Zombie-Flavored Fun

Anyone who knows me knows I make a lot of zombie-themed wisecracks.  Zombies as a fictional plot device are surprisingly dynamic and they also make great filler/fodder in survival/thriller/horror genres because they quite frankly fill the place up faster than you can say "FUBAR a la mode."  And recent events aside, there's that certain je ne sais pas about our little zed friends that makes them interesting or even fun.
At the start, though, I was terrified of the idea of the shamblers (I think that was brought on by watching The Evil Dead as my first horror movie and the sleepless couple nights that followed).  Over the years, I've grown through the initial terror factor and now enjoy some aspects of the theme, like in the Resident Evil movie series, Zombieland (to date, my favorite zed movie) and some zed web games.  And the latter-most is where today's blog is going to focus.

It's mostly in the last few years that I saw any zed games.  Regrettably, I haven't been able to play any of the RE games.  I have, however, been able to get some exposure to ZA-themed web games, each with several underlying similarities spiced with their own takes.  Today, I want to introduce you quickly to a few that came to mind immediately, source 'em so you can check 'em out later at your inconvenience and apply an overall VWP grading (with as few spoilers as possible).  Note that I won't be as detailed in this post for each game, and this is for a few reasons.


Let's start with Sarah Northway's Rebuild games.

I have to admit a certain addiction to the Rebuild games and anxiously await a third in the series (even if it's unplanned).  It's a good zed survival game to come back to, even if I'm bored of the genre.
The main differences between the two is artwork, Victory Conditions and user interface.  Generally speaking Rebuild 2 is better, but I'd still recommend the first Rebuild before moving forward to the next.  Rebuild 2 also features something new over the first: a randomly-generated avatar for your character.

Both feature you as the leader and manager of a group of survivors versus the horde of zed in a city of your preference (size, difficulty and even the name).  You have to take back the city one or two blocks at a time, scavenge for and produce food for your survivors, recruit more survivors, defend against zed attacks and pursue at least one of a few "Victory Conditions" that mark your successful survival in this area and will allow you to continue conquest elsewhere.

Overall, I like to use the Rebuild games as a basis for comparison.  You have to stay aware of everything, from resources to relative danger levels to your fort and in missions.  It keeps the danger and consequences of poor management close as you can lose territory and survivors, even when the chances are low.  You can train your different survivors in all the various skills from Building to Research, making them specialize or master as much as you want, further improving the survival skills and the rate at which you take the area back.  And toward the endgame, it provides a variety of ways to win instead of simply trying to outlast endless hordes of zed.

For the Rebuild series in general, I give it a 4.3/5.0.


Next up is a look into Digital Chocolate's Zombie Lane, located on Facebook.

Simplistic and fun, Zombie Lane starts off with getting to customize your character quite nicely followed by a lightning-riddled intro into what's obviously a zed outbreak (not sure if it's a contained outbreak or the apocalypse).  Presently, you are on your own until you come across Rent-A-Cop Rob who gives you a tutorial of the basics.  After that, you essentially have to grind your way to the top, completing numerous missions that will bring your family (you, your "spouse" and dog) all back together to survive the literally unending horde of zed and maybe scratch out something sustainable.
A plus is that this is one game where you can leave it alone for a year and your survivors won't be starving.  True, your fences may be torn down and overrun, but you won't be caught hungry, thirsty or turned to the Way of the Zed yourself.

Unfortunately, like a lot of social games on Facebook, you need at least 50 neighbors to get access to a ton of the game's content.  And if you're not exactly the social butterfly like me, you're SOL.  Also, the energy system, while grounded in some semblance of reality, is a very palpable and irritating hindrance to progress.  A final failing point is the entire lack of a point to continue in this game; I see no point to ever log into it again except to say "Zombies, begone!" and let off my daily salvo of 20 shotgun blasts only to come back later and see my progress undone completely.  There's zero endgame content and no inclination to proceed to whatever maximum level there may be.

Not gonna waste any more time on this one.  If you like it for its simplicity, cute graphics, pick-up-and-drop-ability and whatever aspects you find enjoyable about it, please don't let me wreck it for ya.  However, it leaves me craving much much more.

For Zombie Lane, a very dismal 1.7/5.0.


Next we have an interesting and die-hard one: Creator/Developer Neil Yates' Dead Frontier.

I have to say that I found Dead Frontier to be rather impressive when I first stumbled upon it.  And to this day it holds a place (okay, a few small outposts) in my heart.

After initial character customization which includes even your choice of profession (careful on your choice, as it can have a tremendous bearing on your game experience) you begin in the fictional city of Fairview, epicenter of the zed outbreak.  While I won't delve into it too far here, I will definitely say that the background story for Dead Frontier has had a noticeable amount of thought put into it so that one can pick up on it and run with it comfortably enough.  I know that's not so important to some, but I like a good (or at least convincing) story.  Neil Yates has done so here ladies and germs, and for that I give him kudos.

