Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Best Action RPGs (Hack n' Slash Yo) Of All Time

Written By: Tyler

Because the Diablo 3 expansion Reaper of Souls has been released today, I figured it was fitting (and topical, go me!) to share my Top Ten ARPGs with the entire world. If you are unsure of what I mean, I am talking a sub-genre of the RPG that focuses a lot on demolishing hordes upon hordes of enemies while getting copious amounts of loot.

One last thing... I tend to only pick one game from a series when doing these lists so I don't take up a bunch of spots if there's a few good games in a series. The only time I pick multiple games from the same series is if I feel they are different enough from one another to warrant being their own separate entity.

So let's do this.



10: Torchlight 2

There's a lot of wonkiness on this list, even though I feel I include a lot of the choices other people would. Torchlight 2 should be higher in a lot of people's mind, as many feel it is the true Diablo 2 successor (not Diablo 3). Some people were more excited for this sequel than Diablo 3.

I enjoy Torchlight 2, and I like that the character classes break away from what we expect. I wasn't a huge fan of the artstyle, but the main reason it isn't higher is simply because I didn't play it enough to put it higher. Had I sunk a bunch of hours in to truly experience it, it may have gotten higher.


9: Realm of the Mad God

Which is why a game like Realm of The Mad God is probably a contentious choice. Some would say it's not even in the genre, but with its focus on loot and fast-paced combat, I would say that it has enough in common with the genre to be included here. I don't care. It's my list. I do what I want.

Realm of the Mad God has a great name, but it's on here because underneath the simple graphics, it is an intense ARPG/MMO Shooter. There's usually a lot going on and when you raid the castle of the Mad God it's thrilling. Okay, so it's probably more MMORPG than ARPG, kind of the reverse of Marvel Heroes which is more ARPG than MMORPG. But still.


8: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

It's just an action RPG with superheroes. It doesn't do anything special with the genre but it's a solid experience that gets more points with me because playing as Deadpool makes me happy.


7: Champions: Return To Arms

Champions: Return To Arms is just another solid Fantasy ARPG. The leveling up system is fine, the classes are interesting but not altogether different from other games within the genre... but what matters most is that the game is designed and balanced well on all fronts.

6: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2

It's very probable that Champions is better than this, but I spent so much time with this one and have so many memories that I have to put it higher. Much like Champions, it's not that it does anything incredibly different, but this was also on PS2 and was top of its class.


5: Borderlands 2

Of course, there's always going to be some argument when it comes to genres, but I think Borderlands is more acceptable than Realm of The Mad God. Hear me out: Borderlands is basically Diablo with guns. Copious amounts of loot (weapons in this case)? Check. A bunch of enemies to fight? Sure, though not as many as in Diablo. Spiritually I think the game is similar. Okay, so maybe I stretch it a bit to include it, but I stand by Borderlands being on this list.


4: Titan Quest

Described as a Diablo clone, it also does it incredibly well. It had some of the problems that Diablo 2 had (yes, there are problems with that game... look below), but it also did some really interesting things with the genre in the sense that you can actually choose a main class and a sub-class. That was really great to me. Outside of that, it's just solid hack n' slash RPG action.



3: Diablo 2/3

I took the easy way out on this one, because I'm constantly conflicted. This will be the longest entry, but I have a lot to say about it.

I think Diablo 2 is a better game... I think. In case you didn't realize it, I think.

I actually only came to Diablo with Diablo 3, which is blasphemy in some circles. I didn't have the loyalty to the second one so I just played it as it is. I also played it with my brother which makes games significantly better and makes me think highly of the game. I put over a hundred hours into Diablo 3.

So I went back to Diablo 2 and tried it out since it's cheap. I also played it with my brother, who has been playing Diablo for a long time. The game has not aged as well as it could have, and I know, I know, that's not overly fair to the game since it is influential and old. Obviously some things will improve. In a bunch of ways, Diablo 2 is better than the third. I am also aware of mods that will improve the issues that I don't like about the second, and I guess the ability to mod should be considered when choosing a game. But the problems in the original, unmodded D2 still exist.

Diablo 3 isn't a perfect game, but I do really enjoy it. It was a little bit different than some of the other games in the genre, in regards to how it handles leveling up, but some of the criticisms (like the visuals) are just dumb in my eyes.

But still, I'll give Diablo 2 the nod over 3.


2: Path of Exile

Path of Exile has a good argument for being the greatest game in this genre, and I would give it that distinction had I spent more time with it. Whether people want to admit it or not, the time spent with a game can get you more emotionally invested and make you think the game is better than it may actually be. But I love Path of Exile. It just ended up getting lost in the shuffle.

Why do I love it? The leveling up system is basically the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X, which is one of my favourite leveling systems of all time. It also breaks from the norm and instead of having money it operates on a barter system. The way you get skills is by putting gems into your weapons and armor. It just does a bunch of things different and it's really refreshing.

Best of all, it's free.

