"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" Review

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (or Skyrim, for short) is a medieval-fantasy roleplaying game that was released in the United States of America on November eleventh, 2011, for the Xbox: 360, the Playstation 3, and the computer. Skyrim is the fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, which was created (and being continued/developed) by Bethesda Games Studios. The game was a complete smash hit with both longtime fans of the series and people new to the series. This article will review the gameplay mechanics, a small portion of the story, and my personal rating.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim starts out with the main character being brought to Helgen, a small town in the northern kingdom of Skyrim (one of several provinces of the continent of Tamriel). After the player chooses their race, gender, physical appearance, and name, the main character is about to be executed, when a dragon (which were thought to have been nothing but monsters in mere fairy tales) flies overhead and assaults Helgen with a barrage of flames. The main character grabs some gear in the armory, then escapes the town. He/she travels to the city of Whiterun, where the Jarl (a political leader that is a mixture of a chieftain, a king, and a lord) and his court mage send the main character off to an ancient sanctuary at the top of a mountain after hearing his/her tale of Helgen and the dragon. When the main character reaches the final room of the sanctuary, he/she discovers glowing words of an unknown language on a mysterious wall. The main character suddenly seems to absorb the energy from the words, and he/she feels something stir within her/him. That is where I will leave off on the story, as I do not want to spoil any of the major plotline.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has some amazing game mechanics that I simply cannot leave unspoken of in this review. First off, the "freedom of choice" mechanic makes the player feel like their actions have an impact on the game's world- and indeed they do. You see, Skyrim allows the player to interact with the NPC's in the world at an extreme level. For example, a dragon that happens to fly over a small town may attack the people and the buildings in the town, based on the way the dragon's AI is structured. If the player chooses to fight the dragon alongside the town guards, then the players reputation with that town and any nearby major city will increase if they succeed. If the player chooses to do nothing -or possibly even attack the townspeople while the dragon attacks, knowing that their will be no more witnesses afterwards- then the town could very well be destroyed, causing certain shops and quests to become inaccessible, as well as having a courier come to the main character with a few letters concerning the main characters inheritance of money from any deceased NPC's that were close friends to the main character. Another interesting game mechanic is the law/criminal system works. If the player were to be caught picking pockets, stealing from a merchants stand, or breaking into peoples homes at night, then a bounty would be placed on the players character. The bounty usually takes effect only in the town/hold/capitol that the crime occurred. If the bounty is minuscule, then a guard will let the player go, but will still be wary of them. If the bounty is high enough, guards will attempt to arrest them, or give them an option to pay an amount of money (gold pieces/coins) equivalent to their bounty. If the bounty is excessively high, then guards will attack the player on sight. In this situation, the player can either flee from the area, pay the bounty (but only if they can afford it) or can sheathe their weapon (called a "yield") and willingly go with the guards to the prison. While in prison, the player can either pick the lock of their jail cell, or they can serve their time by selecting the bed and waiting until they are released. Some players choose to be a criminal in many (or even all) of the nine Holds (major cities), and even choose to kill all NPC's in a town. Personally, I do not recommend this, as it will deny the player access to certain quests, items, shops, skill trainers, resources (such as ore that can be crafted into materials, such as metal), and the like.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an incredibly game with breathtaking landscapes, a wonderful story, highly developed characters, and groundbreaking game mechanics that make the player feel like they have an impact on this already incredible world.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 10 / 10 STARS

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days Review

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days was released in late September of 2009 for the Nintendo DS. The game is an interqual in the series, taking place at the very end of the original Kingdom Hearts, during Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and up to the very beginning of Kingdom Hearts II. The game was highly popular, especially among cosplayers, who found the characters of the game quite intriguing. In this article, I will explain the basic story, talk about the game mechanics, look at a few negatives of the game, and then give it my personal rating using the ten-star system.

