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.
View Full Article | 7 Comments |
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.
A Fresh Breath - RV2.0 Lite Released!
Posted by Demon on September 25th, 2011, 5:41 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Since RuneVillage opened its gates in 2002, its villagers have gone through incredible feats to gather and organize data about JaGeX Ltd.’s RuneScape in order to provide the most accurate, thorough guides. Its founders envisioned a family-oriented site where all could feel comfortable and safe while playing a mutually enjoyed game. At the time, this seemed to be a fascinating way to bring a community together and share simple tips and information about the game to enhance game play in a way which JaGeX Ltd. had not yet found the time or energy to provide. As such, the community of villagers began to grow and the data steadily accumulated in Guides and Databases compiled by its users volunteering their own time to build.
However, as the years went by and the user-base which had previously played RuneScape with a childish fervor aged and were introduced to the working world, the steam which had once powered the village’s behind-the-scenes team grew sparse and the content flow slowed steadily until 2008. A rumor was stirred among the community about a revision of the site taking place, dubbed RuneVillage 2.0 in which the dreams of the founders were to be met with catchy new sights and much more content in a convenient, easy-to-read manner not yet seen in any fan sites. Yet even as the steam flowed steadily with a renewed effort as new staff were brought in and occasional enthusiasm blown into the community through ‘teasers’ and the like, the project soon fell into the same decline RuneVillage 1.0 had seen.
Despite this, we’re finally ready to open the gates to the beginnings of RuneVillage 2.0 for the community and let it grow with us through these hard times. While we would have preferred to release a fully furnished site with flashy images and wet data fresh off the press, due to recent occurrences this is no longer entirely possible. As some may know, RuneVillage was issued a Copyright notice from JaGeX Ltd. in relation to RuneScape. Within this notice, the community was instructed to remove the content displaying in-game images as these were the property of JaGeX Ltd., RuneScape’s owners.
Therefore, RuneVillage 2.0 is being released without RuneScape guides or databases until such a time when JaGeX Ltd. decides to make their content open to us again. However, this comes in the light of a recent community decision to expand into other games, taking a generalized gaming course and thereby requiring a new setup of how our content is managed and displayed. With that in mind, the community leaders have decided to use this opportunity to take the first step in a new direction with the release of RuneVillage 2.0 by allowing the site to grow with the community as we did so many years ago when the village was only a pile of boards and nails.
As a community, RuneVillage is stronger now than ever in these strange times, but you’re all invited to join us in taking a fresh breath on the other side of the hill where RuneVillage 2.0 is steadily being established.
However, as the years went by and the user-base which had previously played RuneScape with a childish fervor aged and were introduced to the working world, the steam which had once powered the village’s behind-the-scenes team grew sparse and the content flow slowed steadily until 2008. A rumor was stirred among the community about a revision of the site taking place, dubbed RuneVillage 2.0 in which the dreams of the founders were to be met with catchy new sights and much more content in a convenient, easy-to-read manner not yet seen in any fan sites. Yet even as the steam flowed steadily with a renewed effort as new staff were brought in and occasional enthusiasm blown into the community through ‘teasers’ and the like, the project soon fell into the same decline RuneVillage 1.0 had seen.
Despite this, we’re finally ready to open the gates to the beginnings of RuneVillage 2.0 for the community and let it grow with us through these hard times. While we would have preferred to release a fully furnished site with flashy images and wet data fresh off the press, due to recent occurrences this is no longer entirely possible. As some may know, RuneVillage was issued a Copyright notice from JaGeX Ltd. in relation to RuneScape. Within this notice, the community was instructed to remove the content displaying in-game images as these were the property of JaGeX Ltd., RuneScape’s owners.
Therefore, RuneVillage 2.0 is being released without RuneScape guides or databases until such a time when JaGeX Ltd. decides to make their content open to us again. However, this comes in the light of a recent community decision to expand into other games, taking a generalized gaming course and thereby requiring a new setup of how our content is managed and displayed. With that in mind, the community leaders have decided to use this opportunity to take the first step in a new direction with the release of RuneVillage 2.0 by allowing the site to grow with the community as we did so many years ago when the village was only a pile of boards and nails.
As a community, RuneVillage is stronger now than ever in these strange times, but you’re all invited to join us in taking a fresh breath on the other side of the hill where RuneVillage 2.0 is steadily being established.
21st September - Members' Loyalty Programme - The New Batch
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 21st, 2011, 12:01 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Official Release here
Quote:
Loyalty comes with a reward this week, as we unveil the latest batch of Members Loyalty Programme items! So, if you are yet to sign up to the programme, please click here or visit the RuneScape homepage (select "Members Loyalty Programme" from the Account drop-down menu).
There is something for everyone with this fresh batch, and the auras are no exception. We can proudly reveal the upgraded auras, which improve the abilities of auras that you may have purchased from the first batch. Got a Sharpshooter aura? Purchase a Greater Sharpshooter aura, and your ranged accuracy bonus increases from 3% to 5%. The majority of existing auras are now available to upgrade (you will need to purchase the original aura before you can buy the upgraded one). We’ve even taken the opportunity to revise the Poison Purge aura, which heals you when you get poisoned, rather than preventing the damage.
