Neverween Nights

Finally, the release of Neverwinter Nights 2, and a copy of it on my hands, is just one sleep away. I've been waiting for this game since it was announced two years ago. It's also at the good hands of Obsidian Entertainment (Knights of the Old Republic II), or should I say former Black Isle Studios (Fallout, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate). So I expect that the role-playing aspect of NWN 2 will surpass its predecessor. It's stability, however, I'm still not sure.

Happy Neverween!

Nevertheless, I'm prepared to face whatever bugs thrown at me, as long as the game is still playable of course. I already upgraded my graphics drivers, uninstalled the old NWN game to free some space, defragged my PC, and cleaned the registry. I even tricked out my wallpaper to celebrate the release of the game and Halloween.

First Impressions: Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

So it starts, the "Holiday Gaming Season" where gamers around the world face conundrums, in which game to buy first. In the past few days, I faced such dilemma: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance or Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. But with help of reviews, extensive research, and price checks, the latter game proved the victor.

I certainly didn't regret the decision I've made. I got Dark Messiah at Fry's Electronics because they usually drop the prices of games -by $10- during the first week of its release. In addition, I'll also receive $10 rebate if I buy a Logitech G5 Laser Mouse -impeccable timing since I really need a new mouse. GeForce and Ubisoft also teamed up, and those who bought the game will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a GeForce 7900 GTX graphics card. That's pretty cool, even though I'm an ATI boy.

The game itself is also a blast. I'm not usually into action games pretending to be RPGs, but Dark Messiah's combat system is offer's a lot of unique stuff. Your attacks are also brillantly brutal, taking the term hack n' slash into literal heights. Since it's using a Source Engine (Half Life 2 and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines) the graphics is amazing -and grinding down my machine in some areas. I'll definitely write a review of this game -if time allows- so check back in a couple of weeks.

Fusion: A Music Review

Muse - Black Holes and Revealations
(9.5 of 10)






After releasing their epic and highly orchestrated masterpiece, Absolution, back in 2003. I was a bit apathetic with the news of their fourth studio album, doubting the band's capabilities to outdo their previous work. But I was wrong, and I'm glad. Because Black Holes and Revealations is an ambitious and sublime album filled with various fusion of sounds and ingenuity.

The first two tracks in the album, "Take A Bow" and "Starlight", sounded like leftovers that didn't made it into their last album, and would probably throw the listener into thinking that Black Holes and Revealations is an Absolution knock-off. But the third song, "Supermassive Black Hole", will instantaenously rock your socks off with its heavy dance/funk beat and Bellamy's falsetto voice. From here onwards, the album sings a different tune. "Map of the Problematique" is another dance rock track that screams Depeche Mode all over it. "Exo-Politics" is a fun, hard, and groovy song that would make Franz Ferdinand green with envy. "Assassin" is probably the heaviest song -making it my favorite- in the whole album, with a guitar intro that resembles System of a Down's. The last track, "Knights of Cydonia", is a fusion of sounds from western movies, spacey synthezizers, and classic rock making it an operatic epilogue.

With that said, Black Holes and Revealations is brillant and grand album. It has varied sounds and not monotonous -even if compared with their other albums. So it won't get old quickly, no matter how much you listen to it. Music aside, the apocalyptic themes and political jargon is very entertaining, if you're into that. If not, Muse still made rock songs in this album worthy of headbanging.

Other Reviews

The Mars Volta - Amputechture
(8.0 of 10)



The Mars Volta's progressive sounds were never intended to be radio friendly since day one. More so now, with their third studio album, because they're not even user-friendly anymore. In Amputechture, the geniuses -known as Omar and Cedric- had over exceeded their musical expirementation, throwing thier new album into an utter sonic discord. Nevertheless, both wizards haven't entirely lost their minds since there's some brilliance left in the album. "Day of the Baphomet", a twelve minute fusion of jazz and rock, is the album's ace. "Viscera Eyes", a latin jam filled with wah guitars and blasting trumpets, is another highlight. Although Amputechture is just white noise compared to previous The Mars Volta albums, it's still far better than what's out there.

Kasabian - Empire
(8.6 of 10)



Like the albums above, Empire is also ambitious and grand. The album is quite varied from beginning to end. Fusing various musical elements from hip-hop, psychedelic, classic rock, to techno; making all of their tracks groovy and dancable -if you're into that sort of thing. "Aponea" is a techno dance track that reminds me a lot of The Chemical Brothers. "The Doberman", with it's choir-like symphony played in the form of classic rock, is probably my favorite song here. Albeit it does not sit that well with me, I like it even better than their last effort.

