The game industry is growing at an exceptional rate in all kinds of areas. This is going to be a major year in gaming where developing trends, such as eSport and streaming are going to effect how games are designed and played.  Here is a breakdown of the major trends in gaming to look out for.

1). Virtual Reality

The VR revival started in 2016 and looks set to continue into 2017. Adoption rate of VR was fairly slow in 2016 because of the cost of both the headset that where available and the computers that can run them.  A lot of the experiences were not that great either with one notable exception. The success of Resident Evil Seven has gone a long way to showcase just what VR is capable of, and with a few more successful entries like this the adoption rates could increase. However, it does little to mitigate the costs factor.

Due to this many analyst predict that VR in the consumer game industry will receive little to no love for game developers, and they will not sell enough units to cover the cost. VR is currently too expensive for mainstream gaming.

Developers may move away from consumer VR in gaming to other areas such as training sims.

2.) Streaming

Next Generation console, more powerful PCs, and Twitch has made streaming game extremely easy. There is going to be a raise in the number of games that have eSport following due to the easy accessibility of stream, and there are going to be more channels dedicated to it.

The main trend in streaming is going to focus on Participatory streaming.  Updates to the streaming model will allow greater interaction between the streamers and their audience changing the way games are played and watched.  This update will provide streamers with real-time stat over-lays, gameplay pools to give audience control, and wagers through loyalty points.  So, streams will become more interactive for the audience.

3). eSports.

Viewership of e-sports as risen drastically from 204 million to 292 million 43% increase over two years.  eSports are getting more popular, and as such there is greater investment in this area.  To an extent this has already been seen as Counter-Strike, Over-Watch and Street Fighter V matches have been broadcasted on television. Broadcasting rights for league of legends sold to major league baseball streamer for $300 million.  And projection suggest that the industry will double its value to $1 billion with a viewership of 500 million fans.

The most interesting trend in eSports over the next year may be made by Blizzard who are shaking up that way eSports are organised with their Overwatch league.  Blizzard envision local teams playing for major cities much like traditional sports and already have potential owners of teams bidding millions to get on board as league founders.

This new model may cause classic eSports games like League of Legend to redesign their systems.

Expect eSports to become a great influence on the design of games in the near future.

4). Downloads Numbers Rising.

Profits from downloading media are were increasing in 2016.  Downloading media will continue to raise, although physical media should remain king.

5). A focus on PVP Mobile Gaming

eSports is going to have a huge effect on the mobile gaming industry too.  There are an increasing number of games on the mobile platform that support streaming technology are gaining a following such as Vainglory and Hearthstone.

As streaming and eSports become more popular game designers are going to focus on increasing the appeal of their game to spectators. This may signal a move away from the asynchronous models were competition is done through a leader-board like Candy-Crush and Opponents are controlled by computer AI’s Like Marvel Puzzle Quest.   To appeal to the masses and create a watching audience games will need to be fast paced and interactive.  This will mean a slow move away from match 3 games and slow world builders.

There will be a bigger focus around branding in mobile games too.

Increasing game will built with this in mind.

6). Blend single and multiplayer experience

There will be an increasing trend to blend single player games with a multi-player experience.  Games are increasing less seen as one off novel experiences, and are now being marketed as a ongoing service provided by the developer as it increases DLC sales. This will mean a move away from franchise like Nathan Drake where there is a rich one player setting only.

Games like Mass Effect Andromeda showcase how developers are trying to integrate the multiplayer aspect into game to prolong their life and increase their revenue streams.

7.) Expect Bigger Names in Mobile Gaming

Nintendo’s success with Pokemon Go has demonstrated that big developers and franchises not only have a role to play in mobile gaming but can expect a healthy profit from doing so.  Pokemon Go caused a massive 33% spike in Nintendo’s share price.

Nintendo seem set on bringing over its favorite 1^st party titles to the mobile gaming base, releasing Fire Emblem Heroes earlier this year.

This move will attract other big names to the mobile market, and if Nintendo’s influence is anything to go by these new developers will create new ways and means to the F2P model that leave the standard models of games showing old and obvious prompts to spend that can be ignored.

8). Harassment

One of the biggest issues in the gaming community is that of player harassment, especially as games become more socially driven.  The idea that harassment is just part of gaming culture has slowed down moves to create strong prevention methods.

I can see how the issue is hard to judge myself.  I was in a general chat of a mobile game yesterday, when some started making rape jokes in the room.  The room was divide over whether it was his right under freedom of to make the rape joke or if victims of rape had the right to exist in a space where they are free of any reminder of the abuser/event/threat.

With cyber-bullying and online attacks becoming a more prominent trend in the media expect gaming to start coming down hard on player harassment.

9). Attack of the AR clones

With the Success of Pokemon’s go Augmented reality expect a lot of unsuccessful clones later this year that will try and emulate Nintendo’s success with the model.

10). The death of 4 year console cycle.

With the release of Project Scorpion by Microsoft a lot of people are saying the 4 year cycle of new console release is dead, and an updated version of the same console with better technology will be the norm going forward.

The post What are gamers up to 2017? – Gaming Industry Trends appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

Wizard101 is a refreshing change from the majority of MMORPG’s out there.  It uses a card based summoning system in combat, that is very easy and simple to master.  The game sells itself as being a child safe zone, which could explain its extremely imaginative, really funny, and simple to play yet remains fun.