It’s also clear, from the auras you’re using, that combat auras are a firm favourite, so we’ve obliged with a few more. Equilibrium reduces your max hit by 25% but increases your min hit by the same amount; Inspiration refills your special attack bar with each successful hit; Vampirism converts a portion of the damage you deal into life points; and Penance refills prayer points whenever you’re damaged.
If combat’s not your (punch)bag, then there are five skill-based auras available. There’s the Resourceful aura which, when you would normally deplete a woodcutting or mining resource, will instead offer a 10% chance that it will not deplete. Thieving gets the Five Finger Discount aura; Mining gets the Quarrymaster aura; and Lumberjack is – unsurprisingly – the Woodcutting aura. Finally, the Wisdom aura is for the big spenders; it may cost an eye-watering 40,000 loyalty points, but it increases all experience gained by 2.5% for 30 minutes every 24 hours.
For information on new and existing auras, click here.
Beyond the auras are four new costume types. Theatrical gear, pharaoh outfits, cheongsams or changshans (depending on gender), and silken outfits are available as sets to purchase. We also offer the ability to purchase recolours of your gnome scarves, lunar equipment and staves of light. Emote fiends can select from six new ones, with a personal favourite being Disappear, which makes you feel like a ninja.
For information on new outfits, recolour options and emotes click here.
There are two discounts available for a limited time, so opportunists should grab the half-price saxon outfit and dervish outfit. While you’re there, you’ll likely notice the revised Members’ Loyalty Programme store, which gives you an attractive and intuitive layout from which you can make your purchases.
As has been mentioned previously, the number of loyalty points you receive per month will increase, depending on how many consecutive months of membership you have had without a break. Further details of how this works can be found in the Loyalty Programme FAQ.
Mod Rathe
RuneScape Content Developer
In other news...
It seems Xuan’s store has been successful, as another one has popped up in Varrock! Travel to Varrock Square to browse at your convenience from our second Loyalty Store.
You may notice some changes to your emotes interface, as well as certain Clan Citadel interfaces this week. This is to prepare for clans who are reaching Tier 5 of their Citadels very soon. At Tier 5, clans will be able to get access to the Clan Theatre, which comes with a number of emotes that you can view early from the emote interface.
The Head Guard in a clan citadel can now be used as a banker, and the box of capes next to the Battlemaster now works as a bank chest. Activities such Fletching and alchemy are no longer prevented in citadels.
There is something for everyone with this fresh batch, and the auras are no exception. We can proudly reveal the upgraded auras, which improve the abilities of auras that you may have purchased from the first batch. Got a Sharpshooter aura? Purchase a Greater Sharpshooter aura, and your ranged accuracy bonus increases from 3% to 5%. The majority of existing auras are now available to upgrade (you will need to purchase the original aura before you can buy the upgraded one). We’ve even taken the opportunity to revise the Poison Purge aura, which heals you when you get poisoned, rather than preventing the damage.
It’s also clear, from the auras you’re using, that combat auras are a firm favourite, so we’ve obliged with a few more. Equilibrium reduces your max hit by 25% but increases your min hit by the same amount; Inspiration refills your special attack bar with each successful hit; Vampirism converts a portion of the damage you deal into life points; and Penance refills prayer points whenever you’re damaged.
If combat’s not your (punch)bag, then there are five skill-based auras available. There’s the Resourceful aura which, when you would normally deplete a woodcutting or mining resource, will instead offer a 10% chance that it will not deplete. Thieving gets the Five Finger Discount aura; Mining gets the Quarrymaster aura; and Lumberjack is – unsurprisingly – the Woodcutting aura. Finally, the Wisdom aura is for the big spenders; it may cost an eye-watering 40,000 loyalty points, but it increases all experience gained by 2.5% for 30 minutes every 24 hours.
For information on new and existing auras, click here.
Beyond the auras are four new costume types. Theatrical gear, pharaoh outfits, cheongsams or changshans (depending on gender), and silken outfits are available as sets to purchase. We also offer the ability to purchase recolours of your gnome scarves, lunar equipment and staves of light. Emote fiends can select from six new ones, with a personal favourite being Disappear, which makes you feel like a ninja.
For information on new outfits, recolour options and emotes click here.
There are two discounts available for a limited time, so opportunists should grab the half-price saxon outfit and dervish outfit. While you’re there, you’ll likely notice the revised Members’ Loyalty Programme store, which gives you an attractive and intuitive layout from which you can make your purchases.
As has been mentioned previously, the number of loyalty points you receive per month will increase, depending on how many consecutive months of membership you have had without a break. Further details of how this works can be found in the Loyalty Programme FAQ.
Mod Rathe
RuneScape Content Developer
In other news...
It seems Xuan’s store has been successful, as another one has popped up in Varrock! Travel to Varrock Square to browse at your convenience from our second Loyalty Store.
You may notice some changes to your emotes interface, as well as certain Clan Citadel interfaces this week. This is to prepare for clans who are reaching Tier 5 of their Citadels very soon. At Tier 5, clans will be able to get access to the Clan Theatre, which comes with a number of emotes that you can view early from the emote interface.
The Head Guard in a clan citadel can now be used as a banker, and the box of capes next to the Battlemaster now works as a bank chest. Activities such Fletching and alchemy are no longer prevented in citadels.
