Featured Game: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Release Date: October 29, 2013

Website | Pre-Order

New Era. New Assassin. New Rules.

It is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established a lawless pirate republic. Among these outlaws is a fearsome young captain named Edward Kenway. His exploits earn the respect of pirate legends like Blackbeard, but draw him into an ancient war that may destroy everything the pirates have built.

Set sail on the high seas in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, a pirate-filled adventure in the Assassin's Creed saga. Become Edward Kenway, a charismatic yet brutal pirate captain, trained by Assassins. Command your ship, the Jackdaw, and strike fear in all who see her. Plunder and pillage to upgrade the Jackdaw with ammunition and equipment needed to fight off enemy ships as you venture out to discover the most diverse Assassin's Creed world ever created.

*Synopsis provided by IGN.com

Featured Game: Diablo III

September 2013 | Game Feature

Diablo III Console Release

Release Day: September 3

Battle.Net | Website

Blizzard's long time running game, Diablo, is releasing its third game for PS3 and XBox this coming Tuesday. This game has been out for computer play since May of 2012 and is expected to have a PS4 release in 2014 as well.

Diablo III is a sequel to Diablo II that was released in 2000. The setup for this game is in Sanctuary some twenty years after the events of Diablo II. After a mysterious star falls from the sky, our hero Deckard Cain has disappeared into the depths of the crater left in the star's wake. You are called to duty at a time when the dead are rising from the star and are sent off to the crater.

This is the setup for the journey that will try and test your character at every turn. I have not made it very far into the story chapters as I have a tendency to die but the journey must go on! Check out this video from the official game guide that explains the story and game play and be sure to game on tomorrow!

Also be sure to check out the Shattered Soulstone podcast for resources and news!

Featured Game: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

August 2013 | Game Feature

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Release Day: August 27

Website | Pre-Order

To continue the epic saga that has been Final Fantasy, FF14 releases this August as an MMORPG for Playstation 3 and PC. This is the second game in the Final Fantasy family to be an MMO other than XI. This game is expected to be a subscription based MMO. Square Enix as the developers have been known to put out fantastic products in the Final Fantasy franchise and between 2010-2012 when FFXIV recieved such negative criticism, Square Enix pulled the game to rebirth it. 

And this time it seems to be set up for success. I have heard firsthand feedback from the beta that is positive for the PS3 platform. The game is due to feature the same lore and intended story progression but with a different interface and client that is more slated towards successful MMO formats. This includes new maps, new graphics, additional content and servers. 

Here is the snippet from the website that sets up the entire existence:

Hydaelyn─a vibrant planet blessed by the Light of the Crystal.

Amid azure seas, encompassing the westernmost of the Three Great Continents, there lies a realm embraced by gods and forged by heroes. Her name...Eorzea.

It is here that your tale unfolds. Beckoned by the Mothercrystal─the source of all life─you must embark upon a quest to deliver the land from an eternity of Darkness.

If you are lost in the world of Final Fantasy, I strongly encourage watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The DVD has a special feature that walks you through the entire story in approximately 15 minutes. It is also a great movie.

Featured Game: Dominion Guilds Expansion

Featured Game July 2013

In June, Rio Grande Games put out what they expect to be the last Dominion expansion for a small time. Dominion is a wonderful card game that has at this point 8 expansions. This is a medieval style deck building game that focuses on resource spending and victory points and includes money laundering, attacks, and subterfuge. (Unbiased claim of awesomeness and owning 4 sets of this game is inserted here!)

From Donald X Vaccarino & Rio Grande Games:

Jobs, everyone's worried about jobs. Whatever happened to tilling the fields in obscurity? The economy is just a trick, like stealing someone's nose, but lately people seem to have seen through it, like when you realize someone hasn't really stolen your nose. So now everyone's joining a guild, learning a craft, and working on a masterpiece – a painting so beautiful it blinds you, or a cheese grater so amazing that you never eat cheese again. The only people left tilling the fields are the ones doing it ironically. The guilds cover everything – ironic tilling, butchering, baking, candlestick making, shoemaking, cheesemaking, cheese destruction. Your advisor is convinced that somehow, control of the stonecutters is key to world domination. Very well. You will have stone handled so expertly that the world trembles before you.

Dominion: Guilds is the eighth addition to the game of Dominion, adding thirteen new Kingdom cards to the game. This expansion has coin tokens that you can save to spend later, and cards you can get more out of by paying extra for them.

Get it today on: Amazon

Featured Game: Neverwinter

Featured Game: June 2013

Website | Twitter | Forums

Produced by Cryptic Studios and Perfect World, this game to brings to life the world of the Forgotten Realms "as never seen before". Calling out to the hearts of Dungeons and Dragons fans and the players of MMOs, this new free to play game is built of epic proportions.

With classic D&D classes and adventures, the story of the journey unfolds over the land of Faerun and the city of Neverwinter, the Jewel of the North. In this release the action is packed.

This game changes the usual tab targeting effect of MMOs and makes for a more immersive world. There are daily events and quests, dungeons and PVP.

It was recently made official that the open beta will be closing and the release date for the live launch is June 20! Check out the trailer and some of the official details!

Explore and defend one of the most beloved cities from Dungeons & Dragons as it rises from the ashes of destruction. This action RPG set in an immersive MMO world will take you from the besieged walls of the city to subterranean passageways in search of forgotten secrets and lost treasure.

Neverwinter is a true Dungeons & Dragons experience, brought to life with the dynamic Cryptic game engine. In the classic D&D setting of the Forgotten Realms, players will explore and defend one of the most beloved cities from Dungeons & Dragons, as it rises from the ashes of destruction.