21 Jump Street; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on March 19th, 2012, 3:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
9/10
I consider myself a comedy connoisseur. Whether it's the fine wine comedy of Monty Python, the outrageous antics of Will Ferrell in Step Brothers or Old School, or the recently over-the-top Wanderlust, and even further back to classics such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon, Animal House, and even further to the Stooges and Charlie Chaplin. I've seen it all. I have not, however, always enjoyed it all.
21 Jump Street was, simply put, a fantastic comedy. I wouldn't consider myself a huge Jonah Hill fan, but he does well in this movie. The star who really excels is Channing Tatum, however. As some other reviewers mention, seeing the actor exit his (boring, in my opinion) romantic role and enter into a comedic one is fantastic. His simple, yet sincere character is one we've seen time and again, but it's incredibly funny and somehow fresh in this film. Jonah Hill's character is similar to those in the past, the outcast bookworm, but again, it fits the movie.
The premise of the movie is that Tatum and Hill are newly graduated policemen, and aren't at all good at their job. After losing some perpetrators doing drugs in the park, they are reassigned to the run-down undercover unit at 21 Jump Street. Here, their captain (A hilarious Ice Cube) assigns them to pose as students to try and take down the supplier of a new hallucinogenic drug called HFS (Holy F'ing
). Simple enough premise. A large part of the comedy of this movie is currently edgy, and will hit home with our generation for years to come. Tatum and Hill return to school to find that studying, caring for the environment, and being tolerant is now 'cool'. This, of course, is openly satirizing the abrupt shift that is taking place with youth today, for good or ill and remains a very potent comedic strand throughout the movie. In a memorable scene, when the two first return to high school, they are bombarded by new cliques, such as asians dressed in cosplay and the now infamous hipsters. Again, it's humor that has a target audience and works incredibly well for us who are mired in these new cultural phenomena.
Interestingly enough, there are a few good action scenes to be had in this movie as well. It's no Jackie Chan movie, but the director manages some good action, explosions (and satirizing the convention of explosions), car chases and shootouts to change the pace when a change is warranted.
This isn't an art film, and will not wow you with presentation, cinematography, sound, or any other technical aspect. It is driven by its humor, strong acting, and script, which is always enough with a successful comedy. We are meant to pay attention to the jokes, not what the camera angles suggest. It is sufficient enough technically that we aren't distracted by *bad* decisions, there is just not anything that will wow you in that respect.
There are many laughs to be had in this movie, for people of all ages and backgrounds. The guys are forced to try the new drug right away to prove they're not police, and the insanity ensues. Tatum bursts into the band room and destroys and disrupts. Hill returns to drama class and somehow nails himself the lead part in the school's production of Peter Pan. In an attempt to get in with one of the dealers, the guys throw a party of wicked proportions, and kids from a rival school show up. This ends in Tatum punching almost anyone who steps in front of him and Hill getting stabbed with some kind of artifact. Then, their parents return and break up the party.
This movie toes the line between ridiculous and incredibly funny exactly the way a great comedy should. It's witty, edgy, and simply funny nearly all the time, with very strong acting and writing throughout all the while remaining grounded in a decent enough story. There are even a few great surprises to be had, including a fantastic cameo. The ONLY reasons this film garners a 9 instead of a 10 from me is because it falters in the final scenes, going too far with a shock device that seems totally unnecessary given the merit of the rest of the film. There are also some cliches to be had, but they serve their purpose in the plot.
In short, go and see this film as soon as possible.
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Guild Wars 2 (Pre-Purchase) April 10th
Posted by killa kiaba on March 15th, 2012, 6:52 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
https://buy.guildwars2.com/
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet (3/27/2012): A Review
Posted by defeat on March 12th, 2012, 8:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 9/10
There are few bands I expect to blow me away with every release, and The Mars Volta is one of them. In any form of art there is an indefinite number of artists trying to take their chosen medium to the next level of originality. This is especially true in music, but most tend to get hung up on the concept of genres. It’s an easy thing to do, as genres are the best reference points art has to describe it. A genre is sometimes necessary for description, but at other times putting a label on a work of art can hinder the art itself. Trying to describe The Mars Volta’s music is hard enough, but putting one specific genre or label on it is simply impossible. One thing that they have stuck by, however, is the pop format. Granted, their songs aren’t the verse/chorus/verse all-in-under-four-minutes that Top 40 radio stations have come to embrace (it’s more like intro/verse/chorus/verse/bridge/chorus/outro, all-in-sometimes-10-minutes-or more), but they do have choruses that fans of intensely poetic, non-linear lyrics can try and sing along with. I say try, because, come on…Who can sing that hauntingly beautiful falsetto like Cedric Bixler-Zavala?
Throughout their career The Mars Volta have incorporated everything from jazz to Latin into their music, but their latest release, entitled Noctourniquet, comes closer to being a pop/rock album than any of the others. There. I said it. It’s a pop album. This shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to me, as the last release, 2009’s Octahedron, only had a single song over eight minutes (a huge departure from the band’s early days that spawned songs like the 35+ minute epic “Cassandra Gemini”). It was a surprise, though. Maybe it’s surprising because this is the first album they’ve released that I’ve heard parts in songs that could have come from other bands. “Aegis” has a feel reminiscent of Muse in the verses. “Zed and Two Naughts”’ drums instantly brought A Perfect Circle’s song "Weak and Powerless" to mind. Even the lead single has a guitar riff that could have come from any of the songs on Queens of the Stone Age’s album, Era Vulgaris, or any of Jack White’s past and present projects. I’m not saying that they were trying for any similarities, but when you make a pop album, it’s impossible to completely avoid them, even for The Mars Volta…
…And a The Mars Volta album it is! Even with these few similarities, the above mentioned songs are undoubtedly and uniquely straight from TMV’s songwriter and producer, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. His guitar playing is as riff-tastic and sometimes nothing but effects per-usual. He’s always been an experimental little guy, and even with Noctourniquet’s pop sensibilities, he's still pushing the boundaries of music. Their usual use of keyboards has changed from jazzy piano and organ to synth (possibly due to the departure of keyboardist "Ikey" Owens), although their trademark sound manipulation can be heard throughout the album’s entirety. Fans of The Volta’s past efforts won’t be disappointed, especially with the songs “Dyslexicon”, “Molochwalker”, and “Trinkets Pale of Moon”, which range from in-your-face to soft and sweet, respectively. One thing some fans tend to complain about is the revolving door of drummers since Jon Theodore stopped playing with the band in 2006. I never jumped on that band wagon, and really enjoyed Thomas Pridgen’s drumming on the last two albums. However, the only complaint I have about Noctourniquet is just that, the drumming. New drummer, Deantoni Parks, just doesn’t do it for me. He seems to be trying way too hard to live up to the sonic pummeling that the previous albums have featured, and sometimes fails miserably (evident in “Lapochka”).
If you haven’t heard The Mars Volta before, disliked their previous efforts for being too artsy, or are one of the many who haven’t liked an album of theirs since the full length debut (2003’s De-Loused in the Comatorium), Noctourniquet is a great album to get acquainted with, as it’s their most accessible and listener friendly album to date. Fans of the entire discography beware…
It’s a pop album. There. I said it again...
Recommended if you enjoy: Radiohead, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris and/or Jack White
The official lead single can be listened to here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0stkLanx4&ob=av3e
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 15th, 2012, 12:33 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Overall rating: 8/10.
I've done my homework on this game, both before and after buying it. Everyone seems to be looking at it completely the wrong way. Other reviewers and consumers are comparing this game to Skyrim, Mass Effect, and many other juggernaut RPGs. This is a mistake. Reviews range from a 9/10 from IGN to a 5/10 from Adam Sessler at G4TV.
Kingdoms of Amalur is similar to other RPGs in some respects, and in others it is radically different. If we analyze and enjoy this by itself, it's a great game. If we stand it next to Skyrim, it falters badly in some respects, and excels in others.
The things this game does well are apparent from the moment you start playing. Environments are very vibrant, and are sufficiently unique. They're somewhat linear, but also allow for quite a bit of exploration and free roam. There are enough hidden treasures, places, and quests to keep you busy for many hours. Often I would venture off the path in search of a treasure that showed up on my map thanks to my 'detect hidden' skill, and would instead spend a few hours saving a town from some kind of spider woman. This had nothing to do with the main quest or any of the 'factions'.