15th September 2011 - RuneScape Classic: The Final Countdown
Posted by Justin on September 15th, 2011, 6:09 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Ten years after RuneScape Classic proudly opened its gates to adventurers, it seems a fitting time to close them to new players and look forward to the next ten years. So, for the next two weeks, RuneScape Classic will be fully open and available to members, before formally retiring for new players. You can log into RuneScape Classic, by clicking here.
That’s not to say that we will be removing RuneScape Classic completely: it will be available as usual to members who have previously logged into Classic during their adventuring career. So, even if you have a passing curiosity in RuneScape Classic, we’d advise that you log in so that you can visit again at your leisure. You’ll get access to a Classic Cape if you do, so there’s a swish incentive for the undecided. To find out how to access the Classic Cape, click here.
Take a tour and you’ll find an old school version of RuneScape that has been surpassed in terms of graphics and content, but retains all of its original charm. Spot the difference between Classic and RuneScape, explore the original 50 quests, and trek across a world where Morytania was just a glimmer in the games designers’ eyes.
Mod Mark
That’s not to say that we will be removing RuneScape Classic completely: it will be available as usual to members who have previously logged into Classic during their adventuring career. So, even if you have a passing curiosity in RuneScape Classic, we’d advise that you log in so that you can visit again at your leisure. You’ll get access to a Classic Cape if you do, so there’s a swish incentive for the undecided. To find out how to access the Classic Cape, click here.
Take a tour and you’ll find an old school version of RuneScape that has been surpassed in terms of graphics and content, but retains all of its original charm. Spot the difference between Classic and RuneScape, explore the original 50 quests, and trek across a world where Morytania was just a glimmer in the games designers’ eyes.
Mod Mark
14th September 2011 - Ritual of the Mahjarrat
Posted by Justin on September 14th, 2011, 11:40 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
“They signal their arrival with a devastating shriek, and leave nothing but ash, flame and destruction in their wake. All tremble in fear as they approach, and the ground rumbles in sympathy.”
There is news of a devastating attack on Mos Le’Harmless, and Sir Tiffy is quick to call you for help. Rumours seem to hint towards an ancient evil, once thought to be myth, and the implications of its appearance could spell disaster for this plane. It is unclear what they want, and there is nothing to say why they have risen now.
Yet, with one threat comes another: the planets have aligned, signalling the Ritual of the Mahjarrat. These mighty and ambitious beings are looking to draw the life from one of their order, sacrificing them to regain lost energies and add flesh to bones. The ritual will also offer near-limitless power to a single Mahjarrat who has already been gathering superhuman strength and influence. With an arsenal of weapons taken from the gods, could the ritual be your last opportunity to stop him before he achieves complete domination?
With two monumental threats such as these, humanity risks being utterly crushed. Fighting now would require armies of bold and fearless warriors, yet only a precious few are able to stand up and face them. The question is: are you ready to join the defence of RuneScape?
Survive to the end of Ritual of the Mahjarrat and you can be sure of a wealth of rewards. Aside from the customary (but large) stack of XP, you will gain access to a new spell, a new reward dungeon, ranging and mage gear, the opportunity to gain three new boots and other rewards that we would rather keep secret!
If you want to play a leading role in one of the biggest events of RuneScape’s history, we encourage you to log in now...
How to start
Speak to Sir Tiffy Cashien in Falador park.
Requirements
Paul, Mod Chris L and Mod Srowley
RuneScape Content Developers
There is news of a devastating attack on Mos Le’Harmless, and Sir Tiffy is quick to call you for help. Rumours seem to hint towards an ancient evil, once thought to be myth, and the implications of its appearance could spell disaster for this plane. It is unclear what they want, and there is nothing to say why they have risen now.
Yet, with one threat comes another: the planets have aligned, signalling the Ritual of the Mahjarrat. These mighty and ambitious beings are looking to draw the life from one of their order, sacrificing them to regain lost energies and add flesh to bones. The ritual will also offer near-limitless power to a single Mahjarrat who has already been gathering superhuman strength and influence. With an arsenal of weapons taken from the gods, could the ritual be your last opportunity to stop him before he achieves complete domination?
With two monumental threats such as these, humanity risks being utterly crushed. Fighting now would require armies of bold and fearless warriors, yet only a precious few are able to stand up and face them. The question is: are you ready to join the defence of RuneScape?
Survive to the end of Ritual of the Mahjarrat and you can be sure of a wealth of rewards. Aside from the customary (but large) stack of XP, you will gain access to a new spell, a new reward dungeon, ranging and mage gear, the opportunity to gain three new boots and other rewards that we would rather keep secret!
If you want to play a leading role in one of the biggest events of RuneScape’s history, we encourage you to log in now...
How to start
Speak to Sir Tiffy Cashien in Falador park.
Requirements
- The Temple at Senntisten
- While Guthix Sleeps
- Hazeel Cult
- Enakhra's Lament
- The Slug Menace
- Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift
- Rocking Out
- A Tail of Two Cats
- Fight Arena
- Level 76 Crafting
- Level 77 Agility
- Level 76 Mining
- You must be capable of fighting creatures of combat level 475
Paul, Mod Chris L and Mod Srowley
RuneScape Content Developers
Official Runevillage Ventrilo!
Posted by Animal on September 13th, 2011, 9:50 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Server info:
Hostname: vent14.gameservers.com
Port: 4245
Password: rv
Don't have Ventrilo installed? Here's how to install and set it up:
1.) Download the client from: http://ventrilo.com/download.php
2.) Install
3.) Open Ventrilo
4.) Click the -> next to username.
