Page 74 – Green Man Gaming Blog

Dawn of War III – Multiplayer Tips I Wish I’d Known

Dawn of War III has released and we’ve been playing lots of the multiplayer; ‘too much’ some have said! Well if playing all evening and night on the day of release is too much, then maybe it is! But we don’t regret it, and we’re offering some top tips from our own minds and experiences. Depending on your expertise in various genres, you may find certain parts more difficult than others.

Basic Tips

If you’re playing in a team, combined armies are stronger than armies on their own. Coordinate and attack together to take down the key objectives
If you have units waiting around, use them. Poking the enemy’s requisition points and shield generator may yield some destructive results
Jump pack units create a huge knockback when they land, turning deadly melee warriors (banshees) into vulnerable sacks of meat lying on the ground. Combine with your own melee units for deadly effect
Remember the active abilities on your Elite units. They’re mapped to QWER, so if you’ve played a MOBA then controlling their abilities should be second nature.

Race-Specific Tips

The Ork Waaagh towers are needed to progress through the Orky tiers of tech – they also provide a steady supply of scrap to upgrade units, and play heavy metal so your units fight harder
All eldar infantry, vehicles and heroes are made of paper. Treat them with care.
Upgrade your tactical marines. When you get to tech level 2, your tactical marines will unlock their flamers and plasma guns. These make them great at taking down buildings and light infantry, and the plasma gun increases their damage and range significantly.
Webway gates give Eldar units a movement speed buff in a large area. One of the Eldar’s key strengths is in being able to respond quicker than their foes around the map. Build a network of them and later they will be able to teleport units between structures. Always remember: a slow Eldar is a dead Eldar
Because Eldar buildings can teleport units to each other, it’s even more important for the Eldar to have a forward base or two set up so you can respond to threats.
Eldar have several units that can apply Stasis to their enemies. Can’t defeat those scary Orks? Try freezing them and running away like the coward you are.
The Eldar’s ultimate ability – the fearsome purple dervish that is the Eldritch Storm – lasts for a good ten seconds-plus, and can be steered around the map like a big, slow unit. Make sure you keep it focused on as many enemies as possible for its whole life.

Advanced Tips

If your Mass Recall ability is off cool-down, have a charge at the enemy’s’ flank and see what you can do. Just remember to disengage when you want to recall.
Think carefully if you want to take the Super Unit. It’ll be a great asset late game, but for the majority of the game you will never see it.
If you’ve played any other Relic game such as Company of Heroes, you’ll be familiar with the push and pull nature of the battlefields. Keeping units grouped and out on the field is important to map control. And since map control is needed for gaining resources, this should be top priority.
Fog Of War is scary. We know. But, in there somewhere is someone just like you, scared of you too. Try to get over that feeling, and think about what the fearless AI does constantly: go through your lines and harrasses your Requisition and Power points.
Don’t use your super-ability lightly! The Eldar’s Eldritch Storm, Space Marines’ Orbital Strike and Orks’ Rokk bombardment pack a serious area-of-effect punch, but – SURPRISE SURPRISE – they cost elite points to use. So think carefully whether you want to launch that strike, or save up to summon your next hero to the battlefield.
Remember that your two core buildings – the Power Core and the Turret – both have activated abilities to help defend from attacks. The Turret’s Shock Wave stuns all enemy units around it for a few seconds, while the Power Core can make itself invulnerable for 20 seconds – potentially enough time to wipe out the enemy force on your doorstep. Keeping these in mind can help you stop those pesky sneak attacks before they start!

There you have it. If you have any tips you’d like to share, or any questions about the game, head down to the comment section.

11 Signs You Play Too Much League Of Legends

We’ve compiled a series of signs that you or someone you know plays way too much League of Legends. If you display at least half of these signs, we recommend you spend some more time interacting with nature and your loved ones, rather than Baron Nashor and strangers on the internet.

1) You reprimand people for their ‘awful APM’ whilst writing emails

Bro what is your CS even.

2) You sycophantically gravitate towards literally anyone from South Korea

Nice to meet you dude anyway wanna duo sometime?

3) Everyone who is better than you at anything is a Smurf

I’m just unlucky in drafting.

4) You call anyone wearing gold or silver jewellery a filthy casual.

I’m Silver 3, but really I’m Platinum 5 if I played more.

5) You get incredibly flustered and indignant when you see things made of bronze

No bust of Aristotle, you uninstall!

6) You check bushes regularly for big, blade-wielding cats

FFS our jungler does nothing

7) You’ve written more lore and fanfiction than Riot

…Lee Sin sighed, “I only ever wanted to land my Q…on your heart.”

8) You have opened several petitions to get a ‘pool party’ skin for your waifu

Pls Rito do you even listen to your community.

9) You miss the bus, so you go AFK from work

GG Arriva.

10) Your children could tell you anything, apart from that they’re in Bronze 5.

You get back upstairs and finish your promos!

11) You go out with your friends and complain about the team comp.

No supp, surrender at 20.

Broken Age – A Nostalgic Point And Click Adventure

Broken Age is the beautiful tale of time and young minds encapsulated in a sinister, mature world that has been dressed in deceit. Released in two parts, Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine Productions began their venture on the point and click adventure game in 2012 and aimed to raise 400k worth of funds on the popular crowd-funding platform, Kickstarter. After just 8 hours the target was met and Double Fine went on to make over £3million.

There was a demand for Broken Age, because the generation that experienced Tim Schafer’s point and click games, including Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango were hungry for more. Although the Kickstarter campaign caused controversy surrounding the use of the funds raised and the fact that supporters were not given a full game on the estimated release date, but instead Broken Age was released in two parts, it didn’t stop the game producing the same nostalgic magic that we hoped it would.

Tim Schafer’s opening statement on the Kickstarter page describes point and clicks as a lost art and it does chew me up that expectations for this genre were prevalent throughout the production and it’s a bitter sweet moment, that it was all we hoped for, if just late. We couldn’t falter Tim Schafer on the transparency in the creation of Broken Age as he had the process documented start to finish, from the rough sketches of the two main characters sitting back to back, to the office celebrating the successful Kickstarter campaign.

Being an avid lover of point and click adventure games and following the process of the game vehemently through production, the nature of the game surprised me and I’m positive that Schafer has always been sure that his audience was waiting for a game as expectedly childish, washed in the murky veil of being an adult. Here’s what I loved about Broken Age…

Characters

You play as two characters Vella and Shay. Vella is a young woman living a place called the Badlands, which has been infested by Mogs, giant beasts that eat young girls at a sacrifice called the Maiden’s Feast. The other character Shay, is a young boy who is living alone in a spaceship, operated by a mother computer, his surroundings are false and intensely childish for a teenage boy. The way the characters react to the environment is wonderfully entertaining, yet their perverse interactions make controlling them at times jarring.

