Personally, I would prefer that Nintendo of America and those opposed to it declare truces with each other, back off from their stances and sweep the issue under the rug until it rears its ugly head again - hopefully until after the unlikely event that human civilization as we know it no longer needs money.

(I wish that I was completely joking about that, but I am digressing.)

If they still want to be at loggerheads with each other then, then they, and anyone with a stake, such as the "Let's Play" video-making folks, should compromise and go for the win-win solution of sharing revenue.

That is because any other outcome (barring that everyone just drops the issue and goes on business-as-usual) has everyone losing.

IF THE OPPOSITION GETS ITS WAY...

Before going further, I would remind people that the notion of property is one of the oldest lynchpins of human civilization. If the newer aspects of modern civilization, namely freedom rights, are allowed to trump it, then we are going backwards, just like we would if property is to ascend above freedom rights.

That said, Nintendo is certainly thinking that it is entitled to revenue that is generated by YouTube videos that feature its properties. A legal argument against this will be terrifically difficult to formulate, but if litigation is pursued anyway, then we run the risk of having Nintendo harden itself, and a hardened Nintendo will very likely be an ugly Nintendo.

You may want to be reminded that Nintendo of America had signed the letter to the Congress of USA in support of legislations that protect IPs. There is not any strong evidence that Nintendo had thrown its weight behind SOPA or withdrew support from it, but it just might think of having a more blatant official stance if the likes of Lamar Smith brings that bill out of the shelves again or creates a new similar bill while Nintendo is contesting a legal challenge against its attempts to claim all ad revenue for said YouTube videos.

In other words, we risk having this issue being blown into something bigger if it escalates into a legal battle.

If Nintendo loses, there is of course the old-but-difficult-to-dismiss expectation that a Nintendo bereft of a potential source of income becomes weaker and lousier at making games; money is how the likes of Nintendo gets the resources and ideas to make games after all. A weakened game-maker is rarely a good thing for anyone with a stake in the gaming industry, the people who make those Let's Play videos included.

Of course, one can just say "f*ck Nintendo", but not everyone hates Nintendo, is it? We can look elsewhere other than Nintendo, but such antagonistic scenarios are likely to repeat with other game-makers instead of Nintendo until the involved parties learn to hand figurative olive branches to each other.

IF NINTENDO GETS ITS WAY...

That would be awful, because it would turn into a lose-lose outcome for certain.

To elaborate, there could be a boycott of Nintendo's properties by YouTube content-makers, since they don't get any income from making videos featuring Nintendo's properties if Nintendo gets to eat all the advertising revenue. Barring die-hard Nintendo supporters, they have no incentive to make videos on the game-maker's products, especially if they depend on the ad revenue for their livelihood.

Nintendo, and any other game-maker that has similar plans, can forget about being paid for marketing work that it does not fund.

However, the ones that would lose out most are game consumers who are doing research into possible purchases. They may well lose the sources of information that those YouTube videos featuring games could have provided.

In addition, such an outcome may well stall the advent of a new kind of career that is being formed in this Age of Information, namely that of people making a living making videos on the Internet.

I am aware that some of you have more than enough scorn for such people to utter statements such as "Get a real job!" - among other far less courteous remarks - but some of us actually like seeing new kinds of careers coming into being.

A COMPROMISE: SHARING REVENUE

If Nintendo has any wisdom, it may want to consider proposing the sharing of revenues. It is more than likely to run into opposition anyway, of course - there will always be people who believe that they are fully entitled to all of the revenue from the advertisements that accompany their videos, as well as those who believe that Nintendo should be reamed.

However, I like to believe that most of those opposing Nintendo's move to attempt to claim the ad revenue in their entirety would reciprocate if Nintendo was to propose sharing of revenues.

If they could shake hands and work out the proportions of their shares, this agreement can even turn into a partnership of product promotion, e.g. Nintendo gives them preview builds of games to make videos with and such. That would give the likes of Nintendo more partners to highlight their products with, in addition to the established gaming sites.

Most importantly, the regular game consumer would benefit from this, as there would be richer sources of information on games, upcoming or existing.

Here's hoping that Nintendo and the opposition would come together for the win-win.

P.S. My account is still afflicted with one of the glitches that have been reported here, so I won't be able to reply in any way in the LiveFyre thread below.

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Original post at hush404.com

Let me start this off by outlining that I do not own a WiiU and this is not a tear down of what I think about the machine from a player's point of view; rather, this is a look into the politics and happenings of what I see going on every day online and in the conversations I have with friends.

Also of note. I very much enjoy my PS3 and have been vocal about my lack of love for my Wii or how Nintendo has been going about their business for some time now (more or less since the N64). I also don't have an interest in purchasing a WiiU at the moment, either. However, I am still able to form a calm, logical opinion, regardless.

With that out of the way, lets talk about Nintendo's latest baby, the WiiU. Sadly, it's the talk of the internet... but not in a way that's good for Nintendo. Everywhere you go (ok, maybe not everywhere, but pretty close), you've got forum trolls and other such monikers tearing the system down, calling it shit, claiming Nintendo is out for the count. It's gone so far, that even Nintendo fans are frustrated and tired of defending the system against these kinds of comments.

But, there is where, I think, lies the problem, Nintendo fans shouldn't be the ones that are holding the weight of the system on their shoulders. Nintendo should be the one out there showing the world why the WiiU matters. In my opinion, this is where they are weak, where they need to focus on and above all, be it hardware, exclusives and so on, is the biggest thing holding people back from embracing the system.

