Shovel Knight (3DS)
A cool retro action platformer that reminds you of the best games released on the NES. The gameplay is a bit like MegaMan with some Dark Souls mixed in. The game looks just like an NES game but on the 3DS the 3D is amazing, which is why I chose this version of the game, it's also on the WiiU and Steam. You are a knight with a shovel and you are sent on a quest. The overworld map resembles Mario World 3, so you choose different locations and a boss to fight. Each level has 5 checkpoints so if you die you return there or you could destroy the checkpoint and receive a ton of gold that is useful in upgrading your weapons and abilities so it's a unique twist. If you die you lose gold but can reclaim it if you can make it back to where you died so if feels a bit like Dark Souls.
The music is amazing and overall the game is excellent. It is quite unforgiving with some very tough platforming segments, but I've been able progress through the game with little difficulty. There is a new game+ feature that will make the game harder so there is replay value. Highly recommend.
Deadly Premonition: Directors Cut (Steam)
If you ever wanted to play a computer game version of Twin Peaks then you need to get this game. It came out a long time ago and has a cult following. I bought it on the 360 but the graphics were pretty bad so I didn't play it much. The graphics still are not that great on the PC but having the game run at 1080P makes it much better. The game is a 3rd person adventure type game with some Resident Evil vibes thrown in. You play as an FBI agent sent to a town where a girl was murdered, the murder has some of the same characteristics as some other cases so you are trying to solve the mystery. The game has some good voice acting and there is some really funny dialog. The combat is a resembles Resident Evil where you are fighting some very strange creatures, which I'm not sure if they are dream sequences or not. I've put in about 3 hours and have really enjoyed it.
Game of Thrones (Steam)
This game came out last year and got some pretty bad reviews mainly because of the combat, the story however is supposedly very good so I thought I'd try it out. The game has a unique story that is based off the books but it's not a retelling of the books, it also uses assets from the TV show and some of the voice actors. You start off in Castle Black as a member of the Night's Watch and the very first scene of the game reminded me of the TV show. There are dialog choices so it kind of feels like Mass Effect in the Game of Thrones world. I did get to the combat and it's a bit clunky, it's a 3rd person action game that's kind of like an MMO where it will do basic attacks automatically and then you can queue special abilities which have cool downs. I need to get more into the game to see if the combat is a hindrance or not if it is I'll just crank the difficulty down and just play for the story. So far the game has been great and I've recognized 3 characters from the TV show.
Steam Sale
I have a disease and it's buying games that I'll never play. Here is my steam sale haul and unfortunately Watch Dogs is not on it.
Ironclad Tactics Deluxe Edition - A cool CCG game set during the Civil war. Really good.
CAPSULE - A horror game that is played from just a radar screen.
Game of Thrones
Nail'd - A decent action racing game.
Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 - I like word games.
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut
The Last Federation - A 4x Space game that was recommended by Bill Harris. He has a great blog, DubiousQuality.
Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition - I needed a 100 hour RPG.
Cloudbuilt
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
Adventures of Shuggy
The Typing of the Dead: Overkill - Songs - This game is cool.
Typing of the Dead: Overkill - Silver Screen
System Shock 2
Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches (ROW)
Next Car Game
Nidhogg Store
GRID Autosport
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 3: Mercenary Day
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 2: Wattle Gobbler
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 4: Wedding Day Massacre
Borderlands 2: Headhunter 5: Son of Crawmerax
Borderlands 2 Headhunter 1: Bloody Harvest
Borderlands 2 Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2
Bioshock Infinite Season Pass ROW
Payday 2
Master Reboot
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Pixel Piracy
The Walking Dead Season 2
Divinity Original Sin
Ubisoft Watch Dogs
This game still has issues on the PC and then last week some other shocking news came out. The current game looks nothing like what was initially shown and then one user found code in the PC version that had a ton of graphical tweaks and features that were still in the game files but were not in the running code. He was able to mod the game and got the features to work with some small problems but it made the game look remarkably better and run smoother. The real problem is the PC game could have looked much better than the consoles but Ubisoft did not want that to happen so they hamstrung the PC version so the new consoles wouldn't be shown as sub par. As a mainly PC gamer this is awful, once again the PC is hamstrung by the inferior consoles that just came out.
New Releases - Quite a few games this week. My pick is Divinity: Original Sin.
PC
Divinity: Original Sin (download - $30) - Cool looking turn-based RPG that brings back memories of the good old days.
The House (download)
Ship Simulator: Maritime Search and Rescue (download)
Magicians & Looters (download)
Second Chance Heroes (download)
Shattered Planet (download)
Z (download)
PlayStation 4
Sniper Elite 3
Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (download - $15) - A really good game.
Xbox One
Sniper Elite 3
Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (download - $15)
Xbox 360
Sniper Elite 3
Far Cry Compilation (Far Cry 3 + Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon + Far Cry 2)
Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (download - $15)
PlayStation 3
Sniper Elite 3
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn
Constant C (download)
Child of Light and Armillo
Wii U
Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (download - $15)
Armillo (download)
Bombing Bastards (download)
Vita
Child of Light
Nintendo 3DS
Mysterious Stars: A Fairy Tale (download)
Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Wolfenstein, SVS Sub, Bulletstorm, Steam Sale
Wolfenstein: The New Order
I finished the game over the weekend and clocked in around 15 hours so it's a lot longer than most FPS. I still need to go back and see if the differences based on the choice i made earlier in the game. I really enjoyed it and think it's one of the best FPS games I've played in a while. The stealth is done very well and it's optional, you can use it or not. Near the end of the game there were two places that got frustrating and I eventually turned down the difficulty to get past them. I also liked the story which is something you never really think about too much in FPS but it was engaging and had a good ending. I highly recommend the game to anyone who likes FPS games, it's one of my favorites.
