Witcher 3 tips, Borderlands: The PreSequel

Witcher 3

• I've put in about 20 hours with half of that due to having to basically restart the game, explanation later, so I thought I'd share some tips. 

• Try playing on the next to hardest difficulty which will make you use more tactics so you feel more like a Witcher and also not be way overpowered for the end game

• Although the game looks like a 3rd person action game it's an RPG so you have to approach combat a bit differently.

• Do not button mash the controls.  Geralt's movement has weight which makes it feel a bit clunky and his animations are delibrate so you must practice to get to know the timing and the range of each of your attacks.  At first I didn't like the combat but after changing how I approached each encounter I started to see the various tactics that I should use and the combat started to flow much better so give it some time.  

• Parry human enemies and dodge monsters.  Parrying humans will open up their defenses and dodging monsters will allow you to get behind them for critical hits. Most of the enemies will dodge or block your second or third attack which will leave you defenseless against another enemies attacks.  

• Don't forget to use signs, oils, and potions.  Each type of non-human enemy has weaknesses which you will uncover after encountering them or by finding books.  Look at your bestiary which has this information and use it to your advantage.  It can make a 2 minute fight take 30 seconds.  

• You only have to make a potion or oil once, from then on  every time you meditate, if you have alcohol, you will recover them automatically. 

• Loot everything and don't forget to dismantle items in your inventory so you can craft new equipment. Don't dismantle named armor as you can upgrade them later in the game.  

• Don't over look the card game, Gwent.  It's really fun and there are tournaments later on in Novigrad and if you get really good there are some special bonuses. 

• Upgrade the Axii sign which you can use in conversations to get your way and sometimes avoid combat.  

• Slight Spoiler and the reason I started over.  Near the beginning of the game when it tells you to mount your horse for the first time, take some time and look around with your witcher sense and find a crystal bird which was shown falling in the previous cinematic.  You can still find this quest item until you turn in the griffin quest then it disappears. I didn't know that and deleted my old saves so I had to start over because I didn't want to not have it.    

Borderlands: The Prequel

• Our group finished the main quest of Borderlands 2 and did part of the DLC and it was a ton of fun. 
• We started playing the Prequel which I heard wasn't as good as BL2 but I've quite enjoyed it. 
• It did have some issues but they released a big patch that fixed almost all of my gripes. 
• I thought they did a decent job of mixing up the game play by putting you on the moon which has different gravity so you could jump higher and float a bit which added a lot to movement and the combat.
• I'm playing as Claptrap and his special move(s) are crazy.  They are all randomized so you never know what you will get.  The Funzerker abilty has you dual wielding and auto firing non-stop which makes him hard to control and can also effect your teammates which usually leads to death.
• If you have friends to play with the Handsome Collection is a great deal and has a ton of content for $60. 

New Releases - Tons of new releases on the PC side that I have no idea what they are.  Splatoon on the WiiU is my pick of the week.
PC

    Magicka 2 (download - $15) - The first game was interesting, an RPG where you cast spells in combo's like in Fighting games.
    Magnetic: Cage Closed (download - $15)
    Badland: Game of the Year Edition (download)
    Visibility (download)
    Fine Sweeper (download)
    Red Crow Mysteries: Legion (download)
    60 Seconds! (download)
    Heroes of Loot (download)
    Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed (download)
    Quadrant (download)
    Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R (download)
    Rituals (download)
    Catlateral Damage (download)
    Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn (download)
    Ossuary (download)
    Locoland (download)
    Flame Over (download - $12)
    Chip's Challenge 1 (download)
    Chip's Challenge 2 (download)
    Subject 13 (download)
    Serpent in the Staglands (download)
    Star Horizon (download)
    Intergalactic Bubbles (download)
    Horizon Shift (download)
    The Silent Age (download)
    The Fruit of Grisaia (download)
    Tiamat X (download)

PlayStation 4

    Ultra Street Fighter IV (download - $25)
    Magicka 2 (download - $15)
    Roundabout (download)
    Badland: Game of the Year Edition (download)
    Arcade Archives Crazy Climber (download)
    Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid (download)


PlayStation 3

    Badland: Game of the Year Edition (download)
    Weird Park: The Final Show (download)
    Mega Man 8: Anniversary Edition (download - PSOne Classic)

Wii U

    Splatoon
    Don't Starve: Giant Edition (download)
    Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon (download - Wii U Virtual Console)
    Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun (download - Wii U Virtual Console)

Vita

    Octodad: Dadliest Catch (download)
    Badland: Game of the Year Edition (download)
    Invizimals: The Resistance (download)

Witcher 3

Witcher 3

• Put in 2 hours over the last two days and it's awesome, one of the best looking games that I've played.  I've taken around 50 screenshots and using them as my background wallpapers.

• I'm not able to max everything out at 60 fps however as Hairworks really drags my FPS down so I'm playing at a locked 30 so I can have everything turned up.  Monster hair blowing in the wind looks really good. 

