Morrowind Music

The Elder Scrolls games (Images in link may be broken.) are a popular among western RPG enthusiasts but what catches me within most games and settings is the visual appeal and music.

Now older games get passes for their visual or music quality but a lot of 8 and 16-bit games are actually rather beautiful. Anyone who has played Chrono Trigger or seen the ending to Links Awakening DX could tell you that graphic quality isn't dependent on hardware capabilities. Heck, even now the Elder Scrolls III: Morriwnd graphics are looked at as bad. In fact they were bad, with horrible wall glitches and even details of the player character that didn't fit (like Argonian tails magically splitting through pants, etc). But let us look at something that hasn't dated, in the slightest, Morrowind's music.

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Look Again (Persona 3)

Yes, this is another post about an old amusement but after taking something of a "hiatus" from the PS2 (and non emulated console games in general) this game has to be the easiest of RPGs to simply drop and come back to.

The story conveniently tells you several times what happened last week or what you're supposed to be doing with just a few "Hello random character" type of comments. Problem is, a majority of characters (unless having an event*) repeat themselves at an irritating level. Some games will have [NPC] characters maybe say three things in total while Persona 3 seems happy with a single one.

But, again, what grabbed me into the game was its music. So much so that its soundtrack was searched for and "found" in order to listen. The game is so full with uniqe and new music that the soundtrack has 26 tracks on it! 26 tracks on a video game soundtrack. The best part is all the music is actually in the game. A lot of soundtracks for video games include "relevant songs" from popular artists, but not this one.

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Phantasy Star Online (PSO)

Sorta kinda an MMO but not really, Phantasy Star Online (PSO from here on out) is technically only "multilayer". There is a lobby section where characters/players may interact but the game itself is only 1-4 players.

Solve Unamusement finds this game a bit difficult to classify, though it is mostly Sci-Fi and Fantasy mixed. Dragons, wizards, giant mole... things but there are lasers, "credits/messta" and space ships! The game is a spin off, one would suppose, of the original Phantasy Star for the original Sega Systems. Mostly for the Genesis, however (Where Phantasy Star mostly got its popularity). Seems they were redone for the GBA, as well, if one wishes to check those out.

But back to the game at hand. Released on multiple consoles, the Sega Saturn at first as two different games (A version 1 and a version 2), and later on the Gamecube and Xbox.

Personally, this blogger/gamer started with the Xbox version and until recently didn't even know there was a PC version of the game.

PSO: Blue Burst (PSO:BB from here on) is a direct Xbox port with the addition of an adidtional episode and can be obtained for free with acess to a free, and very dedicated, server. That server and download will be provided a little further down the list. However before that is listed a few things must be let known. The game's install is slightly faulty and requires anyone who can't "fix their own problems" either have a guiding hand (Sorry, no help from Solve Unamusement) learn by trial and error or not play.

The main problem for a majority of installs is that the icon which is created both on the desktop as well in the startmenu does not have the correct target rout. This can be fixed by selecting the icon, right clicking then going to properties. There the "target box" can be found and if install was done with all default settings...

"C:\Program Files\Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst\online.exe"

That may be pasted in the box and everything should work.

• PSO:BB Server Site - SCTHACK
• SCTHACK's PSO:BB Download page
• SCTHACK Forum - Solve Unamusement writter is not a forum goer
• PSO:BB Free Server Drop List

That being that, the game is brilliantly fun (if not having a bit of a learning curve). Unlike other online games, PSO doesn't require a heavy commitment either. Simply need to play the game once every 90 days to keep your characters active on the server.

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Shaiya II

While the original game isn't any personal fun and was even ditched a bit quickly by the suggester, Shaiya is a pretty game. The game had cool looking graphics (I guess), even on the lowest settings with interesting combat skills and other things of that nature.