The story for this game is very good, and has RA Salvatore's flair. Sometimes, however, this is its undoing. Every little quest has five minutes of backstory or lore, when you might simply be trying to complete a quest for a quick buck or exp gain. I sometimes found myself skipping dialog for meaningless side quests. On the other side of this issue, the main storyline and faction quests are well-done. I especially loved the storyline of the House of Ballads, a group of elf-like people who endlessly reenact battles and adventures long past. In short, the overarching story isn't anything unconventional, but there are many originalities and nuances to be enjoyed. It's easy to see the care that went into the story, and that a good novelist was the one who oversaw it.
I can't write a review about this game without mentioning it's greatest strength: the battle system. It's fast-paced and more than simple button mashing. I like the emphasis on combos and certain attacks, such as those that 'pop up' your enemy, making them vulnerable for further hits. The amount of attacks is satisfying, but the key is exploring which ones work best together.
The game's skill system is pretty basic but fulfilling at the same time. There are plenty of skills and styles to be explored, without there being *too* much. The destiny system is great, you can unlock bonuses for your character as you dump points into any of the three skill trees. You can also unlock destinies for hybrid classes, even ones for supporting all three trees. This allows for a fantastic amount of customization with ample reward for whichever tree/s you choose to support.
That being said, this game's mechanics allow for one of the best roleplaying opportunities I've seen. The destiny system and hybrid classes make for an experience that really hasn't been amply explored in other titles. If you couple this with the strong story and hundreds of quests, then you have a very enjoyable recipe.
The game, of course; is not without faults. Some consumers have complained about the voice acting, but I actually enjoyed it. I found it more inspiring than some, and dialog seemed to fit the character saying it. I will be the first to admit that character models and facial expressions are lacking. Though the voice acting is good, it is not paired with good facial modeling. The characters are expressionless and half the time, their mouths don't even follow what they're saying.
Other cons involve slight dips in framerate, but nothing that was at all gamebreaking. I also often found the shops lacking, I finished the game with over 5 million gold. Granted, I was a money-making machine with max mercantile and detect hidden skills, but there was literally nowhere for me to spend my money after about 2/3 of the way through the game.
I spent about 50 hours on this game, and I was thoroughly satisfied with my experience. There seems to be dozens more hours of content, as I finished with over 50 side quests unfinished, and who knows how many more I left not taken. The replayability of the game is high as well, with trophies/achievements awarded for each playstyle. Though it would be just as easy to totally re-allot your skill points than to start over, but what's the fun in that?
The game is pretty standard fantasy fare on almost every front, while excelling in a few respects; namely the battle system and the major storylines. As other reviewers have pointed out, this game seems to borrow the best features of a lot of other titles and implement them in game to the point where they work together to near perfection. Loot, story, battling, skills, environment, and more. Overall, this game was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new, solid RPG to play from a new studio, but with some very hard-hitting names behind it.
The Woman in Black; A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 6th, 2012, 1:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
This was a good movie, not a great one. It did its job, it scared me (badly) at times, and there were very great technical things happening with this movie. However, it was inconsistent and Radcliffe's acting was just awful.
This movie is pretty typical as far as horror stories go, it's set in early 1900s England. The main character Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) plays a lawyer or paralegal, hard up for a break. He is sent by his firm to a sinister house near a small town, where the spirit of a woman terrorizes the town and the house. His son and their nanny are supposed to join him at the house after some time. Don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating, I learned with Insidious that underrated movies can be terrifying.
The opening scene of this movie was literally the most technically sound, and perhaps the best scene in the movie. While any opening scene should be great, it shouldn't be the best scene in the film. We're shown three young girls playing in an upstairs room, and nothing seems to be wrong. After a few moments, one of them drops their little teacup. It shatters. They then get up and advance towards the three windows, one of the trampling the teapot on the way. Here we have many good things in the cinematography and editing. Short takes. Shades of montage. Short jump cuts. This serves to confuse us, and it works very well. The three girls step up to the sill simultaneously, and jump out the windows. Then we're taken to Arthur's house, shocked by the previous scene and left with many questions.
The worst thing about this film, I felt, were its inconsistencies. It's easy to see that the aforementioned scene was meticulously cared for during production, whereas the rest of the film only shows glimmers of that care. As I said previously, Radcliffe's acting is terrible. He never shows any emotion, both when he realizes his wife has died in childbirth, nor at the end of the film when he is reunited with his son. This movie didn't call for him to strive for any awards, most of the time Arthur runs through the house chasing various noises. I was disappointed that when the script called for a little acting, he didn't deliver. And this took me away from the movie.
The movie delivers through jump-scares that we've come accustomed to with modern horror cinema. The cinematography is sound, with several first person shots that round corners, raising suspense. Of course, the scares don't come when we expect them. Moreover, there are several scenes in this film with these creepy, awkward, grimy toys that often act on their own. This was perhaps the most unsettling thing about the film. Picture a porcelain clown toy from that era, that contorts itself and ends with a close-up shot of his grinning face. Don't see this (or do) if you're afraid of clowns. *shudder*
Along those same lines, there is a scene where Arthur is (you guessed it) checking a noise he heard in the house. He's using a candle, and upon entering the room, there are closeups of the aforementioned toys, and the light of the candle is reflected in their eyes. It's moving with Arthur, and subsequently, moving in the eyes of the toys, making it seem as if they are following his movement. There are similar scenes to this, such as one where Arthur sees the reflection of the ghost in a mirror, but when he turns to check, she is gone. Subtle tricks like these make this movie a positive experience.
The house is a major star in the film, as it should be. It is sinister, old, foreboding, dusty, cobwebby, and simply everything a haunted house should be. There is a cemetery on the grounds that adds to the feeling. In addition to that, there is a lone wooden cross in the front yard where a little boy died when he sank into the swamp.
When we are first introduced to the house, Arthur goes downstairs, exploring. His job in the place is to make sure there are no more official papers in the home and to try and find the owner's last will and testament. When he enters the room, there is a newborn baby crow on the floor. He picks the baby up and puts it in the nest nearby. As soon as he does so, he is attacked by mama bird. I enjoyed this scene, it seemed an homage to the horror of yore, movies like The Omen and Hitchcock's The Birds, where birds figure heavily in the horror.
Additionally, this scene bears a stark parallel with the final moments of the movie. Clever foreshadowing, or heavy-handed symbolism? Go see the movie and find out!
In short, I really enjoyed this movie, both at the surface level of modern horror and as an amateur film student. Its inconsistencies are many, but the great scenes it offers do redeem it. It is scary in the same way that other modern horror films are, and is easily enjoyable by anyone that loves the horror genre. I recommend this film.
The Devil Inside: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 25th, 2012, 3:43 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go
yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Lamb Of God - Resolution (01/24/12): A Review
Posted by defeat on January 23rd, 2012, 5:49 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
I almost didn’t review this album after listening to the first half of it. I was thinking, “Oh….It’s (2009's) Wrath…again, and I’ll have nothing to say…” After giving it another chance, the second half of the album was indeed Lamb Of God’s saving grace.
Every member of Lamb Of God have seemingly evolved over the years, except for the second most talented member, drummer, Chris Adler. Don’t get it wrong. He’s a favorite drummer of many, as he’s a consistent, speed drumming machine with great fills and feet faster than light. Come with the dynamics already, though, Chris! Maybe, it’s the production that’s held you back with your sound. Maybe, it’s the way you tune your drums (Let them resonate a bit next time, eh? Every, single, solitary drum shouldn’t have the short thump of a bass drum…). Maybe, you just don’t care. Some don’t. Oh, well...so it goes. (I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut as of late.)
Resolution, contradictorily to the drumming, is LOG’s most dynamic release yet. Some thought the band had been lost to “The Graveyard of Previously Great Bands” with the bore that was their previous release, Wrath. It just seemed like a filler album without any originality. Resolution is an adventurous turn of events in LOG’s discography. Guitarists’ Mark Morton and Willie Adler have given us a new take on The New Wave of American Heavy Metal with some softer, more progressive, off-time riffs in the songs “Barbarosa”, “King Me”, and lead single “Ghost Walking”. In most metal, the bass guitar is just a copy of the lead riff, just lower. In this release, though, bassist John Campbell is pleasantly noticeable in parts throughout Resolution’s entirety.
