Blackwatch. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but they’re nothing but a sack full of lying paper-pushers. They claim to want to save humanity, to try and make this virus go away. Do they think we’re stupid? Alex Mercer got away with spreading this disease across the entirety of New York City. He took my wife and child. He’s the reason I can’t sleep at night. I’m heading back to the Red Zone. I’m headed back for Mercer. It’s time he pays for what he’s done.

A riveting story isn’t it? That’s Sergeant James Heller speaking, and he’s out on a vendetta. Prototype 2 follows this soldier on his path for revenge against Alex Mercer, the main character from the first Prototype game. Activision and Radical Entertainment have expanded upon the storyline filled with disease, death, and conspiracy for a second round at taking back New York City. As a fan of the first Prototype, when this sequel was announced I was a bit lost, though through playing it I’ve come to understand a bit better just how serious the plot really is in the series. There are some changes to the gameplay of the first title, and a new protagonist changes up the storyline we thought we knew.

Story and Visual Presentation

If you’ve kept up with any of the marketing campaign for Prototype 2 then you’ll know the basic plot of the game. Sergeant James Heller returns from his tour on duty to find both his wife and daughter killed by those infected with the Mercer virus. Following the media, Heller suspects that Mercer purposely spread the virus that swept the city, thus he is the one responsible for the death of his family. He becomes obsessed with the thought, begging the military to send him on any mission into the Red Zone, just so he can track down Mercer and exact his revenge. After some time his request is met and Heller leads the pack right into Mercer’s playground.

The company’s chopper takes damage and eventually crashes from the sky, leaving Heller the only survivor from the wreckage. Heller pulls himself to his feet as he spots Mercer walking away from the crash site. Though he finds himself in shambled condition, he chases Mercer through alleyways and run-down streets in a dilapidated New York. In his obsession Heller manages to sneak up on Mercer, cutting his throat. Of course, we know Mercer won’t go out like a punk, and Heller’s nightmare gets even worse. Mercer slams Heller against a brick wall, stabbing him with his mutated claws. Soon after, Heller fights consciousness as Mercer walks away in the distance.

The lights come on, revealing some sort of lab test chamber after Heller’s body is carried away by soldiers.  Heller has been placed on a slab, with pieces of bandage strewn all about him. Through some dialogue we find that he’s been experimented on, as Mercer has chosen to infect him directly with the virus. Before he can think, Heller finds himself surrounded by groups of the infected citizens who once lived in a happy New York City. He must fend them off as a test for the scientists above to watch.  This comes as a proving ground for Heller’s newly-found strength.

Soon the scientists believe Heller has become too powerful, and they throw the switch to “burn him,” or set the place on fire. Set ablaze, Heller falls to the ground in a scorched mess. Once soldiers enter to look upon their failed test subject, we learn that Heller has a way of absorbing creatures/people to regain health and take on their traits. Heller makes use of this immediately, and his anger boils over. He jumps through the testing window and then sets out to take his fury out on those scientists and soldiers involved in his testing. Outside, Heller runs into Mercer who is enjoying the night breeze. This is where things get really sketchy. Mercer explains to Heller that Blackwatch is behind the entire outbreak, and he didn’t have any choice in the matter. He persuades Heller to help him fight Blackwatch and take them down, pitting it as the only way to get revenge for his daughter and wife. Heller seems to obey Mercer’s command, but decides to stay in the dark until he gets things figured out. After this encounter, the real story begins.

When compared with the previous Prototype, the sequel doesn’t differ too much. The city looks pretty much the same, even with the mutations and virus spread throughout its streets. A few new enemies show their faces in the game, such as the Brawlers, Juggernauts, and tons of new soldiers you’ll face. The detail has been streamlined a bit, as for some of the animation detail and close-up features. There’s not really much more to say.

Heller receives calls in video format, so facial features are tightened, though they’re not exactly realistic. People still look like people, monsters look intimidating, and soldiers all look like soldiers. The city still exhibits detail when slamming on the concrete and climbing up walls, which is a nice detail that’s somewhat overlooked when it disappears after a few seconds.

The animations for Heller’s mutation powers look similar to those of Mercer’s, and other “Evolved” you come into contact with share those same attributes. Heller isn’t exactly set out from the pack by anything except for his jacket which holds a red accent mimicking Mercer’s. The lairs and mutation signs look the same as well. This is basically the same setting, with a new face.

Not saying there’s anything really wrong with that, though. I like being sent back into an old setting with a new look on it. After all, this is the same New York City, though 14 months later, still ravaged by a virus outbreak. If you liked the look of the first Prototype, you’ll like the sequel.

Gameplay and Progression

As an action game, Prototype 2 carries over the controls from the first. Players will have Heller running up buildings, jumping across city blocks, gliding across rooftops, and combating enemy creatures just like before. Prorotype 2 gives Heller five mutations for combat which can be set to two different face buttons. These powers are the claws, whip fist, blade fist, tendrils, and the good old power fists. One thing that the gameplay in Prototype 2 does well is let players wreak havoc across the city.

Players can switch powers on the fly, which makes tackling different types of enemies a bit easier and a whole lot more fun. Using a radial, players can assign two of the unlocked powers to two different buttons for quick use.  You’re able to jump into the air, leap down on an enemy, and either slice them to bits or devour them for personal gain. Simply put, you’re an extreme badass.

One thing that I felt was cool when starting the game was that Heller starts out with some of the powers that it took Mercer a while to obtain in the previous game. Powers like the air jump and glide are immediately available, which makes getting around much easier. It’s cool to think that Mercer is so evolved at this point that when he passes on the virus to create Evolved, some of the higher powers are already transmitted.

As you roll around town on your vendetta you’ll take on missions given to you by some sketchy people. Completing these missions helps Heller get stronger through evolution level-ups. Consuming DNA and defeating the infected creeps will result in XP that goes toward a higher evolution level. Once leveled you gain the ability to place a stat point into one of Heller’s attributes. These points can be used to gain extra health, move faster, gain extra health from consuming, or remain in stealth longer while shapeshifting.

