NCG Blog
The Mists Have Cleared Way
Approximately two weeks ago, I made a choice to dive back into a title I long thought would be one I hardly cared to play ever again. With the release of Mists of Panderia, I thought I would give World of Warcraft another shot. I’ve heard from critics that the expansion was better than the previous, Cataclysm, which led me to the thought “it couldn’t possibly be worse.” I’m glad to say my conclusion has been right thus far.
Preowned games at Target
A habit of mine has been to scour the gaming section of any store I travel to. The reason is simple : to find good deals on games. You never know when you will find a copy of a timeless classic for a killer price or even a brand new that has been marked down for some ungodly reason. This is how I found Starcraft II for $39.99 a month after it was released. Almost immediately, I had texted a picture over to a few friends who asked me to purchase the game for them.
My travels today took me to Target. I just needed to pick up some bath salts, a tripod and shampoo. The long walk to the electronics department left me in awe as I stared at the new Pre Owned Games section next to the $19.99 Classic Games. The games didn’t look at thing like any game that you would pick up at GameStop or even Games N Go. They were lined up neatly, with flawless looking cases they were wrapped up in tight plastic. Had it not been for the label on them saying they were pre-owened, I wouldn’t have known. There were older titles including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that was available for the Xbox 360 and the Wii. According to an article on joystiq, Target plans on adding a pre-owned game section to 850 stores by year’s end.
This is interesting because now the competition for pre-owned games has become more and more fierce. It used to the be the big retailer for used games was GameStop and since then Best Buy and Walmart has jumped onto the wagon. Is this really a market that they need to join into? I highly doubt it. Something to consider is that even so the packaging looks nicer and even have that nice plastic covering you might be paying for something much expensive than it really needs to be.
My phone, my games
Over the past few months I got a new phone which runs on the Windows operating system. I have never been a big Xbox fan but since I got the phone I’ve been very curious on how it synced everything together. Using your Windows Live account you can sync all of the devices together. I have my Xbox Live avatar now dancing on one of my live tiles. Not only that but I can show off my achievements using my phone and what games I am currently playing. You can access your friends achievements. Those features seems pretty cool but I can’t say much considering I’m just starting off utilizing the features.
One of the games I’ve started playing includes Fable 2, since I’m not allowed to play Fable 3 until that is completed. So far it seems interesting but I found out there is a game I can play on my phone that will actually give me advantages in Fable 3. It is $4.99 to purchase and it called Fable: Coin Golf. There are several games that you can purchase on your windows phone that will benefit you in your Xbox gaming experience. It’s a nice touch but it still have a long ways to go.
Blizzard has a few applications out that allows you access to your World of Warcraft account. The best one was the auction house application because even when you are far away from your computer you can still make sure you’re making money. There is also an application to keep in touch with your guild or even to see the armory.
Gaming has become much more than just a past time, it has developed into so much more. The need to keep in touch with your gaming world has created these applications that you can bring along with your phones. Yet, the idea has not gotten to a point where gives any substantial advantages. What if not only does it gives you advantages but becomes a necessity, when that comes around there will be many angry consumers.
I Have A Burning Question! Well, Maybe Two Questions.
With all of the products on the market to do what any aspiring gamer wants to do, especially the ones that are looking for gamer stardom, or even just to be able to share their ability to “PWN SO HARD!”
One of the arguably most important part of any computer build would be a graphics card. Many people choose NVIDIA or ATI based cards based on brand loyalty and the few differences between the cards.
Personally, I have an NVIDIA based card, and so does Grethade. Other people I know run ATI cards and love them, but for me, bang for the buck is where I am at and the NVIDIA 550ti with overclocking makes a great addition to my tower.
But what do you do when you need more? Right now I am looking for an answer to the burning quest for 3 monitors! Currently my three options are:
- Get a matching and identical NVIDIA card for an SLI setup to use NVIDIA Surround
- Do I ditch my current card in favor of a new edition to the NVIDIA family that supports NVIDIA Surround on a single card
- Leave NVIDIA, my familiar brand for new and uncharted waters of ATI in favor of their on board support for their EyeFinity support?
Right now I’m at a toss up, either way I’m going to spend over$100. What would you do? Let me know in the comments below!
Now I’m not one to brag, but my COD (Call of Duty) skills are on par, in my opinion, with some of the better people that I know. That isn’t to say that I haven’t been made to look like a rampaging newb, or haven’t fragged myself on accident. Everyone makes mistakes.
But, when you want to take it to the next level and start recording yourself and sharing your success and failures with the rest of the intrawebs, what devices do you turn to when you need to broadcast your console stardom?
Currently, I’m leaning towards purchasing a BlackMagic device, possibly an internal computer card, or maybe one of these beautiful looking boxes that you see in front of you.
It’s a little expensive at around $200, but there is always a price to pay when it comes to humiliation.
If you share your console gaming with the world, what do you use? Again, as always, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks Interwebs!
-The Angry Asian
Diablo III – First Person To Paragon Level? Pretty Sure They’re a Virgin.
