Guild Wars 2

For the past three months or so my gaming library was collecting dust as I removed Dota 2 from its polished spot over and over again. Recently, however, Guild Wars 2 went on sale at an enticing price. I have spent the past two weeks immersing myself in the fantasy world of Tyria set in Guild Wars 2, an MMORPG published by NCsoft and developed by its subsidiary team ArenaNet. Released on August 28, 2012, Guild Wars 2 is available for Windows and currently has a Beta Mac OSX client.

With the advent of many successful free-to-play models for game revenue, the subscription based model has fallen into distaste for me. I was really hoping WildStar, another NCsoft game, would be the MMORPG for me, but a subscription model asked for more commitment to the game than I was willing to give. It's been awhile since I've truly experienced an MMORPG and the one barrier between them and I has finally fallen with the help of Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars 2 sports an immediately luring one time payment to full access to everything within the game; nothing is barred off due to some kind of premium membership.

Guild Wars 2 does offer a microtransaction system in the form of the Black Lion Trading Company. You can purchase gems, another form of in-game currency, with real world currency to exchange for various goods and services. There are various cosmetic effects and quality-of-life upgrades (extra bank space, more character slots, additional inventory space, boosters, etc.) available.

there are some pretty disgusting armor dye combinations out there

Character creation options and skill are liberal with five races to choose from and eight professions to go along with it. The lack of a rigid class system really opens up the game for any kind of style you want and also lets you easily change your gameplay according to different scenarios and situations.

Skills are generally divided into two categories: weapon and profession tied skills. Players, depending on their profession, will gain the ability to switch between two weapon sets. Being able to pull of combos using skills from both sets is critical to maximizing the effectiveness of a build. Utilizing skill combinations in conjunction with trait abilities (that you can respecify at any time!) ultimately dictates how you play your character.

Guild Wars 2 challenges the traditional MMORPG notion of having a specific DPS/tank/healer divide by allowing the player to take on any of those roles at any time, effectively creating dynamic battles and a fun and rewarding way of exploring different gameplay mechanics without having to solidly lock in everything along the way.

the game's concept art is amazing

The world of Tyria is rich and diverse. Some zones are absolutely astounding with breathtaking vistas and fantasy element while other areas can be dark and brooding with aesthetics and musical score to match.

Exploration is immensely rewarding with secrets and jumping puzzles dotting the landscape which yield great amounts of loot. Completion of a zone also yields furthered experience and item rewards. Zones are populated by vistas, points of interests, skill challenges, resource nodes, and quests in the form of "renown hearts." Guild Wars 2 prides itself in cutting out the backtracking portion of questing; as a matter of fact you don't even need to speak to the task giver to begin the sequence of events with some exceptions. Arriving at a renown heart zone triggers a pane on the left hand side with a description of tasks needed to complete. Simply complete those tasks and you are rewarded immediately afterwards.

There is a healthy variety of tasks and methods to complete them, but oftentimes the easiest way is to simply defeat a certain number of enemies and continue on with the exploration; while streamlined, the tasks are not free from a grind.

voodoo space magic

One of the most important aspects in any MMORPG is the social interactions involved. Guild Wars 2 is set in a persistent world with main story quests being instanced for players and their parties. Dynamic world events can be triggered by players or spawn by themselves in the zone you are in. Nearby players will be notified and a group event organically unfolds.

Players don't have to fight over loot or experience; everyone gets their own instance of loot and experience. This loot sharing mechanic neutralizes hostility among groups and players who would otherwise vie for the same kills. Giant world bosses also spawn in certain areas in time intervals. These massive bosses call forth a great deal of players that will band together to take down the boss. New players and veterans alike can all contribute to take down the boss to claim some epic gear. These events are immediately social with multiple people teaming up to accomplish the same objective.

some vistas are so infuriating to reach

My most favorite aspect of Guild Wars 2 is the variety of tasks, goals, and diversions there are. Gunning for 100% map completion; hunting down the rarest equipment; destroying foes in PvP; enjoying minigames (they are actually a lot of fun and different from the core game experience); there is something for everyone. From time to time, you may come across a secret jumping puzzle or a minidungeon, all of which have their own theme and interesting twists on mechanics.

I have reached the highest level in Guild Wars 2 and have waddled around the late game some, but I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg. I still haven't experienced big World vs World battles where coalitions of guilds battle around siege weapons and strategic points; there is simply an awesome amount of content for you to explore and engage with.

