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General Tips WarningPower-leveling early on in your game can make your life a living hell. Enemies level with you until level 50, meaning if you power-level skills that don't greatly increase your combat effectiveness you can find yourself unable to defeat ANYTHING in a hurry. I personally would advise holding off on power-leveling non-combat skills until high levels, maybe around level 40. Just be careful - being overpowered by even the weakest NPC enemies is a very frustrating ordeal. If you're not sure if your plans to level are too excessive, you should use our help forum for advice. Leveling OrderPower-leveling is easiest if done in a certain order, as effects and bonuses granted from other skills can greatly aid in increasing experience in others. Although by no means required, leveling skills in the following groups is probably the most efficient. Each main bullet contains skills or events you should achieve before leveling the skills in the sub-bullets. There's no order of priority for sub-bullets (e.g. you don't need to train Alteration before Restoration and Heavy Armor), nor main bullets (100 Smithing/Enchanting doesn't need to be reached to acquire Shadowmere). 100 Smithing and EnchantingAlteration, Conjuration, Destruction, and Illusion - By leveling enchanting early you can achieve -100% spell cost for the magic skills. This vastly decreases the amount of time required to max them. Restoration, Heavy/Light Armor, and Block - Restoration can achieve 0 spell cost, and the defense skills can be buffed via armor enchantments/smithing improvements. Alchemy - Creating apparel with "Fortify Alchemy" enchantments increases the value of each potion you craft, and as a result vastly improves the speed at which you can gain experience. [*]Acquire Shadowmere - Skills that require mundane spamming of attacks benefit from having the horse to tank. Archery, One Handed, Two Handed, Sneak - Enchanting apparel to fortify these skills is still beneficial when training with Shadowmere. [*]Other - No particular event/skill is directly beneficial. Pickpocket and Speech - These skills can be leveled extremely fast due to bugs, and thus don't require special prerequisites. However, normal training methods will benefit from enchanting gear to fortify what skill you're trying to train. Leveling BonusesUsing the Guardian Stones, you're able to increase the amount of experience you receive when leveling your skills. Guardian Stones The Warrior Stone: Combat skills increase 20% faster. Located Southwest of Riverwood. The Thief Stone: Stealth skills increase 20% faster. Located Southwest of Riverwood. The Mage Stone: Magic skills improve 20% faster. Located Southwest of Riverwood. The Lover Stone: All skills improve 15% faster. Located East of Markarth. Other Bonuses Rested: Skills increase 5% faster for 8 hours. Obtained after sleeping in someone else's bed for a full night. Well-Rested: Skills increase 10% faster for 8 hours. Obtained after sleeping in a bed owned by you for a full night. Lover's Comfort: Skills increase 15% faster for 8 hours. Obtained after sleeping with your wife for a full night (note: you must first be married, you sly dog). Note: If you have the Lover Stone activated, you are not able to acquire resting bonuses. Quick BulletsThe following tips will work for most - if not all - skills. You can find trainers who double as possible companions. This allows you to purchase training from them (5 skill levels per character level) and then take your gold back out of their inventory through the follower menu. On a related Trainer note, if you have a high enough skill in pickpocket you can also just steal your money back that way. Increasing the game difficulty will raise the health of NPC's. Since you won't be actively fighting them when power-leveling some skills (such as Archery or Destruction), the increased danger you face is irrelevant. Raising the difficulty will, however, allow you to get more experience from them before they die. It also works for non-enemies such as Shadowmere. Those are just a few things you should keep in mind as you continue reading through this guide. Combat Skills ArcheryArchery is relatively easy to train. Get as many of the best arrows as possible, your best bow, and spam your attack! The tricky part is finding NPC's that will, you know, let you unload your entire quiver of arrows into them without putting up a fight. Methods Get Shadowmere and lob as many arrows into her as you can without killing her. It's not necessary to full draw - just stand right next to the horse and spam the shoot button as fast as you can. Southeast of Falkreath is a woman named Angi, who lets you train archery for free by giving you targets to hit in a certain amount of time. If mini-games are your thing, it can help take away from the mundane nature of power-leveling. Find an enemy NPC with a high amount of health, get them stuck on some object in the environment, and fire away! Mammoths work exceptionally well with this because of their large size and high health. This skill is a good example of when raising the difficulty for increased NPC health can be very beneficial in leveling efficiency. BlockTraining block is another (mostly) passive endeavor. The following methods are what we recommended for increasing block as fast as possible. Methods Eat something with a regenerate stamina effect, such as vegetable soup. Find an enemy and start shield bashing him; if done correctly, the NPC should be stun-locked and unable to attack you. As you slowly kill him, your block will be increasing. Most players resort to simply finding an NPC and letting them attack while blocking. Weak enemies - such as mudcrabs - will allow you the option of taping your block key down and letting the game run without doing anything, since they have low damage output. However, blocking attacks from giants or dragons will give you much more experience per attack (although this is dangerous). Heavy ArmorLeveling heavy armor is best done in conjunction with the restoration skill (if you're interested in leveling it), as the amount of experience you gain is related to how much damage you're taking. A hit from a giant, for example, will give much more experience than multiple hits from a skeever. As a result, you're going to be healing. A lot. Methods Let your character be a punching bag! Find an enemy, and let them beat the hell out of you; the harder you're being hit, the better. As a result, you're going to want to be restoring your health at the same time (using either potions or restoration spells). The trick is finding an NPC that you're capable of sustaining a few attacks against. For example, Giants do massive amounts of damage and would be a good idea for high leveled players. However, low level players will die in one hit from these NPC's, and this should try something else. If leveling alongside restoration, you may want to wait until you have armor enchanted to give the Restoration school of magic zero spell cost. This requires 100 enchanting (and at that point probably 100 smithing), but it will make increasing Heavy Armor a walk in the park. If this seems like a long path to take to max Heavy Armor - just do it without. It's still an easy skill to level. One HandedSimilar to the other combat-oriented skills, leveling One Handed is going to consist of you pounding an NPC until you've achieved the level you want. Again, experience is based on the base damage of the weapon you're using - not on many times you make an attack. As a result, you should use whatever weapon you have that has the highest damage/attack per second. Daedric Daggers are probably the most efficient choice. Methods Attack Shadowmere! Damn, if that horse isn't useful for taking abuse. Summon atronachs (especially the Frost variety due to the high HP) and attack them. This is another skill where increasing the game difficulty for NPC health boosts is beneficial. Just be careful, as in the case of summons, you will eventually be attacked. Two HandedJust like One Handed, your experience is based off of the base damage of your weapon. Taking ATS (attacks per second) into account, your most efficient weapon type should be Battle Axes. Methods Spam Shadowmere with attacks. Summon and attack Frost atronachs. Again, if using Shadowmere you should increase the game difficulty to maximize the health of the horse. Crafting Skills AlchemyThis skill takes a long, long time to level. More valuable potions give you more experience. Remember to eat one of each ingredient so you know what the effects are! Methods Buy. All. Of. The. Ingredients. You. Can. There's no fantastic secret to leveling alchemy - you need to buy ingredients and turn them into potions. Fast travel between towns and buy up all of the ingredients. If you enjoy hunting giants, combining a giant's toe with wheat yields a potion that can be sold for 1,000+ gold depending on your level. As more valuable potions give more experience, this is fantastic for multiple reasons. Just note that giants have a long respawn time in the game (estimated at roughly three weeks). Since this skill is largely based on potion value, it's recommended that you enchant gear fortifying alchemy to maximize the value of your potions. Enchanting and SmithingThese two skills should be done together, as each complements the other. Methods Smith Iron Daggers Enchant said Iron Daggers. Due to the in-depth nature of Enchanting and what you can do with it, we already have a fantastic independent guide dedicated to leveling these two skills. Check out our Smithing and Enchanting Guide for more specific information. It also describes how you can achieve unlimited magicka through zero spell cost, which is necessary for power-leveling many of the magic skills. I can't emphasize Enchanting enough; you can enchant yourself apparel that fortifies all of your other skills, and thus makes leveling them easier. 04/08/12 NOTE: As of the v1.5 patch, Smithing is changed to give experience based on the value of the item you create. This will make it similar to most other skills, and eliminates the efficiency of the iron dagger method. We'll post more information soon after some testing. Initial feedback has suggested that crafting jewelry with the "Transmute Mineral Ore" spell via iron ore is the new fastest method. If you have not installed patch 1.5, the dagger method will still be the best route. Enchanting remains unchanged. Magic Skills Things to Know - Magic SkillsThe higher the level of spell ( Novice < Apprentice < Adept < Expert < Master ), the more experience you're going to receive for casting it. This goes for all of the magic skills. The following recommendations are assuming that you already have armor enchanted so that 0 magicka is required to cast spells in the schools of magic you're attempting to train. If you have not done this yet, it's highly recommended. An in-depth explanation can be found by reading a sub-section of our Smithing and Enchanting Guide. I'd also recommend dual-casting the spells (when applicable) while training since you'll double the amount of experience you get. AlterationAlteration spells are generally quick and painless to acquire and level with. Methods Casting Detect Life is an easy way to level quickly. The spell gives you experience based on the amount of life you detect, so your best bet is to cast it in crowded buildings. A good example being the Ragged Flagon in Riften if you're in the Thieves Guild, or The Bannered Mare in Whiterun. You can cast Telekinesis to move objects; in fact, you can even dual-cast it to grab two items. You'll gain experience as long as you maintain control of the object, so this is a fantastic method if you've enchanted armor to give you 0 spell cost for the Alteration school. Players can cast defensive spells such as Stone Flesh to gain experience; however, you must be in a combat situation. If using this method, just try to get a hostile NPC stuck on some environment object and cast it in a safe location that's near them. ConjurationConjuration is one of those skills that's very slow leveling if done the organic way. Fortunately, though, this is a power-leveling guide and we don't care about leveling things naturally. Methods Cast Soul Trap repeatedly on Shadowmere (probably the most convenient method). Find any dead corpse and cast Soul Trap on it; an example being the skeleton remains right near the entrance of Labyrinthian. Assuming you dual-cast, you'll power to level 100 in under 20 minutes. DestructionAssuming you have zero magicka cost, you're in for another cake-walk. Methods Cast spells on Shadowmere. Poor horsey, she's taken a lot of abuse throughout this guide. Dual-casting will give you the most experience again. If you find that you're depleting her health too fast, you can 1) turn up the difficulty or 2) cast a healing spell on Shadowmere in one hand and a destruction spell in the other. IllusionAlthough an often ignored skill since it doesn't have much to do with combat, Illusion is far from worthless. I'm sure some of you will be searching for tips on how to train it, and we won't let you down! Methods Cast Muffle on yourself. You're able to gain experience even when no one else is around. Casting Rally and Courage in large groups of NPC's can level Illusion quickly. This shouldn't get you a bounty even if you're casting it on townsfolk. RestorationSince we've touched upon this earlier, there's not a whole lot of new material to add. The process of leveling Restoration is simple - take (or give) damage and heal. It's important to note that you'll only gain experience while healing when your health is not full, or when you're taking damage. You will NOT level Restoration just by using the spells like in Oblivion. Methods Triggering flame traps in Dwemer Ruins are fantastic ways to level Restoration; just heal as the flame whittles away at your health. Many players choose to level this alongside the Heavy/Light Armor skills; just heal as you take damage. You can train Restoration by casting Equilibrium and Healing yourself. You can use it alongside Destruction by casting damaging spells on Shadowmere and using healing hands to heal her at the same time. Spells such as Circle of Protection can be cast at anytime for experience Whew! On to the Stealth skills. Stealth Skills Light ArmorSee Heavy Armor above, under "Combat Skills." LockpickingThere's really no fun or extremely fast way to level this skill, so hopefully you enjoy the lockpicking mini-game. If not, well, you're in for a bit of work. The main thing to take away from lockpicking is that you gain more experience the more difficult the lock is (obviously), although some experience is granted even if you fail. Methods Some people just purposefully fail at the lockpicking game repeatedly, reasoning that it's easier just to get mass numbers of lockpicks and fail than successfully open high level locks. This isn't a completely awful idea if you're sitting on thousands of lock picks. Just find a lock that doesn't open at the default position and repeatedly break your picks. The Dwemer Museum, which is in Markarth's UnderStone Keep, is a fantastic place to legitimately train as it contains hundreds of locks to pick. The Skeleton Key, the Daedric artifact obtained during the Thieves Guild quest line, never breaks. It's a good idea to hold onto it if you're going to attempt to train by opening master locks. Note: Picking a lock that you have already successfully opened will not grant you more experience. Good examples being house doors, which lock every night. PickpocketThis is going to be fun. Dangerous and potentially embarrassing, but fun nonetheless. Anyways, pickpocket experience is directly related to the value of the item you are potentially stealing. The chance you have of successfully stealing an item is related to the items weight, so you're looking for items that are high in value but low in weight. Jewelry is a great example. Methods One of the best methods involves stealing from Sibbi Black-Briar, who is jailed in Riften. You can pick-pocket Sibbi to your heart's content, and ride the experience all the way to Master Pickpocket. Since he's in jail, he can't stop you, nor will he call for the guards. Your bounty won't even increase from the crime. Note that you do have to be arrested and then escape from the jail in order for this bug to work. Attempting to pickpocket Sibbi as a free man will result in the normal crime and punishment penalties. If a patrolling guard is present in the room, you may also have to eliminate him. People love stealing from Trainers. Buy your levels, and then steal back your money. You're getting great experience since not only are you leveling from your purchases, but the... You know... stealing thing... is also giving you experience. Rinse and repeat. Just note that after the NPC's get around 1,000 gold, the chance of success decreases dramatically. Reverse pick-pocketing items gives you experience as well. This means you're GIVING people items without them noticing. If you do this with gold, it will join the cache the NPC already had in the first place. You're then able to steal it all back for double the experience. Again, rinse and repeat as necessary. SneakYou probably remember training Sneak in Oblivion by tying a rubber band to your controller and leaving your character in a city for a few hours. Well, you CAN still do that, but there are better ways. Methods Successful Sneak Attacks with melee weapons give you the most experience, specifically daggers. Shadowmere is again a good option for you to attack, as are summons such as Dremora Lords (which never turn around). Maybe it's just nostalgia, but a lot of people still do the rubber band thing. If you're dead set on this, a good place to do it is in the Companion's bedroom. Sneak into a wall, leave for a few days, and you're set. This method is a lot slower than the first, however. SpeechAh, Speech. One of the most polarizing skills in the TES universe. We have an incredibly fast method for leveling speech, as long as you're not opposed to taking advantage of something that could be considered an exploit. Methods North of Riften is a location known as the Black-Briar Meadery. Travel there, and look for the shopkeeper known as Ungrien. Approach him to talk, and select the option "Tell me about Mavan Black-Briar." From here, you have a set of dialogue options based on your personality skill; one of the options, "Come on, get the truth off you chest. (Persuade)" is what you should select. From here, the conversation begins a never-ending perpetual circle where you can select "Tell me about Mavan Black-Briar." again and go back to the persuade dialogue option. Continuously press the speech button through the conversation to level up as much as you want! Well, there you go - 100 Speech from one conversation!

