Chronicles Of A Lao Gamer

Dark Souls - Chaos Cleric Build

2012-01-25T17:21:00.001+08:00

I've been experimenting a bit and there's been quite a number of different builds around the game. Tanking builds with high STR, Sorcerer build with high INT, thief build that centres around backstabbing and poison/bleed effects, pyro builds and high DEX builds for curved swords, etc.

Only recently decided to craft my 3rd character, and plan its progress so that I will get what I want for this build. As the title suggests, it will be based on cleric faith and pyro/chaos abilities. Some thoughts that went into this:

- I had a melee build recently, decided to go for one casts magic.

- In my opinion, you can never have a true battle mage build, because of the Attunement attribute that takes up a considerable amount of levels. If you want a melee guy with an imba INT/FAI based weapon, then you won't be able to cast that many spells. Just my opinion. As a result, not only do you have to choose the weapon you want ultimately, you also have to choose the spells you want. I decided to sacrifice on the weapons.

- Chaos build will only work if you have many humanity. In my experience, it's easy to attain that if you go coop help kill bosses. Some bosses are highly cooperative like Quelaag, Ornstein & Smough, 4 kings and Centipede Demon. Being in Way of the White or Sunbro covenants also makes coop easier to establish. With all the humanity obtained, >10, chaos weapons will be quite good.

- Pyro is especially good against AI enemies, even after patch. But in getting good pyro and chaos damage will take a while. It is thus advisable to increase VIT and END in the beginning stages, together with the stats the weapons require.

The list of weapons I ultimately chose is, in order of progression,

Spear +5 DEX 14
Drake sword STR 16 DEX 10
Lighning spear

Chaos blade STR 16 DEX 14
Shotel DEX 14

Washing pole STR 20 DEX 16
Dragonslayer Bow STR 20 DEX 20
Crescent ax   STR 18 DEX 12 FAI 16

Great Artorias Sword    STR 24    DEX 18 INT & FAI 20
Gravelord sword STR24    DEX 13
Zweilahnder STR 24
Manserpent sword STR 24

They are split into 3 main stages. Initial weapons require STR 16 and DEX 14, which is acceptable and allows you to increase VIT & END initially. By the end of the game, I will ultimately only need STR24, DEX,INT 20 in order to use all these weapons. Faith will be the stat to max out to hopefuly ~50, eventually targetting for a soul level <100. This places a looser restriction on the stat levelling and more focus can be placed on buying miracle,pyro,vit, end and attunement.

Crescent Ax will be the best Faith based weapon, and I'm targetting at Great artorias sword hopefully getting it. INT 20 will be the last target to achieve.

STR 24, DEX 20, INT 20, FAI 30, ATT 23

(if higher Faith, will sacrifice Int)

As for magic, I will be focussing on
Canvas talisman (possess as cleric starting class)
Acended Pyro hand +5

Great Lightning Spear
Force, Emit Force, Wrath of Gods
Gravelord Sword Dance

Great combustion
Fire Orb
Great Fireball
Fire Tempest

All these require only 1 slot, and ultimate ATT 23 I will have 6 to play with.
Because of the targets, covenants and NPCs will play a very important role. I will need to complete some stories, and join the covenants in certain fixed order to facilitate faster progression.

I will need to meet Siegmeyer in firelink to get Emit Force
I will need to unlock Quelaana, ascend pyro hand, buy her pyros, kill Bed of Chaos and meet her in order to get Fire Tempest.
I will need to complete Solaire's story for izalith shortcut and get sunlight maggot for Tomb of Giants.

For covenant, the order should be:
- Forest to get ninja ring, buy curved swords & shotel
- Gravelord to get Gravelord Sword and Gravelord Sword Dance
- Chaos servant to unlock izalith shortcut
- Darkmoon (optional) to get blue eye orb
- Sunbro (final covenant) for coop and increase humanity for chaos weapons

I'm now just at the Depths, hopefully will obtain my final build and enjoy coop as much as possible :)

Interesting Dark Souls Build

2012-01-05T01:02:00.000+08:00

I thought it'd be fun using these builds to coop/pvp :D will be using the Wonder Woman build for sure!

Wonder Woman of course :)

Nazgul!!!

Gandalf the Grey? :P

Female version of Captain America :P

Does it look like Leonardo?

This one's been done by the Japs already. Sephiroth.

Of course other peeps may do it better using more suitable human characters. Feel free to post them up!! :D

Western vs Eastern Romance

2011-12-07T09:01:00.000+08:00

This year we have two RPGs of all time.

One is western RPG (Bethesda) in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Full blown environment, music, sounds, lore, and detail down to every last plate (no, serious). Complex and deep character development system and very long playing hours. You cannot but fall in love with the world.

Other is eastern RPG (From Soft) in Dark Souls. Gruelling, hard, but ultra satsifying. Gives you that lonely but never alone feeling with equally immersive environments. The story is not spoonfed to you, but information are strewn all across the land, in the item descriptions, through conversations with NPCs. Bit by bit you see the picture and the other minor stories related to the people in the world. And eventually you discover the world, the lore.

So you see, one is full display of glamour, the other is ever so passive, letting you do the revealing by yourself.

I'd personall pick the latter. Eastern romance prevails for me. GOTY is GOTY :)

Dark Souls: A Review to End All Reviews =P

2011-10-07T22:38:00.003+08:00

First of all, I have to say up front: I am a gamer. With very limited play time. I feel writing this review is the very least I can do for this GOTY material, and so I decided to spend some time on this. Forgive me if at some stage I sound like in a hurry, cos it's game time! =P

In general, most reviews I have read/watched have been giving quite high scores to Dark Souls. Nothing wrong, of course, they all raised key points and issues and scored based on them and their experiences with the game.

But I feel that in actual fact, they have not touched the heart of the game (or most of them havent). If you've noticed, they are mainly just highlighting the pros n cons that can be observed, and most likely mentioned by developers during pre-release Q&As. Add that to a few hours of interaction just to experience themselves and be able to churn out a decent review. And lastly this is definitely for sure: they have had NO CHANCE to experience the wiki pages contributed by the ardent Dark Souls fans themselves. At this very minute the wikipages are just ~20% done up...

If Demons Souls introduced the gamer to a fresh new set of features, Dark Souls has effectively introduced us to a whole new WORLD of never seen before features.

The world of Dark Souls is very believable. Every inch of grass, every ounce of soil is marked with the caring touch of the developers as you roam around the world, every bird tweet, every grass rustle.. it is purely an enigmatic experience.

Now let's try to break down this 'world of features':

The world:
The Dark Souls universe resides in a very intricate level of map design. I have not seen anything like this before. There is no HQ, like the Nexus in its predecessor, where everyone is friendly to you and no one will attack you (that is if you don't accidentally press R2 on a NPC, lol). It is purely a huge world littered with 'pitstop' to recuperate and do admin. In actual fact, the game is basically a journy of pitstop to pitstop, but not in a linear fashion. Each bonfire (pitstop) can be shared by a few neighbouring areas, such that when you think about accessing to one place/boss/merchant, you actually have to plan which route you would want to take.

There is no loading screen, everywhere is wonderfully chained up perfectly by the design and engine of this game. There is a wide variety of map types: from standard castle, forest, swamp, sewer, village, hills, etc. And many of them are laid with treasures, traps and secret passages.

AI:
If I say the enemy can riposte you, e.g. counter your attack and backstab you, will you be pleasantly surprised? I did, as I suffered my first riposte by the highly poised estoc caped knight.

Like a professional fencer, he held up his weapon up high in a defensive posture and started circling around me (imagine that!), waiting for me to strike. Not knowing, I casually tried a soft attack, hoping to bait him in, STILL WITH MY SHIELD UP (spears can attack with shield up), and I got caught. Off my spear bounced harmlessly out of his way, and he literally tripped me to the ground. By the time my character animation recovers, he was already behind, going for the damage multiplying backstab. At that moment I just let out a very very wide grin. What a beautiful game!

The enemy will catch off guard while you cast your spell, thinking he's just a sitting duck. From a raised shield spear skeleton, you can suddenly see it drop down its guard and run towards you for the strike. That experience is simply an "Oh SH*T!" moment, I tell ya!

He can even evade your counter (get this - COUNTER), dodge your spells, block your shots, and do backstabs (for very fast enemies).

The boss design is simply amazing. You get not just size, shapes, but variety of attack forms. There is normally no gay way out (shooting arrows from safe spots), and they just come out at you the second you enter the boss fog. It's face to face, but there's always a way out. As you die more, you see more, you learn their weaknesses, and you triumph. Those are very satisfying moments, and rarely provided by a game. You will realise why the gesture feature is there in the first place, to let you express your shiok moment!
(In fact, I heard one boss can negotiate with you, one of them fights you invisible. LOL.)

Overall, Dark Souls is filled with engaging NPCs with their own storylines all chained up to form a focused universe for you to reveal and appreciate.

Weapons, Armour and Magic:
There is a huge array of weapon types, and each of them provides a different offensive and defensive animations, which varies in milliseconds of precise action that result in different kinds of consequences. Only to indicate the wide variety of approaches a player can adopt during combat. Naturally, each has its own weakness and strength, and any player will be able to find a weapon he/she is comfortable to use.

The upgrading tree is deliberate and deep. Very deep. There is a network of weapons and armour upgrades
never seen before upgrades, not just fire/magic, but chaos, raw, crystal, demon, etc. For certain upgrades, only specific blacksmiths can help and they can be found at different stages of the story and map. With boss souls, special upgrading can be done, and the possibilites are just endless. Personally I feel the tendency to wait for my complete guide to arrive before I proceed any further in case I upgraded wrongly =P it takes deliberate but satisfying planning if you are such type of player :)

There is also no lack of variety in magic, miracles and pyromancy. One of the spell lets you turn into an inanimated object to hide against enemies. Another one turns you invisible. Pyromancy is interesting such that its performance does not scale with your character stats, but is dependent on the upgrading of the catalyst which he casts his spells with.

The class system is actually not strict class system, as Demons Souls players will know. It is merely a starting 'background', with starting stats, that enable players inclined towards a certain build to proceed with more ease. It is absolutely possible to allow a mix of builds, dependent on the gamer preferences.

Online:
Yes, Dark Souls do not have 4 or 6 player coop, each talking through the headset while the group trash past the entire world. That will sound easy, isn't it? =P I have to fully agree with the developer's decision to make online gaming maintain the grimness and bleakness of the world that it is. It seems to be the only fitting way. They even took out the Xbox 360's cross game chat if the gamer is playing DS, LOL.

Yes, although the world may seem very bleak and lonely even when you're playing online, but actually it is not. Everyone is somehow interweaved in each other's world, not just by the simple mechanism of Demons Souls' silhouette system, but a few more very interesting and good concepts. Take for example,
- when you rest at a bonfire, someone who's also resting at the same time will appear in a much more solid form, like you're sharing the same camp. iirc, his estus flask effect can also be shared by you.
- When someone beat the boss and rings the bell, you from another game will be able to hear his bell chime of triumph. I heard it once, and really felt happy for the guy :)

- when you leave an item on the ground, it will bait enemies in another person's world. The level of enemy depends on the rarity and cost of the item you drop.
- some of the quests require you to invading and coop
- the Gravelord pyromancer spell enables the pyromancer caster to just place a source of black phantom spawns in other people's games, until that player can find the source and eliminate it.
- Covenant system have you swear your allegiance to certain gods and bosses, and you are imbued with special gifts (or something along the line =P) When you invade, you invade players who is in opposing covenants, making engagement more meaningful. And if you ever break a covenant, be prepared to pay the price!

Let me tell you, I have never heard of any of the above online features before this game.

So basically these are what make the game, and the sum of them lay out beautifully to form a very convincing, dark, engaging and challenging title. I have nothing else to say since you guys probably know by now Dark Souls is my personal GOTY, even though I havent finished the game, LOL. Go ahead, take a discount off my views then, there's still much more left after that =P

Of course, every game has its cons. Quite honestly, as of now, there is no game breaking elements (glitches progressively fixed by dedicated developers). The only two key things are the dead body physics inherited from Demons Souls, and interestingly dropping frame rates during multiple engagements. But it's still not game breaking.

And because of this game, there is one more 'award' to present: Hidetaka Miyazaki, for being the Story Teller of The Year =)

*Latest update: apparently, what I've covered is only ~60-70% of what this game has. The covenant system looks to make online experience much much much more fun and challenging, and once again, I take my hat off to From Software. I cannot put a grade to the world design, items and their linkages to the main story plot, the relationships between the 'factions', and so much more. There's even a 'painting world' that you can enter. The developers have really gone GREAT LENGTHS at making this world very very rich and interconnected.

How to deal with boss - Belfry Gargoyles

2011-10-04T00:43:00.000+08:00

1. Kill Lautrec to get his imba ring, which +20% HP, +Stamina and +Equip weight. His sickles will penetrate shields. So most important is to keep a distance. He rolls slow and I did not see him use heal potion.
2. Rid off all enemies in the Undead Parish first, because you're gonna come back after you killed the boss. Dont want anyone to spoil your celebration =P The two caped knights guarding Lautrec can be avoided since they won't be triggered by your location when you come back.
3.Try to engage Solaire's help by staying human form before you enter the boss fog.
4. Once the first one appears, try to approach its either side and attack its flank. Up your shields as you will be able to block most of its attacks. Kill it as fast as possible. Having Solaire makes it easier as a distraction, but remember he dies quite easily =P
5. Once the 2nd one appears, it will breath fire. There's a simple trick to abuse - the church roof is sloped both sides and the fire cant reach from one side to the other. Stay on opposite side as the 2nd gargoyle as it breaths, but engage its flank the same way as the first.
6. Go to the end to ring the first bell.
7. The guy below will sell curse remove item which will be very important in the sewers.
8. Congrats! Next boss is below the first boss area (wooden door).

How to deal with boss - Taurus Demon

2011-10-04T00:35:00.000+08:00

1. Climb the ladder behind to the right of you and kill the skeles and climb back down.
2. Slowly inch your way towards ~60% of the bridge until the boss drops down. Turn around and start running back.
3. Climb the ladder, turn and face boss until he looks up. Drop down and press R1 for critical hit.
4. Once you're back on the ground, keep to the left and avoid getting stuck between his legs.
5. Run away from the ladder until you are ~50% along the bridge.
6. KEEP TO ONE SIDE. As you turn back to face him, I suggest you keep to the right. Because as he attempts another strike, you will run left past his right. If vice versa, there is a chance you get knocked off the bridge and die.
7. Once u run past him, make a mad dash to the ladder and repeat 3.
8. Remember to AVOID getting stuck at his feet.

DARK SOULS SUCKING ME DRY!!!

2011-09-30T20:19:00.000+08:00

Nuff said. This is definitely my GOTY! Let's look at other options...

MW3... pffft @ MW2.5

BF3... it's good, everything's improved. But i still can't get over 4 man chat, inconsistent partying and no one doing spotting, encouraging people to just prone and camp :(

UC3... never been a hardcore fan of uncharted, though its quality is top class. must be the gameplay..

Skyrim... I thought it's going to rock. But only recently for the first time I saw the third person combat, and I am immediately reminded of Oblivion -.- and I dont like Oblivion...

Batman Arkham City... this might be a close second for me. Open world superhero FTW

Infamous 2... very good game, possibly close fight with Batman

Deus Ex... good too, but some major weakpoints in the game itself... gfx so so...

YAPL: Yet Another Progression List :P

2011-07-02T16:28:00.001+08:00

Takes into account of maximising low level unlocked weapons, as well as my new found love for Stakeout!
And realising Stoner is much easier to handle for me than M60...

Begin: M16, MP5K, HK21
Progress: Stakeout, FAMAS, AK74u
Next: SPAS, Stoner
Final getting: FAL, G11, Spectre, Commando

Flak Jak
Steady Aim
Ghost
Marathon

MP5k ext mags
HK21 ext mags
ACOG m16

Concussion
Claymore
stakeout
stakeout grip

semtex
jammer
counter spyplane

dual wield makarovs
blackbird

sleight of hand
famas
famas m203
famas dual mags
famas silencer
rpg

ak74u
ak74u ext mags

python -> cz75
cz75 dual wield
m60 -> Stoner
Stoner ext mags
SPAS-12
SPAS suppressor
strela

FAL, G11, Spectre, Commando

Domination SMG
flak steady marathon
mp5k/ak74 ext mags strela conc sem jammer

Dom shotty
flak hardened marathon
stakeout grip strela conc sem jammer

Tactical AR
ghost warlord ninja
famas silencer+dualmags strela conc sem claymore

Tactical shotty
ghost hardened marathon
stakeout grip dual pistol conc sem claymore

Tactical m16
ghost hardened marathon
m16 acog dual pistol conc frag claymore

Dom LMG
flak hardened marathon
stoner ext mags dualpistols conc sem claymore

Demolicious
flak soh marathon
famas grenade launcher rpg conc frag claymore

Current Take on Weapons

2011-06-30T20:49:00.000+08:00

After the recent few spates of patches for nerfing weapons like AK74u, FAMAS and G11, coupled with the fact that I'm most probably going to keep on prestiging as long as I am playing Black Ops, I feel compelled and challenged to adopt myself to early unlocked weapons even more. So I've decided to concentrate on them as much as possible...

