Venture's Reviews II: The Nightmare Continues


Aisynia

 

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Arc #161865, "Aeon's Nemesis"
tl;dr: 5 stars. Nits: no theme (but comedic)

Reviewed on: 6/8/2009
Level Range: 35-54/33-54/30-54/41-45/46-54
Character used: Amelia Escobar/Virtue


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Wow, I was not expecting that (given that the story does lack an overall theme).

Thank you very much for the review, Venture! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

-D


Darkonne: Pinnacle's (unofficially) mighty Dark Miasma/Radiation Blast enthusiast!

Be sure to check out this mighty Arc:
#161865 - Aeon's Nemesis

 

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Five more reviews until my rerun... squeeel!


 

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Arc #170547, "The Beating Heart of Astoria: A Play in Five Acts"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Offenses: Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory

Reviewed on: 6/12/2009
Level Range: 40-54/40-54/40-54/40-54/1-54
Character used: Agent Cerulean/Justice

A "Stagehand" claims you are to the the lead actor in a play about Astoria. The briefing appears to say that you should disregard anything in the canon for the purposes of this mission, which is never a good sign. After an overly obfuscated and pretentious introduction to three characters (The Assassin, The Thaumaturgist, the Paladin), you are sent to the burning office (Hellions) map (Banished Pantheon spawns) to meet up with the Assassin (Assault Rifle/Super Reflexes Boss ally) and destroy the heart of the beast. Freeing him spawns three altars to destroy; destroying them spawns a horde of (friendly) Stagehands that announce the heart of the beast is exposed. Only it isn't; when you get to the last room the Big Bad is an Understudy (Sonic Blast/DiedTooFast) who claims to only be the herald of Mot. In the debriefing the Assassin concludes he can't be of any help to you as there is no single target for him to kill.

Act II's briefing continues in this vein, not explaining what it is you're going to do until after you've agreed to do it. In the acceptance speech the Thaumaturgist mocks the Assassin for expecting the villain to reveal himself in the first act and concludes the only course of action is to sacrifice an innocent to Mot in an attempt to appease it. This is probably why the Stagehand said "the characters are damned but the cast will not suffer for their actions".... You enter an office map and meet up with the Thaumaturgist (Radiation Blast/Dark Armor), which spawns three sacrifices to find. The guards on the hostages warn you that the script has been rewritten. Freeing the hostages (who are all willing to die for the greater good) triggers another Understudy (Sonic Blast/Fire Blast Boss), who says Mot's hunger is insatiable. The Thaumaturgist concludes in the debriefing that the task is impossible.

Act III brings us to the Paladin, who basically wants to just kill everything and let the gods sort it out. You're sent to the Chimera graveyard map to detonate a bomb. Fortunately I had Hide so I could just run around with impunity looking for the damn thing.... Destroying the bomb starts its countdown but there isn't enough time for you to escape. You have to find the Paladin, who uses his power to shield you both from the explosion. The debriefing reveals the bomb had no effect at all, and the Paladin steps aside.

Each having failed, all three of your former allies turn to the service of Mot in Act IV. So, off with their heads. You're sent to the Mother Mayhem map to take them out. You have to defeat a Pantheon Mask first to spawn them. Along the way are some non-hostile ghosts who complain about the ailments they had in life and such. Only the Thaumaturgist presented any real difficulty for me thanks to the huge defense debuffs. The Stagehand tells you in the debriefing the end is next, but not a happy one, as it was never the lead's role to save Astoria.

For the finale the Stagehand sends you to sing for Astoria. I don't sing, court order... Anyway, you're sent to one of the very short one-room Council maps with a single glowie labeled "Microphone" and Mot, an AV/EB (who is your Contact, but we saw that coming). You're told in the nav bar to sing and then meet the stagehands backstage for a feast. Noticing the AV was hostile I attacked and killed it; it never fired back. Then I clicked on the glowie and got Mission Failed. According to the briefing, this was actually a success; evidently had you followed the script you would have freed Mot. Instead he returns to his prision defeated. The souvenir explains what all this was supposed to symbolize, which in retrospect was weakly foreshadowed in Act IV. I don't think a good story requires this kind of heavy-handed exposition.