I'm really happy to be able to return to NCsoft having played Tabula Rasa, Exteel, and, my favorite, Dungeon Runners. Guild Wars 2 was an absolutely ridiculous steal at the $10 sale that it went on, but let me assure you, the game is worth every dollar, every penny. The Guild Wars 2 universe and community are full of unforgettable characters and moments. Guild Wars 2 is a great title for MMORPG beginners and veterans alike.

An upcoming expansion for Guild Wars 2 has been announced! Check it out here! 

TF2- Mannpower Mode Beta

Smissmass 2014 has come and gone and I'm happy to report that I did not get kidnapped by Old Nick to work at his South Pole weapons and hats manufactory. Instead, I have had the privilege of firing up Team Fortress 2 and enjoying this Smissmass miracle of a TF2 update with some friends.

New weapons- wow! A metric shit-ton of hats- can't say I didn't see that one coming! A new game mode- Mannpower beta!

The main feature of the new game mode are the permanent powerups that players can find and utilize throughout the maps. From the TF2 blog, here they are:

• Strength: Double damage for all weapons. Distance damage fall-off immunity.
• Resistance: Reduces incoming damage by 50%. Immune to critical hit damage multiplier.
• Vampire: All damage dealt is returned as health. 25% damage resistance. Max health increased by 40%.
• Warlock: 50% of damage received is reflected back to the attacker (reflected damage cannot directly cause death). Max health increased by 50%.
• Haste: Double weapon firing and reload rate. Double clip size and max ammo count. Movement speed increased by 30%.
• Regeneration: Ammo, health and metal regenerate. Rate of health regeneration inversely proportional to max health.
• Precision: Greatly reduced bullet spread. Distance damage falloff immunity. Rocket and grenade travel speed increased 250%.
• Agility: Movement speed increased by 50%. Grapple speed increase. Jump height increased by 80%. Instant weapon switch.
• Critical Hit: Temporary full crit power for 30 seconds. Respawns in the same place after 60 seconds.

Players are only allowed to have one powerup active at a time (with the exception of the Crit boost powerup), powerups drop on death, and there aren't enough of these for everyone; maintaining control of the powerups is crucial. Due to the race for the powerups, they reminded me of the big guns in the Halo games that everyone rushes to grab for a huge advantage in a fight. It emphasizes map knowledge and being able to reach the powerups quickly, but after that everything falls apart as balance becomes horribly skewed once the initial powerups are picked up.

Let's take a look at Vampire. 100% of the damage you deal returns as healing, you block out 25% of all incoming damage, and your max health becomes increased by 40%. These numbers and upgrades are absurd. Why does this powerup even offer damage block when damage block is the hallmark of the Resistance powerup? Why does Vampire offer a max health increase; 100% damage to healing isn't enough? Now let's assume you've just joined a server. There is a Vampire Pyro running around with 245 health, all your weapons have an intrinsic 25% damage reduction versus that monster, and the Pyro can grapple hook to optimal positions and deal/heal 153 damage/health per second.

Did I mention they added a grapple hook item for this game mode? It's an all-class item that everyone gets and allows the user to traverse the map like never before. The days of worrying about mobility are over; you can get anywhere with these grappling hooks. You can't use weapons while grappling, but it's a small price to pay for access to flanks and escapes.

I'm surprised that the developers released such a chaotic and unpredicted game mode. There are crazily overpowered combinations of powerups and weapons that remove a vast chance of counter-play from the player on the receiving end. It's fun to use the powerups; it should be fun to fight against them, too. There are so many variables to consider (class stats, weapon stats, and now powerups) that balance of powers is difficult to reach. I can only imagine the vast numerical changes or overhauls that will hit this game mode.

The powerups shouldn't be permanent. Why can't the powerups be like the powerups in Mann-Up mode where they activate for a short duration upon use? Or spells from Halloween events for that matter? The spells were short and plentiful enough that you could really use them to genuinely outplay or counter-play someone. Oppositely, the powerups are just straight up amps that when coupled with certain weapons, form god-like beings that are frustrating to deal with. Perhaps the powerups can be a one-time use (or cool-down based), ten second ability that can be activated when needed?