M16: the 3burst has longer interval than G11, but I think it remains as one of the premiere weapons at long range.
Perk to add: Hardened

MP5K: its loading speed is very long, and iron sights are fair, but I think coupled with ext mags or rapid fire it will be a monster.
Perk to add: Steady Aim

Stakeout: add Steady Aim, and it will have the tightest spread among all shotties, and I can hipfire already. Should feel like MW2 SPAS with equivalent present SPAS range.
Perk to add: Steady Aim

AK74u: Should be my go to SMG after unlocking, but it's cool to have 2 SMGs to go to.
Perk to add: Steady Aim

FAMAS: I should still be using it, but more for intense mid-short range engagements.
Perk to add: SOH

SPAS-12: Nuff said. :)
Perk to add: Steady Aim

M60: I think this along with Stoner are the 2 great LMGS in Black Ops. But I'm not putting a high priority on this one. Dont seem to be good at it in the first place :P
Perk to add: Hardened

Classes... pictoral presentation

2011-06-21T01:31:00.000+08:00

Tired of writing :P

Favourites so far, SPAS (as usual), Spectre (as usual), M60, FAL, AUG (must equip acog for manageable recoil, oddly enough), FAMAS (which I should be aborting after nerf, switching to AUG + acog)...

Renewed Love for Black Ops

2011-06-03T22:47:00.005+08:00

I think I'm going full prestige to get my gold Spectre and gold Spas :) MW3 no servers will even propel this intention more...

Need to form out progression unlocks:

(mp5k, rpk)
Sleight of hand
Concussion
Flak Jacket
(mp5k flak soh frag con, rpk flak soh frag con)
Ghost
Claymore
(mp5k clay, rpk ghost clay, m16 ghost soh con clay)
Marathon
Counter spyplane
(mp5k flak/scav mara, rpk, m16)
Steady Aim
MP5K ext mags
(mp5k extmag scav steady)
M16 ACOG
semtex
(mp5k scav soh rapid fire, rpk, m16 acog)
Famas
Famas RDS
Famas dual mags
(mp5k, famas, m16)
Famas m203
RPG
Warlord
Famas suppressor
Ninja
Jammer
Python
CZ
CZ dual wield
CZ suppressor
(mp5k, famas, m16)
Blackbird
(mp5k, famas, m16)
SPAS
SPAS suppressor
(mp5k, famas, spas, m16)
FAL
FAL + red dot
Spectre
Spectre ext mags
(spectre, famas, spas, m16)
G11
(spectre, famas, spas, m16, ak, G11)

Cheong Domination
flak steady marathon
spectre ext mags law conc sem jammer
flak soh marathon
famas dualmags law conc sem jammer
Tactical
ghost warlord ninja
famas silencer+dualmags law conc sem claymore
ghost hardened ninja
FAL+grip dual wield cz conc sem claymore
Tactical m16
ghost soh hacker
m16 acog cz75 conc frag claymore
Tactical cheong
ghost steady marathon
spas suppressor cz75 suppressor conc frag claymore
Demolicious
flak soh marathon
famas grenade launcher rpg conc frag claymore
G11
ghost steady mara
G11 cz75 conc frag claymore

Frustration with logical pondering (Click to view)

2011-05-17T10:15:00.004+08:00

I should add some more justifications :P

- Cheaper console, cheaper games. Annual online subscription spread across few games ~ what we are paying for PS3 titles liao.

- most of my upcoming games: Rage, Dark Souls, CODs, Homefront are multiplats. Only Infamous 2 (maybe UC3 and Res3).

- Games that I really want to have : Dance Central and Gears 1,2,3.

- The only things I will miss are Bluray, Infamous and Killzones. That's pretty much it...

Pretty much sums up Brink

2011-05-15T15:01:00.003+08:00

A Message to Nicole Seah

2011-05-11T00:08:00.000+08:00

Dear ma'am,

I respect you for standing out for the common people. Thus far you have performed better than what is expected of you, and mainly because of your sincerity and passion to help the people.

What I'm going to say may sound trivial, maybe repeated by someone else. But I sincerely believe in taking one step at a time. Walk firm and you will stand tall.

Continue to engage with the commonfolk like you do. That is your forte and that is how you can serve your party best. Bring their issues up and put into perspectives with the overarching intentions of the party. Let the rest do their jobs.

e.g. Have the specialists in the party do what they do best - collect data and statistics, analyse, run simulations based on your party's economic/social models and see if your solutions do work. Base everything on solid predictions instead of making guesses of what the future will be if Policy A kicks into action, or if Policy B gets revoked. In this way you get credibility instead of charges =P

Will also advise you to take a look at what you wish to represent and if your party shares the same goals as you do. You are still young, and not too late to put a firm stamp of your feet on someplace you believe you can call your Base.

Good luck and all the best for your bright future!

SOCOM4 is for hardcore

2011-04-21T10:25:00.002+08:00

Why?

enemy indicator
no such thing in the minimap. the most enemy indication you will see is when he fires an unsilenced weapon right in your character's view sight, represented by a red diamond.

recoil
it's as realistic as it can get. at scope in ADS, the reticle really jumps everywhere. and there's idle sway.

aiming
coupled with high recoil is the aiming. not saying it's heavy and clumsy. it's just difficult to aim. even more difficult than KZ3 in fact. many of my games i hear yankees grumbling "I can't kill nobody". LOL.

weapon progression
the weapons unlocked are few and far between. attachments for those weapons require you to constantly use that weapon. I've played with M4 for about 10 matches (each match ~15 kills) and I still haven't unlocked anything =_="

no abilities / perks

yeap, this is not COD, not brink, not homefront, not kz3. it's just you and your weapon.

I cannot say it's a poor game. In fact, it's a great game, because of

connection

All my games so far I get connect to US. With zero or undetectable lag. GG!

controls

the controls are smooth and responsive

presentation

one of the prettiest so far. even in mp the graphis is damn legit. clean and neat.

maps
big and usually with many approaches. typically fast to reach firezones. good cover placements.

So at the end of the day, there's no score for this. either you love it or hate it (cos u're looking for other stuff). Unfortunately, I'm looking into something more, so I can't exactly say i'm loving Soc4 to death. It's a great game and should be recommended.

There's Something Enigmatic about Dead Space 2

2011-04-04T09:39:00.000+08:00

I can't quite put a finger into it, but recently I have been enjoying the process of slowly trudging along the story campaign, taking my time clearing out levels and (as usual) spamming save points, LOL.

Honestly, I am pretty surprised, especially when I'm more of a multiplayer, competitive shooter kinda dude. Hoot with kakis, own the connection, and levelling up for imba customization sessions. That's more like me.

But DS2 sp has its own hidden beauty in it. I can only guess some reasons why...

- Great maps and monsters placements. great cutscenes and sequences. I used to hate those special action sections when I have to do specific things other than aiming and firing. But that doesnt feeling doesnt seem to surface quite often now...

- Very interesting enemies. I especially like those 2 legged rushers, those macam velociraptors, just appear sprinting at you. The thrill of putting stasis and spamming round after round into its head is just exciting :P

- Great weapons. Even if I only have 4 weapons now (line gun, line cutter, standard mg and javelin gun), the others like ripper blades, contact beam are simply imba. If only there's $$ farming in this game, I'd max everything out!

Come to think of it, I've really enjoyed DS1. Maybe it's time to revisit it again :) It's one of those games where the sp just excels in every way. Best title of EA, imo...

The Ultimate Online Shooter

2011-04-02T13:07:00.000+08:00

The essentials:
- smooth running and controls
- great maps
- player customization
- lots of weapons
- can squad up to ~6-8
- can squad chat
- servers for least possible lag
- great developer post-release support
- squad up properly game in game out
- autobalancing of sides

The last 2 features obviously tend to contradict. But this can happen if
- there's huge player base
- big and capable developer

Old Games...

2011-03-21T12:57:00.000+08:00

Phantasy 1 & 3
Might & Magic 1,2,3
SSI rpgs - eye of the beholder, heroes of the lance, pool of radiance
Artic Fox
Pirates!
Deathsword
Mechwarrior 1,2,3
Airborne Ranger
Lakers vs Celtics

Gods
Doom1,2,3
Championship Manager 3

Many still not at top of my head.... Gosh, those were the days...

P2P and Gradual Demise of COD

2011-01-18T08:55:00.000+08:00

http://www.callofduty.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=399640

Hi, I am a Singaporean PS3 gamer. I am 35, have a wife n kid, and you will understand how gaming time is so much important to me as I treasure this hobby of mine to the max. I am 'forfeiting' an hour of my gaming time to craft out this message, which I IMPLORE 3arc/Activision to review the grievousness of the situation and the resulting future it will bring to the entire franchise. I will just describe my situation so that you will know why I have decided to post this regarding p2p.

Normally for Asian gamers like me and my friends, we get gamers from Arabic countries, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, etc.

But one country sticks out from all the rest of the counties. The IMBA japanese.

Please note, this is absolutely not a personal attack against Japanese gamers. But the cumulative effect on our mental toll is imminent.

I'm sure you know what is the meaning of "imba". In this case, their entire country is wired up with what I believe the fibre optic connection. And within the country they get download speeds of crazy hundreds of Mbps. But this network goes back to normal good connection of about 10+ Mbps when connection is to overseas.

And I'm pretty sure you are starting to sense the story I am about to continue.

The problem with this situation is.... that there are TONNES of Japanese COD players. The population is SOOOOO HUGE that
if you ask ANY Asian COD player, he will tell you he has lobby full of japanese ~70% of the time. And that's no joke.

And I mean FILL UP the frickin lobby, not just a few of them. Be it morning, afternoon, evening, night. They are ALWAYS THERE.

As you can see my emotion is welling up.

Because of the pure fact of their overwhelming population in COD, it is more often than not that one of them japanese will host the game. So when he hosts the game... you've guessed it, p2p brings everyone to Japan. And what happens next?.... they get their crazy speeds.

And we get crap.

And I seriously believe that a 4 bar logo does NOT represent the speeds they're running at. As a result, I think we are always facing 20 bar japanese against our PATHETIC 3 bars. We do not win 1v1 situations. We do not win close quarters engagements. We do not win the race to aim down sight and fire.

So how will 70% of our matches usually end? No reply required.

What can be worse than that? Well, for starters, the entire Japanese side arming themselves with rapid fire AK74u's and Flak Jacket. Try to imagine that scenario. One word comes to mind: Slaughterhouse.

Ever since the days of COD4, to World at War, to MW2 up to this day, the japanese have been haunting us, their population increasing in strength by each of your iteration of the COD franchise.

And yet Activision still decide to run P2P.

In ALL HONESTY, this does not match up well against any country anyone. There is effectively ZERO fair playing field. I can say when I party up with my friends and own the other side with our 4 bars, we do not really feel that happy, knowing full well it's just our 4bar advantage that gives us most of the wins.

On the other hand, when you see Killzone2, a game that hosts games via servers, you get a much more even playing field. Jap or no Jap, everyone goes through the server, and the speed of the server determines pretty much everything. The connection superiority does not get amplified to disastrous magnitudes. What's even better, the developers understand the problem of lag, and they even have a sort of a 'buffer time' to allow players with certain lag to even register the hits and kills. The system has to be arguably the best multiplayer setup at the moment.

So please, I IMPLORE Activision/3arc, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider using back servers by the time the next COD gets released. Many of my gaming friends have given up PURELY because of those imba japanese. I know we shouldn't be hating them, and this post is not about hatred for them, but seriously, it's P2P that's fuelling this grudge. For myself, if not for the constant watching of gameplay videos by those Machinima directors to sustain inspiration and interest, I wouldn't have endured till now. I believe it's coming to the last straw for me soon.

3arc if u are reading this, I know you are 100% committed to your player base. Please do something about it before COD gets utterly destroyed. Thanks.

Emo Night

2011-01-09T11:08:00.002+08:00

Last night a few games with feelings n sentiments...

1. Got dc-ed from my gang and subsequently joined in at the opposite side, which mainly consisted of a HK clan. It was TDM in Havana and I ran my dual skorps, managed to call in 2 blackbirds even. My side won and I was in top 3, i think. The next match I was back with the gang in Hanoi, and we trashed them. Made me feel like I've been a very useful teammate =)

2. Met a few SG peeps and I was running my usual Demolicious setup (noobtubes, rpgs). After the game they called me and gave me watever names I don't really care. Muted them all and switched to my dual skorps yet again in TDM Havana (yes, I seem to do better there =P). Shut them up by topping my group and won them by 4 kills, iirc. They left subsequently.

Emo night siaa...

Art of Knife - Prologue

2011-01-07T22:43:00.001+08:00

Well, most probably I'm not a suitable person to write about how to be a good knifer. Simply because of the fact that I rarely use the knifer class =P

My first full scale Black Ops knifing game was in fact 2 nights ago in Grid map, when I think I scored a ~17-15 =P Previous matches were in MW2 which I personally feel I'm less skillful in, due to map knowledge and imba setups =P

In all honesty, among all CODs, MW2 should be the most suitable title to run knifer class. You have tact knife which enables a much faster knifing action and the imba commando pro knifing radius. After the latest BO patch, that radius seems to have been reduced.

Now in BO, there are more options even after Commando perk has been removed. You have the Ballistic knife which gives you 2 ranged knives on top of you default knife, as well as the Tomahawk which you can play with gravity and wall effects. My hunch is in the order of ease of usage, MW2, BO, COD4/WaW.

But anyways, this is about knifing in BO. Previous mention of ballistic knife and tomahawk is a must-have =) Steady Aim Pro enables you to recover faster from knife lunge, so that's a must-have also. Marathon Pro for infinite running and enabling you to run away from enemies. Which leaves us with the first perk, in which I believe there are two options which pretty much splits the knifers into 2 categories.

Cheongster knife and tactical knife.

Cheongster knife is like on steroids running around engaging in a berserking pace of killing spree. For that, Lightweight is the perfect choice. In fact, because you'll be running around without ghost, you might as well equip yourself with an imba SMG to hipfire with since you already have Steady Aim Pro, which also shortens the time between stop running and raising weapon. The best choice will be something of a very high damage, which in my opinion would a pair of Skorpions. No suppresors needed, and you use up the maximum damage of 40 WITH an increased max damage distance (normal Skorps have max 50 dmg but much lower max dmg distance). 3 rounds will do the job, meaning a total time of just 2 bursts from one gun. Since you'll be rushing, quick release tactical nades will be your choice and concussion is it.

For tactical knifers, the pro to look forward to would be OnlyUseMeBlade. If you've seen his gameplay before, it's not about running around like a headless chicken. He moves knowing as best as he can the hot areas as well as able to identify flanking routes. He sound whores a lot and does not go out into the open without confidence. He waits for people to approach rather than face them in a 1v1 because he doesnt even switch to his primary, and knows the advantage is to spring a surprise instead. This is a skill that comes with map knowledge and cover movement. For this class, you pretty much rely more on Ghost Pro than on Lightweight. Though you don't get that 7% extra speed, it's not needed since the common tactic would not be running sideways in front of your enemies. Success is achieved when you manage to flank them instead. Smokes might be more handy in this case. For this build, total silence is the best. But BO lacks in that because Marathon and Ninja are of the same perk slot. Unless you choose not to run, equip Ninja, and the only thing you will need to worry about is the motion sensor, which basically only guys with Hacker Pro can avoid. Treyarch does an amazing job in not giving the gamers the TOTAL IMBA CLASS, lol. So take your pick, ninja, hacker or marathon. For weapons, suppressed SPAS12 would be my choice.

Now just like to touch upon another closely related topic, and that is the Japs and their crazy imba connections =_=

My observations have come to a conclusion. If Team A and Team B is honestly on par with each other in terms of skill, whichever team has the connection will have a huge advantage. HUGE. 4 bars and 3 bars is a huge difference. Most of the time you will not win in a 1v1 face off, if all are equal (weapon & skill), and to me is the Archilles Heel of COD since COD4 when they started p2p.

It seems to me that i usually lose out during weapon draw. This might mean (I mention 'might' cos it's still a hypothesis) that I may still have a fighting chance if I completely avoid that situation at all, lol. How to avoid? My guess is - that's right, be a knifer. I have this thinking for quite some days already. And I'm going to try it out as soon as I get my ghost pro (12 more planes) and marathon pro (2 more first blood).

Update: w00t, I just got it! One night 3 hours, 12 planes, 2 first bloods. Knife, here I come!!!!

Well, hopefully I wont flunk hard nose first =P This latest thoughts about knifing has got me pretty interested. I remember the movie The Professional, when Jean Reno told Natalie Portman the weapon that requires more skill decreases in distance from the target, the most demanding being the knife. Or something like that =P

With the next impending shooter hit Killzone 3 arriving in a month's time or so, a bit of checking reveals that the Infiltrator class will enable you to acquire the skill of infinite sprint and undetected by enemy installations. I was like "Woah, ghost pro and marathon pro!" And watching the melee kills of KZ3 have me even more convinced that the knifer class might yet make an appearance again =) Yes, I know melee kills in KZ3 will take ~1.5second animation time and most prob a 2nd enemy will finish you off. But I don't think that's a big concern for me. Those melee kills will really draw more thirst for blood! My key concern would be the maps, multiple flanks and placements of map objects, which make knifing possible in CODs. Hopefully there'll be a way out and knifing enthusiasts will practise their trade there and keep on frustrating the noobs =P

Loadout Review - Round 3

2010-12-24T17:58:00.004+08:00

I've just gone 2nd Prestige, still have 6 custom slots. So here's my take as of now. Centralised around 6 weapons which I consider shine in their category.

