Mass Effect 3 (spoiler free!)
Submitted Monday, May 7, 2012 - 6:37:20 PM by Klaitu

So, how could I have missed a review of my favorite franchise of all time? Well, life(tm) got in the way.. but now that I have a few moments, it's review time!

ME3 had some big shoes to fill.. after the resounding masterpiece that was Mass Effect 2. Not only did it have to live up to the hype, it also had to cap off the story to the trilogy.

In case you hadn't heard, there was huge controversy regarding the ending of the game.. and I'll get to that, but first let's talk about "everything else"!

The graphics and gameplay of ME3 live up to those in ME2.. they may be slightly improved, it's hard to say, but the art style carries over very well to the new game, and it's much less jarring than what happened from ME1 to ME2.

Gameplay is most similar to ME2 with the additional twist of a more robust melee attack system. It works quite well, and you can get along just fine without it, if you feel so inclined.

Music is much improved, no doubt due to the new composer. ME1 and 2's scores felt cheap, much like Babylon 5's did. This time around, there's still plenty of ambient electronica, but we also get horns, pianos, and drums.

Voice acting here is top notch, with the notable exception of Jessica Chobot's Diana Allers. Listening to her dialogue is absolutely punishing.. thankfully, she doesn't have many lines (and you can even kick her off your ship if you want).

Then there's the story. The story is absolutely as you might expect a Mass Effect game to be. High Quality, in depth characters, attention to detail. It's no secret, this time around, Shep is out to save Earth itself. Along the way, you meet all sorts of friends from games past, as well as a few new faces.

... that is until the last 10 minutes of the game. The story veers off from Mass Effect and drives directly into crazy town. The ending of Mass Effect feels absolutely nothing like Mass Effect. Closure to many of the characters and stories you've been a part of for the past 30 hours or so is not provided.

Additionally, like everything in Mass Effect, you're given an ultimate choice at the end of the game, but each of these choices leads to nearly identical endings... It's a lot like in Mass Effect 2 where you can choose to destroy the collector base, or save it..

To make matters worse, the ending is somewhat abstract, and doesn't really explain what just happened in any detail. When I first completed the game, I felt disappointed that the story ended so abruptly and with no closure.

For all the hype that's been put out regarding the conclusion, you'd think the sky was falling, and while I did feel the ending was disappointing, it was only the last 10 minutes of a 30 hour game. I enjoyed my time with Mass Effect 3 overall.. and Bioware has announced that they will patch the ending of the game, though who knows how they might alter it. We'll see how it goes.

Bottom Line: If you liked Mass Effect 2, it's pretty much that style all over again. I highly recommend it!

Overall Score: 8 of 10
Quality Rating: 5 of 5
Buy it!

Lady > Blog
Submitted Saturday, January 7, 2012 - 9:24:09 AM by Klaitu

Sorry for not posting more, readers! It's lady time.

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See, there she is with Spider Man!

The Muppets (2011)
Submitted Thursday, November 24, 2011 - 6:03:28 AM by Klaitu

I'm old, so I remember the Muppets and how awesome they are. Going into this movie I knew exactly what to expect out of it.

And then the movie surpassed all my wildest expectations. I knew it would be funny, but it was actually so funny where I had to make a conscious effort not to fall out of my chair from laughing so hard.

I know that what I am about to say may sound stupid, but The Muppets may be the funniest movie I have ever seen in my entire life.

Not even joking about that.

Overall Score: 9 of 10

Uncharted 3
Submitted Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 8:38:26 PM by Klaitu

Drake's latest adventure has hit the PS3!

The Uncharted franchise is probably the best exclusive franchise that Sony has at the moment... and that's alright, because it's pretty good.

In the pantheon of Uncharted games, Uncharted 3 is second best. The best one is Uncharted 2, which is number 1, and then Uncharted 1 is number 3. Got it? Good!

The theme this time around is deserts, which is a nice change of pace from jungles. This time the story has a focus on Sully and Drake, which I think is less interesting than a romance plot. Claudia Black doesn't get much play time either.

Still, Uncharted 3 delivers the Uncharted experience. There's no denying it. It's also incredibly short, which means it's probably best experienced as a rental.

Overall Score: 8 of 10
Quality Rating: 5 of 5
Rent it!

Some of us have jobs.
Submitted Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 8:32:27 PM by Klaitu

Hey folks!

Just wanted to throw down a note to say that.. well crap, I been busy working, and then trying to get enough sleep to survive more work.