Throughout the game you customize and control your survivor (just as a hint, these are both priority in this game!).  Leveling up can come slow at times, but carries the consistent reward of self-improvement and can be hastened by doing missions for the outpost you call home (and there's a few to choose from).  Surviving on the outside of the outposts is where it gets really fun.  Not only do you have to contend with a highly impressive variety of zed, but you will have to scavenge or trade for everything from vanity gear to armor, food and medical supplies.  It can seem staggering, but you're never truly alone unless you opt for it.  Friends, clan members and even passers-by can team together, multiplying chances of survival and progress.  You can also try to solo your way to greatness or go on a PvP spree both in and out of the outposts.  Bear in mind, though, that while dying in this game isn't permanent, it really leaves ya hurting.  Believe me, I know this aspect well...

Now while I haven't given a very thorough overview here of Dead Frontier (there's really a LOT more to be discovered in-game), I should probably wrap it up for now.

For Dead Frontier, an almost indomitable 4.8/5.0.


And now for one that I think may end up developing a cult following in the near future, if not a recognition that could begin to shake the Resident Evil world a titch: Con Artist Games' The Last Stand series, most notably their latest achievement TLS: Dead Zone (still under development at the time of this post, but available for playing).

I'll be quick to admit that their first two games (TLS and TLS2) completely threw me.  They were the first games I played with this flavor of managing people and resources against the zed hordes and I wasn't quite able to manage the way I needed to succeed.  In spite of that, I think they were both well conceived and worth at least a single play.

It wasn't until their third game, TLS: Union City, that I was a bit more in my element.  And while the storyline maintains consistency, it takes you on another survivor's journey through different circumstances and rewards you a bit differently.  It also takes the story a few steps further that one should play through to better appreciate.  Story aside, our favorite Con Artists made a general improvement on the TLS world's look and feel, including more direct control over your survivor.

Most recently, their fourth game in the lineup, TLS: Dead Zone, has taken the name and story even further.  Wanting to avoid too many spoilers, you are in charge of a small group of survivors (currently up to 10 individuals, including your customizable character, with the 9 NPC survivors having one of 5 fixed classes available to them) set in the fictional Union City almost a full year out from the first signs of the mysterious infection that later swept the area and left devastation in its wake.  You and your band of survivors command a small compound, using it as both home and base of operations.  As your character and compound evolve, you gain more survivors and access to more areas that can be raided for increasingly precious resources.  With the addition of a crafting system in Dead Zone, you can give your small army a vital edge in surviving not only the raiding missions, but also the zed hordes that can and will regularly attack you and other groups of survivors that feel like going a-pillagin' your neighborhood.  Despite the PvP option being available, one can also opt to help friends, enemies and frenemies alike by visiting their compounds and shaving a few minutes off of the time it takes to build up their compound.

While it's probably obvious that TLS:UC and TLS:DZ are my favorites in the TLS line, I feel it'd be an injustice to sell the others short.  The TLS games (like Rebuild and Dead Frontier) have a good grasp on the survival aspect of the [presently] fictional ZA.

For The Last Stand games in general, a tentative 4.9/5.0.


I suppose I should call that enough review for now, folks.  I hope that this has been at least slightly informative.  If you feel otherwise, let me know what I missed.  After all, this was quite a short review of multiple games.  If nothing else, poke around in one or two of them.

Try not to get your face eaten off.  :)

The VWP Review of Rappelz

Rappelz is a F2P (Free-to-Play) Fantasy MMORPG created by Gala Net (formerly nFlavor) and hosted in the USA by their affiliate gPotato.

Being a veteran of Rappelz (since Epic 3, thank you) I feel quite comfortable with the assessment I'm about to give.

Overview
The story is set on a world known only as Gaia (which also happens to be one of the three races in the game). The current events take place in the midst of what, in reality, would be an epochal and earth-shattering outbreak of chaos timed not even half a century after a character known only as "The Witch" had presented herself and whose movement wrought devastation throughout the world.

The player is semi-gently tossed into this fray beginning on a small island conveniently (not colloquially) named "Trainee Island."  It's at this point where, in interest of not betraying too much of the underlying storyline at once, I'm going to end this segment.

Characters
In the beginning was your character...

This is where we must all begin in every MMORPG: character creation.

On the Rappelz block, we have various skin tones, a handful of facial expressions/builds available, three hairstyles in two colors each (six, for those who don't want to do the math), several facial decorations from tattoos to scars and a case of heterochromia iridum, and two starting outfits.  All of the aforementioned, except for skin tones, will vary according to race and gender.

Speaking of races, there are three to choose from: the Deva, a light/holy-characteristic race that focus on defense and healing; the Asura, who are characterized by darkness (though not inherently evil) and focus on immense damage and speed; and finally the Gaia who are characterized by balance and mastery of the four classical elements.  (If you're at all unfamiliar with them, check out the link.  I promise, this'll be here when you get back.)