So, let me reiterate, it's not the hardware that's holding the WiiU back. Yes, the WiiU hardware, from what every project points to, from what every spec we're knowledgeable about, from every example of software we've seen, is much more like the current generation of PS3/360 machines than it is a technological jump forward in terms of pure number crunching ability. Which isn't in any way an attack on their design, be it their choice of hardware, or their unique tablet/controller or the software that uses this tech; rather it's an observation that I think some Nintendo fans aren't grasping. The hardware (what's in the system) can be argued to be less or more powerful than our current generation (I honestly believe there's more they can push with the WiiU, that developers aren't yet harnessing the full power of it), but if anyone believes that the hardware is comparable (again, technically, not fanboy-ishly or in terms of fun games) with the PS4 and what Microsoft is planning on releasing in the near future, I... don't think you understand computer hardware and it's limitations. With all that said, the machine looks to be a wonderful system, if you count out the perceived importance of super powered consoles. The unique controller brings with it some interesting methods of play and the fact that a Nintendo system has joined the same hardware gang as the PS3/360 should put a smile on everyone's face as those PS3/360 gamers whom have enjoyed their systems for many years now get to experience a system with a slightly different flavor.

Sadly, however, rather than adopting that method of thinking, they're looking at future consoles and going "The WiiU lacks technical power freshness, why support it?". It doesn't help that big publishers like EA and Activision are voicing a huge lack of interest in the machine, various developers around the industry straight up saying they have no plans to support the WiiU with their upcoming projects and an extremely lackluster response from Nintendo to combat this kind of talk.

Which reminds me of a 2006/2007 Sony when they launched their $599 PS3 (here in Canada at least, that was the price) to audiences with lackluster support from third party developers. Every time you turned around, Sony was 'losing' a former exclusive title to multiplatform status, missing out on new exclusives that were hitting the 360 or getting shotty ports due to the complexity of developing for the system. Then the media took to it, for a long time, articles across the internet spelled doom for Sony and their big black box, the system couldn't be any worse in their eyes. I remember vividly, Gabe Newell's comment, something along the lines of 'Sony screwed up, the PS3 is the worst thing to have ever come out, they need to go back to the drawing board with it'. Gamers forget this, but Sony sure doesn't. It took them from their high horse of the PS2 days to the bottom of the ladder in a swift step. They struggled with it, struggled on how to promote their system to the world, they often tried to sell it as a blu-ray machine, a media hub and so on. It took them quite a while, but eventually they found their stride and their clear message of what they were selling and to whom. A price cut here and there and the system started selling, 360 exclusives started going multiplatform to Sony's box, new exclusives were formed, Sony went full force into developing superb first party titles, Sony worked on it's network structure, encouraged gamers, invented Kevin Butler and more or less was back on the train of good publicity with the world. Try telling that to a gamer today, whom picked up their PS3. Does it matter? Do they care? No. It was all fanboyism and politics of the industry.

Which brings me back to Nintendo. Articles attack it (the WiiU) on a daily basis, internet idiots run with it, fanboys (of other systems) bath in it as gold lining of their favoritism. Publishers are excluding the WiiU for ports, Exclusives are few and far between, gamers opinion aren't well formed and in the middle of it all, Nintendo doesn't know whom they want to sell to or how to promote their product. Sound familiar? It should.

Which brings me to my outlining thought. Nintendo needs to get their message and marketing strategy straight. They need to either come up with a plan on their own or bring in some help. They need to market the hell out of their system, they need to throw it in gamers faces and show them WHY the WiiU is important. Not only that, but they need to start communicating with developers on a stronger level. A friend of mine said in defense of some news regarding EA, Eff those developers', which I think isn't a smart response. Developers are needed to propel hardware. I've also heard some argue that Nintendo is promoting the WiiU, with Nintendo directs and other info presented online... and I disagree with it's effectiveness. The people watching Nintendo directs and subscribing to Nintendo news... are Nintendo fans, the likes of which don't need convincing to buy the WiiU. Nintendo directs don't reach many other gamers and they sure as hell do nothing to reach a general audience. Nintendo sidestepping an E3 conference this year, too, feels like a big misstep that they could of used to launch their new promotion campaign for the system.

Once they've done this. Once they've shown people what the WiiU is, why it's special and how they're working hard to support it in every way, it will sell. It's not the lower hardware spec (compared to PS4), it's not that good games aren't being made for it, it's not that people have given up on Nintendo, it's the fact that even Nintendo doesn't know how to say 'The WiiU is awesome, have a look, will you?"

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I have so much to catch up on, it's ridiculous. Gaming news for example. I have a gap in my head, it spans from about Nov.1 - Now. lol. I don't know how long it will take to catch up with all that, I'm not used to feeling so out of the loop!! Oh, and get this- I'm using one of my other gaming rigs right now- becaues the one I'm usually on has to have the hard drives replaced. Yep, you guessed it, I have to dl all those programs, games, music etc. back on there- why? because I procrastinated and didn't get the external hd's I've been 'meaning' to get for who knows how long and do the backup. UGH! I had such a cool high level character on Skyrim too, and close to 100 mods lol. Start all over now, oh well- serves me right.

