Aion: Send Me an Angel

Have you ever been to a restaurant that had great presentation, friendly service, and exquisite decor, but was missing something in the food department? As in, everything about the place was welcoming and polished, but the meal lacked a certain spice that would make the restaurant one of your new favorite hotspots?

That's what playing Aion can sometimes feel like. NCSoft's MMORPG has an outstanding presentation, beautiful art style and graphics, and enough interesting twists on standard MMO gameplay to make it a fun game, but still lacks the certain punch necessary to recommend the required $15 subscription fee.

Aion's setting is the world of Atreia, which is comprised of two separate worlds inhabited by the Elyos and Asmodians, the game's two playable factions. Think of the original X-Men's Archangel and you've got the Elyos aesthetic pretty well, which is the "light" faction of Aion's daeva. Add in some Constantine, mood lighting and power chords and you've found the Asmodians, the "dark" playable race. Both of these factions are in constant struggle - otherwise known as PVP - with each other, as well as a third, dragon-like race called the Balaur that occupies the Abyss, a no-person's-land in between the other two.

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Sound complex? It kind of is, which is part of what makes Aion so cool. The game is truly a love letter to anyone who loves fantastic representations of angels, dragons, anime-inspired western fantasy, or factions that are defined by conquest rather than perceptions of good or evil. The story and setting are very well thought out, and there's a huge resource in the PowerWiki for those who love to get into lore.

Graphically, the game is likewise incredible, sporting breathtaking environments and detailed, fully customizable character models. Seriously, this game has one of the most comprehensive character creation experiences we've ever seen, where you can change things like facial features, body type, skin tone, and choose from dozens of hairstyles and tattoos. The environments are lush and gorgeous, and the large variety of detailed items and armor sets make for characters that look great and feel different from every other noob that you'll run into in the auction house.

Part of what makes the game's visuals work so well is the clean, efficient interface and the way the graphics integrate smoothly into the UI. Aion has a level of polish that is akin to games like World of Warcraft and The Lord of the Rings Online, where the graphics don't just work well for the setting - they also simply work, meaning that there are minimal issues with clipping, seeing through characters, or popups that are common to a lot of MMO's. Similarly, the interface integrates seamlessly with Aion's art style with a level of detail that adds to the immersiveness of the game. In my mind, if you're staring at a game for hundreds of hours (even you, Morrowind), the UI had better be as banging as the other visuals, otherwise the whole thing's going to look stale after awhile.

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Make no mistake about it, Aion doesn't do anything particularly new for the genre in any of these aspects. The daeva-inspired setting and art style are beautiful, but are reminiscent of other types of Eastern-style online games (take Lineage 2, for example), and the interface is certainly standard fare for an MMO, if prettier than most. The same is true for Aion's gameplay, and most veteran MMORPG players will be instantly comfortable with the quest system and action bar style combat.

One thing does set Aion apart from other games, online or otherwise: flying. Yes, FLYING. As in, after you reach level 10 and fulfill certain quests, your character gets WINGS. TO FLY WITH. Perhaps one of the most awesome additions to the game, you can hit the jump key any time to use your wings to glide from higher to lower ground, or fly around for limited bursts in specific areas of the game. It adds a totally rad spin to the usual gameplay elements in an MMO, and can be quite useful: I was questing with a PuG in an open dungeon-type area up on a hill, and rather than fighting our way through respawns to reach the valley below, we simply took off and glided lazily down to the next area. Totally awesome.

Flying also lends an interesting y-axis dynamic to PVP, for which there are several options to get your pwn on. Within general PvE areas there are periodic "rifts" that allow travel between Elysae and Asmodae to specific locations in each other's worlds. What this generally amounts to is you happily minding your own business slaying monsters in the wild, only to realize that a group of level ??? players from the opposing faction have suddenly teleported directly in your personal space, and that they don't like sharing. Gah!

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Above level 25, there's the Abyss, which is your basic open-world PVP experience with quests, fortresses, and Aion's unique "PvPvE" system, in which the NPC third faction, the Balaur, compete against both of the player factions for supremacy. Although we haven't spent any time in the Abyss yet, and are definitely looking forward to doing so, we have heard that there are some balancing issues where characters of vastly different levels are concerned. We would love it if NCSoft employed some sort of level inflation system a la Warhammer Online or even just level-appropriate instances, but nothing has been announced so far.