• I've beaten both Witcher games and really like the story and the decisions the games present you.  I've had to sit on screens multiple times for what seemed 5 minutes deciding which choice I wanted to make.  

• I really liked the combat of the first Witcher which was PC kb/m only. You had to time your combos and it felt great. In the next game I always thought the controls were clunky as each action had too much momentum and you couldn't interrupt them.  

• The combat in this game is a lot better than the second one but still not as tight as I would like it. After some practice I'm starting to understand how I should be attacking.  Each type of attack has it's own distance and timing, similar to Dark Souls, which you must learn otherwise enemies will step back and counter attack.  

• I'm playing on the 2nd hardest difficulty and it's pretty tough but feels fair.  Your health does not regenerate on it's own and you have to eat to regain vitality.   Also on this difficulty you need to use specific potions, oils, and magic depending on the enemies weakness which you learn by facing them or finding books about them.  The system is well implemented and you feel like a hunter.  

• The size of the game is enormous as it's over 52 square miles, 3x the size of Skyrim.  

• To cover this land quickly you will use your horse, Roach which is fun to ride and reminds me of Read Dead Redemption, one of my favorite games.  Combat on top of a horse is tricky though and will take some practice.  

• The quests have been great so far and they give a ton of context for each one so they aren't just simple fetch quests.  Each one is voiced and has an interesting story to them.  

• There is a Witcher sense ability that is like the detective mode in the Batman games which you use to gather evidence and information for quests.    

• The game has over 150 hours of content and I've barely scratched the surface.  I'm only level 4 and have done all the side missions in the tutorial area which is great.  In most games, if you complete the side quests, they will make you over leveled for the main quest which makes them mostly meaningless and since these are so well done I'm glad it's not the case.  

• Overall I can see easily why this game got some 10/10 ratings and will probably be on the blog for the next couple of months.  

​Deal

• If anyone is interested in buying the PS4 version of the game let me know.  I bought the PS4 Collectors edition on a whim and don't need the game as I'm playing on PC so I'll sell it for $45.  I should have it by tomorrow. 

New Releases - One of the biggest games releases this week and is my pick of the week Witcher 3. 

PC

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (download - $60)
    Life is Strange- Episode 3 (download)
    Dustbowl (download)
    D Series OFF ROAD Racing Simulation (download)
    Neon Struct (download)
    Gran Vitreous (download)
    Brilliant Bob (download)
    Sunset (download)
    Epanalepsis (download)
    Technobabylon (download)
    Interloper (download)
    Crossfire: Dungeons (download)
    LOOP: A Tranquil Puzzle Game (download)
    Wyrmsun (download)

PlayStation 4

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
    Life is Strange- Episode 3 (download)
    Ride (download)
    Farming Simulator 15 (download)
    Aces of the Luftwaffe (download)
    Arcade Archives: Terra Cresta (download)

Xbox One

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
    Life is Strange- Episode 3 (download)
    Farming Simulator 15 (download)

Xbox 360

    Life is Strange- Episode 3 (download)
    Farming Simulator 15 (download)

PlayStation 3

    Life is Strange- Episode 3 (download)
    Farming Simulator 15 (download)

Wii U

    Swords & Soldiers II (download)
    Shapes of Gray (download)

Vita

    Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed
    Alien Shooter (download)

Nintendo 3DS

    Puzzle & Dragons Z/Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Project Cars, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Batman: Arkham Night

Project Cars

• It's been a long time since the game was kickstarted and now it's finally released, Was it worth the wait?
• The game is stunning to look at and it's not just in the details of the car but the way the sunlight shines through the trees as you round corner or the small bits of rubber that fly off of the wheel of a kart racer as you try to pass.  The game is full of details large and small and makes the racing feel alive. 
• This game is a bit like GT and Forza so finally a console like racing game on the PC as well. 
• My wheel, pedals, and handbrake all work perfectly and the FFB feels great once you crank the settings up to 100. 
• Settings, settings, settings, this game has all kinds of settings so if you are a newcomer or an avid racer the game can be tweaked so that each type of racer can have a great experience.
• Don't like the default camera views? You change them, don't like seeing the virtual wheel or the drivers arms, turn it off.  The options are about limitless.
• You can change the number of laps in any race which seems small but makes a huge difference in how you race.  In other games you have 3 laps in order to gain a podium finish so you can win money to buy new cars, which leads to not really racing but sprinting.  3 laps really doesn't give you time to study the drivers behaviors and make good choices about when to pass instead of trying to break faster in a corner or crash into your opponents. 
• Every car and track is open from the beginning so you don't have to race those awful starter cars.
• There are only 70-80 cars which leaves quite a few favorites out but each car does feels different and who can drive 500 cars anyway.  They plan to release one free car per month so the roster will keep expanding. 
• More importantly there are over 110 tracks which I would rather have anyway. 
• There are a ton of modes including career, leagues, and daily challenges so there is plenty of content. 
• With this and Dirt Rally I think my racing game fix is fixed.

