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)

Frozen Cortex, Hand of Fate, Bayonetta 2, Portal 2 Co-op

Frozen Cortex (Steam)

• From the developers of Frozen Synapse comes a robotic football simulator.
• If you've never played Frozen Synapse it's a turn based combat game where each person or AI plans their moves then they get executed simultaneously. It's a great strategy game but it had some quirks and the learning curve was quite high so I never got that into it. 
• Their new game has the same mechanics, but it's in the context of a football game which makes it much more accessible.
• The teams are made up of 5 robots and the field is randomized with 2 types of obstacles, neither can be jumped over, but one allows passes to go through it. 
• There are 2 ways to score, either by getting a touchdown or by touching special designated spots on the field while you have the ball. 
• Each game has 12 rounds and each round ends when an "event" happens, so far every game I've played is around 5-15 minutes. 
• The game is meant to be played multiplayer but it does have 2 single player modes.  The AI is really tough, I've played around 10 matches and have only won twice.
• I really like these types of strategy games where both parties plan and move at the same time, it really rewards you when you can think outside the box and not continue to try the same strategy over and over.

Hand of Fate(Steam)

• A card collecting rouge-like with batman style combat.
• This game has many systems and they all work well together to create a unique gaming experience.
• You mainly play sitting across from the magical Dealer who guides you through the story where you earn cards that have weapons, skills, events, and other items, all in an effort to defeat 13 bosses. 
• The dealer lays out cards face down in a random path and you choose the path to take and each card you turn up has an event related to it.  Sometimes it's a shop, or a chest that you open, or an encounter with an enemy.
• When you come to events like opening a chest it presents you with 5 cards face up with success or failure on them then it turns them over and shuffles them around like they do on the street and then you pick your fate.
• When you encounter enemies the screen changes and you are placed in a combat arena where your enemeis are decided by the cards in the dealers hands so it's always random. 
• The combat feels like the Batman games although not as tight but it still feels good.  The maps have obstacles in them so it's always a challenge.
• The game has some permadeath, if you die during your path you have to start that path over, but once you've made you way past the boss level that progress is saved.
• I've really enjoyed the game and it's something unique.  It's kind of like an action choose your own adventure type game. 
• The dealer is narrated very well, I think it's the same voice that narrated Fable 2. 
• I've beaten 3 bosses so far and sometimes they do come back into the regular combat.  I've died about 4 times so the game can be tough but it's all random so it depends on which paths you take and what cards are drawn.
• I like collectible card games and since this is a single player game the randomness is perfect.
• Definitely recommend this game.

Bayonetta 2(WIiU)

• Finished the game on Sunday and I have to say it was awesome all the way through.
• There is a ton of replay value as I didn't come close to gaining a platinum on most levels and there are still a ton of unlockables that I want to get.  Some of the costumes look amazing.
• Once again if you have a WiiU this game needs to be in your collection.

Portal 2 Co-op(Steam)

• Portal 2 is one of my favorite games and I finally finished the co-op game with Angeline and it was just as good as the single player.  I tried to play with Mitch about 2 years ago, but never could find the time.  
• There were about 40 co-op levels and they used most of the same gadgets with a couple of exceptions.
• You play as two different robots with GLADOS guiding you throughout and she is the best narrator in any game. 
• We got stuck a couple of times but I only think we looked at a FAQ maybe once or twice.
• There are community levels that I would like to try but without GLADOS it won't be the same. 

New Releases - Not a huge release week.  Homeworld Remaster is out which is supposed to be really good.  Resident Evil Revelations 2 is also out and it's in episodic form which will release content for the next 6 weeks which is a bit strange so we'll see how that works.

