Happy Halloween!
Ricardo is excited for candy and… that’s about it. Watch him get his wish and then blame it on the boogie in this excessively silly video covering some of the Tower’s festivities during Destiny’s Festival of the Lost event.
Sure is spooky around here!
Join Ricardo on his first baby steps into the shuffling madness of Yharnam in the inaugural episode of Bloodborne Blunders. Bonus points to anyone who can tell us who was calling the phone in the beginning of the video.
2014 was an interesting year in the lifecycle of video games. The seeds of consumers’ discontent were sewn by disappointing offerings by big publishers this year, and though it might not be in 2015 where said publishers learn their lesson, that figurative crop is going to be reaped sooner rather than later.
Honestly, I take it as an encouraging sign, not a negative, that so many big games were received so poorly. A lot of that comes from a selfish standpoint —me fighting my own inability to juggle the obligations of being an adult. Thus, I end up resenting games that demands hours upon hours of my time with little emotional or physical payoff.
Before I go too far down this introspective road, I guess I should say that my game of the year is Super Smash Bros. for 3DS. I could laud the game for its sharp presentation, highlighting its high production values and amazing soundtrack. I could heap praise on its tight controls and gameplay that strike the perfect balance of accessibility and depth. I could mention how robust its suite of features is impressive for a handheld title.
All that is really inconsequential, though. The reason I love Super Smash Bros., particularly the Nintendo 3DS version over the overall superior Wii U version, is because, well, it helped remind me what it was like to really PLAY a game.
See, more and more I find myself looking to finish games, which leads me to NOT finish them. What I mean by that is I’ll sit down to play a game in the precious free time that I have, play it for a bit, identify (read: assume to understand) all the game has to offer and simultaneously identify whether it’s something I want to waste even MORE of my precious free time on.
Don’t get me wrong. I played a lot of games this year. I just revisited very few after this initial toe-dip.
That’s where the differences lay with my past and present gaming habits and what SSB made me realize. I used to play a game until I was finished with it; whether that was forever or not was up to how much I liked the game. Now I play games until they’re finished with me. A veritable, “are we done here?” posed at every credits screen I reach.
With Smash Bros., I regressed to a previous video gaming life stage (in a good way!). I became that kid again whose only video game choices on a weekday consisted of what carts he had lying around for his Gameboy. I returned to the kid who realized that a video game sans the need for a TV was probably the best thing he’d heard of.
And the kid who didn’t want to stop playing that game.
Now, my runner-up for my game of the year has nothing to do with all that, but it does embody the best of what my mature mind can process from video game storytelling. That game is The Wolf Among Us, an exemplary game which shows just how good the folks at Telltale are at weaving a tale.
But more to the point, it is also a masterclass in pacing. Much of that is due to its episodic content, but it’’s also a lost art in gaming today. Maybe that’s just it, and 2014 was a year of me running out of precious time for gaming. Only a few games affected me on an impactful level this year, and maybe that’s because… I’m growing up?
I hope that’s not the case, but that’s why both these games are so significant to me. A simple game that’s just fun– one that puts so much love and effort into being a game that just wants you to play? And to play ANYWHERE? A game you bring over to your friends house, sit on the couch and just play?
That’s a game worth something, and a game worth staying a kid for.
Street Fighter V is coming. As a fighting game fan and lifelong fan of the series, my initial reaction was excitement followed by an exclamatory, “It’s too soon!”
Despite Street Fighter IV releasing way back in 2008, it FEELS as if the game was definitively finished this year with the release of Ultra SFIV. Jokes of Capcom releasing the same game on five separate occasions aside (which they have), this isn’t a series or a genre accustomed to swiftly moving on to the next numbered sequel.
On one hand, it’s heartening to know SF’s following is the strongest it’s been since Street Fighter II and the days of Raul Julia’s M. Bison. On another, it seems obvious the series is changing.
The most noteworthy aspect of SFV’s unveiling was NOT its impressive new graphical presentation.
