Added: 11.08.2015 21:32 | 56 views | 0 comments

When Cabal 2 was first released in South Korea in 2012, it might have been something a little more original, and it certainly would have looked better to our eyes than it does now. But three years is a lifetime for a massively multiplayer role-playing game, and the time it’s taken to localize this game has not done it any favors.

If you follow the betas and launches of various MMORPGs coming out of South Korea in particular, there's a feeling here that you're probably very familiar with. You'll see bits and pieces of a game that looks more stunning than most MMORPGs you've seen, with the additional promise of a variety of intriguing mechanics. You may spend years pining after it, following every scrap of information you can as it slowly makes its way through the pipeline to the west. But by the time it's localized, whatever glimmer of charm it once held almost always fades with age. Cutting-edge graphics are now three-year-old graphics, and many of the fresh twists you were looking forward to have probably been disseminated among other games you've played in the interim.

Cabal 2 does a lot of little things that would have impressed me once. For example, the combo system is a clever way to add a more action-oriented element to otherwise-standard combat, while the astral weapons players get about mid-way through the game are undeniably cool looking and change up players’ routines. Finishing moves reward quick reflexes and give boss fights extra oomph, and character creation is robust, and loads of little usability features go a long way to make the game easy to play. Players who don't want to fuss with stats can have the game auto-distribute their points, for instance. Party-finding tools are easy to use, and corpses emit colored smoke corresponding to the value of the loot inside, which means players don't have to waste time and inventory space looting junk they don’t want. The game will also give a warning chime whenever a player or a party member aggros a nearby foe. These are all great features, but they're not unique to Cabal 2.

This lack of uniqueness is a recurring theme because at its heart, Cabal 2 looks, feels, and plays like an endless list of other games. All the little things it does differently simply get buried under the avalanche of everything else you know and expect, such as fetch quests and the need to endlessly grind. Playing this was one of the most boring things I've done in recent memory, to the point that I caught myself thinking wistfully about other MMOGs I'd dismissed as bland in the past. “Maybe I should give Scarlet Blade another chance,” I thought as I yet again made the run from “Area Full of Wolves” to “Area Full of People Asking Me One at a Time to Kill More Wolves.” When you spend an entire weekend jogging back and forth between the same three points on the map, it's easy to grow bored and tumble into a well of mental distractions.

Cabal 2 doesn't respect the player's time. You're sent back and forth, over and over, between the same areas and the same people killing the same targets for slightly different purposes. Sometimes those purposes are clear, and sometimes you’re killing animals for vengeance and picking herbs because you need them to time travel and look, do you want to level up or not? This is such a common trope, but many free MMOGs have been trying to move away from it for awhile. Cabal 2, on the other hand, leans into it and leans into it hard.

Progress grinds to a screeching halt after level 20, to the point that it takes days to attain a new level. A big part of the reason this is a problem is that Cabal 2 doesn’t provide an ample amount of story quests, so you’re left to make up the difference by taking on simple and uninteresting side quests. Even if you don't mind going through the same dungeons over and over again, you’re limited to a certain number of playthroughs of each side quest per day. Many quests are disabled once you reach a certain level, too, meaning that as time goes on, your options become even more limited. Reaching Cabal 2’s endgame requires an unreasonable amount of patience as its designed to extend your time with the game while offering almost nothing new in return.

While Cabal 2's localization is competent, it still veers toward the bizarre. It's a case study in the importance of editing, because while you can understand each individual word in a piece of quest dialogue, strung together, the end result often sounds broken and unnatural. It's just off enough that I found myself going over sections again to be sure I hadn't misread anything.

I can't say that I hated everything about Cabal 2. The way my wizard extended her hand back to form a spear of ice, then snapped it deftly forward as she prepared to throw it? Lovely. The way she flicks her sleeve back down once combat ends? Flawless. The cast of diverse NPCs scattered across the landscape? Honestly among the most interesting I've seen in any game. Is that enough? Absolutely not.

The thing is, I've played this game before, and if you're reading this review looking for the next free MMOG you can dip your toes into, chances are that you have too. We played Cabal 2 before we'd even heard of Cabal 2 because its is almost interchangeable with countless other free-to-play games we've had access to for years. Maybe that wouldn't have been the case three years ago, but it is today.

Added: 11.08.2015 0:18 | 11 views | 0 comments


Blade Soul Mobile Game CN server will enter Closed Beta in China on Aug.17th, the game is a QTE card game developed by NCsoft based on the original MMORPG for two years. Players will be able to enter the martial world in Blade Soul to get the magical ring, even to meet the famous characters in game.