5.) Click New
6.) Enter the username you want to use.
7.) Click ok.
8.) Click the -> arrow next to server. (directly below the one for username)
9.) Click new
10.) Type in whatever nickname you want to give the server. (can be whatever you want)
11.) Type in the sever info from above into Hostname, Port, and password boxes.
12.) Click ok.
And you should be good to go! By default, push to talk is enabled, and mouse 1 is the default push to talk key/button. Click Setup to change it to your preference.
EDIT: Server is being cancelled at end of billing period.
Hostname: vent14.gameservers.com
Port: 4245
Password: rv
Don't have Ventrilo installed? Here's how to install and set it up:
1.) Download the client from: http://ventrilo.com/download.php
2.) Install
3.) Open Ventrilo
4.) Click the -> next to username.
5.) Click New
6.) Enter the username you want to use.
7.) Click ok.
8.) Click the -> arrow next to server. (directly below the one for username)
9.) Click new
10.) Type in whatever nickname you want to give the server. (can be whatever you want)
11.) Type in the sever info from above into Hostname, Port, and password boxes.
12.) Click ok.
And you should be good to go! By default, push to talk is enabled, and mouse 1 is the default push to talk key/button. Click Setup to change it to your preference.
EDIT: Server is being cancelled at end of billing period.
The New Direction of RuneVillage
Posted by Henner on September 10th, 2011, 4:45 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Everyone has been asking and wondering about the future of RuneVillage, and we can fill you in some on the current plans by the admin team.
First, let us state than we are angry about the manner in which Jagex has handled this entire incident. It was not necessary for them to make a public announcement of the reasoning, nor to publicly make their statements about hiker, publishing links to his records, home information etc. They could have simply announced that they had withdrawn support from RV at this time and then worked out the details for new management/ownership in the background. The majority of comments posted at other fansites tend to agree with this opinion.
Further, Jagex initially stated that they would resume support and "Gold" status once new management/ownership was in place. However, later they came back and stated that they would not be supporting RuneVillage at all in the future. They have thrown our community out due to something that hiker did 16 years ago.
These events have caused us to re-examine our feelings about the ethics of Jagex as a company and to question what relationship we would wish to have with them and to what extent we would want to support Runescape, even in an unofficial, unsupported position like we did for more than seven of our nine years.
As a result, today we announce that RuneVillage will be moving toward the support of not only other games, but multiple games as well. Please use this topic for other suggestions as well.
Obviously, we already have a segment of Villagers who play "Minecraft" and this will be our first area of expansion. We will ask Villagers to write player guides and such for that game and submit them for publication on the site.
Other expansions could range from a forum just to play "Mafia", running several simultaneous games, along with playing and strategy guides, to full-out support for other multi-player games.
Runescape will continue to be supported much as we have in the past, but will not be the major emphasis of the site. This will allow us to continue to utilize our massive investment in guides, data, etc.
We will retain the name "RuneVillage" and continue to use the "RuneVillage" domain. This is our home, and RuneVillage is our history. Based on examining comments around the web, we feel that there will not be significant long-term negative effects to our name and domain. New people who find us will not be aware of either Hiker or RuneVillage's past, and those who know now would not have their opinions changed by a different name or a "cleansing" of all vestiges of RuneVillage or Hiker.
Due to it's popularity, we will continue to utilize our medieval theme, although there will be some minor changes, and RV2 will continue in production with some minor design changes there as well. Some of the features of RV2.0 have been re-designated to RV2.1 and it's being streamlined somewhat to move the project along. Glodenox and Demon will have the responsibility of the technical direction, along with the assistance of Dark Paladin and the guides/maps/data team and other members of the website team.
Runes exist and are used by games other than Runescape, and many games have a medieval atmosphere about them, so we see no problem with continuing to use the name and designs.
Let these past few days be a catalyst for growth and expansion of the Village rather than a negative time. Let us all come together and build a better, stronger Village!
First, let us state than we are angry about the manner in which Jagex has handled this entire incident. It was not necessary for them to make a public announcement of the reasoning, nor to publicly make their statements about hiker, publishing links to his records, home information etc. They could have simply announced that they had withdrawn support from RV at this time and then worked out the details for new management/ownership in the background. The majority of comments posted at other fansites tend to agree with this opinion.
Further, Jagex initially stated that they would resume support and "Gold" status once new management/ownership was in place. However, later they came back and stated that they would not be supporting RuneVillage at all in the future. They have thrown our community out due to something that hiker did 16 years ago.
These events have caused us to re-examine our feelings about the ethics of Jagex as a company and to question what relationship we would wish to have with them and to what extent we would want to support Runescape, even in an unofficial, unsupported position like we did for more than seven of our nine years.
As a result, today we announce that RuneVillage will be moving toward the support of not only other games, but multiple games as well. Please use this topic for other suggestions as well.
Obviously, we already have a segment of Villagers who play "Minecraft" and this will be our first area of expansion. We will ask Villagers to write player guides and such for that game and submit them for publication on the site.
Other expansions could range from a forum just to play "Mafia", running several simultaneous games, along with playing and strategy guides, to full-out support for other multi-player games.
Runescape will continue to be supported much as we have in the past, but will not be the major emphasis of the site. This will allow us to continue to utilize our massive investment in guides, data, etc.
