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Showing posts with label Features. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Features. Show all posts

06/02/2014

Rogue Hearthstone Deck: K.Q.D

Knives. Quest. Draw.




Knives, Quest, Draw (or K.Q.D for short) is a deck I designed using Miracle rogue as the back bone e.g. Gadgetzan Auctioneer. Thus drawing lots of cards using rogues 0-1 cost cheap cards to keep drawing more cards. There are a few centrepiece combos which I will explain later on, with a rough play guide and complete deck list. At the bottom of this Article you can see the deck in action, although the first game I played was a loss, the 2nd game shows how quickly you can recover with this deck, as long as one of the centrepieces sticks.

Knives: A small but very powerful early game combo is getting a Knife Juggler down who combos well with Elven Archer, Elven Archer will give you 1 targeted shot then your Knife Juggler will throw out 1 random dagger. This combo can be further improved upon by using Shadow Step to bounce your Elven Archer giving her 2 targeted attacks and throwing out 2 knives. Although there is only a single copy of him in the deck, another very valuable combo is using Defias Ringleader to summon 2 creatures, throwing 2 random knives again - you can also Shadow Step him to throw another 2 random knives totalling 4, which is nothing to be sniffed at. The other aspect of knives comes from Fan Of Knives which provides a mild sweep, but when used in conjunction with Preparation will enable you to play 2 cards for 0 and draw 1 card. This will allow you to buff your Questing Adventurer twice! or drawing 3 cards total if a Gadgetzan Auctioneer is in play, all for 0 mana!


Quest: The main damaging combo is Questing Adventurer, he can level up quickly using the rogues access to cheap spells, ideally you’re going to want to play him after your Gadgetzan Auctioneer  however you can play him earlier if you can keep him alive with Conceal. As long as he can survive 1 turn you will often end up with 10/10 under your control or even higher depending on how well you take care of him. He benefits from any card entering the field so using Shadow Step on a creature and re-casting it will count as 2 cards being played and give him +1 +1 for each of these.

Draw: The other centre piece creature in this deck is the Gadgetzan Auctioneer and the main piece in Miracle Rogue, ideally you’re going to want to play him on turn 5 where possible then hide him with Conceal, again fishing for conceal and waiting till turn 6-7 may well be needed to make sure he stays alive. If you manage to keep him alive for 1 turn the next turn your going to be drawing a lot of cards and Ideally looking for the previously mentioned Questing Adventurer getting both of these cards down in play is an exceptionally powerful combo and will snowball very quickly. Another small draw combo is Novice Engineer used in conjunction with Shadow Step allowing you to draw 2 cards for each time she enters the battlefield, If a Gadgetzan Auctioneer is in play this effectively becomes draw 3 cards for 2 mana which is obscene.


A few other notable cards in this deck are Bloodmage Thalanos who provides a bit more draw and spell power to help with all the damaging spells packed. Leeroy Jenkins to help drop opponents when combined with Sinister Strike or Cold Blood you are suddenly able to burst out 9-10 damage which is often enough to finish off a weakened foe. Eviscerate is also noteworthy as removal to help keep your creatures safe but can also double up as a bit more burst damage ideally though you’re going to be looking to use this for removal purposes. 


Single cards, there is currently  a single copy of Sinister Strike and Cold Blood which strikes a better balance of damage and flexibility Cold Blood requiring you to combo and Sinister Strike being useful for setting up a combo or even finishing off an opponent or draw should a Gadgetzan Auctioneer be in play.  There is also a single copy of Sap, I was initially running 2 but found this to clog the hand, sap is great for removing blockers in your attacking creatures way in the late game but a dead draw early on. Again I found 2 copies of Defias Ring Leader to not work as well with my deck late game but they are handy nut draw early game pressure or when combed with 1 of the 2 Knife Jugglers in the deck.



Ideally I’d like to have a copy of Edwin Vancleef in place of my Defias Ringleader but still lacking the dust/luck required to obtain him but if you access to him I highly advise slotting him in over Defias Ringleader.

Hearthpwn Link
Deck List Below: 

  • 1x Bloodmage Thalnos
  • 1x Leeroy Jenkins
  • 2x Preparation 
  • 2x Gadgetzan Auctioneer
  • 2x Knife Juggler
  • 2x Questing Adventurer
  • 2x Cold Blood
  • 2x Conceal
  • 1x Defias Ringleader
  • 2x Eviscerate
  • 2x Shadowstep
  • 2x Elven Archer 
  • 2x Fan of Knives
  • 2x Shiv 
  • 2x Backstab
  • 2x Novice Engineer
  • 1x Sap  

K.Q.D In Action:



   

05/02/2014

Defying a 21st century business model: why Wii U is not Wii 2.0

 
 
 

Written by @anujitkaur of thewonderwound.blogspot.co.uk


The Wii’s initial success owes so much to the simplicity of the console and the engineering that went into it, that we recognise it as a phenomenal landmark within gaming and technology. However, it is this same success that has created the bar, a bar too high, a bar that all other consoles are measured by.

