This weekend I was on the phone with my mom, trying to remember the name of a game we used to play almost twenty years ago.

"It was that one, you know, with the knights, and they're running around Spain, and the intro music goes dun duuuun dun dun... we had that giant map that we kept having to look at!"

Fortunately Mom knew exactly what I was talking about since I'm pretty sure most people would have written me off as a raving lunatic at that point.

Thus I set off on my Mission - to find and download Vengeance of Excalibur, a 1991 DOS RPG. My shiny Playstation 3 sat unused and neglected as I curled up on the sofa and took a trip down memory lane. DOSBox, a handy DOS emulator, allowed me to experience old favorites from the early '90s just the way I remembered them. Vengeance of Excalibur, Prophecy of the Shadow, Zork text adventures, King's Quest...

Don't get me wrong - I love our newer video games, with their hyper-realistic graphics, their smooth gameplay and control schemes, their good (and bad) voice acting... but there is definitely something to be said for our old favorites. Sitting in front of a computer typing commands into a text based RPG can be just as satisfying as staring dumbstruck at the latest Final Fantasty CGI cutscenes.

You also tend to notice things about older games that you may not have noticed when you first played them. Like how King's Quest V is really a story about one man's EPIC acid trip.

When I finally made my way to the Gamestop register, I smiled nervously at the cheerful man behind the counter. I could tell he was just as excited about the product release as I was, and didn't mind being at work at midnight. Which of course made what I was about to do even more humiliating.

"I fail at life and didn't pre-order," I admitted, my face flushing in shame. I couldn't look the man across from me in the eye. "Any chance I can still get a copy?" The last was almost a mumble. I couldn't bring myself to raise my voice. Surely the rest of the line behind me would hear.

"That dumb chick," they would whisper to each other, snickering behind their hands. "She didn't pre-order and thinks she can still get a copy. HA! I pre-ordered my collector's edition, like, a year ago."

Instead of laughing in my face and sending me out the door wrapped in a shroud of embarrassment, the Gamestop employee graced me with a benevolent smile which transformed his face from that of an ordinary human to something radiant that clearly transcended the mortal plane. "I've still got a couple copies left," he told me. "I'll get one for you."

I nearly cried with relief. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" I gasped. It was all I could do to not fall to my knees in gratitude. I still had the presence of mind to realize that although he was obviously a divine being, he might not appear so to the rest of the line behind me.

He pressed the box into my hands. "Servers are going to be a mess tonight," he said gently as though bestowing a saintly prediction.

"Yeah, no kidding," I replied. I flashed him my best smile, thanked him again, and moved away from the register before the line behind me started foaming at the mouth and/or having seizures.

Yes, I am now the proud owner of a brand-spanking-new copy of Wrath of the Lich King. And yes, you bet your ass I tromped out of the house at midnight to stand in a huge line in front of my local Gamestop. Fortunately I wasn't alone in this geekery - Pat and our friend John were there too.

The time we spent waiting in the line was fun. We babbled happily about instances, Death Knights, inscription, siege machines, and all the grand new things that were coming with our purchase of WotLK. Periodically when discussing a raid, Pat would call out "looking for more heals! Need four more heals!" to which he received responses such as "what about DPS? I'm DPS!"

We also got to see a lone woman dressed in a guild tabbard and wearing a full length black cloak. Honestly, not a huge deal. I'm sure in the larger cities there was a lot more dressing up going on. Really the only reason I mention this woman is because she had to be in her fifties. I would generally expect teenagers or especially geeky twentysomethings to dress up - not women nearly old enough to be my grandmother! But you know what? I hope she had a blast, and if she wants to dress up, more power to her.

The wait was actually very short. The Gamestop had set things up very efficiently, and they powered through the line in what I'm sure was record time. It helped that most of the people there had pre paid for their copies, so all they had to do was waltz in and flash their receipt.

Ah.... good times.

Of course...

...I can't actually install WotLK yet because my freaking DVD drive is still broken.

/epic fail.

You know, I never used to get freaked out when I played survival horror video games. I stoically plowed my way through the Silent Hill series, cheerfully played the Fatal Frame games, and got cranky with the controls in the old Resident Evils. I was never jumpy. I never got creeped out. One of my favorite things to do was drag Nils over to my place and shriek with delight at how terrified he got when playing Silent Hill.

So I've been totally and completely consumed by World of Warcraft since Tuesday when THE PATCH released, changing everything. I'm hard pressed to concentrate on anything that doesn't have to do with WoW. While I'm at work I'm constantly thinking about the game and the changes, how they apply to me, etc.

