nicholasstein

[nicholasstein]

Blog Assignment

My name is Nicholas Stein and I am a student at the College of Central Florida. I am writing this blog for my MMC 1101 class. This blog is about video games. More specifically, it is a review as well as things that make these following Role-Playing Games both impactful and unique in ways of storytelling, gameplay mechanics and world design.

I began playing video games as soon as I was able to pick up a controller. The first game I remember playing was Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis. It was also the first console I had ever owned.

Video games have meant a lot to me growing up and have shaped the way I grew up as well. Many of my current hobbies stemmed from a childhood playing games. Including my love for superheroes and comic books.

I personally have an attachment to Role-Playing Games or RPG’s because of the freedom that came with it. In an RPG you can slip away from the real world for a while and live out your fantasies. 

The following blog posts are some of my favorite RPG games. They will cover a synopsis of the story, things I enjoy about them and more. 

I hope that perhaps when you are done reading, you also get a taste of the excitement that the players feel when playing games such as these. Thank you for taking the time to read these posts.

Nicholas Stein playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[nicholasstein]

A Fantasy Dreamland: the World of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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The Witcher series has always been one of intrigue, high stakes and beauty. Between its lovable cast of misfits and outcasts and its dark and gruesome undertones, it’s easy to see the appeal in a game like this.

The world of The Witcher is a dark one. Monsters prowl the lands, politics tear nations apart, and there is always someone with an evil scheme hiding in all the chaos. Step into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia for the third time in the game’s series and experience what seems to be the legendary Witcher’s final journey.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is known for its outstanding open world, the complex politics and secret lore and of course its iconic alchemy system. The defining mechanic in a world full of gryphons and gargoyles.

The alchemy system is a deep and complex game mechanic that tests the player’s knowledge of plants and items, which allow them to craft oils and potions that can help the player in combat situations in the form of things like healing potions, or a special oil you may need to get an edge in a monster fight. This system is a staple of the series and doesn’t show a sign of leaving anytime soon.

The Witcher 3 follows resident witcher Geralt of Rivia. A hardened warrior, who is searching for his adopted daughter Cirilla. He travels across the world meeting with familiar friends such as Yennefer of Vengerberg a former lover, Triss Merigold and Dandelion- everyone’s favorite bard and travel companion- to find her.

The Witcher 3 has an incredibly beautiful open world. It is renowned for its incredible CG graphics as well as its fluid animations and movement system. The player can effortlessly traverse the world and get lost in their own fantasy story even after completing the main questline for the game.

Between a fully dynamic weather system and incredible world design, it is extremely easy to get lost in the beauty of the Witcher’s world. One minute you may be hunting a monster to earn some extra money the next you may be climbing a mountain just to enjoy the amazing view from the summit. The way the lighting paints the landscapes of the world, almost make the player feel like they are in a dynamic painting.

Ultimately, the Witcher 3 is an emotional thrill ride that has cemented itself as one of the best and most definitive RPG experiences of the entire generation. Players all over the world sing its praises and will continue to do so for years to come especially with the new hype created by the Netflix adaptation of the beloved game and novel series. It is one of my favorites and always will be.

Sources: https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/12/the-witcher-3-the-wild-hunt-review

https://kotaku.com/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-the-kotaku-review-1703766283

[nicholasstein]

From Tamriel with Love: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Welcome to Tamriel, a place full of wonder, magic and everything in between because in Skyrim, you can be anything you want to be. A Thief, an assassin or even just a plain and humble blacksmith because in this instant classic, the world is your oyster.  With in depth character creation and a variety of races to choose from, you can make as many characters as you like and experience the bustling world in different ways!

As for the main story, step into the shoes of your own character who has been caught on the wrong side of a civil war between the Stormcloak rebellion and the Imperial army. After your chaotic escape due to the unwelcome aid of an ancient dragon god named Alduin, you manage to flee with an NPC of your choice either Ralof or Hadvar. After fleeing the city of Helgen after your attempted execution, you find yourself in a small lumber village called Riverwood. You are an ancient being of prophecy known as a Dragonborn, one who possesses the ancient magic of the once thought to be extinct, dragons of Tamriel.

But it is understandable if you get wrapped up in side quests. The world is unbelievably large and with random encounters scattered around the world it is almost impossible to have the same playthrough twice. Every experience is a new one and that is a huge reason Skyrim is one of Bethesda Game Studios’ bestselling RPG games.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the fifth installment in the Elder Scrolls series and the definitive sequel to it’s popular predecessor, Oblivion. It has everything the previous game has and more including an upgraded game engine, new graphics and a new combat system to name a few things. Unlike the other entries in the series, this game gives you full creative freedom in the way you play; Whether it be picking off enemies from a distance with a bow, or getting nice and personal with a sword. 

With magic, you can defeat your foes by summoning creatures to fight for you, resurrecting defeated enemies, or something as easy as shooting fire from your palms like a human flamethrower. Thanks to the game’s new Dual Wielding mechanic you can have one spell in either hand. From summoning to healing, there is a type of magic for every playstyle.

There are nine major cities in the game’s world each with different environments and wildlife. For example, the western side of the map has everything from the mountain ranges of Markarth the beautiful water-front cities of Dragon Bridge and the capital of Solitude. With a functioning economy in each city, it is awesome to see everything come to life as if you are really in the game.

The world, ever expansive story, and immersive mechanics, this game is an RPG that has been sold on every console generation since its release in 2011. And the hype train is still going, as its dedicated fanbase still finds new secrets, Easter eggs and hidden features in the game. At this rate it won’t lose popularity any time soon.