1: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

I give Sacred 2 the slight nod over Path of Exile for now, even if it is a little more normal than PoE. I do really enjoy the leveling up system though, and for a while it was my favourite in the genre. I like the sense of humour the game has and how massive it is. There are lots of enemies to kill, lots of loot to gather, and even has a dog with a cannon on his arm. After all, isn't that what we want from the genre?

My Top 40 Games of 2013, 10 - 1: R.I.P. 2013

Written By: Tyler Selig

                Hello everybody and Happy New Year! To start the year off, let’s remember the ten best games of 2013, according to me of course.

10: The Wonderful 101

                I’m going to rage a bit here. This Platinum Games superhero action game should have sold systems. People bitched about how the Wii U doesn’t have new IP and this interesting fast-paced beat ‘em up comes out and people don’t seem to care or even acknowledge that it exists. It’s one of the best games of the year and does something different with the genre, allowing your superheroes to form things like giant hands and whatnot. From the visuals, to the silly over-the-top humour, to the intense action, The Wonderful 101 really is wonderful and people shouldn’t sleep on this.

9: Fire Emblem: Awakening

From here on, you could switch any of these around and I’d be okay with it. It ultimately only came down to the mood I was currently in, since a lot of these are so entirely different than one another.

This is the first Fire Emblem game I’ve ever played and I was blown away.  I love tactical-RPGs, I love ‘job systems,’ and I love how deep the combat is in this game. One of the best RPGs of the year, by far.

8: Shin Megami Tensei 4

                This was also the first time I’ve played a Shin Megami Tensei core game. I also bought that other one that was finally release over here, but that was a tad dated. I loved what it was offering me though so I got really excited to play 4. It didn’t let me down at all… part Pokemon, part old-school RPG, it’s got incredible depth and a great story.

7: Batman: Arkham Origins

                I don’t care how many people want to say it’s too similar to Arkham City, or even that it sucks, this is another fine entry in an epic and legendary Batman video game series. Glitches aside – in which there were many when I played – it’s everything you could want from another Arkham game. Great villains, a logical story for why Batman is fighting so many villains at one time, and awesome gameplay that in some ways redefined the genre. No, it’s not a complete overhaul of the series, but since we don’t get one every year, I’m completely okay with that.

6: Bioshock: Infinite

                I think the first one may still be better, but this is another great Bioshock game. Wonderful story, solid game mechanics and dat mindfuck of an ending. It’s an accomplishment on pretty much every front.

5: Super Mario 3D World

                This game is just fun incarnate. It’s hard not to play this without a smile on your face, from all the references to games past, to the way the game works, it’s all on point. People can hate on Nintendo and all the Marios they release, but when Mario is at its best, there isn’t a platformer on the planet that can beat it. This is one of the best of the series, and that says a lot.

4: Path of Exile

                Free-to-play means shit right? Nope. Path of Exile is one of the best ARPGs of all time. It has your classic hack n’ slash action, but it does a few things different within the genre, such as having a barter system, or levelling up on something that is like the Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid. There is an incredible amount to love about Path of Exile. Did I mention it’s free?

3: The Last of Us

                It’s important to note, again, that from 9 on, any of these games could be number one but I believe in the integrity of the list so there has to be winners. The Last of Us was number one until right now, but I did a quick switch up. The Last of Us, like Bioshock: Infinite, is an accomplishment on everything. One of the best told stories of recent years, with memorable characters. One of the best soundtracks of the year. While some criticize the gameplay, I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Last of Us is one of the best PS3 games ever.

2: Killzone: Shadow Fall

                The bias is strong with this one. Killzone is my jam, I say it all the time. It’s a game I can sink hours into. I don’t know if this is the best one or not, but it does some things amazingly well, and they released a patch that fixes some of the issues I had with it. If you want a slower, Sci-Fi shooter, Killzone is where you should go.

1: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

                That’s right, I moved The Last of Us so I could put Animal Crossing: New Leaf as my number one. It’s mostly because it was a game I kept going back to for a couple months, whereas I basically only played The Last of Us for a while. Animal Crossing was my first real go at the series, since I only played the first one for a little bit, and I’m a huge fan now. But like I said, The Last of Us could be here, Super Mario could, Killzone, Fire Emblem, etc. Just depends on what genre I felt like playing at the time.

                And that’s it folks. I don’t know what 2014 is going to bring for me or this blog, but I hope you enjoyed my end of the year extravaganza.

On The Gamely Episode 5 -- VGX 2013, Metal Gear Solid 5, Starbound, EA, Nintendo And More!

Welcome welcome welcome, to yet another episode of On The Gamely -- a weekly show where we sit around and talk about video games. Some of the topics included this week are: VGX 2013 (and a bunch of announcements made during the show), Bravely Default, more EA bashing, Path of Exile, Staround, Nintendo being bosses, Metal Gear Solid 5 and more!

http://youtu.be/2j250G1426Q

Just a Quick Post About Path of Exile Being Released Today!

