This is my first written video game review. I am not sure how often I might do this since I very rarely get new games, but I thought I would give it a try. I purchased the game on Friday and have about 6 hours played so far, so this will be my initial thoughts on the game.
First I want to say that I was impressed that my first generation XBox 360 was able to handle the game. I have heard that if you have not received the "red ring of death" yet, the newer games will almost guarantee that it will happen. So far so good. Let's just hope I did not jinx it when I try to play again later today.
The game began much as I expected. There was some good story telling and dialog at the beginning of the game setting up the story. Within 5 minutes, one NPC had an arrow in the back and another had his head cut off. I could tell that it was a good thing I was not playing this game in front of my kids. Then came the reason I knew I was going to love this game. DRAGONS!! The first dragon attack was exciting and I was even more impressed with my 360 because the performance was seamless. I will try to not go into to much detail as I do not want to spoil some of the key game elements. I will instead go over the aesthetics and human-machine interaction pieces.
Graphics:
This game is definitely beautiful. Although I do not see many improvements from Oblivion, that was also a great looking game. There was general color scheme of gray that washes over the entire game. I would like to see some more contrasting in colors, but overall it is still impressive. The fire elements of the game really shine and the spell casting graphics seem improved over Oblivion. Combat graphics seem a little better with a nice graphical flow between non-combat and combat activities.
Controls:
The game controls seemed very similar to Oblivion with just a few minor changes. This is where my one gripe of this game would occur. In Oblivion, you would be able to preload spells so that you could seamlessly switch between spells while in combat. If this feature exists in Skyrim, I have not found it. What I did find is a "Favorite" system where you can press up on the game pad to bring up a list of items that you have designated. Doing this stops combat and makes it difficult to really enjoy the combat if you are like me and want to switch spells often during combat. I would rather be limited to a few spells I can use in combat, but switch easily, than a system that allows unlimited options, but stops the game each time you want to use it. I will say that it has a lot of utility since you can use it to switch spells, weapons, and probably almost every usable item in the game. I just do not like having combat stop 3 or 4 times just to I can switch spells. Movement control is pretty smooth throughout the game, with only a little practice at horse riding being needed. The biggest help I would recommend is getting the spell Clairvoyance. This will help guide you in the right direction to your destination and can be a huge help if you get out into the wilderness and lost. It also helps when you have to go around or up mountains and cannot seem to find the right path.
Combat:
The combat system is very smooth. I had not problems casting or hitting my targets. I have two complaints in this area. First, archery is still only a minor use skill and at least so far does not seem like a viable combat method. The hit are usually too weak to take out a target on one or even two shots, and hitting a moving target is still a little tough. I would have liked to see a little more viability for this to be a primary combat technique. Casting in combat works well, as well as the normal hack and slash. Time for my rant.... My biggest complaint with Oblivion has not been fixed here. The tendency to accidentally hit a friendly NPC while in combat is very annoying. I am pretty sure my horse has no hair left after I have burned him while trying to cast a fire spell on wolves we are fighting. It is even worst when it is character NPCs where your faction can accidentally drop or they will flat out come and kill you if you kill one of them. My suggestion is to save right before every combat, and just be careful.
These are just my initial thoughts on the game. So far I am really enjoying the game, especially fighting giants, dragons, and trolls. BTW, trolls hit hard. The game has no problem giving you quests that will be impossible to complete if you are too low of level, so be careful out there. Have a great time. I will post another review as I get farther into the game. Happy Holidays and Happy Hunting...
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Warmachine/Circle Order Received
So after months of frustration having to proxy my Circle army with Retribution models, I finally ordered most of the models I needed. I spent $450 dollars and purchased the models from Miniature Market (http://www.miniaturemarket.com/). I have started to put the models together and I will post WIP and complete articles as I work through the models. Due to the sheer number of models I purchased, it will take me a while to get through them, and even thinking of painting them seems a huge mountain to climb, but it will be a fun climb. I also purchased a Battle Foam (http://www.battlefoam.com/) Privateer Press bag that will eventually work for each army, but I got enough custom trays to hold both armies. Here is the list of what I ordered. Happy Modeling!!!
