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Arcane Brilliance: Cataclysm beta highlights for mages
It's time again for Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that hasn't gotten a beta invite, despite an ongoing salvo of increasingly pathetic groveling at the feet of Blizzard's customer service department. Oh, the things that Arcane Brilliance would do ... It's shameful, really. So I want you guys to know that it's been difficult. I don't want you to assume it's been easy for me, this last run-up to the beta. There have been so very many things I've wanted to tell you but couldn't. I've wrestled with myself. There has been a hefty amount of soul-searching, an activity that -- for me -- requires spelunking gear and a machine gun that doubles as a flamethrower. But now the beta has dropped, the NDA has been lifted and it's open season on all the awesome changes in store for the mage class. In the coming weeks, we'll be going over everything in ridiculous detail, picking through every new build with a fine-toothed comb and just generally having a total nerdgasm on a weekly basis. There's so very much to discuss. In the interest of getting started, though, I figured that today I'll stick to what I see as the most significant changes. There are plenty of other places where you can get a full list of new stuff. That information's readily available. In the end, we'll get to everything, but I figure when you come here, it's for three things: analysis, opinion and warlock jokes. I hereby promise to deliver at least some of all three.
Arcane Brilliance: I hope for an icy apocalypse
It's time again for Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that has, for well over two years now, been your one-stop source for mage-love and warlock-hate. Which, of course, made it pretty much inevitable that you all would vote that I roll a warlock by such a hilariously high percentage in Friday's Choose My Adventure poll. Jerks. Just know: it may not be all that fun to watch me repeatedly drown myself or run naked into crowds of high-level mobs. Or ... maybe it will be. So, I don't know if you saw this, but I found it a little depressing. It's a collection of DPS data from the current endgame of WoW, Icecrown Citadel 25-man. And while fire and arcane mages appear to be right up there in the mix, frost is not. Instead, they're relegated to the same marginal, fringe PvE status that other under-represented specs enjoy, like subtlety rogues, or beastmaster hunters. It seems that not only were the few frost mages whose data made its way into those World of Logs parses doing some pretty woeful DPS, but so few of them were actually going into Icecrown that the data we do have is rendered completely unreliable. Maybe they weren't all that bad? It's tough to tell when there were sometimes less than 50 frost mage results. Even low-representation specs like arms warriors had thousands. This, my friends, is unacceptable. Frost mages, while kings of the PvP hill, have long been the redheaded stepchildren of mage specs when it comes to PvE content. Still, they've seen multiple recent changes to their spec that have promised to narrow the gap, and to a large extent, those changes have made something of a difference. Frost isn't by any means up to the same same level as arcane and fire yet, but in terms of raw DPS output, the gulf is narrowing. Sadly, it seems nobody has noticed. Now, I'm not blaming frost mages. I expect that a large and unsavory part of the problem is not frost mages failing to go to Icecrown or failing to perform well when they do go, but is instead a failure of Icecrown groups to allow frost mages to go. The stigma against frost is ancient, its taint deep. I have all but given up on this changing during this expansion.
Shatter soundtrack and dynamic theme hits PSN this week
Are you a hardcore fan of Shatter? So are we. That's why we're pretty excited that both the Shatter soundtrack and dynamic XMB theme are hitting the North American PlayStation Store this week. Featuring 14 tracks, the downloadable soundtrack will be available for $5.99 via the PSN. As a bonus, the soundtrack will come bundled with a dynamic theme and concept art. (The theme can be purchased separately for $2.99.) Of course, some may be turned off by the asking price of the bundle, considering it costs nearly as much as the game itself. For others, this is a small price to pay to support an indie PSN dev. Check out a video of the theme after the break.
Shatter bounces onto PC and PSN with new modes
Ludwig offered some high praise in our Best of the Rest series for Shatter, the Arkanoid-inspired PSN arcade game. Not content on making the game exclusive to PS3 owners, developer Sidhe has announced a new platform for brick-busting: the PC. Arriving on Steam in "the coming weeks," the PC port will feature new game modes, including Endless, Endless Co-Op, Time Attack and Time Attack Co-op. Fans of the original Shatter eager to get their hands on the new content won't have to buy the PC version, though. Sidhe director Mario Wynands told the NeoGAF community that "we will be bringing the new modes back to the PSN version"; however, it's unclear if the new modes will arrive as a free title update, or premium DLC. "[We] haven't worked out the exact nature or timing of that yet," Wynands told PSN Stores. Considering the low price of the original, we're certain fans won't mind spending a few more dollars to access the new content.
Best of the Rest: Ludwig's Picks of 2009
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories I mocked this "re-imagining" of Silent Hill when it was first announced. I thought Harry Mason had become an older, life-hewn Harry Potter and considered the town's frosty makeover as nothing short of sacrilege. But an encounter with the game at E3 2009 (and with candid producer Tomm Hulett) quickly changed my mind. While the game departs significantly from the franchise's known lore, it retains and streamlines much of what made Silent Hill stand out against games like Resident Evil. Encased in the game's frigid atmosphere, you'll experience a sense of bewilderment that, if you've been playing these games for a long time, you will not have felt in years. Indeed, the best surprises prey on those of us who think we know everything about Silent Hill.