Missions, though, while they help make Heller stronger they aid him in a different way. Completing missions allow you to choose a specific upgrade from a specific category. These categories are such as Predator, Movement, Power, and so forth. Skills in these categories either allow you to do more damage with certain attacks, widen the range of certain attacks, or take less damage while performing. Choosing wisely with these upgrades and completing more missions will make Heller become a definite force to be reckoned with.

You’re presented with a very open world in Prototype 2, much like with the first game. Collectables are scattered throughout the three zones of New York City, waiting for you to come along. There are lairs to clean out, Black Boxes to pick up, and a whole number of side missions to take on that lead you to knocking out the chain of command at Blackwatch. You’ll be consuming pilots, learning secrets from scientists, and murdering soldiers who all had a hand in what’s happening around you. There’s always something to do in Prototype 2.

There were a few hiccups with the game that got under my skin a bit. While there are plenty of missions to do, the 50th mission looks just like the 5th. Each mission has you running into a base, consuming an officer, running inside a facility, killing someone/stealing something/releasing subjects within, and escaping. They aren’t repetitive enough to make you tear your hair out, but they do have you wanting to do side quests for a break. In some cases Heller moves to slow, allowing him to be overwhelmed in battle. He’ll also have the tendency to jump when you try to evade, which has caught me clear out of range of attack when fighting. Another issue is that the collision detection is a bit off in the animation. Heller absorbs victims through him rather than into him, and in the beginning his knife doesn’t seem to really have an impact on Mercer at all. Finally, the language in the game is really rough. I mean, I’m no saint when it comes to speech, but throwing a curse between every other word that spews from Heller’s mouth is a bit much. It sort of detaches you as a player. When you look at it as a whole, Prototype 2 looks just like Prototype with a new skin.

Conclusion

I really got into leveling Heller and setting the streets red with blood in Prototype 2. I mean, ripping a helicopter’s payload off and sending it to the ground with it in flames of hulking metal is extremely fun. However, the game had little impact on what it was advertised for. I feel like the game could have been more, though it’s not a title that is robbed of fun. It’s worth picking up if you’re into the Prototype story, and it does deliver on the promise of making Heller a force that Mercer couldn’t have ever imagined. And if you’re looking for a senseless reason to create a living hell in New York City, this is a perfect game in which to do so. Just don’t expect it to stand out like it promised to do.

It’s been nearly a year since EA launched their Origin service. To say that the company’s digital distribution platform has been a huge success would be a gross overstatement. In fact, I don’t know anyone that actually enjoys using it. Sure, some friends will say that they don’t mind it, but in stark contrast to Steam, no one tells me about how much they love Origin.

EA has at least noticed that their customers aren’t particularly thrilled with the service. They recently made a post where they admitted that Origin isn’t perfect, and they asked for feedback. That’s right, if you head over to the official EA blog, you can tell them what you like and dislike about the service.

So what do I dislike? To be frank, I dislike the post that they made. While I appreciate their desire to listen to feedback, they went about it all wrong. Namely, they made an example out of an experience a particular journalist had with the service. This line is what really gets me. “The exchange also made it obvious to us that some of Origin’s most fundamental features—like the ability to play your games from any PC—weren’t as clear as we’d hoped.” Not as clear as you hoped? After reading the article they referenced, it wasn’t a matter of making things more clear, it was an issue where their service just plain wasn’t working right.

I feel that I really need to address the journalist that was referenced, Jon Peddie. The piece he wrote late last month was disgusting. He starts out talking about how he was frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t play Battlefield 3 on his laptop because the registration code had already been used. He was signed into Origin like he should be, but the service was denying him access to the game. At this point, I’m totally with him. I’d be pretty upset if I couldn’t play my game too. However, from there his piece turns sour.

Mr. Peddie goes on to explain that he “fired off a WTF email to a few people and made sure it would get to folks at EA.” Despite having contacts at EA, I’d still probably try the support line, but who am I to judge? Anyway, he then starts singing the praises of the company, as they were kind enough to send someone out to a coffee shop a few days later (he said that he was impressed with the response time) to explain what went wrong, and fix his mistake.

“It seems I was too fast. I out ran their server and it lost the credentials transfer,” he said. You don’t “out run” a server. The server knows that you installed the game on one computer, so what was it still trying to do? Does it really take more than a few seconds to update your Origin account with your registration key? If so, that’s a problem for EA, not someone who’s trying to play a game.

The person Mr. Peddie spoke with did apologize and take responsibility, though from the quote above, it sounds like Mr. Peddie was still made to believe he did something wrong. The EA rep then astounded him by rebuilding his account in Starbucks, then had his boss come in and make another apology. Naturally, by the end of it, he was delighted with how this company treats its customers.

Of course, this isn’t how real customers are treated, is it? Most customers are going to hop on the Origin Support chat, where they might get someone helpful, or they might get hung up on without any resolution. Either way, the problems don’t always get fixed in a snap. And even if they do, no one’s going to meet you at Starbucks to hold your hand and kiss your ass.

So why am I so upset with EA’s little post? Because after reading the account of Jon Peddie, I understand exactly what it is they were trying to do all along. They were lucky enough to find a journalist who had a problem that they could personally come out and assist with. What’s more, they found a journalist who could be so easily manipulated into writing a piece praising them for customer service that they don’t actually provide to their regular customers. Once the article was written, they showcase it as an occasion where EA was able to ride in on their white horse and save the day of an average gamer. Nevermind that he was given special treatment, or that he wasn’t considered average at all.

Shame on you, EA. Had you simply admitted your shortcomings (which you did start to do) and ask for feedback, I would be writing about how I’m happy to see you taking a step in the right direction. However, you didn’t just leave it at that. You had to send not one, but two of your employees out to hold the hand of a journalist, just so that he’d sing your praises.

