Echoes of Aincrad (SAO)

This SAO-inspired and fresh take on the Sword Art Online experience places you as one of the thousands of players who were able to log in on day 1 of the launch of the game. The game takes place at the start and during the 'Incident' in which all the players who logged into SAO on day one were eventually trapped in the game. This includes Kirito, the main character in the SAO Anime and Manga. 

You, unlike previous titles, however, do not play as Kirito; instead, you are your own character going about your own story in the SAO world. Your story runs in conjunction with Kirito, with reports indicating that you will eventually meet up with Kirito, but your paths only cross. The story focuses on your character and your interactions with a set of characters that develop your storyline. 

I recently played the demo, which they portray interestingly. The demo is portrayed as you being one of a thousand Beta Testers participating in the first beta test of the game. They make reference to Kirito and one other player who has reached further in the game than any other player in the demo. The demo puts you in the game as a new player/beta tester in a dungeon in an attempt to meet some friends to explore the dungeon, when, through some unfortunate circumstances, your part is killed off, and you end up meeting Iorai, a solo player who was attempting to run the dungeon himself.

The demo takes you through the basic understanding of the combat system and introductory of the story arc as well as introduces you to several characters, both good and bad. It also allows you to go into the 'Town of Beginnings' and introduces you to the different shops and inn where you will stay and use as a base for your character. 

My Opinion

The graphics are decent; they are a bit better than some of the other games in the franchise, such as Fatal Bullet, which I'm not going to complain about the graphics simply because, in all honesty, I'm not too concerned with the graphics when it comes to this game. Due to the type of game it is and what it is based on, I think the graphics, in my personal opinion, are fine for this game. My only complaint when it comes to the graphics isn't really about the graphics, but some syncing issues with the cutscenes and the audio for those scenes. I noticed that in intense fight cutscenes, the graphics and audio would not sync properly. Now it could have been my system, but considering that all other cutscenes did fine, I can assume that it was due to the large amounts of information causing a sync issue.

Combat is a bit clunky in my personal opinion. The RB and RT attack method in some games seems a bit clunky. I find games that focus on the standard and heavy attacks with simpler A and B or even X and Y buttons to feel more natural. While I agree that RB and RT for FPS-style games make more sense, it doesn't feel right to me in an RPG. They also attempt to spread actions across multiple panels, which, during fast-paced combat, can feel a bit burdensome. Overall, the combat does flow well for the most part, and using heavy attacks to one-shot lower-level mobs is quick and efficient. The killing of Floor Bosses or Area Bosses has been made overly complicated in my opinion, but to some more hardcore players, I can see it not being much of a problem.

Sound-wise, the game does a decent job at supplying music and voice. Honestly, audio is one area that I don't focus heavily on because, in my opinion, as long as they have some music and voice to match the scenes, then they have done their part. While I admit that if they had some 2nd rate music playing or the voice didn't match the character, that would make me pause and give the sound a bad review...they didn't do that, at least not in the demo. I also didn't notice any sudden audio spikes that made me cringe or throw my headset, so that is a plus...Yes, I have had that happen before.

Leveling seems to take time and effort. I know that in the couple of hours I played, I was only able to reach around Level 4. This slow grind might increase in the actual games when you're doing story-based quests along with side quests. I don't have a huge problem with slow grind games, but in an RPG focused heavily on story and immersion, I think that leveling shouldn't take too long, or you're going to push out a lot of your player base. I can see some incentives to going out and farming exp, but the cons currently outweigh the pros. Again, just being a demo doesn't mean that it won't change when the main game releases.

The Story is currently hard for me to really say anything about, as I have only really experienced the demo. Though the fact that they took care to make the Demo put you in the role of a Beta Tester before the actual launch of the game (both IRL and in the game) does show some foresight into getting its audience into the mindset of the game. Currently the story is focused on your experience as a Beta Tester and the people you meet during that time, the character you play as for appearance's is preset but the game has shown customizing your character at some point which leads me to believe that at launch when you reach the point in the story where you are asked to retrieve the 'Mirror of Truth' (I think was what it was called), you will be able to customize your character at that point. I am still not sure how I will feel overall about the story until the game actually releases.

Overall, I have some hope for this game, and there are a ton of things they can do for this game to make it a huge success, but that said, there are things they can do that will ruin the game and experience altogether. The biggest thing is the lack of content and story, as well as the removal of some aspects of the SAO experience that made it for the Anime and Manga. While I don't think romance will be in the game, I'd personally love to see that as an option between your character and some of the other NPCs. I also think that one thing they should embrace, which they are supposedly doing, is to focus less on Kirito and his group and more on you and your group. Customizing is key for this game as well, and creating new downloadable clothing and accessories would improve the chances of keeping people.

I also think that it should be seen if allowing button options to be changed so that players like myself, who would rather have the A and B buttons be more for attack than for item usage, should be able to do that. 

Until the launch of the full game, though, I can not say much else on the story or other parts of it until I am able to play the actual game and see how things develop. I will create another blog post once the game is released and I am able to do a decent play-through.

