Bloodborne, Pillars of Eternity, Rock Band 4

Bloodborne (PS4)

• This was one of my most wanted releases and it doesn't disappoint.
• It's from the developer of Demon/Dark Souls and the game play is similar to those titles with some extra awesome mixed in.
• It's basically a 3rd person action game where the focus is on combat and exploring with some old school difficulty thrown in.
• One of the very few games that will have you standing up and cheering once you've beaten that boss that has killed you 10-30 times before.  
• They've changed up things quite a bit from the previous releases so some strategies will have to be abandoned.
• Basically there are no shields in the game, so if you are used to standing behind one and chip away at enemies that tactic is gone.  
• Instead you have a firearm that will stun enemies which allows you to perform critical hits with your main weapon. It kind of works like a shield parry so timing is critical.  I chose the shotgun as my firearm and it's really fun to use.  
• If you take damage from an enemy you have about 3 seconds to score a hit which will reduce the damage you take.  It encourages you to fight instead of stand back and hide, but that can also get you in trouble.
• They've reduced the amount of weapons but now they all are unique and each one transforms into something special.  I like the kirkhammer it's a rapier sword that you can insert into this huge cement block and make it a huge crushing blunt weapon.
• So far I'm really liking the changes to the combat it helps with the fluidity of the action and stops some of the endless circling I used to do.  
• The enemies are fierce as ever and have patrol patterns now so they aren't always in the same place so there is some strategy in waiting until the best time to engage.  
• I've put in about 10 hours and have barely scratched the surface.  
• I've beaten three cool bosses so far and I've died 4 times on the current one I'm battling.  I have found that it's easier to just run through areas than before so you just skip most of the enemies if there is a specific place you want to travel to.  
• The only drawback to the game is the load times.  They are atrocious.  Every time you die it takes about 30-40 seconds to reload and they only show a splash screen of the logo so it's a double whammy.  They are looking into a patch to decrease them but it's a major oversight to a game where you will die repeatedly and quickly.  I guess the answer is to Suck less.
• If you liked the other games then there is no doubt you will love this game, if you are on the fence it's not any easier than the other games.  
• I'm sure I'll be writing about this game for weeks to come.

Pillars of Eternity (Steam)

• Another huge release, I don't have enough time!!!!!!!  
• This feels like Baldur's Gate 3, which should be all I need to say.  Go buy it.  

• I only got to play for about an hour which is about part ways through the tutorial, it brought back memories of playing the older games.  
• They recreated the Infinity engine so it looks similar to the other games but there are of course tons of additions.  My favorite is how far you can zoom in on the action, you can get extremely close and it all looks great.
• It works on my 1440P monitor and 21:9 aspect ratio which is awesome.  

Rock Band 4

• I'm so glad this is being released and they are going to be able to transfer 95% of the DLC to the new version.
• They are focusing on more of the experience now instead of the pro instruments.  Pro drums still exist but gone are the pro guitar and keyboard which I think is a good decision.  
• I want better ways to play and compete with my friends.  Easier ways to setup play lists and arrange my songs.  
• RB 3 was great but there were quite a few shortcoming that I hope will be fixed in RB4.  I can't wait to hear more about the game.  

New Releases - Two big releases this week.  Bloodbourne on PS4 and Pillars of Eternity on PC.

PC

Pillars of Eternity (download - $45) -
Infinite Crisis (download - free-to-play)
Life is Strange: Episode 2 (download)
Etherium (download - $30)
Ride (download - $40)
Out of the Park Baseball '16 (download)
Runestone Keeper (download)
World of Subways 4 – New York Line 7 (download)
Walkover (download - free-to-play)
12 Labours of Hercules (download)
VRC PRO (download)
Sky Battles (download)
Discourse (download)
Immune (download)
Spirits of Xanadu (download)
Pixel Puzzles 2: Anime (download)
Keebles (download)
Snowflake Tattoo (download)
Nightbanes (download - free-to-play)

PlayStation 4

Bloodborne - From the developers of Demon/Dark Souls.  Looks awesome.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Life is Strange: Episode 2 (download)
Metal Slug 3 (download)
Arcade Archives: Mat Mania (download)
Slender: The Arrival (download)
Yorbie: Episode 1 (download)

