My initial thoughts on WoW Legion!

    So it's been a while since I have posted here! But today I bring news of my first gameplay impressions of Legion! Here in the UK the game has been out just over 24 hours! As soon as it released I was off to the Broken Isles!

The Tirisguard shall rise again!

Once the quest to teleport Dalaran to the Broken Shore has ended, I met up with Meryl Felstorm (my character is a mage) and he takes you on a quest to obtain one of three artifact weapons! I chose to pursue Ebonchill, Greatstaff of Alodi, and after a brief bug where the quest wouldn't complete I had obtained my new weapon!

                                   
                                          Ebonchill, Great Staff of Alodi

   The quest to obtain Ebonchill itself was pretty interesting. the quests were heavily centered around mage lore, involving characters and locations with strong links to the Mage class one way or another! This whole experience didn't take long (despite having to restart the final quest) around 20-30 minutes, and it also sets the stage for the Class Order hall!

   Once the Order hall has been unlocked you are sent on a few order hall specific missions. As a mage the quest revolved around portal-ing other mages into the Hall of the Guardians, via a Goblin mage named The Great Akazamzarak who has a knack for portals (for a price of course). After those quests are done, we head down to the Scouting Map to choose our destination, and after a little thought (not much tbh, being Forsaken it was an obvious choice ;) ) we headed off to Stormheim!

Overall the introduction to Legion seemed well paced, obtaining the artifact weapon and introducing the class order hall all well within the first hour, and with an artifact per spec, and order hall per class I can see plenty of re-play-ability!

Come Helheim or Highmountain

   

   So far on my journey I have only adventured into three of the zones, two of which very briefly. from what I have seen though I am impressed! The zones themselves are looking wonderful! and to add to that the music so far has been fantastic! The first thing I noted about Stormheim was how the music sounded very similar to that of Howling Fjord, which is a good thing! Both being Vrykul themed zones, is what makes this choice of music fantastic! It invoked memories of Wrath of the Lich King and I must say I enjoyed questing across Stormheim! If I was to chose a standout moment it would be our brief encounter with the underworld (Helheim - see the title is more than just a cheap pun), I won't put any spoilers here, but make sure to grab the pet from the Jellyfish rare whilst your there!

    A brief encounter with Highmountain so far, has been thoroughly enjoyable! again the music was spot on what I thought it would be with that hint of Native-American music often associated with Tauren, after all Highmountain is the home of several Tauren clans! I can't say much about the entire zone, but from doing the first few quests I can see it coming along nicely!

Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

   Many of you may be aware that the title for this section is also the title of a popular Anime, however unlike the title may lead you to believe I haven't tried to pick up any girls in a dungeon. So far I have only managed to do one dungeon, and that is not through a lack of trying! I have spent around about 8 hours sitting in dungeon queue's waiting for a group, yet nothing. Quite frankly I find it a little bit annoying that I am missing out on this experience whilst levelling, because I personally enjoy levelling through a dungeon! 

     Wait times aside, the dungeon I managed to get into and play was the Halls of Valor, and my oh my what a dungeon it was! Many of us were running it for the first time, and i must say the aesthetic of it is fantastic! It had a very Asgardian feel to it, especially with the light bridge, which served it well! Along with this there were other references to Thor, but I'll let you figure those out for yourself ;) There are 5 bosses in total, with enough variance to stop it feeling tired and re-hashed, the mechanics on some of the bosses keep you on your toes, whilst others (Fenryr I'm looking at you) felt a bit boring. If the other dungeons are as enjoyable as my first Legion dungeon then I'd be a very happy Mage!

Start Up, Cash In, Sell Out, Bro Down

    The final thing I want to talk about is the new profession system, many players may have skipped this step whilst trying to race to level 110, but I like to level my professions as I go. Asides from keeping the Warlords of Draenor system of being able to do it all from profession level 1, Legion improves professions greatly! The introduction of profession quests that grant profession reward and skill ups is a fantastic idea, making that grind to 800 that slight bit more bearable! Admittedly this mostly for secondary professions but it is wildly helpful! The primary profession quests take you across the Broken Isles in order to learn more of your chosen skill be it a gathering or crafting profession and this in itself is great. For example whilst gathering herbs I obtained a quest item for Aethril that upon completion gave me level 1 (out of 3) for gathering Aethril which means I am now more effective at it! These little tweaks have made gathering herbs that bit more enjoyable! 