How do I know you did this with devious intent? Well, if you were just helping him for the sake of helping him, you wouldn’t have felt the need to tell everyone about it by linking to his column, now would you? No, you needed us to see that someone else thinks your support is awesome, so that maybe, just maybe we’d believe it.

There comes a time in every gamer’s life when he/she will, undoubtedly, play a pirate game. There’s just something about swashbuckling, plundering treasure, and capturing a maiden’s heart that speaks to all of us. In Risen 2: Dark Waters, each of these aspects comes to light in a story that’s weaved feverishly. Developer Piranha Bytes has teamed up once more with Deep Silver to provide a game that will keep players on-deck with playability, all while changing the Risen title as we knew it. Glaives are swapped out for rapiers, crossbows are replaced by muskets, and combat takes a new turn for the scurvy sea dog in all of us. The previous Risen title suffered a few hiccups, though it remained a game that many swear by. Let’s set sail on this review to see if Dark Waters follows suit.

Storyline and Presentation

Risen 2 takes place many years after the events of the first game. The world is yet again in peril, though that seems to be the norm with these RPGs. Our protagonist, Carlos, awakes from a drunken stupor to find himself being called to the guard tower by his commanding officer. You see, he’s with the Inquisition. The “old world” as they call it has found itself swallowed up by hideous creatures taking refuge in the dark depths of the ocean. Speaking to his superior, our fearless hero finds out that his task is to set sail across this new world in search of a way to defeat this monstrosity. This means you’ll be scouring the tropical jungles, dank caves, and murderous tribe and pirate-infested lands of the new world to track down some ancient relics for some do-it-yourself assembly that will send this giant problem back to its watery grave. It’s time to grab the rum and put on your fancy tri-pointed hat – we’re going on an adventure.

You’ll team up with an old friend, Patty, who is always in search of her missing father, the infamous pirate Gregorious Emanuel Steelbeard. She claims that she has found a way to sail the assaulted seas safely, and a partnership is created. Together the duo makes an attempt not only to complete the quest set before Carlos by the Inquisition, but to find Patty’s father and help those wherever needed, no matter how rude they may seem to be.

Now we’ll move on to the presentation. Risen 2 looks really good. Piranha Bytes always seems to do a nice job with making environments feel realistic, even when incorporating elements that seem to be those of a fantastic dream. Characters are well-rounded, each with their own detailed look. The garb and décor in the game syncs up perfectly with those in the time of pirating and swashbuckling, and attitudes of characters follow suit. The forested islands are bound with growth, rocky terrain sifts across the landscape, and delving into ancient tombs of fallen warriors becomes especially chilling. That is, the first time around while you explore. One of the visual downfalls in Risen 2 is that these types of scenes are reused, and quite often at that. With a world that looks like the developers took time to craft, it becomes a bit dull and drab when you spend time sailing to a new continent, and entering a brand new tomb that looks just like the one you left an hour ago.

The immersion doesn’t stop at pure visuals, though, which sets up as a saving grace. The developer set to work to reinforce their realism through NPCs that are outspoken and lively. Pedestrians will complain, laborers will offer their thoughts on the everyday struggles of working life, and political talk is abundant across the land. This is a nice change, because why it may look like you’re on the same island that you just conquered hours ago, these inhabitants bring to your attention that things are different.

One pet peeve I had with the characters in Risen 2 is that, when just standing around talking, they seem to over-exaggerate their movements and gestures. For instance, when speaking to Patty, most of the time she’ll flail her arms around like a wannabe Jack Sparrow. I don’t know if this is a way for the developer to poke fun at the Pirates series, or if this is legitimately a flaw in the character design. The problem goes further, as it doesn’t stop there. It seems like most of the characters in the game follow this same direction. When the game is set to present its world as a real, breathing place, these characters really make you think twice and cause a laugh or two out of you. The immersion then stops.

As for the game’s enemies, there is some differentiation between them. You’ll mostly be fending off enemy pirates or looters, but there will also be the occasional monster crab or voodoo tribesman to defend against. Some of the enemy models are reused, but thinking about who is indigenous to each area, I can see where that makes sense. It’s not like we’re fighting alien pigmen.

Gameplay and Combat

The gameplay and leveling system in Risen 2 is quite unique. Instead of a traditional RPG leveling system where players create a character, select a class, and level each skill, there’s a defined path to follow in Dark Waters. Players earn Glory points for defeating enemies, discovering locations, and completing quests. These points can then be invested into different attributes that attune to stats and skills. It really reminds me somewhat of Fable, as there seems to be attributes such as toughness, cunning, and such. IF you toss some points into toughness, you can take more damage and learn new skills pertaining to combat and weaponry. You can learn new skills from trainers, but beware; the amount of gold needed to learn such skills comes in at horrendous costs.

Sword fighting is where the main charm of this game plays out. Though in the beginning it’s extremely dull and frustrating, it gains much depth after you’ve learned some defensive pirate tactics to protect yourself with. Dueling with renegade pirates requires much focus and tactical skill, much that we’ve not seen in an RPG like this before. It almost plays out as a turn-based battle, with each contestant choosing either to block, kick, parry, attack, or riposte in quick succession. This makes finding people to tussle with much more exciting and not so much a frustration like with other grinding titles.

Sword bouts against creatures, however, are far less interesting. The combat doesn’t work so well when fighting crabs or monsters from the deep. Creatures will charge at you, knocking you backwards, and let me tell you this is bad news. It takes forever to get up from a fall, or at least it seems so. If you’re fighting more than one enemy and this happens, it almost always spells death. These enemies will also sometimes jump right into combat flurry sequences that go on and on, making standing your ground with them nigh impossible. The way I’ve found to deal with these is simply run around (which can also be difficult, and I’ll get into that in a bit) and just chip away at your enemy’s health when you can. This can make battles long-drawn out, but it’s a system that works.

