Genre:

I’ve always wondered what the protocol is for reviewing an MMORPG. After all, if a game goes on forever, how much time should one investment to have “played enough” of it to get a complete view of the game? Ten hours? Twenty? One hundred? Well, I’ll be honest, I haven’t tracked my hours-played on Wakfu, however, having played the beta and putting additional time into the game after its official release, I believe I’ve played enough to form an honest opinion.

Wakfu takes place approximately one-thousand years after the events of a game called Dofus, which in my opinion looks just a little too close to “doofus” and I can’t help but snicker every time I see it (just goes to show you how poorly a language barrier can effect one’s perception of a name). All of the character classes (fourteen in total, all with customizable looks and great names such as Xelor’s Sandglass and Ecaflip’s Coin) are the same as the original game, so all you doofuses out there who played the original (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) will find Wakfu very familiar.

Like any MMORPG, there are a variety of jobs and tasks to perform, from quests to collecting lumber to create items from, and all of this is set to smooth, fun-to-watch animation that makes even the most tedious tasks seem a little less so. Of course, for those of you who hate super-deformed Anime, you may find Wakfu a little difficult to stomach (my favourite class is Iop’s Heart, and I still can’t get past that their hairstyles look like they’re wearing alien skulls for headwear).

The battle system of Wakfu, however, is probably its best attribute, and for those who play MMORPGs, you’ll know that’s very important because this is how you’re going to spend a great deal of your active gameplay time. Wakfu uses a grid-based, tactical battle system somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics. This is something not seen in MMORPGs, but if you’re a fan of the aforementioned title, you’ll certainly love what Wakfu has to offer. What’s more, each class has its own set of special abilities and five spells in three of four elemental schools of magic (fire, water, earth and air, of course).

But therein lies the one issue hardcore MMORPG fans might find off-putting about Wakfu: the game is not as large-scale as titles such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest. However, if you’re like me and enjoy MMORPGs but don’t want to have to give up a social life to progress half-way decently in the game, Wakfu caters to the casual MMO-player better than any game I’ve played before. Sure, the world is smaller (which can always be added to with expansions), and the list of abilities is shorter, but that also means you don’t have to slave away, hours on end, in a pretend world. And for me, that’s a selling point.

And speaking of selling, you can play Wakfu for free! Sure, a premium (paid) membership will give you the ability to buy and sell items, more dungeons and other fun things, but there is still a wealth of things to do with a free membership. If you’re like me and don’t see the reason to ever pay for a membership to an MMORPG again, Wakfu is a perfect game for you.

If there’s anything I could say against the game, it’s that the tutorial area is a bit tedious (but, hey! they actually have one!). Barring that, however, Wakfu is a fun and enjoyable title and with two levels of playability, it’s much more inviting than most for the non-hardcore MMO crowd. So if you’ve got the time, head over to the Wakfu website and download the game. If you like it, great! And if not, all it cost you was the time to download it and try it out for a while.

Game Play: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Visuals: 5/5
Sound: 3/5
Replay Value: 3/5

Overall: 18/25 – A Slight Odor (Good)

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In my humble opinion, the 1980′s was the best time for video games.  Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Burgertime, Rampage, Tetris, Duckhunt and so on.  However the 1980s didn’t only produce all star video games.  Here are some that aren’t remembered in the same light.

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Another convention is behind me, and now for another Early Swirly (I have to stop making a habit of this). First, however, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who stopped by my table at the Bronx Heroes Comic Con on Saturday. Your support is always appreciated.

As for the Swirly, there are a lot of great games coming out this week (and some not so great). We’ve got Max Payne 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City making its way to the PC, another episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (I really grow tired of these episodic games), the return of the legendary Dragon’s Lair and even a Game of Thrones game (to hear my opinion on that, just read last month’s comic). But, truly, there is only one game that deserves our attention this week. It is a game that has been long anticipated, with excited fervour. A game whose coming has been heralded by unparalleled epicness. A game which all the other games coming out this week should be grateful to for the privilege of sharing a small portion of it’s glory. That’s right folks. You guessed it…

Diablo III – PC, MAC

Words cannot begin to describe what an auspicious day May 15th will be for all Diablo fans, and for those ignorant fools who have not played the greatness that is the Diablo series up to this point. Dogs will howl at the tremendous sound of its arrival, fearing they cannot withstand its greatness. Men will need shield their eyes against the gleaming unholiness of its cover, lest they be blinded for all time. Women will weep for all the lost hours of their lives this vampire-of-a-game will bleed them of. And babies born on this day should take the name of Diablo, or forever be shunned for their parent’s sins against He who is the lord of all games-that-took-ages-to-come-out! All hail Diablo III!

