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Attention Adventure Quest World Players and Warp Force Gamers, infact every Artix Entertainment fan out there.

I’ve started playing WarpForce, MechQuest and AQW again after a break lasting roughly 6 months and a bit, I only check in every now and then.

However now I started playing agian as Rhubarb333 on AQW , XtraMinty on MechQuest and Sgt. Mint on WarpForce, forgive the old alias’s as I used to play when I was known as Minty and Rhubarb333 but now if I could most characters would be known as Furry or FK Furry (My personal Gaming Alias and Clan Alias…)

I always had a passion for Artix Entertainment games as they are quality and probably the best web RPGs around. So being me I decided to blog about them again. Which means that you’ll be getting pwnage guides, tips and reviews about the latest Artix Entertainment releases.

So, see you on the upgrade servers

Thanks,

Xtr4M1nty

Links:

AQW Refferal

MechQuest

Artix Entertainment

Warp Force: Official Adventure Quest Expansion

My Character Page(s):

MechQuest

Adventure Quest Worlds

WarpForce

“Lord Idouken, there appears to be an Imperial Ship in the area. Via hacking the vox of the ship my team have determined that there is an Imperial VIP onboard the ship.” whispered the shady figure in Tactical Dreadnought armour.

“Have my retinue ready and armed, Wolfkin” replied Lord Idouken

“Sir.” whispered Wolfkin as he bowed and left the command hall. The hall is a dark eerie area in which Idouken makes all of his decisions.  In the far corner is a well-guarded vault, which held all of Idouken’s armaments and armour, it’s a personal armoury, if you like. As Idouken surveyed his office he smiled as he noticed the dark mist-like aura of the room, the odd angles of the building and of the walls which always looked alive. Only a fool would speak in here of something he did not wish anyone to hear, the walls are always listening, searching for some dark secrets to feed upon.

Wolfkin hurried into the barracks of the Dark Hand, his brotherhood and Lord Idouken’s personal guard. There already armed and prepared stood the tall dark figures of the squad, Varren “Reaper”", Rolith “Fear” and Felice “Darkfist”. As Darrius “Wolfkin” joined their ranks Idouken shouted down the vox at his team.

“Are you ready?”

“Sir!” The whole team replied as one.

“Good. Meet me at the Tele-Pad for a briefing and quick preperation.” Idouken casually replied as he strode towards the Tele-Pad at the rear of his ship the “Excruciatis Maledictus III” a small chaos warped vessel he smiled at the thought of the Daemons infested in his ship, the Dark Gods

As the team arrived at the Tele-Pad their Lord was waiting and ready. Proud of the kills they had all of the team were covered in blood vows and grisly trophies of their triumphs.

As the team arrived in the Imperial Cruiser “Heart Of The Sun” the team seemed eager to kill the Astartes on board, the Sun Killers were a noble and pompous chapter. Making the renegade Astarte’s even more bloodthirsty.

Idouken thought of the blood he would spill in the name of his glorified Legion “Maledictus“. The first combat of the night was taken on by Darkfist as he veered off down a back corridor scanned to be the fastest route to the barracks. On his way he came upon a startled chapter serf whom he simply smashed through the wall…

Wolfkin’s first kills came shortly after when he decapitated three Astartes with a swipe of his claws. Another pair rushed towards him only to be torn to pieces by his Daemon-fueled spirit Wolf-shan. The Astartes were unprepared for such a brutal and violent attack. all un-armed and startled they were simply torn to bits. Soon there were no more than the honour guard and Astartes leaders left holed up in the bridge.

Idouken arrived at the blast doors to the bridge. Combi-Melta in hand he waited for his comrades. They all arrived except Wolfkin, but when they all heard the sounds of fire and screams from within the bridgethey guessed where he was.

Idouken was filled with rage at the youngster stealing his glory as he burst into the main hall…

To Be Continued!

Fallen Sword is a MMORPG, Free to play with payed elements used to upgrade your character which can also be gained by enlisting players into the game using special links like the one above.

Fallen Sword is created by the same studio as SigmaStorm2, Hunted Cow Studios. A great studio, friendly staff and great games come out of it truly ahead of the pack.

Quite a bit more popular than SigmaStorm 2, FallenSword is set in a fantasy/medieval world full of mythical creatures and adventures. Think standard RPG…

With nice and dynamic levelling and pvp systems the game is popular with new and old players of the RPG scene, easy to get used to and deep to master the game raises the bar for MMORPGs, even downloadable ones.

