rpg

An RPG rundown; recommendations and reviews of the best role-playing games on the market.

Why Assassin’s Creed 2 Will Always Be My Favorite
Why Assassin’s Creed 2 Will Always Be My Favorite (But Valhalla Might Be a Close Second) Ah, Assassin’s Creed 2. The game that forever changed the way I view open-world action-adventure titles. When it first came out in 2009, it wasn’t just a game—it was a revelation. As we all know, the Assassin’s Creed series has had its ups and downs over the years, but I can’t help but feel like the franchise hasn’t quite been the same since AC2. But now, here comes Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and I’ll admit, for a brief moment, I thought the series might finally be returning to its roots. In some ways, it does—but in others? Well, it still can’t quite capture that AC2 magic.
By Kayleigh Taylorabout a year ago in Gamers
Our Bi-Annual Pre-Wipe Conversation
(Intro) Well, wipe is soon approaching. And with it, our inevitable conversation about what to expect and some reminders for those who will be participating in the festivities. It feels like we do this twice a year. Maybe because wipes have slowed down to a bi-yearly thing, or maybe just because when I look back at the last video in this vein, it was a little over three months ago. Which is on par with previous years. We get a six-to-eight-month long wipe cycle, and then a shorter three-to-four-month wipe before the winter reset. Wish it was an even half and half, but I’ll take what I can get at this point. But patch 0.16 does have some interesting stuff on the horizon. We talked about it when we went over the October TarkovTV livestream, but some of the highlights are new guns and gear of course, an update to Customs, more stuff to do on Woods, new QOL mechanics for healing and more. And of course, the resetting of everyone’s progress back to zero so we all start over once more. It’s a good time; people are able to run around and have those scrappy fights that feel more desperate than anything else. However, people sometimes forget the tried-and-true mentality everyone should go into a wipe with. Which is simply, enjoy the wipe at your own pace. Whether it’s fast or slow; if you want to blitz through the game and be in the same position you were days before the game reset, go for it. If not, take your time. There’s nothing wrong with that too.
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
Heart of Ice: Orpheus, Craftian’s Masterpiece Follower for Skyrim
When it comes to Skyrim, the modding community has created an endless array of enhancements to breathe new life into the game. From city overhauls to revolutionary graphics and fresh questlines, mods expand the world of Skyrim and sometimes push beyond its boundaries. Among the most sought-after mods are custom followers, captivating players with their unique personalities and abilities. Whether it's a simple archer voiced by vanilla assets or a complex character built from the ground up, an intriguing follower mod never fails to capture the hearts of Skyrim enthusiasts.
By Fox and Quillabout a year ago in Gamers
The Armor Hitbox Changes Did Nothing for Tarkov
(Intro) Tarkov’s armor hitbox rework that occurred late last year feels as though it didn’t have the impact BSG wanted it to. Previously before the change, armor was a relatively straight forward system in regards to the areas of the body it protected. If you have armor on, at the very least your entire front and back were covered. Some armors had extra protection including the arms, but for the most part at the very least most of your vitals were covered even if you just had a humble paca armor equipped. But at the end of the 2023, BSG showed off some videos showcasing a completely reworked armor hitbox system that put protection value only where the armor’s protective plates actually covered. So, armor went from this all-encompassing shield into something players would need to seriously think about. Gone be the days of the slick and hex grids being the top two armors for their level six protection. In addition, being able to swap out the physical plates of an armor and have extra modularity in that regard was probably the best thing about this entire rework, and while we spoke about the plate system shortly after release, a year later, and the armor hitboxes don’t feel like they had the substantial impact we all thought they would. So, what changed from the old system to the new one? What were some of the growing pains that plagued the system to this day? And was the system overhaul even worth it in the first place?
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
What I Hope Tarkov's Final Map Brings to the Table
(Intro) About a week or so ago, Nikita on his Twitter released some screenshots showcasing the final map that will be added into the base game of Tarkov, Terminal. This has been a long time coming; over a decade's worth of work for the team and we are starting to see the beginning of the end. And while there isn’t a ton to chew on from just the pictures, I figured it was a good time to have a conversation about Terminal, and what personally I hope to get out of the game’s final location. The potential layout of the map, how large it might be, what we can expect for gameplay and maybe even some answers to questions we’ve had in regards to the actual lore of Tarkov that hasn’t been talked about in the game directly. I’ll be bringing up the pictures a bunch throughout this video so we can go over them, but just from the four he showed off, there some interesting stuff to unpack. So, let’s do just that.
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
Is Tarkov’s Progression Screwed Up Forever?