It would be fantastic to have Machine back at the production helm instead of Josh Wilbur, as some minor kinks in the production are what took away some audio enjoyment points. The drums have been mentioned as a major issue. Other kinks were really just post-production snafus. “Barbarosa” and “Invictus” is clearly one song. With fourteen tracks, it’s not like LOG were scraping the barrel for material. Some of the songs on the second half of the album should have been mingled with the first half to break up the turn off of early monotony. This takes away from the listening experience the most. God, is that second half great, though…
In other news, vocalist, Randy Blythe is still alive.
Lead single: "Ghost Walking" Official Video
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; a review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 7:28 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
The Darkest Hour: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 6:49 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
1-6-2012 Modern Warfare 3
Posted by Tanksandguns on January 6th, 2012, 4:43 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
As a man who has played every Call of Duty game since Call of Duty 3, and sporadically before that since Big Red 1 I like to consider myself one of Call of Duty's biggest fans. Call of Duty has taken it's place as THE First Person Shooter. It's the franchise that comes to mind first when one talks about FPS games, and until recently, has had little to no competition in the field.
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Skrillex-Bangarang (12/23/11): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 23rd, 2011, 7:11 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating 5/10
Listen. I’ll start off by saying I’m as on the fence with the newest Skrillex release, entitled Bangarang, as I have been with all the others. The guy is an exciting producer, and the voice samples/hooks he’s used are unforgettable. However, as with his other releases, the mid-register robotesque bass lines, four to the floor beats, and general feel are the same as they ever were and absolutely forgettable. You’ve got the electronic industry by the balls, Skrillex, and the time to fix your broken record is nigh.
When Skrillex became an instant success, and his songs could be heard everywhere, I was impressed with the mash up of genre’s with him and Korn in the Korn single “Get Up“, and really enjoyed "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" and “Kill Everybody” off of Skrillex’s EP with the same name Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. It seemed like a fresh, American take on the dubstep scene. That fresh take quickly turned into endless copycats and the post dubstep sub-genre dubbed “brostep”. As the forerunner of this new trend, Skrillex didn’t impress me with his first release, mildly did with his second release, and fails to with his newest.
There are definitely moments of production clarity on Bangarang in the title track (a song referencing the movie Hook?! Awesome!) and the non-bass line heavy house song “Right On Time“, but he even uses a broke up, syncopated, unintelligible, Asian sounding voice on the track “Summit” juuuust like he did on the track “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”. In a nutshell, Bangarang should be entitled Sonic the Househog On Crack. It’s got a Sonic the Hedgehog music + house + brostep sound on most of the songs on the seven song EP. If you are already a die-hard Skrillex fan (and I know you are out there as I just read the comment “Skrillex is life.“ from a fan on Skrillex’s Facebook page), you are going to absolutely love this album. If you haven’t ever heard Skrillex, and are into dubstep, you are probably going to like this album. The rest of us will either like it, dislike it, or think it’s OK (Mitch Hedberg anyone?). It does have bass drops and a couple buildups/breakdowns that make you smile with delight, so even after I write this review.....I’m still on the fence.
The title track:
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross-T.G.w.t.D.T.Soundtrack: A Review
Posted by defeat on December 12th, 2011, 11:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
allbroke- Broke/Free EP (12/02/2011): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 6th, 2011, 11:23 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
A battle of time on communities
Posted by Demon on December 5th, 2011, 6:42 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Time moves on inevitably, as I’m sure anyone can tell. Childhood memories become just what they are – memories. Not much can stay the same in a world rapidly evolving with people snaking along just as quickly towards some mysterious, unknown goal of worth we, as a society and race, have decided is vitally necessary. This is also true for the internet, but at a much broader and faster rate because of instant gratification and the scope of available tools for developers to build. While driving down ‘memory lane’ after twenty-odd years may bring the shock of finding your childhood home destroyed and a new shopping plaza in its place, you can still find your breath taken away at the vast and expanding internet. Simply visit Google and type in a keyword relative to your life (anything) and you’ll find more information instantly available than you can possibly read in your lifetime… with more being released as you’re reading!
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
LLL: Updated 1/07; info on my future in the scribery
Posted by Landerpurex on December 1st, 2011, 2:55 am. Category: Scribery Entry
**EDIT**
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged.
Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged. Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Lander wrote:
Dear self,
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of,
Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of
,Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
By far, the most exciting news in the last year was the announcement of the latest entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim. Along with this announcement was a vast amount of detail on what would be included in the final product, as it would be released in less than 12 months, on November 11. The game is now out, and the biggest question series fans have had is this: Is it going to live up to previous games in the series?
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
Now that Glode has spent his day fixing the style to match more of the old style (thanks Glode!) let's make a list of things that still need to be changed that may have been missed. Or just things you'd like to see differently. Again, after we have this straightened out, we'll be able to start adding our old and some new modifications back.
We left it the way it was before to see if some things would like to be kept. But we'll have most of everything back to normal and it'll all be stable and ready to upgrade when needed
Thanks!
We left it the way it was before to see if some things would like to be kept. But we'll have most of everything back to normal and it'll all be stable and ready to upgrade when needed
Thanks!
Well, there was a realise of the Chronicles style. And what better way to get it tested then to let everyone test it? Basically make a list of things that should be changed for our style and we'll put it into consideration to be changed. Like the post profile being centered, font changes, ect.
After this is all straightend out, we'll finally beable to install our old modifications back. Like custom titles.
Thanks!
After this is all straightend out, we'll finally beable to install our old modifications back. Like custom titles.
Thanks!
RVET #10: Fist of RuneVillage! - Over, thanks for coming!
Posted by Dark Paladin on June 25th, 2008, 12:57 am. Category: Global announcement
RVET Event #10: June 2008
Fist of RuneVillage
The arena was vast, with plenty of space to explore, but the cowardly adventurer still remained near the outermost edge, clutching his bowl as if it were a baby. He was the Prey, his Hunter still out there, somewhere. The adventurer warily looked around, seeing no one. Taking a deep breath, he sprinted towards the centre of the arena, and was nearly there when a glint of light flashed before his eyes. He instantly stopped and watched as a blood-red blade swung just past his face, demolishing the air that he would have been standing in had he not frozen. His Hunter had found him. He should have never left the edge...
General Information
What: Fist of Guthix Party
When: Saturday, June 28th
World: 102 (F2P)
Time: 6 PM GMT (7 PM BST), 2 PM EST, 11 AM PST
Meeting Place: Fist of Guthix Lobby
Fist of Guthix Party Information
Fist of Guthix (click for guide) is a P2P and F2P minigame released early this past April. It involves a two-round game of Hunter and Prey, using randomly selected opponents in a large arena with many other players. As such, there won't truly be any real teams of 'winners' or 'losers' like last month's Castle Wars event. Instead, we're hoping for an event where as many RVers show up as possible for the sole reason of having fun! With Villagers making up a large portion of the players, you'll never know who you'll be tracking down in this big underground arena. Friends become foes as the battles ensue...
To reach the Fist of Guthix Lobby, you must travel a short distance into the Wilderness, using the map below. (There is a Bank in the lobby, so feel free to bring nothing of value directly into the Wilderness.)
Who's the best at evading death? We hope to see you all this Saturday!
Recent RVET Event Winners
This section proclaims the winners of past RVET events. Want to have your name up here on a Global for all to see? Come on down to our events and give it your all!
May '08 Castle Wars Winners: Team Saradomin
April '08 Trouble Brewing Team: Caedo, Goten, Jaron, Justin, Shadow7, Simons Pure
March '08 Egg Hunt Winners: Simons Pure (2 eggs), Shadowsmage, Zinyx, Devil Fly
February '08 Snowball Fight Victors: Justin's Wind Faction
January '08 Fight Pits Champions: Simons Pure, Paidea, Ges2
December '07 Games Room Champions: Dark Paladin, Jaron, The123king, The Slayer
About The RuneVillage Events Team
The RuneVillage Events Team is a team lead by Dustin, Dr Henry, and Jaron, with strong support from Dark Paladin, Jimmybe, Justin, Mackerel, stimpy, and The123king. Together, we plan one event every month for all of RuneVillage to participate in. Hopefully, you will enjoy this event as well as every other event we host, as a lot of thought and time goes into each and every one we do. Also note that if you have an idea for an event and want our help, please do not hesitate to contact us and we shall see if we can help out.