I speak primarily of the announcement that Street Fighter V will be exclusively for Playstation 4 and PC upon its release in 2015 and will feature cross-platform play. To be honest, I’m not shocked by this move. The console gap is closing, and it’s going to come down to exclusives (alongside other tangibles) for Sony and Microsoft to distinguish their machines. With Microsoft already touting its own exclusive fighting franchise with the new Killer Instinct, it only makes sense Sony would attempt to one-up.
Let’s be honest: With all respect to the awesome modern interpretation on Killer Instinct, there’s no question which series will drive more traffic.
But all the same let’s not get crazy. Though Street Fighter is a big “get”, it is not on par with the likes of other major franchises like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed in terms of market share. This is a fighting game, and comes with a certain barrier for entry that game sales have proven many won’t cross. Hence why the cross-platform support will be crucial for SFV’s success.
Long has the issue of audience segmentation plagued fighting games. If net code holds up and this PC/PS4 cross-platform support works, then Sony and Capcom will look like geniuses. They’ll have finally unified two sections of the audience into one, and that might be justification enough to have completely killed off a third section.
That third sector, however, is likely not to go quietly. Xbox LIVE was consistently a better performer for online fighting games during the SFIV era, yet now LIVE players have been left in the lurch. Whether a backlash will be enough to change console availability for the series’ future remains to be seen.
Capcom’s move may bring a fighting game community closer, or irreparably damage it.
Ultimately, Sony’s Playstation Experience keynote shook one growing misconception about console gaming; that exclusives were going away. They’re not, and that’s going to spell big things for PS4.
It’s also going to mean something big for the future of Street Fighter, for better or worse.
Nobody said it was easy to slay titans.
Through multiple console and handheld generations, through many installments, the Monster Hunter series has been a franchise that we Western gamers have had a hard time wrapping our heads around. After so long, it seems the series will just never truly take off as a mainstream hit.
And yet it seems like it should be! The basic concept of Monster Hunter (a very attractive one, by the way) is explained in its title; you play as a hunter of monsters, taking bounties on beasts and hunting said beasts through multi-staged levels. Upon victory, you’ll harvest the monsters’ parts and use them to create better weapons and armor for your hunter so you can take down even bigger monsters.
That’s it. Lather, rinse, repeat. No big sweeping story. No hearty motivation. There is only the hunt.
But much like an eager novice hunter going after their first Rathian with a 5.7×28 ammo, most players seem to be enthusiastic enough to take a crack at the series. However, after underestimating the task ahead of them and taking their first flailing swings at the monstrosity (resulting in disaster), most abandon the Monster Hunter life.
In fact, even I previously tried to break into this Capcom stalwart. Back when I still had a PSP, I picked up Monster Hunter Freedom Unite when it was released. After only a few hours of fumbling with concepts like gathering and combining materials to make the most basic items and getting my ass handed to me by rampaging wyverns, I threw in the towel.
Monster Hunter broke me, and it was another four years before I ventured back into the wilds.
That was before Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. That was then and this is now.
Now, there is no need for me, or you, to hunt alone. The path to victory has been paved with the blood and sweat of the hunters before us. Their noble sacrifice is our gain, and Monster Hunter is no longer the insurmountable leviathan it once was. The time for all to join the hunt is nigh.
That doesn’t mean you should go in empty-handed, though and while I won’t make this a traditional review, I’ll say you should definitely play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate if you’re willing to swallow some pride and do the following.
Here’s what you’ll need:
A guide- most people will probably balk at this first requirement, but having someone (or something) guide you through the preliminary awkward phase of learning Monster Hunter. Ultimate does a better job than most past installments of teaching you core concepts and putting you in a good position to learn the game, but you’re going to need a lot more help than the game’s willing to give up to actually start off on the right foot. Get a strategy book, find a credible YouTuber or find a friend to get you through your first big hunts and you’ll be a happier hunter for it.