But back to the point of this post. While searching for Shaiya things such as gameplay videos and trailers I cam accross the Shaiya II trailer which was rleased back in summer of 2009. It's a cool video and if anyone who liked the first game who is like me and didn't care about the Aeria community all that much beyond their own game, this might interest.

Shaiya II Trailer


Supposedly to be released next year though information on the game wasn't searched for as the trailer itself was what was cool. If Solve Unamusement was to honestly suggest an MMORPG it would be Perfect World International.

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Quests (Shaiya Part 3)

The quest and questing system in Shaiya has been seen before. If anyone has played an MMO within the last five years knows how this works. You pick a person and, at first, you are interested in the story they are trying to weave. How mad these NPCs are that someone went and smashed up their food cart and now you need to get revenge on the beasties that did it. That sounds fun and good until the NPC drops, "Now go kill X amount of Y and come back for something special."

It's a good and easy way to get "free" experience but I feel as though the quests, if not doing them for items, worthless. The experience and gold given seem a bit weak, especially for the first bit of time. While I have played a few that had you leveling fast and throwing gold at you, those mostly had you spending your gold just to upgrade your skills, this seems a bit slow.

Why is that? Mainly because stopping in a field of monsters who are just a bit higher level then you who don't aggro and mopping them up isn't difficult. Finding such fields of weak willed mobs at anything under level 15 is common for most MMOs but it distracts from the fun.

Personally, I feel the quest system works but needs either more reward or less work. The game isn't charging me to play it so it shouldn't be trying to make me play it. While I do understand that the point of Aeria's games is to get you to actually buy items, it is quickly apparent that it REALLY WANTS YOU to do this.

On another note, leveling feels very slow. This is, however, probably because I refuse to spend more then a few hours playing every couple of days.

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A Few Hours (Shaiya Prt 2)

This post is simple and easy to understand. What does Shaiya have to give you after that first bit of "OOh look how pretty"? The raw tax of it is that it doesn't. Shaiya is very quickly just like every other MMO that is out there. You spawn near an NPC that wants to give you a quest about killing some monsters and then he gives you gold and experience.

It's a wonderful not broken formula that tricks all of us into playing these games even though we know it's just the same stuff that's been done before. Some things that made me happy is that, while the classes and races were similar, they didn't really matter. What side you have characters on makes zero difference unless you have friends on "the other side". It's the exact same game, at least so far, on both sides of the fence with only a difference in feel.

That feel that I mention, however, is brilliant! Each "side" of the torn in two world has it's own feel and magic to it. The "light side" of human and elf is cheery and clean with it's neat government types and tall sparkling spires. While the "dark side" is more gritty and broken down with its tyrannical type feel and it's Vail and The Nordein races. Each side keeps with it's color tone and general thought/feel which is very cool when you think on it.

Character creation isn't the most involved and detailed as I have seen in others (Like Perfect World) but the intro to the game is just wonderfully done and, again, keeps the feel for each side very well.

Shaiya Fan Made Intro


For being what I've seen before, this is looking very fun. After all, I didn't even realize I had spent three plus hours playing the first time I started.

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First Impressions (Shaiya)

Before anyone plays anything that has the commitment level that an MMORPG has, one should at least check out the things it has to offer. Such a thing was done with Shaiya and here are my initial thoughts on the game.

These are all preplay thoughts and based strictly on what information can be obtained about the game. This should be noted

One of the first things smart people will notice is that if they check out any gameplay vids is that this, like so many, are trying to be WoW without being WoW. I feel this was done poorly as it looks exactly like WoW. Though that is not a bad thing and from past experience such an interface works very well, it's still a bit "been there done that".

The second thing that would be noticed is that the game is very stylized and puts a bit of emphasis on how cool skills look. This is a great thing, especially sense these skills will be used over and over again. You want something flashy that'll keep people amused while they repeat the same behaviors for months on end.

But the real thing that will catch most of you and trick your brain into play this is that there is balance with counterbalance and still imbalance. Now, this makes ZERO sense when I say it like that but let me explain.

