Halo3 ODST Xbox360 Review

"9" Can't put it down

Halo: ODST [Orbital Drop Shock Trooper] is the story of a group of ODSTs being sent into the city of New Mombasa to land on a Covenant Carrier hovering above the city, and kill the Prophet inside… Or so they think. ONI [Office of Naval Intelligence] has a different plan. Too bad even ONI didn’t expect the Carrier to jump right above the city. Sound familiar? That’s right, this game takes place DIRECTLY after Master Chief followed the Carrier through the ‘slip-space rupture’ in Halo 2. In this game, you play the FNG [or ****ing New Guy], simply referred to as the Rookie. Don’t be sad though, these guys are still crazy, if not crazier, than Spartans. Think about it. They get launched from space in a tiny pod, break through the atmosphere, and survive the impact into usually enemy filled territories. At least, that’s how it’s SUPPOSE to go. There’s a certain saying among the ODSTs. ‘Digging your own grave.’ I’ll leave you to ponder that one. Another saying, just to emphasize the point, is ‘Jumping into hell feet first.’ That’s right, these Helljumpers are no pansies, and boy, do I love it.

Squad Fire

As ‘The Rookie,’ you wake up six hours after the slip-space rupture occurred, and scour the nighttime city in search of your lost squad. The game blends a gritty film noir type setting until you find trigger clues, these can be anything from a bent sniper rifle, to a camera from a Drone. Once found, you’re sent into the shoes of one of the Rookie’s squad mates, where you drop the detective setting and put on the kick ass Halo style boots. My personal favorite is playing as Dutch and leading a Warthog charge against a Covenant infested zoo.

Halo3ODST Pod Concept Art

While playing this game you may feel like you’ve done a lot of this before, not that this is a bad thing, of course. That’s because Halo: ODST uses the exact same engine as Halo 3. With a few moderation’s, of course. Two of the most notable differences in the game are: A) The lack of duel wielding. That’s right, kids, you can’t use two of the new amazing pistols at the same time. [I’ve already cried about it.] And B) The lack of the Battle Rifle.  Yes, yes, cry, my children, cry. I personally am ecstatic to see that hunk of junk go! Back to the game of course.

"The Rookie"

ODST’s campaign will burn about 3-5 of your sweet hours depending on your difficulty setting. For ODST first timers, I recommend Heroic. If you’re play Co-Op, go straight into Legendary. Now, onto the actual game itself: health packs have made a comeback, and shields are only on brutes. Instead, ODST’s have Stamina, which will recharge and Health, which can only be restored with health packs found across the game. This will be familiar with those of you who’ve played Halo: Combat Evolved. [If you haven’t, go do it now.] The mini-map is also gone, though it is replaced with the cities superintendent, the AI that runs the megapolis, and his detailed grid of the city, including enemy locations. Vehicle driving is just as fun as always, with every vehicle from the Halo series returning. Scorpion inside of the city limits? Count me in! You can ever find a couple of vehicles as the rookie, albeit only mongooses.

Day 1 Rally Point

But, wait! There’s more! [More?] Yes, more! Let me introduce you to Firefight. Lately, the survive as long as possible games have been huge successes, [COD: 5’s Nazi Zombies, GoW2’s Horde, etc, etc] and this one is no exception. The maps are fun and gorgeous. Playing this on live with 3 other friends is a BLAST! [LITERALLY!] As you play, you rack up a ton of medals, each showing your amazing feat. Hammer Spree? I’ve got about 3 of them. Headshots? 29. It just never ends!

Oh, god, I’m starting to feel like an infomercial. Yes, there’s more. ODST comes with a second disc that contains EVERY Halo 3 multiplayer map known to us common man. This was good news for my 20GB hard drive and me. This also means that you don’t need a copy of Halo 3 to play multiplayer. The game comes with three new maps, each of which is STUNNING!

I give Halo: ODST a 9 out of 10. Bungie really went above and beyond the call to create a real game between their Spartan II epics. Also, I’m a sucker for add on stories and the ODST’s are just as bad ass as it gets. Buy it now, you will NOT be disappointed.

Oh, and as I said in my earlier article, if you purchase ODST, you’ll have an invitation for the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta next year! What are you waiting for!?

Resident Evil 5

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Survival Action/3rd Person Shooter
Release Date: 3/13/2009 on XBox360 & PS3
Release Date: 9/18/2009  on PC
Players: 1-2 Players/Multiplayer
Engine: MT Framework-Enhanced with Havok Physics
MSRB: Mature 17+
MSRP: 49.99$

Don't buy it!

The PC port for this game earns the Steamer Badge!

