Originally Published August 31, 2011
So it was a month ago today that the highly anticipated Diablo 3 gave up the last of its secrets. The two big ones that upset quite a few people are the Real Money Auction House and the fact the game expects you to always be online. Both have certainly ruffled quite a few feathers. I have my share of friends that are now refusing to buy the game, saying Blizzard has turned on them for the final time.
The Real Money Auction House (RMAH) allows people to sell items found in game, characters, and gold to other players for real life cash. This is similar to the dozen of black markets that existed in Diablo 2, through shady, underground sites. In fact some of them still exist today so, someone, somewhere is turning a profit on Diablo 2 still.
There are some drawbacks for choosing to use the RMAH versus the In-Game Currency Auction House. For starters, Blizzard takes a flat fee for anything deposited. However, a highly under-reported fact is that Blizzard will be giving players waivers to bypass this upfront deposit fee on regular intervals. Allowing you to start building your Diablo 3 economic empire for no money down. Blizzard then takes a second flat fee if the item actually sold. From there the money is placed in to one of two areas determined in advance, a Battle.net wallet, or a real world bank account.
Cashing out to a real world bank account leads to a third party site that has yet to be determined (like Paypal). There Blizzard and the third party both take an additional piece of the pie before it finally is deposited into the real world. Not to mention I am sure the tax collector would love to hear how you came about this money.
Going the route of putting earned cash into a Battle.net wallet is just like getting store credit or a gift card. It can never be cashed out into the real world but the funds are safely tucked away. Waiting to be used not just for Diablo 3, but all Blizzard games and merchandise. This means World of Warcraft subscriptions and services and, when release Starcraft 2 premium maps from the Starcraft 2 Marketplace. Not to mention, I still believe that one day Battle.net will attempt to take a bite at what Steam and Origin are doing. Does this mean that my Diablo 3 obsession could allow me to buy new PC games for essentially free? Only time will tell but I sure hope so. transaction
Really when it comes down to it the individuals feeling on the RMAH are dependent on how they feel about microtransactions as a whole. There are plenty of games out there that would have died if they had not moved to the microtransaction model. Not to mention this is not like buying power directly from the company, which only the worst microtransaction games do. Rather, a player is paying money for the time others have spent farming these items. The same principle that has always been a part of every auction house in every game.
While hearing all this left me with a momentary fearful and confused I quickly fell in love with the idea. I just hope I can sell Hardcore (read: perma-death) characters to people that have no right playing them. And really there has not been as big a stink about this. Sure some people are threatening a weak boycott but I saw more people foaming at the mouth over Left for Dead 2 than I have for Diablo 3.
As for the people complaining about having to be always online I would like to take the time to say this. I quit Diablo 2 when I realized I had to make a new character to play online. I have not been to a LAN party in nine years. My PC is always connected to the internet. When I am on a trip, I talk to family, play Sudoku, read a book, or pull out my PSP/3DS. As I see it the only people with the right to complain are the ones that are living in areas of the world where being always online is a luxury. Everyone else can just stop complaining.
I am still hyped about Diablo 3 and can't wait for its release. Now here is hoping I get a beta key.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
In Review, Deus Ex: Human Revolution
I certainly wished I had a chance to play the game a second or third time before writing this review. However, in the name of relevancy (when was anything in this blog relevant?) I am forced to throw my opinion out to the masses.
Before I start this review I would like to make the point that I have never actually played the original Deus Ex. Yes, I know it is one of the greatest games of all time, and yes I understand that my credibility as a hardcore gamer just dropped significantly. I did have the chance earlier this year to witness the first level of the game played, so I am not going into this totally blind. Just 90% give or take 10%. Do note I plan to rectify this grievous error sometime before the end of this year.
To say Dues Ex: Human Revolution is about choice would be a misleading. This game only two or three times asked me to make a choice. Rather the game dumped me into a world where my goal was a constant and easily ignorable marker on my mini-map and I was free to explore as I saw fit. I would say Human Revolution is less about choice and more about experiencing in an truly organic world. For example I would come across a locked room, I could hack the door open, break down the wall, bust open the door with a well placed grenade, or enter through an air duct. Not to mention the dozen of other ways I may not have realized. Why did I want in this room? It was not even part of my mission, it was actually in the exact opposite direction from my objective. For me the room taunted me with the lock and I was determined to see what was inside (if you are curious nothing was in the room).
