Month: November 2022

Top Five RPGs for the iPhone

Bertha Garrett Mmorpg
Top Five RPGs for the iPhone

Touching is Magical

As I’ve said many a time, the iPhone is a great little platform for all sorts of games. From FPS games to simulations, they’ve got you covered. For a few developers that includes the lofty RPG genre, and the titles in this article are of superb quality. Instead of seeming like the indie developed schlock of a few years back there are some really great entries in the App Store for quest loving gamers. Here are a few of my favorites.

Chaos Rings

If this had come out in 1998, it would’ve been a hit on the Sony Playstation, but instead this pint sized package comes to the iPhone. Everything is top notch and I would expect nothing less from Square-Enix these days. Following a group of people taken at random to some strange arena, Chaos Rings isn’t quite the contrived storm you would expect. Combat is a blast and the characters are well developed despite being gigantic stereotypes. The huge price tag may be off putting, but you’d be paying more for the same title on any other portable console.

Final Fantasy

Square’s debut has been ported to just about every console imaginable in the twenty-three years since its original release. Having such an important bit of gaming history on a portable device is absolutely great though, and it doesn’t cost nearly as much as purchasing it for your other portables. The touch interface is a breeze to work with and the game is still just as challenging nearly twenty-five years later. Any RPG fan needs to play this, regardless of their personal preferences just to see the game that made the genre famous for video gamers.

The Quest

An old school dungeon crawler like Might and Magic is a gem to see on the iPhone. The Quest boasts tons of content and multiple expansions and is a fairly deep game to get into. The gameplay is fantastic, really calling to mind the era of old DOS RPGs which were blindingly difficult. It takes guts to put such a risky title out these days, even keeping in mind the seeming lack of nostalgia amongst mainstream gamers. Thankfully, the iPhone makes titles like this affordable and rewarding to develop.

Crimson Gem Saga

It’s sort of rare to see a game of this length on the iDevices. Crimson Gem Saga is a port of Astonishia Story, which is confusing to contemplate, but it boasts a good 40 hours of gameplay. The story itself is rather generic, but the battle system really reminds me of Grandia and that’s a good thing. Crimson Gem Saga is proof that the iDevices aren’t quite the dumbed down device most developers seem to think it to be. Thanks to efforts like this and from Square-Enix, we’re getting games that would be just as happy to rest on the RPG haven that is the original Playstation.

Xenome

A love it or hate it title, this game is a broad sci-fi RPG with tons of depth to it. Combat’s a little wonky, but the setting is fantastic and it’s great that developers are taking these sort of risks on a device that usually appeals to the casual crowd. Xenome is a huge title and is the first in an episodic saga, which hopefully continues on without a hitch. If you’ve got an itch for something a little less fantasy, then this is your game without a shadow of a doubt.

Closing Comments

The RPG selection for Apple’s device will only get more and more diverse as time goes on, big name titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and Kingdom of Amalur drop in the near future after all. If you’re searching for epics of great length, you can finally look to the iDevice to provide it for you.

The Best World of Warcraft Private Realms

Bertha Garrett World Of Warcraft
The Best World of Warcraft Private Realms

World of Warcraft private realms are definitely growing in popularity, and after playing in several different World of Warcraft test realms, it seems that there may even be more players playing in private realms than in the pre-assigned Blizzard realms which require you to pay for. To access these private test realms, it won’t cost you a monthly fee (you can stop paying for your Blizzard/WoW subscription and continue playing). I love the fact that I can play these realms without having to worry about going down to the store once every few months and pay money out of my pocket to keep playing.

So when it comes time to choose from the private test realms, there is a lot of debate. There are over 100 different private World of Warcraft test realms. Each of these realms varies in some way or another, be it the members, setup, or gear, the realms are all going to be different from eachother.

When I look for a private test realm that I like, I look for a few characteristics. I like a really fast test realm. No one wants to experience lag while they’re playing. I also want to be able to get the lower tier gear extremely easily, if it’s going to be an instant level 70 realm. I don’t want to have to run through instances in crap gear to get something even worth while.