Back in gaming’s past, developers didn’t have a lot to choose from in terms of art styles. They usually just tried to go for a realistic approach. Of course, back then, the term “realistic†was used very loosely, and usually just meant that the group of pixels resembled a person. Nowadays, however, developers have a lot more to work with, with better technology and many different engines to develop their games on. With that choice comes different graphic styles that developers can choose from. What are the different styles? Well, that’s what this article is about. RealisticThe style of choice for shooters, realistic graphics try to make the game look as close to real life as possible. The color palette tends to be lacking, especially in the shooters I mentioned earlier. However, games like Mass Effect and Ocarina of Time are still able to make the games colorful while still looking realistic. A Game That Did It Right: Uncharted 2: Among ThievesUncharted 2 set a new quality standard for graphics in the Ps3 exclusives. While the first game focused on a jungle environment, the sequel took place in many different environments, such as cities, mountains, and ruins. The level of detail in each of these areas was astonishing, and the Uncharted series still sets the gold standard for Ps3 graphics. A Game That Didn't: Dead NationIf you look at most top-down shooters on the market, they tend to have cartoony or at least semi-realistic art styles. There is a reason for this, and it is one of the reasons why I gave Dead Nation a mediocre score in my game review. In a realistic world, the brown zombies blend right in with the dark cities, which can give you a lot of frustration. You may not see a zombie when he is right in front of you. You want sharp contrasts in color when making a game like Dead Nation. Other games that use this style include Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins, and Heavy Rain. CartoonyThis style goes in the opposite direction of realistic, and makes no attempt to convince you otherwise. The action is usually colorful and over the top. This style is prevalent in flash games, handheld games, and most Nintendo games, but there are other obvious examples as well. A Game That Did It Right: Super Mario GalaxySuper Mario Galaxy is a game that has it all when it comes to setting. You travel to more than 20 different galaxies, and while there are a few similar ones, most give a unique experience unlike the others. However, none of these environments exist in the real world, and are actually quite zany in design. What better way to convey that than with a cartoony art style that gives you artistic freedom in each and every environment? A Game That Didn't: Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningThe developers of this game tried to add a bit of charm by giving a style similar to World of Warcraft. While many people liked this direction, I personally didn’t. I really couldn’t take the game seriously while I was playing the demo. Everything looked disproportioned, and overall the world felt very artificial. Regardless, I plan to pick the game up next time it’s on sale. I just feel the graphics didn’t really fit. Other games that use this style include World of Warcraft, The Wind Waker, and Castle Crashers. ArtisticThis style shows the creative vision of the studio when designing the game, and these graphics show up a lot in indie titles. There could be many flashes of color, very bold outlines, or an abstract direction, and many of these games are remembered fondly for their art style. A Game That Did It Right: Armed with WingsWhat is Armed with Wings, you may ask? It is a series of flash games about an ancient warrior trying to take down a tyrant. The game is completely based off of silhouettes, and you can see the dust rising and falling as you run. I feel that the games felt much more dark and emotional with this style, and I would highly recommend a playthrough. The first game is “meh,†but the rest are amazing. A Game That Didn't: Mirror’s Edge (cutscenes)The actual gameplay graphics of Mirror’s Edge fall into the next category, as it takes place in a clean and colorful city. However, one of the biggest complaints about the game was its cutscenes. They looked like E-Trade commercials. I absolutely felt ridiculous watching them, and ended up skipping many of them. They didn’t fit with the mood of the game AT ALL, instead taking away from the experience. I hope that if DICE gets around to Mirror’s Edge 2, they will use the gameplay graphics for cutscenes. Other games that use this style include El Shaddai: Ascention of the Metatron, Child of Eden, and Okami. Semi-RealisticSome games may want to look realistic, but they don’t take place in a realistic setting. Or maybe they want to use more color. The semi-realistic style captures these environments. They tend to be fantasy oriented titles, but there are modern day examples, as well. A Game That Did It Right: Castlevania: Lords of ShadowHow could you not love the way this game looked? The environments were so full of color and were very varied. This may sound strange, but watching an enemy explode in a shower of blood looked somehow…graceful. You couldn’t control the camera in this game, and the result was having a perfect view of some stunning vistas. This game is in the top 5 for best visuals of all time, in my opinion. A Game That Didn't: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s RageChances are, you’ve never heard of this game. It was very niche in the west, but a hit in Japan. The game is pretty much a linear Dynasty Warriors with martial arts instead of swords. I bought it, and while it was a fun game, there was little to no color in the game. Sure, it was a post apocalypse, but all the areas seemed to look the same, save the beginning and end of the game. However, that is not my main gripe. My main gripe is the NPCs. I noticed this when doing a side diversion involving saving villagers from monsters. EVERY SINGLE NPC LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME. This isn’t an exaggeration. The NPCs have the same character model. I facepalmed when I saw that. Other games that use this style include Mirror’s Edge, Dragon Age 2, and Dynasty Warriors 7. RetroThis style is used when a developer wants to make a tribute to the golden age of gaming. You can clearly see the pixels and the animations are simple. Synthesizer music goes hand in hand with these graphics. A Game That Did It Right: Cave StoryIf you haven’t played Cave Story, I have one thing to say. Download it. Right. Now. This game was a piece of freeware created by one man in his spare time. I consider it to be one of my favorite side-scrollers of all time. The game was made to be a tribute to games like Metroid and Castlevania. While I haven’t played much of either of those series, from what I have experienced from them I can say that this title captures that feel well. I also felt that a bit of Mega Man was sprinkled in, however. From the charming soundtrack to the lovable character models, this game will stick in your memory forever. A Game That Didn't: ET: The Video GameI guess this isn’t exactly “retro,†since it actually was an old game, but come on, cut me some slack. You see the screenshot? Those green patterns in the background are TREES. I mean, even by Atari standards, this was pretty bad. Games that use this style include 3D Dot Game Heroes, Mega Man, and Realm of the Mad God. And those are the different graphic styles of gaming! Are there any games you have seen that don't fit into any category? Also, how important is the art style in terms of immersion, in your opinion? What's your favorite, and what's your least favorite? What do you think the developers favor? Leave your responses in the comments.

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The following tables are based off of user-submitted content to the wiki. Female Characters Character Name Race Location Owned Property Follower Merchant Trainer Marriage Conditions Aela the Huntress Nord Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Bed (Jorrvaskr) Yes General Yes; in Archery Complete the Companions Questline Aeri Nord Anga’s Mill Aeri's House No Work for her by chopping firewood Anwen Redguard Markarth (Temple of Dibella) No Complete The Heart of Dibella Avrusa Sarethi Dark Elf Sarethi Farm No Complete her favor Borgakh the Steel Heart Orc Mor Khazgur Larak's Longhouse Yes General Convince her to become a Follower Brelyna Maryon Dark Elf Winterhold (College of Winterhold) Yes General Complete both her favors Camilla Valerius Imperial Riverwood (Riverwood Traders) Riverwood Traders No General Complete The Golden Claw Dravynea the Stoneweaver Dark Elf Kynesgrove (Braidwood Inn) Bed (Braidwood Inn) No Wizard Yes; in Alteration Give Frost Salt Ghorza gra-Bagol Orc Markarth (Blacksmith Shed) No Blacksmith Yes; in Smithing Complete her favor Gilfre Imperial Mixwater Mill Gilfre's House No Lumber Work for her by chopping firewood Grelka Nord Riften (Open Market) No Blacksmith Yes; in Light Armor Complete her favor Iona Nord Riften (Honeyside) Yes Become Thane of the Rift Jenassa Dark Elf Whiterun (Drunken Huntsman) No Property Yes Hire her at least once Jordis the Sword-Maiden Nord Solitude (Proudspire Manor) Yes General Become Thane of Haafingar Lydia* Nord Whiterun None Yes Obtain Breezehome Mjoll the Lioness Nord Riften Aerin's House Yes Complete her favor by retrieving her sword, Grimsever Muiri Breton Markarth (Hagâ's Cure) The Hag's Cure No Apothecary Complete Mourning Never Comes Njada Stonearm Nord Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes General Yes; in Block Complete the Companions Questline Orla Nord Markarth (Temple of Dibella) No Complete The Heart of Dibella Ria Imperial Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes Complete the Companions Questline Senna Breton Markarth (Temple of Dibella) No General Complete The Heart of Dibella Shahvee Argonian Windhelm (Argonian Assemblage) No Complete her favor Sylgja Nord Shor’s Stone Sylgja's House No General Complete her favor Taarie High Elf Solitude (Radiant Raiments) No Clothes Complete Fit for a Jarl Temba Wide-Arm Nord Ivarstead No Complete Grin and Bear It Uthgerd the Unbroken Nord Whiterun (Bannered Mare) Uthgerd's House Yes General Challenge her to a brawl and win Viola Giordano Imperial Windhelm (Candlehearth Hall) Viola Giordano's House No Start Revyn Sadriâ's favor but then rat him out to Viola Ysolda Nord Whiterun (Open Market) Ysolda's House No General Bring her one Mammoth Tusk *As of v1.5 (4/5/12), Lydia now offers the option for marriage after you acquire the Breezehome house in Whiterun. If you are unable to get this dialogue option, make sure your game is updated with the recent patch and run the game for 15-20mins. Male Characters Character Name Race Location Owned Property Follower Merchant Trainer Marriage Conditions Ainethach Breton Karthwasten Karthwasten Hall No Miner Complete his favor Angrenor Once-Honored Nord Windhelm (Candlehearth Hall) No Take pity and give the beggar a gold piece Argis the Bulwark Nord Markarth (Vlindrel Hall) Yes Become Thane of the Reach Athis Dark Elf Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes Yes; One-Handed Complete the Companions Questline Balimund Nord Riften The Scorched Hammer No Blacksmith Yes; Smithing Complete his favor Belrand Nord Solitude (Winking Skeever) Yes Hire him at least once Benor Nord Morthal Yes Challenge him to a brawl and win Calder Nord Windhelm (Hjerim) Yes Become Thane of Eastmarch Cosnach Breton Markarth (Silver-Blood Inn) Yes Drunk Challenge him to a brawl and win Derkeethus Argonian Darkwater Crossing Yes Find and rescue him Erik the Slayer Nord Rorikstead Yes Complete his favor to make him a hireling Farkas Nord Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes Yes; Heavy Armory Complete the Companions Questline Filnjar Nord Shorâ's Stone Filnjar's House No Blacksmith Complete Mine or Yours Gat gro-Shargakh Orc Left Hand Mine/Kolskeggr Mine Pavo's House No Complete Pavo Attiusâ's favor to liberate Kolskeggr Mine Ghorbash the Iron Hand Orc Dushnikh Yal Yes Convince him to become a follower Marcurio Imperial Riften (Bee and Barb) Yes Hire him at least once Moth gro-Bagol Orc Markarth (Understone Keep) No Blacksmith Complete his favor Octieve San Breton Solitude No Complete his favor Omluag Breton Markarth (Markarth Smelter) No Complete his favor Onmund Nord Winterhold (College of Winterhold) Yes Complete his favor Pavo Attius Imperial Left Hand Mine/Kolskeggr Mine No Complete his favor to liberate Kolskeggr Mine Perth Breton Soljund’s Sinkhole No Complete his favor Quintus Navale Imperial Windhelm (The White Phial) No Apothecary Complete Repairing the Phial Revyn Sadri Dark Elf Windhelm (Sadriâ's Used Wares) Sadri's Used Wares No General Yes; Speechcraft Complete his favor Roggi Knot-Beard Nord Kynesgrove Yes Complete his favor Romlyn Dreth Dark Elf Riften (Black-Briar Meadery) Romlyn Dreth's House No Complete his favor Scouts-Many-Marshes Argonian Windhelm (Argonian Assemblage) No Yes; Light armor Complete his favor Sondas Drenim Dark Elf Darkwater Crossing No Complete his favor Sorex Vinius Imperial Solitude (Winking Skeever) No Rooms Complete his favor Stenvar Nord Windhelm (Candlehearth Hall) Yes Hire him at least once Torvar Nord Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes Complete the Companions Questline Vilkas Nord Whiterun (Jorrvaskr) Yes Yes; Two-Handed Complete the Companions Questline Vorstag Nord Markarth (Silver-Blood Inn) Bed (Silver-Blood Inn) Yes Hire him at least once Wilhelm Nord Ivarstead (Vilemyr Inn) No Rooms Complete Wilhelm's Specter

Introduction Required Snarky Sarcasm The path to marriage is rather simple in the lands of Skyrim, giving many otherwise loveless souls the opportunity to temporarily lessen the forever alone nature of their true, far less interesting real lives. Thanks to the witty programmers at Bethesda, none of us have to go through those awkward first words, terrible first dates, or depressing rejections (well, hopefully...). If only real life had 3 forced dialogue options for every scenario done with the voice-acting enthusiasm of Sean Connery and Jeremy Irons. Alas, it is not so. Yes, reader. This is you. Don't worry, your chosen woman - or man - will surely live up to everything you dream about. Don't kid yourself either, I know about the dreams you're denying with that fervent head shake right now. You know the ones I'm talking about - those terribly awkward, overly optimistic, and soul-crushingly brief wet dreams of yours. How did I know, you ask? You're reading this guide after all. General Outline Well, er... Now that we've developed a rather... Close... and fun-loving relationship as reader and writer, onwards to the true content of this guide! Skyrim, being the giant open-world choice-based adventure that it is, gives you the option to marry an NPC of your choice. Options truly do abound, as neither race nor gender stand in the way of you and your chosen beloved. You can break the required steps into the following sections: Complete The Bonds of Matrimony quest. Hm... Well, actually, that's pretty much it. For the sake of me taking up my 1,000 word allotment, however, we'll break it into the following sections... Quest Walkthrough Benefits Potential Lovers Much better. To the next section! The Bonds of Matrimony - Quest Walkthrough Quest Summary Here's a bulleted summary of what you need to do. Quest Giver: Maramel Location: The Bee and the Barb; a tavern in Riften Speak to Maramel about the Amulet of Mara. Obtain an Amulet of Mara. Find who you wish to marry and raise their disposition towards you. Request Marriage Travel back to the Temple of Mara for the Ceremony Get cold feet and back out, or... Marry, love happily ever after, and choose a house to move into. Getting That Damned Amulet You must first travel to Riften, and seek out Maramal at the Bee and the Barb tavern. Talk to him about the Amulet of Mara, and you will begin the quest. Note that even if you have an amulet prior to this, you MUST speak to him and begin the quest to get any dialogue options involving marriage. There are several different ways you can obtain an amulet: Random loot or stock in a merchant's store. Purchase from Maramel for 200 gold. Talk to the priest in the Temple of Mara and complete his quest; you receive an amulet. The locations Bleak Fall's Barrow, Ancient's Ascent (dragon shrine) and Hela's Folly all contain one each according to the wiki. For the love of God, just pay the 200 gold then and there you cheap bastard. Anyways, moving on. Yes, reader. This is also you. Remember those wet dreams we talked about earlier? They'll never happen. Nor should they. Finding a Spouse After you have the amulet equipped, you're off to find your soul mate! All you need to do is approach an NPC that you are allowed to marry (we'll get into that later). This is where things get hot and romantic. NPC's will require small tasks - called objectives - of you inorder to raise their disposition (how much they "like" you). Once completed, you will unlock the dialogue options concerning marriage. Assuming you've complete the NPC's required objective to raise their disposition, they will see your equipped amulet and... Perhaps ask about it. Or perhaps not. Either way, you should have an option asking whether or not they're interested. They'll say yes. Damn, if only real life was that smooth. The Wedding Travel back to the Temple of Mara in Riften to schedule your wedding. You actually have to be on time to the wedding, so remember when you scheduled it. If you miss it, you will have to reschedule. Well, here you are. Your life as a happy bachelor or bachelaurrete flashing before your soon to be shadowed and lifeless eyes. Believe it or not, you actually have a last second chance to back out of your wedding during attendance. Of course everyone will be upset with you, but who cares - you can go bang as many street whores as you want after. Before you go through with it, make sure it's what you want - you can only get married once. Even if your spouse dies. We'll just assume you take the marriage route for the sake of this guide. The Honeymoon After the wedding, you have to speak to your wife about living arrangements (remember to do this unless you want to lose your spouse). This will be the home your spouse moves into, so choose wisely, although you can easily switch it later. If your spouse owns a house, you can elect to move in with her; the propert then becomes yours. Items left in your new property shouldn't disappear, but due to bugs concerning reseting storage units you should test it to be safe. You now have the option of returning to whatever home you chose and asking your spouse about their store. The store gives you an income of 100 gold per day. If your spouse moved in with you (and not the other way around), they also become a merchant and will trade general goods with you. The Benefits of Marriage Sex! Lots and lots of sex! Uhm, no. You get no sex. That was for your single self. No sex...? Can I change my mind? You can always commit homicide, my bolded alter-ego friend. They say we crazy! But we knows, yes, we knows... On a serious note, here are some of the benefits: Your spouse will make you a home-cooked meal once a day, which restores magicka, health, and stamina. You occasionally get crappy home made gifts. The previously mentioned 100 gold per day and general store functioning. Don't mention your income of 3,000 gold a minute slaying dragons though, this leads to awkward silences in front of the kids. You can change where you live by speaking with them. If you married a companion/follower, they can still fill this role. Even though this isn't a benefit since, you know, they did that before... Sleeping in the same bed as your spouse gives you the "Lovers Comfort" bonus (all skills level 15% faster). Hm, maybe there is sex... Your spouse becomes a semi-essential NPC, only killable by you (assuming he/she was a follower of yours before). Potential Lovers "Potential Lovers"? You said there was no sex dammit! There isn't, I just couldn't think of a title. The following tables are based off of player submissions to the UESP wiki. Marriable Character List - Males & Females Due to the size of the document we've moved the table to a new page. You may view the complete list by following the link below. Marriable Characters Table Why Can't I Marry Lydia? I literally began on the idea of making this guide just because this one question gets asked so much. The simple answer is that yes, you are SUPPOSED to be able to marry Lydia. However, as of the 1.2 patch there is still a bug that causes her marriage dialogue options to never appear, making it impossible to marry her. If you're dead set on Lydia, you should wait, hope, and pray that there will be a fix in the next patch. EDIT: As of v1.5 (4/5/12), Lydia now offers the option for marriage after you acquire the Breezehome house in Whiterun. If you are unable to get this dialogue option, make sure your game is updated with the recent patch and run the game for 15-20mins.

