Posts Tagged ‘lore’

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Anubis

17 May 2012 | No Comments » | iTZKooPA

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a new column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindi, 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: Anubis – Anapa in Egyptian – is the jackal-headed son of Nephthys and is most closely related with the Egyptian process of mummification and thus, the afterlife. The association is strengthened further in hieroglyphics, which sees a jackal, Anubis’ animal form, sitting atop a tomb. In addition to protecting those during their travel to Datu, the underworld, Anubis was the “Guardian of Scales”, weighing the fate of the soul of the deceased.

His parentage is complicated, changing depending on the timeframe and legend of the texts. In the earliest texts, Anubis was of Ra’s seed. Later texts claim the father as Osiris. A near-equal amount attribute his patronage to that of Osiris’ brother, Set. Murkier still, one legend claims that Nephthys used alcohol to seduce Osiris, another that his mother impersonated Isis for the same purpose.

Hit the jump for the rest of Anubis’ lore and how it’s used in-game. Continue Reading

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Ao Kuang (Guang)

15 May 2012 | 1 Comment » | iTZKooPA

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a new column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindi, 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: Ao Kuang, usually spelled Ao Guang, is the destructive god known as the Dragon King of the East Sea. During his early years, Ao Guang reigned terror on man through the forces of nature. Droughts, storms and other natural disasters were his weapons of choice and his destruction continue unabated until Nezha, a protective deity, intervenes. After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Nezha, Ao Guang seeks vengeance by kidnapping Nezha’s parents.

Hit the jump for the rest of Ao Guang’s story, how he’ll play in-game and further reading. Continue Reading

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained

15 May 2012 | No Comments » | iTZKooPA

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a new column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindi, 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.

SMITE isn’t just another DotA knockoff. The developers at Hi-Rez Studios has put its own massive spin on the genre, aside from cherry picking from previous legendary lore. The title will be familiar, featuring lane pushing, towers, creeping, item building and personal spell selection. The major change is the camera. The camera will not be presented in the typical isometric view, like most MOBA games, but locked behind your player in a third-person perspective. This allows for complete ganks – no need for weeds to “hide” in – forcing players to keep tabs on blind spots and use them to their advantage.

The full list of characters and their titles are after the jump along with a video interview by iTZKooPA with a more comprehensive introduction to the title from COO Todd Harris.

Continue Reading

Player Files FTC Complaint Against EA Over Mass Effect 3 Ending

17 March 2012 | 7 Comments » | Mike

The debacle over the Mass Effect 3 ending continues, as yesterday a player stated he has now filed an official FTC complaint against EA over the ending. The player, known as “el spiko” on the BioWare forums,  stated he was lied to by EA and BioWare about how the game would finally end; which constitutes as false-advertising.

To be clear, this is not a lawsuit, merely a complaint to the FTC; which deals with protecting consumers against unfair or false advertising practices, as well as other consumer issues.

At the core of the complaint was that EA had promised, in multiple inteviews and press releases, that the Mass Effect 3 ending would answer all players questions, and tie-off the franchise. In one interview with Venturebeat, executive producer of ME3 Casey Hudson stated,

“Mass Effect 3 is all about answering all the biggest questions in the lore, learning about the mysteries and the Protheans and the Reapers, being able to decide for yourself how all of these things come to an end.”

The second major complaint was that players were told their choices would have a direct impact on the stories ending, another promise that did not live up to expectations.

The player who filed the complaint stated the following, hoping that it might finally put enough pressure on the gaming titans that they might react more quickly to address the players concerns over the ending.

This is not somethign I was happy to do, but after the terrible ending that was in no way the product that had been advertised to me and the lack of any kind of response from Bioware/EA to address this, I felt it was one of my only recourses. I’ll be returning my copy of the game before the end of my 30 day return policy if the ending still hasn’t been addressed by then.

From the perspective of someone that has never played a Mass Effect game, this seems completely ridiculous to me. We’ve all been disappointed at one time or another with a game’s ending, but to start filing official government complaints because you didn’t like it is way over the top. What’s next, lawsuits against games that suck?  ”Well according to their advertisement, this game was supposed to be awesome“. Give me a break.

