Hearthstone: Maso-Warrior

Here comes the PAIN!

 Hey everyone! It's been a while but I thought I'd make a short article about one of my favorite collectible card games: Hearthstone.

 Today, I want to shine a spotlight on a certain type of warrior deck. But for those reading that don't know much about Hearthstone. There are 9 different classes of heroes you can fight with in the game. Each comes with their own unique powers and card sets. 

 The first warrior hero you get to use is Garrosh Hellscream. Warriors' special ability is to gain 2 Armor for 2 mana. which prevents them from getting damaged.

 So along with the special ability, warriors also have their own special set of cards that only they can use. Some of the cards have a particular way of being played.

 The main theme of the deck I'm talking about today is Self-Minion Damage. These are minion cards that gain extra power when they have or receive damage. 

 I always thought that was kind of cool. Since they tend to rage out and deal a lot of damage.

 Here are some great examples:

This is the "corrupted" version of Hogger who spawns 2/2 Gnolls with Taunt every end of turn. So this version does the same thing but makes a Gnoll every time it takes damage.

This card is probably the easiest to strengthen for when it takes damage because it gets +3 attack each time.

Another great go to for self damaging minions since it enables you to draw a card whenever he takes damage.

Cards to partner it up with.

This card just likes to enjoy watching every minion take damage, even enemy minions. Getting it up to 20 attack is possible though a bit tricky to pull off.

This is a must have effect on decks like these since not only do they do the minimum damage to trigger the other cards effect but it also buffs it with 2 attack. Win win.

I actually prefer this card over Whirlwind which is a spell that does the same effect but for this you also get a 3/3 minion for an extra 2 mana. It's also good for sweeping the board of 1 health enemy minions.

So that's about it for now... I'm sure there are more great combos out there for this kind of tactic. But these are the cards I have available in my deck right now.

I'll probably create more posts like these in the future. So let me know in the comment section if you have a great card to add to this strategy.

Til next time, Enjoy your Games!

Monster Rancher 2

Unleash the monster within...

 I really liked this game back in the first Sony Playstation era. I remembered many summer vacations just grinding hours away making my pet monster stronger to try and reach the highest rank in battle.

 I never could though... I was hopeless. There were mechanics in this game that were buried deep in nuance that my 12 year old brain couldn't figure out. I didn't have access to the internet yet back then so I couldn't ask anyone for help and all my friends who played the same game were using gameshark cheats which I couldn't afford either.

 Turns out the game can be quite misleading when it comes to it's introductions or tutorials. I was made to believe that once you receive your monster you begin training them right away and join tournaments so they can earn you some money and get the highest rank. 

 But my monster kept dying out on me before I could make it to the highest rank. I believed I gave them enough rest and food because they were able to perform adequately but there was a hidden parameter that wasn't shown as clearly.

 It was their stress and fatigue levels. They recover from stress and fatigue if given the proper but apparently having the stress and fatigue dip lowers the monster's total lifespan. I'm not even sure if their weight and discipline levels have any effect on total lifespan as well.

 I got really frustrated with the flow of the game because they introduce and encourage you to have your monster go on battles and expeditions which are really tiring for your young monster and forces them to stress out or gain huge levels of fatigue.

 Thankfully some patient players out there were able to post some correct methods in raising your monster in this game. I was able to get myself a Dragon to reach the end part of the game. 

 But speaking of the bigger part of the game, what I loved the most in Monster Rancher 2 more than any of the other versions were the number of unlockable monsters. These secret monsters really gave the game more depth which sadly lacks from the newer incarnations.

 I was eagerly waiting to collect all the stars from feeding my monster cup jellies so I can get the prize and create a Ducken. I took every expedition seriously so I could find the items to make Durahan, Henger and Dragon. It was the thing that immersed me into playing the game for hours on end. 

 Anyone out there have fond memories playing this game? Let me know in the comment section. Til next time, Enjoy your games!

Game Soak: Limbo

So alone...

 Hey game fans! First i would like to introduce my first Game Soak Post. I've done this before but now I want to give it a name. Game Soak Posts are my thoughts and insights about a game I've only started playing for a few hours. It tells what kind of experience I'm hoping to have and other expectations. So hope you have a good read.

 So this time, Ill be talking about a game called : Limbo. It doesn't need much introduction since it's a recipient of numerous awards including Best Indie Game of the Year.

 In Limbo you control a boy who seems to be trying to escape a "Limbo" type place. Simple enough premise but the moment I started playing it, I was enveloped by such a feeling of isolation and solitude. I felt eerie while trying to keep this kid alive. Cuz he dies on me... A lot.

 I'm a manic type of gamer. I like being enthralled by fast pacing and some action. So it took me by surprise how much Limbo affected me. It was quiet. It was solemn even. And the puzzles you had to go through seemed to couple well with the dark and dreary atmosphere.

 It felt strange trying to relate with the main character since you hardly even know him or the place he wound up in. He doesn't seem to be alone since some other kids tried to kill him a bit later on. 

