The perfect world of Neverwinter

The perfect world of Neverwinter

Neverwinter by Cryptic, is a game that was promised a year ago, primarily as a cooperative online RPG, but not necessarily an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online game).

In May this year the Chinese company of MMOs Perfect World (of the game by the same name) has acquired Cryptic, and with it the game Neverwinter. As expected, now the game is designed to become a full MMO. The good news is that it will be free to play (no charge), in like manner of Perfect World.

The bad news is that this transition process delayed the game by at least one year, and Neverwinter is scheduled for the end of 2012. Anyone who believes the world will end on that date is not counting on playing Neverwinter...

I personally believe that Neverwinter will be a suitable game to play at Judgement Day.

I also believe that the game will appeal more to fans of Dungeons & Dragons than to fans of Perfect World, as we can infer from the video below. The classic scene of the tavern where the characters get to know their mission, the mysterious veteran soldier who "gives the quest" for the characters, the epic battle against armies of undead, liches and chromatic dragons (in this case a blue lightning-breather dragon) , all these elements of oldschool Dungeons & Dragons are there in the video.

In fact, I think this video only is much more D & D than the latest D & D books, in which Wizards of the Coast is trying to do a "pen & paper" World of Warcraft, targeting the very success of the most popular MMO ever. Surely a foolish goal, as tabletop RPGs and video game RPGs are two different things, each with its own niche. But that's a topic for another post.

For now, enjoy the Neverwinter video, which is pretty cool:

Diablo III - A more immersive Diablo

Diablo III - A more immersive Diablo

 

I still remember back in 2001. I was an addict. Much of my afternoon was filled by playing (back then) innovative Diablo II. As I was (am), also an avid (Advanced) Dungeons & Dragons player, I was naturally attracted by the game of the devil. Like Dungeons & Dragons, Diablo II gave me days and days of monster slaying, treasure hunts and great adventures. I could see places and fantastic cities and be the hero of the day. But after the initial euphoria, I missed something that Dungeons & Dragons gave me, but I did not have in Diablo II: character role-playing. After all, the game was sold as an RPG-Role Playing Game. But where was the role-playing in Diablo II? Sure, the game had an almost unparalleled replayability by the time, but I did not feel like role-playing my character. The conversations were always the same. Epic, but shallow. Basically, people giving you missions using flowery words. But I could not choose to refuse the mission, or bargain my reward. My paladin would always be a champion, and always have the same lines in all the times I play with a paladin. Diablo II was perhaps the best game of that season, but lacked something to make it perfect: world immersion. My character in Diablo was just an avatar through which I clicked to kill. If I truly wanted to feel like my character, I would have to resort to good old paper, pen, dice and imagination of Dungeons & Dragons. The irony of all this is that the creators of Diablo said they were inspired by afternoons full of Dungeons & Dragons and snacks.

Baldur's Gate

 
After many, many games of Diablo II at the end of that year I discovered a certain game that was released about the same time as Diablo II, but because of the hype built around the latter, I'd overlooked: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. At first I was little surprised by the 2D graphics and isometric view, and a lot of dolls that seemed to be involved in some kind of chat on the screen. But, boy, this game marked my life. That was the game that came closest to a tabletop RPG experience. You choose what your character will say or do (of course, within a limited number of choices), according to her personality. You choose to accept or not (most of) their missions. In fact, you might as well kill the good guys instead of helping them, if you choose to be evil. Imagine being able to kill Deckard Cain because you think that you just had enough of the old geezer. The experience of playing Baldur's Gate was quite different if you played with a paladin and later with an evil necromancer. And not only the equipment and expertise available, but the story itself. Hell, you could even have a romance, if you wanted!

It made me think that the perfect game to ever be created one day would be a blend of the randomization and factor "cool" of Diablo with Baldur's Gate deep immersion. Dreams...

Diablo III

Ten years later (wow! it's been so long? Am I getting old or is it just that Blizzard took a "little while" to make this game?), We are about to get Diablo III. The beta testing is already going on, but the debut of the game was postponed (again) for early 2012.

Is it worth the wait? Well, from what I've seen, for those who had nothing to complain about Diablo II and want more of it, yes. There will be endless hordes of monsters to be killed with endless hours of clicks, and treasures lying on the ground, and much sound and fury.

But what about us, the bored roleplayers who expect a greater world immersion? After all, we believe that if we are supposed to be escapists, make it extreme then! We truly want to feel like our heroes, and not only be driven by a mechanical series of dialogues and a predetermined path, only pixels on the screen. We want to feel that the world of Sanctuary (the world of Diablo) breathes and bleeds.