However, I don’t want to be able to get the best gear in the game extremely easily. It takes all of the fun and challenge out of the game completely when you’re already completely decked out and ready to start massively pvp’ing when you have everything you need easily. On the other hand, the realms that allow their players to get the gear only through donations is extremely unfair as well. Players who want to spend the most money on the game are going to have an extreme advantage!

I like it when I have to run through dungeons with groups of people in order to get the tier 7 or season 5 gear. It is nice however, to be able to get the lower tier gears before this. It’s still fair that you need to work towards having the best gear in the game.

So, according to the criteria I’ve described above (you might not like my specifications, in that case, look through the servers on the link at the end of the article), these are a few of my favorite private test realms.

Funserver is a decent realm. On this one, you’ll become level 70 instantly, you start out at level 70 when you create a new character. It’s pretty simple to get your gear and what not. The lag is manageable, however still present. If you enjoy a completely lag free server, this might not be the one for you. However, the GM support is quite decent on this realm, and it’s well organized. The website for this realm can be found here.

Hswow is another pretty nice realm. Lately, its been closing down quite a bit while I was playing though. I think this is more of a temporary thing. The best feature about this realm is the layout of the honor shops. They’re extremely easy to go through and get all of your equipments. The thing I hate about this realm is that if you want to have good power and do good in PVP, you’re going to need to be a donor. I still love the amount of PvP and players in general on this realm though. You can talk between factions, as well as have both alliance and horde members of a guild. Interesting layout. You can find the website for this realm here.

Atomic WoW is my personal favorite private WoW realm. It’s extremely fast, I’ve never experienced lag. The gear is fun getting, like I said in the description, you can get most of the lower tier gear easily, and you’ll need to run dungeons for the best. You can get all the gold you want by talking to a cow. The GM’s are friendly and helpful. Decent amount of players. Custom dungeons for gear. It’s really the best I’ve played. The only thing it lacks is PvP in random areas, which was a big deal on other realms. The website for Atomic WoW can be found here.

If you’re interested in checking out the best 100 private WoW servers, view this website.
Good luck choosing! Have fun with Private Servers!

Dragon Age: Origins is an “Epic” RPG

Bertha Garrett Mmorpg
Dragon Age: Origins is an “Epic” RPG

If you are a fan of other BioWare games such as Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins is a game for you. Although perhaps an overdramatized opinion, Dragon Age is undeniably an epic role-playing game.

The dark fantasy centers around your customizable avatar within the fictional land of Ferelden. The first few hours of the game vary with the race and class you select but each of the origin stories lead to the same series of events. Within said events is embedded a deep and interesting story in which amazing voice acting brings characters to life. Companions will accompany you as the plot rolls forward, bringing with them intriguing or amusing personalities. Their individual views of you change depending upon the moral choices your character faces along the course of your journey.

Dragon Age is a combat-heavy game containing a wide array of spells and abilities to keep you entertained. Many of the attacks have their own properties and cool-down times. Like a typical RPG, the battles you may run into are often tactical but occur in real-time with the option to pause mid-combat. The party members you accumulate will join you during your quests and fight along side you, capable of being under your command as well. You can edit their battle behavior and tactics to make them more independent and efficient. A nice feature implemented in the game is that when you gain more than four allies they become interchangeable from a campsite area. The characters you are not currently questing with will receive experience and level up along with the ones you are controlling.

While combat may be predominant at times, maintaining relationships with comrades will envelope you in the world and make the experience much more personal. Not only will they interact with your character but with one another so smoothly that the dialogue feels genuine. Your standings with your associates may be nurtured to suit your fancy. Completing a quest he or she approves of or giving him or her gifts will naturally produce a positive reaction. You may also develop romances if you play your cards right.

Dragon Age: Origins is available on Playstation 3, PC, and Xbox 360 and can be completed in around 50 hours of game play. However, once you reach the ending you will likely be ready to start it again and begin climbing various skill trees, maintaining relationships differently, and strolling down another moral route. With great sincerity, I highly recommend the role-playing game to anyone intrigued.