Setting

The art design is undeniably beautiful, reflecting their young spirited personalities through Vella’s pastel shaded scenes in the sky and Shay’s carefree exploit of roaming free on a spaceship.

Story

The story is surprisingly sinister and the underlying plot, character intentions and villains you meet along the way, contrast with the lush, bright art design that glazes over the entire gameplay.

Point and click

The objects and puzzles are inventive and at the core of what this adventure game was set out to be. The interactions and dialogue are mesmerising and chaotic, with satisfying cut scenes.

Broken Age had me at points feeling frustrated over the difficult puzzles, taken a back by the beautiful scenery and heart-broken over the complex undertones of the story and emotions of the characters. If you love adventures, story and puzzles, Broken Age will also offer so much more than that.

What is your favourite point and click game? Let us know in the comment section below. Broken age is also on sale over at Green man gaming.

Dragon Quest Heroes II – Favourite RPGs!

Dragon Quest Heroes II is out TODAY and it’s a hack ‘n’ slash game with RPG elements thrown into the mix.

I’m a big RPG fan, in that I’m a big human who is a fan of RPGs, and I also like RPGs a lot. So, inspired by Dragon Quest Heroes II, here’s my favourite RPGs for your visual digestion!

Fallout 2

Fallout 2‘s tone is definitely lighter than the original’s, but it’s partially that which makes me love it. That and the game is just…more. More in every sense, you get almost no time limit this time around, you get proper companions with control over them (that said, Vic will still shoot you in the back a million times), and you get such a bigger world to play in. Basically the game would be one of my favourites anyway, and then you get to New Reno. New Reno is everything, it’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy with gambling, prostitution, mob families, drug dealers, and a boxing ring. Want to join a mob family and rise to the top, much like scum in a pond? You can! Want to become a porn star? Make sure your endurance and agility stats are high enough first! Want to punch out The Masticator? You can, but if he bites off your ear you’d better reload (the game even tells you this)!

Fallout 2 is definitely lighter in tone than the other games, but it makes up for that by cramming the world with life, with fun, and with a million things to do.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Imagine a fantasy world where you can do almost anything. Now imagine that world is filled with elves with red eyes who hate you even though you might be their promised messiah, giant mushrooms, giant insects, and a god hiding in a volcano. Welcome to Morrowind! Still held up as the paragon of the Elder Scrolls series, Morrowind isn’t perfect by a long stretch, the combat is wonky, character models aren’t the prettiest, and even though everyone has lots to say, they tend to say the same things. That said, its sense of place is unparalleled. You really get to know Vvardenfell, you learn every inch of its beautiful terrain and its cities. To me, in a big way, Vvardenfell will always feel like home. I’ve spent many happy hours just wandering the streets of Ald’ruhn, popping into the Scar for a browse and to check in with my Redoran brethren.

If you want a home away from home, I’d recommend sunny Vvardenfell. Stay a while, outlander!

Planescape: Torment

Taking place largely on a toroidal city on top of an infinite spire, Planescape: Torment is just as weird as you might think from that brief description. The idea behind the Planescape universe is that there’s a multiverse, and you can easily, and accidentally, hop into different dimensions or planes. This means that the world is a glorious melange of different species, different ideas, different universes. As the Nameless One, an amnesiac who can’t die, you’re on a mission to find out who you are and why you’re immortal. On your way you’ll encounter amazing creatures who join you, from floating snark-skull Morte, to a robot box voiced by Dan Castellaneta from the Simpsons. You’ll find signs of previous versions of yourself and your impact on the world, and slowly you’ll put together the mystery of the Nameless One.

It’s just had a remastered version released, so if you can, check that out!

Rings of Power

Before Naughty Dog made cinematic masterpieces for the PlayStation, before the days of jumping on things, before all that, there was Rings of Power. A little known RPG for the Megadrive, it was an open world isometric party-based RPG and it’s a thing of beauty. Just look at that world map, LOOK AT IT! You can walk on every inch of that world, and zoom into each square for a closer look. Playing as Buc, a young sorcerer, you’re tasked with reuniting the eponymous rings of power to reform the Rod of Creation and banish the evil Void from taking over the world. You assemble a small team from each of six magical specialisations, and then off you go into this wide open world to accomplish this task in whatever order you like. If there’s a flaw with Rings of Power, it’s that the random encounters can be a little too random, meaning you can encounter a party made up of the toughest enemies in the game within a few seconds of starting the game, forcing a reload. That said, its breadth and scope is amazing, and it’s one of the few truly expansive RPGs to put in an appearance on the Megadrive.

It’s hard to check out today, but if you’re near a retro games shop, I’d definitely recommend picking it up.

Torment: Tides of Numenera

Made by the people who created Planescape: Torment, Torment: Tides of Numenera is the most recent game on this list. Successfully funded by Kickstarter, it takes place far in the future on Earth, in the tabletop Numenera setting. The world of Torment: Tides of Numenera is so far in the future that technology has become like magic, but civilisation exists on the bones and crumbs of previous civilisations. This means that there’s loads of items in the game which have uses, but you’re never sure if you’re using them for the intended purpose. Something may act like a grenade, but maybe it was designed as a hair straightener in a prior era.

The real joy of this game, much like Planescape: Torment, is the writing. It’s absolutely fantastic, every conversation has at least one moment where you need to take a moment to look at what’s been said and digest it properly.

Dragon Age: Origins

The best start to a series, ever. Dragon Age: Origins is all about the…origins, unsurprisingly. It lets you choose between different races and each one has a truly fascinating backstory and intro into the world. The city elf couldn’t be more different to the human intro, and each one gives you a solid foundation on which to start your own roleplaying, and also sets you up with an idea of how the world works. From there the game just gets better, throwing you full on into the intrigue and machinations of the world of Thedas and the Ferelden court. Taking on the role of a Gray Warden, you’re tasked with stopping the Blight from taking over the world, but to do that you’ve got lots of battles to fight. Not just against evil, but against your political enemies, against racism, and against bigotry. For example, if you’re an Elven Mage, expect to see the world turned against you!

Dragon Age: Origins is a superlative RPG, and a great start to a wonderful series (I’d maybe include Dragon Age: Inquisition here, but I’m only half way through it!).

Wasteland 2

Another game by InXile! Wasteland 2 was also funded by Kickstarter, and it’s a sequel to a game that came out in 1988! It feels very similar in some ways to the older Fallouts, but it’s mostly much more serious. Set in post-apocalyptic Arizona, you’re part of the Desert Rangers and you’re trying to bring stability to the region. Obviously there’s a lot that goes wrong, but the game really lets you explore your impact on the region and the ways you can influence people’s lives. An early quest makes you decide between two settlements in peril, and whichever you save, the other will be destroyed. It’s a tough call, and it has huge ramifications.

