment and discuss, like, share and follow! :)

Links:

Arche Age (main site) http://www.archeagegame.com/en/

Wallpapers Wide (free wallpaper downloads) http://wallpaperswide.com/archeage-wallpapers.html
Youtube Video http://youtu.be/ui5jsNXoPWw

Dota 2 Montage - Techies, Shadow Demon, Map Update

Dota 2 – New Map Changes Give a Different Feel to the Game

Dota 2 –Valve Decides to Have No More Safe Lanes

Dota 2 Wallpaper

Update

Have you enjoyed a friendly game of Dota 2 recently? Well if you haven’t you are in for a big surprise if, one of the enemy players goes missing. Valve has gone ahead and taken out the safe lanes for both teams, making ganking more prevalent in the game. People that play League of Legends are use to the small map with many different gaps in the trees for enemies to get through. However in Dota 2 there has always been one side with only 2 openings for enemies making it a “safe lane”. This gave less defensive characters a better chance in the beginning of the game to lay back. Not anymore, now, everyone on the map needs to be map aware and have a defensive strategy in place. If you do not do these things now chances are you are losing games. Valve has successfully made the game slightly harder to play but now player’s skill and map awareness are needed. These changes make everyone who plays Dota 2, that much deadlier.

Review

I believe this recent map change was partially due to the Techies update. With the Techies as stated in my previous post you could block the openings in the lane. Now with so many different openings in each lane the Techies character cannot block every opening well. This changes the way Techies are now played to a more bomb stack style where the players make large piles of mines to kill enemy players.

All in all, I enjoy the map change considering there has not been one for quite some time. I tend to jungle allot so using these new openings is to my advantage when ganking lanes. The change has made games slightly shorter in length,  I have noticed which is always good.

Stay tuned for more updates on your favorite MOBA, Dota 2. Follow like and subscribe on our various social media accounts for team games and updates as well!

Cheers,

Brian Frazer – Best Games Review Blog

Links:

Dota 2 Website URL: http://blog.dota2.com/?l=english

Free Dota 2 Wallpaper: http://www.wallumi.com/heroes-dota-2-wallpaper-hd-images-collection-download-free-8

Space Engineers – Best Physics Sandbox of 2014 Has Even More to Create

Space Engineers – Remote Ship Control, Modding, Rockets and 3D Printing Added Recently

 

Space Engineers for PC

Space Engineers is now on the cutting edge of physics-sandbox PC games with its absolutely incredible physics engine. This voxel based indie game developed by Keen Software House is now available on Steam.

Space Engineers began creation back in 2002 and has come a very long way. Since release, the game has sold over 600,000 copies and continues to grow its fan base rapidly.

This is due to the physics engine and indie game developers Keen Software house constantly updating the game on a weekly basis. The updates in Space Engineers range from fixing bugs, changing colour patterns and regular simple things, all the way to completely re hauling graphics as well as gameplay features. Some of the most recent updates include 3D printing, reloadable rockets for small ships, player controlled modding and my favorite, remote ship control.

Update

In the latest update on October 6^th 2014, Space Engineers added the ability for gamers to upload their creations and print them in 3D. 3D printing is a new way of creating objects through plastic models. This means players can physically purchase scaled models of their creations to have forever. To go along with this, players can now save their creations and share them on the Steam Workshop. Meaning gamers can trade sell and buy other players creations that are absolutely awesome, a very cool feature that makes the game stand out.

Review

With this new update I will finally be able to save everything I have created and share it with friends and others. Personally, myself and friends have been trying to recreate the emperors Star Destroyer but it is very hard work and taxing on the server. Due to this it has not been fun grinding it out just to create something for ourselves. Now there is new incentive with the ability to share our creation on the Steam Workshop for all Space Engineer gamers to enjoy. Something that makes me and others want to publish more creations will make this games community very strong in the future. All space Engineers needs now is a nice marketing campaign to get the word out and instead of getting 4^th best indie game, it will be 1^st.

Please Like on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube and follow on Twitter and Google it is appreciated. Thank You.

Happy Gaming,

Brian Frazer – Best Games Review Blog

Links:Space Engineers Website URL: http://www.spaceengineersgame.com/

Free Wallpaper Link: http://invisioncommunity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/space-engineers.jpg

Key Words: Space Engineers, PC, Update

GTAV-The Best Console Game of 2013 is coming to PC

Rockstar Games to Release GTAV on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on November 18th

GTA V for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4

GTAV

Rockstar Games plans to literally do it again, but revamped with even more for us gamers. Grand Theft Auto Five was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 13 2014, and now is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and my favorite, PC. GTAV is an action adventure game where players can freely roam the open world in the third person perspective, soon first person as well.  What this means for any gamers who enjoy GTAV is that they can now experience it with life like graphics that will be better than anything ever seen in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. GTAV for next gen consoles and PC is set to release on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this November 18

Rockstar Games GTAV broke records when it was released this time last year making 1 billion dollars US in its first 3 days and won gaming accolades from several gaming publications. The game is the first to feature the ability to change between multiple characters, pull heists and use a smartphone just like in real life.