Overview

• In RPG terms there is only one class to choose from – Although this game offers a lot of different sub-class for you to choose from such as : Death Wizard, Life Wizard, Fire Wizard, Ice Wind, Storm Wizard and Conjuring Wizard.
• Great story that starts from the tutorial with a central death wizard bad guy.
• Lots of quests that are easy to find and complete, giving you a lot of equipment and cards.
• A card based summoning combat system that is very different
• Parties that are formed automatically on the field dungeon.
• Lots of literary references, so far I’ve met Dorothy, Tin-man, Toto and penny dreadful.
• Great for kids – it’s almost like Harry Potter Online.
• Imaginative characters and graphics.
• All text is full narrated – storybook fashion.

Character Selection

Class wise you have to be a wizard. Kind of makes sense from the title huh? But it does offer you a lot of diversity around what wizard you want to be.  Interestingly, the school of wizardry you belong to is more interactive than simply choosing a school.  You are asked a set of seemingly random questions, that selects the best school of wizardry for you – like a digital sorting hat. Here is a video of my entry test:-

Yeah, not to surprising the goth was placed into the death school, is it? But it reflects well on the tests abilities. And in typical goth fashion I thought I’d try and subvert the mainstream stereotypical options by giving my death mage a health tan and a bright red robe with yellow trim that lasted until my first equipment drop.

Later you can train in a second school of wizardry too – I oddly choose life magic, just because of the teacher:-

How awesome is she and that name!?

Another interesting feature is the name selection process, you don’t get to select your name but it is comprised of random words that you can slot together or press random to jiggle about.  I have included a few random selections on the video above – I just kind of feel in love with the name Johnathan Legendpants though. I just couldn’t help but imagine my character doing a Thor like bellow :- “ Beware of my legendary pants.”

Although this does limit freedom it does also make the game more child friendly as there are no user names that haven’t been preordained – and is a novel and interesting system to filter out the unfriendly user names. Plus I legandpants… two words that I’d never put together but seems to make me infinitely happy.

Storyline

The story line is there from the get go. You are new student attending wizard university and even before your enrollment is over the headmaster is attacked by a more stereotypical Death Mage – Black robes, dark eye bags, and a bad attitude. Before you know it the Headmaster has thrust you into a dual with the Death Wizard and talks you through the basic of the dueling and card summoning system and then send you on a journey to clear unicorn alley of undead creatures – without even asking for a signed permission slip.

You get to meet a lot of very interesting characters both graphically and story-line wise that range from classical film characters from the Wizard of Oz to storm wielding toads, fairy queens, Bear Merchants (that is a merchant that happens to be a bear not someone who sells bears), a gnarly Death study that sounds like he would rather be surfing, dude and the worlds tiniest smiths – amongst others.

Gameplay

This game is designed to be child friendly, and as even the most basic of concepts are explained in great detail, and with an array of brightly colored icons. So, it is a very good game for beginners or children.  The user interface is simple and easy to use.

The combat is fun and simple.  It basically amounts to you choosing a card to play or summon by clicking on it, but like all deck building games there is an element of strategy to creating it, such as enemy debuffs, summoning cost, self-health/duffs and treasure cards. Although there are more strategic and tactical games out there for this such as Magic: The Gathering or the online card game Eredan iTCG both of these lack the RPG element. Here is some footage from the tutorial:-

Parties are formed almost automatically as you travel the map, entering an existing duel of anyone that you happen to wander too close too.  Although this can be annoying as you’ve been dragged into a battle accidentally, it is a life saver when dueling some of the harder creatures on the map when you’re under leveled.  All the sidewalks in an area are free from enemy encounters too, so any battle is easily avoidable.

Quests also vary a lot in design.  Some required you to defeat a specific number of enemies, whilst others ask you to free sprites from cages, find people hidden on maps or look for lost items.

There are a range of mini-games that you can access from the fairiegrounds, that are simplistic but fun if you get tired of adventuring and want to play something else.

You also have your own dorm room, which you gain items for and can decorate with them.

Community

It is a busy and friendly community.  In the two hours I was in the game I received over ten friend requests, without really talking to anyone (with the safe game for children emphasis I was afraid they’d all be ten).

There is a world chat as well as lots of icons and emojis for you to use for some quick thanks, or hi during battle.

Graphics

Technically they are slightly above average – but they are fun and convey a real sense of character in the people that you meet as well as providing interesting environments to explore.  You can tell a lot of love has gone into the design of the areas from the details of pictures on the wall.  What is that? Is it a monkey in a uniform?!

The battles are very stimulating visually too, as not only do the enemies look great but so do your summons.

Conclusion

A fun game, lots to laugh at and very imaginative. Is a great game for children, with lots of features to keep kids safe online, like locked chat until they’re 13, no user-names that are not pre-approved, and a chat filtering system.  Really great if you’re a childish adult like me too.

Gameplay 7/10

Story 9/10

Freedom 6/10

Community 9/10

Graphics 7/10

The post Wizard 101 : A child safe card summoning MMORPG appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

Check out Day One and Day Two Cosplay pictures!

Did we step into a rundown city by accident instead of a convention hall?

Bioshock 2 Cosplay

Anyone wanna hop into Final Fantasy?

Lightning Cosplay and Oerba Dia Vanille Cosplay

Who doesn’t love Pokemon?

