A Format Rant

So it is Friday, and it is time for the Reader Post. This week I decided to go with someone who was a little upset. Final is really up in arms about the new mechanics Hearthstone is going for. Now I don't completely agree with everything he says, but does make a few good points. If you haven't heard about the new systems you can read about them here. After have a read about what he has to say.

New players are going to find it even more impossible to play when this new format system kicks in.

They won't be able to buy packs to get cards to play in the wild format. WHY Blizzard thought this was a good idea I'll never know. By itself this reason alone kills Hearthstone for new players. So unless they dump a bunch of cash into the allowed "Standard" packs they have no chance to play either format. It was bad enough new players had a huge paywall to get over just to have a chance of playing ladder but instead of a paywall it's now an impenetrable wall that says "You can't even buy packs, you just suffer". 

This game might as well have a disclosure to anyone that hasn't been playing since open beta that states "Either play arena or give us lots of money to play Standard. You're never going to stand a chance in Wild".

Since Blizzard is basically copying MTG in this lets go over the differences between MTG no longer producing cards for older sets and Blizzard not allowing anyone to buy packs from older sets.

Hearthstone is purely digital with no way to trade cards. With MTG players can buy cards from each other or trade them. Hearthstone has no such mechanic that allows players to do this. This was done to make it simpler for Blizzard not having to manage another auction house which is fine as long as they keep their cards available to earn/buy. Taking away the ability to earn/buy cards when there's no way to trade or buy from other players is mind blowing to me. Especially since these cards will still be used in one of the two main formats for the game. WHAT?!

"So what they do then? How can they do this in a better way?"

There's a number of solutions that are INFINITELY better than what Blizzard has currently announced. I'll name a few that I can think of on my own.

1. Discount older cards no longer purchasable (non-standard) so that they only cost their disenchant value for crafting. Either raise the disenchant value or lower the crafting cost of these cards to match each other. This alleviates SOME of the pressure to try and get the newer cards for standard. 

2. Have arena give older cards as rewards along with packs. Arena rewards are pathetic right now. NO ONE can keep up with any format just by playing arena. You might say "Well that's the way it's suppose to be, they have to make money!" Blizzard makes A TON of money off this game (more than it rightfully should), bridging the gap between the players that buy their packs versus those that earn them isn't going to change that. In fact it would probably INCREASE how much they make with this game because then new players would join in as they have a means to actually get cards. Arena needs to start giving out more than 1 packs (I suggest one of each current standard pack) in order for players to have a chance to keep up with formats.

It's obvious why Blizzard doesn't do these things. They're greedy and people keep giving them money despite the BS they pull. You think they didn't think of these things along with countless other ways to solve these problems? Of course they did! They just didn't result in as much immediate revenue for them. 

O well someday it'll happen. People will start waking up and realize they don't need to put up with this crap that Blizzard pulls. They can decide NOT to give Blizzard money and just do something else. Not like there isn't plenty of other games that we can play.

So I can see he was upset. What do you guys think of the new Hearthstone system? Or want the weekend to think about it?

Turn Based Is Not A Must

So here I am going off on another Thursday. It is almost like Thursday should just become my ranting day. Yesterday Square Enix released a video showing off the battle system for Final Fantasy XV. The only thing I could think about while watching the video besides all the great visuals and how smooth the combat looked was what people would be saying in the comments. "This isn't Final Fantasy". That is exactly what I found.

Sure there were other comments praising them for moving past the styles of old, but most of it was about how they have ruined the series they love by making it not turned based. These are the same people who are "real" fans who totally think XIII was a waste of time by only play the first half of the first game of the trilogy.

If you look over the years the "turned based mechanic" has evolved. In Final Fantasy VII we saw the first time that if you took too long to make a decision your opponent could react. Turn based mechanics make it so you can have more time and an easier time throughout encounters. They make the game longer and drawn out, and give you the ability for the most part to out level and overpower your opponents and avoid strategies which were meant to be used.

I understand people afraid of change, but Final Fantasy is not about turn based battles systems. It is about the story and the characters something, which people tend to forget. It doesn't matter if the story starts out on a linear path if it is about developing story. People hate on XIII for this very reason, but never mention anything about IX doing the same thing at the beginning.

I get that people have their favourites, but discounting a game that looks amazing and fluid because a series has evolved to this level is stupid. Turn based mechanics existed in the first place because the technology wasn't in place to do what you could now. People have complained for years that some of the great story elements from previous games were cutscences. Those type of scenes are now in the players hands because they have added new gameplay elements. Am I the only person who realizes this?

So if it is not your idea what you want for a game so be it, but don't go off about how this isn't a Final Fantasy game because it doesn't have a system that is old and outdated. A real fan of the series knows that things change from game to game. This is one of those things if you don't want to give it a try it doesn't mean it isn't a real Final Fantasy game it means you aren't a real Final Fantasy fan.

Maybe We Don't Exist

Well here we are on yet another Wednesday looking to stand out more so than all others. Now when I was thinking about this week's list I was thinking about the exact same thing. You know those characters who you thought are/were so interesting they deserve their own game. Well here they are my top 5 video game characters who I think deserve their own game.

5. Vaas Montenegro - Far Cry 3

So yes he died in Far Cry 3, but wouldn't it be interesting to have a prequel type game that was dedicated to his story. Where we could learn the definition of insanity?

4. Scorpion - Mortal Kombat Series

So of any fighting game he has the most interesting story so why wouldn't you want to see more of it. Just feel like delving into his past more would be something, which would be quite interesting.

