2014. nov. 19.

Much water was flowing down on any river of Lordan or even on a gutter of glorious Anor Londo, and this time was filled with as much blood, defeat, victory and experience. And with four playthroughs, which, in the case of Dark Souls, is a really big thing. Chiefly, because one has less and less time for games, especially when they require such deep immersion as Dark Souls. The first try was hard, yes? Did you do it? Did you sweat through the hardest game of all time? (In fact, it is the hardest of the new generations.) Furthermore, do you dare to say it wasn’t so hard? Well, adventurer, there is a New Game+ option for you, in which you can restart the whole game with your achieved levels, acquired skills and items. You are the hero, you are strong, brave and hard to defeat, so let’s go! Then think it over again after the seventh defeat from one of the first opponents in a corner of the first dirty dungeon. Do you really need this? Is this what you wanted? But really, how could a lvl100 hero bleed out in a place where you were the merry butcher earlier? If the answer is yes, then you started Dark Souls for real. Take the whole first playthrough as a tutorial, training, or as an easy walk in the park, because the “Prepare to die” motto just got its meaning. I will never forget the feeling when a stone-hard critter chased me over three areas (when you normally play, it takes several hours to get through an area), it came after me through stairs and ladders, and nothing could stop it. Finally, when I thought I shook my pursuer off, it finished me with one blow from behind. Hello, Dark Souls, hello Death! Well, the point is taken. Dark Souls is hard for the first time, makes you sweat mercilessly. But for the second time, moreover, the third and (God saves us) the fourth time it becames so hard that may be called inhuman. But I wanted this, really, and I do not want to polish myself. I sought this: a meaty, bloody, raw...

2014. nov. 14.

Once upon a time I started as an article writer at GameDroid founded by a bunch of friends. Soon I became an editor, and after the general editors (padavan and Somesz, all the gods of games bless their names!) slowly stopped working on the e-zine, let’s say, I inherited it. Everything went good, GameDroid slowly increased the monthly number of its visitors, but a stupid turkish hackbot damaged it badly and offered only ads to the readers. In that times I almost gave it up, life went on, and although I accepted the offer of SFPortal (Thanks again!) regarding the webspace and the new engine, there was a lot of hesitating and so before this day came. We tried to rekindle the light in the heart of GameDroid, but the whole database was ruined. I feel sorrow for all the lost registrations, because there were constant readers. I hope they will find us again. We tried to remain the same and to renew in the same time. Our logo is the old one, but it got a new motto, and the appearance was changed as well. We found 75 Hungarian articles from the old ones, and we are bilingual again with almost 50 translations. Besides these GD offers the same content that collected thousands of readers in the old times: quality and subjective articles about old and new games in the Retro and Reviews columns, and other articles about games, gamers and their world under the Extras. Several writers from the old bunch still intend to contribute, and we have a new member too. Of course, GameDroid is still open for everyone to publish articles about games and gaming. If you are interested, contact us. (FB: GameDroid; e-mail: gamedroidinator_at_gmail_dot_com) Welcome to the old-new GameDroid!...

2014. nov. 14.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, Vindictus is on my Top 5 list of MMOs, and that was deserved by a pleasantly presented prologue, a coherent story, a finely tuned development system, and a destructible and weaponized environment, which latter is still not widely used in MMOs. Besides, Vindictus can stay on my Top 5 MMOs list, because it is improved continuously. I didn’t play it for years, so I couldn’t lure my old character out to the sun (but I couldn’t use her name either), but there was no worry about it. Since the publication of the article linked above there came three new characters, some serious Raids, and new game content called Season 2. (And ‘Episode 3’, and… —Garcius) The instance system changed not a bit; you still board a ship alone or with a little team, then there comes the hack’n’slash on the selected difficulty level and tricky skills for tearing the mobs apart. About the new Raid locations it is enough to mention that in spite of the earlier stages these offer rougher tasks done by bigger teams fighting against exceptionally hard bosses. However, the new characters are worth to be detailed a bit. I did not write about the older ones, because they embody the basic types: the knight Fiona builds on shield defense, Lann is an attacker with two swords, and the sorceress Evie throws fire and ice. The new threesome shows the extremities. Like Lann, Vella slashes around with twin swords, but her acrobatic style makes her a meat mincer built into a spinning-top. She reacts with easy jumps and direction changes for every button pushed, and instead of any block she protects herself by doing fast dodges. On the area of heavy beating, Karok offers a relatively easy playing style. This big guy walks with a waist-wide battle pillar on his shoulder, and the lower level boss fights are only about knocking the opponent out, then beating him till he comes to his senses. Then knocking him out again, then beating him till he comes to his senses. Then knocking him out again… Later the play with Karok goes harder, for example he will be able to...