I've been very hard pressed to think of something to write about that doesn't involve WoW. But I'm still reading everyone's blog (and am getting more and more ashamed of the fact that my brain is so centered around a video game).

I would very much like to thank SleepyJane for giving me the "Perfect Blend of Friendship" award!


I'm touched and honored that she would think of me when giving this award. Her blog is smart, funny, honest, and heartwarming - if for some reason you've never visited, go do it now!

I would like to pass the love to Country Mouse, Anne, Mary, Nils, and ShallowGal - I love you all!

So, how about... that, uh.... the weather looks kind of...

...So I was thinking that if I don't put points into Unleashed Rage, I could put some points into Convection, which would help with mana consumption. I don't use Lightning Shield so I don't need Static Shock... is it really worth it to put points in Earthen Power? Well, I am doing a lot of BGs....

I never thought I'd do it.

But I did.


























I bought Guitar Hero III.


I had played it a few times at various friends' houses, after work yesterday I finally broke down and decided to go get my own copy. I brought it home, stuck the batteries into my gleaming new guitar - I mean the controller - and proceeded to blast my way through the game rocking out to Foghat's 'Slow Ride', Rolling Stone's 'Paint it Black', Tenacious D's 'The Metal', and many other rock songs, new and old. After a few shaky moments I quickly got the hang of the game again, skillfully mastering each song, then forced the game into submission to become a ROCK LEGEND.


And by "skillfully mastering each song" I mean I did okay in the beginning, and by the end I was barely scraping by. Slayer's 'Raining Blood' nearly destroyed me.

And by "forced the game into submission" I mean I managed to beat it. On easy.

And by "rock legend" I mean that after I fumbled my way through the last song the game flashed a congratulatory "you're a rock legend" message at me. I know it what it was really saying: "Wow... you suck a LOT, so here's a conciliatory 'you beat the game' message... don't even TRY this on medium."


The game is way more fun that I had ever guessed it would be. Guitar Hero III was the first of the series I played. I was borderline scornful of the first game, ignoring the great reviews it got, and I completely ignored the release of the second game. I figured it wouldn't be something I would enjoy (give my penchant for RPGs and third person action), and I'm very glad that I gave the it a try.

It's simplistic enough at first - Push the color coded buttons and flick the clicker thingie (enjoying my technical terms?) on the guitar shaped controller. Playing it on easy is great for beginners, and it has a very gradual difficulty increase as you progress through the seven tiers of songs. It also has a fantastic track list.

When you bump the difficulty level up to medium, it becomes a whole new challenge, and I haven't even pretended to try on hard or expert yet. Once you get the hang of it though (I'm still working on that part) it's much more rewarding.

Bottom line? I love this game. I take back every mean thing I ever said about this series.

I've re-created my WoW blog - all future WoW geek posts will be made at Power Word: Totem. I didn't want to flood my normal blog with gamer stuff. ^_^ I'm still putting it together, but it's there.

(Warning: Geek Post)

I found out about The Running of Da Bulls from a WoW blog that I enjoy very much, Big Red Kitty.

"A running of the bulls! That’s our idea. 10,000 level one Taurens barreling… somewhere. And facing terrible… things. Culminating in a fabulous ending… somewhere else."

This sounds like a fantastic idea to me! 10,000 Taurens running across Azeroth? Yes please! I'm in! Even more so, since BRK recently lost a friend, the Running will be dedicated to her memory. And I think that's a wonderful thing. What better tribute?

If your interested in participating and adding to the vast (hopefully) numbers, the details can be found here, including a route map and basic ground rules.

Or, a brief synopsis:

"Saturday, May 3rd, 2008! 7pm EDT (11pm GMT) on Cenarian Circle server. Not server time, look closely. 7pm Eastern Daylight Time. Make adjustments for your time zone as required."

And now I'm pleased to announce that Harpy*, my baby troll shaman, dinged 30 yesterday! YAY!

I've learned a few things playing my shammy:

1. The addon TotemTimers is AMAZING. However, when first getting used to this addon and the new totem interface that it gives you, it might not be such a good idea to move your totems out of their accustomed places in the action bars right away. Because you might find yourself fleeing from three or four mobs, and you might want to lay down an Earthbind Totem so you can go Ghost Wolf and get the hell out of there, and you might not be able to find it in time. Resulting, ultimately, in death. Not that I would know from experience, or anything. >_>

2. Enhancement shamans are AWESOME. When I first started the shammy I wasn't entirely sure I was going to enjoy playing one period, but not only am I enjoying the shaman, I haven't felt the urge to change specs once. Harpy is officially off her probationary period, and can look forward to seeing Outlands.