 At first, I thought the game was deliberately trying to bum me out. But it took a few minutes for me to see what they were actually trying to do: immerse me in the world of Limbo. No words or dialog. It was truly like being in an isolated limbo. 

 I thought that was amazing. Sure there were cases of urgency during the puzzles, which did give me my excitement fix. But everything else was just enough to immerse you in this strange dark mysterious world.

 I do recommend people playing this game. I got it for free on Steam. I'm stuck on a puzzle right now but will be trying to get this kid to his happy ending as soon as I can.

 Til next time, Happy Gaming.

Heroes of the Storm Spotlight: Nazeebo

Hey Game Fans :D

 I wanted to do some entries on some characters I play in MOBAs. I don't really have my own team since I kind of play casually and as an explorer type of gamer I just love learning all these characters and figuring out how best to use them.

 So for this post I'd like to talk about Heroes of the Storm and the hero, Nazeebo. Nazeebo is from the Diablo universe. He's a voodoo witch doctor which tickles me immensely. His role in HotS is a ranged specialist which is pretty much a mage.

 Skills:

Trait :Voodoo Ritual

Ability and attack damage poisons enemies for 97 (46 + 0% per level) additional damage over 4 seconds. If a poisoned enemy dies, Nazeebo regenerates 1.95% Health and 1% Mana.

This trait makes Nazeebo a little harder to kill. I wish I knew this sooner cuz I tend to just look at damaging skills. If this is given the Death Ritual Talent, Nazeebo gets more health and mana for every kill. So it makes you pretty tough for a specialist.

Q ability: Corpse Spiders

60 Mana Cooldown: 10 seconds Deal 200 (95 + 4% per level) damage and create 3 Corpse Spiders that deal 29 (14 + 4% per level) damage. Spiders last for 4 seconds.

The basic bomb for Nazeebo. It does quite a nice job of being a pest when you're being overwhelmed with a bunch of these spiders. It's best to toss these out at the enemy groups.

W ability: Zombie Wall

70 Mana Cooldown: 14 seconds After 1 second, create a ring of Zombies surrounding the target area that deal 57 (28 + 4% per level) damage and last for 3 seconds.

Nazeebo's only crowd control and it's a bit hard to pull off since it has a slight delay. The zombies do a bit of damage but they can be destroyed fairly quick.

E ability: Plage of Toads

55 Mana Cooldown: 10 seconds Create 5 Toads that deal 191 (91 + 4% per level) damage.

This skill makes me laugh cuz I hate toads. They do some nice AoE damage but they're slow and hard to aim for any kills. 

Heroics:

Gargantuan:

90 Mana Cooldown: 60 seconds Summon a Gargantuan that guards you for 20 seconds. Deals 331 (158 + 4% per level) damage to nearby enemies when summoned, attacks for 500 (238 + 4% per level) damage, and can be ordered to stomp, dealing 331 (158 + 4% per level) damage. The Gargantuan deals extra damage to Minions and Structures.

Calling down a giant bruiser in the middle of a team fight can be quite helpful. But the Gargantuan can be slow and hard to control since you have to keep Nazeebo alive as well. However it does have a secondary skill where the Gargantuan stomps on the ground and damages the enemies. It still soaks up a lot of damage and devastates enemy minions and structures so it's great of a push.

Ravenous Spirit:

100 Mana Cooldown: 90 seconds Channel a Ravenous Spirit that deals 412 (196 + 4% per level) damage per second. Cannot move while channeling. Lasts for 8 seconds.

I actually like Ravenous Spirit since it's incredibly ferocious in dealing damage especially in a team fight. However it does leave Nazeebo in a vulnerable position while channeling.

How I play Nazeebo:

 Nazeebo is pretty fun to play and easy to control. I prefer staying back for the most time since being aggresive with Nazeebo doesn't do much except leave you open to ganks. His damage output though great against enemy groups is not enough to kill off enemies by itself. I like thinking of Nazeebo as damage fuel. He's just there throwing spiders and toads and raising zombies or a gargantuan while happily shooting at you from behind his team. I like doing that role. Messing things up for the enemy team at a safe distance while your warriors and assassins clean up the bits and pieces. 

 Upgrading the spiders to do leaping attacks does a bit more damage but I find it hard to notice the difference. Either way i still toss them out in the middle of the fray whenever because the spiders do their thing and add stacks to my death ritual that heals me.

 Zombie wall is a little tricky to place right. Unless you have a teammate with a great crowd control you'll expect to miss a lot if done willy nilly. I like placing them within a large group of enemies cuz they hardly notice the floor becoming zombies in the middle of battle. 

 So the best way for me to handle Nazeebo during a big fight is to drop myspiders and toads to do some awesome damage then either find a place to unleash my Ravenous Spirit to start decimating enemy heroes or wait before I can zombie wall an enemy and have my team brutalize them. I can also use Zombie wall to block off any escape routes then find a safe place to channel.

