Diablo 3: Heavy armor is for wimps!

Who needs heavy armor? Definitely not the Diablo 3 Monk class.



What he lacks in armor and durability he certainly makes up with speed and offensive power. Add some useful abilities to buff himself and friendly characters and you've got a very effective means to take on the demonic hordes. (Joystiq's original article)

Games to play when you're ill

It's not very nice being ill and while being able to stay in bed all day is appealing at first, it soon gets dull. Thankfully though video games are on hand to make you feel better and the only effort they require is putting a disk into a drive. Here are a few games to help you get past the sick feeling and on the road to recovery.

Plants vs Zombies
A simple, colourful and addictive game. Plants Vs Zombies is particularly good as it's now available on most smart phones. What could be better than fending of undead legions from the comfort of your own bed?

Skyrim
Unfortunately being ill often means that you're not going to be able to go outside, so no fresh air or wondrous sunshine for you! Lucky though Skyrim is on hand to provide a stunning world for you to explore. From the sun covered valleys to the snow topped mountains, you're free to explore them all.

Modern Warfare 3
As you're ill you probably want to forget all about the misery that comes with a nasty cold. What better way to escape than with a few rounds of Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer? Just be sure to disconnect your headset when playing. No one wants to hear someone sneeze down the microphone.

Article: Why I still loved Mass Effect 3

As far as trilogies go Mass Effect has been one of the biggest the games industry has ever seen and while a number of people complained about it, there was one particular mechanic that left me feeling particularly impressed.

In the single player game you control Shephard as they travel the galaxy collecting what is referred to as 'War Assets'. A war asset is something that will make a significant difference in the fight against the Reapers and can be anything from a special character to a full sized fleet of ships, each asset is given it's own point value indicating how big a contribution they will make. A progress bar is used to indicate how close you are to having enough assets to begin the fight against the Reapers. It sounds straight forward but unfortunately each asset is affected by what is known as 'Galactic Readiness', this extra factor determines how much of each assets value will be applied and is determined by how much you play the multiplayer game. As an added layer of complexity the 'Galactic Readiness' decreases over time. 

So in order to do well in the single player you're forced to play online, don't worry though as Bioware have really made sure it's an enjoyable experience. Selecting a character class from the wide range of options you are dropped into a horde mode style of play and forced to face wave after wave of enemies, occasionally completing a mission with your allies where possible. As you complete each round your character will gain experience and be given the option to purchase new items, like guns or armor mods. Given enough playtime you will even be able to promote your character so that they become a war asset. 

If you're still concerned about the readiness decreasing when you aren't playing online then you'd probably want to investigate the 'Mass Effect 3 Data pad'. This handy little app has a number of features including a fully voiced codex, messages that are sent from "characters" in game, and best of all a 'Galaxy at War' mini game. This mini game allows you to dispatch fleets of ships to key areas, liberating them from Reaper control and increasing readiness as they go. In some way it reminds me a of a browser based game called 'Planetarion'.

Single player, multiplayer and even external mini games all working together to immerse me in the conflict between the Reapers. It was an enjoyable experience and while I was lucky to have the time to play online, and an iOS device to run the app it's one that really elevated Mass Effect 3 in my eyes.