I've been marking down arcs for being "just a bunch of stuff that happened" and getting flak for it. This arc is an example of one of the things that can happen when the Architect goes too far in the other direction. In this case we've hit the "Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory" negative trope where everything is so mired in symbolism and allegory that you can make up almost any account at all to fit the references. The dialog is very good and the Architect uses the available tools very inventively, but the result is a near-incomprehensible mess. This would have been a three-star arc at best if not for the technical skill behind it. If you're a theater or LitCrit major, or enjoy trying to make sense out of Lost, this arc is for you. Otherwise prepare to be boggled most of the time.


Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"

 

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Arc #170547, "The Beating Heart of Astoria: A Play in Five Acts"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Offenses: Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory

Reviewed on: 6/12/2009
Level Range: 40-54/40-54/40-54/40-54/1-54
Character used: Agent Cerulean/Justice

A "Stagehand" claims you are to the the lead actor in a play about Astoria. The briefing appears to say that you should disregard anything in the canon for the purposes of this mission, which is never a good sign. After an overly obfuscated and pretentious introduction to three characters (The Assassin, The Thaumaturgist, the Paladin), you are sent to the burning office (Hellions) map (Banished Pantheon spawns) to meet up with the Assassin (Assault Rifle/Super Reflexes Boss ally) and destroy the heart of the beast. Freeing him spawns three altars to destroy; destroying them spawns a horde of (friendly) Stagehands that announce the heart of the beast is exposed. Only it isn't; when you get to the last room the Big Bad is an Understudy (Sonic Blast/DiedTooFast) who claims to only be the herald of Mot. In the debriefing the Assassin concludes he can't be of any help to you as there is no single target for him to kill.

Act II's briefing continues in this vein, not explaining what it is you're going to do until after you've agreed to do it. In the acceptance speech the Thaumaturgist mocks the Assassin for expecting the villain to reveal himself in the first act and concludes the only course of action is to sacrifice an innocent to Mot in an attempt to appease it. This is probably why the Stagehand said "the characters are damned but the cast will not suffer for their actions".... You enter an office map and meet up with the Thaumaturgist (Radiation Blast/Dark Armor), which spawns three sacrifices to find. The guards on the hostages warn you that the script has been rewritten. Freeing the hostages (who are all willing to die for the greater good) triggers another Understudy (Sonic Blast/Fire Blast Boss), who says Mot's hunger is insatiable. The Thaumaturgist concludes in the debriefing that the task is impossible.

Act III brings us to the Paladin, who basically wants to just kill everything and let the gods sort it out. You're sent to the Chimera graveyard map to detonate a bomb. Fortunately I had Hide so I could just run around with impunity looking for the damn thing.... Destroying the bomb starts its countdown but there isn't enough time for you to escape. You have to find the Paladin, who uses his power to shield you both from the explosion. The debriefing reveals the bomb had no effect at all, and the Paladin steps aside.

Each having failed, all three of your former allies turn to the service of Mot in Act IV. So, off with their heads. You're sent to the Mother Mayhem map to take them out. You have to defeat a Pantheon Mask first to spawn them. Along the way are some non-hostile ghosts who complain about the ailments they had in life and such. Only the Thaumaturgist presented any real difficulty for me thanks to the huge defense debuffs. The Stagehand tells you in the debriefing the end is next, but not a happy one, as it was never the lead's role to save Astoria.

For the finale the Stagehand sends you to sing for Astoria. I don't sing, court order... Anyway, you're sent to one of the very short one-room Council maps with a single glowie labeled "Microphone" and Mot, an AV/EB (who is your Contact, but we saw that coming). You're told in the nav bar to sing and then meet the stagehands backstage for a feast. Noticing the AV was hostile I attacked and killed it; it never fired back. Then I clicked on the glowie and got Mission Failed. According to the briefing, this was actually a success; evidently had you followed the script you would have freed Mot. Instead he returns to his prision defeated. The souvenir explains what all this was supposed to symbolize, which in retrospect was weakly foreshadowed in Act IV. I don't think a good story requires this kind of heavy-handed exposition.