Priestess - Hello Master
(8.3 of 10)



Unlike the other the bands above, who's trying so hard to redifine and revolutionize music, Priestess is just trying to jumpstart your nostalgia with their AC/DC-like, Sabbath-esque, and Motorhead-ish sounds. From riffs to breaks, Hello Master showcases that the band had mastered the craft of all the classics. The vocalist, however, lacks that unique raw voice like Scott's, Kilmister's, or Ozzy's that makes the band tick well. Nevertheless, the catchy lyrics and awesome riffs of songs like "I am the Night, Color Me Black." and "Two Kids" will make the back of your necks ache caused by extreme, non-stop headbanging.

Eme Nakia

If The Mars Volta released a booklet -in order to understand their album De-loused in the Comatorium- that contained the interesting story of their friend. Sparta also included a DVD on their third album, entitled Eme Nakia, which I would love to call a movietrack, that tells the early life of their drummer, Tony Hajjar.

While the short film isn't really "to die for" or anything, it's still nice to see the roots of Tony. The film portrays the younger Tony, who just migrated to the states due to the civil war in Lebanon during the 80's. His family stayed at El Paso, Texas -where I think he met and formed At The Drive In- where he and his family struggled. His mother had cancer, and his father stayed distant from them, and started seeing other women. Eventually, his mother died and his father left them, leaving his older brother to take care of them, he and his sister.

As for the album, I haven't thorougly listened to it but I'm quite sure that not all songs here pertains to Tony's life. Though, I think it's good. I liked it better than Porcelain. I'll listen to it a bit then you'll hear more from my review.

Character Build: X-Men Legends II Pt. 3

This will be the last installment of my X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse character builds. I've beaten the game, on different difficulty levels, many times over. So this game is getting really old. Although it will be my last X-Men Legends team build, I promise that it won't be the least. And what team build could be better than the last two I have presented on this blog? Well, this one has Wolverine on it, and he's the center of attraction.

Fast, Furious, and Ferocious

Team Roster and Bonus:
Bishop, Jean Grey, Toad, and Wolverine. No team bonus. Later in the game, however, you can dress all characters with Age of Apocalypse skins to get a +100% to Attack Rating. It's not much but it's something.

This team was designed around Wolverine, surrounding him with support characters to augement his attacks and fixing a few flaws that he has. All by himself, Wolverine is already a feral beast capable of cleaning the room and taking on big bosses. He have a good crowd control (Claw Flurry) and a devastating 'finisher' skill (Eviscerate) that'll make tough opponents crumble. But we're not stopping there because you can further improve his damage with Bishop's Energy Fury and Toad's Secretion. With those boosts, Wolverine skills will yield absurd amounts of damage. How much? Let's just say that a Wolverine with 152 points on Strike and four points on Eviscerate, and boosted with level 11 of Toad's Secretion and level 7 of Bishop's Energy Fury, can deal 11,000 to 16,000 points of damage (26,000 damage on a critical hit). Yeah, that much.

But the big problem with Wolverine, however, is that he has low Focus and energy points. To make it even worse, he has no Mutant Master to improve the regeneration rate of his energy. But not to worry, that's where Jean Grey's Mental Vortex comes in. Mental Vortex is a boost that'll turn 20% of inflicted damage into energy points. Since you'll be dealing huge amounts of damage (courtesy of Energy Fury and Secretion) Wolverine will be filling his EP tank in no time, fueling his power attacks.

Task wise, this team almost have it all. You've got Toad's Mucous Spit to put out fires, Bishop Sapping Strike to turn off generators, and Jean Grey's a flier, bridge builder, and her Telekinesis can push/lift most things. What you don't have is a leader, which is no big deal, and a teleporter. But you can always, momentarily, change one of your member to fulfill certain Objectives.

Also, if you haven't played X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, yet, and is planning to sometime soon. This is an ideal team to play first. Because, unlike in my two other guides, this team does not consist of unlockable characters.

Characters

Bishop
The main reason why he's on this team: he's my favorite X-Men character. Of course, he got a glitch on his skill that makes him that most valuable support characters in the game.

The skill you need to maximize immediately is Energy Fury. It's a boost that adds 50% of energy damage to your teammates melee attacks, as it has been written. But don't be fooled, this skill is glitched and adds more than just 50% of energy damage. I don't know the exact figure but it'll let Bishop and his teammates deal insane amounts of damage. I've chosen Full Auto for his attacks. It adds 130 radiation damage, per bullet, at maximum level. If combined with his passive skills Gun Mastery, which increases all damages dealt by his gun attacks, and Power Trip (as well as Toad's Secretion), which will improve the speed of his movement and firing rate. Bishop will certainly clear the room pretty fast. Mutant Master is, of course, needed for his attacks. But maximizing it is only optional since Jean Grey's Mental Vortex will fill up Bishop's energy points in just seconds.

