21 May 2013 | |
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SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.
Lore: A giant wolf and son of Loki, Fenrir was prophesied to be the murderer of Odin. Should he have carried out the act of killing the All Father, monstrous beast would have began Ragnarök, the expected apocalypse of Norse mythology. The ensuing war would have seen the death of Thor, Tyr, Freyr, Heimdallr and Loki. Fenrir would have gained little but his own death at the hands of Víðarr, a son of Odin’s. The calamity would not have left the mortal realms safe. Various natural disasters and an ultimate flood would have made sure only two lone humans would survive.
Fenrir wasn’t just the beginning of the end. Loki’s furrier child was renowned for his strength. The great wolf broke numerous bounds as he continued to grow from the daily meals at Tyr’s hand. After two failed bounds, Leyding and Dromi, Odin had the crafty dwarves complete a third fetter, Gleipnir. The Aesir promised that if a bind could hold the great wolf he’d be freed for posing no threat. To be sure Fenrir wasn’t sandbagging his effort Tyr chose to place his hand in the beast’s mouth as a pledge that he was trying his hardest. Tyr’s loss of that hand marked Fenrir’s freedom and one of the best known tales of Norse mythology. Continue Reading
20 May 2013 | |
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This review of the World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects: Part 3 novel by Richard Knaak is of the spoiler-free variety. Check out the entire Blizzard catalog in our Extensive Extended Universe post.
Before diving into the review proper, it’s important to note that Blizzard is releasing this book in a new fashion. Knaak’s latest work in the World of Warcraft universe will trickle out over the next few months in five installments. Each ringing up at $1.99, effectively costing more for those that purchase the full set. The serialized eBook is currently scheduled to wrap up in mid June. As such, this review will be concise.
Review of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
Dawn of the Aspect has been a struggle to read through. The delayed releases of the individual parts of the eBook has endangered the novel further in my eyes. Rather than continuing reading to reach the next interesting plot point or gloss over additional unnecessary and repetitive detail, one has been left waiting weeks to see anything move forward. It’s been slow going during the first two installments, comprising of 10 chapters. Continue Reading
16 May 2013 | |
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Guess what kind of character she is?! Did you say physical mid-range tank? If so, you need to uninstall SMITE right away! Isis, the latest sexy female to be added to Hi-Rez Studios’ mythological MOBA doesn’t feature the curvy character art like her in-game sisters, but she can be just as pesky.
The Egyptian Goddess of Motherhood, Magic and Fertility fulfills the niche of a support mage. Isis is a dangerous foe in lane or with allies capable of AoE debuffs, sharing regen or negating damage to allies. Like numerous recent additions, Isis has a special meter for her scepter. Only enabled when she launches her ultimate, the scepter will explode dealing damage and healing allies when triggered.
Isis launches with a unique Queen of the Nile skin alongside a new cross-promotion skin for Global Agenda. Vulcan players, including myself, will want to reach level 30 in Hi-Rez Studios’ original game to unlock Sentry Vulcan. In addition to skins, the developer is retiring the rather pointless notion of levels in SMITE. In its place will be God Worshippers. As players win with each god they will earn points towards God Mastery. A total of 10 levels are in the current system. It is unknown what God Mastery offers at this time.
Hit the jump for the full god reveal of Isis, Goddess of Magic. We’ll have more on her and Fenrir next week as part of the on-going SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained column. Continue Reading
14 May 2013 | |
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WoW: Memories features wacky, entertaining and enduring stories from the world’s most popular subscription-based MMOG.
In 2009 I ended my hardcore raiding ways in World of Warcraft. My gaming career during that can easily be summed up in two words, guild hopping. Since the Year of the Ox began I had been through a raiding member of four guilds, and another while everyone was still leveling. To me, the act of switching that often is sacrilege, but fleeting guild experiences have become the norm. With Wrath of the Lich King’s introduction of 10- and 25-man raids, an easier badge system, and then the Dungeon Finder, guilds had become neigh replaceable by PUGs. The changes lead me to experience the gauntlet of raid leader types since the Alliance and the Horde decided to take the Lich King’s threat head on. From the best-friend to the belittling asshole, I dealt with them all in 2009. The main concern is that the best, and who is the most fun to play with tend to be two different answers.