If you're into crafting, Aion has plenty for you to do. As with the graphics and gameplay, it's mostly standard stuff: gather or purchase the ingredients and then cook, smith, woodwork, tailor, or alcheme (not a word, but it should be) to your heart's content. And seriously, your heart had better be into it, because it's going to take you a good long while to grind through the several tiers of crafting. At least you've got four hundred other people in each of the six or so crafting rooms to talk to while you're doing it!

Speaking of grinding, the lack of mid-level content is probably our biggest - or only? - real gripe with Aion overall. The 1-10 experience for both factions is spectacular, with a bunch of interesting quests, interactive story sequences, and a good dose of wonder as you earn your wings. After level 15 or so, the content starts to get pretty thin, and you're forced to grind mobs to get to the next quest hub, which can get repetitive really fast. If combat or exploration were really engaging, that wouldn't be much of a problem, but as we've mentioned, the action is pretty standard MMO stuff and although the environments are beautiful, they tend to run together with a lot of pretty colors, lacking some substance.

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To their credit, NCSoft has worked to address many of these issues with several updates and a new expansion, and is very involved in interfacing with the lively Aion community. The community itself is very active and tends to be pretty mature and willing to help. Honestly, we've only had a few in-game conversations that went like:
[celine-daion]: you guys ply wow
[strgamer]: 20 sin LFG, pst
[everbreast23]: hey how do u get quests
[celine-daion]: i ply wow but my guild sux
[ihaveasmo]: wow sux
[everbreast23]: HEY HOW DO U GET QUESTS
[celine-daion]: ihaveasmo u ply wow?
[strgamer]: 20 sin LFG, pst

Other than that, people seem to be pretty friendly.

Aion recently celebrated its first anniversary with the release of Assault on Balaurea, a free expansion to the main game that increases the level cap to 55, introduces the new zones of Gelkmaros and Inggison in Balaurea, adds new flight dynamics and useful pets to the game, and brings a host of new instances and quests to the world of Atreia. NCSoft has bundled the expansion into a new retail version of the MMORPG as well as providing the download as a regular update for subscribers. Although we haven't had a chance to check it out just yet, we're definitely excited to do so as it seems that they've addressed a lot of the grinding issues that we've had trouble with.

With the huge range of MMO's available to contend with, Aion definitely makes a name for itself with its distinctive art style, spectacular graphics, flying mechanics, and general polish. Even the game's launch went relatively smoothly, which is mute testament to how well-supported it is. Still, Aion mostly builds upon a tried and true MMO formula, and requires a lot of grinding, while lacking a certain depth or innovation that would really make us want to keep up a subscription. Like a lot of other MMORPG's, Aion could definitely benefit from the F2P treatment (please oh please SOE, if you're listening, hear our plea for a F2P Vanguard), or even just 3- or 6-month pricing plans, which would seriously make it easier to justify the subscription cost.

We're really looking forward to checking out Assault on Balaurea, as it seems like NCSoft has been paying attention to the community it's working for, and in the MMO world, that goes a long way towards increasing playership. Support of a game is paramount to the success of a good design, and if Aion gets the attention it needs in terms of content and balancing open-world PVP, then that's something we can subscribe to!

Heavy Rain: If You're OCD, You'll Either Love or Hate This Game

If meta-game award systems like Xbox Live's Achievements and the Playstation Network's Trophies have shown us anything, it's that gamers have addictive, completist personalities. Sure, part of the fun of achievement hunting may be in competing with your peers and spamming the XBL Forums with your gamerscore and questions like "ne1 no when GoW is comin to xbox, I bout it for ps3 but how do u ply for xbox." Still, the heart of trophy hunting really consists of seeking out the secret corners of games and the out-of-the-way items and modes of play that the developers have hidden, as well as beating games skillfully in different ways.