3. Shaman class quests are VERY ANNOYING. I realize that Ghost Wolf increases our movement speed by 40%, but I don't think that means that we should have to run all over hell and creation for our totems. >_< 4. Anhks are expensive, and make me glad that Guild Leader friend is giving me a weekly allowance and running me through lots of instances while I level. O_O

That's it for now. I have some fun screen shots to post, but I think I'll wait for a while. I don't want to overload the blog with WoW. ^_^

BUT! BUT! Running of Da Bulls! Do it!!! ^_^

*Armory is still showing her at 28 for some reason, but I'm definitely 30. Windfury Weapon FTW!

(Warning: Geek Post)

As a side note...

So yesterday after spending an unfortunate number of hours cleaning my bedroom (I even vacuumed the cobwebs off the ceiling! What? Am I kidding? No, why?) I had a flash of inspiration. I dashed to my back room, flung open the closet door, and dove in! After an epic battle with some stuffed animals and old textbooks, I emerged with a battered old Sketchers shoe box. When I opened it, my face was bathed in golden light as I beheld my Holy Grail:

Ah, Sega Genesis, how I've missed you! Cheerfully I carted the shoe box to my bedroom, and examined the older television sitting on my dresser. It was old enough for me to be able to plug the ancient-technology cable trailing from the back of the Genesis directly into the TV. Plug the machine into the nearest available outlet, stick a Sonic cartridge in, turn it on, and....

"Sega!" the TV sang as the blue logo flashed across the screen and the oh-so-familiar Sonic the Hedgehog music chirped thinly from the speakers.

YES!

It still worked! I was so excited!

My mom was always very strict about the television when I was growing up. If I'm remembering correctly I was allowed to watch two shows every week, so maybe hour or two, with an occasional Disney movie thrown in. That's in a week. Not that much. However my dad was in the navy and was gone on submarines for months at a time, and when he was gone, my mom would borrow our family friends' Genesis and I would get to play a bit. I guess it was something of a consolation prize, something to get my mind off the fact that daddy was gone again.

I was probably sevenish? eightish? and I had a blast playing it of course. But my favorite thing to do was watch Mom play, especially Shining in the Darkness. I remember being really excited because Mom was letting me stay up late - REALLY late! - so I could watch her play just a little bit longer.

I got a little older, and still loved the Genesis (which gradually sort of become ours by default - the family friends didn't really want it). My friend Matt and I would obsessively play Altered Beast and Sword of Vermillion. I got older still, then even older, and suddenly the Genesis had been collecting dust on a shelf for many years and I was ready to move out of my parents' home. I asked to take the ancient console with me, and soon it was ensconced in my tiny garage studio apartment. When I moved from there to my duplex, it was shoved into a closet and forgotten. In the three years I've been moved out, I don't think it's been hooked up once.

Until yesterday!

I spent hours crawling through dungeons with Shining in the Darkness, trying to remember how to bring up the cheat options in Altered Beast (press Start and B at the same time), collecting rings with Sonic, being shamefully schooled by the computer in Mortal Kombat 2, and visiting many other old friends.

I think the Genesis can stay hooked up for a while this time.

^_^

I just have one thing to say.

Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy for the Playstation 2 is AMAZING!

Evidence - The Last Ritual. Sitting on the shelf at Target it appeared innocuous, a PC game cleverly packed in a sealed plastic "evidence" bag. The case was clear plastic, and on the cover was a evidence label with the names of the police officers who checked it in, the dates and times, etc. I was struck. The back promised an intriguing puzzle based game focused on catching a serial killer called The Phoenix.

Get home. Install game onto computer.

Creepiness ensues.

The premise begins with why you have the game. CDs were sent to the police by Phoenix, and in an effort to decipher the puzzles within, the NYPD has decided to distribute the CDs to the public. When you install the game onto your computer, you are prompted to register with a login name and an email address, then receiving a password which you use to access the CDs. You are also prompted to register at http://www.phoenix-investigators.org/us/, the International Committee for the Phoenix Arrest. The website features tools such as a web search, translations, a case update section, lastest news section, etc. Immediately upon doing both things, you are connected via your email address with a group of fictional characters who offer hints, musings, and discussions right to your email as you play through the game.