Despite all the technological advances that surround us, we recognise that we are in a ‘reinvent and tweak’ culture. A tablet is launched, bugs are fixed, tweaks are added, and a new version lands. A smartphone is launched, bugs are fixes, tweaks are added, and a new version lands. An application is launched... And it goes on and on. The model is replicated all around us, and partnered with the ‘wants firsts, needs second’ attitude many adopt, the updated phones, tablets, programmes, and applications, continue to sell.




So, what happened with the Wii U? Let’s not sugar-coat it, it tanked. Yes, it is early days and knowing Nintendo, the brand that bought gaming back to life in the late eighties, a future comeback is anticipated. But, shares have plummeted, stars fell to earth, Ganondorf conquered Hyrule. The Wii was the clear winner of the last generation console war, triumphing over the Xbox 360 and PS3, so reason follows that the Wii U would continue the legacy. But, and one kicks themselves here, Nintendo did such a bang up job the first time round, that this isn’t Wii round two, it is the launch of something completely different. And this is where we take a step back.




Remember that engineering I spoke about a little earlier? It is bloody brilliant. The motion control was excellent, and the software reliable. It hardly fails. The design was clean and tight – a small console, about three DVD covers thick. An easy user interface for casual gamers to explore. First party games, allowing adults who played Nintendo as children to play those same games, those same characters with their own children, shaping future generations of gamers. Simplicity, reliability, nostalgia. Check, check, and check. It seems that Nintendo got it so right the first time round (and Nintendo fan Sheldon Cooper would agree despite believing right and wrong are not subject to gradation), that the launch, fix, tweak, launch 2.0 model becomes redundant. It is considered something new.



The console will recover from a weak launch. There is a nostalgia attached to the Nintendo brand that encourages older gamers to gravitate towards it, and the simplicity accommodates casual gamers, widening the audience demographic. It is a shame that the newer console is standing as a new product against improved consoles – improvements allude to a better experience as it is built upon something that has already launched, but it will do fine. It is not Wii 2.0, it is another product perfected by Nintendo to mark the latest console war.

24/08/2013

Shiny new avatars!



On Thursday this week, both Rastien and Grumpcat of  hurrandurr.com were lucky enough to receive their very own hand drawn Scrolls avatars! The exceptionally talented Poi from Mojang was kind enough to create these amazing avatars below. She asked us which unit in scrolls we liked the most and she personified us into them! I have to say that her work is very impressive and we are delighted with the results. 

As we are part of the Scrollstream on Thursday nights at 8.30pm BST (http://www.twitch.tv/scrollstream), she has also made Seemescrollin his own avatar, as well as a beautiful splash screen for us! We cannot thank her enough for all this kind work.

Whilst you're viewing these amazing avatars, we would like to request you take the time to read Poi's go fund me page. She is trying to raise funds to pay for a friends operation, and it would be great if you could help her out. http://www.gofundme.com/helpnoelle.


28/05/2013

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 !










22/02/2013

Midnight launch of Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance

 
 


On Thursday 21st February, the legendary Hideo Kojima – creator of the Metal Gear Solid series (and other notable works) attended a launch for his latest masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengence. He was joined by Yoji Shinkawa, who is responsible for the amazing artwork for the game.

I had never been to a midnight launch before Thursday night, I suppose I’ve never wanted a game that badly before. But when I found out that the man himself Hideo Kojima would be there, just an hour’s drive from me – nothing was going to stop me!

After having arrived at around 9.30pm I spent about 15mins trying to find the GAME store itself before I finally arrived. I had read on twitter that only the first 200 would get to meet Hideo, so at this point I was totally freaking out and praying that I would get to meet him. When I got to the till and was presented with ticket number 185, I did have a small nerdgasm!

I then joined the queue outside, in the cold. None of us had any idea, or had any kind of warning that we would have to stand outside. It was clear from how some were dressed that not many were prepared for such adverse conditions. After 20 minutes I couldn’t feel my hands, my feet, or anything else for that matter.

I asked the security guard if we were going to have to stand outside until midnight, but he said only until 10.00pm (it was already 9.50pm). He also said that we could go and grab some food then come back, which I gladly obliged.

When we finally got to go inside I was so far at the back of the queue that I couldn’t see or hear the Q&A session going on. It seemed totally disorganised to me, there was a large tv screen above the queue which they could have easily used to stream from so that the others at the back could see what was going on. But all we could do was stand and wait.






Eventually at midnight the queue started moving at a minimal pace. But an employee at GAME came to deliver us some bad news, Hideo Kojima changed his mind about signing autographs and will only be taking pictures. Not only that but all pictures can only be taken by the cameraman inside and not by yourself.