What else can really be said about why you should get Diablo III and forget about all the other inferior titles struggling for supremacy this week that years of anticipation and trailers such as the one above cannot do themselves? Need more convincing, here’s a gameplay trailer:

Can you deny it’s greatness? Truly you cannot, or you are stricken with an ailment of the mind and should be flogged to death in the village square! What need is there for me to continue on? What purpose would it serve to write about any other game this week? Diablo III is the only game you should be turning your attention to and offering your money up to as a meager sacrifice for the privilege of being able to wander its many dungeons and towns. Cancel all your appointments. Tell your friends and family you need to take some time away for yourself. Put in for an immediate vacation from work. Skip school! Diablo III has finally arrived!

Oh, and here’s one more trailer. This one’s for the Demon Hunter (the class you’ll probably see me playing a lot of–you can see more class-specific trailers at diablo3.com):

The game takes place on Sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those warriors who directly faced the armies of the Burning Hells — and were fortunate enough to survive — went mad from their experiences. And most of the others have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again.

Also out this week: Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PC), Max Payne 3, Akai Kitana Shin, Game of Thrones, Battleship, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, PixelJunk 4am, Dragon’s Lair (Xbox 360), Asura’s Wrath: The Lost Episode 2 – The Strongest and the Angriest, JAM Live Music Arcade.

But who cares…

WE GOT DIABLO III, FINALLY!

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I know from the title there’s probably not a few of you who are hoping for another Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire comic, but, alas, the Starks of Winterfell have nothing to do with this month’s installment of the Game-Flush.com comic. Also, speaking of comics, if you’re in the New York area tomorrow (May 12th) and have nothing to do, I have a table at the Bronx Heroes Comic Convention (visit bxhcc.com for more info). I hope to see some of you there. And now, we return to your regular programming…

(click image for larger view)

I really am trying to wrap this “Who Killed Koz and Kosh” thing up from last year, but I do find writing and illustrating only one comic a month is not quite enough (for you readers or for me to keep things moving and still have time to do those random, humorous ones). Thing is, I can’t dedicate more time to the comic until Game-Flush’s readership is up. So, in this case, I’m going to have to appeal to you, fellow Flushers: spread the word. Get you family, friends and even your enemies to visit Game-Flush. Because more visitors means we can dedicate even more time to bringing you the content you enjoy. Flush On!

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This week while searching for a good video for you loyal flushers to enjoy, I came upon a cool flash game called Super Mario Crossover.  The basic premise is that it is Super Mario Bros. but you can play as some of your other favorite Nintendo characters like Link, Megaman and Simon Belmont.  So instead of jumping on those pesky Goombas, you can stab them, shoot them or whip them.  I did well enough as Link, however I could hear The Corporate Ninja crying as I died right away as Simon Belmont.  While they do have some great Nintendo legends in there, not every Nintendo character could make make the cut.  Here are a few of those examples….

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I’m going to be brutally honest with all of you: This week is merely a filler week in the world of gaming as far as I’m concerned. This week is an obstacle and obstruction to get to next week; a week that will truly be one of the greatest weeks in all recorded and unrecorded history. For me and many others, this week may as well just fall off the calender and make way for Diablo III, the absolute greatest game of 2012 or any other year for that matter. But, I guess I still have to fill you in on the filler line-up this week has in store for you. Here we go.

Starhawk (Limited Edition) – PS3

“In the far reaches of space, factions of humanity battle over a rare and dangerous resource known as Rift Energy. Colonies of humans called Rifters have been exploring the “Frontier” of planets, but find their way of life threatened by the Outcast, a ruthless species of humans who have mutated into psychotic monsters due to exposure to this very same Rift Energy. Caught in the middle is Emmett Graves, a hired gunslinger ostracized from society because of his own exposure to Rift Energy, leaving him partially mutated, but still able to retain his humanity.”

Minecraft – X-Box Live Arcade

“The infinite possibilities in Minecraft just got bigger. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition brings the global phenomenon to console gamers for the first time. Minecraft let’s you create worlds from the comfort of your sofa. Play alone or play with your friends. Explore, build and conquer! At night monsters come out, so make sure to build a shelter before that happens.”

Warlock: Master of the Arcane – PC

“Warlock: Master of the Arcane is a new turned-based strategy game set in the fantastical world of Ardania, popularized in Majesty franchise. Warlock: Master of the Arcane invites players to take on the role of the Great Mage and build a powerful magical empire, giving mightly mages the ability to control armies and wield magic to wage war against another, as they compete with other wizards for the title of Warlock.”

