Hands-on with "Rift: Planes of Telara"

Travis McKnight

|The State Press|

(Photo courtesy of Trion Worlds, Inc.)

“World of Warcraft” is the epitome of an online video game. It has millions of dedicated players, meaning its revenue is arguably insurmountable by competitors. However, a new game is directly challenging Blizzard Entertainment’s giant.

Developed by Trion Worlds, Inc., “Rift: Planes of Telara” is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that is designed for experienced massively multiplayer online gamers and includes several unique evolutions to the online gaming scenario. With enough of a following behind “Rift,” it may pose a formidable threat to “World of Warcraft.”

In many ways, character creation in “Rift” is more analogous to a tabletop role-playing game than most other MMORPGs. “Rift” allows players to choose from four different base classes: Cleric, Mage, Rogue, and Warrior, each with seven unique talent specialization sub-classes.

By the time a player has acquired enough experience points to progress a character’s first eight levels, they have chosen three specialization sub-classes and are able to harmoniously play them all at once, creating a uniquely synergistic character.

After each level is achieved, the player is given two talent points to distribute as her or she feels fit between the multiple trees. However, once the character reaches level seven, only one point is given per odd level and two for every even level attained.

The story of “Rift” initiates with inter-dimensional time travel and planetary destruction. Two factions, the Guardians and the Defiant, are in dispute over how to save the world from an impending Armageddon by Telara’s supreme adversary, the death god Regulos.

For the seven hours I explored what “Rift” had to offer in its early adventure, I allied with the Defiant, playing a swift attacking Rogue with my sub-class talent specializations being Blade Dancer, Assassin and Rift Stalker.

One of the first things I noticed about “Rift” is the simplistic user-interface configuration. The game’s user-interface is well created, showing health and energy bars, combination points and status ailments hovering directly above the player’s character and target.

This allows more focus on combat and situational awareness than watching health bars and status modifiers does. Furthermore, at the low levels in which I played, “Rift’s” built in user-interface gives enough customization to avoid third party add-ons.

After the game’s introduction to character control, quests, looting, and combat, I was teleported back in time through a machine that fissured in the time-space continuum with the purpose of defeating Regulos.

Soon after my physics-defying journey ended, I noticed “Rift’s” golden attraction — tears between dimensions known as planar rifts. When a rift is opened, hordes of elementally inspired creatures whose purpose is the obliteration of Telara are summoned.

The best and worst aspect of the rift portals is their unpredictability.  I had logged out for thirty minutes when everything was peaceful, fairly green and sunny. Once I logged back in, a death rift gate had been opened in the sky only yards away from where I stood; lighting strikes flashed across the sky and hordes of enemies attacked the friendly non-player-controlled characters immediately surrounding me. Caught off guard by the sudden change and overwhelming opposition, I ended up meeting a hasty demise.

Once dead I was given the options of “Soul Walk” and “Respawn.” “Soul Walking” allows a player to merge with a character’s body after 15 seconds has passed; however, during this time lapse, players are able to walk as a soul to wherever they would like, spawning at their current location once 15 seconds has passed. Choosing “Respawn” transports a player’s soul to a spirit healer. At this point the character must run to wherever his or her body is rotting to continue exploration.

A welcome change to many MMORPGs is that the soul receives durability damage upon death instead of instead of armor and weapons. This reduces combat effectiveness by 10 percent each demise, but a healer can repair the soul for a fee. Overall, the healer’s fee is vastly cheaper than repairing individual inventory items.

With “Rift,” Trion Worlds, Inc. has effectively created a fun and worthwhile alternative to “World of Warcraft” and the slowly improving “Final Fantasy XIV.” However, “Rift” may befuddle many novice MMORPG players with its over-zealous class customization, complicated move rotations and rampant situational awareness experiences.

“Rift: Planes of Telara” is scheduled to release on March 1, 2011.

Reach the reporter at tdmcknig@asu.edu

Original 'The State Press' Article

Preview: Hands on with Crysis 2 multiplayer

Travis McKnight

|The State Press|

(Photo courtesy of Electronic Arts)

As much of the competitive video gaming community is inconceivably transfixed by today’s newly released map pack for “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” a slightly less notorious game is about to snipe Activision’s love child back to the respawn point.

“Crysis 2” is a futuristic first person shooter set in an alien-ravaged New York City that offers an elegant form of satisfaction while annihilating opponents. Although the game immediately feels familiar by incorporating the best assets of the heavy hitting “Battlefield,” “Call of Duty,” and “Halo” franchises, it adds a unique layer of strategy through the Nanosuit and verticality.

Cybernetic combat armor known as a Nanosuit, originally featured in the award winning “Crysis,” adorns every player and bestows the ability of sprinting beyond Olympian speeds, becoming a bullet absorbing carnage wreaker, and turning invisible.

Each ability used drains an energy meter that slowly refills when it’s unexploited. Failure to properly manage this meter will result in an untimely demise.

Moreover, unique to “Crysis 2” players may combine particular armor abilities together, creating a new form of choices such as sliding attacks and an aerial ground-pound that incapacitates or kills any opponent caught in its shock wave.

While the invisibility capability is a bit overpowered, “Crysis 2” includes a kill-cam similar to the one introduced in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” that, with a smidgen of teamwork, prevents invisible players from camping for too long.

Furthermore, unlike “Call of Duty,” the kill-cam isn’t longer than three seconds and provides a stellar slow-motion death cinematic when killed by a head shot.