Soooo, if any of you remember an earlier article posting about the Paragon System which launched with the last patch, someone actually hit that cap…
ALREADY!
For those of you that don’t know how much extra XP (experience points) you need to hit that level, let me break it down for you.
To get to the original level cap of level 60, which much of us have already reached, it would take 23 million XP
To pass the next 100 levels of the Paragon System you will need over 3 billion XP
For a visual reference:
Level 60 : 23,000,000 XP
Level 60 + 100 Levels of Paragon : 3,000,000,000 + XP
THAT’S A TON OF TIME WASTED.
When Diablo III first came out, people spent TONS of time playing this, to the point where a french company offered to send free vibrators to people if they sent a picture of them and their significant other playing the game.
Don’t believe me? Here is the link
Lastly, for your viewing pleasure, here is the list of his current gear.
From what I’ve heard, they used a different set of gear for leveling.
Legend of Zelda Symphony of The Goddess: Tickets on Sale!
Any Legend of Zelda fans out there? One of the coolest fabs out there lately has been video game songs being played by an orchestra with a visual game outtakes in the background. “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Tour” is coming soon at eleven locations throughout North America. The newly announced dates includes:
Sept. 15: Toronto; Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
Sept. 22: Minneapolis; Orpheum Theatre
Oct. 12: Dallas; AT&T Performing Arts Center
Oct. 18: Boston; Wang Theatre
Oct. 25: Chicago; The Chicago Theatre
Nov. 3: San Antonio; The Majestic Theatre
Nov. 6: Calgary, Alberta; Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Nov. 28: New York; The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 8: West Palm Beach, Fla.; Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Dec. 9: Miami; Adrienne Arsht Center
Dec.14: San Jose, Calif.; San Jose Civic
Tickets can be purchased at their website. At the Orpheum Theatre the basic seats have been sold out but the prices range from $49 up to $120. The concert program will have a four movement symphony recounting the classic storylines from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It will also highlight renditions from other games in the series.
Diablo III : SERIOUSLY!? WTF Will Be Left?!
This will be a rant. If you don’t like it then hike up your skirt or pull up your knickers and deal with it.
Seriously, how much easier do they, and I mean Blizzard, want to make this game? I really appreciate the effort that they are putting into the end game, but WHY would you make so many changes in such a small amount of time?
Really, think about this, in the next patch there will be buffs to skills, legendary items, and now extra levels for your character to receive to make core stats (strength, intelligence, etc.) go up and MF and GF (Magic Find and Gold Find) easier to achieve for your character. Not to mention that they will be lowering the health of monsters in multiplayer games, and even making monster packs easier by changing the modifier abilities that spawn. WHAT?!
My question is, “Why wouldn’t you make each change over multiple patches to carefully evaluate the impacts of each and every single change individually, instead of lumping everything into one patch and praying that all of the changes play well together.”
I for one, am all about extra rewards for playing a game longer. I wouldn’t want to throw away my valuable time, and not feel like I am getting something in return, but all of the changes done at once will more than likely throw off the already unbalanced system that they currently have millions of people investing TONS of their time in.
Not only that, but the ability to find even more rare and legendary items will make the RMA (Real Money Auction House) totally messed up, AGAIN.
I will continue to play the game, mainly because it kills time extremely effectively, but I am freaking out about the problems that this next patch can incur. Mainly the fact that the game could become, “So easy that even a cave man could do it.”
Now to be factual about it these will be some of the changes involving the Paragon system for your characters.
- Level 60 no longer will be the level cap, it will be level 100.
- MF and GF will be capped at 300%, Nephalem Valor stacks will not count towards this cap. What that really means, is that at level 100 of the new Paragon system there will be no need to wear any MF or GF gear, as you will receive the maximum benefits passively.
- Nephalem Valor will also affect XP generation in the same way it affects MF and GF for Paragon levels, making it easier to reach level 100 because of XP requirements scaling.
Command and Conquer: Sign up for Beta
Yesterday at Gamescon, EA games announced that Command and Conquer will become the first Free to Play game utilizing Frostbite 2. The sign up for the beta is up and running and you can register at www.commandandconquer.com/free . There are limited spots so sign up as soon as you can.
Frostbite 2 has been heavily mentioned recently in the new games coming out. It takes full advantage of the Direct X API and 64-bit processor in order to provide enhanced graphics and creates refined physics compared to it’s predecessors.
EA Games Previews New Games
At the GamesCon 2012, EA Games streamed a live press conference about their new and upcoming games. A recording of the whole press conference is available at ea games.com.
Army of TWO: The Devil’s Cartel
Executive Producer Julian Bleak stepped up to talk about the sequel that will be released on March 2013 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. It is a tactical c0-op. The new Frostbite 2 engine will deliver detailed destruction so you can enjoy it the fullest. You have to work with a partner in order to bring massive destruction to your enemies. There will a lot of destruction and explosions.
Between you and your partner you will be Alpha or Bravo. Collaborate with your partner to fill your Overkill bar. This will allow you to unlock even more to your gaming experience. Take down the world’s drug cartel and take part in a “private military operation against The Scythe, a wide-spread criminal operation that has brought murderous terror to the besieged nation of Mexico.”
