Super Smash Bros Brawl, Geometry Wars 3, Tales from the Borderlands, DA Inquistion

Hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving and fun times with your families, hopefully you will also be able to get some game time in. 

Super Smash Brothers Brawl (WiiU)

• Been getting some unbelievable reviews, I even saw a couple of 100's.  It's sold 3.4 million copies in the first week.
• I bought the digital version and had to hookup an external hard drive to the WiiU since I was out of space and that process went smooth with no issues. 
• I've only spent a couple of hours with the game and so far it has been awesome.
• The game is beautiful and is 1080P at 60 fps so it's silky smooth.
• The character roster is huge and there are a ton of modes and collectibles that should keep me busy for a while.
• The only downside is the online play where I've had mixed experiences.  The first 10 games I played there was no lag then when I tried again last night the lag was so bad I had to just play single player. 
• Nintendo has had some really great games this year and they ended with a bang. 

Geometry Wars 3(Steam)

• If you like Geometry wars then you should like the 3rd version.
• This time it really lives up to it's name, each stage is on a different geometric shape so you are no longer just playing on a square grid.
• The meat of the game is in the adventure mode with 50 stages to complete.  Each stage has 3 stars to obtain and you need stars to progress to each level.
• The game is tough and I'm stuck at the 10 stage needing 4 more stars. 
• There is a classic mode that has the stages from the last game. 
• There are of course leader boards for each mode so you can compete with your friends or the world.
• I'm liking the game so far, it's a fun diversion to play when I'm not busy fighting dragons or honey badgers.

Tales from the Borderlands(PC)

• Another game from Tell Tale studios, I can't wait for the Game of Thrones one.
• This game is set in the Borderlands universe and is really good. The graphics look like the game and it has the same sense of humor which to me is a good thing. 
• I really like how they took the game play from Borderlands and adjusted it to an adventure game.  The quick time events are done really well and the fight sequence at the beginning was really cool.  So far I haven't shot a gun which does feel a bit strange. 

Dragon Age Inquisition

• About 18 hours in now and still just scratching the surface, this game is huge. 
• For me the exploration has been the best part.  Each location is varied and has it's own distinct feeling and some of the views look amazing. 
• So far the party chat hasn't been as good as the last game, they don't seem to chat as much. I haven't gathered all the party members yet so that could change.   I do like the Iron Bull character which I just opened up and he has made me chuckle a few times.

Far Cry 4(PC)

• Really want to play, but the game has some stuttering issues that really bug me so I'm shelving it till those get resolved.
• When I'm moving around the world or driving a vehicle the game will drop about 20 frames at certain points then go back to normal, it's very noticeable and not sure how it was not noticed before release. 
• There is a workaround but it makes the textures default to the medium setting whch isn't ideal.

New Releases - Didn't expect this many releases this week.

​PC

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (download - $15)
If My Heart Had Wings (download)
Luna: Shattered Hearts: Episode 1 (download)
Reverse Side (download)
Space Salvager (download)
Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon (download)
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf HD Remastered (download)
Emergency 5 - Deluxe Edition (download)
Wings of Vi (download)
Rugby Union Team Manager 2015 (download)
Foresight (download)

PlayStation 4

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (download - $15)
Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX (download)
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed (download)
Speakeasy (download)
Thomas Was Alone (download)

Xbox One

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (download - $15)

Xbox 360

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (download - $15)

PlayStation 3

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (download - $15)
Boxing (download - PS1 Classic)

Wii U

Penguins of Madagascar
Thomas Was Alone (download)
Mario Pinball Land (download - Virtual Console)
Mighty Final Fight (download - Virtual Console)

Vita

Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX (download)
Pocket RPG (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Penguins of Madagascar

Dragon Age Inquisition, Far Cry 4, Gta V

Dragon Age Inquisition (PC)  - Awesome Buy Now!