UpdateWe have completed a fantastic skill database containing all known skills and their effects. It contains up-to-date information in an easy format, so please use it! Original ArticleThe following are skills leaked from the ESO beta. Remember, there's no telling what changes will take place between now and when the game is released. It's a pretty safe bet that a lot will change between now and then. Dragon Knight Skills Ardent FlameUltimate Abilities Dragonknight Standard - unlocks rank 12 15m range / 8m radius - 200 ultimate - no cooldown For 12s while on Dragonknight standard enemies take 6 fire damage every second enemies receive 50% less healing an ally may activate the shackle ability, damaging and rooting enemies in the area Active Abilities Fiery Reach - unlocks rank 1instant - 18m range - 60 magicka - no cooldown pull enemy towards you deals 8 fire damage [*]Searing Strike - unlocks rank 4 instant - 5m range - 40 magicka - no cooldown - burn target for 25 fire damage over 8s [*]Fiery Breath - unlocks rank 24 instant - 10m radius - 40 magicka - no cooldown deals 4 fire damage in a cone in front of you ignite enemy for 9 fire damage over 6s [*]Lava Whip - unlocks rank 34 instant - 8m range - 40 magicka - no cooldown deals 14 fire damage causes off balance to immobile or stunned enemies [*]Inferno - unlocks rank 50 instant - self - no cost - no cooldown Toggle to activate deals 1 fire damage to nearby enemies while draining magicka damage and magicka drain increase each tick Passive Abilities Kindling - unlocks rank 8passive - self increases the damage of the burning effect applied by fire abilities +200% [*]Warmth - unlocks rank 19 passive - self dealing fire damage snares the target 40% for 3s [*]Searing Heat - unlocks rank 29 passive - self Increase duration of the following by 2sfiery breath, searing strike, dragonknights standard burning effect applied by fire abilities [*]World in Flames - unlocks rank 39 passive - self increase damage of fire area effect abilities by 12% Draconic PowerUltimate Abilities Dragon Leap - unlocks rank 12 instant - 10 to 20m range - 150 ultimate - no cooldown deals 34 physical damage to target nearby enemies are knocked back Active Abilities Spiked Armor - unlocks rank 1 instant - self - 48 magicka - no cooldown For 17s resist 30% damage return 2 physical damage to melee attackers [*]Dark Talons - unlock rank 4 instant - 8m radius - 40 magicka - no cooldown immobilize nearby enemies for 3.5s deals 11 physical damage to enemies not already in dark talons an ally can activate the impale synergy, damaging enemies held within talons [*]Dragon Blood - unlocks rank 24 instant - self - 80 magicka - no cooldown heal for 25% of missing health increase health regeneration by 28% for 20s [*]Reflective Scale - unlocks rank 34 instant - self - 60 magicka - no cooldown reflect all projectiles for 4s [*]Inhale - unlocks rank 50 instant - 5m radius - 60 magicka - no cooldown absorb 3 health from each nearby enemy after 2.5s deal 6 magic damage to nearby enemies Passive Abilities Iron Skin - unlocks rank 8passive - self you block an additional 10% damage [*]Burning Heart - unlocks rank 19 passive - self increase healing received by 12% while you are affected by a dragon ability [*]Elder Dragon - unlocks rank 29 passive - self increase health regeneration by 5% for each dragon ability on your hotbar [*]Scaled Armor - unlocks rank 39 passive - self increase spell resistance by 80 Earthen HeartUltimate Abilities Magma Armor - unlocks rank 12 instant - self - 150 ultimate - no cooldown For 9s incoming damage is capped at 3% max health nearby enemies take 2 fire damage every 1s Active Abilities Stonefist - unlocks rank 1instant - 10m range - 60 magicka - no cooldown 10 physical damage to enemy knockdown enemy for 3s [*]Molten Weapons - unlocks rank 4 instant - 20m radius - 60 magicka - no cooldown For 45sincrease power of nearby allies by 1 bonus increased by 100% on caster [*]Obsidian Shield - unlocks rank 24 instant - 12m radius - 40 magicka - no cooldown create 13 point damage shield for 20s on all nearby allies shield absorbs 40% of incoming damage shield strength increased by 100% on caster [*]Petrify - unlocks rank 34 instant - 15m range - 60 magicka - no cooldown stun enemy for 10.5s enemy can absorb 13 damage before the stun breaks affected targets have increased health regeneration [*]Ash Cloud - unlocks rank 50 instant - self - 68 magicka - no cooldown For 12s enemies standing in ash storm are snared 70% and gain 30% miss chance allies may use the ash shroud synergy to avoid all attacks for 4s Passive Abilities Eternal Mountain - unlocks rank 8passive - self increase duration of earth abilities by 20% [*]Deep Breaths - unlocks rank 19 passive - self activation an ultimate restores health, magicka and stamina based on the cost of the ultimate [*]Mountains Blessing - unlocks rank 29 passive - self gain 2 additional ultimate when activating an earth ability [*]Helping Hands - unlocks rank 39 passive - self gain 5% stamina when one of your earth abilities targets another player Guild Skills Fighters GuildUltimate Abilities Dawnbreaker - unlocks rank 52 instant - 10m radius - 125 ultimate - no cooldown deals 29 magic damage to enemies infront of you deal 60% additional damage to undead and daedra Active Abilities Trap Beast - unlocks rank 52 instant - 28m range - 56 stamina - no cooldown place a trap at location that takes 5s to arm first enemy to hit trap takes 7 magic damage and is immobilized for 6s undead and daedra also burn for 15 magic damage Silver Bolts - unlocks rank 52 instant - 28m range - 48 stamina - no cooldown deals 11 generic damage undead and daedra are knocked down for 5s small chance on hit to banish targets dealing very high damage Expert Hunter - unlocks rank 52 instant - self - 48 stamina - no cooldown for 12s deal 25% additional damage to undead and daedra killing an undead or daedra increases duration by 15s Circle of Protection - unlocks rank 52 instant - 5m radius - 40 stamina - no cooldown create area of self protection for 20s allies take 15% less damage take another 20% less damage from undead and daedra Passive Abilities Intimidating Presence - unlocks rank 1 passive - self allows you to intimidate certain NPCs in conversations Bounty Hunter - unlocks rank 52 passive - self fighters guild in Cyrodiil will offer you bounty quests Banish the Wicked - unlocks rank 52 passive - self gain 7 ultimate when killing undead of daedra Slayer - unlocks rank 52 passive - self deal 5% additional damage to undead and daedra Mages GuildUltimate Abilities Meteor - unlocks rank 8 instant - 28m range - 150 ultimate - no cooldown deals 14 fire damage deals 50% to enemies within 5m knocks enemies back 800cm Active Abilities Magelight - unlocks rank 1 instant - self - 32 magicka - no cooldown summons a light for 15s the light reveals hidden and invisible enemies within 12m Soul Trap - unlocks rank 3 instant 28m range - 40 magicka - no cooldown deals 2 magic damage over 10s fills a soul gem if enemy dies while affected Equilibrium - unlocks rank 4 instant - self - no cost - no cooldown - trade 19 health for 19 magicka Fire Rune - unlocks rank 6 instant - 28m range - 60 magicka - no cooldown create a fire rune at target location for 30.5s deal 7 magic damage when an enemy enters the area Steadfast Ward - unlocks rank 10 instant - self - 80 magicka - no cooldown absorbs up to 120 damage from the next incoming attack last 30s Passive Abilities Persuasive Will - unlocks rank 1 passive - self allows you to persuade certain NPCs in conversation Potency - unlocks rank 5 passive - self increase spell damage and healing by 5% Greater Ward - unlocks rank 7 passive - self reduce incoming spell damage by 15% while blocking Stability - unlocks rank 9 passive - self increase mages guild spell durations by 20%

For some reason, my 8 Sites That Probably Aren't Worth Your Time article received a fair bit of attention and praise. Why that is, I'm not entirely certain. Most of the websites only entertained for a few minutes. Except He Man. Good God, I could listen to him for hours. But I digress. It has been awhile since I wrote that article, so I bet you are all bored with those 8 websites. Worry not, unfortunate Elder Souls lurker. Here are 8 More Sites You'd Be Better Off Without... And you only had to wait 11 months. Pointer PointerSometimes, writing articles for Elder Souls in the comfort of my apartment on a Friday night when all 3 of my room mates have left for hours can get a bit lonely. Naturally, somebody in my position needs a little human connection. Or at least, some interaction. And this is where Pointer Pointer...eh...kind of succeeds. Simply lay your mouse pointer anywhere on the screen, give the website a few seconds to work its magic, and it'll come up with a photo of somebody pointing to your mouse. Who needs friends when you have random strangers taking selfies while pointing to your mouse. I think our forefathers would be proud at what today's technology can accomplish. Akinator, the Web GeniusYou are familiar with the game 20Q, yes? I'll assume you said no so I can explain anyway. Basically, you pick any object you want, answer the yes/no/maybe questions 20Q asks you, then it'll try to guess what you were thinking of. Basic and fun concept, but what if that was possible with people instead of objects? Well, that is what Akinator is all about. Simply pick any person, either real or fake, and Akinator will guess it; sometimes in 20 questions, sometimes less. Since its release, however, the creators of Akinator have made the original, no limits version of this game only available via smartphone or tablet purchase. You can still go a few free rounds everyday with Akinator though, so it isn't a complete money grub. Ever since David passed me in likes, I've had to exert my manliness in other ways Penis Analyzer(Was really debating whether or not to include this one, but immaturity got the best of me. Story of my life.) Now time for a website for the ladies. That's right. I know how many of you browse Elder Souls. I also know the common dilemma you face: how do you what a guy is packing without actually making a move to see for yourself? Don't worry; we got you covered! Simply type the name of the lucky (or unlucky) male into the website, hit analyze, and it'll give you a full page of statistics and images on what his penis probably looks like. That Charlie in your Math class? Maybe you shouldn't be so friendly with him anymore. Greg in apartment 324 has potential though. Honestly, I have no idea where they get the data. It is extremely likely they just make it up. However, that won't stop you from checking yourself out, now will it? Map CrunchGoogle has recently celebrated its 15th birthday. Over the span of those 15 years, they have really expanded their business to cover a wide field of services, including Google Maps. And with that, Map Crunch was created. Basically click on it and it'll take you to a random street view. What is that? A random street view isn't really "exciting?" Well that's because you aren't playing The Airport Game. Created on 4chan's /v/ boards, the unofficial game for this website is simple. Check the "Stealth" box on the menu to the right Hit "Go" Use your expert navigation skills to find an airport Bonus points if you can guess where you are at. Note this game can and will last for hours. And you have the patience for that, right? Who wouldn't want to play an unofficial game for hours on end for no real benefit what so ever? Cookie ClickerIf you are reading this article, chances are you are procrastinating. Maybe it is school. Maybe work. Maybe just life in general. If only there was a way to get your internet fix while doing whatever it is you should be doing. Well if the term 'internet fix" means "collecting a large amount of cookies" then I've got just what you need. An updated version of the classic internet clicking game, Cookie Clicker has a very simple premise. You click the big cookie, you get a cookie. You use cookies to buy means to mass produce cookies. A bit slow at first, but once you get a sweatshop of Grandmas working for you and a few Cookie Factories, simply run the website in the background as you create a vast and all powerful cookie empire. RunPeeSometimes the internet just isn't enough to keep us entertained for hours on end. Sometimes, we need to gather in dark rooms with a bunch of other noisy strangers, pay ridiculously high prices for food, and watch an average movie for 2 hours, not caring that you'll be blind for the next 30 minutes after the movie once you step outside. Indeed, going to the movies can be a fun night out with your friends. However, what if the inevitable happens. You are watching a decent movie, when all of a sudden, you have to pee. And really bad. Like, overfilling a water balloon bad. And of course you don't want to miss the movie. So do you take the risk of missing out on a glorious scene or do you contribute to the already sticky and wet floor? Or maybe, you can go to RunPee. The idea is simple, yet ingenious. Enter the name of the movie you are watching, and the website will tell you when is the best times to leave and go to the bathroom. Includes a summary of things you missed, how long the pointless scenes last, and indicators of when the scene is approaching. Salty BetWe all have our weaknesses. Mine is laziness and procrastination. Some people have a thing for anime women. Others are gamblers. For that last group, I have a quick fix them... Have you ever heard of M.U.G.E.N? It is a 2D freeware fighting game creator. After downloading it, simply pick what stadiums you want and what fighters you want to create your own fighting game. And with thousands of people creating stadiums and fighters, the possibilities are endless. With this in mind, we have Salty Bet, probably the best website on this list. The website streams 24 hour footage of M.U.G.E.N, usually controlled by AI, sometimes by actual people though. After creating an account, which is extremely painless, you can actually bet on who you think will win each fight. With a huge variety of characters, an extremely hilarious chat, and the occasional glitch that may just change a whole fight, this website has the most potential to stay on your bookmark tab. The Useless WebLet's face it. I won't be around here forever to give you guys websites. That is really good news for me, but I understand sometimes you need your 5 minutes of distraction every one in awhile. So here is the final gem in this list that will hopefully hold you over between year long absences of lists. Basically, this website is this article. Just click the button and you'll be transported to one of the many "useless" websites on its list. You might even see a few of the ones I've mentioned on either this or my last article. I realize that by sharing this link though, I pretty much gave up my job to a computer. I've become the robot creator who built the robot that creates other robots. And there you have it. 8 more websites that you didn't really need to know about. See you guys in 11 more months.