Mannpower Mode came out of nowhere into a seemingly untested beta state. The powerups don't offer much counter-play and could probably use a rework. The grappling hook undermines core aspects of the game and feels like a gimmicky server Source Mod. Maybe I'm being too harsh- after all, this is still a beta. Admittedly, Mannpower Mode stupid fun and that's a good part of what makes Team Fortress 2 great. How long can that stupid fun last? You can decide for yourself.

Transistor

Supergiant Games' second title, Transistor is a sci-fi themed action RPG that carries over the core spirit of what made Bastion great all while innovating new mechanics without leaving narrative behind. The game was released for the Windows and PS4 on May 20, 2014, but also saw a Mac OS X release on October 30, 2014. 

everyone has a voice in cloudbank

If you've read my thoughts on Bastion, you might remember me writing about how much I enjoyed the game. It's been awhile since Transistor came out, but I've finally had the chance to experience playing the game.

--

music, linguistics

From the devs: "Note: We highly recommend playing through the game before listening to the soundtrack, since the soundtrack is deeply connected to the game's story."

Red, a citizen and influential artist of Cloudbank, finds herself with a mysterious sword-like artifact and namesake of the game, the Transistor, after an attempt on her life. People are disappearing from Cloudbank and the digital custodians of the city, the Process, are beginning to wipe the city back to a white void. With the Transistor in her possession, Red will piece together what is happening to the people and city by tracing the Transistor's previous owners. Players will take on the role of Red as she traverses through the various locations in Cloudbank in a linear fashion, combat encounter after combat encounter.

Combat is based around four active abilities that Red can use called functions- these can include simple melee attacks like Crash() and Cull() or more utility based like Jaunt() (a blink) and Mask() (invisibility). Functions can be used in one of three ways: active, upgrade, or passive. Active abilities are the primary abilities you use in combat. Functions being used in an upgrade slot can augment active abilities. For example, I can upgrade Crash() with Mask() to give Crash() a bonus to backstabbing enemies. Finally, functions can be placed in a passive slot to give Red various effects depending on the theme of the function. Transistor has 16 different functions for players to experiment with and any function can be combined with another. You'll also unlock slots for additional upgrade, more memory to hold stronger functions, and extra passive slots as you level up.

"you always have a plan"

Transistor also features a mechanic called Turn(). Instead of fighting real time, you can also freeze combat with Turn() to plan your next set of moves. You only have a limited amount of actions you can spend on movement and using your abilities that you "program." After you're satisfied with your sequence, end Turn() to have Red execute the sequence at blinding speeds. The Turn() mechanic adds a healthy degree of strategy and opens up another option for players to alter their gameplay if they so choose to. By no means do you have to use Turn(), but it sure is nice to have, especially in convoluted fights to plan every move to get everything out of your abilities.

Red has a traditional health bar, but once that hits zero, you aren't done. Instead, your Transistor will overload, causing one of your actives to be disabled until you hit a certain number of checkpoints called Access Points. Once all four abilities are overloaded, you're out. Luckily, Access Points are plentiful but just right in scarcity to encourage you to swap out broken functions and experiment with different abilities, upgrades, and passives. Additionally, each function is actually the consciousness of a person trapped inside the Transistor. A full bio of the person can be explored by using the different functions in the three slots to unlock more information.

mask() and cull()

Similar to Bastion's shrine system of customizable difficulty, Transistor features Limiters that can be toggled from Access Points. Limiters allow you to increase the difficulty of the game but offers a small experience boost in return. Some are simple whereas others are huge game changers. Keeping up the encouragement of exploration, each Limiter also features a file on an enemy type for you to unlock and read up about once you have completed an encounter with the Limiter active. You'll most likely be turning on a couple of these at least, for Transistor suffers from Bastion's problem of end game balance- combat without the Limiters becomes absolutely trivial once several devastating function combinations are discovered; I'm talking two-shotting bosses kind of devastating.

One of my most favorite features of Transistor was the Sandbox, a kind of hub area that Red can retreat to from several backdoor access areas. Here you can listen to the Transistor's thoughts and unlock musical tracks through a variety of different challenges that are sure to offer you different gameplay experiences. Given a preset of abilities, you must then satisfy each test's conditions to win. They start off easy, but will provide a fair challenge in no time.