FINAL VERDICT: 8.7/10

Top 10 Xbox 360 Games!



 

For this post I thought I'd keep it simple, so here it is, my personal top 10 Xbox 360 games as of May 2015. To summarise this list isn't in a particular order although I will explain why every game has earned its spot on the list. I will attempt to leave out any spoilers, but be warned if a game is on the list for a particular reason that may contain spoilers it will be pre-ceeded by SPOILER ALERT! consider yourself pre-warned readers!

There are a few honourable mentions that narrowly missed getting onto this list. Arkham City whilst being a great game, and by far my favourite of all the Arkham games, with it's great cast of villains, I will say one thing though I miss from Arkham Asylum was the Scarecrow fear toxin dream sequences, although by the looks of it Arkham Knight will be bringing him back so good news all round! Anyways onto the Top 10!

10. Fable 2



    

    Firstly we come to Fable 2, I have always been a fan of RPGs and as far as RPGs go the Fable series is one of my favourite. With the release of Fable 3 and the re-release of Fable on Xbox 360, there is no shortage of Fable on the 360. Choosing between these games wasn't easy, but I finally settled on Fable 2 due to my feeling that the story was a strong continuation of the over-arching storyline, the introduction of the character of Reaver (played by Stephen Fry.) Stephen Fry's character of Reaver makes the game much more interesting, this combined with a very strong storyline and the usual good/evil choices that shape your characters aesthetics.

9. Grand Theft Auto V

     Grand Theft Auto V is the latest game in the GTA series and sees us return to the city of Los Santos and the surrounding region of Blaine County. As a departure from the usual storytelling, GTAV introduces us to 3 playable protagonists, each with their own distinct characteristics. This diversity makes GTA V the strongest game in the series for me. However it did have it's hiccups, with Grand Theft Auto Online when the game shipped, these have mostly been resolved, with the recent introduction of online heists. The strong story along with an enjoyable online experience earns GTA V a spot on this list.

8. Portal 2

   Portal 2 is the second game in the series and by far my favourite of the portal games, due to some memorable quotes and some great voice acting and characters. The character of Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant) adds a great dose of comedy, as well as being one of the main characters in the story. The co-op mode introduced into Portal 2 adds a greater level of complication to each test room, as well as prime opportunities for comedy as you drop your co-op partner into the water, or open up a portal beneath them!



7. Brütal Legend

   Brütal Legend makes this list for the great gameplay combined with the voice acting skills of some of rock's greatest musicians. The game was one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played, combining RTS (Real-Time Strategy) elements with the more action packed combat system. With the campaign your limited to playing as Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black) and the Ironheade faction. Playing the game after you have completed the campaign, allows you to play as the Drowning Doom or Taited Coil factions. Each faction feels unique and individual when playing them online, which allows for a greater choice when playing online multiplayer.



6. Left 4 Dead 2

    Left 4 Dead 2 is a game set in a post apocalyptic world overrun with zombies of varying mutations. It is these 'special infected' that set the Left 4 Dead series apart from other zombie games for me. They can turn a horde of ordinary infected into a challenge by incapacitating your team mates and therefore leaving you with one less gun to protect yourselves. It also introduced my favourite Left 4 Dead story campaign, Dark Carnival, set in an old theme park/carnival (KIDDIELAND!) I mean who doesn't love zombie clowns!  