Since we had all been waiting so long (and in the cold for most of it) this left many fans disappointed. Some people had brought other Metal Gear games, posters and such to be signed by Hideo Kojima – so this news really damped the mood. I told myself that I wasn’t going to let this get me down, to be honest just meeting him was enough for me.

When we were finally allowed inside the store I couldn’t believe that he was standing less than 2 meters away from me. I caught Yoji Shinkawa’s eye so I waved at him, and he smiled and waved back at me. I got to the front of the till, paid for my game then joined the queue to take a picture with them. Hideo handed me the game, and Yoji gave me the specially designed steelcase.

I finally got to meet my gaming hero, and this is something I never thought would happen. I hope that Hideo visits the UK again in the future, it would be nice to get my game signed next time. If you want the chance to meet him, I suggest following him on twitter @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN.
 

23/01/2013

The apparent issue of video games and violence







If newspapers are anything to go by, games will rot your brain, make you fat and lazy, give you cancer and make you want to kill people. Now we as gamers know that this is simply hysteria, but it seems that the idea that video games could alter your mental state that much is becoming much more mainstream.

In recent incidents such as school shootings, the fact that the perpetrator owned video games seems much more significant than anything else that may have happened in their lives. It seems that games are becoming a scapegoat for these incidents because the media feels that they are an easy target. Even President Obama has requested more research into the effects of videogame violence on young minds.

Many parents now also seem to believe that video games make children more aggressive and more prone to commit violent acts in the future. Yet violence has been around long before video games and we as humans have found difference ways to express it.  For example, children playing with toys such as Action Man, Power Rangers and even water guns are an outlet for it, but these are not considered harmful. Then of course we have music and movies, which are not considered harmful because they are non-interactive.

Looking at games themselves  – when you kill someone in a game, you know there are no real life consequences. You know that person doesn’t really die and you know you won’t really go to prison (unless you’re playing Skyrim or something). I have been gaming and playing violent games since a very young age, and yet I’ve never had any desire to pick up a gun and shoot someone (albeit a little more difficult in the UK).  Which in fact makes me more certain that games are actually being used as a scapegoat for gun control problems.

So is there a solution for this? No, because in my opinion there isn’t a problem. Numerous amount of research has actually shown that videogames REDUCE violence and crime and can actually help with stress relief (which I am personally happy to vouch for). The only thing that needs to change is that parents need to take more responsibility for their childrens behaviour and stop looking for easy answers.


 

09/01/2013

My most anticipated games of 2013


Bioshock Infinite

 

Release Date: 26 March 2013

Platform(s): Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC






The next instalment of the Bioshock series, which has already been the subject of much controversy due to the covers art work (seriously, get over it). The game takes a whole new direction and is set in 1912, where you control former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt. You are sent to the flying city of Columbia to rescue Elizabeth, who has been held captive there for the last twelve years.

Gameplay-wise, Bioshock Infiniate is a first-person shooter with RPG elements. You move around the environment using a grappling hook and a series of railways in your attempt to find Elizabeth. Plasmids and Tonics have been replaced with Vigors and Gears, which will grant powers and increase your strength.




Once you find Elizabeth, she will be controlled by an AI and will her actions will depend on the situation. She may stay out of battle, or use her powers to help you. However, using her powers causes her pain and this ‘moral choice’ is similar to sacrificing or harvesting the little sisters.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Release Date: 01 Febuary 2013 (was delayed by 2 weeks)
Platform(s): Playstation 3, (DS version in Japan only)


This game was developed by anime masters Studio Ghibli – need I say more? The story follows a young boy known as Oliver who is trying to bring his mother back from the dead (it’s a lot less creepier than it sounds). Throughout his journey he acquires magical skills to become strong enough to defeat the White Witch.





I actually was luckily enough to have a play of this at the Eurogamer Expo (UK based expo) and was blown away. The game is a turn based RPG where you can control several small Pokémon looking companions, as well as your characters. These can be used to implement various tactics such as shielding your characters and blocking particular attacks.

I think most RPG and Studio Ghibli fans are eagerly awaiting the release of this game, and although it has been delayed by 2 weeks, when it does launch there will be a free gift to download with it, a free companion.


The Last of Us


Release Date: 07 May 2013
Platform(s): Playstation 3






A survival game from Uncharted developers Naughty Dog. You must survive an apocalypse which is brought on by a modern plague. The two main characters are Joel (an adult) and Ellie (a teenage girl).

You take control of Joel throughout the game, and Ellie is controlled by an AI. Naughty Dog have announced that much of the gameplay will be focused around dealing with other survivors who are desperately trying to stay alive by stealing weapons and provisions. It has also been confirmed that The Last of Us will have multiplayer, however this will not feature a co-op campaign.




While not much else is known about this game at the moment, the trailer has certainly been impressive and early videos suggest that this has the premise to be an amazing game. I just hope that it doesn’t go down the same tedious route that Dead Island (or should I say Dead Boring) did.