Azurephile27

Joined 02/23/2012
  Super Member

đź’™

329 Posts

ARK: Survival Evolved Aberration DLC Review
Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Review

  • Recommended +1

  • New creatures, biomes, mechanics, and dangers
Aberration is the second DLC for Ark: Survival Evolved. When it comes to the game, each map is an Ark, basically a planet. When it comes to Aberration, you’re on an Ark that’s been corrupted. A lot of the new map is actually underground. Apparently the surface is an extremely hazardous place to be, although I haven’t been there yet.

There are some cool new creatures. One of the main things about Aberration is that there are no flying creatures. However, there is a creature called a Rock Drake that can climb, turn invisible, and glide. Although you can find Rock Drakes in some biomes, you’ll find their nests in their own trench, which is also an environmental hazard. Their taming method is similar to the Wyverns in Scorched Earth. In order to tame one, you have to find a nest with an egg in it, steal it, and hatch it.

Another interesting new creature is called a Karkinos, which looks like a giant spider crab. It has two pairs of pincers. You can attack with one set, either using the left claw, right claw, or both. You can also grab some creatures. This is good for transporting creatures around, but you can also throw creatures quite a distance. Karkinos are really good for getting around because they can jump really high and far.

Some creatures from the Island (default game map) are included in Aberration. However, unlike their default counterparts, they have patches of bio-luminescence, which makes them easier to see in the dark. Not all of them are on Aberration though, which makes kibble taming a bit more difficult.

There seems to be a few main biomes. One is like a forest, but many of the trees are actually large mushrooms, which provide fungal wood. This seems like the safest place, however there are still dangers. There are mushrooms in the game and if you accidentally step near one, your character will hallucinate and start drowning. It’s pretty, but it’s also deadly. That’s just the effects of one of the poisonous mushrooms.

There’s another biome that I love, it’s pretty much entirely blue. Unfortunately, this area is more dangerous because of the creatures that spawn in it. However, it contains a lot of metal nodes, which are almost always in dangerous areas. There’s also a purple biome that you can’t survive in without the Hazmat suit, a new armor set in the game. Unfortunately, creatures take damage there, too, although I believe some are immune. Then there’s the surface. Apparently it has lots of metal and oil, but is also an environmental hazard. There are also some really bad things that spawn there.

Getting around the map without a flying creature is definitely something to get used to. Since this map doesn’t have flying creatures, new mechanics have been introduced such as climbing hooks and zip lines. Climbing hooks enable players to climb, but it does decrease your stamina. If you stop, your stamina will recharge. They also have durability, so you’ll need to keep an eye on that so they don’t break while you’re trying to climb. To make a zip line, you shoot an anchor onto two different places with your crossbow. The line is then created, allowing you to have a ride down. If you want to go up one then you’ll need to equip a zip line motor attachment to your pants. There is also a gliding attachment for your chest piece. It’s fun to glide around and makes it easier to get around, although it will drain your stamina.

Aberration is tough to start out as a new character. Players have to get used to new mechanics and new dangers. A new map means you need to explore in order to find the resources you need to survive. It can be tough, but it’s also fun. Aberration looks beautiful, Studio Wildcard was really proud of this DLC and I can see why.

Now Studio Wildcard is working on a creature TLC pass in which some of the original creatures in the game are getting redesigned. The new previews look great. Other than that, we can definitely expect to see one more DLC for Ark. With the release of the game, they started selling a season pass, which is supposed to cover three DLC. I have no idea what Studio Wildcard will come up for the next DLC, but I’m sure it’s going to be pretty awesome.

Check out the TLC pass preview: https://survivetheark.com/index.php?/articles.html/community-crunch-112-and-dino-tlc-preview-r635/

Sid Meier's Civilization VI Fantastic Review
Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Review

  • Recommended +1

  • Turn-based strategy game with free demo and tutorial

  • Multiple ways to win
Months ago I began to watch one of my friends playing Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution on their Xbox. It looked interesting, so I thought I’d see what’s available for the PC. I noticed that the latest Civilization for PC was VI, so I set my sights on it, I eventually got the Digital Deluxe Edition for half price.