Patience- another forgotten piece of gaming behavior, this is tied to the first requirement. Monster Hunter’s mechanics often seek to put you in the role of the titular profession, and this includes all the somewhat menial things as well. Yes you will shove your Great Sword into the faces of 50-foot goliaths, but you’ll also need to empty out that pack after every hunt so you can have room to carry more loot. Yes you will track flying battleships across rivers and mountains while staving off hunger, but you’ll also need to make sure those steaks you packed for the journey are perfectly cooked or watch your stamina plummet. It certainly helps the role-playing elements of the game and the challenge, but dang it if it isn’t infuriating the first time you improperly manage you forge a set of armor you can’t use because of false information or fail to create an item on random chance, it’s a bit infuriating.
A sense of wonder- this one’s a bit more abstract than the others, but Monster Hunter really thrives on a childish thirst for adventure. Like other games centered around big boss fights, half the fun is just seeing what you’re going to be fighting next. Here, that giddiness is exponentially increased because you won’t just be FIGHTING these bosses, you’ll be wearing them! That sounds… kinda bad, but trust me that the more you’re willing to give into the ridiculous, the absurd and often just plain silly themes of Monster Hunter, the more you’ll enjoy it.
Through this, I’ve come to the conclusion that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is a fantastically underappreciated game and one that seems to be opening many’s eyes (including my own) to what a fun and rewarding series this can be.
I think you will too. Hence, let this be a call to action and a word of warning at the same time. This franchise deserves attention and is finally getting it, but I can’t recommend it with just a number. Those looking to undertake the challenge of Monster Hunter need to realize it is going to be just that; a challenge.
Nobody said it was easy to slay titans, but if you take the necessary precautions, it can be done. More than that, it can be a whole lot of fun.
“Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a city to keep.”
Well thanks, Jarl Balgruuf. I just thought that, ya’ know, after I killed a dragon that I’d have a tad more acceptance in Whiterun. I mean, I am Thane, right?
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that there’s a lack of continuity here. I am playing as an Altmer mage who, for all intents and purposes, should be as accepted in most parts of Skyrim as an arrow in the knee. Despite my resemblance to the oppressive Thalmor of the Aldmeri Empire, however, nobody seems to receive me negatively.
In fact, they don’t seem to be all that receptive at all.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve got some issues with Bethesda Softworks’ 2011 masterpiece, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Now two years removed from its release with the entirety of its DLC available and a “Legendary” edition released last month I got the urge to give the game one more shot.
Again, I came away less than enthused; wholly disinterested in heading back to the land of Tamriel and its northernmost region.
Even at launch, at the height of Skyrim’s hype train, I had issue forcing myself to enjoy it. While seemingly everyone else in the gaming world was having a blast shouting their way through the game, I could only muster playing the game in the shortest of spurts before I would walk away from my Xbox. I’d impotently shrug my shoulders and say, “Well that was… fun, I guess.”
The myriad of options doesn’t add choice, it dilutes the uniqueness of the experience.
While it was always easy to blame the game’s sometimes lackluster combat, that certainly couldn’t be the real reason I disliked. It couldn’t be the game’s lack of polish in some areas. I’d played games with far less to offer than Skyrim’s sprawling world, yet found them more fulfilling.
So I fired up the game earlier this week to see if anything had changed since then, and after discovering it hadn’t went on an unceremonious rant on my Twitter account (*cough cough* @ImperiousRix *cough cough*).
But after getting it all out of my system, it hit me. The real reason I can’t bring myself to be invested in Skyrim is because I frankly don’t feel like the world gets invested in me. This is mainly due to the fact – and hear me out here – I don’t think that Skyrim is a very good role-playing game.
Do I feel like Skyrim is a big sandbox of goofiness where, if you want to do something, you can without relative consequence? Yes, and it does that quite effectively while building systems that don’t cause the entirety of the game’s framework to come crashing down when excessively poked or prodded.
But in terms of inhabiting a character in this world, specifically one that’s going to be wholly unique from any other character in any other person’s game of Skyrim, I can’t help but feel like the Elder Scrolls V totally fails.
Here is this universe with incredibly deep lore and a myriad of races, factions and roles to inhabit and although Skyrim’s inaugural minutes of play conclude with the Imperial guardsman, Hadvar, asking your character “Who are you?” you really don’t have a chance to be anyone truly special in Skyrim.