1. M16
Hard hitting bonus for beginners. Cannot be silenced to optimise longest max damage range. Also require a closed quarter pistol for self defence. Pack with Ghost, Hardened and Hacker.

M16_75:
M16+ACOG, CZ75+autofire
Ghost, Hardened, Hacker

2. SPAS12
Best shotgun. Put suppressor and silenced pistol for absolute tactical flanking. Ghost, Steady Aim and Hacker to maximise flanker role.
Spastic:
SPAS12 + suppressor, CZ75+suppressor
Ghost, Steady Aim, Marathon

3. Spectre
Best SMG, imo. Equip with grip and you can free yourself of Steady Aim, so switch to Sleight of Hand can even remove the need for dual mags or extended mags. Use Flak Jacket and Hacker to run around rushing. Can have LAW since no need pistol.
Spectatre:
Spectre + grip, LAW
Flak Jacket, Sleight of Hand, Marathon

4. Commando
Famas & AUG has high ROF but low damage. Galil & AK47 has high damage but low ROF. Commando has good damage, same damage as Galil, and fast reload speed. Tried and tested combination of suppressor with dual mags means tactical setup with Ghost and Warlord. Hacker to round it up and LAW for air defence.
Commandoza:
Commando+suppressor+dual mags, LAW
Ghost, Warlord, Hacker

5. Skorpion
I've only just realised its prowess today in CQC. Match up to shotguns since its max damage is 40 (dual wield reduces dmg from 50 to 40). Similar to the cheongster build, put Flak Jacket for objective, Lightweight for fast dodging. But Steady Aim is required to control its recoil, and with Marathon, it's a very good setup for CQC in large maps (yes, CQC in large maps). Add Python as secondary for quick change in case running out of ammo.

Skorpionok:
Skorpion+dual wield, python+dual wield
Lightweight, Steady Aim, Marathon

6. AK47
How can I forget about this! Max damage rifle requires max damage setup. Put a grenade launcher and 2 RPGs make this the demolicious class. *slurp* I use Sleight of Hand because without it, the m203 and RPGs really load too slow to perform properly. Scavenger and Warlord perks may give additional ammo and nade counts, btw.
Demolicious:
AK47+m203, RPG
Flak Jacket, Sleight of Hand,Marathon

Frag, Flash, Claymore
Spyplane, CounterSpy, Napalm

Top 3 Weapons in Black Ops Multiplayer

2010-12-16T22:34:00.003+08:00

After almost 2 rounds of level 50's, I've come to appreciate 3 very good weapons, and learnt how to use them to what I believe their full potential.

Spectre:
Although AK74u is the over-used gun currently, I personally like to rock this SMG more. Because of its speed of aiming, rate of fire and the level of comfort I am with. It's hipfire is amazing, but its iron sights is a little bit less desirable. One should equip a grip which will release you of Steady Aim, and you should put Sleight of Hand instead, for that amazing almost flowing sequence of reload and continued firing at 937.5 RPM. If you choose Steady Aim, then u can attach suppressor or extended/dual mags.

M16:
Treyarch I feel made the most wonderful decision when they decided to let a beginner pick up the M16 for free. At 40 damage close range with a tight 3-burst, this thing is amazingly good at long distance. I like to rock this in WMD and Array. The best attachment should be ACOG. Although ACOGs typically increases recoil, the effect is not significant when applied onto 3-burst rifles. And don't put suppressor or else you will be wasting its longest max damage range among all other weapons (with drop off damage). Hardened will also augment your long range shooting capability by removing anything between you and your target. The secondary should be a pistol to handle close range engagements.

SPAS-12:
I've learnt to love this gun since MW2, and even back then it's a pump action. But its range and damage was simply insurmountable. Now moving on to Black Ops, they've made it to a semi-automatic 8-round machine, which is simply a Godsend! Being a primary weapon makes no inconvenience at all as it really packs one of the best punches at close range. Best coupled with Marathon and Steady Aim (run-stop-fire time shortened). I love this gun so much because it will train me to become a better player, to be more familiar to maps and keep myself constantly aware of enemy movements, because any moment I get flanked or seen at medium/long range, I'm dead duck. This is one mean machine and I can proudly say I game good when I perform well with it :) skills, you see, does not only lie in aiming fast.

New Records

2010-12-06T14:02:00.001+08:00

Map: Firing Range
Mode: Domination
Score: 30-7, Win
Setup:
AK74 + grip + Makarov ext mags
Frag, nova, claymore
Flak jacket, Sleight of Hand, Tact Mask
Killstreak: Spyplane, Counter spyplane, Napalm

After that night, I got 2 great performances..

Most kills
Map: Firing Range
Mode: Domination
Score: 45-24
Cheongster Class

Best performance
Map: WMD
Mode: Domination
Score: 37-10
Tactical Class with suppressed AUG

Black Ops: Recommended List of Purchases

2010-12-04T01:31:00.004+08:00

This is the order I will make my purchase, generally speaking, as might be missing a few here and there...

Ghost
Claymore

M16 ACOG
Sleight of Hand
Flashbang
MP5K suppressor

Counter Spyplane
Flak Jacket
Hacker

RPG
FAMAS
FAMAS suppressor
FAMAS dual mags
Warlord

Steady Aim

Skorpion
Skorpion dual wield

AK74
AK74 extended mags
AK74 m203

Marathon
Napalm
Motion sensor

SPAS-12
SPAS-12 suppressor

AK47
AK47 grenade launcher
Spectre
Spectre grip
Spectre extended mags
Commando
Commando suppressor
Commando dual mags
G11

Reply to Wings' Vid

2010-12-01T12:15:00.000+08:00

and I had this to say:

"Hi Wings, there's a philosphy which I would very much like to subscribe to. 'There is no weapon you can't let go of, no perk you can't let go of, no killstreak you can't let go of. Only then will you become a true good player.'

I believe you can do that, but honestly u have to let go of the KDR4 target you've set out to accomplish =P"

BO Builds: Phase 2

2010-11-22T10:48:00.026+08:00

1 Tactical: 探
-Goes a bit campy, looking out for minimaps team movements and cover vulnerable flanks with claymores. More for TDMs.

FAMAS/AUG/Commando + suppressor + dualmags
LAW
Frag (higher dmg than semtex), flash/nova (choking passage during objective), claymore
Ghost Pro
Warlord
Hacker Pro

2. True Cheongster:
Spectre +grip
LAW
Frag, flash, claymore
Flak Jacket
Sleight of Hand Pro
Hacker Pro

3. Tactical Cheongster:
-Runs around CQ and mid range engagements.Steady aim pro should improve quickdraw time.
There is an interesting tactical class i think i'm gonna rock. But im gonna forego my kdr liao, cos it's the SPAS class.
SPAS-12
CZ75 + autofire
Frag, flashbang, claymore
Ghost Pro
Steady Aim Pro
Marathon Pro
Getting Steady Aim Pro & Marathon Pro gonna be a bitch! =_="

4. Experimental:
-Testing out 3burst setups. Mainly for long range engagements and huge maps or long corridors. e.g. WMD, Array. CODBO weapons have more recoil and require more regulated fire, and this makes 3-burst rifles much more attractive at long range.
M16 + ACOG
CZ725 + autofire (to deal with close range weakness of 3-bursts)
Frag, flash, claymore
Ghost Pro
Hardened
Tactical Mask (no need to look out for enemy installs, use tact mask to protect close range clearing out with concussion/nova/flash)

5. Strategical:
-The best LMG is a must-have!! imba damage and rof, most manageable recoil among LMGs.
Stoner63 + ext mags (hk21 for early stage)
LAW
Frag, nova, claymore
Flak Jacket
Sleight of Hand
Marathon

6. Demolicious:
Good for dealing with japs and their gay speeds, lol . funny but true =_=
AK47 + m203
RPG x 2
frag, concussion, claymore
Flak jacket
Sleight of hand pro
Hacker Pro

Killstreaks:
Spyplane
Counter spyplane
Napalm

I gotta say. This is so far the best COD I've played. Evenly balanced, partying up DC's aside, the connections are not at all that bad, quite equivalent to MW2. But the ability to teleport out of lobbies constantly is really getting on everyone's nerves.

Domination is a great mode to play, especially early on when you need to earn as much COD points as possible. It definitely gives more than what TDM can provide. But I realise as I've reached the stage where my loadouts are basically set, there is no point boosting for those points, I draw my attention more to my first love - TDM. Frankly, the maps are much more open with many flanks everywhere. It really is a challenge for tactical guys like me to establish some kind of influence area or strategic views that is totally flank-safe. Sometimes it is really difficult even with the claymore right behind you... But I'm lovin this challenge!

I have not been so addicted since Demon's Souls =P

BO Builds: Phase 1

2010-11-12T01:42:00.001+08:00

Tonite connections were the worst of the 3 nites so far. Can't join party properly, console hung once on me, game hung twice, switching in between screens took too damn long cos of loading, DC in middle of a match ~4 times, 1 bar games. What else? hmmm.... started from 1115, and it took me a bloody one hour to get things going decently for a couple of games. Last 2,3 dominations with heavyd, pylpoh, and gang were nice. A win really gives u many more CPs than a loss, lol....

And so I've managed to made a couple of lousy purchases, but mostly were alright. A few builds for now. Killstreaks I would like to run will be spyplane, counter spy and blackbird, the latter two not purchased yet...

Cheongster:
AK74u + grip or suppressor, Makarov
Semtex
Willy Pete (smoke; aiming for flashbang)
Claymore (this game more rushing = more claymore kills, w00t)
Ghost, Steady Aim, Hacker

Assault:
Galil + suppressor, Makarov
Semtex, Willy Pete, Claymore
Ghost, Sleight of Hand, Hacker

AntiAir: (currently for me to get Ghost Pro)
Galil + suppressor, Law72
Semtex, Willy Pete, Claymore
Ghost, Sleight of Hand, Hacker

LMG:
HK21, Makarov
Semtex, Willy Pete, Claymore
Ghost, Sleight of Hand, Hacker

Shotty:
SPAS (not purchased yet), Makarov
Semtex, Willy Pete, Claymore
Ghost, Steady Aim, Hacker

Some other comments so far..
- motion sensor is very good, but only player sees it, and doesnt have explosive. I'm still sticking to claymores.
- overall SMGs have the lowest recoil. But u equip grip and Steady Aim, u can literally rule CQC.
- Galil reminds me of SCAR-H a lot. The kickback of this weapon is pleasantly rugged and satisfying =)
- FAMAS would be the next good weapon with suppressor, but lower than Galil (40-30) by 5 hit points (35-25)
- I heard Commando is the ACR of codbo.
- ninja is useless, all maps damn loud.
- Ghost cannot evade sentry guns =P only Ghost Pro can.
- the Blackbird killstreak sees EVERYONE.

On Revitalising a Franchise

2010-11-08T23:22:00.002+08:00

Man, if I have the chance, I'd like to kiss the Treyarch guys for what they have done so far. You can sense through the period of prelaunch, as each day passes, new information gets disclosed, and you realise that they have been making genuine, earnest & sincere adjustments to one of the all-time favourite franchises in Call of Duty.

If you asked me I'd say they're one of the most maligned developers. I've played World at War and feel it's a gem, contrary to many think.

Anyways, just like to clarify that I believe in their notions being sincere and genuine in trying to make this game a real team game and not just some arcade shooter for young kids seeking adrenaline rush in the middle of the night. What eventually will turn out will still be unknown at this moment For sure it does not take just a bunch of game testers and beta players to fine-tune such a huge game. Even with Modern Warfare 2, it literally took the entire community and their days of gametime (each) to pull out imbalanced, biased, gay and overpowered features. And this is emergent gaming at work. Eventually it will still go back to the developer's court and see if they actually bother about the well being of this community or just some money grubbers lying on their mattresses of dollar bills. I tend to believe Treyarch is the former :)

Now as to the turn of events that made me believe so...

1. No more noobtube spamming and one-man army. w00t!!! it's quite clear, no explanation needed :)
2. No more campers. literally took out everything that a camper needs to stay in his area, except maybe the decoy nade which has its limited ability.
3. No more quickscoping imba shite. I have to clarify that I have no issues with QS peeps. What I firmly believe Treyarch is doing (except Vahn's twitter comments), is they are trying to let peeps play the roles the classes are meant to be played. And this is a great move.
4. Introduction of new set of equipments and tactical nades. Each of them seem really interesting and has their definite roles in fulfilling certain objectives. And really looks like a huge paper-scissor-stone game now!
5. The new perks are also refreshingly good and tactical. Hardline Pro enabling u to change care package. Flak jacket and Tactical mask for "cheongster protection". All these combinations really pose a very nice pitch for it to blossom into a real team game, like what Killzone 2 has done. And it is absolutely sweet!
6. Killstreaks do not build on each other. Less 'wealth gap" trend for this one, good players getting better, bad players getting worse. No more!
7. I agree with Hutch saying all these has made COD a gun-vs-gun game, and really looks to be making it really balanced and great enjoyment for all. Overall, it teaches teams to communicate more, discourages solo plays (e.g. QS snipers, crazy shotties, campers, noobtubers are all ONE MAN ARMIES, lol), and ecourages different people to take up different roles suiting their different playstyles with such a wide variety of customization.

So these are the sincere decisions from them. Let's hope eventually it really works out well. Then the next step for them would be to implement clan matches =P

Hyped up and counting down...

2010-11-05T23:42:00.000+08:00

Frankly I have not done soooo much homework for a game before, and I was glad that kind of investment paid of in allowing me to understand CODs to a deeper level, how the numbers work, what kind of strategies and the features of the maps. Like how i told my kakis, "it took me one year to learn MW2" :P

And as the impending 'sequel' due to arrive at our doorstep this coming Tuesday, I have never been so anxious about a game either. Even before release, xbox is already enjoying their betas, and thankfully tonnes of gameplay videos got leaked, and subsequently lots of info confirmed or revealed, mostly through wikis. And from there I managed to get a rough idea already how it will work out. The key difference this time is the currency system, forcing people to be more prudent with their selection of weapons, attachments, equipment, perks and killstreaks. But hell yeah, it adds one more dimension to the addictiveness of this franchise no doubt. Hell, I'm already planning which items to buy once I hit Level 4 :P

Some observations and possible builds for me...

more use of semtex cos of flak jacket pro (throw back frags with reset fuses)
more use of spy plane cos of difficulty in building streaks
whoring of hardline care package (can choose reward)
more ninja cos of sitrep pro ability
more second chance since teammate can revive user
use of motion sensor for campers (only hacker pro undetected)
decoys upon approach the Decoy will detonate, much like the Claymore.
blackbird not destructable, not in waves of reveal but continuous reveal

possible cheongster options:
ghost/flak jacket (toss back nade)
steady aim / soh
hacker(inv mosense)/ninja

possible camper options:
ghost/hardline
warlord
tactical mask
motion sensor + decoy
claymore + decoy

My builds: Tactical
Build 1:
hk21 / mp5k + suppressor
asp
claymore + decoy + semtex
ghost
soh
ninja

killstreaks:
spyplane
c-spyplane/mortar
blackbird

Cheong build:
hk21 / mpk + suppressor + rds
asp
claymore + semtex + nova gas
ghost
warlord (+semtex + nova)
tactical mask

"Old" Game, New Impressions

2010-10-23T23:06:00.001+08:00

Assassin's Creed 2 has been around for about a year, with the impending sequel AC:Brotherhood on the verge on release next month 16th. This title didn't really run past my scrutiny simply because AC1 was pretty lousy in terms of AI and it seems there's nothing much to do. But the second installment actually attracted my attention, but only just a bit due to its seemingly well constructed world of Italy and its beautiful scenery. But I still didnt know what to expect.

It was that fateful day when one of my GAX kakis recommended me this title and asked me to get it from zavvi.com for 9.95 GBP. Quite a good deal, i thought, and it totalled up to ~26SGD including shipping.

I have to say, been very sucked into the world right now.

- Amazing presentation, detailed layout. Each brick and branch looks to have been taken right from Italy!

- Perfect replication of environment, culture and people. The voices are wonderfully done and the streets are not ghostly repetitive by my standards. Lots of different people of different trades. Really bustling with life! T

- For a game about free running, the mechanics is perfectly suited for this game. Not too difficult so as to take away your attention from other important game play like combat, pilfering and puzzle solving. Also not too easy as you still need some accurate direction-ing of your L stick or else fall off to death or incur heavy damage.

- Great game system of all facets.
1. guard detection of your presence. the arrow filling thingy describing suspicion is done to good timing.
2. blending.
3. good combat features like riposte, locking on and off opponents, weapon authenticity
4. employing services from runners, mercenaries and courtesans
5. flight game.
6. pilfering.

Main gripe: ultra lousy facials =_= everyone except Ezio looks like stretched mannequins...

Can't help but compare AC2 to Infamous, since both are open world sandbox with stuff to collect and levelling up n stuff. Of course in Infamous you really don't die falling from the top of the building, which I felt AC2 gave this level of vulnerability and forces you to tune up on your parkour skills. I give it a thumbs up for that. Also, Ezio has to use his stealth skills a lot, very much like MGS4, and that's a bonus too, eventually forcing you to think tactical and not running around like a headless chicken.