The CDs themselves are of course somewhat disturbing - they were offered to the PD by a serial killer, after all. The first few puzzles are a test of sorts, and are relatively easy to figure out. As soon as you get through those, however, the puzzles become much more difficult. You spend time searching for clues through the single screen puzzle presented to you, look things up online, check your email for hints or suggestions from your fictional compatriots, and finally solve the puzzle.

My favorite puzzle thus far: several numbers in floating around on your screen, not really a discernable pattern: 8, 9, 21, 33, etc. Small rectangular pieces of illustrations towards the bottom of the screen, scroll through them and you can place a number on each of the illustrations. But what number goes where? The hint Phoenix offers you in the puzzle screen is simply "Alessandro Mariano". Do some research on the MSN web search linked from the Phoenix arrest webpage, and find that Alessandro Mariano became Sandro Botticelli. And Sandro Boticelli did illustrations for Dante's Inferno. Hey, wait... do those picture fragments look like Botticelli's Dante illustrations? More research - hey, I bet those numbers floating around are the plate numbers for the illustration fragments....

And puzzle solved.

After completing a puzzle you're usually rewarded by a short live action video clip following one of the two storylines that the Phoenix is presenting before you. You're following the story of Jack Lorski, invesitgating a series of murders in Spain with a woman named Manuela, and the story of a woman named Jessica, who is searching for her brother Adrian.

I absolutely love that you have to do actual research online to find the answers to these puzzles. It gives the game a more realistic feel. I read a review online that was complaining about the fact that you spend just about as much time on a internet search engine as you do in the actual game, but I think it's a fascinating and original idea. The live action video clips and the emails you receive give an even more realistic feel, especially when you get your first email from the Phoenix:

"Hello little friend

You can tell the people at the ICPA that they ought to protect their databases a little better. Get ready, I know where you live now...

The Phoenix"

Gotta admit, when the Phoenix started sending me mail, I got pretty freaked out. ^_^

I haven't played through too much of the game yet, but what I have played (with friends Bob and Nils) has been clever, original, and creepy but not gory. The puzzles are interesting and difficult, but with some effort and teamwork the answers are attainable. I haven't yet felt like I needed to consult a walkthrough. Not only would that be cheating, that would definitely destroy the realistic feel the game attempts to impart.

Great game. Frustrating at times when you get stumped on a particular puzzle, but when you hang in there it's worth it. I'm curious about where this is all going to end up....

So first I would like to say that even though they have been around for ages, I am a newcomer to the Heroes of Might and Magic games. I played plenty of the Might and Magic role playing series derived from the Heroes series, but I was never very interested in strategy games, so the Heroes series was largely overlooked in my world. Recently I signed up for Gametap, and in between reminiscing with Shining in the Darkness, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sword of Vermillion I figured that I might as well check out Heroes of Might and Magic.

Andrew and I spent a good long while playing the first game. Heroes of Might and Magic was first released in 1995, but even the first installment of the series was so much fun it sparked off an immediate desire to play more. And then Heroes of Might and Magic II, III, and IV.

I went out and bought a copy (the last copy, I might add) of Heroes V the day it came out. I was surprised to learn in my research before I bought the game that 3DO, the developer of the Might and Magic series, had gone under and Nival had taken over the game. And they have carried on the tradition brilliantly.

If you were to play any of the old Heroes games and then play Heroes V the first thing that would strike you is the difference in graphics. Heroes IV was released in 2002, Heroes V in 2006. Four years have made an absolutely incredible difference. First and foremost, and perhaps most impressive when compared to the older games, is the transition from the flat, immovable, single screen cities to this:

Move up, down, zoom in and out, and go around in a full circle around your city, and enjoy the stunning opening animation every time you enter. Moving the camera around your city can be a bit awkward, but the easy command circles in the right and left lower corrners of the screen mean that you don't have to click on the specific building to perform the action associated with that building. So moving around and checking things out is really more to appreciate the stunning graphics than for anything practical.

Hows that for a change? ^_^



Overland travel through the main map has been equally revamped. Every bit of resource and random encampment or artifact you come across is beautifully rendered. The meticulous attention to detail to the cities and buildings is readily apparent. Interestingly enough, while the overland maps of the pervious Heroes games tended to be fairly open, constricting to smal; paths blocked with monsters only in a few spots, the overland maps of Heros V seem tm be more confining, trapping you in the envinronment and leaving you to wrestle a bit with the camera to figure out how to navigate from point A to point B. Fortunately, you get used to it quickly.

