Blogs - RedTentacleStudios

Just as a note Wildstar is only in Beta and I have only had a very short time with it. Both games are very intriguing entries into the MMO war. Elder Scrolls is by far the most unique of the two, with a leveling system unlike anything else in the MMO world (that I've seen anyway) and a great "endless, wonder aimlessly about" feel to it (akin to the single player Elder Scrolls games). So what about Wildstar? you say... well Wildstar is much more of a WoW on steroids, and is fun without being too revolutionary. The thing I like the most about the game is how all attacks/heals are telegraphed on the ground, making reaction to those things a skill/twitch style of gameplay, which I love. I hate tabbing through bad guys to get to the one standing right in front of you. No tabbing, just pure skill based aiming! This may turn off much of the MMO community as they have not had to sit there and aim, just make a really good macro and hit a button at the right time.

Graphically it's hard to say since Wildstar is stuck at medium quality for the Beta (or at least that's what I've heard). That being said, ESO is gorgeous and makes all the other MMOs out there look absolutely ugly. Wildstar does have a nice whimsical feel to it, and if the textures and overall blurriness of the game gets fixed (just getting the Ultra setting should help) then I think it might end up looking pretty amazing too.

So which one has the better story/overall feel? That is still up in the air, they are polar opposites of each other. While ESO takes a shot at being serious and having lasting consequences, Wildstar is just plain silly (mostly in a good way). I am very torn, as I like both games. Wildstar is still being tweaked and I am still bitter that the Elder Scrolls went MMO... so who knows. Right now I'm giving Wildstar a slight edge because it just feels more "fun" so far. Also, my four year old likes Wildstar a lot better as the characters and feel of the game are more cutesy!

My first reaction to the new Tyranids (from Warhammer 40k) was very much akin to the general outrage towards the new codex. While I still believe that the codex was rushed/lazy/boring, it does have more of a competitive edge. The biggest issue with the codex is that they basically just took the old book, gave every model a nerf and cut the cost by about 20-25%. Book done... it just feels lazy and poorly thought out. They also just removed anything they didn't have models for (thanks Chapter House) and most of the fluff is copy pasted from the last book!

From a more technical standpoint, the thing that bugs me the most is making scything talons useless (most of my models have them because I used to love scything talons!). I also loved the way Tervigons worked, and now they are pretty horrible as they don't give their biomorphs to their termagants. I don't care too much that they took away biomancy (they didn't take the book powers from anyone else though...) but they could have at least made the Nid powers better (Warp Lance costs one more warp point but has one worse AP? Really??). The new models are cool, but difficult to use.

In the end there are lots of little things you can fight over that made them worse, or slightly better in other areas, but in the end the book suffers from it being extremely poorly thought out and rushed. I've only played one game so far (and I did win against the Eldar) and my army performed well. I think it will be a difficult army to use, but will be rewarding when you win.

Good luck to fellow followers of the Hive Mind

I was off it for a year, clean... cold turkey... all that jazz... but I had just a little taste, just a nibble really. Now I'm back on the wagon, back on the WoW crack! Goodbye free time! Oh wait, I have two little daughters, I don't have any free time! Anyway I have no idea how I feel about the new expansion, but I will be ready for it when it comes (maybe) and then, just maybe, it will be all over... Just in time for Titan or whatever it's going to be called to be released and suck me back in... Damn you Blizzard, damn you ....

The Monster Hunter series is a really great series and is very popular outside of North America, but why is it not popular here? There are a few glaringly "unAmerican" things that are in the game that both make it great and completely impossible to sell to North Americans (which I will just call Americans from here on out).

The biggest issue in my opinion is how incredibly slow the game is, everything is very meticulous and in need of forethought but at the same time the game often moves at glacial speeds. To swing your weapon it takes what feels like ages to go through the motion, and often the thing you were striking has moved away (with no ability to cancel the swing), and this is true of all the different weapons with even the faster ones requiring some lead time (plus less return when you do hit). The other major problem with the combat is that you can't use items with your weapon out. Meaning that you must sheath your weapon and then you can use your item. You also can't run with your weapon out (and in fact with many weapons you can barely move around) which leads to some serious frustration.

Outside of combat speed there is also the complete lack of "leveling" which is a blessing and a curse. Your character never gets any more skilled than when he started. He will gain new gear, making him better in combat and can gain hunter ranks, but in essence you aren't actually any better than when you started, just with a better suit of armour on and a new shiny sword!

For those that are patient enough to get over the high learning curve there is a lot of game to love. String together combos, learn the best way to clear different monster types and best of all learn to hunt those beasties down with your friends!

We've just released screenshots and video of Crazy Critter Dash (our latest project) and it's starting to look great. The game is also a lot of fun to play and we can't wait to show you more!

We have a lot of plans for making CCD a unique and great new endless runner. We will be adding in lots of different play styles (different areas will play very differently), a stunt system and lots of critter customization.