The world is broken into two sides, a "light" and a "dark". This is more a Eastside vs Westside type of deal then having to do with anything involving actual good vs evil. Each side has two races which work similar to the other two races but, at the same time, do not. One side is magic based, using more MP then SP while the other is flipped. Both sides have the exact same classes, from mage to healer to assassin and ranger, to tank and puller... they are all there. What does change things isn't how they play but more in how they seem to play. (Remember these are all preplay thoughts).

FINALLY, I just want to post the games trailor. A note that this isn't actual gameplay but more a showcase of how the classes, races and two sides play part.

Shaiya Theatrical Trailer


There is also a very interesting story behind how/why the world is in two pieces but it's not very important unless you are one for actually Roleplaying while playing an MMORPG.

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MMO Community (Aeria Games) games

There has actually been the intended post on this subject for sometime, as their concept of a huge online community stretched over many free games is an amusement in itself. Area Games was and is, as far as I'm concerned, the best place for Free To Play MMO games. There are multiple options with Dream of Mirror Online being one of it's first "real successes", at least from what I am aware of.

The community consists of sixteen different MMOs which, together, is enough to keep anyone involved in at least one of the said sixteen. They are mostly very "WoW like" but that doesn't stop them from being any good.

There will be a personal delve into one that was suggested by Sandy, a reader of Solve Unamusements. This game being one that has been running sense 2007 and now has a good amount of players to not be over crowded and annoying and not be naked. That game being Shaiya.

A few of the next blog posts will be covering this game from the first impressions to the first few hours of gameplay and then later on, perhaps a break to allow my own time with the game and other blog posts to commence.

One final note on what keeps the games free to play is their "system". If it is wished people may pay for individual perks, items, etc. It's nothing great and doesn't usually alter things to much but provides a nice steady income that allows the developers to still technically offer a free MMO to be played.

Aeria Games

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Pick A System (Harvest Moon)

Harvest Moon is a game with so many, moderately well made, renditions that it has a home on every Nintendo system except for the NES. Made by the Natsume, there are also several "unofficial sequels" to other systems. Most of those that are on other systems to not have the actual Harvest Moon name.

The games are rather simple in concept but what always blows me away about each of them is the citizens in the towns your are placed in. While their responses are a bit limited they somehow always seem to make you care, if only a little, about what has or hasn't happened to them.

This feature is easiest seen by the player as they search for a life partner. It was only until recent games that the player was anything other then male, and that is the only type which I play, but the females that where protrayed didn't change much.

They Consisted of:

• Flower Girl
• Religious/Politic Girl
• Tool Girl
• Party Girl
• Traveler

Recent Games have included other arcitypes such as the sick girl and her nurse but the originals are the main staples.

Out of the common listed girls, three are almost always present. "Party girl" usually runs the bar, which is open really late. When she is not, most of the time this female is wondering around town and looking at flowers. "Flower girl" operates the place where the player goes to get seeds, this is usually operated by the girls mother. When not working at the see shop, she is usually in a part or other place of that nature. "Religious/Political girl" is usually the mayor's daughter. In some games this girl attends church and in others she is in the library.

Personally, my two favorite versions of the series are two, out of the three, that are on the gamecube. A Wonderful Life and Magical Melody, are the most well done and have the best NPC to PC character interaction.

Overall, its an excellent game series with excellent characters to interact with and a really good game to kinda zone out to at times.

Note: Harvest Moon and other games related are slightly classified as "farming simulators" but this is not the case. These games are small town simulators, but only in a very simplistic way.

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Redirecting (Looking, again, at Cantr)

Those of you that were here from "the beginning" know of, and probably play, Cantr. If you don't then look at this later.