Xbox One

Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious - Free DLC I believe.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - Borderlands Revisited
Life is Strange: Episode 2 (download)
Slender: The Arrival (download)

Xbox 360

Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious
Life is Strange: Episode 2 (download)

PlayStation 3

Life is Strange: Episode 2 (download)
Metal Slug 3 (download)
Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore (download - PS2 Classic)
Armored Core (download - PS1 Classic)

Vita

LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin
Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (download)
Metal Slug 3 (download)
2013: Infected Wars (download)

Nintendo 3DS

LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin

F.E.A.R 3, Better Call Saul, Reddit ManCave Post

F.E.A.R. 3

• Playing through the campaign Co-op with Angel and it's been really fun and interesting.
• I originally played the game when it first came and out and enjoyed it but never got around to trying the co-op.
• The whole campaign was actually build with co-op in mind and it's fun playing the ghost like brother.
• The brother can possess people and take their form which allows him to use weapons and when an enemy dies he leaves behind a blood stain that you can pick up that lengthens the amount of time you can stay possessed.
• When not possessing you can shield your brother or hold enemies in the air.   It all works very well.
• Each time you possess someone he performs this menacing laugh that sounds awesome. 
• You do get to control Mechs in the game that are a lot of fun to control.
• I wish they would come out with a 4th game as I really like this series.

Better Call Saul

• This show is amazing even if you've never watched Breaking Bad you should be watching this show. 
• The locations do remind me of Breaking Bad and the cameos are a nice touch but this show stands on it's own.
• The writing and acting is phenomenal, this isn't a comedy but each episode has had me laughing throughout. 
• I just hate that I have to wait a week to watch the next episode.

Reddit

I put together photos from my Mancave and posted them to reddit and the comments have been really entertaining. 

ManCave and PC

http://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations/comments/2z9mof/battlestation_and_ultimate_man_cave/

Building the Mancave from start to finish

http://www.reddit.com/r/mancave/comments/2zdxx1/the_ultimate_man_cave_from_start_to_finish/



New Releases - Quite a few releases but next week can't come soon enough, Bloodborne!!!!   

PC

Battlefield Hardline (download - $60) - Hmm not sold quite yet.
Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 2 (download) - First episode was good and this looks to be better.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 - Episode 4 (download - $25) - Not getting great reviews.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (download) - iOS game ported to PC. a ton of these are coming.
Enemy (download)
Reverse Side (download)
Burnstar (download)
Seal Team 12 (download)
Why So Evil 2: Dystopia (download)
World of Mixed Martial Arts 3 (download)
Total Extreme Wrestling (download)

PlayStation 4

Battlefield Hardline
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD - Includes the Final Fantasy XV demo
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (retail)
Bladestorm: Nightmare
Cabela's African Adventures
Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 2 (download)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 4 (download - $25)
Jamestown+ (download)

Xbox One

Battlefield Hardline
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (retail)
Cabela's African Adventures
Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 2 (download)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 4 (download - $25)
Fruit Ninja Kinect 2 (download)
Ziggurat (download)

Xbox 360

Battlefield Hardline
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (retail)
Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 2 (download)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 4 (download - $25)

PlayStation 3

Battlefield Hardline
Resident Evil Revelations 2 (retail)
The Awakened Fate Ultimatum
Bladestorm: Nightmare
Tales from the Borderlands - Episode 2 (download)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 4 (download - $25)
Tennis in the Face (download)
5 Star Wrestling (download)
Disney/Pixar Cars (download - PS2 Classic)
Echo Night (download - PS1 Classic)

Wii U

Mario Party 10
Elliot Quest (download)

Vita

Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype (download)
Tennis in the Face (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Fossil Fighters: Frontier