For his stats, you need to build up a high Focus to keep up with his attacks and Energy Fury. So two points into Focus every level, and three points every other level. The remaining points will be distributed between Body and Speed to increase his lifespan.

Skills
Energy Fury: Maximize
Full Auto: Maximize
Gun Mastery: Maximize
Power Trip: Maximize
Mutant Master: 11 Points, or Maximize

Stats
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Jean Grey
This redhead made a mess of X-Men's male populace. She's kind of weak in this game though. Because there are many mentally resistant foes. Still, her boosts makes her a worthy addition to any team.

First and foremost, you should prioritize Jean's Mental Vortex, a very cool team boost that turns 20% of inflicted damage into energy points. This boost will fuel the team's attacks, and will solve Wolverine's low energy points problem, early in the game. For her attacks, just stick with Telekinesis since it deals both physical and mental damage, and it'll able Jean to lift/push heavy things (and massive things starting at level 8). Dark Phoenix is also a good crowd control attack. Although it takes some time to execute it. Mental Mastery is also a must in order to increase Jean's mental damage. Throwing points in Mutant Master is also wise. But unlike other team builds, maximizing it is only optional since Mental Vortex, as long as she attacks, will fill up her EP in no time.

For Jean's stats, Focus is important to increase her energy points. So two points to Focus every level, and three points every other level. Then throw the remaining points into Body and Speed every level to make her less frail.

Skills
Mental Vortex: Maximize
Mental Mastery: Maximize
Telekinesis: Maximize
Dark Phoenix: 11 Points (due to a glitch in the last 4 ranks)
Mutant Master: 11 Points, or Maximize
Flight: 1 Point

Stats
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Toad
This disgusting critter is quite a bad-ass in this game. He owes it all to his Secretion skill, one powerful boost that'll turn him and his teammates, espeically Wolverine, into animals -figuratively.

Toad's most important skill here is Secretion, a boost that increases all character's movement speed and damage. This will make Wolverine really fast and would improve his damage as well. Secretion also works side by side with Bishop's Energy Fury further increasing the team's damage output. For Toad's attack, I choose Tongue Lash since it's a good crowd control, and its damage is also augmented by Energy Fury. Tongue Mastery is also a must since this will improve Toad's Tongue Lash. Mutant Master is also good to fuel Toad's Tongue Lashes. However, in this team build, you don't really need to maximize it. Jean Grey's Mental Vortex does an excellent job in refilling energy point containers.

For building Toad's stats. Focus is the priority here since you'll need plenty of energy points to cast Secretion. So two points on Focus every level. Then a point in Strike, to increase his base damage. Then alternately distribute the remaining points into Body and Speed.

Skills
Secretion: Maximize
Tongue Lash: Maximize
Tongue Mastery: Maximize
Mutant Master: 11 Points, or Maximize
Mucuos Spit: 1 Point (for putting out fires)

Stats
2 Focus
1 Strike
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Wolverine
What can I say, he's the man. He made Hugh Jackman popular, and the X-Men comics even more popular since the day he joined. Of course, he's also the main ingredient for this team build.

Wolverine is quite hard to build since he has plenty of good skills to choose from. This build, however, only requires four, two active and two passive skills. For his active skills, I choose Claw Frenzy, a very good crowd control that deals decent amount of damage and leaves the enemies stunned. Then Eviscerate, one of the most devastating skills in the game, which adds 1250% of physical damage to Wolverine's base damage. There's a catch, however, using this Eviscerate will leave Wolverine susceptible to damage. So use it in moderation. For his passive skills, Claw Master is must since it will increase the damage dealt by his claw attacks. Enhanced Senses, too, is a good skill that will raise Wolverine's attack and defense rating. Regeneration and Strong Willed are also good passive skills and you might want to throw points in them when you maxed everything else.

For Wolverine's stats, two points on Strike every level is essential. This will increase his base damage, thus increasing damage dealt by Eviscerate. a point in Body comes next, since Wolverine is quite vulnerable in this game. The alternately distribute the remaining points in Focus and Speed. Stop throwing more points in Focus once it reaches 25.

Skills
Claw Flurry: Maximize
Claw Mastery: Maximize
Eviscerate: Maximize
Enhanced Senses: 10 Points, or 11 Points (to reveal hidden enemies)

Stats
2 Strike
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

After Focus 25
2 Strike
1 Body
1 Strike/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Wolverine, buffed up by his teammates.

