Legen... dary: Fun with Rayman and Friends

I was at the library the other day and what should I see near the movies?  Video games.  And not just video games, games for the Xbox One and PS4.  And not just X1 games, but Rayman Legends.  And the grin on my face was as wide as could be, just thinking about all of the fun I had with Rayman Origins.

A few hours in, I can tell the game has a ton of content.  The controls felt familiar and tight.  Platformers typically frustrate me.  But the light-hearted, bright art of Rayman and the generous checkpoint system create an inviting, one-more-try effect where success and progress never feel unattainable.

Like the previous version, a palatable learning curve for even the early available levels exemplifies gaming at its finest: the feeling of achievement because an obstacle or level has been overcome through practice and experience.  While ultimately, I think maybe it's that lucky go that succeeds, that lucky go's foundation are attempt after attempt, learning what works and what doesn't, even if execution is not always completely perfect.  I found, even in the early going, I was replaying levels.  I wanted to "gold cup" each, trying to maximize my lum collection, and to do so required some tricky, timed maneuvers that called upon some Origins skills.

The game offers multiple types of levels as far as I've seen.  The forced scrolling stages are present and the familiar, frantic sprint through a level was both tense and welcome.  Legends offers online daily challenges to see how far through a level one can go.  Further incentive to play and play a lot.

If there's one minor quibble I have, it's that there are some obvious remnants from the game's prior WiiU exclusive design.  I remember it was the game I was most excited to try at the WiiU demo stand though I feared how it would affect a favorite title.  There are portions that would take advantage of the WiiU's motion and touch controls available via WiiU control pad that have been substituted with button pushes ("B" and bumpers).  To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the WiiU control portions but that may be stubborn, old man-itis more than anything.  The effect here?  It certainly adds a layer of complexity to sections of the game that already require a fair amount of dexterity.

Therein was my biggest fear regarding Legends.  I loved Origins so much, I was worried that the new game would be too complex or less fun.  I didn't want my failure at the new game to affect the joy found in the previous.  So far, it seems like I can rest easy... though the game is anything but.

Despicable Me: Level 15 and Climbing?

Been able to get on a bit of Hearthstone roll this week.  Having previously toiled in the Level 19/20 range, I had seriously pondered purchasing the $20.00, fifteen pack of cards just to try to improve my lot.  The fear of spending the money and not improving held me back.  Instead, I looked around to what cards could be crafted and seeing how I could improve what I had.  I sacrificed some hero types and said goodbye to my legendary Deathwing (12/12).  One of the things I had found most frustrating in game play was not being able to control the board, whether it be too many spells or high cards.  As a result, I created my Minion deck and have had some success.

The idea was to get the best neutral cards, mostly common and rare.  I wanted some cover and sought taunt, some immediate attacks with charge.  I looked for value and buffers, in particular the adding of taunt and/or plus-attack/health.  I've been using Shaman with this deck because it allows the hero power of random totems which can include taunt, restore health, and plus-spell damage (though the deck is made with few spells and this is generally a non-factor without a buff).  Shaman does not have a clear all card like Flamestrike but he does have Hex which can prove useful against heavy hitters.

Without further ado:

1-drop

Goldshire Footman (1/2 with Taunt, allows for early defense)

Leper Gnome (2/1 with Deathrattle deals 2 damage to enemy hero)

2-drop

Bluegill Warrior (2/1 with Charge)

Faerie Dragon (3/2, cannot be targeted by Spells or Hero Powers (though I find I am surprised at times)

Flametongue Totem (0/3, buffs +2 attack to adjacent minions, great boost to 0/2 random totems)

Ironbeak Owl (2/1, Battlecry of silence a minion, great defense available at low cost)

Knife Juggler (3/2, deals random 1 damage every time you summon a minion,)

2 Loot Hoarder (2/1, Deathrattle of draw a card, find people have moved from Novice Engineer)

Sunfury Protector (2/3, Battlecry of give adjacent minions taunt, poor man's Defender of Argus)

3-drop

2 Hex (transform enemy minion to Frog, 0/1 with taunt, one of two spells in the deck)

Acolyte of Pain (1/3, draw a card whenever damaged, not sure about this one, but like the extra draw)

Harvest Golem (2/3, Deathrattle summons 2/1 golem, great value of essentially 4/4 plus survives clear)

Shattered Sun Cleric (3/2, Battlecry gives friendly minion +1/+1, try to avoid early use but can't always)

Wolfrider (3/1, Charge)

4-drop

Chillwind Yeti (4/5, everyone says it's great, falls between 3/5 priest instakills, immune to silence)

Dark Iron Dwarf (4/4, Battlecry gives friendly minion +2 attack in instant turn, also not sold on but not bad)