Alternatively you could take the time and spend the gold to learn muskets, and attack from afar. Doing this will not only give you distance, but have you inflicting massive damage to whatever stands as your target. The fire from muskets has the capability to completely destroy enemies at long range, which makes the weapon useful throughout the game. The only drawback is that it’s expensive and becomes monotonous the more you play. Pistols work somewhat the same way, but they add flavor to combat as they can be used while dueling with your sword.

The final way to deal with enemies is to learn the dark forces of voodoo. This is for fans who want to get the most out of their RPG experience by relying on something mystical. The system in a whole, though, will most likely disappoint many of you. Through the use of voodoo you can paralyze enemies in fear, weaken them with curses, or make them fight against one another. The mechanics of the voodoo system fall short of being notable, and they remain useful only when you feel like doing something other than fighting it out with sword and strategy. There are few abilities to take advantage of, and they become more and more repetitive as the game progresses. I feel like something really cool could have been done with the voodoo system, especially given the time and place that makes up the game’s setting. Sadly, I was let down.

When it comes to exploration, Dark Waters is much different than the Risen title before it. Large open-ended maps have been swapped out for smaller-scaled areas. This means it’s harder to get lost and isolated, but takes away some of the vast exploration abilities players once had. This title is extremely user-friendly, and seems to follow suit with the release of games that have the “handholding” dynamic that most developers are catering to. Does this make the game bad? Not at all, though Risen veterans will find that some of the general “awe” has been stapled down a bit. You can now fast-travel between points of interest, and game progression is much more clean and straightforward compared to the other titles produced by Piranha Bytes.

Now we make it to my issues with the gameplay. When it comes to controls, Dark Waters presents a clambering effort to match players with character. The movement is slow and when Carlos begins to run, it’s almost as if he needs to charge up first like he’s in an old cartoon. During duels and sword fights, if you’re not on your toes at all times, you’ll be hearing the ghastly death groan and seeing your “I’m dead” screen far too much. The character movement that I mentioned earlier is a drawback, and rather annoying, though it doesn’t force me to stop playing.

Conclusion

At first, I was a little off-put by the sluggish gameplay presented in Risen 2: Dark Waters, but as I maneuvered through the game things got better quickly. There’s still some issues with combat that bother me, and I would have liked to see some elements given more detail. Risen 2 can be beautiful at times, urging the player to set out on a journey to explore the elements contained within a world of wonder. Piranha Bytes did a swell job of incorporating accurate décor, costuming, scene design, and dialogue to make a game that is exceptionally marketable as a pirate RPG, though disappointments in character progression, a faulty magic system, and recycled locations make the game seem a little bit too run-of-the-mill in the end. Overall, I did have a lot of fun playing through the game, and I do say it’s worth checking out.

A while back I got to review a brand new mouse pad from an upcoming peripheral company called PureTrak. I was lucky enough to hear from them again at this past weekend’s LANWar XXII event, and while there I picked up the new Special Edition White Talent mouse pad. I’ve been putting the new pad through the paces, and I’ve got to say it’s just what I expected. It’s super large like the original Talent, and comes packaged the same way.

The White Talent comes packaged in the same cardboard tube as the original, which makes it perfect for packing back and forth between gaming events. It’s also handy for when you need to store it. Since I have the original pad as well, it’s nice to be able to just pop it into the canister and store it on a shelf for when I need it, or a friend comes over and is in need of a pad to use.

As for the look and feel of the pad, it doesn’t differ too much from the original. It still feels smooth and slick, though it’s white. It also sports the Talent logo across its entirety, which I did like. The original pad was a cool blue, but when you look at the white Talent it jumps out at you a bit better. Through the logo the pattern on the pad changes and shifts. Overall, it just looks better in my opinion.

It’s still a large mouse pad, and takes up half of my keyboard drawer. I don’t have a problem with that, as I feel better knowing I have more room to slide the mouse when I need it. There’s something about constantly needing to pick up the mouse to move it every thirty seconds that gets really annoying. With the Talent, that becomes obsolete all together.

When it gets to the bottom line, the Special Edition White Talent mouse pad performs just as the original Talent does, and the only real change is in the aesthetics. The white color is new, and honestly looks better than the original Talent. You can pick it up for $29.99 on PureTrak’s site, and it’s definitely worth the buy if you’re looking to upgrade your current mouse pad.

Are you in need of a new gaming chair for your PC? Heading to a LAN in the Midwest? Then you might just be able to get your hands on a brand new Playseat Office Elite. We reviewed this awesome chair last year, and have been bringing it to various events to show off. Playseat has given us a second one, so that we can pit people against each other in a head-to-head competition that we like to call the Playseat Office Elite Fragfest.

So what is the Fragfest all about? We’re giving LAN attendees a chance to sit in one of Playseat’s finest chairs, and ultimately a shot at winning one for themselves. We will have a head-to-head station set up at each event we attend throughout the year. If you’re up to the challenge, you’ll be able to play 1v1 rounds of Quake 4 against yours truly. We’re going to keep a list of the people with the most net frags in a single match, and at the end of the year, the person at the top of the chart wins a brand new Playseat Office Elite in their choice of white or black.

The rules are simple. The matches will last 10 minutes, on The Longest Day. At the end of the match we’ll take the number of frags you’ve gotten, and subtract mine. The remaining total is your score. We’ll keep a running tally for each event, with a prize going to the winner of each individual event. We will also be keeping track of the overall highest score as we go to various events throughout the year. At our final event (date to be determined) the person with the highest score overall will win the chair.

We will be debuting the Playseat Office Elite Fragfest at IU’s LAN WAR XII this Saturday, April 14. There will be prizes from NZXT and SteelSeries for not only the winner at this event, but for random participants as well. You’ll be able to take part in the Fragfest competition from 2pm until 2am. However, you’ll be able to demo the chair at any point throughout the event. So even if you aren’t the best at FPS games, stop by and play a round!