I still havent completed the story, so I can't quite comment on the story yet. But so far, it's quite well written and the trip is immersive and enjoyable. The score is great with accurately timed and well-placed moods of music pieces. To sum up, I think the word "classy" describes this title the best :)

Demon's Souls Speed Run

2010-10-19T17:24:00.000+08:00

Amazing. Simply amazing. I guess he's played this umpteen times enough to memorise every nook and cranny, LOL. But even as he runs away from most of the engagements, his intricate plan doesnt fail to hold me in awe, as there were a few times he almost died, and his every action means timing to perfection.

Understanding the AI algorithm. That's emergent gaming to the max. I was about to be negative about it for spoiling my favourite title (haa...), but his efforts deserves something higher than a platinum trophy... an adamantium trophy, lol...

It's Tough To Dread A Game...

2010-10-09T18:04:00.000+08:00

Especially when you bought it first hand =_="

And now I think I finally know why I don't like it so much liao... it actually resembles real life, lol...

- do A in X minutes.
- meantime, something else happens, need to do B in Y minutes.
- sometimes you have ample time to explore around, in no rush.
- but suddenly C pops out and you have to complete that ASAP.
- in the background, A & B deadline draws near...
- your adversary gets tougher as you progress... (and I have no time to build fancy gadgets just to clear obstacles :P)

not that I dislike my life, just that a gamer games to relax and escape from the mundane routines of it. Alternate reality, if u wish to pitch it that way...

Old Man Gaming

2010-10-04T23:16:00.000+08:00

nah, not that dude omgz =P

I'm just thinkin of the kakis I've met and played with during these couple of PS3 years. One thing's quite correct is that

I love to play coop.
I love to play multiplayer.

But when it comes to the real deal, more often I'm encountering my kakis leading me around places completing tasks and earning XP wayyyyy before I know what the hell was going on =_=.

Can't blame them, cos that's wat coop is about. I guess there might be a coupla reasons for my show of hesitance nowadays

1. they too hardcore liao. always aiming to complete almost each and every objective & pickup. whereas sometimes I'm just aiming to complete the game, LOL.

2. I'm always the one with very little playtime per day. That leaves them with wayyy more game knowledge and me ending up as the follower.

3. They're younger than me, move faster, think quicker =P

Anyways, just a side comment, that I don't think I've been enjoying my coop games to the max. This is an honest word, not aiming or criticising at anyone. It's just how we are and how the way things turn out. And also doesnt mean I'm gonna give it up any time sooner. New games demand new exploration =)

A quick review...

2010-10-03T23:16:00.001+08:00

Not that kind of 'review' =P

I gotta complete a series of games man, or my backlog's gonna compile again =_=..

Dead Rising 2
Valkyria Chronicles
then 12th Oct should arrive, and Medal of Honor.. I'm gonna have to juggle that with Ass Creed 2, set to arrive around that date =_=....

9th Nov COD:BO..
and juggle that with 16th Nov AC:Brotherhood.... =_=....

Looks like outstanding backlogs still gonna be UFC2010, NGS & LBP =P... yes, LBP1, not LBP2, lol...

Bestest Performance?

2010-09-29T09:31:00.000+08:00

Went Favela yesterday (not the real one :P). Was on TDM, and with my typical RPD build on this map. Add grip, fmj and stopping power, usually will get a war machine :)

And war machine I became. Got the winning killcam and ended 27-14. Although high deaths, I think my 27 kills is highest ever for me in TDM. (record best in wasteland some format other than tdm 40+ to 20+). Proud to say my killstreaks were 3,4,5, with only 1 kill from my predator :P, so 20+ kills were all from the ol' russian demon, lol... that'll give the machinima directors a run for their money :P

A 2008 Title for 2010

2010-09-19T15:05:00.000+08:00

I got Valkyria Chronicles for my bro-in-law who turned out to be not really interested in PS3 (addicted to FB games =_="). Got it back, and it has since then graced the title of Best Backlog Title in my list =P

Gladly, it no longer takes this title as 1 week ago I finally decided to pick it up. Now I'm into my 4th battle, still very early into the campaign, but am already appreciating what this piece of fine art can offer.

- Anime style animation. Simply amazing. No other jap anime games offer this quality of artstyle, seriously. Not even recent titles, or even near future titles. Just pure crisp and pure.
- The story is pretty much very well scripted so far. With the impending VC3 announcement, it's quite a good cast of characters and plot I would say.
- Jap voicecasting with English subtitles. Now can anyone just point out ONE other title that does this? Epic feat considering a 2008 release, fully understanding the wishes of a gamer. Well done!
- Turn based strategy to the max. It is NOT an easy game, and has you desiring to play to your best tactics. An absolute piece of chess for every battle. Very pleasantly surprised :)

So far that's it. Hopefully will have more positives to this list. Even if no more, this is already more than fit to vie for Game of the Year for any year 2008 to 2010!

Epic Payback

2010-08-29T15:39:00.002+08:00

I'd say this is Ownage with a capital O, LOL

MW2 Weapons and Builds

2010-08-28T13:54:00.005+08:00

Been watching quite many Machinima videos and doing some exploring myself. So here's a brief summary of things and some recommendations based on the little homework. Special thanks to Drift0r's "In-Depth" videos, as well as Xbox Ahoy Weapons Guide videos, and some exchanges with my GAX kakis as well...

1. If you're really great at this game, aim good, lightning fast reflexes, you probably won't be too bothered by weapon choice and attachments, perks effects. Just pick up what's most comfy for you. It's more for mediocre players like me who need that every little microsecond and damage point advantages in order to have an edge over the opponents. For that we have to choose our builds more wisely.

2. I just wish to say the logical BEST weapon of choice that comes easily during early stages and doesn't need anything else has got to be the SPAS-12 shotgun.
- amazing range, hits even at mid distance
- high damage (shotgun mah)
- high clip size
- can hipfire or aim down sights
- LITERALLY does NOT require ANY attachment AT ALL. Can you believe that!!

Currently my personal fav :D

3. So let's just start with shotties, shall we. Few facts
- fire slugs of 8. FMJ DOES NOT work on these slugs
- Grip attachment is basically not really needed for pump action shotties. Only useful for Striker, AA-12 and M1014.
- If you aim down sights, the slug spread gets tightened and concentrated over a smaller area
- though one-hit kill damage, shotties take long time to draw. Thats the main drawback for using shotties in close quarters (CQC). But they beat any akimbo weapons at kill time taken.

4. Riot shields are fun :) Though slow, people are most often caught by a shield user and take a few moments to think of strategy. It is at this moment that the shield user has to take action.
- And frankly the best action you can take will be to use a throwing knife. Bashing takes too long, C4's are good but they slow down your game style A LOT, and it's more for strategic tactics (choke points).
- Throwing knife action knife is amazingly short and immediately after the throw you're back with your shield.
- Equip with Scavenger Pro in case you can't pick up your original knife and always have constant supply.
- Pair it up with Magnum and tact knife because the weapon switch time for pistols are the shortest. With Commando Pro and tact knife, you can quickly switch and do the knifer once the bugger runs out of ammo and reloads.

5. Some facts on sniper rifles.
- They all have SAME damage. Only difference comes in the multiplier at different body regions.
- Stopping Power has limited effects on most of them.
- Damage over distance is fixed (no distance drop)

6. Some facts on LMGs
- no distance drop as well, like sniper rifles
- grip is the most useful attachment for any LMG
- Because the aim down sights time, draw time and weapon switch time are long, it's best to equip Sleight of Hand perk. Good for reducing reload time as well.

7. Tar-21 is my favourite assault rifle.
- Holographic sight is much better than Red dot sight
- Silencer actually reduces the muzzle flash and recoil. In fact, silencer on MOST weapons do reduce recoil.

8. UMP .45 is my favourite SMG
- base damage is 35, which is actually on par with almost all Assault rifles.
- running with SMG is faster than with AR.
- Because of its high min damage, it's best to equip silencer on UMP.
- Coupled with cold blood and ninja pro you can be absolute ninja.
- the ACOG and thermal sights for UMP (maybe all SMGs) are much much better than for ARs, because there is ZERO sway during aim down sights (ADS). As such, true night ops ninja build would be bling UMP with thermal and silencer, cold blood ninja pro, and best played in large dark maps like Wasteland and Underpass.

There, finished. I do not include all weapons, only those I'm interested in. Anyone wants to contribute please feel free to comment.

My 'final' builds:

Camper:
Tar-21 + silencer
SPAS12 + red dot
claymore + flashbang
Scavenger Pro
Coldblood Pro
Ninja Pro
Final Stand
Maps: Terminal, Estate, Quarry, Wasteland, Underpass, Rundown, Afghan, Karachi

MGSupport:
RPD + grip + FMJ
SPAS12 + grip + red dot
claymore + flashbang
Bling Pro
Stopping Power Pro
Ninja Pro
Final Stand
Maps: Skidrow, Favela, Highrise, Dust, Invasion

BattleSniper:
M21 EBR + ACOG
SPAS12 + red dot
claymore + flash
Scavenger Pro
Coldblood Pro
Ninja Pro
Final Stand
Maps: Wasteland, Estate, Underpass, Afghan, Quarry

Cheongster:
UMP45 (or Vector) + silencer
SPAS12 + red dot
semtex + stun
Marathon Pro
Stopping Power Pro
Ninja Pro
Last Stand
Maps: Subbase, Favela, Karachi, Skidrow

Kaboom:
TAR21 + grenade launcher
RPG x2
Semtex + stun
Scavenger Pro
Danger Close
Ninja Pro
Martyrdom
Maps: Derail, Favela

Killzone 3

2010-08-25T12:58:00.000+08:00

From what's been reported over these past few weeks, things look to be shaping up reeeeaalllyyyy well for Guerilla Games' next impending big hit! Ima juz gonna talk about the multiplayer here:

1. 5 classes (similar to previous ones), each class with ~6 unlockable weapons. Sweeeeeet!!
2. Retains clan system and online functionalities. Sweeeet!!!
3. Improved aiming and shooting mechanics, at the same time retaining the realistic weighty weapon feel. That's how you stick to your principles and continue to serve the community at the same time. Two thumbs up for me!!
4. Event-based maps. Remember the nuke intervals? It's back! Poison gas clouds in certain areas, EMPs, etc. OMFG!
5. Playable mechs. Who doesnt love mechs!
6. Nade launching turrets
7. Knife and combat melees.
8. Improved team chat system. Sweeeeet!!

I think KZ3's gonna raise the bar much higher this time. It's "good game" to the rest of u guys :P

Amazing Riot Control Build

2010-08-25T09:02:00.000+08:00

I saw a few guys using this build in their machinima respawn videos, so just thought of trying it out. Turns out to be pretty cool siaaa...

Primary: Riot Shield
Secondary: Magnum + tact knife (for faster weapon switch)
Equip: Throwing knife + Stun grenade (immobilise for easy bashes, lol)
Perk 1: Scavenger Pro (moar knives!)
Perk 2: Cold Blood
Perk 3: Ninja Pro
(perks 2 & 3 can be anything)

Basically the strategy goes like this:
1. Most effective in confined maps like Favela and Skidrow. Corridors, protect yourself and your knives most prob goes straight into them, lol

2. Run to choke points and squat down, making sure rear is covered too
3. When enemies approach, just throw knife. Even aim low is ok, bounce off ground and still hit
4. Move over their body to collect more knives or just pick up your own knife
5. When enemy reloads, switch to magnum and fire away (your weapon switch will be very fast)

Move on Killzone 3

2010-08-19T09:38:00.000+08:00

By right I should be happy that my all time favourite game sequel is arriving, right?

After I watch this, I sian 1/2 liao.... but at least can always fall back to the ol' trusty DS3 controller...

Video Games | Killzone 3 | GC 10: Sony Move Demo Part II (Cam)

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

What this video eventually tells you is that

1. you have to look left and right by using the crosshair to "push" the screen.
2. there is no R3 stick to look since Move stick doesnt have that
3. walking is still the same with L3 stick on the Nav stick
4. means you can't Circle Strafe anymore!!!!! OMFG
5. please please please include a button to fix crosshair to screen centre when u press and hold it.

Oh man, I had anticipated this to happen, and it really has :(

COD: Black Ops Multiplayer Trailer

2010-08-10T10:05:00.000+08:00

Ok, this is so cool I think Treyarch is finally going to come out of the Infinity Ward shadows and make a name for itself. Wayyyy toooo cool to miss this one!

Another Go At MW2

2010-08-09T23:01:00.001+08:00

After some time looking at weapons, tactics and maps, I've decided to give another go at the multiplayer. For far too long I've succumbed to the old habit of camping and not willing to stick my foot out. This time, decided to go for it, based on some new level of understanding on movement and maps.

The Undeniables: these are the confirmed features in all my builds, simply cos of the way I prefer to play..

Claymore + 2 Flashbangs:
I just love how I can make use of the map knowledge to plant booby traps around corners for unsuspecting victims. Also try to throw flashbangs to blind a room before entering for the sweep. Stuns I heard throw quicker but enemies still see you and can choose to fire even before u see them.

Another good combi I've seen is stun with semtex quick successive lobs. Stun and immobilise, so the next lob semtex will stick at where they are for a confirmed kill.

Cold Blood:
Ability to avoid UAV and aerial gunners mean mobility and flexibility to surprise the opponents at unsuspecting flanks and corners.

Ninja Pro:
People nowadays are ultra clever, using headsets to listen out for footsteps. With ninja pro, my footsteps are silent, and the full flanker build will then be complete.

Builds: basically crafted out from the style I play and want to play. Choice of weapons, attachments and perks are especially important being only a mediocre player :P

1. Shooter Class.
Default class with UMP being the primary weapon after looking more into it. Very accurate with minimal recoil and good hipfire. Minimal damage of 35 is higher than many other assault rifles, and the fact I can run faster with an SMG makes this an obvious choice.

Primary: UMP45K + RDS
Secondory: M1014 +FMJ
Others: Claymore, 2 Flashbang
Perks: Scavenger Pro, Cold Blood, Ninja Pro

2. Ninja Class.
Will attempt to perform flanking movements with this build. Heavily depends on which map playing.

Primary: UMP45K + RDS
Secondary: Thumper. I recently believe that this launcher has slight edge in higher area damage than M203, and flankers taking out group of peeps with this weapon would be so awesome :P
Others: Claymore, 2 Flashbang
Perks: Sleight of hand, Cold Blood, Ninja Pro

3. Shotty Class.
Still like to cheong around with an imba shotty :) flanker build in CQC is this one.

"Secondary": UMP45K + RDS
"Primary": M1014 + FMJ
Others: Claymore, 2 Flashbang
Perks: Marathon Pro, Cold Blood, Ninja Pro

4. Gunner Class.
I like to have a sturdy LMG for support gunning roles. Great to have in maps like Wasteland.

Primary: Aug HBAR + Grip
Secondary: M1014 + FMJ. Long range support needs a short range weapon to deal with stragglers.

Others: Claymore, 2 Flashbang
Perks: Marathon Pro, Cold Blood, Ninja Pro

5. Long Shooter Class.
Recently realised the SMG ACOG is amazing. Higher zoom and without the sniper scope wavering.

Primary: UMP45 + ACOG

Secondary: M1014 + FMJ.

Others: Claymore, 2 Flashbang
Perks: Scavenger Pro, Cold Blood, Ninja Pro

Lowdown on the Big Three

2010-08-03T14:22:00.000+08:00

From http://forums.gameaxis.com/showthread.php?t=1558448

green_day_er:
"thinking of getting either COD:MW2 or battlefield: bad company 2. How is MW2 getting more votes when I read that the multiplayer is getting tarnished by imbal/camper jap players (no offence to jap here)? And I do not have many friends playing either games, so I won't be able to find myself a "clan" I can always play with.

So in my case, which is better?"

There are still pretty strong followings for the Big Three (from now on let's call them that, shall we? ). you can always befriend us in PSN and join our games when we play them.

MW2 is pretty addictive, considering you can kill quickly, and respawn time is next to zero seconds, compared to the other two. The pace is fast and the amazing variety of weapons, killstreaks and perks lets u mix and match to your liking. PS3 wise connection is still decent even without servers, cos the matchmaking pairs u up with a game that you will have decent bars, typically.

BC2 also has tha variety in weapons and perks. On top of that you have vehicles and remote UAVs to play with. It's larger with 12v12 and huge maps which many people like it. But huge maps doesnt mean more running if u group with squad and respawn next to your squaddies, clearing objectives become pretty fast and furious as well. You don't get to kill that much easily (few more rounds required), but that's the beauty of it, slightly more realism and survivability which brings the cat n mouse chase one level higher. A well coordinated effort brings so much more enjoyment for the team.

KZ2 is the industry benchmark for clans, I might say impeccable system coupled with more autonomy & transparency for you to choose your lobby, who doesnt want that! LOL. The entire game typically has 7 objectives which flows SMOOTHLY like water and the momentum shifts like ebb and flow of the tide. Though less variation in weapons and perks, each class has its very own unique abilities, works like scissors-paper-stone, which make team work even more important in this game. I have never experienced a multiplayer match as tense as a KZ2 game. Every second counts and there is no time to let up!

So, take your pick lah, hihi... (pardon the slightly biased summary =P)

Blacklight: Tango Down

2010-07-09T09:00:00.002+08:00

USD15. Quite worth it. Wait for release

More Blacklight: Tango Down News & Previews

Demon's Souls Basic Tips n Tricks

2010-07-06T19:38:00.002+08:00

This might come a fair bit late, since the initial release of the game was like early 2009 =P

But I've always likened to give some tips and advice for gamers who are new to this amazingly absorbing title. Being strongly addicted to this game, I feel a bit of obligation to let people appreciate what it can actually offer, in a race against time, before they actually gave up out of frustration =P So here we go...