In the end of the original Kingdom Hearts, the main protagonist, Sora, a fourteen-year old boy living on a peaceful island with his friend Riku and his secret crush Kairi, had finished defeating an evil and mysterious scientist named Ansem. Ansem had been studying creatures called Heartless, who are the result of when a person's heart becomes consumed with darkness. However, he himself had embraced the darkness, and he became an extremely powerful heartless. After defeating Ansem, Sora (along with his two new friends Donald and Goofy) began to search for a way to free Riku from a world of darkness, which acted as his prison. However, in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, after encountering a mysterious organization, he and his friends began to lose their memories. They were put into a slumber by a young girl who had power over their memories, and so they slept for a whole year, slowly getting their memories pieced back together. During this slumber, it was revealed that Sora had a Nobody named Roxas. When someone becomes a Heartless, the empty shell left behind begins to act as though it has a will of its own, therefore becoming a Nobody. Sora's Nobody, Roxas, joined a group of Nobodies known as Organization XIII. Organization XIII's goal is to defeat Heartless and collect the hearts that they had captured. When they collect enough hearts, a gateway to the birthplace of hearts of both light and darkness, known as Kingdom Hearts, will be revealed, and Organization XIII's members will gain new hearts and become whole. During their work, Roxas became friends with a Nobody named Axel, as well as a mysterious Nobody who happened to be the fourteenth member, named Xion. Roxas begins to question his work in the Organization, and he soon finds out that there are more people than the Organization who need him for dire reasons.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days introduced a few new game play mechanics that are full of potential. For one thing, they introduced a new story-progressing system in the form of Missions. The player starts off with a couple of basic Missions, and after they complete them, they unlock a few more. Throughout the cutscenes that are both in between and during Missions, the main storyline progresses, and the story oftentimes triggers the unlocking of certain Missions that are more crucial to the storyline than others. Not only did they alter the story progression system, they also altered the equipment and abilities system. After certain Missions, the player unlocks a new ability or keyblade. To equip it, the player would open the Equipment interface and use  the stylus to drag the ability or keyblade onto a section of the interface that has a collection of slots. The ability would be fitted into several slots, and after collecting many abilities and items, the player would have to rearrange the equipment so it all can fit, similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Keyblades and abilities have extra open slots connected to the main slot, which can be fitted with upgrades to the ability/item. However, one of the most major gameplay mechanics put into the game would definitely have to be the introduction of a multiplayer mode. The player can use the Nintendo DS's wireless connection to link up with other players who have the game, and they can engage in Missions together.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days did have a few minor downsides. For one thing, the Multiplayer Mission Mode, while fresh and fairly enjoyable, didn't quite satisfy all of the franchise's fans. Many of the fans were hoping for a slightly different Multiplayer mode, such as one where the player could duel another player without being penalized. Not only that, but in order to engage in a Mission with another player, they would've had to have completed the Mission in story mode separately first. Other than those minor downsides, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days was an enjoyable, great game with dynamic changes to both the story and game play.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 7.75 / 10 Stars

D&D 3.0 Sample Magic Items

Throughout my years as a Dungeon Master, I have managed to create a number of magic items. These Items mostly work with Third edition (as well as 3.5), but if you feel up for it, you may be able to adapt them to Fourth edition. However, I myself do not know how to do so due to the fact that I do not play Fourth edition.

Nonetheless, here are the items.

Ring of Improved Combat Abilities

Accessory, Magic.

Effect: +1 to AC, Melee and ranged bonuses, and damage rolls when equipped.

Greatsword of the Burning Winter

2H Weapon, Magic.

Use: Roll d%. If 50% or above, you deal a 1d6 Fire damage. If 10-49%, you deal 1d6 Cold damage. If lower than 1-%, this attack deals normal damage.

Damage: 2d6+Fire or Ice Damage.

Critical: 19-20/X2

Staff of Greater Protection from Elements

Weapon, Magic.

Use: Like the spell, except you can resist 20 damage from an Elemental spell, and all damage from natural Elemental damage (for example you can wade through lava safely). This effect lasts one hour once activated, and requires a 24-hour cool-down.

Longsword of Increased Damage

Weapon, Magic.

Damage: 1d6+1d4-1 (extra damage cannot go lower than 1).

Critical: 19-20/X2

Amulet of Increased Defenses

Accessory, Magic.

Effect: +1 on Reflex, Fortitude, and Will Saving Throws.