Have a LAN event that you’d like to see the Playseat Office Elite Fragfest at? Drop us a line.

I’ve switched between many a mouse in my gaming day, and through all of them I’ve only found one that’s proven consistent throughout my career. This proved true until I went out browsing for a new mouse one day for my laptop. As I perused, I came upon the Razer Naga Gaming Mouse, and little did I know it would be the mouse that changed my perspective. I’d heard much about Razer, and they’re a company that is well-known for their gaming peripherals. As an avid MMO player, I’ve found that the Naga is a perfect tool for any arsenal you could think of, but it doesn’t stop there. I got the chance to dig my claws into the Naga, and it didn’t disappoint me.

First Look

The first obvious feature about the Naga is its one-handed keypad on the left side of the mouse. I was surprised to see something like this, and at first it seemed a little off-putting. I couldn’t conceive how this mouse would be comfortable with those keys jutting out the side, but using the mouse proved me wrong. These buttons didn’t get in the way of feeling comfortable, and they became very useful, but I’ll get into that a bit more later.

On from the keypad, the Naga sports a sleek ergonomic design, which can be misleading at first. The top of the Naga is treated in a rubberized coating that is gentle to the touch. The coating helps prevent sweating while you’re gaming for long hours, and there is very little slip. From a distance, the mouse looks small, which really worried me due to my having huge hands. When I palmed it, however, the mouse felt near-perfect in size for me. It’s not too large, though it’s not entirely small.

The Naga features a lighting system that helps illuminate each of the buttons when all is dark. It certainly is bright enough to light nearly an entire room, but it won’t blind you or anyone else that’s gaming near it. The Razer logo is inset on the top rear of the mouse and it shines bright, adding some style to an already great design.

Comfort and Performance

Though the Naga seems small, and I have giant hands, there was no feeling of discomfort when using it. When I say I dug my claws into it, I meant it. My monstrous grip fit around the Naga comfortably and without slip. Going back to the keypad, none of the buttons got in my way when I set out to game. Some players complained that these keys were easy to mis-click, but I didn’t have this issue at all. On the contrary, actually, once I learned the keypad layout they each came very much in handy. These buttons were utilized mainly for MMO gaming, as they correspond easily to the number keys, which mostly serve as your spells in-game. I had no problem popping off spell after spell, and hitting my rotation while playing, and it actually made my casting quicker. The keypad is the shining star of the Naga, though it singles it out as mainly an MMO mouse. In FPS games as well as strategy titles, the keypad did little to nothing.

Sliding across the mouse pad was like slicing through butter. The Naga comes equipped with Zero-acoustic Ultraslick feet that allow it to move with very great ease. I didn’t have to force it around, and when I needed to pinpoint stop, it stopped. When you consider that this mouse is one without a weight system, it really knocks out the competition. The Naga simply doesn’t need a weight system. You use your own finesse to make the Naga work for you, not the other way around.

The Naga’s movement makes it a competitor in the FPS genre, though it’s not the top of its class. Aiming is sleek and without delay, though this can be achieved with many other mice of its kind. There isn’t anything special about it that would offer the edge in firefights, which is why at the end of the day the Naga is best used for MMO players. Some action titles can be swept up by the mouse, using the keypad for macros and abilities, though it still loses some of its touch. In MMO titles is where the Naga shows its flair.

Software and Programming

When it comes to software, Razer has included their own unique system with the Naga. The software is called Synapse, and it’s pretty easy to use. You need only install it, and register an account. By registering an account with the software, it allows you to take all of your macros on the go. No matter what system you use, as long as you have the software installed and the mouse, you can pull any of your profiles down for use.

There’s no limit to how many profiles you can create, so the options are plentiful. You can assign different buttons to the keypad, as well as the two extra buttons on the top left of the mouse. These can come in useful for when you switch games, or characters within a game. There are also some add-ons available, and with being able to take your profiles with you, Synapse is an amazing counterpart to the Naga’s performance.

Conclusion

While the Naga isn’t the perfect all-rounded mouse, it’s still a great tool for hardcore gamers. If you’re an avid MMO player, I’d say the Naga is a must-have for your tool set. With the useful keypad, ergonomic and comfortable design, and software that tailors to the player, Razer has found a way to make a peripheral that easily sweeps the competition. Not only does the Naga out-perform many other MMO mice on the market, it does so while looking amazing. You can pick up one of these right now for around $80, which is a perfect price for something that performs this well. Some players were reporting that the mouse was ridden with bugs, but Razer updated the drivers to correct a lot of these issues. I didn’t experience any random shut-offs, dying, or resetting while I was using it. I’ve decided to make the Naga my primary mouse, which is a big jump for me. Seriously, it’s just that good.

As a fan of the MMO phenomenon World of Warcraft, I’m always looking for ways to keep my gaming interesting. Tons of people log on to World of Warcraft each day, and some even take their game outside of Azeroth. Developer Cryptozoic game together in conjunction with Blizzard to make an epic trading card game based on the MMO, and it’s captured the attention of plenty of the game’s fans across the world. Just recently the company released new themed decks for the card game called Champion Decks. With these new sets players can assume the roles of champions of Azeroth, putting their abilities to the test. I decided to grab a couple of these to see what they’re all about, and set them to the test. Here’s how it turned out.

Out Of The Box

For the sake of the review, I picked up two different decks: Jaina Proudmore (Alliance Mage), and Lady Sylvanas Windrunner (Horde Hunter). I wanted to see the variety between the decks, and take a look at what they were all about. Opening the box, I found that both were very different in their own way. Though both contained the same ingredients: a Crown of the Heavens booster pack, hero card, pre-built deck, and rulebook, the packaged parts were vast. Taking a look at Jaina’s deck, it was primarily built around a central theme. Jaina, being a Frost Mage, had plenty of allies in her deck to support her ability. When it came to Sylvanas, however, the table was quickly turned.

