PC Games | The Don's Craptastic World

31Aug/090

Must-Have High-Res Fallout 3 Texture Packs for official DLCs!

Back then I listed the "must-have" texture packs for Fallout 3 to greatly enhance F3's graphics. Since then Bethesda released 5 DLCs (Operation Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta), and modders have been going crazy.

There are all kind of HD (HQ, HiRes or High-Res, same meaning different spelling) (re-)texture packs and different (re-)models of pretty much anything on Fallout 3 Nexus. If you still don't know it, Fallout 3 Nexus is the main source for Fallout 3 mods, models and textures.

Running with higher resolution texture packs as always results in higher demand on your computer. Be sure your PC can handle it, don't install all texture packs at once. Install one pack at a time, test it out then continue with the next.

Long story short: I'm quite fond of 4Aces DLC high-res textures [direct link]. Enjoy!

Addendum 17.05.2010:
Like a lot of people who have large amount of mods, especially texture mods, I've experienced frequent crashes to desktop. This is due the fact that Fallout 3 is a 32Bit game which in turn results in the usage of a maximum of 2GB of RAM. If you have, say 4GB RAM or more, Fallout 3 makes no use of it.

Fear not, there has been a solution since last year which I completely missed up until a few months ago. Large Address Aware Enabler for FO3 or FO3 RAM Boost. Either one works and reduces the crashes to almost a nonexistence.

Some Fallout related videos:

Filed under: PC Games Continue reading

17Aug/090

Champions Online Beta Screenshots [and a small review]!

Today is the day Champions Online goes to Open Beta. With this happening the NDA also goes down.

I was in the closed beta, and I made a lot of screenshots during that time.

Ladies, Geeks, Nerds and Gentlemen, I present you

Champions Online Beta Screenshots

This was my main superhero, a Soviet Union Dr.Who, from 1 to 40, I'm gonna miss him (closed beta to open beta transition included complete character wipe).

In Soviet Millennium City, Dr.Who salutes you!

At level 25 you had the possibility to create your own arch-nemesis. The arch-nemesis was another way to introduce content. You'll get to fight your arch-nemesis and foil his or her evil master plans. Dr. Who's arch-nemesis was Prof. Koninchewisz, a female half-cyborg mad scientist:

[Addendum]
I've been asked via email what my opinion is about Champions Online. Well, CO has potential, but in it's current state (I left when it went Open Beta) it is not worth my money. Here's why:

Power Unbalance:
There are powers that pretty much dominate everything, and powers that have been "nerfed" into oblivion because they were to powerful, i.e. useless powers.

Bear in mind it might have changed since Open Beta, but it was frustrating to see drain life being completely useless after it was way too powerful. Same goes for Concussion Beam. Lately I've heard the took the "nerf bat" to the travel powers. I can't figure out how this has affected PVE, but I surely can understand it from the PvP perspective.

Cryptic is doing it the wrong way, in my opinion. Seeing that a power is too good in PvP it has to be toned down, which in turn can become totally useless in PvE. They need to look at both perspectives, not only one. But that's just me.

Lack of End-content:
People will tell you about Unity and Omega. Well, about Unity. You get to do 5 (6?) daily missions, which are solo-able, after you turn them in you get a daily group mission to do. Keyword "DAILY", once a day.

Omega is supposed to be raiding, which I couldn't experience in my closed beta time due lack of people who were equally interested. So I can't talk about Omega.

But that pretty much is. There's not a whole lot to do, yet. Cryptic of course will deliver content continually in the future, let's hope it'll be good. Still I can't figure out what to do once you hit 40, did ALL your low-level and remaining quests, and your daily Unity. Omega? That's it? Start another character? Yet another character?

Micro-transactions:
I loathe micro-transactions. I can't stand them. Although they will be "optional" and "mostly" "asthetic" it's been said, that IF and WHEN people can buy "game changing" stuff via micro-transactions this stuff WILL be available to everybody. Meaning you don't have to buy it, you can earn it in-game (investing a whole lot more time I'd guess).

This is usually a deal breaker for me because this WILL encourage a mentality like this "Why the heck would I grind, and grind, and grind for days, if I can just ditch out 10 buck?" among other things.

Just to clear it up: Champions Online will cost you a monthly fee on top of that you can optionally buy stuff via micro-transactions.

That being said, this game has a potential to be THE superheroes MMO. I hope it flourishes! I love superheroes games. I'll take a look at Champions Online at a much later time again.

Filed under: MMOG, PC Games No Comments

18Jul/090

Trine – A platform game utilizing physics

I'm not easily swayed and fascinated by a game. The last one that really, and I mean REALLY, fascinated me was Baldur's Gate 2 and Fallout. Since then there have been a lot of good and very good games, but no diamonds so far. That is, until now. Trine, man I tells ya, 'tis game just amazes me.

Perhaps it is because this game so much reminds me of my childhood where I used to play The Lost Vikings, I'm a sucker for nostalgia all right. It should be mentioned the new Monkey Island Remake "The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition" is just as awesome!

Or perhaps because this game simply is so awesome. Trine is almost just like The Lost Vikings. You get to play a mage, who conjures boxes, bridges and platforms, who moves objects with his hands, a thief who uses exploding arrows and swings with her rope, and a warrior who uses brute force to smash through the enemy hordes.

The only difference between The Lost Vikings and Trine is that Trine uses "real" physics in order for you to solve the puzzles and that you have instant access to all 3 heroes from anywhere whenever you want. That means you don't have to move the mage first, then the warrior, then the thief. You move as "one". Press "1" the mages comes out, Press "2" the thief goes, Press "3" the warrior appears.