If I want a deep RPG, there are better places to get that, like Mass Effect.
You might say that, “You’re the Dragonborn! Of course you’re special!” Yes, but so is everyone else who plays Skyrim. As I’ve been saying, I play a role-playing game so I can inhabit a role (naturally) and a world. In Skyrim, my high elf mage might as well have been a Khajit rogue or a Redguard warrior. It really doesn’t matter at all.
And to me, that’s the biggest sin a game like Skyrim</i> can commit; to make me feel like my experience doesn’t matter. Like my experience isn’t special.
So while I fully understand that people love Skyrim, and that it fills a certain gap in their gaming consciousness that other games just can’t, it has never felt like anything I couldn’t get elsewhere.
If I want an epic, customized story based in a deep universe, I can get it elsewhere. The Mass Effect series, for example, has the same wealth of information about its universe while still delivering an emotionally compelling story. If I want to play in a sandbox, I can have a lot more fun with just about any other game of that type. Minecraft or, heck, even Rockstar games like GTA IV or Bully can let me experiment with their worlds in a more entertaining and/or carefree manner.
I guess in a roundabout way, what I’m simply trying to say is I don’t like Skyrim. I probably never will.
Superheroes are no strangers to the fighting game arena.
Whether it was Capcom’s excellent X-Men: Children of the Atom from 1994 or the horrendous Justice League Task Force in 1995 (featuring mulleted Superman), comic book characters just seem to want to fight. However, it’s been awhile since these heroes had the spotlight all to themselves – free from the shackles of the Vs. title.
Not any longer. A new superhero-themed fighter has smashed onto consoles more with more impact than Bane’s knee smashing through Batman’s spine.
Injustice: Gods Among Us, the fighting game from Netherrealm Studios, takes the best elements from 2011’s stellar Mortal Kombat reboot and gives them a nice new coat of DC Comics paint. Don’t think of Injustice as just a reskin though, and definitely don’t think of it in the same vein as Midway’s Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
No, this is a completely different beast; both sleeker and more bullish than its predecessors.
Injustice sees players going into battle with one of a roster of 20 DC characters. All characters are unlocked at the beginning of the game, letting those competitive-minded fighters get into the lab quickly and start learning the ins-and-outs. View transparent roblox marketing pricing for influencer campaigns, social media promotion, paid advertising management, and full-service growth packages designed for Roblox developers.
Some of these choices are obvious; Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are of course here alongside other Justice League stalwarts like Flash and Green Lantern. Cult favorites like Deathstroke and Cyborg also make the cut to flesh out the roster with a bit more variety and while there are a few choices that might leave even comic book fans scratching their head (just what is Killer Frost doing here, again?), the default Injustice roster is likely to please no matter what part of the DC Universe you inhabit.
Injustice features the same deliberate, yet responsive fighting system as MK. With only three real attack buttons, newbies can easily get into a game and start linking combos up with special moves, eventually learning the finer points of fighting game theory and mechanics. Even supermoves only require two buttons to execute, and the ease of use combined with the bonkers animations that accompany them – animations like seeing Aquaman skewering opponents with a trident and feeding them to a shark – make Injustice a riot to play with a large group.
As for experienced fighters, Injustice also has MK’s same free-wheeling juggling and cancelling systems that beg for further experimentation. A quick YouTube search reveals some of the completely crazy moves players have already started to cook up.
But Injustice flips the script in a lot of ways that both “work” in the game’s greater fighting system, but also might frustrate some purists out there.
First, every character is given a superpower that can be activated with a single button. These superpowers can be as simple as firing off an arrow with Green Arrow or entering a slow-motion speed force haze with the Flash. These again combine the elegant combination of accessibility and depth; being immediately intuitive to use and also easily manipulated to fit into a much more complex fighting style.
Ramping up this concept is Injustice’s “Clash” system. Players that fall behind in a match can essentially “gamble” some of their super meter for a chance to get back into the fight. These cinematic match interludes actually have a very strategic use.