Pokemon Cosplay: Selena and Ash

The Anbu didn’t stand much of a chance sadly.

One Punch Man Cosplay and Anbu Black Ops Cosplay

Voltron: Legendary Defender Allura

Songo even made an appearance!

Inuyasha Songo Cosplay

Lots of awesome cosplay! If you know who they all are let us know!

Overwatch Junkrat Cosplay World of Warcraft Night Elf Cosplay

Teen Titans!

Teen Titans Raven Cosplay

Any League of Legends fans out there?

League of Legends Lulu Cosplay

Don’t mess with these two Prompto…they might dab you to death!

Final Fantasy 15 Prompto Cosplay  Thanks to hime.hotaru and another friend.

And our new favorite android even graced us with her presence.

Neo Automota Cosplay by anzyuu

If you know who any of these characters or cosplayers are let us know in the comments below!

Check out Day One and Day Two  Lvl Up Expo Cosplay pictures!

Or this video of a compilation of all 3!

The post Lvl Up Expo Pictures 2017 | Day Three appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

The Switch is the latest console entry from Nintendo.  Like most of Nintendo’s previous console it is an entry that is unique and totally different from its competitors as it offers both a fully portable game style and a traditional console based system.  With the release of Nintendo’s latest console ‘Should I bother buying a Nintendo Switch?’ is a burning question on the lips of the decisively indecisive. A question that largely only you can answer. Here is a quick run-down of the features for you to oh and umm about.

Should I Buy the Switch for the Game?

Yes, game singular –  it wasn’t a typo. It’s the most important reason that any of us buy a console. I choose to buy PS4 purely because of Order 1886. (I have an English Literature Degree and specialized in medieval romance, I love Sir Thomas Malory.  The Tale of the Green Knight and Balin and Balan are two of the greatest tales ever. I also love steampunk, don’t judge me.) The Nintendo Switch has launched with only one game to speak of, Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wind. I am a huge fan of the Zelda, and I have heard that this game is the best in the series from a die-hard Ocarina of Time fan (you know how critical those people are.)

So by all accounts, it is a game worth buying a console for – but do you have to? The answer is no, if you are a Nintendo Wii-U owner then you get enjoy Zelda without the $320 console tax.

But erm, yeah you’ve read my Order 1886 comment – so I’ve bought a console for a game that was below mediocre.

Nintendo has promised other first party games that look extremely interesting such as Mario Odyssey (I’m also a fan of Homer if you’re wondering), Xenoblade 2, Splatoon, Mario Cart 8, but these games are coming out later in the year, leaving the choice of games rather limited for at least some time.

One thing that Nintendo is lacking, and has always lacked is support from 3^rd party titles due to two main reasons:  it’s game mechanics are hugely differently from its competitors and they always seem to be slightly under-cooked in the power department when compared to other consoles.  This holds true for this console too which might explain why it has only tentative support from third party developers like EA, Ubisoft and Capcom.  And Square Enix has pledged a lot of J-RPG releases like Dragon Quest, and Project OctoPath Traveller so it may become the choice of JRPG fans.  If your listening Nintendo, and want to guarantee a single customer – Suikoden. I have bought consoles I already owned for Suikoden games before…. could only ever get 3 imported.

A more robust list of titles can be found here.

On the plus side, Nintendo host a wide range of 1^st party titles that are also fun and novel to play as they integrate the quirks of their consoles so well, offering a unique and fun game to play, titles such as Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Super Smash Brothers, and Fire Emblem.

So, you could consider it an investment in the future for fun, wacky and addictive games to play.

Another plus point is that the Switch is region free meaning you can import that dodgy RPG that never gets translated due to lack of budget.  In terms of the store front there has been a few issues with buy from other regions as it will only accept a credit card that is the same region as the store you’re buying from.

So, in summary at the moment the games are very limited.

There are a small amount of  first party titles coming out later this year and I am skeptical about the support it will get from third party developers, especially in the form of ports due to its lower processing power .  But, as always with Nintendo it has a great catalog to develop from and the games are bound to innovative and fun.

Should I buy the Switch for Portable Game-play?

Unlike the other game consoles on the market the Nintendo switch is a truly portable gaming system.  Sure, the Wii-U has a screen in the controller and the PS4 has streaming ability to the Vita but these systems are limited by distance. The Switch uses SD games that are plugged directly into the portable screen and as such can be played anywhere.

There have been mixed accounts on the battery life the screen has which could seriously limit it to be a contender for the truly portable market.  Nintendo themselves have stated that the battery life is between two to six hours depending on the processing requirements of the game.

Reports from Zelda game play differ according to the review site, with GameXplain giving it a battery life of 2.5 whilst FamilyGamer make it last five hours by closing down background applications whilst playing.  This creates doubts around how long it would last as a portable gaming system.

A huge amount of people see this console as being the death to the widely popular 3DS due to it doing everything the 3DS can do and more. Nintendo has not unveiled any specific plans regarding this aspect yet.  So, everyone is unsure whether the Switch will replace both the Wii-U and 3DS.  Although the latter choice is likely.

The portable aspect has been widely accepted as positive by older gamers who struggle to find time to deal with work, the wife, and the screaming kids due to the demands of gaming. They can continue playing while out and about or whilst cooking their children food.  Nintendo Switch – feeding families across the nation.

Should I buy the Switch for the Specs?