Well that's the last installment for my X-Men Legends II team builds. If you enjoyed my character builds be sure to check back some other time for more. Since Neverwinter Nights 2 is due next week, I'd probably write some character guides for that game.

Deadlands

As of late, game developers have been raping the RPG genre with elven archers and orcish warriors, and I'm tired of the fantasy setting. That's the reason why, lately, I've been dabbling with RPGs with different settings. Namely, D20 Modern and Deadlands. But as I was searching for Deadlands rulebooks on the net, I stumbled upon Headfirst Production website and found out that they're developing a Deadlands game.

To give you a head's up, Deadlands is one of the most unique RPG. The character creation uses a deck of poker cards to determine your character's traits. The same goes for spell casting. But what I like about it is the setting and atmopshere. Which is a cross genre between western, horror, and steampunk. A bit similar to the game Darkwatch, I think.

I don't know if the game will stay true, or close, to the rulebook. Heck, I don't even know if the game will see the light of day. But for now, the news of a Deadlands game is a very welcome and refreshing news to me.

The Prestige

A movie called The Prestige went on show today. The film was set in the late Victorian-era and the story was about two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) who tries to outdo each other with their illusions and tricks. Since it's directed by Christopher Nolan, director of Memento and Batman Begins, two of my favorite films, I went out to see it.

I did love the theme of the movie though. Which was -since it's about magicians- the utilization of deceit and misdirection to achieve something. In the case of both magicians, they hide the secrets of their tricks while the other tries to steal or sabotage it with the use of disguise or spies. Later on, they'd learn that the secret they've stolen was actually a fake, a made up secret just to mislead them. The film, too, presented in different time scenes, were designed to misdirect the audiences without making the story too convoluted. But at the end of the film, it all clears up. As if the magician has told you the secrets of his tricks.

The other thing I liked about the film was the incorporation of technology, adding a little bit of steampunk atmosphere to the movie -which reminds of the game Arcanum: Steampunk and Magick Obscura. The two magicians used advanced technological contraptions to improved their acts. So both of them employed engineers and inventors, and attends technological expo to find inspiration. This also brings the movie into the real world involving two historic and rival inventors, often referred in the film as the real wizards, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Tesla -which was played by the great David Bowie- was also in hiding, trying to keep his secrets from Thomas Edison's men. And in every expo, Edison's men always tries to discredit Tesla in front of his audiences.

As for the actors, I think Christian Bale did a terrific job in playing Alfred Borden, a true genuine illusionist who designs clever tricks. Hugh Jackman also did fit as Robert Angier, a performer who loves to charm his audience with his magic. Michael Caine was the true gem but that's probably because he speaks so wisely. Scarlett Johanessen, she's nice too look at but she was under used in this film.

All in all, I think the film is worth watching. Though I'm a bit disappointed at first, and it was my probably my fault for expecting too much from Christopher Nolan. I really did think this film was going to be big and would raise a monument for Nolan. But who can blame me after seeing Batman Begins?

Character Build: X-Men Legends II Pt. 2

Last time, I wrote a team build, Flaming Tongue and Swords, for X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse that features Deadpool, Nightcrawler, Sunfire, and Toad. Now, I bring you yet another team build for the same game. Although this time the team build is not designed for damage dealing. But I can assure you that the team, like the first one, is as fun to play.

Triple Beam Command

Team Roster and Bonus:
Cyclops, Iceman, Magneto, and Professor X forms the Old School team bonus and receives +15% bonus on their max energy points.

This team wasn't designed to be the ultimate killing machine in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. However, it was built for gaining insane amounts of experience points from combination attacks, or combos. In order to that you need a character with a Leadership skill and a beam attack.

The Leadership skill will increase the critical chance dealt by the whole team and also increases the amount of experience gained from combos. At maximum level, Leadership skill adds +92% to experience gained from combo. Since three characters on this team has the Leadership skill -Cyclops, Magneto, and Professor X- and its effect stacks up, you'd gain +276% experience on combos. But it only works if you hit combos, and hitting combos is a bit tricky.

In order for you to hit combos everytime, you need attacks with the same travel speed. Beam attacks, in my opinion and experience, are ideal attacks for hitting combos since most of them travel fast and at the same speed too. So Cyclops' Fusion Beam, Iceman's Slow/Freeze Beam, and Magneto's Magnetic Shell are quite effective. Moreover, all three beams inflicts different damage types. So opponents with some sort of resistance isn't quite safe. In addition, with the team bonus, +15% to maximum energy, you won't find yourself out of energy very often.

Characters

Cyclops
The boy scout, uptight leader of the X-Men. He's always a wuss, may it be in the comics, movies, or this game. If not for his Leadership skills, Toad would've been in his pedestal to complete the team.