The part of the game which stunned me though was the point where I’d finished it, and the game was winding up. In fact the game was just at the halfway mark and a whole new world map opened up for me. Amazing!

So, those are my favourite RPGs, hopefully I’ll be adding Dragon Quest Heroes II to the list as well! What are yours? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below!

Dawn Of War 3 Beta Impressions

Some of us here at Green Man Gaming are huge Warhammer fans, and as such we have played lots (and lots) of the Dawn of War III beta over the weekend. I’ve asked Milo and Alex E what their impressions were, and what they thought of the Beta.

So, guys, what was your overall impression of the Dawn of War III beta?

Milo: It’s fun. It feels like it was designed for hardcore RTS players in some ways and for non-RTSers at the same time, which can make it feel a bit confused. It will surely need lots of work for balancing.

Alex E: From someone who’s played both Dawn of Wars but not played MOBAs, I was concerned I would be thrown by the MOBA/RTS mechanic mix here, but I actually like the progression of target objectives (shield gen->tower->power core). It adds another layer of strategic choice: do you engage & counter enemy units for board control, do you reinforce your resource point territory for the supply advantage – or do you try to distract the enemy while wearing down and knocking out their shield gens as early as you can?

Milo: Yeah the MOBA stuff actually works really well. The shield gen/tower/nexus setup is good for the pacing for the game and inhibits cheese or rushing tactics. The pre-selection of heroes and passive/active doctrines means you can set up to play your own way, though it could railroad you into playing one way and then the game may dictate a change in tactics. Lots of units have active abilities that are mapped to QWER. To be honest, that’s about as far as the MOBA stuff goes. It’s a scary word and all the nerdrage is a bit misplaced.

Sounds likes an interesting mix. What was your favourite unit that you got to use?

Milo: Epic hero units are the coolest. Watching my Eldar Wraithlord hack down an Imperial Knight while the skirmish happened below them was REALLY VERY COOL.

Alex E: Elite units are very cool, and the more you learn their quirks, strongest abilities and respective kryptonites, I’m sure the more effective they’ll feel. However, to the new player, they feel squishier than I expected. MOBA noobs who find themselves dying instantly to heroes who appear to take no damage at all will find elite combat in DoW familiar. That said, their abilities tend to be fun, satisfying and beautifully animated, and when you clinch a fight with a well-timed elite deployment, it’s extremely satisfying. I’m really looking forward to them releasing loads more elite units to unlock and deploy, to customise your army to whatever bit of 40k lore is your favourite.

Speaking of 40K lore, what do you think of the different races? Do they feel unique?

Milo: The Space Marines are Strong, versatile, easy to play. Build army, point at enemy, win.

The Eldar are complex and challenging. Very mobile and very squishy. Mostly everything you’d expect them to be – potentially really strong but some real practice required as their effectiveness will come down to their positioning, smart attacks, harassment and mobility around the battlefield.

The Orks are great fun, some really cool mechanics that are unique to them – particularly cool is the ability to build units mid-battle from destroyed buildings/vehicles on the battlefield. Waaaagh mechanics are in. Again, probably more micromanagement needed to get to their potential.

Alex E: The sound is bloody excellent; some of the units’ repeated phrases can get a little grating (as ever) but overall the sound atmosphere is awesome. Activating a Waaagh tower’s heavy metal serenade to get your Boyz all fighty just feels energetic and spot-on orky.’

And the mechanics, does it feel like Dawn of War 1 like people say?

Milo: Yep, back to the epic all-out war of Dawn of War 1. The mechanics are similar with Requisition and Power points to capture and hold, as well as “elite points” which generate a resource to deploy your selected elite units. Also, base-building is back but it’s really a base-building lite. There’s only a handful of buildings and no meaningful tech-tree decisions to make.

Alex E: The game has a lot of similarities to Company of Heroes 2 and other Relic RTSs, but one feature that’s pointedly different is unit withdrawal: in CoH, you can hit R on any unit or group of units, and it will automatically sprint back to base for healing. This quickly becomes really important. In DoW3, you can only do this for all your units at once, which makes it much more difficult to control several combat groups in different areas of the map, and encourages you to blob your units into a single force most of the time. Again, less of a problem if you’re in 3v3 and laning.

Finally, how do we find the game’s balancing and pacing? Are the battles epic enough?

Milo: Battles in the mid-late game become huge, while the early game skirmishes remain very interesting. It makes for some interesting pacing as the early game is very tactical, losing an early unit or resource point could really hurt you, while in the late game the battles can be almost overwhelming to manage, though with more experience playing the game this would surely become a little easier to micro.

Alex E: I think the balance of the gameplay is very much geared towards the game’s main 3v3 multiplayer mode; playing 3v3 with strangers can get chaotic quite quickly, but teaming up with two mates (who you have on comms) would let each player keep their focus on a smaller area of the map, freeing up more brainspace for tactics, unit micro and using units’ various cool abilities (whose teeny little buttons often get forgotten in the apocalyptic firefights that fill every late- and endgame).

Thanks guys. See you on Thursday for release!

There you have it; did you play on the Beta? What did you think? Let us know in the comments, and tell us which race you’ll be playing first when the game comes out!

What on Earth is…Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness?

If you haven’t watched Psycho-Pass yet, even if you’re not an anime fan, you should fix that right now. I’ll wait.

Right now you’re up to speed, WASN’T THAT AMAZING?

For those who refuse to be enlightened by the light of Psycho-Pass, it’s an anime that’s set in a sort-of-dystopian future where your life, and career, is mapped out for you by taking a test when you’re young. Powerful computers monitor everyone and determine the likelihood of the populace committing crimes using a scan of the brain, this is known as the titular Psycho-Pass. The series follows Akane Tsunemori, a new police inspector as she integrates into Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division. She works alongside Enforcers, people who have a high Crime Coefficient, making them ‘latent criminals’, meaning they’re perfect to take on other criminals using special guns which only activate when pointed at people with similarly high Crime Coefficients.

Of course it doesn’t work perfectly and that’s where the intrigue and drama of the series kicks in. Basically, watch it. WATCH IT.

Anyway now you know what the series is, what about Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness? Well here’s a trailer!

This visual novel doesn’t follow the anime and introduces some new characters as well, meaning if you’re up to date with the anime then this will be all new to you! It does feature returning and familiar faces too, as well as all the twisty, mind bending, philosophical stuff that Psycho-Pass fans know and love.

Why are we writing about it now? Well it’s been out on console for a while now, but it’s now come to PC! So if you love anime, dystopian fiction, scifi, visual novels, or just want a cracking good story set in a fascinating world, then check out Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness!

Just watch your Crime Coefficient, you don’t want the Enforcers coming for you!

