Episode 7: Slashing Through The Gnolls

On the final episode of Dungeon Crawler, Dien is joined once again by Brian “Silentfury” Armstrong and Mistress Liz Lebeau. Brian has exciting times in diablo 3, Dave spends way too much time on pso2 and has fallen in love with Legend of Grimrock, and Liz is down with the Marvel Heroes hype. D. Ducharme’s Dungeon Crawler Carol was chosen as the winner of the Titan Quest Christmas Carol giveaway! Thanks to all our listeners for tuning in!

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Episode 7: Slashing Through The Gnolls

Episode 6: Maximus 2: Electric Boogaloo

Do you enjoy Dave-Rants? Do you cheer Liz when she eggs him on? Do you feel sorry for Brian & his Diablo skills? Then you’re gonna love this episode! We talk Diablo, Torchlight 2, Titan Quest, Dungeon Siege, Phantasy Star Online 2, and the questionable winners of this years Video Game Awards. PLUS! The most exciting and wonderful contest yet: A Dungeon Christmas Carol!

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Episode 6: Maximus 2: Electric Boogaloo

Episode 5: Enhanced Edition

Dien is joined by Brian Armstrong and Liz “Mistress Lebeau”. Dave got his plans for the infernal machine finally. Awards for nearly every dungeon crawler we cover. Baldurs Gate and Mr Torque release. News for Phantasy Star Online 2 on the playstation vita. Liz talks with us about Marvel Heroes. Dan’s Hardcore Engineer Challenge and the Monster power Challenge wrap up this week.

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Episode 5: Enhanced Edition

Episode 4: The Diablo 3 Ladder

Dien is joined by Brian Armstrong and Steve “Keteh”. Diablo 2 sparks a discussion of implementing a ladder system into diablo 3. Heart of the Swarm will release with d3 goodies, bug fixes release for bl2 and the horizon is bright for BL2 and PSO2. Keteh talks about his experience with Torchlight 2. Dave and Brian suffer through hardships in Diablo 3. Dan’s Hardcore Engineer Challenge and the Monster power Challenge are still in effect.

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Episode 4: The Diablo 3 Ladder

Gotta Get My Dungeon Crawler Fix

I’m going to see if I can make it through this dungeon crawler article without mentioning Diablo even once. Oops…

What is it that we love about dungeon crawlers? Last week on The Dungeon Crawler Podcast, Dave, Joe, and Steve discussed what classified a game as a “dungeon crawler”, and in short, LOTS of games are dungeon crawlers! So whether you prefer the isometric view, over-the-shoulder, first-person, or anything else, there are plenty of ways to get your dungeon crawler fix. But what makes these games so addictive?

Not One of the Titans, but Worth a Shot

In the world of dungeon crawlers, it’s often about what game is hot right now. Diablo 3 versus Torchlight 2: which one is better? While that debate will never be solved, gamers need to remember there are a bunch of games out there worth their time, even if they aren’t considered the best of the best, and even if they have to go back in time a little bit to find them.

Specifically I’m speaking of Titan Quest, a game released in 2006 that didn’t have the massive popularity or longevity of some of today’s hotter titles. But it is a game that deserves attention from anyone who loves dungeon crawlers and is looking for something a little different. I got to spend some time this week playing this game again, and I wanted to share my thoughts on what makes this game fun. I hope that every time you read an article on our website you learn something new, so if Titan Quest is a game you haven’t heard of or played yet, then read on. It’s worth your attention!

Choose Your Hero

When you first start the game you may be taken aback by the limited choice of characters. Rather than getting multiple races and classes, you simply get to choose male or female and a tunic color. Then you are immediately placed in the game and given a few simple beginner quests to become familiar with the game’s action (nothing new if you’re experienced with these kinds of games). Upon reaching level 2 you will be given the opportunity to choose a mastery (which is basically a class or skillset). This opens up a skill tree for this mastery, and you are given yet another option for a mastery skill at level 8, complete with another skill tree. This gives you the ability to customize your character in many different ways.

What I like about this system is that it allows you to create a unique character every time you play. You aren’t bound to being a warrior or ranged player because that’s the class you chose at the beginning, you can mix it up and customize your character’s gear and equipment any way you like. The one thing that bothers me the most about Diablo 3 is that I feel like no matter how many times I start a character, I end up using the same set of skills because some are just better than others. While that is true in all games, this blend of skill trees allows for some fascinating builds.