I tend to be pretty completist to the extent of wanting to finish games even if I don't like them, although I'm not huge on achievement/trophy hunting. Don't get it twisted, I definitely check out trophy lists for games that I'm playing and will go out of my way to get an achievement to boost my gamerscore. At the same time, I don't generally pick up a game that I have no interest in simply for easy trophies, although I'll admit to once in a while being tempted to do so (don't think for a second that the Hannah Montana game isn't staring me in the face whenever I go into Gamestop). More than completist, I'm OCD, and I like to complete game tasks in a meticulous fashion, trying to get a sense of how various plot lines, quests, and decisions will pan out in an RPG-type game and act accordingly to achieve a particular outcome.

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Heavy Rain did a number on my OCD tendencies that no room filled with piles of unfolded clothes and off-centered pictures could ever do. Quantic Dream's interactive psychological thriller, which came out earlier this year, presents an interesting and engaging story that evolves based on how you play it and the decisions that you make in it. The game plays out like a murder mystery film through four different characters' perspectives, and uses the PS3 Dualshock controller's sixaxis motion control (or PS Move) for prompts during conversations, investigations, and fight and action scenes.

The game has received a lot of praise for its branching storyline, which continues to evolve as you try to solve the mystery, and small, seemingly inconsequential decisions as well as split-second choices can change the game's outcome drastically. Find yourself getting owned in a fight scene? No problem, the game's story will adjust to your suckiness and lead you down a different plotline, rather than show you a Game Over screen. Feel like snooping around instead of doing other tasks you've been assigned? Go ahead, the game will incorporate your ADD into the storyline. Heavy Rain literally has dozens of possible endings based on your different actions and choices throughout the game, and man, the story along the way definitely packs the same punch as a blockbuster thriller movie.

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Seriously though? I effing hate scary movies. When I was a kid, my cousins and I used to read Scary Stories to Read in the Dark because we thought it was a good idea, and ended up checking behind doors for monsters for a long while afterward. I've seen a couple of the big thrillers, like "The Exorcist" and "The Shining," but when I see a horror flick I usually spend the entire movie holding my shirt over my nose and watching from the corner of my eyes (because that ish is scary, I don't care where you're from). I even got scared at the movie remake of "Doom," which was basically just a series of action scenes with The Rock, Karl Urban and scary music. Something about the eeriness and dissonant sound effects in scary movies and games really does weird things to my imagination. I played the demos for Doom 3, F.E.A.R. and Dead Space, for example, and needed to play at least two levels of Katamari Damacy while listening to the Care Bears theme song to feel right again.

Heavy Rain isn't a scary game per se, but it's definitely moody, and has enough disturbing moments in it that I would have had my shirt over my face if I hadn't been keeping my hands glued to the controller in case of sudden prompts. The game is brutal about requiring you to give a quick input when you think you're just watching a cutscene, which, after getting punched in the face (mostly figuratively) a few times, actually gets you to be even more involved in what's happening.

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This concept may sound pretty cool, and it is for the most part, but actually leads in to one of my complaints about the game, in that the controls, and the way the game interprets them, are not always intuitive. For the most part, Quantic Dream was great about using the Dualshock controller and motion control in ways that make sense: push the analog stick counter-clockwise to open a door, raise the entire controller quickly for a jump prompt, turn the controller when driving, etc. However, at other times the onscreen prompts aren't as clear about what the corresponding action will be - if I shake the controller downwards, is that going to put the gun away or shoot the person in front of me? Granted, like a noob, I chose the most complex level of "difficulty," which basically just requires more controller inputs throughout the game, but there were several times that I had to quit the game and reload from the title screen immediately after I did something that was completely different from what I thought the prompt was indicating.

This is where the OCD really kicks in. As mentioned, Heavy Rain really gets you into the story, and because the story is told in chapters, you can go back any time and play through it differently to see all of the possible story paths without affecting your main save. However, it also autosaves pretty constantly, so if you're trying to play a certain way, and you respond to a prompt that does something completely different from what you were expecting, you're going to freak out and have to wash your dishes three times while arranging your spare change in piles divisible by prime numbers. Well, if you're OCD like me, that is. The game's great for trophy hunting, as it encourages you to play in completely different ways to unlock all of the possible plotlines and endings, but seriously messes with you if you're unclear on some of the prompts.