2014. nov. 14.

I picked up on this game earlier, because there was some hurrah about its physical engine. In that time only North America and the Far East could play it, but today there is a European server too, so it came on and I tried it out, and since then I can’t really put it down. If I had to write a shortlist with the best MMOs of the world, Vindictus would be in the first ten. Maybe in the first five. Yeah, I admit it; the first twenty or twenty-five levels come easily, you quickly grow above your enemies, but starting on the third location you must pull up your socks. Broadly speaking, a game of real challenges and solo or team tactics starts here. Although character creation gives not much opportunities, the prologue is impressive. Its excellent quality is only one thing: besides, you can get an insight into gameplay and physical engine alike, and it lays the foundation of the main story – I don’t ask more from an intro. I would be glad if there are some more cutscenes in the continuation, but on the whole we can set this aside. An interesting element of the game is that you get no quests but you take part in shorter or longer stories in a war situation. If you are interested only in action, perhaps you will find it boring that sometimes you have to walk in circles around the town just to talk a heap of NPCs and get to the next step of the story. However, when it’s time for action, the real merit of Vindictus suddenly show itself. And it means indistinguishable levels of difficulty, an excellently working point system, and a nicely wrought physical engine. Because it’s not the same if you fight a Battle either on normal or hard level of difficulty. On normal level you will have not much trouble with your opponents, but on hard level the damage and accuracy of their attacks is increased, so you have to pay attention to not to be hit by them. Bosses attacking fast or in unexpected directions won’t make it easy. And how can a point system...

2014. nov. 14.

I cannot understand why certain games don’t become series. There is a unique setting, a good system and such a selection of characters which is much weaker in other games. What’s more, all of these contain so much opportunities that wouldn’t be exhausted in another three or even five games after this one. Bloodlines got an average of 80% in the press, became a golden disk, and was forgotten undeservedly. Compared to the whole setting it is only a tight extract, but it can find its legs easily. In appearance the World of Darkness doesn’t differ from our petty human world. However, inside we find nothing else but creatures of darkness and endless webs of their intrigues. These creatures are leeching on us, humans, or they use us for cover, sometimes they need us for other reasons, so we can feel ourselves safe, more or less. Basic laws of survival are simple: Besides guarding your secrets and keeping your humanity it doesn’t harm to get to know the power structure. Vampires introduced strict regulations on “birth control” and maintaining the principles of hiding in human society, so they are not overpopulating humanity – and because they are small in numbers, they do better keeping their existence in secret. They are not invulnerable, and if every armed organization calls a hunt on them, they won’t last long. Forget garlic, and the stake is causing only some paralysis, it doesn’t end what nature started. They don’t have to sleep in coffin, and they are not sucking common people dry in the alleys. This setting is like Interview with a Vampire‘s (1994.), but in a darker, grimmer and more horroristic tone, dated 2004. Bloodlines basically is a computer role-playing game, and within this category it’s a TPS/FPS action-adventure game dressed in horror elements. Maybe this sounds difficult, but everything is true. It is an action-adventure game, because during character development you are forced to put a few points on combat characteristics. In most of the quests you can tackle your enemies or talk yourself out of the given situations, and it happens that you can avoid combat entirely by sneaking. However, some fights are unavoidable, and certain...