| Hordes Domination (Softcover) (NewArrival) | PIP1047 | 1 | |
| Mercenaries #41055 Lady Aiyana & Master Holt | PIP41055 | 1 | |
| Retribution #35007 Heavy Myrmidon Plastic Kit | PIP35007 | 1 | |
| Retribution #35008 Dawnguard Invictor Unit Box (10) | PIP35008 | 1 | |
| Retribution #35027 Dawnguard Invictor Officer & Standard Bearer | PIP35027 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72001 Warpack | PIP72001 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72006 Gorax Light Warbeast | PIP72006 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72015 Druids of Orboros (6) | PIP72015 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72016 Shifting Stones (3) | PIP72016 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72018 Lord of the Feast | PIP72018 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72020 Warlock Kromac the Ravenous | PIP72020 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72021 Pureblood Warpwolf Warbeast | PIP72021 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72022 Gnarlhorn Satyr Heavy Warbeast | PIP72022 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72032 Epic Warlock Kaya the Moonhunter | PIP72032 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72024 Tharn Wolf Riders Unit Box | PIP72024 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72034 Warlock Moshar the Desertwalker | PIP72034 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72035 Megalith | PIP72035 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72042 Druids of Oboros Overseer | PIP72042 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72046 Warpborn Skinwalkers Box (3) | PIP72046 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72049 Druid Wilder | PIP72049 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72059 Warlock Baldur Stonesoul (NewArrival) | PIP72059 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72019 Warlock Morvahna the Autumnblade | PIP72019 | 1 | |
| Circle of Orboros #72058 Grayle the Farstrider | PIP72058 | 1 |
As you can see, I have my Circle Warpack as well as a good mix of models for fielding most 35 pt lists. When I get some more money together, I will pick up some Wolves and Tharn, but when trying to get the most bang for my initial buck, it seems better to get what you see above. I also got a unit for Retribution I have been using lately in the Invictors, and my third Retribution heavy warjack so that I can fully model Discordia. I am really happy with the purchase and everything arrived within 3 days. Here is a few pictures of the purchase.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Modeling: Lord Arcanist Ossyan Complete
Next up is my latest caster for my lists, Ossyan. I will just call him Ossy for the rest of this painting report. I purchased him right after release but just recently started playing him regularly having come back to Retribution after playing Circle for a little while.
If I remember correctly, he came in 5 pieces including the base. The most memorable part of putting him together was the tube running from his back to the cannon on this left arm. It took a lot of tweaking to get the tube to fit in the correct spots. Otherwise this model was very clean and too only a little work to get ready. This was another model in my set that I had issues with the P3 White Basecoat. The initial photos below still show some areas where I had problems removing the excess material. Most noticeable is the face which did not come out clean. The following 3 photos show the model after clean-up.
Next up was a reapplication of the base coat. As I found during the last few models, the base coat when on very nicely this time. There was no clumping or coverage issues. Although I could tell there was some detail lost due to the previous base coat issues, I was happy with the overall look of the model.
Now it was time for inking. This was where the detail really came out. You can see in the blow pictures that the ink worked as intended, filling in the cracks with the dark blue. I have stated in previous posts that although the Privateer Press painting has the armor solid white with the color "glow", I enjoy the look that comes out of my models where the entire armor has the blue glow coming out. I am very happy with the ink and just wish I could go back on some of my already completed models, but I just do not have that kind of energy or time. The inked pictures follow.
I did not get any pictures that show just the dry brushed white, but the following pictures show the completed model. I also have two sets of photos. One uses the flash and one does not. I think I am liking the ones without the flash as the paper and white of the model show more correctly than the ones with the flash. The flash gives the background a off-white or yellow tinge that I am starting not to like.
So back to the painting itself, I used a green on the cloak and gold/silver for different accents on the model. As you can tell from the pictures, I need to work on the face detail, but I currently lack a brush that would allow me to put any detail into that part of the model. I really like how the model turned out other than the face. I like how intricate the model was created by Privateer Press, and I think this is probably my favorite looking Ret caster.
I am enjoying the painting scheme I have been using and will be using it on all future Ret models. I am getting ready to make a large order which will include my third heavy and Invictors. These will likely be my last Ret purchases until the new models come out. But I still have lots of models to paint, so stand by for more. Most of the purchase will be Circle models, so I am excited to have more of those to work on. Until next time...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Modeling: House Shyeel Artificer Complete
Welcome to another painting posting for my Retribution army. I had taken a break from painting due to work issues, but I am now able to put some time into my models.
As you can see in both the front and side views, there was still some of the original base coat left on the model, but I was able to get a majority of it off. I did have to go out and buy a new brass brush. The one thing about the Dremel brass brushes is that the bristles will come out. It is very important to wear glasses or goggles with when using it or you may take one in the eye.
The next two pictures show the second base coat. This time the paint went on a lot more evenly and there was no clumping. I was very happy with the coverage as I tried to hit all of the angles I could. I love this model because of the look that he is flying. I was not sure how it would look when I got done painting it, but it seemed like it would be a fun model to put paint.
The next step was to put on the ink to get the blue into the edges and groves. This is the second model that I have done this with, and since I really liked how Kaelyssa turned out, I tried the same methodology with this model. The following two pictures show the model with the blue ink. Although it looks like a mess, it was pretty effective. There are some very nicely done designs on the armes, and they really showed with the ink applied.