Custom Galactic War Mod and a Thin Line

So recently there has been a new mod that came out for Helldivers 2 and the community as a whole that has caught some traction due to what all it adds to the game. For those not aware, recently a group of modders released a complete reimagining of the game of Helldivers 2 called Custom Galactic War Mod. The CGW is supposed to bring in a lot of custom content and features that many in the HD2 community have felt should have done been introduced into the game already but due to one reason or another it has not.

The features of the CGW range from Custom Galactic Map and Story, Mech Customization and Loadout, Custom Biomes and Points of Interest, Overhauled Enemies and Spawns, and Roaming SEAF Soldiers to name a few. The team that created the mod has stated that it is, "not meant to be better than the main galactic war but just an alternative faster paced player driven one with more emphasis on narrative. To prevent cheating on the official servers, medals and super credits earned in the mod do not translate to the base game. It is considered a stand alone experience as it relies on a separate launcher and does not use the official SOS beacons or Quickplay. 

Now I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not impressed nor am I saying that I don't agree that this all sounds great, and from what others that have access to the CGW server (yes you have to apply for access) are saying that it isn't some top tier mod work by a group of people that are more in likely professionals in their fields...this treads a thin line between 'Modding' and possible 'Piracy' of a game. So why is that? Well lets look at some recent developments that would push it over the line.

Closed Access

Currently the game is closed access only. To get into the server you must first join their discord server, apply for access to obtain the launch files and play files. If your accepted you then have to download a third party application (that isn't vetted through standard channels) and download files that run in concurrent with your HD2 files. Should data get corrupted it could ultimately effect your base game.

Cheating

While I do not doubt the mod and modders that made it are not out to cause problems or enable cheating, it could be used to find a backdoor into the main game files and allow people to cheat in obtaining Super Credits, Warbonds, or other exploits as it does require access to the base game for the most part to run. The base game is linked to the HD2 Network and therefore does provide a possibility for backdoor entry into the official game servers. While I do not think this would be something that would happen...it is a risk.

Paid Access

This is the biggest one that I recently saw and came across. There was talk about making CGW a paid access system and mod. And that is where the major problems can start. While I do not think Arrowhead itself would do much if anything against the creators of CGW in this instant (if anything I'd offer them a job or an independent contractor job) we have to remember that HD2 is NOT just Arrowheads baby anymore...it technically belongs to Sony Entertainment and that means Sony could sue for Copyright infringement. While the mod is free and limited in scope and access then it technically is protected. However, the moment it requires a form of payment then it could be argued that they have committed a Copyright infringement.

What would Sony Do?

Well to answer that we'd have to see how Sony and other gaming industries have handled other matters similar to this one and I think we can all agree that if the Mod group that made CGW starts requiring a form of payment to play...Sony Entertainment will seek damages. Look at the recent lawsuits filed by Pokemon and Nintendo against PalWorld and Pocket Pair. The games are no where near alike and yet because Pocket Pair used 'monsters' that can be captured and battled, they were struck with lawsuits. Now that said, the courts did agree that Nintendo and Pokemon didn't own exclusive rights to a 'genra' of a game style and that there was little proof that they infringed on the Copyright, but there is still other things that can be pressed...plus the legal fees incurred can be staggering to a small group or company.

Sony Entertainment could see the use of its base game HD2 as an act of Piracy, and the used of the game and its resources to create and otherwise change the game as Copyright. They could say that because the group is getting paid to use something they themselves didn't create from scratch that it is in violation of the Copyright policy...and as far as the law goes they would be correct.

HD2 v. CGW

While I personally don't have any problem with CGW as I personally have not played it nor do I intend to for the time being, I do think that HD2 needs to maybe get with those guys and see what they were able to do to make it like they did and maybe take a few pointers from them. If nothing else I think that Arrowhead should consider subcontracting out some work to these guys and see what they can do to implement these things into the game itself. 

As for what I feel between the two? I have no real issue with the current HD2 though the last patch has really messed with my graphics and I am still trying to sort that whole thing out, I think that Arrowhead needs to buckle down and realize that while the game is good and is growing and has had its bumps and stuff...it may be time to seek out new talent or seek out a group that can help push change. I also think it may be time for them to consider the need to upgrade their current program platform and switch to something like Unreal Engine. 

CGW from what I have gathered changes rapidly and is a more fast pace version of the current base game. It is pushed further with more narrative for the players and adds a variety of new experiences which I have no problem with and think its great that they are offering this. However, I have to also say that as a Mod it pushes what is actually a 'mod' and what could be considered a disregard for others work, though morality aside, this issue could lead to legal problems so there is that to consider.

Final Thought

For a Mod this CGW sounds like a dream come true for players who are looking for a more fast pace, narrative driven, new add ons, and expansive gameplay (which sounds awesome to me too if I'm honest) and yes I agree that Arrowhead should be doing these things as well and making their game meet or exceed what the modders are doing. I think that Arrowhead has sadly had their hands tied by their overlords at Sony Entertainment which like EA and Ubisoft have become the bad guys when it comes to the Gaming Community at large...and for good reason. 

All that said though, I also see the problems posed by the allowance of this mod to continue and possibly switch from a 'We have the right to let you have access for free' and 'Pay to Access this Mod' as it would cross the thin line between 'player creator content' into 'Piracy' of someone else's work. 

I think that in the end this is something that can't be easily answered or viewed in any one particular light and it is something that we as individuals and as players and gamers will need to look at for a while.