Crossbow of Magic Missiles

Ranged Weapon, Magic

Damage: 1d8+1d4 damage.

Critical: 19-20/X2

Special Qualities: Auto-hit, roll for Crit; Infinite Ammo; Reloads instantly, does not require a Minor Action.

Boots of Spider Climb
Accessory, Magic.

Use: Works as the Spell does, but only when both boots are equipped.

Glove of Greater Magic Weapon

Accessory, Magic.
Effect: Works as the Spell does when cast by a Cleric with a Caster Level of 9. The Weapon held in the hand wearing this glove receives this Enchantment.

Chain Mail of Reflect Minor Wounds

Medium Armor, Magic.

Effect: When you take damage, roll d%. If you roll 0-35%, subtract 1d8 worth of damage taken (cannot go below 1 damage taken). If you roll above 35%, you take normal damage.

Bonuses and Penalties: +5 AC, +2 Maximum Dexterity Bonus, -4 Armor Check Penalty, 25% Arcane Spell Failure, 40 lbs.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Expectations

As many World of Warcraft players know, a new expansion pack known as World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria was announced at Blizzcon during 2011. It is the fourth expansion pack, and will be released on October 11, 2012. In the article, I will be disussing the fans' expectations to the game, as well as the skepticism that surrounds the game.

The first announcement of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria was originally an "April Fool's" joke made by Blizzard, inc. to entertain their fans. However, several large fanbases/fansites liked the idea, and Blizzard listened to their thoughts, and began to discuss whether it would seriously be an actual expansion pack to the game. Not only did several fanbases like the idea, but the lore of the original Warcraft games actually supported the existence of the Pandaren, a mysterious panda-like race that has existed since The Sundering (the creation/cooling of the earth). Because of the Pandaren's apparent existence, Blizzard, inc. decided to respect the game's story and went on to begin developing World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.

Although there were a few fanbases that welcomed the idea, some players were and still are dissapointed with the expansion. They insist that the Pandaren are childish because of their similarity to the main character in the movie Kung Fu Panda. However, other players give their rebuttal to this argument, saying that the Pandaren are far from childish, and this is true in many ways. Although the Pandaren look "cute", as some would say, on the outside, they are famed for heavy drinking and violent bar fights, making them one of the most intimidating creatures of Azeroth.

Although I, personally, think that I will enjoy this new expansion, I leave it to you, the readers, to discuss your opinions in the comment section. Thank you.

Kingdom Hearts II Review

AUTHORS NOTE: Once again, I am writing an article about a popular game that was released several years ago. And, as same with those other articles, I am explaining how I understand that reviews of this game have been done, but I think that it is needed that I do one. Thank you for reading this brief note.

Kingdom Hearts II was the sequel to the game Kingdom Hearts created by the company Square Enix, and was released in the year 2005. The game featured a mix of Disney and Final Fantasy characters, as well as a few original characters. The game was extremely popular, and although it contained Disney characters, they had abilities that were apropriate for general RPGs. For example, Donald Duck was a mage, and Goofy was the Disney equivalent of the "Tank" role from World of Warcraft. In this article, I will be explaining the basic storyline, mentioning worthy game mechanics, looking at both the positive and the negatives, and giving the game my own personal rating using the ten-star system.

In the end of the original Kingdom Hearts, the main protagonist, Sora, a fourteen-year old boy living on a peaceful island with his friend Riku and his secret crush Kairi, had finished defeating an evil and mysterious scientist named Ansem. Ansem had been studying creatures called Heartless, who are the result of when a person's heart becomes consumed with darkness. However, he himself had embraced the darkness, and he became an extremely powerful heartless. After defeating Ansem, Sora (along with his two new friends Donald and Goofy) began to search for a way to free Riku from a world of darkness, which acted as his prison. However, in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, after encountering a mysterious organization, he and his friends began to lose their memories. They were put into a slumber by a young girl who had power over their memories, and so they slept for a whole year, slowly getting their memories pieced back together. Around the end of Sora's slumber (at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II), a young boy, Roxas, was enjoying summer vacation with his friends. However, throughout the last week of summer, he began to notice strange things, such as time stopping for a brief few seconds, or strange, white creatures attacking him. However, the strangest of all these things was when he was visited by a red-haired an in a black cloak. The man's name was Axel, and he kept trying to "remind", as he said, Roxas of when he was in something called Organization XIII. Finally, on the last day of his summer vacation, Roxas visited a mysterious mansion and found out that he was living in a computer-generated world, and that he was apparently the empty shell of a person, nothing more than a tool that wasn't even supposed to exist. When Roxas found a strange boy that looked eerily like him sleeping in some kind of machine, he began to fade into the boy. He shed a single tear as he said, "I guess my summer vacation is... over." Whoever this boy in the machine was, he apparently has something to do with the existence of Roxas. And how did Roxas enter in a computer-generated world in the first place?