I've been marking down arcs for being "just a bunch of stuff that happened" and getting flak for it. This arc is an example of one of the things that can happen when the Architect goes too far in the other direction. In this case we've hit the "Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory" negative trope where everything is so mired in symbolism and allegory that you can make up almost any account at all to fit the references. The dialog is very good and the Architect uses the available tools very inventively, but the result is a near-incomprehensible mess. This would have been a three-star arc at best if not for the technical skill behind it. If you're a theater or LitCrit major, or enjoy trying to make sense out of Lost, this arc is for you. Otherwise prepare to be boggled most of the time.

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This arc sounds absolutely awesome!


 

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Dang, that sounds bizarre. I do wonder though, how did he make it so the only way to complete mission 5 was to fail it? Sounds like a fun little trick.


 

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For those of you that may have some criticism of Venture, voicing it either through posts or by rating this thread with fewer than five stars, I strongly suggest you run his arc, "Blowback," before you do. Regardless of whether you're a fan of the Malta Group, the Rikti, Crimson or the other players in his arc, what should strike you is the fact that it is obvious that he is familiar with everything that goes into creating a good story arc. From the use of the various maps and tools available through the creator, to the ability to craft a well-written, engaging story, to a sound grasp of grammar, spelling, and syntax, "Blowback" is a fine example of what people should strive for -- myself included.

There may be some reviewers out there that really have no right to critique others' work. Venture is not one of those.

Oh, and for the record, I don't know Venture from Adam. He has yet to review my arc, and I trust that, when he does, it will not be influenced by these comments. I simply thought it might help everyone trust his judgment a little more to hear from someone outside the box.


The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG

"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496

 

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To be honest, I wasn't all that crazy about "Blowback". Although that may be because I'm not too crazy about "political intrigue" stories. I REALLY liked "Chains of Blood" though.


 

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I'm not a big fan of the Malta Group, or of the entire Crimson/Indigo thing. The fact that I actually enjoyed this arc enough to want to see what happened to the characters -- that it was well-written and engaging despite the fact it was Malta -- is what prompted me to write my post. If someone can get me engaged with a group I typically dislike, then it says something for their skill. That's my main point here. And if they demonstrate that kind of skill writing an arc, it gives them credibility reviewing them.


The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG

"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496

 

Posted

Ventures arcs are ok, but they strike me like episodes of Law and Order. Well enough written but so mundane as to be a bit dull, at least to me.

I don't care if a tofu on white bread sandwich is lovingly cut out into the shape of a duck and then the details of the duck are painted on with food coloring with such skill that it actually closely resembles a real duck. In the end it's still just tofu on white bread.


Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!

 

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Ventures arcs are ok, but they strike me like episodes of Law and Order. Well enough written but so mundane as to be a bit dull, at least to me.

I don't care if a tofu on white bread sandwich is lovingly cut out into the shape of a duck and then the details of the duck are painted on with food coloring with such skill that it actually closely resembles a real duck. In the end it's still just tofu on white bread.

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This sums up my view on Venture's arcs as well. Venture's arcs are great if you want MA material that exactly parallels the in-game mission content. Personally, this is exactly the opposite of what I want out of the MA content so, Venture's arcs held zero interest for me to the point that I didn't bother to finish any of them. This leads into another point that Venture is clearly one of those MA people who feels that you can't tell a good story in less than four missions. I disagree with this stance as it is the equivalent of saying that only novels are worth reading as their is no such thing as a well written or entertaining short story.


Jail.Bird


Jail.Bird

 

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Wow... I feel like I've suddenly become the lone spokesperson for the Venture fan club, which I fear will bite me on the tucus one way or another -- either branding me a suck up if I get a good review -- or damning me to a sterner review so Venture can prove his objectivity.

Whatever...

For my part, you're right, Jailbird, in that "Blowback" does parallel the Crimson/Indigo arcs. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. As I've tried to point out, the fact that "Blowback" could be substituted for one of CoH's official arcs says that he is competent enough to write CoH quality arcs, which makes him competent enough to review arcs. Most of us would die for a good review from a Dev, a Dev's Choice, so why would an objective reviiew from someone that understands the way CoH does their arcs be a bad thing?