PC

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 (download - $25)
Homeworld Remastered Collection (download - $35)
DragonBall Xenoverse (download - $50)
There Came An Echo (download)
Republique Remastered (download)
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty (download - $20)
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match (download - $15)
Trast TV (download)
Block Legend DX (download)
Cold Contract (download)
Oscura: Lost Light (download)
Isbarah (download)
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build (download)
A Druid's Duel (download)
Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner (download)
Time Mysteries: Inheritance - Remastered (download)
Pahelika: Revelations HD (download)
Heckabomb (download)
Oblitus (download)
Blackhole (download)
The Dark Stone from Mebara (download)

PlayStation 4

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 (download - $25)
DragonBall Xenoverse
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
Rugby 15
Starwhal: Just the Tip (download)

Xbox One

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 (download - $25)
DragonBall Xenoverse
Pneuma: Breath of Life (download)

Xbox 360

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 (download - $25)
DragonBall Xenoverse

PlayStation 3

Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 (download - $25)
DragonBall Xenoverse
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late
Rugby 15
Starwhal: Just the Tip (download)

Vita

NiQ: The Firefly Diary
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart

Nintendo 3DS

IronFall Invasion (download)

Dying Light, New 3DS, Luigi's Mansion, Walking Dead Season 2

Sorry for the long delay between blogs I had 2 weeks off for vacation and mainly stayed in my man cave so I have a ton of new games to talk about.  I went into my vacation thinking that I would clear up a ton of my Steam backlog but Dying Light came out and I spent most of my time with that one game. 

Dying Light

• I really liked Dead Island and this game is superior in every way.
• The best part of the game is the parkour, they really made it intuitive to move around the city and the climbing feels so much better than any game I've played and it's tons better than any Assassin's creed game and it's in first person. 
• The combat is  satisfying and you are constantly earning upgrades that allow you to tackle enemies in new ways.  The drop kick move is awesome. 
• There is a day/night cycle that changes how you play the game.  During the day you can wander around and unless you get surrounded by a mob of zombies you "should" be ok, but once night comes then you must be wary as there are special zombies that can chase and kill you pretty quickly so the game changes into a stealth/run away game. 
• There is 4 player co-op and I played with Robby last night and had a great time.  It will pop up a challange randomly so that you can compete with one another on racing to air drops or who can kill the most zombies. 
• I highly recommend this game it's the most fun I've had since Mordor.

New 3DS

• I am a huge fan of 3D movies and gaming but I always had to turn down the 3D effect on my 3DS because it would lose focus too often, they finally fixed the issue.
• They use the front camera to track your eyes so that if you move your head or the console a bit you don't lose the 3D effect and it works much better than before.
• I'm able to max out the 3D in every game and it really does add to the experience even on the small screen.
• It has some other changes as well like a faster cpu so games do load quicker and the nub control which I haven't tried yet. 
• The strange thing is that it doesn't come with a charger so you have to buy that separate or use your existing 3DS.  Very strange or very cheap.  At $200 that should be included.
• They only released the XL version in the US which is also strange but I liked the bigger size anyway.
• I'm still going to buy a hand grip as my hands to get a bit cramped after extended play.
• Luigi's Mansion (3DS)
• Nintendo makes some spectacular games and this one is awesome. 
• The game is Nintendo's version of Ghostbusters and it has a ton of charm.
• Luigi fits the title role perfectly and I still chuckle every time he answers the phone.
• Each stage has unique ideas and each one is fun to experiment with. 
• If you have a 3Ds then you must get this game. 

Walking Dead Season 2

• I really liked the first season and although the second season wasn't as good it still was a great experience. 
• I thought they did a good job of creating some interesting choices that at some points had me stopping to think for awhile. 
• There were also a couple of scenes that were really tough to watch.

New Releases from last week - A new console is being released this week, The New 3DS.  I'll be picking it up because I want the better 3D experience. 

PC

Evolve (download - $60)
Plazma Being (download)
HIT (download - free-to-play)
Reverse Side (download)
Samudai (download)
Tasty Blue (download)
Cubicity (download)
Musclecar Online (download)
Harold (download)
Cults and Daggers (download)
Barbarian Brawl (download)
On A Roll 3D (download)
Siege of Turtle Enclave (download)
Abomination Tower (download)
A.V. (download)
Lucius II (download)
War of the Human Tanks - AlTeR (download)

PlayStation 4

Evolve
Minutes (download)
Super Stardust Ultra (download)

Xbox One

Evolve
The Escapists (download)

PlayStation 3

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (download)
Hyper Void (download)

Wii U

Breath of Fire (download - Wii U Virtual Console)

Vita
Minutes (download)
AeternoBlade (download)
Jungle Rumble (download)

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+
3D Fantasy Zone (download)