 The “Real” World

Probably one of my favorite aspects of this game is that it takes place in the real world. Starting out in Greece, you’ll venture across the world to Egypt and The Orient (and eventually to a landmark that I won’t spoil for you) seeing real landmarks along the way, such as The Parthenon, pyramids, and The Great Wall. Despite the reality setting, the world is invaded by monsters and creatures straight out of Greek mythology to keep you entertained. While I like a fantasy world just as much as the next guy (or gal), there’s just something intriguing about getting inside the mind of a character that is battling to save “my” world. Next up, Titan Quest: New York City?

In terms of level design, you could flip a coin as far as which is better: Titan Quest or any of today’s games. TQ certainly has a lot to offer and has done a great job of making the environments varied and not feel repetitive, but Diablo 3’s environment also has a level of polish that is unmatched. What I’m getting at here is that even though it’s an older game, Titan Quest won’t hurt your eyes. It still looks great and has enough variety to keep it fresh.

Gimme the Goods

In most cases, enemies in Titan Quest will drop the items they have equipped, meaning their weapons and/or armor at whatever level they are. So theoretically, as you progress through the game and defeat tougher enemies, you’ll naturally be getting better gear. It’s not a perfect system, and there are still times where drops are baffling, but I like this idea. Why shouldn’t I be able to actually loot what the enemy had on them instead of some randomly generated item? It’s pretty cool to see a monster carrying an oozing sword of death, knowing that if you can manage to bring him down you’ll get to take that sword with you as a prize.

Don’t Uninstall Diablo or Torchlight Just Yet…

All of these positive I have to say about Titan Quest doesn’t come without a price. There are still a few things that keep this game in its place as simply an alternative. One thing I don’t care for is that the game almost encourages you to pick up as many skills as possible. There’s a huge quickbar at the bottom with room for a lot of skills, and while this sounds like a good idea at first, in reality if you’re using that many skills then you’re not really focusing on a select few. In my opinion, that is the best way to play this game. But it took me several character builds to figure that out.

Titan Quest doesn’t play as smoothly as a D3 or TL2. It definitely feels a bit stiffer and occasionally I get frustrated with my controls because my character didn’t go exactly where I wanted her to. If you’re used to the control you have in D3, Titan Quest will feel like you’ve stepped back in time a bit (which you have!). This certainly isn’t reason to not play the game, though. Don’t let anything prevent you from giving this game a shot.

Lastly, and this is going to sound like a complete contradiction to what I said earlier, but the character creation screen is very limited. I realize I pointed this out as a positive because it gives you a great deal of freedom, but when I play these games I like to get invested in my character’s role. If I don’t know what that is going in, sometimes I feel like I’m just tagging along for the ride. If you like choosing a class, debating between the pros and cons of certain characters, and looking at different character models to decide which one you think looks the coolest, then Titan Quest will frustrate you.

Make Room for One More

All in all, Titan Quest is a great game worthy of your attention. I’m not trying to paint a picture that it is a better game than Diablo 3 or even Torchlight 2. It offers something a little different from those games, presents some unique ideas that could use a revisit in current games, and is a fun diversion from your frustrations in other games. If there’s room for two dungeon crawlers in your weekly game rotation then there’s certainly room for a third. And for 15 bucks on Steam it’s a steal of a deal.

We’ll keep talking about Titan Quest, Diablo 3, Torchlight 2, and all kinds of action RPGs on The Dungeon Crawler Podcast, so stay tuned, and let us know what games you’d like to hear about on the show or on the site.

Grind away my friends…

Episode 3: Crawler Confusion

Dien is joined by Joe “Thewigit” Wilson and Steve “Keteh”. Lots of bug fixes came out this week for D3, Torchlight 2, and Borderlands. Dave had a lot to say about Titan Quest. Joe goes in depth with Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty. The group discusses Dungeon Crawlers in what sets them different than other games. Dan’s Hardcore Engineer Challenge and the Monster power Challenge are still in effect.

