3 Responses

1. Big Game Says:

   Storyline
   Design
   Gameplay
   Detail

   I played this arc using a lvl 8 DP/DM Defender called Witch Hunt, and it kind of felt the arc was written for the character.

   First off the storyline was great. I really love how @Gypsy Rose translated the Wizard of Oz into a CoH story. Doing this sort of thing always has the potential of coming across as a corny rip off of the original. i never once got that feeling. In fact if you’d never even seen or read the Wizard of Oz the story is strong enough to stand alone on it’s own detail.

   For myself gameplay was balanced, well paced, and offered reasonable rewards. A nice solid play experience.

   As for the detail, I don’t remember any dodgy scripting, spelling, or grammar. Also the use of colur to highlight mission objectives in briefings worked very well for me.

   The only minor gripe I had was the choice of mobs used in the Brood enemy group. to me the Wolfspiders seemed out of place. Personally I wanted Flying Monkeys. Im guessing there was filesize issues that might of directed this choice of enemy.

   Minor niggle aside this was a thoroughly enjoyable arc, and I whole heartedly recommend it.

   Posted on April 7th, 2010 at 3:48 pm

2. Glazius Says:

   Storyline
   Design
   Gameplay
   Detail

   @GlaziusF

   Running this on a single-digit will/DMelee tanker, +0 x1 with bosses on.

   —

   Credible Toto. I’m impressed.

   I’m a little unclear on exactly what Dr. Aeon’s challenge prescribed, but this initial briefing would mean a little more to me if she actually mentioned that these heroes were her friends, as her description indicates.

   Oh. Okay. It’s in the sendoff. I actually think it’d make a better introduction.

   Wow. I’m not going to hold this against you, but all the allies in this mission are pushing me down to like 2 XP a minion. The setpieces are kinda interesting for what that’s worth.

   —

   15 XP per minion in the next mission. The ally penalty can get that bad? Crazy.

   Anyway, the Winter Horde are here. And it seems like Valentina didn’t search for Cerebella completely in vain - I find a note she left about some kind of power suppression plan.

   —

   Lovin’ my ghost slaying axe against these spectral pirates. Like a knife through butter.

   The pamphlet doesn’t seem like much of a clue in its own right. Maybe if the language was more generic-yet-relevant. “Feeling powerless? Like something’s missing in your life?”

   —

   Man. It seems like there are silent ambushes in this next mission, triggered by examining the glowies, if these neat rows of Circle that sprint out and fire at me are any indication.

   That’s a nasty trick to pull. Doubly nasty for the single-digit characters who are supposed to be playing this arc.

   Hmm. Mission complete, but I don’t seem to have any actual clues, just this guy’s promise in dialogue to help.

   —

   Last mission: recovering the embodiments of these hero’s powers, because all that’s been stolen is their strength of will.

   I grab Valentina’s locket, and I wonder if these are actually gifts my contact gave the heroes. The next two seem more generic and disabuse me of that notion.

   I really don’t get the martial arts on the boss here. If you wanted a melee set Dark Melee would probably make more sense.

   —

   Storyline - ****. While this is definitely a take-off of the Wizard of Oz, there wasn’t much in the way of plot elements there just because the Wizard of Oz had them and serving no other purpose.

   The one dubious link in the whole chain is going from a pamphlet found discarded in a ghost ship to visit the person described on it. That honestly seems a bit farfetched. If the text on the pamphlet seems generic but applicable then that’s at least a hint this guy is worth investigating. Maybe there might be a temporary suspicion that he’s working for the Wicked Witch of the West (WWW) to steal powers.

   Design - ***. I have to level with you: I’m not sure why there are Munchkins in the first mission. There are patrols and allied hostage groups and the occasional battle, but it doesn’t seem like they add very much, especially since they don’t show up again.

   I’m also a little clueless as to why The Brood has the weird mix of enemies it does. Okay, so you’ve got slime monsters and rock monsters and lava monsters and snake monsters and spider… robots… and the Clockwork, and human Arachnos soldiers?

   What role do the Tuatha, Winter Horde, and Spectral Pirates play in all this? At least in the latter two cases The Brood seems to be talking about how this enemy group is being used to contain the weakened hero. So why have a Brood at all? Why not just have the missions be straight Tuatha/Horde/Pirates and then roll them all together for the last mission?

   Gameplay - ****. Aside from what I suspect are silent ambushes in the fourth mission, pretty straightforward fights against canon groups.

   Detail - ***. The story may not bring up elements of Oz just for the sake of doing so, but I can’t see any other reason for the Munchkin knockoffs in the first mission. I mean, there are already little humanoids in Croatoa who have an established relationship to the Tuatha and exist at all levels. And while the Red Caps probably wouldn’t ordinarily be allied, maybe they’re more worried that the Tuatha are leaving their control and joining the WWW than about some lowbie hero.

   The Brood also retain their stock descriptions, or at least every member I checked did. I don’t know how you are for space, but especially for such a disparate group of enemies it’s not easy to come up with a unifying theme or motivation looking just at canon names and canon descriptions.

   Overall - ***. There was a small hiccup in the story, but most of this is over the character of the opposition. The Brood are the WWW’s inner circle, but what are the customs supposed to represent? Actual canon enemies she’s converted or her own creations? And what part in her plans do the Tuatha, Winter Horde, and Spectral Pirates play? Do they just happen to be in the same place at the same time or is there something more going on?

   Posted on April 15th, 2010 at 10:55 pm

3. PW Says:

   Storyline
   Design
   Gameplay
   Detail

   I liked the Wizard of Oz theme of the arc, and the various analogs of the Oz characters. I liked recovering the various heroes’ talismans and returning them to the heroes to re-power them. I liked that they never actually lost their powers, and that it was more about doubt/believing in themselves.

   I thought the plot structure was a little weak early on; although the first three missions were kind of neat in depicting the various depowered heroes and some background scenery, it didn’t seem like those missions actually advanced the plot very much. We don’t really learn what is going on until we talk with the wizard at the end of mission 4, and the clue that leads us to the wizard seems like we almost found it by accident.

   I think I’d like to see the earlier missions contribute more directly to solving the mystery, with more clues found by the player earlier on as to what’s going on and what can be done.

   Posted on July 29th, 2010 at 10:58 am