2 Defender of Argue (2/3, Battlecry gives adjacent minions taunt and +1/+1 buff, pretty special card at 4!)

2 Sen'jin Shieldmasta (3/5, Taunt, provides cover and 5 health will usually require two attacks)

Windspeaker (3/3, Battlecry gives friendly minion Windfury, Shaman specific minion but strong bonus)

5-drop

Bloodlust (gives minions +3 attack this turn, the other spell -- a finishing move)

2 Azure Drake (4/4, Battlecry draws a card, +1 spell which goes without use, not sold on this either)

6-drop

2 Argent Commander (4/2, Charge and Divine Shield, acts as +4 attack spell but remains on board)

2 Sunwalker (4/5, Taunt and Divine Shield, not sold on but like the defense, especially late)

There you have it.  The bell (mana-number selected) breakdown:

0-0

1-2

2-8

3-6

4-7

5-3

6-4

7+-0

At the beginning, I try to have as even of a 1, 2, 3 and 4 option as possible.  It can hurt with the early high cost and/or spells but that's part of the trick of arranging your deck to be as flexible as possible.  At this point, I have some 250 in dust for crafting.  I am considering working a Blood Knight in there and will consider whether some of the "not sold on's" should be replaced.  The other thing about moving up the ranks, streaks are your friends.  Ride 'em if you can.

Temptation at $2.99: Crossing the Free-to-Play Threshold?

Or bundled conveniently at 15 packs of cards for $19.99, 40 for $49.99.  And down the rabbit hole one goes.  I have resisted for any number of reasons -- some parts, fiscal responsibility, others, insistence on the Free-to-Play concept.  But would purchasing a few cards be that wrong?

I mean, I gladly spend $60 for a retail Xbox One game without ever playing prior to purchase.  I couldn't tell you how many hours I've played Hearthstone, but that I haven't paid a cent for it -- principle almost has me thinking I should reward Blizzard for making something so great.  So fun and challenging and addictive.

I don't know if it's Pay-to-Win.  Polygon has a great article here about the dilemma.  It has reinforced my belief that I do not need to purchase cards.  Notably, Friedman points out the issues of longevity of play (i.e., the game is designed for a long run of leveling and earning/crafting is part of that) and limitations of selection (that decks are limited to two cards of any type, one legendary, and a cap of thirty overall).

Ranked match play starts at a high level (e.g., Level 25) and the player works himself through victories to an increased rank.  The lowest of levels allow for losing without penalty.  Beginning at Level 20, the player has a star count that tracks wins.  Level 20 requires three wins to move to Level 19.  There is a bonus star received for win streaks of three.  I am sitting at Level 19, with one victory.  A loss would put me at Level 19, zero stars.  Another loss brings me down to Level 20.  I have never made it to Level 18.

The great frustration is feeling like I've played as good a game as I can.  Certainly, there's some luck of fate given to the draw of cards.  What's punishing is feeling like my cards aren't, and will never be, as good as my opponent's because his/her deck is full of extra powerful cards, rares, epics, legendaries, that I do not have.  But for $2.99, I may improve my chances.  Or $19.99 for a bulk discount...

It's not that I don't want the shiny toys to take for a spin.  Sadly, what ultimately keeps me from crossing the Free-to-Play threshold is that Pay-to-Win is no guarantee.  Is there anything worse than knowing you have an advantage and still lose?  I like being able to go to the "they paid to win" well.  Everyone loves the underdog and I do not mean "Unleash the hounds."  Because all non-hunters hate those...

Same as the First: Bravely Default's Unforgiveable Turn?

Minor spoilers here.  Worth reading if you're on the Bravely Default fence.

I have really loved Bravely Default.  Sixty-three hours in, I find the combat system to be new and engaging.  The game mechanics are highly polished.  The art is beautiful; the soundtrack is memorable.  After so much time investment, why do I find myself questioning whether this game is worth finishing?  Because I stumbled into Chapter 5 realizing that the game appears to require re-tracing the entire path leading to that point.

The picture above represents points of interest.  The yellow exclamations are plot points.  The blue exclamations represent side story elements.  So yes, I have reached the point where I need to revisit every area from Chapters 1 - 4.  But worse, after doing just that, I discovered that not only must I revisit these areas, I need to re-defeat the bosses in each location.

Really?  Really.  The thing about Bravely Default, the game offers so many options.  Upon defeating particular bosses, you unlock that job type for leveling and abilities.  There are some 24 jobs that are ultimately available though I haven't unlocked all of them.  The game has now tasked me with replaying and defeating some twenty odd bosses.

