An Incredible Indie Game - Terraria

Hey, everyone. It's been far too long since my last post. I usually get busy with school but right now is the summer so there is no excuse for taking so long to post...and for that, I apologize. I keep saying that I will keep posting more often but that always ends up making me post less, so I'm gonna skip that part this time around.

Before I get into the main topic of this post, I'll start out with my list of upcoming games I'm looking forward to.

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2. Dead Island
3. Battlefield 3
4. Star Wars: The Old Republic (Which has also recently been available to pre-purchase...and has a release date for THIS year!)

In other news, Dungeon Defenders is still not out yet. And there is still no release date set in stone. Maybe it will come out before November, the month that it was originally supposed to come out last year.

Also, for those of you who love cheap games, Steam is a great way to get a variety of games for cheap. Especially since they started having a daily sale that changes each day in addition to their usual weekly sale and weekend sale. Sometimes they will even have special sales events (like a summer sale) in which many different games are on sale for a week or two. In the summer sale that just passed, I bought an incredible indie game for only $2.50 (it was actually supposed to be a $5 sale but someone goofed when it went on sale.) Some of you may have heard of this little game called Terraria.

When I say little game, I mean in terms of hard disk space. But this game has an enormous amount of content packed into a little package. It's even more incredible when the game took less than 6 months to make and has been one of the most played games on Steam since it's release. Another added bonus is the free content updates that the developers have promised.

I like to describe Terraria as a mix of 2-D Minecraft and the old side-scrolling Castlevania games. It's also, in my opinion, really well designed because it rewards the player for exploration at just the right intervals to keep the player interested and satisfied without getting bored or tired. There are also events that happen throughout the game, some by chance and others by using certain items, and these events also keep the game exciting and, at times, intense.

Another great aspect of the game is the social aspect. This game can be played completely in single-player, but the developers really wanted it to be experienced as a multi-player game. The multi-player can support up to 8 people on the same world by default and as many as 24 or more if server mods are used. Lately, I have been playing with a few of my friends and have had a lot more fun than I probably would have if I had stuck to single-player.

The whole point of the game is to mine (or dig), explore, create, and fight monsters. The creating can be anything from buildings to furniture to weapons and armor and many other things. It's these different activities in the game that all work together to make something that feels very rewarding when you play it.

I recently had an event happen in the world that my friends and I play on called a Goblin Army in which we received a message at the bottom of the screen telling us that a Goblin Army was approaching. After a few minutes, we were surrounded by goblins on both sides of our house (that we built) and had to defend ourselves until we had defeated the entire goblin army. It's events like this and others that really keep me from getting bored quickly.

The screenshot below is one that I took while fighting the goblin army.


(click on picture for larger size)

If, after reading this post, I have given you any interest in Terraria. I highly recommend checking out this piece of indie gold. The original price of the game is $10 which is very cheap for a project of this quality. Until next time, happy gaming!

I'm Back...

Hey, everyone. It's been a little while since I have made a post. I was in school and was really busy. Unfortunately I let the blogging get away from me but my quarter of schooling is over so I should be getting back to the blogging now. This is just gonna be a quick post but I will be getting back to the more detailed posts soon.

BlizzCon 2010 has come and passed. The new Demon Hunter class for Diablo 3 has been announced and looks very interesting. I personally talked to someone I know who went to BlizzCon this year and was able to play Diablo 3 there. He seemed to be pleased with the progress on the game so far.

Lots of new things have been announced for Star Wars: The Old Republic. New ships, new class details, new inhabitants, and more.

Goldeneye for the Wii has been released and is well worth the purchase. I did buy it and beat it. The single player campaign is fun but I would recommend it for the multiplayer. The online multiplayer is what keeps me playing it. The graphics are impressive for a Wii game. The controls take a little practice if you have never played a first-person shooter on the Wii, but the learning curve for the controls is only about 15 or 20 minutes, and there is a short tutorial to teach new players. The story is a bit different from the original but the changes do not hinder the game.