Get the Shatter soundtrack for $1
One of the big PSN surprises of the year was Shatter, a retro-futuristic take on the popular brick-breaking genre. Anyone who's played the game is bound to agree that what makes the game so special is the fantastic soundtrack. From now until Christmas, Sidhe is running a special sale on its site, reducing the price of the DRM-free OST to one dollar. One hundred pennies. Yes, for less than the price of PAIN DLC, you can get the entire 14 track album to play on the go. [Via @jeffrubenstein]
Arcane Brilliance: The changing face of Frost
Welcome to this week's Arcane Brilliance, the weekly mage column that insists that tragic teleportation accident that left you with a polearm instead of an actual arm does not entitle you to a refund. Yeah, I should have known better than to start a multi-part leveling guide during a PTR cycle. Barring more huge news, we'll come back to the leveling guide next week, but this week we need to discuss the fact that Deep Freeze is awesome. Don't believe me? Stop reading this right now. Download the PTR client. Transfer your mage over. Spec Frost. Go find a training dummy. Use Deep Freeze on it. Giggle. Then come back here, because holy crap. Here's how the spell works currently on the PTR: Deep Freeze: This spell now deals a large amount of damage to targets permanently immune to stuns. The base damage is 1469 to 1741. The spellpower coefficient appears to be rock solid, something in the neighborhood of 2-2.5. It doesn't currently benefit from Ice Shards or get an increased crit chance from Shatter, but I expect both of those things to change before this goes live. When it hits the PTR, it'll be the single most powerful damage-dealing spell Frost mages have. It'll be like a Pyroblast made of ice. Only better. For those of you with a short attention span, here's the tl;dr version: After patch 3.3 hits, in a raiding spell rotation, you will use Deep Freeze every time it's off cooldown, and you will see a substantial DPS increase because of it. Read on for the longer, more text-intensive version.
Trophies: Shatter
It may be a simple concept, but Shatter is one of the most exciting games to PSN in recent memory. The techno soundtrack will have your head thumpin' as you try to collect all the Trophies. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
Shatter demo in the works, multiplatform release 'likely'
In spite of an admittedly small "publicity effort" by developer Sidhe, Shatter has sold quite well on the PlayStation Network so far, with sales of around 30,000. Critics have been quite nice to Shatter's modern re-imagining of the classic Breakout formula, praising its "clever game mechanics" and "incredible original soundtrack." It's the type of game that warrants a playable demo -- and that's exactly what Sidhe is working on now. "We will be making a demo available down the line for those gamers on the fence," managing director Mario Wynands told Gamasutra.Further down the line, Sidhe is looking into porting Shatter onto other platforms. "Shatter is not exclusive to PSN," Wynands stated. "But Sony is offering the combination of good royalties, strong technology, and a well defined process for getting content to market."Already, the team has "working builds" of Shatter on PC and XBLA, thanks to the cross-platform functionality of Sony's free PhyreEngine. Wynands says the team is "reviewing the situation to see whether it makes sense to continue investing in those versions," but also admits that a cross-platform release is "likely." That's a good thing too. We'd love to see Shatter end up in as many hands as possible.
Top 10 July PSN games revealed by PlayStation 'Pulse'
No, silly goose, PlayStation Pulse is absolutely not the Sony version of the Wii Vitality Sensor, though we understand how the name could lead you to believe otherwise. It is, in fact, a once monthly roundup of all things PlayStation Network. On the July 30 episode, after a thrilling commercial break for Fast & Furious, the show's host reveals the top 10 PSN games for the month of July, with Battlefield 1943 taking top honors. Notably missing from the list is Shatter, possibly due to it's July 23 release date. Worse? 60% of the list is made up of ports, which makes us feel kind of lonely inside. [Via VG247]
Shatter soundtrack available for a minimum of $9.99
What's that? You love fist-pumping anthems? Well then, thankfully the Shatter soundtrack is now available for download. The entire 13-track playlist can be downloaded via Band Camp (insert obligatory American Pie joke here) for a minimum of $9.99.We say minimum because Band Camp allows users to pay whatever they want for the content, as long as it's at least $9.99. So, if you want to rock out to Shatter tunes pick it up today. Heck, if you're feeling generous you can even give them $20 for the album! This also applies if you are crazy.