How to Smite Out Good Items in Runescape

Bertha Garrett Runescape
How to Smite Out Good Items in Runescape

What does smiting out mean?

It is to use either the smite or soul split prayer to make an opponent in the wilderness lose all their prayer points and get a valuable item they would normally protect. Unfortunately, this only works in a pay to play world.

Finding the player with the highest chance to successfully smite.

So I’ve smited out an Armadyl Godsword and Dragon Claws so I have some experience in smiting out other players. Most of it is just pure luck, however, there are some ways I have found to increase your chances of smiting out your opponent. First of all, I find that most players who have been smited once never let it happen again so try finding someone who has never been smited for a good item before if possible. Another big advantage is fighting someone with only the normal prayer book. These players normally have 70 or below prayer levels so therefore are easier to smite. I like to look up my opponents high scores before I fight them, not only to see if they are easily smitable, but also if they have a high level skill I should be aware of.

How to smite out your opponent.

Even if your opponent isn’t very easy to smite, there are still some general rules to follow to increase your chances of smiting them. The first, and probably most obvious one, is if you EVER see their prayer drop, immediately go for the kill if you think you have a chance of killing him. Most of the time you will hit badly, however, when you do manage to kill him you will almost always get their item. Sometimes you get extremely unlucky and they manage to put protect item back on, but that rarely happens. Another tip that can help is one of the best times to kill your opponent is after he or she eats four or five times. This of course can vary from fight to fight but I find that I smite out items the most when I kill them around that time. If your a pure, you might want to try a little earlier since pures often don’t get past 52 prayer.

Keep on trying!

Even if you follow this guide perfectly, you will not smite out a player every time you kill them. I simply find that these methods increase the chances of smiting your opponent significantly. So don’t get discouraged! Make sure you keep your prayer up as well. Don’t wanna get to focused on smiting out your opponent and then get smited yourself! Most of all, have fun!

World of Warcraft: The Top 5 Perks of the Paladin

Bertha Garrett World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft: The Top 5 Perks of the Paladin

World of Warcraft Paladins, like Druids and Shaman…are a hybrid class. They can do multiple things depending on the Paladin Build you choose and the gear you’re able to acquire. By making a paladin, you essentially make a little bit of everything in the game. Here are some of the best perks you can get from the paladin in World of Warcraft.

  1. Paladin’s wear plate and heal. They’re the single class in World of Warcraft at this time that can both wear Plate and heal. This means not only are they hard to kill because they have great defense and armor rating, but the damage you DO hit them with…they can just heal up. They’re extemely hard to kill.
  2. Paladins Tank better against Multiple mobs than Warriors, and are about even with Druids. This means that by having a Paladin tank, your Tank can heal and take on more mobs efficiently than a Warrior in World of Warcraft. Think about it. Yes, there are some situations where you’re absolutely going to need a Warrior Tank in World of warcraft. That’s true…but most tanking situations are tailor made to be able to be done with whatever class is available. If there are mutliple mobs during some of the pulls…the equally geared paladin is going to come out the better tank in World of Warcraft.
  3. Paladins can become invincible. It’s true. Though they might not be at their peak of damage dealing and offensiveness while in this state, they still have the power to become invulnerable for a short period of time. As long as the Paladin has the mana, they can heal up during this time, giving them essentially….two lives.
  4. Paladin buffs are among the most requested in the game. Paladins have a buff for everything. Strength, Stamina, Intellect, Attack Power, Damge Sheilds, yada yada yada. They’re great buffers.
  5. Paladins can do ANYTHING in a raid. You’ll be able to find groups so fast you’ll get sick of being invited to them. You can DPS, Tank, Heal, Off-Tank, Spot Heal, etc. On top of that, even if you’re DPSing, you can still heal somebody and save them from the virge of death. Rogues, Mages, Warlocks, Death Knights, Hunters and Warriors can’t do that while they’re DPSing! Eveybody needs what you can do….and that my friends, is called having it made in the shade =)

Who says the good guys finish last? They lied!