NHL 13
The General Manager Dean Richards, former profession hockey player, skated onto the stage to discuss the new NHL 13. The franchise won over 40 awards and now the sequel will be released September 13, 2012. A demo will be available to play on Xbox 360 (August 21, 2012) and Playstation 3 (August 22, 2012).
Online team play has improved. The GM Connected lets you play NHL 13 with up to 750 people and up to 30 user-managed teams. Not only has the online multiplayer portion been improved by the game experience has too. The game will feature over a thousand new skating animations, including backward skating and circling behind the net.
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Do you like cars? In the Need for Speed Most Wanted game you will now be able to drive almost any car you want. “If you can find it, you can drive it.”
Your objective is to outrun the cops. You can view your friends’ milestones that will be instantly visible to you. The game will make use of Autolog 2, and the new Cloud Compete function to make it the most socially connected Need or Speed to date. Compete against your friends to become the “Most Wanted”.
The game will be released this November in Europe and North America.
Metal of Honor Warfighter
October 23, 2012 the game will be out. Gamers can represent their own nations with 193 United Nations represented, 6 different classes and over 70 warrior combinations to choose from in multiplayer.
Frostbite 2 game engine will provide deep environmental sound, beautiful graphics and detailed destruction.
The Simpsons Tapped Out
This is a Free-to-play game that is available now in the German app store. It will launch this month in North America. The game will be available to the iOS.
Build your own Springfield and unlock your favorite Simpson characters.
Sim City
The highly anticipated game that will hopefully make a comeback for the Sim City franchise. Sign up at SimCity Official website for the closed beta. The game will be released February 2013 and will also be available for the Mac. Now only will there be a single player experience but a now all of the cities will be connected via SimCity World. Visit your friends’ cities to help them build and earn rewards.
Battlefield 3
The premium edition has been announced and will include a multiplayer welcome kit with in game upgrades. Armored Kill will include the largest map in Battlefield history including a new game mode called “Tank Superiority” and will be available in December 2012. In the End Game there will be motorcycles to enhance the experience. Players will be able to utilize modified military and civilian vehicles in the game.
Crysis 3
We got a sneak peak of the Hunter Mode gameplay with 9 players demonstrating it. Hunter Mode supports up to 16 players and there are two teams : CELL troopers and a smaller group of cloaked Hunters. The Hunters must take down all of the CELL troopers before the time runs out. When a CELL unite is killed they will respawn as a cloaked Hunter. Game will be released February 2013.
The game takes place in a “urban jungle” of what’s left of New York City.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
This fall a free-to-play version will be released. “Cartel Points” will be introduced as a new virtual currency. There will also be more missions for level 50 coming out and a new PvP warzone will be released.
Dead Space 3
There is a Tools of Terror contest at www.deadspace.com. Submit your dream weapon and the winner will have their creation (and likeness) added to the game. Even if your weapon doesn’t get chosen players will be able to collect raw materials and toll parts to create their perfect weapon. It’s all of the new weapon crafting system. Game will be released February 8, 2013 in Europe and February 5, 2013 in North America.
FIFA 13
What is known as soccer in the United States is known as football almost everywhere else. EA SPORTS will be partnering with Nexon to bring FIFA Online to Korea later this year.
In FIFA 13 Ulimate Team, players can build and mange football teams. The game will also update to real world developments in the real FIFA. Players can participate in a new 2v2 online co-op mode. The release date will be September 28, 2012 in Europe and September 25, 2012 in North America.
Facebook Games… How to avoid annoying your friends
It’s no doubt that Facebook have obviously evolved into more than just a social network. There are so many applications that can be integrated now and that includes games. The cursed Facebook games have made it easier to play games with friends but also for the friends who don’t play it’s a way to lose them. In the games, they offer you the ability to post things to your Facebook page in order to share points, coins, bonuses, etc. Here is how to share them without sharing them to everyone, so not annoying friends who don’t play that game.
Creating A Unique Group
First off you need to create a group of friends for that specific game. Make sure you check with your friends to see who would like you to share your bonuses. On the left hand bar near the bottom of your HOME page is a friends section. Select More in order to get more options.
You should see the friends section like what’s shown at the right. Click on Create List and name it anything you would like, preferably after the game you are referring to. When that list is created, you can add friends into that list. Make sure to ask you friends if they want to be in that list. Sometimes, even so they play, they don’t want to be part of that list.
When this has been completed you can make your posts for that particular game/application to only show to certain friends list. Look at the top right hand corner of your Facebook page. You will see your name and a Home link with an arrow for more options. Click that arrow and go down to Account Settings.
That will open your Account Setting page. Look at the left hand bar and select Apps.
When the Apps section opens up you will scroll down to the app you going to edit. In this particular example I am editing the settings for Slotomania. When you find the app you are looking for then click on the edit link next to it. It will open up the full options for the app as shown below.
Finally highlighted in red, is where you change who gets to view your posts for the game. Choose the friends list that you have created earlier.
Now click the Close button and everything should be just fine. Have fun and enjoy your friends not being not annoyed with you.
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