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Heavy Rain tells an amazing story, but it's not without its plot holes. You'll probably play through it and feel pretty engaged with what's happening, but you might find that you'll be wondering about certain key elements even after beating the game. Some sites, such as GamesRadar, have listed a few of these [Spoilers] plot holes [Spoilers] that you may want to check out if you have questions, but suffice it to say that I went a-Googling after finishing Heavy Rain because I thought a lot of plot points were left hanging.

All in all, Quantic Dream's interactive psychological thriller experiment is a successful one, and we highly recommend that you check it out. If you're a completist or just want to have totally different experiences in the game, there's a lot of replay value here for you to try to unlock all of the possible endings and see the varies plot branches. The best way to experience the game is definitely to play it organically, and allow the different choices that you make to unravel the story naturally. Or, if you're OCD, you can happily restart the game from the title screen whenever you gaffe a prompt, while eating all of the green M&M's in the bag first. Heavy Rain is a stellar game either way, and will keep you engaged for the whole story, any way you play it.

Red Dead Redemption: If You're Gonna Shoot, Shoot, Don't Talk

Most people have favorite genres that they cling to, comfort zones that determine and reinforce the kinds of games, movies, books, music, and other forms of entertainment that they gravitate towards. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard, "If that movie doesn't have Lindsay Lohan in it, then I don't want to have anything to do with it!" from one of my friends, I'd have exactly one dollar. It's natural for us to be attracted to things that feel familiar, but staying within our comfort zones can sometimes let potentially amazing experiences go under the radar.

Such was the case with Red Dead Redemption for me. I'm typically into a lot of different genres, usually leaning towards fantasy, scifi, Japanese-inspired, historical fiction, or post-apocalyptic themes, but tend to be open to new types of games if they have a good hook, story or great gameplay. Red Dead Redemption is the newest creation by Rockstar Games, best known for the GTA series, as well as Max Payne and Bully. The game is set in the untamed West at the turn of the 20th century, thus falling into the historical fiction category, which was pretty much its only selling point for me.

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I'd never been much into Westerns. When I was a kid, I would always want to play on the Indians' side in "Cowboys and Indians," and when I got to college and discovered the actual history of the "taking of the West" and how the term "Indian" was a misappropriation for the First Nations peoples, well, let's just say I became even less into the "Wild West" mentality. (Sidebar: Cowboys vs. Indians is totally the OG American PVP, complete with griefing, camping, and rage quits. The only thing that comes close is Cops vs. Robbers, and APB didn't do so well.) I'd seen "Last Man Standing," and remember thinking that the movie it was based on, Kurosawa's "Yojimbo," was probably way cooler because it had Toshiro Mifune in it. Other than that, I hadn't really seen any other films in the genre.

That being said, I was hugely into GTA IV, and was willing to give Read Dead Redemption at least a rental if it received even half the acclaim of Rockstar's 2008 blockbuster. Luckily, Brian played through it and gave it a great review, and all of the stellar opinions and editorials circulating the internets about the game piqued my interest at what the fuss was all about. Brian loaned me a copy and I was hooked from the first tumbleweed.

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Read Dead Redemption takes what Rockstar did well with GTA IV, in terms of an open world game setting with a compelling story, an engaging combat system, and vivid, complex characters, and gives it a six-shooter, spurs, and a whole hell of a lot of cougars (no to what you're thinking, unless you're thinking "mountain lions," then yes). The developer has a knack for creating characters and stories that you care about because of how human they are, and how flawed their actions and worldviews can be, while providing an ironic metanarrative through the main characters' dialogues. Red Dead Redemption exemplifies this dynamic. Without spoiling anything, the game has an incredibly thoughtful and engaging story from start to finish, and creates an immersive open world with tons of quests and action aside from the main story arc.

There's so much to do in Red Dead Redemption, including hunting, clearing bandit hideouts, training horses, duels, playing horseshoes, poker, or liar's dice, and yet each of the non-essential activities of the game are outmatched by how awesome the main gameplay dynamic is. Plain and simple, the most fun thing to do in the game is ride around on your horse, catch or shoot bandits, lasso and train horses, and hunt and skin animals. The combat and targeting system is very fluid, although it takes some getting used to and is not intuitive at times, but the Deadeye mode, which is kind of like a slow-motion bullet time system reminiscent of Fallout 3's VATS, is an absolute blast to use. A posse of bandits on your tail? No problem. Turn on Deadeye mode, choose a couple of targets each (or just their shooting arms, if you're feeling nice), and let loose!