- The RuneVillage Events Team -
RuneVillage Rules have been updated
Posted by Henner on June 20th, 2008, 2:06 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Please go over the revised rules. Things have been added/removed, edited or moved to be more clear and to better fit the present time.
These new rules take effect immediately.
Thanks!
These new rules take effect immediately.
Thanks!
19 June 2008 - PayByPhone for Netherlands and Belgium
Posted by Martin on June 19th, 2008, 3:20 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Jagex wrote:
We are pleased to announce that the PayByPhone payment service is now available to both the Netherlands and Belgium. If you live in one of these countries and would like to subscribe using this method, please access the Account Management section of our website.
If you are not from the Netherlands or Belgium, you may still be able to pay using this simple and accessible payment option. Please check the Account Management section to find out if you are eligible to pay by PayByPhone in your country of residence.
If you are not from the Netherlands or Belgium, you may still be able to pay using this simple and accessible payment option. Please check the Account Management section to find out if you are eligible to pay by PayByPhone in your country of residence.
18 June 2008 - FunOrb - Arcanists Update
Posted by Boa on June 18th, 2008, 8:12 am. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
As RuneScape applies the final touches to the upcoming graphical improvement, the FunOrb team have been busy revamping their most popular game. The free to play and multiplayer game 'Arcanists' has now received a large chunk of new content.
They have created some new maps to master, including one that takes its cues from Mos Le'Harmless. More spells are on offer, including two new spellbooks - Sea and Nature - while familiars have been introduced, which could turn current Arcanist tactics on their head.
With more Achievements to unlock and awards to obtain, there's plenty new to play in Arcanists.
FunOrb is a website created by Jagex, makers of RuneScape, which offers a diverse selection of games for you try out and play for free.
They have created some new maps to master, including one that takes its cues from Mos Le'Harmless. More spells are on offer, including two new spellbooks - Sea and Nature - while familiars have been introduced, which could turn current Arcanist tactics on their head.
With more Achievements to unlock and awards to obtain, there's plenty new to play in Arcanists.
FunOrb is a website created by Jagex, makers of RuneScape, which offers a diverse selection of games for you try out and play for free.
Forum Maintenance failed. Is it all working again now?
Posted by Glodenox on June 17th, 2008, 8:34 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Hey there,
In about an hour and a half, I'll be performing an upgrade to the forums. Normally speaking, the forum and chat should only be down for around 5 minutes, but seeing we've had some troubles in the past with our template when upgrading, it could be that it will take longer than expected.
So if you happen to plan to make a long post, do it now or postpone it until after the update Again, I don't expect any problems I can't solve, but you never know for sure...
EDIT: correction, forgot about the daylight savings time.
EDIT2:
Well, I guess most of you saw this already: the updating didn't go as planned.
There is one specific error that I didn't manage to fix, so we're back to the previous version for most of the files.
I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience this probably caused, but it certainly wasn't expected to happen.
EDIT3:
I think it should all work again, but just to be sure, if you find an error, please post them here.
- Greetz Glodenox
In about an hour and a half, I'll be performing an upgrade to the forums. Normally speaking, the forum and chat should only be down for around 5 minutes, but seeing we've had some troubles in the past with our template when upgrading, it could be that it will take longer than expected.
So if you happen to plan to make a long post, do it now or postpone it until after the update
Again, I don't expect any problems I can't solve, but you never know for sure...EDIT: correction, forgot about the daylight savings time.
EDIT2:
Well, I guess most of you saw this already: the updating didn't go as planned.
There is one specific error that I didn't manage to fix, so we're back to the previous version for most of the files.
I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience this probably caused, but it certainly wasn't expected to happen.
EDIT3:
I think it should all work again, but just to be sure, if you find an error, please post them here.
- Greetz Glodenox
16 June 2008 - Development Diary and System Specifications
Posted by Tal Set 65 on June 16th, 2008, 10:33 am. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
In the first Development Diary on our graphical improvements, we showed you the results of textures, texture blending, shadows and fog. In this, the second and final Development Diary on the release, we shine a light on the other effects we have been using.
Minimum specifications:
To play RuneScape's new detail level you will need:
1.5 GHz processor or higher
256MB of RAM or more
64MB 3D Graphics card, such as Nvidia(R) GeForce(TM) 3 or above
Additionally, your graphics card should have the latest drivers installed, to ensure the new detail level plays with no problems.
If you need more information on your computer's specifications or how to update your graphical drivers, visit our Tech Support Forum in the RuneScape Forums.
When the graphical improvement is released, you will be able to increase or decrease the number of graphical features that are activated. This will be done in your in-game 'Options' menu (the one with the spanner icon). So, any problems playing the new detail mode may be lessened by reducing the number of graphical features that are activated.
We would advise that your computer exceeds the above requirements, so you will be able to play the new detail mode without any issues.
REMINDER - The existing Low and High Detail will still be available, as the graphical update is completely optional.
Minimum specifications:
To play RuneScape's new detail level you will need:
1.5 GHz processor or higher
256MB of RAM or more
64MB 3D Graphics card, such as Nvidia(R) GeForce(TM) 3 or above
Additionally, your graphics card should have the latest drivers installed, to ensure the new detail level plays with no problems.
If you need more information on your computer's specifications or how to update your graphical drivers, visit our Tech Support Forum in the RuneScape Forums.
When the graphical improvement is released, you will be able to increase or decrease the number of graphical features that are activated. This will be done in your in-game 'Options' menu (the one with the spanner icon). So, any problems playing the new detail mode may be lessened by reducing the number of graphical features that are activated.
We would advise that your computer exceeds the above requirements, so you will be able to play the new detail mode without any issues.
REMINDER - The existing Low and High Detail will still be available, as the graphical update is completely optional.
Quote:
There are many mysteries of the seas - hidden treasures, ghostly ships, pirate fashion - but few are as intriguing as the tale of Rabid Jack. Revered by a few, feared by many, his name is known by virtually all that sail the seas.
The problem is, no pirate is willing to talk of Rabid Jack. Whether out of terror or a determination to keep his history hidden, the pirates have taken an oath of silence on the subject: particularly annoying for any adventurer who wants to send Rabid Jack to a watery grave.
All is not lost, however, as one pirate has been given charge of the secret. Is it as easy as walking up and talking to him? Arrr, you should know better than that, landlubber! The pirate resides in 'The Rock' - an island prison for brigands and buccaneers - and he seems reluctant to pass on information without some assurances.
Needless to say, the path to your goal is a windy one, with some interesting stops on the way. Your path may even cross with the strong-arm of the Customs Office, some pirate implings and a multi-purpose seagull...
Summary
Where to start Rocking Out:
Speak to Bill Teach in Mos Le'Harmless or Port Phasmatys
Requirements to complete Rocking Out:
Level 60 Agility
Level 63 Thieving
Level 66 Crafting
Level 69 Smithing
The Great Brain Robbery
Access to:
A new way to train your Thieving skill
Pirate implings to hunt and catch
New pirate clothing, including reverse and double eye patches!
In other news...
The Menaphite action kilt was appearing as blue in your inventory even though it's red when you put it on. It's now correctly showing up as red in your inventory.
Similarly, the iron and steel gauntlets from the Fist of Guthix minigame were the wrong shades of grey, making the iron ones look like steel and the steel ones look like iron. Their colours have been switched round now.
Finally, you can now store broad-tipped bolts in your bolt pouches.
The problem is, no pirate is willing to talk of Rabid Jack. Whether out of terror or a determination to keep his history hidden, the pirates have taken an oath of silence on the subject: particularly annoying for any adventurer who wants to send Rabid Jack to a watery grave.
All is not lost, however, as one pirate has been given charge of the secret. Is it as easy as walking up and talking to him? Arrr, you should know better than that, landlubber! The pirate resides in 'The Rock' - an island prison for brigands and buccaneers - and he seems reluctant to pass on information without some assurances.
Needless to say, the path to your goal is a windy one, with some interesting stops on the way. Your path may even cross with the strong-arm of the Customs Office, some pirate implings and a multi-purpose seagull...
