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Assassin #039;s Creed: Brotherhood
Submitted by Keiya on November 20, 2010
Gaming
Review
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is to Assassin's Creed II as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is to Grand Theft Auto: III. That is, better and more polished in almost every way, but not a true successor to the series and not different enough to be considered one in any sense. It lays somewhere between an expansion pack and a sequel; Suffering from the middle child syndrome to some extent. Assassin's Creed II was a huge leap in improvement over Assassin's Creed I. Brotherhood doesn't provide nearly that degree of improvement, but it layers additional polish to an already polished series, adding a new single player story as well as multiplayer action.
Assassin's Creed II was an epic story spanning several decades. Brotherhood, being more condensed, does not have that degree of narrative impact but is still a good story (even though some of the plot missions feel a bit scatterbrained). I am also finding that I enjoy the side missions quite a bit. They are plentiful without feeling spread too thin, disjointed, or distracting from the main story (like GTA, I've only managed to finish one of those games, got bored with the rest). Rebuild your assassin empire one citizen at a time and kick back as a team of hand trained minions duke it out with a hoard of guards at your pleasure; It is a surprisingly satisfying experience. On the other hand, it feels a bit inconsequential. Level up the assassins and use them, or don't. I don't think it matters plot wise.
Combat is still way too counter heavy, but an execution streak system has been added: While executing your current target, you can continue a one hit kill streak by quickly selecting a close enemy with the left analog stick and hitting the square button. Though it's more fluid, much of the combat still consists of mashing the X button while waiting for opportunities to counter attack. Even so, attacks a bit more diverse and there are a wider variety of weapons: From poisoned darts, to large two-handers to crossbow. Each weapon has it's own flair. It's not a huge combat improvement, but still an improvement nonetheless and most importantly, still very fun.
But you know what? I really like the Assassin's Creed series, a lot. The overarching plot is a bit ludicrous, but I love the gameplay and there has been a notable and steady improvement with every title. I love the blend of fictionalized history with a science fiction edge. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood picks up literally right where Assassin's Creed II left off (and in those few moments between games Ezio has managed to grow a beard?). If you haven't played the second game, Brotherhood will make little to non sense. Similarly, if for whatever Godforsaken reason you did not enjoy the second game, Brotherhood won't change your mind because it's very similar. Highly recommended. Go stabify people.
...I am still convinced that Leonardo is mad at me. I can see the disappointment in his eyes, even after all these years (or months?). I would have bro hugged you if I had known :(
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The Logitech G13 Gamepad
Submitted by Keiya on November 18, 2010
Hardware
Review
Just a little background: I have been using the Belkin n52te and its predecessor the n52 for a number of years. It’s a great device, great functionality, pretty decent software and an okay(ish) build quality. The software though hasn’t been updated in quite some time. I don’t think that Windows 7 is listed as a supported operating system (I mean, it works fine, but still). But that aside, the computer peripheral itch hit me once again so here I am, with yet another gamepad: The Logitech G13. So, this post isn’t so much a review as it is a semi-comparison to the n52.
It is also worth noting, just as a general preface to any gamepad: These devices really shine in MMOs and perhaps PC RPGs with a crapload of buttons. After binding every single ability and overcoming the learning curve, there was a notable improvement in my performance and reaction time. It does though take an amount of time to create a profile, bind shortcuts and learn the layout for a possibly not very long computer game. So if you are a WoW player, highly recommended, especially for classes with an enormous amount of keybindings. Other game genres like first person shooters? Not so much.
As always, with any peripheral, ergonomics will differ according to hand size and personal preference. You really need to give the G13 a test drive on a store display or at a friend’s place before purchasing it. From my experience, it is suitable for people with medium to large hands. I find the gamepad comfortable with my average sized chick hands, though I do have to awkwardly stretch my fingers over to hit the G1, G7, G8 and G14 keys. Small handed folk may want to find another alternative.
G13 itself is much more comfortable than I thought it would be. I was initially worried about it’s curvature. It is much flatter in comparison to the n52 and was under the impression that it would feel awkward or something. I am actually finding the G13 to be less of a strain after extended play periods. The palm rest is textured nicely and the flatter design is more in tune with how my hand wants to naturally rest. I have two ergonomic gripes though.
One, I wish that the thumbstick was a bit closer. One element that I really liked about the n52’s design was how the D-pad was angled. In terms of location and distance, it sat exactly where my thumb wanted to sit. I have to stretch my thumb over a little on the G13; It’s not uncomfortable but it doesn’t feel optimal. The thumbstick’s hat is also a little small for my taste. I wish it were a little bigger.