That’s really it for this week, unless you want to count Paul’s Shooting Adventure 2 (WTF?). Sorry, didn’t feel that one deserved its own video slot. Again, nothing this week matters one bit. All that matters is that in 8 days from now, the world will never be the same again. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO III. DIABLO F’N III!!!!!!!!!

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You know what I’m talking about. I don’t know the technical name for it… Power source, annoying large plug, giant cubic nuisance, no matter what you want to call it, they suck. These babies were all the rage back in the early days of gaming, making even the biggest surge protector look minuscule. These things still piss me off to this day. We’ve all been there. These damn things are so heavy and bulky that they keep falling out of your wall socket due to its grotesque girth and massive size. Be that is it may, they do hold a place in video game history and to some extent, they still exist to this day. Let’s take a look at the stupid cube power plug, then and now.

This thing may seem innocent enough on its own, but combine it with a mess of other plugs, composite cables, and cable wires and you have a hideous mess of wires and giant cube awfulness. It’s hard enough to keep all the assorted wires and plug organized behind your TV wall unit, but these space devouring plugs make it an even bigger disaster. When these suckers start to multiple between video game systems and other electronics, you’ll suddenly find your once 6 plug surge protector can barely accommodate 3 of these mothers. You will also enjoy the fun when this brick slips out of the protector or outlet after playing a game for a few hours without saving and watching the screen suddenly black out on you. Good times.

I know, I know. They were a necessary evil then, and even now they still exist to power our new, super advanced gaming consoles. However, the designers of these power supplies had the good sense to improve the design so the actual plug itself is just the standard size we”re accustomed to. While they still take up a ton of space, at least they won’t clog up your surge protector anymore.

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Genre: 

Imagine this: You are Cole MacGrath, The Demon of Empire City. You woke up one day with an assortment of electrical super-powers. You can climb buildings, grind on rails and power lines, shoot electric rockets and grenades from your hands, and oh… you single-handedly saved Empire City from Kessler and New Marais from The Beast. People either love you or are completely terrified of you for good reason. How could you possibly be any more bad ass? That’s right… now you’re a freakin’ vampire!

With my fellow flushers focusing on DLC’s lately, I decided inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood was a good choice to take a closer look at. For fans like me who just couldn’t get enough after the first two games, this was a nice little nugget of joy. A brand new story arc is featured with new, albeit annoying enemies for Cole to shock and stab and some pretty sweet new abilities to do so with. Let’s take a closer look at the good and the bad of Festival of Blood, shall we?

I’m going to start off with the good stuff, which was very good. The game play only gets better with the new powers Cole has as a result of being bitten by the new baddie, Bloody Mary. First off, you can fly. Not for long, but after gliding around with the static thrusters for two games where you’re oh so close to flying, trust me, this is very gratifying. Also, while flying (which is known as the Shadow Swarm) you can stab vampires through their filthy, evil hearts if you move directly into them. Cole is also blessed with the Vampire Sense, which helps him pick out and kill the Firstborn vampires disguised as humans in the crowd, avoiding the annoying fight that follows should you try to feed on them. What’s that? Feed on them? Well, you’re a vampire, of course you can feed on people! You even get a trophy for it, and there are a few different animations to keep it fresh (there’s a blood joke in there somewhere). And of course, the amp has been replaced by a cross, which doubles as a stake. Score.

There are a few things that are different from the main series in this DLC. Such as the Karma system. How is it different? It’s gone. Why? Well, it’s kind of hard to call yourself a hero when you walk down the street, snap somebody’s head back, and slurp the sustenance out of their veins isn’t it? Also, for some reason most of Cole’s electric powers are gone and along the way he only regains a few of them. I thought zombies were the only undead beasts that lost brain power. But I digress. The new cool stuff you can do more than makes up for the lack of your other powers and kinetic abilities. Festival of Blood introduces some new enemies that take away the old hide-and-shoot strategy that worked so well for you (or more likely, me) until now. The Firstborn take an awful lot of time and the Harpies that hang from anything and shoot you annoy the crap out of you by causing some premature cessations of life. And of course there are the regular old vampires who sound suspiciously like Spike from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

Unfortunately for me, the User-Generated Content (UGC) that appeared in inFAMOUS 2 rears its ugly head once again. My problem with this is that most of us who play video games have no business making them. There are some God-awful UGC missions, including one that has a short cut scene and only requires you to go from one rooftop to another. Really?! I swear, go find it yourself. And other missions are just choc-full of enemies to the point where you’d rather beat the jerk who made his mission than beat his mission. Also, a new comic strip cut scene effect has been added to fluff up your future game of the year missions. In my opinion it just looks cheesy; I had a Spider-Man computer program with the same technology 15 years ago. I know, I know, you’re thinking “Zook, all the UGC stuff is optional. You don’t have to play it! Stop complaining!” Well, you’re right so enough said.