"you have something more"

This all amounts to what I absolutely love about Transistor: instead of simply crafting an experience for players, the developers of Transistor have provided the tools for players to craft their own experience. I thought that gaming commentator and critic John "TotalBiscuit" Bain put it well when he said in his review of Transistor that the game "respects the player." Transistor does not force exposition or train you onto a "this-is-what-you-need-to-do" kind of hand-holding and instead allows the player to explore the game's deep mechanics and narrative at his or her own pace.

With regards to pacing, however, I do have a complaint that the first thirty minutes of gameplay was pretty confusing to me. Figuring out how the function system worked and navigating a fairly clunky user interface to swap abilities was a bit of a frustrating struggle.

spine of the world

I just want to emphasize how well meshed Transistor's mechanics and narrative are. Digital consciousness is a hallmark motif of Transistor and it is reflected in the game's atmosphere, presentation, and gameplay. Transistor's visuals, sound design, and soundtrack are all beautifully and masterfully done. Once again, the narrator plays a role, albeit a smaller one this time, proving that Supergiant Games don't have to rely on a simple gimmick to propel their games forward. The world of Cloudbank is interactive: terminals and observation points provide tidbits about the world and if the player plays detective for a little bit and place the puzzle pieces together, nuances and fine details about Cloudbank become clear. Isolation is also a theme in Transistor as only fledgling contact with peoples in Cloudbank and other players are also subtly felt and seen if you pay attention.

The attention to detail and direction all point to how much love and passion has gone into the development of Transistor. Without giving away too much, the story is satisfying and explores ideas such as transcendence and voter efficacy. Bastion set a grand standard of excellence for Supergiant Games and sure enough they deliver once more with Transistor.

Depression Quest

Developed and written by Zoe Quinn utilizing the Twine Engine, Depression Quest is a choose your own adventure interactive fiction that explores the themes and experiences of living with depression.

is this just a stock logo

“Depression Quest is a game that deals with living with depression in a very literal way.”

“The goal of this game is twofold: firstly, we want to illustrate as clearly as possible what depression is like, so that it may be better understood by people without depression.”

“Secondly, our hope is that in presenting as real a simulation of depression as possible, other sufferers will come to know that they aren't alone, and hopefully derive some measure of comfort from that.” 

“After all, that's all we can really do with depression - just keep moving forward. And at the end of the day it's our outlook, and support from people just like you, that makes all the difference in the world.”

—

To me, one of the most fantastic things about video games is the active role of the audience; the experience presented is interactive and (hopefully) engaging. Games have been able to mold and explore all kinds of themes and messages both lighthearted and grim. Depression is certainly more on the grimmer side, but it’s such a fragile and personal experience; how can one even begin to explore it? —It’s like trying to explain what chocolate tastes like to someone who has never tasted chocolate before. Although Depression Quest holds good intentions in acting as a tool for someone to begin to understand depression, the game’s limited narrative presentation and lazy execution fails to uphold its goals of exploration and understanding of depression.

So here’s the premise of Depression Quest: you’re a male in his twenties working a dead-end job while juggling relationships with family members, a girlfriend, all while trying to stay motivated to continue functioning. As with most choose your own adventure games, Depression Quest offers you a prompt with options on how to act. There is musical accompaniment that is mostly a looping track with subtle changes in tone when the story takes place in differing areas and paths. And that’s about all you can say about gameplay, which is fine—by no means is complexity a singular ingredient for success. So what about the narrative and the depth of the choices available?

which one is the paragon branch

The choices in the scenarios are all black and white and carry no weight to them. Every time I was given a prompt, I knew what the “good” and “bad” options were. Now, I’ve never been clinically diagnosed with depression, but I think it would seem patronizing to any with depression to give a “right” and “wrong” response to everything so blatantly. The focus on actions rather than what prevents you from taking other, more positive actions (you can’t do that because you’re too depressed) is a hugely wasted opportunity to actually explore the intricate emotions associated with depression other than simple lack of motivation or stress. With a condition like depression, there are rarely any clearly defined paths to take and trying to present depression to people who have never experienced depression before in such a manner feels like a huge injustice. The choices in the game are boiled down so much—“Do you want to go to therapy?” the game will ask you; “Yes” or “No”? It’s a no brainer; there’s no point in thinking about the actions you take. Depression can be a chronic, lingering lull and to reduce it to such a small frame of reference is hardly effective in representing depression to others.