In Sylvanas’ deck were allies that did little to help her overall ability. Unlike Jaina’s deck in how it was built around a central theme, this deck was more scattered and built on chance. Sylvanas had a special bow that allowed her to create Undead tokens, but there was only one in the whole deck. This put the main theme of the deck out of reach, and solely based it off of drawing the card at the right moment. The allies supplied didn’t help create chains or anything of the sort.

At this point, right out of the box, I felt some unbalancing going on between the two. I felt that Jaina’s deck was much better suited for battle, due to the fact that the cards seemed to bounce off of each other. There wasn’t anything special in each deck aside from the heroes and weapons, though they were each branded specifically for the decks.

Putting The Decks To Use

When it came down to it, there wasn’t a way to officially judge the decks until they were put to the test. I sat down for a session with each deck, and came out with different results for each.

I started off with Sylvanas, mainly because I’m a fanboy and I play Horde. Off the bat I was surprised. The deck was built to play quick, as most of the abilities and allies were low-cost. There are also plenty of Quests to complete, which meant I was never left without resources. By my fourth turn I had a long-range weapon, a pet, and a couple of allies ready for battle. As most Hunter decks run, this was set for efficient and quick kills. There weren’t a lot of Protectors, and success weighed heavily on my hero to pull off damage. Overall, the deck didn’t do too bad.

The second round I switched it up. I ran Jaina, and the experience was totally different. Jaina’s deck played slower, and more methodical. I ran low on resources, and ended up using a lot of actual cards to substitute in. This left me with holes, leaving my defense open to attack. Once I got some resources under my belt, though, I was sitting nicely. Jaina has a lot of Protectors under her ranks, and it became difficult for my opponent to hit her. She is very much aggro control, and works on stopping opponents before they get across the line. She has a lot of abilities that control opposing allies, as well as damaging with direct spells. The only drawback to this is that eventually these spells will get all played out. Once it got to this point, I was left helpless with nothing else to do. My allies got taken out, and I was a sitting duck. Needless to say, I lost this match. With more strategy and patience, I think I could have pulled it out in the end.

The Bottom Line

All in all both of the Champion Decks were a lot of fun to play. Being able to control a powerful force of Azeroth was very interesting, and added a new phase to the game. The decks, while not built perfectly for a tournament, are fun to play. They are tournament-ready, however, so if you felt bold you could run them. There are five total, so there’s three more that I haven’t picked up. I will say, though, that if you’re a fan looking to get started in the card game, or if you just want to have a new experience with the existing game, picking up one of these would be a great idea. Each deck is priced at around $12, so they’re not going to break you. Well, at least not in the wallet anyway. So if you want to switch things up, grab one while they’re available.

When it comes to console games, you don’t usually need a special controller to enjoy the game. Just grab the official one that came with it, and you’re good. However, if you’re playing a racing game, you can’t get the same immersive feeling with an analog stick. What you need is a wheel with a shifter, and a set of pedals. Mad Catz has you covered with their officially licensed Wireless Force Feedback Wheel for the Xbox 360, which we’re taking a look at today.

First Look

We’ll start with the wheel itself, which looks beautiful. While it is mostly plastic, the hand grips on the wheel are textured rubber to help you get a better hold. The inner part of the wheel is solid metal, as are both paddle shifters and the top of the shifter knob. The shifter can be positioned on either the left or right, to accommodate your preferred location. On the rear you will find a sync button, DC jack (for the included power cable) RJ-45 jack and a spot to plug in your 360 headset.

One of the things you’ll notice about this wheel is that it is heavy. You could actually play with this sitting on your desk or table, without the need for a clamp. The only downside is that most of the weight is in the wheel, which means it would have a tendency to lean forward. The clamp is pretty basic, and keeps it locked firmly in place.

If you don’t have room for a table in front of your TV, you do have the option of leg supports. These attach to the bottom with four screws (they don’t come all the way out, so you won’t ever lose them) and have a rubber coating. This layer of rubber provides a bit of padding, and helps keep the wheel from moving around.

Remember how I said that I loved how heavy the wheel was? This is most definitely not the case with the pedal unit. It is very light, and almost cheap feeling. There are rubber feet on the bottom, which are there to keep it from sliding around. The design of the pedals is nice, as they are suspended. This should give a more realistic feel than other pedals which are mounted at the base. The only other thing you’ll find on the pedal unit is a single cable, with plugs into the RJ-45 connector on the wheel.

Setup

Just as with their Primer headset we reviewed yesterday, this wireless racing wheel is a breeze to setup. All you need to do is attach either the leg rests or clamp to the wheel, set your pedals in place and connect the two cables (one for the pedals, and one for the power). You’ll need to press the sync button on the wheel and the 360 the first time you connect it, just as you would with a regular 360 controller. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go.

Comfort

I talked a lot about the solid construction of the wheel earlier, and it makes a difference. When you sit down with this for the first time, you’ll think you’re holding something that’s worthy of being in a car. I think my favorite part is the metal paddle shifters, which are leaps and bounds above any plastic ones I’ve used.

I was most surprised by how well this particular wheel worked in my lap. The sheer weight of the unit was enough to keep it in place, but at the same time wasn’t so heavy that it hurt my legs. Of course, I still preferred using it with a table, and the simple clamp was extremely effective.

Just like the weight and construction made the wheel a superior product, the cheap feel of the pedals left me wanting. Since they pedal unit weighs so little, I found that on a hardwood or tile surface, it is virtually impossible to keep the pedals in one spot. You’ll need to have something heavy sitting behind them to keep them in place.

Performance

The main draw to this particular wheel, (aside from the wireless capabilities) is the force feedback. Let me tell you, it works, and it works well. Nothing adds to a racing game like struggling against the wheel when you’re trying to make it through a tight curve. Overall, the wheel handles like a dream. The paddle shifters are quick and responsive, though the stick shifter felt a little more gummy than I would like when shifting.

