Hump Day Music: Duel of the Fates

Star Wars has a long and storied history with video games from the original Star Wars arcade cabinet to the recently released Star Wars: The Old Republic.  This piece of music I am sharing with you all today is one of my favourite pieces from the vast orchestrated tracks from Star Wars' vast soundtrack.  It was most likely in a game as it is one of the big themes for the Star Wars movies.  While the prequel trilogy left a lot to be desired for Star Wars fans, it still had the incredible musical prowess of John Williams producing the score for them.  One of the best pieces of music to debut in the prequel trilogy is Duel of the Fates.

For those who remember the incredible three-way lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace, Duel of the Fates was the music that was playing throughout the scene.  John Williams' masterpiece made this scene even more epic than it really was.  As the track goes on, the more intense it gets.  The choir sings at the top of their lungs and notes are held longer.  It brings everything to a grand climax in a rather disappointing movie.  While I cannot pinpoint the exact game or games that Duel of the Fates has been in, it would be nice to find this piece of music in any upcoming Star Wars games or even an episode in The Clone Wars, an incredible show that any Star Wars fan should get over their hate of the prequel trilogy to watch.

E3 2012: EA Press Conference Impressions

E3 2012 had a very bumpy start with a disappointing conference from Microsoft.  As the second conference of the big show, it was Electronic Arts turn to show us their next wave of big games releasing this Fall and early 2013.

Each year EA's Press Conference is one of the most focused out of the bunch.  They get straight to the point and they do not deviate.  This year much like the last two years before, EA showcased 10 games from 10 different developers under the EA banner.  They were all concise and to the point.  It made the conference go by fast and barely drag.  The only thing wrong with EA's conference was that nothing stood out.  No game they showcased really made an impact in my opinion.  It all kind of all blended together.  Dead Space 3 seemed to have an identity crisis as it was more third-person shooter than survival horror.  Madden NFL 13 and FIFA 13 were both a boring list of new features.  Star Wars: The Old Republic had some cool news such as going free-to-play up to level 15.  Medal of Honor: Warfighter was a decent demo of another generic FPS.  Battlefield 3's answer to Call of Duty Elite was revealed in Battlefield 3 Premium, which was less than impressive.  The only things I found really interesting was Need for Speed: Most Wanted demo, which proves why Criterion should only be working on the Need for Speed series and EA's new partnership with UFC (funny how Dana White jumps to the company he said he would never work with when THQ hits hard times).  Also Crysis 3 did have a good little demo to give a satisfying end to the conference.  I believe there were a few missed opportunities such as unveiling the first story-based DLC for Mass Effect 3, giving first gameplay of Overstrike or even unveiling whatever Respawn Entertainment is working on (Riccitiello pointed out both Zampella and West in the crowd, why not reveal something?).

Overall, EA's E3 2012 Press Conference was just okay.  All their games had a good showing and the focus, which Microsoft lacked, was definitely there, but not much that was shown stood out of the humongous crowd of shooters and sports games.

Grade:  C-

Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 230

This past month or so I have had a steady of stream of magazines to read.  Whenever I would finish reading one, another would show up in the mail.  It was very nice as I always had something to read and keep me occupied.  Also when I do not have anything in particular to read, I get kind of stir crazy.  While I wait on the newest issues of EGM and Nintendo Power, I read Issue 230 of Game Informer, which I just finished a few days ago.  Without any further ado, here are my thoughts on this issue.

The Elder Scrolls series graces the cover of Game Informer once again as Bethesda and Zenimax Online announce The Elder Scrolls Online in Issue 230 of Game Informer.  While I am not a fan of the Elder Scrolls series and MMOs, this cover story was fairly enjoyable and very informative.  It goes into full detail how Bethesda and Zenimax Online are going to tackle the MMO genre while keeping Elder Scrolls' identify in tack.  I do think how Bethesda and Zenimax are handling the story with the multiple heroes, player choice and the PvP endgame is all very interesting and great hooks.  I still need to see and read more before I am convinced that The Elder Scrolls Online can compete with the likes of World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic and the upcoming Guild Wars II.  While not as good the Halo 4 cover story from last issue, The Elder Scrolls Online cover story is an enjoyable read nonetheless.  Honestly, I was more impressed with all the articles in Issue 230's Connect section like the evolution of the ESA, the current state of adventure games, the many different ways game makers are making money in this day and age and interviews with the curator of the Smithsonian's Video Game Exhibit and the filmmakers behind Indie Game: The Movie.  They were all amazing articles that kept me engaged and glued to the page as they dived right into some of the biggest trends and stories in the video game industry today.  Issue 230 is also packed with the brim with previews from big blockbuster games like the Amazing Spider Man and Resident Evil 6 all the way to some great games under the radar of most gamers like Epic Mikey: Power of Illusion and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.  The review section this issue is fairly small, but looks at the biggest games from this spring such as Fez, Dragon's Dogma, Prototype 2 and Kinect Star Wars.

