London MCM Comic Con

Britain's biggest festival of popular culture, MCM London Comic Con showcases the finest in films, videogames, comics, sci-fi and anime.

This was both Hurr and Durr's first ever Comic Con and whilst the queues were long, the venue was jam packed, and a bit too often there was a unpleasant smell in the air, we both had an amazing time.


Once we got through the queue and inside the main expo, there was a lot to see (if you can manage to navigate through the sea of people).

Here are some of the stalls we saw:

Note the awesome Buster Sword - Hurr is totally going to buy that next time !


But what really made the day for us were the simply stunning cosplayers we saw. There were actually more people in cosplay than not !

 Here are some pictures we took of them.

Wakka - Final Fantasy X
This Wakka cosplay was Hurr's cosplay of the day, so much attention to detail and the guy has pretty much the same face as him !

Group Photo:

Leonardo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Lucy Heartfilia - Fairy Tail

Light Yagami - Death Note

Jacket - Hotline Miami

The Hotline Miami cosplay was Durr's cosplay of the day, being the massive Hotline Miamai fan that he is !

We're not entirely sure what anime this group was from, but they did look amazing!
The sword on the right must have been the biggest we saw all day.

Psychomantis - Metal Gear Solid
This guy was a lot of fun, he even played along with us to take the famous 'puppet' shot.

Vanille - Final Fantasy XIII

The guy on the left looks incredible, unfortunately we're not sure where he is from.

Koanashi - Spirited Away

Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean

Dude with chainsaw for a hand?

Ryuk - Deathnote

 Hellboy (girl?)

Group Photo:

Batman - Batman

Scare Crow - Batman

Cat Girl - ????

    Guy on the left - ????

Hunter - Left 4 Dead
We met this cosplayer on the tube and I have to say, no one was happier to have their picture taken than he was ! As a first cosplay we thought it was great, keep it up dude !

Mental Mexican man - Mexico?
(On the other side of the sign he had YOMO - You're Only Mexican Once)

Iron Man

Yuna - Final Fantasy X

Rinoa - Final Fantasy VIII
(Moogle belongs to Hurr)

Borderlands 2 Group

Catherine

Witch - Left 4 Dead

Tifa - Final Fantasy VII

Cloud - Final Fantasy VII

Venom - Spider Man

The most detailed painted cosplay we saw there, no idea how she got her face that shape but it looked scary and awesome !

After being around so many cosplayers, Hurr & Durr have decided to go back to MCM in October and cosplay for the first time ever ! It's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication but we think we can pull it off. So watch this space !

Read More

Scrolls alpha reset and the introduction of shards

 

 

So the Scrolls alpha players have had a few surprising changes to some Scrolls in recent patches. Ducal Spearman’s attack has been reduced to 1, Cannon Automaton now takes 1 less damage from all combat damage, and Unleash Inner Power now reduces health to 2. Tool Initiate has got a new skin, and his scrolls design has also changed to better reflect his ability.

Yesterday the big reset took place, meaning that all Scrolls, rankings and player statistics were wiped clean. When you log back into Scrolls now you will be asked to pick one of the three precon decks as your starter deck. Unlike previous patches, you will not have access to all three precons from the start. My understanding is that the alpha reset was designed for Mojang to test out their latest feature, shards.

Shards are Scroll's currency which you can buy with real life money to buy Scrolls from the store. The scrolls which you can buy with shards are unique to each player and will change each week. This adds an element of randomness and encourages players to trade with each other more. It also means that buying a large amount of shards won’t immediately mean you can buy a decent deck straight off the bat. 

From what I’ve seen of the reset so far, many alpha players are taking advantage of this. For my first couple of games after the reset I decided to play with the precon as it was. I went with the Energy precon as I have grown to really like playing Energy recently. I was pleased to see that not all players had chosen Energy and I actually played games against all three resources.

My first encounter was rather surprising, I had played an Iron Orge and while I sat there all pleased with myself my opponent cast Violent Dispersal on him. Poof, gone ! It hadn’t occurred to me that people may have brought shards already, and that I shouldn’t play so recklessly on the pretence that everyone is still using precons.

Overall I think the introduction of shards will add an interesting element to the game. They are fairly priced and well worth the money if you are a big Scrolls player. Considering that alpha players will also be entitled to 10% credit back on any shards they buy between now and beta release, I will definitely be investing in some !

Read More

Catherine & Katherine

I have recently come into possession of a game I had long been wanting to play, but due to financial constraints, lacked the ability to do so. That game is Catherine and whilst I have yet to complete it, it's certainly been a hell of a trip so far. Catherine is a very unique game, both in style and substance. The game blends a story of fidelity and relationships, mostly being told from a bar, through cut scenes and a frantic puzzle based climbing game. The two seem starkly different, but the story manages to explain how the two intertwine beautifully.

The main story line follows the protagonist Vincent and his interactions between his long term girlfriend Katherine, and the flirtatious and much younger Catherine. Without spoiling to much lets just say things get very complicated in this love triangle.