That isn’t to say the game isn’t noble in its intention. You have to remember: this game is meant as a tool for understanding and, despite its simplification and superficial outlook on depression, it is exactly that. Depression Quest gives a window into the world of depression forged by the developer but that window is small and murky. But Depression Quest is still an outreach; it’s an extended hand to show people with a similar case that they aren’t alone, and that is cause for applause.

I can’t shake off the feeling of disconnect between myself and “You.” I was thrust into the shoes of the protagonist “You,” but I didn’t feel like I could really empathize with “You” as a player. There was just such a disjoint knowing that “You” wasn’t me. It felt like the narrative was imposing a character onto me rather than me placing myself into the story, but in a forceful and unnatural way. The game was telling me how I should feel and that disconcerting notion simply did not resonate in my understanding of depression.

You know, in retrospect, maybe that’s what the game was going for all along: the seeming image of control and knowing what’s good for you, but having the simple inability to act on them because of unexplainable reasons. There isn’t a why or how, there’ just a you-just-can’t mentality associated and ingrained with depression. Perhaps this is what Depression Quest was trying to depict, but maybe I’m reading between the lines a little too much.

you can click to enlarge photos

To understand the abstract, it is often helpful to create a simplified model. Unless you have experienced depression first hand, there may never be an adequate recreation of the emotional and physical experiences associated with depression. Depression Quest tries to simplify depression with good intentions of deconstructing depression for better understanding, but instead it may have gone too far in its demolition.

There are a lot of reviews and critiques out there bashing the game for various reasons- it’s too short; I have depression and this game didn’t help me; the game misrepresents depression; I can’t get into the story—I can’t help but feel that these people have missed the point of what Depression Quest is really all about. The game is the amalgamation of the experiences of the developer and several other people; it’s like a case study. Depression Quest isn’t supposed to be a voice for people with depression. The game isn’t going to be representative for all cases, but it’s one of the small keys to unlocking an image and understanding of what really goes on with depression.

I’m all about taking anything from a bad experience so I’m just going to finish with this suggestion: Depression Quest, like depression, isn’t something you have to experience alone. Tell some friends about it and go through it and maybe talk about the game’s merits or demerits. It could be the worst game you’ve ever played, but maybe you can find something worth a pat on the back.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is the successor to the Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients developed by members of the original DotA team and Valve. It is available exclusively on the Steam platform but is available to Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux operating systems. It's also free to play, forever.

Once a Warcraft III mod, the world of Dota has since been picked up by Valve similar to how they picked up the Team Fortress and Counter-Strike franchises from their humble beginnings. Two teams of five players battle each other for momentum in Dota 2's "irresistibly colorful" fantasy world. Each player controls a hero unit with a myriad set of spells and attributes; some may harbor devastating damage output, invaluable utility, or game-deciding ultimate abilities. Under a careful balance, each team will draft their five heroes, each strategizing ability combinations, filling in weaknesses of one hero with another's strength. With 108 heroes to choose from, each with their own abilities, a game of Dota 2, although played on the same map every game, is ever evolving and dynamic.

The easiest way to imagine Dota 2 is to think of a tug-of-war. Both sides attempt to amass gold and experience to gain momentum enough to tear down enemy objectives until they destroy the enemy's Ancient. In between objectives, teams have numerous paths to victory they can take: a pushing lineup to destroy towers while avoiding fights, a team-fight oriented lineup, an ambush and pick-off heavy lineup, the list goes on. Equally important as the grand strategy is the itemization of the heroes. Hero abilities are complimented by items that can be purchased by any hero with most granting passive stats or an active ability to be used in conjunction with hero skills. Just as much as one hero can counter another hero, the right items can bring a world of hurt if used in the right situations.

what do i build on this guy

When you enter the world of Dota 2, you will take part in aiding either the lush Radiant or the brooding Dire factions. The map itself commands respect and awe in the small details carved into it. Dragon flies and koi fish populate the central river that divides the map. A little turtle loiters around one of the river cliffs. The lighting of the forest shade and the rivers of magma bring forth an incredible amount of character to the map. Carefully placed "juke spots" allow you to shake off opponents in the fog of war, creating opportunities to create big plays that can turn the tide of a fight.