We will retain the name "RuneVillage" and continue to use the "RuneVillage" domain. This is our home, and RuneVillage is our history. Based on examining comments around the web, we feel that there will not be significant long-term negative effects to our name and domain. New people who find us will not be aware of either Hiker or RuneVillage's past, and those who know now would not have their opinions changed by a different name or a "cleansing" of all vestiges of RuneVillage or Hiker.
Due to it's popularity, we will continue to utilize our medieval theme, although there will be some minor changes, and RV2 will continue in production with some minor design changes there as well. Some of the features of RV2.0 have been re-designated to RV2.1 and it's being streamlined somewhat to move the project along. Glodenox and Demon will have the responsibility of the technical direction, along with the assistance of Dark Paladin and the guides/maps/data team and other members of the website team.
Runes exist and are used by games other than Runescape, and many games have a medieval atmosphere about them, so we see no problem with continuing to use the name and designs.
Let these past few days be a catalyst for growth and expansion of the Village rather than a negative time. Let us all come together and build a better, stronger Village!
8th September 2011 - Just one week to go!
Posted by Justin on September 8th, 2011, 8:28 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
There’s around a week left until our RuneFest Gallery competition comes to an end. We’ve already had some fantastic entries but we’re still hungry for more!
This gallery competition is themed around anything to do with this year’s RuneFest. With so much going on at RuneFest your artwork could be about anything or in any style! Your artwork could be about the 10 year anniversary of RuneScape, it could be a celebration of all things clans, it could be the titanic NPC battle you’d love to see occur in the gaming area or it could even be a terrifying macabre collection of the living dead to reference the Halloween party. The choice is yours!
Your artwork can be of any format, be it a painting, a photo, a cake, a sculpture, a wood carving or a clay model. Whatever craft you use we want to see your best work! You can check out last year’s entries for inspiration and ideas.
We’ve got loads of space for your brilliant artwork in our RuneFest gallery, held in the heart of London, where your work will be on display for the world to see! We’ll also chuck in a month of membership cos we’re nice like that.
Just be sure to send us your entry by the 14th September to ‘gallery@jagex.com' so we can check it out ready for RuneFest. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
If you’d like to see the epic artwork on display at this year’s RuneFest then grab yourself a ticket at http://www.RuneFest.com.
Mod Crow
Community Team
This gallery competition is themed around anything to do with this year’s RuneFest. With so much going on at RuneFest your artwork could be about anything or in any style! Your artwork could be about the 10 year anniversary of RuneScape, it could be a celebration of all things clans, it could be the titanic NPC battle you’d love to see occur in the gaming area or it could even be a terrifying macabre collection of the living dead to reference the Halloween party. The choice is yours!
Your artwork can be of any format, be it a painting, a photo, a cake, a sculpture, a wood carving or a clay model. Whatever craft you use we want to see your best work! You can check out last year’s entries for inspiration and ideas.
We’ve got loads of space for your brilliant artwork in our RuneFest gallery, held in the heart of London, where your work will be on display for the world to see! We’ll also chuck in a month of membership cos we’re nice like that.
Just be sure to send us your entry by the 14th September to ‘gallery@jagex.com' so we can check it out ready for RuneFest. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
If you’d like to see the epic artwork on display at this year’s RuneFest then grab yourself a ticket at http://www.RuneFest.com.
Mod Crow
Community Team
8th September 2011 - RuneFest Headgear winner revealed!
Posted by Justin on September 8th, 2011, 8:26 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
This year we wanted to try something different with our RuneFest item and open it up to you guys to design what that item could be, the only stipulation being that it needed to be a piece of Headgear. Boy did you guys come up with some interesting ideas!
We had just under 600 entries with ideas ranging from replicas of the helmet from Gladiator, through to hats made of pure fire with dragons dancing around them! We got our best judges to search your entries in order to find and winner, and here it is...
This amazing RuneFest Hood made by Marikdebie will be making its debut appearance at this year’s RuneFest! Not only will Marikdebie get his hands on an in game version of his creation, we’ll also be sending him a pair of tickets to RuneFest, covering both days and the epic Halloween party!
This item will only be available at this year’s RuneFest, an epic real world celebration of all things RuneScape! Tickets are going faster than a Chinchompa on a moped so make sure you don’t miss out! RuneFest will be taking place at Old Billingsgate in London UK on Saturday the 29th October – Sunday 30th October. Buy your ticket today at http://www.RuneFest.com. It’s going to be Runetastic!
Mod Crow
Community Team
We had just under 600 entries with ideas ranging from replicas of the helmet from Gladiator, through to hats made of pure fire with dragons dancing around them! We got our best judges to search your entries in order to find and winner, and here it is...
This amazing RuneFest Hood made by Marikdebie will be making its debut appearance at this year’s RuneFest! Not only will Marikdebie get his hands on an in game version of his creation, we’ll also be sending him a pair of tickets to RuneFest, covering both days and the epic Halloween party!
This item will only be available at this year’s RuneFest, an epic real world celebration of all things RuneScape! Tickets are going faster than a Chinchompa on a moped so make sure you don’t miss out! RuneFest will be taking place at Old Billingsgate in London UK on Saturday the 29th October – Sunday 30th October. Buy your ticket today at http://www.RuneFest.com. It’s going to be Runetastic!
