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Top BioWare Games on Steam

Published on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019

Games

The Canadian video game developer BioWare is a well-known company that is behind some of the most famous and critically acclaimed western role-playing games on the market. BioWare’s games are usually known for a good mix of action, fantastic storytelling and well-developed characters. However, since BioWare has a contract with Electronic Arts, not all of their games can be found on Valve‘s gaming platform – Steam. Gift card, even a single unit, however, can fully cover the price of some of the BioWare titles that are present on Valve’s storefront. Here‘s a quick look at the available choices if you’re a Steam gamer who‘s also interested in BioWare games. Want to acquire a prepaid Steam card right now? Visit Eneba!

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

While BioWare had released successful RPGs before publishing Knights of the Old Republic (games like Baldur‘s Gate or Neverwinter Nights) it was precisely this definitive Star Wars RPG title that has put BioWare on the map and showed what this studio can really do. With Steam gift card, one can obtain not only Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic but also its sequel – Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords which was made by Obsidian Entertainment. The latter studio is also known for working on Fallout: New Vegas and the most recent, award-winning project – The Outer Worlds.

Nevertheless, it was BioWare that first started this series with the release of the ultimate Star Wars game. BioWare‘s Knights of the Old Republic was admired not only by the fans of the movies but also by gamers in general. By its design, KOTOR served as a precursor to Mass Effect series (as we will see later, some of the Mass Effect games are also available with a Steam gift card). How so? Both game series features extensive sci-fi world-building, NPC companions with whom the player could form different relationships, semi-open world locations set throughout the galaxy, turn-based combat, private spaceship, lots of freedom and an epic story that could be approached in a non-linear fashion.

Mass Effect franchise

Mass Effect games improved upon all game mechanics KOTOR introduced. While RPG elements like the detailed micromanagement of character’s inventory steadily declined with each release of a new Mass Effect title, the sci-fi series still remained loyal to the foundations laid down in the infamous Star Wars RPG. Out of all the Mass Effect games, only the first two are available for purchase with a Steam gift card. This shouldn‘t be seen as a problem though since the first two installments are generally considered to be the best in the series.

Knights of the Old Republic obviously took place within the world of Star Wars with the player racing throughout the galaxy on the starship Ebon Hawk to save the Republic from the Sith Lord Darth Malak. Through the Mass Effect franchise, BioWare tried to escape the creative limitations set by pre-existing intellectual property but the framework of the story remains quite similar to the mentioned KOTOR games that are available with a Steam gift card: as the custom made Commander Shepard, player races across the galaxy to stop a rogue Turian agent Saren and the malevolent machine masters that he serves.

Jade Empire: Special Edition

Without a doubt, BioWare games are not limited to the genre of science-fiction, even though the games this studio had created do feature some very good examples of sci-fi RPGs. On the other hand, BioWare‘s games also include titles with fantasy elements. Jade Empire: Special Edition is one such BioWare game available with a Steam gift card. Even though technically, it is a fantasy game, Jade Empire presents a more Asian-like setting as well as themes much closer to the Ancient Chinese culture and virtues emphasized in various schools of Eastern martial arts.

Jade Empire has the player assuming the role of a customizable martial artist who travels the Chinese folklore-inspired fictional land of the Jade Empire. Just like in the previous BioWare games, the story is open-ended, offering many ways for the player to influence the games’ plot through their actions. What makes this title different from other BioWare titles that are available with a Steam gift card is its unique combat system. KOTOR combat was turn-based, Mass Effect was a third-person shooter with a cover system, while Jade Empire features elaborated martial arts styles, supernatural abilities and the use of various traditional Chinese weapons.

Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition

Even though Jade Empire has an Eastern edge to it, Dragon Age: Origins returns to the mythology magic fantasy setting which will be very familiar to the fans of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings or Blizzard‘s MMORPG World of Warcraft. Just like other mentioned BioWare RPGs which are available for purchase with a Steam gift card, Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition is a single-player only experience. Classic traits of BioWare games are all present in this title as well: the epic non-linear story shaped by morally difficult choices, detailed lore and complex character development.

