The PS3 version of the game -- the version I am reviewing -- is almost as good as the PC version but has some significant differences. First the PS3 version of the game graphically speaking is very much inferior to the PC version. I would compare the PS3 graphics to that of a low end PC. Secondly, in order to keep the frame rate somewhat stable the developers decided to cut frames of animation from NPCS, and other player characters while playing on PS3. This means that when you are running around in the world or in town and you run into other players or NPC's you will see them running looking quite strange. To put it bluntly it looks like everyone running around is Mr. Game & Watch. You get about 1/2 the frames of animation that you would normally get on the PC version and it makes the PS3 version feel a lot less smooth. Don't get me wrong however, your character still very fluid and fully animated. The developers made sure that YOUR character was fully animated and had the most graphical detail out of the entire displayable game world. The Frame rate is decent most of the time but when you get into large events with more than 5 people trying to kill monsters at the same time it does drop down below 30. If you are around more than about 8 people fighting at the same time it will only display the 4-5 closest to you at any given moment in order to keep your frame rate at least roughly above 20. The game is perfectly playable in any situation and these few differences between the two versions should only detour those players who feel they have to have the most graphically impressive and buttery smooth version of the game. If you have a PC that could only run this game on low and maybe even medium-low mix settings then the PS3 version is likely not going to be a bad alternative. If however your computer can handle the game at medium or medium high / high settings then you are better off getting it for PC.

The rest of the game is identical to every other review out there so go and read those for a description of the product itself. I just wanted to make note of these few differences between the PS3 and PC versions.

My only complaint on this purchase was that I was unclear from the product description whether or not it was non-fiction or fiction. It may have been listed somewhere and I missed it. But when I went to read it, I wasn't sure if I was reading a short story or a short essay on this guy's real life experience.

Turns out it is a short fictional story that is intended to be read like it is a true story. It reads in first person present narration so you are witnessing events as they happen.

I found it to be very intriguing and enjoyable. It is about a man who designed a great online video game and the consequences in his life because of it. It is only 17 pages long so you can read it in just a few minutes. But it was a pleasurable 17 pages that I think was worth the .99 that I paid for it. I would give more plot details, but it is so short that I don't want to give anything away. I will simply say this, while it isn't earth-shattering prose or anything, I liked it enough that I would gladly purchase and read a full length novel about this story and its background, or any other book by this author.

Got my copy this morning, finished it by this afternoon. It was an engaging read. I think appreciation of it benefits from being an ArenaNet/Guild Wars fan, especially with the lore touches. If you've been following ArenaNet's gradual release of information about the upcoming Guild Wars 2, I think you'll really get the most out of this novel. I loved seeing this new and updated world of Tyria, along with just the right amount of touches and callbacks to the amazing lore and history of the original. The characters were well-realized and the various new races quite intriguing. I think this will mostly appeal to existing fans or those that are interested in the new game...

Coming from someone who has been playing all type of MMORPG games from MUD to WoW and all that are in between. RIFT is a great game by its own rights. It's been a long time since the MMO community has a very successful launch. I'm not going to compare features between this game and that game, but here are the good and the bad from my playing experience.

Default UI is a great. Although many of the goodies are turned off by default, you can easily turn them on through the interface setting. No need to go to addon website to install extra stuff. Things like target of target, AoE auto loot, auto sell gray items, etc. The UI layout editor is very easy to use. I'm actually really happy with it out of the box. It's not perfect, but a great starting point.

Public groups. I thought it was dumb when I first saw it, but there's a plus sign above everyone's avatar. You can click this and invite yourself to create an auto-group with the person. This is great when you see someone doing the quest you're looking to do, you can just auto group and you both and help each other. When you're done, just leave and be on your way. You can turn this feature off if you don't like a random stranger joining you. This also works for Public Group when taking down world events, such as RIFTs and Invasions. If there are multiple public groups, it merges them in to one.