This is the very core of Deus Ex, the game gave me a thousand ways to reach my goal and I was free to go back and test every one of them until I was satisfied. I have never seen more open ended environments that challenged me to truly think outside of the box. Mass Effect may ask you to make choices but Deus Ex never asked me anything beyond one choice in the beginning (lethal or non-lethal) and a couple more toward the end of the game. In many ways it was a smaller, crisper, cleaner, Fallout, or Elder Scrolls.
One of the biggest themes of Human Revolution, what is right and what is wrong. The game was very good about making me weigh the mortality of my actions. Early in the game it is difficult to discern who is truly the villain in the world, in fact I found myself questioning my decisions and beliefs more often then not. Should humanity take control of its own evolution and improve upon itself or should that be left in the hands of "higher powers" or nature? Its the same debate we are having today just in different context and while I know where I stand on this issue and many others, the game was not afraid to show me I could be wrong.
The game itself focuses heavily on stealth and RPG mechanics. While it is played in first person (third if you are in cover) and you do have an arsenal that would make Duke Nukem proud; you die faster than a fish in the desert if you are spotted out of cover. Stealth, and the ability to see all possible scenarios will serve you far better than the ability to consistently do a headshot. Beyond that how you travel around the world is heavily dependent on what upgrades or augmentations your character has developed. Earlier in one of the missions I found a path into the depths of a stronghold only to realize that my current augmentations that had served me well did not allow me to take this passage at all.
The game does have its short comings though. The game at regular intervals funnels you into a boss fight that extremely disorienting. Nothing is worse then to have been sneaking around for hours on end with only a stun gun to only find yourself in a death match. There is no way to talk yourself out of these which is a shame as the games conversation bosses are far more engaging and in line with the rest of the game. In these conversation battles you are tasked with an objective, for example getting permission to enter a restricted area. They play out similar to LA Noir but without the subtle facial expressions and more strong body language. The game does not care if you lose these, however, the rewards are substantial if you win.
The other downside is regrettably the story. While it hits on all the espionage and shadow government conspiracy Deus Ex is known for, it lacks unpredictability. I had most of it figured out before the second act was even done. Perhaps this is to blame to the massive amount of foreshadowing and the rich detail of the environments giving you a good sense of what is around the next corner. I was just left disappointed that right away I could tell myself, don't trust this guy, don't do this, turn off the prerendered cutscene I know hes behind me. In fact if it was not for the endlessly engaging gameplay I probably would not have finished it.
Presentation wise the game knows how to pull at the right strings. The world is richly detailed for the most part. Travel off the main path and you will find that all apartments share the same wallpaper. Places like your apartment and other major locations say more about the world and time you live in then any amount of dialogue. Though I could use a little less yellow wash on everything but least this future is not brown. Though that could just be the tint of the main character's sunglasses.
The music pulls off this wonderful techno ambiance that knows exactly when to amp itself up for a frenetic, alarm-sounding firefight. The voice work is top quality, with only a few stale lines coming off a very few of the random people you can pass off the street. That being said I know the main character, Adam Jensen is suppose to be reminiscent of the first Dues Ex protagonist, with his always on sunglasses and his rough and raspy voice. I can't help but feel that Adam who looks like and was painted as in the trailers as a futuristic renaissance man just is lacking a smooth, somber voice. Not to mention I sometimes felt the next words out of his mouth would be, "I'm Batman."
Dues Ex: Human Revolution is a fantastic game and a welcome reboot to a series that has been in hiatus for too long. It may have its short comings but the way it refines player choice in its rich, organic, world is a true marvel. Definitely a must own of this year.
Final Rating: B+
Before I start this review I would like to make the point that I have never actually played the original Deus Ex. Yes, I know it is one of the greatest games of all time, and yes I understand that my credibility as a hardcore gamer just dropped significantly. I did have the chance earlier this year to witness the first level of the game played, so I am not going into this totally blind. Just 90% give or take 10%. Do note I plan to rectify this grievous error sometime before the end of this year.