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Episode 3: Crawler Confusion

Episode 2: Destructible Trees

Dien is accompanied by Dan “Boontini” Wilson and Brian “Silentfury” Armstrong   The group talks a little torchlight, discusses the release of the miracle diablo 3 patch 1.0.5, Borderlands 2 getting it’s first content dlc, and Phantasy Star Online 2′s October update. The group critiques dungeon crawler game play and even makes demands of diablo 3.  D3 Hardcore Challenge: Monster Power Month!  Torchlight 2 Hardcore Challenge: Dan’s healer-less Engineer

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Episode 2: Destructible Trees

Diablo III Patch 1.0.5 Brought Me Back

While we here at the Quest Gaming Network love all dungeon crawlers, one of our favorites got a big update this week, so it gets most of our attention in this week’s column. Don’t worry though, we still have a lot of great content coming your way in the next few weeks about many of your other favorite games, so stay tuned for that!

I don’t know about you, but I’m having fun in Diablo III again!

Patch 1.0.5 Arrives for Diablo III

Patch 1.0.5 has dropped for Diablo III, and it comes with a slew of changes that many players have been clamoring for, as well as some new additions designed to make the game more entertaining as a whole. If you’ve been waiting for some significant changes or improvements to get back into the game, then this patch just might be calling your name.

So Many Dungeons to Crawl, So Little Time

Welcome to the future of the Quest Gaming Network! With several new shows on the way, and the first one, Dungeon Crawler, out today, I thought I’d open this column up to what you might come to expect out of this network in the way of dungeon crawler games. You’ve come to know us for our excellent Diablo 3 coverage on Diablo Off the Record, and while we still love this game and will be playing it for years to come, there are a lot of other games out there that offer us a similar challenge and thrill. We wanted to share our excitement over being able to discuss these games with you at length on our show and website. So let’s start by taking a look at just a few of the games you can expect to hear us geek out over on our podcast.

Before I dive in I need to put a little caveat out there. It may sound in my comparison like I’m bashing Diablo III at times, and I want you to know that I prefer to call it constructive criticism. I have a passionate love affair with Diablo III, and while I may be frustrated with it at times, it’s still my go-to game in this genre, and I expect to be playing it regularly until Diablo IV – so maybe another 15 years or so?

Episode 1: The Epeen Chart

Dien is met by two amazing guests: Joe “Thewigit” Wilson and Fred Woodley. They discuss Diablo 3 Monster Power, go in depth into Torchlight 2, and discuss how to equip items in Borderlands 2. Dien would like to express his love for Titan Quest. This week’s hard corner challenge: “Heidrig’s Apprentice: Butcher Edition”

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Episode 1: The Epeen Chart

Episode 0: It Begins!

The Intro Epiosde by Lead Host Dave “dienforce” Adams. Introing the show and how to reach the show.

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Episode 0: It Begins!

Official Press Release: Network Announces New Shows

Official Press Release from The Quest Gaming Network:

The Quest Gaming Network, in association with The Middle-earth Network, is announcing a new lineup of shows. To make room on the Network for this, some of the existing shows will be merged into the new lineup. Shows being effected are:

• Planetside: Off the Record
• Diablo: Off the Record

 The reason for the change is to allow the shows to become more streamlined and accessible to a broader audience. With this lineup, it will allow the Network to cover all aspects of gaming, rather than just be focused on single, big hits.  The new shows to be added are:

• Dungeon Crawler – A show devoted to the much loved dungeon-crawler genre of games. Major games this show will cover will range from Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and so on.
• Adrenaline Gaming – For those players who love the thrill of First Person Shooters, Fighter Games, Plaformers, etc, this show is for you!
• The Quest Legion Podcast – From Civilization to the Total War Series, from the latest 1 player RPG and the next cutting edge MMO, the Quest Legion Podcast will help you conquer that upcoming boss or the world itself!
• Obscure Legends – A show devoted to Indie games as well as Retro titles we all hold dear. From Minecraft to Chrono Trigger, this show will bring out memories from gaming past as well as help cement memories in the future!

With the inclusion of the new shows, the network will continue to produce it’s highly popular Elder Scrolls: Off the Record and SWTOR: Reforged with new formats that will allow the shows to flow more and keep the conversation going. The new shows will start to debut over the course of the coming month with Dungeon Crawler debuting on October 13th.

Stay tuned to the Quest Gaming Network as more details will be announced on the shows leading up to the release of the new shows!

Also, make sure to listen to the latest “Community Cast” as details regarding the changes were discussed with the senior staff of QGN.