rpg

An RPG rundown; recommendations and reviews of the best role-playing games on the market.

Dragon Age: Origins
I don't know why, but recently I had a hankering for a fantasy adventure. Something along the lines of The Witcher or Lord of the Rings. Lucky me, I found the Dragon Age trilogy again recently. Now, before I continue, let's get this out of the way. Yes, I said 'trilogy' - Veilguard doesn't interest me in the slightest.
By Greg Seebregts6 months ago in Gamers
The Most Important Item Added into Tarkov
(Intro) There has been a plethora of important items that have been introduced into Tarkov that fundamentally changed how we engage with the game. From weapon meta shifts to new equipment and utility, new items being introduced into the game create new opportunities to both play and experience the game. And no other item has been more critical in the longevity and success of this game than the surgical kits; items that allow players to fix their zeroed-out limbs so they can continue in the raid or stay lethal in a fight. For many years, if any of your characters’ limbs hit zero health, there was no way to recover that damage and depending on which body part it was, you’d most likely need to leave the raid immediately. But having items that can remedy this problem, a whole new dimension of the game was opened up; allowing people to stay to the bitter end of a raid, constantly getting into fights, and being able to create a story you can really share with people, is what makes these items so essential in Tarkov. So, let’s go over surgical kits in the game, how critical their role has been since they were introduced, what the game was like before them, and how they ended up being so vital and popular that the developer felt the need to tone them down somewhat with the full release of the game. It may not be a flashy piece of equipment, but none of us going into a raid without a surgical kit on us.
By Jirasu6 months ago in Gamers
Friends in High Places
Lor'ren was a stunning figure that looked like a statue given life. Perfectly proportioned, his golden hair seemed to move in a breeze no one else felt, and his voice was like a silver bell. He spoke softly as he ran his fingers through the low-tide sand, drawing a complicated sigil to the rhythm of the waves. As the final line finished, he clapped his hands, and spoke the invocation aloud.
By Neal Litherland6 months ago in Gamers
What Happened to Proximity Chat in Tarkov?
(Intro) One of the most difficult parts of an extraction shooter to navigate is dealing with other players. Unlike say, a battle royale where the whole point is to be the last one standing; extraction shooters don’t require you to be alone to win. Whether you need to loot specific items, get some quests done, or are looking for some kind of fight, there are a multitude of ways to be successful after a raid. Fighting players were always tricky, however; sometimes people genuinely don’t want to fight, and for years there was no easy way to get that message across in the game. However, once VOIP was added, things changed for a long time. People were talkative to one another, cooperating in a raid and having some playful banter. On top of the absolute vile that was being spewed out of some undesirables. But one thing I’ve noticed for a long time now, is how people barely use this widely requested mechanic in game anymore. That desire to simply talk to your fellow player or scav has kind of been lost. People are back to their roots of shoot on sight. And to be brutally honest, I can kind of understand why So let’s break down what has or in this case I guess, hasn’t happened to VOIP, why it feels like people are using it less these days and the general philosophy behind player interactions in extraction shooters. Silence is deadly, especially in a game like Tarkov.
By Jirasu6 months ago in Gamers
Returning to Quel'Thalas: Is Midnight the Expansion We’ve Been Waiting For?
Today is a new patch day in World of Warcraft: Midnight, and it seems like a good day to talk about the state of the expansion and its first season so far.
By josip6 months ago in Gamers
The Best Additions to Ever Come to Tarkov
(Intro) A while ago we went over some of the many controversial additions and changes to Tarkov that either had a substantial impact across the wider game as a whole or created quite a buzz when showed off but then kind of just landed with a thud and not much else. It’s a mixed bag; some changes people actually ended up kind of liking, or some started out as rough additions but with some refinement and iteration, landed in a place that the community feels are fair. But today, I wanted to swing in the opposite direction and take a look at some changes or additions that were generally favored by the community. Whether it was simple stuff, or wider sweeping changes across most corners of Tarkov, at least in my eyes, there are tons of things I am glad were added into the game. It’s not all bad sometimes; this is going to be an opportunity for us to reflect on the good that was added and just have a conversation about something that isn’t so inherently negative. We got to mix it up every once in a while.