3. Haytham Kenway - Assassin's Creed Series

So we got a little taste of him in Assassin's Creed III. Every Assassin's Creed fan though want's to see him as the main in his own game. I doubt we will ever see it, but it is something we can keep wishing for.

2. Victor Sullivan - Uncharted Series

So we know Uncharted 4 will be the last we will see of the Nathan Drake character. Doesn't mean the series itself is done though. I have always loved Sully and I think a game with him as the main and a younger version would show us that much more.

1. Vivi Ornitier - Final Fantasy IX

Now I realize some could argue he is dead or that Final Fantasy IX's story was already a lot about him. This iconic Black Mage though deserves something all his own. It could be the events following the end of Final Fantasy IX to something completely different. Whatever it is I know it would be well received 

So there they are the characters in video games who I believe deserve their own time in the lime light as the main character in their respective games. What do you all think? Who should I have included? As always let me know.

You Fail At Saying I Know Nothing About Gaming If...

Fail Day! Yes it is that day of the week again. It is also Groundhog day so I may have woken up on the wrong side of the bed or something. When I was preparing for this week's Fail Day post I had a few topics, but I got side tracked. It appears someone takes the time every week to read each of my blogs and complain that I know nothing. Now I was thinking about featuring him in a Reader Post, but decided to make Fail Day all about Xendor. So here goes

You Fail At Saying I Know Nothing About Gaming If...

• You spend most of your time on an XBOX
• You think Call of Duty is the greatest game ever
• You play one game, and anyone who doesn't play it is a noob
• You take offence when I don't include your favourite game in my lists
• You have never played any of the other games I mention in my lists
• When you don't get the response you like in an email you resend the same email multiple times saying I didn't get the point
• You think real gamers only play consoles
• Your mother bought the last game you played
• You believe real gamers only care about multiplayer
• You don't play RPGs because they take away time from your Call of Duty
• You have never played a game that wasn't for XBOX
• When you wear a headset you believe it gives you super powers
• Your solution to everything is to challenge someone to Zombie mode

And Finally

• You make me want to spend time with Bagellord 

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it. Maybe now will have time Xendor will have time for something else.

I Wanna Beat The Bouse

Some I am a LagTV Fan I am also a Maximusblack fan. Why you ask? Well I like to be entertained. Now one fan of Mr. Black's developed a game in his honor. It has tons of LagTV and Maximusblack references. So fans of them will find it extremely entertaining. For those of you who aren't fans well you should be because they are hilarious and amazing. So with that in mind here is this playthrough of the game done in his honor, which as of right now he has not completed. So you are welcome and enjoy.



You will thank me later!

Ask Gauss

Sunday! The last day of January to boot! How are those new years resolutions going? Pretty much what was to be expected. Well think of it this way you are still here coming to read the blog. So I can appreciate that. As you should know today is all about questions so let's get right to it.

How many more WoW Expansions do you think we will see?

Honestly? As many as they are willing to still make and people will still be playing. The Warcraft Universe still has tons of things they can still do. Also with the genre of RTS basically just consisting of Starcraft there really is no reason to have Warcraft 4 ever be a thing. Now eventually we might see a free to play model, but even still I think that is a ways away.

What do you think of EA decision to skip E3?

Well really every jumps on EA and for good reasons. Most of their games are rehashed sports games with minimal improvements that promise to be better and better. Games they have released in the last few years not sports related have been plagued with bugs and problems by others in the industry. So why not have your own thing where fans can go to that is all about you to avoid all the bad press because well you have no competition at your own event.

Did you know they have Mega Man Headphones?

Well I do now and my life is forever changed. Thank you.

There you have it this week's questions. Hope you all got something out of them if it was your question or not. For those still waiting for my response stay patient I will get there eventually. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Flaw In The Fabric

Happy Friday everyone! Here we are at another end to the week wondering what is going to be happening on the weekend. It really is an interesting thought process. Before you get overwhelmed though I see you are here to check out this week's Reader Post, brought to you by Magemaer. As most of you know I am a big fan of Warcraft Lore especially when it comes to back story of how everything came to be as it was. So any theories on the topic always catch my eye. This is exactly what we get this week with a creation theory. So here goes.

Think about it.

Titans are not the actually creators of the universe. Regarding its origins, there is only myth and it states that Light and Shadow (Void) were there in the beginning. Titans are almighty beings that came to be really early in the universe timeline. They work on what's already created and improve upon it, bringing order and intelligence into what was mere being. Now the Naaru seem to be since the creation and in a way they represent it: they have a dualistic condition where normally the Light prevails. ("It is a facet of the Naaru condition - without the void, the Light cannot exist."—D'ore)

What about demons? They are described as twisted souls. Structurally they are the result of a (fel based) life corruption process. Morally they are a possibility as long you have beings with free will - they are free to choose evil.
Most demons are corrupted versions of what used to be a regular living being.

Now Old Gods. What do we know about them? Very little. They are known as "malignant beings of unfathomable evil", "entities of chaos and destruction". They are described as being closely connected to the Void, which itself is, as we've seen, connected to creation itself. While demons hang out in the twisting nether, which is between the Light and the Void, Old Gods are tied to the Void itself. While demons are somewhat connected to life (to its corruption) Old Gods are sometimes said to be neither living nor dead.

