World of Warcraft: The Thunder King

The poetry speaks for itself. 

Technorati Tags: World of Warcraft,WOW,Blizzard,Patch 5.2

Lifestyle: I figured out why I had Burnout

So it dawned on me over the weekend why I had burnout on the MMO front and I blame Star Wars: The Old Republic.  Well, SWTOR isn’t solely to blame, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back truth be told.  I got my beloved Consular through the first chapter of the game and went from loving the story line, and therefore my character, to feeling let down and slogging through levels just to gain a level.  Then I just stopped playing all games, I couldn’t stand the mere thought of logging into any game.

Everquest 2 is just daunting, even double experience weekends can’t tempt me to log-in.  I don’t hate my characters, my guild makes me laugh, but those AA points are a roadblock I dread.  Literally they are speed bumps along the path to leveling.  I could have multiple characters to max level by now in Everquest 2 but for the AA roadblock.  I’m not looking for speed or power leveling but I was not enjoying the feeling of constantly running on a treadmill and gaining no ground.

Rift is just frustrating.  I love PvP in Rift but unfortunately rifts get in the way of PvE activities in the game.  For me, it completely detracts from the story in Rift.  It is a fun game, but I should have listened to my initial assessment when we were in the Rift beta (“there isn’t enough of a story line for me” is precisely what I told my husband).

I resubbed to WOW this morning.  I keep swearing it off and resubbing, hey it gives hubby great joy when he teases me whenever this happens.  I plan on playing at my pace and keeping chat off as much as possible.  Yeah I know, it’s a social game but hey to each their own.

So here’s my advice for those of you suffering from gaming burnout – take a couple of weeks off and do something completely unrelated.  I am making a public promise to myself that as soon as someone irritates me in game or I feel obligated to do something, I’m walking away and doing something else.

Technorati Tags: Star Wars: The Old Republic,SWTOR,Everquest 2,EQ2,Rift,WOW,World of Warcraft,free-to-play,f2p,PvP,PvE,burnout,MMO,video games

XBox 360: On-Demand Games HUGE Sale

From 26 February thru 4 March 2013, the annual On Demand Game Sale will take place for XBox Live.  A different set of games will be on sale every day.  Here is a list of the games that will be on sale, some discounted as much as 75%:

Assassins Creed
Assassins Creed 2
Batman Arkham Asylum
Batman Arkham city
Bioshock
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Brotherhood
Call of Juarez
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Code Veronica
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements
Dead Island
Dirt 2
Dishonored
El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron
Fable III
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 New Vegas
GRID
Halo 3
Halo 4
Halo Reach
Halo Wars
Kane & Lynch Dead Men
Left for Dead 2
Max Payne 3
Metal Gear Solid HD
Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat vs. DCU
Orange Box
Portal 2
Raccoon City
Rainbow Six Vegas
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 6
Red Dead Redemption
Revelations
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
Street Fighter IV
Street Fighter X Tekken
Super Streetfighter IV Arcade Edition
TC’s H.A.W.X.
Tekken 6
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
The Darkness
The King of Fighters XIII
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tomb Raider Legend
Virtua Fighter 5
World at War

 

Technorati Tags: Xbox360,console gaming,on demand,sale

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Game Update 2.0 released on PTS

Star Wars; The Old Republic’s the Rise of the Hutt Cartel has hit the Public Test Server.  Here is a brief glimpse of what can be tested:

• Level 55 characters will have new gear
• New Operation: Scum and Villainy
• Level 55 Hard Mode Flashpoints: Hammer Station, Athiss, Mandalorian Raiders, and Cademimu
• New Nightmare Mode of Operation: Terror from Beyond
• New legacy achievements

You will, for the first time, be able to copy an existing character to the test server, and all characters on the PTS can be advanced to level 55 on the Fleet.

Technorati Tags: Star Wars: The Old Republic,Rise of the Hutt Cartel,Level increase,public test server,character copy,raids,free-to-play,F2P,cash shop,Bioware,EA

PlayStation 4: Wrap-Up

Yesterday, Sony revealed that the PlayStation4 will release Holidays 2013 and was much more forthcoming with specifications.  However, what they did no show was the console itself.

Here are the specifications:

• Main Processor: Single-chip custom processor
  CPU : x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", 8 cores
  GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon™ based graphics engine
• Memory
  GDDR5 8GB
  Hard Disk Drive – no details were provided beyond the console containing a hard disk
• Built-in
  Optical Drive (read only)
  BD 6xCAV
  DVD 8xCAV
  I/O
  Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0) 、AUX
• Communication
  Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
  IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
  Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)
  AV output
  HDMI & Analog-AV out
  Digital Output (optical)
• *Specifications are subject to change without notice.