The player assumes the role of one of the last Grey Wardens –legendary warriors who protect humanity from underground dwelling demonic entities known as the darkspawn. The game is set in a fantasy land known as Ferelden. The rich mythology of Dragon Age: Origins can be explored not only through playing the main campaign, but also through side-quests and in-game texts that are usually found by exploring Ferelden. By purchasing the game with Steam gift card funds the player also gains access to the Awakening Expansion of Dragon Age: Origins which furthermore expands upon the massive content of the game through the introduction of a new explorable region – Amaranthine.

A practical way to enjoy BioWare‘s classics!

By this point, most of the mentioned BioWare games are more than 10 years old and that‘s why once you can acquire them at an incredibly cheap price. However, their popularity, a multitude of awards, and universally positive reviews continue to demonstrate that these titles have seamlessly withstood the trials of time. If you want to enjoy these BioWare golden-age games yourself, you don‘t even need to create any additional accounts aside from your profile on Steam. A gift card to increase your Steam Wallet funds will do just fine! On top of it all, if you buy the gift card from a retail store like Eneba, you can also save a pretty penny in the process. Considering the quality of these games, with their current price and a Steam card at your side – acquiring them is a complete bargain and therefore an absolute must for any RPG fan!

The most anticipated movies starting from July 2019

Published on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019

Entertainment

From the Avengers: Endgame to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Lion King to Toy Story 4, Disney has at least five movies that could easily break the set $1 billion record at the global box office in 2019. However, there are other things to get excited about as well, as the box office big hitters, including the latest Tarantino movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In this article, you will be able to read about the upcoming, most anticipated movies that are going to be released in 2019. Since it is July, we will start from it. Let’s take a look:

July 2019

1. Spider-Man: Far From Home, release date: July 5th

Peter Parker is back from the dead! Due to be released at the beginning of July, this superhero movie is the second part of 2017’s Homecoming film. Far From Home is set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so we do not know what might happen. However, what we do know is that Peter goes on a school trip to Europe with his friends and while they are there Parker has to battle four humanoids called the Elements.

2. Lion King, release date: July 19th

Disney loves making live-action remakes, and their latest one is The Lion King. That being said, this movie is less a live action and more a CGI miracle since each and every character is an animal. The director of this movie (who also directed The Jungle Book remake), is Jon Favreau, Donald Glover is the voice of Simba, while Seth Rogan fits perfectly as Pumbaa.

3. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, release date: July 26th

For this movie, Quentin went big, although he usually does tend to go big with his movies. His legendary cast includes Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, who play two TV stars hoping to make it big in the 1969 film industry.

August 2019

1. X-Men: The New Mutants, release date: August 2nd

Directed by Josh Boone, this movies has a cast that is quite new to the entire X-Men franchise, playing five new mutants discovering their abilities as they are kept in a secret institution against their will. Basically, it is a classic Marvel movie of redemption and escape.

September 2019

1. IT: Chapter Two

A sequel to the 2017 movie that left many viewers terrified of street gutters and creepy clowns. The second movie of the long-awaited Stephen King-based production. In Chapter Two, the gang is 27 years old and determined to put an end on IT.

October 2019

1. Joker, release date: October 4th

This comic-book inspired movie feature Joaquin Phoenix that plays a failed stand-up comedian turned psychotic anarchist. There are not a lot of plot details here, but it is expected to be a dark and gloomy tale inspired by the graphic novel The Killing Joke.

December 2019

1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, release date: December 20th

J.J. Abrams returns once again as the director for the final movies in the Star Wars franchise. One of the biggest problems for producing the last movie is to find a way to feature Carry Fisher who’s untimely death came in 2016. The team making this movie did not want to recast or use a computer-generated character, meaning that Princess Leia will only have a small appearance based on the footage that was previously recorded.

Conclusion

These were only some of the most anticipated movies for 2019 and if you want to have a glimpse at more awesome movies, visit cb01.link
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The Star Wars Saga can take these 5 directions after Episode IX comes this December

Published on April 8, 2019

Entertainment/Movie

When Episode IX by J.J. Abrams releases later this year in December, the Skywalker saga fans have known and loved since 1977 will finally end. After this happens, the epic saga by Lucas film does not have a lot going on in the near future. Disney still plans to develop a few Star Wars projects and some original series for the new Disney+. Except this, nothing else is familiar. Since this is the case, and all we receive are promises and plans, here are the best five directions for the Star Wars franchise to go after the ninth movie in the main timeline.