Mod Crow
Community Team
6th September 2011 - New High-Level Prayer Potion
Posted by Justin on September 6th, 2011, 10:21 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
High-level herbalists can now create prayer renewal potions. These concoctions restore a sizeable sum of prayer points over the course of five minutes; great for when your prayer points are looking low, but there’s not an altar in sight.
Of course, you’ll still have your super prayer potions for when you need an instant boost in the heat of battle, but the prayer renewal potion restores roughly 25% more prayer points than the super prayer potion does and is tradable, making it a cost-effective, widely obtainable way to cater for your prayer needs in the field.
Brewing a prayer renewal potion requires the following:
The seeds and spores for fellstalk herbs and morchella mushrooms can be obtained from evil trees; Miscellania kingdom management; traded with other players; or can be found as drops from werewolves, mutated zygomites, ogre chieftains and high-level Slayer targets, among others.
Mod Mark
In other news...
Of course, you’ll still have your super prayer potions for when you need an instant boost in the heat of battle, but the prayer renewal potion restores roughly 25% more prayer points than the super prayer potion does and is tradable, making it a cost-effective, widely obtainable way to cater for your prayer needs in the field.
Brewing a prayer renewal potion requires the following:
- Level 94 Herblore
- A fellstalk herb, which can be grown by level 91 farmers.
- A morchella mushroom, which can be grown by level 74 farmers.
The seeds and spores for fellstalk herbs and morchella mushrooms can be obtained from evil trees; Miscellania kingdom management; traded with other players; or can be found as drops from werewolves, mutated zygomites, ogre chieftains and high-level Slayer targets, among others.
Mod Mark
In other news...
- We’ve also completed some technical changes to the Prayer skill, with the most prominent being to prayer points, multiplying your displayed total by 10 to match the format used by life points. While the Prayer tweaking will have no direct impact upon gameplay, it allows us to release more interesting and varied Prayer updates in the future, including the prayer potion we have released today! As an example of future updates, the upcoming Penance aura will restore prayer points based on damage taken, which would have been very difficult to implement if prayer and life points had still been displayed in different formats.
- For those who use the RuneScape game bar, we’ve added an array of options through which it can be customised. Click here for further details.
The following small fixes and adjustments have now been made to the game. If you spot any further bugs in-game, please use the Bug Report feature ('Submit a Bug Report' under the 'Help' drop-down menu of the website).
Graphical
Quests & Tasks
Minigames & Distractions
Miscellaneous
Graphical
- Stacks of 1, 2 or 3 Dungeoneering and Herblore seeds have been made larger to make clicking on them easier.
- The legs of male players wearing Darkmeyer gear no longer stretch when performing certain emotes.
- Baby raccoons have had their walk animation updated.
- The floor of Movario's base no longer flickers.
- The farming patches near Port Phasmatys no longer use different textures when empty or weeded.
- Flower and tree patches in Falador Park no longer have clipping issues.
- The Wilderness signs near the Wilderness wall no longer flicker.
- A missing tile in the Elemental Workshop has been added.
- Some tree icons on upper levels of houses and the Wizard's Tower have been removed.
- Strykewyrm mounds have been recoloured to make them more visible.
Quests & Tasks
- The Meiyerditch Agility shortcut near the initial sighting of Vanescula has had the XP reduced to 5xp, in-line with the other obstacles in the area.
- Taking elite black knight armour has been altered slightly to ensure players gain one set, but no more, for free.
- A typo has been fixed in the Elemental Workshop IV quest journal.
- A Lumbridge task no longer states that a player can cast confuse on a dummy.
Minigames & Distractions
- The interface for claiming hybrid gear will now reopen once if accidently closed, such as by a familiar respawning.
- The Stealing Creation rewards interface has a new ‘Recharge’ button.
- The ouroboros pouch from Temple Trekking now works correctly with While Guthix Sleeps.
- The shortcut reward from Temple Trekking no longer requires free inventory space to toggle.
- The master runecrafting gear in the rewards interface now has the correct mouseover information.
- Magic pyre logs no longer have a vyrewatch placed automatically on them.
- Some bushes in the southern part of Mort Myre has been trimmed back to allow players to access the destination of their elite treasure trail.
Miscellaneous
- Calquat kegs now use the new Make-X system.
- Turgall at the Dorgesh-kaan Agility course now has a right-click ‘Help’ option, with reduced chat. He also will no longer delay whilst playing animations, allowing players to talk to him quicker.
- The Dorgesh-Kaan boiler and console now have left-click ‘Repair’ options.
- It is now possible to right-click on messages sent by a player in the lobby.
- Baby dragons now eat more kinds of meat.
- The ‘purchase gravestone’ interface now states the time that each grave can last.
- Dragon full helm drops are now tracked in the Adventurer's Log.
- Reporting a player in the lobby no longer sends the name into the chat window.
- The ‘Remote Farm’ spell now lists the two vine herb patches more clearly.
- The barbarian potions now have consistent names.
- It is no longer possible to place a group gatestone onto a table.
- The prospect option on rocks in the Haunted Mine have been removed.
- Killing Dagannoth kings now states that the player killed a Dagannoth king (rather than Rex, Prime and Supreme) in the Adventurer's log to prevent filling the log.
- Some loud drains have been quietened in the Carnillean house basement.