Like any art form, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. I thought the ending to the Sopranos, and really the whole last season, was a steaming pile of dog crap. I felt cheated that the ending provide zero information about anything, and so did millions of other fans. Should I have filed an FTC complaint against HBO?

Get over it; it’s a video game. You had fun, the ending wasn’t want you wanted, so chill-out, and wait for the DLC update, or the next game in the franchise. Sure, BioWare stated Mass Effect 3 was going to be the end; but we all know it’s not the last game for the franchise.

The Old Republic: Newbie Experience Compilation

27 December 2011 | No Comments » | Ronix

Hot on the heels of the recent Star Wars: The Old Republic discussions happening here at LoreHound, I decided to go ahead and do a video compilation of what beginners can expect from BioWare’s first entry into the MMOG genre. Unfortunately, this brilliant idea didn’t strike me while I was doing the various Flashpoints found at certain points in the game. However, you get to see how gameplay feels from the perspective of three different classes and from the two different factions. From the Empire, we have the Sith Inquisitor and the Bounty Hunter. The Republic is represented by the Trooper. Some PvP action is represented and the level design is expressed by a couple of shots displaying  the impressive architecture followed by some story cut scenes.

And yes, the story cut scenes are worth your time!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Crewskills And Talents

9 December 2011 | No Comments » | Randy Denosha

In my last post, I talked about the good and the bad about Star Wars The Old Republic. This time, I’ll be going in to give you a view on the “Crewskills”, and the various talents that the classes have and my concerns with some of those choices.

So let me give it a start with the different Crewskills. We have three different categories: Gathering, Crafting and Mission skills. Each have their own sub-skills. Here’s a list of all the different sub-skills in their different categories:

Gathering:

  • Archaeology
  • Bioanalysis
  • Scavenging
  • Slicing
Crafting:
  • Armormech
  • Armstech
  • Artifice
  • Biochem
  • Cybertech
  • Synthweaving
Mission:
  • Diplomacy
  • Investigation
  • Treasure Hunting
  • Underwold Trading

For a quick rundown on the skills, check it here.

Stay with me to see what I think of the skills. Continue Reading

Star Wars: The Old Republic: A New Revengeful Jedi Strikes Back With Hope

7 December 2011 | 6 Comments » | Randy Denosha


On a planet not so far away, the NDA was lifted from Star Wars The Old Republic. A blogger was given the task to check it out for the readers, and report back on it. After the command was given, he began to play as intensely as he was capable, and returned with his report.

This time no Bothan spies died to get the information, so stick around for his report, it’s a long one.

Let me do this by starting with the good things of the game, without giving any spoilers (unlike Beararms!). Right of the bat, I want start with the story of the game: it is magnificent! The player will feel immersed in the game; and that is accredited to the voice acting. Every character the player meets has a voice.

From the Jedi Master that sounds wise, to the Sith apprentice that sounds cocky. This is a fantastic thing for SW:TOR, because many players don’t read quest text, and won’t be immersed in the story surrounding the missions and lore. Though, when the player hears it, they will hear the anger or happiness in the NPC’s voice when they are speaking to the player. It makes for a wonderful storytelling experience. Continue Reading

The Novel Post: World of Warcraft: Wolfheart Review

2 December 2011 | 1 Comment » | iTZKooPA

This review of the World of Warcraft: Wolfheart novel by Richard A. Knaak is of the spoiler-free variety.

The latest novel for Warcraft’s Expanded Universe sits firmly in the current timeline of the game, as most recent novels have. Readers are placed in a small window after the Cataclysm and the events of Lord of His Pack, but before the official induction of the worgen to the Alliance. This is notable because the author, Richard A. Knaak, tends to write in his own timeline. Nearly all of his work has been set in the game’s past, including a handful of plots that few living beings would have intimate knowledge of. Knaak’s other common trait is the inclusion of “his” characters, Tyrande Whisperwing and Malfurion Stormrage. Both of these characters play an integral role to the dual plot.

Yes, a dual plot. Interested?

Knaak weaves two distinct threads throughout Wolfheart. Not so shockingly, one tale features the struggles of the Alliance, while the other showcases the audacity of the reinvigorated Horde. Making this novel fully capable of playing a fantastic Benedict Arnold (overall, more Alliance focused).

Hit the cut to find out how the novel comes together and if Knaak has finally won over one of the Lore Hounds. Continue Reading