The first thing you need to do with Cyclops is to maximize his Leadership skill right away to get the full benefits. His main attack would be the Fusion Beam, available at level 21, which is a beam attack that adds more than 300 radiation damage over 3 seconds at maximum level. Don't invest points in Optic Beam. While it is one of his better attacks, its increased speed will be out of sync with Iceman's and Magneto's beams, making it harder to hit combos. You also need to invest points on Polarized Beam, which is a good crowd softener if you're overwhelmed by mobs of enemies. Visor Upgrade, a passive skill that increases the damage and critical chance of Cyclop's visor beam attacks, is also a must. Of course, Mutant Master is much needed so you can 'spam' his powers.

For building Cyclop's stats, you need to prioritize Focus in order to raise his energy points. Body comes next to give him a high health and make him a bit more sturdy. Then dump the remaining point into Speed to increase his defense.

Skills
Fusion Beam: Maximize
Polarized Beam: Maximize
Visor Upgrade: Maximize
Leadership: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize

Stats
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed

Iceman
The coolest character on the team -both literally and figuratively speaking. He has some good ranged attacks that slows down, or freezes, the enemies, making him a good crowd controller/softener.

You have two choices for Iceman's main attack, the Slow Beam or the Freeze Beam. Both are beam attacks with the same execution speed, damage output, and energy point cost. The only thing different is that Slow Beam only slows enemies while Freeze beam freezes enemies. Of course, you got the first level of Slow Beam for free while Freeze beam becomes available at level 7. As for your crowd control attacks, Cold Crush is a nice projectile that deals 150 cold damage and freezes enemies for 3 seconds. Moreover, its explosion deals a lesser amount of damage and slows those within the radius. Cold Mastery, a passive skill, will also increase the damage and critical chance by Iceman's cold attacks, and his cold resistance. Mutant Master is also a must-have skills that will give Iceman's attack a good run.

For Iceman's stats, prioritize his Focus to increase his energy points that fuels his attacks. a point to his Body every level will increase his health, making him a bit sturdier. Then throw the extra point into his Speed to increase his defense.

Skills
Slow Beam: Maximize or None (if you choose Freeze Beam)
Freeze Beam: Maximize or None (If you choose Slow Beam)
Cold Crush: Maximize
Cold Mastery: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize

Stats
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Magneto
The Master of Magnetism is the most important member of the team. He's the only flier, a bridge builder, and his Levitation skill will help the team finish certain objectives.

Magneto's best attack in this team would be the Magnetic Shell. It's a beam attack that, when maximized, inflicts 200 energy damage, holding enemies in place for 7 seconds, and can build bridges. It's also a beam attack so its speed is the same as Iceman's Slow Beam/Freeze Beam and Cyclops' Fusion Beam. However, its execution time is much delayed. So you might want to control Magneto for a better chance of hitting combos with Iceman and Cyclops. Shrapnel Sentry also makes a good crowd control when swarmed by enemies. Intimidation is also a nice passive skill that increases Magneto's defense and reduces the damage he receives. Mutant Master, of course, is essential to fuel your attacks. More importantly, don't forget his Leadership skill, the reason why he's on this team. If possible, try maximizing this skill early on so you'd get its full benefits right away.

As for Magneto's stats, prioritize Focus to build up his energy points that will power his attacks. Then his Body to make him more hardy. The remaining point you distribute into Speed to raise up his defense.

Skills
Magnetic Shell: Maximize
Shrapnel Sentry: Maximize
Intimidation: Maximize
Leadership: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize
Levitation: 1 Point or 8 Points (for lifting/pushing massive objects)
Flight: 1 Point

Stats
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/2 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Professor X
Professor X only have a few good skills. Besides that, you need to defeat all Danger Room courses to unlock him. But his Leadership skill, and if built correctly, makes him a welcome addition to any team.

Professor X will be the only melee attacker on the team, which is quite odd for a crippled telepath. His most basic skill, Cleave, when maximized, deals more than 300 physical damage and a 30% chance of causing a deadly strike (instant health point loss) . It's also a good crowd control since it has a long reach and swings an arc of 180 degrees. Clairvoyance is also a good passive skill that increases movement speed and reduces the amount of damage received, making the Professor a more resilient fighter. Since the team inflicts a low overall damage, you also need to invest in Telepathic Link. It's a boost which will increase the attack and damage output of the team. Mutant Master is also a must since you'll be utilizing your Cleave attack frequently. Last, but definitely not the least, is his Leadership skill. Like Cyclops and Magneto, you need to maximize this skill early on so you can receive its benefits.