During this time Civ3 became free, so I thought getting a free Civilization game would be a good way to play the game and decide if I wanted to buy it. Civ3 offered no tutorial, so I was lost. However, I realized that Civ6 is the first of the series to offer a tutorial. Luckily, I found out that the game also has a free demo.

So, I tried out the demo. I started with the tutorial, but ran into a few problems. One of the worst things about the tutorial is that you cannot save your game. So, you either have to keep playing or lose your progress. I also thought I ran into a glitch, but I found my way around it. My next problem was that the amount of turns in the game was running out. This happens at 2050, but the game didn’t end. It continued and I built a massive force and thought I took over my opponent, but the game continued. I may not have completed the final objective (a Domination Victory) in time.

If you’re not familiar with the game series, Civilization is a turn based strategy game. The game focuses on managing a civilization, kind of like Sim City. There are many ways to play and thus many ways to win. You can work towards amassing an army, conquering other nations, and achieving a Domination Victory. You can also work towards science and eventually launch into space achieving a Science Victory. You can also work towards religion, including getting into religious wars, and achieving a Religious Victory. You can also work towards culture, generating tourism, and achieving a Culture Victory. The final way to win is with a Score Victory, when no other victory has been achieved and thus victory depends on who has the highest score.

The game reflects real world civilizations including modern and historic. There are many to play, each with their unique bonuses. I find the real world modern and historical aspects of the game to be extremely appealing.

There are a variety of ways to manage your civilization. The AI provides some suggestions, including an adviser. During turns you can research civics like policies, and science like technologies. You can trigger eureka moments which boost research. This is done by completing certain conditions, for instance killing an enemy with a Slinger boosts the research towards Archer. When that’s complete, you can pay in-game gold to upgrade the unit or build new ones. Units also receive experience and get promotions, which includes offensive and defensive bonus trees.

I’ve only barely scratched the surface of things here, this game is deep. There is a bit of a learning curve for new players, but it's fun. While it doesn’t cover everything, it helps you get started. You will learn a lot as you play and the game includes Civilopedia, basically the game’s detailed manual. However, I’ve found an excellent “Tutorial for Complete Beginners” on YouTube (https://youtu.be/pczrASkYGSo).

Batman: Arkham Knight PC Review
http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/208650/header.jpg?t=1496257975
Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
A few years ago, a friend let me borrow Batman: Arkham City for the PS3. I really enjoyed it, so I bought it along with the other games in the series (Arkham Asylum and Arkham Origins). Although there were moments of frustration, I enjoyed them all. That’s why I was looking forward to Arkham Knight. It was one of the few reasons I had for getting a PS4, but it came out on Steam and I picked it up on sale.

These games are essentially “open world.” That world has grown since the first game came out. The typical usual characters are in them, perhaps with some surprises. There is a lot to do, like collecting Riddler trophies. Each installment in the series seems to have improved upon the original by expanding the world, giving you more to do, or just more story. The game play doesn’t really change too much or too drastically, but it does evolve. Some battles can be tough and it can take some practice to land some perfect combos. The death penalty isn’t really harsh, you basically just get to try again. Arkham Knight automatically saves your game and often you won’t be too far from where you died.

I seem to recall the release of Arkham Knight on Steam and that it got bad reviews or many people were having problems with it. It’s clear to me that those issues have either been resolved, or non-existent in my case. This game looks great and performed quite near perfectly on my PC. It’s definitely a game that makes me happy with my PC. I love games that make it shine.

I think this is something I would recommend to fans of Batman. I think this game series is great and I believe it’s also quite popular. Since you get to drive the Bat-mobile around Gotham in Arkham Knight, I’ve often felt like I was playing GTAV again.

