AoP 2012 and Spawn ideas 2

So I decided this year not to enter Armies on Parade, but that didn't mean I couldn't go and see this years entries. Gotta say it seems that more people entered and the competition was much more competitive. Needless to say I will enter next years, though I only enter to just win the AoP medal. As for the Games Day Ticket, well I'd just give it to another competitor as I have no use for it.

As for what to enter? well things haven't progressed well with my Empire force and after the discussion with GW staff today over my Chaos Fulcrum and Spawn projects, it seems a more Chaos themed project would be better suited.

Speaking of which, got some more pics off the web for idea's on the Spawn. With the base nearing final painting stages I really need to get a move on in finalizing the design.

Certainly this one is a rough idea as too how I want the shape of it's mouth to look like.

Ok, so nothing new with this one. I only put it up here cause I think it's cute in a strange...sorta....sea-thingy way....umm yeah.

Nightmare House 2

Bored and need a little excitement, then time to check out Nightmare House 2 from thradbrad's classic series. Just finished watching it and I gotta say, that final boss was great. Sorta wished most bosses in games talked shit liked that.

Spawn body ideas

Ok, I have a rough design for the maw and arms of my Spawn drawn up, but as such I was still lost designing the main body. Consulting the staff at my local Games-Workshop, it seems the Tzeentch daemon designs come partly from sea creatures (e.g Screamers why didn't I think of that?). So on their advice I've been searching the internet for strange sea creatures for ideas. Here's a few I've found:

Body wise, it's hard to see any shell used as the Spawn has no armour, but the design idea is good. Also, lots of legs seems the way to go as well.

Possibly a good tail idea, but it's the colour scheme that seems quite Tzeentch and would go well for the body.

Weird Al and Ponies

Dust - Cons (Contains Spoilers)

Warning: This part does contain spoilers of the games story

Anyway, finished the game and for the most part I enjoyed it. Though you really only need to playthrough once just to get most achievements, I feel I'll keep playing again and again just to enjoy the story and all the comedic conversations between Dust and Fidget. And before I begin pointing out my personal cons with this game, none of them are about the voice acting. I've read a few reviews criticizing the voice acting in this game and I strongly disagree. I paid around $25 AU for this game, compared to another game (which I won't name incase fans disagree) which costs $79 AU and the more expensive game's voice acting was far worse. Like wise, some have also called it repetitive, my question is 'what game isn't these days?'. But I could go on about these unfair criticizes all day, so instead I'll give a few simple things that I personally had problems with, and they are all story based too.

Gaius n Cassius - Not too give away much as to who these characters are, but not much is given about their background except that they bad and that they hate the Moonbloods. Why they hate them and the history of that hatred isn't so much explained. Indeed, Gaius at first doesn't seem like a bad person when you see him in the cutscenes so it's hard to tell and even less so when it comes to Cassius. All I'm saying is a bit more background was needed for these characters as they just felt something was missing.

Haley - I've got nothing against her, infact I found her enjoyable. The problem I had was that, as Fidget said, she was giving him the signs that she was interested. As such, instead of a romantic sub-plot, she gets two conversation pieces and spends the rest of the time simply crafting. So much more could have been done with her, but considering my final gripe, I guess that was the reason.

The Ending - I'm not saying the ending was bad or anything, infact it was very good, it's just not the endings I enjoy. Somehow, unless you know the reasons at the beginning of game, such endings leave me feeling empty. This one is a personal gripe and nothing more, so I won't spoil it.

So that's it really. I've enjoyed this game thoroughly and I really look forward to Dean's next project (although I'd like an OST on itunes and of course, a Fidget doll which I will keep with me....Forever!!).

FOREVER!!

One of the best Dust & Fidget conversations.

Dust: An Elysian Tail Short Review

It's finally out and it's been worth the wait. Dust is the work of Dean Dodrill, an artist whom I've been a fan of for some time and his recent project 'Dust' is a reflection of his creative vision.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is the story about a mysterious character who is called, well..umm... Dust. He has no memory of who he is and so with the help of a ancient magical sword called Ahrah and it's guardian, the Nimbat called Fidget, begin their journey to uncover just who Dust is. Of course, it isn't as simple or as clear as that and you find yourself wanting to know more as the twists begin to show.

The graphics and music are simply amazing and you can sometimes get distracted looking at the visuals (not that it's a bad thing). Despite the 2D platform combat style, the gameplay is infact quite smooth and addictive as you find yourself trying to rank up maximum combo points. There are about five difficulty options to choose from when starting and even though I'm playing normal difficulty, it's just enough difficulty to enjoy both story and gameplay. Voice acting is very good (which seems to be a sore point in most games lately) and you can't help but love Fidget and the things she says.

It currently costs 1200 Microsoft points to purchase, so it's not too expensive, particularly when your comparing it to half the crap most gaming companies are producing these days.  Yes, I know my opinion may seem biased, I do infact enjoy playing this game. Besides, with all the expensive duds out there, it's nice to see something both fresh and visually pleasing.