Summary
Where to start Rocking Out:
Speak to Bill Teach in Mos Le'Harmless or Port Phasmatys
Requirements to complete Rocking Out:
Level 60 Agility
Level 63 Thieving
Level 66 Crafting
Level 69 Smithing
The Great Brain Robbery
Access to:
A new way to train your Thieving skill
Pirate implings to hunt and catch
New pirate clothing, including reverse and double eye patches!
In other news...
The Menaphite action kilt was appearing as blue in your inventory even though it's red when you put it on. It's now correctly showing up as red in your inventory.
Similarly, the iron and steel gauntlets from the Fist of Guthix minigame were the wrong shades of grey, making the iron ones look like steel and the steel ones look like iron. Their colours have been switched round now.
Finally, you can now store broad-tipped bolts in your bolt pouches.
09 June - 2008 Website Maintenance
Posted by stimpy on June 9th, 2008, 7:36 am. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
We are currently performing maintenance on some of our web systems.
During this time, the following areas of the website will be unavailable:
* Create a free account
* Change your password
* Set new recovery questions
* Cancel pending recovery questions
* Recover a lost password
* Recover a locked account
* Viewing your FunOrb achievements
* Logging into the website
We apologise for the inconvenience and are aiming to restore service as soon as possible.
This does not affect existing users wishing to login to the game.
During this time, the following areas of the website will be unavailable:
* Create a free account
* Change your password
* Set new recovery questions
* Cancel pending recovery questions
* Recover a lost password
* Recover a locked account
* Viewing your FunOrb achievements
* Logging into the website
We apologise for the inconvenience and are aiming to restore service as soon as possible.
This does not affect existing users wishing to login to the game.
Like Questing? Help RV with our quest database!
Posted by Blackmage172 on June 7th, 2008, 10:03 am. Category: Global announcement
*In the Keys. Getting to this when I can.*
Pretty please?
Alright, I was going through the quest guides earlier today, thinking that I'd be able to go through them quickly and make some minor edits and I'll be done.
But, I was wrong XD I need your help.
We have a LOT of quest guides that need updating. For most of them, it's simply grammatical errors and missing pictures, but for certain ones like The Tourist Trap, they need to be completely re-done.
I'm using this post to keep track of all the guides that need updating, have been updated but need revision, have been completely updated, and have been uploaded and completed.
Text in the spoiler tags contains submissions for editting, along with the name of the submittor.
When a picture is to be added along with a block of text, the corresponding text is to be placed BEFORE the picture. Save all pictures as .png files!
When revising a quest guide, the General Information (the lines you see at the top of the guide) should be in this format:
Key:
Has yet to be reviewed
Needs updating
Updated but needs revision
Completely updated
Updated, uploaded, and finished
Guide is fine as it is, or needs minor changes
Animal Magnetism
Another Slice of HAM
As A First Resort
Back To My Roots
Between A Rock...
Big Chompy Bird Hunting
Biohazard
Black Knight's Fortress
Cabin Fever
Catapult Construction
Clock Tower
Cold War
Contact!
Cook's Assistant
Creature of Fenkenstrain
Darkness of Hallowvale <-- not even going to touch content-wise
Dealing With Scarabas
Death Plateau
Death To The Dorgeshuun
Demon Slayer
Desert Treasure <-- less content, more maps and pictures that are out of date and content
Devious Minds
Digsite Quest
Doric's Quest
Dragon Slayer
Dream Mentor
Druidic Ritual
Dwarf Cannon
Eadgar's Ruse
Eagle's Peak
Elemental Workshop I (interesting: none of the original writers, editors, or coders are still active on RV)
Elemental Workshop II
Enakhra's Lament
An Enlightened Journey
Ernest The Chicken
The Eyes Of Glouphrie
Fairy Tale Part I - Growing Pains
Fairy Tale Part II - Cure A Queen
Family Crest
The Feud
Fight Arena
Fishing Contest
Forgettable Tale Of A Drunken Dwarf
The Fremmenik Isles
The Fremmenik Trials
Garden of Tranquility
Gertrude's Cat
Ghosts Ahoy!
Giant Dwarf
Goblin Diplomacy
The Golem
Grand Tree
The Great Brain Robbery
Grim Tales
Hand In The Sand
Haunted Mine
Hazeel Cult
Hero's Quest
The Holy Grail
Horror From The Deep
Icthlarin's Little Helper
Imp Catcher
In Aid Of The Myreque
In Search Of The Myreque
Jungle Potion
Kennith's Concerns
King's Ransom
Knight's Sword
Land Of The Goblins
Learning The Ropes
Quite frankly, I believe that we shouldn't make a quest guide for this. The whole point to this is to teach new players how to play when the first start RuneScape, and we shouldn't ruin it for them.
Legend's Quest
Lost City
Lost Tribe
Lunar Diplomacy
Making History
Merlin's Crystal
Monkey Madness
Monk's Friend
Mountain Daughter
Mourning's End Part I
Mourning's End Part II
Murder Mystery
My Arm's Big Adventure
Nature Spirit
Observatory
Olaf's Quest
One Small Favor
The Path of Glouphrie
Perils Of Ice Mountain
Pirate's Treasure
Plague City
Priest In Peril
Prince Ali's Rescue
Rag And Bone Man
Rat Catchers
Recipe For Disaster
Recruitment Drive
Regicide
The Restless Ghost
Romeo And Juliet
Roving Elves
Royal Trouble
Rum Deal
Rune Mysteries
Scorpion Catcher
Sea Slug
Shades Of Mort'ton
Shadow Of The Storm
Sheep Hearder
Sheep Shearer
Shield of Arrav
Shilo Village
Slug Menace
Smoking Kills
A Soul's Bane
Spirits Of The Elid
Swan Song
Tai Bwo Wannai Trio
A Tail Of Two Cats
Tears Of Guthix
Temple Of Ikov
Throne Of Miscellenia
TokTz-Ket-Dill
The Tourist Trap
Tower Of Life
Tree Gnome Village
Tribal Totem
Troll Romance
Troll Stronghold
Underground Pass
Vampire Slayer
Wanted!
Watchtower Quest
Waterfall
What Lies Below
Witch's House
Witch's Potion
Wolf Whistle
Zogre Flesh Eaters
I am also in the process of writing a compilation of "Tips And Tricks" (similar to those I wrote for the Horror Of The Deep quest back in '05) for all the quest guides that will be submitted after revision is complete. If you would like to send me your tips and tricks that you learned while doing certain quests, please submit them to me via PM and I will give you credit. Thank you!
I hope you don't mind, but I edited all the quests currently in color to link to their respective guides; this makes it easier for people to see just what's outdated.
Oh, I also added notes for all f2p quests. ^_^
~Kikori Kid
You're a good man, Charlie Brown
~Blackmage172
Pretty please?
Alright, I was going through the quest guides earlier today, thinking that I'd be able to go through them quickly and make some minor edits and I'll be done.
But, I was wrong XD I need your help.
We have a LOT of quest guides that need updating. For most of them, it's simply grammatical errors and missing pictures, but for certain ones like The Tourist Trap, they need to be completely re-done.
I'm using this post to keep track of all the guides that need updating, have been updated but need revision, have been completely updated, and have been uploaded and completed.
Text in the spoiler tags contains submissions for editting, along with the name of the submittor.
When a picture is to be added along with a block of text, the corresponding text is to be placed BEFORE the picture. Save all pictures as .png files!
When revising a quest guide, the General Information (the lines you see at the top of the guide) should be in this format:
Hidden:
Key:
Has yet to be reviewed
Needs updating
Updated but needs revision
Completely updated
Updated, uploaded, and finished
Guide is fine as it is, or needs minor changes
Animal Magnetism
- General information
Another Slice of HAM
- General information
As A First Resort
- General information
- Missing several items under the "Required Items" list
- The part where you light the fires with the pools is a little confusing.
Back To My Roots
- General Information
- Need directions through the giant garden in Karamja!
Between A Rock...
- General information
- Pictures
- The Arzinian Avatar is of the combat type you are least best in; it is only an Avatar of Magic if your lowest combat stat is magic. This needs changing.
Big Chompy Bird Hunting
- General information
- Pictures
- All of the "steps" make this quest seem a lot harder than it really is. Don't rewrite it, but can someone reformat it?