I also like the voice acting in these games. Most notably, Mark Hamill is the voice of Joker.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends Review
https://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/281993-thumb/elder-scrolls-legends-ipad-download.jpg
Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Review

  • Recommended +1

  • Single player mode
I played Legends via the Bethesda Launcher, when it was first released (before it was on Steam). I'm not sure why I stopped, but I later decided to get it on Steam. I recently thought about playing it again, so I spent some time with it last night. I really enjoyed it, even more than Hearthstone, because it has a deeper single player mode to it. In fact, there's single player story mode and the solo arena.

I was surprised, when I opened it up with Steam, that I was continuing from the progress I made from first playing it via the Bethesda Launcher. So, I didn't have to restart at the beginning. I learned a bit more about the game. In most battles there are two lanes for cards, sometimes there is only one. Sometimes they contain bonuses, for instance the right may give cards cover, so they can’t be attacked until they’re exposed. Sometimes the left lane may give cards a bonus, too. It’s interesting.

I usually won (in single player mode), but when I lost, I'd switch decks (from what I obtained) and win. I've now finished the first story and I believe I've unlocked all the modes. Now I need to earn more gold or spend real money to unlock more.

To complete some dailies, I had to fight real players. I lost each time, but some of the games were close. I didn't feel bad about losing, because my daily goal was just to play in versus mode. So, that was an easy one to achieve. In contrast, Hearthstone often has dailies that include victories, certainly not a daily I enjoy.

This game is apparently on multiple platforms, making it much more accessible. I think it’s fun and being based on TES makes it even better. It’s another free CCG and I think it’s worth playing.

Ark: Survival Evolved Early Access Exit and Second DLC Announced
It’s been two years in the making, but after a few delays, Ark: Survival Evolved has finally come out of Early Access. Since I’ve been following this game’s development from the beginning, I think I’ve been on an interesting journey. Now it’s available on PC and consoles, which gives it a wide audience. Included in this release is the new $60 price tag. Luckily, I paid about half of that during Early Access, but I still think it’s worth it. There is a season pass available, too, which seems to be $30 at the moment.

Ark has always had something to look forward to, especially monthly content updates. Last year, Studio Wildcard announced Ark’s first DLC, Scorched Earth, for about $20. This drew criticism because the core game was still in Early Access. Ark was originally supposed to exit Early Access last year, about the time of Scorched Earth’s release, but it got delayed.

This year, Stuido Wildcard has announced the second DLC, Aberration. It will cost about $20, without the season pass. Apparently, you’re on a faulty Ark in space and have to survive in extreme environmental hazards such as radiation. There are mutated creatures on this Ark. One such creature is show in the trailer that can fly and camouflage itself, it’s like a flying chameleon. There seems to be a vast underground and caverns. It looks interesting and is due to come out next month.

I’ve spent over 2,300 hours playing Ark. I started out on my own, then got invited to an official server. I met friends in the tribe and enjoyed my time there, but I ended up coming back to the single player game. I’ve been loving it since the beginning and more content is definitely something I look forward to. I remember how exciting it was to get all those new content updates, which were more frequent early on, but slowed down to once a month.

One of the things I’ve been looking forward to most is the game’s optimization. This game helped me learn more about my graphics card, the GTX 690. I learned that it was a dual-GPU card that worked by using SLI. Unfortunately some games are only able to use one of those GPUs, until they become SLI compatible. So, I had to research the game’s various video settings and figure out what would work best. I had to downgrade DirectX to double my frame rate and get some sense of stability, which came at a huge cost to image quality. In the end, I decided to buy a GTX 980 Ti and I finally got to experience those high quality graphics for myself. Optimizations have come, even GeForce Experience has updated and can now optimize the game’s settings based on your hardware. Those settings work well for me, although I had to make a slight adjustment.