SVS PC12 Plus
My new subwoofer went out again, a second time, so instead of getting new parts or a complete replacement I went with a new better sub. The new sub is cylinder shaped so it doesn't take as much floor space, but it is 39" high so it's about the same height as my floor standing speakers, it looks like a black hot water heater. I need to burn it in which takes about 100 hours but it
sounds awesome so far. I can already tell the difference between this and the other sub, the sound is much deeper and cleaner. I did setup my Klipsch as a 2nd sub just to see if I like it and after playing Rock Band for an hour I overheated my receiver, I did up the volume to the subs by about 3 decibels which was a little overkill but it sounded awesome. I think I may go back to just to one sub since it's so much better than my Klipsch that I can hear the Klipsch struggling which makes the bass a little distorted. I could feel the couch move without the butt kickers.
Bulletstorm
I finally got this to work on my system after about 3 months of trying. It still uses the Games for Windows client which is going away in July, I'm hopeful for a patch because this game is really awesome. The initial media campaign for the game was pretty bad as it focused on a couple of quotes from the main character and it never recovered. I beat the game when it came out and have been wanting to play it again. The game still looks amazing, I'll try and post some screenshots later in the week. The combat is nonstop action and with the different ways of killing your enemies it never becomes dull. Each weapon you unlock has different skill shots that allows you to destroy enemies in unique ways. There is the thumper that will grapple an enemy then thump him to the ground which causes any other enemy around to be thrown helplessly into the air. The grenade gun that sends a couple of grenades attached by a chain that you can shoot at an enemies head or legs and then make them explode. The game is a blast and I sure hope they patch out the GFWL.
Steam Sale
If you don't know there is a Steam Sale going on so a ton of games are selling for cheap this week so get out there and buy some good games. I think my Steam game count is over 850 which is insane but I still find stuff that I want to buy. So far my haul is:
Borderlands 2 DLC
Bioshock Infinite Season Pass - I really wanted to go back to Rapture. I started last night and only played about 30 minutes. So far it's good.
Payday 2
Master Reboot - A really cool puzzle adventure game.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall -
Pixel Piracy - Kind of like Minecraft except you are building a pirate ship and exploring different islands.
The Walking Dead Season 2 - Waiting for all the episodes to come out before I start playing.
Divinity Original Sin - It doesn't release until June 30th but I've played a bit of the beta and it seems great.
A Wizard's Lizard - Kind of like the Binding of Isaac but with more story and a little more permanence.
FEZ - Cool Platformer.
New Releases - Tons of games this week. My Pick is Valiant Hearts.
PC
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (download - $50) -
GRID Autosport (download - $50) - More than likely I will get as they fixed issues with the last version.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (download - $30) - Not a port is what I've heard.
Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front (download - $20)
Sniper Elite 3 (download - $50)
Shovel Knight (download - $15) - Hopefully this will be a good NES like game.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15) - Looks really cool and has a great art style.
Three Dead Zed (download)
PlayStation 4
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Another World (download) - Think free for PS+ subscribers a great game.
Blue Estate (download)
R.B.I. Baseball 14 (download)
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Xbox One
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Xbox 360
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
GRID Autosport
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
PlayStation 3
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
GRID Autosport
Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland
Xblaze Code: Embryo
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Another World (download)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (download)
Wii U
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Shovel Knight (download - $15)
Vita
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
Xblaze Code: Embryo
Farming Simulator 14
Another World (download)
Z-Run (download)
Nintendo 3DS
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Farming Simulator 14
Shovel Knight (download - $15)
I finished the game over the weekend and clocked in around 15 hours so it's a lot longer than most FPS. I still need to go back and see if the differences based on the choice i made earlier in the game. I really enjoyed it and think it's one of the best FPS games I've played in a while. The stealth is done very well and it's optional, you can use it or not. Near the end of the game there were two places that got frustrating and I eventually turned down the difficulty to get past them. I also liked the story which is something you never really think about too much in FPS but it was engaging and had a good ending. I highly recommend the game to anyone who likes FPS games, it's one of my favorites.
SVS PC12 Plus
My new subwoofer went out again, a second time, so instead of getting new parts or a complete replacement I went with a new better sub. The new sub is cylinder shaped so it doesn't take as much floor space, but it is 39" high so it's about the same height as my floor standing speakers, it looks like a black hot water heater. I need to burn it in which takes about 100 hours but it
sounds awesome so far. I can already tell the difference between this and the other sub, the sound is much deeper and cleaner. I did setup my Klipsch as a 2nd sub just to see if I like it and after playing Rock Band for an hour I overheated my receiver, I did up the volume to the subs by about 3 decibels which was a little overkill but it sounded awesome. I think I may go back to just to one sub since it's so much better than my Klipsch that I can hear the Klipsch struggling which makes the bass a little distorted. I could feel the couch move without the butt kickers.