While I hate how light and cheap the pedals feel, they still work quite well (if you can keep them in place). The suspended placement of the pedals does provide a more realistic-feeling experience, and I had no issues with the responsiveness. I think if Mad Catz had given them the same metallic treatment that they gave the wheel, they’d have solved both of these issues at the same time.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to racing wheels, this Wireless Force Feedback one from MadCatz is difficult to top. Its quality and performance is marred only by the light and cheap pedals that come with it. My only other complaint is that you’re forced to plug the wheel into the wall, which defeats the purpose of making it wireless in the first place. I would say that overall, it’s worth the $250 price tag, but only for enthusiasts.

With everything going wireless these days, being tied to your console via a headset is not the most pleasant of experiences. There’s nothing quite like a cord draped over the coffee table and onto your couch. Tritton is the first company that Microsoft has partnered with to produce Xbox 360 branded headsets. The first one we’ve gotten to test is the Primer, which is on the lower end of their product line. But does being on the lower end of the spectrum meant that it’s not worth your time? Let’s take a look.

First Look

The Primer consists of two parts: The headset and the base station. The base station is pretty basic. It is a glossy black box with a single LED on the front, which lets you know whether the headset is connected. On the back you’ll find a sync button, a stereo audio jack and a mini USB port for power.

The headset has a matte black finish, except for the ear cups, which are glossy black on the outside and orange on the inside. You’ll find padding on the headband and ear cups, which is made of a leather-like material. The right ear houses a pair of AA batteries, while the left has your controls. The left ear has a button for syncing, and another that will mute your mic. There are two volume sliders, one for game volume, and the other for chat. You’ll also see an audio port to connect to your controller, and a mic. The mic is not removable, but it is flexible, and pivots up to sit out of the way when you’re not using it.

Setup

If you’re a fan of no-hassle setups, then you’re going to love the Primer. The audio cable needs a pair of RCA inputs, which can be a hassle. If you’re using HDMI on an older console, then you’ll know that the component cables don’t fit in with the HDMI cable plugged in. (Well, it can, if you remove the casing for the component cable connector, but that’s another story.) Tritton worked around this by including a special connector that is thin enough to sit comfortably next to your HDMI cable. This connector only gives you the red and white connections, which means not having to deal with several feet of cable that you don’t need.

The downside to this is that there is no optical output on the connector, like you would find on the official one from Microsoft. If you’re using optical to output to a surround sound system, you’re going to be stuck using the OEM cable.

Once you’ve plugged in the audio and USB cable, you’ll need to install batteries in the headset. Just pop off the cover (which is held in place by magnets) and put them in. As with other wireless devices, you’ll sync them together by pressing the button on the receiver, then on the headset. The only other thing you’ll need to do is run the cord from your headset to the controller for the mic. In the span of just a couple of minutes, you’re up and running.

Comfort

When you first put the Primer on, you’ll notice that it feels really snug against your head. While you can adjust how high they sit, the width of the headset does not change. If you don’t like a lot of pressure on your ears, you aren’t going to find these very comfortable. The ear cups also shallow enough that it presses my ears against my head. This is the sort of thing that makes my ears hurt after long gaming sessions.

Aside from the pressure on my ears, I found the headset to be comfortable. It has just enough weight to make you think that it can take a bit of a beating, but not enough to weigh down on your head. The adjustable mic takes only a flick to get into place, and all of the controls are easy to find. With them being out of sight on an earcup, I was worried that I might have difficulty finding the right button or slider. However, that was definitely not the case. One good look at them before you put it on for the first time, and you’ll be able to feel exactly where everything is.

Performance

The 40mm speakers in each ear provided good overall sound. Most sounds were crisp, and I never had any issues making out sounds or dialogue within the game. They do promise “rich bass”, which I would call an overstatement. The bass gets a little muddy, and isn’t nearly as loud as I’d like. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but it did leave me wanting in that department.

I experienced no issues with the mic. My friends were always able to hear me loud and clear. My only complaint would be with the rather short cable that tethered me to my controller. Adding a few inches to that wouldn’t hurt.

While I normally only sit about six or seven feet away from my TV, I was sure to test the range on the 5.8ghz wireless connection. I was pleased to find that I could hear clear audio, even when on another floor, on the opposite side of the house. You’ll have issues seeing the TV long before your audio cuts out.

Final Thoughts

My two biggest issues with the Primer are in the comfort department. They sit a little too tight for my tastes, and the ear cups aren’t deep enough. Despite this, I was still able to play for several hours in a row, without issue. My ears would be a bit sore for a few minutes after I took off the headset, but I didn’t really notice the discomfort during play.

I said before that the speakers delivered good sound, and I meant it. The sound is good, but not what I’d call great. Normally, I’d expect great sound from a $100 headset, however, you’re getting wireless functions instead. Do I think that it’s worth the trade-off? I do, though I wish they would have made them a bit more comfortable.

The night is drawing near. Shadows slip in and out of alleyways, back and forth across streets. The clinging of gold can be heard hitting tabletops from the corner taverns across the entire town. A handful of colors drape throughout the city – blue, black, red, green, and yellow. Each color comes with its own allegiance, which builds reputation and bends the city just a bit more to the will of the secret Lords. This is every day. This is a secret war. This is Waterdeep.

What is it?

Wizards of the Coast has introduced a brand new board game that follows the Dungeons and Dragons theme, much like others before it. Though it may follow the same theme, however, it is different in many – and very enjoyable – ways. At its core, the game plays out somewhat like Monopoly with a medieval veil tossed over it. Taking a look a bit deeper reveals that Lords of Waterdeep is a much more cunning and cut-throat than you’d first assumed. I’ve spent some time with the game, and played quite a few sessions, so I’m here to break it down and tell you what to expect if you decided to take up residency in the city.