Reviews are free. We all want them so that our arcs will get attention and, thus, more players. One would *think* we'd want them to be somewhat professionally done. Regardless of whether you think is work his somewhat whitebread or not, at least you can say that for him.

Personally, I prefer longer arcs as long as they use their length to tell you more about the characters. I guess it simply depends on what you're looking for in game play. Short stories make their point fast, typically at the expense of characterization. Lengthier stories demand more of your time in order to expand on their ideas and characters. I tend to like long ones. My dad and I used to debate this exact point. He had a huge colletion of short stories. My library consisted of novels. To each his or her own. Actually, my biggest fear in any review is that the reviewer will claim I overdid it. What can I say, I just like more characterization -- something CoH arcs consistently lack.

I think Venture could have fleshed out his characters a little more. I even told him so in my feedback. That would have made the story even longer, which would have been diametrically opposite of what you prefer. Unfortunately, there is seldom a win-win when you create arcs.

Bottom line, as compared with other reviewers, Venture is competent and has proven himself so. His arcs may not be for everyone, but they are solid. That gives him room to voice his opinion with some backing, anyway.


The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG

"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496

 

Posted

Um, I don't think anyone's discounting that. Personally, I'm reading your posts as coming across as 'Venture's opinion has more weight than others because...', though. Now, I know that's now what you explicitly wrote, but that's the vibe I'm getting from your wording.

If you really liked his arcs and think they're an example everyone should strive for, great. Do that. However, keep in mind that the MA is being used by a great many people with a great many tastes, many of whom want something entirely different from the system than Venture and/or you. What is a shining example to you may well be the thing to avoid for others.


"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi

Characters

 

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I disagree with this stance as it is the equivalent of saying that only novels are worth reading as their is no such thing as a well written or entertaining short story.

Five missions is a short story. A novel would be more like "World Wide Red" at 15 acts (not counting FedExes). "World Wide Red" is easily one of the best arcs in the game but I don't think everything needs to be that long and I really, really don't want to have to wade through 15 act player-made arcs. I shudder to think of what a 15 act Mary Sue arc would look like, and don't really want to go through 14 acts only to find out in act 15 that it's (e.g.) a Shaggy Dog story.

Even worse, if we were actually given that much space we wouldn't get a plethora of 15 act arcs -- only the most egregious of the bad authors would do that, under the usual principle that those who write the worst write the most and you can't stop them. No, what we'd really get is one or two act arcs with 98224398742492374 custom mobs in them, not one of which would be the slightest bit more interesting than anything seen anywhere else in the game, since they're all nothing but piles of hit points that shoot back.

A one or two act arc is good for nothing but a fast joke, or an O. Henry or Frederic Brown vignette -- but we don't have any Henrys or Browns that I know of.

As for the rest, I don't see how the subject matter of any of my arcs could be called "mundane" but de gustibus non whatever and all that.


Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"

 

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Five missions is a short story.

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In your opinion, with which I obviously disagree.

So, from the rest of your response it seems pretty clear to me that it is a waste of everyone's time to have you review any MA less than 5 missions as there is no way you will give it any kind of good rating (regardless of the actual quality of the MA).


Jail.Bird


Jail.Bird

 

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"World Wide Red" is easily one of the best arcs in the game

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In your very subjective opinion. I for one hate it. It's the Synapse Taskforce of storyarcs. Way too many missions of the same damn enemy group with a plot that doesn't even try to make sense. At least it gets a sudden and IIRC asspully solve-out in the end, until then it's three plot lines that do not tie together at all.


What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?

PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes

 

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Well, I'm sure glad my arc has no depth to it, lol


Apparently, I play "City of Shakespeare"
*Arc #95278-Gathering the Four Winds -3 step arc; challenging - 5 Ratings/3 Stars (still working out the kinks)
*Arc #177826-Lights, Camera, Scream! - 3 step arc, camp horror; try out in 1st person POV - 35 Ratings/4 Stars

 

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"World Wide Red" is easily one of the best arcs in the game

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In your very subjective opinion. I for one hate it. It's the Synapse Taskforce of storyarcs. Way too many missions of the same damn enemy group with a plot that doesn't even try to make sense. At least it gets a sudden and IIRC asspully solve-out in the end, until then it's three plot lines that do not tie together at all.