Written By: Tyler Selig

Are you a fan of Action RPGs/Hack n' Slash games? Do you want to play one that does a few things a little bit different than what you're used to? Do you like FREE? You'll want to get Path of Exile later today (approximately 3 and a half hours as of this post) on Steam or at their website: http://www.pathofexile.com/

Honestly, this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I only played the beta a little bit because I just wanted to experience it when it officially releases, but I loved the beta.

So this is just a quick post to urge people to download this. And if you end up liking it, throw some money at the developers who seemed to put a lot of care into making a free-to-play game that isn't pay-to-win and promises to deliver a quality experience.

You Rich? Wanna Spend Money? Wanna Give Me Money? October 2013 Game Releases!

Written by: Tyler Selig

        

              At the beginning of every month I am going to make a post about games that I'm interested in that are being released that month. Some of the games will be big releases, maybe some will be smaller, indie releases. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all the games released this month. The point of it is to give my own opinion on upcoming games, why I think they look like games people should play. Some of these games I will include on the list because I know people are looking forward to them, not necessarily because I want to play them.

              October is a big month for AAA titles, with a lot of industry mammoths competing against each other for yo mad duckets, so you’re bound to have something you’re looking forward to this month. So let’s do this:

Beyond: Two Souls (PS3) – October 8

Genre: Interactive Drama Action/Adventure

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9D1N-MHwog

Why You Should Be Interested: This is bound to be a divisive game because David Cages often are. He often focuses on storytelling, rather than gameplay, and that bothers some people. I loved Heavy Rain, but I loved Heavy Rain in 20 minute bursts. The gameplay was not the strong point and it got boring after 20 minutes but the story was incredible.

It looks like Beyond: Two Souls is more of the same. I’ve no doubt they’ll fine tune what they do, but it won’t be a game for everyone. I do wish they’d focus on making compelling gameplay because I feel like it would compliment the story… but Beyond: Two Souls is clearly a big release, and one I am excited for despite that.

Pokemon X and Y (3DS) – October 12

Genre: RPG

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmywDbnC5oc

Why You Should Be Interested: It’s Pokemon. It’s a guarantee that the game will be huge. I actually haven’t followed the Pokemon games but what I’ve played is really solid. I have every reason to believe that this will be yet another wonderful RPG on a handheld that is an RPG monster.

Batman: Arkham Origins (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360) - October 25

Genre: Action/Adventure

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pnK8akbd2M

Why You Should Be Interested: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were both some of the finest games the genre has ever seen. The different ways to tackle events, the incredible fighting system and just the fact that it was about Batman… all these things made these games classics. While this is a prequel to Arkham Asylum, I think the fact that it will star an unrefined Batman (along with the inevitable great game play) is an interesting choice. I don’t think people have to worry that the development was handled by a different company. I think the blueprint has been clearly defined and this will be another solid entry.

Path of Exile (PC) – October 23 (I think)

Genre: Action-RPG

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWbXdDpyarA

Why You Should Be Interested: Free-to-play is a concept that scares some people (I don’t quite get it but I feel like I might write an article about it at a later date), but Path of Exile seems to be free-to-play, not pay-to-win. I played the beta a little bit and it honestly seems like one of the better hack n’ slash RPGs in recent times. What I’ve liked is that it does take from genre classics but it carves its own path with some really neat gameplay choices. From a levelling up system not unlike Final Fantasy X, to the way it handles buying things, I think Path of Exile is going to be a gem when it is finally officially released.

Battlefield 4 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) – October 29

Genre: Military First-Person Shooter

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BcFSHW6iTE

Why You Should Be Interested: If you’re into military shooters and want an experience that’s not Call of Duty, you probably can’t go wrong with Battlefield 4. For me, the biggest deal is how destructive the environments are.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U) – October 29

Genre: Action/Adventure

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cwj1RQbOzM

Why You Should Be Interested: Honestly I’m not an Assassin’s Creed fan but I know people dig it so I’ll throw it in there. I imagine it’ll probably be more of the same, but if you’re into the series, make sure to check it out.

Sonic: Lost World (Wii U, 3DS) – October 29

Genre: Platformer

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5uNXffVR4A

Why You Should Be Interested: If you’re a Wii U owner (good on ya) and you haven’t played it as much as you would like… here’s a reason to play it. A Nintendo exclusive, it looks like it’s going to be another good entry in a classic series of games. So if you want to play as an incredibly fast Hedgehog, then this should be your jam.

WWE 2K14 (PS3, Xbox 360) – October 29

Genre: Wrestling/Fighting

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm9axR4gBYg

Why You Should Be Interested: While I don’t think wrestling games have been as good since the N64 days, and the last WWE game was glitchy, it still delivered a fun wrestling experience, flaws and all. 2K14 looks to be more of the same, with a selling point being the Ultimate WAAAAARRIOOOOOR. Which to be fair, is pretty sweet. And hey, you’re not going to find much else in the way of wrestling games so if this is your thing, check it out.

Well peeps, that’s it for October. Again, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list, and it’s only games that stick out to me in some shape or form. It’s also possible that I’ve missed some games. What games are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below.