1. If you've got this game, you've got it half right already =D Don't give up too easily and you will DEFINITELY be immersed into the world of Boletaria.

2. If you realise the enemies are simply just too tough, and you're the kinda guy who doesn't mind a bit of spoiler, go google for RE4freak4's gameplay youtubes. This guy covers all the worlds and levels, and is mostly on melee. Watching the first coupla clips most probably wouldn't hurt much, cos there are just tonnes of surprises laying ahead! But for sure you will learn how to engage in basic combat and the appropriate tactics, rather than going in blind and dying countless times.

3. If you do not want any spoilers, selecting a relatively easier starting class will help a lot. Royals are the easiest to begin with, because you are equipped with a Magic regeneration ring, thus in no need to farm for spices (MP refill). You can just 'gay out' in most of the situations and cast your Soul Arrows for the first level, which is actually the burial grounds for, I'd say, 25% of the starters (then they sold it =P). Yes, it is really hard... without doing your homework.

4. If you do not wish to gay out, I would recommend 2 melee classes: Soldier and Knight. For 2 basic reasons: 100% physical damage block shield and a decent sword that is relatively good to wield.

5. Melee: I will advice using a good shield for starters rather than going all assassin build, running and dodging blows (cos still got chance you will kena skewered =P) without one.

6. Hold your shield up approaching the enemies. 100% damage block means most of their attacks can be deflected away (all in level 1-1; the rest you should be able to handle subsequently).

7. Wait for enemy to attack, and catch their recovering time to make your own attack. If there are more than one enemy, then the situation requires more careful timing.

8. When you go for the strike, make sure your reach is sufficient (short swords & spears have shorter reach, of course), and if you're sure of your timing, go for the R2 heavy thrusts. The enemy will get relatively caught off balance and you will have more time for stamina recovery.

9. Stamina recovery is the art of control. Manage it well and do not let it drop too low. One heavy strike from enemy you might just get stunned at zero stam, and their next blow may come earlier than you can recover from it. So advice is to make a strike, and look out for your stamina bar. If you're not sure of a subsequent killing blow, wait for enemy to strike again. Play around with him, dance around (if there's space) while you recover.

10. Having said that though, this is ultimately still and RPG. Meaning calculations are done behind all the action movements. Ultimately what matters is your own Defence against the enemy's Attack score. Don't go face an imba monster knowing full well, up or down shields, you're just gonna get it =P

11. Try to get a range weapon as soon as possible. Bows are used PRIMARILY to draw enemies to you ONE BY ONE. There's a broken ledge next to the first Blue-Eye Knight, jump over it and a crossbow is there. Watch out for the bow's reloading time though. Second bow lies awaiting in 1-2, iirc at the 2nd wall station.

12. Like I said, try to lure enemies one by one. There are some places where a single step will trigger 2 of them. Try to take small steps to trigger them one by one.

13. Run away when you feel you are overwhelmed. Enemies will only chase you up to a certain distance, then they will walk back to their original positions.

14. Together with stamina, locking on and off is another important technique to master. Generally, lock on an enemy upon regular approach. You should also do so when trying to do backstabs. Locking on enables you to move the left stick with relative ease, always assured of facing the enemy all the time and defending properly. But when it comes the time to turn and run as fast as you can, you MUST remember to lock off first. Though simple to do, sometimes can be missed and lead to disaster.

15. The swing path of each weapon varies by a lot. Different types of weapon have different advantages and disadvantages. Reach, stab, slice, thrust, wide, narrow. Piercing/thrusting weapons in corridors, wide arcing swings across open field when encountering numerous opponents. Short, light for backstabbing, heavy knock-back effects for making enemies fall and never get up. Take note of each recovery time and weak flanks during strikes.

16. The ultimate defensive-offensive combination I have to give to the shield-spear pairing. Other than piercing swords (short reach, low damage), spears are the only type of weapon which allows you to have your shield up WHILE making a spear thrust. High recommend. A winged spear (the best) can be obtained in 1-2, before the first wall station, either first or second treasure pickup along the way. Be wary of fire breathing dragon though.

17. Get Ostrava to help you clear out a part of the enemies. BUT REMEMBER not to let him die, or else you wont get subsequent rewards (almost spoiler =P).

18. Try to get Cling Ring (from 50% to 75% health in soul form) and Thief Ring (reduces enemy detection radius) during your first level. Helps a lot with more health and stealth.

19. Another spoiler. Before making mad dash across the 1-1 bridge with breathing dragon, make sure to run to the left of the bridge and get the Purple Flame Shield near the dragon's nest. If you don't get it now, after you've run past the bridge and cleared the first boss, both dragons will NOT leave the nest and you wont have chance to pick it up unless you kill the red dragon at 1-2 (very troublesome).

20. Reserve all your firebombs for the first boss. You can also use the 'oil' to buff fire effects onto your weapon. These are for extra damage. Without them, you can still face the first boss. Just run around and take your time to clear the little minions. "End of spoilers" =P Speaking of items, always prepare to have sufficient grasses and healing items and place them in the Use slots.

21. Spend your souls wisely. I will typically spend them on just a few things: weapon upgrade, spells and levelling up. Armour in this game is overrated. You can go full naked if you want. The difference is not as great. Mostly for the elemental resistances, I would say.

22. The RPG elements in this game is still strong. Being action real time based means you have to plan much more before you approach each new area. But it's ok to be brave and bold. Just don't do it with too many souls in your wallet =P Meaning you should spend on stuff as and when possible instead of holding them into areas of less confidence.

23. I think that's it. Anything else I can muster from my memory will be added subsequently. Don't be afraid to die. Dont get frustrated either. Enjoy the game =)

Most Epic Game Ever, LOL

2010-07-06T17:09:00.000+08:00

Appreciate the work done by the reviewer, haaa

MNR: My First Serious Mod n Kart =D Helghan Forever!!!

2010-07-01T14:43:00.001+08:00

Shooter Bankrupt Soon

2010-06-29T16:14:00.002+08:00

Why? Cos sooooo many top quality titles acomin :S

7th Sep:
Brink (Bethesda)
FPS, id tech 4 engine (looks like Rage), objective oriented
character & weapon customization
8 player story coop, 8v8 mp vs

14th Sep:
Front Mission Evolved (Square Enix)
TPS Mecha shooter
mech customization

1st Oct:
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
TPS/FPS covert/stealth shooter
What else can I say? It's a Ghost Recon :)

12th Oct:
Medal of Honour (EA)
FPS military shooter
DICE developed the mp games, looks like mix of MW2 and BC2

9th Nov:
Call of Duty (Black Ops) (Atasvision)
FPS military shooter
It's a COD. Nuff said.

Q4 2010:
Crysis 2 (EA)
FPS high tech shooter
Boasts the best graphics engine on PC (Crytek) now makes a porting to the consoles. Initial trials look damn imba already! Gameplay looks engaging and hectic enough.

31st Dec:
Spec Ops: The Line
TPS desert (sand) shooter
Innovative sand mechanics with quite high end realistic graphics engine. Worth the check.

(that's already 7 titles before 2010 even ended!!)

Early 2011:
Rage (Bethesda, Id)
FPS shooter/racer
It's from Id, duh!

Feb 2011:
Killzone 3 (Guerilla, Sony)
FPS space age military shooter
Successor of KZ2 in 3D technology. Won't be wrong.

31st March 2011:
Dead Space 2 (EA; Visceral)
TPS space shooter/ horror
Best IP of 08 takes centrestage yet again with new weapons n features, vs new monstrosities!

That's a Top Ten right here. Still have...

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Singularity
Backlight: Tango Down
SOCOM 4

Front Mission Evolved

2010-06-28T09:53:00.002+08:00

What's with the English titles of Japanese games anyways =_=....

So I think this should be my next acquiring target... mechs... i miss mechs...

Entire Collection of DVDs, Blurays and Games =D

2010-06-28T09:15:00.000+08:00

All the stuff under one Toyogo container, chucked in a hippo for some dry lovin =P

2 Titles in 2 Days

2010-06-25T08:41:00.000+08:00

Been a long while since I've had the luxury of 2 new releases in 2 days. Suddenly feeling very pampered... as well as not enough time =P both giving me equally good impressions.

Feel like 'getting down' straight away into creating mods n karts and joining some fun racing. But on the other hand, the Transformers story is really good and sucks you in since Mission 1. Maybe cos I'm sort of a G1 fan, but that feeling is great! I'm so glad they've got the essence of the Cybertron world right =)

The controls are amazingly intuitive and straightforward.

Transformation is convincingly addictive and has its advantages during situations. Have to thank the level designers for making it so =)

Initially on the fence about the Unreal graphics (looks uncannily like UT3), it eventually passed my grade with their wonderfully rendered comic book artstyle in their CG cutscenes, and frankly ingame is not much different.

Story - still into it, but so far so nice. I love it and the pace of how things develop. Nice concept of putting 3 playable characters for each level, enabling coop to seem so fitting and epic. I believe we'll get to play all the key characters we would like to play.

Summary - a game that is true to the core. any score can't be far from a 9.0 once that is achieved, really. Too bad (and to my bewilderment) the number of online players have been pathetically low. Hopefully situation will improve after EU release.

E3: Day 2 Post Thoughts

2010-06-16T09:28:00.001+08:00

Was online for only the Nintendo and Sony press conferences. Nothing much feeling about Nintendo's stuff except two precious gems I thought they should treasure: Zelda and 3DS.

As for Sony's conference, it started with the loudest bang most definitely. 3D KZ3, followed subsequently with a slew of major 3D titles (exclusives and 3rd parties). At least now I know KZ3 is set on Feb 2011.

Then it was followed by Move and a new game Sorcery, which I thought it was very good and innovative.

And then release and price announcements.

Bundle price plans here:

http://www.gametrailers.com/news/ps-move-gets-pricing-bundles/2218

"wtf moment" here:

PlayStation Move controller- $49.99
PlayStation Navigation Controller- $29.99

They are selling the controllers separately =_=. Totalling up to USD80 =_=.

Dead Space 2:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-dead-space-2/101578
The boss fight was one of the most epic I've seen in recent years. Definitely getting it Day 1.

Followed by:
LBP 2
Infamous 2
Twisted Metal

All in all, the expected AAA exclusive heavyweights were nowhere to be found except KZ3. I was so anticipating Last Guardian to make an appearance. And it seems to me Sony has concentrated on content more by collaborating with third party publishers (most obvious being EA) and having deals with them to provide exclusive materials, that's all.

Wasn't a good conference overall. End of Day 2 I felt all 3 conferences didnt really do as well as expected. Too bad.... but at least some good stuff came out, and I'll be waiting =)

E3: Day 1 Post Thoughts

2010-06-15T13:24:00.006+08:00

These impressions are all based on the trailers I watched from www.gametrailers.com. They basically showed a summary of all the stuff and I didnt catch the live streams of the Day 1 conferences. Gonna catch Sony though later at 3am =D

Microsoft:

The ONLY new stuff I'm excited about is this: (the embedding failed so ima gonna put up the links)

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-dance-central/101297
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-dance-central/101295

The pet thingy was just too 'meh'.. same goes to its sports and adventure stuff. The Star Wars jedi thingy wasnt that attention getting for me too. I thought they made it just too imba...

Ubisoft:

I sincerely hope they know what they're doing by going hardware crazy =S the heartbeat sensing thing is totally off the logic. And I seriously will play a real gun shooting game with my friends WITHOUT having the need to connect to a console =_=...

Though I was especially impressed with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Tom Clancy's franchise has really come a long way since I played it in PS2. I'll be waiting for you :)

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-ghost-recon/101439

EA:

It was a pretty darn good conference, imo. Even better than M$'s =P

Crysis 2 in 3D. It's a good announcement, but DANG this makes killzone3 not being the first AAA title in 3D =( Nonetheless, the gameplay aspects looks amazing. Great AI enemies and variety. Combat wise lots of features. And no question about its graphics. For a multiplatform, this game really is the benchmark of the industry.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-crysis-2/101431

Medal of Honor looks real good as well. Except that the multiplayer coming from DICE, the mp looks incredibly like Bad Company 2 =S

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-medal-of/101342

Dead Space 2 looks set to be yet another ultra cool horror game! The nail gun is amazing! Crucifying the necromorphs to the wall 20m behind!!

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-dead-space-2/101337

And there's MMA, which finally features FEDOR!!! though I feel ufc2010 has the better graphics.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-ea-sports/101463

Summary- Only the plus points:

M$: Dance Central
EA: Crysis 2 in 3D, Dead Space 2, Medal of Honor, MMA
Ubisoft: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Unworthy mentions: all the rest =P

Hoot for Next Year... I hope...

2010-06-11T09:22:00.003+08:00

Ok, this looks really cool, and at really cool price. Might consider getting it :)

So planned setup:

PS3 Slim 120Gb
26" 3D TV
One of these penguin babies :D
PS Eye
Move
A tabletop to place the mouse + keyboard
Killzone 3D!!

http://www.penguinunited.com/contact_us.php?customer

Sony E3 Press Conference

2010-06-09T17:09:00.002+08:00

IGN Live Blog

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/109/1095664p1.html

Next To Go...

2010-06-07T01:05:00.002+08:00

I think the next 3 I'm gonna bring to Gamewerks would be....

Operation Flashpoint 2...

Borderlands....

White Knight Chronicles.... (ya, havent complete this, but.... :P)

Preparing for Modnation R3 and Transformers rush....

Interesting New Ideas?

2010-05-24T13:02:00.000+08:00

My mind is doing some mix n matches, and I think some of them will really be very good it turned into reality :D

Killzone + 3d (already happenin, hell yeah!)
Natal + 3d (minority report, johny mnemonic, anyone?)
Red dead redemption + MMO (im jumpin in the bandwagon for sure!)
PS Move + Light sabre

RDR Thoughts

2010-05-23T15:18:00.001+08:00

Well, there have been a few occasions in my life when I've encountered a lot of hype, high expectations, and the resulting deliverable really didnt turn up that great (mind you, it's 'great'). I think RDR classifies as one of them :P

The good stuff:
- animation done wonderfully. minutest of details and intricate portrayal, really creates a believable western world for you to immerse in.
- controls and aiming quite intuitive and not requiring a fair bit of getting used to. the autolock frankly makes this game very easy. at least up till now for me :P
- interesting weapons that has the oomphf factor for me, and I actually do spend time choosing.
- characters, both story roles and multiplayer 'skins' very well done, each with its own personality just shining out loud and pretty.
- story itself so far been good and convinceable. I think presentation wise deserves a very high score.

.... that is until you start talkin about the graphics. :P I've had a higher expectation in terms of this department for this game quite frankly.

Other gripes:
- glitches galore :S
- the multiplayer free roam really not much to do. the mp seems to emphasise very heavily on gang wars and other vs stuff. severely lacking in terms of coop material. I know there's a DLC comin in June, but from what I see, it's a 6 mission coop. I don't think that one will last long either :( perhaps they could take a page or two right out of Borderlands:
- story coop
- new maps, increase area, accessible via Transport feature
- have each town station a sheriff dishing out random missions and Wanted criminals.

It's a good game, really good game. I'm still enjoying the single player immensely. But the thought of SUCH a huge potential in multiplayer, and yet not being able to deliver as much, is a disappointment, nonetheless. Frankly IGN 9.7, GT 9.5, I can only think of 'fanboyism' :P I don't think it's a game that surpasses my beloved Killzone 2. But like what one of my kakis mentioned, different ppl different tastes. I'd have given it a solid 9.0.

One final thought: I think R* has got quite a solid platform right here to step in the world of MMOs. Really, the potential is just waiting to burst through. You already got your elements running. It's just a matter of hardware, imo....

Hyped up about Red Dead

2010-05-09T00:15:00.000+08:00

Yep, wat i sed.. and for certain good reasons...

SP:
horseriding looks great, looks 'cohesive' while shooting on horseback
people remember your misdeeds for the rest of your game, not like GTAs
quickdraw, people challenge you, affects you reputation
innovative dead eye feature
massive world, very attractive gfx
conversation between people looks believable as a western flick
lassoo should be fun! :)

MP:
posse of 8, great!
freeroam - max 16 ppl, cheong arrrrr...
donkey, hahahaha...
raid town, robbery, raid train, raid posse camp, hunting, bounty hunting

The only downside is a week after will be my next anticipated title in UFC Undisputed 2010 :P

Half Time Review...

2010-05-06T23:22:00.000+08:00

This year's releases have been rather interesting and eye catching, I gotta say... if last year was the year of exclusives, this year is the year of third parties, and they have so far not disappointed :)

Just lookie the left column reveals I'm aiming for more than I can swallow =_= . Already the GOTYs are poppin up fast n furious!

God of War 3 - pinnacle of ps3 hack n slash
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - things don't get too wrong with BF's. helluva ride, I'd tell ya! Helluva ride!
Mass Effect 2 - i got no xbox, but gettin this on pc. very nice piece of work!