Basically, my view of the subject has not changed. It is still a very fun game that anyone who considers themselves an armature writer with an open mind will enjoy. It also appeals to a few of the more "gamer" aspect but that behavior is generally frowned on within the active community. From my point of view, neither "way to play" is wrong or bad but be warned if you pick the latter you will not be anyone's favorite player.

What I really wish to bring light on from my previous post was the small bit of one small sentence. It was the interjection: "If only a little" and I've come to realize how big that interjection is. After playing for a bit more time this "only a little" seems a lot drastic then it used to. Generally, that is the extent to which you can affect the game or, if you look at it in terms of percentage, you can't affect it at all.

There is a reason why the game offers fifteen character slots for you to participate in the world and that's because if you wish to leave a dent its generally based on the number of characters you have now or have had in the past. This is not particularly bad but it does discourage people from playing beyond the games basic micromanaging points (get food, cook food, eat food, use shield, eat).

What things come down to are character specific marks on other specific characters. Don't try and leave your mark on the Cantr world by being the best, whatever. Instead just try and enhance the characters directly involved with your own. If you're lucky you might change the world via third party but the only real way to change it first hand is to get extremely lucky. Most characters are dead characters forgotten in one real life day by live ones, so enjoy that small moment cause its the only one you'll really get as a player. The sad thing about it is that you'll not get to witness it as events after character death are not privy.

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Pokemon Remake (Fire Red)

To start this post with anything other then "I play Pokemon" would be ignoring the fact that I do. Thus, "I play Pokemon" is now out of the way and I may speak of the proper issue at hand.

That issue being fed a remake of a "classic". Pokemon Red for the GBC was one of the first two that ever started "Poke-fever" and it was remade for the GBA and given an "overhaul" with the title of Pokemon Fire Red. The problem is that if you have played either Pokemon Red or Blue then Fire Red and Leaf Green are just dumb and you would rather play the old "crappy version".

The thing is you would expect something new to be added to these remakes. However, that is not so much true. The only additions, minus the sound and graphical ones, are a few islands and the additional Pokemon that have been released so far in the "Poke-verse". That is, of course, after you have beaten the game. This is slightly irritating.

All the "add ones" from the latter versions, after the original Red, Blue and Yellow, are not there until the game is beaten. This is, again, very, very, very frustrating. The most obvious, and most annoying, was the day care center. This is the location where you place two Pokemon to mate and get Pokemon Eggs. Usually, for me at least, one of them was always a ditto. The day care center was not opened until much later and at that time I no longer cared to make breeder Pokemon.

I think I would have had more fun with the game if I had others to battle or trade with. That is where a lot of Fire Red's features are. As I was playing on my PC VBA emulator with no intention for any netplay (Even with myself upon opening multiple emulator instances), I was basically stuck only playing the 1p mode. That is cool but I wish more things were open in 1p mode.

Guess I'm saying you should play the original Red, Blue or Yellow and deal with the crappy graphics. There is also the option to play Silver (which I am doing now) or Gold. These are the two best in the series, at least in my opinion.

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Fallen Sword

Today there will be talks of two things. One is an amusement and the other a note on possible amusement that is still being worked on.

The first is a PBBG that goes by the title Fallen Sword. Fallen Sword is a PBBG that is based on the most common of types. The name for its type currently escapes me and I am in no direct mood for "research". Fallen Sword is a simple 2d almost non graphical hardly difficult and almost not amusing PBBG. The idea behind Fallen Sword is annoyingly simple. It consists of two parts for a good majority of the game.

One is to grind on monsters you that are auto hit based on stats of the character. These stats are mostly based on equipment and have no actual value on character stats at all. That is unless you pump ONE and ONLY ONE stat. The skills/magic and other things of that nature help to the point where they are, at times, needed in order to actually advance. Anyone can learn any skill and equip any type of weapon and/or armor as there are no "classes".

Fallen Swords only real amusement is its PvP. This coming from someone who generally finds PvP as not what a game should be "fun for", this means a lot or little if you hate PvP more then even myself. Actually the game portion other then PvP is really boring and "the rest of the game" is only saved if you have a "good clan". Otherwise its just tedious and stupid.

