Tycho Likes Borderlands, Compares to Hellgate

The Borderlands praise continues over at Penny Arcade:

We were sent a review copy of Borderlands to check out for the VGAs, and after an hour or so of play I went over to my computer and ordered that Borderlands four-pack. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to deal with any "should I buy it" or "I don't know man" bullshit from potential comrades. I'm just going to drop a Steam code in their laps, and then gesture in the direction of the wasteland. I didn't really understand that the PC version was coming out later than the console iterations, even though it said as much on the screen, so now I've got several days to itch and sweat while console players learn what I already know.

I know they're real busy over at Gearbox, but a demo would go a long way. I suspect that most people won't understand what they've accomplished here, which is to make good on Hellgate's promise in a kind of Weird West milieu. Thief: The Dark Project was sometimes called a "First-Person Looter," though it is even more apt here - God help you when the shakes start, and your awareness narrows to a dark funnel that only slight variations in statistics may penetrate.

And yet another Hellgate: London reference. I am starting to trip into hype mode, but Borderlands looks to be an absolute blast.

For $33.75 (as part of a four pack on Steam) its a steal of a deal in my book. Value gaming at its best.

Hellgate in a desert, but not shit

Kieron said it, not me:

Jim: Who wants to try to define the game (#Borderlands) in a single sentence then, eh?

Kieron: Hellgate in a desert, but not shit.
Alec: There’s some sort definition involving the words “Diablo” and “guns”, but I can’t work out how to stick them together.
Jim: Diablo with first-person perspectives, with guns, with vehicles. And bloody. And co-opy. Actually I think WoW is a more appropriate point of reference.

The reviews are rolling in for Borderlands and its pretty unanimous that the game is a hit. From GameInformer:

Co-op is a blast, the variety of weaponry lends an addictive quality to the game that's rarely seen, and it maintains a distinct sense of humor and personality. It's a long-lasting experience that manages to stay fresh throughout, and the ability to easily jump into a friend's game at any time only lengthens the appeal of an already stellar title.

Can't wait for the 26th, when the PC version releases, and I can add my own thoughts on the game.

Borderlands Mainstream'd

I just can't help but falling in love with a game that is so blatantly straight forward with its argument for being great. Kill things, blow shit up, and collect the phat loot. Here's a great Borderlands parody video from IGN:

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As you may have noticed, my URL has changed from http://hgamer.blogspot.com to http://heartlessgamer.com. I now own my own domain name and have redirected traffic from blogspot to the new domain. This probably causes all kinds of weird issues that I am too lazy to fix, so just got to heartlessgamer.com already and be happy.

Borderlands to have DLC

#Borderlands and it's developer, Gearbox, are stirring the pot today by announcing paid downloadable content (DLC):

Gearbox's loot-driven wasteland romp Borderlands ain't even on store shelves till next week--with a PC release following on Steam the week after that--but the developer is already spilling the beans about its post-release plans for downloadable content.

Described as "the first in a series" of add-ons, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned will run you $10 on all three platforms.

This should make players mad, but I think Kill Ten Rats has a better view on it:

After looking at the neat DLC pictures of a zombie isle, I had another idea. Gearbox devs were the good guys here. They were letting me, the customer know, the specifics of their business plan before people shelled out for the game. Players that were interested in Borderlands as a service would now have a more concrete understanding of things to come.

I would type more, but the above quote sums it up perfectly. The only problem that could arise is if the game feels incomplete at launch.

Watch this blog for more information on my plans for Borderlands.

The Missing WAR Card Game

In yet another "wouldn't that have been cool" moment for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the most recent grab bag has revealed that an in-game card game was supposed to be in at launch, but had been dropped:

Q. What are the 'Cards' unlocks? You know where you have the items, titles, and Tactics unlocked in the Tome there is also a tab that says 'Cards'. What are these cards!?!

A. ‘Cards’ is a system that we wanted to do at launch, so we put in a spot for them, but did not have time to complete the design and implementation of. It was a reward system that would tie into an in-game card game. At this point, it is on our back burner of things we’d like to do, but other items have our priority at the moment.

This is just more evidence that WAR wasn't ready to go at launch and that bugs the shit out of me because the beta flowed very smoothly and gave all the appearances that Mythic had a great game waiting for us at launch. Unfortunately, as any MMOG demonstrates, its the grand total of a game, not its individual pieces that matter. In WAR's case, all that was beta tested were those individual parts, not the combined contraption that ultimately collapsed.

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I finally signed up for Twitter and was shocked to find that heartlessgamer was already taken.

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Be a Better Hero: Sharing is Caring! Gunnner, Soldier, and Commando Tips

Battlefield Heroes is a solo friendly game. At the same time, it is a team-based game. There is no free-for-all or deathmatch game modes. Each round focuses on team vs team capture-the-points gameplay. So, while a good solo player can do well, a few team players can dominate. The key to this domination is making sure to share all of the Heroes different group abilities.

Soldier

Soldiers are the pen-ultimate team player in BF:H. They provide the healing! A Soldiers healing ability is great by itself, but when it hits multiple injured team mates, the healing is increased and the points gained for healing are increased. This is a great incentive for EVERY soldier to be a team player. Soldiers are the cornerstone of BF:H grouping.