Added: 10.08.2015 23:56 | 42 views | 0 comments

A New Trailer

Destiny: The Taken King launches on September 15, and it'll feature a whole new story about Oryx, father of Crota, and his army of Taken. Developer Bungie recently released a trailer called "We Are Guardians," which shows off some of what players can expect from the new expansion. It has a lot of hints about the story, so we've made a gallery to analyze all of the secrets that appear in the video.

You'll Play on Phobos, a Moon of Mars

The trailer shows a player's ship flying toward Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. The first mission of The Taken King's story takes place on Phobos, and it introduces the Taken, an enemy that has massacred the Cabal and has come to war against Guardians and the Awoken.

The Expansion Will Take You to Saturn

Although Saturn's never been featured in the game before, it is in Destiny's Grimoire story compendium. Now, it seems that The Taken King will take you to the planet. The trailer shows a Guardian's ship flying toward the planet in the same way as in loading screens in the base game. Notably, Saturn's rings have a massive hole blasted in them, likely due to the war Oryx has brought to the solar system in his quest for vengeance following the defeat and death of his son, Crota, in The Dark Below.

Oryx, The Taken King, Is Quite the Enemy

Oryx has come from the depths of space to wage war against Guardians and the Cabal. He has brought a huge army of Taken, and in this image, he commands his fleet from his flagship, the Dreadnaught.

The Dreadnaught Has a Lot of Power

The flagship will play a pivotal role in The Taken King: It is the new explorable location. Players will be able to complete quests and patrol missions throughout the ship. In this screenshot, the Dreadnaught charges its main weapon to fight against the forces of the Awoken Queen, who has marshaled her fleet to meet the Taken army.

Oryx Decimates the Queen's Fleet in the Dreadnaught

The Dreadnaught obviously has massive power, as it's able to sweep aside the Queen's ships with its blast. Considering the ship's capabilities, it will be interesting to learn how Guardians got into the ship in order to explore it and take down Oryx.

Oryx's Has Force-Like Powers

The King of the Taken has magical abilities in addition to a massive space fleet. He is shown here using a magical force to incapacitate a Guardian.

A Captured Guardian Fights Back Against Oryx

Although Oryx has the ability to use invisible forces, somehow the incapacitated Guardians manages to pull out a pistol and fight back--though it's unclear exactly how (or if) a handgun can damage a being as powerful as Oryx.

It Looks Like There'll Be Platforming Missions at the Cosmodrome

The trailer shows a gameplay segment that takes place in the Cosmodrome, the first explorable location in the main game. The expansion looks like it takes players up into the towers at the Cosmodrome for platforming sequences.

There's a Cool New Helmet With Antlers on It

The Taken King comes with a lot of new gear, and one of the new head pieces will be this strange-looking helm with antlers on it. There's no word yet on what it's called or what it does, but it'll be a Warlock helmet.

The Devil's Lair Strike Is Being Revisited

This is the first look at one of the revised Strikes coming in The Taken King. The expansion will feature three old Strikes that have been reworked to include the Taken instead of the normal enemies. As shown in this screenshot, the Devil's Lair strike will be one of the missions getting a revision.

The Awoken Have Taken Over a Fallen Ketch Ship

A distinctive Fallen flagship is shown flying toward the space battle with Oryx, flanked by ships of the Awoken Queen's fleet. This suggests that, following the events of the House of Wolves expansion, the Queen has taken control of one of the Fallen's ships and is using it to fight.

There Are Multiple Dreadnaughts Fighting in the War

Although Oryx's Dreadnaught will be the focus of the expansion, the King of the Taken appears to have brought several other Dreadnaughts along with him to invade the solar system. This suggests that Oryx has several commanders and officers under him controlling parts of his fleet.

Going Inside a Ship, and a New Voice for the Ghost

The trailer also shows the interior of a Guardian's ship. The ships you get as a player are very seldom featured in the base game; they exist almost exclusively as cosmetic items. This shot also shows the Ghost, your companion in the game. The Ghost will be voiced by Nolan North after the expansion launches. Peter Dinklage, the original voice of the companion, is being completely replaced in the game.

Inside the Guardian's Ship

This is a shot of the Guardian pushing his ship's throttle forward. The appearance of the ship's interior hints that Guardian vessels could play more prominent roles in The Taken King.

There's an Absolutely Massive Space Battle Happening

The fight with Oryx looks like a war on a bigger scale than anything we've seen in Destiny before. It's huge, and from the scenes in the screenshot, it involves a lot of different fleets and armies. The space war could just be a cinematic set-piece moment, or it could play a recurring role throughout the events of the expansion.