Dragon's Crown :: Questing on the go

Dragon’s Crown is a hack and slash, beat ’em up, with some RPG elements mixed in. The eye catching artwork is the bait but the fast and furious gameplay is the real draw. Prepare to fight your way through horizontally, scrolling worlds, building up your experience points and weapon stash as you progress. The combination of proper preparation and button-mashing resonates with me.

E3 2012: home viewing guide

Once again, it's that time of year to gaze upon the oracle of gaming-to-come, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). My NeverEnding Story of trying to get inside is still being written. The gatekeepers to the kingdom of gaming (the E3 committee Sphinxes') have thwarted even my most “Atreyuian” moves towards the gates.

Nevertheless, E3 2012 is happening June 5-7th with major keynote addresses starting on Monday, June 4th. You're viewing choices have grown (slightly) this year over last, with more network choices and dedicated streams over the Internet. Televised on Spike TV and sister Viacom Media Networks, including MTV2; MTVU; VH1; Tr3s: Música y Másand will all air the coverage simultaneously. Check your local listings for their correct channels. The Microsoft keynote will be airing for the first time on XBox Live through an app called: Playbook 360. I’m starting to wonder if by attending E3 you actually risk not seeing everything; and the best move may be getting all the information in one massive media download.

It's interesting to ponder what's in store and its affect on how the industry is fairing. E3 has high expectations associated with it, namely first look at new consoles. While I personally don’t think we will be seeing any new hardware besides the Wii U, there are some highly anticipated games we can expect to hear about.

The Gamedae E3 2012: Home Viewing Guide is below.

dragon age: origins

PLATFORM: PS3

RELEASE DATE: 11/2009

DEVELOPER: BioWare

PUBLISHER: EA

ESRB RATING: M

Progress: On my second playthrough

I have been growing my Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O) beard again this past weekend. This game is so long you have time to grow a few weekend-warrior-type beards with this fantasy based role playing game (RPG) released by EA. A blight is steering down on the the world of Ferelden. The Humans, Dwarves, Mages and Elven people are all threatened by hordes of Darkspawn. As one of the last remaining Grey Wardens you must unite the people in time to face the blight and the dreaded archdemon behind it.

rift: planes of tolara by zoidberger

PLATFORM: PC

RELEASE DATE: 03/2011

DEVELOPER: Trion Worlds

ESRB RATING: T (for Teen)

Progress: Lvl 50 Bahmi Cleric-Warden

Unpolished features, massive bugs and server crashes are all things we have come to expect when a new MMORPG hits the market. In a genre dominated by what is actually available and working at launch, Rift stands out as being 100% playable on day one. The game play in Rift is not revolutionary, in fact you can make the point that is has nothing new to offer. What developer Trion Worlds did was take already existing facets from multiple MMOs and improves on them; Rift proves that a game new to the genre doesn’t need to reinvent it to be great.

demon's souls

PLATFORM: PS3
RELEASE DATE: 10/2009
DEVELOPER: FromSoftware

PUBLISHER: Atlas
ESRB RATING: M

Progress: 0%

Demon's Souls recently made the PlayStation "hit list" meaning: it's been giving Greatest Hits status. Greatest Hits labeling means a lower price tag and usually a resurface of active players online--not that this game needs it. This game was originally released in Japan and its fans have been spotted all over in North America. DS has cult followings both online and around the world wide web with numerous web pages like this and this and that, where players gather to trade walk-throughs, item knowledge and strategy.

Demon's Souls is set in medieval times, where you face armored knights, ogre hoards, dragons and of course demons. It is a very action oriented take on, the sometimes slow, Role Playing Game (RPG) genre. The medieval setting is done very well with all the dirt and blood you may expect from the time. Players have access to various RPG characters classes as you may have expected, each one with their own intricacies. However you choose to start out, you begin at the foot of a castle with heavy, clunky armor and a sword. A glowing spot on the floor, left by another online player, reads "the real Demon's Souls begins here."