UpdateWe have completed a fantastic skill database containing all known skills and their effects. It contains up-to-date information in an easy format, so please use it! Original ArticleA player from the Elder Scrolls Online beta recently divulged information on the current class skills in the game. These skills will assuredly change as the game comes closer to completion; however, they can provide some interesting insight into the direction Zenimax is taking the combat and classes. Templar Class Skills Aedric SpearUltimate Abilities Radial Sweep - Unlocks rank 12 Instant 5m Radius 75 Ultimate No Cooldown 18 magic damage to nearby enemies Active Abilities Puncturing Strikes - Unlocks rank 11.1s channel 8m range 28 magicka No cooldown Four hit attack for 3, 3, 3, 3 damage to enemies in front of you. Last hit knocks back closest enemy [*]Piercing Javelin -Unlocks Rank 4 instant 20m range 40 magicka no cooldown hurl a spear causing 22 physical damage knockback target 5m [*]Focused Charge - unlocks rank 24 instant 2.5 to 18m range 40 magicka no cooldown charge to target enemy and interrupt them deals 11 magic damage [*]Spear Shards - unlocks rank 34 instant 25m range 48 magicka no cooldown deal 9 magic damage to enemies in a target area disorient 1 target for 6 seconds ally may pick up spear, granting you and them a 15% bonus to damage for 15s [*]Sun Shield - unlocks rank 50 instant – self – 48 magicka – no cooldown create damage shield for 6 seconds that absorbs up to 24% of your max health deals 6 magic damage to nearby enemies on activation each enemy hit increases shield strength by 4% max health you no longer regenerate magicka while the shield holds Passive Abilities Piercing Spear - unlocks rank 8passive – self increases critical strike rating by 10% with spear abilities increase damage with spear abilities vs blocking targets by 10% [*]Spear Wall - unlocks rank 19 passive – self increase block amount vs melee attacks by 15% while you have a spear ability slotted [*]Burning Light - unlocks rank 29 passive – self 25% chance on hit with spear ability to deal 10 magic damage [*]Balanced Warrior - unlocks rank 39 passive – self increase weapon power by 4% increased spell resistance by 40 Dawn’s WrathUltimate Abilities Nova – unlocks rank 12 instant – 28m range – 300 ultimate – no cooldown For 8s enemies deal 70% less damage enemies take 11 magic damage every 1 second ally may activate the super nova synergy, dealing damage and stunning all enemies in the area Active Abilities Sun Fire – unlocks rank 1instant – 28m range – 40 magicka – no cooldown deals 11 magic damage and an additional 9 fire damage over 5s snares 40% for 5s [*]Solar Flare – unlocks rank 4 1.5s cast – 28m range – 48 magicka – no cooldown deals 14 magic damage to target and nearby enemies affected targets take 40% additional damage from the next attack [*]Backlash – unlocks rank 24 instant – 28m range – 80 magicka – no cooldown For 6 seconds stores up damage, when effect ends nearby enemies take an additional 30% of damage suffered [*]Eclipse – unlocks rank 34 instant – 28m range – 60 magicka – no cooldown target reflects negative single target spells back at themselves for 5 seconds subsequent casts cost additional magicka [*]Blinding Light – unlocks rank 50 instant – 5m radius – 60 magicka – no cooldown For 3.5s enemies miss all attacks 50% chance to be set off balance on miss Passive Abilities Enduring Rays – unlocks rank 8passive – self increase duration of sun abilities by 20% [*]Prism – unlocks rank 19 passive – self gain 2 additional ultimate when activating a sun ability [*]Illuminate – unlocks rank 29 passive – self take 10% less damage from enemies affected by your sun abilities [*]Restoring Spirit – unlocks rank 39 passive – self gain 4% magicka when activating an ability Restoring LightUltimate Abilities Rite of Passage – unlocks rank 12 4s channel – self – 150 ultimate – no cooldown - nearby allies take 80% less damage while channeling (does not affect caster) - heals caster 7% max health every 0.5s - you cannot move while channeling this ability Active Abilities Rushed Ceremony – unlocks rank 1instant – 28m radius – 68 magicka – no cooldown heal nearby wounded ally for 27 [*]Healing Ritual – unlocks rank 4 2s cast – 12m radius – 44 magicka – no cooldown heals nearby allies for 19 heal self for an additional 30% [*]Restoring Aura – unlocks rank 24 instant – 12m radius – 52 magicka – no cooldown when slotted increases stamina and health regeneration by 15% when activated increases the health and stamina regeneration of nearby allies by an additional 60% for 6s [*]Cleansing Ritual – unlocks rank 34 instant – 12m radius – 56 magicka – no cooldown instantly removes a negative effect from self over 12s, heals allies in area for 2 every 2s allies may activate Purify, removing all negative effects [*]Rune Focus – unlocks rank 50 instant – self – 40 magicka – no cooldown create area of self protection for 12s gain immunity to interrupt effects take 30% less damage deal 25% less damage Passive Abilities Mending – unlocks rank 8passive – self - increase critical strike chance of restoring light abilities on low health allies by up to 30% [*]Focused Healing – unlocks rank 19 passive – self - increase healing of your restoring light abilities by 100% to allies standing in your areas of protection (rite of passage, cleansing ritual, rune focus) [*]Light Weaver – unlocks rank 29 your restoring light abilities gain the following effects... restoring aura – duration increased by 20% healing ritual – cost reduced 20% rite of passage – take 20% less damage while channeling [*]Master Ritualist – unlocks rank 39 passive – self increase resurrection speed by 50% resurrect players with 100% more health 50% chance to gain a soul gem upon successful resurrect Mage Class Skills Dark MagicUltimate Abilities Negate Magic – unlocks rank 12 28m range/ 8m radius – 250 ultimate – no cooldown For 8 seconds... dispel enemy magic effects in area enemies casting in area will be silenced for 5s and take heavy damage Active Abilities Encase – unlocks rank 1instant – 15m radius – 80 magicka – no cooldown immobilize enemies in front of you for 4.5 seconds [*]Repulse – unlocks rank 4 instant – 5m radius – 52 magicka – no cooldown nearby enemies are knocked back 6m and snared 45% for 4s [*]Rune Prison – unlocks rank 24 1.5s cast – 28m range – 48 magicka – no cooldown disorient enemy for 15s targets have increased health regeneration while affected [*]Dark Exchange – unlocks rank 34 4s channel – self – no cost – no cooldown While channelingrestore health and magicka drains 23% stamina per second [*]Daedric Mines – unlocks rank 50 instant – self – 96 magicka – no cooldown Summon 3 mines for 30s mines take 3s to arm, then deal 7 magic damage to nearby enemies enemies damaged by mines are immobilized for 1.5s Passive Abilities Unholy Knowledge – unlocks rank 8passive – self reduce ability magicka and stamina costs by 5% [*]Blood Magic – unlocks rank 19 passive – self hitting an enemy with one of your dark magic spells heals you for 5% max health [*]Persistence – unlocks rank 29 passive -self increases duration of your dark magic spells by 20% [*]Exploitation – unlocks rank 39 passive – self increase critical strike rating by 15% when attacking targets affected by daedric magic Daedric SummoningUltimate Abilities Summon Storm Atronach – unlocks rank 12 instant – 28m range / 8m radius – 200 ultimate – no cooldown summons an immobile storm atronach to targeted location for 12s enemies in the area are stunned for 3s and take 21 shock damage Active Abilities Unstable Familiar – unlocks rank 1instant – self – 50 magicka – no cooldown summon a familiar to attack enemies for 1min [*]Daedric Curse – unlocks rank 4 instant – 28m range – 44 magicka – no cooldown enemy cursed for 6s when effect completes all nearby enemies take 18 magic damage only 1 curse may be active at a time [*]Summon Winged Twilight – unlocks rank 24 1.5s cast – self – 100 magicka – no cooldown summon a winged twilight to attack nearby enemies for 1min taunt nearby attackers [*]Bound Armor – unlocks rank 34 instant – self – 80 magicka – no cooldown While toggled ongain 150 armor magicka regeneration decreased by 25% [*]Conjured Ward – unlocks rank 50 instant – 20m radius – 60 magicka – no cooldown create a 24 point damage shield on self and summoned creatures for 20 seconds absorbs 75% of damage taken Passive Abilities Rebate – unlocks rank 8passive – self receive 12% max magicka when one of your summons is killed [*]Power Stone – unlocks rank 19 passive – self reduce cat of ultimate abilities by 15% [*]Daedric Protection – unlocks rank 29 passive – self increase health regeneration rate by 20% while you have any summoning ability slotted [*]Expert Summoner – unlocks rank 39 passive – self Your summoned creatures fain the following bonuses winged twilight – duration increased 50% familiar + clanfear – movement speed increased 20% atronach – range increased 30% Storm CallingUltimate Abilities Overload – unlocks rank 12 instant – self – 125 ultimate – no cooldown While toggled... light and heavy attacks are replaced with empowered versions that cost ultimate Active Abilities Mages Fury – unlocks rank 1instant – 28m range – 36 magicka – no cooldown deals 6 shock damage enemies below 20% health take 18 shock damage [*]Bolt Escape – unlocks rank 4 instant – self – 64 magicka – no cooldown stuns nearby enemies for 1.5s teleport forward 15m [*]Lightning Splash – unlocks rank 24 instant – 28m range / 4m radius – 52 magicka leaves a pool of lightning for 5s that deals 5 shock damage every 1s an ally in the area may activate conduit, instantly shocking enemies for 15 shock damage [*]Surge – unlocks rank 34 instant – self – 80 magicka – no cooldown For 17sincrease power by 3 [*]Lightning Form – unlocks rank 50 instant – self – 56 magicka – no cooldown For 6s take 40% less damage deal 2 shock damage to nearby enemies every 1s Passive Abilities Capacitor – unlocks rank 8passive – self increase magicka regeneration by 10% [*]Energized – unlocks rank 19 passive – self increase damage of your lightning magic abilities by 5% [*]Disintegrate – unlocks rank 29 passive – self your lightning spells have a 10% chance to instantly disintegrate low health targets [*]Expert Mage – unlocks rank 39 passive – self reduce the cost of your lightning spells by 10% Armor Skills Light ArmorActive Abilities Annulment – unlocks rank 21 instant – self – 60 magicka – no cooldown absorbs 50% damage from spell attacks, up to a maximum of 36 damage Passive Abilities Evocation – unlocks rank 3passive – self reduce magicka cost of spells by 3% per piece of light armor equipped [*]Recovery – unlocks rank 10 passive – self increase magicka regeneration by 4% per piece of light armor equipped [*]Spell Warding – unlocks rank 16 passive – self increase spell resistance by 10 per piece of light armor equipped [*]Prodigy – unlocks rank 36 passive – self with a light armor set (5+ pieces)10% chance for spells to cause critical damage [*]Concentration – unlocks rank 50 passive – self increase spell damage by 1% per piece of light armor equipped Medium ArmorActive Abilities Evasion – unlocks rank 21 instant – self – 60 stamina – no cooldown gain 30% dodge chance for 20s Passive Abilities Improved Sneak – unlocks rank 3passive – self decrease the area where you can be detected by 5% per piece equipped decrease time to become hidden by 5% per piece equipped [*]Wind Walker – unlocks rank 10 passive – self increase stamina regeneration by 4% per piece of medium armor equipped [*]Athletics – unlocks rank 16 passive – self increase sprint move speed by 3% per piece equipped [*]Dexterity – unlocks rank 37 passive – self With a full set of medium armor (5+ pieces)reduce the duration of incoming snares by 25% [*]Acrobatics – unlocks rank 50 passive – self decrease the stamina cost of roll dodge by 4% per piece of medium armor equipped Heavy ArmorActive Abilities Immovable – unlocks rank 21 instant – self – 60 stamina – no cooldown reduce all damage taken by 20% for 8s immune to knockback and disabling effects for the duration Passive Abilities Bracing – unlocks rank 3passive – self reduce cost of bracing by 3% per piece of heavy armor equipped [*]Juggernaut – unlocks rank 10 passive – self increase power with melee attacks by 1% per piece of heavy armor equipped [*]Rapid Mending – unlocks rank 16 passive – self increase healing received by 1% per piece of heavy armor equipped [*]Resolve – unlocks rank 40 passive – self with a heavy armor set (5+ pieces)reduce all damage taken by 4% [*]Constitution – unlocks rank 50 passive – self increase health regeneration by 3% per piece of heavy armor equipped Weapon Skills Two HandedActive Abilities Cleave – unlocks rank 1instant – 7m range – 40 stamina – no cooldown deals 6 physical damage to all enemies in front of you inflicts bleed for 10 physical damage over 10s [*]Critical Charge – unlocks rank 5 instant – 19m range – 48 stamina – no cooldown charge to target and attack, dealing 8 physical damage always deals critical damage [*]Uppercut – unlocks rank 20 1s cast – 7m range – 72 stamina – no cooldown 21 physical damage to enemy stun for 3.5s knock enemy back 4m [*]Reverse Slash – unlocks rank 30 instant – 5m range – 36 – no cooldown deals 5 physical damage damage increased based on target’s missing health [*]Momentum – unlocks rank 40 instant – self – 56 stamina – no cooldown increase weapon damage by 10% for 20s increase weapon damage by an additional 2% every 2s Passive Abilities Heavy Weapons – unlocks rank 9 passive – self 2 Handed weapons grant the following bonuses - Axe: 10% chance to bleed for 5physical damage over 10s - Mace: your attacks ignore 80 armor - Sword: 5% additional damage [*]Balance – unlocks rank 15 passive – self while you have a 2 hand weapon equipped... reduce the cost of 2h feat abilities by 20% [*]Sweeping Strikes – unlocks rank 25 passive – self while you have a 2 hand weapon equipped... light attacks with 2h weapons deal 25% splash damage to 1 nearby enemy [*]Arcane Fighter – unlocks rank 35 passive – self while you have a 2h weapon equipped... increase chance of procing status effects (burning, chill, etc) by 100% [*]Battle Rush – unlocks rank 49 passive – self while you have a 2 hand weapon equipped... killing an enemy increases stamina regeneration by 50% for 6s One Hand and ShieldActive Abilities Puncture – unlocks rank 1 instant – 5m range – 40 stamina – no cooldown deals 12 physical damage reduce target’s armor by 100 for 12s taunt target for 5s Low Slash – unlocks rank 5instant – 5m range – 48 stamina – no cooldown deals 8 physical damage snares target 60% for 10s reduce target’s damage by 20% for 10s [*]Defensive Posture – unlocks rank 20 instant – self – 36 stamina – no cooldown while slotted, increase armor and spell resistance by 80 and decrease damage by 8% Shield Charge – unlocks rank 30 instant – 15m range – 48 stamina – no cooldown charge to target and attack, dealing 4 physical damage stun target for 2s Power Bash – unlocks rank 40 1.2s cast – 7m range – 48 stamina – no cooldown deals 4 physical damage to enemy disorient target for 12s Passive Abilities Sword and Board – unlocks rank 9 passive – self while you have a one hand weapon and shield equipped increase damage by 5% increase armor by 50 [*]Deadly Bash – unlocks rank 15 passive – self while you have a one hand weapon and shield equipped bash deals 100% additional damage costs 20% less stamina [*]Fortress – unlocks rank 25 passive – self while you have a one hand weapon and shield equipped reduce cost of blocking 25% Deflect Bolts – unlocks rank 35 [*]Deflect Bolts – unlocks rank 35 while you have a one hand weapon and shield equipped block 15% additional damage from projectiles and ranged attacks [*]Battlefield Mobility – unlocks rank 49 passive – self while you have a one hand weapon and shield equipped movement speed while blocking increased by 50% Dual WieldActive Abilities Twin Slashes – unlocks rank 1 instant – 5m range – 20 stamina – no cooldown two hits for 2 physical damage bleed target for 15 physical damage over 6s Flurry – unlocks rank 5 1.3s channel – 7m range – 60 stamina – no cooldown six hit attack for (3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 11) damage Whirlwind – unlocks rank 20 instant – 6m radius – 40 stamina – no cooldown deals 5 physical damage to all enemies around you damage increased vs low health enemies Sparks – unlocks rank 30 instant – 7m range – 52 stamina – no cooldown blind target for 4s Hidden Blade – unlocks rank 40 instant – 20m range – 36 stamina – no cooldown throw a dagger that deals 4 physical damage and interrupts the target snares 50% for 6s Passive Abilities Death Stroke – unlocks rank 9while dual wielding increase damage 20% vs targets under 25% health [*]Dual Wield Expert – unlocks rank 15 passive – self increases off-hand weapon damage by 25% you can wield a mace, axe, or sword in your off-hand [*]Controlled Fury – unlocks rank 25 passive – self reduces the cost of dual wield feat abilities by 20% [*]Ruffian – unlocks rank 35 passive – self while dual wieldingdeal 15% more damage when attacking disabled targets (stunned, immobilized, disoriented, silenced) [*]Twin Blade and Blunt – unlocks rank 49 passive – self dual wielding weapons grant the following bonuses per weapon equipped Axe: 5% chance to bleed for 5 physical damage over 10s Mace: deal up to 5% bonus damage to heavily armored enemies Sword: deal 2.5% additional damage Dagger: increase critical strike by 5% BowActive Abilities Weighted Shot - unlocks rank 1instant - 28m range - 28 stamina - no cooldown deals 4 physical damage to enemy interrupt target's casting, stunning them for 3s and putting them off balance [*]Volley - unlocks rank 5 instant - 7 to 28m range - 60 stamina - no cooldown repeatedly fire arrows at target location for 1.5s deal 3 physical damage every 0.5s to enemies in area immobalized enemies in area for 1.5s [*]Scatter Shot - unlocks rank 20 instant - 10m range - 40 stamina - no cooldown deals 8 physical damage to target enemy knock enemy back 4m and disorient them for 5s [*]Arrow Spray - unlocks rank 30 instant - 12m radius - 76 stamina - no cooldown deals 13 physical damage to enemy snare target 50% for 5s [*]Snipe - unlocks rank 40 3s cast - 20 to 40m range - 72 stamina - no cooldown deals 17 physical damage to enemy Passive Abilities Hawk Eye - unlocks rank 9passive - self increase damage of your bow attacks by 15% when striking vulnerable targets [*]Hasty Retreat - unlocks rank 15 passive - self while you have a bow equippedincrease move speed 70% for 2s after activating roll dodge [*]Accuracy - unlocks rank 25 passive - self while you have a bow equipped increase critical strike by 5% [*]Long Shots - unlocks rank 35 passive - self while you have a bow equipped gain up to 15% bonus damage vs distant targets [*]Ranger - unlocks rank 49 passive - self while you have a bow equipped reduces the movement speed penalty while channeling bow abilities by 35% Destruction StaffActive Abilities Destructive Touch – unlocks rank 1 instant – 7m range – 60 magicka – no cooldown - deals 4 magic damage to target enemy - fire touch causes knockback - frost touch causes deep freeze - shock touch causes disorient Force Shock – unlocks rank 5 instant – 28m range – 60 magicka – no cooldown - deals 6 magic damage and interrupts casting enemies - enemies you interrupt are stunned for 3s and ser off balance Wall of Elements – unlocks rank 20 instant – self – 60 magicka – no cooldown - create an elemental wall that deals 6 magic damage every 1s to enemies inside - wall lasts for 2.5s Impulse – unlocks rank 30 instant – 8m radius – 40 magicka – no cooldown - deals 5 magic damage to nearby enemies - 100% chance to apply concussion, chilled, burning, based upon element used Weakness to Elements – unlocks rank 40 instant – 28m range – 40 magicka – no cooldown - target takes 20% extra damage from fire, shock, and cold for 15s Passive Abilities Tri Focus – unlocks rank 9 passive – self destruction staff heavy attacks have the following effects - Frost: snare enemy 40% for 3.5s - Shock: deals 10% splash damage to 2 nearby foes - Fire: reduce enemy spell resistance by 80 for 6s [*]Penetrating Magic – unlocks rank 15 passive – self - your destruction spells bypass 50 resistance [*]Elemental Force – unlocks rank 25 passive – self While you have a destruction staff equipped - increase chance to apply fire, shock and cold status effects by 15% [*]Ancient Knowledge – unlocks rank 35 passive – self While you have a destruction staff equipped - your heavy attacks charge 10% faster [*]Destruction Expert – unlocks rank 49 passive – self While you have a destruction staff equipped - restore 40 magicka when killing an enemy with a destruction spell Restoration StaffActive Abilities Regeneration – unlocks rank 1 instance – 15m radius – 40 magicka – no cooldown - heal nearby ally for 5 - heal for an additional 20 over 20s Grand Healing – unlocks rank 5 instance – 28m range – 60 magicka – no cooldown - heal all allies in target area for 6 every 1s for 3s Force Siphon – unlocks rank 20 1.5s cast – 28m range – 36 magicka – no cooldown for 20s - your allies gain 2% health when attacking target - you gain 50% additional health when attacking target Entropy – unlocks rank 30 instant – 28m range – no cost – no cooldown - deals 14 magic damage over 12s - recover 6 magicka every few seconds Guardian Circle – unlocks rank 40 instance – 28m range – 40 magicka – no cooldown - place a circle at target location for 12s - increase allies armor and spell resist by 150 while in the circle - deal 3 magic damage to undead in the circle - allies in the circle may activate the synergy ability rejuvenate to restore health Passive Abilities Essence Drain – unlocks rank 9passive – self while you have a restoration staff equipped - last hit of heavy attack heals a nearby ally for 30% of damage done [*]Restoration Expert – unlocks rank 15 passive – self while you have a restoration staff equipped - increase healing on targets under 30% health by 15% [*]Cycle of Life – unlocks rank 25 passive – self - gain 1% damage for every 10% health you have [*]Absorb – unlocks rank 35 passive – self while you have a restoration staff equipped - blocking spells restores 6 magicka [*]Restoration Master – unlocks rank 49 passive – self while you have a restoration staff equipped - increase all healing done by 5% Remember that these are just the skills that are available for the current beta build! There's no telling what will be added and changed for the final version.