The next shot shows the model after dry-brushing the white on the model. As with the Kaelyssa model, I was not very happy after completing this step. But I gave it over night and ended up really happy with the dry brushing. The Privateer Press paint jobs are always a solid white with the glow effect. It was one of the main things that drew me toward this army. In realizing my painting skills are not there by any means, I really like my version of it.
The next shots show the model with the accents painted and the exposed cloak. That's right, it is not a skirt!!! So I used the standard Dark Angels Green that I have been using for the cloaks on the other models I have painted. I then used some Shining Gold for the cloak accents. The part of the boots that is exposed got just a touch of silver.
Next up, it was time for basing. I used the standard blue painters tape to cover the base slot holes. It took a few pieces, but I got it covered nicely. Not much to this. Next up I made a decision I might regret.
In the photos below, you can see I used black around the edge of the base and used some green on the base. I thought that this would help hide imperfections in the basing material. I did not think that this paint would cause a problem with the basing material not sticking. The base coat paint seems to provide a much better bond for the basing material, so this will likely be the last time I pre-paint the base like this.
Next up, you can see the model with the basing material applied. I had to re-glue some of it down due to it not sticking well to the coat of paint I put down. I still like the way it looks though. The green matched enough on the part of the model attached to the base to still give it the "floating" look. I will still have to touch up the model later, especially some of the accents, but overall I like the way it looks.
This was a fun model to put together and paint. I am very happy with how it turned out. I hope you like it. Not sure which model I am going to work on next. I think it is Ossy's turn to get cleaned up and ready for the table. I will try to get a WIP for him out sometime before the weekend.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Batrep: Retribution vs Khador 35pts
This is a battle report or 3 Nov 2011. I played against my friend Guillius (http://guillius.blogspot.com/) and his Khador army. He has beaten me the last few times, but I have been working on my Retribution lists during this time, so I was excited to see what my latest list could do. Here are the lists:
Khador
Vladimir Tzepesci, the Dark Champion (*5pts)
* Beast-09 (11pts)
Doom Reavers (Leader and 5 Grunts) (6pts)
* Greylord Escort (2pts)
Iron Fang Pikemen (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Iron Fang Pikemen Officer & Standard (2pts)
Kayazy Assassins (Leader and 5 Grunts) (5pts)
* Kayazy Assassin Underboss (2pts)
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution (3pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Manhunter (2pts)
Retribution of Scyrah
Lord Arcanist Ossyan +6 points
* Hypnos 9 points
6 Dawnguard Invictors 6 points
* Invictor Officer & Standard 2 points
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution 3 points
Ghost Sniper 2 points
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 4 points
10 Mage Hunter Strike Force 8 points
* Mage Hunter Commander 2 points
Stormfall Archers 5 points
The scenario for this match was Diversion.
The first picture was my deployment. As I get more comfortable with this list, I am seeing new ways to use the units together. This is my second battle with this list. The main change I am looking at is replacing Hypnos. I have a battle report to type up from the next day in which I traded out Hypnos for the Daemon. I will express my opinion on that in the next battle report. As you see in the picture below, I put my MHSF up front, with the Invictors on the right and Stormfall Archers on the left.
Below is the Khador deployment. Having faced this list before, I knew I was in for a tough time. Literally, with Tough, I really hate Khador. There were also very few troops to target for Shatter Storm, so I knew I would not get much use out of it.
The following picture gives you the overall board view. You can see the two armies along with the control zones. This was the first scenario I had ever played beside caster kill and kill box, so I was excited to try something new.
In the following picture, you can see that went first. I spread out my army some, trying to cover the left, right, and middle with ranged attacks. I have moved the MHSF straight up and started taking shots at the Doom Reavers. I was able to take out a few of them, but not nearly as many as I had hoped. My shooting really was not effective this game, but I rolled about average. I kept Ossy back but learned that I would need Admonition on him instead of Chronomancer very soon.
The following picture shows the end of turn 1. You can see that he was able to get a bunch of troops in and took out much of my MHSF. I believe I only had 2 that were not engaged. I underestimated his move ability. This was not turning out to be very positive for me. He did attempt to take out Eiryss with two seperate models, and rolled 2,1 each time. I got lucky she survived but I did not have a viable way to get her out of contact.
Next up is the end of my next turn. You can see that I moved my Invictors to help cover Ossy and did what I could with the my models. I took out a Doom Reaver and a Manhunter with my Stormfall Archers, and did some damage with my Invictors, but my turn was overall ineffective.
The next picture is just a different angle of the carnage.