Playable n your browser is another benefit, play anytime anywhere, from 5 minutes to an hour or two. The only slight setback is Energy, which is limited to 500 and is used to attack monsters, do quests and travel.

I reccomend doing the SigmaStorm 2 tutorial as it covers most of the FallenSword mechanics too and is IMO better than the FS one.

Another game worth checking out for both hardcore RPG gamers and casual 5 minute gamers!

(My SigmaStorm 2 review is located here)

Sigmastorm 2, a free browser MMORPG. Text based with graphic elements.

With an In-Depth level-up and Skills system RPG fans will be at home. New players to the RPG scene will also find the RPG elements easy to use, meaning both old and new players will be comfortable in the world of Sigma.

With 4 skill-trees to choose from the sheer volume of choice is simply stunning. Each of them has a whole bunch of  unique skills and items meaning it actually affects gameplay.

After playing this game for a while I’ve discovered that the sheer quality of gameplay and fun is astonishing.

Huuuuge kudos to Hunted Cow Studios for creating such a brilliant game!

The gaming scene is flooded with new DLC confirmations, for a wide spectrum of games.

Firstly we have the following announcement for Metro 2033 the post-apocalyptic horror FPS (How many are there these days?) from 4A and THQ. The new DLC is apparently something new and exciting, don’t hope for multiplayer though, because it’s not… Hopefully we’ll see some sweet new modes for the game.

Next up is Mega Man 10 on the Xbox Live Arcade Capcom’s retro hit is going to see some DLC. Don’t worry it’s just about as frustrating and challenging as the campaign mode. Here are the details: Endless Attack Mode, (Which we can safely assume is a survival mode…) Both Special Stages 1&2 for 80 MSP. The DLC hits on the 28th, next week keep your wallet open and eyes peeled.

Just Cause 2 is sadly making you pay up for some content included for free in the limited edition box set… Too many game developers are doing this now-adays and it’s bad show I must say. Anyway the DLC is titled “Aerial Black Market” and is for 160 MSP, which is luckily quite cheap. 5 new items are said to be included, they are “F-33 DragonFly Jet Fighter”, “Dual Parachute Thrusters” and”Multi-lock Missile Launcher”. Pretty nice, prepare to unleash hell upon the Panau military from above on the 29th of April!

The ever-popular sequel to Bioshock, Bioshock 2 is also getting a new batch of DLC. Titled “Rapture Metro” and giving you new features including 2 new masks, six new maps (currently not detailed…), Kill ‘Em Kindly mode (picture melee madness ) and the new “Rebirth” feature which I guess involves being reborn? It’s also released on the 29th of April alongside Aerial Black Market for Just Cause 2. The price is confirmed to be 800 MSP.

So, look forward to next week and when the new DLC for Metro 2033 is detailed, I guarantee I’ll keep you posted!

See ya!

Calling all Wargamers!

Conflict is the biggest and best gaming event in Europe outside of Gamesday. Spanning the whole of Braehead Curling Rink, pretty epic scale. With Graham McNeil, Bodge It stalls, a huge doubles tournament and Forgeworld there’s something for everyone.

So there Me and Martin were, at a phenomenally early time in Games Workshop, Livingston. Getting ready for the bus we would take to Conflict. We were waiting for the bus at 7:30, It was already late. Then it finally arrived from Edinburgh and took us to Braehead. There was a quiz on the bus which kept us entertained for a while.

After what felt like an age we arrived at the Rink, then we noticed… A line which probably contained a thousand or more people. We headed straight for it not wanting to wait any longer. After an hour and a bit we were in from the Scottish wind, and it was about time too I was freezing!

Once inside it looked amazing, looooooaaaads of gaming tables, huge retail stalls and Graham McNeil was doing signings! I was amazed by the scale of the event. After I got over the awesomeness that was contained in the rink I finally started to do things, I played a turn or two in most games and chatted with the other guys there.

I went to see Graham McNeil and realised I hadn’t brought False Gods to be signed. Instead I bought Thousand Sons and got it signed, he’s a really nice author and was willing to chat with me. Thousand Sons is brilliant, but that’s for another post

So it was all pretty awesome, until the auctions and things started, more stuff was being added to the bodge it stall and the tournament hotted up. Watching the experienced players play is amazing, the tactics involved are extraordinary. I watched a Tau player beat some Imperial Guard by simply rushing with a Kroot squad and using Pulse Rifles to get rid of any armour.