Two, I wish that the first 2 columns of keys (G1, G2, G8, G9 and G15) were shifted downwards by perhaps a quarter of an inch. The first column of keys on the n52 are slightly lower (along the horizontal axis) than the other 4 columns, which makes sense seeing as how most human left hands have pinkies that are shorter than the other 4 fingers.
In terms of build quality, I have always been very pleased with Logitech’s peripherals.The G13 is no exception: it is a very well constructed and solid device. I mean, it has to be at least 5 times heavier than the n52. The thumbstick doesn’t creek and the paint doesn’t look like it’s going to wear off. It feels premium. My n52te still works, but there is notable wear and I am wondering if I will run into key sticking problems in the future. If the keys on the G13 are of the same make as Logitech’s gaming keyboard line then I shouldn’t have any problems. As far as the LCD goes, it's almost identical to the LCD on the original G15 keyboard. The one thing that I really miss about the G15 LCD was the ability to see who was talking on Vent without having to tab in and out.
Ergonomics aside, if you are already used to playing with a gamepad then there isn’t much of a learning curve. You can pretty much transfer your entire n52 layout over button for button with leftovers (the G13 has way more bindable keys). By the way, using the LUA scripting future build into the keypad software, you can even retain the n52’s shift state toggle functionality. For example, on my WoW profile (default state being M1), the G11 key will activate hotbar slot 3. When my WoW profile is set to M2, the G11 key will activate the map. I have thumb button G23 bound to momentarily shift into M2 when pressed and back to M1 when released. So in order to activate my map, all I need to do is press both G23 and G11 at the same time.
I will go over my WoW profile in a later post when I finalize it, but in a nutshell, I have combat abilities bound in M1, menu items (map, bags, talents) bound in M2 and extras like the raid icons and recount screens bound in M3. If anyone needs it, I can also post my LUA script. Oh: The thumb buttons on the G13 are a lot easier to press than the n52’s thumb button.
If I haven’t already mentioned it: The Logitech’s software is really pretty nice. It uses the same configuration program for their gaming keyboard line (as you can probably see in the screenshot). The G13 is a bit expensive for what it is, but that’s just the way it is with gaming peripherals, or so it seems. As mentioned above, try all of the gamepads out in the store before buying one. If you are impartial, you might as well just get the G13. It has better software, it’s built better and has more buttons.
If anyone is curious, size comparison:
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Minecraft: Wanderlust (and Minecarts!)
Submitted by Keiya on November 14, 2010
Minecraft
I went on a Minecraft binge the other weekend and spent all Saturday morning searching for a dungeon spawner (or something interesting) because honestly, I haven't really found anything noteworthy in the game for quite some time. I was unable to find one through standard means so I started using the half-in sand/gravel x-ray vision cheat to scope out areas beneath me. No such luck. So then I generated two Cartograph maps: A normal render and a render displaying only mossy cobblestone (code 46 by the way). I overlayed the mossy image over the normal image in Photoshop and used that as a rough adventure map.
That map showed that there was a dungeon roughly between the island observation tower and the mountainside base. After searching for it for about an hour I gave up and resorted to running a standalone 3d visualizer to search for certain block types. It turns out that the dungeon was way deep and that I probably would never have found it unless I had dug a hole straight down to the baserock. I also found out that there was a dungeon literally 20 paces East of my spawn point. It was one block below the surface, go figure.
I played around with the portals more later that day. I wish that they were a bit more precise, I'll explain: Portal A is located on the second floor of my base and leads to Point A within the Nexus. I had created another portal at Point B within the nexus, approximately 30 or so paces from Point A. Point B opens up to Portal B in the normal world. Every single top side portal that I have created leads to Point B, no matter how far out I am. I've tried destroying Portal B to see if that made a difference, but not so much. Portals C, D and E all link to Point B.
In the process of creating Portal C (or D), I had destroyed Portal B without bringing a compass. Instead of rebuilding and hopping back into the portal I wandered and got hopelessly lost, eventually burning down a large Forest and starting a small base in the middle of the destruction for the sake of mining enough obsidian to complete a portal that would lead me home (I didn't want to die and lose my inventory). I turns out that the new base was located over a huge network of caves (seriously huge, I think I found Moria...). I mined enough iron to complete a lengthy cart track linking my spawn, the island tower and the mountain base. I want to link Portal C and the new base in the middle of burning forest but I ran out of iron. Here's a video of it:
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October: Games Played and Time Lost
Submitted by Keiya on October 31, 2010
Gaming
Minecraft
The Sims 3
WoW
Happy Halloween. By the way, most of my WoW gametime has been more or less pushed to the backburner until Cataclysm comes out. This is usually about the time that I take an extended pre-release WoW break anyways, but to be honest, there's just not a whole lot to do at the moment. I guess I can PvP or run dungeons, but the two big things that I really wanted to complete before the expansion (Loremaster and Kingslayer) have been finished. Besides, it's gaming season and all of the new shit is starting to come out. Come early December it's not like I'm going to do anything else on my computer for X months other than play WoW.