PSN Thursday: Comic-Con Edition
Yeah, the PSN update's a little late today. You can blame Comic-Con Craziness for that, but the sheer amount of content should be enough to calm you down, now that it's out. As if Killzone 2 and WipEout HD DLC wasn't enough, Shatter sees a release today, alongside some PS1 games. As for PSP owners, you've got two Tomb Raider games to grab. Not to mention that Dissidia demo and some more Rock Band Unplugged DLC. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
European PSN releases for July 23
There's plenty of content to nom on in this latest PSN update. WipEout HD Fury and the Killzone 2 pack make up for the fact that there's no LittleBigPlanet DLC this week. Not only that, but Shatter is now available and has been joined by a surprise addition in the form of Final Fantasy: Crystal Defenders. PSP owners have much less content to choose from, and if you don't own Rock Band Unplugged or Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce, there's nothing for you here. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Shatter developer talks up benefits of PhyreEngine
Just because Sony's cross-platform PhyreEngine -- which powered games such as Flower, Critter Crunch and Catan -- is free to use, doesn't mean it's not beefy. At least, that's how GripShift and Shatter developer Sidhe feels -- both of their PSN releases used the engine, and they've got nothing but rave reviews for the technology.Sidhe managing director Mario Wynands called the PhyreEngine a "great solution for download products where budgets are lower and every dollar counts." So, if you're having difficulties getting your next-gen Rock Paper Scissors sim off the ground, Sidhe's just supplied a ringing endorsement for an extremely cost efficient solution.
Sidhe will 'consider other platforms' for Shatter
Sidhe's upcoming PSN Arkanoid-clone-with-a-twist, Shatter, could eventually find its way to other platforms. Speaking to 1Up Gamers, Sidhe's Mario Wynands states that "right now Shatter has been approved for PSN and the company will consider other platforms in the future, but that's the main focus for now." if it does jump over to WiiWare or XBLA, then it doesn't look like it'll be doing so any time soon.Wynands also notes that Sidhe is currently working on five projects, including Shatter. One game, Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 for Wii, has already been announced. Three more titles -- one for PSP, another for Wii and a multiplatform project -- are yet to be revealed. These games should all be unveiled by the end of July. With Shatter hitting the PSN on July 23 too, this is looking to be a busy month for Sidhe.
New Shatter trailer brings the beats, busts a buncha blocks
There's a lot of buzz surrounding Sidhe's Shatter, the block-breaking PSN title set for release next week. Heck, a lot of that buzz comes directly from us, and if you've been wondering what the fuss is all about, you need only look to the trailer above. Seriously, drink it in with your eyes. This is the stuff made of legends (and maybe a few gigglebits).
Shatter coming to PSN July 23 for $7.99
No matter how much critical juice a game receives, it doesn't really mean a whole lot until the public gets their hands on it and puts it through its paces. Developer Sidhe announced today that you'll finally get to have your way with budding critical darling Shatter on July 23 (if you don't mind ponying up $7.99).If you've missed the buzz, Shatter is a futuristic take on the brick-breaking genre that you can see in action right here.
See more of PSN's Shatter in motion
OK, before you watch the video after the break: Imagine if someone traveled into the future, killed all the guys in that Yatta! video and used their blood sacrifice to revive a recently murdered Daft Punk. If they made a game about that, it would be Shatter. Now, you may watch.We weren't cool enough to hear about Shatter on the E3 show floor, so we, much like yourselves, are just now climbing on the bus. And what a freaked out, Breakout-esque bus it is too.
Shatter breaks onto PSN later this year
Move over, Magic Ball. PlayStation Network is getting yet another twist on the classic brick-breaking genre courtesy of Sidhe, "New Zealand's largest game studio." You'll know how to play Shatter just by looking at the trailer: use a paddle to bounce an object back and destroy bricks. However, this isn't your father's Breakout. Expect a variety of power-ups, special attacks and, yes, boss battles.You can check out the debut trailer, after the break.
Mage changes in beta build 8962
Ok Mages. Are you sitting down? We finally got our nerf. We sort of knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it suck any less. We got a few buffs, too, but the one major nerf was a whopper. It won't affect everyone, just Mages like me who had fallen in love with the new Arcane tree. This nerf, if it stands, almost singlehandedly kills the whole tree, at least as a stand-alone spec.Here it is: Arcane Blast changed. Each time you cast Arcane Blast, the damage is increased by 15% and mana cost is increased by 300% (used to be 25% damage and 75% mana cost) Soak that in for a second. I really, really hope that's a typo. I went onto the beta this morning and spammed Arcane Blast on a training dummy for a bit. After 4 casts, I was suffering a 1200% increase in the mana cost of the spell, while only gaining a 60% increase in damage. The fourth spellcast was costing 2970 mana and doing about 3k damage per cast, fully talented and spell damaged out. That's about 1 point of damage per mana point, making it so ridiculously inefficient that only the first cast is worth the cost, and then only barely.I'm praying that the 300% number is supposed to be 30%, and will be fixed. 30% sounds about right to me. With the nerf to the damage buff, that kind of mana cost reduction would work, though they could probably go as far as 50% and I wouldn't freak out. But to reduce the damage and make the mana cost so incredibly prohibitive? Just...wow.You can find the full list of changes after the jump.