A lot of players quit before reaching level five and I do not blame them any. My character is currently at 96 or 97 depending on whether or not people have placed bounties on my head. That is a small annoying feature. PvP is not only unrestricted but the "bounty system" actually encourages it. There is a reward for killing PvPers by PvPing. Also, you may bounty anyone trying to claim a bounty on you so sometimes it becomes a circle jerk of who has more gold.

Another "light note" is the game is basically closed to you without "Fallen Sword Points" (FPS). These can, of course, be normally bought but are not worth it. It would be better to pay for a "real game" or find a "more free" game if on insisted. TPS is hard to obtain otherwise and all of the "good equipment" along with any additional "player skills" cost FPS.

There is a link in my side bar available for anyone to sign up if they so wish. I honestly do not suggest it and I am not sure why I even still play, at times. The game has its fun but it does not really "open" until you have reached level 30 and found a good clan/guild.

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eRepublic (Honorable Mention)

Not a lot of games tell you up front what you are actually getting into but eRepublic is one of them. Its a nice, simple game, that replicates the world we live in. Each nation, town, city, state, province... it is all there.

Upon signing up for the game you are greeted by Plato and he will be your Microsoft Helper Paper Clip through the entire time you play the game. Each time something new is opened up to you he decides to chime in and tell you what it is and how it works. This is great if you are lost or confused but if you intentionally choose not to follow his instructions for your characters first two weeks of life, he'll not stop annoying you.

Plato, while playing the game, has very basic but good ideas. He wants you to remember to keep your character fed while having them train and work each day, then he reminds you to check the in game forums for updates on events and other goings on. The latter is slightly the problem I had with the game. The game, in itself, was not gripping enough to fully take me into it. It rests on you becoming an eCitizen of the eUSA or one of the other countries. I, however, could not "get into" that thought.

The newspaper idea sounded to be something I would have enjoyed fully with the game but with a blog, a few active PBP games going and FTO with Cantr, my writing is "tapped out". I saw no need to run a virtual newspaper through a game when I had my own blog. There is also the fact that the game is in constant war. Each country is always striving to take each others land, while at the same time their terms of "peace" seem to be the looser paying the winner to still stay in their country and control all the business etc.

While the game did not fully take me, I do see what is there for the rest. It has a nice feel and movement to the game while not over powering you with "do it this way" as there are several ways to accomplish "success" in their eWorld Remaster. There is the typical "combat" line of thought, being the best commander or simply the strongest soldier, are very good ways to play eRepublic. There is the "politician" which is the same in both eUSA as it is in the real world, a horrible popularity contest with vague, if any, points for election/re-election. Like I said though, the fact that one could own their own newsstand which many others would read and form opinions on is a great add-on to the typical nation type of PBBG.

Personally, I am letting my character starve due to having so many other things I am involved in. I did not see a true point to investing so much time in early character development to almost utterly abandon it just to randomly write in game articles. However that would require being up to date, constantly, on in game current events if you were not doing anything "silly". Thoughts of creating an eOnoin Newsletter popped into my head a few times but such effort was minimal with no reward.

eRepublic is a good solid game with a great idea behind it. If you are willing to invest a moderate amount of time to become "one" with your other eCitizens then you will enjoy the game. If you are like me and did not want to or could not be bothered to, then eRepublic will be lost on you.

Fairy Tales!?

A game that I have been personally fighting tooth and nail is slowly gripping my attention and pulling me deeply into its game environment. It is something similar to Cantr and while only Cantr needs the hype, I shall give the other game its small dues.

Currently I have chastised the game on its forums for not fitting a few simple needs for its players while forcing other things that are based on the developer, as there is only one, views of what constitutes a reasonable world right. This would not be a problem for the games selling point not its open and free form world. A world that is free to be created by its players while still being horribly limited by its developer is not a free world. It is only the illusion of free.