3D Gaming

Sorry for the long delay between entries, I've been mostly finishing my game room setup and not actually playing games.  I've used 2 PC's for the past 3 years, one for my racing chair and the other for my TV and I was finally able to configure my setup so that I could use one PC for both locations.  I was worried about lag since I'm using some pretty long HDMI and USB cables but I haven't noticed any so far.  Also with buying a new monitor I had to set up my system so that I could easily switch between the 3D and my Ultra wide monitor and that took about 3 or 4 different arrangements before I finally found one that I liked.  I spent most of Friday night and Saturday morning rearranging all of my equipment under the stairs so that I'm hiding most of the wires.  I kind of enjoy that stuff but it isn't that fun but it does feel good once you have everything setup properly. 

VG278HE and Nvidia 3D Vision

I dabbled playing games in 3D a couple of years ago and used the Nvidia 3DTV Play program that allowed me to play 3D PC games on my 3DTV and it was really cool, but there was a major issue. HDMI 1.4 and below only supports 3D at 1080P/24fps or 720P/60fps and you really can't play games at 24 fps so I was stuck playing in 720P which isn't too bad but not optimal on a large screen.  I thought I'd try a 3D PC monitor with the 3D vision and was a little worried about the smaller screen but playing games in 3D at 1080P is breathtaking even on a 27" monitor. 

3D movies are awesome but gaming is on a whole other level, there are times I just sit back and just stare at my screen.  3D vision has one setting called convergence that really defines the experience.  It's a little hard to explain, but when you increase convergence it feels like it shrinks the game world down and makes you feel like you are in the world.  You can see every little detail of every object in the game, just walking around a table in Skyrim and looking at the different objects is mesmerizing.  It really needs to be seen and experienced. 

Support for 3D games is dwindling, however, Nvidia hasn't been pushing it much recently, but there is a site called Helixmod that has fixes for a ton of games that make them work much better in 3D. I've been playing mostly older titles since Direcx9 has the best implementation, but there is 3D support in some newer games and I am excited to try Alien Isolation, the atmosphere of that game is already amazing. If you are a gamer then you really need to try 3D, you do have to wear glasses but they are comfortable and I get so lost in the game that I don't even notice them after a few minutes. It's such a cool experience that it really is worth the investment. I have so many games to try and I've only sampled a few and below are impressions. 

• Bulletstorm - An amazing game anyway but in 3D it really shines.  The world is full of large vistas and the added depth really makes it look great.
• Tomb Raider - I played this on my TV and it was good, but at 1080P it really shines and I don't see any ghosting like I did on my TV.
• Dirt 3 - Racing games are amazing in 3D the added depth once again makes everything feel realistic. 
• Rayman Legends - Even though it's kind of a a 2D platformer each level has a ton of layers so the depth really stands out. 
• Dead Space 3 -  The opening chapter is really cool especially when you are descending down the mountain and the plane is crashing down around you. 
• Skyrim - My favorite game in 3D and this one truly shines. I actually feel like I'm inside the world and the combat is so much more intense as I can really tell the spacing needed during melee combat.  It was easy for me to get lost in the game and thought I'd played around 30 minutes, but 3 hours had passed.

The monitor itself is 144hz which is my first monitor that supports more that 60fps and I could easily see and feel the difference.  In fps games aiming seemed much easier and even moving around in in Windows felt better.  Of course you need a good video card so you can even get 144 fps, but even in games that I can barely get 60 or above I can turn off V-sync and I don't see any screen tears which is a great win for me.  The ultimate would be my ultra wide monitor with 3D and G-sync support, that will probably come out next year. 

Sale

Galaxy Nvidia Geforce 780 HOF edition  - $350

New Releases - New releases are back with a vengeance at least on the PC.  Saints Row 4 DLC and Resident Evil HD Remake are the big hitters this week.