Warfronts. Essentially, it's instance battlegrounds. The queues are very quick since its cross-servers. You need to be at least level 10 to do your first Warfront. There are brackets from 10-19, 20-29, and so on. It's pretty much the same old same old here, so nothing exciting about it. The experience gain is enough that you could level from just playing the warfronts if you choose to. I don't recommend it though, it gets boring pretty fast if playing it back to back... to back. Plus, you'll be pretty weak because you can't get gear efficiently if this is all you're doing.

Rifts and Invasions are pretty cool at first. After awhile it's just a zerg fest. I don't mind doing this, but again, in moderation. The blue and purple tokens you get from it are zone specific, so spend those to get yourself stronger. Not a lot of experience from invasions, so you can't level off of it like you can from warfronts. If you farm the invasion currencies you can buy items to make yourself stronger.

Quests are pretty much a straight shot. What is great about them is that you get pretty decent gears from following quests line. It will continually upgrade your gear as you go along. So this is the most effective way to get decent gear if you're playing by yourself or with a friend.
Dungeons are also pretty much like other games, but a lot prettier! It's hard to describe in words. The first instance is the Realm of the Fae, and the winter top mountain is pretty amazing, a must see! I won't spoil it.

This brings me to another point. The graphic and game effects in this game look very nice. Warrior's cleave bring up dust from the ground looks amazing. If your computer can handle ultra setting, the game is very pretty. I enjoy the graphic a lot. The last game I play that I thought was pretty was LotRO, this beats it.

Sound effects is pretty good, nothing that stands out. The script events and voice over is a nice touch, but nothing special. I turn music off when playing so I can't comment on that.

The loot is pretty also straight forward. The nice touch here is that all souls in the class use the same stat no matter what you're doing. For example, all clerics will use WIS gear. So I won't have to haul STR/DEX gear when tanking, WIS when healing, and INT/DEX when trying to DPS. All cleric uses WIS as the main attribute and that gets converted depending on the souls. If I'm tanking as Cleric Justica my WIS converts to STR for tanking. All I have to worry about is if I want to tank with 2H weapon or 1H and shield. Pretty awesome!

The Classes and Souls system is also nice, because it's very flexible. You can also purchase new roles to swap out from Tank to Healer on the fly. Since you're using pretty much the same gear from one role to another, it's painless.

In my opinion, this game doesn't bring anything new or innovative. It takes all the things other games done well and implement them in a nice package. There are a lot of improvements to be made. Like I said, it's not perfect, but it's a great start.

NOTE: If you are looking to buy this game, I recommend getting the Digital Collector's edition for $60. An extra $10 will get you a mount right off the bat (no level restriction) for all new characters that you make. The cheapest mount you can get is about 2.5 plat. I didn't get 2.5 plat until about level 20 from a normal play. I created 3 characters to level 20, and it's pretty much the same pace. Having the mount as soon as you can get to the mailbox is awesome.

Sentinel Marshall Sabira Lyet d'Deneith is called upon to perform a mission only she can do but has to return to a person and place she promised herself she never would. Eight years ago she watched the murderous Nightshard die and saved a life that earned her the nicknamed "The Shard Axe". Now a series of murders in Stormreach are all too similar to Nightshard and Sabira must return to face her demons in order save a life. In a city full of enemies can she keep the past from repeating itself?

This is a book to be devoured in one setting. It is fast paced with bits of backstory dropped in at choice moments that flesh out Sabira's story perfectly. While I am not as familiar with Eberron as I am the Forgotten Realms, this book required no previous knowledge of the Eberron setting and can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The key element of the story is Sabira, to say that her methods are unorthodox and she is a "bit of a rule breaker" is an understatement but she has a fierce sense of duty that guides her actions. So her prisoners are brought in a little worse for wear? It is part of her charm...

If you are looking for a faced paced story featuring a great fantasy action heroine that will keep you engaged and turning the pages until the very end, then The Shard Axe is the book for you. I hope to see Sabira, The Shard Axe, in more adventures.