There were a few game mechanics that are worth mentioning in Kingdom Hearts II. The first is the use of a variant of the ATB system from Final Fantasy that was commonly used in the Kingdom Hearts series (except in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories). The system worked by choosing a command (such as attack) or from a collection of commands (such as the different types of magical spells) and then execute them. However, unlike the ATB system, characters are able to move freely in the midst of combat. Another special game mechanic is the use of creatures called Moogles. Moogles were a popular creature in the Final Fantasy series, and in Kingdom Hearts II, Sora is able to "Synthesise" items with them. The player is able to create new items/equipment by giving the Moogles components and a payment of Munny (the currency in the game), and the Moogles create the item that the player wanted. However, the Moogles are only able to create an item if they use the exact components from the item's recipe. By continuing to Synthesise items, the Moogles gain Experience Points, and the more levels they gain, the more items that they learn to create.

One of my favorite things about the game was the story and the emotion. Not only was the story deeply detailed, but there was so much emotion behind it. Young players learned about the hardships that come in a young adults life, teaching them to respect those who suffer, while older players were able to connect on a personal level with the characters as they went through heartbreaks, or a friend turning against you when you needed them the most. Kingdom Hearts II was an emotional game that could touch a wound in even the most sturdiest of people. However, the game did have two small problems with it. The first being that there were barely- if any- sidequests, and the second is the fact that the character you actually play as is not interchangeable. That being said, you are not able to directly play as and/or control Donald Duck.

MY RATING: 8.75 / 10

FINAL FANTASY IV (DS) Review

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Final Fantasy IV was released for the GameBoy: Advance back in 1991. However, in 2007/2008, a revamped version entitled Final Fantasy IV (DS) was released for the Nintendo DS: Lite, and that specific version of the game is the one that I will be reviewing in this article. Thank you for taking a moment to look at this note.

Final Fantasy IV (DS) was a version of the original Final Fantasy IV with revamped graphics that was released for the Nintendo DS: Lite system around the years 2007 and 2008. It had a few new basic innovations, including a leveling system for a specific summoning creature, but other than that it managed to satisfy the player's need for nostalgia. The revamped version of the game used animated cutscenes containing voice-acting, while the original only used the silent white text that was used in many classic Final Fantasy games. In this article, I will be reviewing the new and/or adjusted game mechanics, the storyline, and the differences between the original and the revamped version.

Final Fantasy IV (DS) takes place in a fantasy world that has two moons (one smaller than the other) orbiting the planet. The game begins by introducing the main protagonist Cecil the dark knight, who is the commander of a fleet of flying airships known as the "Red Wings of Baron". Baron is the kingdom that Cecil was raised and trained in after he was taken in as a baby by the kindly King of Baron. Cecil and his fleet have just returned from a mission to retrieve a mysterious crystal from the friendly and completely nonharmful village of Mysidia. The King of Baron forced Cecil and his fleet to take the crystal by violent force, even though the people of Mysidia offered them kindness and raised no hand in objection. After questioning the King's actions when he returned to the castle, Cecil was stripped of his duty by the now cruel-hearted King of Baron, and was forced to journey off to a mountain, slay a creature known as an Eidolon, and deliver a ring to the nearby village. Accompanying Cecil was his friend Kain, the commander of the Dragoon warriors, and they both promised Rosa the white mage (who was also Cecil's lover) that they would return safely. When Cecil and Kain arrive at their destination, the ring they carried was set off, and the innocent village burned almost completely. Cecil noticed a small girl crying over her dead mother's body. The girl revealed that her mother died because her dragon (the Eidolon) was slain. After Cecil and Kain agreed to find a way to bring down the evil King of Baron, they tried to convince the small girl to come along with them. However, because of the girl's hatred towards them, she refused, and unleashed her latent powers upon them in the form of an earthquake. When Cecil awoke with the girl nearby and Kain nowhere to be found, he proceeded to carry the girl to the nearby desert village. However, he had no idea that he would go on to meet many people in his soon-to-begin quest, which was more important than he could ever imagine.