Here is another review of a game that has been on the shelf for 2.5 months already. Were catching up over here at the Ezfactory. Mixing in a little “been out a bit now” with “just came out”. Anyways, the Resident Evil 5 (aka Bio-hazard 5 in Japan) release rides on the back of all that has been previously released as most franchises do.   Capcom has a loyal group of zombie fans who will scoop it up despite it nearly being a carbon copy of 4, which was actually a fun game.   Have you ever gone to a Christmas dinner and felt like you were just served what was left over from Thanksgiving?  Resident Evil 5 is all about leftovers & turkeys!  Tweaked gameplay, slightly smarter AI, improved merc mode, we move from small fictional village in South America to small fictional village in Africa, and well, I’ve seen it all before.   This is another feeble attempt to convince consumers to shell out 50 bucks for this game! (note to self, it worked really well!) (Mercenary mode is where players compete against the clock to try and kill as many enemies as possible and is a lot of fun, but for full price it’s not enough!).  Give me something fresh and new already! Oh wait, why would Capcom do that when droves of Resident Evil fans willingly shell out 50 bones for the same product time after time! This game is great in an arcade setting, but on the PC, we deserve better! Porting to the PC was a bad idea for this title because it’s a horrible gaming experience.  The game lacks a cohesive storyline which presents more like the same mindless dribble we have seen for years now.   Its clunky controls need to be simplified and ridiculous rewards updated, (since when does a mutant dog carry a small pouch of gold!?-seriously!), and graphically, for where we are on that time-line, this game just ain’t cutting the mustard! This title is not polished,  looks rushed and is weak at best!  Nevertheless, let’s break it down.

The game takes place in fictional Kijuju, Africa supposedly 4 years later than RE4. You are dropped into a lawless shithole of a nation where 5 goons are beating the stank out of some guy they have locked up in a burlap sack with cricket paddles, and wooden stakes (alright, that looks like fun, can I have a go?). They stop to give you the evil eye which normally means I’d have to share my ammo with their torso’s but the game won’t allow you to do that. (lucky them) You start out as Chris Redfield, ex-STARS agent and team up with Sheva Alomar. I make use of her inventory and make her my medic. Honestly, as far as programmed sidekicks go, she isn’t half bad and she helps carry the load in all areas. On the Xbox360 & PS3 versions of this game Sheva is also your partner, but at anytime she can be controlled by a 2nd player as part of the games drop in/drop out co-op game play. A feature I really like in console games!

Buyer beware-renders are much nicer than actual in game footage!

The inventory seems odd. I advise you don’t try to access it in-game. It isn’t simple and quick to manipulate and everything around you doesn’t pause, so mobs will easily get to you. There is nothing unique about this process. Standard weapons like gun, rifle, sniper rifle, machine gun, shotguns, rocket launchers, grenades, ect, ect! If your playing the game on the PC like I am, you will need to think about how to evenly distribute the upgrades for these weapons you can purchase for both Chris & Sheva. Upgrades are like accuracy or damage or clip or magazine load amount. One aspect I like about the game is that it is hard! There are 3 difficulty settings with the middle of the 3 being normal. Normal is hard and it will take some time to adjust to the buttons the game calls for in combat settings. Setting it to hard, which I do for every game I play right at the get go, was impossible to play, and that was frustratingly fun! In total, this HUD looks old school to me: Turkey trimmings at Christmas dinner! Burbelflickle!

The Inventory HUD looks ripped out of a game from 10years ago!

The game has some cool bosses. I especially like the chainsaw wielding zombie. The first boss you face is a hulk of an executioner dude wielding an axe hammer wrapped in chains so large it’s pretty cool. Understanding how to defeat your enemies in this game is easy. They all have flaws and they are plain and simple to see. Whether it be a pause they have leaving the opening for you to do your damage, or a fiery furnace to lure them into before you roast them up like a marshmallow under a flame-thrower, the simplicity of this game, whether I like it or not, has sold globally like hot cakes! 5 million units since march of this year in total, and is the best selling release in the 7 titles released under the RE franchise tag. This is before the PC release to boot. If I had my choice on what platform to play this game I’d have to experience the arcade version first and then I’d go to the 360. I would not play this game on the PC, and after those 5million units sold by September of this year, I’d love to see how many were sold on the PC since then.

Chainsaw boss is pretty kick ass!

In summary, zombies are the popular bad guy these days. Everyone likes a zombie, and it’s a great theme right now. In fact, cities are having zombie crawls where people show up to an area dressed as zombies and just hang out and have a good time. Zombiemania! Zombie movie after zombie movie is made and people flock to it. Even zombie costume sales during Halloween were breaking all-time sales records with merchants in 2008-09. People are crazy for zombies-Capcom knows it to! It is hard to argue with 5 million units sold, and on anyone’s score card in this industry that’s a grand slam! No doubt Capcom shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank. There is no denying the game is fun to play (at very limited times) because I try to make every bullet count. However, that same fun teeters on the high-wire with boring and redundant all too quickly. This game rocked 5 years ago and that is an eternity in game years, but the Resident Evil Franchise is a well branded dead horse that still produces. I give this game a 5.0 out of 10 because 5 million units sold is nothing to shake a stick at, but any claims that this game is a masterpiece are totally absurd. The game isn’t a total wash though. It is long, and there are definitely fun parts. You get to kill a lot of rather intelligent zombies, and cool bosses with destructive weaponry. Hence, this game is certainly no Terminator Salvation, but it’s also not “Left for Dead” either, not even close, which is a great game and an example of fresh new zombie ideas fused with awesome gameplay, smooth mechanics,  & insatiable level design. Bottomline:  Don’t buy the PC version of this game.  Go get “Left for Dead 1 or 2″ instead if your looking for some Zombie action on the PC! I didn’t play the Xbox360 or PS3 version of this game, and and this is not a review for those ports.   In addition to 5.0 game score, this game gets the steamer badge for its PC port.  Go put that in your pipe and smoke it Mr. evil Zulu warlord on the blow horn!