- Some old-style dripping sounds have been removed in the Lighthouse dungeon.
- The Raptor no longer tries to steal players' targets when fighting in single-combat areas.
- The vampyres east of Burgh de Rott can now count toward Slayer tasks.
I’m sure most everyone has seen the news, so I am going to just get straight to the point and keep it short. It is time to move forward and start a new chapter of RuneVillage. To do that we need to come together as a strong (small) community that we still are. We need to get rid of the image we have on us by getting rid of the information on our own site for starters. No the information will not be forgotten, but we do not need to fuel the fire any longer. I have already removed the news post off the main site and forums and I will be moving the topic away soon, everything that could be said has been said already.
We are still a (RuneScape) community like we were for eight years before the gold fan-site support from Jagex. We can still earn that reputation back if we want, but we’re going to have to work together.
And while many of us have drifted away from RuneScape too have stayed around because we grew strong together--like a family. We will still have that. We may even broaden our horizons by opening up to more of a gaming community, but that is for later discussions.
We are still a (RuneScape) community like we were for eight years before the gold fan-site support from Jagex. We can still earn that reputation back if we want, but we’re going to have to work together.
And while many of us have drifted away from RuneScape too have stayed around because we grew strong together--like a family. We will still have that. We may even broaden our horizons by opening up to more of a gaming community, but that is for later discussions.
01-Sep-2011 - Behind the Scenes – September
Posted by Loudawg1234 on September 2nd, 2011, 3:27 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
One of the biggest quests we have ever made, a new prayer potion, new loyalty rewards and a Bonus XP Weekend all join together to make a stupendous line-up for September. Talking of history, we’re even opening up RuneScape Classic for the last ever time!
New Prayer Potion
We’re adding a brand-new, tradable potion to the game this month, featuring the elusive fellstalk herb and morchella mushroom; so rare and desirable that the herbs themselves are only available from high-level farmers. You’ll need 94 Herblore and 91 Farming if you’re going to grow and make this potion; a potion that can restore roughly 1.25x the prayer points of a super prayer potion, but gradually over the course of 5 minutes. You’ll still find your stash of super prayer potions useful next time you find yourselves needing the immediate aid of the gods, though, as they can provide an instant boost in the heat of battle.
Bonus XP Weekend
If you find yourself talking to your pet rock and wondering, “How on Gielinor am I going to raise my levels for all the high-level content that JAGEX keep launching?”, then wonder no more! This month we are holding our 4th “Bonus XP Weekend”, where members stand to earn up to 2.7x their normal XP rate in almost all the content in the game! It’s a perfect time to train your skills: whether it’s increasing your favourite stats; finally reaching that level goal you set yourself; or simply training those skills that you’ve let slip over the last few months, Bonus XP Weekend has something for everyone. Prices on the Grand Exchange can do crazy things over the days leading up to a Bonus XP Weekend, so it may well be a great time to throw those spare raw materials onto the market and make a quick stack of gold. For further details on the Bonus XP weekend, click here.
Final Classic Re-opening
Have you ever sat listening to the old and wizened seers in your clan councils or local fishing spot as they chew gummily on their stewed lobster and go on and on about the “good old days”, telling you stories of certs, sleeping bags and 3-hit combat? Do they look wistfully at areas just beyond the Paterdomus temple saying “I remember when all this was just sea”? Strange tales indeed, but there was a time when their ramblings were true! If you’re a member and you’re keen to find out more about the early days of RuneScape and the game that started it all off, then take a nostalgic trip to RuneScape Classic.
For the last time this month we are reopening the gates to our true roots and humble beginnings. RuneScape Classic is a very basic and old-school version of RuneScape, but does contain 50 of our original quests and the whole game as it was back in 2003. Don’t forget that if you’re keen to unlock the classic cape this will be your final ever opportunity to do this.
Ritual of the Mahjarrat
In RuneScape, you’ll hear people use the word “epic” quite often. “My godsword is epic”, or “I had the most epic fight in the Wildy”, or even, “My new iron helmet is the epitome of all that is epic”. Of course, “epic” is often in the eye of the beholder; it’s only epic if you haven’t done it before. Sometimes we have to wait for something truly epic to come along, and it has.
Concluding a storyline over 10 years old and involving many of the game’s major plotlines, the Ritual of the Mahjarrat is a huge, dimension-spanning quest; one of the largest we have ever created.
Every 500 years, the planets align and harsh choices must be made by the Mahjarrat; a race of powerful, ambitious beings left on Gielinor after the cruel God Wars, thousands of years ago. Their continued existence relies on an extreme form of rebirth; a new beginning that requires one of their number to be sacrificed for the greater good. Things rarely involve simple choices, however, with loyalties split between Zaros and Zamorak and individuals wielding some of the most powerful weapons to ever exist on RuneScape. Whatever the outcome, it will shape the future...forever.
Explore the lost plane of Kethsi; form unexpected alliances; engage in huge battles; and witness the true power of RuneScape’s cruellest villain.
Rewards include huge XP lamps, access to a new reward dungeon, equipment, a new spell, ranging gear, and new gear for the feet slot.