You may, or may not, have realized that the name of the game has yet to be actually said. This is mainly because I still am withholding a final thought on the game. Currently it is in open Beta but due to several very bad game mechanics it would be almost impossible to actually recomened anyone this game. Especially with a delayed ability to play, currently one must wait aproximitly six to nine months before the ability to play is opened up for them.

That "feature" alone, by itself, cripples the game from being a recommendation. If this, and a couple other flaws such as its cluttered interface, are worked on or even overhauled entirely then we shall see about a full honest review.

There is, however, the shinnning hope I see with this game. I am actually enjoying some of its quirks. A few of said quirks I had originally written off as broken in one manner or another. The quriks I refer to still need work but are in no manner broken beyond the ability to play the game.

Once more time with this game is had by myself and a few things cleared with the community and/or its devolper I shall fork over a biased review, as all reviews are indeed very biased.

Faery Tale Online

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Evolution

Time is no friend to most things until you bring into the thought of evolution and adaption. Problem is there is not going to be any talks of such events in the reality of the world. Rather, Pokemon will be the choice topic and point givers.

"Evolve" is one of the key words in the games be they card or video. While I am sure many of you see a stigma toward the games as "childish" the core mechanics of the playable, mostly hand held, games are the draw. To catch, train and watch grow several creatures under your control is the basic instinct of man (the race) to "play god". We all love to have a being at our whim, especially a digital one that can be sacrificed for the greater of its team and still be resurrected later.

While you the trainer are in no direct harm there is an implied emotional bond which takes "damage" when all of your Pokemon are no longer conscience. Upon each one dropping to the ground in exhaustion you, the trainer, are forced to no longer life on. (Game Over).

Ideas of evolution are not held by the game itself but also the way it is portrayed. The hardware, graphics, sound all slowly evolved over the years to go from something basic and yet fun to a much more engaging, if not sometimes micromanaged. Starting with only 150 creatures and then slowly doubling and even tripling the number of possible "pocket monsters" to catch.

Solve Unamusement supports the Pokemon games and encourages others to play them and enjoy. However, the rest of the "francise" is the problem and what is causing stigmata among the average hume. While the cartoon is fine for young children and the card game holds its place for several years, the viodo games will hold their flavor and fun even for a thirty year old man with a grown family.

Current games for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS can be found in most retailers but if you are savvy you may wish to try the VBA emulator for anything below the NDS. GBC and GBA games can both be played on the VBA so you could get the full experience you never took the time to have.

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Living Worlds (Elder Scrolls Series)

The Elder Schools serious started out as a randomly integrated first person RPG that started out as the name implies. Arena was the first of the Elder Scrolls names and thus does not have the "Elder Scrolls" moniker the the others do. While each game is independent of the others while graphics and gameplay improve based on comments from players the best in the series is Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

This was the first one of the four to go fully 3D and start a rang of games after it. While the first two where its building blocks and their stories were great. The main draw to each of these games is the "play as you will" attitude of them. No class or race is stronger then any other, although one "combination" may work better then others upon character creation. Each game was/is a matter of play style.

Morrowind is such a grand game, in fact, that is STILL being sold retail while the game was released in 02 and its sequal has been out for some time now. There are even mods for Oblivion (the fouth in the serious) that directly alter the game to Morrowind's landscape and story.

The advancement in technology is a wondrous thing as it allows for better graphics but the story is the same regardless of the colors on the book cover.

Arena

Daggerfall


Morrowind

Oblivion

While graphically the games have been revamped and upgraded the stories take their turns. Morrowind is by far the best of the four because it has a nice balance of them all. Arena and Daggerfell get a small boost for being able to keep up with their story despite the technological restriction but Oblivion has no excuse for its weak story.