Capcom's Resident Evil Franchise has long been a focal point game for critics who point at violence in games affecting the development of children. Those arguments are losing ground in 2009.

Get outta my face with that breath!

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I recently provided my first impressions of Fallen Earth and wanted to follow that up with a few early screenshots of the scene in Zanesville. This small town is one of the nine starter areas for new characters entering the wastelands. It is the sad remains of a town with an attached airport. Currently occupied by the Enforcers, Zanesville is being harrassed by the Travelers and there are talks of Blade Dancer raiders in the nearby wastes.

So...even if I explode into a million tiny pieces, I'll get put back together again...here? Cool.

The Enforcers fly their flag proudly over Zanesville.

Ready! Aim! Fire!

Mutagenics Laboratory. No clue what to do in here yet...but that just sounds cool.

I wonder if they will ever get that thing in the air again.

I got this horse...and that's all I need. Well, this horse...and this crossbow...but that's all I need.

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The definition of a killer app is an application (software) made that demands its user base to go buy new hardware in order to use it, and they do, in droves no less!  Anytime a game can package together a custom peripheral to accompany the game at release, it has done well.  However, one question remains:  How well will the game sell?  I guess we will see if the 121.00$ price tag keeps Christmas shoppers away as we open the shopping gates at 4am this morning at most major retailers around the country! 121.0$ is steep!  Will it be gimmick or all game play?  It’s been out for 10days now, and I just picked it up for the Xbox360.  From what I can tell, sales are out preforming on the 360 compared to the PS3-Stay tuned, I will have a review for you in the next week, but already I have some reservations.  Briefly, here’s what I am thinking…

This game is published by Activision who pretty much dominated this space until EA’s game Skate & Skate2 came out and forced the Tony Hawk franchise back to the drawing board.  This game “Ride” is their (Activisions’) rebuttal so to speak.  Bobby Kotick  & Activision are typically the wait and see types.  He is a lot of things, and I’d probably be a happy camper who only saw positive if I were a share holder right about now (see current sales of COD Modern Warfare 2), but chance takers they just haven’t been in recent years.  Typically they would sit back and let someone else test the market with a new product like this but perhaps the success of COD MW2 gave them the confidence needed.  Add to that perfect timing for a holiday release and we are now in wait and see mode as the numbers roll in.  I just hope the board is as responsive as I think it will be.  It is going to have to pass my “3yr old” test!

In the meantime, check out Tony using it, he makes it look too easy.  I like the 2nd video as well, and is one of the reasons I really respect Tony Hawk: Not only is he the father of skateboarding, a very wise business man, but he takes care of his people! After all the insanity Christian Hosoi has been through (even if he did bring it on himself, we’ve all made stupid decisions before), Tony is there advancing his sport, promoting its icons, giving back, and we know Hosoi was a huge part of it early on! (but that’s another story!) Kudos to Hawk!

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Halo Reach-We can't wait!

Ah, Halo Reach. How little we know about it. How little any of us know about it. But that won’t stop us from trying, now will it? Now, we’re not going to pretend that there’s no leaked pictures out there, or even debate the authenticity of said pictures, and we’re also not going to post them here. When Bungie is ready to release, we will be ready! Now, onto the information you’re so fervently waiting for. Halo: Reach is a first person shooter from Bungie. The last Halo game that will be made by Bungie. (So they say.) Don’t worry,  Microsoft’s new studio, 343 Industries, will be handling the Halo IP that we all love so much, so expect more Halo in the future. Bungie will be working on a new top secret IP.

Back to Reach: The game will take place directly before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, in which the Colony of Reach, Humanities biggest planet besides Earth, is being assaulted by a massively large covenant force. The events of the game are also in ‘The Fall of Reach’, a book written by Eric Nylund in 2001. The whereabouts of Reach was one of humanity’s closely guarded secrets. Heck, the location of any human controlled planet was kept secret from the Covenant. The alien collective had this nasty habit of bombing any planet inhabited by humans until the entire surface was melted, so everyone felt it best not to give them another target. In “Halo: The Fall of Reach,” the story is told of how Captain Keyes inadvertently leads the Covenant to Reach because of a secretly placed beacon on his ship, thereby ensuring its destruction.  Halo: CE is actually directly after the Pillar of Autumn jumps away from Reach. Spoiler: Reach’s destruction can be seen in a short trailer released at Bungie’s website here. For those of you who are Master Chief fan-boys, it looks like no MC for you. He will be gone or in hibernation during the game. Don’t fret just yet Halo maniac’s: Reach was the training ground for Spartan II’s, and I’m putting my money on you being one of them. This is all just wild speculation of course but that’s not all: There’s reason to believe from the leaked photo’s that the game might actually be a squad shooter. Yeah. We know, you plus 3 or 4 other Spartans. Oh yeah!

Halo: Reach is set to release in Fall of next year, but for those of you who can’t wait, grab a copy Halo 3: ODST, which gives you a pass to access the Reach multi-player beta early next year! If you want to participate, you need to buy it.  Plus, it’s just a fun game. That will give you a chance to try out the Needler Rifle! Hrm? Needler Rifle? I said nothing of the sort!

Actual in game footage. This may be the only official screenshot released by Bungie to date.