Combat has also been revamped. One change I very much appreciated was the ability to arrange my units before combat. I loved that skill in the earlier games, I believe the skill set was "battle tactics" or something to that effect. Unit movement is clearly outlined in bright green squares, also making it easier to move troops around having to slowly slide the mouse across the screen to see how far you can move your units. ^_^ The initiative bar at the bottom of the screen showing you the battle sequence in advance is great. Your hero doesn't participate in battle like in IV, but hangs out in the corner until it is his/her turn, then can attack or sling spells as usual.

And speaking of your heroes...



Think this is cool? You should see the heroes for the evil factions.

Your heroes will have a much wider variety of skills to choose from when they level up, enabling you to specialize your hero to a greater extent than any of the other games. And interestingly enough, each race of hero has only one class. For instantance, dark elf heroes are always warlocks.

And here are some unit model examples:

Overall, I feel that Heroes of Might and Magic V was a brilliant follow up after the four years since Heroes IV. And the thing that makes Heroes of Might and Magic V especially worth it to me is that they kept the multiplater hot seat option. I was harboring a fear that the hot seat option would have been dismissed as too "old school" for the new Heroes game, and I am happy and relieved to know that I was wrong. And remember that just like the older games, Heroes five is slow paced without feeling slow placed, so block out well over an hour before you sit down to play!

Call of the Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth-- Xbox survival horror FPS. Fun game!!! Usually I'm leery of buying games that I haven't read much about and haven't seen or played, but I was at GameCrazy, it was used and cheap, and I wanted a new game. ^_^ So there you have it.

I haven't played much of it, but from what I can tell it's pretty damn sweet. The graphics aren't as nice as they could be. From what I've read since I picked it up, the game has been in development for six years, which could explain that. The controls are smooth, and after I decreased the analog sensitivity it was perfect. I still can't aim, but I'm hoping that I'll get better with practice. ^_^



The environments are nicely done. In fact, the art direction period is really nice. Another nice thing about the game is that it feels completely cinematic. There are no health bars, ammmo counters, or anything on the screen while you're playing, enhancing the first-person feeling that you're looking through the main character's eyes.

Voice acting is well done, even the main character's voice. Although sometimes it doesn't quite fit. You'll have the neat sound effects of Jack's heart racing and short, scared breaths while in a creepy basement of some house, and then you'll examine a mutilated corpse on a gourney and suddenly he's cool, professional detective again. Not quite convincing me the way it's supposed to that Jack is losing his mind. ^_^

Sound effects are great, by the way. Very nice ambient effects.

And when you get hurt, damage is definitely reflected on your character.



Injuries not only include cuts, lacerations, gashes, gunshot wounds, etc. but also fractures. Which just sounds UBER painful. ^_^

All in all a fun game. I'm enjoying it. ^_^

I don't have a computer at my place, which makes it hard to play my favorite PC games. However, I did have an opportunity to play Guild Wars, my favorite MMORPG, the other day. I adventured with Nils, and we kicked lots of low level monster's asses! ^_^

Guild Wars is a great MMORPG. First and foremost because there are no monthly fees. O_O Amazing, I know. It's not as intricate or in depth as, say, EverQuest, but that's something else I like about it.

The character models are beautifully done. Exhibit A: My badass Necromancer/Ranger. ..... Well, she will be badass. When she makes it past level 8. ^_^ At least she looks cool!

All the classes (Warrior, Ranger, Monk, Elementalist, Necromancer, and Mesmer) are fun to play. The skill system is nicely laid out and easy to use. Gameplay is always smooth, and it's easy to work with a team. I also like the fact that you choose two classes-- your main class and your secondary class. ^_^ It's fun thinking about the different combinations. Even though I don't think a Necro/Ranger was a good idea, it was still fun to experiment with.

Another aspect of the game I think it really cool is the fact that every time to leave a hub, or a city, you get your own copy of the world map. The only PCs in your copy of the world map are you and whoever you teamed up with in the hub.

The graphics, not just the character models, are lovely. The environments are beautiful, and are fun to expore just for the graphics. Snowy mountains to underground catacombs, it's all amazing.

The following are screenshots that Nils took when we were playing a couple days ago. I was playing my necromancer, he was playing a mesmer.


Me. My big cat thing. And Nils. ^_^ In a very pretty area.

I think I was afk changing laundry around when this screen shot was taken. ^_^

And the last, greatest and best thing about Guild Wars:
The different dances for all the character classes and both genders. You know you want to see them all! XD