All of these games may be played on your PC, one way or another. Arena and Daggerfell may require a emulator program to operate but Morrowind and Oblivion should work with most standard systems. As far as I know, only Arena is shareware but checking the Elder Scrolls site, found in side bar, should clarify any and all misconceptions you may or may not have.

Multiple Endings

In Crono Trigger you play the role of Crono (You may rename him and the rest of your party members upon meeting them) the main plot behind Crono Trigger is to save the world. The trick is WHEN to save the world. As the name of both character and game imply the "Time Trigger" is what needs to be watched out for. There is a greet evil that will eventually destroy the world and its up to Crono and his group to defeat it.

That "feature" alone for Crono Trigger allows for several different endings, none of which I will state here. I will state that the "happy ending" requires the most play time and the saddest least fulfilling of the endings requires the least amount of play time. The story is beautifully written and does not hold the typical standards that most RPGs, in general, have.

Suggestions:

• Open the "Black Chests" in the present after examining but not opening them in the past for better items.
• When playing the first time through do not look for "easy outs" on killing the final boss.
• Talk to Crono's best friend Lucca's (or whatever you have named her) father for Lucca's best equipment.
• Do not fret when you may have possible "mess something up", this game is intended to be played multiple times so you may try again next time.
• Play the game AT LEAST TWICE.

The game starts in Crono's room where he is pestered by his mother to wake up. From there he is encouraged to go to the fair, but I'd suggest exploring town a bit before you do. The fair is filled with a few mini games and has a battle training area where you fight a singing robot.

After a little bit of time Crono, literally, bumps into a blond chick who doesn't give her name. Crono and the chick decide to explore the festival together. At the "top" of the fair/festival is where Crono's best friend and her father are making a new invention. The two think the invention will change the world, and it does, but not in the manner they think. An error occurs on the machines and an odd dimensional rift is created, sucking the blond chick inside. Crono, of course, decides to follow regardless of the risk and the adventure begins!

Traveling between time and locations, Crono Trigger is a grand game that evolves multiple endings. For its time, this was a rare thing, to be implemented correctly. If you've an SNES or the ZSNES emulator, I'd highly suggest this game. Playing on the ZSNES would be the preferred as their is less chance the game will crash or fail. There is also the added bonus of extended memory and the ZSNES features.

OOC Opportunists (Cantr Thieves)

Thieves are a common thing in Cantr and a sight for amusement when handled "correctly" while avoing a break in the Capital Rule of Cantr. The CR (Capital Rule) being the only rule of Cantr is simple to know but some fail to understand its simplicity.

There are several types of Cantr thief. They range from the most common and easiest to handle of the "Suicidal Newspawn Thief" to the more difficult and ruthless "Cantr Pirate". As stated previously the most common and easiest to handle is the "Suicidal Newspawn Thief". These are those that appear into the world of Cantr with an odd chip on their shoulder and think everything that is not bolted to the ground theirs. Worthless parchment and town laws, along with simple and/or broken tools up and removed by a naked man in his twenties. Soon after he drops all that he has taken as the guard strikes him down dead.

Being on the other side of a thief strike is not always fun for the character but as a player it provides needed in game excitement. Simple thieves are nothing, though, compared to the constant fear of pirates and other threats nearby.

Pirates do more then steal notes and run. Cantr Pirates lay waste to towns, killing all they can and taking real resources that the town has to offer. Of course, Pirates are more of a coastal problem then the "Suicidal Newspawn Thief' but the causality as most cities and towns thrive on the coast compared to inland is substantial.

The minor problem with either of these "thieves" is their actions are done in an out of character (OOC) manner. Taking things when they see "characters sleeping" (Players not playing). Taking advantage of such an event could be RPed as late at night but the fact that players are using the info to organize attacks is the "gripe". Especially with attacks and kills being quicker then most can respond to, there are many reasons for this.