Requirements to start Ritual of the Mahjarrat:
The Temple at Senntisten
While Guthix Sleeps
Hazeel Cult
Enakhra's Lament
The Slug Menace
Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift
Rocking Out
A Tail of Two Cats
Level 76 Crafting
Level 77 Agility
Level 76 Mining
New Loyalty Rewards
This month we are also releasing the second batch of rewards for our loyalty programme, featuring 4 new costumes, 6 new emotes, 3 re-colours and 15 new auras (including tier 2 auras). These new rewards cover a range of new gameplay and cosmetic options, including:
Fist Palm emote
Ghost emote
Ninja disappear emote
Inspiration aura (raises your special attack bar while dealing damage)
Vampyrism aura (raises life points while dealing damage)
Penance aura (raises prayer points while taking damage)
If you haven’t already, you can find details of how to sign up to the Loyalty Programme here.
Finally, remember that our 15% discount on 3 months of standard-rate credit card membership is still available. With all this great content on the horizon, now is a great time to subscribe. Click here to do so.
Have fun!
Mod Mark
New Prayer Potion
We’re adding a brand-new, tradable potion to the game this month, featuring the elusive fellstalk herb and morchella mushroom; so rare and desirable that the herbs themselves are only available from high-level farmers. You’ll need 94 Herblore and 91 Farming if you’re going to grow and make this potion; a potion that can restore roughly 1.25x the prayer points of a super prayer potion, but gradually over the course of 5 minutes. You’ll still find your stash of super prayer potions useful next time you find yourselves needing the immediate aid of the gods, though, as they can provide an instant boost in the heat of battle.
Bonus XP Weekend
If you find yourself talking to your pet rock and wondering, “How on Gielinor am I going to raise my levels for all the high-level content that JAGEX keep launching?”, then wonder no more! This month we are holding our 4th “Bonus XP Weekend”, where members stand to earn up to 2.7x their normal XP rate in almost all the content in the game! It’s a perfect time to train your skills: whether it’s increasing your favourite stats; finally reaching that level goal you set yourself; or simply training those skills that you’ve let slip over the last few months, Bonus XP Weekend has something for everyone. Prices on the Grand Exchange can do crazy things over the days leading up to a Bonus XP Weekend, so it may well be a great time to throw those spare raw materials onto the market and make a quick stack of gold. For further details on the Bonus XP weekend, click here.
Final Classic Re-opening
Have you ever sat listening to the old and wizened seers in your clan councils or local fishing spot as they chew gummily on their stewed lobster and go on and on about the “good old days”, telling you stories of certs, sleeping bags and 3-hit combat? Do they look wistfully at areas just beyond the Paterdomus temple saying “I remember when all this was just sea”? Strange tales indeed, but there was a time when their ramblings were true! If you’re a member and you’re keen to find out more about the early days of RuneScape and the game that started it all off, then take a nostalgic trip to RuneScape Classic.
For the last time this month we are reopening the gates to our true roots and humble beginnings. RuneScape Classic is a very basic and old-school version of RuneScape, but does contain 50 of our original quests and the whole game as it was back in 2003. Don’t forget that if you’re keen to unlock the classic cape this will be your final ever opportunity to do this.
Ritual of the Mahjarrat
In RuneScape, you’ll hear people use the word “epic” quite often. “My godsword is epic”, or “I had the most epic fight in the Wildy”, or even, “My new iron helmet is the epitome of all that is epic”. Of course, “epic” is often in the eye of the beholder; it’s only epic if you haven’t done it before. Sometimes we have to wait for something truly epic to come along, and it has.
Concluding a storyline over 10 years old and involving many of the game’s major plotlines, the Ritual of the Mahjarrat is a huge, dimension-spanning quest; one of the largest we have ever created.
Every 500 years, the planets align and harsh choices must be made by the Mahjarrat; a race of powerful, ambitious beings left on Gielinor after the cruel God Wars, thousands of years ago. Their continued existence relies on an extreme form of rebirth; a new beginning that requires one of their number to be sacrificed for the greater good. Things rarely involve simple choices, however, with loyalties split between Zaros and Zamorak and individuals wielding some of the most powerful weapons to ever exist on RuneScape. Whatever the outcome, it will shape the future...forever.
Explore the lost plane of Kethsi; form unexpected alliances; engage in huge battles; and witness the true power of RuneScape’s cruellest villain.
Rewards include huge XP lamps, access to a new reward dungeon, equipment, a new spell, ranging gear, and new gear for the feet slot.
Requirements to start Ritual of the Mahjarrat:
The Temple at Senntisten
While Guthix Sleeps
Hazeel Cult
Enakhra's Lament
The Slug Menace
Fairy Tale III - Battle at Ork's Rift
Rocking Out
A Tail of Two Cats
Level 76 Crafting
Level 77 Agility
Level 76 Mining
New Loyalty Rewards
This month we are also releasing the second batch of rewards for our loyalty programme, featuring 4 new costumes, 6 new emotes, 3 re-colours and 15 new auras (including tier 2 auras). These new rewards cover a range of new gameplay and cosmetic options, including:
Fist Palm emote
Ghost emote
Ninja disappear emote
Inspiration aura (raises your special attack bar while dealing damage)
Vampyrism aura (raises life points while dealing damage)
Penance aura (raises prayer points while taking damage)
If you haven’t already, you can find details of how to sign up to the Loyalty Programme here.
Finally, remember that our 15% discount on 3 months of standard-rate credit card membership is still available. With all this great content on the horizon, now is a great time to subscribe. Click here to do so.
Have fun!
Mod Mark