We so far have no idea of their origin or place in the creation. We know that they arrived in Azeroth and enslaved it, they weren't there in the first place. It was also hinted that Azeroth is a key place, we don't know why yet.

What about Sargeras and the Burning Legion? "Sargeras came to believe that a flaw in the fabric of creation set up an unwinnable battle against evil." As we know, his intention is making the universe better, but first he has to destroy it and for that he is using demons as a tool to his higher end. It is also mentioned that he thinks the universe has to be "remade without the underlying defect

What is this flaw in the fabric of creation?

a)Is it that there is a space between the Light and the Void where corrupted beings exist as immortals, always surging upon the worlds to corrupt and unmake? Is the flaw the unending possibility of demons?

b)Is it deeper? is it the dual nature of the universe? That the Void is necessarily part of it? And in the Void dwell beings of "unfathomable evil", possibly the whisperers behind the very madness of demonization?

c)Is it the existence of beings with free will? These beings are susceptible to whispers or to their own whim. Evil is always a possibility when there is free will, and this possibility can't be erased without erasing free will itself.

d)Something else entirely? 

What exactly is Sargeras fighting against? What is the flaw? And what is the status and connection of the Old Gods to it?

The overall impression is that Sargeras is a misguided (or not?) absolutist and the Old Gods are the quintessential evil of the creation. Are they as old as creation? Are they inherent to it as the Void is?

So far we've been told that their name is due to Azeroth's history: they were reigning over the world before the titans arrived. But what if the Old Gods were the rulers and the major force in the universe just before the titans and that's why they're called old gods, that is, old in relation to the titans that now shape the universe? 

Maybe, analogically to Greek mythology, the Old Gods are a pantheon of mighty beings antecedent to the titans, gods that were primal and evil, and were dethroned by the titans but not entirely vanquished. Maybe the universe as we know needed them to be during its formation and couldn't get rid of them afterwards. Or maybe they didn't play any constructive part in the creation: they were just unavoidable to it, like the void aspect of the Naaru.

There you have it. What do you think? Is it possible? Well you have the weekend to think about it while you are doing all that other stuff. So enjoy!

Totalbiscuit Disconnects

For those of you who don't know John "Totalbiscuit" Bain has announced he is quiting social media. Now if you haven't heard the sound cloud of him doing so it will be at the bottom of this post. Now why is it that I feel the need to post about this? Well Totalbiscuit is a huge part of the gaming community and one of the people that has enabled eSports to take off the way it has outside of Korea. So ya gaming wise he is a big deal.

One thing he has never been able to do is step away from the negative. I just assume it is his personality that he wants to provide content that everyone likes. I get that, but I realized a long time ago you like me or you don't. It would drive me insane and break me down if I didn't do this. This is what has happened to Totalbiscuit. In addition to that he has terminal cancer, and makes what he is dealing with that much more difficult.

The thing is he wants to still provide everyone with what they like and want despite the large possibility that life itself is giving him the short end of the stick. This makes him an admirable guy and makes his actual goodbye something people should listen to feel how much it hurts him that he would do such a thing to those who enjoy everything he does.

Even with everything he has going on he still puts out more content then 90% of the industry and will continue to do so. He really is a special breed of person for someone who has every reason in the world to give up he keeps going doing what he loves and what people love him for.

Now to those who are forcing him to make this decision well you too are a special breed of person in the total opposite way. This isn't just about bad criticism this is about trolling someone who is going through this in their life. I really hope whoever these people are feel good about themselves. I for one will continue to watch and appreciate everything he does and if I agree or not still appreciate it all the same. As gamers we should all thank him for his contributions and the ones he continues to make every single day.

Groovy

Hump day. Yes that means we are in the middle of the week, but even if you keep checking it will still only be Wednesday. When preparing for writing today I was thinking what else could be forgotten when it hit me why not just do a list of my favourite forgotten characters in video games.

5. Zool - Zool Series

He was a Gremlin Ninja. How awesome is that? Plus all the levels in the game look like Candy Land. The 90's had tons of Platform games this one just failed to make the cut probably because he was on the commodore 64, but if only eh?

4. The Ice Climbers - Ice Climbers Series

Sure they make an appearance in Smash Bros, but not the most recent versions of the game. Plus when was the last time there was an actual Ice Climbers game. I looked it up 1985 ya so I think they qualify.

3. Tiny - Tiny Tank Up Your Arsenal

So you are an adorable destructive robot who happens to be a tank. Sadly only one game was released, but that doesn't ruin the memories

2. Marina Liteyears - Mischief Makers

So when the world was switching all there games to 3D one chose to stay in the 2D bubble. Now what is weird is this game now is looked very highly upon, but at the time many wrote it off because of the 2D platforming. 

1. Earthworm Jim - Earthworm Jim Series

I don't know about all of you, but these games and his show were always fun to watch and play. If the gaming world could forget about the absolutely horrible 3D I think we could see the return of this guy.

There you have it this week's list. What are some of characters that you think the gaming world has forgotten about. As always let me know one way or another.

You Fail At Complaining About The Warcraft Movie If...

Fail Day! Yes it is here. Oh how wonderful a day it is. The day where it is all about making others feel worse so we can feel just that little bit better. Unless you are one of the ones feeling worse then we thank you for making us feel better, you are doing a great service. If you were not aware there is this movie coming out based on Warcraft, and there was a random TV spot thrown at us this past weekend. So plenty of inspiration of fail in this one.

You Fail At Complaining About The Warcraft Movie If...