Admittedly, my party is highly skilled.  Level 64 and up.  And I know, games have re-used material before, even required a second run-through of campaign.  And yes, it appears having to re-do the tasks is accounted for in the campaign narrative.  But really?

I just don't know if I have it in me.  Maybe I'll just pick up Mario Golf instead.

Geeked: Free to Play and Loving It

You knew it was coming, right?  Yes, the Hearthstone propaganda is here.  Blizzard's free-to-play, Magic: The Gathering-styled, collectable card game became available on iOS for iPad this week, and so far, I am loving it.

I will dispense with some preliminary quibbles first.  I went in full well with the understanding that free-to-play wasn't the complete package.  While in the early going, that hasn't seemed to matter (I haven't spent a cent yet).  I am sure the more I play, the more apparent it will become and the more I'd covet that ability.  I'm the same guy that more or less refused CoD because I thought advanced weapons tilted gameplay balance.

I wish there were asynchronous gameplay.  First impression leads me to believe there is not even offline gameplay.  For me, both features are ones that just increase my opportunity to play and play with friends.  Given that must multiplayer gaming in my house is reserved for the console, Titanfall currenty, I see less opportunity to make Hearthstone appointment gaming with friends.  Then again, we did do that with Ascension.

The last is not so much a complaint as it is a matter of fact, there's a lot going on in the game and not a lot of explanation.  Gameplay is fairly intuitive and the cards themselves contain easily accessible information about their characteristics.  You have an attack number and health.  Each card requires an amount of mana to play.  Over the course of the game, mana increases round to round to a maximum of ten.  But building decks, discovering the rarity of cards, understanding how to craft cards, figuring out what the gametypes are, where you can get bonuses, where and how to buy, there's a bit of fend for yourself or find an online wiki or app here.  It speaks more to the game's depth of options and complexity than anything, but the same depth makes it a bit intimidating.

And now, the good news.  It's downright fun to play.  I was not in the beta, open or closed on the PC.  I've never played WoW.  I needed to get a Battlenet ID.  I downloaded the game for the iPad as soon as I was aware it was available, Wednesday evening I think.  Though I'm not sure of the actual number, I would say I've logged an easy six-plus hours of gametime.

Part of the early going was spent getting acclimated to how the game plays and feels.  I ran through the tutorial with some six opponents to detail the game's mechanics.  I then set about trying to unlock all nine hero types.  I think during that first evening, I made it through seven.  Playing on the Normal level, I had that feeling of learning as I played.  I could sense developing strategies that worked for me versus certain enemies and understanding the cards and their powers, what I liked and why.  I can't explain it, but the more I played, I had such a palpable feeling of improvement.

By the next night, I had unlocked all of the hero types and began trying to unlock all of the mage's basic cards.  I created my first custom deck and headed into the world of "Play" against live opponents.  There were both victories and defeats, and there was that dichotomy of "I outskilled you" and "You got lucky/cheap/OP cards" that frequently accompanied each.  All the while, I leveled up, gained access to new cards, earned gold to purchase new packs or access The Arena.  Incentives appear frequently and all without need to partake of the microtransaction process.

The short of it is the game feeds into the inner-geek.  It appears so noob-friendly but strategy and complexity lurk for those that want it.  Even in the early going, deciding strategy of attacking and defending, hero versus minion, using cards in combination, healing, hiding, forcing attacks, foregoing attacks.  It's not that the game is unique in doing so, but there's a feeling that's nice getting in on the ground floor.  Online, familiarity of the rules of course helps, but the game won't let you do something the rules don't allow.  It's like the ease of scoring Catan or Carcassone on XBL.

And yes, the animations are fun.  Picture Ron Weasley playing Wizard's Chess.  The attack animation, sparks, shakes, crumbles, +/- updated stats.  It adds that flair, especially when it's in your favor, that makes you smile.  I have always enjoyed seeing some bit of the attack animations, Advance Wars, Pokemon, Bravely Default.  There's action to the real world equivalent, "My mage will use four mana crystals to use Fireball to damage your hero six HP."  And yes, perhaps I did just that with a single flick of my finger on the iPad.  But it felt much cooler.  Especially in a win.

I'm not sure how long the fun will last in Hearthstone, but right now, there's no end in sight.  I'd be willing to pay, but at this point, there's been no need.

Improving Titanfall: Taking the Next Step

I have 20+ hours in Titanfall and am approaching Generation 3.  The thing is, while I really enjoy the game, I can't help but feel like the game could be so much more.  For me, console multiplayer need look no further than three mega-titles to find a recipe for long-lasting, addictive, competitive gameplay: Halo, Call of Duty, and Gears of War.  To ignore successful attributes from those series is to have the blueprint for the wheel and decide that one can improve it.

