Credit Where Credits Due

Fringe is about the start its fifth and final season today. It marks the beginning of the end of what will likely go down as one of the best science fiction shows ever made; and it happened on Fox. Without mentioning the one that should never be forgotten (Browncoats rise and rise again!), Fox has stuck with Fringe longer than any network realistically would have against all odds. Fox has taken a deservedly bad wrap over the years for killing shows before their time; but with the rise of CBS' dominance the other three networks have been less quick to cut shows willy-nilly. Things have changed, even high profile flops like Flash Forward and Terra Nova have been able to show their respective series in its entirety; something that used to be fairly uncommon. It’s always nice when change is acknowledged though; no one likes to be shoehorned by the past.

Downtime

Gaming isn't only about maximizing your playtime, sometimes it's about know when you're not in the mood to kill bad guys. For those times, its good to have a back-up plan; a good book, a movie you've been wanting to watch, or if you're near the internet, some internet television. From Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog to The Guild there is plenty of well-known good quality internet t.v.. Here are a few good lesser known ones:

Is the Internet More Than a Human Right?

When a country faces civil unrest, war or revolution, unsurprisingly the  internet is one of the first things to be taken down or severely curtailed. The United Nations has called the Internet a Human Right, with all that entails. But is the internet more than just a human right, is it more akin to a 'Civil Right'? Normally you might laugh, but when your country has limited internet services, the joke becomes less funny. Massively has a great article here. Enjoy.

Silence

I remember that episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when she learns her mother died. All the times she had feared her mother would be attacked or killed from the danger of being close to her and death came from the simplest of human frailties, time. It set reverberations through television, an entire episode with no music as if the natural death of her mother was so shocking that music was stripped from the show. It should have been hokie, it should have been cheesy but the fans had such respect for the show that it turned into one of the most memorable episodes ever for Joss Whedon and Co.

The War of the Dragon VI

I finally took a character past level thirty today. I’ve had a bad case of alt-itice and I’ve managed to level three or four different classes to level thirty or thereabout. As such I’ve managed to make sure I’ve delved quite a bit into each different crafting profession and about half the classes. Here then are my tips for playing Guild Wars 2:

The Perfect MMO

I have this idea in my head of my perfect MMO. It’s The Old Republic’s personal story, it’s The Secret World’s mystique and game world, its Guild Wars 2’s dynamic events, Final Fantasy’s class system and Blade & Soul’s combat. I’m never going to get that MMO, and besides you know what they say about be careful what you wish for.

Nintendo, They Did It Again

It used to be charming, when Nintendo was against the flow of popular opinion. They always strove to make great games, and as the only one of the Big Three who was entirely a games company they charmed us for decades. Nintendo released details of their latest console, the Wii U and… it’s disappointing.

The War of the Dragon V

‘I am a leaf in the wind’. Guild Wars 2 paying homage to Serenity certainly brought a smile to my lips. Those words are the end of a conversation by two Sylvari speaking about the different paths they took after birth; one is a healer and the other a warrior. The Sylvari, are a plant race in Guild Wars 2, who are born fully formed with all the racial memories of their kind. It’s a powerful tool that has been slowly corrupted by a faction of Sylvari who wish to turn their dreams into Nightmares. Your guide to Guild Wars 2 is a firstborn, one of the heroes of the defunct guild Destiny’s Edge, Caithe who out of all the members of the group I’ve met is the most interesting. Long ago she was the best of friends with the leader of the Nightmare Court, Duchess Faolain.

Patryk "Garrett" OlejniczaK

 Patryk Garrett OlejniczaK

My younger brother told me to get some pictures. I've been thinking about it for a while but I didn't really get past the thinking stage. I used to write for an online website. It was a few years ago and I won't tell you which simply because there's a reason writers have book burning parties. Anyways since I don't have any pictures ready I'll leave you with some I found by a fellow blogspot-ite. The subject material is what you might expect...

A Hero Reborn

I saw the new Halo 4 viDoc last week. I love Halo video documentaries. They are always made by people who obviously love what they do. It’s so clear and impossible to miss. Back when it was Bungie, we got an insight in ‘the Bungie Way’ I suppose you could call it. They were one of the only companies who had the moxie and power to take as long as they wanted when making games on the console side of the industry. Blizzard is famous for it, but with a cash cow called World of Warcraft; they are a bit of an anomaly. Bungie said ‘we’re going to do it our way’ and it was a wonderfully crafted ride.

The War of the Dragon IV

So I lied. Well maybe not lied as much as I spoke too soon. I still haven’t picked my main character yet. Guild Wars 2 gives you five character slots for free with each new slot costing you ten dollars. Since the game is free after initial sale and the slots are more than enough for most people, its fair. I like making new characters though. I probably deleted a hundred hours of playtime in three or four months of playing The Old Republic simply because I would delete characters. There’s something that’s so bright and shiny about making new characters, as if all the mistakes that you’ve made can be learned from and made better. It likely says something about me but at the end of the day, all that matters is that it takes me a while to find my rhythm with a new game.

The War of the Dragon III

I hate dying. I take dying as an affront to my skill as a gamer. Death is not to be used as a lesson, it means I was sloppy or foolish or just plain stupid. I die in Guild Wars 2, a lot. It’s quite irritating how many times I’ve bite the big one. Guild Wars 2 has mechanisms in place to make dying less aggravating, at least that’s the idea behind it. I don’t know if it was intended or not but in reality death in Guild Wars 2 is an art form, let me explain.

The War of the Dragon II

There is something completely cathartic about my memories of Final Fantasy XI. It’s not that I have rose colored glasses about that wonderful, frustrating game. I remember the highs and the lows. I remember reading James Mielke's blog post about the game. It filled me with such wonder and awe that somebody could love and invest themselves into an MMO like that. Final Fantasy XI was a great game and an experience I am not likely to ever see again. The industry has largely moved away from the grinding, party heavy MMOs of yesteryears and that’s a good thing, still it leaves me with some melancholy. Those days of sitting in an XP spot grinding out levels with a good party, shooting the breeze about nothing in particular are over. Guild Wars 2 has been a fresh breeze of delight in recent days. I’ve often been helped by and helped a passerby kill a boss or revive themselves; good deeds are not only customary, they are rewarded in Guild Wars 2.

The War of the Dragon I

First thing you need to understand about Guild Wars 2, is that is tries its utmost to be a living breathing world. Secret World wanted to fill you with wonder, and TOR wanted to tell you a story; Guild Wars 2 wants to be living and breathing whether you’re there to see it or not. Quests are tied to areas, and while there is a little handholding, there is also a time when questing is all about finding logical outcomes. If someone is shouting ‘I need help’ then run up to them and talk to them and you’ll likely find a quest. If you’re going from point A to point B you’re likely to find someone who is doing the same thing and hey they have a quest too. Like Secret World before it, Guild Wars 2 is trying to do away with the quest hubs and trying to make it feel more organic. They still have spots where you will always find quests, ala their heart system on the maps, but they are only there as guides for the immediate area. If a heart has a number 11 next to it then it is likely an area best for level 11 characters. It allows an open feeling without having to say explicitly level 11’s come here. Because the players level scales down, anyone over 11 can go there and find some decent experience. In that spirit of ease, don’t forget to type back slash wiki, that will bring you to Guild Wars 2 wiki site right from the game.

Musings...

It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been working a lot of hours at my day job, and what little time I’ve had left has been squarely devoted in playing the new Mass Effect 3 DLC Leviathan and of course Guild Wars 2.