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You know...I have never actually run it...I really should though...


 

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Post deleted by Fuzun


 

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And for MA writer who can cram a Beginning, a Climax and Ending into one mission and tell a great story. You'll get a 5 star rating from me hands down.

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Sounds like a goal for me... but not much of a stretch

Contact - Beginning
Gameplay - Climax (other info)
Souvenir/Contact - End


Apparently, I play "City of Shakespeare"
*Arc #95278-Gathering the Four Winds -3 step arc; challenging - 5 Ratings/3 Stars (still working out the kinks)
*Arc #177826-Lights, Camera, Scream! - 3 step arc, camp horror; try out in 1st person POV - 35 Ratings/4 Stars

 

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Um, I don't think anyone's discounting that. Personally, I'm reading your posts as coming across as 'Venture's opinion has more weight than others because...', though. Now, I know that's now what you explicitly wrote, but that's the vibe I'm getting from your wording.

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Absolutely not. I'm simply saying that his work on his arcs gives him credibility. He doesn't put out trash and he demonstrates certain skills some other reviewers (not all) lack. That's all I'm saying.

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If you really liked his arcs and think they're an example everyone should strive for, great. Do that. However, keep in mind that the MA is being used by a great many people with a great many tastes, many of whom want something entirely different from the system than Venture and/or you. What is a shining example to you may well be the thing to avoid for others.

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Fine, if some people think it's the thing to avoid, more power to them. It makes me wonder why they play the game, though. After all, since the argument seems to be that Venture's work is *too* similar to stuff we see created by Devs, it stands to reason that they don't like the Dev's work. That being the case, why play the game?

Oh, unless it's simply to either PVP -- in which case I hear WoW is better, or to write arcs that have no resemblence to ones the game's been based on.

It wasn't my intention to become a Venture suck up. But, really, given the similarity of his work to developer-created content, I fail to understand how people can criticize his work while liking the game. Nobody's opinion will make everyone else happy. And, maybe, it's simply that his work and opinion matches mine more closely than *some* other reviewers. The fact remains, since he has been criticized for being *too much* like the devs, there has to be some credibility there.


The SOLUS Foundation - a Liberty and Pinnacle SG

"The Consequences of War" - Arcs # 227331 and 241496

 

Posted

<QR>

So, from the rest of your response it seems pretty clear to me that it is a waste of everyone's time to have you review any MA less than 5 missions as there is no way you will give it any kind of good rating (regardless of the actual quality of the MA).


False. I four-starred the single-act arc "ParaCon" and five-starred the three act arc "The Horrible Mr. Caractacus". A vetting of my reviews should turn up several other short arcs with good ratings.

While I admit it is unlikely that a single-act arc could ever earn five stars I wouldn't rule it out. It would almost certainly have to be a very funny comedy.

It's the Synapse Taskforce of storyarcs. Way too many missions of the same damn enemy group with a plot that doesn't even try to make sense.

The plot of "World Wide Red" is very straightforward: Malta seeks to reinstate government control of superhumans by having China take credit for the mass murder of supers through an amabassador replaced by a shapechanger then capitalizing on the resulting crisis. If it was any more straightforward it would be a Steven Segal movie. It's not exactly a Xanatos Gambit.

As for it having the same enemy faction throughout: an arc should have exactly as many factions as the story requires, no less and not a single one more. I felt bad about throwning Tsoo and Freakshow into "Two Households Alike" but all the reviewers so far felt they were used appropriately. Throwing gratuitous factions at the player, especially custom ones, is no different from bad action movies that use lots of FX and explosions to try to cover up the lack of story. I stopped being impressed with that when I was 12. (Back then I used to keep a box of 3x5 index cards with movie reviews on them. When my parents complained I was only grading them on the FX I started grading the FX separately.)

While I wouldn't ask people to try to pick "the best" arc in the game, I think it might be fair to ask those critical of my standards to name, say, three to five canon arcs they would give five stars to were they AE projects. I would name "World Wide Red", "Melvin and the Mysterious Malta Group" (barely, excessive use of Your Princess Is In Another Castle), "Oh, Wretched Man!", "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge", "High Roller's Last Gamble", "The Hammer of the World" and probably a few others I can't think of at the moment.


Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"

 

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[ QUOTE ]
The plot of "World Wide Red" is very straightforward: Malta seeks to reinstate government control of superhumans by having China take credit for the mass murder of supers through an amabassador replaced by a shapechanger then capitalizing on the resulting crisis.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can't see what's wrong with that sentence, I can't help you.


What shall claim a Sky Kings' Ransom?

PPD & Resistance Epic Archetypes

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The plot of "World Wide Red" is very straightforward: Malta seeks to reinstate government control of superhumans by having China take credit for the mass murder of supers through an amabassador replaced by a shapechanger then capitalizing on the resulting crisis.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you can't see what's wrong with that sentence, I can't help you.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's straightforward for a Malta plot. Which is kinda like a Nemesis plot, only with a chance of actually working.

From a gameplay perspective though, the only redeeming thing about that arc is the giant robot ambush. Fifteen missions of one enemy group over and over might be required for the story, but it detracts from fun factor.


Eva Destruction AR/Fire/Munitions Blaster
Darkfire Avenger DM/SD/Body Scrapper

Arc ID#161629 Freaks, Geeks, and Men in Black
Arc ID#431270 Until the End of the World

 

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(Back then I used to keep a box of 3x5 index cards with movie reviews on them. When my parents complained I was only grading them on the FX I started grading the FX separately.)

[/ QUOTE ]
You must've been one hell of a weird kid.


Goodbye, I guess.

@Lord_Nightblade in Champions/Star Trek Online

nightblade7295@gmail.com if you want to stay in touch

 

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Arc #135563, "Forever Lost"
tl;dr: 4 stars. Offenses: canon issues

Reviewed on: 6/13/2009
Level Range: 5-29
Character used: Amy Sunflower/Virtue

Sgt. Suzanne Bernhard, of Skyway City fame, has a problem: her daughter Katie has been taken by the Lost. She knows that if she goes through police channels they'll never save her in time so she needs a hero's help. The best lead is a Lost known to hang around an illegal Family-run casino about to be raided; if he gets arrested Bernhard won't be able to talk to him. You have to get there first and get him to talk. Mike "Lost Bet" appears after you beat down the Casino Manager (Underboss) and eventually gives up the guy you're really looking for (small grammar error: "...can do you have 10 bucks?") Bernhard takes the info and asks you to come back in a few hours after she's had a chance to run down the leads.

The guy you're looking for, Jason (Katie's boyfriend), is holed up in a warehouse the PPD has been watching for a while as a Lost hotspot. You're sent to a fairly large warehouse map full of Lost with a few surprises. Jason turns out to be a Broadsword/Mental Manipulation Boss/LT (I think; I was on Heroic and playing a Controller so he didn't get to do much). You get a few clues from him which make things look bad for Katie.

Time for the Fight Scene: you've got to follow up immediately on the lead you just got from Jason and hope you're in time to keep Katie from being Shifted. Bernhard tells you she'll try to arrange for PPD backup and may be there herself. The last act takes place on an office map. There are a few surprises along the way again, in the form of some recurring Bosses, but you eventually reach Katie to find, as the title implies, this one's got a Downer Ending: Katie is not only already on Shift but willingly. Her mom does spawn as a hostage during the fight; for me this was Rocks Fall Everyone Dies style as she and two Headmen guards spawned literally right on top of me. Fortunately Seeds of Win was up. Bernhard explains Katie's disaffection in the debriefing (typo: "shot" instead of "shoot").

The arc is well written; one of the recurring Bosses is very sympathetic, particularly in his second appearance. It does have canon issues though. The Lost, particularly Mike, are way out of character here. From their first exposure to Shift they are described as being somber and business-like; running around losing money at casinos doesn't really fit. There's another small issue at the end when Bernhard says Katie's mutation is irreversible: we've got a cure for the Lost now and works up to Pariah stage. Of course, restoring her humanity isn't going to do anything about the real issues there. While it could use some improvements, it is still a good arc and worth playing, particularly if you've got a low-level hero you're leveling up through AE.


Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"