Out of the box and Setup

Lords of Waterdeep is packaged and presented just like any other board game. There are your player pieces, some different cards, currency markers, and buildings. It’s in the pieces that the game first deviates from others in the D&D theme, and leans more toward traditional games like Risk and Monopoly. There aren’t any dice to roll, and no monsters to fight. You’ll get your game board and rulebook as well, which are both simple in themselves. There are tons of small pieces, but they add up to a huge gameplay experience. Once you’ve punched out all of the gold, you’re ready to setup for a game.

Broken down, here’s a list of the pieces you’ll take from the box:

• 5 player mats

• 25 Clerics (white)
• 25 Fighters (orange)
• 25 Rogues (black)
• 25 Wizards (purple)

• 5 score markers
• 25 Agents (five of each color)
• 1 Ambassador
• 1 Lieutenant
• 1 First Player marker

• 11 Lord of Waterdeep cards
• 50 Intrigue cards
• 60 Quest cards

• 24 Building tiles
• 45 Building control markers (nine of each color)
• 60 Gold tokens
• 50 1-Gold tokens
• 10 5-Gold tokens
• 36 Victory Point tokens

These will all be set upon the game board, save for those that serve as currency. We’ll get to how the game is played in a bit, but for now we’ll get the board set up. Lords of Waterdeep is a game that can be played by 2-5 players. Each player chooses a faction – City Guard, Harpers, Red Sashes, Silver Stars, or Nights of the Shield – and takes the player’s mat for that faction. Then gold is divided up between the players, in increasing amounts depending on the number of people playing. There are wooden tokens called “agents,” which go to the player playing the faction of their corresponding color. They’re all set atop the player’s mat as indicated in the rulebook. Then each player gets dealt two Quest cards and an Intrigue card, which we’ll get into later. The leftover cards are placed in their marked areas on the game board. Then players choose a card from the Lord of Waterdeep deck, which will represent their “character” in the game. For all intents and purposes these cards will serve as the source of all power in the players’ hands.

Once these cards and pieces are set, it’s time to grab the building set. You’ll place one building face up in the designated spots on the game board. These will serve as the city’s real estate that players can purchase on their turns, creating places of interest in the city. An extra agent for each player is placed down on the spot below the rounds marker, and then the final steps come into play. You’re almost ready to start the game!

Player tokens, which are circular pieces that share the same color as the player’s agents and player mats, are placed on the “0” marker on the game board’s track around the edges, serving as the scoring tally for the game. Then the Victory Point markers are placed on the board. You’ll see the round markers on the board, showing the number of rounds each game lasts, which is eight. On each of these rounds you’ll place three of the Victory Point counters. I’ll explain how these are used in a bit. Finally, the group decides who will take the first turn, and the First Player Marker is given to the chosen player. Now you’re ready to get into the game.

All together, setup takes about 10 minutes. Once you play through a game and put the pieces back where they belong in the storage tray, it’s a lot easier to setup and tear down each time. Keeping track of all the smaller pieces, like gold and Victory Point counters gets a bit annoying, but it’s not terrible.

How To Play

Now we’re at the exciting part! Lords of Waterdeep is played in a total of eight rounds. The main goal of the game is to accrue more Victory Points than the other players at the end of the final round. These points can be earned by completing quests, as well as purchasing buildings each round. Remember how I said that three Victory Point counters were placed on each of the rounds on the game board? Well at the beginning of each round, you take them off and place one on each face-up building on the game board. When players purchase a building on their turn, they gain any amount of points currently on it.

Each round is composed of turns that the players take. On each turn, a player will assign one of their agents to any open space or building on the board. These agents serve as the interaction between your Lord and the city. They allow you to gain gold and adventurers that you’ll need to complete quests. Once you assign an agent, you can then choose to complete a quest that’s available to you.

When you complete a quest, you’ll earn Victory Points and sometimes other rewards such as an Intrigue card. Once you earn these points, you’ll advance your circular player piece forward around the edges of the board, corresponding to the number of points you earn. After a player assigns an agent and completes a quest, their turn has ended. When players have assigned all of their agents, the round ends. At this point all of the players take back their agents and the player with the First Player Marker takes the first turn for the new round.

Players also have the ability to purchase buildings, as I mentioned before. Buildings can offer players with new abilities and rewards when used. To use a purchased building, you simply need only to assign an agent to the building once it’s placed on the board. The player who made the purchase “controls” the building at this point. When opposing players assign agents to the building, the owner will receive special bonuses for controlling it. This can make the game much easier for some, and much more difficult to others. Owning real estate hasn’t been this fun since the good old days.

Each round passes as players gain gold, and Victory Points, as well as playing Intrigue cards. These cards will allow players to give opponents Mandatory Quests which will hinder progress, as well as gain adventurers and gold.

Adventurers come in four types: Fighters, Clerics, Wizards, and Rogues. These are represented by colored cubes and are used in the completion of quests. Players can assign agents to different places on the board to gain these adventurers, which provides a sort of strategy to the game.

After many rounds of thoughtful play, the game will eventually come to an end. At the end of the eighth round, players count up all of their Victory Points, and convert any gold and adventurers they own into extra points. The player with the most points at this point could win the game! But, there’s one more factor that comes into play. This is when your Lord is most important. You see, each quest has a certain type. Your Lord will allow you to gain extra Victory Points for completing certain types of quests by the end of the game. For instance, some say that for each Skullduggery and Commerce quest you complete, you’ll gain 4 Victory Points a piece. Each Lord is different, and this is the final point that can make or break the game.

Conclusion

Lords of Waterdeep started out as a confusing game with way too many pieces, and evolved into a very interactive battle of wits. I find myself wanting to play over and over, just to see what different combination tasks I can take to come out on top. The rules and game board are really self-explanatory, and don’t leave your searching for answers to too many questions. Though this is D&D-themed, it doesn’t fall into the same category as the other board games in the series. You can pick up the game for around $40, which is an amazing price for such a fun game. A typical run can last about two hours, so it’s definitely worth paying for. I really enjoyed the game, and urge you to go grab a copy for yourself. Become a Lord of Waterdeep and take the city for yourself!