GW2 Final Beta Weekend Picture Book Mode (pt 1)

Arena Net really outdid themselves IMO. I had high expectations for the Sylvari considering the art team behind all the design on Guild Wars 2, and they seriously delivered. I think the only way to properly describe the Sylvari is to use pictures. I can't find the right words. Every time I go to a new area I'm simply in disbelief of what the people behind GW2 managed to pull off.

I'm already planning my next video. I could spend an entire Month gathering footage of just the Sylvari areas! There's just so much amazing vistas. It's totally insane.

Steam Sale, Crysis 2, and GW2 Final BWE prep

As pretty much everyone knows, Steam is having their annual summer sale right now, which has given me the opportunity to pick up some titles I hadn't previously had the chance to and also give me some entertainment to fill in the time gap between Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekends.

Most importantly, I finally got Crysis 2 (and at 70% off, that's a pretty big steal), and combined with the fact that I also now finally have a computer capable of running it in all the DX11 glory it requires I couldn't be happier. It's extremely satisfying. And totally mind blowing. 

Sure we've all seen Crytek's promotional stuff, and DX11 showcases, for CryEngine 3 but watching videos and playing the game are two totally different animals. Mostly it comes down to the fact that when I'm immersed in the game I can actually notice why all of these little details like bokeh, realtime reflections, and tessellation make a difference. Their tech is totally mind blowing, but Crytek could surely use some better writers. 

To say it plainly, the plot feels like it was written by monkeys. But really, I don't play this game for it's complex and involved story (there isn't any), I play it to experience the power of the game engine they designed. I mean... just look at it.

I'm not even running the game at max settings. It's simply Gorgeous.

Finally, we're all waiting with eager anticipation as the final Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend starts in 2 days. Getting to play the Sylvari and Asura will be totally amazing. I can't wait!

GW2 Final BWE

It comes as welcome news today that for the final Beta Weekend Event the Asura and Sylvari will be playable races. Of course, this isn't a huge surprise given that Guild Wars 2 is set to be released a little over a month later so having these races polished up would be a generally good idea.

The Sylvari were what captivated me about GW2 from the very start. I'd already been sold on Guild Wars from the beginning, so I was planning on buying GW2 from the first mention of its development. I bought all the magazines to get the special mini pets and read up on any new sliver of information I could get my hands on. So every time they mentioned this elusive Sylvair I couldn't stop but wonder how this race would pan out, and I have to say I couldn't be more pleased with the way ArenaNet developed them.

I've played my fair share of fantasy games so having this totally unique race pop up is huge. They're totally awesome and there's nothing quite like them in any other universe out there. If you haven't had a chance too yet I'd highly recommend you go through the older ArenaNet blogs about the Sylvari. There's a lot of good information there. And if you're not planning on playing a Sylvari then read up all the more, afterall you should probably get to know your new neighbors. They sound pretty nice.

GW2 What is your story?

ArenaNet recently posted an amazing story about the real world inspiration for Ameranth, a Sylvari NPC who's decided to venture every corner of Tyria. They mention that you can find her outside of The Black Citadel, which is definitely true. I stumbled across this particular Sylvari during the beta and was definitely curious why she was standing there on the steps of the Charr fortress. Not only was she completely across the continent, the towering structures of iron and flame were a massive contrast to the Sylvari standing at their steps. The designers have definitely put quite some time into polishing the GW2 world and living up to their claim to create a living and breathing Tyria.

To think that it's entirely possible that there could be any number of other characters in GW2 who have been inspired by such stores is great. We already know that the ArenaNet team is going to great lengths to build community for GW2, and given that they've said that they will be making sure to add post-launch content there's no question that any other stories or events worthy of praise could get included into the game with ease. They even go on to add that anyone could go out and have a similarly epic real life quest. You don't have to be superman, you just need to get up and walk out the door. ArenaNet keeps asking in GW2 "What is your story?" maybe now is the time to find out. After all, you could be next to be immortalized into Tyria, forever standing as a hero against the Elder Dragons.