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Red Dead Redemption's story and gameplay completely drew me in to the game's setting, and have opened a door into a new genre for me. Thanks to my addictive personality, I now want to Netflix every spaghetti western and western-inspired movie that most likely influenced the developers in the making of the game, from "A Fistful of Dollars" to "Silverado" to "Tombstone." By hooking me with its story and addictive combat system and making me want to explore its open world as either its savior or renegade, the game has gotten me looking for more entries in the Western style and made me seek out a genre that I've never been interested in before. Not only is Red Dead Redemption a great game, it's also proof that a game done right can transcend genres and get you hooked, perhaps even making you enjoy a setting that you hadn't considered before.

Red Dead Redemption is a great example of a triple-A title that deserves to be played, regardless of genre. Like other great games, even if you're not into the setting, you might find that the story, gameplay and characters may get you interested in a style that you hadn't thought of before. Of course, the game might still bore or irritate you and reinforce your original opinions, making you happy that you stuck with your comfort zone. Either way, I think you should give it a shot - you might even like it, partner.

LOTRO + F2P = FTW

Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online went free to play this September, following the success established by Dungeons and Dragons Online going F2P last year. Gamasutra was among many sites to report DDO's incredible success since adopting the "freemium" model, and the general consensus was that ditching the monthly subscription requirement and replacing it with a choose-your-own-adventure store with VIP options was perfect for the dungeon-based MMO.

I'm probably not the only one who was skeptical about Turbine's plans to change LOTRO's subscription to DDO's freemium model. I'm a big fan of DDO, and was really excited when the 14.99/month bar of entry was lifted. Like many MMO gamers, cost is a factor for me in choosing which online game I'm willing to shell out for at any given time, and I think it's awesome to be able to jump in to DDO, grab a party and run an adventure for free. If I feel a hankering for one of the new modules Turbine has been cranking out (and as of yet, I haven't), I can shell out a couple of bucks and make it happen. Or, if I've got a bunch of money burning a hole in my pocket (which happens never) I can return to the monthly subscription and get access to everything as a VIP.

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Sounds great, right? Well it is, especially for DDO's instanced dungeon-based setup, but I was worried when the news first hit that Turbine was going to do the same with LOTRO. The thought of the Fellowship running around with money hats and dialogue options that say, "Want to fight the Nazgul - Buy Now!" was pretty much the antithesis of the immersive world that Turbine had created. Having played through the original campaign and the Mines of Moria expansion to the level cap, and leveling several alts to satisfy my ADD, I had an image of LOTRO as an engaging, well-polished MMORPG, and its immersiveness was one of the main things keeping me coming back to it. An in-game store simply didn't jive with that image.

So imagine my surprise after logging in, clicking through a kind of kitschy new character screen, and finding that nothing much has changed. Well, I should say, where only one thing has changed: IT'S FREE. Turbine has masterfully implemented the new LOTRO store with minimal intrusiveness to the core gameplay experience; if you want to do some quests, smoke some pipeweed, or roleplay using /emotes and archaic words that kind of creep out everyone around you, you won't notice anything different from the original game. If you want to explore new areas, grab helpful items or any of the new classes or expansions, the LOTRO store is literally a click away, yet is so well-integrated that it doesn't seem to detract from the overall game experience at all.

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It does help that I've already purchased the original game and first expansion, so the intrusiveness of the LOTRO store is next to nothing when I'm punching orcs in the face. I absolutely love the fact that running around in Middle Earth no longer requires a monthly fee, making it much easier to jump in and level my Minstrel's legendary weapons without feeling like I have to juggle the game with other subscriptions. Heck, I'm even scoping out the LOTRO store regularly for good deals, especially on the Siege of Mirkwood expansion!