Part of what I love most about this game is that it shares some aspects of games I’ve enjoyed in recent years, such as Terraria and Minecraft. You can craft a lot of items, upgrade armor, build, and tame creatures to help you. It can be scary and fun. There is lore or a story, but it’s not extremely apparent or in your face. You can find out about it by finding the various Explorer Notes left around the maps.

If you play online on an official server, it can take a long time to build up and tame creatures, which is why being part of a bigger tribe can be important. But, if you play on an unofficial server or single player mode, you can customize a huge variety of options that can help make your game play more pleasant.

Aberration news source:
https://survivetheark.com/index.php?/articles.html/ark-aberration-expansion-pack-announced-r542/

Ark official launch trailer:
https://youtu.be/5fIAPcVdZO8

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls The Necromancer Arrives 6/27/17
With the release of a new "reel" Blizzard announces the arrival of the Necromancer for next week. You can find more details in the link below. It appears that we still have a week before we can purchase the DLC. I was kind of surprised that it only costs $15. I was expecting maybe double that and I probably would have been happy to pay it. New Challenge Rifts are being added as well.

I've been looking forward to this since it's initial announcement. Since I've played through the campaign twice with each class, once for each gender, I feel some hesitation on starting a new champaign. But, of course there are new cinematics and voices, so I plan to start a new campaign for my new Necromancer character next week.

Are you going to dive in head first as well?

https://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/20845159?cspNonce=sLelGMHg3D

Terraria 1.3.6 (Now 1.4) Spoilers *Updated*
Re-Logic has released a few spoilers for Terraria 1.3.6 (now 1.4). Chippy Gaming has some videos about them.
“Confusing” spoiler: https://youtu.be/Wr5lRQuaUgw
Fancy Lighting: https://youtu.be/tl9_LoX082g
New Sprites: https://youtu.be/JMhaMTECy1Y
Corruption Furniture: https://youtu.be/WF1WamNH0ZQ
New Background: https://youtu.be/NkdPo61bSkU

If there ever was a time to buy a new keyboard, that time is coming. This update includes Razer Chroma support. It’s kind of an expensive keyboard, but they keys light up. I found it for about $80-90 on Amazon. I was actually thinking about this some time ago, since I often play in the dark and sometimes it’s hard to see keys when I need to.
https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/razer-chroma-support.57662/

A couple of furniture sets are getting added in, too, including one matching the Corruption.
https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/corruption-1-3-6.58131/
https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/1-3-6-new-furniture-preview.57871/

We’re also getting a new female NPC. For more details check out the wiki and forums.

http://terraria.gamepedia.com/Upcoming_features

Magikarp Jump!
Magikarp has always been a bit of a sad Pokemon. They’re almost completely useless, although they do redeem themselves when they evolve into Gyarados. However, that has now changed and Magikarp gets its own game called Magikarp Jump. It is free for Android and iOS. The point of the game is to raise a Magikarp and win jumping contests. The higher a Magikarp’s JP (Jump Points), the higher they are able to jump in the air. There are jumping leagues full of battles to win against other trainers.

To begin, the game gives you an introduction and takes you to catching your first Magikarp. Once caught, it will stay in your pond, which can be decorated. Food will fall into the water and you can tap on one to get your Magikarp to eat it. This will increase it’s JP, but you can also train it. Training doesn’t require input from the player, Magikarp will train on its own.

There are also other Pokemon in the game, which often offer support. You can obtain some by playing, but you can also use some of the game’s currency to buy new ones. I have a Pikachu and Piplup that I acquired by progressing through the game. I also have a Litten that I bought with in-game currency. When they get an exclamation mark above their head, I can click on them to get various bonuses. They also appear during jump battles and provide additional support.

Each Magikarp is limited by how high it can level up. Your first one can only get to level 11 or so. As you progress in the game and gain experience, your character’s rank will go up, which will allow you to catch Magikarp that can level up higher. Their higher levels allow them to have more JP. Once you reach a Magikarp’s max level, you’ll need to finish a league and (win or lose), your Magikarp will retire afterwards. Then, the game lets you catch another one.