Seattle, Final Fantasy Threatrythm, Hotline Miami 2, Ori and the Blind Forest

Seattle

• I've always wanted to visit Seattle and I was there last week for a conference and I was a bit disappointed.
• I've never seen so many homeless people on the streets they were everywhere and always asking for money.
• The streets were also filled with young people loitering around who were all high since pot is legal in the city.  I've been to New York and Philly and it was noticeably worse in Seattle than both of those cities.  One person was some people shooting up with needles on the street during the day.    
• The weather was a little cold since there is a constant breeze but it never rained once so the weather was a lot nicer than here.
• The food was good but very expensive, I probably spent around $80 for each dinner for 2 people.
• I bought a city pass for $64 that let us in to most of the attractions, the space needle, the EMP museum, and the Chihuly exhibit were cool to visit.  I recommend getting that pass if you plan on visiting as it allows you to bypass ticket lines which could be quite long.  

Final Fantasy Threatrythm: Curtain Call (3DS)

• A music rhythm game kind of like Elite Beat Agents but with Final Fantasy music.  
• The game play is basically tapping the screen with different variants that correspond to the beat of the music.
• The music is awesome and the songs are from every Final Fantasy Game.  There are over 220 songs in the game and  I've only unlocked 65 after 8 hours of playtime.  I haven't played one song that I didn't like.  
• When you play a song you pick 4 characters that have different abilities that are fighting enemies as the song progresses and when you hit the beats you land your attacks and if you miss then the enemy attacks which reduces your HP meter.  Each song has it's own background theme so it keeps things interesting.
• The game has a ton of content.  From unlocking songs, characters, and even sound effects the game is constantly rewarding you for playing.  
• I've really enjoyed the game so far and it's easy to play a couple of songs before I go to bed.
• I highly recommend this game to anyone that likes Final Fantasy or good music.

Hotline Miami 2 (Steam)

• I really liked the first game even though it was very brutal. The music was awesome especially with a good sound system and it really added to the experience.  
• I still listen to the soundtrack.
• This game is basically a continuation of the first game and I'm fine with that. There wasn't much that needed changing.
• They have added new masks that give you different abilities and I think there is dual wielding.
• In the first game if you used a gun then almost all enemies heard the shots and came for you in this one just those in the surrounding rooms hear the shots so guns are more useful.  

Ori and the Blind Forest - Steam

• Probably the best looking 2D game that I've played.  Each tree or blade of grass is painted separately they didn't use any repeated textures and it looks amazing.
• The game plays in the style of Metroid where you have areas that you can't reach until you open up different abilities.
• The platforming and combat is pretty standard but how you save is unique.  Of course there are tons of things to collect, but one of them allows you to create your own save points which adds some strategy to the game.  There are hard saves at the end of levels but during the level you must decide where to save and there have been a couple of times that I extended myself too far and died before saving.
• For $15 it's definitely worth it.

New Releases - A ton of new releases this week.  Hotline Miami 2, Ori and the Blind Forest my top picks.

PC

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (download - $15) - Really liked the first game, awesome music.
Sid Meier's Starships (download - $15) - Looks interesting
Assassin's Creed: Rogue (download - $50) - May pick up on sale
Cities: Skylines (download - $30) - Disappointed by Sim City give this a try.
Shelter 2 (download - $15) - A female mother badger simulator.
Ori and the Blind Forest (download) - Looks cool
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 (download - $25)
Frankenstein: Master of Death (download)
Grapple (download)
Parallax (download)
Soccertron (download)
Tennis Elbow 2013 (download)
In Exilium (download)
Zombie Kill of the Week - Reborn (download)
Dodge (download)
Hektor (download)
Heroes of Hellas 3: Athens (download)

PlayStation 4

DmC Definitive Edition - Really great game
Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (download - $15)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 (download - $25)
Scram Kitty DX (download)

Xbox One

DmC Definitive Edition
Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition
Ori and the Blind Forest (download)
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 (download - $25)
L.A. Cops (download)

Xbox 360

Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 (download - $25)

PlayStation 3

Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition
Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters
Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea
Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 3 (download - $25)
Sparkle 2 (download)
Alter Echo (download - PS2 Classic)
Battle Hunter (download - PS1 Classic)

Vita

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (download - $15)
Flame Over (download)
Scram Kitty DX (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - Abraham Lincoln in a game?
3D OutRun (download)