Lastly, one of Injustice’s most immediately recognizable differentiations from the static, almost clinical 2D fighters it rubs elbows with is how characters can interact with the each stage. Every fighting arena has several “hazards” that a fighter can take advantage of to do some serious (often unblockable) damage to their foe.
For example, in the Metropolis stage, a hover car floats above the stage. Super strong characters like Superman or Bane will leap up and yank the car out of the sky and smash it over a hapless opponent’s head. Batman can rig the car to explode (with similar results). The Flash will leap up and bounce back down off the car in a high-speed dive kick. These all have strategic uses, and again new players will have tons of fun just grabbing stuff out of the levels and hurling it around.
However, one shouldn’t be surprised if more traditional fighting game fans request to take these wild variables off – a feature Injustice so graciously provides.
Injustice also allows players to turn off its wild stage transitions. When one reaches the edge of a stage in Injustice, a simple wall bounce attack might send a fighter hurtling through a skyscraper or through a Boom Tube into Darkseid’s throne room on Apokolips, essentially changing the venue and complexion of the fight going forward.
They’re good fun to be sure, and give the game a unique edge, but these transitions also deal a ton of unblockable damage to the opponent; a strategic consideration, maybe, but more likely an annoyance to sticklers.
Again, the Injustice fighting system is filled with that kind of dichotomy; being both one of the most beautifully balanced and accessible fighters of any generation, but also throwing a bit too many goofy ideas out there for its own good.
Despite these anomalies, the mode suite in Injustice is fairly standard for a modern fighter. Besides the typical versus and arcade ladder modes offline, there are ranked, unranked and quarter match modes online to test your mettle against players from a wide swath of skill levels. At review time, Injustice was working extremely well online, with only a handful of matches experiencing significant lag.
Now if only people would stop only cheesing as Deathstroke online.
Like Mortal Kombat before it, there’s also a brace of mini-game missions to try out if you want some variety. These range from dumb to dumber, but they’re all fun enough little distractions. Furthermore, the points you rack up here and in every other mode in Injustice go towards a persistent leveling system. This “rank” lets you and (more importantly) others know just how long you’ve been playing; steadily rewarding you with new icons and backgrounds for your online profile and doling you out “Armory Keys” that let you unlock more content in the game’s archives.
Last, but definitely not least, is Injustice’s Story Mode. Story in a fighting game has never been the impetus for playing, but as Netherrealm’s previous entrant had quite an impressive little story to delve into, it’d be reasonable to assume Injustice would as well – especially given the deep subject matter.
In an alternate DC universe, the Joker has set a nuke off in Metropolis and drugged Superman into killing his wife and unborn child. This loss of all he holds dear finally sends Superman off the deep end and he kills the malevolent clown in cold blood. Determined to keep everyone “safe,” Superman instills a totalitarian regime where he holds absolute power and any hero that disagrees ends up on the wrong end of the Kryptonian’s heat vision.
It’s a nice little set-up and one that leads to the kind of comic book goofiness you probably came to Injustice for – even delving into some pretty grim territory. You’ll fight through a number of chapters covering a good chunk of the roster and, while not all plot developments and big “dramatic” turns are winners, there’s enough superhero derring do to satisfy; much of that due to the excellent score and voice work.
That pretty much sums up Injustice: Gods Among Us in a nutshell. It feels like a game that came from people who love both comics and fighting games (undoubtedly true of the team at Netherrealm) and are willing to experiment with the ideals of both.
And while not every experimentation works out completely, those looking for a fun smash-up or a new fighter to master will find everything they’re looking for in this super-powered package.
FUN 5/5
Just try not to let out an involuntary squeal the first time you peep one of the supermoves
STYLE 4/5
While the chunky Mortal Kombat style can look awkward at times, the costume re-imaginings and interactive levels look great
CONTEXT 5/5
Plays to its theme at every opportunity. Comic fans will love the myriad of references
CHALLENGE 4/5
The single player modes can be powered through with enough due diligence. If you want to compete online, however, then you better spend some time in the dojo