That’s the Hectic Scribe up there. I hate that guy. As per his flavor text:
They are nimble with the quill — fast enough to keep pace with history as it unfolds.
I’m going to talk about a different card every day for the next week. Wait, don’t go! Maybe you don’t play Ascension. That’s cool. I’ll try to make it interesting for you, too.
Ascension is a deck building game, where you and your opponent start with ten cards and gradually use them to buy more cards, which help you buy more cards. It’s all about making choices for what to buy for your deck, and then the luck of the draw for what cards show up in your hand every turn. It’s a bit mathy, but with oodles of atmosphere, thanks to designer Justin Gary and artist Eric Sabee. The folks at Incinerator Studios have done a superlative port to the iPhone, which just added the Return of the Fallen expansion as a $3 add-on.
After the jump, send the kids to bed, because things get sexy and I got the pics to prove it Continue reading →
Dogs playing poker is one thing. But this week’s guest, Jamie Madigan, apparently envisions dogs (pictured) assassinating Templars! Join us for a bit of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, a bit of Star Wars: the Old Republic, a bit of Serious Sam 3, and even some non-derisive Tony Hawk talk. Plus a contest in which you could win a free game. Also, Ezio up there wants you to rate us on iTunes. Just look at him. How can you refuse a face like that?
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Valve has opened the Defense of the Ancients 2 beta to some players. Such as yours truly. So what makes DOTA2 stand out?
1) DOTA2 has a lot of personality. Valve knows how to inject life into a game with dialog. During a round of DOTA2, the characters will have little conversations and will sometimes quip back and forth. When Windrunner dies, a red headed archer, she whispers in her dying breath “Why do you hate gingers… so?“. I smiled the first time I heard that.
2) Until I played DOTA2, I wasn’t a huge fan of the less cartoony graphics. I really liked League of Legends’ graphics for being colorful enough that it’s easy to distinguish what’s happening in team fights. But the effects in DOTA2 are unique and interesting enough that I can still distinguish what’s happening in team fights. In fact, the effects for the spells are really cool.
3) I’m a big fan of bots. I want to be able to practice an online game offline. For a few reasons, not the least of which is avoiding embarrassment, I want to try new characters in private. To that end, the DOTA2 bots are pretty good. Well, the enemy bots are pretty good. The bots on your team work together, but they basically ignore you and what you’re doing. In a way, this improved my play faster than it would have if they were supportive. Hell, it might as well be simulating a pub game, so it’s still a win.
Next up: The parts of Defense of the Ancients 2 that have me on the fence.