Biohazard
- General information
- Pictures
- Guide is kind of confusing and difficult to follow.
Black Knight's Fortress
- General information
- Pictures (some are outdated and extreneous)
- Format (pictures are out of order with the text)
Cabin Fever
- General information
- Some text pictures are outdated, but they can be left as is unless someone wants to retake them.
Catapult Construction
- General information
- The map present below step 2 is the wrong map for this guide.
Clock Tower
- General information
- Lack of pictures makes it difficult to follow
- Map
Cold War
- General information
- Text pictures are out of date, but they could be left as they are unless someone wants to retake them.
Contact!
- General information
Cook's Assistant
- General information
Creature of Fenkenstrain
- General information
- Pictures slightly out of date
- Steps need to be numbered or ordered somehow.
Darkness of Hallowvale <-- not even going to touch content-wise
- General information
- Steps need to be numbered or ordered somehow. I suggest something like the Legend's Quest or Cook's Assistant.
- Some of the pictures are slightly out of date, but they could be left as they are.
Dealing With Scarabas
- General Information
- The directions to the High Priest's chamber are pretty vague. Anyone want to make a map?
Death Plateau
- General information
- Pictures need to be redone, especially the location pictures, because the compass flips
Death To The Dorgeshuun
- General information
- Some of the pictures are slightly out of date and we could use more to explain how to navigate some of the areas.
Demon Slayer
- General information
- Massively out of date
- Could use pictures of the demon and key locations
Desert Treasure <-- less content, more maps and pictures that are out of date and content
- Non-player characters should read "NPCs" instead
- Couple of the pictures are out of date (map and text boxes)
- Could use map of the Pyramid
- Format is a little awkward, especially the parts that tell you how to defeat the Warriors
Devious Minds
- General information
- Maps look rather unprofessional
- Steps should be reformatted to be consistent with the other guides
Digsite Quest
- General information
- Need more pictures
Doric's Quest
- General information
- Pictures (out of date and there needs to be more)
- Maybe rewrite the guide to make it a little more clear?
Dragon Slayer
- General information
- Outdated and way too few pictures
- Grammatical errors
- Needs a full rewrite
Dream Mentor
- General Information
- The order is Inadequacy, Everlasting, Untouchable, and Illusive. This needs to be fixed.
- The levels of Everlasting and Untouchable need to be switched
- Picture of the opening scene with Inadequacy is needed to be consistent with the other three monsters
Druidic Ritual
- General information
- Out of date "Quest Complete!" picture
- Lack of pictures
- Maybe rewrite? It wouldn't hurt.
Dwarf Cannon
- General information
- More pictures
- Map is rather unprofessional
- Steps need to be reformated to make it consistent with the other guides
Eadgar's Ruse
- General information
- Pictures are out of date and some are of poor quality
- Several grammatical errors
Eagle's Peak
- General information
- More pictures would be helpful with the final puzzle
Elemental Workshop I (interesting: none of the original writers, editors, or coders are still active on RV)
- General information
- Pictures are out of date and some are of poor quality
- Final map looks unprofessional; a redo would be great
Elemental Workshop II
- General information
- More pictures would be very helpful
Enakhra's Lament
- General information
- A map or more pictures would be helpful
An Enlightened Journey
- General information
- Pictures (text boxes) could use a nice update
Ernest The Chicken
- General information
- Pictuers need a huge update
- Map for the oil can is confusing and could use a redo
The Eyes Of Glouphrie
- General information
Fairy Tale Part I - Growing Pains
- General information
- More, updated pictures would be nice
Fairy Tale Part II - Cure A Queen
- General information
- Again: more, updated pictures would be nice
Family Crest
- General information
- Needs more pictures
- Quest is a little outdated; might want to rewrite the part where you're in the Wilderness
The Feud
- General information
- Pictures outdated, out of order
- Maps outdated
Fight Arena
- General information
- Pictures drastically out of date
- Needs more text
Fishing Contest
- General information
- Needs pictures, maybe a rewrite so it flows with the images
Forgettable Tale Of A Drunken Dwarf
- General information
- Pictures are outdated and of poor quality
- Extrenenous steps (e.g. "Watch the cinematic")
- Some grammatical errors
The Fremmenik Isles
- General information
- Outdated pictures
The Fremmenik Trials
- General information
- Outdated and serious lack of pictures
- Format is confusing
- Text is confusing
- Rewrite might be necessary
Garden of Tranquility
- General information
- Pictures are out of date
Gertrude's Cat
- General information
- This is not a "Medium" difficulty quest
- Topmost picture is broken. Appears to be a map; can someone remake this?
Ghosts Ahoy!
- General information
- Few grammatical errors
- Maps need updating
Giant Dwarf
- General information
- "Items Required" needs to be shortened
- Maps needs to be updated; perhaps make one big map that contains every point you need to go to during the quest?
Goblin Diplomacy
- General information
- The one text box needs to be updated, but that's all
The Golem
- General information
- Most of the pictures are out of date and need to be replaced
Grand Tree
- General information
- Pictures needed!
- Text needs to be entirely rewritten
The Great Brain Robbery
- General information
- One of the text messages needs to be retaken, or the text part merely editted out of the rest of the picture
Grim Tales
- General information
Hand In The Sand
- General Information
- Grainy and out of date pictures
- Needs to be ordered to be consitent with the other guides
Haunted Mine
- General Information
- Some of the pictures are grainy and out of date
Hazeel Cult
- General Information
- Needs pictures!
- Rewrite to go along with the pictures would be nice
- The part that explains how to turn the valves to entre the Hazeel area is very confusing/lacking
Hero's Quest
- General Information
- Text/pictures need to be drastically updated
- Serious lack of pictures
- Needs to be ordered to be consistent with the rest of the guides
- It's "Hero's Quest", not "Heros"
The Holy Grail
- General Information
- Needs more pictures
- Needs to be ordered to be consistent with the other guides
Horror From The Deep
- General Information
- More pictures would be nice, but aren't necessary
- More elaboration on the final battle would also be nice
Icthlarin's Little Helper
- General Information
- Slightly out of date (pictures)
- Ordering needs to be redone to be consistent with the rest of the guides
Imp Catcher
- General Information
- Possible other imp hunting spots
- New picture of where the quest starts. Seriously, look at the colors and the demon.
In Aid Of The Myreque
- General Information
- Some of the pictures are out of date
- Needs to be ordered to keep up the consistency
In Search Of The Myreque
- General Information
- I ain't gonna lie; this needs to be completely and entirely rewritten
Jungle Potion
- General information
- Pictures (?)
Kennith's Concerns
- General Information
- Quest completion picture with the train needs to be retaken
King's Ransom
- General Information
- It might just be the computer I'm using, but every single one of those pictures are broken
Knight's Sword
- General information
- Need a passage targeting the dangers of the bluerite mines
- Pictures are horribly outdated
- The guide includes bits in parentheses that target if you make a second sword. Separate this from the rest of the guide; it looks confusing.
Land Of The Goblins
- General Information
Learning The Ropes
Quite frankly, I believe that we shouldn't make a quest guide for this. The whole point to this is to teach new players how to play when the first start RuneScape, and we shouldn't ruin it for them.
Legend's Quest
- The only possible thing that could need changing is that a few of the images (the text-screens and herbs) are out of date. They're perfectly fine as they are for now, but if anyone wants to retake them then they're more than welcome to.
Lost City
- General Information
- Pretty out of date. A full rewrite would be nice.
- Difficulty is "H" instead of "D"
Lost Tribe
- General Information
- Pictures are in the lowest detail setting and some are out of date
Lunar Diplomacy
- General Information
- Could use some more pictures, but if not it's okay
Making History
- General Information
- Some of the pictures are out of date
- The area at the bottom about the Treasure Hunting is kind of an eyesore after all that quest. It would do very well to have its own guide entirely.