• I thought that the game was going to read in the save from Dragon Age 2 which I never finished.  I started playing that last week and have around 25 hours invested then found out that it used the Dragon Age Keep app that doesn't read saves but uses a different method to acquire your choices from previous games so I was a little disappointed. 
• The app is very good though and it allows you to edit around 60 different plot points from the previous games.  It did read my decisions from the first Dragon Age and after I made some choices on the 3rd act of DA2 which I hadn't finished it played a 15 minute flash video of the story with the choices I made which was awesome since it's been about 5 years since I played the original Dragon Age although I did remember quite a bit about it than I had thought I would.   
• The first game was an expansive journey which took you around the world of Ferelden in a grand adventure. The second game went in a different direction and had you in a single city with some expanded areas and the game didn't feel as epic as the first and wasn't received well although the story was great. 
• The 3rd game goes back to the grand adventure of the first with a larger world full of content.  I've read that some people have spent 20 hours just in the first town. 
• The graphics are a huge overhaul and it does feel next gen with some really good looking faces.  I spent about 30 minutes tweaking my character. 
• The combat is a mix of the first and second games so you can play it as an action rpg or tactical depending on the difficulty you set. I'm playing with a controller and it feels great and it's easy to control, there is actually a jump button for the first time in the series.
• I think Bioware learned their lesson and have put out one of the best games of this year and with over 150 hours of content maybe next year as well. 

Far Cry 4 (PC) -  Awesome Buy Now!

• So there I was minding my own business out in the jungle when I thought I heard some loud foot steps behind me, I went to get into my car and then "BAM!" I was flying through the air dead from the initial impact.  I did forget to mention that I had previously shot at a rhino.  Don't ---- with rhinos.
• Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3 on steroids, everything from the previous game has been upgraded and enhanced which made a great game even better.  The only thing the game needs is a kill cam, I would love to see they ways I've died from an above camera view.
• The environments are lush with more grass and trees than the last game and with the snowy mountain peaks in the background make this a stunning looking game. 
• I'm able to run the game at mostly max settings after having to edit an xml file because I was getting occasional stutters, this should be fixed with a path soon.  It ran fine after that and I had no other issues, except for rhinos.
• The wildlife in this game is more aggressive, you have to be cautious of your surroundings and even from the air, hawks will swoop down out of nowhere and will attack. I was in a boat and got out to collect a plant, but didn't notice the piranhas, dead again. 
• I only put in a couple of hours since I was sampling the other games and I am really impressed with the game.

GTA V (PS4)   Awesome Buy Now!

• I bought the 360 version when it came out last year and played around 15 hours but didn't get close to finishing. The game was good but I just didn't like the way it looked or performed.
• I was going to wait for the PC version which comes out Jan 25 but once they released the first person trailer I had to get the game.
• I've played about 3 hours all in first person view and it makes the game feel totally different.
• The movement doesn't feel like a first person shooter, you can tell the camera is on a body so it does take a bit to get used to. They have all kinds of new animations for this view like jumping over objects and crashing out the window of a crashed car.  It all adds to the immersion and being able to walk down the street and admire all the attention to detail of the city is amazing.
• The shooting seems better and when you go into cover I do have it set to switch to 3rd person view to get a better sense of my surroundings.  You can change your view at any time by pressing the touch panel which is really nice.
• The graphical upgrade to 1080P and the smooth frame rate makes the game feel like a next gen game.
• The install did take around an hour on the PS4 though luckily I had some other games to play.  
• New Releases - Well the final week before Thanksgiving means a ton of games.  I have 3 picks this week, Far Cry 4, Dragon Age Inquisition, and GTA V.  Escape Dead Island looks interesting as well.

PC

Dragon Age: Inquisition (download - $60) - Getting great reviews.
Far Cry 4 (download - $60) - Good reviews as well.
Company of Heroes 2 - Ardennes Assault (download - $40)
Escape Dead Island (download - $40) - Cell shaded?
Construction Simulator (download - $30)
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (download)
Reverse Side (download)
Rollers of the Realm (download)
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (download)
Fate: The Cursed King (download)
Basketball Pro Management 2015 (download - $25)
The Marvellous Miss Take (download)
Rugby 15 (download - $40)
European Fishing (download)
Solidface 2D/3D Parametric CAD (download)
Tome: Immortal Arena (download)
Death Skid Marks (download)