Bulletstorm
I finally got this to work on my system after about 3 months of trying. It still uses the Games for Windows client which is going away in July, I'm hopeful for a patch because this game is really awesome. The initial media campaign for the game was pretty bad as it focused on a couple of quotes from the main character and it never recovered. I beat the game when it came out and have been wanting to play it again. The game still looks amazing, I'll try and post some screenshots later in the week. The combat is nonstop action and with the different ways of killing your enemies it never becomes dull. Each weapon you unlock has different skill shots that allows you to destroy enemies in unique ways. There is the thumper that will grapple an enemy then thump him to the ground which causes any other enemy around to be thrown helplessly into the air. The grenade gun that sends a couple of grenades attached by a chain that you can shoot at an enemies head or legs and then make them explode. The game is a blast and I sure hope they patch out the GFWL.
Steam Sale
If you don't know there is a Steam Sale going on so a ton of games are selling for cheap this week so get out there and buy some good games. I think my Steam game count is over 850 which is insane but I still find stuff that I want to buy. So far my haul is:
Borderlands 2 DLC
Bioshock Infinite Season Pass - I really wanted to go back to Rapture. I started last night and only played about 30 minutes. So far it's good.
Payday 2
Master Reboot - A really cool puzzle adventure game.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall -
Pixel Piracy - Kind of like Minecraft except you are building a pirate ship and exploring different islands.
The Walking Dead Season 2 - Waiting for all the episodes to come out before I start playing.
Divinity Original Sin - It doesn't release until June 30th but I've played a bit of the beta and it seems great.
A Wizard's Lizard - Kind of like the Binding of Isaac but with more story and a little more permanence.
FEZ - Cool Platformer.
New Releases - Tons of games this week. My Pick is Valiant Hearts.
PC
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (download - $50) -
GRID Autosport (download - $50) - More than likely I will get as they fixed issues with the last version.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (download - $30) - Not a port is what I've heard.
Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front (download - $20)
Sniper Elite 3 (download - $50)
Shovel Knight (download - $15) - Hopefully this will be a good NES like game.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15) - Looks really cool and has a great art style.
Three Dead Zed (download)
PlayStation 4
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Another World (download) - Think free for PS+ subscribers a great game.
Blue Estate (download)
R.B.I. Baseball 14 (download)
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Xbox One
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Xbox 360
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
GRID Autosport
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
PlayStation 3
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
GRID Autosport
Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland
Xblaze Code: Embryo
Valiant Hearts: The Great War (download - $15)
Another World (download)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (download)
Wii U
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Shovel Knight (download - $15)
Vita
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
Xblaze Code: Embryo
Farming Simulator 14
Another World (download)
Z-Run (download)
Nintendo 3DS
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Farming Simulator 14
Shovel Knight (download - $15)
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
E3 2014 Day 1
E3
I watched all the conferences yesterday and they were all really good and they showed off a ton of games. Microsoft just showed games with no mention of Kinect, TV, or media apps. EA really didn't show much game play and on some of the games showed prototypes. Ubisoft was the most entertaining one again and there games looked fun. Sony finished the night with a strong first hour then got bogged down for 30 minutes then finished strong.
Crackdown - I loved the first Crackdown and am glad a new one is coming for the new consoles.
Grim Fandango - Being remade, really excited about this one.
Batman Arkam Knight - Wow this looks awesome, the graphics and environment were unbelievable.
Rainbow Six Siege - Looks like planning is back in. Great game play demo.
Sunset Overdrive - Very colorful shooter that has some good parkour and the demo made it look easy to pull off.
Far Cry 4 - Amazing, the graphics and scope of the game was unbelievable. They action they showed was awesome.
Assassins Creed Unity - Now has co-op. The crowds do look more like natural crowds.
Dead Island 2- The trailer was awesome.
GTA V - Coming to new Consoles and PC in August, Finally.
Bloodborne - Just showed a trailer but it looked awesome. A true follow up to Dark/Demon Souls.
The Order - Wow the visuals were awesome and the transition between the cutscenes and action was cool.
Uncharted 4 - Looks like it may be the last Drake adventure in 2015.
The Last of Us - Coming to PS4 at the end of July.
Dead Rising DLC - Crazy is all I can say, I downloaded it last night and played for about 20 minutes, impressions coming later.
Halo Collection - Halo 1,2,3, and 4 all on one disc.
Call of Duty - I was really impressed with the demo and the game finally looked next gen. Rocket boots.
Cuphead - a retro run and gun platformer that looked like a 1940's cartoon. Awesome.
Evolve - From the makers of Left 4 Dead, Robby and Sean will put in about 300 hours easily.
Destiny - Looked interesting and the alpha is out for PS4.
Battlefield Hardline - I'm in the beta and will try tonight. Cops and robbers in the Battlefield play style.
Mortal Kombat X - The video was gruesome and awesome.
Overall there were some pretty impressive games shown, nothing earth shattering but there are a lot of games I'm looking forward to now. A lot of good games are coming out on Oct 7 and it looks like it will be a $300 day.
New Releases - Not many big releases for E3 week. Enemy front looks interesting.
PC
Enemy Front (download)
Space Run (download)
Munin (download)
Infinite Game Works Episode 0 (download)
Crimsonland (download)
Pulstar (download)
Final Slam 2 (download)
Secrets of the Magic Crystals - The Race (download)
Spintires (download - $30)
Probability 0 (download)
Xbox 360
Enemy Front
How to Train Your Dragon 2
PlayStation 3
Enemy Front
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (download)
Wii U
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Wii
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nintendo 3DS
How to Train Your Dragon 2
AiRace Xeno (download)
I watched all the conferences yesterday and they were all really good and they showed off a ton of games. Microsoft just showed games with no mention of Kinect, TV, or media apps. EA really didn't show much game play and on some of the games showed prototypes. Ubisoft was the most entertaining one again and there games looked fun. Sony finished the night with a strong first hour then got bogged down for 30 minutes then finished strong.