No. Really no.

The Switch is lagging between the PS4 and Xbox One in terms of processing power.

There are no options for 4k streaming.

The portable screen is only capable of 720P so is not HD capable. Although it is only 6.2 inches big. It is 1080p when docked.

There have been reports of problems with the left controller, or Joy-Con, which is reportedly desyncimg for a large amount of people causing control issues in the game.  Some suggest that an object is blocking the blue-tooth single, whilst other suggest it is the players hand blocking the signal.  Either way it is a potential problem.

The bigger problem comes with internet browsers and streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube, are not included in the Switch at present.  Although there are rumors that the streaming issues will be fixed at a later date.

But, Nintendo has never been about the unbridled power of graphics – more about creating fun, novel and addictive game-play that is family focused.  All reviews say that games look great both portable and on the big screen, which is a plus.

Should I buy the Switch for Backwards Compatibility?

No. There is no backwards compatibility with the Wii at present.

What is worse is that the virtual console at present is not available on the system.  There has been reports of GameCube games being included in the Virtual Console for the first time though.

Other things I Should consider before buying?

One of the major things you should consider before buying is the multiplayer aspect. At the moment it is free, but soon it will revert to a pay model of game-play.  Gamers have been very critical around Nintendo’s word of the free games you get for subscribing which states they’ll only be playable for free for a month.

Another thing you should be aware of is that accessory, such as game controllers are very expensive for this console, compare to other consoles. This is due the hardware included in them.

Would I buy the Nintendo Switch?

I love Nintendo. I always buy the new quirky Nintendo console as a secondary console that collects dust, that tends to be put and only dragged out in specific instances or when that rare first party game series I love is published. And at present I wouldn’t buy the switch.

It has one game. And that game is available on the Wii-U. It feels a bit too much like an expensive Zelda machine for me at the moment.

I just think it’s a console worth waiting for, as in a few months from now the price may go down due to bundled content, and there will be more features – and more games.

Will you buy the Nintendo Switch?

The post Should I bother buying a Nintendo Switch? appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

There are so many potential pitfalls, and I don’t think it’s team rocket setting up these traps.   The truth is, most successful indie games are paved with the blood and sweat of failed attempts, where each brick simply holds the groundwork for the developers future success.   A lesser person would give in to the pressure and accept the common belief that most indie game developers share…

it’s impossible.

Join me with Lars Pontoppidan as he explains the struggles he encountered releasing his first game Hammer Bees

We also asked Lars if he has any advice for developers that are trying to making their own game.

“Do yourself a favor and read up on it, learn as much as you can. Stay focused and don’t give up.   It sounds basic, but you get alot of surprises and they are not exactly pleasant, but you got to learn the hard way sometimes.”

You Have to Hand it to Lars, the passion he shares is commendable.  He was even willing to admit Ignorance was one of the biggest causes of Hammer Bees downfall.   I think a pitfall alot of us can fall into is blaming the world and circumstances for our failures.

Don’t get me wrong, things like building an indie game or perhaps starting a successful gaming website are not easy tasks.  There is no guarantee success will ever be in reach.  All I’m saying is we have to be willing to accept our current limitations and more importantly learn to rise above them.

If you want to check out the game Hammer Bees, you can search for it in the app store or check it out on his website.

Have you ever put years of effort into something with proceeds that might buy you a meal at Ihop?

The post What to Expect when you release your first Indie Game – Interview with BlackGrainGames appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are definitely up to no good…

Can we have an anime convention without some Death Note? I think not.

Modern Warfare, Call of Duty, am I close?

But they didn’t last long (no cosplays were hurt in the making of this photo.)

An awesome ax as well as costumes with these Tokyo Ghoul characters.

Tokyo Ghoul Cosplay

Anyone’s car need a tune up?

Final Fantasy XV Cidney Cosplay

The family that cosplays together stays together!

Lvl Up Expo 2017 Naruto Cosplay

Good news, between all the leaf ninja, akatsuki, and multiple Narutos the building is somehow still standing.

Choji Cosplay Lvl Up Expo

Any ideas?

Shout out to all the up and coming cosplayers just getting into their groove.

Thanks for reading and there will be more to come!

Check out Day 2 and Day 3 for more

Level Up Convention Day 2 Pictures

Level Up Convention Day 3 Pictures

Or this video of a compilation of all 3!

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The post Lvl Up Expo Cosplay Pictures 2017 | Best of Day One appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

(PC browser download)

Luna Reborn is a very typical 3D action MMORPG that is very similar to main staples of MMORPG like Warcraft or Final Fantasy IV.  The graphics are bright and anime in style.  You explore, fight monsters and form parties to face challenges.  The game has previously closed, but fans revived – hence the reason that it’s reborn.  Its a fun game, without any unique selling points to mention.

Overview

• Colorful Anime Graphics with flashy moves.
• Friendly community, spontaneous parties form in the field.
• Expansive skill system that allows you to build classes in several ways.
• Interesting dynamic where you swallow pills to turn yourself into a giant. As to why – I don’t know.
• An interesting variety of enemies on the map.
• All creates have boss versions on the map – although disappointingly these were the only bosses I found.
• All areas are labelled for levels, making it hard to get lost and go into overpowered areas.
• Series of kill and collect requests.
• Very fast leveler.