5. Focus on TV

The Star Wars universe is perfect for a television set. What is now very popular on TV is world building, mainly in shows like The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad who are expanding their brands and fictional universes with long story arcs and even some successful spin-offs. Therefore, a TV series that explores fallen civilizations, for example, would be amazing, or all of the aftermath that the movies did not explore. All of this could be done on television by utilizing the season-by-season anthology formats.The whole of Star Wars was based on TV series in the first place, with movies as episodes. Why should not they move with the trends and bring the lore to television? Disney has announced a number of original series of their famous MCU characters for Disney+, meaning there is no reason why the same could not happen with the Star Wars franchise.

4. Smaller Scale Movies

Many things went bad with Solo: A Star Wars Story, and its box office flop. One issue was the big budget similar to any other Star Wars movie when the appeal was not the same. Because the last chapter in the Skywalker saga is bound to make much more money than the story of Han Solo, one future of the franchise could be less impactful movies with fewer budgets, but still done in the spirit of Star Wars. There is nothing wrong about smaller scale movies.

The rumored Boba Fett movie that was canceled should have been redeveloped with a smaller budget and on a smaller scare. Since Jeremy Bulloch based his performance as Boba Fett on Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name character, the movie could literally be a modern spaghetti western set in space. Who would not love that? The combination of the writer and director could experiment with this special genre in a beautiful way, delivering a masterpiece. Little movies like this one that stands on their own can secure the future of Star Wars. In lore rich as theirs, countless possibilities exist.

3. Tell Stories that need to be Told

When Disney announced Star Wars movies that are not connected to the main “Episode” films, there were many ambitious plans for interesting spin-offs. Some of them were stretches, while others were spot on.

So far, Disney gave us two “Anthology” spin-offs, first being Rogue One that had an amazing $1 billion box office. This is the story of how the Rebels stole the plans for the Death Star, set just before the events of A New Hope (Episode IV). This is an example of a story that needed to be told, that fans were excited to see on the big screen. In addition, many consider it removed
a giant plot hole.

The second anthology movie, Solo, was a box office flop. This was the underwhelming story of how Han Solo got his name, met Chewbacca, won the famed Millennium Falcon from his friend / rival Lando Calrissian, and made the mysterious Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. Basically, this was a feature-length movie of famous and intriguing one-liners from the original trilogy. Fans did not need nor want this. It does not help that all of the above was very underwhelming, and fans were maybe better off guessing how these events really played out. Disney has to be more careful with something as sacred and popular as Star Wars, and they must tell the Star Wars stories worth being told.

2. Do a Bunch of Unrelated Trilogies

The basic storytelling model of the saga has George Lucas’ earliest influences, the TV serials. Being told in installments, each one ends with a cliffhanger forcing viewers to come back wanting answers. Lucas then brought this narrative to the big screen with his Star Wars franchise. Although nobody can come up with something as big and impactful on audiences as Lucas did with the Skywalker bloodline and history, Disney can easily do mini-serials that would invest the audience enough to come back for multiple sequels.

This is exactly what another iconic director, Peter Jackson, did with his Middle-earth movies, making billions of dollars and winning numerous Oscars in the process. Rian Johnson’s new and mysterious trilogy, as well as David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones directors) trilogy, is a good starting point, and a move to the right direction.

1. Episodes X-XII

After Episode IX comes out and ends, the sequel trilogy of the Skywalker saga will be complete. The original trilogy, still most loved, existed on its own and had a natural conclusion. However, the door was still wide open for both a prequel trilogy and a sequel trilogy to eventually come.

Taken into account how much money Disney spent to acquire Lucasfilm, it is unlikely that they will allow J.J. Abrams to close that door behind him after Episode IX. Although a good closure on the story is necessary, hope for the future has to still be there. Remember the kid with the broom from the end of Episode VIII? Maybe he will lead a new rebellion against a new evil when he grows up. With Star Wars, there are always more stories to tell, so episodes X, XI, and XII will surely appear at some point down the line.