I also have to get a new TV stand- I got one right before the world went sideways for me but didn't put it together yet, box was just sitting in my floor, well, recently my mother's TV finally kicked the bucket so naturally I was the one who had to pick out a TV to bring her into the modern era lol. Well, the stand I bought for my soon to purchase TV I gave to my mother for her new TV so I put it together w/her assistance (all blk.metal/tempered glass), and then set up her new HDTV/players/satellite, gave her my nice new surge protector and my snazzy hdmi cables for her hookups, so now I have to replace these things lol.

Well, this week I'm going to work on replacing those things and get my stand put together while I still remember it fairly well (it was 'fun' enough getting the box in my car the first time- rain didn't help either!). The HDTV I'm getting is 1080/120hz/3D/Internet/PC connectable/47" -I couldn't go any bigger than that because I'm setting it between 2 long windows. The windows in the front of the house are maybe 3" from the floor to almost 1.5ft. to ceiling. My baby blues are very sensitive to light so I got some of those black out liners to go under the curtains and they're great, I could make it dark in the middle of the day, plus they're also helpful with privacy and cutting your a/c bill. Also have some bd/dvd stands to put together, will be getting the hard drives dealt with & probably get the ext.hd next month. It also wouldn't kill me to detail my car, it's under that pollen somewhere lol.

When I'm not doing one of those things, I'll be trying to catch up on gaming/PC news. I tried to pick up a PC Gaming mag. when I could but it's not enough here and there to stay in the know. I did buy a few games and look forward to trying them but the first thing I'll probably jump on, that I've had an itch for is Hard Reset Ext.Ed. -after I first played that, I replayed it again when the ext. ed. came out, and then replayed it all over 'again'. Also been wanting to play the first Witcher E.E. (I like to play it with the music cd that comes with it with songs by different bands -anyone else do that?). Those 2 popped in my head and won't go away. They're a good starting point.

Anyhow, I need to get going. Picked up a little bit from my local electronics store today -love getting new hardware/software. Got a new HD camera at the beginning of the year on sale that I've not had time to use- I have a lot to do and look forward to. **Well, what are the rest of you playing when it's game time?

**Who played Bioshock Infinite and liked it? Disliked it?

**Who wants to list maybe the top 5 gaming/PC stories from Nov. to now? LOL ouch.

O.K. I'm out of here. Brain's fried, I've about had it for the day. If I'm reallllly lucky, maybe I'll get in bed before midnight. (doesn't happen a lot lately). Game On.

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Well you know what? You can escape it, and very easily. All you have to do it forget the concept of the pile of shame altogether and realise an inscrutable fact: There simply isnt enough time. Great works come out on a nearly daily basis - games, books, albums, movies - there is already a ton of these this year that will be great things that should be enjoyed, but you do not have the time to consume them all and that is no bad thing at all. 

Life is a complex thing where everything is competeing for your time and attention. The things I have already mentioned, plus wifes/girlfriends/boyfriends, regular friends, family are all wanting to grab some of your attention, eating away at available time in any given day. How you deal with life relies your ability to juggle all these attention seekers and carve out your own way of dealing with each. 

I spend time with my wife cuddled up on the sofa watching various TV shows, current favourites are The Walking Dead, Dexter, Arrow, Hawaii Five-0, Glee, NCIS: Los Angles. Some great things in there, some total fluff, but those are what I am into at present. They all allow me to spend time with the wife while also consuming some TV, killing two birds with one stone. Are they the truly important TV shows on at the moment? Hell no. Well maybe one is, but I dont have time to consume those shows, and I haven't seen anything in recent memory that fits anyway. 

Those shows I miss out on would count towards my pile of shame. I haven't seen some of the truely great movies ever made: 2001, Apocalypse Now, Blazing Saddles, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Exorcist, The French Connection, again all adding to the pile. Movies I have seen include Space Balls, BASEketball, Die Hard 1-5 and hundreds of others including some of the big names. These are movies I can receit lines from off by heart but get no credit for, I just get crap thrown for not seeing the other ones. 

I haven't listen to Dark side of the Moon, The Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Achtung Baby, Off the wall - great albums that haven't graced my ears before due to either a lack of interest or, more likely, a lack of time. My musical tastes are probably not worth going into in much since I am fully aware my affinities are not to everyone's taste, but those albums would make the pile. 

I haven't played To the Moon, Psychonaughts, System Shock, Super Meat Boy, Katamari Damacy, Call of Duty 4, Nights Into Dreams and any Castlevania title. Do I still consider myself very knowledgable when it comes to games? yes I do. Looking down the list of 100 games to play before you die that I took the above examples from, there are just as many games I have played if not more, but because those are the cult classics, thats ones that people can trace most of moden game design back to they would go on the pile. 

However, I chose to not have a pile of shame. I have limited time, and if I am ever graced with kids, that time will go down even more. If my job, like the good folks here at Gamespot, were games journalist, then it wouldnt be so much of a problem and I would be able to see many more great games than I get to at present. My job isn't that and it isn't for lack of trying, but I just accept that some things slip through the net. 

These are things that will not radically change my life had I actually consumed them, and I can live happily in the knowledge that I have limited time and cannot see/hear/read/play everything I probably should. This because I consume enough for me, to make me happy and feel satisfied, and therefore I do not have a pile of shame. 

My hope, as idealistic and futile as it is, is that people reading this editorial will say "Ya know, that dude is right. I don't need this pile of shame I have in my head or even physically in my room. I just need to be happy in what I do consume". It is not going to happen, but I hope I have at least given you some food for thought. 

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Here's to being Mr. X hopefully for a bit!!