Character Creation

There are three races to choose from Human, Elf and Majin.  The Human and Elf have three main classes to choose from Fighter, Rogue, and Mage.  These classes unlock and branch into different jobs depending on the race.  Humans, have distinctly different classes than Elves.  So in a way all builds are unique, and this gives an amazing amount of replay value.

Majin only has one class but is given a very versatile list of skill to choose from.  This allows them to be really versatile and fill any position in the party.

I choose and eleven rogue, with evil eyes.

There is a large of skills you can choose from to customize your character for play style – choosing from skills that only activate with certain weapons, such as bow or a dagger for example.  As you level up you get additional options to special your class, and scrolls to refocus skill and ability points.  One down side I found was the traits and abilities of these classes were never explained in detail in the game meaning that it was hard to choose the best option.  I’d suggest some research on the games wiki before choosing a class.

Here is an example of the skill tree:-

And your character stats screen:-

You also get to choose a faction to belong to which plays into the PVP servers as the opposing faction can attack without requesting a duel.

Story-line

The story-line revolves around two factions fighting for the control of a world.  The evil side that just wants the world to burn and the non-evil side that would just like it toasty.  There is a whole history in the creation of the world and gods of creation that spark the divide.  So it like a cutesy and fantasy crusade minus the heretic burning and pillaging of religious cities.

Here is an example of the kind of quest dialogue you can expect:-

There is no over-arching plot that I have discovered as of yet.  I am just a wondering monster hunter who loves cleansing out monster infested mines.

Game-play

Luna is a 3D action RPG that you can control with a mouse or the keyboard.  I found the keyboard option easier and quicker, as tab will allow you to select the nearest enemy target.   Once you have the target in range you can unleash a barrage of attacks.  For the rogue at least, you get lots of attacks that effect a targets movement speed, blindness as well as a push back move.  All the archers moves have some status alteration it seems.  I never used the dagger skills.  Here’s a look at the game play:-

The field map contains a range of different creatures, who usually have a boss creature that is just a more gigantic version of them.  These are the most challenging creatures I’ve come across in game. I would love some special boss to challenge but theses usually beat me in into the ground when I solo.

Progress is driven forward through a series of kill and collect the dropped material requests, some of which is repeatable.   As there is no main thread or plots quests can dry up in places leaving you floundering on what to do.  Surrounding areas however have level guides on them and guide your exploration, and you soon find new quests to fulfill.

You are given a pet and a mount quite early into the game.  These can be useful to aggro creatures whilst you unleash skills on them. Here’s a snap-shot of my horse and slime.  I also had a turtle mount I could have used.

You are also give a lot of armor and weapons through loot boxes.  These can give you weapons that you can’t use and duplicate weapons or armor.  By merge two of the same through enchanting (yes, I did just say that like Sandal) you get a better and improved piece of equipment, so that’s an advantage.

In terms of optional game-play and mini-games this game did not seem to have many.  It just focus on the core aspects MMORPG.

Community

A lively and helpful community that is willing to swap gaming tips, provide help and form parties on a spot.  I formed a party with a person named Jack after the saved me from an irate goblin.  We saved another archer for a golem boss a little later who went on to join our group there and then.

So there are plenty of people to pair up with and lots of players willing to share their gaming tips and point in direction of easier quests.

Graphics

The graphics are not the greatest I’ve seen in a free MMORPG but they are fun and stylish.  The ability moves have a short power up sequence that looks great.  When defeated enemies are escorts off the screen by death.  So although the graphics are technically great, there is an array of stylish moves that entertain and capture the eye.

Conclusion

Is a fun and fast paced RPG that has a lot of fun embellishments.  The tasks are a little repetitive but I found myself wanting to play on rather than stop.  The community is friendly and every proactive when it comes to partying.

Game-play 7 – repetitive but fun

Freedom 8 – lots to do with a character and lots of skill paths to unlock

Story – 5 – it is kind of weak and there isn’t much of one

Community – 8 – great bunch of players that are helpful and friendly

Graphics – 7 not technically fantastic but they have a fun style.

The post Luna Reborn: A funny and friendly MMORPG (Luna Story) appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

(PC – Browser)

Tales of Solaris comes as part of a packaged gaming account on an R2 client, that contents lots of RPG, and tactical games that are browser based which include League of Angels and Lunaria Story.  The R2 client is pretty cool – as it has levels and a RPG progress system outside of the game, so good for those trophy hunting types.   I, however, couldn’t get Tales of Solaris to load through this system and accessed it through 123games instead.  Tales of Solaris is a Flash based game, and as such it didn’t respond well to Chrome, but worked perfectly on Windows Internet Explorer.  Being Flash based means there is no big downloads.

It is an old-school turn-based JRPG that has MMO elements.  Think Children of Mana, every Final Fantasy prior to VII, Dragon Quest and Persona series (yeah, I know I’m drooling over Persona 5 myself.)  It appeals to a retro-gamer such as myself, however, there is a huge amount of pay systems in place, and you’ll find yourself closing windows telling you how there is a lucky deal if you top up now on a regular base.

Overview

• Turn based J-RPG elements but not as tactical as old school turn-based RPGs.
• Game suffers from heavy paid features that it advertises a lot, VIP’s get teleport – lucky deal pop-ups.
• Random encounters, and turn based element means slow game-play
• Early access to a pet to help you in battle
• Lots of mini-games for you to partake in for extra rewards – like a board game, and match three tile game.
• Boss battles are truly unepic – I almost didn’t notice that they were a boss.
• Bit of a boring story and found myself skimming amazon as I played….

