Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

I spent a lot of time creating content, articles, videos and all kinds of interesting stuff. i often don’t schedule myself time to take care of the products on my websites. Although this can be rather fun because it allows me to check on what new stuff that is out. Anyway, I have spent the last couple of days updating a lot of the products on my various medieval sites.  Here is a look at some of the things I have found.

Medieval Swords

My medieval swords website has been updated with a lot of new stuff. This is a quite popular little site that gets good ranking in the search engines and gets a good amount of traffic. You can see some of the swords that I own and read about them. You can also see some of the interesting sword topics like swords that are in video games (Which you can actually buy replicas of) and swords from the movies. One nice discovery I made is that the Assassin’s Creed Sword is available as a replica. Assassin’s creed is a terrific game that stays very true to the Italian Renaissance and this includes the reproduction of weapons.  I have a very interesting review of the architecture and design of this game here: About Assassin’s Creed

Medieval Toys and Games

I have also updated the section on Medieval Toys and games. These are the types of modern games that are available, not actually the games they played in the middle ages. The theme is on medieval and the section includes board games like Carcassonne.  I am currently working on a section of one of my websites that is all about the types of games they played in the Middle Ages. I will update you when it is complete. That will be an interesting thing to take a look at.

And Chess Sets of Course

When it comes to medieval toys and games Chess is a bit of a timeless anachronism. It is something they played in the Middle Ages and it is still very popular today. There is a tremedous variety of beautiful chess sets themed as medieval, king arthur, and Renaissance. You can see a selection of them here: Medieval Chess sets

I bought my son an Xbox for Christmas. You may have seen the youtube videos about this.  How to make an Xbox for Christmas. Well, the first thing he did, was to go out and get the Game Assassins Creed II and I spent a few hours yesterday watching him play it. And frankly I was stunned. THis game is remarkable for a few different reasons.

First off, it takes place in 15th century Italy which was smack dab in the middle of the Renaissance. So, did the developers of the game take advantage of this fact? Darn right they did.  Italy of this time is wide open to you - from Venice to Florence, Tuscany and much more. This is great but there is so much more. I was stunned by how much research Ubi Soft did for the making of this game. The weapons, and armor are all accurate to the time and place. There were plenty of Glaives, pikes, warhammers, and battle axes. Everything is just so amazingly accurate in the game. And, the various weapons and armor are all affected by the opponents weapons and armor. Battling a well armored knight? Better put away the dagger and use a warhammer on him.

But the game goes well beyond just the weapons and armor. It also delves deeply into what Italy was like during this period of time. While playing we stumbled into a character named Leonardo and accompanied him to his workshop (DaVinci of course). And while riding on his horse drawn wagon I noticed a very familiar looking piece of equipment hidden in the back. Looked to me like it was the famous DaVinci flying machine and I have a hunch that it will come into play later in the game.

But also, there is an important plot point in Venice where we have to get into a  church called “Santa Maria dei Frari. And of course this church is a beautifully rendered exact  model of the actual church in Venice. You can learn about it in the game - it gives you the history of it and tells you a little bit about it. Which is just amazing. Supposedly there is a burial tomb inside that we need to get into.

I also learned about a new weapon. My son purchased a weapon called a Metal Cestus.  It is a metal glove similar to a brass knuckle. He asked me if this too was real to the period and I had to admit I didn’t know for sure but judging by the rest of the game I figured it probably was a real weapon of the time period. Looking it up I found out that it sure is. Cestus Battle Glove

All in all I was simply stunned by the beauty of the game, the realism of game play and the careful attentioin to detail that Ubi Soft put into it. It is really wonderful to learn a little bit while playing

In february a new video game is being released called Dante’s Inferno and it looks like it is going to be a terrific game. It is based on one third of the Triptych poem by Dante, the Inferno (Hell). One of the most interesting things about this video game is the ease of creativity that came with it. It is almost as if Dante were designing a video game when he wrote the Divine Comedy. And it is easy to see how the story could be adapted to a video game.

First off it has an overarching theme “Beatrice has been kidnapped to the depths of hell and our hero “Dante” has to enter and rescue her. - pretty much a perfect overall theme.

Secondly, Hell is broken down into nine levels. Hmmm… can it get any more video game than that? Nine levels to battle through and each level with it’s own theme like Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Violence etc.

Finally when you are making a video game a lot of thought has to go into the environment or world that the game takes place in. Will it be set in a medieval world? A far-off planet? In the case of this game it takes place in what might be the best environment of all - Hell! Does it get any better than that?

An awful lot has been made of Joseph Campbell’s Heroes Journey. And well, it’s a great idea and a near perfect formula that just about every epic fantasy book or movie follows. Heck, even stuff that is not epic fantasy follows the Heroes Journey. But, it seems to me that Dante had this formula figured out a full seven hundred years earlier!

I bought a copy of the new Dragon Age Origins game on the day it was released and have been thoroughly enjoying it ever since. If you love the Epic Fantasy, Dungeons, Castles, and Knights genre of video games this is a great addition to the realm.  These games used to be a bit more popular and they don’t come out now as often as they used to . The gaming industry is very heavy in a lot of different genres and the military game is very popular right now. Anyway, I am glad this game came out. Some other great games in this genre are The Elder Scrolls. Gothic and Dungeon Siege.