• Some how you didn't know there was going to be a movie
• You say you have no interest, but will be first in line to watch
• You keep saying "Lich King or Nothing"
• You say you want them to do something "important" to the Warcraft Universe
• You think there is too much CG
• You question why Thrall is green
• You are wondering where Thrall was in the latest TV spot
• Wait there was a new TV spot?
• You think they are not staying true to the games lore
• You are complaining about how not all Orcs are bad
• You are wondering where the Night Elves are
• You keep going on and on how Varian is dead in the trailers

And Finally

• You are wondering why I have said anything about a Movie when it is not about gaming

There you have it this week's edition of fail hope you all enjoyed it. And hopefully you all are excited about this movie as I am.

Starcrafts Co-Op Kerrigan & Karax

Monday! you know that day that comes after the weekend that no one is a fan of? Yes it is that day. With that we always need something to get us into the day. This is why Carbot always sets the stage and with a new series as well. So how could i not showcase that beginnings of epicness.



This is really exactly as I feel while playing Karax

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Yes your weekend is almost over. It is sad indeed isn't it. With the weekend ending though also comes the time for me to go through the questions sent to me for the weekend and pick a few to respond to. So why don't we just get on with that.

So the next two heroes in Heroes of the Storm, your thoughts?

I actually really like the way they were explained. I love the fact that the wizard is going to be easy to use, but have a very high skill cap. I enjoy mastering heroes that have this type of play style. The Necromancer has a lot of interesting abilities that are not only nostalgic, but also make him a true team fight specialist in my mind. Sure he won't be overpowering 1v1, but definitely will make his presence known in all team fight situations especially objectives. This in my mind is what a specialist should truly be, and I am excited for it.

Do you feel there is enough true decisions in Fallout 4?

I think the people who are talking about this look at New Vegas as the way the entire series has been. That game had a ridiculous amount of decision making and really in my mind it felt like too much. Really I think if you look at Fallout 3 you saw the results of your decisions always had an impact not just a decision for the sake of making a decision. Fallout 4 isn't quite as good as 3 was in this manner, but it still is a very good game.

Why isn't Uncharted 4 here yet?

I have been asking myself this question for a couple years now. Don't worry it will be here eventually.

There they are this week's questions and the answers to go with them. Thank you to everyone who sent something in. As always this would not be possible without your contributions and thank you all for your patience in waiting for me to respond to all your questions if they make it on here or not.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Time To Buff The Tank

Friday! We all love Friday. It is the last day of the work week. It is the day we can relax and get ready to enjoy the weekend. So many things to look forward to, including the Reader Post and what it is going to be about. This week I decided to go with one of the Starcraft flavour from Doncroft who is talking about giving the Siege tank some buffs to make mech play more viable all around. Have a read and let's hear what you have to say about it.

I believe most of us have been saying on and off how the Medivac Siege Tank pick-up-and-move ability is bad from a design perspective. Not only has it virtually removed the tank mode aspect of the Siege Tank and made the Siege Tank an immobile fly-and-drop cannon, but it also has undermined the core aspect of the Siege Tank's siege mode cannon design: damage, splash damage, and range in exchange for immobility.

For reference, I'm going to quote Mr. Kim's latest word on the subject of flying siege mode meditanks.

Siege tanks going back to tank mode when picked up by Medivacs does seem to be a solid suggestion. We agree with you that Siege Tanks gaining mobility did take away from what the unit is by design, and also agree that this change played the biggest part in making mech not viable in TvT. We can definitely add this to the next balance test map.

So here's the question that must be on everyone's minds right now:

Okay, Mr. Kim and balance team, you're going to take away the problematic siege mode drop, improve TvT, and fix a glaring design issue. Great! Now...what about the Siege Tank's balance?

Let's face it. From a balance perspective, this is a Terran nerf, and I think it goes without saying that right now the Siege Tank does not need to be "nerfed" at face value.

Therefore, this is the PERFECT TIME to consider buffing the Siege Tank in earnest, and I believe the best way to buff the tank is to improve its damage output. Many of you will recall in HotS, the Siege Tank received a small attack speed buff in siege mode. This did not help very much, because the Siege Tank's siege mode is much more about BURST rather than SUSTAIN. The first volley matters the most, since enemy units will usually either retreat out of range or advance into minimum effective range before most the tanks can fire a second volley.

Consequently, I think it's time to bust open the damage numbers on Siege Mode. I'm talking significant increases. Something like 35 (+35 vs armored). I don't actually think something that big would be uncalled for, especially considering the strength of lategame Ultralisks, the general weakness of mech vs Protoss, and the incoming balance nerf to the Siege Tank in the name of better game design.

A change in damage output vs armored would help out a lot in Terran pushes using the tank, as damage to all buildings would be heavily increased (70 up from 50 is an increase of 40%). Vs Protoss, this would help take down those pesky Pylons when a Protoss is being overly greedy. Vs Terran, this will make tanks stronger vs many units, including other Siege Tanks. However, considering flying siege mode Siege Tanks will be a thing of the past, I believe this will be a welcome tradeoff.

Well what do all the Starcraft players think? Something to think about over the weekend. With that make sure your weekend is a good one!

NX Could Be Ending The War

So I am not if any of you have heard, but this may actually be a thing.

Very interesting report by @gibbogame: Nintendo's NX may work with smartphones, PCs and even rival consoles such as PlayStation4.

