Bound By Blood-a few points I need to make (Also **POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS!**)

[Robj.6815]

After playing for a couple of years (I started a few days before POF launch), I finally feel confident enough to offer some insight on the Saga Prologue.

 

a) The story is FANTASTIC. I loved the cinematic cameras during Bangar's initial speech and during the final event. It really adds a great deal of weight to this particular character and identifies him as the main antagonist without someone having to literally point at him and say, "See? See? SEE?!?! LOOK AT HIM! HE'S A BAD GUY!". In this way, he is a sympathetic villain in many ways though clearly a villain. Which is how a well written villain should be.

 

b) The unstructured nature of the meta event is great. Unlike maps such as Dragonstand and Tangled Depths (I wish I could implement a slash and burn policy for TD and start a coffee bean farm in TD), having the freedom to run around and focus on which events I want to farm sure beats running around and triggering certain events to get to where I need to go. If that makes sense.

 

c) The lead singer of the band is misnamed. His name should be Kurt CUBain. Seriously. How did Anet MISS this?!

 

d) The 'hidden event' during the concert is the best thing ever. Trust me, if you haven't done it, do it. And look up while you wait for it. You'll never be the same again.

 

e) The t-shirt award is AWESOME. But really, we don't have a ripped jeans skin to go along with it?! That's an oversight if ever I saw one LOL!

 

f) The zone is GORGEOUS. That's all I have to say about that.

 

e) Permanently learning new dances/emotes is BRILLIANT. I can remember years ago when another company promised a similar feature as a major part of their (then) upcoming expansion and were unable to follow through due to 'limitations to the player skeletons'. And even when they went through a graphical revamp many years later, that 'promise' went unfulfilled. So whatever it took for you guys to do it, I sincerely thank you for it. It puts you head and shoulders above that 'other company' imo. Hopefully, this will lead to us being able to learn dances from other races on a permanent basis; if anyone exemplifies "shufflin' e'erday" it's the Charr.

 

f) Finally, whoever wrote and performed the music just gained a new fan. I grew up during the late 80's through the 90's so I grew up with everything from glam rock through industrial. As such, the music made me feel like a young'un again and I found myself at several points missing events and just partying like it WAS 1989 again. Good times. Good times. Also, if you release the concert on CD or even cassette or better still BOTH CD and cassette, I WILL buy both.

 

g) I get that Charr cubs are raised in a harsh environment. However, I'd like to point out that Kasmeer and Jory should NEVER be allowed to adopt.

Kasmeer: "Let me earn your trust by taking your cubs on a field trip!"

Random Charr: "Sure. Uhhh...Okay?"

**Kasmeer tries to get all the cubs killed by 'illusions' unless someone intervenes.**

 

Overall, Bound By Blood is my favorite 'chapter' of the overarching story thus far and the map backs it up. Here's to bigger and better things moving forward.