As vibrant as the map is, one of my most favorite aspects about Dota 2 is the attention to detail in hero design. Fully voiced to respond to various situations by a talented and star-studded cast, they will alert you to many aspects of the game. Several of the hero's backstories detail friendships or rivalries that are brought to life in-game through voice line interactions. And of course it's Valve, so all the hat jokes apply: you can customize how each of the 108 heroes looks through cosmetics and effects.

offlane tide is quite a bully

One of the biggest deterrents to a game like Dota 2 is the sheer steepness of the learning curve. 108 heroes with at least 4 abilities each- that's 432 spells floor. On top of that, there are 120+ in-game items to memorize. Then there are the metagame related and "when and where do I use my skill/ability" questions. Mastery of mechanics and nuances, build efficiencies and little tricks you can perform also add 100+ things to memorize on that list. That's a lot! You're better of memorizing the periodic table of elements. Dota 2 is very much a knowledge based game- it's like reading the instructions to a Dungeons and Dragons game. I was a skeptic at first; I thought Dota 2 was a big waste of time, a game that you can't just jump into and enjoy for a bit and let go. Dota 2 games take about an hour to complete and hundreds of hours of commitment to truly begin understanding. How then, can anyone scale the walls guarding Dota 2?

It was the spirit and energy of the third International Dota 2 Championship and Dota 2's competitive scene that truly brought me into Dota 2. The best teams battled and competed for an unprecedented prize pool of $2.8 million. Once the dust of combat settled, Alliance stepped forward, victorious, Aegis of Champions in hand coupled with a ridiculous $1.4 million. Watching competitive Dota 2 for the first time was like the first time I watched American football when I was young: I had no idea what was going on or why people were bumping around. Then the crowd roared. The sheer energy that came from the audience jolted me the first time I experienced it. The same happened again in the crowd's reaction to a key play in a Dota 2 match.

The moment the cheers rang out, I wanted to be a part of it.

moments from ti4

There is no teacher like experience. The most difficult part about Dota 2 is that there isn't a big reset button you can press during matches. In a game of chess, you get to move your pieces back and look at what went wrong. In Dota 2, you won't be able to until the end of the match to watch the replay. The first several hours will be confusing and frustrating, but I promise you, the material will come naturally to you in the form of "Oh shit, I know that [hero/item/strategy]. I got destroyed by that [hero/item/strategy] just several games ago!"

The ridiculous plays, the grand jukes, and the nail-biting team-fight, the insurmountable come-back; the awe of the crowd, the big ultimate, and the screams of the victorious and anguish of the vanquished. That's Dota 2. Watch some videos, play some games, have fun with it. The whole losing is fun strategy is hard to apply here, but that's what games like Dota 2 is all about: losing. It's about taking your personal self to the very best and helping your team as much as you can. It's a good philosophy to put into life, really: take any loss and always find something from it- don't let it be in vain.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, but either way the crowds will cheer.

Dota 2- The ward that won the game

This is a game anecdote I've wanted to write about for some time for some reason never did.

Here's a detailed report of the game from DotaBuff, match ID: 82115869.

I played a Dota 2 match about a month ago and I remember the one team fight that decided the outcome of the game. I don't remember specifics, but I was playing Shadow Shaman and I recall I was constantly getting caught out.

"ss no push gg"

I was laning with Death Prophet against an Ogre Magi and Abaddon- two very tanky heroes that I would have a lot of trouble harassing. I notice that they had blocked our pull camp after a failed stacking attempt and quickly purchased a shiny new Sentry Ward with all my life savings up to that point. I drop the Sentry to to locate their Observer Ward. A quick glance through the camp revealed nothing. I walk to the far side of the camp and drop another Sentry. Nothing. That's 200 gold from my 401K.

I guess I just messed up my stack, I thought to myself. Stacking attempt number two yielded the same result as attempt number one. But surely I got it that time? I didn't see anything blocking the camp! That's when I look inside the camp itself. I had mistaken the enemy Observer Ward's health bar for a camp creep's health bar. How hidden it was!

To put some closure on the chain of endless mistakes, Abaddon and Ogre Magi, both well leveled, ride and waddle up to me as I am dewarding. Ogre Magi stuns, Abaddon's shield blows up, and I'm dead. After a disaster of a laning phase and dying two more times in a similar fashion, the diagnosis came back and the doctor told me I was feeding mercilessly.