Small issue of OOC behavior aside; in my opinion of Cantr Thieves they provided excellent, if not random, role playing opportunities. Each unique in its own manner as the one before and after. Sometimes the thief gets away, other times he steals something powerful and is difficult to catch. Other times, still, he is gone unnoticed for years and may even return to a town he has "pillaged".

Note: The "Suicidal Nespawn Thief" is looked down on by most players despite its random interjection of RP on an otherwise quiet and boring town.

Music Sells A Game (Persona 3)

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Despite the very stale Japanese RPG name and stereotype most want to toss Shin Megmi Tensei Persona 3 into, the game is great and filled with amazing music. Like with most games, sound development is key to immersing the playing in the experience. Persona 3 and its "expansion" do this very well. I assume the expansion "FES" does this well as I've yet to play it.

The basic story behind Persona 3 is a bit drab comepared to other RPGs with similar stand points. You, the main character of your own name choice, is sent to a new school in Japan. This school has a certain group of people who have a special power called "Persona". Thse are reflections of your inner self and are able to be used during "The Dark Hour" to fight against "Shadows". Thats the general premis in a nutshell but there is SO MUCH more to Persona three then the cookie cutter people think it was made from.

The art, music and style of the game are the real selling points. The music ranges from some basic but not typically irritating j-pop to something resembling that of progressive/medolic metal.

The intro sequence for Persona 3 will have you wishing you had the game and a PS2 to play it on.



If that didn't get you then the battle music will surly grab your attention. The guitar rift alone took me from my seat, for reasons that I was not fully expecting it in such a game, then added in with the tone and soothing vocals its a blast.



These two samples are nothing compared to the full game experience. I'd fully recommend Persona 3 to ANYONE looking for an amusing game with excellent sound and graphics. However, I will note that some parts can drag but this is typical of RPGs in general. The controls are simple and the story, despite my HORRIBLE simplification, is deep with lots of character development.

A World of Many Islands

As the title states, Syrnia is a world of many islands. From Remer to Elven and Kanzo, the world is spread far. Many players do not even dare to leave the main island of Remer for fear of pirates and strong monsters but those who do, have grand rewards waiting for them. Every island brings with it a certain level of difficulty be it the level of your fishing skill or your ability to fend off attacks. There are also benefits to each island, the most common being the limit in player density for more difficult or "higher level" islands.



Fifteen skills to master, four of which are combat related, in the game. Fishing, cooking, mining, woodcutting, farming and much more are involved in the lands of Syrnia. Ships to build for fishing for large and many fish, pickaxes to build for mining for ore and gems and hatchets for chopping trees for wood and sees. Syrnia has many things to do, all that reveal a small surprise, in its own right.


Buildings to build, shops and houses, at many locations; some locations safer then others. Each house with its own storing capability, the smallest being only two hundred and fifty units while the largest is over two hundred thousand. Shops built to allow other players to purchase goods you have collected but beware of thieves. Items left inside shops are always open to those with sticky fingers and gold is safe no where but your house(s).

The guild of thieves recruits players for their misdeeds, targeting marks at random. Each treasure chest and lock tool box grants you experience but the thrill is from taking what you do not own. Be wary, soon to be thieves, jail times are long and require you to wait in game for them to end.

Gameplay is simple, not requiring you to baby sit while you earn. Bot checks are implemented to prevent people from abusing this system but can annoy if you are trying to accomplish something. There is Google adds and limits to forum avatars and signatures, to prevent the game costing money. Donating can take these restrictions from you, provided you've given enough, and perks can also be given.

Srynia's interface is basic point and click, with minor typing for chat window and bot checks. You select an action with the mouse then get a count down timer based on how many players are at your location, equipment and other details. Once the action is complete it will repeat itself, unless you are traveling or have opted out of hunting all creatures at a location.

A great game for those at work or school who would like to accomplish more then their tedious work day without taking from their job or education. Besides the timer and chat box, Syrnia does not really look like a game and is work safe.

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