The next picture shows Guillius's turn. He was able to get one of his Pikemen up to Ossy with a combination of spells and moves. Although he could not attack this turn, Ossy was engaged and I would be left with very few options. This is where I started to consider leaving Admonition on Ossy all of the time. I have to be able to protect him better from rushes like this or Admonition him so he can move out of the way. I knew I only had two options. Take out his caster or protect Ossy with all available units. Since his trooper had the "+3 to all buff" on him, it was unlikely I could kill him with the models I had left. I probably should have tried to get Hypnos and at least get some attacks on him, but I focused on trying to take out the caster.
In this next photo, you can see I moved the Invictors up and did a CRA with everyone I could on his caster. I did a decent amount of damage, I believe around 10 pts, but all it ended up doing was making his caster 17 armor I believe which made him impossible for me to damage with my left over units. I should have brought Hypnos back to Ossy to attack, but for some reason did not, and instead attempted to take out some of the units between my shooters and the caster. I believe the problem was that I did not put any focus on Hypnos, and so with his move, he could not engage and hit the Pikeman. The Pikeman did 10 dmg to Ossy on the charge.
The next picture just shows the angle I was able to get on his caster, but I already knew it was unlikely for me to survive.
This last picture shows when Ossy died. He was hit with the initial attack of the Pikeman. He was able to use the Focus on his caster to allow the Pikeman boosted attack and boosted damage, killing Ossy. It was a rough end for me, but I learned from it which is great for me, even in a loss.
Final Thoughts: I am really liking this list. Since I have now played it against Khador and Menoth, I have seen different ways to use the units. I was very disappointed in Hypnos though, and either need to learn better how to use him against my meta, or switch him out. It was still a fun game and I would like to thank Guillius for his great sportsmanship. More reports coming soon. Good bye...
* Hypnos 9 points
6 Dawnguard Invictors 6 points
* Invictor Officer & Standard 2 points
Eiryss, Angel of Retribution 3 points
Ghost Sniper 2 points
Lady Aiyana & Master Holt 4 points
10 Mage Hunter Strike Force 8 points
* Mage Hunter Commander 2 points
Stormfall Archers 5 points
The scenario for this match was Diversion.
The first picture was my deployment. As I get more comfortable with this list, I am seeing new ways to use the units together. This is my second battle with this list. The main change I am looking at is replacing Hypnos. I have a battle report to type up from the next day in which I traded out Hypnos for the Daemon. I will express my opinion on that in the next battle report. As you see in the picture below, I put my MHSF up front, with the Invictors on the right and Stormfall Archers on the left.
Below is the Khador deployment. Having faced this list before, I knew I was in for a tough time. Literally, with Tough, I really hate Khador. There were also very few troops to target for Shatter Storm, so I knew I would not get much use out of it.
The following picture gives you the overall board view. You can see the two armies along with the control zones. This was the first scenario I had ever played beside caster kill and kill box, so I was excited to try something new.
Next up is the end of my next turn. You can see that I moved my Invictors to help cover Ossy and did what I could with the my models. I took out a Doom Reaver and a Manhunter with my Stormfall Archers, and did some damage with my Invictors, but my turn was overall ineffective.
The next picture is just a different angle of the carnage.
The next picture shows Guillius's turn. He was able to get one of his Pikemen up to Ossy with a combination of spells and moves. Although he could not attack this turn, Ossy was engaged and I would be left with very few options. This is where I started to consider leaving Admonition on Ossy all of the time. I have to be able to protect him better from rushes like this or Admonition him so he can move out of the way. I knew I only had two options. Take out his caster or protect Ossy with all available units. Since his trooper had the "+3 to all buff" on him, it was unlikely I could kill him with the models I had left. I probably should have tried to get Hypnos and at least get some attacks on him, but I focused on trying to take out the caster.
In this next photo, you can see I moved the Invictors up and did a CRA with everyone I could on his caster. I did a decent amount of damage, I believe around 10 pts, but all it ended up doing was making his caster 17 armor I believe which made him impossible for me to damage with my left over units. I should have brought Hypnos back to Ossy to attack, but for some reason did not, and instead attempted to take out some of the units between my shooters and the caster. I believe the problem was that I did not put any focus on Hypnos, and so with his move, he could not engage and hit the Pikeman. The Pikeman did 10 dmg to Ossy on the charge.
This last picture shows when Ossy died. He was hit with the initial attack of the Pikeman. He was able to use the Focus on his caster to allow the Pikeman boosted attack and boosted damage, killing Ossy. It was a rough end for me, but I learned from it which is great for me, even in a loss.
Final Thoughts: I am really liking this list. Since I have now played it against Khador and Menoth, I have seen different ways to use the units. I was very disappointed in Hypnos though, and either need to learn better how to use him against my meta, or switch him out. It was still a fun game and I would like to thank Guillius for his great sportsmanship. More reports coming soon. Good bye...
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