Comin up,
Red Dead Redemption - Rockstar's next big hit, I can almost gaurantee as one of the nominees already
Modnation Racers - will this be yet another dark horse like LBP? :)
Transformers: War for Cybertron - so far pretty much amped abt this!
UFC Undisputed 2010 - should be getting this for its total immersion and realism (no health bar, no boost, no combo, no ultra, just outright unarmed combat!)
Medal of Honour - Afghan war with super good graphics. EA should hit jackpot with this one.
Call of Duty: Black Ops - new arena, another specialised ops game. This the trend nowadays? :)
Starcraft 2 - nuff said :)

Other will also tell u Yakuza 3, Super Street Fighter 4, Final Fantasy XIII

That's 13 games in the list already! and 8 are multiplatforms. Great show huh! Hang on to your seats, ladies n gentlemen. Cos Kansas is going bye bye :P

Mo Sid!

2010-04-27T19:21:00.002+08:00

Create a game in 48hrs, woah...

Impressions of Resident Evil 5

2010-04-22T09:46:00.001+08:00

Ok, I really didn't buy this on Day 1, reason being the controls left a bit of sour taste in my mouth after I tried out the demo early on.

And approximately one year after its release, I decided to go for it (being a gfx whore that I am :P) and got myself the alternate edition with previous DLCs. And it's been one of the solid games I've played ever. Really, it's good.

- Great graphics. I think can term this Capcom graphics as the standard is maintained in the upcoming Lost Planet 2. Good work on that one!
- Atmosphere and pace is great.
- Good cooperative elements in the campaign.
- Offline splitscreen and online coop & vs.
- Great online connectivity and voice chat quality.
- Lots of stuff to buy/redeem/exchange
- The minigames are also quite addictive. I tried the mercenaries mode and literally tears a page out of the codwaw Nazi zombies, and even improved on it. Also heavy on teamwork which I thought was really cool.
- Great weapons, upgrades, infinite ammo, lol
- Ability to jump chapters and sufficient farming space.
- One word: PHYSICS!

I truly wonder why this game was left relatively unmentioned in last year's Game of the Year awards in many gaming sites. To me gotta be in the top 5 of 2009, really. Once you gotten used to the controls, which doesn't take long, it's a joyride all the way :) Definite keeper!

The game that has eluded my memory....

2010-04-20T11:35:00.000+08:00

Finally found the game... woah, this game was epic in its time. One of the first sci fi RPG. The main theme still in my mind everytime i think of it...

Behold, Sentinel Worlds 1: Future Magic!!

http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=42204

Gaming Passion Wading??

2010-04-16T23:48:00.000+08:00

Cham... being a self-professed gamer, I feel I'm a bit losing the interest... how ar?...

RE5: thinking about farming ammo before being able to complete the story for infinite is itself demoralising liao...

WKC: the maps are just tooooooo frickin big! I travel to one point it's end of night for me :(

UC2: imagine the train boss I need to constantly melee him and evade his grenades, I always can't steel myself to clear him :(

GOW3: Complete liao. Want to go one more round, but the 3,4 ascension stages are JUST PAIN IN THE ASS!!!! :( being beaten by boss is one thing, but needing to steer all those close barriers at high speeds, and single mistake means restart :(

Valkyria Chronicles & OF2: Can carry on lah... but just no energy, considering the above newer games still KIV-ing :(

MW2 and BC2 still can go for MP lah... I think I'm after all a mp competitive guy...

Revival of My PC Gaming?

2010-03-29T09:24:00.000+08:00

My all time favourite franchise now has a multiplayer public arena

http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/

Dammit man, this is soooo tempting. And with the impending arrival of Mechwarrior 5, I'm so getting this!

Sid Meier on Civilization V

2010-03-24T23:03:00.003+08:00

Another of my idols! (first one being John 'Engine' Carmack)

Video Games

Civilization V
GDC 10: Sid Meier Keynote Part I

XBox 360
Playstation 3
Nintendo Wii

click on subsequent bits for entire speech.. I soooo much want him to make Pirates 2!!

Most Memorable Speech From My All Time Fav

2010-02-25T22:35:00.001+08:00

My people... Sons and daughters of Helghan. This much I vow. The history of these days will be written in blood. By crushing the armies of our enemy, by seizing the weapons they thought to turn against us, we were fighting for our very existence. But if there are those who would deny us peace; refuse us our rightful place in the universe, then we will unleash such terrible vengeance that generations yet unborn will cry out in anguish![...]The enemy may shatter our bodies, but they cannot break our spirit. Even now they advance on our home world, to seize by force what they cannot claim by right. They cannot imagine what awaits them. WE WILL SMITE THE INVADERS FROM OUR SKIES! Though they sweep over our lands like the sands of winter; never again will we bow before them; never again endure their oppression; never again endure their tyranny. We will strike without warning and without mercy; fighting as one hand, one heart, one soul. We will shatter their dreams and haunt their nightmares, drenching our ancestors' graves with their blood. And as our last breath tears at their lungs; as we rise again from the ruins of our cities... they will know, Helghan belongs to the Helghast.

- Scolar Visari, Killzone 2, 2009

Prepare for the Next Battle!!

2010-02-22T21:57:00.001+08:00

Ideal Loadouts

2010-01-27T16:39:00.008+08:00

The crusade for the perfect loadouts that suits your style takes a very long time...

1) NinjaAim (long distance)
Primary: M16 + m203 + red dot sight
Secondary: M1014 + grip + FMJ
Equip 1: claymore
Equip 2: flashbang
Perk 1: Bling Pro
Perk 2: Coldblood Pro
Perk 3: Ninja Pro

2) ScavMid (favourite; on-the-camp)

Primary: SCAR-H + m203 (sight small enough)
Secondary: M1014 + grip

Equip 1: claymore
Equip 2: flashbang
Perk 1: Scavenger Pro
Perk 2: Coldblood Pro
Perk 3: Ninja Pro

3) NoCamper (cheong n shoot)
Primary: AUG HBar + grip + RDS/FMJ
Secondary: RPG
Equip 1: claymore
Equip 2: flashbang
Perk 1: Bling Pro
Perk 2: Stopping Power Pro (2 bullet kills, dang!!)
Perk 3:Ninja Pro

4) SupportG (camping support gunner)Primary: AUG HBar + grip + RDS/FMJ
Secondary: M1014 + grip + FMJ
Equip 1: claymore
Equip 2: flashbang
Perk 1: Bling Pro
Perk 2: Coldblood
Perk 3:Ninja Pro

5) Shotty (Cheongster)
Primary: ump45 + rds

Secondary: M1014 + grip (primary weapon)
Equip 1: claymore
Equip 2: flashbang
Perk 1: Marathon Pro
Perk 2: Lightweight Pro

Perk 3: Steady Aim Pro

Killstreak1: UAV (best for flanker/camper)
Killstreak2: Air Strike (defence purpose)
Killstreak3: Pavelow (defence, since it requires at least 2 launcher hits, will stay quite a while and prevent opponent objective actions)

1. select nearest 'campsite'
2. place claymore at one of the entryways
3. select high vantage point or cover
4. arm tube and aim at another entryway
5. once 1 kill registered, move to another spot WITHIN the 'campsite' region
6. take note of teammates movement and cover areas, protect your flanks which are not covered.
7. in rooms / corners, switch to m1014
8. clear rooms with flashbang

Gayest of the Gay

2010-01-16T15:39:00.000+08:00

The peeps were discussing about this loadout in the forum.

Assault rifle + m203 grenade launcher
No secondary
Claymore + Flashbang/smoke/stun
One Man Army
Danger Close
Commando

What you do is camp using this loadout. Plant a claymore at one of the entryways, and camp somewhere facing another entryway armed with the tube (m203). Once your tube/claymore runs out, press triangle to 'summon' the same loadout (custom class), and the ammo regenerates itself. Now effectively you can have 2 claymores and infinite tubes at any time.

Tried it in Terminal map and rocks. Basically can camp in the luggage area (level 2) forever, claymore at middle entrance and tube at the escalator area. Your team mates have to oversee the plane entrance. I got 16-2 and 16-4 on two separate TDMs. I think if 2 guys use this in same team, they can own domination. Helluva gay setup :P
I really think either Infinity Ward shd make the one man army perk a one-use item, or you cant switch to a same class. So simple to evade criticisms, but bet they're not listening anyways. Atas buggers...

btw got top spots for the abovementioned matches, as well as in Wasteland being a gay RPD camper :P One more in Invasion TDM with tact knife (14-11). 4 top spots in one night, previously I dont remember getting No. 1 in any occasion. Must be my lucky evening :P

IMBA Loadout

2010-01-15T11:05:00.002+08:00

Game is so imbalanced that a 78-2 guy is complainingg, LOL

Surviving the Onslaught

2010-01-07T00:12:00.003+08:00

Waa, I can't believe it. For the first time in a night, I went into 3 consecutive matches against the top of GAX bunch, and got positive KDR in all three! w00t! camper & knifer ftw! :P but team still lost lah. They too good liao..

1. Sub Base
TDM (ground war)
Knifer build
12-9 (3rd in team, i think)

2. Underpass
TDM (ground war)
Flanker build (silenced Scar-H)
11-10 (first in team; shows how pathetic we were :P)

3. Quarry (my most feared map!!)
Domination (ground war)
Binggia build (M16 tube + RDS, aa12 grip, bling, coldblood, ninja)
16-14 (3rd in team)

Am I improving? or just getting more gay :P

First milestone

2010-01-05T09:37:00.001+08:00

Not very proud cos I camped LOL. But still, broke new grounds for me for MW2.

Map: Rundown
Mode: Ground War (TDM)
Build: Binggia
(M16 rds tube, AA12 grip, frag, flash, bling, coldblood, ninja)

Results:
1. Win
2. Best kill streak of 18
3. Stealth bomber (streak 9)
4. 20-1

Weapons specs

2009-12-23T22:46:00.001+08:00

Frankly, I dunno which one comes first. Chicken or the egg. Specs or own playstyle.

As games differ, requirements differ. For MW2 in particular,

1. there are LOTS of good players around
2. and I'm just an average Joe
3. every hit counts. Heck, every second counts!

Thus, i gotta spec up as optimized as I can get. This is what u would call "suiting up for survival".

Range
Well, depends on how well you aim at each category: long, mid, short. I'm just so-so at long & mid range shooting, meaning not adept at fine twitching of the DS stick. In addition, if the damage per round of weapon is low, u have to follow through the opponent's walkpath and make sure more rounds hit him. It's tough.

I dont wish to mention much on sniper rifles cos i rarely use them. For MW2, mastering the art of swaying and breathing control brings u sniper kills for sure.

Personal choice: medium to short

Weapon Accuracy
If you are good at DS stick control and adept at timing your rounds being fired (i.e. not spamming), this would come to less of play. I think MW2 accuracy links to recoil as well, but that's another factor altogether for me.

Personal choice: high accuracy weapons

Damage/round
Some peeps like low dmg/round weapons with kickass accuracy. Some peeps (like me) are just so-so at aiming, so what they really look at are high damage weapons that you dont have to keep the crosshair at the opponent for too long.

Personal choice: high damage weapons

Rate of Fire
Sometimes high ROF weapons have aweful recoil, but some good assault rifles maintains the recoil for that first round of bursts. So homework has to be done on this one. I wouldn't mind a low ROF with high damage weapon. e.g. SCAR-H in MW2.

Personal choice: Low ROF is acceptable

Another factor about ROF particular applies on short ranged shootout. For someone who aims well at hip level (no aiming down sights), a single-fire round type of weapon will most probably work fine, e.g. single-shot shotguns. The other spectrum is the spraying type using SMGs. This will give u much less damage per round, but at least u get more chances to register hits. Against a shotty, he might not survive either. I'm that particular kind of shooter :P so the best weapon for me would be a shotty that has multiple round fires before each reload. e.g. AA-12 and M1014. *bam!* *bam!* *bam!* *bam!*

Recoil
Depends on the ROF mentioned above, this factor will be coupled with it. If the recoil is high, more practise in shots timing is needed. Also means your ROF gets lower because u have to moderate the firing as well.

Personal choice: low recoil weapons

Loading time
I think this is not really a differentiating factor, as long as you find cover long enough to reload. This factor plays out more heavily for LMG gunners, since it takes forever to change that 100-round belt. But then these guys wont be reloading as often as us.

Personal choice: short time for assault & SMG

Magazine Size
If the mag is small, it would be good practice to reload after each kill. Make it a habit. And find weapons that reload fast.

Personal choice: small mag is ok as long as reloads fast

Iron Sights
Worst nightmare would be those weapons which cover the entire sky when you aim down your sights :P
I'm not joking and the most typical example would be MG64, lol. Basically blocks everything, and literally separates the zoomed area from the rest of your sight area. Makes it tough to concentrate on EITHER places, haha.. Some other weapons, however, have very good sights which I can literally make do without the Reddot/Holo. e.g. P90, RPD, SCAR-H.

Personal choice: small sights are acceptable without RDS/Holo

Your Own Game Style
So, after considering all these factors, you need to balance with how you play the game. I have basically 3 builds.

Build 1:
The original one which I started since COD4 - heavy gunner. RPD is very good even with iron sight, but grip is a must for ultra low recoil. That way, you can be the sniper killa, lol. Movement & turning will be ultra slow, so dont expect to rush through corners much. Aim at further areas and always seek to perform long range cover fire or something like that. Meaning you have to do better at aiming for this build. And move intelligently, not wandering off into enemy territory.

Build 2:
The default assault. SCAR-H is a very good weapon with low recoil, high accuracy and high damage. Only 2 shortfalls are low ROF and small mag. This makes up for quick disposal gamestyle and quick reload while taking cover. Aiming is decent for this weapon, and the iron sight is ok, though I use the holo sight nowadays.

Build 3:
The cheongster. Best equip running perks and akimbo (dual wield). For this, high damage is of primary importance. You only have <0.5 seconds to kill or be killed. Can also arm with undetected perks & attachments. Move fast BUT stay stealthy.

GAX PS3 Community Games Of The Year 2009: Nominees List

2009-12-22T11:02:00.002+08:00

Posted this one in the gax ps3 forum. Inputs purely from the forum kakis. Polls up soon..

Best DLC
Fallout 3
Wipeout HD: Fury
Fat Princess
Bomberman Ultra
Crystal Defender
Borderlands

Best Online Experience
Killzone 2
Uncharted 2
Borderlands
Modern Warfare 2
Fat Princess
Winning Eleven 2010
Resident Evil 5
FIFA 10

Best Original Music In Game
Killzone 2
Uncharted 2
Final Fantasy 13
DJ Hero
Demon's Souls
Infamous

Best Platformer
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Infamous
LittleBigPlanet: Game of The Year Edition
Prototype

Best Sports Game
Fight Night Round 4
FIFA 10
MLB: The Show 2009
Winning Eleven 2010
Smackdown vs Raw 10
UFC09

Best Fighting Game
Blazblue
Street Fighter 4
Tekken 6
UFC 09

Best Driving Game
Dirt 2
Need For Speed: Shift
Wipeout HD: Fury

Best Music Game
Beatles Rockband
Guitar Hero 5
DJ Hero
Band Hero
Guitar Hero: Metallica

Best Action Adventure Game
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Uncharted 2
Prototype
Brutal Legend
Assassin's Creed 2
Infamous
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Resident Evil 5

God of War: Collection

Best Foreign Import
White Knight Chronicles
Bayonetta
Yakuza 3

Best Role Playing Game
Demon's Souls
Dragon Age: Origins
Fallout 3: Game of The Year Edition
Final Fantasy 13 (asia R3 release = legitimate)

Best Third Person Shooter
Uncharted 2
Resident Evil 5
Red Faction: Guerilla

Best First Person Shooter
Killzone 2
Modern Warfare 2
Borderlands

PS3 Exclusive Game Of The Year
Uncharted 2
Killzone 2
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
Infamous
Demon's Souls

Game Of The Year
Uncharted 2
Beatles Rockband
Modern Warfare 2
Killzone 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Borderlands

My Builds

2009-12-22T06:31:00.004+08:00

Been putting up possible builds into my mobile phone. Don't think it's efficient enuff :P So here it goes...

Basically I will go for stealth with coldblood and ninja, unless the uniqueness of that build requires something else more important. I can only register kills properly when flanking peeps by surprise :P and I hide a lot as and when possible. That's why I hate Quarry map :S
Default high accuracy and dmg weapons for quick kills no follow through since my aiming sucks. My other pet habit is run n gun, which either will go for akimbo or my favourite AA12 (multi-shot shotty), until M1014 arrives, heh...

Don't like kill streaks which I need a lot of controlling to do, though I know it will provide many more kills. So harrier n stealth bomber for me instead of the chopper.