All I have to do is look at my friends list and realize a majority of those friends were people I "met" playing Halo 2.  Ten years ago!  Ten years ago, Bungie created not only one of the great multiplayer games ever, but it helped establish an onine gaming communty with bungie.net.  While the forums were good, linkable stats to re-live gaming glory were great.  Waypoint and COD pushed not only the notion of tallying kills and wins but recording them.  Sure, we can take advantage of Twitch and Game DVR, but in Titanfall, it's almost like winning and losing isn't all that important.  Scores appear for such a brief instant, it's near impossible to process, and perhaps, more importantly, to gloat.  I mean, we see who's on top and bottom, but I feel like in exchange for the lowest lows for a terribly played game, we have given up the highest highs in victory.

And that's what we got in Gears.  The other night, we were playing Titanfall and at times, other than knowing we were in a party together, it was almost hard to tell we were playing together.  I rarely see teammates on maps.  I rarely feel like I provide cover or am covered.  There's less raucous moments of defeat and glory.  It's nice to win together and we've had some close games the last few nights.  But there's not a whole lot of sharing in the glory because how often do others get to see it?  In Gears, especially with the "death room," how many laughs and cheers went up seeing someone overcome a two-on-one situation?  How many times would we helplessly urge folks to abandon the sniper?  Last night, with an ogre and shield core and some nub opponents, I went one-against-two and lived to tell about it.  But no one saw the encounter and it lives only in my memory.

I'm not saying we need online stat tracking or even a "death room" to improve Titanfall.  But little things like letting you see the last game's stat, perhaps while choosing a map (!), and playing against each other so at least maybe the victim of a glorious titan takedown coud confirm, it creates a more shared experience as opposed to players sharing a map. I understand that Titanfall is a next gen shooter and perhaps wanting to take the FPS forward.  But with a few additions of not-revolutionary features, a good game can become great.

The Easy Carrot: Talking 'bout My (Re)Generation

Well, after some twenty or so hours of gameplay, I finally hit Level 50 in Titanfall and was presented with the opportunity to regenerate.  Having not played much Call of Duty, I wasn't completely familiar with the mechanics of the "prestige" other than to know it was something all the cool kids did.  And so why wouldn't I want to be a cool kid in Titanfall and regenerate.

I guess I should have taken the multiple prompts as hints that regenerating wasn't all that smiles and benefits.  No, in fact, to get the cool designation along your gamertag in Titanfall lobbies, you had to sacrifice game progress.  Weapon upgrades, challenges, customizations... all gone.  Level 1 is Level 1 with minimal benefits from the regen.  Having unlocked Ogre and Stryder class titans, those unlocks would be available to me.  Of course, I didn't really comprehend at the time of the regen that meant I still couldn't access them because Level 1 is Level 1 and there was no customization of Titans.  Actually, if you remember Level 1, that means not even having all three pilot types available let alone customization of pilots.  Players keep burn cards and XP is earned at a faster clip because of the regen.

So after the regen, I lost all my scopes and extended magazines, any of the bonuses that give the player that slightest advantage -- gone.  And for what?  To get the notation and to begin again.  It's so weird to begin at the beginning, where challenges aren't even readily available.

I will say leveling up seems to occur fairly rapidly as a couple of days and a couple good sessions later, I find myself sitting at G2, Level 10.  I did unlock the challenges a little earlier and at Level 10, regained the ability to customize titans.  I'm glad because I think I hit a very good strategy in LTS (chaingun + extended magazine + cautious play = quickly acquired damage core).  Of course, I was looking at unlocking/upgrading everything but find myself with factory issue weapons again.  I had unlocked all of the upgrades for the R101, the EVA-8 and Smart Pistol pilot-wise and the extended magazine, accelerator for the chaingun and upgrade for the ARC cannon titan-wise.  Gone, gone and gone.

It's not terrible but I do wonder for what reason... there, of course, is a chivo associated with the regen.  And in fact, there is a chivo for reaching Generation 10.  I do like the notation of having played enough to be past Level 50.  I suppose there is some behind the scenes reason.  Cynically, the idea of the regeneration creates artificial replaybility.  There's the carrot of the max level cap and players will want it, even if it is Level 500.  I guess perhaps more importantly and ideally crucial to the balance of gameplay, regeneration can even the playing field albeit temporarily.  What happens is a G2, Level 10 does not have the firepower of a Level 25 even and though theory would say the former has more experience and arguably skill, at least at that point, in working back up the ladder, he's still unlocking upgrades.  Maybe not such a bad idea after all...

And did I mention I'm the one in the lobby with the G2 designation?  Yes... that one.