PlayStation 4

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
Grand Theft Auto V
LittleBigPlanet 3
WWE 2K15
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show
Monopoly Family Fun Pack
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (download)
Rollers of the Realm (download)
Tiny Troopers (download)

Xbox One

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
Grand Theft Auto V
WWE 2K15
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show
Monopoly Family Fun Pack
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) (download)

Xbox 360

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Escape Dead Island
Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom

PlayStation 3

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Far Cry 4
LittleBigPlanet 3
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Escape Dead Island
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd
Kickboxing (download)

Wii U

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Watch Dogs

Vita

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd
Rollers of the Realm (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Pokemon Omega Ruby
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom

Call of Duty: AW, Assassins Creed Unity

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbone)

• I got hooked on multi-player over the weekend and put in about 12 hours, I have around 20 hours total now and finally reached level 50 and going to prestige. 
• The game is just so fast with the new movement options that it's just crazy playing any match.  I play hardcore mode when I want to slow it down just a bit but even then it's like a car race.
• In Free for all mode I think I die around every 20 seconds but I'm usually ranked in the top 3 after switching to use the BAL gun.  This mode is probably the most frantic COD mode that I've every played and it's awesome.  I do have to take breaks because my nerves can get a little frazzled after 10 matches. 
• The released a patch that hits the Xbone today so I'll give it a try and hopefully it fixes some of the issues.
• There are only 2 issues I have are bad spawns and some lag.  The spawns are horrible on Free for all especially the starting spawns as most times I'll be right next to someone so it's best just to duck down and start shooting.
• I've been getting better at using the Simtek grenades and I'm not sure why you would use any other grenade,  They stick to enemies and the environment and I carry 2 so I get about 4 or 5 kills a match.  I even 2 kill cams last night using them. 
• I've played a couple of more missions of the campaign and it's normal COD stuff but with a story that I can follow.  I need to try the co-op mode sometime as that seems like it would be fun. 

Assassins Creed Unity (PC)

• Some pretty bad reviews of the game and most are related to technical issues.   The consoles have some pretty drastic frame rate drops and I've noticed some of that on the PC mostly with cut scenes. I have noticed some pop-in while running down the street, people would have clothes added to them when I approached them, but it wasn't too bad. 
• I had almost everything cranked up and was getting around 50-60 fps, then I turned everything up to the max and get around 30 so I'm not sure which I will stick with.  The game looks amazing and the environments are really lifelike and the detail that went into them is outstanding.  Paris was a great place for the game to take place in. 
• The streets are full of people and it does feel like a true town now with crowded markets and even when you run through houses you will see around 5-8 people so the next gen does bring more than just graphics. 
• The movement is about the same as other AC games, they have added some new animations like when you dismount from climbing that I noticed immediately.
• The combat feels better in the few fights that I've had, it feels like they have a better flow to the encounters.
•  I haven't played enough to see if I like the main character but he seems like a dashing young man. 
• If you like the AC games then you should pick it up after they release patches that fix the technical issues. 

New Releases - This and next week have some big games coming out.  The Halo Master Chief Collection is my pick of the week followed by Valkyria Chronicles a re-release on the PC.

PC

World of Warcraft: Warlods of Draenor
Assassin's Creed Unity (download - $60)
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (download - $30)
Valkyria Chronicles (download - $20)
Space Hulk: Ascension (download - $30)
Chariot (download)
This War of Mine (download)
Global ATC Simulator (download)
Desert Ashes (download)
Magnetic By Nature (download)
Why So Evil (download)
Get Off My Lawn! (download)
Toyboy Turbos (download - $15)
Deadlings - Rotten Edition (download)
Oort Online (download)
Deadstone (download)
Amphora (download)
Randal's Monday (download - $25)
The Sun and Moon (download)
Homebrew - Vehicle Sandbox
Frozen Synapse Prime (download)
QP Shooting - Dangerous!! (download)
Reverse Side (download)

PlayStation 4

Assassin's Creed Unity
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015
Retro City Rampage DX (download)
Terraria (download)
Nano Assault Neo-X (download)