PC

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)  -  $5 at Gamestop for the digital download.
Resident Evil HD (download - $20) - First game I bought when I got my Playstation and it was awesome although I've never beaten the game.  Pre-loaded and ready to go.
Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Grey Goo (download)
Blackguards 2 (download) -  Interested, the first game was decent, depends on how the reviews go.
Combat Monsters (download)
Deity Monsters (download)
HuniePop (download)
Human Extinction Simulator (download)
Mahjong Pretty Girls Battle (download)
Among Ripples (download)
TorqueL (download)
Roche Fusion (download)
Pahelika: Secret Legends (download)

PlayStation 4

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)
Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Motorcycle Club (download)
Splice (download)

Xbox One

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)

Xbox 360

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)

PlayStation 3

Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell (download - $20)
Resident Evil HD (download - $20)
Motorcycle Club (download)
Splice (download)
Best of Arcade Games (download)

Wii U

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Punch-Out!! (download - Wii U Virtual Console)  - $10, going to purchase. 

Vita

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)
Best of Arcade Games (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Citizens of Earth (download - $15)

Valiant Hearts, Jackbox Smash Pack, Shadow of Mordor, Broken games, Driveclub

Valiant Hearts

• It's a side scrolling game that has you controlling 3-4 soldiers and a dog through different events in World War 1. 
• The main focus is on the story and it provides some interesting history on the War. Did you know that soldiers had to use cloths dipped in urine to combat the chlorine gas the Germans used as the first poison gas in the war?
• It uses the same engine as the Rayman Legend game so it looks great.
• The game play is mainly puzzles and trying to get through obstacles. 
• I'm about half way through and I have really enjoyed the game.  If you have any interest in World War 1 then you should pick this game up.

Jackbox Smash Pack(Steam)

• It's a collection of 5 games from the makers of You Don't Know Jack and each one can be controlled by any smart device, phone, tablet, or laptop.
• When the game starts a code is displayed on the screen and then you go to Jackbox.tv on your device enter the code and then you are ready to play. It works really well.
• They have the classic YDKJ game that is 1-4 players, then Fibbage, Word spud, and Drawful that are 1-8 and finally Lie Swatter 1-100 players.
• I had about 10 people over and we played a couple of the games and really enjoyed it.
• Lie swatter is the easiest, on the screen a statement appears and then you choose if it's a lie or truth.
• Fibbage was really cool. You are given a statement with a blank somewhere in the text and then you have 30 seconds to put in a word for the blank that is a lie that you think someone will choose.  Then it takes those lies and puts them on the screen with the correct answer and you choose.  The game then shows what each player chose and if they chose your lie you get extra points. 
• This is a great party game since everyone has a smart phone so it's easy to setup and explain.
• It on the Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PC

Shadow of Mordor

• I never finished this game so I went back and played for a couple of hours and it's hooked me again. 
• The game is just pure fun and it gets better as you gain abilities and it makes you feel truly powerful, although I still die and fail missions so that does keep the nemesis system interesting.

 Far Cry 4, Assasins Creed Unity, Dragon Age Inquisition, MCC

• What is wrong with the big releases this year.  They have all had issues and it's pretty annoying.
• They did release a patch to fix Far Cry 4's stuttering issue and it's mostly fixed but I still notice a few microstutters and it seems they've downgraded the graphics a bit.
• A fourth patch for AC unity releases today so maybe I'll finally get a chance to play that.
• They released a Dragon Age patch last week that broke parts of the game.  I didn't have any issues before but now I'm just going to wait as there are reports of losing saves. 
• I still don't think they've fixed the Master Chief collection's multiplayer issues and that's based on Halo which always launched with great online play. 

Driveclub

• I think this game is finally fixed although the free PSN+ version is still missing.
• They added the patch that enabled dynamic weather and that is really cool.
• I setup a race in the rain and the effects were really cool and the water would puddle up on the road which did affect tire traction. 

New Releases - Still quite a few releases.  Elite: Dangerous a space shooter is finally coming out and Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes on PC. 

PC

Elite: Dangerous (download)
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (download)
Lisa (download)
SunAge: Battle for Elysium (download)
bit Dungeon II (download)
Clash of Puppets (download)
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (download - $15)
Rime Berta (download)
Marvin's Mitterns (download)

PlayStation 4

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
Tetris Ultimate (download)
Loadout (download - free-to-play)
Super Mega Baseball (download)

Xbox One

Tetris Ultimate (download)
Kalimba (download)

PlayStation 3

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
Super Mega Baseball (download)

Wii U

Meme Run (download)
Blok Drop x Twisted Fusion (download)

Vita

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD (download)

Nintendo 3DS

Toys vs. Monsters (download)