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 – Best Open World Shooters

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is coming out on the 25th of April! It promises a wide open world for you to approach objectives in the manner you choose, as a ghost, stealthing your way in everywhere, as a sniper, taking your battle long distance, or as a warrior, getting up close and personal!

It got me thinking though, what are my favourite open world shooters? So…list…time….GO!

Far Cry 3

Jason Brodie is a douchebag who experiences some weird stuff on an island, and also has bit of…family misfortune go down while on holiday there. Far Cry 3 has some of the best outposts in video games, and a beautiful world to support your roaring rampage mission of revenge over the entire island. It allows you to scope out your targets, plan your attack, and gives you enough tools to deal with a situation when it inevitably goes wrong. Combine that with a storyline that I just *love* (I’m probably the only person who can say that) and Far Cry 3 rates as one of my favourite open world shooters.

Crysis

OK, look, just ignore the bit where aliens turn up, and focus on the first half. You’re a soldier in a super-suit, smashing Koreans up with your super powers (and guns), and tossing chickens about like there’s no tomorrow. It was really one of the first games that let you approach things your own way, because you could stealth your way into situations but also you could jump into the middle of a battalion, smash everything up, then leap out again. The first part of Crysis is a brilliant game, it’s just a shame that the tonal shift wasn’t for me!

Borderlands 2

If you like enemies that explode like a pinata made of guns, then you’ll love Borderlands 2. One of the best co-op experiences to be had, Borderlands 2 lets you loose in a bigger world than the first one, and lets you do it with more vehicles, more enemies, more guns, more…more! Also you don’t have fall damage, something ESSENTIAL for hilarity in open worlds with your mates. Everything from the art style to the writing makes it clear you are here for FUN.

Also Tiny Tina is the best character in video games thanks for reading.

Fallout 4

Despite Fallout 3 being first person and open world, it wasn’t that much of a shooter, as the combat mechanics were still largely decided by your weapon skills. Fallout 4 is still obviously an rpg, but it can be played much more shooter-ish than previous instalments. Fallout 4 gives you true freedom, you can shoot anyone in the game, or nearly anyone. Don’t like how someone’s talking to you? Blam. Don’t like their hat? Blam. Want their clothes? Blam. Bored? BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM.

Rage

Forget megatextures, even though they’re pretty they didn’t make the impact on the gaming scheme that Id and Carmack thought they would. The joy in Rage comes from the quality of the guns and that the shooting is just top notch, each gun being a masterclass in BANG. The open world helps too, providing a beautiful backdrop to your post-apocalyptic adventures. It feels like a more serious Borderlands at times, but that’s no bad thing!

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Right, first thing first. I’m not typing that out again, so I’m just going to call it STALKER.

STALKER is all about the systems and the atmosphere. The game is set in post-Chernobyl Ukraine, in the area around the reactor where things have been going…strange…for a while. While later games in the series fix some of the issues that the first might have, nothing beats the original for just pure atmosphere. The systems too are something to marvel at, I remember my first time playing this game, getting out my binoculars and just watching two sets of opposing factions fight it out on a distant hill. It really sells that you’re not the centre of the universe, that it exists without you.

Red Faction: Guerilla

It’s a shooter and the shooting has some good guns, good variety of guns, and nice explosions. But what really sets Red Faction: Guerilla apart is that you can blow up each and every building on the map. And you do. For profit, and fun. It did something that no game had done previously and no game has really attempted since, and that’s make everything completely destructible. You can take your hammer to buildings, or lay demolition charges, or even use alien weaponry that dissolves things. Any of it works, and it’s all MAXIMUM DESTRUCTION.

The Signal from Tölva

The newest game on this list, this game transports you to the mysterious planet of Tölva where you’re on the hunt for the eponymous signal. You’re in a robot body, and this game takes some of its systems from STALKER, with you taking control of a faction and helping them take over the map in a systems-led faction war. It also has something of the Proteus about it, especially when the sun is rising, your robot feet are planted deep in the fecund earth, alien birds take wing above you, and the soundtrack oozes up around you. It’s a peaceful world, Tölva is, but also a world you can SHOOT AT with LASER GUNS.

Oblivion

‘Fallout with bows’, Oblivion sets you loose across the Imperial Province of Cyrodil and lets you set your own path through the entire world. Whilst some people might gravitate towards swords or magic, they’re an unrefined lot, and really it’s the bow that is the choice of the refined gamer. Sight your enemies from miles away, aim, and let the arrows fly. It’s maybe not a ‘shooter’, but you can try to play it like one. And your enemies won’t know what hit them!

(Hint, it’s an arrow).

So those are some of my favourite open world shooters, maybe Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 will be joining that list when it’s released! Remember, you can get it here at a great price, and if you have any favourite open world shooters we’ve missed, let us know on social media or in the comments below!

Everything You Need To Know About Dragon Quest Heroes II

Dragon Quest Heroes II is coming out next week so we thought it would be a great idea to round up all the information we can on the internet about the game. So here is everything you need to know about Dragon Quest Heroes II.

STORY

After scouring the far corners of the internet we can confirm that not much has been released about the game’s story. We can confirm however that the Seven Realms have been threatened by an unknown and mysterious force. It is up to players to jump into the shoes of Lazarel or Teresa to team up with characters from the Dragon Quest series in order to stop this force from devouring the land.

THE ENVIRONMENTS

Dragon Quest Heroes II is full of expansive and diverse environments that are all interconnected. With a variety of microclimates such as icy tundras and lush forests, there is a whole land for players to explore without limits. Monsters and enemies will also roam freely across the land so players should be cautious whilst out and about, this in turn makes the world come alive making for a great place to explore and make your own stories.

COMBAT

Dragon Quest Heroes II features 2 main protagonists, Lazarel and Teresa. These characters are also joined by 14 other Dragon Quest characters. Fans of the series may recognise most of these character from previous games in the Dragon Quest franchise. The players main party will consist of four characters, players are able to control any one of these characters whilst in battle and can swap between them on the fly.

What’s more Lazarel and Teresa are able to change vocations. This means you are able to fight as a warrior, Priest, Thief, Martial Artist, Mage, Gladiator or Sage the choice is completely up to the player. In Dragon Quest Heroes II players are able to fully customise their play style as there is a huge amount of gear and spell combinations to use, meaning players are able to tailor their party to their play style.

ONLINE

Up to four players can partner up online and embark on the epic Dragon Quest Heroes II saga!

Whilst online players will be able to find Dimensional Dungeons, these are unique online co-op exclusive dungeons which a filled with high-level enemies and rare items. So if you are looking to quest with your friends during or after the main story quest then there is plenty here for you to do.

If this has whetted your appetite for Dragon Quest Heroes II you can grab the game from the Green Man Gaming store!

Valve Announces DOTA 2 Matchmaking Changes

Valve have announced that they will be making some changes to DOTA 2’s MMR, for those of you who aren’t up to scratch with MOBA terminology, or just think acronym MMR is a vaccine then here is a quick crash course on what MMR is.