Reach being bombed

Reach Devastated

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Zombie Games (Seattle)
Genre: Horror/Puzzle
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Release Date: October 9th 2009
Released For: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC Downloadable
Rated: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language)
MSRP: $49.99

Just Passable

For a horror movie to be scary in my eyes, it must have believability! I ask myself, “could this really happen in real life?”. I think Saw 1 and even Saw 2 could happen.   Mostly because there are some serious whack jobs out there, but for it to continue to happen is ludicrous! The FBI would take that down faster than a bottle of vodka at Courtney Love’s house, unless we are talking about some 3rd world country which then is more plausible. What really had believability, and scared the bejesus out of me, was Tim Roth’s Hostel 1! Not since the original “Exorcist” have I tossed and turned at night so bad. The first and second Saw movies really scared me. They had true genuine believability. Subsequent releases looked to capitalize of the success of the first 2, and by then the concept was a “B rated” novelty much like “Friday the 13th Franchise” or the Freddy Kruger “Nightmare on Elm Street” series. (which were all horrible!) So when I heard “Saw the Game” was coming out, I was really torn in half about it-much pun intended!

Initially, my expectations were low.  Development of the game started with Brash who has never released anything good, and then they went belly up late last year. Then  Japanese publisher Konami quickly scooped up the license. Konami has a history with horror games having produced the Silent Hill games so I thought “maybe”, but only because the Unreal Engine was involved! That’s not a cheap include, and the guys at Epic definitely know what they are doing when it comes to game engine development! Part of my initial expectations were that the game would follow the movie storyline, and I was right. The con to that is that the game play can get real repetitive very fast when you know what to expect. If you haven’t seen the movies, play the game first, and you will maximize the storyline experience!

So when I finally sat down to play this game on 11/20, I had to set the scene first. No light can be on! None! When you turn and look away from your PC/TV the darker it is the better. Head phones will not do this game any justice! Turn speakers on med-to-high sound level and if you have a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 Dolby Surround System, you’re really going to be in for a treat. This set-up is important! Horror games, much like horror movies, need to tap into your senses, keep you on edge, and leave you jittery.   A Test: If when playing the game, you’re trying to see around the edge of your flat monitor/TV screen to prevent from being startled again by looking at it from an angle, you done a good job setting the mood!

OK, I admit it, I died 10+times before I figured it out

I played the PC version and was pretty frustrated with the opening scene for the first 20mins.  I considered retiring my gamer status for a minute.  It was a rough start. I couldn’t move the mouse in a circle fast enough! On the PC version, numbers are flashed on part of the contraption that threatens to explode the players head. I thought it was a timer, and never thought to actually press the number until I started mashing button on my keyboard and inadvertently hit a number which moved my character in a way I had not yet seen. DUH! It was a pretty frustrating opening scene, but once I figured it out, I knew what kind of clues to look for in coming scenes. On the console versions of this game, numbers are better represented by familiar letters like B, X, Y, & A. Letters I would have instantly associated with a call for action on the controller. That said, I am a glutton for punishment, but after that opening scene, I nearly topped my off daily quota completely!

Detective Tapp is about to get his arse tapped out!

The Plot centers on Detective David Tapp (You), who awakens in the abandoned asylum only to find his head covered in one of Jigsaw’s traps. Obsessed with catching this serial killer, Tapp has sacrificed and forfeited everything  including his family, career, & mental health for a shot at Jigsaw. Now Jigsaw has the upper hand and Detective Tapp must play a “deadly game”. (Raise your hand if you didn’t see that coming!) Hence, the game begins. You must survive one lethal traps after the next. Solving puzzles that Jigsaw has put in place for you and other NPC victims included in the game play. Each victim has a dark connection to you. Will you save them or save yourself? (That’s a no-brainer!).

Decisions Decisions, I'll take "show me the exit" for 2000 Alex!

Like a bus without a driver, I quickly realized that the story isn’t going anywhere! Scare factor was high which was good, but making a mistake equals instant death the majority of the time. The first time you died doing something the wrong way was kinda cool (because it was gruesome), but that gets old fast! The game is set in an old decrepit, condemned, and no doubt, isolated asylum. How many of those does society leave laying around? Zero, which subtracts from believability. Suspension of disbelief is extremely important for immersion. Especially in movie remake that is grounded in real life emotion. (think of how many times the girl trips running from an axe wielding murderer who is walking slower than she is running but he still catches her. ) If you don’t believe it than it’s just stupid, and for the money, there are plenty of other games available with a bigger bang for your buck. It is in this space that I am wrestling with this game. Consequently, the audio is done well and complimented the flashing lights, sudden movements, flashback cut scenes, deep echoing sounds from doors closing and such, and other victims screaming.

All in all, I give the game a 7.0 out of the standard 10. The Unreal Engine helps the textures & level design standout, but the game it’s self is strapped to a storyline that demands you follow it step by step. The game has zero reply value, and what works early quickly becomes repetitive. As horror games go it’s pretty good if you help set the mood. If your a naturally paranoid person than this game will definitely push you over the edge!

Oh woe is me, can someone please scratch my eye brow, I got an itch!

That Pig better have a gun, that's all I got to say about that!

Whatever is going on here can't be good!

Going chest diving for key's is one of my favorites!