For half of the game you will be climbing a tower made up from blocks. You can only climb one block at a time, so you must create stairs of blocks by pulling and pushing them into a desired place. Whilst this sounds straightforward enough, some of the blocks will fall apart under your feet and some are even traps which will kill you should you linger on them to long. All of this combined with the fact the floor falls away leads to some very frantic (not to mention frustrating) moments.

In between these floors you will come to a rest platform and meet 'sheep' who are also trying to climb this wall. You can choose to chat to your fellow sheep to learn techniques or encourage them to keep climbing, or should you choose belittle and discredit them. Also on each of these platforms you will be asked a question before you can proceed. For example one of the very early questions asked is "Is marriage the point where life begins or when it ends?" Once you have given your response you are presented with a graph showing responses from both men and women. Some of the responses are surprising and interesting to say the least!

The other half of the game is spent in the Stray Sheep bar chatting to your buddies, drinking beers and meeting the various patrons who enter the bar. Whilst exploring the bar you will receive text messages from either Katherine or Catherine, which you can reply to. Depending on how you reply and your interactions with various bar patrons, will effect a meter which will determine the outcome of the story. How this meter is affected is very vague, and as you play you will gradually come to understand how actions effect it.

If you're looking for something very unique with a mature story line I highly advise playing this, for anyone aged 21-35 the story of this game will speak to you on many levels. Great title, frantic fun game-play, can't recommend enough. One last thing, some of the bosses in this game are terrifying truly... horrendous.

Read More

The Rare Scrolls : Unleash Inner Power

 

Cost: 4 Growth
Type: Enchantment
Ability: Target creature's Attack is increased by its Health value. Its Health is then set to 1
Lore: My very essence shall be my blade

(correct as of Alpha patch 0.84)
 

Unleash Inner Power is one of the most interesting rare scrolls in the game. It can be used either as a buff or as removal, the latter of which is used significantly more. In previous Alpa versions, Unleash Inner Power worked well in Growth/Order decks, but due to recent nerfs this has become less viable. Unleash Inner Power is now widely used in Mono Growth instead. There has been some debate within the Alpha community to whether or not this scroll should be changed.


Here is a quote from Sysp on scrollsguide.com

“As suggested by carnalizer, a small change to how much health the creature is left with would make the buff on your own creatures a little more powerful while weakening its use on your opponent's creature some, bringing both uses a little closer in power and making the choice for the player a little more interesting.”
 

It is yet to be seen whether or not this change would take place, however it would only have a small impact on Mono Growth decks. Even if the creature has its health set to 2 for example, they would still be susceptible to Quake, Kinfolk Veteran and other forms of removal. I personally feel that it should be more balanced, as it stands Mono Growth already has enough removal especially with the haste ability.



As a buff, it’s not particularly useful as you are effectively leaving your creature open to various forms of removal such as Kabonk, Spark and Ragged Wolf. However, late game if you are racing your opponent to the finish and can wipe out a whole lane or maybe even the last idol, then it is worth it. This works best with Great Wolf as they are one of few creatures in a Mono Growth with relentless, plus they have the additional attack buff from other wolves. However, you must be careful when doing this against Mono Order decks, as their Spearmen have the Spiky ability – which deals 2 damage when attacked.


When used as removal, this scroll can take out huge units such as Iron Ogre with ease. This will slow down your opponent as they struggle to draw another powerful scroll. It also negates the effectiveness of Spiky as Spearmen can then be taken out with Ragged Wolf’s or Sister of the Fox, leaving an opening for your more powerful units you want to keep alive.


If you use it on an Honorable General before his countdown reaches 0, then you prevent your opponent from benefitting from his ability and give yourself another turn to take out other units. Unleash Inner Power works well with Ranger’s Bane due to the low cost. And as Ranger’s Bane lasts for 3 turns, you can cast it a turn before you cast Unleash Inner Power, so it can be used early game.


Overall, Unleash Inner Power is a strong scroll for Mono Growth decks and although it’s future is uncertain – it will still remain a powerful source of removal.


EDIT: As of alpha patch 0.87 - Unleash Inner Power has indeed been changed and now reduces target creature to 2 health. Since this change has taken place, I have seen this scroll used much less as the removal affect is less 'instant'. It's also now used more as a buff (which I  believe is how it should have been).

Read More

Scrolls alpha patch 0.84 Videos with Acidjib

 

 

 

 

Here are a few videos featuring some of the new scrolls from the 0.84 update. We are really looking forward to beta which should be upon us by next week !

 

I am joined by owlstream co-host Acidjib, check out his youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/acidjib08?feature=watch  and follow him on twitter @Acidjib.  

 

 

Read More

Bioshock Infinite: Steam punk beauty

Bioshock Infinite is probably the most fun I have had in a very long time from a single player FPS, the story is mysterious and unfolds at just the right pace. Unfortunately I can't really discuss a great deal about the story without spoiling anything so all i'll say on the matter is play it through right to the end and you won't be disappointed. 