BUILD 1: Binggia
Primary: Scar-h RDS (new favourite M16 RDS)
Secondary: AA-12+grip
Equipment: frag (ima nade bouncer, lol)
Special: 2x flashbang
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: Coldblood
Perk 3: Ninja
Streaks: UAV Jam, Harrier, Stealth bomber
Deathperk: Final Stand

BUILD 2: Heavister
Primary: RPD RDS + Grip
Secondary: AA-12+grip
Equipment: frag
Special: 2x flashbang
Perk 1: Bling
Perk 2: Coldblood
Perk 3: Ninja
Streaks: UAV Jam, Harrier, Stealth bomber
Deathperk: Final Stand

BUILD 3: Knifer
Primary: P90 silencer
Secondary: Magnum TACT KNIFE
Equipment: semtex
Special: 2x flashbang
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: lightweight
Perk 3: Commando
Streaks: UAV Jam, Harrier, Stealth bomber
Deathperk: Final Stand

BUILD 4: Flanker
Primary: P90 silencer
Secondary: Magnum + Tact Knife
Equipment: semtex
Special: 2x flashbang
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: Coldblood
Perk 3: Ninja
Streaks: UAV Jam, Harrier, Stealth bomber
Deathperk: Final Stand

BUILD 5: AngChia
Primary: Riot Shield
Secondary: akimbo Ranger (primary)
Equipment: frag (ima nade bouncer, lol)
Special: smoke grenade
Perk 1: Marathon
Perk 2: Coldblood
Perk 3: Steady aim
Streaks: UAV Jam, Harrier, Stealth bomber
Deathperk: Final Stand

Practice 1: Clear Room
- bounce flash into room
- wait 2 seconds
- sprint into room CORNER
- if enemy in front, knife
- once reach corner, turn around and quick scan and pop shotty

Practice 2: Clear Alley
- bounce flash
- wait 2 seconds
- sprint to SIDE of alley and walk forward
- pop or knife

Practice 3: Enemy Sees You
- step back to wall cover
- bounce flash QUICKLY
- wait 1 second and WALK forward along the SIDE
- anticipate enemy to retreat
- once spotted, GO PRONE and POP at same time

Level 1: Prologue

2009-12-22T05:25:00.001+08:00

Well, it's 5:23am and I thought about having a blog entirely made up of gaming experiences and tips recorded and hopefully shared with other fellow kaki gamers.

I most probably am not expert in many genres, but at least I will try to post the healthy practices and tips so that peeps can pick them up...

.. actually it's more for my own reference :P

Managed to import all my previous posts from the other blog. So I'll start new one from here..

So game on!

To mix or to go akimbo :P

2009-12-10T01:00:00.000+08:00

Just couldnt resist the temptation to try out the dual wielding akimbo P90. Have to kiv my mixing session to tomorrow nite :P turned out it was worth the switch after all. Damn nice, good for Highrise, Favela & general CQC (close quarters combat). Have to wait for the next imba of akimbo with Ranger + riot shield. That should really rock...

meantime also got my personal MW2 best of 45 kills, but is using the tactical RPD+grip+silencer+coldblood+ninja, in Wasteland Sabo game, lol...

Just a passing remark. I used to feel BFBC2 is gonna pwn MW2 this coming March. Well, I think I should take back 'half' of that claim :P This time, IW really struck gold with many more fanciful stuff. Like akimbo, riot shield, ranger, 1887, perks & attachments, plus much smoother aiming and movement. Gotta hand it to them, they are the masters of fast-pace FPS...

Modern Warfare back with a bang... and then some!

2009-12-08T13:43:00.000+08:00

This installment tops its predecessor for sure. Just wanna keep some of my own experiences regarding tactical movement..

avoid narrow corridors with no cover. sprint across.
avoid open area. walk beside walls.
downslopes = bad
hill crest = bad
dont sprint too much, especially approaching corners or open areas.
walk in shadows
walk along bushes/trees.
stand behind cover, facing general opposition area (check UAV). i.e. minimise exposed area
squat. or prone.
look up, for elevated gunmen
look down, for proning campers.
look IN FRONT lol.
do the fibua sweep within a room, especially corners for campers
avoid full frontal at windows.
place your reticle at the nearest possible enemy zone, e.g next to wall wen u do a cornering
dont chase anyone for too long. he might have a partner nearby.
while in a relatively safe position, take some time to stop and scan and LISTEN for movement.

Level 30, My Prized Armoury...

2009-11-01T14:22:00.000+08:00

My default combat rifle. Like the mag size of 36 and dmg 108, though no elemental..

Sniper rifle. Used to use another one of higher dmg, but realise reloading and rate of fire is highly important..

My only orange weapon. The launcher I'm using now. 3 rockets at once, can fire 3 consecutive times. Multiple target hits meant for mid range application.. short range use shotty best..

Shotty damage 119 x12. I 'think' i got it from Sledge :P very powerful stuff, 1 hit KO for most. Even the armoured spiderants frontal gets a face full from me :P

The only Eridian weapon i have. 99 x8 on critical. The red message means Area of Effect damage. I tried, and it's quite good. Though after 2 shots, reloading takes helluva time :P

This is the 'imba launcher' I've been talking about :P shoots 5 rockets instantaneously, reloading ultra fast. Very good aiming at the ground and keep it away from yourself. I died more times from this than monsters, haha... jay ;)

Since I'm intending to plat this...

2009-10-26T10:35:00.000+08:00

I should post an entry on this refereshing new looking FPS-RPG which plays like Diablo with guns :P

Borderlands came out glitchy at times, which most probably a patch will be due in couple a weeks (I hope). But overall, it's been an amazing experience so far.

first talk about its negatives:
- right at beginning the bus trip cutscene is 'hangy' already. stops and starts. but the moment u start walking, everything is ok.
- coop online people complain about corrupted saved games. I've had none so far.
- voice chat needs time to 'stabilize' if playing for >2 peeps.
- slight lag if total peeps >2.

now, the pretty stuff :P....
- very little motion sickness
- plays like Diablo with guns. How bad can it get? :P
- u can clear missions with friends even if you are joining his story.
- enemy difficulty and numbers scales with coop numbers, and so does the quality of loot, which is amazing.
- weapon and map generator a la diablo ensures u not getting things the same like other peeps
- WEAPONS is the main draw for this game. SOOOO many variations. damage, mag size, recoil, zoom scope, accuracy, elemental effects, firerate, double fire, triple fire, multipliers, regens and a long list of unique weapons features.
- Very good weapon feel. Linear but yet challenging to use. Also has focussing in and out feature like in Uncharted 2. Ultra addictive.
- class mods and skill trees ensure you can fully customise your character uniquely.
- very nicely done artstyle, comparable to Prince of Persia standard and Valkyria Chronicles. Has to be US's very own pride :)
- maps are not big to boredom. enemies respawn nicely done. loot respawn as well :)
- splits screen to perfection (vertically done).
- online coop with 1 friend with great voice chat and connection quality. Although 3 or 4 coop can be a bit lag, it's still bearable. Voice chat requires some time to 'stabilize'. The reward of more XP and better loot in coop far outweighs this little bug.

Other than Batman, this is the only other multiplat game I'll consider for GOTY. It's been a year of megahits, and I dont think 2010 will even be able to top this year.

And since we're on this topic, I'll make my guess now

1. Killzone 2
2. Demon's Souls
3. Borderlands (glitchy goty, haa)
4. Uncharted 2
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum

in order of my own preference. KZ2 owns, man... good luck, Guerrilla Games

Kudos to Randy & Co.

2009-10-20T22:54:00.000+08:00

... for now, at least.

When I was watching the Bonus Round a few weeks ago, and he made that statement about his background being a magician, he understands and appreciates the value of gamer feedback, I was rather sceptic.

But after seeing how Borderlands (20th Oct US, 23rd Oct worldwide) has shaped up to being this game that's essentially a FPS RPG so far, I have been quite convinced that he meant every word he'd said.

(I can't help but realise that I'm beginning to comment/partial review titles earlier and earlier relative to their release dates :P)

A number of key things implemented by Gearbox Software that I would say really takes in the successful elements of recent hits, and mostly from gamers, of course:

1. I think they issue the games earlier to the reviewers than usual games. And because of this we see a spate of gameplays in youtubes and other similar media all around the shop. This is a pre-emptive strike at attracting audiences. If u have confidence on your product, this move will work like a charm.

2. The wonderfully done classes and their own skill trees (each has 3 trees). Relating to customisation of the character where it really means most in a role playing game (RPG). Sweet.

3. Millions. Literally millions of weapons in the game, created by their creator engine, that also handles the randomization of their maps. Weapons vary from their muzzle, barrel (accuracy), recoil, damage, reload time, aiming sights, magazine size, and a very nice touch of elemental effect (lightning, explosive, fire, acid; each tagged with a colour).

4. Loot everywhere, rounds everywhere, monsters that scales with the number of players in the game, meaning XP everywhere. Though reviews have said the AI might seem abit dumb, I've seen enough to conclude that conquering them would be no chicken feat.

5. Offline coop done in splitscreen fully occupying the TV screen, splitting VERTICALLY, which should be the only logical way to do it.

6. Online coop means friends can join in your game and leave anytime they wish. No level restrictions. And this Duel function provides a nice way of settling disputes over loots. btw, money and XP gets shared evenly. Cool isnt it.

7. Set up a wiki page for future gamer inputs and walkthrough, a la Demon's Souls style. Master stroke!

8. Replay of character even after campaign completion via second playthrough. i.e. New Game+ (NG+), a la Demon's Souls yet again.

9. DLC announced even before official launch. Now we know we'll have more maps, and many more in the future.

So how can I refrain from getting a copy myself? :P

My bet is it's gonna kick ass for the coop play, and luckily I've got kakis lining up as well :)

Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Demo Impressions

2009-10-01T15:37:00.000+08:00

Previously I encountered the latest issue of Playstation magazine in an Esso petrol kiosk. The front cover reads - Forget about the Game of the Year, this is the Best Game Ever!

Well, demo is out, and I've tried it. Imo, it looks like it's going that way :)

It's an mp demo, so there's no single player campaign in the demo. But so far the multiplayer package is beginning to show a promising start. I'd very much like to say:

"Like how Killzone 2 is a (almost) complete package for an FPS, UC2 looks to become the complete package for a TPS (third person shooter)."

- no lag experienced from my 2 hrs of play
- can random matchmake, can also invite AND join friends in your PSN list. Very flexible online system.
- good coop and competitive game formats
- very versatile maps, encourages lots of movement and coordinated routes.
- good spread of weapons. From AKs, to M4s, grenades, shotguns, sniper rifles, anti-riot shield (take that, modern warfare 2 !!), melee moves
- cod-like perk system purchased by money earned during both coop and competitive matches. nice!
- generous health system, no 2-bullet kills like CODs. Makes way for sustainable showdown and slugging out at each other. Even has double KO! Nice!
- very nice focussing in and focussing out depending on where you are aiming, a la video camera effects. Very realistic.
- decent audio voice chat... once u mute away the music :P this is one feature I've been craving for!

Now all of us will just be waiting for the official release. Then we'll see if there's a good clan system implemented, and if lag is really a no-issue, or a problem tick. Grrr....

EyePet

2009-09-25T09:42:00.000+08:00

Damn nice this one. Sooo cute! Not sure if it's augmented reality..

Video Games | EyePet | Pet Features Walkthrough Part I

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | EyePet | Pet Features Walkthrough Part II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | EyePet | Pet Features Walkthrough Part III

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Sony's "Wand"

2009-09-22T10:26:00.000+08:00

Developer blogs. interesting watch.

accelerometers to determine twist and angles
wand's ball size to determine depth
squeeze controller to grab

rumble & colour feedback to user
face tracking & voice recognition via ps eye

clip 3 2:55. Morning star would be so cool if one of the feedback can produce a certain kind of weight on the user's hand to inform of the swing direction.

love the spray can demo :D
prototype "close to final design". erm..... :P

Video Games | PlayStation 3 | Motion Blog Part I

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | PlayStation 3 | Motion Blog Part II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | PlayStation 3 | Motion Blog Part III

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Most probably the best comic-book game in the world..

2009-09-08T13:43:00.000+08:00

Yep, I think Batman:Arkham Asylum deserves this accolade.

Initially the first time I played, I felt nauseous within 10minutes. So it was like, "dang, there goes my 70 bucks out of the window!".

Luckily Jeryl adviced Jay who in turn adviced me to turn off the auto camera lock feature, and everything was fine :) *Phew!*

Thoughts:
- great story, great game layout into Story, Challenge, Bio's, Riddles, etc.
- smooth combat mechanics and combat flow. Nice moves in combo chains and.. inverted takedowns, w00t!!
- existing Batman gadgetry portrayed and wonderfully put to use in the game. Batarangs, claws, explosive gels, nice!
- element of stealth and planning your route contributes to a satisfying part of play.
- great presentation, smooth graphics. I don't particularly like batman's costume in ALL of his movies, but this one's different. Makes me wanna wear it :P
- doesnt follow movie, follows comic book STYLE, which is wonderful.
- good spread of boss fights and enemy types.
- feels a lot like Infamous, which is good, in all the solving riddles and gathering trophies lying around Arkham Island.
- like Infamous, this is one of the games which I feel like exploring more of the terrain and gathering intels and trophies instead of jumping straight into the stoy missions. Wonderfully done!

Conclusion: 3rd choice for GOTY 2009, behind Killzone 2 and Demon's Souls

Thoughts about KZ2 Classes

2009-05-20T01:02:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been quite a ride. From end Feb till now, ~3months. Was it just 3 months?? wow, unbelievable.

But this HAS to be the best FPS so far for me. Not to say that I've had a lot of xp with FPSs, but counting from Doom, I'd say I've got quite enough to discern good from bad :P

KZ2 is in a class of its own, and for many various realistic reasons. Realistic atmosphere, realistic ragdoll physics, realist movement (compared to flighty-feet Call-of-Duties), realistic weapons and handling, realistic kills and targetting. And most importantly it brings out teamplay like no other I've seen.

Handled most of the classes (except medic :P). Initially thought I have only one single favourite in tactician. Now then I realise many of them are as addictive!

Assault: nade launcher just seeds 6 in a row on the floor for confined blast effect. Boom! goes the room, hihi. Actually that's all I like abt assault :P

Classless LMG: choose Helghan machine gun for highest rate of fire with highest damage. another deadly corridor weapon. whoever's opposite u will fall like cards.. lethal at midrange as well with its automatic hit detection.

Tactician: What can I say. Mission winners - period. Best game winner when combined with boost. Rush up front and throw that valuable spawn, for capture&hold, assassination, search n destroy, search n retrieve. A team cant live without one! And with the ever sturdy M82 for its ultimate accuracy, just strafe and hipfire to whack midrange opponents.

Saboteur: Oh god, this is one class I should have realised its potential. Trying to get boost with this right now, deadly for S&R cos of the light weapon u run fastest than other classes. The SMG enables you to move so much faster, and do sweeping bursts like no other weapons. e.g. LMG u hv to move minimally for its hit detection. M82 low fire rate, strafe can, run n shoot cannot. Weakness at close range. But SMG is the kamikaze weapon in the bunch.

I seldom play scout and medic. But scouts are critical for scanning surrounding and taking out turret shooters. Medics i suppose are crucial as well, especially for tactical small group combat where each live is more important than the massive 16v16 matches.

So there you go, stimulating 3 months. If I dont get any other games till end of the year, it doesnt really matter, haha.. this, to me, IS the game of the year, no doubt. Though Demon's Souls comes in a close 2nd. Two more releases at end of the year may have potential as well. Modern Warfare 2 and God of War 3.

Dang, this year is a gamer's year!

Map-class configuration:

Radec Academy: tacto+boost OR LMG
Pyrhuss Rise: tacto+boost OR engin+aerial
Corinth Crossing: sabo OR tacto+boost
Salamun Market: engin+repair OR tacto+boost
Visari Hammer: engin+C4
Helghan Industry: tacto+boost OR engin+aerial
Bloodgracht: LMG
Tharsis Depot: tacto+boost OR sabo
Vektan Cruiser: LMG
Wasteland Bullet: LMG OR tacto+boost

Fantastic Demon's Soulless

2009-04-18T14:15:00.000+08:00

This has to be one of the most controversial titles this gen. And I heard Valkyria Chronicles also deserves this honour. Funny thing is, if I were the developer, I dunno if I should feel happy or not :P

Imagine a oldschool, hardcore, action fantasy RPG, a rare entity especially for the ps3, 'non-japanese', so to speak.

- good graphics, big characters, not like diablo types, small and top-view
- decent story, 'fantasy' enough
- 10 classes to choose from
- Weapons, 1 & 2-handed, magic spells, healing n miracles, spices, bows n arrows, rings.. pretty much FRPG stuff
- Wear and tear of equipment
- Upgrade of weapons and armour via stones and souls
- State-of-the-art realtime fighting, opponents know how to defend, counter, even use healing. So it's not just press one button to attack, one button to cast, direction to run. You literally have to hold your shield up, time your strikes, make appropriate dodges, even approach an enemy fully equipped with necessary spells, rings and armour, cause there's no Pause button to access your inventory hor..
- Epic boss fights, one per level, wide variety of abilities and strategies

Such amazing features definitely deserves game of the year, doesn't it? Due October release in North America thanks to Atlus.

But.. from here on, you start to wonder what are the true intentions when the developer (From Studio) do these things:

- once you die, you restart at Archstone 'starting point', with your currency (souls) reset to zero! They are actually left right where you died, so u have to get back there and collect it back. If u die b4 u reach there, it's gone forever.
- not only does your currency gets reset to zero, the enemies which you've cleared previously ALSO gets reset... to where they were! full config!
- no pause button (a common feature nowadays)
- bloody tough opponents (well, this one's understandable)
- people usually take 3-5hours just to clear a level.. jesus..

It's either love it or hate it. It's THAT difficult. Most probably more than half of those who bought n tried the game will sell it away.

My take:
- new progress, 27 hrs into it already
- ABSOLUTELY LOVE the combat mechanics. It's like combination of hack-n-slash and FRP, except that it even surpasses many hack-n-slash mechanisms, imo
- graphics is very good
- the challenge is really really tough for me..
- conclusion: I began from FRPs. I love FRPs. So I will stick to it and see how far my patience will take me :P so far so good :D
- overall a TRIPLE A-rate title :) fun and frustration goes hand in hand :P
- GOTY09 candidate!