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Journey is a game that does so much with so little. It's mechanically simple, all you do is walk and jump. Yet, never has a game made the simple act of walking around its vast landscape such a joy as Journey. Whether you're intently climbing a dune of sand or playfully sliding it down, floating up strands of fabric, dangling in the wind or swimming through a sea of light. It's amazing how often I found myself actively thinking just how fun moving was in this game.

Without any lines of dialog and nothing but a few engraved murals and visions of a civilization long gone, Journey also managed to touch me deeply with its story. Its themes leave room for interpretation, yet they aren't not vague enough to be confusing or shallow. The tale of a once great society running out of whatever godly or earthly resource they had once discovered serves as a warning to our own lavish ways, yet there is a deeper meaning to what the game and your hooded character represents. Is it a metaphor for the cycle we all pass through in our lives? A symbol of hope? A little nudge to make us appreciate the beautiful things we might take for granted in this world? It can be whatever you want it to be.

When I first played Journey, it was a good week or two before release and I played it a number of times before it was officially available. The downside was not having experienced its sublime integration of multiplayer yet, that connects you to other people more strongly than any voice chat or squad mechanic ever could. The moment you first realize that another player has joined you is a magical experience and the desperation felt when you lose sight of your companion can be soulcrushing.

When I finished the game for the first time with a companion at my side and the game tells you the name of the people you met along the road, I immediately sent that person a message, telling him how much I enjoyed his company. Today, on Christmas day, I played through the game again, and for the larger part of it, I managed to stick with another traveler. I again felt how we silently forged a bond, how there seemed to be a deep understanding of what each other wanted to do. At the very end, I had suddenly lost track of him or her, and I panicked, not knowing if I should wait for my friend to catch up or if I had been the one who had fallen behind. I couldn't find him.

At the very end, just below the final ascent, I stopped to soak in the beauty of the game one last time, when I suddenly heard a chirping behind me. I felt genuine relief and happiness and after we ascended into the blinding light and the credits had rolled, I received a PSN message, thanking me for the company and wishing me a Happy Holiday.

This is that playthrough

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This is not to say every single woman (or man) who identifies as a feminist is that short-sighted. There are feminists who understand that sexism happens to men just as much as women. However it's hard to ignore when women on the internet (and certain talk shows) are dismissive or even offended when it's suggested that men face sexual harassment. It's also hard to ignore when men themselves try to wave off sexual harassment whenever it's brought up, ignoring real issues that affect men as a gender.

This is usually to the tune of innocuous things that make no sense to the argument and are evidence of nothing. When most men argue about sexism or harassment, it never goes anywhere constructive, it becomes a farce: Uncle Joey was headbutted in a commercial over some yogurt; Marcus Fenix is designed to be an Adonis, just as Lara Croft is designed to be a goddess; or, and this my personal favorite, it's a Soviet plot to destroy Western culture.

John Stamos being headbutted for yogurt isn't sexism: it's frakking funny. Seeing a man who is usually portrayed as a suave lady killer being headbutted by a woman makes fun of the character he usually plays. Plus, the apparent amount of force she uses - such that it immediately knocks him down, shoe flying - is so over the top, it fails to communicate anything of the sort. This would have been a better choice as an example. If only men didn't talk about sleeping with grenades or needing beer goggles to sleep with a woman.

Character design in video games is mostly handled by males. The characters we see are women whom these men want to (read: wish they could) frak and the men they wish they were when said frakking happens. It's the Mary Sue principle and women do it just as often as men. It's not sexism nor harassment, it's only annoying that we see it all the frakking time. And even then, sex sells to both sexes. To say one side is inundated with it more than the other is an appeal to pity.

As for feminism being a Soviet plot, well, you're a frakking moron if you actually agree with that. See, the Soviet Union and the United States didn't start to hate each other until after World War II, when they started to unzip their pants to prove who's was bigger. Feminism didn't really begin in the States around the 1950's, it started well before that. The USSR didn't exist until 1922. Also, claiming feminism is a communist plot to destroy America is a pretty ass-backwards claim that goes against the other conspiracy theory that the New World Order started feminism to sow dissension among the populace. If there's one good thing about conspiracy theorists, it's that if you leave them alone for awhile, they begin to contradict each other.

Men, if you want to argue sexism, argue real talking points and avoid pulling crap out of your ass and throwing it at walls hoping something sticks. Men face discrimination in the work place; we don't get paternity leave (and women more often than not, don't get maternity leave, either) and we do get sexually harassed at work. Men face social injustice; we get considered less when it comes to custody battlesand we serve 40% more jail time than women for the same crimes. Outrage and activism against genital mutilation is practically considered an 11th Commandment, yet there is no (serious) talk of banning circumcision when a male is born.

Men can - and have been- raped by women.

There are problems with the feminist movement as of the last thirty years. Especially in the last five with the explosion of social media, where women scoff at the idea that sexism happens at all towards men. "It's only sexist when a man does it." However, as men, we don't need to make things worse with frivolous tales of perceived sexism against us. We have to argue what is real, what is happening, and understand that sexism is an attack against both men and women. All of the sexism talk that's happening this week is because women took to Twitter to air their issues about being a woman in an industry. Our response as men shouldn't be to flat out lie and make things up to illustrate that we have it as bad or as worse as them. Or to dismiss their plight as the women folk getting out of line again. And our response shouldn't be to White Knight for them, either. It should be that we are all human and no human deserves to be treated like that regardless of gender, orientation, creed, color, and place of birth.