Crackdown - I loved the first Crackdown and am glad a new one is coming for the new consoles.
Grim Fandango - Being remade, really excited about this one.
Batman Arkam Knight - Wow this looks awesome, the graphics and environment were unbelievable.
Rainbow Six Siege - Looks like planning is back in. Great game play demo.
Sunset Overdrive - Very colorful shooter that has some good parkour and the demo made it look easy to pull off.
Far Cry 4 - Amazing, the graphics and scope of the game was unbelievable. They action they showed was awesome.
Assassins Creed Unity - Now has co-op. The crowds do look more like natural crowds.
Dead Island 2- The trailer was awesome.
GTA V - Coming to new Consoles and PC in August, Finally.
Bloodborne - Just showed a trailer but it looked awesome. A true follow up to Dark/Demon Souls.
The Order - Wow the visuals were awesome and the transition between the cutscenes and action was cool.
Uncharted 4 - Looks like it may be the last Drake adventure in 2015.
The Last of Us - Coming to PS4 at the end of July.
Dead Rising DLC - Crazy is all I can say, I downloaded it last night and played for about 20 minutes, impressions coming later.
Halo Collection - Halo 1,2,3, and 4 all on one disc.
Call of Duty - I was really impressed with the demo and the game finally looked next gen. Rocket boots.
Cuphead - a retro run and gun platformer that looked like a 1940's cartoon. Awesome.
Evolve - From the makers of Left 4 Dead, Robby and Sean will put in about 300 hours easily.
Destiny - Looked interesting and the alpha is out for PS4.
Battlefield Hardline - I'm in the beta and will try tonight. Cops and robbers in the Battlefield play style.
Mortal Kombat X - The video was gruesome and awesome.
Overall there were some pretty impressive games shown, nothing earth shattering but there are a lot of games I'm looking forward to now. A lot of good games are coming out on Oct 7 and it looks like it will be a $300 day.
New Releases - Not many big releases for E3 week. Enemy front looks interesting.
PC
Enemy Front (download)
Space Run (download)
Munin (download)
Infinite Game Works Episode 0 (download)
Crimsonland (download)
Pulstar (download)
Final Slam 2 (download)
Secrets of the Magic Crystals - The Race (download)
Spintires (download - $30)
Probability 0 (download)
Xbox 360
Enemy Front
How to Train Your Dragon 2
PlayStation 3
Enemy Front
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (download)
Wii U
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Wii
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nintendo 3DS
How to Train Your Dragon 2
AiRace Xeno (download)
Monday, June 2, 2014
Reno, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Mario Kart 8
Reno
Sorry for the lack of a post last week I was on vacation in Reno with my Dad, he worked on radars in the air force and they had a convention last week so I went with him. I've been to Las Vegas many times but never visited Reno and it didn't start off very well. The plane ride was very turbulent and then we got about 10 feet above the runway and then the engines started up again and we were off, about 5 minutes later the pilot came onto explain that the wind had shifted at the last minute and they decided to pull up and land from a different direction. It never rains in Reno, except when we visit. The weather was cold and windy and on our trip to Lake Tahoe it actually snowed. The sky was overcast so we didn't get to see the pretty blue water of the lake. The city itself is nothing like Vegas and there wasn't much to do there except gamble. We did see a cool magic show, we were given one free ticket by a lady passing by which was nice, and a cool car museum. We visited Virginia city which is a small mining town built on a hill and famous for the TV show Bonanza. It's a tourist trap now and all commercialized so not very fun, although the bus trip had some great views of the mountains.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Steam)
Came out last week and I finally got to play it once I got in from my trip. The download size was 40G so it took awhile. One of my first PC gaming memories was playing the original Wolfenstein, it was awesome and the really the first great first person shooters, the sound effects are still ingrained in my mind. I've played all the Wolfenstein games and all of them have been really good so I was hoping this would be the same. It took a bit of messing around with the graphical settings but I finally got it running on ultra and 60fps on my Titan, I've read there are some major issues with AMD cards.
I've played about 2 hours and I am really enjoying the game. You play as the original game's protagonist, B.J. Blazkowicz, who wakes up from a coma state 15 years after the war and finds out the Germans actually won and are trying to find the resistance fighters. I am really enjoying the story as it's much better than most FPS games, most FPS stories are nonsensical, but this is straight forward and gives the fighting a real meaning. The pace so far has been excellent. There is a bit of stealth to the game so it isn't all just shooting. There are tons of secret and hidden passages to find that have good loot so it pays to look around. The enemies have been pretty fun to fight and have some interesting designs. There is a choice you make early in the game that has different results in story so it does have replay value.
Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)
Nintendo's box may be struggling but it sure does know how to make some great games and Mario Kart 8 is outstanding. If you buy the game this week you can get a free game so it's almost silly not to purchase it now. It's still the same Mario Kart we've always been playing but now in 1080P and that really does make a huge difference. The game runs smooth and looks awesome, I even find myself watching the replays which is something I rarely do in other race games. It creates a highlight reel that you can slow down at any time and there are already some great gifs especially of Luigi's stare. http://i.minus.com/iWBcrxrRHgdN0.gif
I have beaten every grand prix circuit but not gold starred them so I still have a ton of unlocks to get. The track designs are brilliant and there is only 1 that I don't really like playing. I've played about 6 hours of online and it's been problem free. I wish it was structured a bit differently but it's fun to hop on and play a couple of races against real opponents.