Whoever invented this process is one evil mastermind.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Setting
Submitted Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 11:57:55 AM by Klaitu

Starting Planets of TOR!

So, now that we've established "When" SWTOR takes place, now we're going to tackle the "where".

Star Wars takes place in a place that ubernerds call "GFFA" which stands for Galaxy Far Far Away. It is a spiral galaxy similar to our own, and has at least 2 dwarf galaxies bound to it. Even in the time of the movies, nearly half of the entire galaxy remains unexplored or mapped.. in SWTOR's era even less is explored.

View a high detail map:
http://ds180.net/junk/swmap.jpg

In SWTOR, there are two Main players in the galaxy: The Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. There are also a number of minor players such as the Hutts and the Mandalorians.

For thousands of years, the Republic has been the only force of any clout around. The Republic is a large representative government where member planets are represented in the Galactic Senate. It is bureaucratic, legislative, frought with politics, but generally intends to be benevolent.

The Sith Empire originated when Dark Jedi escaped the Galactic Republic and discovered the world of Korriban, where they settled and interbred with the native species there, the Sith. Because they don't believe in restricting the force, their society tends to be quite chaotic, where people kill their political rivals to make their way to the top. As you might expect, the Sith Empire is authoritarian and is led by an Emperor. The Sith seem to be at their best when they are not battling the Republic, as they always lose. Emperor Palpatine in the movies managed to sidestep this problem by simply infiltrating the Republic instead of invading it.

The Hutts are a sort of Intergalactic crime syndicate, sort of like how the Mafia controlled Italy. They administer their own territory and the Republic has no desire to conquer them. Hutt space is independent in SWTOR.

The Mandalorians are Star Wars' answer to the Klingons. They are a typical warrior caste society who determine their leaders in battle. They have their own space that the Republic generally leaves alone. The Mandalorians are aligned with the Sith Empire in SWTOR.

The Galaxy is divided into smaller regions sort of like a target is divided into scoring zones.

At the center of the Galaxy (much like our own Galaxy) is a supermassive black hole. Surrounding it, in the center of the galaxy is the Deep Core (The "bullseye" of the Target analogy). This region is difficult to navigate because it is packed with stars. It's dangerous to travel here without a preplanned hyperspace route.

The next ring out, the ring that surrounds the Deep Core is known as the Core Worlds This region is where the Galactic Republic is strongest, it's where the most advanced societies evolved, and all of these worlds are close together, so trade is relatively easy. These worlds are rich and powerful.

Going progressively from the inside from the outside, the rest of the regions are: The Colonies, Inner Rim, Expansion Region, Mid Rim, and Outer Rim.

The Outer Rim in particular is important because it takes up far more space than the rest of the regions combined. Many of the movie settings take place on the Outer Rim.

Aside from these regions, there is also a region known as the Unknown Regions, which remains for the most part unexplored.

And now, the Planets of SWTOR:

CORUSCANT



Coruscant is easily the most politically important planet in the Galaxy. It is the Capitol of the Galactic Republic. It's located in the Core Worlds, and it's so built up that the entire surface of the planet is one giant city. Nobody really remembers what the planet was like before. It is considered to be the origin world for Humans, but nobody really knows for sure.

In SWTOR, Coruscant is recovering from an attack by the Sith Empire (as depicted in the trailer in my original post). This is also where the Galactic Senate is. Coruscant appears in the movies in Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 6. Sith players can't travel to this planet in the game.

TYTHON



Tython is the ancient home of the Jedi, and the planet where the Force was first "discovered". It's located in the Deep Core, which makes travel there extremely dangerous without a specific hyperspace route. Because of this, the route to Tython was lost for thousands of years until Satele Shan rediscovered it.

In SWTOR, Tython is the starting world for both Jedi classes, it is a refuge from the Sith Empire, who do not know where it is.

ORD MANTELL



Ord Mantell is a colony world of the Core Planet Corellia. In the past, the planet was on a strategic hyperspace route.. but other better routes were discovered, turning Ord Mantell into a quiet backwater. The planet is loyal to the Republic, but many citizens there want to seperate and be independent.

In SWTOR, Ord Mantell is the starting planet for Trooper and Smuggler. The planet was once an Ordinance Depot, which is what "Ord" is all about. It is located in the Mid Rim.

BELSAVIS



Belsavis would be a frozen wasteland, except that it incredibly volcanically active. Geothermal events are enough to make small portions of the planet warm and habitable.

In SWTOR it contains a prison that the Republic operates, and the Sith want to break the prisoners out to cause chaos. It is located in the Outer Rim.