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In this trailer titled “Deceived” we have the Sacking of Coruscant. It was the crowning achievement of the Sith Empire’s ambitious military strategy and the moment that changed the history of the Old Republic forever. This cinematic trailer captures this event with breathtaking action and beautiful detail, and may very well be the best cinimatic ever produced. Take notice of the Bounty Hunter’s hair, and the cape of the Sith Envoy who fights the main Jedi Knight in the scene. Absolute beauty! This is movie quality! Long live the Empire!

Pilgrim’s Bounty Achievement Walkthrough – Table of Contents

To help you make the best use of this post and get right to what you came here for, here is a quick rundown of what’s below. Skip right to what you need. Coordinates are included where appropriate.

I. The Intro Quest

II. The Vendors

III. The Achievements

I Am Thankful for…Pets & Titles

Pilgrim’s Bounty and the Pilgrim achievements were introduced this year. This world event will run between 1:00 am server time Sunday, November 22nd and 11:50 pm server time Saturday, November 28th. Keep in mind that this is a new experience for all of us, so expect to see this post updated once things have gotten underway. We’ll keep you up to speed with more specific information on vendor locations, quest completion, items, etc.  We’ll also grab some killer screenshots of WoW’s newest holiday.

Thanksgiving also means a Warcraft walkthrough for Pilgrim’s Bounty and the Pilgrim Achievement.

While the Pilgrim achievement does not contribute to the “What a Strange Trip It’s Been” achievement (the one the nets you a nice little 310-speed violet proto drake), it does provide both a title and a companion pet. Those two rewards are sure to have even the casual folks clamoring to complete the 9 achievements in pursuit of Pilgrim. We’ve taken some time to jot down a few notes to help the wayward adventurer get through this one as painlessly as possible. Read on and rock out!

Pilgrim’s Bounty Achievement Walkthrough

The Pilgrim’s Bounty Intro Quest

First, you will look for a Commoner who is eager to get you started with Pilgrim’s Bounty. Talk to the Commoner and accept the quest they have for you.

The location of the Commoner will depend on the capital city you are in:

Alliance

[IRONFORGE] The Dwarf Commoner is located to the left of the Ironforge bank entrance as you face it. Coordinates = 30,62.

[EXODAR] There are three Draenei Commoners located in the Seat of the Naaru, near the (1) Bank (2) Auction House and (3) Inn. Coordinates = (1) 51,42 (2) 60,48 and (3) 60,28.

[DARNASSUS] There is only one Night Elf Commoner located near the Bank . Coordinates = 41,44.

[STORMWIND] There are two Human Commoners located in the Trade District near the (1) Bank fountain and (2) the ramp up to the gryphon rider. Coordinates = (1) 61,74 and (2) 67,72.

Quest in hand, travel to Stormwind and proceed to the Pilgrim’s Bounty area just outside of the city gates. Once you get there, find Gregory Tabor (Coordinates = 34,51) and turn in your quest. He will give you a follow-up quest, “Spiced Bread Stuffing”, which is not part of the achievement. However, completing it will complete your requirement to cook the Spiced Bread Stuffing for Now We’re Cookin’.

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Horde

[ORGRIMMAR] There are two Commoners in Orgrimmar, one Troll and one Orc. The Troll is standing at the top of the wind rider tower and the Orc is to your right as you approach the entrance to the bank. Coordinates = (Troll)  46,62 and (Orc) 51,69.

[THE UNDERCITY] There are two Forsaken Commoners in The Undercity. Both are on the upper ring of the main chamber (1) near the bat handler and (2) the innkeeper. Coordinates = (1) 63,47  (2) 67,39.

[THUNDER BLUFF] There is one Tauren Commoner in Thunder Bluff. He is located in the southwest portion of the main rise on the edge of the small pond near Karn’s Smithy. Coordinates = 40,56.

[SILVERMOON] There are three Blood Elf Commoners in Silvermoon. They are located near (1) Murder Row inn, (2) the Royal Exchange Auction House and (3) the Royal Exchange Bank. Coordinates = (1) 77,57 (2) 90,57 and (3) 89,49.

Quest in hand, travel to The Undercity and proceed to the Pilgrim’s Bounty area in the Ruins of Lordaeron courtyard. Once you get there, look for Miles Standish (Coordinates = 63,11) and turn in your quest. Just like the Alliance, Miles will give you a follow-up quest, “Spiced Bread Stuffing”, which is not part of the achievement. However, completing it will complete your requirement to cook the Spiced Bread Stuffing for Now We’re Cookin’.

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NOTE: If you are in Dalaran, fear not. No need to travel to one of the capitals since there is a Goblin quest giver in the sewers near the Cantrips & Crows Tavern (where you turn in your Sewer Stew daily cooking quest). There are also Human Commoners located in the streets.

The Goblin Commoner is located in front of the goblin banker and to the right of the seating area of the Cantrips & Crows Tavern in the Dalaran Sewers. Coordinates = 33,52.

The Human Commoners are located near the (1) mailbox outside of A Hero’s Welcome (the Alliance side inn) and (2) just to the left of the Dalaran Merchant’s Bank (the Alliance side bank) as you are entering. Coordinates = (1) 44,58 and (2) 46,72.

The Blood Elf Commoners are located near the (1) mailbox outside of The Filthy Animal (Horde side inn) and (2) to the left of the entrance of The Bank of Dalaran (Horde side bank). Coordinates = (1) 62,30 and (2) 50,22.

NOTE: Similarly, if you happen to be in Shattrath (people still go to Shattrath?), there are several Goblin Commoners inside the main temple building of the Terrace of Light (the central building with the huge shaft of light coming out of it).