Without question the most productive guild I had been a part during 2009 was the last of them. We cleared ICC 25-man the second day, the guild dropped ToGC like it was Naxxramas and TotT was defeated with alts. Everyone was geared out the wazoo – I recall only being invited because two members vouched for me – with the best enchants, full epic gems and Rawr checking all required. By required I don’t mean you would be sat, but kicked. The GM and officers are nowhere near lenient, opting to outright kick players who fall behind in the slightest. The guild demands perfection, something I actually prefer, but the raid leader I’ve largely dealt with wore on me. Quickly. I hadn’t screwed up, but the constant stream of swears, belittling of other members and his power complex wore on me. I knew it was burning me out. My only enjoyment became the competitive nature among the rogues and the progression itself. Not from the guild atmosphere. Continue Reading
23 April 2013 | |
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SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.
Lore: Ne Zha, or Nezha as his name is most commonly spelled, originally came to Chinese folklore as a Taoist protection deity in Buddhist mythology. The boy was born as such after gestating in his mother for three and a half years. Upon his unusual birth his father, a powerful military commander named Li Jing, assailed his son with his sword in fear of creating a demon. Unphased by the cut, Ne Zha sprang from the ball of flesh a boy grown, fully capable of talking and walking at birth. This would not be Li Jing’s last attempt on his son’s life.
Ne Zha is best known for his roles in the popular culture Chinese mythology of Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West. It’s not his competition and later friendship with Sun Wukong, or conquering of the sea that gave Ne Zha his identity as a protector. It’s his work against the summons of Ao Kuang for boys and girls of his home province, Chentang Pass, that the Third Lotus Prince is held in such high esteem. After hearing that his minions had been defeated, Ao Kuang arranged a meeting with his family and that of Ne Zha. The embarrassed Dragon King threatened to flood the entirety of Chentang Pass. To save his family name and the people of his hometown Ne Zha committed suicide, returning his body to his parents. Continue Reading
18 April 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.
Lore: *twang* Apollo, God of music, poetry, oracles, sun, medicine…let’s just go with art. He’s the God of Music et. al. No, that’s not correct either. Anyways, aside from being the god of plague, he was a fairly benevolent and talented individual. Born of Zeus and Leto, he came from the same seeds as his gamely twin sister Artemis. Given his ridiculous proficiency for mastering a vast array of topics, Apollo was a clever and complex individual routinely given different praises through the times of ancient Greece. Complex enough to maintain the same name and heritage for the Roman pantheon!
Be it with bow and arrow or his famed lyre given to him by Hermes, Apollo could turn the tides of war with a variety of resources. Early fame was brought to him when he killed Pytho, the earth-dragon of Delphi, after it was sent to end his mother’s life. Unphased by her minion’s failure, Hera sent the giant Tityos to finish the deal. Aided by Artemis, the pair once again saved their mother from certain death. Zeus then stepped in, casting Tityos to Tartarus for crows to feast on his liver. Continue Reading
16 April 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.
Lore: Aphrodite, by all accounts, is incredibly attractive. The Greek goddess of love, procreation, beauty and pleasure is so desirable that the rest of her pantheon feared that godly rivalries for her hand would result in war. This is despite her being born a full adult from the mutilated genitals of Uranus. Ehem. Origin aside, her beauty resulted in an arranged marriage to Hephaestus, the ugly and deformed equivalent of the Roman smith Vulcan.
Being a deity in the Greek pantheon means such a social chain as marriage wouldn’t stop her from messing around. Aphrodite had the pick of any man she desired, gods and mortals alike. The rotating consorts caused as much strife as Zeus and the other leaders likely feared. For instance, her union with the violent God of War Ares bore Phobos and Deimos, the personifications of Fear and Terror that road to battle with their father. Continue Reading
9 April 2013 | |
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This review of the World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects: Part II novel by Richard Knaak is of the spoiler-free variety. Check out the entire Blizzard catalog in our Extensive Extended Universe post.
Before diving into the review proper, it’s important to note that Blizzard is releasing this book in a new fashion. Knaak’s latest work in the World of Warcraft universe will trickle out over the next few months in five installments. Each ringing up at $1.99, effectively costing more for those that purchase the full set. The serialized eBook is currently scheduled to wrap up in mid June. As such, this review will be concise.
Review of Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
The story arc of Dawn of the Aspects is slow. Knaak divides the book between two timelines. The reader is rooted in the current timeline, focusing primarily on Kalecgos and, like his predecessor, his fearful decline into madness. Jaina Proudmoore is the only character aside from the former aspect that has a meaningful role in this thread. The reader may be rooted in the current World of Warcraft universe, but the majority of the novel pertains to the evolution of proto-dragons to dragons and the eventual creation of dragon aspects.
Hit the jump for the full review of Part II of Dawn of the Aspects. Continue Reading