New Releases - So many games not enough time.
PC
WildStar (download - $60)
Murdered: Soul Suspect (download - $50)
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Richard & Alice (download)
Concursion (download)
Freespace 2 (download)
Lifeless Planet (download)
Noir Syndrome (download)
EPOCH (download)
Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood (download)
1,001 Spikes and Ultra Street Fighter 4
PlayStation 4
Murdered: Soul Suspect
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Worms Battlegrounds (download)
War Thunder (download - free-to-play)
Xbox One
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Xbox 360
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Ultra Street Fighter 4 (download - $15 for Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition owners only)
PlayStation 3
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Ultra Street Fighter 4 (download - $15 for Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition owners only)
Tomodachi Life and PlayStation Vita Pets
Wii U
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Vita
PlayStation Vita Pets
Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Nintendo 3DS
Tomodachi Life
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Sorry for the lack of a post last week I was on vacation in Reno with my Dad, he worked on radars in the air force and they had a convention last week so I went with him. I've been to Las Vegas many times but never visited Reno and it didn't start off very well. The plane ride was very turbulent and then we got about 10 feet above the runway and then the engines started up again and we were off, about 5 minutes later the pilot came onto explain that the wind had shifted at the last minute and they decided to pull up and land from a different direction. It never rains in Reno, except when we visit. The weather was cold and windy and on our trip to Lake Tahoe it actually snowed. The sky was overcast so we didn't get to see the pretty blue water of the lake. The city itself is nothing like Vegas and there wasn't much to do there except gamble. We did see a cool magic show, we were given one free ticket by a lady passing by which was nice, and a cool car museum. We visited Virginia city which is a small mining town built on a hill and famous for the TV show Bonanza. It's a tourist trap now and all commercialized so not very fun, although the bus trip had some great views of the mountains.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Steam)
Came out last week and I finally got to play it once I got in from my trip. The download size was 40G so it took awhile. One of my first PC gaming memories was playing the original Wolfenstein, it was awesome and the really the first great first person shooters, the sound effects are still ingrained in my mind. I've played all the Wolfenstein games and all of them have been really good so I was hoping this would be the same. It took a bit of messing around with the graphical settings but I finally got it running on ultra and 60fps on my Titan, I've read there are some major issues with AMD cards.
I've played about 2 hours and I am really enjoying the game. You play as the original game's protagonist, B.J. Blazkowicz, who wakes up from a coma state 15 years after the war and finds out the Germans actually won and are trying to find the resistance fighters. I am really enjoying the story as it's much better than most FPS games, most FPS stories are nonsensical, but this is straight forward and gives the fighting a real meaning. The pace so far has been excellent. There is a bit of stealth to the game so it isn't all just shooting. There are tons of secret and hidden passages to find that have good loot so it pays to look around. The enemies have been pretty fun to fight and have some interesting designs. There is a choice you make early in the game that has different results in story so it does have replay value.
Mario Kart 8 (WiiU)
Nintendo's box may be struggling but it sure does know how to make some great games and Mario Kart 8 is outstanding. If you buy the game this week you can get a free game so it's almost silly not to purchase it now. It's still the same Mario Kart we've always been playing but now in 1080P and that really does make a huge difference. The game runs smooth and looks awesome, I even find myself watching the replays which is something I rarely do in other race games. It creates a highlight reel that you can slow down at any time and there are already some great gifs especially of Luigi's stare. http://i.minus.com/iWBcrxrRHgdN0.gif
I have beaten every grand prix circuit but not gold starred them so I still have a ton of unlocks to get. The track designs are brilliant and there is only 1 that I don't really like playing. I've played about 6 hours of online and it's been problem free. I wish it was structured a bit differently but it's fun to hop on and play a couple of races against real opponents.
New Releases - So many games not enough time.
PC
WildStar (download - $60)
Murdered: Soul Suspect (download - $50)
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Richard & Alice (download)
Concursion (download)
Freespace 2 (download)
Lifeless Planet (download)
Noir Syndrome (download)
EPOCH (download)
Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood (download)
1,001 Spikes and Ultra Street Fighter 4
PlayStation 4
Murdered: Soul Suspect
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Worms Battlegrounds (download)
War Thunder (download - free-to-play)
Xbox One
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Xbox 360
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Ultra Street Fighter 4 (download - $15 for Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition owners only)
PlayStation 3
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Ultra Street Fighter 4 (download - $15 for Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition owners only)
Tomodachi Life and PlayStation Vita Pets
Wii U
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Vita
PlayStation Vita Pets
Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Nintendo 3DS
Tomodachi Life
1,001 Spikes (download - $15)
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Dark Sous 2, Crysis 3, Roku vs Chromecast
Dark Souls 2 (Steam)
I'm about 12 hours in and slowly making my way to my next death. So far I am enjoying DS2, it does improve on some issues I had with DS1, but it lacks the weight and darkness of the first title. The character model in DS1 felt perfect, he had weight and the way he interacted with the ground and environment felt right, in DS2 the character feels a bit floaty and not really connected to the world. It's not a big issue but after playing so many hours of DS1 it's noticeable.
They have made the game less of a grind and more about exploration which is a good thing. There were times in DS1 that it seemed I had to grind for a bit to up my level to proceed any further. In DS2 there are more paths to follow and I really haven't felt the need to grind for souls, plus if you kill an enemy a set number of times they don't respawn so unless you use an item that makes them come back even tougher you can get through a tough area with a little patience. I think I've only had this happen on 3 enemies.