3 Goblin Commoners are located inside the main building of the Terrace of Light. They are positioned around the outer edge of the building near the alcoves with portals to (1) Alliance capitals, (2) Azuremyst/Bloodmyst Isle and (3) Horde capitals. Coordinates = (1) 54,38;  (2) 58,46;  (3) 53,50. There are 2 more Goblin Commoners in Shattrath, one located in front of each faction bank. The Commoner in front of the Scryer bank is located at 58,57 and the one in front of the Aldor bank is located at 49,31.

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Pilgrim’s Bounty Vendors

The vendors will sell you the Bountiful Cookbook and the materials needed to create each of the Pilgrim’s Bounty Recipes. Using the cookbook will produce the individual recipes which can then be learned one by one.

Alliance

Each of these vendors is standing in the area with the Bountiful Tables near the respective capital city. They are each standing on stacked crates surrounded by Bountiful Barrels.

[IRONFORGE] Elizabeth Barker Winslow is located directly outside the Gates of Ironforge to the left as you are leaving the city. Coordinates = 52,36.

[EXODAR] Ranisa Whitebough is located just outside the entrance to the Exodar to the right as you are leaving the city. Coordinates = 75,58.

[DARNASSUS] Ikaneba Summerset is located right outside the Warrior’s Terrace in Darnassus to the left as you are leaving the city. Coordinates = 66,39.

[STORMWIND] Wilmina Holbeck is located in Elwynn Forest right outside the Stormwind gates to the left as you exit the city. Coordinates = 34,51.

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Horde

Like the Alliance, each of these vendors is standing in the area with the Bountiful Tables. They are each standing on stacked crates surrounded by Bountiful Barrels.

[ORGRIMMAR] Dalni Tallgrass is located in Durotar a short walk down the main road as you leave Orgrimmar. She is just off the road to the left. Coordinates = 46,13.

[THE UNDERCITY] Rose Standish is located in the Ruins of Lordaeron on the right side of the courtyard. She is on the side of the double-sided staircase. Coordinates = 63,11.

[THUNDER BLUFF] Laha Farplain is located by the southern lift. She is on the western side of the main lift pole. Coordinates = 30,63.

[SILVERMOON] John Rigsdale is located just off the road to the right where it forks coming from the main gate of Silvermoon. He is standing in front of a large tree alongside the Cooking Trainer. Coordinates = 56,52.

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The 9 Pilgrim Achievements

Let’s get down to business. Following are the 9 achievements you must complete in order to get your title and that cute little turkey.

“FOOD FIGHT!”

This one is pretty straightforward. Just head to any of the Bountiful Tables, located in each capital city, sit in any of the chairs and begin passing the dish assigned to your chair. Your dish will be assigned to the #1 hotkey. You will eventually bounce the dish of a fellow diner’s head. Haha! Take that!

Now We’re Cookin’

NOTE: The minimum cooking level to get this achievement is 330. Cooking trainers have been placed near the Pilgrim’s Bounty Vendors in all capital cities.

The only exception to the recipes below is Spice Bread can be made by any cook. You will be able to find Wild Turkeys in either Tirisfal Glades or Elwynn Forest. You will be able to buy Autumnal Herbs and Honey from one of the Pilgrim’s Bounty vendors in any city. Specialty items will be sold by the Pilgrim’s Bounty vendor in the city listed next to the item. You will be able to find these vendors right outside or inside the city.

• Candied Sweet Potato (Mulgore Sweet Potato [Thunder Bluff], Honey, Autumnal Herbs)
• Cranberry Chutney (Tangy Southfury Cranberries [Orgrimmar], Honey)
• Pumpkin Pie (Ripe Tirisfal Pumpkin [Undercity], Honey)
• Slow-Roasted Turkey (Wild Turkey(2), Autumnal Herbs)
• Spice Bread Stuffing (Spice Bread, Autumnal Herbs)

• Candied Sweet Potato (Teldrassil Sweet Potato [Darnassus], Honey, Autumnal Herbs)
• Cranberry Chutney (Tangy Wetland Cranberries [Ironforge], Honey)
• Pumpkin Pie (Ripe Elwynn Pumpkin [Stormwind], Honey)
• Slow-Roasted Turkey (Wild Turkey(2), Autumnal Herbs)
• Spice Bread Stuffing (Spice Bread, Autumnal Herbs)

Pilgrim’s Paunch

Every Horde/Alliance capital will have a Bountiful Table Hostess. She will give you a quest to eat 5 of every food at the table. Doing so will earn you the Spirit of Sharing buff and this achievement. The buff will provide an increase to reputation gained by 10%. This lasts 1 hour. This is a great time to do any reputation grinds you may have been putting off.

Pilgrim’s Peril

Ona PvE server this is a breeze. Just walk up to the Bountiful Tables near each enemy capital and have a seat. If you are on a PvP server you can always remove your gear for this task, even though it will leave you with less HP. Your repair bill won’t be so high should you die a couple of times (and you will probably die a couple of times — if you don’t post here to let us know — better yet, post a video so we can bask in your awesomeness!). Not sure if you will have more luck doing this in the beginning or end of the event with more or less doing the same. It is all about luck and timing.