How to build a magician (progress and development)

1) get these items in the beginning
- Leather shield+short sword (R2 lunges are very useful; R3 lock on, roll/strafe and strike)
- Cling Ring (restore to 75% HP)
- Thief Ring (u can lock on b4 enemies detect u; then cast spell)

2) next stage (After 1-1 Phalanx)
- Heater/Kite shield (need to pass 1-1; then add Strength)
- Soul Arrow (1st spell to buy)
- Long Sword (Add Str first)
- Compound Short Bow (Add Dex first) - i think is in 1-2
- Crescent Falcion +1 (4-1) when u have the bow. Shoot down katana skele from stairs.

3) objectives sequence
- 1-1 release Ostrava to help clear blue knights
- accumulate spices for flamethrower for 1st boss
- get shield, long sword, soul arrow
- 1-2 time runs between dragon fire.
- 1-2 boss stand high and far to cast soul arrow on boss. DS for Total Protection.
- 2-1 stand 1/3 into tunnel keep left cast soul arrow on boss
- 2-2 soul form + Thief Ring and boss will not detect u far away. Cast spells/ shoot arrow and run to its opposite end. Give DS to Ed to upgrade weapons
- 4-1 shoot double wielding katana skeleton from stairs to get Crescent Falcion +1 (Magical Attack)
- 2-3 follow walkthrough. piece of cake. Flame spell to knock down debris. During 2nd run, boss will not see you when wincing on its 1st ballista injury. Keep DS for Firestorm.
- 3-1 release Freke, learn Total Protection.
- 3-1 boss hide behind pillars and cast Total Protection + Soul Arrow
- Mini Dragon 1-2; equip 200 arrows fire from 1st tower u run to.
- 1-3 use shield, thief ring and bow heavily to deal with assassins, red knights and fat minister
- 1-3 release Yuria and Biorr
- 1-3 boss Biorr distraction u just stand one side cast Soul Arrow
- 4-1 boss Total Protection + keep running to its left near injury and hack away
- 3-2 release Yurt to go to swamps, but KILL him b4 u go down.
- 3-2 boss. stand outside fog and shoot down 1st Maneater (~300 arrows required). 2nd Maneater engage at circular fire area. Use Total Protection + Soul Arrow (only when its far from you). Be patient.

subsequently,
- 3-3 (Total Protection + shield up + Soul Arrow) - learn Moving Soul Arrow
- 5-1 (Firestorm when reach base in front of boss) - learn Poison Cloud
- 4-2 (Hide + Prank + Soul Arrow + Thief Ring)
- 4-3 (Run to get Stormruler, slowly take out mantas, hiding in safe zone when necessary)
- 5-2 (stand at entrance and shoot arrows)
- 5-3 (clear worshippers and shoot at Astrea; reload and Garl will die) - learn Death Cloud)
- Train up on Health and Winged Spear
- 1-4

4) Spells
- Flamethrower
- Water Veil
- Soul Arrow
- Total Protection
- Soul Light
- Firestorm
- Moving Soul Arrow
- Death Cloud

5) Weapons
- Kite shield (normal upgrades)
- Long sword +8 to Morion Blade later
- Crescent falcion
- Viscous Compound short/long bow
- Winged spear, either Sharp or Quality is enough

Melee Character Build

Basic build
- shield
- sword

1-1:
defeat blue knight with shield+sword (R2 lunges)
blue knight ledge for crossbow
CLing Ring
Thief Ring
release ostrava
collect Turpentine + Fire Bombs
get purple flame shield

up str, vit, end, dex, will(10), magic(10)
learn soul arrow
get knight shield -> steel shield -> purple flame
get compound short bow at 1-2 first tower
free ostrava
accumulate spices
broad/long sword -> quality

1-2Boss:
Soul Arrow + Spices

2-1Boss:
Compound Short Bow + Arrows

1-2Dragon:
Arrows

get winged spear -> quality
bastard sword -> crushing

3-1:
collect spices + free freke

incr will to 14
learn total protection (1-2 DS)

4-1:
bring brass telescope
unequip armour,helmet + use one-handed sword
arrows for Vanguard boss
collect crescent falcion+1, uchigatana, talisman of god
crow exchange talisman + telescope

upgrade uchigatana with sharpstones to +6 (for moon later)

2-2Boss:
Sticky White Stuff
Water Veil
Fire Ring
Purple Flame Shield
Time strikes (4-slash uchigatana)

Fire DS to Ed
Moon uchigatana

2-3Boss:
Double handed sword
Soul Arrow + Spices
Total protection when rushing

3-1Boss:
arrows + soul arrow + spices

1-3:
Biorr & Yuria
Katana

4-1boss:
two-hand katana

mirdan hammer/iron knuckles +6 +4-1DS -> meat cleaver

5-1boss:
Bow + Arrows

Learn Poison Cloud

Miralda:
poison cloud + shield + katana

3-2:
Kill Yurt get Gloom

3-2boss:
Arrows down 1st one
Poison cloud
Total protection + two hand katana

3-3 Shield + katana

4-2 Double handed sword, double strike and walk away

4-3 Arrows

long sword + morion blade
get stormruler
get geckos (arrows from far)

5-2 arrows behind torch

5-3 shield + morion blade/spear
draw heavy attacks

1-4 shield + spear
dark silver shield
quality spear +5
leather armour
ring of eternal warrior
thief ring
poison cloud (for gay tactic)
total protection (for melee)
minimise load

Weapons: Winged Spear (before 1-2 first tower) -> Quality
Broad/Long Sword -> Quality
Bastard Sword (2-1?) -> Crushing
Uchigatana (4-1 vanguard) -> +6 -> moon
Purple Flame Shield (1-1 dragon loot)
Compound Short Bow (1-2 dragon stage 1) -> Viscous
Dark Silver Shield (5-3 Garl Vinland)

Colorless DS (2 from crow, 1 from 1-1 side gate)

Spells: Soul Arrow (1st spell to learn)
Total Protection (1-2 DS + 3-1 save Freke)
Poison Cloud (5-1 DS) (still can be used on 1-4 False King)
Firestorm (2-3 + 1-3 save Yuria)
Death Cloud (5-3 DS) (used on Old King Doran to get Ring of Eternal Warrior + armour)

My take on KDR

2009-03-14T01:50:00.000+08:00

Yes, it matters to me.

It used to mean how well i can maintain my aiming in COD4 and CODWAW. Basically if you play with friends, u own the connection, most probably you gonna win the rounds and your KDR goes up. Confidence boosts and you find that you enjoy your games. It's really better than joining a laggy game and knowing that those buggers beat you mainly cos you lag. And that pulls down the KDR.

But now, the KDR for KZ2 really takes on a different perspective. Because now it's more a team game than just pure rampage. I'm not saying CODs aren't, but KZ2 really puts the TEAM into priority.

And when that happens, KDR is not it used to mean. Sure it still signifies how well you can shoot. But a few factors come in. How intelligent you play the match. How you are able to help your team achieve mission objectives. These will now also directly affect your KDR. When it comes the time to kamikaze, to go to the front and throw that spawn beacon, you better forget abt that all-important ratio.

End of the day, it's good to maintain a decent figure of at least >1.0, for the primary reason of indicating that you have helped your team by playing intelligently by planning your moves, and also not irrationally doing silly things. And you've made sure you've taken out at least one dude b4 dying when it's a N versus N match. A figure more than 1.1 will mean you are ok at shooting already. That's what I think.

ShuToshio's Blood-Drenched Path

2009-03-10T17:39:00.000+08:00

Not really something to brag about. But it's been a well-enjoyed 17 hours so far..

Single player is very impressive, but ultimately the gold is in multiplaya..

The first few ranks are really to train up on the aiming and movement, cos it's so much different from conventional FPS. Severely non-linear calibration serves its purpose of evening out the battlefield for everyone, i'd say.

But as you climb higher, the sweet treats come thick n furious :D

First engineer turret, then repair, then the wonderful tactician. And as u take up tactician, you fall back in love with the ol' M82 :) And nothing beats being able to set up a wonderful spawn point for defense or a quick few waves of offensive. Im still in love with it!

Then comes the big Assault daddy. Love the 'nade launcher, but guess will hv to train up first. 2 mags of 6, means regulate three nades per clearance. That shd do the trick.

The next target is the sabotuer's C4.

Final possible configurations:
1. tactician spawn + C4/repair
2. assault + speed/C4

Best FPS I've experienced!

Latest edit 6/4/09:

22 hrs clocked.

Full General 5384 points

KDR 1.04

Final fav configuration:

1. Tactician + C4+M82+M4

2. Tactician + boost+M82+M4

Good moments:

1. Radec acad open courtyard 1 grenade killed 4

2. Corinth crossing at top of bridge, surprise attack, one-on-four , 1 mag of m82 :) previously was 1 on 3 in phyruss.

3. Marathon Salamun. Topped loser faction :P 102/84, i think.. highest kills i've gotten

Abdicated. Finally, hopefully to my comfort zone :)

Poster with game

2009-02-25T22:41:00.000+08:00

Poster with game
Originally uploaded by chewcs

Brings back memories

2009-02-24T23:33:00.000+08:00

First generation Transformers. Starscream was the most badass Decepticon, even better than Megatron!

Last time Channel 5 every Friday 6.30pm, I can still remember...

Strategy for Killzone 2 Multiplayer

2009-02-20T23:17:00.000+08:00

I've never been in any clans before. Don't really know if there's a 'standard' path taken by clan members during formation and training. But after having read the description of the multiplayer of this incredible game, here's my take on how it should be done for our GAX clan. A brief one.

Please feel free to comment, either here or in the Gameaxis KZ2 discussion forum. Thanks!

1. Get game

2. Play for ~2-3 wks together

3. Explore maps and match types

4. Level up, unlock weapons and classes

5. Find your most comfortable classes + weapon combination

6. Separate into groups according to Specialty (assault, medic, saboteur, etc)

7. Optional:
7.1 form Teams with different specialties in them
7.2 size should be 4 or 8 (depends on game)
7.3 strategise with own Team

8. Strategise with Specialty group

Cool sigs :D

2009-02-10T10:56:00.000+08:00

KZ2 Review and Demo

2009-02-07T17:13:00.000+08:00

KZ2 review is out on gametrailers, right after numerous reviews from other sites.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/45018.html

scores ranged between 9.5 and 10.0, with the M$-sponsored-guailan gia-gametrailers giving a 9.2..

In a killzone2 thread in Gameaxis, there were criticisms about the demo, which I've duly played 2 hrs after its release.

Playstation Connections -> Killzone
->Killzone 2 (DEMO LIVE ON EURO PSN STORE) -> Post #640

Got infinite respawn meh?! I don't think so leh. The enemies just come in finite waves. If got how can you finish level 2? Don't even have a 'marking line' to stop the respawn. Maybe some areas have respawn, but this game is NOT meant to be played Rambo style anyway. You must play with prudence - i.e. use your brains :P

The game is dark, makes the appreciation of graphics more difficult. But do take a while, put down the control and look at the environment. It has almost everything:

- Great lighting and shadows. Check out the warehouse sunbeams.

- Surface textures done at 720, even near objects (no near-coarsening which is done by almost all the games). Just look at your MG82 when you reload. Dang!

- Realistic interactive models - ragdoll enemies, gas canisters, realistic explosions, breaking tiles, collapsing structures, fragmented metal casings, water, water, water.To have all these done in one game is, might I say, unprecedented? Frankly Gears, MGS4, Crysis and Resistance all have very well done graphics, but they are all NOT photorealistic.

Maybe add some more:
- AI flanks, hides in covers, evacuates (even does a tumbleroll) if u throw a frag at it, attempts to melee you if u get too close.
- Very good feel of weapon firing, recoil & sounds. btw, the voice overs are still in the final touchup, so the very first conversation does sound crude and unpolished.

Coming soon in full release:
- Multiplayer. The class structure, match format, server system and game mechanics are going to combine and produce one helluva MP that SHOULD BE ABLE to trump all others.

Just trying to summarise what all other reviews will probably tell u ;)

*END OF POST*

Update:
- yes, respawn on some areas, but not all. Hope Guerilla will get the mix right.
- nonlinear aiming speed (progressive), which draws many complaints
- cover system cumbersome. my comment: no cover for multiplayer, so doesnt matter for me :D

And some of the negative 'nit-picks' from reviews:

Playstation Connections -> Killzone
->Killzone 2 (DEMO LIVE ON EURO PSN STORE) -> Post #433 (this w.r.t. gametrailers comments)

it says
foul language
no coop option
doesnt feel fresh
many hints, no trial n error for player
using cover while getting headshot is "like playing Twister with your fingers"
limited 1 main weapon system
awkward knife

still give tonnes of praises

but... "Falls short of legendary" ?!?!

btw, NO COVER SYSTEM in multiplayer

*END OF POST*

Conclusion: It's EPIC, will top all other FPS, and I'm soooo getting it!

Here's one at ya, xbots! :P

2009-01-23T10:53:00.000+08:00

Very funny parody of Visari's power speech in the recently released opening cinematic..

My people, sons and daughters of Sony. This much I vow. The history of this console generation will be written in blood. By crushing the fanboys of our enemy. By releasing the best game in the genre they thought to use against us.. we are fighting for our consoles very existence. But if there are those who want to deny us enjoyment. Refuse us our rightful place in this console generation. Then we will unleash such a terribly awesome FPS that generations of xbros yet unborn will cry out in anguish! -break- Th enemy may shatter our sales but they can not break our spirit. Even now they advance on our metacritic gamesections to troll by force what they cannot claim by right. They cannot imagine what awaits them. WE WILL SMITE THE XBROS WITH THIS GAME. Though they sweep over our forums like the trolls of summer vacation. Never again will we be trolled by them; Never again endure their jealousy; Never again endure their lies and oppression. We will enjoy ourselves for hours without caring; playing as one hand, one heart, one soul. We will shatter their dreams and haunt their nightmares. Drenching our ancestors PS2's with their blood. And as our last breath tears at their lungs; as they try to rise again from the ruins of their RROD:ed consoles... ...they will know, Killzone 2 belongs to the Playstation 3.

War draws near...

2009-01-22T23:54:00.000+08:00

The time is nigh for war... as 27th February draws near..

This game is thirsty for the blood of soldiers, so much so that rumour has it that an earlier release date might just be in the pipeline... yippee!

Please do watch everything in HD..

The awe-inspiring Visari speech in the opening cinematic..

The single campaign gameplay..

The multiplayer gameplay..

How the world was created..

The lowdown on the Helghan AI..

The graphics n lighting tech interview..

The wonderful mechanics of death.. a ballet of death indeed..

1Up's Guerilla studio interview in Amsterdam... you HAVE TO catch this one! Go Dutch!

The detailed description of "The Awesome"..

1Up's 'Game Night' Interview.. warning: it's an hr long :P

We are just one step from the full review..

I can't wait for another month, man...

Chronicles Of A Lao Gamer

Dark Souls - Chaos Cleric Build

Interesting Dark Souls Build

Western vs Eastern Romance

Dark Souls: A Review to End All Reviews =P

How to deal with boss - Belfry Gargoyles

How to deal with boss - Taurus Demon

DARK SOULS SUCKING ME DRY!!!

YAPL: Yet Another Progression List :P

Current Take on Weapons

Classes... pictoral presentation

Renewed Love for Black Ops

Frustration with logical pondering (Click to view)

Pretty much sums up Brink

A Message to Nicole Seah

SOCOM4 is for hardcore

There's Something Enigmatic about Dead Space 2

The Ultimate Online Shooter

Old Games...

P2P and Gradual Demise of COD

Emo Night

Art of Knife - Prologue

Loadout Review - Round 3

Top 3 Weapons in Black Ops Multiplayer

New Records

Black Ops: Recommended List of Purchases

Reply to Wings' Vid

BO Builds: Phase 2

BO Builds: Phase 1

On Revitalising a Franchise

Hyped up and counting down...

"Old" Game, New Impressions

Demon's Souls Speed Run

It's Tough To Dread A Game...

Old Man Gaming

A quick review...

Bestest Performance?

A 2008 Title for 2010

Epic Payback

MW2 Weapons and Builds

Killzone 3

Amazing Riot Control Build

Move on Killzone 3

COD: Black Ops Multiplayer Trailer

Another Go At MW2

Lowdown on the Big Three

Blacklight: Tango Down

Demon's Souls Basic Tips n Tricks

Most Epic Game Ever, LOL

MNR: My First Serious Mod n Kart =D Helghan Forever!!!

Shooter Bankrupt Soon

Front Mission Evolved

Entire Collection of DVDs, Blurays and Games =D

2 Titles in 2 Days

E3: Day 2 Post Thoughts

More Post Day 1 Thoughts

E3: Day 1 Post Thoughts

Hoot for Next Year... I hope...

Sony E3 Press Conference

Next To Go...

Interesting New Ideas?

RDR Thoughts

Hyped up about Red Dead

Half Time Review...

Mo Sid!

Impressions of Resident Evil 5

The game that has eluded my memory....

Gaming Passion Wading??

Revival of My PC Gaming?

Sid Meier on Civilization V

Most Memorable Speech From My All Time Fav

Prepare for the Next Battle!!

Ideal Loadouts

Gayest of the Gay

IMBA Loadout

Surviving the Onslaught

First milestone

Weapons specs

GAX PS3 Community Games Of The Year 2009: Nominees List

My Builds