CORELLIA



Corellia is one of the founding worlds of the Galactic Republic. These people invented the Hyperdrive, and one of their major industries is to build starships. While the planet may look smoggy or polluted, this is the natural look of the planet. Corellia's industries are environmentally conscious.

In SWTOR, the Republic has lost contact with Corellia. The Republic fears the Sith may be trying to infiltrate the government there. Corellia is a Core World, and also the birthplace of Han Solo. It previously appeared in Star Wars Galaxies.

QUESH



Quesh is a planet with a highly toxic atmosphere, however the chemicals in the atmosphere are easily converted into adrenals (medical stimulants). As such the Republic and Empire fight over this world, which is controlled by the Hutts in a deal made with the Republic. Quesh is located in Hutt Space on the Outer Rim.

DROMUND KAAS



Dromund Kaas is the adopted homeworld and Capitol of the Sith Empire. It is here that the Sith Emperor planned his invasion of the Republic, and where Revan and Malak were turned to the Dark Side. Like Tython, it was a lost world for some time.

Dromund Kaas is located on the far side of the Outer Rim beyond Korriban (the point at which the Republic's influence ended). Republic Players can't visit this world.

KORRIBAN


Korriban is the ancient home of the Sith people, who bred with Dark Jedi long ago to create the True Sith. The Republic ejected them from Korriban thousands of years ago, but in the time of SWTOR they've taken it back (you saw the trailer of it, remember?).

Korriban is located on the Outer Rim, and is a gateway in a hyperspace route to many Sith planets beyond. It's the starting planet for Sith Warriors and Inquisitors.

HUTTA



You know Jabba the Hutt? Well this is where his race is from.. the Stanky world of Hutta. To everyone else, Hutta sucks.. but to the Hutts, it's awesome.. apparently being perfectly suited to their tastes. The Hutts are very gangster-like, and they hold the Evocii race in slavery on Hutta.

Hutta is unsurprisingly located in Hutt Space. It's in the Mid Rim, but it's right on the border with the Outer Rim.

BALMORRA



At one point, the Republic used Balmorra for advanced droid research and development.. which is probably why the Sith invaded it. The Republic was forced to capitulate this planet in the Treaty of Coruscant (the one that was signed on Alderaan as Malgus rammed that ship into the Jedi Temple).

Balmorra is one of the Colony Worlds.

NAR SHADDAA



Nar Shaddaa is actually not a planet at all, it's a moon of Hutta. Like Coruscant, the entire surface is covered in one giant city, which is sort of like a more seedy, more corrupt version of Las Vegas. The planet has a huge Black Market system which both the Republic and the Empire benefit from.

This is one of the few places that Republic and Sith players can interact with one another socially. If you're like me, you're already tired of this planed because you had to jump Kyle Katarn through flying dumpsters in Jedi Academy. Nar Shaddaa, like Hutta is on the border of the Mid Rim and Outer Rim.

ALDERAAN



Alderaan is an environmentally conscious planet which balances technology and nature. It is ruled by a monarchy, sort of like Naboo, and has recently seceeded from the Republic leading to a civil war among those loyal to their ruler, and those loyal to the Republic.

You may remember Alderaan as it appeared in Episode 3 during the ending montage, or in Episode 4 when it was EXPLODED BY THE DEATH STAR. Fortunately, you won't have to worry about that since it won't happen for another 3000 some odd years. Oh, it's also where Princess Leia is from. Alderaan is one of the founders of the Republic, and a Core World.

TATOOINE



Tatooine. It's a desert. You may remember it from Episode 1, 2, 3, 4, and or 6. Tatooine really gets around. What's on Tatooine? Sand. Sand and Jawas. Sand and Jawas and Abandoned research laboratories.

Tatooine is interesting because it orbits a twin star system, but despite it having two suns, it they only cast one shadow. Go figure that one out, physicists. Tatooine is the origin of Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker. It also failed to kill Jar Jar Binks, despite him being an aquatic creature.

TARIS



Taris was once a lot like Coruscant. The entire planet was one big city, but during the events of Knights of the Old Republic, Darth Malak bombarded the planet from orbit. During the 300 years in between, the planet's original swamp landscape has started asserting itself again.

Taris was invented for Knights of the Old Republic, so this will be a revisit to a drastically changed world. Taris is located on the Outer Rim.