Sources: https://kotaku.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-the-kotaku-review-5860518

https://whatculture.com/gaming/the-elder-scrolls-skyrim-review-xbox-360

[nicholasstein]

Humanity’s Shepard: Bioware’s Mass Effect

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With the new remastered collection for Bioware’s hit series on the horizon, it is completely logical to talk about one of the most notable and impactful science fiction stories in gaming. Bioware is known for their ambitious projects like the Dragon Age trilogy, a series of fantasy themed role-playing games. But when their new series Mass Effect was announced, fans lost it.

The first Mass Effect game follows Commander John Shepard or Commander Jane Shepard depending on the gender you choose as the standard option. Commander Shepard belongs to a group of allied alien species and their ambassadors known as the citadel council, a group of alien species that have chosen to live as a united people in peace with the humans and the other races on a giant metropolitan space station called the Citadel.

Humanity has reached an era of incredible technology and pathfinding in a way never seen before. Together with your crew, you commandeer the starship called the Normandy to go on missions across the galaxy to help the people of the milky way and to save them from a strange and ancient threat known as The Reapers. In the process of fighting the Reapers, Shepard and his crew stumble upon a conspiracy being put into motion by a Turian named Saren Arterius, who serves alongside Shepard as part of the Citadel Council’s elite fighting force called The Spectres. 

After untangling the conspiracy and battling back the Reaper threat, Shepard puts a stop to Saren and his plans of domination, but loses a cherished teammate in the final battle, depending on the player’s choices it is either Kaiden Alenko, or Ashley Williams.

This game was revolutionary when it was released, between its amazing next-generation graphics and the RPG elements fans of the Dragon Age series cherished so much, the game was a huge success upon release. With the remaster soon to be released I went back to replay the game to see just how well it stood up against today’s RPG games and I must say, I enjoyed it just as much this time as I did the first time ever playing it over ten years ago. Between the smooth gunfighting and the amazing story options, it was good fun to see how different this playthrough was from my original playthrough when I was a young kid.

Mass Effect has the most important mechanics any RPG game should have. It allows you to get into the role of Commander Shepard by selecting dialogue options, physical choices in combat and a very intuitive split second decision system called the Paragon or Renegade option. Depending on the types of choices the player makes in those situations, it will change the way certain characters interact with you, and it may even grant the player access to secret quests and dialogue options.

While most RPG games have a full open world sandbox to explore, Mass Effect is a little different. Instead of being a large sandbox world, it is a location-based exploration. Every level is a mission or quest in Shepard’s story that allows a degree of exploration that is often rewarded with currency or items the player can use to increase the stats of themselves or their teammates. 

Bioware has only improved the games with the sequel installments of Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, though fans are divided on the third installment; the fanbase adores and cherishes this iconic science fiction series and it holds a special place in the hearts of all science fiction lovers.

sources: https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/11/19/mass-effect-review-2

https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/27/mass-effect-review

[nicholasstein]

Prepare to Die: Dark Souls

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From Software’s fantasy RPG was a hit with gamers of every genre, but with its popularity comes infamy. Dark souls is famously difficult, and very challenging and while some say that’s part of the fun, others would disagree. But one thing all players can agree on, is how rich the world is, and how great the game really is at its core.

You are the chosen undead; a single soul that has the ability to die and die again. A creature branded with a magical curse called the dark sigil, that was instated by a mad king by the name of Gwyn. Gwyn is what is known as a Lord of Cinder, an extremely powerful being capable of linking the flame of humanity, as it is the duty of the Lords to do so.

 If the Flame goes out, then an age of darkness will wash over the entire world and monstrous creatures will run rampant. But Gwyn no longer has noble purpose for Gwyn now seeks to control the undead and keep his “Age of Fire” a permanent thing. And its up to the Chosen Undead to put an end to him and use his soul to rekindle the first flame to save what’s left of humanity from the coming Age of Darkness.

On your journey you will start as a weak hollow armed with nothing but a broken sword. But on your journey, you will encounter hardships like none other. Some enemies will make you want to tear your hair out, but the dedication and the hard work is what the player base enjoys the most: It is a chance to learn attack patterns, strengthen your own character, and really delve into the game’s more complex mechanics.

  The combat in the game is simple, but because of the statistics system it makes it far more dynamic than it appears. Because of the individual stats which include Vitality, Endurance, Luck, Strength, Dexterity, Attunement, resistance, intelligence and more, these statistics grant the player a unique bonus and knowing how to properly use the statistics is invaluable to someone who is looking to last longer than ten minutes in this brutal game.

The location the player spends the most time in, is a lost city called Anor Londo: This city was once a bustling metropolis of humanity, now it is overrun with zombies, skeletons and worse. Throughout the journey you will fight all sorts of bosses from dragons to the Gravelord Nito; an amalgamation of bones and darkness in the darkest recesses of the catacombs. With each boss enemy the player defeats they can use the soul to attain a large amount of soul currency which is used to upgrade the player’s abilities, or to obtain a special item such as a weapon or a shield that can help you on your quest.

  But the game’s complexity does not stop there. If a player is attentive and keen to exploration, they can also discover secret encounters’ secret items and even secret endings for the game, so exploration and multiple playthroughs are encouraged greatly. Some areas may even require a second playthrough to understand completely, but that is the fun part!

Dark Souls ultimately is a brutal experience that can push even the best of gamers to their limits and sometimes over it. I have played through all three installments and to this day I still regard the as some of the most difficult yet rewarding games ever made. This series is easier than ever to jump into since the release of Dark Souls Remastered for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Sources: https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/30/dark-souls-review