Category Archives: Game Diary
Upcoming: Summoner Wars Mega
Inspired by Space-Biff! friend Digital Pariah, who’s been battling his way through his Summoner Wars collection one faction at a time and making me jealous with all manner of fascinating tales, the wife and I have decided to follow suit. Beginning next Monday, we’ll be posting weekly Summoner Wars battle reports in addition to our regular programming. Details below.
Fallen Enchantress #4: The Pit of Lost Voices
In the center-most mountain range of the Desolate East lies hidden the Pit of Lost Voices.
Magnar has now lived in the Desolate East for over 140 years, and after eking out an empire under the harshest conditions, and both starting and finishing a war with the Kingdom of Gilden, the only obstacle that remains on the path to total dominion is the Empire of Resoln. Resoln’s sovereign, Oracle Ceresa, is not only aware of this fact, but she commands five times as many soldiers are Magnar, and she’s itching to land the first blow. In the summer of 295 A.C. (I have no idea what that means, and I suspect Magnar doesn’t either), she does exactly that.
Fallen Enchantress #3: Warg Mages
Powerful Warg Mages. All you need are Wargs. And Mages.
Much to my surprise, I’ve been having a grand time with Fallen Enchantress. Magnar’s Empire has grown from a tiny walnut into a massive tree of enslaving doom, and most recently booted the stuck-up Gilden out of his birthright territory. Unfortunately, now my Empire is facing new troubles — and while a few are intricate Gordian Knots just waiting for my sword to descend with a satisfying thwack, others have arisen courtesy of Fallen Enchantress’s less-endearing eccentricities.
Fallen Enchantress #2: Farhammer
The Gilden city of Farhammer.
After only a couple hours with Fallen Enchantress, it was plain that Stardock had learned some strong lessons from the disappointment of Elemental: War of Magic. Magnar and his growing retinue of allies were on a happy romp across the Desolate East — now an actual magic-ravaged desert rather than the lukewarm fantasy of the first game, which was filled with characters who were constantly insisting that no, really, this is a wasteland. Magnar had founded eight proud cities, assembled a few decent armies (mostly composed of freebie slave militia), and done some stuff that could only rightly be called heroic, even though he has a strong dislike for that term. After all, what else do you call a team of adventurers who drives back a demon invasion? Neglecting the fact that in the end they’d persuaded the demon to join up, of course.
Now, with the appearance of the arrogant Kingdom of Gilden and their vast treasuries and demands for tribute, times are a’changing for Magnar’s Empire.
Fallen Enchantress #1: The Fearful Merchant
Magnar, Lord of the Quendar. Once he founds them, anyway.
It’s the 24th of August, 2010, the day I’ve been eagerly awaiting for over three months, and there’s something heavy on my mind: which I should play first, Mafia II by 2K Games or Elemental: War of Magic by Stardock? They arrived together, shared the same potential-smelling cardboard box (cardboard always smells like potential to me though), and sat shrink-wrapped for nearly an hour while I wrestled the question back and forth. Yeah, I’m one of those, the sort who would rather do nothing than commit to just one, especially when the topic is games.
I played Elemental first, which turned out to be the right choice, as Mafia II seemed quite good after suffering through the trauma of four hours with Elemental. Now, two years plus change later, we have Fallen Enchantress, a sequel built over a foundation of lessons learned, better designers hired, and apologies delivered. And to my surprise, that’s a pretty decent foundation.
It’s Good to Be a Mage Knight, Day Three
Goldyx and Tovak on the third day.
Okay, so we’ve talked about how on the first day, the Mage Knights popped out of that portal of theirs and started putting on all sorts of magic shows, and on the second they figured out where the Red City was hiding, and began laying plans to take it by force. You know this story ends with the corrupt City falling, but I’ll reckon you couldn’t guess how. Even if you could, you couldn’t stop me from telling it.
XCOM: Sentinels of Earth, Part 1
The Super Sentinels deploy outside the diner.
For this game diary, I’ll be playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Impossible difficulty with Iron Man mode enabled — so if I make a mistake, that’s it, no do-overs. Wish the Sentinels luck!
Top Brass weren’t so sure about putting together such an ethnically diverse squad, but alien invasions have a way of bringing people together. After some initial distrust and petty squabbling, our heroes picked up a few harsh but fair life lessons and engaged in a few alcohol-lubricated fraternizing and bar scuffles, and have now earned the trust and affection necessary to watch each others’ backs. They call themselves the Sentinels, largely because they dislike being called XCOMmers.
It’s Good to Be a Mage Knight, Day Two
Tovak returns to the little monastery.
Alright, now where were we? Ah, right, so last time Goldyx and Tovak, Mage Knights both, spent a day and a night conquering a path across the countryside, bringing down warbands of orcs and fortified strongholds with equal ease. I’ve told you that they’re the ones that brought our Red City’s corrupt penny-squeezers to heel, and in only three days too. Well, I reckon I’ll tell you about their second day. It’s the one that some folks like to jaw about when they say the Mage Knights aren’t so heroic as we’ve been told, but don’t let anyone hear you talk like that. And anyway, it’s true that they did some pillaging and burning, but there’s a reason for all that.
It’s Good to Be a Mage Knight, Day One
Goldyx and Tovak: friends, rivals, Mage Knights.
Ever heard of a Mage Knight? No? For shame. It was a pair of Mage Knights that fought against the dragons and orcs and corrupt burro-crats that were running this country into the mud. Only took them three days to do it, too.
Ah yes, looks like you’re remembering now. Only three days and three nights, and they went from Mage Knight rookies to veterans with the powers of the gods themselves—I’m talking about the power to melt walls sixty feet high, to bring an elder dragon crashing out of the sky without dripping a single bead of sweat, to command loyalty that kings could only fantasize about. Settle in and I’ll refresh that fogged-up memory of yours. It’s the least I can do—after all, that pair did me a good turn by bringing the Red City to its knees.
The Brains of Metro 2033 (Act Five)
Ostankino Tower, surrounded by flying mutants.
Act Five marks the end of Artyom’s (and your) journey, and lets you know it by starting right where the game’s introduction left off: Artyom and the Rangers are under siege, both by hordes on the ground and hordes above. Overhead looms the final objective, the imposing Ostankino Tower, where the Rangers hope to call down fire on the Dark Ones. As the Rangers’ lines are breached from every direction, and even as their armored car is thrown onto its side like a toy, Artyom is knocked down by a diving monster.
Artyom’s come a long way, and seen things he couldn’t have imagined back when he left Exhibition Station. He’s done both great and terrible things too. Now, here in the windswept dark, his journey is coming to an end, one way or another.
SPACE-BIFF! 