Fortunately, Diablo seems to have evolved in that direction. Here's how the game became more immersive compared to the previous edition. This greater immersion was implemented through both mechanical and aesthetic changes.

Sexism

No, it's not what you're thinking, you naughty devil. So far at least, Diablo is still safe for children (the violence, on the other hand, oh, that remains the same ...).

We're talking about freedom of choice. Now you can choose the gender of your character. A change merely aesthetic, but certainly allow for greater identification with the character. Besides the freedom of choice itself. And between us, I'd date that barbarian lass any day ... wouldn't you?

Compared to Baldur's Gate: In BG you could choose the gender of the PC (Player Character) as well. This mainly influenced romances.

Mercs with a "soul"

In Diablo II, the mercenary, that helper you can hire was a mere computer-driven puppet that went to and fro, and, frankly, was more annoying than useful. There was not much interaction with them. The most they did was thank you for an equipment you handed them. But they themselves were little more than walking equipment. They had the same appearance and their name was randomized the same way monsters dropped loot.

In Diablo III, they have not only a name, and not just a face, but also heart and soul. There will be three: the Scoundrel Lyndon, the Enchantress Eirene and the Templar Kormac. They have a history that will be developed along your path together. You can not control them directly. Just as in the previous version, they act independently, following you wherever you go.

Compared to Baldur's Gate: In BG you could take up to five other characters with you. Each had their own personality (very complex, by the way) and agenda, and interacted with each other. In fact, some characters could bicker among themselves and might even kill each other if things got ugly. You control all their actions, but not their reactions and desires.

Recruitable Baldur's Gate Characters: all too human...

To each, it's own

In Diablo II, your character had two resources: health and mana. The latter was used to recharge spells, from the sorceress' fire spells to the barbarian special attacks. Mana was recovered with time or through potions. This for all characters. Now, each character has its own resources to fuel their powers, according to their class.

The Wizard uses arcane power for her attacks.

The Demon Hunter uses hatred for her attacks and discipline for defense.

The Barbarian uses fury, which is replaced as you fight, but this ebbs away with time. That is, the barbarian should not stay too long without a fight.

The Monk uses the spirit feature, almost exclusively for defense, but unlike the Barbarian, this feature is not lost with time, and is also gained through attacks.

The only who got to keep the traditional mana was the Witch Doctor, whose mana is restored slowly over time, just like it was in the good ol' times.

These features are much more aligned with each character, providing a very different experience for each class. It also encourages a "proto-role-playing" of the character. For example, whoever picks a barbarian is encouraged to beat as one.

Compared to Baldur's Gate: Along with Diablo, BG is one of the games with the highest replay value around. So much so that you can find people playing Diablo II and the old BG even today. This is mainly due to the gaming experience to be different according to the chosen character class.

In conclusion: I always thought the perfect game was a blend of Diablo and Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate "evolved" into Dragon Age (yes, for those unaware, the same people are involved in both games), but Dragon Age disappoints in this regard, since Bioware has seen fit to make the game more "friendly" to consoles, and thus , "dumbing" down the game. Diablo III seems to be a little closer to the dream of the perfect game. Maybe in ten years?

Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how? - Creepy Doll

Innistrad - Creepy Doll

"Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings." Macbeth

Continuing with our series Innistrad - "Horror Lurks Within".... But exactly how?, Now let's look at a specific Innistrad card: Creepy Doll.

Creepy Doll - 5
Artifact Creature - Construct (Rare)
Creepy Doll is indestructible.
Whenever Creepy Doll deals combat damage to a creature, flip a coin. If you win the flip, destroy that creature.
1/1

That's right. It is a fearful, indestructible, killer doll, which will kill you if you're out of luck.

What does this have to do with horror: Certainly the most iconic representative of the "indestructible killer doll" type is Chucky from the movie Child's Play (1988). Chucky is a doll possessed by the soul of the psychopath Charles Lee Ray, who, shortly before his death, uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul to a doll. The doll starts a series of murders, and despite being shot, burned, dismembered, crushed, melted, and cut into small pieces, always returns to carry out his killing, and even to initiate a series of five films.

The theme "killer doll" was also well explored in the RPG setting of Ravenloft (which, as I will elaborate later, IMO, was the main inspiration for Innistrad). Here we have the "carrionette," a live puppet, almost an evil and psychopathic Pinocchio, who, like Chucky, will not rest until he gets a human body to inhabit.

Killer dolls are able to arouse the horror just by exploring innocence and playfulness, the last elements you would associate with evil. Notice that the card "Creepy Doll" "plays well" with the playful side effect of flipping a coin to destroy a creature, like a macabre and deadly child's play. Creepy!