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) January 20, 2016

So if you aren't understanding this could mean the new Ninendo NX could be played on your PS4. Something which is unheard of and almost impossible to believe. Now we have seen consoles work with the PC which is evident in Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn. Never in my mind would I ever think that consoles would do such a thing.

Now is this a good thing or a bad thing if true? Well what it means is that more games will be playable on system which they were not intended for. This could be something very interesting indeed. Console Wars would be a thing of the past and we could all just get along and do our thing regardless of loyalties.

Now again this isn't confirmed by Nintendo yet so everyone shouldn't be jumping for joy, but it really is something to think about. Also if they are intending this is this something other consoles would actually allow? Would you think Sony would be ok with this? Who really knows. It really could be something very exciting or it could be just someone saying something because it is a dream of theirs and they want the higher ups to consider it.

So what do you all think?

I May Be Old, But I'm Not Helpless

Wednesday its here and we need to do a list. What will the list be about you ask? Well that is pretty simple. Heroes of the Storm is a game that a lot of my favourite franchises are all apart of. There also is tons of characters who are not yet part of the game, who I would love to see in it. With that in mind here are a list of characters I would love to see be added to Heroes of the Storm

5. Rory Swann

If playing him in Co-Op in Legacy didn't make up your mind for this it definitely should have. Incorporate his Mech play into the game and I think you are set with a pretty amazing specialist

4. Deckard Cain

Every year I hope and I will keep hoping until it happens. I have no idea what his kit would be or anything like that I just want to stay awhile and listen.

3. Winston

So Tracer has already been announced and would need some more Overwatch characters added to the game. I think adding Winston with the exact kit he has in Overwatch would be the perfect addition to the game. Make it happen!

2. Fenix

So he has already been announced he was going to be added, but delayed. What I want to make sure is that he is not added in Talandar form. That is my only request.

1. Cairne Bloodhoof

I'll say it again. He is my favourite Lore character from Warcraft and maybe even my favourite Lore character across all their games. Besides that he is a badass warrior, and that's what everyone wants to see is a Tauren owning everything.

There you have it my top 5 Heroes I want to see make an appearance this year in Heroes of the Storm. I am sure all of you want to see different or maybe some of the same, as always let me know.

You Fail At Patch 2.4 If...

Fail Day! Here we go once again to the excitement of everyone around you. The day where you can embrace the fail of yourself or others for the enjoyment of yourself or others. Isn't it a wonderful concept? This week since it has been a week since the start of patch 2.4 figured I would make it the theme of my post because everyone loves a good patch!

You Fail At Patch 2.4 If...

• You don't know what game I am referring to
• You have yet to try it
• You cannot say Grey Hollow Island
• You haven't checked out the new expanded zones
• You don't already have a full stash again
• You haven't started working on a set to enter a set dungeon
• You deleted multiple characters instead of using the new season rebirth feature
• You haven't taken advantage of the action combat feature being added to the PC
• You were not aware that cosmetic pets now pickup gold for you
• You haven't looked at the new designs for specific sets
• You picked a new seasonal character class before looking at the buffs and nerfs
• You did not know they removed seasonal only legendaries
• You are excited to pick a specific class set for your season journey

and finally

• You are still part of the crowd that hates of Diablo III because you think it is the cool thing to do

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it at the expense of others or yourself! Make the rest of your day worth while!

WoWCraft Illdone

Happy Monday all! So as most of you know I am a big fan of Carbot Animations. Just has a way of making even the simpliest things that much more entertaining. One thing which I don't think is appreciated enough is his way of taking an opening cinematic and making it his own. At Blizzcon we saw him do this to the new Legacy of the Void Cinematic, but that is not the only time he has done this. With Legion on its way to us eventually he has redone the iconic Illidan Speech from the Burning Crusade opening cinematic and it really is something spectacular. Have a watch and see for yourself.



I know, I know.

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Here we are the first week back and now it is time to do my first Ask Gauss of the year. Now you all can stop complaining that everything I say is about first, because well they are now all over with. So for those of you who are new to the blog this is where I answer questions sent to me throughout the week in a variety of ways all of which can be seen on the upper right side of the blog or you can go ahead and just email me at gaussafication@gmail.com. So why don't we get right to it!

How would you rate 2015 as a year for gaming?

We saw many great titles come out in 2015. Not nearly as much as people would like, but to say it was a disappointment that would be discounting some of the great games, which we all got to play. Now as I was talking about on Thursday there will be much more selection this year so the number of people who will be happy will be much more significant. Overall though if giving a 1-10 arbitrary score for the year I would give 2015 a score of 7. There were some great games just not a large amount and there was some waiting in between especially for those who have specific tastes.

Do you feel Starcraft needs to do more about balance for Legacy of the Void?

Now we just had a patch and sure there were not any major changes and I agree with it at the moment. People are still getting used to the new units and finding ways to deal with them. Do I think some things need to be adjusted? Yes, of course, I do, but it is the how which is more important to me. I much prefer changes that end up happening once rather than changes that have to keep getting tweaked over and over again. Leaving players to adapt and adapt. I like the open concept feedback that they are having with Legacy and I hope they stick to it.

Why did you feel the need to take a long vacation?

Well sometimes the world gives you too many Bagellords.

There you have it this week's questions all answered. Thank you to everyone who sent something in, and thank you to all those who have been extremely patient waiting for me to get back to them with the backlog that I have. This really wouldn't be possible without all of you so know I will get to yours eventually.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Pillars Of Creation

So here we are my first Friday back from vacation which means we have the first Reader Post of the new year. So what topic did I decide to go with? Well an interesting one because Warcraft Titan stuff always is interesting to me because of all of the theories that come from it. This one specifically has to do with the Pillars of Creation and there locations. So sit back and read up on Redfenix's theories.