The multiplayer is what most people remember about the original so, naturally, the multiplayer is the remake is very well done. The split-screen multiplayer is fun with a few friends but the multiplayer that stops me from putting the game down is the online multiplayer. I'm not a fan of all the maps but the majority of them are fun and fairly easy to navigate. There are a number of modes to keep players entertained. My personal favorite is the Black Box mode in which two teams fight over a small box on the map. One team is trying to protect the box while the other team is trying to destroy it. The online multiplayer has an experience system similar to the Call of Duty franchise. You gain experience with eliminations, completing objectives, elimination streaks, and other similar things. With experience, weapons and game modes are unlocked which will keep people playing for a while.

There are plenty of people playing, too. Every multiplayer mode that I have played has always been maxed on people. This helps to speed up the already fast-paced multiplayer. I highly recommend everyone with a Wii to give Goldeneye a try. You will get many hours of gameplay out of this game even after the single player campaign is completed.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you have any suggestions, I'm always open to ways I can improve my blog. If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will try to answer it. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

GoldenEye and More Steam

Hello, again. The final game I'm most looking forward to is GoldenEye 007 for the Wii. And with a November release date, I don't have to wait very long.

This game doesn't need a long explanation. Anyone who remembers playing the original GoldenEye for the Nintendo 64 will find this game very familiar. It is a remake of that classic game. Most of the game will be the same except with a "facelift". There will be a few differences in the single player storyline and Pierce Brosnan, who played Bond in the movie, will be replaced with the current Bond actor, Daniel Craig.

Another big plus about this game is something that could not have been incorporated in the first one due to the technology at the time...online multiplayer! Most people kept playing the original because the of the multiplayer. It was a perfect game to play with a few of your buddies and now you can play with your buddies with having to leave your house! The online multiplayer will allow up 8 people and will have 16 different modes including "paintball" and "melee only".

And with this game being a Wii exclusive, things are looking up for the future of the Wii. I will keep my ears open for more news about this version of GoldenEye. You can look forward to owning this game in November.

The Steam QuakeCon 2010 sale today is Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition. It is on sale for 50% off today only! Or you can buy the complete QuakeCon 2010 Pack, almost $300 worth of games for just $70.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please follow me if you liked the post (you can find that off to the right side). If you have any suggestions, I'm always open to ways I can improve my blog. If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will try to answer it.

Battlefield Heroes

Hello, again. Recently, I've been playing Battlefield Heroes from EA. For those of you who have not heard of this game, I would recommend trying it if you enjoy the other games in the Battlefield series...especially since this game is FREE! What is Battlefield Heroes? That's a good question.

Battlefield Heroes is a free to play game for PC release by EA. It is part of the Battlefield franchise but its system requirements are much lower than others in the series. Since the system requirements are lower, the game is not limited to only people with gaming machines. There are always people playing and you can jump in and play regardless of the amount of time you have. Does this mean it is a casual game? No. It's not a true casual game, but a full sized game aimed at both hardcore gamers and casual gamers.

Unlike the other games in the franchise, Battlefield Heroes is a third-person shooter and has a light-hearted, cartoon feel to it. Some people might not enjoy this style but it's hard to complain because it's Battlefield action for free. The game controls well and truly does feel like a Battlefield game. It also has a lot of content for being a free game. I think my favorite part about the game are the vehicles. Players can take advantage of jeeps, tanks, and airplanes to achieve objectives. These objectives pretty straight forward game modes, including "capture the flag" and "king of the hill". My favorite vehicle is the airplane. The airplane is a bit difficult to fly but once you have the hang of it, it's be a lot of fun to fly around the maps and shoot at enemies. There is also an experience system and a mission system. The mission system allows you to choose which personal objectives you want to complete (i.e. 10 Kills in one round). Completing missions along with dealing damage to enemy players grants experience points that let you spend on different skills for you character class. Each character class has its own unique abilities that can help them in combat. This adds a bit of depth for those who are looking for something more.

Battlefield Heroes is being updated often with new content. For instance, they currently have special gear to use to customize your characters for the world cup. There are new weapons, items, and bonuses added regularly to keep the game fresh and exciting.

Enough talk, the only way to truly experience a game is to try it. If you are enjoy the Battlefield franchise or similar games, you might like this game...especially since it is free. Here is the link to the game. Battlefield Heroes

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. I'm always looking for advice to improve my blog. Thanks.