All-in-all, I was actually very pleased with my $9.99 investment. I’d stack this game right on par with Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare. If you’re a trophy hunter, it doesn’t take too long at all to snatch them all up. You can blow through the whole game pretty quickly without feeling ripped off. So whether you’re a fan of Cole, Zeke, or pasty-faced blood suckers and you haven’t gotten your hands on this game yet, go for it. Chances are, for what it is, you’ll be sucked in.

Story: 3/5
Graphics: 4/5
Game Play: 4/5
Sound: 3/5
Replay: 1/5

Total Score: 15/25 –  May Cause Anal Leakage (Decent)

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I’m just going to give all you Flushers a heads up on this one–I’m exhausted. I just got back from MoCCA Festival in New York (where I had a table, selling me wares), and it was a long (albeit, always enjoyable) weekend. So, if the quality of this week’s Swirly is a little…sub-par, I hope I have your forgiveness.

Anyway, there are a few half-way decent titles on the list for this week. We’ve got Lovecraft’s Cthulhu (always a favourite of mine), another MMORPG (::yawn::), a ninja’s worst enemy (Pirates!) and even Mortal Kombat on the PlayStation VITA (Woo-hoo!). So, as always, pull up a toilet, sit back and read on for the Corporate Ninja’s picks for what’s catching his eye in video game releases this week!

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land – PC, iPhone/iPad

I apologise for not having more for you than this boring gameplay trailer, but apparently Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land doesn’t have a true trailer available. Still, I couldn’t leave a game based on the work of one of my favourite authors of all time off the list (even though it’s probably going to be terrible). Especially since I’ve written (and had published) a number of Cthulhu mythos stories myself.

Set in the midst of World War One, the game pits your team of investigators and soldiers against an ancient enemy, one older than humanity itself… Can your team of investigators keep their grip on sanity long enough to stop these diabolical plans? The fate of humanity is in your hands…Developed in conjunction with Chaosium and based their multi-award winning Call of Cthulhu RPG.”The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” H.P.Lovecraft The game features: Full 3D graphics with high quality textures, images and effects to bring the action alive.All visuals are enhanced for retina and iPad displays.Select from a range of authentic period weapons, equipment, armour, skills and more.Build your team up to match your gaming style; will you shred your foes with massed rifle fire or blast them with powerful spells gleaned from forbidden tomes? It’s your choice!Integrates to Game Centre and Open Feint with challenging achievements to unlock.Call of Cthulhu was originally the title of a novella by cult American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) which has, since it was published in 1928, captured the imagination of generation after generation of fans. Returning to the horror from Lovecraft’s original ‘Reanimator’ set during the dark days of WW1, Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land draws the player into a nightmare world where the terror of mustard gas and trench warfare are but a foretaste of what is to follow.

Tera – PC

I have to say, watching this trailer…the game actually looks good…but I’m not impressed. To me, good or not, the races look like an near blatant rip-off the Final Fantasy XI cast, and, frankly, though I think (other than FFXII) all Final Fantasies since VII have been underwhelming, FFXI would be a difficult to create an MMORPG better than it. In my opinion, it’s the best there’s been (though by no means perfect).

TERA is an innovative Action MMO featuring groundbreaking combat where player position, timing, and aim determine success in combat, creating an experience beyond the limitations of traditional point-and-click style MMO games. In the world of TERA, teamwork matters more than race or class, as players form a common federation to stave off obliteration from marauding monsters and evil gods. TERA seamlessly integrates elements such as questing, PvP combat, and crafting into its “all action, no faction” approach, giving players the MMO features they love in an innovative new context.

Port Royale 3 – PS3, PC, Xbox 360

A game about PIRATES?! Blasphemy! No self respecting ninja would be caught dead playing this game. But, then again, I suppose most of you aren’t self respecting ninjas. Still, I’m going to have to ask you to show your support for your favourite Corporate Ninja and boycott this title!

In Port Royale 3, players will embark upon an epic adventure through the Caribbean during the turbulent 17th century where the naval powers of Spain, England, France and the Netherlands all fight for supremacy in the colonies. Players take on the role of a young captain trying to build his fortune and reputation in the new world colonies. The campaign consists of two different paths for the young protagonist to follow: adventurer and trader.

Following the path of the adventurer will lead the player on a naval conquest where they must gain notoriety through raids, piracy, bounty hunting, plundering and conquering cities as they strive to build their new Caribbean empire.

Also out this week: Sniper Elite V2, Mortal Kombat (VITA), Fable Heroes, Nexuiz, Awesomenauts, Forza Motorsport 4: May Top Gear Pack, and Velocity

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