Over the next few weeks we will show you more and more about this fun, new and must play game! So stayed tuned and check out all the awesomeness on it's way.

Went to the ADC and GDC Next conference (being held for the first time in LA) for a day trip from sunny San Diego and I was impressed by some elements and disappointed by others. To start with there were very few gaming companies there (far fewer than there had been in Austin I believe) and I was hoping to see more about the games coming out, but there was very little to see. The plus side was that there were lots of great people to talk with and lots to learn about as I traversed the not so large expo floor.

I was considering going for two trips, but there really wasn't enough there to make me feel like going through LA traffic again (also I timed it just right to catch San Diego traffic on the way back). I hope to keep in tough with some of the people I met there and work on finding a way to get our games in more peoples hands.

Overall I'd say that it was an interesting conference (although I didn't get a chance to sit through any of the private talks) and that I hope it only gets larger and better in the years to come.

Battlefield 4 is a gorgeous game, with cool new game styles and the great "levelution" moments. When I say that BF4 is great, and it really is, I say so with a slight hesitation. The game has a lot of issues at launch (although far fewer than I had with BF3) with lots of freezes and graphical glitches and very poor Netcode. Players who are no where near you can shoot and kill you because they are right next to you on their screen, this is unacceptable, and is being worked on I hear. If they can fix these things the game will be amazing. The new match types in the game are a ton of fun, with Obliteration being my favourite (which is a neutral bomb game-type with three bomb sites).

The game is the best I've ever seen, when you are out at sea and riding on huge swells or base jumping off a collapsing skyscraper the game looks incredible. Some slight changes to how the classes work and how gear unlocks are interesting but are hardly games changing. The strange battlepacks add little perks to anticipate, and add sales in the form of Axe multi-packs giving BF4 battlepacks.

Here's hoping for some quick fixes to a potentially phenomenal game (with the best Battlefield single player to date, although that is not necessarily a compliment).

So I've been trying to get back into Warhammer Fantasy (by Games-Workshop) and I feel like someone should work on a remake of the old PC games back in the 90's. Even as I say that I doubt it will happen because it would probably make very little money, and you'd need to give what little you made to Games-Workshop. Other than being money sink-hole, it would be a fun game to make. The plus side would be that all the rules and units have been designed for you, on the downside it leaves little room for creativity. There is an amazing world to work with, and an incredibly fun game (with very little army balancing unfortunately) and with modern technology you could make the armies (and the individual units) look incredible. I enjoy the idea of working on a Games-Workshop IP, but not sure if it would be fun to work with GW itself. Just a random thought I had during my first cup of coffee in the morning (I'm not really awake until I'm on the third or fourth).

On another note, we are finally going to release information on our new project on Monday. This will include many of the features we are looking at including and pictures and video of the game.

On another note of the other note, we are also going to launch AntiViral3DHD sometime early next year, with all new features, levels and of course with 3d models and stunning visuals.

Tentacle out . . . (it sounded better in my head)

While I've only scratched the surface of what GTA5 has to offer, I'm surprised at how much they've packed into the current gen consoles. When I think of the wealth of activities that await I'm excited about all the carnage that awaits me. There seems to be a lot more here though, the story modes in the other games had a lot of ups and downs, but this game's story seems to be a little bit stronger and more character driven. There is also a more cinematic feel to the missions, that break up the feeling of driving from point A to B and then over to (you guessed it) point C. That being said there is still plenty of "go here, then go here" but what you are doing at each of those points, and everything that is happening on route is that much more dynamic and engaging.

On a different note, the game is stunning (although with tons of pop-in textures, which should get better on the next-gen consoles) and the area is gigantic, and just filled with so much detail and life that you do feel like you are in a real city (well except for all the over the top antics).

I give two thumbs up and a finger for GTA5.

How do you select your favorite game/s out of the countless contenders out there, and is your favorite game also the best game in your opinion? As an example I would say that "Last of Us" is both one of my favorite games and one of the best games out there. On the other hand I would say that "BF3" is one of my favorite games from a fun stand point, but is it really a great game or just a fun one (and is there a difference).

To complicate matters there are also "nostalgia" games that were "the best" and you "had" tons of fun with, but would they still compete if introduced today? (also sorry for all the "quotes"). To be honest I have no idea, I'd love to include games like "Super Mario World", "Conker 64" and "Perfect Dark 64" but would they still hold up? (sorry again, for some reason 64 games were popping in my head, but things like "Zelda: A Link to the Past" and others would be equally viable).

We were discussing the matter in the office and we all had different criteria and very different selections for our top 5 lists. Using a vague criteria of the games I've enjoyed the most I am selecting
1. Last of Us
2. BF3
3. Perfect Dark 64
4. Zelda: A Link to the Past
5. Super Mario World
Ask me again in five minutes and I'll probably have a new list though . . .