Pilgrim’s Progress

NOTE: You will need to complete at least 10 daily quests in order to finish all of the achievements, since you can only select one reward per completion. This breaks downs to: 8 for the Turkey Shooters to shoot all of your rogues, 1 for the Pilgrim’s Hat and 1 for the Attire, Robe or Dress. Add another daily quest completion for each additional item you want (so, it could be a total of 13 needed if you want the Attire, Robe AND Dress and the Pilgrim’s Boots).

Can’t Get Enough Turkey

Requirements: Slow Roasted Turkey x20

Bring 20 Slow-Roasted Turkeys to Ondani Greatmill outside Orgrimmar.

Bring 20 Slow-Roasted Turkeys to Caitrin Ironkettle outside Ironforge.

Don’t Forget The Stuffing

Requirements: Spiced Bread Stuffing x20

Bring 20 Spice Bread Stuffing to Ondani Greatmill outside of Orgimmar.

Bring 20 Spice Bread Stuffing to Caitrin Ironkettle at the feasting area outside Ironforge.

Easy As Pie

Requirements: Pumpkin Pie x20

Bring 20 pieces of Pumpkin Pie to Marhara Goldwheat at the feasting area outside Thunder Bluff.

Bring 20 pieces of Pumpkin Pie to Mary Allerton at the feasting area near the gates of Darnassus.

She Says Potato

Requirements: Candied Sweet Potato x20

Bring 20 Candied Sweet Potatoes to Williams Mullins at the feasting area above Undercity.

Bring 20 Candied Sweet Potatoes to Jasper Moore at the feasting area outside of Stormwind.

We’re Out of Cranberry Chutney Again?

Requirements: Cranberry Chutney x20

Bring 20 servings of Cranberry Chutney to Roberta Carter at the feasting area in the courtyard about above Undercity.

Bring 20 servings of Cranberry Chutney to Ellen Moore at the feasting area outside of Stormwind.

Sharing is Caring

This is another straightforward one. Just sit in each of the five different chairs at a Bountiful Table and pass one of each of the dishes. This can be handled easily while doing the Pilgrim’s Paunch achievement.

Terokkar Turkey Time

NOTE: Since this requires a Pilgrim’s Hat and Dress, Robe or Attire, you will need to complete at least 2 daily quests to earn the necessary rewards. As mentioned previously, though, you will need a total of 10 to complete all of the Pilgrim achievements.

Talon King Ikiss is the final boss located in Sethekk Halls. (Level 69-72 Elite) This is also an opportunity for Druids to be able to farm the Raven Lord mount. This is definitely doable solo at 80. And, even if you aren’t level 80, it should be no problem getting a group together for this one during Pilgrim’s Bounty. Whether solo or in a group, you will probably want to keep your head and chest armor on until the final battle. If you do, just remember to put on the Pilgrim gear before you start the battle with Ikiss.

The Turkinator

All you need to do for this one is track down your turkeys and let ‘er rip! Since the turkeys are critters they are easy 1-shots. You may want to consider doing this one during off-peak hours since there are likely to be several other folks out doing the same thing. The turkeys will be found in either Elwynn Forest or Tirisfal Glades, although our experience has been that Tirisfal Glades is a better hunting ground. We found plenty in the area around Brightwater Lake. If you prefer to do it in Elwynn Forest our suggestion is to start by heading south toward the river and then heading in the direction of Redridge Mountains. Proceed along the river and then head north and go up behind and around the Eastvale Logging Camp. Also, if you can either make or buy some Tracker Snacks, this will make your life a little easier.

Turkey Lurkey

NOTE: You will get your Turkey Shooters from completing the daily quests. You get one shooter per quest completion and they are only good for one shot, which means you will need to complete at least 8 daily quests to do this achievement. As mentioned previously, though, you will need a total of 10 to complete all of the Pilgrim achievements.

You may have luck finding some of the other races in Dalaran, Battlegrounds and/or common PVP areas. If this doesn’t work, you can always have guild members or friends create level 1 rogues of the races you need (even opposite faction if you aren’t on a PvP server). Another possible approach, if you have a good eye and quick fingers, is to look for the opposite faction rogues while you are doing your Pilgrim’s Peril achievement. If you attempt this make sure to assign your turkey shooter to a hotkey for easy access.

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Good Luck and Stay Tuned!

So there you have it. Make sure that you bookmark this page and come back after the event has started. I will make sure to update this information as much as possible to make things easy on ya.

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Another Masterpiece by Id & Raven Software

Published by: Activision
Developed by: Raven Software, Threewave Software
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release Date: US:8/18/2009, Europe:8/21/2009
MSRP: $59.99
ESRB: Mature 17+

Also Available On: XBox360, PlayStation 3

This game was released 3 months ago coinciding with the release of “Inglorious Bastards”, a Nazi killing movie that pretty much sums up the motives of the game.  Good timing for the game!  For what I deem to be a pure shooter, Wolfenstein doesn’t disappoint, again!  I wasn’t disappointed with the first one, I loved the second one, and the third one was a ton of fun!

Pure shooters are totally predictable, and this game isn’t much different.  I mean, I didn’t know what crisis was coming next, but I knew it involved Nazi’s trying to conjure up some mystical power or harness some super natural weapon.  I suggest playing the game on a more challenging difficulty the first time you start it up if you’re a shooter fan, else you will find it too remedial. This certainly makes the game more fun, and it’s extremely linear nature less noticeable.  If this game is your first time taking a shooter out for a ride, hang out in the kiddie pool for a while and see what you think.  The game is definitely not for young kids.  Frankly, i can’t think of an ID game that is!