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Last Years Pumpkins.

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Goblins are by far one of the weakest lot in the game - though they would still pose quite a threat in the earlier stages when your still weak and scrawny.

Whilst not significantly dangerous , they can be quite annoying - there are various types of attack style for goblins , some would attack you head-on , others bears a shield , some may pelt flasks of oil or rocks and some may even blow a horn to summon their comrades.

Killing off the horn-blower is your top priority - note that their leaders tends to wear a helmet and is the toughest to kill.

Hobgoblins
Threat Level : Low
Weakness : Fire / Ice

Hobgoblins are like Goblins - except their slightly bigger and tougher.

Same strategies applies though note that they won't go down quite as easily as a common goblin.

Grimgoblin
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Fire / Ice

Grimgoblins are the strongest variation of Goblins - their the meanest and most dangerous - difficult to knockback , comes in large groups and tends to enjoy stepping on their victims the moment they fling them over.

Their significantly tougher compared to it's cousins and their much more difficult to knockback , which means dodging and careful attacks are elementary in a battle against Grimgoblins.
Still , compared to most of the "advanced" foes in the game , their at the bottom of the mound.

Wolves
Threat Level : Low
Weakness : Fire

Wolves are one of the tougher advesaries you would encounter early on in your journey.
Fast , nimble and fairly brutal , they can prove difficult to hit for one wielding solely a blade in their hands.

Wolves would also howl to alert their pack of your presence.
It is wise to let the wolf attack first , block or dodge it , then strike back - or simply shoot at it if your using magic or a bow.

Direwolves
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Fire

Direwolves are found around the northen borders of Gransys and their a lot more tougher than the common wolves.

At earlier levels , you may find them highly resistant to attacks and fire may be needed to ensure a smoother victory.
They share a common tactic with the wolves but it is not unlikely to find a very large pack of Direwolves , making them rather dangerous for Mages whom have low Defense ratings.

Hellhounds
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Ice

Hellhounds - as their name suggests , are fire breathing hounds whom are the strongest variation of the wolf strain.

Hardy , powerful and breathes fire across a distance - they prove to be quite dangerous for both ranged and melee characters alike.
Using icy attacks would damage them faster and ensure a quicker success in your encounter with them.

It is to be noted that their rather difficult to knockdown and whilst they do bear a similar moveset to their wolven cousins , note that they DO have the ability to breathe fireballs.

Skeletons / Skeleton Mages / Skeleton Sorcerers
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Holy / Blunt attacks

Skeletons are commonly found in crypts , in the depths of the night and various other location in Gransys.

Their particularly weak against blunt attacks - which means hammers or maces would make quick work of these walking bones.
Note that there are Skeleton Sorcerers and Mages - whom does have the capabilities to cast a variety of spells which can prove annoying when your fighting a large mob of monsters - though they are certainly easy enough to kill.

Skeleton Knights
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Holy / Blunt attacks

Their like the skeleton - but more hardy and bears a blade to boot.
It's advisable to strike their backs and likewise - use a holy or blunt weapon against them for a quick victory.

Skeleton Lords
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Holy / Blunt attacks

Skeleton Lords are significantly more dangerous than any of the other frail bones which walks across the plains of Gransys.

They bear a moveset remniscent of a Mystic Knight - being able to conjure up a magic barrier with their shields and is quite a threat from close-medium range combat.

It is , once again , advisable to round up behind them or block their strikes - then strike back.

Saurians
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Fire

Saurians are lizardmen whom resides near rivers.
They can prove to be quite a threat early on in the game owing to their hardy nature - though that can be easily remedied by slicing off it's tail , which would significantly weaken the beast.

Sulfur Saurian
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Fire

Similar to the Saurians but slightly tougher , have a different appearance and can turn "invisible" at will.

The strategy to kill them is quite similar to the Saurian.

Geo Saurian
Threat Level : Medium -
Weakness : Ice

Their , generally speaking , like the Sulfur Saurians but a lot tougher in general.

The strategy is generally the same but you may want to use ice instead.

Saurian Sage
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Ice

Probably one of the most annoying critters I've come across.
Their highly resistant to physical trauma and knockbacks - which makes slicing the tail off a fundamental act to destroy the beast.
Furthermore , they can heal themselves.

However , on the upside , I found them rather easy to freeze and this could make victory a lot easier as a whole - it's also recommended to hold them down for your allies to finish it off or vice versa.

Undead / Undead Warriors
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Holy / Fire

Undeads and Undead Warriors - the latter is tougher than the former but their pretty much the same.

Use fire or holy attacks and you'd make quick work of them - they can be annoying as they may attempt to bite the player.

Stout Undead
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Holy / Fire

Well , their like any Undead - except it's horizontally challenged and blows up if lighted with fire.
The explosion can be advantageous if used well and the explosion may chain if there is yet another Stout Undead within the radius of explosion within the other Stout Undead.

Giant Undead
Threat Level : Medium -
Weakness : Holy / Fire

Compared to the other blighters in the Everfall , Giant Undeads are little more than annoying.

They are slow , may attempt to tackle you down from time to time or grapple you like some common zombie - their just a lot bigger and tougher than a common zombie but that's it.

Just burn them or smite them with holy might.

Harpies
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Fire

Harpies can be rather dangerous if your fighting them near cliffs - since they wouldn't hestitate to pick you off and drop you at the cliffside.