The main character in the story isn't the character you play Booker but rather Elizabeth and she kicks the trope of the damsel in distress clear out of the water. During the course of the game Liz will prove to be a very powerful and helpful ally! keeping Booker stocked with ammo health kits and summoning in cover or gun turrets to assist you. She reminded me a lot of the old Disney Princess's but with some serious ass kicking potential built in!

The environment is about as far from Raptures claustrophobic corridors and repressive atmosphere as you can get. The city in the sky is literally bursting with life, the constant turmoil plays out right before your eyes rather than witnessing the aftermath of the events whilst in Rapture. The skylines accentuate this, acting as effectively a roller coaster between points from which you can shoot from right before landing on your enemies and crushing their skulls.

The combat can be considered restrictive at times being only able to hold 2 guns at any one time but I found this to be quite a fun mechanic. Which 2 guns compliment each-other well for a situation? I found myself becoming quite attached to the shotgun and sniper rifle combo picking people off at range and giving them a face full of boom stick should they get to close. You of course have your plasmids  Vigors in this installment as well. All are very useful ranging from controlling your enemies to ripping them apart with a flock of ravenous crows.

All in all whilst linear and perhaps restrictive in the combat (holding only 2 guns at any one time) the enviroment is breath taking. The story's pace seems to match character development with actual game-play exceptionally well, a balance that a lot of game developers find hard to get right. Don't read to much about the story go into it completely unaware of what to expect and you will be in for a real treat.

Read More

Survival Instinct is a bloody mess

I’m not entirely sure what Activision were smoking when they decided this game was ready for launch. After the highly successful Walking Dead game from Telltale, I thought that Survival Instinct may be able to recreate something similar from an FPS perspective. Oh how very wrong I was. This game is based off the TV series of The Walking Dead starring Darryl as the main character, who is accompanied by his brother Merle (who you spend the first part of the game looking for). Fans of the show will be pleased to see that the same voice actors are used in the game.

However, from the outset you can see that the graphics are atrocious and nowhere near the standards of a modern game. And as Jim Sterling has pointed out, there are visible window cursors in the loading screen. If that isn’t a sign of Activision not giving a shit, then I don’t know what is. Although this wouldn’t have been so much of an issue if the gameplay itself made up for it.

The controls are not explained well and I didn’t realise there was an easier way to change weapons until I did it by accident. You will only swing for a melee attack if the target is aimed exactly at the zombies head, which I felt was too restrictive. If I want to pick up a hammer and swing wildly like a mad man then I should be able to do so, especially in a game where it’s supposed to give you the feeling of being in a zombie apocalypse.  

As many others with tell you, the most irritating part of this whole game is the execute sequence. Sneak up to a zombie (or run really fast it doesn’t really make a difference) and press R1 to finish them off with a quick knife kill. That doesn’t sound too bad does it ? Well it does when the game does this regardless of what weapon you are holding, so if you’re equipped with a hammer you will still executive with the knife. This makes execution kills boring and since you can probably run past the zombie anyway, there’s not much point.

The second most irritating part of the game, is a mini game which happens when a zombie grabs you. You have to steer the analogue stick towards the zombies face (while the target moves around) and press R2 to stab it. And if there are several of them standing around, you will have to do this one after another with no chance to shove or attack in between. The other zombies will politely wait around for their turn and not even bother attacking you, which is nice of them I guess.

I found the way which the zombies spawned to be really strange. If you clear out a whole room, go into another one and then walk back into the same room, they will have already spawned back. They sometimes spawn right behind you, even if your back is against a wall. It means that there is less fear when walking around searching for supplies, because you already know that they are going to pop up everywhere regardless.

If it was more unknown, then you would have more motivation to sneak around trying to be undetected. But since the zombies will just cram back into the same room anyway, you can’t be bothered with all of that. They have tried to put a survival horror element to the game, with dark rooms lit with your torch, but it all feels so contrived. If I walked past a dead zombie (as in one that’s not moving) and it suddenly grabbed my leg and tried to eat me, then that would make me shit myself.

Another feature of the game is that you will have the opportunity to gather a few survivors among your journey who will be able to scavenge for supplies for you. I was disappointed that there was no opportunity to interact with them, which meant that you end up not caring they die or not. I contemplated giving someone a shotgun, but I decided that if they died I would be more upset about losing the gun. So I sent them out to get me fuel totally defenceless, and I felt nothing.

Activision have really missed out on a great opportunity here. There were so many things that could have vastly improved this game. If they had spent more time making it pretty, if they had made more executive sequences with different weapons, no silly spawning and survivors which you would actually care about. I want to know if their family got eaten by zombies in front of them and now they feel like it was all their fault. I want to console them, tell them that there was nothing they could do – but Activision took that all away from me.

Read More