Don't believe me about how awesome LOTRO is? Well, you have issues. The response for the new free to play model has been overwhelming, as Joystiq recently reported that the game "has doubled its revenue and created over a million new accounts since going free-to-play." So go get this game! The adage about the best things in life being free, or at least freemium, holds true for LOTRO, and we definitely think it's worth your money!

Mass Effect 2: Empire Strikes Back

In our recent opinions on Assassin's Creed II, I mentioned how Ubisoft Montreal has managed to completely improve on many aspects of the first game in the series, while adding even more assassiny features to the franchise.

Similarly, Bioware has taken Mass Effect, a great game-of-the-year quality game, and outdone themselves with Mass Effect 2, an even more incredible experience that is on many people's radar as 2010's GOTY. What Bioware promised - and delivered - in Mass Effect, namely, an intense third-person shooter/RPG hybrid with branching storylines, amazing dialogue and uber character customization, was realized even further in the sequel.

Mass Effect 2, simply put, is incredible. Like, if Battlestar Galactica and KOTOR had a baby, and that baby was raised by android cyber wolves, sent to psionic tech school, graduated with top honors in laser shooting, and starred in an 80's rock opera about jetpacks kind of incredible. Bioware took the template of the original Mass Effect and created a masterpiece by developing an amazingly complex storyline that changes based on how you play, where your decisions matter in the way the game unfolds and you feel as though your actions are making an impact on the people and galaxy around you.

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Even your choices from the original game can be imported, affecting the way the sequel's story develops and how people interact with you. I can't tell you how many times someone ran up to me in Mass Effect 2, exclaiming something like "Commander Shepard, thank you so much for your help back on [planet x] with [side quest y]!" My response was usually, "OMG IT'S AN ALIEN WHAT DO I DO," but it's still pretty awesome to feel like you can walk in a room in the second game and people recognize you for your badassity in the first.

Love it or hate it (love it), Bioware also tweaked the gameplay to be more action-oriented than a standard RPG, including features such as regenerating health and streamlining its RPG elements within character customization and progression. They also cleaned up the few issues most people had with the inventory system and loading times, and created an incredibly gripping story and cast of characters that will have you pre-ordering Mass Effect 3 two years in advance.

Simply put, I loved Mass Effect 2. It took everything I was impressed by in the first game and built upon it exponentially, adding a good measure of new hotness to boot. Having played it immediately after Assassin's Creed II, I started thinking about the trend in games of sequelization (related to trilogization and franchisization, which are also not words) that has been getting a lot of attention recently.

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For example, IGN's Hilary Goldstein wrote an editorial this summer about the nature of game publishing and the stability of iterating on franchises, while Rus McLaughlin has written critically about the nature of sequels in games. Rather than rehashing other people's stories and giving my own politically sensationalist spin, which is the job of corporate news networks, I'll say that I think that games such as Assassin's Creed II and Mass Effect 2 are great examples of how developers can create excellent franchises in which each game builds upon the previous to refine and expand the scope of their gameplay, story, visuals, and game systems. Other games, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, are experiencing a backlash because of their plethora of iterations without any real advancement in their presentation or gameplay, but some franchises, including Uncharted, Killzone, Halo, Civilization, and Call of Duty, are upping the ante with each release and are achieving popularity and acclaim accordingly.

When I pick up a game like Mass Effect 2, I feel like I'm putting on an old pair of rocket laser boots which feel comfortable and new at the same time. Sure, not all sequels can be an Empire Strikes Back or The Two Towers, or even Kronk's New Groove (nothing? anyone?), and I'm into new IP's and fresh takes on existing genres as much as the next person. Still, if sequels can advance gameplay, progress a franchise's story and keep us coming back for more greatness throughout a trilogy, then for my money, great things come in three's.

Assassin's Creed II: When in Rome, Use Parcours to Avoid Templars

The first Assassin's Creed generated an incredible amount of hype, sporting incredible visuals, groundbreaking free-roaming gameplay, and an interesting take on stealth with the encouragement of using the environment and passerby to garner information and avoid the authorities. Ubisoft Montreal's new action-adventure franchise was hailed more of a tech demo than the open-world assassin free romp it was touted to be, earning good, but not great scores across the board. Complaints about the game included its repetitive mission system, mediocre combat, and a seemingly unrelated parallel story arc that detracted from the immersiveness of the world's mythos.