The story behind Trine is somewhat fuzzy. The 3 characters are captured inside a crystal, which is why you have access to all 3 of them anywhere, anytime. Evil spreads throughout the world, you have to beat the evil in order to be freed from the crystal. Quite cliche I know.

Throughout the levels you earn experience and you can loot items from chests. Earned experience results in level gain for each character. Earned points from level ups in turn can be spent to expand each characters abilities. Looted items can be distributed freely between characters in order to make them more powerful.

I can't stress physics enough, it's not the focus of Trine but it is a huge part of the game. You WILL have to make use of it's physics to solve the puzzles.

The only downsize is, Trine is way, way too short. Only 20 levels and the game is done. How fast you do each level depends on the difficulty your set and your ability to solve puzzles. Still I feel 20 levels are too few.

Anyway if you seek a great, amazing platform puzzle-solving game then Trine is just that. I made a few 720p HD game play clips while I was playing it. Enjoy!

Game Play #1: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Game Play #2: Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3
Game Play #3: Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3

Filed under: PC Games No Comments

28Jun/090

The Hillbillies invade Fallout 3 – “Point Lookout” HD gameplay clips!

As you can probably imagine I'm currently playing the 3rd new DLC, "Point Lookout". It's Bethesda's 4th one and many more may come (I guess I was wrong, 5 is enough!).

Point Lookout takes you to an isolated island, it is Fallout 3's equivalent of Point Lookout State Park. An amusement park, with a huge carousel surrounded by a damp swamp and an old lighthouse overlooking it. It gives off an eerie feeling.

And the bonus: remember the Pint-Sized Slasher? Perhaps Point Lookout, Maryland is where the Slasher originated.

The whole DLC is somewhat horror / thriller themed. The nuclear bombs did not fall on Point Lookout, but the island was simply forgotten and left to its own resources.

New monsters are present, the Swampfolk, inbreed hillbillies with hostile attitude toward the player, such as Trackers, Creepers/Scrappers and Brawlers/Bruisers. Even a swamp variant of ghouls and mirelurks. Oh, and a new set of humans too, the Tribals.

Of course new quest-able perks are added, although nothing huge, still funny to have and weapons such as double barrel shotguns, axes and shovels.

Because so many Confederates died during the American Civil War on Point Lookout, you'll find Confederate Hats by the thousands.

All in all, I can only recommend this DLC! The 5th DLC "Mothership Zeta" is coming in July August, and will supposedly involve the crashed alien ship and not so friendly extraterrestrials.

Gameplay clips:
The Local Flavor (Calvert's Mansion): Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Exploding Calvert Mansion

Filed under: PC Games No Comments

2Jun/090

Oi! Me be alive!

Howdy folks,

a quick hello! A life sign, the Don, he be livin'!

No, the blog IS NOT DEAD. I just didn't have the time last month!

It's going to be better this month!

Didn't even have time to play. Oh well, a few clips I shoot though:

Fallout 3 - Second Biggest Explosion
Damnation - PC Game Intro
Terminator - Salvation Pc Game Intro
Terminator - Salvation Gameplay
ARMA 2 (Armed Assault 2) - Gameplay

So long, Don Salva

Addendum 14th June 2009:
No, it's not going to be better this month! The biggest reason: WordPress 2.8 is out! And I'm swamped with work and more work!

I have to scrap the addons, check the (addons) code, re-check the (addons) code, debug the (addons) code, adjust the (addons) code. I simply have no time for it.

Yes, I could leave it be as it is. But I'm one of the curious ones who need to be up-to-date with software.

I'll throw in a post here and there come end of June, but that's it! Sorry for the inconvenience folks, truly I am!

Filed under: PC Games, Random-ness No Comments

4May/091

‘Dismembering for Dummies’ by X-Men Origins: Wolverine [HD gameplay clips]

Have you ever wanted a special guide for dismembering stuff? Well, look no more! X-Men Origins: Wolverine 'uncaged edition' is the ultimate guide for you to master dismemberment.

I say this, because I play this game, and boy, is the violence excessive. Only game that beats X-Men Origins: Wolverine 'uncaged edition' in terms of violence, blood, guts and gore is Ninja Gaiden.

Game's an action-adventure. You get to play Wolverine and relieve his past, especially his Origins in Weapon X. According to Wikipedia roughly 90% of the same-titled movie storyline is in the game as well.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 'uncaged edition' is about fast paced action with a sheer amount of chainable combos where guts drop, heads roll and limbs fly with jaw dropping fatalities as an icing on the cake!

Oh, and you get to watch Wolverine losing flesh 'n bones and regenerate them slowly back.

At some point, if you are careless enough you can see Wolverine almost striped naked to his adamantium skeleton. An awesome sight.

But it ain't everything gold everything that shines. The whole game is too easy. No matter what difficulty level you choose you'll blaze through the game in your sleep. And those minibosses, man I tells ya, they be teh suck! Repetetive...almost always the same ones and the first tactic that worked before still works on the 12385th one.

Music...bah, where be da coolz music? Very boring music, I had hoped for a more noticable music during the game play, but nada, zip! And most importantly, there's no friggin' multiplayer mode.

I mean are you friggin' kidding me? I can no has smash me friends? I's sad panda! Co-op would indeed be very nice to have, but that would make no sense in a game about Wolverine.

Perhaps some deathmatches in some sort of Arena? Now that would be cool. The sheer amount of combos and fatalities would indeed give a great replay value, if only there was a multiplayer mode...

Clearly the 'uncaged edition' was meant for the mature Wolverine fans while the "light" versions for Wii and PSP are acessible to our young'uns. All in all a must have for the Marvel fans; a should-have for the fast-paced melee-combat loving fans!

Links to various YouTube gameplay clips, cinematics, cut-scenes and In-Game screenshots after the break!

Filed under: PC Games Continue reading