Diablo 3 (PC)

Probably the most anticipated game for PC in years, yes that's right, Diablo3. Now , if you were a fan of Diablo2 (which I was) then you couldn't wait for this release. It was released this year on May 15, and I was one of those first day die hard fan players. Though the first few weeks after release were glitchy and full of updates and patches, they seem to have it under control.

Console: PC
Cost : $60.00 USD
(Collectors Edition $100.00 USD)
Genre: Action RPG / Dungeon Crawler
Rating: 9/10


There are 5 character classes to choose from. Barbarian, Monk, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter and Wizard. Level from 1-60 as you progress through the game. If you have never played Diablo before than you may not be familiar with the game style. There are 4 Acts (each act has it's own significant bosses and quests to complete) and each level of game-play has the 4 Acts to complete before you can move on. You start off in "Normal" mode (the easiest) and progress through until you complete them all. Game-play levels include Normal, Nightmare, Hell and now Inferno (which was never in D2).
There is also the option to create a "Hardcore"character. In this mode, your death means the end of your character and all items on that character are gone when you die (not for the faint of heart)

Wizard 

Some great features of the game include chat channels for players in hardcore mode or players looking to sell items. There is also a friends list on the right side where you can see all your online friends as well as recent players you have played with in public games.

Act 3

Game play is of the "click to move" style, no arrow keys or w,a,s,d. They have the use of hot-bars (as seen above) to activate spells and other items. You can also customize your keys in the options menu, as you can see I use the space bar to activate my potions. 

Auction House

The auction house is a neat place to buy and sell gear as well as other items. It is very useful for low level gear i find. There is also the option for trading items and gear for real US dollars. Though I have never  used this feature myself, my friends have made some money selling items.

There is also a PVP element to the game, though it has not been released as of yet, I am sure it will be entertaining.

My overall impression of this game was excellent! I love this game and have spent countless hours on it. I know that no game will be perfect but I must say there isn't much to complain about about this one. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to!

Hatchi (IOS - Iphone)

If any of you every had a tamagotchi, then you will love Hatchi! Its a virtual pet for your iphone!
You start off with an egg you have to hatch and ta-da, your new friend is born!
Gender is random and you also get to name it.

Available in the App store for $0.99

Sleeping Hatchi

Top Status bar shows the condition of your Hatchi, mine needs energy so of course i sent it to sleep.

The bottom 5 icons are interactions, feed, clean, play sleep and heal your hatchi! You can also visit the in-game store to buy it treats with coins you earn from mini-games. As well as a help section on the bottom right.  

The happier it is the easier it will be to take care of your Hatchi. Eventually your Hatchi will grow and bloom into a full grown adult. 

There is a Hatchi evolution tree which will show you the different stages it goes through!

Or you can adopt a Hatchi! 

I  am still waiting for my Hatchi to grow. Personally I found it fun/amusing for the first hour. I like that it has mini-games, but even those are pretty uninteresting. 

Rating: 4/10

Drakensang Online (PC)

Here is a pretty neat game I stumbled upon, and it's free to play too! Drakensang Online is an web browser based RPG game, no downloading required. It is free to play as I mentioned, but you can buy in game item and bonuses in the online shop. Released sometime in early 2011, this game seems to have gained quite a following.

Basic Gameplay:
I initially started playing this game while waiting for the release of Diablo3. If you are familiar with RPG's this game was pretty easy to get started. Of course there is an account registration and you have to choose a server and a class in order to get started. There were 3 character classes to choose from:

• Spellweaver
• Dragonknight
• Ranger

I chose ranger as my class, and started playing on Tegan Server (USA) Game starts out with a fairly easy to learn tutorial before you get into the real world. Once you finish this tutorial session you are teleported to the main realm. From there, you can choose the many NPC characters with quests and there are also many shops for gear/items. Main form of control is using the mouse to click for movement as well as hotkeys for casting spells and skills. Quests consists of killing certain monsters or bosses and gaining certain items. As you progress in the game and get higher level you also explore more of the world.

Pro's

1. PVP: I enjoyed the PVP (player vs player) aspect of the game. There is an option to battle in arena for 1 vs.  1 or team battles as well. There is also an option to be PVP flagged throughout the world if you so choose. Winning battles in the arena gives you points (Called badges of honor) towards skill upgrades that give you bonuses in pvp. Ex: Deal 15% extra damage vs other players or take 15% less damage from players. 
2. Quest: I found this to be the main goal when it comes to leveling and acquiring items. Quests are suited towards level and I find them to be fair and as well give money and exp. Progressively get harder as you level. 
3. Community: Large player base community, it seems like there is always someone to hunt with or join parties, whether you are already hunting or find a group in town.

Con's

1. Movement: I found some of the movement to be glitchy. Whether it be due to internet or the fact that it is a browser game it doesn't always run smoothly. Also the spells, some cast late or are delayed when you press a hot key, then you press it again which just makes it cast twice after the mob has already died. 
2. Specialty Items: There is an option here to combine like magic items to create 1 better magic item. I find some of these to be rather extreme as it costs "Crystals of Truth" to identify these magic items. Theses crystals are rare to find from mobs but can be bought in store with in-game currency (Called Andermant). Some items need over 600 crystals after being combine, which seems extreme to me when trying to obtain better gear. 
3. Customization: I wish there were more customization in characters. Each class looks really similar to each other and there are only 3 classes to choose from.
4. Player interaction: I couldn't trade with other players or drop unwanted items on the ground, they would automatically delete. There were times when I wanted to give things away but could not. This seems like a must in most of these games, however, non existent in this game.  

Overall I would say it was a decent game to play. I  stopped playing at around lvl 21/22 as Diablo3 had been released. It was a great game to kill time and sometimes I still pop on just to see whats new. Its lacking a few things that I enjoy like crafting and player to player interactions, but still worth a shot if you are looking for something new to play. 

Console: PC
Cost: Free
(In-game store option available)
Genre: Action RPG
Rating: 6/10
Click Here to Play Drakensang!