MMR or Matchmaking Rating is a value that is set in MOBAs that determines the skill level of each player. This value is particularly used in Matchmaking and winning matches will increase players MMR. Basically it’s a good way of matching players who are relatively on the same skill level meaning that you should get an even match up every time you jump into matchmaking online.

So what’s changing? The biggest change announced is that players will now have to register a unique phone number in order to jump into ranked matches. This change has been added by Valve in order to reduce the number of players who have been using multiple accounts in ranked matches. Valve stated that multiple accounts have “a negative matchmaking experience at all skill brackets.”. Ideally, this change will make a noticeable difference in players making multiple accounts in order to climb the ranks and achieve DOTA 2 world domination, as well as making players focus more on their primary DOTA 2 accounts. The aim of this will be to try an eliminate ‘smurf’ accounts, new accounts created by experienced DOTA 2 players who bring that experience against new players, often destroying their opposition.

This is a mandatory change that will take effect on the 4th of May, so if you are not best pleased with the change we suggest cramming in as many ranked matches now before the change takes effect.

The inclusion of registering a new phone number for matchmaking is not a new idea for Valve. They implemented the same change to CS:GO’s Prime matchmaking, which has had a positive effect so far, as matchmaking’s quality in CS GO is at an all time high. It’s worth noting however that CS:GO still offers regular ranked play without phone registration. A option that will simply not be available in DOTA 2 after the 4th of May 2017.

It is also worth noting that players are able to remove a phone number from their DOTA 2 account, doing so however will render that phone number completely inactive for 3 months meaning you will not be able to use it on any other DOTA 2 account for that period. Valve stated that this is to prevent users from removing their phone number and then immediately adding it to another account. On top of this Valve have also confirmed that they will not be allowing phone numbers from online services to be registered, meaning numbers from services such as Google Voice will more than likely not be valid.

You can check out the blog post from Valve here. It is not all doom and gloom however as there have been other changes added, such as ranked solo queue, party changes and new and improved handling of undesirable behaviors in matchmaking.

Dawn Of War III – 5 signs You’re An Eldar Player

It’s the last day of the Dawn of War III beta, and we’ve been trying to help you pick your race before the game comes out proper next week. We’ve given you 5 signs you may be a Space Marine player, as well as another 5 to see if you’re an ork player, but now its time to see if you are haughty and superior! That’s right, an Eldar!

You’re kind of crafty

And you know that all these are other races are just an inconvenience

You’re not really out for war but you shouldn’t be irritated

You feel like you can really connect with this giant fiery deamon, who is just as misunderstood as you

And frankly your squad just has more style than the other races of the universe

So that wraps up all of the Dawn of War III races. If you still don’t think you’re any of them, then I struggle to believe it due to the brilliance of our articles, but on the off-chance, we’ll be waiting with you patiently for any future races coming in the future. All you minor 40K races fans unite! Tau fans, there’s the door.

The Inspiration Behind For Honor

Dawn Of War III – 5 signs You’re An Ork Player

We’ve been helping you decide which Dawn of War III race you should play, because the open beta is currently running this weekend! Yesterday, we gave you the 5 signs that you could be a Space Marine player, today we see if perhaps you’re a little more green and WAAAGH-y.

You truly believe that any problem can be solved with enough Dakka

You thrive in a society of constant infighting

You’re so much better in melee. Like, loads better

If you could, you’d totally be a pirate right now

As long as you’re fighting, you’re having a great time

So, are you feeling any more rowdy and green-skined? If so, fantastic. If not, then you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see if the final race, the Eldar, are for you.

Dragon Quest Heroes II – Hack ‘n’ Slash Legacy!

Dragon Quest Heroes II is coming out soon! It’s a hack ‘n’ slash RPG that takes you on a journey to a war torn world, where you might see a familiar face or two if you’ve played Dragon Quest games before!

So to whet your appetites for some Dragon Quest Heroes II action, here’s some of our favourite hack ‘n’ slash games, check ’em out and it might put you in the mood for some Dragon Quest Heroes II!

Devil May Cry

Everyone loves Dante, at least that’s what you’d think given how angry a lot of people were over the rebooted Dante in DMC. Dante is a white haired chappy who enjoys slapping demons around with swords and looking stylish as heck when doing so. The Devil May Cry series really helped solidify the hack ‘n’ slash genre into what it is today, with the easy to pick up/hard to master combat that you see becoming a staple of action hack ‘n’ slash games.

DMC: Devil May Cry

DMC is awesome despite everyone being very frowny around it. It’s a reboot of the Devil May Cry universe and it features a much more asshole-y Dante without his trademark blond locks, but the combat is tighter than ever. Many fans were quite upset at this new direction, and as a result completely overlooked the game’s precision combat system that lets you chain together angelic and demonic moves into an armageddon of combat.

Diablo III

Now onto an RPG! Diablo III is the ur-hack ‘n’ slash RPG, it’s a big loot box of shining gold, raining treasure with every smackdown you lay on the millions of monsters you’ll chew through as you adventure across the world. Criticised on launch for being simpler than its predecessors, it really came into its own with the expansion pack Reaper of Souls, and now stands at the heart of the new wave of hack ‘n’ slash RPGs which appeared in the early 2010s.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

What’s an mmo that’s not an mmo? Kingdoms of Amalur! Despite being filled with the trappings of mmo-dom, Kingdoms of Amalur is definitely a hack ‘n’ slash RPG, with a dynamic third person combat system that lets you build movesets from a variety of skill trees and classes. Kingdoms of Amalur is a hefty beast of a game with a truly huge open world structure, but the core of it is the hack ‘n’ slash combat system which never fails to feel absolutely fantastic.

Nier: Automata

The newest entry on this list! It’s not 100% a hack ‘n’ slash game, but due to its many fighting styles it definitely falls under the umbrella of hack ‘n’ slashery! Take your robot avatar on a lovely tour of Earth, and murder a whole heck load of robots while you do so. It’s got absolute rave reviews, and apparently has a plotline that makes you think and multiple endings depending on how many times you’ve completed the game. Nier: Automata is definitely a worthy entry to the pantheon of hack ‘n’ slash games!

Dynasty Warriors

From the same developers of Dragon Quest Heroes II, the Dynasty Warriors series sees you locate yourself into Chinese history, armed with many weapons and multiple characters, you plough your way through army after army. Despite being considered as a bit throwaway in some circles, the Dynasty Warrior series always has excellent and powerful fights, with the early games having combat that is somewhat reminiscent of the Soul Caliber series. They’re always good for a jump in, and if you want to destroy an army with your own two hands then the Dynasty Warrior series is always good for that.

So there’s some of our highlights! We bet we’ve missed LOADS, so let us know on social media or in the comments below!