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Understanding all of the first game's flaws, I was still drawn into the Assassin's Creed world because of its addictive parcours-based gameplay and the incredible detail of its crusade-era cities, Damascus, Acre, and Jerusalem. Who doesn't love climbing around the Dome of the Rock, jumping off into a bale of hay, then speeding on back to Damascus for your next assassination? Anyone? Bueller?

Yet, if the first game in the series had a great world and fun exploration, Assassin's Creed II makes it look like even more of a tech demo.

In every possible way.

Ubisoft Montreal clearly took the criticism and feedback towards the original Assassin's Creed to heart, as the sequel, which takes place in Renaissance Italy with a new Assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, builds upon the concepts of its predecessor while improving and adding numerous aspects that were lacking. Gone are the repetitive gather information missions, replaced with interesting, action-packed sequences that make you feel like you're constantly moving the story forward while still being a badass. The combat system is much improved, with a variety of weapons to unlock and choose from and a new inventory and radial selection screen to easily manage your instruments of assassination. Even the parallel story arc that spans the entire series manages to integrate pretty seamlessly with the main story, which is a great change from the first game. There are tons of other additions, like new ways to be stealthy and blend into crowds, and a huge, upgradable villa to renovate and call home. Rad!

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As mentioned, I loved the immersiveness of the original Assassin's Creed, and if the first one had it in spades, Assassin's Creed II has it in...um, a lot more spades. The setting is very well fleshed out, with 15th Century Florence, San Gimignano, Venice and more to explore, with an outstanding story and excellent cast of characters (including Leonardo da Vinci) that add a sense of authenticity to the world. The game also has an interesting conspiracy theory metanarrative that I found exciting to unravel, and although not everyone (spoilers) liked the ending, I thought that it neatly tied in the parallel plot lines and primed everyone for the third game in the series.

Most importantly, Assassin's Creed II is incredibly fun. Everything that made the first game cool has been improved upon, refined and added to, creating an amazingly open game experience that keeps you playing not only because of the addictive gameplay and exploration, but also because of the beautiful scenery and immersive story. Throw in a handful of Prince-of-Persia-esque tombs to monkey around in and you've got yourself an entertaining game!

Ubisoft hasn't released anything about Assassin's Creed III, but Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the sequel to Assassin's Creed II, comes out on November 16, and will let us explore the city of Rome and build a crew of Assassins to hopefully take over the world (or at least the Coliseum). It'll also be the first entry in the series to include multiplayer, so hopefully that'll tide us over until the next new entry in the series!

Blog =/= Dear Diary

I've never been interested in keeping a journal. The idea of chronicling one's day for posterity seems a bit self-indulgent, and the times that I've tried, I haven't been able to figure out what to write about.

"What did I even do today? Should I write down what I ate for breakfast? If I write something weird, the journal will judge me. What if someone reads this? Omg if anyone reads this I'm going to sound so uncool, I should do something awesome so that I can write about it, and then when they read it, I'll sound awesome."

Certainly, on several more-angsty-than-normal occasions in my goth teen years I picked up a notebook (usually black, with black pages, and probably black ink) and wrote a few pages, that probably read a lot like:

Dear journal,

I've decided to keep a journal. [wtf are you telling the journal this for?] There are a lot of things going on that I need to express, but no one understands me. [probably because you listen to Nine Inch Nails and are in the drama club] Today I went to school and I saw her. [ugh you are such a loser] Anyway, here's some poetry:

Darkness
I watch the outside
It listens to me
But it's raining [not bad, actually]

In any case, enter Something Totally Random. A few years ago Brian and I decided we wanted to do a regular podcast to discuss news and opinions on video games, tabletop/pnp games, board games, books and general geekery, and we called it Something Totally Random, modeled after our collective train of thought.

2 years later, with as many podcast episodes, we've decided to put together our knowledge and interest in the gaming industries to bring news, opinions, and discussions to you through this website and our podcasts. We both have a passion for writing, games, gaming journalism, and telling each other that we're wrong, and what better way to argue with each other than in flame wars over an internet forum, IN ALL CAPS???!?!?!@!@!

Please to enjoy!