However , they can be easily shot down - or you can wait for them to attack before striking with your blade.

Note that their songs would lull you to sleep.

Snow Harpy
Threat Level : Low +
Weakness : Fire

Snow Harpies generally appear alongside Direwolves - like the Harpies , they can lull you to sleep but their also tougher and can breathe icy breaths to turn you into a frozen statue.

The same battle strategy applies for a Snow Harpy.

Succubi
Threat Level : Medium +
Weakness : Holy

Succubi are the most annoying lot in the Harpy strain - though since when did a succubus resemble a harpy in folklore is something beyond me.

Anyways , these annoying blighters would deal plenty of debiliations to you - instead of lulling you to sleep with their songs , their songs would , however , inflict a large variety of status ailments upon you.

They may also attempt to bite you - which would also deal a random status ailment of either strength loss , defense loss , magick loss or magick defense loss - you get the idea.

Gargoyles
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Blunt attacks

Gargoyles are dangeous foes - particularly because of their ability to petrify their prey.

Using a blunt weapon would make quick work of this stony blighters.
Just avoid it when it swoops down , the tail is the source of petrification.

Phantasms / Spectres
Threat Level : High -
Weakness : Holy

Phantasms are spirits - Spectres are spirits which sparkles electricity - which makes drenching yourself a bad idea when your fighting the latter.

Phantasms and Spectres are very dangerous as possessed allies can not free themselves and the Spectre would cling onto you until you die or remedy the situation through a Curative or have an ally dislodge it for you.

Their immune to physical attacks unless when their taking hold of a victim or if the weapon in question is enchanted with magick.

Ogres
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Lightning

Well , Lightning isn't "really" a weakness but it's very useful in your battle against an Ogre since their susceptibile to electrocution - just by spamming lightning attacks may ground it on the spot.

Their one of the toughest advesaries early on in the game and it is not unlikely that they may kill you in one blow if angered.

Note that Ogres prioritizes women when their NOT ENRAGED - if they are angered , they would start attacking just about anyone.

Also , take care when climbing it's back , it may flip over and pancake you.

Cyclops
Threat Level : Low+
Weakness : Lightning

Well , Cyclops are a bit of a joke really , just aim for it's eye and voila , victory is at hand.
Like the Ogre , their very susceptibile to lightning attacks.

Note that some Cyclops may be armored and they may bear a helm - to remove the helmet , simply climb onto it's back and leap off the moment it tries to grab you - the Cyclops would remove it's own helm , leaving it's eye vulnerable to attacks.

Clinging onto the leg of the Cyclops may cause it to topple and striking the weapon arm may disarm it - though it is particularly effective with lightning attacks.

Golems
Threat Level : Low+
Weakness : Blunt attacks

Golems are near-impossible to kill for Mage/Sorcerer characters - melee is the only way to hurt it.
There are blue medals located around it's body - strike those to kill it.
It is advisable to aim for the medals on the hand first since it's usually covered up most of the time - and the one at the bottom of it's feet if you managed to topple it over by striking it's other magick medals.

Metal Golems
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Physical attacks

Like the Golem , it's near-impossible to kill with magic and even more so with solely a sword since it's powered by seven magick medal spread throughout the room - two of them being elevated in the air.

It is advisable to bring a bow-user in your party should you wish to confront this monster - it is to be noted that it is also a lot faster than a common Golem and it would prove a brutal foe.

Chimera / Gorechimera
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Gorechimera's Lion Head is weak against ice

The Chimera and Gorechimera bears similar combat patterns - but naturally , the Gorechimera is more advanced in terms of moveset and spells.

For the common Chimera , it is advisable to take out the Lion head with strong magick first to weaken it's physical prowess , then take out the snake and finally the goat.

For the Gorechimera however , it may be advisable to take out the Goat first owing to it's healing capabilities , then the Lion then the Snake - though if you have a powerful Sorcerer in your team , it doesn't really matter since a single blow can easily kill the Chimera.

Hydras
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Blades / Fire

It's weakness isn't really fire but the moment you slice of it's heads , you must seal the wound with fire to stop it's head from coming back that quickly.

It's advisable to use a Mage with Fire Affinity or a Fire enchanted weapon into the fight - once all the heads are severed , you can then deal a large amount of damage to the beast by striking it's decapitated necks and thus , sealing an easy victory.

Archhydras
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Blades / Fire

Like the Hydra - but a lot stronger and seems to be somewhat resistant to holy attacks - the Archhydra requires a similar strategy for it's defeat.
Whilst it may appear menancing at first , once you've sliced off all it's head with the same strategy , it would become an easy kill.

Griffins
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Fire

Griffins can be annoying since they would retreat the moment their health is low - but it can be easily remedied by clinging onto the Griffin and burning it's wings.

Griffins can also be lured down by the sight of dead foes - you may use dead bandits , dead goblins and pretty much dead anything to lure them.

Cockatrices
Threat Level : High
Weakness : Fire

Likewise , you may want to attack the wings to affect it's flight but note that the Cockatrice is capable of breathing petrification breaths - which makes it very dangerous if you lack the Curtative or Resistance for this beast.

It may also poison you with it's talons.

It is advisable to strike it's expanded chest the moment it tries to spit out it's petrification attacks and strike the wings the moment it takes flight - the head is also a good spot to hit.

Vile Eyes
Threat Level : Low

Vile Eyes are like Evil Eyes - but their a lot smaller and weaker.
Just wait for it to prepare a spell - the barrier would be lowered and you can kill it rather quickly.