Knightfall Season 2 Trailer Shows Mark Hamill as a Knight Templar

Published on March 20, 2019

Entertainment

While are all eager to see the trailer for the ‘Star Wars: Episode IX,’ but until that happens, we will get a chance to enjoy season 2 of ‘Knightfall.’ The trailer for ‘Knightfall’ has recently been released and it shows Mark Himmel.

Mark was probably tired of fans asking for the trailer for ‘Star Wars: Episode IX,’ and he offered the perfect response. He posted a picture of his own trailer, which was taken during the filming for ‘The Last Jedi.’ They have named him to be the ‘Master Hamster.’ The 67-year-old actor definitely trolled his fans and he undoubtedly has a great sense of humor.

Nevertheless, while we all wait to see Mark as Luke Skywalker, we will be able to see him finding another armor far from the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy. In fact, he will be a Templar Master in History Channel’s ‘Knightfall’ season 2. The new season of ‘Knightfall’ will premiere on March 25 and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Mark Himmel will play the role of Talus, a grizzled wise master. Talus trains the protagonist Landry du Lauzon as he seeks redemption for the sin of sleeping with King Philip IV of France’s wife, Queen Joan. We have seen an in-depth insight into his character and it looks like this is yet another great performance of the outstanding actor.

‘Knightfall’ season 2 will feature 8 installments and will be all about the Knights Templar’s fight for survival in 14th century France. This season is expected to be more exciting and brutal than the first one. We will face much more clandestine affairs, intrigue and heavily invested politics in season 2.

Even though Mark plays a knight again, there are no many similarities between Talus and Luke Skywalker. The only thing that they’ll have in common is that they both wield swords. In a recent interview, Mark Himmel said:

‘George Lucas had so many influences, and certainly, knights were something he modeled his characters after. When I first read the script for Star Wars, I thought, oh my gosh, this is like a Western, a WWII movie, it’s swashbuckling, it’s like pirate movies. It’s all these genres mixed up so that everything old is new again. He was definitely influenced by that sense of purpose and valor and doing the right thing for a great cause, there’s no question about it. Other than that, I don’t see a lot of similarities between Luke and Talus.’

What’s very interesting is the fact that Mark hasn’t heard about ‘Knightfall’ before being sent to the screens. However, he shouldn’t be blamed as at his age, he considers a day spend in pajamas a success. Nevertheless, he started watching the drama series and got hooked on it. He found the series very gripping and gritty and found himself transported into another time and another place.

So, after just 20 minutes of watching, he was convinced that he has to do it. Plus, this isn’t something he usually does, working with British cast is a rarity for him. Thus, he took on the role and created a new to-be-remembered knight.

Moreover, Mark did his best to look like Talus. Hence, he spent an hour of make-up every day and had plenty to do to bring about that physical transformation. We will definitely enjoy his role in the show which will air on the History Channel March 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The most famous unusual and successful political campaigns

Published on January 2, 2019

Politics

Political campaigns exist for a long time already. Each year different political parties start this elegant ‘war’ to win their place under the sun. In this list, we present to you 5 most famous, unusual and successful political campaigns that ever existed. Enjoy!

1. Jon Gnarr, Iceland

You definitely heard of this person if you ever visited Iceland or maybe even lived there. Probably the most controversial politician that this country has ever seen, he, nevertheless, managed to become a mayor of Reykjavik. What is so controversial about him, you might ask? Well, to begin with, he is a founder of the ‘Best Party’ of Iceland. Yes, it is a real thing and they even won 6 out of 15 seats in Reykjavík City Council back in the day. Their political campaign included promises like providing free towels in all swimming pools, buying a polar bear for the local city zoo, prohibition of drug use in the parliament and many more. Despite the controversy, the party and Jon Gnarr won.

2. Tiririca Clown, Brazil

Political campaigns in Brazil have always been fun to watch, especially when this guy showed up. Being a professional clown, a man, whose real name is Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, decided to pursue his career in politics. His political campaign was based on honesty and the ability to relate to his electorate. He honestly claimed that he knew nothing about politics and surprisingly he got his place at the Congress. As time went by, he turned out to be one of the most well-disciplined politicians out there.