There are a variety of random encounters that can occur. Some of them require your input. In one, for instance, you see something shiny and have to decide whether to get it or leave it alone. If you get it, it could be something valuable, like a diamond, or a piece of glass, which will take away some of your JP. I was told, by a friend, to be careful of a certain random encounter in which your Magikarp can be taken away by a Pidgey.

As with most free games, you can spend real world money to buy in-game items or currency. Perhaps this would help reduce the amount of time you have to wait for your training sessions to refill. I’ve only just begun, but so far I don’t see a real need to spend any real money on the game. It does seem kind of cool, so I recommend checking it out, if you like Pokemon.

A news source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-pokemon-game-is-out-now-for-mobile/1100-6450325/

Spoiler-free Breath of the Wild Wii U Review
https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/assets/icons/BOTW-Share_icon.jpg
Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Review

  • Recommended +1

  • Open-world

  • Available for Wii U and Switch

  • amiibo functionality

  • Long game
I’ve been looking forward to Breath of the Wild for years now, although it didn’t have an official title for a while. I was expecting a new Zelda game for the Wii U. We even had video of it and learned that it would be an open world game. I remember seeing Link in mid-air with time nearly frozen, in which he shoots an enemy with an arrow. I thought that looked cool. The game got delayed and a bit of an evolution by the end of it’s development. That evolution was the Switch.

I was interested in the Switch, but more more interested in BotW. I decided to buy the Wii U version of the game, instead of spending over $300 for a new system. At first, I assumed the lesser console (Wii U) version would suffer, but in this case it actually looks like the Switch version has some framerate issues. The game has been patched and I believe Nintendo has been working to resolve technical issues.

I didn’t hesitate to pre-order BotW, once I decided which version to get, but I did hesitate to play it. I bought the game for my son as a birthday present. I’ve let him play it and he’s made significant progress. I wanted to give him time to play it and I figured I’d pick it up some time when he wasn’t playing it. He hasn’t been playing it lately, so I decided it was time to pick it up.

Luckily, this is a game that’s very amiibo-friendly. If you use just about any one of them, you’ll more than likely see a bunch of food and materials drop from the air, maybe even a chest. Link’s Smash Bros. amiibo does sometimes summon Epona. However, the most valuable for this game seems to be Wolf Link, he can join you in game and fight with you. You can play Twilight Princess HD and get Wolf Link more hearts. Get yourself as many hearts as you want or can and then use the Wolf Link amiibo to the Cave of Shadows. It will then save your character data to your amiibo, which can then be used in BotW. I’m actually interested in getting more amiibos, particularly from The Legend of Zelda, like Zelda and Ganondorf. They offer their own unique bonuses (at least in Twilight Princes HD and other games).

Some major changes:This game is cool, but there are definitely some spoiler-free noticeable things to point out. Weapons, shields, and bows break and can’t be repaired. There are new enemies and a variety of ways to get rid of them. Cutting grass doesn’t provide hearts or rupees, and there are multiple ways to use the environment to your advantage. There are plenty of materials around to harvest for cooking, which lets you make food to restore health or give some bonus, such as cold resistance.

Dungeons are now known as shrines. There are many and they are quite small compared to the Zelda dungeons we’ve come to know, love, or hate. In the beginning, it seems that the shrines give you what you need to complete them before you advance to the end. They are puzzle-like, but appear to be kind of nicely simplistic and not too greatly challenging. Some of the ones I’ve run into have also required me to use the Wii U’s Gamepad motion controls.

As for general combat, this game seems to be more difficult than other Zelda games. I’ve just started out and I’m not well equipped. I do have 4 hearts now, instead of 3, and I do have Wolf Link with me along with some of the runes I’ve collected, but I still get killed. The game isn’t shy about that, it even tells you while it’s loading to be careful and not rush head first into enemies without preparation.