Evil Eyes
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Holy

Evil Eyes are fairly easy to kill despite the amount of experience it gives - first of all , kill all of the tentacles you see sprouting from the ground - when it's Barrier is lowered , you would then strike the tentacles on it's body to destabalize it - then finally , strike the exposed eyeball to finish it for good.

I can't be certain but powerful Magick seems to be able to penetrate it's barrier.

Note that the Evil Eye is capable of dishing out debalitations as well.

Wights / Liches
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Holy

Wights and Liches are pretty much undead sorcerers on steroids - they can fly , intone nasty spells and summon dead minions to fight by their side.

Whilst it is in flight , it is difficult to damage so you might want to clear off the minions first to let it alight on the ground - by then , it's defenses would've dramatically lowered as it tries to summon a new batch of undeads.
Use that limited amount of time to deal as much damage as you can against it.

Drakes
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Ice

Common Drakes can be found in the Devilfire Grove - and they can be found in various other locations in the Post-game scenario.

Their weak against Ice attacks and you can easily break their wings , horn and damage their heart with a powerful Ice Magick.
Note that their heart is located on their chest - which would allow you to deal the most damage.
It's also one of the earliest dragons you would meet in the game.

Wyrm
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Lightning?

Much like the Drake but have a higher diversity of spells and breathes ice instead of fire.

Wyvern
Threat Level : Medium
Weakness : Fire

Edit : ( Just found out it's weakness ) - but this Wyvern emits lightning strikes and it's heart is located on it's back , causing this dragon strain to take a slightly longer time to kill compared to the Drake and Wyrm.

Note that it's can curse you.

The Dragon
Threat Level : High -
Weakness : Ice

The Dragon is weak against Ice attacks and it's much like the Drake - except it's bigger , a lot stronger and bears a nasty attitude.
Still , a powerful Ice Magick straight into it's heart could easily knock out a fair portion of it's health.

Ur-Dragon
Threat Level : Extremely High
Weakness : Holy

Holy is the only thing which works for the Ur-Dragon and it is advisable to use the Assassin for the Online Ur-Dragon.
It is to be noted that dying ( Even with Wakestones ) , retreating or fleeing with a Ferrystone would regenerate it's health.

The offline Ur-Dragon can be easily defeated in any other Vocation - particularly the Hybrid Vocations which would allow you to defeat it quite easily.

Though it is to be noted that Mages and Sorcerers would be quite useless against this beast since it can only be damaged by hitting it's weak spots and that it is quite resistant to all elements save Holy attacks.

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Video Game Updates:

I just recently finish playing silent Hill Downpour, the game was pretty good but it was glitchely in most part in the video game. I just recently started playing Batman Arkham City, Uncharted 3, Journey, FF 13, FF 13-2, Super Street Fighters IV and Blazblue. I also purchase some arcade games like minecraft, Alan Wake, AMY and few others as well. I recently trying to finish fatal frame series.

I also pre-order Last of us, God of War 4, Resident evil 6 and Assassin Creed 3. I'm also still thinking getting Halo 4 and Call of Duty Black-ops 2.

I really can't wait to see The Dark Knight Rises, Snow White and the Huntsman, Spiderman movie this summer .

If anyone has instagram feel free to add me digitalversus

Well hopefully I can try to upload my three tattoos, still haven't post any pictures yet. Happy Gaming everyone.

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an amazing action RPG and worth every penny. From superb graphic design to fluid gameplay mechanics, it offers a vast amount of content.

There are tons of sidequests, and much like the Elder Scroll series, there are also a variety of factions which you can join while (or after) you work on the main quest. The premisse is interesting; you start the game "walking from the dead" and soon discover that you are the only person who can actually change his/her Fate. In the world of Amalur, every person, every event is pre-determined to end in a specific manner, and there are even certain people called Fate Weavers who can "read" your Fate, seeing what you are destined to do, how you are supposed to die, and etc. However, you soon start traveling through the world, and people realize your actions are actually affecting and changing the outcome of events that were once, "set in stone." Unfortunately, I believe the storyline fell short throughout the game; I felt like the dialogues and characters involved in the main quest were somewhat superficial and the story lacked depth.

At any rate, this Fate ties down to the very character creation and development process. You have a few basic "Fates", or as the game calls it, "Destinies", which are cards that will power up your character in a specific direction. You will have a card "Rogue", in which you can develop it further by leveling up and unlock the card "Scout", which will grant you more skill points and ability points to spend either on your "Finesse" map or, if you decide to improve the other two areas "Might" or "Sorcery", possibly unlocking different cards such as the hybrid "Disciple", a "mage-rogue" mixture. Overall, the system is very flexible and fun to mess around with; rpg gamers will definitely enjoy leveling up their character and crafting to their needs.

The gameplay is so much fun! My character was primarily a Mage build, and I had spent a lot of points on the Chackram, which I loved using in conjuction with my magic (not to mention juggling enemies around with it.) It's a combat system that made me feel powerful and always rewarding me with tons of loot. There are many options for the 3 main abilities and they provide quite a few combos. Leveling up is not a chore; the combat is very smooth and fast. A few bosses here and there might give a bit more of a challenge, but overal I found the game to be pretty decent in difficulty. There's also a Hard Mode for those wanting a bit more challenge.