Formerly, there were no facial decorations, but otherwise you can rest assured that your character will be easily mistaken for 100 others out there, if not for the character name (which, frankly, is a bitch to find one that isn't taken or deemed inappropriate).

In this aspect, while the characters are quite beautifully rendered, the fact that we're all ultimately from one of six cookie cutters with a quick paint job on the top really robs Rappelz of a lot of potential that a few game makers/publishers had the vision to embrace.

Final score for Characters:  2.5/5.0

Controls
"Control!  Control!  You must learn control!" -Yoda

The controls for Rappelz are the fairly straight-forward point-and-click interface with a lot of key bindings to the various menus, skills and functions that will help you throughout the game.  It's great for getting precisely to that one place in the viewable area, but past that it gets imprecise.  Also, for those of you who like to use auto-run or map navigation for longer-distance traveling will have to break the habit for Rappelz.

For controls, it would be great to see some of the always handy WASD movement, but the already insane control you can muster just from the sheer number of key bindings is a tremendous benefit to the player a long as they can keep their head in a massive Charlie Foxtrot.

Final score for Controls:  4.4/5.0

Gameplay
Gameplay from the very start is reminiscent of any favorite Grind Fest with a sprinkling of the occasional level-locked quests and some more or less elaborate quest lines that on a whole have occasional background in game events or the lore of the game.  So, in the best of times you'll get a massive XP boost from a recently-completed quest line while in the worst of times you have to stick to the classic approach of Sword-And-Spell-Hack-And-Slash-Grind-Your-Way-To-The-Top.  A reprieve to this, however, was recently allowed into the game, known as the Vulcanus Dungeon.  While there are other dungeons in the game with their respective level ranges, this one scales to the player and provides quite a challenge for all characters level 30 and up as it rips you away from the friendly support of a party and throws you into--for all intents and purposes--a hellish and suicidal track for the asleep and under-prepared individual.

As far as the lore goes, one should really play the game completely through to grasp the entirety of the storyline.  Unfortunately, there is little else to the lore than the storyline tidbits that you get in certain quest lines.  Now I don't know about other people, but I get left with a major hunger for actual story and lore.  Sometimes it feels more engaging to be immersed in the story and to feel like you're part of what makes the lore.  To date, I haven't felt very much of that, so congrats on the unfortunate fail here, Gala Net...

Skills/spells in Rappelz are a veritable smorgasbord, while the classes themselves are unfortunately not.  Let's split them for a moment here:

Classes consist almost invariably of three major class lines per race: a Warrior class, a Mage class and a Summoner class.  The major divisions emerge when each race selects their class, as each one has its own unique characteristics to lend to the basic class lines.  Later your character can specialize into one of two sub-classes (usually offensive- or defensive-based in their natures).  There's not much overlapping or flexibility or any ability to dual- or multi-class, but where the classes are inflexible, they are also well defined with their skill sets.

Skills in Rappelz have evolved immensely over the last few years as classes get rebalanced.  Most have been improved vastly and others have (especially recently) been nerfed.  However, the ultimate stance in regards to skills is that there's a very well defined skill set for each race's class lines and the roles they represent.  The downside is that some classes are strained for survival when the invariable Charlie Foxtrot comes along and their skills drain them dry.

Equipment is strongly impacted by the choice of class, and these restrictions are highlighted on applicably for even the new player's sake.  Armor is divided into their respective classes and sometimes with an additional race restriction.  While weapons are usable cross-race-cross-class, but different classes will have natural advantages using a mace versus a crossbow, for example.  Finally, all equipment is enhanceable by a pleasant-enough variety of means, all of which tend to be very expensive to the free player.  There are, however, special items buyable through the Cash Shop using gPotatoes (the converted currency for all gPotato games which presently goes at a rate in the USA of $0.01 = 1 gPotato) which will give the buying player a boost in either their own equipments abilities or character personalization or their available funds in-game if they want to trade or sell their special favors.

Final score for Gameplay:  2.1/5.0

Disclaimer: As always, readers, please remember that this is a reflection of perspective and that I'm equally critical from one thing to another.  In the future and as content changes, so may final ratings and assessments, at which point the post will be edited and re-posted with new information and/or ratings.

If any of my readers feel I missed an aspect in evaluation, feel free to comment so I know what to include in a re-post.

Overall rating for Rappelz:  3.0/5.0

Absurdly long silence... Again?!

Well, this is embarrassing... Forever and a half again since a post.  But what to write...  Lately there have been no culinary adventures worth mention.

I know!  I'll start grading a few different things.  I'll start with games--at least those I'm more familiar with, eventually moving on to those that I get enough recommendations for and can actually test on my budget--and move on up to the next item of interest.  Maybe some of the local attractions?  Maybe I'll even start grading different things in the media?

And before I get a complaint about it, yes I know how it may seem redundant when there's a hundred professional agencies out there that get paid to critique these things.  But I'm gonna put my grade out there for the heck of it.

See you guys soon and hope it's a good one.