The game is still tough but it feels more accessible than the other games so if you haven't tried any of the Souls games this is a good one to start with. The game is a long adventure with around 50-60 hours of content plus multiple NG+ modes so you do get your monies worth.
Crysis 3
Still trying out my new 21:9 monitor and it's growing on me fast. The colors are so much better than my other monitors and the higher resolution just has a nice crispness to it. I played Crysis 3 last night for about 2 hours and wow is that a pretty game. The game seems to focus a bit more on stealth play this time around, at least in the early stages. I'm playing on the Veteran level and the AI seems really good, you need to make sure you are well hidden while replenishing your suit power or you will be seen an then that will alert all enemies. The game still makes you feel like a powerhouse and it's fun to run up to enemies, grab them, throw them into the air, and shoot them on the way down. The game is just too taxing to play on a triple monitor setup but on this monitor I'm able to crank everything up to almost max and get around 50fps.
Roku & Chromecast
I have 2 TV's upstairs that I use occasionally so I thought I'd try out these new sticks to see how they perform. They both require power either from a USB slot or wall outlet.
Roku
$15 more than Chromecast but comes with a remote and does have mobile apps to control device.
Has all the major streaming apps and a ton of niches apps so content is not lacking.
Plex support and works very well.
Netflix takes up to 30 seconds to load which is a bit slow, once it's loaded then it's fairly fast using menus and loading videos. My biggest gripe.
Easy to stream videos and pictures from my iOS devices.
Chromecast
Must use a mobile device to control.
Has most of the major streaming apps but is still missing some and not many niche apps.
The apps must be loaded onto your mobile device then you send that data to the Chomecast and it connects to the source and streams from there.
Plex works well.
Netflix load in under 10 seconds.
Had to download a couple of apps to be able to stream pics and videos from my iOS device.
I was unable to stream my Chrome browser on the phone.
Overall they were both pretty easy to use, but I like the Roku the best. The included remote is a nice feature and even though I usually have my phone nearby, always having to use that to change settings or pick a new video is a sometimes a little annoying. Also if you have multiple people using the device you have to have the apps loaded onto all the devices and then update them which is another hassle.
New Releases - No really big games this week.
PC
Battleblock Theater (download - $15) - Finally releasing on PC.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors (download - $22)
Chronology (download)
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (download - $50)
Memento Mori 2 (download)
Fearless Fantasy (download)
Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion (download) - Flat?????
Xbox One
Super TIME Force (download)
Xbox 360
Super TIME Force (download)
PlayStation 3
Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition (retail)
Wii U
Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails (download - $10)
Vita
Borderlands 2 - Interested to see how well it plays on the Vita.
Soul Sacrifice Delta
Nintendo 3DS
Moon Chronicles - Episode 1 (download)
Mega Man IV (Game Boy) (download)
I'm about 12 hours in and slowly making my way to my next death. So far I am enjoying DS2, it does improve on some issues I had with DS1, but it lacks the weight and darkness of the first title. The character model in DS1 felt perfect, he had weight and the way he interacted with the ground and environment felt right, in DS2 the character feels a bit floaty and not really connected to the world. It's not a big issue but after playing so many hours of DS1 it's noticeable.
They have made the game less of a grind and more about exploration which is a good thing. There were times in DS1 that it seemed I had to grind for a bit to up my level to proceed any further. In DS2 there are more paths to follow and I really haven't felt the need to grind for souls, plus if you kill an enemy a set number of times they don't respawn so unless you use an item that makes them come back even tougher you can get through a tough area with a little patience. I think I've only had this happen on 3 enemies.
The game is still tough but it feels more accessible than the other games so if you haven't tried any of the Souls games this is a good one to start with. The game is a long adventure with around 50-60 hours of content plus multiple NG+ modes so you do get your monies worth.
Crysis 3
Still trying out my new 21:9 monitor and it's growing on me fast. The colors are so much better than my other monitors and the higher resolution just has a nice crispness to it. I played Crysis 3 last night for about 2 hours and wow is that a pretty game. The game seems to focus a bit more on stealth play this time around, at least in the early stages. I'm playing on the Veteran level and the AI seems really good, you need to make sure you are well hidden while replenishing your suit power or you will be seen an then that will alert all enemies. The game still makes you feel like a powerhouse and it's fun to run up to enemies, grab them, throw them into the air, and shoot them on the way down. The game is just too taxing to play on a triple monitor setup but on this monitor I'm able to crank everything up to almost max and get around 50fps.
Roku & Chromecast
I have 2 TV's upstairs that I use occasionally so I thought I'd try out these new sticks to see how they perform. They both require power either from a USB slot or wall outlet.
Roku
$15 more than Chromecast but comes with a remote and does have mobile apps to control device.
Has all the major streaming apps and a ton of niches apps so content is not lacking.
Plex support and works very well.
Netflix takes up to 30 seconds to load which is a bit slow, once it's loaded then it's fairly fast using menus and loading videos. My biggest gripe.
Easy to stream videos and pictures from my iOS devices.
Chromecast
Must use a mobile device to control.
Has most of the major streaming apps but is still missing some and not many niche apps.
The apps must be loaded onto your mobile device then you send that data to the Chomecast and it connects to the source and streams from there.
Plex works well.
Netflix load in under 10 seconds.
Had to download a couple of apps to be able to stream pics and videos from my iOS device.
I was unable to stream my Chrome browser on the phone.