About the game

This is a very complex game. It took BioWare five years to develop this game and it shows. There is an awful lot of stuff in it.  And most of this stuff is what is expected. There is plenty of battling and plenty of world to explore. And it is a party oriented game so if you have played Dungeon Siege or World of Warcraft you are very familiar with the style of game play. As you adventure through and explore the world you pick up party members that will fight with you. And you have to put together a complimentary set of members. You need a balance. If you are a warrior you are going to need a mage for healing and a rogue for lockpicking etc. It’s a nice way to explore a lot of different roles in the game.

 What character do I play? I always play a big muscle bound two handed sword wielding warrior!

Ok, where this game gets different

There are some very interesting things about this game that set it apart from other games in the genre. First off, there are a lot of moral and ethical choices that you have to make during the game. Will you steal from others? Will you make sacrifices for the greater good? And these choices affect what happens in the game. For example: Will you kill the evil king who has been wreaking havoc? If you do then his daughter will not marry you. This ruins your chances to become the new king - if that’s what you seek. Or how about this: When battling the evil bloodmage you have the choice of making a deal with him. Will you spare his life in order to get a permanant boost to your constitution stat? If you do this then some of your party members will disapprove. Bad Karma! And it has an effect on the game. Party members will get upset with you and leave the party permanently!

Not for kids

This game is definitely not for kids. There is quite a bit of very realistic bloodshed and you have killing blows that will actually decapitate your foes. And, there are lots of cut scenes after battles where you and your party members are spattered with very realistic looking blood. And….

You can actually woo and seduce other members of your party through gift-giving, conversations, and good karma actions. It is an interesting concept and if your seductions, which take time to develop, are successful you will be rewarded with an animated cut scene of the actuall nuptials (PG rated).

Some of the minuses of the game

I got the collectors edition with all the extras which include a special character, some special armor, and another realm with quests to explore. But the game doesn’t come with a storage chest! Yikes, no place for your party to store all their stuff? Wow, all you can do is carry a limited number of things in your backpack and when it gets full you have to sell the stuff to vendors.

Well, seeing as this game is very quest oriented (There are hundreds of quests) you never know what stuff you are going to need to complete a quest. And, I love to accumulate all kinds of armor, weapons, gems and things. It is a fun part of the game for me. So this is definitely a minus for me.

But they do offer a solution. You can buy and download the an add on quest that gives you a whole new area to explore and a party chest to store your goods. This downloadable costs seven dollars but is worth it for the chest and the extra game play. And it’s a seamless download. You can get it through the game screen which means no worries about extracting files. You pay for it and click it and the game does the rest. In a few minutes the new game area shows up on your world map.

Crafting is a bit weak - Crafting is a big part of many online games and other epic fantasy rpg’s. In this game you can do some crafting like make potions and traps but this is definitely weak in the game. There are not a whole lot of options for this and materials tend to be scarce. I really like the crafting aspects of games and usually do a lot of it but there is not a whole lot of it in this game. Definitely a minus for me.

Political intrigue

I am not really sure if this is a negative but in the games I play and the epic fantasy books I read I tend to not be too interested in all the political intrigue. You know, this is where the various houses, lords, and barons are all struggling for power. In this game there is a lot of this and the decisions you make during game play have an effect. As you are trying to conquer the blight that is set upon the land you have to drum up support from the various houses and factions. The moral and ethical decisions you make do matter. And the quests you complete are a factor too.

Extra stuff

There is some real fun stuff about this game. The developers really took a good look at combat and there are lots of great sword and weapon moves that your character makes and there are some great mini animations. Sometimes when you fell a large creature like an ogre your character will actually jump right up on its face and issue the killing blow. The combat is pretty good!

So, should you buy it?

This genre used to be the norm for video games but these kinds of games don’t come out too often anymore. So if you like the genre then you definitely should get it. You won’t be disappointed. It delivers what it promises.

I got the deluxe version which comes with a cloth map, lots of extra materials, a bonus character and more quests. Dragon Age: Originws: Collectors Edition But this is pretty pricey and you can get the regular version which is more than adequate: Dragon Age: Origins Neither version comes with the party chest for storing goods so if you want this you are going to have to spend another 7 dollars for the download which is worth it.

I say you get the regular version and then spring for the download.

And, because the game is so very complex I highly recommend you buy yourself a game guide. I bought this one: Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) It is absolutely necessary if you want to find all the secrets and make your way successfully through the complexity of the game.

It is what is expected from the genre; You are set in a medieval world and expected to save it from the forces of evil. Along the way you get lots of political intrigue, battles with monsters and lots of opportunities for adventure.

In closing: Are there dragons? Oh yes!

I have a whole series of free paper based games that I am working on and I have just finished the second one. It is called “Enter the Labyrinth and Rescue the Princess”. This one is a little different than my first paper game (Storm The Castle). In that one you had to fight your way through the castle and overthrow the king - taking the throne as your own.

 This second game is a little more subtle. The Princess is lost in a labyrinth and you have to find her. But along the way you have to collect her possessions so you can bring them to her. There are wandering monsters like zombies and spiders. And of course, being a labyrinth, there is a Minotaur.

This was a fun game to make and I have put it all into a complete package (Microsoft Word Doc) so you can download it, print it out and play it. The complete package for the game is located here:

Free Paper Game: Enter The Labyrinth and Rescue the Princess