Character Selection

There are a nice range of classes to choose from:-

This is about the only character creation option that you have in the game though.

There is a skill tree for you to power up and unlock battle abilities:-

The game gives you an option to buy more ability levels for cash too – though at the difficulty I encounter there is no real need too.   I set it to auto-battle after the first few and never lost one – not even to bosses.

Story

The story seems muddled.  I think the basic plot is that demons have destroyed the world and your one of God’s chosen children that will return order to it.  But the game contradicts itself often, and even calling itself The Tales of Laputa in places.  This is due to an earlier re-branding of the game where it was changed to The Tales of Solaris and newer features were introduced.  It feels like the old game and the current game are kind of at odds on time – but that may just be my imagination.

Game-play

The character is controlled through the mouse, so there is no need for keyboard customization or joy-pads.  Point and click at the location you want your character to travel to, or click the location in  that’s underlined in your quest prompt and the character will make a bee line for the location.  All battles are turn-based.  Here is a snap-shot of a battle:-

This means that the battles are slower than the other MMORPG games and lack all elements of action.  The slow action is not helped by a total lack of tactical choices and options. One of the best things about turn-based is finding the right party, to tackle the right situation but as you only control your character and a pet it totally lacks this.  It soon descends into a just choose your most powerful attacks click.  I soon found myself putting the battles on auto and up to character level 36 (where I stopped playing) I never had to control a battle.

The above is an example of a boss battle.

In true JRPG style all battles happen as random encounters as you explore the map.  It is a nostalgic way for battles to happen, and reminder why developers moved away from this style of battle.  The random battles are frequent and can be really annoying when you are on a simple collecting task.  The one time a random encounter right before I fought someone as a main quest, and I thought I had successful finish the job.  I  went on a journey to report back to the quest giver and 1000 random encounters later I realized that it wasn’t the boss I had fought but a random encounter just before I got to the boss and I had to start the journey all over again.  I know, that’s what shopping on amazon while I auto-battle gets me huh?

There are plenty of mini-games to play in and it regularly informs you that there are events on going.  The mini-games are very different in nature, and almost don’t fit with the game over-all.  There is a board game you can play to earn extra gold, skills or battle experience.

A roulette wheel that allows you to face uber-powerful bosses, and a match three tile game for point reward system.

Game play is also hampered by frequent messages that pop up advertising and pushing the games paid element.  Early on in the game it gives you a free VIP membership as a trail.  When it expires, you are constantly reminded that you get free transport ability if you sign up to the VIP membership. And how good transport is as it allows you to avoid the random encounters.

Community

There were a few high-level players I ran across in the city.  The turn based random encounters worked against the MMORPG model in away though.  You could still people running about in the field but as you were taken from the field to battle the monsters you couldn’t forge bonds with total strangers that were getting attacked by a group of monsters, or tackle an over random spawn together.

It felt more like a solo game.  Very much like a solo game.  I am unsure how you were supposed to form parties actually.

Graphics

The game has great graphic for a browser game – comparable to PS1 era RPGS.  The drawing of characters, their actions in battle and maps are very well done.  The boss creatures feel like they’re lacking somehow both in scale of drawing and animation.  There is nothing to make them stand apart from the average monster.  And I think that’s true of the graphics overall, there is nothing that makes them spectacular or stand out.  Good, not bad – just meh.

Overview

An average, and slightly boring turn based RPG.  The game seems conflicted in both story and the model it has chosen to be.  The turn based system works better when you have multiple players to control, not just one.  It works better when you have a party and specific skills and strategies against one group of monsters as well as boss that require planning.  MMORPG’s work best when you can see your fellow gamers struggling and help them with a random heal or by kill a few of the creatures they are being mobbed by not by have a separate fight for you alone.

I’d recommend getting an indie retro style RPG like Darkest Dungeon – that does something new and interesting with the genre.  Or purchasing an old-school classic like Final Fantasy or Chrono-trigger that are available via steam or on you mobile.  Or purchasing Tides of Numenera (Planescape : Torment was the best game ever) or Persona 5 – although not classic turn based systems they should be close enough.   Ultimately the action is a lot more engaging and the story more enthralling.

The post Tales of Solaris : Perfect if your Hankering for MMO Disguised as an Old School Turn Based J-RPG. appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

Lunaria Story is available via a client called R2 games, if you’ve read my previous review on Tales of Solaris you maybe familiar with it.  It is download quickly through, and with the minimum of installation unlike most MMORPG games.  It is a side-scrolling RPG that is most all automated, and the only thing that really matters is the Power number at the top of the screen.  It plays very similar to browser based anime games like One Piece, or Gundam Wing but kind of lacks the diversity of team build that comes with them.  It is very much a pay to win model that does everything it can to get your credit card details.

Overview

• Very easy to play – just click a button and it plays itself. Can get boring.
• Extreme Pay to Win model – everything is restricted and you have to pay to access more.
• Lots to do and different things to explore.
• Story is a little lack-luster and is totally tuned out through the random quests that have you running in circles.
• ‘Difficulty’ in the sense of losing matches escalates quickly to put pressure on spending.
• Dracule Mihawk makes a subtle and unaccredited cameo.