In game: You can use Krark's Thumb to make Creepy Doll more playable, improving your chances to use her destroying ability.

Yōkai in the fantastic medieval Japan - Part 1

Yōkai in the fantastic medieval Japan

Japan has faced, as we know, a great tragedy in recent days, with the earthquakes followed by tsunamis, since 11/03/2011.
 
The images and the consequences, as we can read in the news, are heart breaking.

But Japanese are tough to beat, as history has proven, and also extremely disciplined. It is no wonder that samurai and ninja originated in feudal Japan, warriors with impressive skills, bordering on the supernatural; warriors that have inhabited our fantasies and pop culture for decades. As a fervent admirer of these people, I have full confidence that they will recover impressively, with the same stoicism, honor and discipline of a samurai, as they did rise from the rubble of World War II to become a technological and economic power.

In honor of this people, I decided to talk about their captivating folklore in the feudal period. In other words, now let's talk fantasy in medieval Japan.

Let's start with an infamous creature from Japanese myth, one that features in legends from the feudal period to the present day: the yōkai.

The yōkai can be defined as a monster, spirit or demon. Actually it can be considered a class of Japanese monsters, since not every monster from feudal Japanese culture is (generally) considered a yōkai - for example the oni, kappa and Yurei. In some sources, however, these monsters will be considered yōkai, like in Inuyasha, a manga / anime which will be further explored in our posts about yōkai. In this manga / anime, all the supernatural creatures, including the three I mentioned above, are considered yokai.

InuYasha

  As a rule, what defines a yōkai is some kind of supernatural or spiritual power. Yōkai with ability to shape change are called obake. Obake examples are:

    * Tanuki (raccoon dog)
    * Kitsune (Fox)
    * Hebi (snake)
    * Mujin (Badgers)
    * Bakeneko (cats)
    * Ōkami (wolf)
    * Tsuchigumo and jorōgumo (spiders)
    * Inugami (dogs)

Tanuki

Stories of tanuki disguised as members of society (priests, for example) are common through the Kamakura period. Other stories are more sinister. In a story called "Kachi-Kachi Yama", a tanuki kills an old lady and serves her as a soup to her unsuspecting husband. A tanuki is also a character in InuYasha, acting as a servant of the monk Miroku.

Kitsune by ~who-stole-MY-name

 While the tanuki is portrayed as a prankster and joker, kitsune stories tend to be more serious, portraying these yōkai as intelligent beings, whose magical abilities increase with age. Kitsune have several tails, up to nine. The more tails a kitsune has, more wise, venerable and powerful it is. In the manga / anime Naruto, a fox of nine tails features heavily in the plot. The protagonist Naruto has one of these creatures within. Here, the creature is portrayed as demonic and destructive, and also a source of power coveted by the villains of the series. Traditionally, however, the kitsune were generally portrayed as Zenko (literally, "good foxes) or yako, malicious and harmful. In folk tales, they acquire a tail every 100 years. By acquiring the ninth tail, they became omniscient and their fur became white or gold. Commonly, they shapechanged into beautiful and seductive women.

Nine-Tailed Fox, from Naruto

Ōkami, bakeneko and especially inugami are prominently portrayed in InuYasha. InuYasha himself is the son of an Inugami, and a Ōkami named Koga is a rival as well a reluctant ally of InuYasha.
 
An interesting class of yōkai are obake tsukumogami, household objects that come to life by completing 100 years of existence. Common tsukumogami can be sandals, umbrellas, jars of sake and teapots. These yokai are also portrayed as pranksters, although they can also gather in droves to avenge those who have spent them or throw them in the trash, without consideration for their feelings. An interesting detail is that, according to the folklore, modern objects can not become tsukumogami, since these spirits are repelled by electricity. Moreover, few modern object last long enough to earn a "soul."

Yu Yu Hakusho. Hiei (left) and Kurama (red hair) are yōkai

  Besides the aforementioned InuYasha, yokai are often portrayed in modern and contemporary popular culture. Examples are also manga / anime YuYu Hakusho. Here we have Youko Kurama, a kitsune, and Hiei, a fire yōkai, born from yuki-onna (snow yōkai). In games, we have the Felicia from Darkstalkers, a bakeneko. Nor must we forget Ōkami, an action-adventure game by Capcom, which is worth being checked for any fan of yōkai and Japanese folklore and culture in general.

Felicia of Darkstalkers: yōkai bakeneko

And last but not least, RPG players, especially Dungeons & Dragons, who are also fans of yōkai and always imagined what would it be like playing one, check out Oriental Adventures, a supplement that provides the option of hengeyokai character (similar to obake).

Coming Soon, Yōkai in the fantastic medieval Japan - Part 2