Virtual Adept

Okay well it’s been a long time since I posted to the blog. Sorry about that, just haven’t had much of anything interesting to post about I guess. Here is my currently playing list:

Geneforge 3 is a great little turn-based RPG from the creative mind of Jeff Vogel at Spiderweb Software. I’ve written before about Geneforge, this game is more RPG goodness in the same setting. He’s improved the graphics engine a bit and the interface. Grab the demo and try it!

Blades of Avernum this is another turn-based RPG that has a built in scenario editor so that you can make your own adventures or download ones that others in the community have made. Still very early in this one so far, but it is fun so far. Grab the free demo and give it a go!

Shattered Union - which I did a review of on GameChronicles. Bottom line on this one is that it has a very good skirmish mode battle system but the overall strategic level of the campaign mode isn’t very enticing. Not bad as a “beer and pretzels” quick strategy fix.

Half-Life and Half-Life 2 - been replaying the original some and restarted HL2 when I deleted my Steam folder to install the GOTY edition. These are both excellent games that any FPS fan should own.

Call of Duty 2 - very immersive, almost too intense, you really feel like you’re right there in a war. They’ve improved the graphics for this version but the best improvement is the way the health system works. Now you start to get hit and it warns you to take cover. You don’t have to pick up health packs or monitor a health meter, you just need to not get hit too much all at one time, if you keep under cover you can recover heath automatically. Has no save-anytime, but the quick-save points are pretty common so far. I haven’t had to replay any long portions of the game when I died.

Should be loading up Quake 4 soon. Also on the way is GUN for PC (for review) and Sims 2 for the Xbox (another review game).

I recently tried the demo version of a new game called Fate. This game is essentially a Diablo 2 clone but it does have some unique features that sets it apart, and there is no denying the fun factor of this game. While the game is highly derivative, it does just about everything right to give it that “just 5 more minutes” addictive gameplay.

You start the game as a male or female adventurer. You get a club, one identify spell and one town portal spell. Yep, they work just like in D2, you right click a scroll to use it. You can buy scroll books also, and the game actually gives you a discount if you do. You can equip items. Items have different attribute level requirements, such as Strength 30, or Dexterity 25.

The background to the game is that there is a dungeon near this little town. The town has NPCs that either give you quests or want to sell you stuff. You can buy magic items, armor, weapons, enchantments to your items, etc. Like in D2 you have a chest in town where you can stash gear.

Combat in Fate is pretty much just like Diablo. You swing your weapon by holding down the left mouse button on a monster. You automatically pick up some loot (potions and gold) by running over it, and items you click to pick up. The items are randomized, so you can get different magical attributes on the items you find. You can cast spells if you buy a spell and learn it in town or find a spell while adventuring. There are spells to heal you and/or your allies, summon monsters to help fight for you, or do direct damage.

Leveling up works just like Diablo 2, you can assign points to skills and to attributes. The attributes you can assign to are Strenth - melee damage, Dexterity - ability to hit, Vitality - how much damage you can take, and Magic - your magical affinity and power. You have different skills like Swords or Duel Wielding or Charm Magic, etc. You can assign points to these areas to give your character bonuses when using those skills.

Instead of hiring mercenaries like in D2, you get a pet. Your pet can be either a cat or a dog. Your pet can wear rings or necklaces to improve it’s abilities. The pet gains in levels as you do by killing things. The pet also has a large inventory space and you can shift-click on items on the ground to have your pet pick it up. This is great for stashing loot you plan to sell to a vendor. When in town you can shift-click the vendor and you can then sell items from the pet inventory.

Another neat feature that is unique to Fate is fishing. You can buy a fishing pole and then find fishing holes to fish from. In town there is a spot you can fish, and you’ll also find spots in the dungeon. The purpose of fishing is to find different kinds of fish. When you feed a fish to your pet, it can transform into a different type of creature. For example, you might feed it a certain fish and it turns your pet into a wolf for a while. Different kinds of creatures have different stats and abilities so this can affect how effective your pet is in combat.

The music for the game is very good, sound effects are decent. The graphics are actually quite good, much better than D2’s - they are fully 3D. Screenshots are on the game’s web site. The demo lets you go 3 levels deep into the dungeon. I recommend downloading it and giving it a go. You can find out more about Fate on the Fate web site. I’m highly considering buying the registered version of this, which is $20.

One thing you should be aware of is that the registered game keys in on your hardware configuration and you are only allowed to install the game 3 times before you get locked out of it. Supposedly you can email WildTangent and get more installs, if you can provide proof of purchase I guess. The EULA grants you the license to run the game on 2 computers, but not simultaneously. From what I can tell there is no multiplayer to the game.

Remember when I posted about Geneforge? Well Geneforge 3 is out now for Windows and you can download the lengthy demo for it at Spiderweb’s site.

Geneforge 3 has a huge and open storyline. You can help one of several factions, each with its own goals. There are dozens of different endings. You can help the rebels, or fight them. Slay your enemies, or use stealth and diplomacy. When you finish the game, start over, choose a different side or tactics, and experience a completely different game. No matter what you choose, Geneforge 3 offers an enormous adventure with plenty of replay value.

There is also a Macintosh version there.

I want to take this time to praise one of the coolest little shareware RPGs you’re ever likely to come across. The game is Geneforge, and it is written by Jeff Vogel, the guy behind Spiderweb Software. Jeff’s RPGs are all good but especially good is Geneforge. And you can try about a quarter of the game for free, just go to the site linked above and download it. Geneforge has a great story and uses a very cool combat system and character advancement system. The game is real-time most of the time while walking around, but when in combat mode it jumps to turn-based. The graphics and sound are retro-80’s, but what counts is gameplay and Geneforge has that in spades.

Not only does Geneforge have a good plot and writing, but it can change depending on the choices you make. You choose a “class” when starting the game, one of either Shaper (summoning mage), Defender (fighter), or Agent (rogue). That choice can have a big impact on strategy and tactics available during the game, so the game offers quite a bit of replay value if you pick a different class. You can also make moral choices during the game about how to treat the people you encounter, and also which faction among several on the island you will join up with.

Geneforge 2 is out (been out a while actually) and I ended up buying it through RealArcade. I haven’t gotten far in it yet but it looks to be as cool as Geneforge is. And Geneforge 3 is out for the Macintosh and should be out for PC this fall or earlier, it is in beta now.

About RealArcade, this is a program by Real Networks (the guys behind RealPlayer and some music download site I can never remember the name of, Chord or Rhapsody or something). Anyway they have a deal where you pay $8 a month to subscribe to RealArcade and each month you get a free game. I picked Geneforge 2 as my free game last month. This month I picked Trade Winds 2, which is also a cool game, it’s a pirate / trading sim, where you have your ship and it’s got cannons and such and you build wealth by trading mostly and winning battles where you can loot the enemy ships. More on that game later.

So, if you like RPG games, with strong stories, that play out differently depending on the choices you make, definitely give GeneForge a try. You can download the demo at either the Spiderweb site or from RealArcade. Both sites have lots of other cool games to check out also.

Finished up my Sea Wolves review a few days ago and forgot to post up a link here. Well, anyway, you can read about it here. In short - a somewhat innovative shareware game that might amuse you for a few hours. I recommend trying the demo.