 For pushing, summoning Gargantuam while I unleash spiders and toads up in the walls will make the structures fall down quite quick. The same principle applies to counter-pushing as Nazeebo's crawlies do wonders against minions.

That's it for now I'll post more stuff about other heroes soon. :D

Heroes of the Storm

A storm is sweeping the gaming community :D

I love MOBAs. I do. I like learning about the characters, the gameplay, the item builds, the team builds mostly all of it. 

I played the DOTA maps back in high school and it took quite a bit of my time. Then I played League of Legends which is a lot of fun as well. So I tried out Heroes of the Storm and SMITE.

A few short words for SMITE. It's a great game. I love getting into it. The gameplay gives a nice twist to the genre I just wish I could stop the rubber banding due to my slow internet.

But what I wanted to talk about here is, Heroes of the Storm. I tried it out and found out it had no items in the game. I was dumbfounded but then I realized I actually love that. Items are a great part of MOBA but they do present a huge barrier to new players. All that information just to play a game is a little rough for people starting out. And to be honest, I get tired of trying to figure out which items counter which. 

Another thing they changed is that there's no last hitting in Heroes of the Storm. I hate last hitting. It's so tedious. So in HotS I just get to be the hero character and do whatever I want without falling behind so much on items and whatnot. 

I know the MOBA hardcore players out there are the first to outcry that it's "too easy". But I like it. It still has quite a bit of skill behind it. Also the MOBA community needs to stop feeling so superior for memorizing a bunch of builds and insulting each others games. I always tried to have a good time learning the other MOBAs but the constant berating of the players, especially in the PH servers is pretty toxic.

So give Heroes of the Storm a try if you guys want a fun game that you can pick up on the fly.... See you next time.

Wildstar

I tried I really did...

 Wildstar, the multiplayer online rpg game, was supposed to be right up my alley. I've been on the lookout for an immersive role playing game for a while and I thought going the MMO route would be the best way. I stumbled across Wildstar not long after.

 It looked amazing. The gameplay seemed like something I could have fun with. But the theme was what got me the most. It's other world planet was an epic story of rebels vs oppressors and it reminded me a lot of World of Warcraft. They had classes and professions and I really liked the characters.

Sadly I couldn't take the repetition much longer. I got bored with it quite quick. The world was beautiful in the game. My biggest problem was it only had American servers and the Philippines has probably the worst internet speeds in the world. Sigh.... So back to the search engine for more accessible MMORPGs.

But still, Wildstar seemed like a pretty cool game. I wonder why it failed? There was barely anyone playing! Sigh I yearn for the days of Social interaction like in Ragnarok Online. Hahahaha. 

We live for the Monster Hunt!

Sharpen you swords and ready your bombs, baby!

 It's been around 20 hours invested in playing one of my favorite games: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. 

 I'm a little late coming in since a lot of my friends have been playing the game for a while now. They started with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate too but I didn't have my 3DS then. Oh poor gamer problems.

 I first played Monster Hunter 2 Ultimate in the PSP and, suffice to say, it's quite a hard game to understand at first. There's no leveling up in this game. Well at least not in the traditional sense. Your character doesn't increase in stats the more you play. You don't get stronger when you defeat any enemies or even as you progress through the story... and that puts off a lot of casual players. Especially with all the tutorials... So many tutorials.

 If you’re not familiar with how you play Monster Hunter games, here’s a simple summary. You go on quests to collect stuff or hunt down huge or small monsters. The stuff you collect along with your rewards for taking down a monster and/or finishing your quests can be used to create/upgrade your equipment or items so you can take on bigger and tougher monsters as well as harder quests.

 But like I said before, your items and equipment can only take you so far. The true evolution of your hunter relies on you, the player. Each monster has their own set of moves and abilities. You can’t just go charging in haphazardly. They will decimate you. J Dark Souls players can relate to this.

 So the easier more reliable way of taking down your prey would be to familiarize yourself to its moves. Knowing when to strike and back off will do so much more for your game than all the upgrades in the world and Monster Hunter drives this point hard.

 And to be honest, I’m a little grateful for that. It gives the game a sense of accomplishment. Taking down a colossal foe because you managed to outsmart it does a gamer’s spirit good. It wasn’t because you spent more money on it to get better gear or grinded so many meaningless hours just to get better stats. It was because you took the time to understand the game and I think that’s how we should reward our players. It’s like the game offered you a toast for overcoming his challenge.

 Monster Hunter also ups the ante if players are up for a bigger challenge. With all the different types of monsters and equipment, the challenges multiply. If you want to try beating a certain monster using another kind of weapon, by all means. You will still get to learn new tactics and evolve your own play style and trying to understand how best to tackle a given situation. And for even more fun how to do it as a team in multiplayer :D

 What do you guys think? Are there other games that focus and reward a players understanding of how to beat the game as well as Monster Hunter out there? Did you ever feel like the gaming experience you’ve been having has satisfied your efforts for understanding how to beat it or has it just been one grind after another or just screen upon screen of mindless titillation as you blaze through the game? Let me know on the comment section :D