So far we have 5 out of the 7 Pillars of Creation that are confirmed. Here are their names and their locations within the Broken Isles:

Aegis of Aggramar - Stormheim
Tidestone of Golganeth - Azsuna
Hammer of Khaz'goroth - Highmountain
Eye of Aman'thul - Suramar Palace
Tears of Elune -Val'sharah

I'm assuming that the other 2 relics will represent the remaining members of the Pantheon: Norgannon and Eonar

Where they are located I would probably guess would relate to the magical theme of the respective Titan. For Norgannon, I'd say it would be from the Suramar zone (being largely related to arcane magic use of the Nightborne). It might be some Scroll, Book, or even Disc (keeping with the theme, right?)! For Eonar, I'd say her Pillar of Creation relic would be in the Emerald Nightmare (perhaps Xavius is trying to use it or corrupt it). That relic might be a staff of some kind, if I were to guess.

As for Elune, I think it's curious that she is a part of list of the Titan relics that represent the Pillars of Creation. Elune as a deity has largely remained mysterious in origin, but a huge part of Night Elf culture (and mentioned in Tauren myth as M'usha alongside An'she as the "eyes" of the Greatmother). Maybe she was a Titan servant of Eonar (whom I'm assuming is the mythical Greatmother the Tauren speak of) and she represented the power of Astral Moon-Light magic through the manipulation of the Arcane (like all Titans) as opposed being wielded through purely "divine" magical means such as Paladins and Priests do. Perhaps An'she was her counterpart/partner that represented the power of Astral Star-Light magic.

Maybe Elune's power on Azeroth was the Well of Eternity and subsequently the satellite moonwells that spawned from it. Maybe Elune IS the Well of Eternity. Those waters could be Titan's blood for all we know. Her life force might be forever bound to the planet of Azeroth, with the magical waters constantly being replenished by the light of the moon/sun. Think about how the Dark Trolls that settled along the waters of the Well of Eternity became the Night Elves, with softer humanoid facial features and upright posture similar to the Dwarves, Humans, and Gnomes. The same can be said of the Zandalari Trolls. Zandalar is the closest Troll settlement to the Well of Eternity and the in-game Zandalari look closer to their Night Elf cousins than any other Troll tribe on Azeroth. Coincidence? I think not.

I think Elune represents the Titan's effort of trying to find a balance between their metal and stone constructs and the pure organic flesh beings created by the Old God's Curse of Flesh. The result? Night Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Zandalari Trolls, Pygmies, Goblins, and all the anthropomorphic humanoid children of the respective animal Ancients/Loa of Azeroth.

So there you have it the first Reader Post and it makes you think. Thanks to everyone who sent something in as this would not be possible if you all did not contribute. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Year Of The Gamer

So I have been receiving a lot of feedback with the normal year end and year beginning sort of crap that you always get. Not to say what you all have been writing is crap, but that is using crap as just a lot. Now I am going off on something that is making less and less sense. Basically a lot of the mail I have been getting lately has to do with will 2016 be a good year for us gamers. The short answer to this, well yes.

Now why am I saying that? Well it is pretty simple really. Games which are solely for computer don't really have a set cycle. They are good and they are bad depending on the developers. This is the way it always will be because they deal with the technology at hand. For console games it always takes time for games to first off be released for the next generation console and then for the developers to actually get used to developing for the consoles. This is why I have always favoured a long console cycle.

Just think about it 2014 saw hardly any games released for the current generation. The media was plagued with why were they released when no games worth buying were even coming out. We even saw previous generation games coming out when the new generation had arrived. 2015 saw improvements in game selection but the "great" releases were still few and far between. 

Now in 2016 I had trouble making my list for my top 5 because there are so many great games on the horizon and I am beyond excited to get my hands on. I know a lot of you are just as excited, but are cautious with the series of delays that have been happening in recent years. I believe we are finally to the point where we can be excited. We will be getting at least 1 title if not more every month, which will keep us busy and our wallets struggling.

2016 to me is going to be looked back on as one of the best years in the gaming industry for years to come. I hope you are all just as excited about it as I am.

I'll Be There, Sifting Through The Wreckage

Here we are in the middle of the week getting ready to make a list. This being the first list of the new year how could I do anything, but the games I am most excited to play come 2016. Now I must say there are a lot of great games. Some of them my taste and some of them not. So I assume there may be some disagreement with this, but then it is my list and not yours.

5. No Man's Sky

So this really is the biggest game ever. That is the world that you will be playing in. You are exploring a universe seeing things for the first time in your travels. This game even has one of the most amazing features ever that if you are the first to discover something you get to name it.

4. Dark Souls III

So the series which lives by "Do you like dying?" is at it again. With some new ways to customize your characters. Now there will be less places to visit in the 3rd installment, but to compensate for that the makers might each place much larger.

3. Final Fantasy XV

So this is a game that has taken awhile to get here. I figured I would be playing this last year, but it wasn't meant to be. We have seen a playable demo so it looks like 2016 is finally the year. As always I am excited for anything Final Fantasy

2. The Last Guardian

So with the way I feel about Final Fantasy it is weird to see something above it. The Last Guardian though is something special. Something that just feels like one of those games which is an experience in itself.