Their were a few game mechanics that were either added to or adjusted in Final Fantasy IV (DS). One such game mechanic had to do with one of the character's summonable creature. The character's small, simple looking Eidolon was one that the player could train in mini-games in order to improve the Eidolon's power in battle. Once the player had trained the Eidolon for a while, they could summon it during a battle, where it would use pre-determined attacks/spells. Another useful game mechanic took place after the player had defeated the final boss. Once the credits had finished, the game gave the player the option to replay the game while keeping special abilities that could be assigned to different characters, which were collected throughout the multiple playthroughs of the game. One interesting (but not necessarily useful) innovation was the use of voice acting implemented into cutscenes with improved graphics. Most players enjoyed the new ue of voice acting, mainly because it brought the memorable characters to life by showing emotion in their voices.

Their were a few differences between the original version of Final Fantasy IV and the one created for the Nintendo DS: Lite. One such difference was the change of graphics systems. In the original Final Fantasy IV, the game used the classic eight-bit sprites, while in Final Fantasy IV (DS), they used figures that, while somewhat pixelated, were more detailed than the original game's graphics. Another difference was that the player used the touch-screen on the Nintendo DS to move the characters around. But the last contrastable quality was that the revamped version of the game had an Eidolon leveling system, while the original did not.

MY RATING: 8.5 / 10 stars

FINAL FANTASY XIII: The Paradigm system

A few years ago, Square Enix released yet another installment in the extremely popular Final Fantasy franchise, this one being the third of which broke away from the cookie-cutter Final Fantasy format. This new game was, as expected by many fans, called Final Fantasy XIII. In this blog article, I will not be reviewing the game as a whole, but will instead be discussing one specific innovation of the game: The Paradigm/Crystarium system.

First off, I will define exactly what a Paradigm is in game terms. A Paradigm in Final Fantasy XIII is essentially a role that a character takes on when using the ATB (Active-Time Battle) system. For example, one Paradigm is the Commando role. The Commando role is one of two Paradigms that specialize in dealing direct damage to an enemy. The other damage-dealing role is the Ravager, and unlike the Commando's style of using the character's weapon(s) to deal mundane damage, the Ravager role uses arcane spells (such as the classic Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard) to deal damage. Although there are two Paradigms that deal direct damage to an enemy, the other roles specialize in raising an ally's attributes (Synergist), causing status effects, like poison, to befall an enemy (Saboteur), taking damage that was originally intended for an ally (Sentinel), and, of course, restoring their current Hit Points by healing their wounds (Medic). If you play World of Warcraft, then a simpler way of comprehending the Paradigm system would be to think of it as Final Fantasy XIII's very own take on World of Warcraft's Class/Role Specialization system, for they are, in many ways, alike.

Another comparison to World of Warcraft's Class/Role Specialization system that is possible to make is the fact that Final Fantasy XIII has something similar to World of Warcraft's "Talent Tree", known as the Crystarium. This is in the sense that the Crystarium is a collection of connected unlockable powerups, such as new abilities or a raise to a character's attribute. You unlock these powerups by investing points in a Paradigm role until a new bonus is gained, after which you can continue investing points in order to gain another. To make this system less confusing, the Crystarium is represented in the shape of a three-dimensional image composed of several collections of crystals, all of which are connected. After you invest enough points to connect one crystal to a new one, you gain the ability/attribute bonus contained withing the newly-connected crystal. Because of the way the Crystarium works (connecting one ability to the other by investing points), it can be easily compared to several other leveling systems in other games.