Another nice touch was Giorgio Bassani’s appearance, a model designer for Games Workshop. Most models are designed by using wire to make up the shape of the model, then detail added in layers with green stuff. It’s surprising how long it takes to add one little bit of detail, making me even more of a fan of how hard working the design team are.

It was an amazing experience, you simply can’t imagine without being there.

That ends my post on Conflict 2010!

Look forward to more cool stuff the next while!

Hey guys! How’s it going?

I haven’t blogged anything interesting for too long, expect loads of cool stuff over the next week or so, and throughout my summer adventure.

So to get back to the point, I’m here to talk about my recent adventure in Stevenson College, Edinburgh.

A 2-Day gaming event, organised by the Edinburgh Science Festival, Abertay University and Dare To Be Digital.

At the event you got teamed up with a group of fellow 12-16 year old gamers and a Coder from Abertay. Your task?

Simple. Make a game!

Well, technically it’s not so simple, however we did it so here is my story of how it came about.

Day 1

After being dragged out of bed far too early I got quickly dressed and stuff. Then we arrived at Stevenson College, after registering, and waiting around for the rest of the kids to come we were all told to go into the auditorium for a small presentation on the history of the Scottish games industry.

Brian Baglow took the presentation and it was very interesting, after this, we were all assigned a team and a group leader.

My team wasn’t the most enthusiastic and sadly I felt let me down, however we got on with it and came out with a rather spiffing game to show for it.

Colourless was it’s name. The idea was simple, bad guys would whizz around and colour blocks black, the player would then run after them, recolouring all the blocks as he went. The idea was suggested by Ronan from the Let The Games Begin team, and was worked on by Me, Mitch, Andrew, Struan, Fraser and Ruaraidh with the help of Jason from the Coder team.

Andrew spent the time in the first day drawing out Mr.Sid, our main character and protagonist. While the rest of us provided a constant stream of ideas and monsters for the game, I mainly just told the others what to do and made sure we were all doing something.

As the day got on we got lots done Andrew did most of the work art-wise with the rest of the team chipping in when needed.

Wolfson Microelectronics gave us a small presentation on the importance of  sound in games, where as in the early days a “ping” and a “pong” now games like FFXIII have whole orchestras perform for the game. Pretty amazing stuff really.

When it came to the end of the first day we had a rather plain looking game, none of the actual game mechanics were coded in yet, therefore it was pretty boring.

Day 2

Another day, and yet more game-making to be done. At the start of the day before we went to the games lab me Dan and Struan mucked about for a while.

No-one seemed quite as enthusiastic today. The new game mechanics were coded in so that when Sid walked over the blocks they were recoloured  a colour that was chosen by the player at the start of the game. The choice was between red, green and blue. The credits were also coded in meaning our good work is now recognisable. The bad guys were also coded to fire a paintball at random things, our player can also fire back, colouring in a block if he hits it adding a new element to the game, the ever popular Combat system.

So, the game mechanics were pretty sound, unique and fresh which was refreshing but we still had a bit os artwork to get into the game and we also needed some levels compatible with the new game engine. Mitch was on the job ASAP, leaving everyone except Struan and Jason nothing to do except polish off the games code and design level backgrounds.

I totally loved the first while, even if the rest of the team didn’t. We got a talk after lunch about the different roles in the games industry from Brian. I have to admit I think Designer (As in the guy who makes the idea for the game and oversees its conception by the team, think film director goes gaming) is the right role for me.

It was more relaxed on day 2, though we got far less done in the time we had.

The table across from us was looking sharp, PaperCut was the game’s name, it reminded me of hardcore Shoot ‘Em Ups like R-type and Perfect Cherry Blossom (Which if you’ve played you’ll know how bloomin’ hard it is!!!)

As my worries for our top spot escalated PaperCut just seemed to get better and better… I admit the game looked good, but it wasn’t unique, unlike Colourless.

As we were all working and a Radio popped in to have a chat with PaperCut as they were the furthest on at the time.I would give you a timeline but time just flew by and it didn’t really matter at the time so I didn’t keep track of it. They all seemed rather nice but it was obvious the boys just wanted to get on with the game.

Also, Phil Harris Editor of  SquareGo payed us a visit.I was very excited and proud at the positive and helpful comments on Colourless he gave us, truly great that a pro in the games review industry said our game was unique.