Although the rest of my team was doing fairly well, I found it really harsh and embarrassing to know that I was the anchor weighing my team down from a better advantage. I felt useless and I knew the rest of my team could simply win without me. The whole situation reminded me of the section from Ender's Game when Bonzo tucks Ender in the corner and just tells him to not fuck up. But like how Ender managed to find some clutch moments during the fight, I found mine.

So I'm the five position Shadow Shaman who has no levels and no farm. The best I could do is be the custodian of the team, walking through lanes and making sure they're all tidy and drop wards down occasionally. Despite me being the entree to the enemy team, my team has managed to hold pretty well, squeezing out small advantages in level and gold despite essentially being a man down.

And that's when we spotted their Roshan attempt with my ward.

The entire Radiant team is stuffed inside a small confine. This was the moment! My team surrounds the pit and spells fly left and the right. The Serpent Wards go down, trapping two of their heroes as everyone else clashes in the epic fight. Heroes fall and legends are made as the Dire team emerges from the dust. Victory was then in our hands.

It just made me feel great, knowing that my wards spotted that Roshan attempt in an otherwise fairly even game. It could have been the game winning move for the Radiant had they actually got it. So I tell you this: even if you are covered in ketchup, mustard, and presenting yourself on a delicious hot dog bun like the strung out piece of meat you are, there's always something you can do to contribute. Stack camps, leech experience, whatever. Even you teleporting into a fight and dropping your spells once can turn the tide.

And of course, don't forget to ward every once in awhile.

Unturned

Unturned is another zombie apocalypse survival game, but this time it's Roblox/Minecraft-esque. Currently available on Windows and Mac OS, the game is also free! It's currently in early access- here's the game's Steam page.

Word of mouth, YouTube Let's Play videos, and various online PC gaming magazines and blogs all pointed to Unturned one day. Open-world survival games seemed like flavor of last month, notorious for bugs and horrid communities. I wasn't all that interested. That is, until I found out that the game had been developed by one seventeen year old, Nelson Sexton.

The first thing I noticed about Unturned was the unmistakable and infamous voxel graphics. However, despite a seemingly low production value, I was surprised at how well the shadows and water effects looked in the screenshots. When Ben got on the Unturned train and Mark fired up a server, I was mostly expecting another Minecraft knock-off experience like Castle Miner Z.

no land mines here

Unturned offers what you'd expect out of an open-world zombie themed survival game these days: getting hungry, getting thirsty, getting diseased, scavenging supplies, shooting zombies, shooting people, and of course, crafting. The game world is based off Prince Edward Island and was a pleasure exploring. My two friends and I grabbed some starting supplies in a nearby town, beat down some zombies, found some clothes so we weren't naked, and then jacked a car to start our tour of the beautiful island. Despite some horrendous game options menu designs and inventory interface clunkiness, I had a fun time.

There were some tense moments when zombies got to our party unexpectedly or when supplies ran low, but it didn't take long for the three of us to be swimming in food, drink, and bullets. Supplies respawn over time, so there wasn't any shortage once you secure a car and some fuel early on. Our adventures ended when Mark stepped on a land mine, blowing our chunks to the corners of the map, where we respawned.

hordes aren't that scary

Now, Ben, Mark, and I were friendos: we shared supplies, looked out for each other, and exploded together. This kind of private server experience leaves out a key component in a game like Unturned or DayZ, Rust, and many other open-world, multiplayer survival games: interactions between separate parties of players. The zombies themselves aren't a big threat; you can outrun most of them and they don't come in fearful hordes. I can imagine the biggest threat being other people. While my friends and I were carelessly entering buildings and taking whatever loot we could find, a truly multiplayer experience might prove to be more suspenseful, never knowing when you might come across a hostile party.

Reading several of the reviews on Unturned featured on Steam, many negative reviews point to the community as being the biggest detractor. You can just imagine what kind of demographic a Minecraft-esque zombie survival game will attract. We didn't get to witness the complex community interactions that are core in multiplayer survival games. We never got robbed, we never got randomly killed, and we never had to deal with other people, period. I can only imagine that without a supportive community, Unturned would become a frustrating experience.

For a free-to-play game, I had a fun time playing Unturned for a couple hours with my friends. The game is being updated with new content and patches. If you have an afternoon to kill and some friends to not kill (or maybe you do, in game, with a land mine), Unturned is a fun fix. I probably wouldn't venture into public servers though- you've been warned.