VOSS



Voss is inhabited by a race of Force-Sensitive mystics who can use the force to predict the future. The Republic and the Empire tried to fight over the planet, but the Voss saw it coming. Now the Republic and Empire compete Diplomatically for the planet.

Voss is located in the Outer Rim and was discovered within the last 10 years.

HOTH



Hoth! It's cold, It's awesome, Tauntauns! You may remember Hoth from the opening to Episode 5. The Hoth system was the site of a particularly costly battle between the Empire and the Republic, and now that the Treaty of Coruscant is in effect, both sides are trying to salvage each other's technology to get a leg up on the competition.

Hoth is located in the Outer Rim.

ILUM



HEY! Did you ever wonder why the Jedi's lightsabers are almost universally blue or green? Well, it's because the crystals that power those bad boys come from this planet, where the crystals are formed in geological processes. Crystals from this planet only come in blue or green. Now you know!

in SWTOR, Ilum is under siege by the Empire. It's a high level end-content world. It is located in the Unknown Regions


So, now you know the SETTING of SWTOR!

Star Wars: The Old Republic for Beginners
Submitted Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 11:50:02 AM by Klaitu

Everything in Star Wars universe (books, comic books, games, movies) is dated from the explosion of the Death Star in Episode 4 (the original "Star Wars" movie). That moment is considered "Year 0" and times in Star Wars are dated either BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) or ABY (After the Battle of Yavin).


'You're all clear, kid, we just established year 0 on the timeline for everyone!"

As an example: Obi-Wan Kenobi was born in the year 57 BBY. Yoda was born in the year 896 BBY.

Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place in the year 3,643 BBY.

As you know doubt already know, SWTOR is a sort of MMO Sequel to the wildly popular game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Knights of the Old Republic is set in the year 3,956 BBY.

So, SWTOR is set about 300 years after Knights of the Old Republic, and around 3000 years before the movies.. so far in the past that Yoda isn't even born yet.

The Story So Far.. (contains Knights of the Old Republic Spoilers)

Long ago people discovered The Force and learned of its power.. but people disagreed on how to use the Force. Some believed in using it only for benevolence, and others believed it should be used for whatever one wanted to use it for.. benevolence or otherwise. The two factions became the Jedi and the Sith. Eventually, the Sith were defeated and cast out. They left for the Unknown Regions and founded a new Sith Empire in secret. They did this about 1,000 years before Knights of the Old Republic.

During Knights of the Old Republic, two Jedi Knights are out exploring the galaxy and they eventually come across this hidden Sith Empire, now 1000 years old and preparing to invade the Republic. The Sith turn these Knights to the Dark Side of the Force. Their names are Revan and Malak. They are sent back to the Republic in order to prepare for the upcoming Sith Invasion.


Revan and Malak (Malak is the bald one)


Throughout the course of Knights of the Old Republic, Revan and Malak get a little carried away and declare their own Sith Empire. They form fleets and nearly bring down the Republic of their own accord without any assistance from the true Sith Empire, which is still preparing. This was made possible by their earlier discovery of an ancient factory that could produce warships in great numbers, whereas ordinarily it would take years to build up those kinds of forces. During all of this, Darth Revan is redeemed to the light side by Bastila Shan a young, but powerful Jedi.


Bastila "I'm voiced by Jennifer Hale" Shan

At the end of Knights of the Old Republic this factory is destroyed, and Revan leaves the known galaxy in order to combat a mysterious, unrevealed threat that he discovered during his explorations. Meanwhile, the Old Republic continues to deal with the remnants of Revan's Sith Empire.. during which all but 100 Jedi are killed.. but the Republic is victorious thanks to the Jedi Exile who is the protagonist in Knights of the Old Republic 2 (which takes place 5 years after the first game).

In the time between Knights of the Old Republic and SWTOR, the Jedi rebuilt their order as best as they could, the republic also had a lot of rebuilding to do and the Sith Empire continued their invasion preparations, still undiscovered.

Then, in 3,681 BBY (about 40 years before SWTOR) the Sith finally invaded. The Republic was not fully rebuilt and not completely prepared for combat, so the Sith made serious advances against the Republic at first.



This video depicts one of the first battles of the conflict, known in nerd circles at the "Great Galactic War". In it, the Sith invade the planet Korriban, their ancestral home. Also of note are the presence of Satele Shan (the female saberstaff-wielding Jedi), and Darth Malgus (the bald Sith who kills his master at the end).