There is an emphasis on social media with the PS4.  A button on the new dual shock controller instantly allows the player to share favorite moments via Facebook.  PS4 players will also be able to stream game play via UStream in real-time.    A light bar on the controller helps identify players and transitions the controller into a Move controller, although the Move is still compatible with the PS4.

The PlayStation Cloud will stream games from all previous PlayStation consoles.  It currently appears that the PS4 hardware is incompatible with older, legacy discs.  The PSVita will be able to play games from the PlayStation Cloud.  And FYI, current PS3 purchases will NOT carry over to the PS4.

The PS4 has eliminated the boot-up time of previous consoles.  The PS4 will power-down to suspend mode which eliminates the boot-up time and instantly allows the gamer to carry-on where the previous gaming session left off.  Background downloading  instantly allowing the gamer to play digital titles, and allowing the console to update while in suspend mode.

The PSVita is the “ultimate companion”, according to Jack Tretton, President and CEO of PlayStation.  Ultimate goal is to make most PS4 games playable on the PSVita.  In addition, PlayStation Applications are coming for iPhone, iPad, and Android users which will allow those devices to act as a second screen for the PS4.

Games releasing with the PS4, include (but of course are subject to change):

• Diablo III from Blizzard (also releasing for PS3)
• Destiny from Bungie (also releasing for PS3)
• Watchdogs from Ubisoft
• Infamous: Sucker Sam from Sucker Punch
• Killzone: Shadow Fall from Guerilla Games
• Drive Club from Evolution Studios

More details will be released in the coming months I’m sure.  There was no mention of pricing of the new console.

 

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Destiny: Unveiled

Bungie released the details of Destiny over the weekend.  The persistent world, console only, shooter is being partnered with Activision as part of a ten year deal.  You can play the game solo or as part of a small co-op team.  Servers for the XBox360 and Playstation3 players will be separate, with the future consoles being compatible.  There are no plans to charge a subscription fee for the game, thus essentially making the game a buy-to-play MMOFPS.  There is no free-for-all PvP present, however there will be factional PvP skirmishes (think matchmaking).  Destiny is not scheduled for release until 2014 but is currently available for pre-order at all major retailers near you.

 

Technorati Tags: Bungi,Destiny,Activision,Player vs Player,PvP,Xbox360,Playstation 3,MMO,FPS,buy-to-play

BlizzCon 2013

Announced this morning, BlizzCon 2013 will be held from Friday 8 November thru 9 November 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  No details yet on ticket pricing and availability.

Technorati Tags: BlizzCon,World of Warcraft,MMO,Anaheim Convention Center

World of Warcraft: 5.2 Patch – Expected to Drop Next Week

Realm maintenance is scheduled for twelve hours today, with servers anticipated to be back up around 1PM PST.  While waiting for servers to come back up here is a round-up of what to expect in Patch 5.2, Rise of the Thunder King.  Patch notes, as they currently exist can be found here.

And without further ado, here is a concise summary of what to expect when you log in next week:

• New daily quest hub: Isle of the Thunder King
• New raid: Throne of Thunder
• 12 new raid bosses with a 13th boss in heroic mode
• Raid finder version will be split into four different wings, three bosses per wing
• Continuation of the legendary quest chain for Wrathion
• Two additional world bosses
• All world bosses are now Tap to Faction
• Ability to purchase a farm at Sunsong Ranch: ability to bind to the farm and have it function as a rest point
• All classes will be receiving updates and balancing
• Warlocks will gain access to a solo quest chain resulting in the ability to change their fire color to green
• Pet battles have been added and there are changes to damages done by certain types of pets

 

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MMO Burnout: Help I’m Infected

I’m infected by the MMO Burnout bug badly.  I haven’t played one in over two weeks now.  I’m missing the Erollisi Day event in Everquest 2, an event I enjoy very much.  However, I just can’t muster the interest to log in and play.  I’ve been infected before but not to the point where I find myself even avoiding MMO news like the plague.  I am sure the MMO apathy will pass.  I’m giving myself until the end of the week and if it hasn’t passed by then, I will simply log onto my Consular and finish leveling her before the Star Wars: The Old Republic expansion releases sometime this spring.

Technorati Tags: MMO,video games,MMO Burnout,Everquest 2. EQ2,Erollisi Day,Star Wars: The Old Republic,SWTOR,expansion,free to play,F2P