Since rupees are now more rare, it’s hard to find enough to get well equipped. You can sell things, but apparently you want to save some things that you’ll need later for upgrades and such. I’ve been hoarding, I need to start selling more so I can get some armor. I just spent 80 rupees on some warmer gear, yet I still need a cold resistance buff where I’m at.

Getting around:There are a variety of places to go and many ways of getting to them. You can fast travel, ride a horse, walk, climb, snowboard with your shield, or glide. You’ll need to tame a horse by sneaking up on it and mounting it, then pressing the button (L shoulder I believe) to calm them down. Once you’ve tamed one, you can register it at a stable (for 20 rupees I think). You can name it (except for Epona) and even have it stay at the stable. Otherwise, it may come to you if you whistle for it and you’re close enough for it to hear you. If you can’t find it, check the map for the horse icon. The solid colored horses appear to be usually superior to multi-colored horses.

I’ve seen videos of people that have talked about the game and many of them have 60-100 hours in and they still love it. So, I know there’s a lot to look forward to. Speaking of that, the DLC pack is available for about $20. One DLC is getting released “this summer” and another near the end of the year. I watched a couple of videos about it and I recommend checking some out. The DLC looks cool.

Gamespot created multiple videos containing tips they wish they knew before playing. There are now more than 5 of those videos and I recommend watching them. Each says it "may contain spoilers," but I didn't see any spoilers. You can find the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpg6WLs8kxGNU6ZFGXaxjxjLGnF9BZi64 There is also a "spoiler-free beginner's tips" video here: https://youtu.be/-EaO2S4Lyvk

Twilight Princess HD Wii U Review
https://i1.wp.com/www.the-arcade.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/LOZTP-Share_icon_700x330.jpg?fit=700%2C330
Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
Review

  • HD Upgrade

  • Recommended +1 but not as physically fun as using a Wii-mote

  • amiibo functionality

  • Upgrade Wolf Link in Breath of the Wild by using that amiibo on this game
I was really excited about the Wii when I first found out about it. So, I was one of the many people who got it during a midnight release at GameStop. Twilight Princess was the first game I bought for it. I really loved it, too. I liked the motion controls, swinging to swing a sword, etc. My only disappointment with the game was that it didn’t look very great. However, the game got an HD upgrade is now available on the Wii U.

I decided to buy Twilight Princess HD for the Wii U, even though I still have my original Wii copy. I gave it to my son as a birthday present, along with other games. The cool thing about it is that it came with a Wolf Link amiibo, which I’m really glad to have because you can use it in Breath of the Wild, which is why I’m playing this game now.

I got Breath of the Wild for the Wii U, because while the Switch looks impressive, there aren’t any games that I’m particularly interested in, other than BotW. So, I decided to save some money and buy the Wii U version, instead of the Switch and I’m glad I did. The Switch version of BotW seems to have more issues than the Wii U version, which surprises me. I thought for sure it’d be a better game on the Switch because of the new hardware.

I’ve let my son play BotW for a while, while I played other games on my PC, but I recently decided to check it out. I played it a little bit, then found out that you can increase Wolf Link’s maximum amount of hearts by working on Twilight Princess HD. There’s a special cave for you to access with the amiibo in the game and it can store your info on the amiibo. So, now I’m working on Twilight Princess, so I can have a better Wolf Link as a companion.

Controls: I think this game needed an HD upgrade and I’m glad it got it. But, this version of the game isn’t as physically fun as the original. You can use the Wii U Gamepad or the Gamepad Controller to play the game. You can play it on the Gamepad or the TV. Since you can’t use a Wii-mote, the motion controls are a bit watered down. You can move the Gamepad to look around or aim, but that’s about as far as the motion controls go. Since I actually enjoyed the Wii-mote motion controls, this is disappointing to me, but the game still plays well without it.

I’ve noticed that other Zelda amiibos work with the game, too, which makes me want to get more of them. I have Wolf Link and Smash Bros. Link, but now I want to get Ganondorf and Zelda.