Game is fun/not fun

 When it comes to gamers, we love to throw out reasons why game A is better then game B. For fun, I talked to a friend about Guild Wars 2, and he talked about World of Warcraft. I simply asked this question: Why do you like the game?

 His reply, "It's fun."

 Now, that is good and all, but what exactly makes a game fun, and why should "It's fun." be the right answer? Does a game being fun, in your own opinion, make others want to get it? If you saw a commercial for a game, and a quoted review stated, "It's fun.", is that enough to make you go out and buy the game?

 To me, the answer is no. When it comes to convincing me to want to get a game, I need more then just that basic, simple answer. Explain to me why it is fun, what makes the game fun? Give examples, and if I have questions, answer them. I don't need long, in depth details of the game, just give me more than just, "It's fun."

 What is the game like? Tell me what, in your opinion, the top features are that really grabs you to play the game to justify it's "fun" factor. Maybe give some examples and compare it to a game that the person you are speaking to has maybe played in the past.

For example:
 I find Guild Wars 2 to be something fresh when it comes to being an MMO. As much as it says that there are no "quests", there are quests like any other MMO, they are just hiding it, and feeding it to you differently than any other MMO out there. The combat is smooth, it almost feels like you are playing an action game. I find myself constantly pressing my auto attack because it feels as though if I press it more, I'll hit faster. Having a limited dodging system in an MMO changes how you approach boss fights, also no add on telling you when you should as well. When to dodge is based on watching and reading the boss' attacks. It can be punishing at times, but in the end, you feel great when the boss dies.

 It's a small example based on my opinions about the game and a few examples. If the person you are speaking to is interested, he or she would want to know more, if not, oh well. You cant force a person into liking a game over others, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and not every game is intriguing to others.

 It's the same for if you find a game "not fun." Tell me why it isn't, most gamers like to listen to other people's opinions about a game, I know I do.

You don't want to be that guy that is caps lock raging saying game A is better than game B, honestly it doesn't help the game you are trying to promote. Just makes people think that caps lock is the main feature of it.

Daniel (GamingRaptor) O'Neal

Guild Wars 2: A Charr's Decisions and Impacts

WARNING: CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS FOR CHARR STORY.

Lets just start off by saying, I love the Charr race, the lore, the looks, the voices, everything about them. I can go on, but this isn't about my love for Charr, this is about the story levels 1-28.

When creating a Charr, you are asked questions to start your own personal story, wanting you to feel unique in your decisions. The ones that matter are as follows:

"I am proud to be _____ soldier."

Here, you will be choosing from the three legions within the Black Citadel, changing the way your story plays for the first story set.

Blood Legion: Under the command of Tribune Rytlock Brimstone, known for their front line battlefield combat.

Ash Legion: Under the command of Tribune Torga Desertgrave, known for their spy, stealth, and assassination tactics.

Iron Legion: Under the command of Tribune Bhuer Goreblad, known for their overwhelming siege weaponry development.

"I would die for my warband, especially ____, my sparring partner."

This choice doesn't make a huge impact on your story, so I wont be going into too much detail about this one. You choose who will accompany you through out your personal story. I like to choose the opposite of what profession I choose. Ex. I'm ranged, I will choose a melee partner.

"They tell me the soldier that sired me is a _____."

One of the bigger impacts on your personal story, this will open a different set of personal story quests.

Loyal soldier: Do I have to explain this one? A respected soldier within the legions.

Sorcerous shaman: Since Flame Legion shamans are hated within the citadel, your sire isn't trusted much at all by the Charr.

Honorless Gladium: Your sire has no warband, he turned his back on them, for this, the Charr have no respect for him.

Now I have played through this story line about four times already, once along side a friend, just to see how different the choices were. I absolutely loved the story for Charr, it had everything, showing that the Charr are far more than a race of feral blood thirsty animals. They show emotions, they have weaknesses, though well hidden, and they honor those who deserve to be honored.

Fury of the Dead.

Where you start as a Charr, it is basically a tutorial mission in which you push back the ascalonian ghosts, leading up to a boss battle against Duke Barradin. Nothing story changing about this quest.

                                                                  For the Legion!

This is where it splits depending on which legion you chose during the character creation. I will not go into detail about what happens but here is what happens when it comes to the decisions you will have to make, and the impact they will have on your personal story.

       Blood Legion                                          Ash Legion                                      Iron Legion

    Chain of Command                               The Tribune's Call                             Best Laid Plans      

   Time for a Promotion                               A Spy for a Spy                               Scrapyard Dogs 

Magic Users||The End of the Line   Spilled Blood||Iron Grip of the Legion       Ghostbore Musket

   Rage Suppression                                The Flame Advances                            Test Your Metal

 Operation: Bulwark                                  Quick and Quiet            Ghostbore Artillery||Deadly Force

                    

                                                               Bloodying The Past

Doesn't matter what Legion you chose, what decision you made in your journey, it all leads to you being handed over to Tribune Rytlock Brimstone for your sire choice quest chain. At this point, I thought to myself, "Hmm, OK, maybe it was like the tutorial when it comes to personal story quests." Well, lets continue to find out.

              Loyal Soldier                       Honorless Gladium                      Sorcerous Shaman

   An Unusual Inheritance                            AWOL                             Searching for the Truth

               Mired Deep                              Follow the Trail                       Stoking the Flame

Salvaging scrap||No Negotiations           Misplaced Faith                         A Fork in the Road 

                   In the Ruins                   Thicker Than Water||Dishonorable Discharge     Sins of the Father||Tribunes in Effigy

    

                                                          From Howl to Silence

Now in part one of your personal story, there were no real consequences when it came to the decisions you had to make, it all lead to the same thing happening, just a different type of quest. Part two, however, had a huge impact on what happened based on what you chose. Though, if you chose loyal soldier as your sire, it's the same as part one since your sire is dead.

Honorless gladium and Sorcerous shaman, both decide the fait of your father, which is amazing. It really made me think before making a decision. But once again, it all leads to the same thing, but this time it gets worse. What happens next with your father? Honorless Gladium, if you helped him escape, ends with him leaving through the asura gate in the Black Citadel, that's it, end of that. Part three I wont get too much into but its the same thing. You make decisions, and it has no consequences or huge impacts to the story as a whole. Was this intended? I may just have thought that these decisions would make my story way different than that of my friend, who played almost the same path, with different choices. Everything ended up on the same line, with no mention of the choices made. To me, it felt more like a straight line that broke at some parts.

The Charr story line was great, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every bit of it. But I didn't feel any change when it came to the decisions I made, no real feeling of, "did I make the right choice?". It was all ignored, and shrugged off in the end. Anyway, just my thoughts on the story of Charr as a whole in Guild Wars 2. Will have to write up my opinions on the rest of the story another time.

TL;DR: ----------{#%@^@#^}-----------{#^@^!#&@#}------------END

Daniel (GamingRaptor) O' Neal