For Professor X's stats, you need to build up his Focus, to increase his energy points, and Strike, to increase his base damage. So 2 points on Strike and 1 into Focus every level. Then you distribute the remaining point between Body and Speed in alternate levels. Stop throwing points into Strike when it reaches 50. Then distribute those points into Focus and Body

Skills
Cleave: Maximize
Clairvoyance: Maximize
Telephatic Link: Maximize
Leadership: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize

Stats
2 Strike
1 Focus
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

At Strike 50
2 Focus
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

The beam commanders executing flawless combos

Well that's it for the second part of my X-Men Legends II character guide (or team guide in this case). If you've enjoyed this, or the last, one, then make sure you comeback sometime next week and check out the third installment of my team builds.

Music Release 102406

Lately, I've been so busy looking for a job -and doing nothing- that I lost my knack in finding new music. So now, I'm stuck with the bands that debuted a couple of years ago. But that's ok, Muse and Kasabian just released awesome albums, and so did The Mars Volta. I might write a review of those albums sometime. And next week, The Deftones and Sparta, both my favorite bands, are dropping their latest albums. Here's some 'legit' mp3's, of both band's singles, that I found for your sampling pleasure. Enjoy.

The Deftones
"Hole in the Earth" (MP3)
From the album Saturday Night Wrists

Sparta
"Taking Back Control" (MP3)
From the album Threes

Character Build: X-Men Legends II

I'm always been fond of character creations in role-playing games. So I decided to write a series of character building guides in order to keep this blog updated. To kick start things, I'll write a team build for X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, a game which currently satiates me while I wait for the release of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Neverwinter Nights 2.

Flaming Tongue and Swords

Team Roster and Bonus:
Deadpool, Nightcrawler, Sunfire, and Toad forms the Agile Warriors team bonus and receive a +5% to experience gained.

This team is really fun to play, and it's probably my favorite build. The build is widely a melee offensive team designed to deal massive amounts of damage. Offensive skills like Deadpool's Rupturing Jab, Nightcrawler's Teleport Frenzy, Sunfire's Flame Sword, and Toad's Tongue Strike can really dish out a lot of damage on their own. But if used with Toad's Secretion boost, which increases the damage and movement, those skills can become quite scary.

For completing objectives, this team has it all. A flier (Sunfire) that can cross between gaps and fly to areas not accesible by foot. Teleporters (Deadpool and Nightcrawler) for also bridging gaps and getting through blocked areas. Brotherhood members (Deadpool and Toad) to open certain doors. You also have Toad that has the ability to put out fires. The only thing you need is a character than can push heavy things. So you'll need to change members, once in a while, in order to accomplish certain tasks that requires pushing (I remember switching Toad for Rogue about three times). You also lack the Leadership skill, which increases the experience gained from combination attacks, but the +5% to Experience from the team bonus will more than make up for it.

Characters

Deadpool
Probably the most straight-forward character in the game. A 'sword in your face' straight-forward character. However, you need to finish the game first to unlock and play him.

His most basic skill, Rupturing Jab, is quite a killer. It adds more than 1000% of physical damage to his base damage and leaves a bleeding damage over a few seconds. His passive skills like Weapon Mastery will also improve the damage and critical chance of his Rupturing Jab. Mutant Master, a passive skill that increases the regeneration rate of his energy points, is a must since you'll be using Rupturing Jab quite frequently. Regeneration, while not really necessary, will save you a whole lot of health packs. Stealth, which increases Deadpool's melee damage, is quite useful especially if you run out of energy.

For building Deadpool's stats, two points in Striking every level is a must. This will increase the damage done by Rupturing Jab. A point into Body every level is also advisible so he could take some beating. Then alternately distribute all your remaining points into Speed and Focus. Stop investing points into Focus when it reaches 80, and start putting an extra point into Striking.

Skills
Rupturing Jab: Maximize
Weapon Mastery: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize
Regeneration: Maximize or 9 Points
Stealth: Maximize or Some points
Teleportation: 11 Points or None (Nightcrawler is a better teleporter)

Stats
2 Striking
1 Body
1 Focus/Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

At Focus 80
2 Striking
1 Body
1 Striking/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Nightcrawler
The blue elf is another fun character to play. He also has a very bad exploitable bug in one of his attacks, making him the most powerful character in the game.

Early in the game, Nightcrawler's best offensive skill is the Divine Blades, a sword attack. So you need to invest at least five points in this skill and throw a couple more into Sword Mastery, a passive skill that will increase the damage and critical chance dealt by sword attacks. Later on, when Teleport Frenzy becomes available, you will need to redistribute all your skills from Divine Blades and Sword Mastery into Teleport Frenzy and Teleport Mastery.