Character Selection

Is rather basic – you have three classes to choose from: – Swordsman, Elementalist or Hunter.  This kind of translates into the class three warrior, mage or archer.   The drawing and animation is cool at least.  They’ve tried to make it interesting.

That is all the customization options that you get in this game.

The characters do have a skill system, but certain skills unlock at certain levels meaning that you are only really able to apply skills in a set pattern anyway which limits options.

Story

I know there was one at the start, and am guessing the dialogue drives you along through it – but I can’t remember what it was exactly.  Some ancient evil rising or something cliched most probably.  I most probably can’t remember it as I was too busy reading something interesting, which says a lot in itself.  It definitely wasn’t a story that held my attention or interest.

Game-play

The game-play is number driven with no need for skill or strategy at all.  All you need to storm through the game is a greater power number.  Battles are conducted almost automatically, as are quests.  I got so bored on my play through I started to read a book – The Aeronuat’s Windlass by Jim Butcher – it’s okay, his Dreseden series is better. Anyway, focus – back to the game.

There is a lot of things to do in the game to get your power number up – astrology, pets, pet levelling and feeding, gardening, equipment crafting and even a number of different dungeon/battle types that should make the game more interesting and diverse.  All action is automated though and is lacking any kind of excitement.  Here is a video of a boss, watch the chat screen for my exact thoughts.

Added to the lack-luster and boring game-play is the rampant pay to win system.   All side-areas like the gardening have minimal slots and abilities open and you have to purchase the in-game currency to unlock them or progress.   It soon becomes clear the main focus of the game is to make you purchase and spend them in-game currency for minimal benefits to you power number.

There is early access to a pet for those of you that love pet games.  There are lots of ways to level-up your pet including food and their stats.  Leveling pets will increase your power level but is also a system gated by the pay to win model.

Like most games running this model the difference in power between you and the enemy will jump suddenly and rapidly after a few hours with little or no means to progress your character unless you unleash the almighty credit card but even this is a temporary solution.

On the plus side there are many mini games designed to get you spending such as gardening:-

Random events:-

And astrology:-

A story palace which is like a you vs a boss:-

The PVP element is also all automated and has no action to it.  You choose some from a list and are told if you have won or not – no on screen battle or anything to hold your interest.

Just looking at the picture is like having the PVP.   Yay!

Community

The community was pretty dead.

Before resorting to reading to entertain myself I decided to try the chat room, see if anyone else was alive.  I got no responses to any of my cries for help and attention.

There was some activity around town with other players moving about, but no one want to type.

I felt so alone. 

Graphics

To be fair, the graphics are pretty decent when you take into account there are no big downloads and it is all mostly website based storage.  The animations are cool, the character models look interesting in a typical manga hero way.  Even the bosses look pretty epic.

The backgrounds also look interesting in this ranging from a town to a ship to and underwater area where everyone is breathing fine and don’t even look wet.

Overall

A game to avoid if you are looking for a challenge, and is very pay to win.  Might be ideal for a young child though as it looks pretty, mechanisms are simple, the game plays itself and they don’t own a credit card.

Game-play: 3/10 Auto-play boredom.

Story 3/10  Lost interest very early on.

Freedom 4/10 There are different things to do but it is all pretty much left click does everything.

Community 3/10  They didn’t talk to me .

Graphics 6/10  Decent for the platform.

The post Lunaria Story: A step into the murky depths of pay to win. appeared first on Kaidus Games Like.

(Pc Browser/Via Steam)

Elsword is a fast paced side-scrolling action RPG that offers characters rather than classes as way to role play.  This gives it an in depth personal story and each character has there own quest, personality and motivation to hunt the El shards.

Overview

• A very different emphasis on characters, not class but people
• Tailored story line for each character, however its told through the same missions/set up which limits re-play-ability and context of the story.
• A massive combo counter.  The highest I  reached was 200, and was labelled as evil.
• Area dungeons with multiple difficulties.  The higher levels introduce tough sub bosses which good drops.
• Lots of item set for you to find for collectors and bonus stats.
• I had a few technical problems getting the game to run.  The forum on the site suggests other are experiencing similar problems but offers no solutions.  
• Promotion system with each class, which gives you a lot of options on how to develop the character.
• Stylish moves and combat abilities.
• Colorful cut scenes to tell the story.
• Comic style dialogue and animation.  It felt like watching Anime.

Technical Difficulties

For some reason Elsword creates an error, on a large number of systems, with Windows error reporting system.  I experienced a message that the memory couldn’t be recovered over a thousand times whilst playing the game.  There are a number of player complaining about the reporting error but there doesn’t seem to be any solution to the probably as yet.

I also used the in-game recorder as my recording system wouldn’t run at all – an unfortunately all the game has recorded is audio… Meaning my screen shots are sparse and the videos I want to insert are non-existent.  Definitely not a game to twitch or stream.

Character Creation

Elswords character creation is a little different from the other titles MMORPG we’ve explored in this section.  Usually you choose a class, such as swordsman, mage or archer but with Elsword you actually choose a fully formed character with behavioral traits and personal history. I’d normally give you a video overview but unfortunately Elsword would not let me record this section.

There are eleven characters to choose from.  Each character tends to corresponded to the class system above for example:-

Elsword: An overconfident sword-wielding midget who is sensitive about his height and is the youngest member of a knight order.  He is looking for his lost sister. (Who you can also choose to play)

Aishia:  A twelve year old female mage who is on a quest to recover her lost ring.