As a whole, Issue 230 of Game Informer is a great issue.  While the cover story on The Elder Scrolls Online is a must read for all fans of The Elder Scrolls series, it is still an enjoyable read for the average reader.  The best content is found in the Connect and Preview sections of Issue 230 and make this issue of Game Informer a must-read for all gamers.

Launch Station: TERA

2012 looks to add some big competition to World of Warcraft's reign over the MMORPG genre in the first full year of Star Wars: The Old Republic and the release of the highly anticipated Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft.  One MMO that has fell to the sidelines, so much that this writer among other gamers did not even know that it will be releasing tomorrow.  The game in question is Bluehole Studios' TERA (short for The Exiled Realm of Arborea).

After a divine world between Gods and mortals, the realm of Arborea has been left in ruin as a new metallic treat emerges from the underworld.  This threat is known as the Metallic race, Argons and there sole purpose is to destroy the realm of Arborea for good.  The remaining seven races, the Amani, the Barakas, the Castanics, the Elins, the High Elves, the Humans and the Poporis, must band together to stop the Argons and save their world.  TERA is a lot like many other MMORPG as it includes features such as questing, crafting and player-versus-player action (PvP for short), but it has many features to make it standout from other MMORPGs on the market.  TERA's biggest feature is its' fast-paced real-time battle system that has players targeting enemies with a crosshairs rather than clicking or tabbing each enemy individually.  Players also must actively dodge attacks than rely on a hidden dice roll to determine it for them.  This battle system immerses the player more as you feel more engaged than repeatedly clicking on one enemy until it is dead.  TERA offers a few different ways to control your character from the keyboard and mouse combo to a USB controller.  In order to deter gold farming, Bluehole Studios worked with CCP Games, the maker of the popular EVE Online, to create a currency called Chronoscrolls that can be purchased for real money or in-game gold.

As I am not a huge PC gamer or fan of MMOs, TERA does not really excite me personally.  For huge PC gamers and MMO fans, TERA looks to offer all the depth of a traditional MMORPG with the instant gratification of real-time combat and control.  It would have been nice if TERA got some much needed publicity as it will most likely pass by the radars of many gamers due to the lack thereof.  It almost passed right by me.

Launch Station: Star Wars: The Old Republic

After I finished On the Download, I realized that I forgot one big game that came out yesterday.  It was the biggest massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG for short) since World of Warcraft released in 2004, Star Wars:  The Old Republic.  I am deeply sorry to all the Star Wars and BioWare fans who might have been anticipating my preview.  So let us take a closer look at the newest Star Wars RPG from BioWare.

Back in 2003, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic set the gaming world on fire as it was the best Star Wars game to date.  After a straightforward sequel made by Obsidian, the developers behind Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, BioWare has once again took the reins of the Knights of the Republic franchise.  Instead of making KOTOR 3, BioWare decided to make The Old Republic, which is said to have enough content to fill KOTOR 3, 4 and 5.  As BioWare's most ambitious project to date, The Old Republic's biggest selling point is its rich story, something that is rare in the MMO space.  Players can choose between eight classes separated by two main factions, The Galactic Republic and Sith Empire (each faction contains four classes).  Each class has a distinct backstory and branching storyline, which depends on the choices the player makes throughout the game.  In The Old Republic, faction does not determine if you are good or bad, your choices do.  So you can be a Republic trooper that likes to indulge in the Dark Side or a benevolent Sith Warrior.  It all depends on what you, the player, decide to take your character.  The world of The Old Republic is huge as it contains many planets such as Coruscant, Taris, Tatooine and Hoth for players to travel in their ships.  As The Old Republic is a massively-multiplayer game, you can group up with other players to take on Flashpoints, a special word BioWare is using for group-only missions.  If you rather play alone, BioWare offers AI-controlled companions to fill out your party for these missions or accompany you throughout the game.

For Star Wars, BioWare and even MMO fans, Star Wars: The Old Republic should be one great game to pick up this holiday season.  As a big Star Wars and BioWare fan myself, I am tempted to try The Old Republic out, but I am not a fan of MMOs.  I have never been a fan of paying a subscription to play any game.  Also as a huge fan of the original Knights of the Old Republic and single-player games, all I really want to play is KOTOR 3, not a MMO.  So for all you playing right now, hope you are enjoying it, but the game is not for me.  May the Force be with you.