What you have to remember is, when ID releases a game, not only is it never a bad game, nor will it flop, but you should expect a masterpiece of creativity and amazing level design.  Also, this is the 3rd “id”eration of Wolfenstein.  You know they’re gonna get it right!  Moving through this game it’s hard not to take notice of the amazing attention to detail the developers have taken.   The bump mapping brings the textures to life and the level design makes you feel like this is some place you would like to visit! My affinity for beautifully created & believable settings with true color palettes applied to a game, from level design perspective, isn’t disappointed one iota in Wolfenstein!

OK, so you know I love the way the game looks.  I love the characters.  The organic modeling is so perfect it’s insane.  The lip syncing is very well done.  The animations are lively and move about correctly.  I have sent many a Nazi over a rail to plummet to the death-after I filled them full of lead of course.  Even the cinematics are very well done, and complete the storyline nicely in the way they finish mini chapters or illustrate the final destruction scene when you’ve completed a huge mission goal.  The game also has a great story which even for the linear shooter game is vital for immersion. The game play is straight forward, and doesn’t try to confuse you.  Collect gold, get intel, and kill Nazis!  The game is what you think it is-Thanks Denny Green!

I played the game from start to finish in roughly 40hours.  From a single player perspective, the game is worth every penny, but that’s only half of the offering!  As with just about every game I own from ID, the multiplayer aspects/maps/tournaments and reliability of the game servers is second to none.  Bottom-line:  If you like shooters, you would be making a huge mistake to not add this one to your collection!

I give this game a 9 out of 10, and highly suggest you pick it up! The good news is, since I just did this review and it’s 3 months after the release, the 59.99MSRP may have begun to drop- just in time for the holiday’s, but then again, if I were Activision, I may ride that starting MSRP right through Christmas knowing all too well the game is worth every penny!  In any event, here are some more screens for you to drool on!

Breath Taking Artwork in Wolfenstein

The Nazi's

One of the coolest opponent's in the game!

Shoot out the power cells to take this guy out!

Nazi's are using helpless patients for the experiments. Guess a hospital is a good base of operations to execute that plan!

You take on "The Altered" in this final showdown at the Hospital!

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Well as we all know getting started playing WOW is fun. Seriously, though, no one ever said how much stuff would cost. Since I am a woman and I love to shop, I needed some gold fast. This is how I learned to make money in Warcraft.

First, I recommend WoW Matrix which will give you a array of add-ons to choose from. The one I use for the Auction House is Auctioneer. This tool has many functions which will allow you to use the auction house to its full potential. I had to take into consideration all the different professions and what they had to offer, both now and as I leveled them. Being new to the game and not being in a guild, I was the lonely woman lost at sea finding a way to survive. I needed gold and fast, so I could buy gear as I leveled with to offset what I could not obtain in dungeons. Plus, I did not want to be the noob wife asking my husband for gold. He’s a stingy bastard. (Love you, baby!)

Herbalism was my choice and let me tell you it paid off quick. Herbalism is great paired with Alchemy and Inscription also. Another word of advice is hit the Auction House when there is short supply of a product there. You might have more luck increasing the price some because of supply and demand. I found making gold got even better the higher my herbalism got. Very rarely did I have an expired auction when it came to selling herbs. Sometimes grinding for herbs during the off peak times of the day involved less time, so I could focus on other aspects of the game. To make herb gathering easier, I would recommend the add-on Gatherer.

Enchanting is another great profession, ‘cause the cost of enchanting your items as you get higher in level only gets more expensive. Granted, there may be times you don’t have a certain enchant and you have to rely on someone else, but even then this profession can save you plenty of coin. Talk about a money maker too. You can always sell the mats you don’t need and quickly make a bundle from doing so. Selling enchanting mats is nice because they carry no posting cost at the auction house. So, if you are patient and watch the market, you can just keep posting your auctions until they sell. The only down side to enchanting is it can take you time to level. I would recommend saving random green items from other toons to DE and using the mats to help level your Enchanting. I recommend keeping a weapon, bracers, chest and boots in your bank to use for enchanting (note: make sure the items are the appropriate level for the enchant you are doing). This helped so I was not using my own gear to level my enchanting. For this profession I would recommend the add-on Enchantrix.

Tailoring is another profession which can take some time to level. I recommend holding onto the cloth from other toons for this if you want to level quickly. A fun perk to this is you can make both Flying Carpet (Tailoring 410) and Magnificent Flying Carpet (Tailoring 425). I personally have not made much of the gear to sell from doing my Tailoring. I prefer to stay with making a variety of bags which seems to be doing well. Being a Tailor has it perks for yourself as well. You have options on different embroiders which you can do on your own equipment.

Mining is another great choice I made for making gold. This has come in handy when I started my latest toon who is an Engineer and has saved me some gold on the mats needed to level that profession. My experience has been Mithril Ore, Cobalt Ore and Titanium Ore and have been my big sellers. All others have been steady with their prices. This also varies server to server. For this one I would also recommend Gatherer.

So I hope that this will give some insight on an easy way to get started in making some quick gold. Now go and professionally grind your hearts out!

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