Overall they were both pretty easy to use, but I like the Roku the best. The included remote is a nice feature and even though I usually have my phone nearby, always having to use that to change settings or pick a new video is a sometimes a little annoying. Also if you have multiple people using the device you have to have the apps loaded onto all the devices and then update them which is another hassle.
New Releases - No really big games this week.
PC
Battleblock Theater (download - $15) - Finally releasing on PC.
The Last Tinker: City of Colors (download - $22)
Chronology (download)
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (download - $50)
Memento Mori 2 (download)
Fearless Fantasy (download)
Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion (download) - Flat?????
Xbox One
Super TIME Force (download)
Xbox 360
Super TIME Force (download)
PlayStation 3
Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition (retail)
Wii U
Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails (download - $10)
Vita
Borderlands 2 - Interested to see how well it plays on the Vita.
Soul Sacrifice Delta
Nintendo 3DS
Moon Chronicles - Episode 1 (download)
Mega Man IV (Game Boy) (download)
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
AOC Monitor, Sony Pulse Elite Headset, Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts
Saw some reviews of these larger monitors and I wanted to try it out on my 3 Monitor rig. The only issue I have with playing on 3 monitors is that the image is stretched on the side monitors so while it's good for peripheral vision it's not much use for anything else. The AOC monitor has a resolution of 2560x1080 so you see more of the screen horizontally and it gives you quite a bit of the peripheral vision without the distortion of the image. Also since the resolution is less than a full 3 monitor setup it doesn't take as much graphical power so I can run every game smoothly.
It's an IPS panel so the colors are rich and deep and the viewing angles are much better than the TFT monitor I was using. I don't play every game with 3 monitors so I wanted a better center monitor for those games as well and this blows the other away, it really looks sharp. On racing and FPS games the extra resolution really makes a difference. I thought about a 4K monitor but they are too expensive now and require to much hardware to push that resolution. Not all games support the 21:9 resolution so you can either stretch the image or have black bars. I tried Diablo 3 and I'm not sure why it doesn't support that resolution but the stretched image didn't look too bad.
I took my other 2 monitors and rotated them to portrait mode and I really like it, browsing webpages in portrait mode is quite nice. Also it makes placing my side speakers a lot easier. I'm debating picking one up for work as I use two monitors there and I don't really have the space to sit two monitors effectively.
Sony Pulse Elite Headset
I have a Logitech G930 headset, but really don't like the bass output as it sounds very muddy. I've played around with the equalizer settings and haven't been able to fix the issue. I saw a review of the Sony headphones and thought that I'd give them a try, plus they were on sale. They are designed for the PS3 and PS4, but work with a usb dongle that can be plugged into a PC.
The interesting feature is the Bass Pulse, it kind of works like the buttkicker speakers where it will pulses(rumbles) when the bass notes are played. It's great and really adds to the immersion, I haven't setup my actual buttkicker yet so it should be awesome to have both going at the same time.
The sound is much better on these than the G930's and they are a bit more comfortable. The only gripe I have is the 5 hour battery life but I usually don't play that long on that PC anyway so not that big of a deal. There is an app that you can use for PS3 games that will set the headphones equalizer to maximize sound in certain games, I need to try this.
Overall I'm very impressed by these headphones and recommend them to any one looking for a nice set of wireless headphones.
Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts (Steam)
Usually these games are awful but they made an awesome hunting sim with this version of the game. I was hesitant to buy the game even with it being half off but after reading some user reviews I decided to give it a chance and I've had a great 2 hours so far. The game plays like a simulation where you have to purchase gear and fill your backpack with different hunting items and then go out into the wilderness and find your prey. You have to be wary of the wind direction and the amount of noise you are making.
Once you find your prey it's time to shoot and here is where the game gets cool. When you shoot it goes into slow motion and gives you stats about the bullet as it follows it's trajectory and as it gets close to the prey it will show an x-ray of where the bullet penetrates so you can see the bullet hit bones are lungs or other vital organs, the sound effects are awesome as well. If you just graze the animal then you have to track the blood trail in order to find where the animal ultimately falls.
There is a career mode that I've just started so I can only hunt deer and boars for now but will get to hunt bears and other larger creatures. The game has many weapons and accessories that you can buy including bows and calls so there is a ton of content. I've really liked what I've played so far it doesn't feel restrictive and gives you a huge world to explore.
New Releases - Another week and some good releases. Bound by Flame and Tesla Effect.
PC
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition (download - $30)
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure (download - $20) - A new Tex Murphy game with FMV.
Bound by Flame (download - $40) - Looks interesting.
Sweezy Gunner (download)
Coldfire Keep (download)
PlayStation 4
MLB 14: The Show
Bound by Flame
Sportsfriends (download - $15)
Stick it to the Man! (download - $15, free for PlayStation Plus)
Titan Attacks (download)
Xbox 360
Bound by Flame
Peggle 2 (download) - Sure wish this would come out on the iPad or PC.
PlayStation 3
Bound by Flame
Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi
Sportsfriends (download - $15)
Titan Attacks (download)
Vita
God of War Collection
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse (download)
Titan Attacks (download)
Nintendo 3DS
Mega Man 2 (Game Boy) (download - $5)
Mega Man 3 (Game Boy) (download - $5)
The Denpa Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll (download)
Grinsia (download)
Monday, April 28, 2014
Dark Souls 2, Wayward Souls
Dark Souls 2 (PC)
Finally had a bulk of time that I could devote to gaming and I spent about 10 hours on Dark Souls 2 and it's awesome. I started out as a Warrior and played about 2 hours then changed to a Cleric because I wanted some healing abilities. The game doesn't feel as difficult as the other games but it's still hard, that may be because I've played so much that I know what to and what not to do, most of the time. I still have instances where I die and a voice in my head says why did you do that you knew that would get you killed.