To say Dues Ex: Human Revolution is about choice would be a misleading. This game only two or three times asked me to make a choice. Rather the game dumped me into a world where my goal was a constant and easily ignorable marker on my mini-map and I was free to explore as I saw fit. I would say Human Revolution is less about choice and more about experiencing in an truly organic world. For example I would come across a locked room, I could hack the door open, break down the wall, bust open the door with a well placed grenade, or enter through an air duct. Not to mention the dozen of other ways I may not have realized. Why did I want in this room? It was not even part of my mission, it was actually in the exact opposite direction from my objective. For me the room taunted me with the lock and I was determined to see what was inside (if you are curious nothing was in the room).
This is the very core of Deus Ex, the game gave me a thousand ways to reach my goal and I was free to go back and test every one of them until I was satisfied. I have never seen more open ended environments that challenged me to truly think outside of the box. Mass Effect may ask you to make choices but Deus Ex never asked me anything beyond one choice in the beginning (lethal or non-lethal) and a couple more toward the end of the game. In many ways it was a smaller, crisper, cleaner, Fallout, or Elder Scrolls.
One of the biggest themes of Human Revolution, what is right and what is wrong. The game was very good about making me weigh the mortality of my actions. Early in the game it is difficult to discern who is truly the villain in the world, in fact I found myself questioning my decisions and beliefs more often then not. Should humanity take control of its own evolution and improve upon itself or should that be left in the hands of "higher powers" or nature? Its the same debate we are having today just in different context and while I know where I stand on this issue and many others, the game was not afraid to show me I could be wrong.
The game itself focuses heavily on stealth and RPG mechanics. While it is played in first person (third if you are in cover) and you do have an arsenal that would make Duke Nukem proud; you die faster than a fish in the desert if you are spotted out of cover. Stealth, and the ability to see all possible scenarios will serve you far better than the ability to consistently do a headshot. Beyond that how you travel around the world is heavily dependent on what upgrades or augmentations your character has developed. Earlier in one of the missions I found a path into the depths of a stronghold only to realize that my current augmentations that had served me well did not allow me to take this passage at all.
The game does have its short comings though. The game at regular intervals funnels you into a boss fight that extremely disorienting. Nothing is worse then to have been sneaking around for hours on end with only a stun gun to only find yourself in a death match. There is no way to talk yourself out of these which is a shame as the games conversation bosses are far more engaging and in line with the rest of the game. In these conversation battles you are tasked with an objective, for example getting permission to enter a restricted area. They play out similar to LA Noir but without the subtle facial expressions and more strong body language. The game does not care if you lose these, however, the rewards are substantial if you win.
The other downside is regrettably the story. While it hits on all the espionage and shadow government conspiracy Deus Ex is known for, it lacks unpredictability. I had most of it figured out before the second act was even done. Perhaps this is to blame to the massive amount of foreshadowing and the rich detail of the environments giving you a good sense of what is around the next corner. I was just left disappointed that right away I could tell myself, don't trust this guy, don't do this, turn off the prerendered cutscene I know hes behind me. In fact if it was not for the endlessly engaging gameplay I probably would not have finished it.
Presentation wise the game knows how to pull at the right strings. The world is richly detailed for the most part. Travel off the main path and you will find that all apartments share the same wallpaper. Places like your apartment and other major locations say more about the world and time you live in then any amount of dialogue. Though I could use a little less yellow wash on everything but least this future is not brown. Though that could just be the tint of the main character's sunglasses.
The music pulls off this wonderful techno ambiance that knows exactly when to amp itself up for a frenetic, alarm-sounding firefight. The voice work is top quality, with only a few stale lines coming off a very few of the random people you can pass off the street. That being said I know the main character, Adam Jensen is suppose to be reminiscent of the first Dues Ex protagonist, with his always on sunglasses and his rough and raspy voice. I can't help but feel that Adam who looks like and was painted as in the trailers as a futuristic renaissance man just is lacking a smooth, somber voice. Not to mention I sometimes felt the next words out of his mouth would be, "I'm Batman."
Dues Ex: Human Revolution is a fantastic game and a welcome reboot to a series that has been in hiatus for too long. It may have its short comings but the way it refines player choice in its rich, organic, world is a true marvel. Definitely a must own of this year.
Final Rating: B+
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