Today’s Releases Marvel vs Capcom Origins (Xbox 360) Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour (PC) Castle Crashers (PC) Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit (Xbox 360) Since that is now out of the way, let’s look at some news. News from the 26th Cable companies, such as Warner, Comcast, and Verizon, are considering offering video game streaming services similar to OnLive. If this is true, this service could be offered as early as next year. The Mass Effect Trilogy is going to be bundled into one game and released on November 6th for $59.99, and you know what that means. Mass Effect 1 is coming to Ps3! I am really excited for this, although I already have Mass Effect 2. Also, another trilogy is coming along in November, but only for Ps3. The Assassin’s Creed Ezio trilogy is getting launched on November 13th for $39.99. I feel that these three announcements are huge. What is your opinion on each one. Should cable companies get involved in video games? Should the Ezio Trilogy come to Xbox 360 and PC? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Vampirism - Information and How to Cure Getting Infected How it Works The most common way players become infected with Sanguinare Vampiris (the name of the disease) in Skyrim is through combat with Vampires casting Vampiric Drain (each VD spell has a 10% chance of infecting you). If you want to become infected, it's beneficial for you to keep your distance with the vampires so they attempt to cast the spell instead of engaging with you in melee, as the spell is the only way for you to contract the disease. You should be notified under the Active Effects menu when you're infected with the disease. Vampire Dungeons and Locations The following dungeons are locations of generic enemy NPC vampires. Broken Fang Cave Pinemoon Cave Mara's Eye Pond Haemar's Shame Morvath's Lair Bloodlet Throne Fellglow Keek Curing the Disease From Infection - Sanguinare Vampiris From the moment you're infected, you have exactly 3 days where you can cure the disease just like any other. You'll know you're in this stage when you start getting messages such as "You feel a strange thirst come over you" at sunset and "You feel strangely weakened by the sunrise" at sunrise. At this stage, you have three options... Drink a potion of Cure Disease Recieve a blessing from inside an alter or temple Ask a Vigilant of Stendarr to cure you. Should you wait longer than 3 days, you will progress into vampirism. After this point, normal potions and methods of removing the disease will have no effect. You will have to take the following steps below in order to remove the illness. From Vampirism After becoming a vampire, you must complete a short quest inorder to cure yourself. To start the quest you must NOT be a stage 4 vampire, as NPC's will attack you on sight. If this is the case, skip to the follwing section on feeding to revert to stage 1. A quick walkthrough of the quest involves the following steps: Visit and inn and talk to an innkeeper; they will refer you to Falion of Morthal. You will begin the quest Rising Dawn. Falion will request a filled black soul gem. You may purchase an empty black soul gem from him for a little over 800 gold. Note that you can NOT use the Black Star for this quest. Fill the black soul gem by killing a human NPC. To do this, you either need to cast Soul Trap* (see below) on the NPC and kill them, or kill them with a soul-trap enchanted weapon. Return to Falion and speak with him. Meet Falion at the designated summoning circle, a short walk from his house. Observe the ritual and rejoice! *You may purchase Soul Trap (spell) from Farengar Secret-Fire (Dragonsreach), Phinis Gestor (College of Winterhold), or Sybille Stentor (Solitude). Other alternative methods include: Become infected with lycanthropy and turn into a Werewolf. But we'll assume replacing one disease with another isn't your primary goal. If you're using a PC, you can use the console code setstage 000eafd5 10 to remove the disease. If you are a stage 4 vampire, NPC's (including the inn-keepers) will be hostile towards you, rendering the quest impossible. But don't worry! The following steps are all you have to do to revert to stage 1 (NPC's will not be hostile). Feeding as a Vampire Must... Feed... Blo... Blood! As a vampire, you must feed on the blood of a sleeping NPC. After finding a sleeping NPC, simply crouch (use sneak) and stand over them and press feed when the option appears. Note that you should be alone with your victim when doing this, as all other onlookers will immediately become hostile and attack you. Easy targets for feeding include the following: One exception to the hostile NPC rule are the Companions guild members. They do not attack you while feeding so long as you've joined their guild before becoming a stage 4 vampire. You can feed easily on your companions/followers by ordering them to sleep. Barracks in cities have sleeping guards day and night, although getting there may be difficult. There's a farmer in the Temply of Kynareth who is nearly always sleeping. If you want to randomly search for NPC's, your best bet is to sneak into a city at night and break into locked houses. After feeding you will revert to stage 1 of vampirism. Vampirism Benefits and Stages It's important to note that after you progress from the intial infection (after 3 days) and become a vampire, you will continue to progress over 4 stages (each lasting 24 hours). Being a vampire isn't all bad; after all, you get to stalk the night and prey on defenseless humans as they sleep! You also get the following benefits (and a few weaknesses), sorted into the four different stages: All Stages 100% disease resistance 100% poison resistance Illusion spells are +25% more powerful. +25% Sneaking While in daylight, health, magicka, and stamina have a stunted stunted regeneration rate of 100%. Simply put, the totals will remain the same but your stats will not return after use (e.g. using a spell will deplete your magicka bar and it will not restore automatically as it usually does). Stage One +25% resistance to frost. 25% weakness to fire. While in daylight, health, magicka, and stamina are reduced by 15. Stage Two +50% frost resistance 50% weakness to fire. While in daylight, your health, magicka, and stamina are reduced by 30. Stage Three +75% frost resistance 75% weakness to fire. While in daylight, your health, magicka, and stamina are reduced by 45. NPC's will refuse to speak with you. Stage Four (Feeding) +100% frost resistance. 100% weakness to fire. While in daylight, your health, magicka, and stamina are reduced by 60. Most NPC's will attack you on sight. Well, that's about it for the guide. Feel free to leave suggestions and questions in the comment section below!

UpdateWe have completed a fantastic skill database containing all known skills and their effects. It contains up-to-date information in an easy format, so please use it! Original ArticleAs with the previous skill leaks, it's important to note that the following skills are very likely to be changed and adjusted before the game is released. With that said, the skill trees offer an interesting look into the direction Zenimax is taking each class. Those interested in more general and descriptive information on the Nightblade (and other classes) can view our classes page. Nightblade Class Skills AssassinationAssasin's Blade Instant 5 meter range 28 magicka Deals 6 magic damage Low health targets take - 270% additional damage Blur 1 Instant Self 56 magicka For 20 seconds attackers have 22% miss chance when attacking you Death Stroke 1 Instant 5 meter range 50 Ultimate Deals 23 damage Reduces healing recieved by 75% Damage increased the more Ultimate you have Executioner Passive Self Killing an enemy with an Assassination ability restores 44 magicka over 6 seconds Haste 1 Instant Self 56 magicka For 17 seconds - increase attack speed with heavy and light attacks by 30% Hemmorage Passive Self Increase bonus critical strike damage by 20% while you have an Assassination ability slotted Mark Target 1 Instant 50 meter range 80 magicka Requires high health target Mark a target for death Your attacks ignore all of the target's resistances, but their attacks ignore all of your resitances Killing the marked target heals you for 37% Master Assassin Passive Self Increased damage done while invisble or crouched by 10% Successful crouched attacks stun for longer Pressure Points Passive Self Each Assassination Ability you have slotted increases critical strike rating by 3% Teleport Strike 1 Instant 22 meter range 60 Magicka Step through the shadows, appearing next your target Deal 13 magic damage to enemy and stun for 1.5 secs ShadowAspect of Terror 1 Instant 6 meter radious 64 magicka Fear 2 nearby enemies who then cower for 2.5s Consuming Darkness 1 Instant Self 200 Ultimate Create an area of darkness for 12.3 seconds: Enemies in the area are snared 50% You are invisible while in the area attacking removes this effect for 1 second Grants allies in the area Slip Away allowing them to gain invisibility Dark Veil Passive Self Increase duration of Shadow Abilities by 15% Fortitude Passive Self Increase max health by 3% per shadow ability slotted Path of Darkness 1 Instant Self 60 Magicka Targets in front of you take 32 magic damage Creates a path for 10 seconds Path may only be seen by you and increases movement speed 50% Refreshing Shadows Passive Self Activating a Shadow ability increases stamina regeneration by 30% for 6 seconds Shadow Barrier Passive Self After coming out of crouch or invisibility Take 35% less damage for 4 seconds Shadow Cloak 1 Instant Self 64 magicka Gain invisibility for 2.5 seconds You don't regenerate magicka while invisible Summon Shade 1 Instant 28 meter range 40 magicka Summons a shade to attack target enemy for 20 seconds Attacked enemies deal 15% less damage for 4 seconds Veiled Strike 1 Instant 5 meter range 32 magicka Requires: stealth Deals 13 magic damage and sets the enemy off balance Stuns enemy for 4 seconds SiphoningAgony 1 1.5 second cast 28 meter range 56 magicka Stun enemy for 16 seconds and deal 18 magic damage over the duration Effect is broken by damage from other sources Catalyst Passive Self Increase potion effectivness by 20% Cripple 1 Instant 28 meter range 48 magicka Over 8.5 seconds: Siphon movement speed from enemy to yourself Deals 3 magic damage every 1 second Drain Power 1 Instant 8 meter radius 52 magicka Decrease power of nearby enemies by 12% for 17 seconds Your power is increased by 6% for each affected target Magicka Flood Passive Self Increase max magicka 8% while you have siphoning ability slotted Siphoning Strike 1 Instant Self No cost While toggled: Basic weapon attacks restore 2% magicka and stamina 10% chance on basic weapon attacks to restore 15% magicka and stamina Basic weapon attacks deal 23% less damage Soul Shred 1 Instant 6 meters radius 150 Ultimate Nearby enemies take 29 magic damage and are stunned for 3 seconds Your allies may activate the Leeching Strike synergy: A high damage life stealing attack Soul Siphoner Passive Self Increased healing taken form your Siphoning abilities by 15% Strife ll Instant 28 meter range 40 magicka Deals 11 magic damage You are healed for 30% of the damage done every 2 seconds for 10 seconds Transfer Passive Self Gain 1 Ultimate when dealing damage with siphoning ability

So I went to PAX Australia this past weekend with the intention of giving you guys some news straight from the source. Unfortunately I spent far more time standing in line than I would have liked, but I thought I'd cover the events of the convention anyway. To those who don't know PAX (Penny Arcade Expo), it is a gaming convention run by the Penny Arcade team (which started as a video game themed web comic and has since expanded to a podcast, reality show, video game and more). PAX itself now includes the annual events PAX Prime (in Seattle), PAX East (in Boston). Now PAX Australia, held in Melbourne, Victoria, marks the first international PAX event. PAX Australia ran from the 19th to the 21st of July. Tickets were fairly pricey at $50 for a day pass and sold out incredibly quickly almost six months ago due to limited space. Based on the number of tickets sold there was about 15,000 people in attendance each day. I'll start with what I was personally able to experience at PAX. Firstly the enforcers didn't seem to have the same standards in "enforcing" the rules as I've heard they do at their US events; again, this can be partially put down to the fact that it was the inaugural event on the other side of the planet, and the enforcers were just as much fans and gamers as any of the other attendees. On the plus side this meant they were really enthusiastic and I could tell that as soon as I walked in to the showgrounds. However it also meant they didn't really know what they were doing and several times I was in a line and in an attempt to fit as many people in an area as possible an enforcer would break the line and get everyone to bunch up into a tight chaotic crowd of people rather than an organised line. Unfortunately I didn't get to walk around the show floor as much as I would have liked but from what I did I could see that Booths had way more effort put into them than any other convention I had been to and they were able to use the space more effectively than other conventions that had been held at the same venue. On that note, and I think possibly as a side effect of being held while Comic Con was on, many of the larger game developers and studios that you would expect to see were not exhibiting. The only major games and companies that were in the Expo Hall were Nintendo (and it was all 3DS content, nothing particularly special), the Australian modified version of Saints Row IV, Ubisoft (although I didn't even notice them), and World of Tanks (which had way more space than seemed necessary). Smaller developers were much more prominent, with Halfbrick Studios (an Australian developer that created Fruit Ninja, and Jet Pack Joy Ride) being a major sponsor for the event, really impressing attendees. There was also a lot of emphasis put on Indie developers. The main thing I attended for was to meet some of the RoosterTeeth staff (the creators of Red vs Blue, Achievement Hunter and more) including Burnie Burns, Jack Pattillo, and Gus Sorola. They were awesome as usual. About 1000 people attended their panel (so almost a tenth of the number of people attending PAX that day. They also released the first episode of their new anime style series RWBY that day, which I will most likely be covering in my own blog on the site at some stage. I was lucky enough to get into the line for their signings (but only just) and had to wait 3 hours if that gives you guys any indication of how popular they were. I mentioned Wargaming had a massive World of Tanks area, and I may be biased due to the fact I was waiting in line next to one of the tanks they had on display, but it really felt unnecessary. I was also concerned that the rules from other PAX's weren't being implemented "down under" when I noticed the Wargaming area filled with what could only be described as booth babes (despite not being in bikinis) which is something PAX has already had a strong stance against. Not that I have a huge problem with it, but again its unnecessary and it would be far better if they just showed off great content rather than employing cheap tactics, and I feel like PAX's strict rules are one of the things that make the events run smoothly. I later heard that the women promoting their game were asked to cover up a bit. League of Legends also took up a lot of space but it was all being used, with tournaments running on all 3 days of the event. Microsoft had a space dedicated to showing off the Xbox One, although it was only there in a glass case for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, I've heard the reason for taking it in and out was due to the fact it was the only Xbox One in Australia at the time and it was being used for demonstrations at panels. As I mentioned Halfbrick, developer of Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, was a major sponsor of the event, and provided attendees with lanyards to keep their passes on. At their panel they announced their next iOS game, Collosatron: Massive World Threat. The game will put you in the role of a giant robotic snake from outer space causing destruction and mayhem on Earth. Overall PAX Aus was a good experience for a first year event, but there are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out for next year, and I think a different time of year for it would possibly help (or at least not clashing with Comic Con, and thereby hopefully encouraging more exhibitors). The best thing about PAX was how friendly everyone was, and it was pretty easy to talk to complete strangers simply because you had that connection as fellow gamers.

