StevenMessner

When I think about the vision behind Pathfinder Online, it's hard for me not to get excited. As a fan of Iceland's greatest export, EVE Online, I have spent the last few years pining for an MMORPG that takes the sandbox structure of EVE and transports it to a more familiar fantasy universe, and what better universe than Paizo Publishing's wonderful pen and paper RPG, Pathfinder? On paper, Pathfinder Online seems like a sandbox fan's dream come true.

I never played the original Cabal, but hearing people talk about it makes me wish I had. It might have been a cult hit at best, but there is no denying that there was something about the original that inspired people to talk about it with a measure of passion. But I think it is safe to say, from my experience, that Cabal 2 misses the beat on everything that made the original so beloved.

The Reavers were never meant to take ED-L9T. They were harassers and skirmishers sent by The Imperium, the largest of EVE Online's player-made coalitions. While The Imperium was locked in a deadly conflict against rival alliances Darkness and The Kadeshi, the Reavers were sent behind enemy lines, to Querious, to wreak as much havoc as possible.

You may be wondering where my (Bill Murphy’s) review is for Pathfinder Online. As I mentioned a while ago in a comment, I just can’t bring myself to play the game anymore, and I don’t feel I’ve given it enough time to really put a score on it. So, like a boss, I’m torturing our own Steven Messner with the task of going in with fresh eyes to see how he feels about the game. Read on for his own first impressions and more of my reasoning behind switching writers.

Following up to the cult classic Cabal, Cabal 2 is a new free to play MMORPG jumping into open beta on July 2nd. While I've never played the original, I was definitely excited to jump in and see what all the buzz was about. What I've seen in my first handful of hours, however, is nothing but a depressingly boring game without a shred of originality.

When enemies are assaulting one of your systems, most pilots would exercise caution and attempt to gather intel before engaging. But when the call went out about a raid from Gallente militia forces on the Caldari system of Esesier, Mr Duffo took the more direct approach. For the average faction warfare pilot, warping to the large Caldari outpost and seeing the eight enemy pilots capturing it would have caused most to flee, but, then again, Mr Duffo isn't like most.

If you've ever walked around with a large amount of cash in your pockets, you're probably familiar with that paranoid feeling that follows you everywhere. Odds are you'll be just fine, but that doesn't do much to stop thoughts from filling your head as you wonder if today might just be your unlucky day. While ferrying $1,500 worth of cargo in EVE Online, Angel was all too familiar with that feeling. The only difference was that this was his unlucky day.

When the Rorqual landed on grid, the excitement between the 13 pilots waiting for it was palpable. Shanq had done it. Nine months of spying and lying came to fruition in the destruction of one of EVE's most coveted targets: the white whale of New Eden, the Rorqual.

When most people were watching the fireworks on the cool evening of July 4th, Chance Ravinne, stealth bomber extraordinaire, was making his own. Where many prefer to beat their chests and flex their muscle flying some of EVE's largest, most expensive ships, Chance prefers the silent approach. He is dagger in the night, the cheetah in the reeds; waiting for that one moment a pilot drops his guard.

A love-letter to super sentai television series like Power Rangers, Chroma Squad is a tactical RPG bursting at the seams with colorful characters, an insane premise, and a surprisingly robust combat system. Capturing the true spirit of Saturday morning cartoons, Behold Studios’ latest adventure is a testament to the fact that fun comes first, and despite a few flaws, Chroma Squad is first and foremost a ton of fun.

The morning of April 6th is not likely to be one that Lychton Kondur will ever forget, if only because the knife-shaped hole in his back won’t let him. That morning, he awoke to find that everything he had spent two years building had been ripped away. During the night, Lychton Kondur was deposed.

EVE Online is a game with a story to tell—millions of them, actually. Every day friendships are formed, battles lost, revenge exacted. This week we sit down with Varc Grayback, leader of an elite PvP corporation, to hear his story.