So I haven't been putting out too much content since my PSO vids. I recently purchased project zomboid so I've been pouring lots of time into that. Other than that I've also been heavily anticipating PSO2, Sega's foray into the free to play market with their arguably classic franchise. You can read more on my thoughts about that in my previous blog post if you're so inclined. My most recent contention is a change in the spiral knights formula. More specifically the ability to buy your way into power. Allow me to delve into all these topics with a modest share of words
First off, Zomboid is really addicting...at least it was until I tried the newest version of it, but even still it holds my interest. After playing the demo and version 0.1.5d and then jumping into the current version 0.2.0p2 adds 2 more maps worth of content, more items that I know what to do with or how to sort, and a revised combat system. I only recently started playing so it's a bit of a shock to me however I'm sure those who've been sticking with the game for the duration of it's development were gradually introduced to these gameplay changes but it really feels like a different game to me. To streamline my thoughts. I like what it's trying to do with its emphasis on survival and critical thinking to avoid death, in these regards I commend it, Subsequently the new combat system has completely turned me around in how I engage and take down foes for better or worse in some cases, good things in general to be sure. However the interface feels clunky and awkward when it comes to moving items from your person to any kind of storage and is worse than having your wisdom teeth pulled by a dentist with Parkinson's . NPCs don't seem all that intelligent still and while they do spout some interesting dialogue they're usually too busy running around to bother to chat with you, one note though- don't try to combat them unless you're ready to kill them. at least from what I've seen. Still, I had to concentrate to pry myself from zomboids rotten grasp in its defense. I see survival as somewhat of a dying genre so its good to see it done right. Also it did I mention it has zombies? I'd like to review it more thoroughly but I'd need several good hours devoted to the current version. If you're interested in zomboid here's a link to their website wherein lies a free demo which I encourage you to try.
Phantasy Star Online 2. Oh lordy...where to begin. If I haven't already gone into enough detail on its payment method in my previous post I'll go ahead and say this- I'm optimistic despite the payment method being a bit off from what I expected and would have preferred. To clarify if you haven't heard yet- PSO 2 will be free to play with a cash shop. In other news you can currently download the character creator in Japanese if you're so inclined to create your character early and play it when the Japanese version of the game is releasd. Naturally you'll have to be fluent in Japanese or refer to a guide to have any idea what you're doing. It also comes with a benchmark tester to see if you need to up your hardware. On the lowest settings I had a steady 100+ fps and on medium settings I was steady around 40~100 depending on what was going on at times. Suffice it to say I'm confident I can run it. I will admit I have a strange feeling though, as I'm excited for the game to be released but at the same time worried its payment scheme may dishearten an otherwise a viable PC market. Other than its payment model there's a chance it might not be that good of a game. Not to say I don't trust Sega but the frequency in which they pump out Phantasy Star games on PSP make me a little weary of the franchise at this point. I may explore those titles a bit more thoroughly in the future but right now PSO2 is my focus. The reason I'm cautiously optimistic as I think many are at this point is that PSO2 really feels like the next step up from PSO. Where Phantasy star universe and such were decent games, they didn't seem to share the same feeling PSO did. Introducing it simply as PSO2 is basically a claim to fame. I can only hope sega doesn't tarnish yet another franchise- see sonic.
Speaking of tarnishing otherwise decent franchises I've recently gotten back into spiral knights. Its by no means Game of the year of any year but an enjoyable excursion none the less. Think Four Swords link gameplay mixed with the art style of kingdom hearts and an item collection system akin to monster hunter. That last piece of the description seems to be a bit off now though seeing as how you can purchase end game gear for a mere 10 dollars. While this means it would take you 50 dollars to fully outfit your character with endgame gear it's still disheartening to see a game I regarded as truly skill based fall from grace with a cash shop that takes the joy out of dick waving about your bigger sword to other people with starter crap. Enough shallow reasoning though, before the implementation of the new tier five weapons being handed out to everyone with a fat stack the player really had to work to get anything tier five. This included collecting items, recipes, and then the energy required to craft said items, quite the monumental task. This pursuit was eased by buying energy but at no point was the player handed godly weapons by well...buying their way into power. Naturally my dismay is further stirred seeing as how sega is partially responsible for spiral knights. At this point I'm connecting the dots you see. The question being, will Sega make PSO2 pay to win in the same vain Spiral knights? To put this in perspective- the big draw for PSO was finding rare loot by searching tirelessly and finally stumbling across it after hundreds of hours of play. I can rationalize increased drop rate bonuses or such that can be bought but I don't want rare items to dolled out to everyone who wants to drop down lots of cash.
I'll need to discuss skill based games a bit further methinks. That deserves a video at least.
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