Reviews and user feedback have been pouring in since Dragonborn's release a few days ago, and it has been overwhelmingly positive. Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead described it in the following way... It's safe to say that initial impressions have been solid. This may seem irrelevant as the PS3 has been sitting all alone in the dark corner of Bethesda's basement with nary a scrap of DLC in sight. Don't despair, there is hope! After months of anguish PS3 users have finally received an explanation from Bethesda. It may not be a solid time-table or release date, but at least we can say with some confidence that it will arrive on the PS3. Eventually, anyways.

Since we didn't release an article last week we'll make up for it in this one. Very few games have been released in the last couple of weeks but there's plenty of news to catch up on. Game Releases Dynasty Warriors 8Platform/s: Playstation 3, Xbox360 Release Date/s:Previously released early 2013 in Japan, July 16th in North America, to be released July 19 in Europe and July 25 in Australia. Dynasty Warriors 8 is the eighth official installment in the Dynasty Warriors series which is based on the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It uses the same system and engine as Dynasty Warriors 7, focussing instead on adding more content for replayability and tweaking the combat system, and includes more than 77 characters. The Walking Dead: 400 Days (DLC)Platform/s: Playstation 3, PC, Xbox360, iOS, Playstation Vita Release Date/s: July 2 for PS3, July 3 for PC, July 5 for Xbox360, July 11 for iOS and to be released for Playstation Vita sometime next month. 400 days is a special episode of the Walking Dead video game which serves to bridge the gap between Season 1 and the upcoming Season 2 of the game. In general it has been criticised for being too short and not letting you get to know the characters well enough. Gaming News and Announcements Earlier this month Don Mattrick left Microsoft where he was President of Interactive Entertainment Business to join Zynga as CEO Saints Row IV released a new trailer for Independence Day, check it out here. There have been several Security and Privacy issues in gaming recently. Personal information of user stored on Arma III and Day Z servers had been compromised 23,925 Japanese Club Nintendo accounts had personal information stolen including real names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Similar problems have been suffered recently by UbiSoft and indie game developers such as Cube World. Microsoft allegedly assisted the NSA to intercept private Skype and email transmissions which comes as further bad news for the Xbox One which will have Skype integrated into it. [*]Trailers for Pikmin 3 (for the Wii U) have been released that show off and [*]Sony have confirmed that the PS4 will be playable at Comic-Con next week [*]The iOS game Deus Ex: The Fall wouldn't allow players on a jailbroken device to fire their weapon, Square Enix has since apologised for not being clear about this and will be releasing a patch that removes restriction. [*]Rockstar has released a gameplay trailer for Grand Theft Auto V which [*]When Disney acquired Marvel, and then later Star Wars many fans expressed interest in seeing characters from these franchises in Kingdom Hearts, and whilst nothing has been confirmed yet Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura commented in an interview recently that he would be interested in implementing Star Wars into the series. Weird Gaming News and Facts One Piece:Romance Dawn, the upcoming 3DS game (ported from PSP) based on the popular manga and anime series is not planned to be released in the US despite being localized for several European English speaking countries. The game is set to be released in Japan August 8th and in Europe in November and you can watch the trailer here. The US government now recognises League of Legends players as professional athletes and awards visas to them to play. A manga adaptation of Assassins Creed IV will be launching in Japan on August 10th. Whilst not strictly video game related and English version of the popular Japanese Hatsune Miku software is going to be released this Summer. On that topic a meme has recently started using the 3D animating tool "Miku Miku Dance", Check out this " " video to find out what I mean. The Little Sisters from Bioshock were originally planned to be tiny mole-like creatures rather than little girls. There won't be a Weekly Gaming Article next week but we should have some pretty interesting and unique content for you guys in its place.

Let's get right into it, shall we? Game Releases Game & Wario Platform/s: Wii U Release date/s: Previously released in Japan in March. June 23rd in North America, June 28 in Europe and June 29 in Australia. The game was originally a technical demonstration of the Wii U's GamePad planned to be pre-installed on every Wii U system before they decided to release it as a game with a Wario theme. It consists of 16 mini-games, twelve of which are single player and four are multiplayer only for up to five players. It has received mixed to positive reviews with a score of 62.67% on game rankings Company of Heroes 2 Platform/s: Windows Release date/s: June 25 As a sequel to Company of Heroes the game is set in World War II, focussing on the Eastern Front. It features new technology to better emulate troop visibility in real combat. Weather also plays an important factor, troops can die of frostbite if caught outside during blizzards, bonfires can protect soldiers from the cold but at the risk of enemy detection. It has recieved positive reviews with a score of 81.62 on gamerankings Deadpool Platform/s: Xbox360, PS3, Windows Release date/s: June 25 in North America and June 28th in Europe. Deadpool is an action video game based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and features cameos by several other Marvel characters. It has recieved mixed reviews, it has been praised for its humour but its gameplay has been called repetitive. It has a score of 68.44% on gamerankings Gaming News and Announcements A trailer for Mario and Luigi: Dream Team has been released and you can watch it here. The 3DS game has players exploring Luigi's dreams A series of videos showcasing different classes for Dark Souls II have been released. Here are links to the videos of the , and Microsoft recently reversed many of their unpopular DRM policies for the Xbox One. After a single system set-up with a new console an internet connection will no longer be required to play offline Xbox One games, and you will be able to trade-in, lend, resell, gift and rent disc based games just like you can with the Xbox360. A video for New Super Luigi U has been released that shows off the differences between Mario and Luigi. The new Namco Bandai, Dragon Ball Z game (Dragon Ball: Battle of Z) based on the recent movie has been confirmed for release outside of Japan including North America, Europe, Latin America and Brazil. The game will include a battle royale mode for eight players as well as four player co-op and online multiplayer. It is set to be released for PS3, Xbox 360 and PS Vita. Google has announced that they are working on a new Android gaming console, though with the reception the Ouya has received its not something to get too excited about. Weird Gaming News and Facts In an E3 Interview Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura mentioned that all the data for Kingdom Hearts 1 had been lost and so everything had to be completely recreated for HD. Check out the full interview here A Texas teenager has been held in jail since March over comments he made on facebook from a converstation that started in League of Legends where he referenced a school shooting. Sweden has introduced a tax and permit system for LAN parties by lumping games, PC's and consoles in with poker machines and other electronic gambling devices. Saints Row IV and State of Decay have been refused classification in Australia, showing that there's still a problem with the way games are classified in Australia despite the new R18+ rating that was introduced earlier this year. According to studies conducted by Iowa State University the Pokewalker is one of the most accurate pedometers ever.

This week of course there weren't many important gaming releases. However, there is plenty of industry news to discuss due to E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) having been held from the 11th to 13th. Game Releases The Last of UsPlatform/s: Playstation 3 Release Date/s: Its to be released in Japan on June 20th but it was released everywhere else on the 14th. The Last of Us is basically the only game to come out this week that is really worthy of mention, however its managed to still stand out and cause discussion among gamers even with all the distractions of E3 which is a really admirable feat. The game follows the protagonist Joel, as he tries to survive the post-apocalyptic world caused by a fungi/plant-like parasite that mutates human hosts into rabid killers. The game has received enormous praise and has an extraordinary score of 94.58% on game rankings. Gaming News and AnnouncementsThere's been so much news and drama in the gaming industry particularly centered around Sony and Microsoft's next generation of consoles... Where to begin? MicrosoftSo as you probably have already heard even, if you haven't heard anything about E3, is that when the Xbox One was revealed Microsoft outraged gamers when it was revealed that the console would be required to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours otherwise gaming would not be possible. They also stated that is would have very limited support for used games (in essence if you tried to use a game disc on another's Xbox, you would have to repurchase the game). Strangely, it was only later that Microsoft revealed that they were leaving the decision regarding the lack of support for used games up to each individual developer. On top of that the Xbox One isn't backwards compatible, and although achievements will be transferred even games that were downloaded to the Xbox 360 won't be playable on the Xbox One. Their press conference was rather poorly received, and consisted of several awkward pauses where an applause was expected; when there was applause it was usually half-hearted or polite clapping rather than excitement. Compared to conferences by other companies there were very few games shown. They announced a new model of the Xbox 360 which is made to look like the Xbox One, which is an odd move considering you would hope they would be more focused on the upcoming release of the Xbox One at this point, and besides the look of the Xbox One was yet another thing that people criticized. They also announced that as of July 1st, people who still have an Xbox Live gold subscription will be able to download two free games per month, including Assassins Creed 2, and Halo 3. Furthermore, at the end of their conference, gamers were put off by the rather expensive price of £429 UK, 499 Euro, and US $499. When the PS3 released, Sony was over-confident due to their success with the PS2, and as a result made several mistakes, and I feel like Microsoft is now in the same position and making many of the same mistakes. For example, just like the PS3 was, the Xbox One is significantly more expensive than its competitors. The PlayStation 3 also suffered because Sony continued to give the PlayStation 2 too much continued support, and Microsoft seems to be doing the same with the Xbox 360. That said as a consumer obviously I would like my existing console to be useful but at a certain point they need to stop supporting past products in order to improve the future of the console. SonyMicrosoft put themselves in a position where they could be absolutely humiliated by Sony, and Sony took every opportunity to do just that. They showed lots of amazing games, far more than Microsoft at the very least, and the crowd was genuinely excited about them. They showed the return of classic titles such as Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy 15 to the crowds delight, and also showed several games that weren't necessarily exclusive to Sony but had additional bonuses exclusive to Sony Consoles. They also revealed that several of the games that they showed at E3 would be available at no extra charge to PlayStation Plus subscribers. To top that off they announced that an online connection was optional, they supported used games as usual (even deliberately poking fun at the Xbox one by posting ) and that it will be $100 cheaper at the price of £349 UK, 399 Euro and US $399. All of these things caused massive cheers from the audience and resulted in a sky rocket in Sony stock prices and a crash in Microsoft stock.Despite claiming that they support used games as normal, they stated sometime after E3 that they actually have essentially the same DRM policy as Microsoft. As third party games they are leaving it up to individual developers. As disappointing as this is, at least they marketed themselves better and showed that they understand gamers are not going to be happy with these DRM issues rather than Microsoft who seemed to advertise it as a feature of the Xbox One. So in summary it seems that the only difference now between the two consoles is price, the online check-in, and exclusive titles and the Playstation 4 seems to be better in those aspects but I suppose only time will tell, and its usually not a good idea to get consoles immediately anyway. Other NewsEA announced Star Wars Battlefront 3. Nintendo have released several gameplay trailers which you can find here Second [*]A new Super Smas Bros. for WiiU and 3DS was announced along with new playable characters including Megaman, a villager from animal crossing, the Wii Fit trainer. The much hated tripping feature of Super Smash Bros. Brawl will not be included. [*]Apple had their own developers conference at about the same time as E3 and announced Mac Pro, iOS7 There are far more title announcements that came out this week but it would be impossible for me to cover them all so I'll leave you with this image of a spreadsheet of all of this years E3 titles and what consoles they will be on and you guys can look up what your interested in that way. Weird Gaming News and Facts A stop motion Zelda series has been released, which also includes Black Rock Shooter from the game anime and manga. You can find the first episode here. The Pokemon Drowzee is based on Tapirs, an animal which in Japan, is said to eat dreams. A study in America found that playing Super Mario Sunshine made people more helpful in real life. See you next week!