 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

• I really enjoyed the last Wolfenstein game and thought it was one of the best FPS games I'd played in a long time.
• This game is a prequel and has a smaller scope and it is priced accordingly at $20 for around 6-8 hours which is a good deal.
• The game takes place in Castle Wolfenstein which is a fun place to return and it brought back memories of the past games with some great easter eggs.   Wolfenstein 3D is one of my favorite games of all time.
• I've only played about an hour and it feels like the previous game which is a good thing so if you liked the last game and wanted more then it's an instant buy.

Batman: Arkham City

• With all of the trailers for the new Batman game coming out it got me excited so I started a hard play through of Arkham City and since I've been away from the game for awhile, Batman is getting beat up pretty badly. 
• The hard difficulty mode is no joke, I'm usually fighting about 10 enemies at once and have probably "died" about 10 times so far in about an hour and a half. 
• The combat is so good and you can really get into a good groove and pummel enemies easily, which I still need to find. 
• I did beat the game when it came out but never collected all the 420 Riddler trophies which I always wanted to go back and try to collect. 
• If you've never played this game you definitely need to it's one of the best games every made and plus You are Batman!

New Releases - Two big releases this week.  Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a prequel to the game that came out last year and it was awesome.  Project Cars finally releases. 

PC

    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (download - $20)
    Project Cars (download - $50)
    Aspectus: Rinascimento Chronicles (download)
    Snakebird (download)
    Warside (download - free-to-play)
    Apollo4x (download)
    The Music Machine (download)
    High Strangeness (download)
    Sym (download)
    Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue (download)
    Ratventure Challenge (download)
    Terraform (download)
    Last Word (download)
    The Reject Demon: Toko Chapter 0 — Prelude (download)
    Mainland (download)
    Selfie : Sisters of the Amniotic Lens (download)

PlayStation 4

    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (download - $20)
    Ether One (download)
    Cosmophony (download)
    Arcade Archives: City Connection (download)

Xbox One

    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (download - $20)

PlayStation 3

    Cosmophony (download)
    Syberia 2 (download)

Vita

    Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes
    Cosmophony (download)

Nintendo 3DS

    Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker

Borderlands: Handsome Collection, Dirt Rally, Upcoming games of May

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (Xbone)

• Game includes Borderlands 2 and the Prequel will all of the DLC which is a ton of content for $60, I wish it included the original Borderlands though.
• Playing co-op with Chad, Mitch and his wife and having a ton of fun. 
• With 4 players the enemies are tougher and the drop are supposedly better but we really haven't seen any great drops until last night.  They have been tweaking the drop rate the past couple of weeks so hopefully it will get better. 
• Golden Keys are the way we are getting the best weapons and they are derived from Shift codes that Gearbox tweets out every couple of weeks and Mitch has been addicted to using those keys.
• The game has run pretty smoothly, I do see some textures pop-in when loading new areas but other than that it runs at 60fps and 1080P.  
• I've had some connection issues though and I'm not sure if it's the game or the Xbox One. The Xbox One multiplayer experience isn't anywhere near the Xbox 360 version which was pretty well perfect, not sure how they messed it up.
• I did stream a bit of one game to twitch and it's not as easy as streaming on the PS4.  You have to open up the twitch app and then choose a bunch of options and it felt clunky.  On the PS4 you hit a button and it comes up and then you are off, so much easier. 

​Dirt Rally​ (Steam)

• Out of nowhere this game gets released on Steam Early-Access and I couldn't be more excited.
• I've always loved the Dirt games and really enjoyed the rally aspect and each version had less and less of those races so I'm glad to see Codemasters developing a game just on those races. 
• Even though the game is early access there is a ton of content that easily justifies the $30 entry price. 20 cars and 36 tracks.
• The game is more of a simulation than the other Dirt games so it is much harder and just staying on the road is tough.  It's more like Richard Burns Rally which is a good thing.
• The FFB needs some work though as you really can't feel the road and other effects. It is early access so they are listening to the community and working on it which is how a great game gets made, listening to your users.  Some users did tweak a FFB .xml file which I used last night and make the game feel much better.
• I finally hooked up my handbrake to my racing setup and used it for this game and it's awesome, I should have done that sooner. 
• Racing at night was really awesome until I crashed my car into the side of a mountain and broke my headlights luckily I was almost to the end and made it to the finish in the dark.

Upcoming Games of May

• Witcher 3 - Can't wait for this game it looks unbelievable. 
• Project Cars - Pre-ordered and ready to race.
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - Loved the first game.
• Splatoon - A cool WIiU game.
• Magika 2 - First game had some cool ideas.
• Destiny DLC - So excited.   Not.....
• Dragon Age Inquisition DLC - Need to get back to this game.