3. Stubbs Cat, Alaska

This candidate’s political campaign was quite simple. All he had to do was to look cute and fluffy. Sounds weird, right? The thing is that this politician is…a cat. Years ago, citizens of Talkeetna decided that they were fed up with human politicians and voted for a cat to be their mayor. Since then, this fluffy guy has been re-elected several times already.

4. Darth Vader, Ukraine

A few years back, the world was shocked to know that the famous Star Wars character called Dart Vader became a politician. It may considered as a joke yet there was indeed a men – as a member of ‘Ukrainian Internet Party’ – who was claiming to be Darth Vader. He was trying to run for president and later prime minister of Ukraine. He failed but we thought that it would be unfair not to include him in this list as his political campaign was really outstanding. And why would not it be? Using this character as a part of political campaign website builder would definitely bring your party to the big audience. Or at least that is what they probably thought.

5. Lyndon B. Johnson, USA

The 36^th President of the United States won the election while his investments in political campaign was minimal – there was only one video that was showed only once. Now that is some professionalism! His famous ‘Daisy’ ad is now considered one of the best political advertisements ever. In this video, he decided to throw some shade on his political opponent, who was a Republican, rather than to claim how great of a politician he was himself. Surprisingly, that worked.

Conclusion

So this is a list of 5 most unusual political campaigns in the world and politicians, who led them. It seems that sometimes a little bit of unorthodox approach would only bring your chances higher. So who knows, maybe with time political world will become more “human-like” and understandable for every person.

Top 8 Best Movie Series Of All Time (BONUS Best Scenes)

Published on October 18, 2018April 16, 2019

Entertainment

Are you a movie lover? I think we all are, and the film franchises are among those that we like the most. In the text below we have a list of 8 best movie series of all time based on viewers critics.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise (2003-2017)

Five films in the series and $4.5 billion earned for 14 years all over the world is the final score for Pirates of the Caribbean. Everybody knows a crack-brained captain Jack Sparrow and his adventures. Johnny Depp was brilliant for the main role.

7. Batman (1989-2012)

Batman film series also earned $ 4.5 billion like Pirates of the Caribbean but in its 23 years of making. The most popular title of this franchise is Nolan`s The Dark Knight Rises (2012), with Christian Bale in the lead role. Tim Burton has directed the first Batman movie, and Michael Keaton has played the Batman. The latest release about this hero is from 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

6. Spider-Man Movies (2002-present)

Spider-Man film series is one of the most popular franchises now. The story started about 16 years ago, and the latest release about our favorite hero from the neighborhood is coming in 2019. Beside Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey MaGuire, we have two more spin-offs.

5. The Fast and The Furious Film series

The total score of this popular franchise is eight filmed, and ninth and tenth announced. Total earnings of Fast And Furious is at about $5.1 billion. Are the fast cars in movies recipe for the blockbuster? I think it is.

4. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

Peter Jackson turned an epic tale of J.R.R Tolkien in the best fantasy and adventure movie series of all time. In three incredible films, we are watching the adventures of little hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his hobbits friends. In this fantasy, a good hobbit is trying to destroy the ring in Mordor.

3. James Bond (1962-2015)

Twenty-six action films were created in 53 years, isn’t this incredible? This movie franchise lasts for more than a half century with seven actors in the main role of the MI6 agent. We could watch the popular British spy in his exciting adventures with the beautiful women and fast cars in many releases, and we still want more.

2. Harry Potter (2001-2011)

When the J.K. Rowling’s children book was transferred to the big screen, directed by Chris Columbus, it was an instant hit. Total score of this adventure, fantasy story is nine releases, and they are popular all over the world. Every child on this planet wants to be a wizard like Harry and to go to a school of wizardry, Hogwarts. This movie series even has spin-offs Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Crime of Grindelwald.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT9vPftessg

1. Star Wars (1977-present)

More than forty years we are watching and enjoying space adventures with movie series Star Wars. This is the biggest franchise of all time in our list. We love to watch the battles between Jedi and the ultimate favorite bad character in the film industry Darth Vader.

Did we leave out to mention your favorite movie series?