Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

Massively interviews Scott Hartsman

Posted on March 16, 2011 by SynCaine

Very solid interview with Scott Hartsman over at Massively. Nicely done Karen. I’m not going to break it down or comment on every answer, but overall I like that Scott is throwing out more facts than marketing hype (first day … Continue reading →

Posted in Mass Media, Rift | 5 Comments

How awesome is Dragon Age 2!?

Posted on March 15, 2011 by SynCaine

So atrocious. Remember how during Dragon Age: Origins, sometimes the combat would get a little silly and you felt a bit embarrassed for the game? DA2 is those silly moments, turned up to 11, and put on repeat 24/7. Mortal … Continue reading →

Posted in Random, Rant | 19 Comments

PAX thoughts: Treasure chest complexity spiraling out of control!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by SynCaine

One of the better presentations I attended at PAX was “To Hell and Back Again: How the Game Industry Has Changed Since Diablo”, presented by David Brevik, former President of Blizzard North. The majority of the presentation was a historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Diablo 3, Mass Media, Random | 3 Comments

PAX thoughts: Guild Wars 2

Posted on March 14, 2011 by SynCaine

Brain overloaded with stuff to write after PAX, making it difficult to write anything. Good problem and all that. Expect a little more activity here over the next few days. First, I’ll just clarify that the post below is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Guild Wars, Mass Media, MMO design, Rift, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 36 Comments

Guild Wars 2 Review (EG Style)

Posted on March 12, 2011 by SynCaine

(Note: these keep coming earlier and earlier. EG workin’ hard!) Rift version .9 Looks similar, plays a bit like DDO (active but not really but hey look, dodge!), the PQs don’t move but also don’t look as blatant as WAR … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, Rift | 14 Comments

Rift: Quick glance at world PvP

Posted on March 10, 2011 by SynCaine

After two zones of relative peace, level 30 brings me into the first shared zone of the game, and as I’m playing on a PvP server, this has some interesting dynamics to it. This won’t be a complete review of … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, PvP, Rift | 3 Comments

PAX East is almost here

Posted on March 9, 2011 by SynCaine

PAX East starts Friday! I’m really looking forward to the whole event for various reasons. First and foremost is to see titles like GW2 and SW:TOR live, along with whatever else is on display. As I plan to attend all … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, Mass Media, Random, Site update, SW:TOR | 8 Comments

Rift: Souls of goodness

Posted on March 8, 2011 by SynCaine

Yesterday I pointed out that no single feature of Rift really stands out enough to singularly sell the game, but that does not mean there are not systems within the game that either bring something new or interesting to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Rift | 12 Comments

Rift: Things I wish I had known sooner

Posted on March 7, 2011 by SynCaine

Found this very helpful thread today. Enjoy!

Posted in Rift | 1 Comment

Rift: And I don’t wear jerseys I’m 30 plus

Posted on March 7, 2011 by SynCaine

It’s hard to describe Rift in a few sentences. I mean, if I say it’s like WoW but better that’s pretty subjective (read: correct) and depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking to pay $15 a … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Rift | 23 Comments