1. Uncharted 4 A Thief's End

So I am an Uncharted fanboy I know it. I love the Nathan Drake character and I cannot wait to get my hands on this game, which I have been waiting to get my hands on since the initial teaser trailer was released. We finally have a release date and I am ready to get the show on the road.

There it is. The games I am looking forward most to play in 2016. I am sure your lists might be different, but there is no arguing with mine.

You Fail At Being Ready For 2016 If...

Fail Day! Here we go another year and even more ways to fail. If there is one thing that is consistent it is that people always find a way to amuse me in the ways that they fail. So 2016 is going to be no different, but to start the year why no go into how people are not even ready to be failing in 2016 yet.

You Fail At Being Ready For 2016 If...

• You are not aware of the any of the games coming out
• You don't think there are any good games coming out
• You think there is just a focus on sequel games this year
• Your wallet is not prepared
• You have not been binge watching trailers
• You have yet to pre-order anything
• You still don't have a next gen console
• You think an xbox one counts as a next gen console
• You still have yet to play some of the must play titles from 2015
• You cannot wait to play the Final Fantasy 7 Remake this year
• You think you will continue with a normal social life if you get all the must plays this year

and finally

• You are still working on 2015

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and will be ready for this great year in the world of gaming.

Life Of An Assassin

So I'm back my holiday was pretty good as I hope yours was as well. Truthfully I am still in the recovery stages but I am pretty sure that is the way with everyone. 2016 is a big year for gaming so many great things are on the horizon let's hope the blog can keep up with it all. As always you are all the ones that make this possible. It is your passion, your ideas, and your critism which pulls everything together so don't forget that.

Now to get on with why you are probably actually here is to see if the blog was back and what is being showcased. Well Assassin's Creed Universe strikes again with this tribute to a life as an Assassin. Enjoy!



And years to many more posts to come in 2016

Let the Holidays Begin

So today would normally be a Reader Post, but today isn't any regular day. It is the start of my holidays from the blog. Yes I know it hurts and I know people will say how will I survive without it and can't you just take 30 minutes out of your day to write your blog. I would say to that "do you honestly think it only takes me 30 minutes?".

No I have shopping to do people to see and I just don't like to be on a schedule for things when that is the case. I like to have my posts up and going by 9am everyday and I just don't think that is possible during the holiday season.

So with that I hope you all have a safe and Merry Christmas or whatever other holiday you choose to celebrate or not. Also a very Happy New Year as I will be back after I have recovered from that wonderful Holiday.

Hopefully will see you all back here reading for another year of Gaussafication.

CO-OP Insanity

So today I decided to rant about something that has the Starcraft II community at least a minority of them up in arms. This sentence

In the future, additional commanders will be offered for purchase, but as the first commander being added to Co-op Missions, we’re giving Karax away absolutely free to all Legacy of the Void players.

Yes that is the one. This was said in the Karax release article which can be seen by clicking here.

Now why has this got people going crazy? Well it is the fact that Blizzard is going to be charging for future commanders. They believe since they purchased Legacy of the Void they should be getting everything for free from now on. This with already the fact that the Nova missions would be additional cost people are borderline insane. Now I have a problem with DLCs which should have been included in the release of a game. Legacy of the Void is a full game. There is a 19 mission campaign, a 3 mission epilogue, a new coop mode with exclusive commanders, and the most anticipated multiplayer RTS revamp. That is a full game. This also isn't a release that is happening right away. This is something in the future.

If you want to keep playing Starcraft II for years especially having the multiplayer continually worked on it has to have money to pay for the developers. It is as simple as that. They aren't charging you for new units, these are fluff things. These are things that are just extra and therefore should be a charge. Think of it like a Store mount or pet in WoW you can use them in your adventures but do they really serve any purpose besides fluff? No not at all. So don't get yourself going crazy over something so non important. If this was a a new multiplayer unit only people who paid would have access to that would be a completely different story.

So take a deep breath and everything will be ok.

You Shouldn't Have

Well here we are yet another Wednesday and getting closer and closer to Christmas. With Christmas comes things that I enjoy in the world of being a gamer. So what better idea for a list than that? Well there isn't so let's just get to it.

5. Realizing Games in 2016 Are Closer

With Christmas comes the end of the year. With games marked for 2016 it is that tick of the year that makes these games that seem so far away seem so much closer.

4. Talking Gaming Lore With People

You tend to be around people with similar interests around the holidays. Sometimes with people you haven't seen in awhile and it is always fun to talk gaming lore from the things you have been playing during the year. I am guessing that the Starcraft ending is going to be a big topic this year.

3. Have Fun With Holiday Themes In Games

I love when the games I play do something special for the holidays. Especially around Christmas time. I take this stuff seriously so don't mess it up for me.

2. Wii Sports Tournaments

I don't know about all of you, but when I am with my family for the holidays Wii sports always happens. My family is pretty competitive and we always play for bragging rights.

1. Playing That New Game

You know it never fails. I always have a new game around Christmas time. Be it one that was given to me as a gift or one that I bought myself. New games and Christmas just go hand in hand.

There they are my favourite things about the holiday season. What are yours? Let me know in one way or another.

You Fail At In Game Christmas Themes If...

So here we are the second to last Fail Day before Christmas. What does that mean? Well that means a lot of games are putting up their in game Christmas decoration this week. So what better way to celebrate this other than explaining how everyone fails at it.

You Fail At In Game Christmas Themes If...