Teleport Frenzy is a real wicked skill that will clear out a room full of opponents in just a matter of seconds. But the best thing is: It's free, no cost of energy points when you use it as long you don't invest points into the Teleport Attack skill. Passive skills like Critical Strike and Teleport Mastery will further enhance the damage dealt by Teleport Frenzy. Master of Chaos is also a good Xtreme attack, especially when you're swarmed by enemeis. Since it's also a teleport attack, Teleport Mastery will increase its effectiveness.

For Nightcrawler's stats, two points in Striking every level will increase the damage output done by melee attacks and powers. Since you'd be in the front lines taking hits, 1 point in Body would make Nightcrawler a bit sturdy. Then alternately distribute the rest of your points to Speed and Focus. Stop putting more points into Focus when it reaches 20, and add an extra point into Striking.

Skills
Teleport Frenzy: Maximize
Teleport Mastery: Maximize
Critical Strike: Maximize
Master of Chaos: Maximize
Teleport: Maximize or 3 Points
Divine Blades: Some points early in the game
Sword Mastery: Some points early in the game

Stats
2 Striking
1 Body
1 Focus/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

At Focus 20
2 Striking
1 Body
1 Striking/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Sunfire
I only picked Sunfire so I can form the Agile Warriors and get the bonus. But this fiery Asian surprised me. As a range attacker, he's not much. But as a melee fighter, however, he's scorching

Most Sunfire builds out there are usually range attackers. If you go that way, then you'd be missing his best attack, the Flame Sword. Flame Sword is a melee attack that deals over 200 points of fire damage and has a 70% of critical chance when maxed. Since Flame Sword is only available late in the game, you need to invest points into Elemental Combat to heat things up. Elemental Combat adds fire damage to Sunfire's melee attacks and Fire Mastery, a passive skill that increases the damage and critical chance dealt by fire, will increase its effectiveness. Flaming Fury is also a good boost that adds fire damage to all melee attacks, including Sunfire's allies. Mutant Master is also a must since you'll be frequently using Flame Sword.

For Sunfire's stats, you need to prioritize Striking and Focus. High Striking score, coupled with Elemental Combat, early in the game will turn Sunfire into your biggest hitter. So you need to put at least two points here every level and 1 point into Focus to start building up his energy points. You also need to increase Speed and Body, alternately. Once you reach level 16, start putting 2 points into Focus and a point into Striking.

Skills
Flame Sword: Maximize
Flaming Fury: Maximize
Fire Mastery: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize
Elemental Combat: Some point early on, and maximize later if you can afford.
Flight: 1 Point

Stats
2 Striking
1 Focus
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

At Level 15
2 Focus
1 Striking
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

Toad
Like Sunfire, I only picked Toad to form the Agile Warriors and get the team bonus. Little did I realize that this digusting mutant packs solid attacks and the best power boost in the game.

You can build Toad in two ways, the spitting toad or the licking toad. In this team build, the licking toad reigns supreme since tongue attacks are melee attacks, and Sunfire's Flaming Fury adds fire damage to melee attacks. Tongue Strike is Toad's best attack in the game. It adds 800% of physical damage to Toad's base damage (when maximized) and also stuns the enemy for a few seconds. Tongue Mastery will also increase the effectiveness of all tongue attacks. Secretion, a boost that increases the movement and damage of Toad and his allies, is what makes him the best support character in the game. Mutant Master is also an important skill since you'll be using Secretion and Tongue Strike quite often.

For Toad's stats, you need to prioritize Striking to increase his base damage, and Focus to power his Tongue Strike and Secretion. So every level, you need to throw at least two points into Striking and a point into Focus. Speed and Body, you need to alternately increase these stats. Once you've reach level 11, start putting two points into Focus and a point into Striking.

Skills
Tongue Strike: Maximize
Tongue Mastery: Maximize
Secretion: Maximize
Mutant Master: Maximize
Critical Chance: Maximize or 1 Point
Tongue Lash: Maximize or None
Tongue Whip: Maximize or None
Mucous Spit: 1 Point (for putting out fires)

Stats
2 Striking
1 Focus
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

At Level 11
2 Focus
1 Striking
1 Body/1 Speed (Even/Odd Levels)

The Agile Warriors in Action

Well that's about it, I've written my first game guide. It's not much but I enjoyed writing it and it did took me some time. I do hope whoever utilizes this guide will enjoy the team build as much as I did.