I posted a series of Minecraft videos on YouTube. The original idea was to narrate them, something that I still might do. I was going to do a Keiya's adventures sort of continuous story bit but, eh. The problem with that is Minecraft is one of those games that I am usually playing while either half-watching or half-doing something else. It's relaxing (when not in dark areas at least lol) and I like it that way. These videos are ultra crap-ass but I had fun recording them and hope that at least at least one person enjoys them.
I haven't had much of a chance to play the Minecraft update in depth, just in small spurts; Partially because I was busy this past weekend and partially because a new Sims 3 expansion (Late Night) pack came out. I caved in and bought it after work on Friday; Obsessively playing it for a good portion of the weekend, which means that it probably warrants a review post. It's a fairly standard expansion pack for better or for worse. I'd say that it's probably my favorite out of the three that have been released, but much of it seems half-assed compared to the corresponding Sims 2 expansion features. The implementation of apartments in particular are pretty lame.
Wow is it really November already? Hey, CoD and AC:B are coming out soon...
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Another Computer Toy: Asus Xonar DX
Submitted by Keiya on October 31, 2010
Hardware
I have several more posts to make regarding certain games and certain game updates that were released recently. I even have a few cheesy videos, yay. Anyway, I finally got around to picking up a new sound card for my machine last weekend. I never bothered installing the X-Fi on this machine; I think I'm kind of done with Creative's crap ass drivers, though in all fairness I haven't used it in about a year. The Realtek onboard sound was actually pretty decent and more than sufficient if you aren't picky. By the way, I'm not an audiophile or an expert of any sorts. I am however, picky enough to want decent sounding audio on my computer (and a new toy).
Anyway, I was at Fry's and picked up a Xonar DX for $69. I read quite a few reviews and system guides stating that it was good, providing the most "bang for the buck". I figure, Worst case, I get a mediocre card for a low investment and/or return it. My sound is notably clearer, I really wasn't expecting that much of an improvement. I mean, I expected my sound quality to somewhat improve but I didn't think that there would be that much of a difference.
It's particularly fantastic for music. I spent quit ea bit of time going through my stash, listening to things that were previously way to heavy on the bass or way to trebly with onboard sound. For example, I used to have to manually turn my bass down on my volume doodad whenever Streets of Philadelphia would cycle up in iTunes. Otherwise, neighbor angering bass would flood out from beneath my computer. No so much anymore, it's quite nice and balanced. Gaming is pretty good as well. From what I understand, GX's EAX emulation isn't quite as good as the real thing, but I can't really tell the difference. It sounds great to me.
For what it's worth, here are a couple of things that weren't really included in any of the hardware reviews that I read. It's a great card for the price, but there are a couple of quirks:
SVN kills the dynatic range and causes loud popping noise whenever I start certain sounds (like playing something in iTunes and changing songs). Solution was to turn it off.
There's no automatic headphone detection for whatever reason. In order to switch to headphone mode and kill the speaker sound, you have to manually switch the analog out settings. It's not that big of a deal but it's a little irritating.
I don't know why many of the newer cards do this but: Mic input and line-in are on a shared jack.
Also, don't use the installation disk. Download the drivers from Asus's website, especially if you are running a newer operating system. The disk is a little out of date.
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Keiya
Hello I am Keiya. HDO is a blog about anything that interests me at the moment which is mostly gaming, but sometimes about some other geeky topic. My current fixation doesn't usually stray too far from games ending with "craft" :P.
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Assassin #039;s Creed: Brotherhood
The Logitech G13 Gamepad
Minecraft: Wanderlust (and Minecarts!)
October: Games Played and Time Lost
Another Computer Toy: Asus Xonar DX
WoW Odds and Ends
Minecraft: Brave New Worlds
Uncharted 2
Obsessive Minecraft Playing
Loremaster: OMFG Finally
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Bah I have to respec again FFFUUUUUU
#8212;
2 days 22 hours ago
New post: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood http://bit.ly/d80kBr #postbot
#8212;
5 days 21 hours ago
http://yfrog.com/6gfq2xj lolbird
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6 days 3 hours ago
New post: The Logitech G13 Gamepad http://bit.ly/bDz7mi #postbot
#8212;
1 week 15 hours ago
...that was officially too much coffee #hyper
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1 week 1 day ago