We are covering a bit over a week of gaming news and releases. Not only because I actually got last weeks article done earlier than usual, but due to technical issues it didn't get posted until a bit later and I wasn't able to get an article done that early this time. In a way, that's fortunate though as there weren't too many releases this week. With the lead up to E3 in a few days there is plenty of news. Game Releases Remember MePlatform/s: PC, PlayStation3 and Xbox360. Release date/s: June 3, for PC in North America, June 4 for Consoles in North America, June 6 in Australia, and June 7 in Europe. Remember Me was developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Capcom. Remember Me is an action-adventure stealth game and features exploration, platforming, stealth, and melee combat. As the name suggests the game is about memories and there are mechanics that allow the player to change and steal their targets memories. It is set in the year 2084 in a futuristic version of Paris. The game allows players to create and customize their own combos with and their is said to be over 50,000 possible combinations. Remember me has received mixed to positive reviews. Game rankings gives it a score of 69.78% for PC, 74.21% for PS3 and 68.63% for Xbox360. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Legendary Edition)Platform/s: PC, PlayStation3, and Xbox360 Release date/s: June 4 As I'm sure most of you know, Skyrim is an action role-playing game by Bethesda, and the fifth installment in the Elder Scrolls series (which this site is named after) The Legendary Edition contains the game with the 1.9 patch along with the 3 expansions or DLC (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn). Since its initial release Skryim has been very well received. Game rankings gives it a score of 88% for PC, 94.42% for PS3, and 95.15% for Xbox360. Animal Crossing: New Leaf Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS Release date/s: Released last year in Japan, February this year in Korea, June 9th in North America and to be released June 14 in Europe and June 15 in Australia. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the latest game in the Animal Crossing series. where the player lives in a rural village populated by anthropomorphic animals. The game has revived very positive response, and has been praised for its use of the Nintendo 3DS's stereoscopic 3D effects. Gamerankings currently gives it a score of 86.60% Gaming News and AnnouncementsWith the Electronic Entertainment Expo (better known as E3) about to take place from June 11-13 a lot of gaming news has been coming out recently. Nintendo released an introductory trailer for New Super Luigi U, the clip shows how Luigi's unique moves compare to his brother Mario. Microsoft has released statements clearing up a few things about the Xbox One. Firstly whilst it doesn't always have to be online it does have to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours and if it doesn't offline gaming won't be possible until a connection is re-established. Live TV, Blu-Rays and DVDs will still work. As for used games, they are leaving it up to the publishers for the most part. Publishers can enable you to trade in games at participating retailers, and retailers, publishers, nor consumers will be charged for this, however publishers can opt out of this and set up transfer fees with retailers if they desire. The first in a series of developer diaries for Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag has been released. Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag will be released for PC, PS3, Xbox360 and Wii U in North America on October 29, and will also be available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Nintendo has announced new animation software, Flipnote Studio 3D, will arrive in the North American 3DS eShop this August. An image that is believed to show several of the titles coming to the Xbox One has been leaked. (pictured to the right) Zynga, most famous for the facebook game Farmville, has closed its LA, New York, Austin and Dallas studios and is laying off 18 percent of its work force (an estimated 520 employees). Capcom has announced more plans for Ducktales Remastered (which is a remastered version of the classic NES game for WiiU, Xbox360, Playstation 3 and PC.) A new trailer for the upcoming game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has been released and introduces Donatello. You can watch it here. A new Wolfenstein game has been announced and is set to be released later this year. You can watch the trailer here. At a Pre-E3 press conference Konami offered more information on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The sequel is set in modern day and will introduce an open world. You can watch the trailer here, but it does contain spoilers for the first game. The initial game is also coming to PC this August. The Los Angeles Convention Centre is displaying a huge Dark Souls 2 sign with March 2014 written on it. Namco Bandai have since confirmed that Dark Souls 2 is slated for release March 2014. There are also plans for a Dark Souls art book, Dark Souls: Design Works. Mortal Kombat's Scorpian is coming to DC's Injustice: Gods Among Us as a downloadable character. There will be a heap of news coming out at E3 and we will be doing our best to cover anything interesting that comes out of that, but if you're really interested the press conferences will be live streamed, you can view a schedule for that here. Weird Gaming News and Facts Not exactly weird news, but still interesting and worth mentioning a live-action fan-film has been made for The Legend of Zelda. Sorry to get back to Donkey Kong again after last week but in honor of Donkey Kong Country Returns Nintendo trademarked the phrase "its on like Donkey Kong." An image of a colour wheel consisting only of pokemon (pictured to the right) has been getting re-tweeted a lot in japan. Rockstar purposely paid a PR expert to cause controversy and get Grand Theft Auto negative press coverage in order to boost the games sales. Similarly Microsoft and Sony have reportedly been employing people to post on reddit in order to gain support for their next gen consoles and to attack their rival console. More details can be found at this topic. In Bioshock Infinite. the letter Elizabeth asks you to deliver (after being deciphered) says : I am a code. I should probably be changed over for something much more official in the future. But I'll do as a stand-in for now I suppose. Travis Touchdown of 'No More Heroes' is based on Johny Knoxville. The games director, Goichi Suda, would often show his staff a clip from jackass where a baby alligator bites Knoxvilles nipple, claiming "I wanted them to understand the kind of person that Travis is." Due to music licence expiration an Xbox Live Achievement for Rock Band 3, "Live Free or Die" will be unavailable after June 30 when one of the free songs needed for the achievement will be removed. The removal of songs does not effect users who have already purchased or downloaded those tracks though so you can download. The other six tracks that will be dropped on June 30 are currently on sale for $1, half their usual price.

So if you've read the previous article I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be changing up the format of these articles, in the past it was mostly a list of every game that had been released during the week, and thats not something people are interested in, so instead I will just talk about important releases and focus a lot more on industry news. Game Releases Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Platform/s: PlayStation Network, Steam, Xbox Live Arcade. Release Date/s: May 21, for PSN in North America, May 22 International, May 23 for Steam in Australia Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is the 4th installment, first-person shooter video game series "Call of Juarez". The previous game Call of Juarez: The Cartel, was different to the first two games in that it was set in modern day Los Angeles and Mexico, Gunslinger returns to its roots and is once again set in the Old West. It features 3 Game modes (story, arcade and duel) and the story line is the life story of a bounty hunter named Silas Greaves. So far it has received generally mixed to positive reviews . Fast and Furious:Showdown Platform/s: PC, PlayStation3, Wii U, Xbox360, and Nintendo 3DS. Release date/s: May 21 Fast and Furious: Showdown is a cooperative racing game based on the Fast and Furious film franchise. It's story ties in to Fast and Furious 6 and bridges the events of that film and its predecessor Fast and Furious 5 as well as the story of the other films. It has received generally negative reviews. Resident Evil:Revelations Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS (Much earlier in the year), PC, Playstation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360. Release date/s: May 21 in North America, May 23rd in Japan, Australia and Europe. Resident Evil: Revelations is the next installment in the Resident Evil franchise. It is survival horror game developed by Capcom. The game returns to the survival horror game play of the earlier installments of the series and features the return of limited ammunition, and more emphasis on puzzle solving and exploration The story is set between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. It received generally positive reviews. Capcom has DLC planned that will add two new playable characters (each at $2.99 or 240 Microsoft Points, available June 11) and also Weapon packs (priced at $1.99 or 160 Microsoft Points each, available June 4) Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS Release Date/s: May 24 in North America and Europe, May 25th in Australia and to be released on June 13 in Japan. Donkey Kong Country Returns is a Nintendo 3DS port of the Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. The port was developed from the ground up and features 3D graphics. It includes 2 modes, Original Mode (which plays the same as the Wii version) and New Mode, which introduces new items designed to make the game easier as well as extra health. It also contains a new world with levels not present in the Wii Version. It has received positive reviews. Sniper Elite V2 Platform/s: Steam (back in April), PC, PlayStation3, Xbox 360 (earlier in the month) and Wii U Release date/s: May 24 for Wii U Sniper Elite V2 is a tactical shooter developed by Rebellion Developments. It had previously been published for Steam, PC, PlayStation3, Xbox360, and has just been released for Wii U. Since its initial release it has received average reviews. Fuse Platform/s: PlayStation3, and Xbox 360 Release date/s: May 28 in North America, May 30 in Australia, and May 31 in Europe. Fuse is a cooperative action video game set in the near future. It follows a team of four misfit agents known as Overstrike 9. Fuse has received mixed reviews. It has been praised for its Fuse Weapons and Co-Op action but it's Team A.I and Confusing Tone have been criticized. Grid 2 Platform/s: PC, PlayStation3 and Xbox360 Release date/s: May 27 for PC in North America, May 28 for other Platforms in North America, May 30 in Australia, May 31 in Europe, and to be released on July 25 in Japan. Grid 2 is the sequel to the racing game "Race Driver:Grid" It includes numerous real world locations and motor vehicles spanning four decades. It features a new handling system aimed to get the balance between realism and accessibility right. It has received positive reviews from critics. Gaming News and Announcements The big news of the last couple of weeks is obviously the reveal of Xbox One and all the speculation about the next generation of consoles that came with it. For more details on that you can read my article on it as well as the discussion that we have been having there. After disappointment with the Xbox One reveal, and issues over DRM and the lack of support for used games, gamers have been trying to warn Sony against the same thing and trying to get the word out with the hash tag #PS4noDRM and #PS4UsedGames on Twitter A special edition and pricier collectors edition for the much anticipated Grand Theft Auto V, set to release for Xbox360 and PlayStation 3 on September 17, has been made available for pre-order. The special edition includes the game, art book, blueprint map, an in-game special ability boost, stunt plane trials, bonus outfits and more weapons. The collectors edition comes with all of the above as well as a security deposit bag and logo key, Los Santos hat, classic characters for GTA online and unique vehicles and garage property. A new Batman game will be back this October with a prequel to the Akham games in Batman: Arkham Origins. The previous voice actors for Batman and The Joker, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill will not be returning to their roles in the prequel. You can watch the trailer here Nintendo has an event planned to coincide with E3 this year, announcing that for a number of titles they will be revealing they will have playable demos available at 110 Best Buy Locations. A full list can be found here A four-player game based on the popular manga and anime series One Piece called One Piece: Unlimited World Red, has been announced to be coming to 3DS in Japan at some point. The japanese trailer can be viewed here Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is set to be released on PC and PS3 worldwide this August, and a new trailer has been released showing the new Job Actions Nintendo has announced Sonic: Lost World for Wii U and 3DS, which will feature a range of competitive multiplayer modes. In the game Sonic finds himself teaming up with his nemesis eggman. EA has confirmed it is not only removing Online passes for future games, but also for existing games, starting with EA Sports. ​ Weird Gaming News and Facts Nintendo had an interesting advertising campaign for the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. At an event where people were given the chance to play the game, they were shocked when Donkey Kong breaks through a wall in real life. You can check out the video here Continuing with the Donkey Kong theme, The only reason Donkey Kong 64 came with an expansion was because it inexplicably fixed a game breaking bug. Rare couldn't find any other solution so they bundled the expansion with the game for free, costing them a fortune. They still don't know what caused the bug. The original Xbox version of Tomb Raider:Legend doesn't have a cut-scene because the developers forgot to include it in the final version of the game. Sega rejected other disc formats for the Dreamcast and instead created their own to prevent piracy, ironically the Dreamcast was one of the easiest consoles in history to pirate games on. Pokemon gold and silver were planed to be the last Pokemon games. The creators of "Game Dev Tycoon" uploaded a 'cracked' version of their game on several torrent websites. However every game you developed in this version would be pirated to the point you couldn't progress in the game. The Japanese version of Harvest Moon DS Cute has a "Best Friends" system which essentially works as a same-sex marriage. To avoid controversy this was dropped from the North American release.

Microsoft has just revealed the next Xbox console to the world at a press conference that was live-streamed on the Xbox website as well as over Xbox Live. The "Xbox One" (an interesting name choice which came as quite a surprise to many) is set to be released worldwide later this year. At this press conference we weren't shown many games, instead it focused on the technical specifications of the console. They may have had the upper-hand on Sony as almost immediately they showed what the console actually looks like. Kinect is still a feature that Microsoft is pushing, and it will be essential to the console, it won't be built in like many people suspected though. Changes to Kinect have supposedly been made to improve its functionality, and in the demonstration it did seem to run a lot better although it is doubtful that it was actually being shown live rather than being pre-recorded. Fortunately though the connect does now allow you to stand much closer to it which was a much needed change that needed to be made. Another thing that Microsoft is clearly pushing is the Windows 8 style interface which was very prevalent in the press conference and seems to basically replace the Xbox Dashboard. The console boasts that it runs on 3 different operating systems, one powering Windows 8, another one powering the apps, and a 3rd OS connecting them. What does this mean? Well, it means that non gaming apps can be partitioned to a specific system to run them, meaning that if you have Skype open for example it shouldn't interfere with the resources need to run the game your playing. A new feature related to this is Snap Mode which lets you run multiple functions at the same time and to switch between them easily with voice control. Microsoft was pushing the Xbox One as a Media Center rather than specifically a Gaming Console, and most of the conference was spent showing the Live TV capabilities (which were later revealed to require a seperate device) and new features for fantasy sporting teams. Microsoft has done media center's before but they don't seem to understand the fact that people who already have the same functions available to them on their phones and tablets and TV probably aren't going to see why their product is worth it just because all those functions are in one place rather than being spread across different devices. The other thing is many of these features were later revealed to be unavailable outside of the US, at least at launch. Something that many PlayStation users consistently quote as the reason for it being better than the Xbox is that it uses Blu-Ray, but the Xbox One will play Blu Ray. This may seem like an obvious thing to do at first but Blu Ray is owned by Sony so there must be some agreement that Microsoft and Sony have come to despite being competitors. Something many people will be upset about is that the Xbox One is not backwards compatible, meaning Xbox360 games will not work with the Xbox One. It was revealed after the conference that the Xbox One requires all games to be installed to the Hard-drive, although this does seem like a nuisance the alternative way to combating piracy which had been rumored was that it would need a constant internet connection, which to many people just isn't possible. Gamertags people have on Xbox Live will be transferred, and achievements have been reworked to apparently show the way you play games. The controller hasn't been changed to much fortunately, however they now have "dynamic impulse triggers" meaning that it senses different amounts of pressure put on them and can react even to a slight touch. The new thumbsticks are slightly smaller and apparently allow for better grip. 343 Industries announced that they will be producing a Live Action TV series (similar to the Forward Unto Dawn web series) and Steven Spielberg will be involved somehow (it hasn't been revealed exactly what his role in the series is). It was revealed that all DLC for Call of Duty will be exclusive to the Xbox One for some amount of time and some of the next COD game was shown, a lot of work seems to have been put into improving the storyline of the game, which is a major issue most people have with the franchise. A new game called Quantam Break was shown and was mostly live action. In summary I'm not sure what to think of the console at the moment. It was hinted that we will see a lot more in terms of gameplay within a few weeks at E3 and I think that will really give a much better indicator of what to expect.

Earlier this week, an ESO Beta tester by the name of Worst Youtube leaked live game footage of the current Beta build. As word of the video slowly crept through various forums and fansites, more and more people were able to witness what was supposed to be top-secret content. Feedback was overwhelmingly negative. Skeptical commentators were critical of the majority of the footage, specifically calling out the noticeably dated graphics and bland combat. Some attempted to defend the game's current state, claiming that no legitimate complaints can be levied against a game still in the beta stage of development. The resulting back-and-forth arguments have caused a notable divide in a community that has otherwise been full of hope and optimism. Despite an aggressive effort by Zenimax to remove the leaked content from YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites, many uploads of the video can still be found. Those interested in viewing the leaked content for themselves can do so searching for it online.

About a month ago, Sony said that it had a big announcement to make on February 20th. Many people predicted that this would be the PS4's grand announcement; Sony was making quite a big deal out of the event. These predictions turned out to be correct, and as of today the PlayStation 4 is official! While we do not have an official price or release date as of now, we do know it will be released around holiday 2013. Anonymous sources also say that the PlayStation 4 is currently planned for two SKUs priced at $429 and $529 respectively. The Dualshock 4 Controller New FeaturesWhat new features will the PS4 have? Here's a summary of what we know so far. It will have a lot of options socially. You can play digital games as you are downloading them. Cross game chat. Live game-play streaming between friends. Ability to turn off the PS4 and come back where you left off, similar to the PSP. These were the main features showcased. However, it was not all of the information released... SpecificationsRAM: 8 GB CPU: 8 X86-64 Core GPU: 18 Units, 1.84 Teraflops processing power In addition, it will sport a built-in camera to track the location of the controller. Initial Game Line-UpThere is already a small lineup of games that are planned to be released on PS4. Deep Down (Capcom) Destiny (Bungie) Diablo 3 (Blizzard Entertainment) Drive Club (Evolution Studios) Final Fantasy--probably XIV, though we don't know for sure yet (Square Enix) Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch) Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerrilla Games) Knack (Studios Japan) The Witness (Thekla, Inc) Watch Dogs (Ubisoft Montreal) Personally, I'm most excited for Infamous: Second Son. What about you? There are many other games that have been rumored, such as a project by Bethesda and a game made with Square Enix's Luminous engine. These announcements are likely to come with time. Many questions arise with this new generation. What will the future hold? What games are awaiting? Will Activision ever grow a heart? It looks like we'll just be waiting until this upcoming holiday season, when we officially enter the next generation!

Rumored PlayStation 4 AnnouncementSony has set itself up for a big announcement on the 20th, and the smart money is probably on the long-awaited reveal of the PlayStation 4. With the long-overdue next-generation consoles expected to be released in late 2013 or early 2014, the stage is set for an official release announcement. To tease the upcoming showcase, Sony has uploaded a video they've branded the "Evolution of Playstation." It's also worth mentioning that Microsoft is expected to announce the Nextbox at this conference. Bioware and Sexuality in GamingAh, America. The land of misplaced priorities. Show people getting their limbs mutilated and it's quality entertainment, but show someone naked and it's taboo. David Gaider, lead writer of Canadian developer Bioware, will be leading a discussion about this next month at the Game Developers Conference. Specifically up for discussion are the "risks and challenges" that developers face when including content such as... Take Two Acquires WWETHQ's shutdown has been dominating the news in gaming the past few weeks, but it appears there is yet one final announcement before we say goodbye to the publisher forever. There was one game series whose new owner was unknown: the WWE series. As this was one of THQ's biggest franchises, this was a big deal, but it's finally been revealed who has the license: Take Two, publisher of GTA. Yuke's is still the developer, but Take Two is known for pushing for top-tier games, so hopefully the WWE series can pull itself out of the rut it has been in for the past few years. I feel like a comment I saw on the original story said it best: "At least it's not EA or Activision."