To end my rant, everything was going well, outwith a small sense of idleness on my part. A small while before home-time we all just settled down and played games before the prize giving.

The prize giving was epic, all of us stuffed into the auditorium muttering who we thought would win. I knew that we were in with a chance to win, but our game couldn’t quite stand up to PaperCut’s flawless artwork and sheer quality of product. The concept of a new hardcore shooter wouldn’t go amiss but the concept of Colourless was totally unseen before and it wouldn’t be disappointing if someone took the concept and came out with an A-grade game.

In the end PaperCut won best game, deservedly so!

It was good fun, and an experience not to be forgotten and I sincerely hope everyone else enjoyed the event as much as me!

This sunday I passed my 40k academy, 10 weeks of large objective based games to learn the rules, I was against Wayne who is pretty skilled, which is natural giving hes a Games Workshop employee.

We played roughly 1000pts worth of Space Wolves (Me) against Orks (Wayne).

Using a Battle Missions scenario, which I can’t remember the rules for.

After the first Game turn I was in the lead with one kill point, from Waynes Stormboyz, the charged straight into my valiant Grey Hunters who were raining Bolter fire upon the Orkz from behind a ruin, In one round of combat all but two Grey Hunters were wiped out, but the Stormboyz lost the combat and were captured and destroyed by the bloodthirsty revenge-hungry Grey Hunters.

When the next turn came Wayne’s Shokk Attakk gun misfired on my scouts, giving me control of the shot, I sent it hurtling straight into (and out the other side…) of Wayne’s ponderous giant Deff Dredd.

On Game turn 3 all but 1 of my units were destroyed giving me the lead, I hoped Wayne would roll lower than 3 so that the game ended, as my units were alive but barely at that.

In the end Wayne rolled a three, ending the game.

I captured a square in the Planetary Empires campaign. (Ha! I gained another one shortly afterwards in a kill team match, yet again against Orkz!)

Frames Wheels and Gears is Whitburns local bikeshop, run by Steve Frame (How awesome is hat for a name as a bike mechanic!)

I go there every Tuesday or two for some work experience as a bike mechanic, which is good fun I like the kind of work involved in the bikeshop business,  the poeple side of things is easy and the fiddly repairs and things are just as awesome. So yeah, it’s cool!

This video shows you about what I did two odd weeks ago

My time there has been very enjoyable so far, I can fix up most little things to do with bikes now, fit bike racks and mudguards aswell, change a inner wheel tube and recable brakes given an hour.

I really love it there,

Ip Man is a film about the life of Ip Man, the legendary martial artist who trained Bruce-Lee amongst others.

Film Info:

Donnie, has done a fantastic job of playing Ip, considering he wasn’t a Martial Artist before he began making the film. In some of the DvD bonuses he says that he spent a lot of his time to research Ip Man so that he could play the past as perfectly as possible. I must say, he did the job well enough!

The film follows the first part of Ip Mans exciting life, before he moved to Hong Kong.

The amount of absolute kick-@$$ action is superb! The story is consuming and the realistic enviroments are fabulous. Trying to comprehend how hard this film was to make is near-to impossible. Simply put, it’s stunning.

Trailer:

The plot:

The film starts in the 1930s, in Foshan a bustling Martial Arts city the home of Ip Man. Ip has a private duel with a local Martial Arts master and wins, however the Masters reputation is at risk due to a young boy seeing the whole duel through one of the windows in the room where the duel was held.

As an out-of-towner arrives, he duels and beats all the martial artists of Foshan, all except Ip, who whips the foreigner real good! The baddie comes back to haunt later in the movie though!

During the Japanese invasion of  China many are forced to leave Foshan, however, Ip stays but is rendered homeless. Things get tough and Ip finds a job in coal-works.  Lin, one of Ip’s best friends also works there.

One day the Japanese come calling for a tournament. Lin goes as whoever wins gets a sack of rice but when he dosen’t come back Ip gets curious and enters the tournament to look for his friend.

Things get nasty when people get angry, and that is what happens from this point on. Watch the movie to find out what happens next.

During Japan’s invasion into China, Ip Man is driven homeless, and sees life in new eyes,  everything in his life goes downhill from then.

When he is brought into General Miuras attention, things get nasty.

The Overview:

Realisticness: 10/10

Fight-Scenes: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10