Also remember that you can pre-purchase Dragon Quest Heroes II now!

Dawn Of War III – 5 Signs You’re A Space Marine Player

Dawn of War III open beta begins today! If you’ve got a key then we hope you have a lot of fun testing out the game. If you don’t know which race to play however, then we’ve got a handy list of signs to see which one fits you.

We start with the space marines!

You speak Latin and in a deep, booming British accent

You like your garden tools to be mechanised and one-handed

When you go to buy milk, you take the drop pod

You like your xenos medium to well-done

You can beat up everyone in the room, all at once

If you can’t relate to any of these things, then don’t worry, Space Marines are clearly not for you. But worry not! Coming over the weekend are more signs for the other two races, so check back tomorrow for the next one.

The Best Snipers, Ghosts and Warriors In Video Games

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is right around the corner! In celebration of the 3rd instalment of the game we thought it would be a great idea to come up with the definitive list of the best Snipers, Ghosts and Warriors in video games. Without further-a-do, here is our list!

Snipers

Here is our top 4 Snipers in games. The highly accurate marks people know their way around a gun or two. Be warned, once you are caught in their sights there is no where to run!

Karl Fairburne – Sniper Elite Series

You may remember Karl from famous sniper rifle related video games such as Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite 2 and Sniper Elite 3! He is an expert when it comes to the scoped, long range ballistic weapon. He has single handedly stopped the V-2 missile from destroying London and killed Hitler! Oh, and he is a really good with a Sniper Rifle.

Sniper Wolf – Metal Gear Solid

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the first Metal Gear Solid game, Sniper Wolf is a highly superior marks woman whose Sniper skill is second to none. Solid Snake has quite the task on his hands by taking her out not once, but twice! Possibly one of the best boss battles in the first MGS is against Sniper Wolf in my opinion.

Note: We would have included ‘The End’ form MGS 3 Snake Eater, but it took us way too long to write this article and he subsequently died of old age…

Mordecai – Borderlands

Mordecai is an expert marksman, to the point he won a marksman competition single handedly with a hand gun whilst the other competitors were using sniper rifles. He also has his pet bird/bat/vulture Blood Wing, who is damn handy when Mordecai is caught in a pinch.

Jonathan North – Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

The hero from Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, Jonathan North is an expert Sniper whose amazing accuracy and skill are pretty much unmatched. He is an ex US marine who skills include, snipers marksmanship, stealth and expert combat skill on the field.

Ghosts

The easiest thing to do here is to list our favourite Ghosts, such as that dude from Murdered Soul Suspect or Slimer (if you haven’t played Ghostbusters the Video Game then stop what you are doing now and GO PLAY IT!). However, we need to be in keeping with the Sniper Ghost Warrior theme, meaning we will be referencing characters who are exceptionally good at stealth. Check the list out below.

Big Boss – Metal Gear Solid

The highly renowned special forces operative known as Big Boss, is a mercenary commander and the founder of FOXHOUND, a U.S. Army Special Forces Unit. He is highly proficient in stealth and close quarters combat. He was so good in the field that he was cloned!

Agent 47 – Hitman

Agent 47 is your number one assassin should you need a job done quickly and cleanly. He has an unparalleled level of skill when it comes to assassination and stealth, so much so that when he defected from the agency he worked for, his ex-bosses took no time to try finish him once and for all. He also has an extensive collection of outfits which are perfect for any occasion.

Garrett – Thief

Garrett is a master thief who has the tools for any situation! Garrett was trained by the Keepers who observe and maintain stability in The City. Once trained however Garrett left to continue being a thief. Fun fact: The Woodsie Lord plucked out one of his eyes. he now has a mechanical prosthetic which was created by the Hammerites.

Jonathan North – Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

A man of many talents, Jonathan North has a high level of Stealth skill. As an ex-US marine he has the expert training needed to covertly take out his enemies silently and cleanly. He also has great skill with a Sniper Rifle which does come in handy every now and again.

Warriors

These characters are your battle hardened elite. They get things done with brute force and skill, who needs stealth and sniping when you can simply just destroy your opponent on the battlefield? Here are our best warriors!

Garrosh Hellscream – Hearthstone

Hellscream has been dubbed as Heathstone’s Master Of War! He is a former Warchief of the horde and will stop at nothing to defeat his enemies on the battle ground, usually using a combination of a blood curdling battle cry and brute strength. His Hearthstone has is so fearsome it has even made the most battle hardened gamers weep.

Gabriel Angelos – Dawn Of War

Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens, Gabriel is a battle hardened Space Marine who has seen his fair share of war. Wielding his legendary Daemonhammer the God-Splitter, this Blood Raven leader will stop at nothing to destroy his enemies and become victorious!

Berserker – For Honor

One of the most deadliest vikings to grace the battlefield of For Honor, the Berserker has an in for face fighting style that is unavoidable and dominating in battle! The Berserker loves fighting so much he doesn’t even need a shield and will run straight into battle with nothing but hand axe’s and adrenaline.

Jonathan North – Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Jonathan North’s skill on the battlefield is just on another level. Being an ex-US marine comes with many skills, such as stealth, sniping and expert battle ground tactics. Many of his enemies cower at the very mention of his name and his next mission is to single handedly restore peace to the country of Georgia.

So there you have it, our best Snipers, Ghosts and Warriors in video games! Is there anyone we have missed? Let us know in the comment section below.

Dawn of War III: Tips From A Tabletop Player

Dawn of War III, as mentioned in my previous blog, has adapted more rules from the tabletop version of the game than ever before. Obviously it remains vastly different; faster, more explosions, and less running around a table with a 18 inch plastic ruler. But strategy is strategy, and in the 41st millennium there are some things a tabletop general can teach a keyboard warrior.

Be one with your units

Not to sound too much like a cheesy kung-fu movie, but you must be one with your army units. You must know their stats, their weaponry and their abilities. Dawn of War III is a game that expects you to use your units’ special abilities and upgrades to increase their effectiveness. It becomes key to know exactly when and why to upgrade your tactical marine squad with a plasma gun or a flamer. Also, do you know the optimal time to call down your Elite and Super units? Do you know that the Morkanaut excels at range but not at melee? These things you must know to succeed.

Know your enemy

Understanding your own units is half the battle, you must also know your enemy. This will allow you to see holes in your enemy’s army, and be able to exploit their weaknesses. On the tabletop you will usually only get one chance to charge at the enemy’s’ gun lines, and if you didn’t realise they were ‘rapid fire’ weapons (they can fire twice if its under half the range), you are going to have a bad time. Although you can always build more units in Dawn of War III, better to get it right the first time and perfectly counter your opponent.

