RuneScape (PC) Review

I know some of you may be thinking "Why is he reviewing a free game?" Well the answer is that RuneScape is a free game, but you may also pay a fee each month to become a Member, which is sort of an expansion to the free RuneScape. Anyway, on to the review!

RuneScape is arguably a MMOAG, or Massive Multiplayer Online Adventure Game. Some people refer to it as a MMORPG, which is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Don't worry about the minor details though, no matter what the game is classified, it is all around great. You begin the game (after signing up) on what is known as 'Tutorial Island.' Here you are taught the basics of gameplay, including fishing, mining, cooking, smithing, fighting, and more. The game has over 20 different skills, so its a bit of a lengthy tutorial. For more advanced players restarting a new character, or for those who simply want to skip it, there is a way to leave the island before it is completed.

The game has no central storyline, you are your own story! There are many quests to do, some short, some very long. What you decide to do shapes your character. The good thing about RuneScape is that you are free to do what you wish. You can make a living mining and smithing armour and weapons, catching and cooking fish, chopping wood and making bows, crafting jewelry, building furniture, creating potions, crafting magic runes for wizards, and so much more. The map appears to be a vast landscape, and it is, but an experienced player can traverse the land quickly using teleportation spells.

Combat in RuneScape can get a tad bit frustrating later on in the game, especially if you fight monsters that are much too strong for you. Some creatures are meant to be attacked in groups, unfortunately if you are more of a lone-wolf type then this is nearly impossible to do. If you're lucky you may find someone recruiting a group to fight team-monsters, but this usually takes more time than it's worth. Combat is fairly straightforward, though. You simply click monsters you wish to attack, and then you begin fighting them. Depending on which kind of fighting you are doing (Melee, Range, Mage) your character may run up to the monster or simply attack from where you are. The 'Combat-Triangle' governs fighting. Mages beat Melee'ers, Melee beats Rangers, and Rangers beat Mages.That is to say, if a person who is level 60 in magic was to attack someone who was level 60 in range, the range person will usually win. Usually.

I won't get too in-depth with each skill, because to do so would require many days of writing, and also reading on your part. Here's a look at the major skills most commonly used in free world-

Mining - This skill is used to mine different ores, used in Smithing. Higher levels allow the mining of higher level and more valuable ores.

Smithing - This is the skill used to combine ores and coal into useful items, such as weapons and armour. Higher levels allow smithing of better items and therefore better profits.

Fishing - You guessed it, the fishing skill is for fishing. Depending on your level, you can catch anything from shrimp and anchovies to salmon and cod to lobsters and swordfish.

Cooking - While this skill is used mainly for baking and creating things from scratch, it is also used for cooking the fish you catch and the meat dropped by animals when killed.

Magic - This skill, besides being used for combat, can be used for alchemizing items. That is, convertin items into gold. MANY people see this as a great way of making money, epsecially combined with the smithing skill.

Crafting - This skill can also be used with the mining skill. Gold, silver, and clay ores are used for jewelry and pottery. You can also craft leather from cows into archer armour. This skill is usually not very profitable until later on, in the mid 60's.

Woodcutting - Probably the easiest skill to train, woodcutting is used far and wide for its money making capacity. It doesn't yield much until later levels, but its very easy to get there.

Most other skills are kinda just there. Of course you have to train combat, but I would think that speaks for itself. Kill monsters, level up.

All in all, Runescape is a great game to play, recently, the powers that be saw fit to rework the game to shorten the length of Tutorial Island, and have made all non-essential skill tutorials optional. This lets you jump into the game faster. But if you've taken the time to read this whole review, you might as well give it a go! Signing up is free and easy, no confirmation emails, no credit card numbers. Pick a name, password, login and play!

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility Review (Wii)

Gameplay - 7

Story - 8

Graphics - 8

Sound - 8

Overall - 7.75

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a pretty nice game. While I'm not a fan of the series, I'm pretty sure that this is the first game in the series' 10 years to have a real, solid storyline. It isn't the greatest story in terms of dramatic turns and plot twists, but it's still a nice piece of work. You begin the game and you are on your way to an island. Upon arrival, you discover that the island has very few inhabitants. This is because of the island's guardian, the "Mother Tree," has passed away. After the death of the tree, the island experiences frequent storms and there are horrible currents throughout the surrounding ocean, making travel almost impossible. Your job in Tree of Tranquility is to restore the island to its former glory and revive the Mother Tree.

Graphics in Tree of Tranquility are good by Nintendo standards. The style is a bit storybook-ish, which makes for a nice addition to the game. Animations for harvesting and other various farmwork are pretty cool as well. Little things like the soil getting darker after being watered have always been in Harvest Moon, yet it still helps to throw a little realism in there. Although the game's graphics are well suited to it, this wouldn't be the one you buy because it looks gorgeous. Animations are smooth though, with no laggings or tearing, no cuts in the scenery, and no mysterious pop ups while playing. Everything is detailed fairly equally and in 3D. Even in this advanced graphic age some games like Oblivion still have the old trick of 'rotating 3D' where a 2D object turns with the camera to seem 3D. Harvest Moon is totally 3 dimensional, right down to the grass itself.

Sound in the game is a bit lacking. There is no spoken dialogue in the whole game, save for the various quips and remarks your character may make while working or petting an animal such as "There, there," which tends to get quite repetitive, since he/she says it every single time. But the music is nice, and changes with the seasons and the areas, so it's always different. Not much else to say about it, but just know that if you put great thought into musical aspects in games, then this one will satisfy you. The music always suits the time and place, which makes for a somewhat immersive game.

Gameplay is basically the same as all the other Harvest Moons. There are optional Wii Nunchuck movements, but the game can be played without them using the Nunchuck controller or with a Classic controller. You may use the motion control for a while, but once you play for a bit you'll revert to good ole joystick and buttons. A couple of things may get a little frustrating, such as learning exactly where to stand to target an object, but you learn pretty quick. Controls are simple, of course. Walk around/run with the joystick, do everything else with the A button. It's amazing how much fun you can have with a game that has two or three basic controls - Move, Accept, Deny. There aren't any fancy button combos or sequences to memorize. Harvest Moon always has been and still is a very relaxing game to play. Growing crops and raising animals is fairly simple, and won't have you racking your brains to figure out how to keep something alive. There are also in-game books you can buy to explain everything a little better, not that you'll need it.

This game is great for all ages, and will keep you entertained for hours on end, and it can always be picked up again later on. There are many different ways the story can turn out, if you choose to follow it. It's worth playing through a couple of times, for reasons I'd rather not say for fear of ruining the game. Just try it, you'll like it.

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