There are many battles fought during the Great Galactic War, and it wouldn't be the last time that Satele Shan and Darth Malgus would meet:



As a result of this battle on Alderaan, Darth Malgus would end up needing Darth Vader-style headgear in order to breathe effectively. Satele Shan, for her part went on many different adventures, during one of which she would rediscover the planet Tython. It was on Tython that the force was first discovered, and the battle between the Jedi and Sith began.. though its location had been lost over the ages as it is located in an area of space that is difficult to navigate.

In the meantime, the war progressed into a deadlock for both sides, and neither side was making any progress.

In 3,653 BBY (About 30 years after the war started, or 10 years before SWTOR starts) The Sith shocked the Republic by offering a peace treaty. The Jedi advised caution in signing the treaty, but the Republic wasn't in much of a position to refuse it. While the Empire and Republic delegates met on Alderaan to sign the treaty, a sneak force attacked Coruscant, the capitol of the Republic.



Satele Shan is not in this video because when this is taking place, she is part of the delegation to Alderaan, who doesn't hear about this attack until after they've already signed the treaty. The attack devastates the Jedi Order and their Coruscant Temple.

In response, Satele Shan establishes a new Jedi Temple on Tython, its location still lost to the Sith. In recognition of her various heroics, she is elected to the Grand Master of the Jedi Order (its leader, the position that Yoda holds in the movies).

Another 10 years passes, and that's where SWTOR begins and you enter the fray.. and that's the Story So Far.

Busy Bees
Submitted Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 9:27:46 AM by Klaitu

Greetings Readers!

You may have noticed that I haven't posted here recently. I thought I'd remedy that with an explanation: I been busy. Busy working, Busy sleeping.

In related news, I've also got things brewing in the lady department, which is super awesome.

The rest of my time has been pretty much used for promoting our group for the upcoming awesome game Star Wars: The Old Republic! I'm working on establishing a pre-launch team for our debut in November. If you're interested, click the link and join up!

Hopefully when the summer finally subsides I'll have more time for Special K updates.

William Shatner's "The Captains"
Submitted Friday, July 22, 2011 - 7:39:34 PM by Klaitu

The Captains is a documentary that William Shatner produced in which he interviews each of the 6 Star Trek Captains and discovers how Star Trek changed them, and how they changed Star Trek. Chances are you already know if you're interested in this film or not, so I won't go into too much detail.

I will say this, however. I can understand Shatner. I can understand Patrick Stewart, I can even understand Kate Mulgrew.. but when Avery Brooks says something, I have absolutely no idea what the crap he just said.

He speaks english, but these words do not go together.

Overall Score: 7 of 10

The Sims Medieval
Submitted Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 4:05:18 PM by Klaitu

Lookit, it's the Sims Medieval. I don't really know how to describe it. It's sort of like Sims 3, except the characters have only a few motivation bars. Instead of controlling one household, you control multiple households one at a time.

Chances are if you're a big Sims freak, you'll like Sims Medieval. The music here deserves a special mention, being strangely epic for such a niche game.

Overall Score: 6 of 10
Quality Rating: 4 of 5
Wait for a sale.

The Book of Eli
Submitted Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 4:00:03 PM by Klaitu

So, everyone told me this movie sucked, and since it stars Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis in the main roles I was inclined to believe them.


However in this instance, they were wrong. Despite themselves both Denzel and Kunis turn out excellent performances.

The Book of Eli is a post-apocalypse flick that examines faith through the prism of sci-fi storytelling, and it does it quite well! The story here is rock solid and definately worth a look. There's even a dude who gets his arm chopped off. What's not to love?

Overall Score: 8 of 10

Aion
Submitted Saturday, July 2, 2011 - 11:25:49 PM by Klaitu

Another MMO in my grand MMO Free Trial sweep! Will it be as awful as Rift?

It's difficult to find an MMO these days that falls very far from the WoW tree. Aion is no exception, as it is virtually identical to WoW in every respect, just like Rift is. However, Aion is also a lot more polished than Rift and is much, much prettier.

The quests I got during my initial 11 noob levels were typical of all MMO quests, but they were reasonably well split between collection, exploration, crafting, and combat quests. The game plays smoothly and the combat is as fluid as any of the other MMO big players.

The world of Aion is also quite creative. Instead of just being a fantasy land, it takes place on a giant Dyson Sphere that has somehow been blasted into two parts... so when you look up, you can see the far side of the sphere.

But aside from it looking quite pretty and having a creative setting, it's all pretty much the standard fare you've been playing for years and years. Grind Grind Grind on the treadmill.

Overall Score: 4 of 10
Quality Rating: 5 of 5
Pass.