Next Generation Features

So what has been added in terms of gameplay to the next gen GTAV game? Well apart from the stunning graphics update and all the madness in a Grand Theft Auto game, it will feature a First Person mode. The game is currently played in third person perspective with gamer's looking from behind the in game character. With this new game player will be able to see through the eyes of their favorite characters as well as their online players, bringing a whole new element to the game players have been waiting for.

Rockstar Games has also said that they plan to release more single player missions in the future as well as online content. Hopefully this will translate into more heist missions for single player as well as new Strangers and Freaks side missions. Best of all that means that they plan on releasing heists online in the near future, something GTAV players have been waiting a very long time for.

Review

I personally enjoy Grand Theft Auto very much and have played the story twice now. (Spoilers) My first run through I ended up killing Trevor and was actually quite saddened by this, thinking that the other choice was Franklin's death. Having said that I had the game beat within a week of release, and yes I experienced almost every glitch there was. After that I went online and experienced 10x more glitches and ended up kicking it. However recently I have done my second play through of the story and cannot put in words how truly epic the storyline and action is. With smooth gameplay and seamless online play I enjoy it very much now and play it regularly on Xbox 360. I will be purchasing this game for PC when it is released to enjoy the graphics and even better game play, and I can’t wait for the first person mode.

Please comment, subscribe, like and follow!

Cheers!

Brian Frazer – Best Games Review Blog

Links:

GTA V Site: http://www.rockstargames.com/V/

Free GTAV Wallpaper: http://gtavpc.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/gta-5-wallpaper.jpg

Key Words: GTAV, first person, game, Xbox, Playstation

Dota 2: Best MOBA Game of 2014 - Techies Update

Constant Updates to Features and Hero’s Make Dota 2 the Best MOBA

Dota 2 Heroes

Free Wallpaper: http://wallapik.com

Synopsis

Defense of the Ancients started out as just a mod for Warcraft 3 created by Valve, and now it has become its own game genre and has inspired others. Games like League of Legends were created because of Dota’s ever growing fan base, but now Dota 2 is once again is the best MOBA.

With 108 heroes to choose from and a plethora of custom items to make your hero unique all for free, Dota 2 sets the bar for multiplayer online battle arena games.  Dota 2 was originally released with only a handful of characters and items and has now grown into the best MOBA due to its constant updates. These include not only the vast amount of characters added but also features to show player items and stats, new game modes, and new ways to even play the game.  These updates have added allot of playability for the gamers who will enjoy this type of game, time and time again.

Updates

Early September, Valve the creator of Dota 2 released an update that has changed the game forever, the Techies hero and new game features were introduced. Players can now play as the new Techies hero which has the ability to place various types of deadly and stunning invisible bombs on the map. Gamers can stack up the Techies bombs to create an atomic blast to kill enemy players instantly, or spread their mines out all across the map, so nowhere is safe to walk for the enemy. This adds an entirely new feel to the game when in a match against the Techies that was not in the game before. In League of Legends players can play as Teemu, a hero who can place invisible mines also. Players familiar with Teemu will enjoy the new Techies character allot, being able to play attack damage or ability power converts to damage and mana in Dota, making a deadly hero whichever style you choose.

The new features added are a trophy case which lets players display all of their notable achievements to others, as well as the new all hero challenge. The new all hero challenge asks players to play as all 108 characters in a random given order. This challenges players to use heroes they may have never used before. This actually increases player skill and gets them to understand the game better, and of course there is a prize at the end.

More recently on September 28^th Valve released a new model for the current hero, the Shadow Demon. This is just a testament to how committed Valve is to making the best MOBA of all time. They have taken an older hero and revamped it to become much better than before, making gamers want to play as him again and look bad ass while doing it.

Review

Overall I enjoy Dota 2 very much, I actually used to only play League of Legends years ago, but as I got older I wanted a more mature game. Dota 2 is rated mature due to its language and violence which actually compliments the game style very well and I do not think I would enjoy it as much if it were rated PG like league of legends. The new techies Hero is a favorite of mine now, I prefer to use him as a bomber and max out mana regeneration. The way I use this build is with phase boots actually due to the Techies slow speed, and later transporter boots. I tend to spread all of my mines out into the entrances along each lane similar to a Teemu play style. This wards an entire lane and gets you many random kills and assists, recommended.