Rena: A female elven archer who is on a quest to protect the El Shards to stop her homeland from vanishing.

This is an example of the character selection screen, which gives you a break down of the characters strengths and provides a video of how they play in the game.

These are the three earliest characters that appear in all the cut-scenes, and for full story immersion I suggest you start with one of them.

Each character has a different style of play, abilities, weapons (which include a cannon!) and comes with optional promotional trees once you achieve certain levels.  These promotions will give you more skills in battle and make your character more specialized.

I choose an emo cyborg called Raven who has a big kick-ass metal claw and sword.

Story

This was a little confusing at first due to my choice of character.  Raven is a boss character that is defeated by Elsword and the three initial heroes outlined above around chapter 4 of the saga.  In his initial chapter he talks about how he was defeated by Elsword who freed him from his cyborg programming.

All cut scenes experience featured the three main characters above and had no hint of my character in them.  I followed the story of Raven until the third chapter and despite him being the main character in dialogues and interaction it didn’t seem to fit the context of Elsword defeating him and the quest he talked about in the introduction – and he was still excluded from all cut scenes.

I decided to play a little as Elsword to see if I was missing something from the story-line and discovered that the two characters start at exactly the same place, doing exactly the same missions but with customized dialogues.  So the problem may have came from the fact I was play missions from before Raven was made playable.

So despite having an in-depth story about them and being created as characters not classes, all characters will have the same origin and go over the same quests.

The story-line is good – there are a group of bandits that are stealing the El shard crystals and you journey to retrieve them.  It also introduces villains and re-occurring bosses that have their own unique personalities, even when in battle which is a nice added layer of characterization.

This is an example of the dialogue art.

The story has propelled me forward in a very linear fashion – through a series of dungeons I have to conqueror and once I have, the next town or area.

Game-play

On the field map you attack foes by unleashing a flurry of combos and special abilities.  The highest I got was a massive 200 hit combo, which is designated as evil. Which is fun and makes me feel like an absolute beast.  Each map has a nice variety of enemies, smaller easier enemies, bigger tougher ones and even some sub-bosses.   All enemies have power attacks, and will flash red before using them to give you a chance to dodge – so all battles are a little tactical too.

Here is a quick example of game-play, courtesy of You-tube.

On the dungeon screen you are given a basic map layout of to follow, and each area has various enemies for you to fight – some are even tough sub-bosses.  There was some amazing sub-bosses and boss footage – including my killer 200 hit combo but unfortunately I don’t have it :(.

All dungeons come with three difficulty settings. With an increase in difficulty you get additional bosses scattered through out the map that add an extra challenge to the dungeon.  These boss also serve as quest criteria for promoting your character to the next class.

The dungeon joining screen automatically takes you into a party queuing system to enable you to find friends.  Although I could solo the dungeons on the hardest level at the point where I stopped playing – although the bosses were starting to get tough.

All special abilities can be upgraded at certain levels with two traits that have various effects such as less its power but increasing the number of hits or reducing cool down times.

There are also a lot of challenges to keep you playing – like event dungeons, difficulty settings, invites to heroic mode, armor collections to find, and daily quests that yield rewards.

The game also includes a title system – so by completing certain achievements in game you earn titles.   The game also introduces a pet based system early on.  You can feed your pet which will change its temperament and stats in battle.

It has a very easy user interface to master, and you are taken through everything you need to know at a slow pace – so is a great game for a beginner.

There is a PVP arena element too  were your skills change  for one on one combat.  Seems I am pulling stuff off youtube for this article here is an example of a PVP battle.

Graphics

Are very good.  The characters are well designed with there own unique style.  Even the enemies and bosses have signature moves that reflect there characters. There was a video of a boss whose movements and characterizations I loved, a Phoru named William.  He was fear and dislike of fighting was evident in his move set as he would crouch down and swing his sword blindly.

This player is crazy good, so you don’t see the move but gives you an idea of the graphics and a boss battle.

Important points in the story  are told through cut scenes that are very cartoon-like.  Your own special skills are animated amazingly too.

The backgrounds are wide and have interesting details.  In a sewer dungeon you have spiders moving up and down the wall in the background which I was trying to kill before I realized it was was a background detail.

Community

The town had a vibrant community, and the world chat was very busy.  The game actively encourages you to join a guild and find friends every step of the way, even creating challenges and rewards for you to do so.

The party-wizard system would quickly team you up with players doing the same dungeon and recommends you to team up from an early point in the game.

Over-All

A very good game that is fun and easy to play.  Has great characters and a good story to follow.  Can be a little linear  with the story pressing you onward whilst there are no side quests to make you linger or revisit areas.

Overall 7/10

Story 6 /10 – tailored dialogue depending on who you choose to play as but will have you repeating the same quests.  I think more could have been done with this.

Freedom – 5/10 – there is a lot of freedom in character choice, but  dungeons tend to be linear. No freedom to explore side-wards.

Game-play – 8 – Very easy to  fast paced fun combos, with an epic scoring system.

Graphics – 7-  Unique the graphics, so of the in game character attacks, like the sheep one shown above made me chuckle.

Community – 5 – very active, lots of players but didn’t really talk to anyone or form a party.

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