By Jirasu6 months ago in Gamers
Tarkov’s Anti-Cheat Diary is Interesting
(Intro) We all know that the battle against cheaters across video games is a never ending one. As developers figure out workarounds and solutions to whatever iteration of cheating software is currently out on the market, the creators of the cheats come up with a new version that circumvents all the effort going into the fight. It’s a game about trying to be close behind as the cheaters are usually one step ahead. And this is no more apparent than in Tarkov. It’s been an ongoing issue for a very long time. Since the start of the early alpha days, but ever more apparent as the game’s popularity grew over time. And recently, the developers put out a full diary blog post specifically talking about cheating in EFT and how they are going to approach it this year. Some new backend solutions, debunking some myths surrounding cheating and just overall a what seems to be very open and honest conversation about this issue that plagues the industry as a whole. Which is something I would request more of from the team; this level of openness and just talking about how they want to try and combat this and other issues would be very much appreciated going forward. But let’s review the developer’s diary and see what they have to say about cheating and if their efforts will bear any fruit. They’ll never be able to solve cheating, but the less impact it has across the game, the better.
By Jirasu7 months ago in Gamers
The Dumbest Mechanic in Tarkov
(Intro) Tarkov is home to a wide host of mechanics, gimmicks and oddities you wouldn’t know about on your first playthrough unless you were told about them beforehand. Some that make sense within the specific context of this world and game, and some others that are... well honestly, I can’t make heads or tails of them still. And probably the weirdest and out there mechanic that is in the game, revolves around a specific boss and his ability to jam most weapons in the game by just existing. Kollontay, the other boss on Streets next to Kaban, when equipped with his baton, will create this area of effect around him that will jam any and all weapons the player tries to use that can be jammed. Also known as the panic attack. And to be brutally honest, I don’t understand this mechanic; it feels so forced and out of place within the world of Tarkov. So today, we’re going to go over this one mechanic and how across the vast array of things you interact with in EFT, Kollontay and his panic attack mechanic might be the dumbest one to be added into the game. Why it’s in the game, what it adds and really doesn’t add, and how it just really doesn’t make sense in the context of the world we’re playing in. There are already enough obtuse gimmicks and friction in the game; why add something like this in the first place?
By Jirasu7 months ago in Gamers
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Expansion Reveals Skovos Region, Fishing and Sea Monster Boss Fight
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is starting to look like more than just another expansion for Blizzard’s ARPG. The recent 21-minute IGN First gameplay footage focuses on Skovos, a new region that immediately feels a bit different from the usual tone of Sanctuary. Instead of the typical dark forests and ruined strongholds, this area leans into a coastal setting that gives it a more open, almost mythic atmosphere. It feels like a place built around travel and history rather than just another zone for combat.
By fuhd7 months ago in Gamers
25 Eldritch Invocations: New Tricks For Warlocks
Dangerous Stew Prerequisite: Proficiency with Cooking Utensils You can cook using poisonous natural ingredients (flora and fauna only) and the poison is neutralized for that meal. You can only use this invocation once per short rest.
By Jamais Jochim7 months ago in Gamers
It's All About The Love For Animals: The Zoophile Subclass
Lizbeth had to deal with a great elk and the druid who wanted to stop it. The elk had been targeting humans coming into its forest and the druid wanted to stop it. She had put herself between the two, literally. She yelled at the druid in his own tongue. “Have you tried talking to it?”
By Jamais Jochim7 months ago in Gamers
Tarkov Late Spawns Have Sadly Returned
(Intro) On March 27th, the developers of Tarkov put out the update for version 1.0.4 which introduced some interesting changes across the board. Balance adjustments to many different elements of the game, attempts at optimization with some pain points players have been experiencing, and making lots of fixes to things that you may or may not have dealt with. However, while these changes are appreciated and definitely larger than I figured any patch going forward would be, the main focus of this patch was to address the long queue and load times when entering raids. And their attempts at reducing how long it takes to load into raids have ultimately resorted in a rather unfortunate side effect of old Tarkov returning for the worse. Late spawns have sadly returned, and it seems that from personal experience after this patch, my attempts to get into a single raid before it starts are futile. So, let’s go over late spawns being in Tarkov once again, whether or not this is a bug or again, an unfortunate side effect of them trying to speed up the process in general, and what can be done to maybe tackle this problem. It sucked years ago when it was around, now it’s even more apparent and even more annoying than it was before.
By Jirasu7 months ago in Gamers