Merlin's Crystal
- General Information
- Pictures would be nice
- Rewrite would also be nice
Monkey Madness
- General Information
- This is not a "D" quest; more like "X" level
- Images are old, grainy, out of date, and missing at several important areas
Monk's Friend
- General Information
- Pictures are fun
Mountain Daughter
- General Information
- Pictures grainy and out of date
- Ordering needs to be redone to be consistent
Mourning's End Part I
- General Information
- Images grainy and lacking at several important areas
Mourning's End Part II
- General information
Murder Mystery
- General Information
- Ordering need to be consistent
My Arm's Big Adventure
- General Information
Nature Spirit
- General Information
- Needs a complete and total rewrite
Observatory
- General Information
- Pictures need to be retaken
- Ordering needs to be redone to be consistent
- A full rewrite would be good
Olaf's Quest
- General Information
One Small Favor
- General Information
- Needs a complete and total rewrite. Anyone wanna be ballsy enough to take on this behemoth?
The Path of Glouphrie
- General Information
Perils Of Ice Mountain
- General Information
Pirate's Treasure
- General Information
- Outdated pictures.
Plague City
- General Information
- No pictures at all
- A full rewrite would be nice
Priest In Peril
- General Information
- Very outdated
- Needs a complete rewrite
Prince Ali's Rescue
- General Information
- The guide moves too fast and assumes you know where to get a lot of things.
- Pictures. We have the quest items (despite them being placed at the end of the guide, for whatever reason), but none of any people or maps.
Rag And Bone Man
Rat Catchers
Recipe For Disaster
Recruitment Drive
Regicide
The Restless Ghost
Romeo And Juliet
Roving Elves
Royal Trouble
Rum Deal
Rune Mysteries
Scorpion Catcher
- General Information
- Rather outdated and short, so we might as well rewrite it.
Sea Slug
Shades Of Mort'ton
Shadow Of The Storm
Sheep Hearder
Sheep Shearer
Shield of Arrav
Shilo Village
Slug Menace
Smoking Kills
- General Information
A Soul's Bane
Spirits Of The Elid
Swan Song
Tai Bwo Wannai Trio
- General Information
- No pictures = problem
- Possibly needs a rewrite
A Tail Of Two Cats
- General Information
- Images are grainy and some are out of date
Tears Of Guthix
- General Information
- Ordering to be consistent with the other guides
- Images are out of date
- Could do well with a full rewrite. It's a pretty easy one to do; anyone want it?
- Link needs to be fixed. There is no "r" in "Guthix.
Temple Of Ikov
- General Information
Throne Of Miscellenia
- General Information
- Out of date
- Picture of the Kingdom at the bottom of the page needs to be redone
- Ordering needs to be fixed to be consistent with the other guides
TokTz-Ket-Dill
- General Information
- I have a list of stuff that needed to be fixed... Where did I put it...
The Tourist Trap
- General information
- Pictures
- Out of date
- Needs to be entirely rewritten
Tower Of Life
- General Information
Tree Gnome Village
- General Information
- Pictures drastically out of date
- Rewrite would be nice
Tribal Totem
- General Information
- Needs pictures!
- Might do well with a good rewrite
Troll Romance
- General Information
Troll Stronghold
- General Information
- More content (pictures, text) drastically needed
- This is not an "Easy" difficulty quest
- Could do well with a full rewrite
Underground Pass
- General Information
- Serious lack of pictures
- Need maps
- Couple of grammatical errors
Vampire Slayer
- General Information
- Could use with more text so it's easier to follow
- Need more pictures
- Picture of the fight with the count is out of place
Wanted!
- General Information
- Need more pictures
- Grammatical errors
Watchtower Quest
- General Information
- Pictures!
- Grammatical errors
Waterfall
- General Information
- Pictures
- Maps
- Grammatical errors
- Could do well with a rewrite
What Lies Below
- General Information
Witch's House
- Pictures
- Grammatical errors
- General information
- Slightly out of date. Could do well with a full rewrite.
Witch's Potion
- General Information
- Outdated pictures
Wolf Whistle
- General Information
Zogre Flesh Eaters
- General Information
- Dungeon map needs some touch-ups
- Other maps have the old mini-map; need to take new pictures
- Number the steps or redo the format to make it consistent with other guides.
I am also in the process of writing a compilation of "Tips And Tricks" (similar to those I wrote for the Horror Of The Deep quest back in '05) for all the quest guides that will be submitted after revision is complete. If you would like to send me your tips and tricks that you learned while doing certain quests, please submit them to me via PM and I will give you credit. Thank you!
I hope you don't mind, but I edited all the quests currently in color to link to their respective guides; this makes it easier for people to see just what's outdated.
Oh, I also added notes for all f2p quests. ^_^
~Kikori Kid
You're a good man, Charlie Brown
~Blackmage172
6 June 2008 - Reporting Academy Forum
Posted by Jackstick on June 6th, 2008, 11:25 am. Category: RuneScape News
RuneScape wrote:
We had a great response to our new Forum, the Reporting Academy, which contains useful information about when to send abuse reports. Thank you everyone who posted and asked questions.
The accuracy of the reports coming in has noticeably improved since its release. Due to the level of demand we’ve been experiencing, we have now opened the second section of the Reporting Academy, which is certainly a recommended visit. In the meantime, here are some of the top tips available from the Reporting Academy.
Noob:
Being called a noob can be annoying. You may have a bad game of Castle Wars, for example, and find that a player follows you around afterwards, calling you a 'noob'. As irritating as this may be to you, please do not report it unless there is something more serious that you'd like us to take a look at! If the player is really bothering you, add them to your Ignore List - that way, you'll have no more trouble from them.
Filtered language **** ***:
It may be that you have wandered RuneScape and seen someone activate the in-game chat filter. The filter removes inappropriate words, so you do not need to send us a report. If a person is annoying you by continuously using the filter, we would advise you to use your Ignore List. To sum up: don't report for starred-out language only, as the filter has done its job. Of course, if there is something other than starred-out language that you are concerned about, please send us a report about that player.
If you enjoyed those top tips, there are plenty more in the new update of the Reporting Academy. We look forward to seeing you soon on the Forums.
RuneScape Community Management
The accuracy of the reports coming in has noticeably improved since its release. Due to the level of demand we’ve been experiencing, we have now opened the second section of the Reporting Academy, which is certainly a recommended visit. In the meantime, here are some of the top tips available from the Reporting Academy.
Noob:
Being called a noob can be annoying. You may have a bad game of Castle Wars, for example, and find that a player follows you around afterwards, calling you a 'noob'. As irritating as this may be to you, please do not report it unless there is something more serious that you'd like us to take a look at! If the player is really bothering you, add them to your Ignore List - that way, you'll have no more trouble from them.
Filtered language **** ***:
It may be that you have wandered RuneScape and seen someone activate the in-game chat filter. The filter removes inappropriate words, so you do not need to send us a report. If a person is annoying you by continuously using the filter, we would advise you to use your Ignore List. To sum up: don't report for starred-out language only, as the filter has done its job. Of course, if there is something other than starred-out language that you are concerned about, please send us a report about that player.
If you enjoyed those top tips, there are plenty more in the new update of the Reporting Academy. We look forward to seeing you soon on the Forums.
RuneScape Community Management
Runescape.com wrote:
Someone new has moved to Pollnivneach and, by some twist of fate, they are not called Ali! This strange new neighbour is called Sumona, and she has lost something very valuable in the depths of the Pollnivneach well. Mighty rewards are on offer for anyone willing to return what she has misplaced.
Meanwhile, eery wails and vile stenches seem to be pervading the streets. This may be unlucky for the Pollnivneach tourist trade, but at least there is something in it for adventurous types. In fact, they may be turned to one's advantage when dealing with the mixed bag of unpleasantness beneath Pollnivneach...
With potentially epic, if unspecified, Slayer rewards on offer, this is a venture best-suited to those who risk their lives for curiosity. Let's hope that curiosity is better for them than it is for cats.
Summary
Where to start Smoking Kills:
Talk to Sumona in Pollnivneach
Requirements to complete Smoking Kills:
Level 25 Crafting
Level 35 Slayer
Level 85 Combat
The Restless Ghost
Icthlarin's Little Helper
Access to:
Two new dungeons to explore
An expansion to the Slayer skill
A new Slayer Master and some new Slayer gear.
----------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
We have introduced two new worlds for those who prefer to chat, or be chatted to, with Quick Chat. The worlds are 160 and 161. Conventional chat may not be used on these worlds - they are for Quick Chat users only.