Xbox One

Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Assassin's Creed Unity
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Xbox 360

Assassin's Creed Rogue
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Digimon: All-Star Rumble

PlayStation 3

Assassin's Creed Rogue
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Digimon: All-Star Rumble
Pro Evolution Soccer 2015
Retro City Rampage DX (download)

Wii U

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
A World of Keflings (download)
Tengami (download)

Vita

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Tales of Hearts R
Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition
Senran Kagura: Bon Apetit!
Retro City Rampage DX (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Picross e5 (download)
Pokemon Trading Card Game (download)

Call of Duty Edition

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare(Xbox One)

• I've been debating on which console to pick the game for and I finally went with the Xbox One because of the early DLC.
• The game finally feels next gen.  The graphics look crisp and the environments have a ton of detail, the character models look excellent.
• The sound design is awesome. Each gun has a good thump when firing which keeps my sub woofer shaking my chair. 
• I only played the first level of the campaign and that was while waiting for the disc to install.  Install times on the Xbox one are lengthy.
• The biggest change to the game from previous versions is the mobility of moving around the map.  The exo suit you wear has a jet pack attached so you can double jump and dodge, it feels a bit like Titanfall without the wall running. 
• It does take some time to get used to the new mobility but once you do traversing the map is really fun. No more stairs.
• The faster movement does have a major drawback though, once you fire or kill an enemy you need to quickly be on guard as enemies seem to show up within seconds.  Before they might have been behind a wall now they just jump over so it.
• The exo suit also has other powers that you can use.  I like using the shield so if I spot an enemy at the last second I hit the left bumper which activates the shield which gives me time to get behind cover.  I also use the silent footsteps which puts a damper on sound around you and lets me hear enemies easier.
• When you build your different classes you have a ton of options.  Each gun, perk, kill streak, or attachment has a cost of one point and you have a total of 13 to setup as you like.  If you are not good at getting kill streaks then remove them and use those points to add more attachments to your guns or have multiple perks. 
• I feel like there needs to be a more guns, I think there are 6 per class and they could use a few more.  You get different attachments for your guns by using them and completing challenges like head shots or hip kills, some of the challenges are tough and will take a lot of time to acquire. 
• I'm level 33 out of 50 in multiplayer and played mostly team deathmatch and free for all. Those modes are still hectic with instant re-spawns so I die a lot. I've started playing the hardcore mode which does slow things up a bit and makes for more tactical game play.
• The maps feel about the right size and I haven't played a map that I don't like out of the 13 total. 
• While I was playing I kept remembering some of my favorite maps from the previous games and wish one year they would have an anniversary game with all the different multiplayer maps from every game like they are doing for the Halo Anniversary game out next week. 
• My best kill so far was when I was in a double jump and the enemy did the same and I was able to kill him in mid-air and got a special achievement. 

Deals

• The Best Buy Ultimate Gamer Club is still on this week so for an extra $30 you will get 20% off all new games for 2 years. 
• If you are getting COD then get this deal it will knock off $12 off of COD.

New Releases - It's Call of Duty week so not much else releasing, the WiiU doesn't get COD   
PC

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (download - $60)
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (download - $15)
Depth (download - $25)
Defenders of Time (download)
World of Subways 1 - The Path (download)
Logistics Company (download)
A Bird Story (download)
Crowntakers (download - $15)
Gold Rush Anniversary (download)
QP Shooting - Dangerous (download)

PlayStation 4

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Rocksmith 2014 Edition
The Wolf Among Us (retail)
How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition
MXGP
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (download)

Xbox One

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Rocksmith 2014 Edition
The Wolf Among Us (retail)

Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
The Wolf Among Us (retail)

PlayStation 3

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
The Wolf Among Us (retail)
MXGP
BlazeRush (download)
Snark Busters: High Society (download)

Wii U

Citizens of Earth (download)
The Swapper (download)
Sportsball (download)
Pier Solar and the Great Architects (download)

Vita

The Wolf Among Us (retail)
MXGP
Don't Die, Mr. Robot! (download)
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Harvest Moon: Lost Valley
Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (download)