In my play through of Dark Souls I rarely left messages or summoning requests and that was a mistake as it made the game much harder. If you leave a message and it gets rated by other players you gain a bit of health if you are playing at that instant. If you leave a summon request outside a boss lair you will get summoned and can learn a bit about the boss you are fighting before you take it on yourself and if you are victorious it will turn you human which has other great benefits.
I played a bit on the consoles but I'm so glad that I waited for the PC version. It runs at a solid 60 fps and looks great. I put on an ENB mod that makes the game look even better so once again the PC is the best version of the game. If you want an action adventure game then you really should give the game a try.
Wayward Souls (IOS)
Played a ton of this game as well this weekend and it's kind of like Dark Souls on my phone. It's a top down action adventure rougelike game with some cool combat and decent controls. Most action games on the iPhone usually don't control well but I haven't had any issues with this game. The game has perma-death so you will be dying over and over but gain coins to use to upgrade your character so that you can progress farther. The game does have checkpoints at various levels so that you don't have to keep playing the lower levels, I haven't made it to one yet though. It's 4.99 now and will increase in price when updates come out which is different from most IOS games so we will see how that works.
Rockband 3
This game is still awesome and is my favorite game of all time. I finally can play the game easily with my full sound setup which makes a huge difference. Having the sound cranked up and feeling the bass is a great and rewarding experience it really makes the music feel alive.
New Releases - Quite a few good games coming out this week from Child of Light to Mario Golf.
PC
Daylight (download - $15) - Looks interesting a horror game that deals with light.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (download - $40) - Getting decent reviews.
Child of Light (download - $15) - RPG made with the same engine as Rayman Legends should look awesome.
BloodRayne: Betrayal (download) - I think I have it for the PS3 not that bad.
Slip (download)
Aerena - Clash of Champions (download)
PlayStation 4
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Daylight (download - $15)
Child of Light (download - $15)
Xbox One
Child of Light (download - $15)
Xbox 360
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Child of Light (download - $15)
PlayStation 3
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
Rambo: The Video Game
Child of Light (download - $15)
Raiden IV: Overkill (download)
Bust-A-Move 4 (download)
Wii U
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Child of Light (download - $15)
Stick It to The Man! (download)
Abyss (download)
Nintendo 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour - Getting great reviews and there is even a season pass a first for NIntendo.
Kirby Triple Deluxe
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Picross e4 (download)
Finally had a bulk of time that I could devote to gaming and I spent about 10 hours on Dark Souls 2 and it's awesome. I started out as a Warrior and played about 2 hours then changed to a Cleric because I wanted some healing abilities. The game doesn't feel as difficult as the other games but it's still hard, that may be because I've played so much that I know what to and what not to do, most of the time. I still have instances where I die and a voice in my head says why did you do that you knew that would get you killed.
In my play through of Dark Souls I rarely left messages or summoning requests and that was a mistake as it made the game much harder. If you leave a message and it gets rated by other players you gain a bit of health if you are playing at that instant. If you leave a summon request outside a boss lair you will get summoned and can learn a bit about the boss you are fighting before you take it on yourself and if you are victorious it will turn you human which has other great benefits.
I played a bit on the consoles but I'm so glad that I waited for the PC version. It runs at a solid 60 fps and looks great. I put on an ENB mod that makes the game look even better so once again the PC is the best version of the game. If you want an action adventure game then you really should give the game a try.
Wayward Souls (IOS)
Played a ton of this game as well this weekend and it's kind of like Dark Souls on my phone. It's a top down action adventure rougelike game with some cool combat and decent controls. Most action games on the iPhone usually don't control well but I haven't had any issues with this game. The game has perma-death so you will be dying over and over but gain coins to use to upgrade your character so that you can progress farther. The game does have checkpoints at various levels so that you don't have to keep playing the lower levels, I haven't made it to one yet though. It's 4.99 now and will increase in price when updates come out which is different from most IOS games so we will see how that works.
Rockband 3
This game is still awesome and is my favorite game of all time. I finally can play the game easily with my full sound setup which makes a huge difference. Having the sound cranked up and feeling the bass is a great and rewarding experience it really makes the music feel alive.
New Releases - Quite a few good games coming out this week from Child of Light to Mario Golf.
PC
Daylight (download - $15) - Looks interesting a horror game that deals with light.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (download - $40) - Getting decent reviews.
Child of Light (download - $15) - RPG made with the same engine as Rayman Legends should look awesome.
BloodRayne: Betrayal (download) - I think I have it for the PS3 not that bad.
Slip (download)
Aerena - Clash of Champions (download)
PlayStation 4
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Daylight (download - $15)
Child of Light (download - $15)
Xbox One
Child of Light (download - $15)
Xbox 360
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Child of Light (download - $15)
PlayStation 3
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
Rambo: The Video Game
Child of Light (download - $15)
Raiden IV: Overkill (download)
Bust-A-Move 4 (download)
Wii U
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Child of Light (download - $15)
Stick It to The Man! (download)
Abyss (download)
Nintendo 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour - Getting great reviews and there is even a season pass a first for NIntendo.
Kirby Triple Deluxe
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
Picross e4 (download)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)