05.02.07
LOTRO
Excuse my lapse for the last week or so. Ordered myself some games last week, they arrived, and I’ve been spending most of my time with one – The Lord of the Rings Online. It’s like a mixture of WoW, Vanguard and a bit of Oblivion mixed in for good measure. The basic manoeuvers are the same as WoW, although quest-related NPCs are marked with a yellow ring overhead (and on mini-map) to make it user-friendly for players finding them. The graphics resemble Oblivion in that it’s detailed but not so overly, and the characters look realistic enough. You can play as one of four races: Man, Dwarf, Elf or Hobbit (though Dwarf is only playable as male), with seven differing classes to choose from (5 characters are permitted per server). Each have their own stories along which your quest choices differ, as does some part of your location. The ‘Vanguard‘ bit is the crafting side – the professions. Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as that half-finished game, which made crafting so very laborious. Just a bit detailed: you have to be at a specific workbench/forge/oven/field to start the process, and have the right tools equipped.
While I’ve been trying this rather new fancy game obviously, my WoW time has suffered… so I apologise to friends and guilds alike. And if you’re a fan of any other games mentioned above, give this one a try. For your info, most of the quests at the beginner stages (only played one of mine ’til level 12 so far however) are solo-able, even those marked as a ‘fellowship’ q. So even if you don’t know anyone else there, not a hard job at levelling :)
A new Zelda game for the DS is coming out 23rd June for approx. £24. The days when you moved Link via ‘trial and error’ method is almost over, as now the map can be drawn on with places of interest and ways to go around certain areas. So, Link doesn’t have to die too often :)
DK Barrel Jet Race is out 28th June for £29 on Wii. The classic moves of DK is available in the forms of throwing various barrels at your opponents. According to the article, the Wii remote makes it all so much fun.
For £20, and coming out in August is a collaboration between Sega and two other firms: 音声感情測定器ココロスキャン – which roughly translates to ‘Mind Scan’. How? By talking into the DS mic using Sensibility Technology. Know your mood, what you may be feeling etc. What use would it be? Apparently by taking your DS into the conference room, you’ll know if your colleagues are interested in such and such a project or not. More than likely, if people suspect the use of such things, they might become one extreme of another of those ‘moods’ that the software can detect.
Lastly, a DS game currently out for £18 or so, might be nostalgic for some, but aggravating for others. Rubik’s Cube. In all sizes. Puzzle game obviously. For up to 4 players, battle other players in how fast or how much you can solve the puzzles. Fortunately the mini-game option does allow other less stressful puzzles.