(Intro) With the introduction of Arena’s 2.0 relaunch, one of the more enticing ideas that got added was for the ability to transfer money and items to and from both Tarkov and Arena. The cross-progression in the game makes for interesting situations where you might be playing Tarkov and go on a bad streak of deaths, to the point where you want to switch over to Arena and just play a couple matches to cool off without feeling the risk of and pain that comes with any loss in the main game. And while these ideas sounded interesting on paper, in actuality what has happened sadly, is the permanent shattering of the Tarkov economy forever. To be fair, Tarkov’s economy has never been properly balanced and that is unfortunately just the nature of the game itself. If you don’t log in everyday and play the game and do well, you won’t see tens of millions of rubles in your stash. And while I have always advocated for players having less and to feel the stress of making tough decisions while having limited supplies, the cross-progression change has essentially made that idea a dream that will sadly never happen.
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
Tarkov Stims Need More Debuffs
(Intro) Stimulants in Tarkov are powerful. But what makes them strong isn’t so much what their effects are, or how long they last, but instead the fact that many stimulants in the game have weak side effects after the buff wears off. For how diverse of a range the positive effects are and how useful they can be in a variety of situations, it’s strange to me that most of the stims almost have no downside to using them. Something that makes you reconsider popping this particular stim because there may be no coming back from it. It doesn’t have to kill you once the effect wears off, but these things are like free stat boosts for a prolonged period of time. And because of that, not only do people use and abuse the stims, they combine them with other stims to make powerful concoctions that would rival real life PEDs. There are a couple examples of downsides actually having a drastic effect on your PMC once they kick in, but Tarkov would benefit from having harsher penalties after many of the stims effects wear off. It sounds blasphemous, but this is a mechanic in the game that isn’t tied down to any sense of realism. That conversation has left many years ago, so don’t think about stimulants from that perspective. Instead, if we are going to have items that grant powerful boots to stats or other effects to a player, how do we balance them more properly so there are costs and risks associated with using them?
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
Why F1’s Cars Are Now “Hanging On” as Qatar’s Lap Times Tumble by 3.4 Seconds
Why F1’s Cars Are Now “Hanging On” as Qatar’s Lap Times Tumble by 3.4 Seconds Formula 1 has always been a spectacle of evolution, where technological advancements, circuit design, and driver adaptability merge. The 2024 Qatar Grand Prix witnessed a staggering drop in lap times by 3.4 seconds compared to the previous year. This dramatic improvement stems from a combination of factors including car developments, tire behavior, track conditions, and the physical demands on drivers. Below, we delve into why the F1 cars seem to be "hanging on" to the edge of performance as they deliver these blistering times.
By Mahalakshmiabout a year ago in Gamers
Dodgers Land Cy Young Star Blake Snell in Blockbuster $182M Deal
Blockbuster Arrangement: Dodgers Sign Blake Snell for a long time, $182M Hi companions, The Los Angeles Dodgers make a blockbuster move in marking Cy Young champ Blake Snell to a 5-year, $182M bargain. We should investigate the effect, story, and how this affects MLB in 2024.
By Kalpesh Vasavaabout a year ago in Gamers
Lighthouse is Tarkov’s Worst Map; Here’s Why
(Intro) Out of all the current playable maps in Tarkov, Lighthouse is the worst. A rather bold claim, but this particular map has been problematic for some time since its introduction into the game. A small, coastal section of the entire Norvisnk region littered with layout problems, spawn conundrums, and a general disdain for the quests that are required of us to complete. Speaking only from personal experience, I have never been excited to load onto Lighthouse outside of when it was initially released into the game. The problems with the map are layers deep; things that would require them to literally redesign the map from potentially the ground up. There were some elements that were not well thought out in concept, and because of that, have plagued this map for years now. No map is perfect; every single one of them have their own issues, and some that are shared across a variety of maps. But Lighthouse is the most rotten out of all of them, and is in desperate need of some attention. Customs really doesn’t need another once over right now, but instead that attention and care should be going to this map. Lighthouse sucks, and here’s why.
By Jirasuabout a year ago in Gamers
The Shadowlings...
The day of the Event outer space was ripped open to create a gaping hellmouth, an open gate to the Abyss from which creatures of pure evil flew. Millions of foul things, living embodiments of Madness, Cruelty, Hate, and Corruption, flooded out of this hole in space to be vomited out across the world.
By Samuel Wrightabout a year ago in Gamers
JaySerpa's Gate to Sovngarde
Skyrim modding has taken many forms over the years, introducing new lands, new quests, followers, weapons, and a plethora of other unique content. Talented modders have kept the game alive and thriving thirteen years after its initial release. Curating a well-crafted modlist is almost a rite of passage for players who’ve beaten the vanilla version a few times. Creating the list can even be as fun as playing the game itself. For some, though, modding can be overwhelming and confusing. Videos and tutorials help with learning the process, but sometimes the desire to mod doesn’t align with the time it takes. Tools like Collections and Wabbajack make things easier. These tools allow people to build or download modlists that are quick to install and often come with most of the bugs worked out, ready to be enjoyed once installed.
By Fox and Quillabout a year ago in Gamers