The visuals in this RPG are insanely beautiful. I never got bored at looking at the scenery and environments. The dungeons were fresh and different from one another, even if all of them (or better yet, the entire game) is very colorful. Unlike the Elder Scrolls series, which devides each game to a specific region in Tamriel, Amalur provides the entire world at your hands, even if not in the same huge scale of the TES. But to me, the ability to be able to explore all different areas in one game was much more to my liking, because the regions vary so much (be it in the overall feeling or aesthetics that it shows.) I thought the characters were very vivid and lively, and the monsters also varied in shapes and forms a lot, as well as battle manouvers. The art design in the game is trully something to be looked at, and I actually enjoyed seeing the loading screens artwork, so beautiful they were.

On the background of it all, there lies the soundtrack and sound effects. It's all orchestrated, and gives you that "fantasy world" sense of exploration and wonder. The music is soothing when it needs to be, and engaging when it needs to pump me up for an epic battle. It made my travels in Amalur much more enjoyable.

I thought that, for a first game in a series (the next one, set in the same world is supposed to be an MMO), this game is a great achievement for 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. I didn't like their partnership with EA in publishing this game (there is even a game breaking bug unfortunately, but so far no patch has been released. At the same time, EA has already put out 2 DLCs, so why is this not being addressed?), and I hope they don't on their next. Browsing their forums, it's clear that the developers want to do things right, but are impeded by bureaucracy from EA. I also hope that when I they are done with the MMO, they can start working on a single player sequel, maybe with a more indepth main storyline and more dialogue choices. This is a must for any TES fans out there, and for fans of action RPGs in general who love a good combat system experience and loot.

DEVELOPER: Big Huge Games, 38 Studios
PLATFORM: PlayStation3, Xbox360, and PC
RELEASE DATE: February 7, 2012

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Setting aside whatever I feel about Mass Effect 3, we saw the foreshadowing of what that game would become when we were presented with Mass Effect 2. Everything I've mentioned earlier, the missing exploration, the missing inventory, the skeletal weapons and armor choices, the distancing from role-playing in favor of action; things were dropped, corners were cut, and the experience changed dramatically. This is no more a game than it is a placeholder for money-squeezing DLC.

Think it's gotten any better? Mass Effect 3 saw day 1 DLC, and it was on disc. In fact some users have managed to find a way to unlock a lot of what's on the disc THEY PAID FOR, including the character you get for paying extra otherwise, and it took nothing more than changing a line of text on an installed file (PC users, obviously).

So the trilogy is over, and to hear most users tell about it, it ended with a whimper. Critics and users appear very divided on how Mass Effect 3 turned out. I suppose that regardless of what I or others tell you, this will be a purely subjective matter. For my part, I wish they'd have done better, but I'm not really surprised by how this all turned out considering EA's history. I was a fan once of the Ultima series by a long forgotten company called Origin Systems. EA bought Origin, dissolved what was left of it, and year later recycled the name into an online store/DRM platform, their answer to Valve's Steam service. Ultima? That ended in much the same way Mass Effect did; a twisted figure of it's former self, because action games were more popular at that time, they turned a once deeply narrative driven game into a really bad action-platforming game.

So continues the cycle.

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For A long battle I have fought my eyesight is nearly gone and I have lost all hope, I do not know if I will return

to Gamespot, the news was not good, Nurologists and pain await me and I have no joy in gaming.

I have spent many years here, and may return, I enjoy some time on steam and my PS3 and the few that know me

may see me there as long as my sight holds out.

To those that know me remember, I dont know if my illness will claim me but pray if you can or think of me once and hope, maybe some off chance I will be well and see again.

Thank you Gamespot for years of joy, I will look in on gamespot now and again but I wont be posting, so I guess this is my last post until im well or well my last post...

@Amnesiac23 @Kevin-V @JodyR

To the three people I have focused my interests on, I thiank you for keeping gamespot great an friendly

kevin for his great rpg sense and showing the not so thin they can lose the pounds and being a friend to all

To jody, who swings her red hair and valkrie sword at all the bans in her path, she keeps the community going.

and to my dear friends Amnesiac, nutcrackr and kuroninja for putting up with me and my chattyness.

and to all others I missed I have not forgot you, and may see you (I hope) on ps3 or steam.

There is a fourth but I cant find her name in my directory shes a fellow ninja,

Farwell and safe travels and I maybe our paths with cross again.

To one person who may read this and you know who you are, all is forgiven, even the lies.

Goodbye and hope to see you all soon, I hope to see you all....

Mar044 End Transmission......(PlaysMass effect 3 piano music

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Long time since I have been on my GS profile. I miss this kind of stuff so I might as well get back into it. I want to do a few reviews on here and I have quite a few games to review to since my departure of Gamespot. I also have been using IGN and Kotaku for my gaming news so it will take a while to get back into the community. I see that some of my friends from years back have not deleted me so that is good to see.

As for changes since then, I got a new Wii since my old one bricked last year. It is a shiny black one now with none of downloadable games on it, unfortunately. However, the year was also good because a new system has joined my family finally: Nintendo 3DS! I love this new portable device that Nintendo has made, especially the new circle pad on it and the 3D mode that I enjoyto play in.In 2010, The newonly newest addition to the collect was a swipe out of Xbox 360s, from the old whiteone to the slim Xbox 360 with the Kinect.

I am still updating mycollection of games so I can be aware of what I got and also so people can check out my currect game collection. I will also work on some reviews, too.

Until next time

SoralinkGS

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Spreading it around and getting more people involved is the only way to win this war.

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