My steam name is Emporer if anyone would like to wage war in Dota 2, the best MOBA of 2014 or other steam games. I’ll see you all on the battlefield.

#ShadowDemons souls or #Techies Bombs. What will you use?

Cheers!

Brian Frazer – Best Games Review Blog

Links:

Dota 2 Website: http://blog.dota2.com/?l=english

Dota 2 Free Wallpaper: http://wallapik.com/wallpaperhd/dota-2-wallpaper-background-free.html

Key Words: Dota 2, MOBA, Best Game, Techies

NHL 15 – The Best New Hockey Game of 2014

Unfortunately, NHL 15 is the Only Hockey Game of 2014 and is Missing Features.

Review and Opinion

On September 9^th 2014 EA Sports released the long awaited NHL 15 game across all current console platforms. The first ever NHL game released on the new Xbox One and Play Station 4, this game had allot of expectations for its gameplay and features. EA Sports has delivered on the gameplay, giving players a more realistic feel with the all new physics engine. On the new Consoles the graphics are unprecedented for an NHL game. With realistic player features and looks every player actually looks like their real life counterparts, as opposed to the generic player faces in NHL 14. The crowd in the stadium has reached a new level, with hard-core fans at every game following their home teams and an incredible amount of fan models, each fan looks and acts different, like a real game. With the improved graphics, physics and realistic gameplay, NHL 15 is the most enjoyable in game experience for an NHL game to date.

 However as an all new NHL game, players were looking for the added little features that truly make a game addictive. For an NHL game this means that after players finish a game there can be a 3 stars feature(top 3 players of the game), replay mode (watch the games highlights), rematch (play again), stats (goals, assists, +/-) and an overview of where shots and hits are made or taken. In the new NHL 15 game there is only the replay and rematch options, making players feel that they are not getting the full enjoyment out of their game, as the old NHL 14 game has all of these features. Furthermore while playing GM mode (simulation of a real life hockey team owner) players used to be able to play as their minor league AHL team and follow the scores and keep track of all your players in the minors. On top of this players could also be their own coach, making custom plays for the team and changing lines easily. In NHL 15 gamers can’t play as their AHL minor league team or even look at the schedule or stats, and gamers are not allowed to customize plays and the line changing is much more complicated, with the computer making all of your decisions. This is making gamers feel that they are not truly the GM of their team any more and more so just along for the ride.

The fact of the matter here is that EA Sports has essentially released a console sports game that is still in Beta (not a finalized version of the game), and this is the first time in any sports game franchise history that this has been done, why? Well looking at the market, Hockey is one of the less popular sports in North America and Europe, when compared to Soccer and the NFL. There are multiple NFL and Soccer game franchises and therefore EA has competition and must put out a better game than other developers. On the other hand EA is the only game designer to have produced any NHL games in the past couple of years, thus no competition. Keeping these variables in mind is the reason EA has not released a finalized version of NHL 15, they hold the monopoly for the niche game and do not have an excess of a million consumers like their Soccer and NFL games. This makes the game less profitable than their other franchises making the company focus more on games other than NHL 15.

Unfortunately die hard hockey fans and gamers out there like myself, will have to wait for features to be added to NHL 15 at later dates to fully enjoy the game. EA Sports, at launch of the game released a statement to consumers apologizing for the state of the game and going on to say that it will be updated and finalized in the coming months. For a game that costs 70 dollars Canadian, in my opinion unless you are a diehard hockey fan there is no need to purchase this game until all of the updates have come out.

To EA Sports, as the sole company producing NHL games please do your best to create a game on time that gamers and players alike can enjoy, do not butter up the game until release date and then tell your consumers that you are missing features. As a multimillion dollar company, you should anticipate the time it will take to create a new game on a new platform. Activision did this successfully with Call of Duty, beginning work on the game for Xbox One and Play Station 4, 3 years before release. Please EA, care more about your monopoly in the NHL games franchise, and complete your game sooner than later, in turn making your consumers happy, and the company more profitable.

So all in all NHL 15 is enjoyable with the new physics and crowd systems and incredible graphics on the new Xbox and Play Station consoles. Unfortunately the true NHL gamer will not be impressed by the complete lack of any new features and the removal of key features, GM mode features, online team play, live the life features and statistics.

It’s your call.

Cheers,

Brian Frazer – Best Games Review Blog

Links:

Wallpaper - http://www.myplaystationwallpapers.net/1280x800/nhl-15-wallpaper/

NHL 15 - http://www.easports.com/nhl