Does anyone even really look at these? I never get any comments. Nonetheless, it's my duty, so I'll continue to make them. Speaking of duty... A few thousand purchasers of CoD: Black Ops 2 on the PC were given a surprise; their cases contained Mass Effect 2! How this mix-up happened is unknown, but Bioware managed to rake in some good publicity from it through a promotion. Yep, the first 50 people to send in a picture of the Black Ops 2 case with Mass Effect 2 in it received the Mass Effect Trilogy for free! Who dares to call Bioware corrupted now? There was a similar issue with Lego Lord of the Rings. Many purchasers of the product eagerly openered their cases only to be greeted with a "demo" disc! Despite the disc clearly saying DEMO, the discs were actually able to play the full game. Once again though, how did this happen? As it turns out, all three of these stories are related. Bioware has confirmed that they are developing Mass Effect 4 on the Frostbite 2 engine. They say that they are trying to move the series forward without straying too far from its roots. Is the series being milked, or does Bioware just really like its creation? Only time will tell

Trip Hawkins. A man famous for founding Electronic Arts, one of today's largest and most industry-defining companies in the world of gaming. IGN recently caught up to him for an interview, and some of his comments concerning console gaming in particular struck us as odd. In the context of the interview, Hawkins was comparing console gamers to the ever-growing number of "casual" users who interpret gaming as something one would do to pass time on Facebook; Farmville, for example. But console gamers - hardcore? A group that enjoys "innovation" while using the same hardware for 5+ years? Don't tell the PC gamers, I'm sure they'd be quite offended. Hawkins goes on to explain his reasoning with an odd analogy. An analogy in which he compares the console phenomenon to... Uh, airplanes? Uh-huh. So... People don't want to play games because they like to be a "passenger" and do nothing... So they want to watch movies? No, no... Wait. I'll get this. Console gamers, because we like gaming as a hobby, wish to build and own our own console. So we should build a PC and become PC gamers. No! Console gamers want to take programming classes and learn to create their own games so they don't have to play Farmville. Maybe? Damn it, I don't know. Hawkins then goes on to contradict his original statement about console gaming become niche with this gem... Oh, oh, no... I get it now. PC's, tablets, and mobile phones will slowly replace consoles because they're too "hardcore." Growth into a mass-market, billion-dollar industry solely due to consoles means that the audience of the largest facet (consoles) of said industry will shrink. Why, Trip? Why?! Because fuck you, that's why.

Introduction In the lifetime of Team Ico, the developer has published two amazing titles. Ico is a cult classic while Shadow of the Colossus is considered one of the greatest games of all time. Their third game, The Last Guardian, is currently in production, and with lead designer Fumito Ueda leaving the studio, this looks like it could be Team Ico’s last work. In honor and thanks of this fantastic developer, I would like to compound a timeline of the first two games, as they are in fact connected. Let’s have a quick synopsis of the two games, first. Ico is about a boy sent to a castle to be sacrificed. Why? At the time, that was for you to interpret. The boy’s name, of course, is Ico. He escapes his cell, and finds a young girl in a cage in another room. After freeing her, the two work together to escape. Shadow of the Colossus is about a man who heads to the Forbidden Lands to bring his lover back to life. He makes a deal with a spirit to kill the sixteen colossi in exchange for resurrection, but could have never known what was in store for him. Something to note is that there is a large time gap in between the two games. However, there is a non canon book, called Ico: Castle in the Mist, which gives some backstory. Although not canon, I will be using it whenever its story doesn’t contradict either game. I will also use speculation if it is commonly agreed upon in forums and the like. So, without further ado, let’s begin. Needless to say, there will be spoilers. Chapter 1: Speculation Part 1: In the Beginning… There were two gods, known simply as the God of Light, and the God of Darkness. They immediately went to war to decide who was to create the world. The Light God won, but just barely. After he created the world, the Dark God began fighting back again, and began gaining ground. The result was the solar eclipse. Any child born under a solar eclipse would be a servant of the Dark God, inheriting his power. This will play a very important part in our story, but not yet. He also created chaos and evil, and whenever either ensues, the Dark God grows stronger. Part 2: Dormin of the Forbidden Lands One of the Dark God’s proudest creations was a demon named Dormin. Dormin rampaged across the land, until he came to the southern tip of the world. He destroyed everything here, and made it his home. A prodigal shaman, hearing of this deadly creature, decided he needed to be stopped. He traveled to this area of land and battled Dormin. Through quick and tactical thinking, he was able to absorb some of Dormin’s power into a sword. He then used that sword to defeat Dormin. The shaman used his power to create sixteen giants known as colossi. For their life essence, he used Dormin’s. This way, the demon could not be resurrected. The shaman named this area the Forbidden Lands. However, a bit of Dormin’s life essence remained, and hid in the shrine in the center of this area, the only building that wasn’t destroyed… Part 3: The Shaman’s Sword The shaman formed a village near the Forbidden Lands so he could keep an eye on Dormin. He told his people to never venture there. As the village grew, so did the common folk’s curiosity. All they knew was that when he made his pilgrimage to the Forbidden Lands, he brought a strange sword with him. There were speculations, however. One such speculation was that you could bring back the dead in the Forbidden Lands. One believer of this rumor was Wander, a militia archer. He had a lover named Mono, and he loved her more than anything in the world. However, she soon fell ill and died. Wander was desperate, so he snuck into the shaman’s house in the middle of the night and took his sword. Wander then took Mono’s body, climbed on his horse, named Agro, and headed for the Forbidden Lands. Chapter 2: Shadow of the Colossus Part 4: Wander and the Colossi As Wander reached the forbidden lands, he saw a long bridge stretching across. The bridge ended at a large building, a shrine of sorts. He rode Agro into the shrine and laid Mono’s body on a slab of rock. Instantly, he heard a voice calling to him. It called itself Dormin, and said that it could resurrect Mono, in exchange for killing the sixteen colossi with the sword Wander stole. Wander agreed. Each colossus was a fight to be remembered, requiring Wander to use his brain to figure out how to defeat it. Every time a colossus died, a stream of black energy left the colossus and entered Wander and teleported him back to the shrine. Over time, his hair grew darker, and his face grew gaunter. He also began to wonder, am I doing the right thing? What did these colossi ever do to me? He continues his massacre, however, until he reaches the sixteenth colossus. At that point, he has to travel across a bridge to reach the edge of the world for a showdown with the final colossus. The bridge collapses, and his horse falls down the chasm. After mourning for a moment, he goes on to defeat the sixteenth colossus, who was the only inherently evil one. Part 5: A Heavy Price The shaman was a smart man. He knew of the relationship between Wander and Mono. He knew of the rumors of bringing back the dead. He knew, when he saw that his sword was stolen, what had happened. He gathered a small group of men and headed for the Forbidden Lands. They were too late, however. Wander had absorbed Dormin’s lost power, and was walking to the center of the shrine weakly. When the shaman saw this, he had an archer immediately shoot Wander, and then had one of his swordsmen stab him. However, Wander weakly continued to the stone slab to attempt to finally resurrect his love, before finally collapsing. Instantly, Dormin began laughing, and possessed Wander. He once again morphed into his demonic form. The shaman grabbed the stolen sword, now laying on the ground, and fled to the bridge leading back to land. When he reached the bridge, he looked down at the first floor and threw the sword into a pool of water at the ground, destroying it. Dormin screamed, and began to shrink into Wander’s form. Instantly, Wander’s will took over. The burst of light shot out of the pool, and began dragging him in. He struggled to stumble to the stone slab upon which Mono lay, but could not. He eventually gave in and fell into the pool. The shaman, his work done, rode back to the village, the bridge to the shrine collapsing behind him. Not all was lost, however. Dormin did indeed keep his promise before he died, as Mono opened her eyes once again. As she woke, Agro limped into the shrine. He somehow survived. Mono walked to the back of the shrine to find the empty pool, with a crying baby in the center. The baby had horns. Chapter 3: Castle in the Mist Part 6: The Queen Remember what I said about the solar eclipse? A child was born under one, and she just so happened to be the daughter of the King and Queen. The Queen told the King to kill the child, but he believed that being born on a solar eclipse meant you could banish the darkness, instead of becoming it. So, by assassinating all of her siblings, the child later became the heir to the throne. We don’t know her name, as she is only referred to as “The Queen.†As she grew older, she developed powers over dark magic. Her power intensified as she became an adult. She had a daughter, and named her Yorda. At this point she was the most powerful organism in the universe. She poisoned her husband and used his life essence to lock up an artifact, known as the “Book of Light,†inside an isolated tower in her castle, named the “Tower of Winds.†This was the only artifact that could defeat her. Part 7: The Tournament Every few years, she would have a tournament at her castle. Fighters from all over the lands would come to prove their worth. The winner would be the master-at-arms for the Queen’s army. After three years, nobody heard from the champions again. What happened to them? One day, the Queen showed Yorda a secret chamber underground. What did the chamber hold? A statue of each and every tournament winner. I believe you can figure out what happened. Yorda was horrified, and secretly planned to align herself with any opposing force against her. One day, a man named Ozuma entered the tournament. He wielded an ordinary sword, so what was special about him? Two things. First, he was one of the greatest warriors who ever lived. Second, he had horns. Part 8: Ozuma and the Holy Zagrenda-Sol Empire I believe it is safe to assume that the horned child and Mono started a civilization together. I realize that they had to reproduce using only a woman, a baby, and a horse. Don’t think too much into it. Their civilization was on a peninsula to the east, and their people had horns. This is where Ozuma came from. His civilization formed a pact with a neighboring country known as the Holy Zagrenda-Sol Empire. They knew of the Queen’s power, and the “Priest King†decided to wage war. Ozuma was chosen to be on the inside, to know of the fate of the champions. Part 9: The Attack Yorda had an epiphany of her father. Through it, she received a ring that could get her into the Tower of Winds. She received the Book of Light and used it against her mother, but it was not enough. Her mother used her powers to turn the entire castle against her, but Yorda was saved by Ozuma in the nick of time. Together, they, along with the Holy Zagrenda-Sol Empire, invaded the castle. However, the queen left a decoy that the Priest King and Ozuma killed. Yorda knew it was a decoy, but she had a bit of sympathy for her mother. Thinking they killed the queen, they went back to the Empire. Part 10: A Huge Mistake However, the queen struck back. She turned the capital to stone, hoping to destroy the book. The Priest King, Ozuma, Yorda, and a small number of people escaped. They blamed it on Yorda. They realized that their best bet was to freeze the time around her castle. Yorda would offer the life essence to pull this off. So she was sent back to the castle. Ozuma volunteered to be her eternal guardian. He must have reproduced with someone to get his recessive genes into the population, because a decree was issued that every horned child born would be sent to the castle to assist Ozuma as shadow creatures. Yorda’s body and Ozuma’s sword were imbued with the Book of Light to keep the Queen at bay. Part 11: The Horned Child Thousands of years later, a boy named Ico was born with horns in a small village. The elder begins preparing him for his sacrifice. One day, the elder shows Ico the stone city atop a mountain. Ico pledges never to share what he has seen. His friend, Toto, was very curious about Ico’s journey, so he steals a horse to go to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, he runs into a projection of the queen. While he attempts to flee, he finds the Book of Light. It could not be destroyed. Book in hand, Toto receives several blasts of the queen’s icy breath, but nothing happens. He flees back to the village and shows the elder the book. As soon as the book leaves his hands, he turns to stone. After his grieving, the elder finds a design pattern in the book. He has his wife weave it into a tunic for Ico before he leaves. Then, his time comes. The priests take him to the castle. Part 4: Ico Part 12: Ico’s Escape When the priests enter, they use Ozuma’s sword for passage inside, conveniently set on the dock for the priests. Inside, Ico is placed inside a stone sarcophagus. After the priests leave, the coffin spits him out; an effect of the enchanted tunic. He wanders a bit before finding Yorda stranded in a cage in the Tower of Winds. He rescues her, and the two make their journey through the castle. They try to exit through the front gate, but the Queen closes them before they can make it. Therefore, they go on a journey to try to open the gates again. They eventually manage to, but when they try to escape, the Queen takes Yorda and pushes Ico off the bridge. He lands on a cage dangling from the castle. He makes his way down to the castle sewers, where he finds Ozuma’s sword. He takes it with him as he makes his way back up toward the Sarcophagi room. There, he finds Yorda turned to stone, with the shadow creatures guarding her. He reluctantly defeats them all before entering the throne room, where he finds the queen waiting. She uses her powers to attempt to turn him to stone, but the sword protects Ico. He defeats her once and for all though he breaks both horns and is knocked unconcious. With her dead, the castle begins collapsing. However, the Queen’s power travels through the air to Yorda’s statue. She comes back to life and saves Ico, placing him on a plank. He floats away as the castle collapses around her. Part 13: The End When Ico wakes up, he is on a beach. He feels his horns. They are broken off. He stumbles down the beach until he sees a figure in the sand. He begins yelling toward it, and runs. He finds a girl in the sand. She no longer has the Queen’s powers, and she once again appears as innocent as she was before. As Yorda opens her eyes, Ico helps her up. He grabs a watermelon on the beach, and they share it. And that is the end of their journey. That is also the end of the Team Ico timeline. My question is, what role will The Last Guardian play? Will it be before Shadow of the Colossus? After Ico? In between the games? Regardless, Team Ico has created a masterpiece of a universe, and I hope you have enjoyed me relating its entire history.

Image by Famitsu. So for all of you Metal Gear Solid fans out there, there have been two HUGE announcements at the 25th anniversary in Tokyo. The first, and probably the thing most people are skeptical about at the moment is the talk of a MGS Movie. Konami, with Columbia Pictures, officially announced this at the 25th anniversary event. Avi Arad, the maker of Iron Man, The Amazing Spiderman, and X-men will be the producer for the movie and was even on stage during the event. There isn't much real information yet, other then the fact that the idea for a MGS movie has been around since 2010. It was originally shelved, though, because Konami didn't agree with the direction it was being taken. Famitsu has a few images here from the entire event. IGN also has a small article and video you can watch. Personally, I'm extremely excited for this. I trust Kojima enough not to mess this up. At the same time, Kojima is probably one of the biggest trolls in the gaming industry. It's a complete toss-up. The next big announcement made was the making of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. Guests were told not to actually say anything about the game during it's real world demo, which wasn't even in English. Of course this didn't happen and plenty of rumors and twitter images showed up anyway! The most common thing is simply how beautiful and blown away everyone was at the game. It was reportedly demoed on a current generation PC and running the new FOX engine. Needless to say, those two things alone prove how powerful, massive, and gorgeous this game will be. Kojima also said in his latest podcast that the newest game in the series will "shake" the industry. Something Kojima seems to be good at doing and I have no doubt in my mind it's true when he says it. @markmacd tweeted... Famitsu was the source of the image to the right. If it's a picture of a cut-scene or real game-play footage, I can't tell. It looks amazing either way. I am extremely excited for this and can not wait.

Have you ever envied "those people"? You know who I'm talking about. They Game Stop Game Advisers. A job where you sit in an air conditioned store all day and work, talk, and handle video games seems like a dream come true....if you are 5. None the less, you can put your childhood ambitions to rest as Game Stop placed 10th on 24/7 Wall Street's Worse American Companies To Work For , along with such names as Radio Shack, Dish Network, and Riteaid, to name a few. The complete list can be found here. http://24/7 Wall Str...es to work for It seems the main complaint was the pushing of sales, namely pre-orders, over customer service. With the option to download hit video games at reduced prices via Steam or shopping for better deals via Amazon, you can see how increase sells are becoming increasingly important to Game Stop. I myself can relate to this. After turning down the particularly chubby senior game adviser, who asked me about 3 different upcoming games I might want to pre-order, I saw a tear roll down his supple cheeks. And I knew that he would be whipped severely and his equally pudgy children wouldn't eat tonight. Another common complaint was the store's buy back policy on games. Not only are they a bit unfair to the consumer, but even unfair to their own employees. All in all, with better deals and more convenient options elsewhere, I'm afraid Game Stop represents what Blockbuster did for movie rentals: increasingly obsolete. Only time will tell if it'll eventually follow the same path.