Have the best looking army

One thing Dawn of War has always brought to the (virtual) table, is the army painter feature. Nothing makes you more proud of your army then having turned them from grey bits of plastic to a mighty, colour-coordinated fighting force. You can have a feel of this satisfaction in Dawn of War, by choosing the paint scheme of your army. Quite a few presets are already in the game for each of the races’ different chapters, clans and craftworlds, so you can play your favourite if you have one. But if destroying your enemy with a pink and gold ork army would make you happy (and why wouldn’t it), then the option is there.

Have a game strategy

You want to know roughly what your plan is, so that all your decisions can be based off of that. Reacting to what your opponent is doing is good, but it shouldn’t be your overall strategy. Practice the same builds that you like, and stick to them. Use the units that you like and find effective. Change in small amounts if you’re not doing as well, but stick to the grand plan. It may be worth having a notebook on things you’ve noticed about facing different enemies, or weaknesses in your own strategy. For example if you’re going for an early rush, you should come up with a way to get to the mid-game without losing momentum if your rush fails. Or just don’t rush. Noob.

Understand tactics

If strategy is your overall plan, then tactics is your mini plans to beat your opponent in all the little engagements you’ll have. You’ll probably pick up some good tactics as you find out what’s effective. Using assault marines to jump into eldar troops and secure points on the map, or using Gabriel Angelos to hammer the hell out of that ork meganobz squad. This is where knowing yours and the enemy’s army comes in. If you know “my guys are stronger than your guys”, then you know to engage, or if not, retreat to fight another day.

Be lucky

When you play Warhammer tabletop, you will roll hundreds of dice. Thousands, if you’re ork. This means that luck is a part of winning, so just be lucky, and you’ll do just fine. Practice rolling sixes, and psyching your opponent into rolling many ones, and there will be no army you can’t defeat. Dawn of War III features mechanics that are ruled by luck, such as the ‘gets hot’ rule of the plasma guns, where they’ll stop firing every now and again. But that only happens when you roll a one, which you should be practicing to not do ever.

2v2 and 3v3 are crazy

There’s finely balanced multiplayer experiences, and then there’s 3v3. The more armies on the battlefield at one time, the more unbalanced the game will become. This is not necessarily a bad thing; there’s a time and place for just having fun, win or lose. Be prepared though for 3-army rushes, regular 2-on-1 situations, and players who will just rush up the tech tree to muster an army of the best units in secret. Still, it doesn’t mean that you and your friends can’t come up with some hair-brained scheme of your own! Learn the ways each army can benefit each other and cover each other’s weaknesses, and you’ll do better than half the other teams out there.

That’s our tips for you, did you find them useful? Do you have any RTS or 40K words of wisdom for players about to embark on their first multiplayer experience?

11 Ways To Survive Prey 2017

Prey 2017 is not far off and we’ve been lucky enough to have hands on time with the game before launch and we’ve put together a few handy tips to help you on your Prey way.

Hiding is okay…

…because Prey is pretty hard

Yet satisfying and rewarding

And as always, water doesn’t mean health

Don’t move too many objects, you might need them to get through tight spaces

Mimics are cowardly critters

Phantoms are not.

The bathroom is usually a no go zone

Hmm…Point made

Not all weapons will kill

But most will

So have fun and remember to keep calm, preserve ammo and save the human race from alien destruction, no pressure.

Prey 2017 is out on the 5th May 2017, on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The History Of The Elder Scrolls Series

The Elder Scrolls is a series that has become synonymous for many with open world RPGs, but how did the franchise get there? There’s lots of games in the series; some you might not have heard of, so here’s the History of the Elder Scrolls Series – have you played them all?

The Elder Scrolls: Arena – 1994

Arena started off as an arena combat game but soon blossomed out into a continent-spanning RPG where you are tasked with freeing the emperor Uriel Septim VII from the clutches of evil the Imperial Battlemage, Jagar Tharn. It’s obviously a much more basic simulation than the later games, but it’s surprising just how much of the Elder Scrolls DNA is present even this early on. You start in a dungeon, you’re free to go about your quest much as you please, but unlike later entries it is very unforgiving to the new player, as the starting dungeon is particularly hard to conquer.

The Arena in the title refers to the land of Tamriel itself, that it is the arena in which you must prove yourself.

The game is now currently free on Bethesda’s site, so if you haven’t checked it out, GO NOW!

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall – 1996

The game that did procedural generation before it was popular, Daggerfall let you go wild in the Iliac Bay, you could join a load of guilds, knightly orders, insinuate yourself into local politics, or just go for long wanders in the wide empty expanses of the Alik’r Desert. Much more than Arena, Daggerfall felt like a ‘world’, you had towns that you could wander round and houses to buy, people to chat to and so much more. You could really feel a part of something bigger. Players are sent to this land by the emperor to put the shade of the previous Daggerfall king, Lysandus to rest. However you end up caught up in a race to find the mythical Numidium – a magical golem that could decide the fate of all Tamriel.

One of the most notable things about Daggerfall was that the endings were so diverse, depending on who you gave control over the Numidium to. So diverse in fact that future installments in the Elder Scrolls series state that a ‘Dragon Break’ or ‘Warp in the West’ occurred, meaning that all endings happened at once, setting up the geopolitical landscape of future games.

Daggerfall is also free right now, so check it out!

An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire – 1997

The first side game appears! Set in the Battlespire, a magical fortress where Battlemages are trained, you ascend its labyrinthine corridors to put an end to the demonic threat that’s taken it over. It’s again a first person RPG like the previous entries, but it’s a more of a focused experience and much more a dungeon crawler than a large scale open world RPG. It’s an absolutely incredibly rock hard dungeon crawler, and few have reached the top of the fortress to cast out Mehrunes Dagon and take back control over the Battlespire!

Battlespire is also of note for being the game that introduced the Bat’leth-like crescent blade that became a firm favourite!

The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard – 1998

Taking place on the small island of Stros M’kai, Redguard is a completely different kind of game to any that preceded it in the Elder Scrolls series. It’s a third person action adventure puzzle game! You don’t choose your character, instead you’re cast as the titular Redguard, Cyrus, and you’re on the island for to find your missing sister, meaning this is a much more personal kind of quest compared to previous Elder Scrolls outings. Redguard offers a much smaller look at the world of Tamriel, and by keeping the action to a small set of islands you really get to know them intimately.

The mechanical Dwemer constructs make their first appearance in Redguard, paving the way for many of the future instalments! This is also the only game to feature a Sload, so enjoy that – a famous Sload too, N’Gasta! (Morrowind fans will know that name).