Gunner

If Soldiers are the cornerstone, Gunners are the brick walls, roof, and bell tower. With the recent Heroes of the Fall update, Gunners received a couple boosts to their team play. First, their shield ability is now shareable for those around the Gunner. Never charge into an enemy hornet nest without a shield up and running.

Secondly, a Gunners explosive keg now has a slow-down attached to any enemy it hits. Since commandos and enemy Gunners are always trying to sprint away, slowing them with a keg is invaluable when trying to lock down an area.

Also of importance is the Gunner's Leg It ability. Once used, the gunner and everyone around him will gain a boost of speed. Since vehicles are first come, first serve, a team will always need a speed boost to get where they are going. Once in combat, speed kills and makes for frustratingly hard targets to hit.

Lastly, Gunners are the best tank killers. I recommend that any Gunner spends a few dollars and buy a permanent rocket launcher in the BF:H store. Yes, spend money on a free game! Save those VP for band aids!

Commando

Out of all the classes, the Commando is by far the weakest team player. They are stealthy assassins, not hard charging knuckle-draggers! However, there are some abilities they can use to assist the team.

First off, mark target is invaluable for outing hard to find enemy commandos. Once lite up, the team can easily take care of the rest. At the minimum, it will make most enemy Commandos retreat while the mark wears off. A marked and dead Commando is better, but a retreating one isn't too bad either.

Secondly, with improvements to troop trap recently, Commandos can be very useful while staying completely stealthed. A good commando can skirt the outside of a battle and drop troop traps behind enemy players. Then team mates can try and force the enemy towards the troop trap. All of this, without the commando having to unstealth.

Don't forget, commandos are great at sneaking up on tanks and planting TNT! Combine this with a Gunners rockets and tanks are nothing more than easy kills.

Remember, sharing is caring!

Heartless_' Favre Bowl Recap

So, the Vikings won, but they deserved to win. The Packers made too many mistakes, missed too many opportunities, and got greedy when they didn't need to.

The Packers have lost two games this season. Both times, the blame can be squarely placed on one aspect of the team: the Offensive Line. This is the WORST offensive line I've ever seen play and the stats prove it. Aaron Rodgers is on pace to become the most sacked quarterback in a single season by a wide margin. With another injured lineman today, the Packers are in deep shit. Not even the best receiving corp in the NFL can save an offense from a banged up and underpowered offensive line.

Whats sad about this, its not the players fault. The Packers offensive line was put together to be agile and responsive in a zone blocking scheme. This scheme is focused on building the run game and pounding the football. It requires a different type of lineman: quick, small, and flexible. That is exactly what the Packers have.

Unfortunately, this scheme has fallen apart along with the Packers running game. Without that running game, the passing game has to be relied on, but since zone blocking isn't about pass protection, the Packers are finding themselves fucked in the ass. We're not talking a break down a couple times a game. Aaron Rodgers is being hurried, hit, or sacked on the MAJORITY of pass plays. Its not even close.

If the Packers had an offensive line built for pass protection, I feel confident they would be sitting at 4-0. They have an explosive offense and a capable defense. They can turn games around in a matter of minutes and in both losses have nearly pulled out miracle finishes. That's the problem though, they are fighting to finish the game and only succeeding when the defense drops everyone into coverage. Aaron Rodgers can destroy defenses late in games, but doesn't get the time to do so earlier in the game.

Personally, I think Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy have to answer for the offensive line. If mid-season hits and the Packers are a .500 ball club, someone needs to be fired. McCarthy can go for pushing the zone block so strongly. Ted Thompson can go for failing to strengthen a part of the team that has been languishing for years (all the way back to when Favre still wore green and gold). Hopefully we don't get to that point.

The last question that the Favre Bowl needed to answer was whether the Packers made the right decision to push Favre away two years ago. Personally, I still feel the Packers should of stuck with Favre. Rodgers hadn't proven himself at that point and was injured in every game he came into in relief of Favre. He was a liability, where as we knew Favre had another year or two in him.

However, this game tonight doesn't prove either side right. Favre would be doing WORSE than Rodgers if he was on the Packers roster right now. He is far less mobile and would be in a lot worse shape if he was being sacked 7+ times a game. Where the Packers are now, with Rodgers, is fine with me. Rodgers is good, but still needs to prove he can win games. Rodgers is going to be a premier quarterback in this league at some point. The question is whether he can put up with the Packers approach to drafting talent instead of going to free agency for proven veterans.

Still a good game to watch and fuck the NFL and the lack of change to the pass interference rules. Too many games are being decided on one or two insanely questionable pass interference calls. The penalty doesn't fit the crime and the rule needs to be changed.

Favre Bowl: Tonight @ 8:30PM!

I'm as giddy as a school girl today. Tonight is the Favre Bowl. Brett Favre will be taking on the Green Bay Packers for the first time since being ushered out of Green Bay after his first retirement attempt. Its shaping up to be a great game:

It’s supposed to be Brett Favre versus the Green Bay Packers, an intense one-game referendum on whether Favre’s former team made the right choice when it sent the three-time MVP packing last season.

And if Aaron Rodgers steals the show with a big performance against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome on Monday night, he could take a huge step toward proving the Packers right.

So, who am I rooting for as both a self-proclaimed Cheeshead and diehard Favre fan? Lets just say this is what Favre can look forward to tonight (just insert a Packers and Vikings uniform):