NOTE - We would like to remind players that we have absolutely NO intention of removing free chat from the game, either now or in the future. Quick Chat is designed to be an optional alternative to normal chat.
Quick Chat users can now chat to their friends on FunOrb, and vice versa. Simply select a friend from your Friends List and then choose what you want to say from the 'General' and/or 'Inter-game' menus within Quick Chat.
We have made efforts to stop the strange 'dancing' effect that occurs when fighting monsters on the same square as you. You should find that, instead of moving from side to side, you find a more suitable position to attack the monster from.
Dragon square shields have been updated, thanks to observant players who noted that its two halves wouldn't make a square!
Meanwhile, eery wails and vile stenches seem to be pervading the streets. This may be unlucky for the Pollnivneach tourist trade, but at least there is something in it for adventurous types. In fact, they may be turned to one's advantage when dealing with the mixed bag of unpleasantness beneath Pollnivneach...
With potentially epic, if unspecified, Slayer rewards on offer, this is a venture best-suited to those who risk their lives for curiosity. Let's hope that curiosity is better for them than it is for cats.
Summary
Where to start Smoking Kills:
Talk to Sumona in Pollnivneach
Requirements to complete Smoking Kills:
Level 25 Crafting
Level 35 Slayer
Level 85 Combat
The Restless Ghost
Icthlarin's Little Helper
Access to:
Two new dungeons to explore
An expansion to the Slayer skill
A new Slayer Master and some new Slayer gear.
----------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
We have introduced two new worlds for those who prefer to chat, or be chatted to, with Quick Chat. The worlds are 160 and 161. Conventional chat may not be used on these worlds - they are for Quick Chat users only.
NOTE - We would like to remind players that we have absolutely NO intention of removing free chat from the game, either now or in the future. Quick Chat is designed to be an optional alternative to normal chat.
Quick Chat users can now chat to their friends on FunOrb, and vice versa. Simply select a friend from your Friends List and then choose what you want to say from the 'General' and/or 'Inter-game' menus within Quick Chat.
We have made efforts to stop the strange 'dancing' effect that occurs when fighting monsters on the same square as you. You should find that, instead of moving from side to side, you find a more suitable position to attack the monster from.
Dragon square shields have been updated, thanks to observant players who noted that its two halves wouldn't make a square!
02 June 2008 - Behind the Scenes - June
Posted by Glodenox on June 2nd, 2008, 10:15 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Instead of beginning with a starter or main course, we will skip straight to desert this June! If that pun doesn't kill you, the beasties just might in Smoking Kills, our brand new desert quest. At the start, it won't seem too dangerous: a red-headed citizen of Pollnivneach has lost her sister down a well and wants you to retrieve her. Explore the depths, however, and you'll find yourself in situations more uncomfortable than sand between your toes.
Aside from a touch of trap-dodging and cat whispering, Smoking Kills demands the best of seasoned slayers, who will need to use their resources in innovative new ways to survive. Those who manage it will find their Slayer skill improved, with extra gear, a new Slayer Master and some pretty special rewards that will raise their Slayer game.
So, we've had the sun and the sand - now fer the sea, me hearties! Rabid Jack has been pretty quiet recently, seemingly taking a holiday from his nefarious ways. That would be the perfect opportunity to gather information on the old sea dog, but the pirates of the great seas won't say a word. Instead they will point you towards The Rock - the only prison in RuneScape where it's harder to get in than out...
This, the second of our quests this month, will have you punishing your liver with Braindeath's 'rum', finding imaginative uses for a seagull and getting up-close and personal with 50% Luke's wooden leg! It's all in a day's work for an intrepid would-be pirate who's used to Rocking Out once in a while.
At the end of the month, there will be a break of a couple of weeks with no game updates. These two weeks are hugely important to us, as they allow us to prepare for the major graphical improvement in early July. It's one of the most complex releases we've ever attempted, so we need the extra time to get it ready and make sure the launch goes smoothly.
You can read more about this update in our Image of the Future and Image of the Not-So-Distant-Future newsposts, along with our Development Diary - A New Look RuneScape. The second Development Diary on the subject will be released later this month.
Aside from a touch of trap-dodging and cat whispering, Smoking Kills demands the best of seasoned slayers, who will need to use their resources in innovative new ways to survive. Those who manage it will find their Slayer skill improved, with extra gear, a new Slayer Master and some pretty special rewards that will raise their Slayer game.
So, we've had the sun and the sand - now fer the sea, me hearties! Rabid Jack has been pretty quiet recently, seemingly taking a holiday from his nefarious ways. That would be the perfect opportunity to gather information on the old sea dog, but the pirates of the great seas won't say a word. Instead they will point you towards The Rock - the only prison in RuneScape where it's harder to get in than out...
This, the second of our quests this month, will have you punishing your liver with Braindeath's 'rum', finding imaginative uses for a seagull and getting up-close and personal with 50% Luke's wooden leg! It's all in a day's work for an intrepid would-be pirate who's used to Rocking Out once in a while.
At the end of the month, there will be a break of a couple of weeks with no game updates. These two weeks are hugely important to us, as they allow us to prepare for the major graphical improvement in early July. It's one of the most complex releases we've ever attempted, so we need the extra time to get it ready and make sure the launch goes smoothly.
You can read more about this update in our Image of the Future and Image of the Not-So-Distant-Future newsposts, along with our Development Diary - A New Look RuneScape. The second Development Diary on the subject will be released later this month.
Congratulations to Gamestar, Donut Juice, and Tweedy! They now have access to upload guides to RuneVillage. They may also edit links, images, make corrections to text, and as you can see already make changes to the homepage. Our guides will now come out sooner and corrections made faster. A much needed thing. This will also lighten the load off Glodenox so he may focus more on RV2.
Thanks guys!
Well done.
Thanks guys!
Well done.
New Guides! (First to release new quest guide also!)
Posted by Donut Juice on June 1st, 2008, 11:20 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Well, for those of you who weren't aware, Gamestar, Tweedy and I received FTP access two days ago, which means we're able to edit the site, homepage, upload guides, etc. With this, we cleared out some of the guides forums and uploaded the guides to the main site. 24 guides to be exact, and we also have several more coming in the next week.
http://www.runevillage.com/
Apologies that we haven't uploaded any guides in quite awhile, we promise that will change. We're hoping to have guides uploaded fully to the main site within 48 hours of the update release at the latest from now on.
If you're interested in helping, you very much can. If you're interested in helping to write the best and most comprehensive guides, you're free to join the Guide Writers team. If you know the English language well or know how to code, we have teams for that also.
If you're interested PM the leader of the usergroup, your help is invaluable. Should you have any questions or concerns about helping with our guides, or about the uploaded guides, feel free to post them here. Get involved!
--The RuneVillage Staff
http://www.runevillage.com/
Apologies that we haven't uploaded any guides in quite awhile, we promise that will change. We're hoping to have guides uploaded fully to the main site within 48 hours of the update release at the latest from now on.
If you're interested in helping, you very much can. If you're interested in helping to write the best and most comprehensive guides, you're free to join the Guide Writers team. If you know the English language well or know how to code, we have teams for that also.
If you're interested PM the leader of the usergroup, your help is invaluable. Should you have any questions or concerns about helping with our guides, or about the uploaded guides, feel free to post them here. Get involved!
--The RuneVillage Staff
The Uploaded Rank Images
Posted by Donut Juice on June 1st, 2008, 7:59 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Here are the Rank Images, only now they're uploaded to the RuneVillage Server (fresh off the uploader, too).
Please replace all your current images with the following, as Jackstick will be removing the images off his PhotoBucket account shortly. To find the image link to an image for your signature, right click the image and select 'Properties' the image link can be found there. Please only use the image if you're a part of that usergroup.
These images do not count towards the Profile Limits.
Enjoy! And a BIG thanks to Tweedy for uploading these with me.
For those of you looking for a less colorful choice, we've decided to allow the second place option; Jackstick's uncolored version to be used also. These do not count towards the limit either.
Please replace all your current images with the following, as Jackstick will be removing the images off his PhotoBucket account shortly. To find the image link to an image for your signature, right click the image and select 'Properties' the image link can be found there. Please only use the image if you're a part of that usergroup.
These images do not count towards the Profile Limits.
Enjoy! And a BIG thanks to Tweedy for uploading these with me.
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RVA
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