5. Gears of War 3

   
     Gears of War 3 is the third instalment in the Gears of War franchise, and in my opinion the strongest. It was a difficult decision to choose between this and Gears of War 2 for which would take the franchise's spot on this list, but in terms of overall gameplay and features Gears of War 3 just about takes the biscuit! The improvements made to Horde mode and the inclusion of Beast mode meant that I enjoyed playing those with friends more than the previous Horde modes from Gears of War 1 and 2. The actual storyline and the additional DLC  for the game were great additions to the franchise, and did a good job of wrapping up Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad's storyline. In addition to the games there has been a series of books and comics which I would recommend to any Gears fan, as they do provide more of a backdrop to the Gearverse and it's characters, who are often depicted as emotionless meatheads (which is far from the truth!)  


4. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

    Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is set in the Caribbean at a time when pirates terrorised the seven seas. In the game we play as Pirate Assassin Edward Kenway (Grandfather of Connor from AC3), As Edward we get to take the helm of a fully manned Pirate ship (The Jackdaw) as we explore the Caribbean at the height of piracy. The improved ship mechanics from Assassin's Creeed 3 make manoeuvring your ship in combat much easier than in its predecessor. Along with the improved ship mechanics, there is a strong storyline and a fun combat system. As with previous games there is enough side missions to keep you distracted from the main story for as long as you wish! and of course you also get to do a little bit of Pirateering whilst your at it.

3. Mass Effect 2

     Mass Effect 2 is the middle segment of the Mass Effect trilogy, and also it's strongest instalment. The game picks up where Mass Effect left off and develops the arching storyline of the trilogy. That is not to say that you need to import a character from Mass Effect to play the game, as you can also create a new character, although I feel you get a richer experience if you import your character from the first Mass Effect into the game. Along with some returning characters, you take on board a selection of new characters that all have their own charms, and I found myself mixing up my squad for missions more than I did in the original. The reason this takes top spot for me is the continuation of the story and the spectacular finale mission, I won't give anything away here, but it is one of the most dramatic and enjoyable endings to a game I've ever played.

2. Fallout 3

Fallout 3 was by far my favourite of the Fallout games to be released on Xbox 360. As exciting as the setting for Fallout: New Vegas was, I enjoyed the campaign and dlc of Fallout 3 far more, I mean come on visiting an actual alien spacecraft in Mothership Zeta! what can be more fun than that! I'll admit the Old World Blues dlc from Fallout: New Vegas was an enjoyable bit of dlc that not only helped tie the story of the game as a whole together but also injected some very memorable humour from the Think-Tank and characters such as the Toaster from the Sink. Fallout 3 makes it to second place on this list for being one of the first games I was able to 100% in terms of Achievements, as well as it being so damn hard to put the controller down no matter what time in the morning it was! With the vintage soundtrack that comes as standard with all Fallout games, it really helps to immerse you into the post-apocalyptic world, a world in which your actions and choices can have quite the impact!

1. Bioshock



    Bioshock is the one game on this list that if you haven't played any of them, I would advise you to play, no seriously, like right now! Drop whatever it is your doing and go out there and buy it! Anyway, being an Microsoft exclusive (That is being only available on Xbox 360  and Windows) when it first released meant that many a gamer missed out on what has to be one of the best experiences I have ever had playing a video game. *Mild Spoiler Warning, highlight if you wish to read* The game starts after a brief cut-scene which sees you stranded in the ocean, with the only sign of life being a derelict lighthouse. You then proceed to enter the lighthouse and instead of ascending towards the top descend downwards, which in itself is a bit odd, but just roll with it. At the bottom of the steps you arrive at the door of a submarine, and after descending down more than 18 fathoms (18 is the last check we're shown) a video starts playing. Upon Andrew Ryan stating the name of the city (Rapture) the city itself is revealed for the first time, this entrance is the perfect way to introduce the city of Rapture in all of it's glory! *End of Spoiler* The game-play itself is that of a traditional fps, but with the added use of Plasmids, essentially super-powers that allow you to shoot fire/lightning from your hand to name a couple of examples. This mixed along with the art-deco stylings of the city and that superb opening 10 minutes of game-play are what set this up to be my number one game of the generation! Sure there was two sequels to Bioshock but nothing quite beats the feeling of seeing and setting foot in Rapture for the first time.