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – 2002

One of the big criticisms of Daggerfall was that the world was too samey, that there wasn’t anything ‘special’ about the towns or dungeons, outside of a few. Morrowind took the series back and started over in a way, keeping the scale much smaller than the previous entries and confining the game to the island of Vvardenfell, it’s an entirely crafted experience, with every rock, tree, and cave being set in place. Vvardenfell is a strange place, host to unusual flora and fauna (giant mushrooms anyone?) and it harbours a dark secret in under the Red Mountain volcano that lurks at its centre. It’s this world, along with the ambiguous message and freedom of actions in-game, that mean that even now, 15 years later (oh god it’s not really 15 years old is it) Morrowind remains a favourite amongst Elder Scrolls fans.

The expansions, Tribunal and Bloodmoon, take you on a political and religious dive into Morrowind’s capital city and a werewolf filled romp through the Norse-inspired island of Solstheim respectively.

The combat takes a while to get used to and the start of the game is unforgiving, but if you like The Elder Scrolls as a series, want something unusual, or are planning on checking out the next expansion to The Elder Scrolls Online, then Morrowind is definitely worth checking out.

The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold, Dawnstar, and Shadowkey – 2003/2004

These three games are the true missing link in the Elder Scrolls universe, released on mobile and pre-iPhone, during a time when everyone was squinting at tiny screens above keypads, if you’ve played these games then let us know in the comments below, cos none of us have! Similar to the older Elder Scrolls games, they offered a simplified Elder Scrolls experience but with a bit of co-op thrown into the mix.

They also released on N-Gage, making them truly hard to get these days!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – 2006

The next main game in The Elder Scrolls series, this takes you back to Cyrodil, a region unvisited in the series since Arena. Let out of your cell by an imperious Patrick Stewart, you head out into the open world to make your name, and defend the land from the invasion by Mehrunes Dagon (yes, him again) who’s leading his Daedric army into Tamriel to have a bit of a fight. In many ways, this fixed some of the flaws fans found in the previous games, making the towns full of life, having combat that wasn’t decided by invisible dice rolls, and by introducing some absolutely wonderful and interesting things to do for the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild questlines. The Dark Brotherhood questline in particular is still held up as an example of How To Do It, with a highlight being the mansion of murder quest.

Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles saw you recruit a knightly order to defend the world against a resurrected evil from the past, and explore a dimension devoted to Sheogorath, the Shivering Isles themselves. It’s felt that The Shivering Isles was a response to some disappointment that the world of Oblivion was much more mundane than Morrrowind’s, with the islands featuring bizarre architecture, NPCs, and flora aplenty. It also featured much facetime with Sheogorath, always a winner.

Oblivion has some flaws, but it’s a gem nonetheless. Check it out here!

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 2011

Spawner of a million arrows to the knee memes, Skyrim saw the main series take a timejump by 200 years, and take a leap into the Nordic Skyrim region, a region filled with war, with political intrigue, and with DRAGONS. The empire has collapsed a little and civil war is festering all across Skyrim, which isn’t helped by the sudden re-appearance of dragons and you, the Dovahkiin. Skyrim’s an absolutely beautiful place to visit, with misty mountain peaks, mysterious fir forests and a frozen North that would put Shackleton to fleeing.

With it being expanded by Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn, you get to join either a vampire hunting faction or the vampires themselves, build yourself a lovely house, and visit Solstheim again and see what’s happened to Vvardenfell in the last 200 years (spoiler: nothing good).

Skyrim also got an updated re-release in 2016. featuring new and improved visuals!

The Elder Scrolls Online – 2014

It happened, Bethesda dipped a toe into MMOs! Taking place long before any of the other Elder Scrolls games, ESO takes place over most of Tamriel, with war again brewing and a daedric invasion causing a ruckus throughout the land. Join a faction and make your name on the world, this time with your friends! Or against your friends, it’s up to you!

The Elder Scrolls Online received a retooled version that ditched the subscription fee with Tamriel Unlimited in 2015, so the game is now even easier to dip into and try!

The first full expansion for the game, Morrowind, is coming out in 2017 and features a return to Vvardenfell, but 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III, so see your old pals like Vivec and the rest of the Tribunal in their prime! It’s coming out soon, and now’s a good time to jump in!

The Elder Scrolls: Legends – 2017

Bethesda aren’t afraid to try different things with their properties, and so in 2017 The Elder Scrolls series has taken a twist with a collectible card game! One of the few card games to include a storyline, you can also face off against opponents and your friends in 1v1 card battles. With the introduction of lanes and with placement being a factor when choosing where to put your cards, Legends is definitely an interesting turn for the collectible card game.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends is free to play!

So there you have them, all the Elder Scrolls games. Have you played them all, or do you have any fond memories of them? Let us know in the comments below!

Memes that have spawned from Starcraft

We’re celebrating Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War becoming free by listing all the best and tasty memes to come from the series.

Zerg Rush

This Starcraft tactic led to all rushes of large groups of weak units in any game to be named after it, and countering it is essential to getting out of the dreaded bronze league.

Abathur’s Efficiency

Abathur’s job is to perfect zerg units and the race in general, leading to his obsession with efficiency. Something that Starcraft players appreciate.

Tychus’ Epic line from the trailer

When the hype train for Starcraft 2 left the station, fans were left with this epic line at the end of the reveal trailer.

We Require More Minerals

An experience every beginner player goes through is the tireless demanding voices telling you exactly what it is you need, just in case you didn’t know. Although 98% of the time you will, so it will just annoy the hell out of you.

In Ur Base, Killing Your D00dz

In a world filled with BM (bad manners) and taunts by bad winners, this one has become synonymous with Starcraft. If you’re dominating your opponent, you can say this. So much more civilised than its current iteration, ‘GG EZ’.

You must construct additional Pylons

The same voice that informs you you need minerals and gas, can get quite intense when you have forgotten to build Pylons, the building needed to grow your army. Again, becomes like a barbed taunt from your own advisor in the heat of battle.

IdrA’s BM

Notorious Starcraft pro IdrA was infamous in the esports scene for his…less than polite composure during most games he played.

Artosis Pylon

Artosis was a pro Brood War player turned caster, but in a show match he famously lost power to most of his base because it was powered by just one pylon, a move so nooby he is endlessly mocked for it by such pylons being named after him.

Korean Godliness

In Starcraft, Koreans are gods. Years ahead in terms of esports infrastructure, they routinely top the leaderboards, and practice many hours a day…more than you.

Forever Bronze

When Bob Dylan sat down to write ‘Forever Young’, what he really wanted to sing about was his fruitless efforts to climb out of bronze league in Starcraft.

My Life for Aiur

The mantra of the Protoss, uttered by every Zealot unit, has become the resounding cry of all Protoss mains, in the face of criticism from lowly Zerg and Terran players.

Aliens Throughout Gaming History

With the release of Prey soon approaching (May 5th to be exact) we thought it would be a great idea to pay homage to the aliens that have graced our video games over the years. Below you will find a definitive timeline which references Aliens through gaming history spanning over three decades!

You can pre-purchase Prey now from the Green Man Gaming Store.