• There are no snowballs involved
• The game doesn't have awkwardly placed Christmas Lights every where
• There is not a way to wear a Santa hat
• There are not pointless special gifts for everyone
• You don't have holiday themed skins
• There are no reindeer in some form or another
• There is no snow anywhere
• No one anywhere makes a "Do you want to build a Snowman?" joke
• There are still no snowballs
• The event is lazy and doesn't have a special name.
• There is no Santa Claus equivalent person around
• There is no reference to "The Grinch" in anyway shape or form

And Finally

• You don't participate

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. Hope you all enjoyed it and will try to enjoy all the in game stuff the next couple of weeks.

Greatfather Winter

Happy Monday all. If you were not sure Winter Veil starts on the 16th so what better time to share my favourite Warcraft themed Winter Veil song. So as always a thanks to Cranius for his wonderful contribution.

 

Still can't help but sing along eh?

Ask Gauss

Sunday! Here we are another end to a weekend and another week closer to Christmas. Yes you are allowed to enter panic mode of not having anything done. Ignoring all that is is Sunday so why do we do what Sunday's are for an answer questions.

Do you think the Remake is possible for 2016?

No not at all. I think we would be lucky if we saw it in 2017. The games needs to be built from the ground up and there is no way they would be releasing it without it being perfect in their eyes. Sometimes companies release things when they aren't ready to hit deadlines, but this is the one game that I never see that happening with. There is way too much riding on this game being the definition of perfection. The shit storm if it isn't will be next level insanity.

Do you ever think we will see the UED again in Starcraft?

Well I believe if there ever is a Starcraft III the UED will have to play a big part in it. Especially with the way the Terran is now. There really is no real Terran threat besides them. I know everyone loved the UED from Brood War and I was among them. Just like everyone was glad to see Stukov in the Heart of the Swarm Campaign. They even hinted during that campaign about the UED returning. It will happen in some form even if it is in one of the mission packs. The only way we will get a massive UED story though is if there is a Starcraft III.

What is with the themed weeks?

Just happened to be that way. It is not going to be a thing or on purpose from now on.

There they are the questions for the week. Hopefully you all got something out of it. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question this wouldn't be possible without all of you so once again thanks. Enjoy what is left of your weekend!

Evil or Not?

So here we are another Friday, another Reader Post. This one comes to us from MikeToss and his views on how Kerrigan might not be as bad or as evil as people think she is. I know I have been thinking about this since I have completed the campaign and as is the case with any lore I love opinions on either side of the coin. So have a read.

Well I guess there is last thing to say. Like already said Kerrigan story has always been to me more tragic one than a one about a villian a woman who was drafted into one of the cruelest soldier programs ever and experimented on zerg because she was psionic. When she was freed she had a chance to be happy and maybe do things other than being a heartless killing machine. But she was betrayed by her superior.

She became the queen of blades somewhat shallow villian who just killed, was cruel, manipulated because she could but had a few moments when some humanity surfaced some times (SC1 Z4 and BW Z5). On top of that there is the fact that she killed 8 billion people.

Then comes the Hots she goes after Mengsk wanting revenge for his deeds. Kerrigan is not exactly evil in the game she is just willing to do what ever it takes to win damn the cost and Furk your mercy Kerrigan is not cruel out of spite and she isn't completely unjustifiable either for her "work must be understood as a means to an end for in fact that is the only way by which that end can be properly accomplished, the end is both good and moral (and it really was) and" that "end" is her goal. Kerrigan is willing to do brutal actions in a fight where odds are stacked against her. Wouldn't you do what ever it takes to win and achieve that end that is good and moral? Wouldn't she? (we know that end is good and moral).

Then there is the epilogue Kerrigan is given a chance to become a Xel'naga Did she deserve that fate that we saw in the epilogue and in the final cutscene? Well with me it is not the question does she deserve it Kerrigan said that she had too much blood on her hands and this was her chance to wipe some of it off that by becoming a Xel'naga some of the sorrow and destruction can be repaired and undone however little however late.

So that is one opinion. I am still on the fence with the whole thing, how about all of you? Have a good weekend and think about it.

Remake Is Not Remastered

So all that I have been hearing about since we got the first look trailer at the Final Fantasy VII remake is how they are changing things. When we were originally told about the remake they said some of the gameplay elements would be changed. Now to me this makes sense. There is this avid group of players who are all over talking about how the game is not going to play turn based. Do you know why turn based is not being used? Well it is an old mechanic used and in a much more high paced gaming world this type of style doesn't apply to the modern fan.

So if people can accept that they take it as they are ruining a game. All they ever had to do was just update the graphics. Now if you were not sure that is the difference between a remake and a remaster. For example X and X-2 recently went through the remaster stage and we have heard XII is also currently heading in this direction. A remake though changes gameplay elements. Like say the battle system. Maybe a scene will be filmed differently and end with the same result. These are the things you have to get through your head when you hear the word remake.

Do I think they will change major plot points? No I don't think so. I think they will make things mess better with the other Final Fantasy VII games, but other than that I don't think so. I feel like they will go a lot more in depth because the voice acting option gives them this ability to make you feel more for the characters you will be playing.

This game won't be the same as the original. This was never the intention. What it will do is give the modern fan the chance to be part of the story we all fell in love with back in 1997. If you don't like the new ones gameplay you can always still play the original. Don't feel cheated because you are not getting exactly what you want, because rally that is the sense of entitlement you have been ragging the current gaming generation on.