300 Spartans

Frank Miller's 300

When going to the movies the other thing that is fun, other than the movie itself, are the trailers. Some people do complain about them but trailers are part of the movies too, you pay to watch them. One trailer that made my blood race, and almost gave me a heart attack, was The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Now another one did the same thing when I went to watch The Departed today -which, by the way, is a fun movie. That film is called 300. The music, the action, it all got through me and I almost shouted, in excitement, inside the theatre.

300 is a 'comic-to-film' and was based on Frank Miller's 300 graphic novel, one of my favorites. There was also an older film version in the 60's entitled 300 Spartans, which also depicts the battle of the 300 spartans against the thousand armies of Persia. Though I would think, based on the trailer and Frank Miller's 300, the older film, 300 Spartans, would be more historically accurate. Frank Miller's 300 would be the artsy and sensationalized version. Still, worth waiting for though.

Game Review: Darkstar One

Darkstar One
(8.0 of 10)
Platform: Windows XP (PC)
Publisher: CDV
Developer: Ascaron Entertainment




Introduction
Space simulations were one of the genres that dominated the PC gaming industry, many moons ago. Games such as Freespace, Privateer, Frontier, and X: Beyond the Frontier were nearly played by every PC gamer that I know during the heydays of this genre. Nowadays, space simulation is buried beneath the market of MMORPGs, RTS, and FPS. If you do find one, its simple fun of blasting away space pirates –or space police, if you’re the unscrupulous type- is lost in the game’s complexities. Darkstar One, however, kept everything simple and concentrated on one thing that matter to most: blasting enemy ships.

The Darkstar One, scouring the asteroid field

Story
Darkstar One was written by Cladia Kern, a renowned German science fiction author, which is quite entertaining. The story revolves around an upstart pilot, Kayron Jarvis, with an agenda to bring his father’s murderer to justice. Following a trail of information, his adventures brings him to different star systems, get caught in the middle of conflicts, and, eventually, uncover a plot larger than the universe. Albeit it’s pretty basic for the most part, the story still has some flavor to it.

The Protagonist, Kayron, and his co-pilot, Iona

Gameplay
What I like about Darkstar One is its simplicity, no complex features and just straightforward fun. You start out with a short, and yet precise, tutorial which covers everything you need to know about the game, from hyperjumping to landing your ship on space stations. Combat is very easy and simple, just point the cursor at your enemy, click the mouse, and kill. Dodging and outmaneuvering enemies can also be done simply with the use of a mouse and keyboard, although the utilization of a joystick may be needed for effective dogfighting in difficult levels. Trading is also pretty basic in Darkstar One, unlike in X3: The Reunion where the economy moves realistically, you just buy low in one station and sell it high in another.

Enemy Sighted!

Besides from the simple and fun gameplay, Dakrstar One also incorporated subtle RPG elements to its gameplay, adding a dash of flavor that is uncommon in space simulation games. In Darkstar One, instead of frequently changing ships to answer the challenges presented to a space pilot, you’re just stuck with one ship from start to finish. An evolving and fully upgradeable prototype ship that is. Your ship will evolve, or “level up”, if you’ve collected certain amount artifacts, which can be obtained through searching asteroids, or given as a reward by liberating a star system, and can be customized to your preference. Upgrade the hulls of your ship to make it even sturdier, modify the wings to increase the weapon mounts and agility of your ship, or increase your ship’s energy to obtain better equipment and firepower. In addition, each ship upgrade will also able you to improve your plasma cannon, a feature that allows you to have various special attacks and defenses.

Ship Upgrade Menu.

Graphics & Sounds
The graphics in Darkstar One is pretty decent. I love how the way your ship changes its appearance every time you upgrade it. The ship and space station designs are also cool, especially in the Raptor Systems, and the planets are vibrant and colorful. However, there are not enough ship and space station models to add variety to the game’s atmosphere. There are also fewer objects to be found in space, and there are not enough unique objects to make one star system distinct from another.

The Universe of Darkstar One.

Like the graphics, the sound is also above average. The blips, the engine hum, and the blasting cannons are all in place. The music changes from a calm ambiance to heavy guitar riffs when an enemy is near, to enunciate the upcoming battle. The voice acting is also passable in most times, but there are some situations that the characters sounded less eager and emotionless.

Conclusion
Darkstar One went back to the basics, kept it simple, and throws the player right into action, without digging through a three hundred page manual or memorizing a multitude of hotkeys. The combat, however, becomes repetitive. Hyperjumping can become tedious and less enjoyable too, because the star systems look all the same, and there are no places to visit besides the trade station. Trading is too simple as well, and might be a turn off to those who love space trading, or X3’s dynamic economy. But if you’re itching to turn something into space dust, Darkstar One, coupled with an entertaining sci-fi story, is the game that will satiate your appetite for destruction.