Perhaps the best exclusive aspect of “Crysis 2” is verticality. The multiplayer maps are designed with New York City’s infamous skyscrapers in mind to utilize the Nanosuit’s ability to leap into the air and automatically grab onto any nearby ledge, swiftly mantle it, and continue fighting.

The hyper-jump function is irrefutably useful in countless situations and allows for every player to have a unique combat style.

A player who prefers assimilating with New York’s towering scenery as a sniper may choose to cloak, sprint and then climb to higher ground for the best possible vantage point, decapitating adversaries on the way. While perhaps someone who prefers the personal connection of close-quarters combat will activate the sprint function, grappling rails and performing incredibly epic parkour feats until he or she is close enough to assassinate the target.

A multiplayer beta demo was released on Jan. 25, exclusively for the Xbox 360. Included in the demo is the rooftop-garden map “Skyline” and a small taste of unlockable content.

The demo contained two playlists: Team Instant Action, a typical team death match, and Crash Site, a capture and hold variation.

While the public beta still has several technical issues, such as graphical inconsistencies pertaining to melee attacks and the outbalanced invisibility, the game is certainly a revolutionary first person shooting adventure.

With retina-melting visuals and fantastically fast-paced gameplay, “Cryis 2” will dominate 2011’s first quarter by easily identifying skilled players from novices, and swiftly becoming one of the best multiplayer experiences available.

The full game will feature 12 unique multiplayer maps, five preset and five custom load outs, six different game modes, more than 20 Nanosuit modules, 50 ranks and 200 dog tags.

Crytek UK, the team formerly known as Free Radical who are recognized for the “TimeSplitters” series, is solely dedicated to creating the “Crysis 2” multiplayer and has promised to observe the demo results and modify any combat inequalities.

“Crysis 2” publisher Electronic Arts and developers Crytek GmbH and Crytek UK announced that a PC version of the demo will be launched in the upcoming weeks.

“Crysis 2” is scheduled to release on March 22.

Reach the reporter at tdmcknig@asu.edu

Original 'The State Press' Article

Hopkins makes "The Rite" worthwhile

Travis McKnight
|The State Press| 
3/5

A demonic possession would be preferable to sitting through “The Rite,” if it weren’t for the sadistically marvelous performance of Sir Anthony Hopkins.

The inspired-by-true-events film, directed by Mikael Håfström, explores the story of Michael Kovak, admirably played by Colin O’Donoghue, and his harrowing struggle with faith while attending the Vatican’s exorcism training in 2007.

The film begins at a snail’s pace watching an at-home mortician beautify a suicide victim and progresses even slower; out of the two hours, it’s only captivating for about the last 40 minutes.

Although the dialogue is excellent, injecting clever comic relief appropriately, “The Rite” is too drawn out and struggles to maintain your full interest. A few cheap scares will momentarily speed up the story, but the stale soundtrack and mostly uninteresting plotline make it painfully obvious how many grains of sand have drained from the hourglass.

Luckily, the movie’s two stars provide several enjoyable moments during the first humdrum hour.

In his second silver-screen appearance, O’Donoghue depicts Kovak as dubious about religion, and unsure where he wants life to take him. As Kovak says, everyone in his family is either a mortician or a priest, so he may as well stick with tradition.

At first Kovak plans on attending seminary school for a free university education – anticipating resigning from the program after his courses are over, due to a conflicting absence of faith. But his plans soon change when Father Matthew, played by Toby Jones, informs Kovak that if he were to resign from seminary school, the Catholic Church might bill him for the education. As a compromise, Matthew recommends Kovak enlist in the Vatican’s new exorcist program; informing him if he hasn’t found faith after the course he may withdraw without cost.

The film’s connection with the audience begins to dissipate as Kovak arrives at the Vatican, and questions the Church’s religious teachings, skeptical of their value over psychiatrists and medicine. Thankfully, Hopkins’ introduction is at hand, and immediately his wit and charm command attention, purging “The Rite” from boredom.

What truly makes “The Rite” a watchable film, instead of a two-hour snooze, is Sir Anthony Hopkins, who portrays Father Lucas Trevant, an exorcist with more than 2,000 exorcism rituals completed. From the subtle twinkle in Hopkins’ eyes to sly facial expressions and perfectly toned witty comments, your interest in the otherwise underwhelming tale is permanently established.

Convincingly proving his mastery of acting, Hopkins’ incredibly powerful performance, of both savior and possessed, will immerse you to the point where the idea of demonic enslavement doesn’t sound farfetched.

Initially Hopkins represents Trevant as a clever priest who has experienced the life of a saint and a skeptic. However, after the loss of a patient the priest appears exhausted, demoralized and spiritually defeated.

Hopkins’ performance is so vigorously reminiscent of the actor’s Academy Award-winning role as Hannibal Lecter, at times it’s difficult to tell the difference. However, he does noticeably separate from his prior cannibalistic role, and exquisitely embraces the character of Trevant; his immersion into the priest is so compelling, when backhanding a child into a state of unconsciousness you truly believe Trevant thoroughly enjoyed the devious act.

Horror and thriller films open almost weekly, and while “The Rite” doesn’t stray far from normalcy, it’s a rare occurrence for such a motion picture to feature an exquisite actor such as Sir Anthony Hopkins. Simply to witness the masterful Hopkins at his best is certainly worth surviving through the movie’s underwhelming first half.

Original 'The State Press' article