Game Swap HQ

Official Call of Duty®: Ghosts Single Player Campaign Trailer

2013-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Infinity Ward released the brand new Call Of Duty: Ghosts single player campaign trailer today and it looks incredible. I personally wasn't very interested in this game until now. Also, it will be a next gen. title which has me even more excited. Take a look below and decide for yourself, but me, I'll be online getting pwned by 12 year-olds on launch day. Happy Gaming!

Next Gen. Console Release Dates

2013-09-04T11:04:00.002-07:00

Sony Beats Microsoft Out The Door

Sony PS4

Price: $399.99
Release Date: November 15, 2013

Xbox One

Price: $499.99
Release Date: November 22, 2013

Now that we know when they come out, let's take a look at the specs to see which one we want to wait in line for. The breakdown below is courtesty of IGN and gives you more than you'll need to know for your decision making. Personally, I'm going PS4.

Hardware Feature Comparison

Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One	Wii U
Price	$399.99 [1]	$499.99 [2]	$349.99 / 299.99
Release Date	US: 11.15.2013 EU: 11.29.2013 [3]	11.22.2013 [4]	11.18.2012
Optical Drive	Blu-ray/DVD [5]	Blu-ray/DVD [6]	25GB Optical Disc (Proprietary)
Game DVR	Yes, PS+ subscription not required [7]	Yes, with subscription to Xbox Live Gold [8]	No
RAM	8GB GDDR5 [9]	8GB DDR3 [10]	2GB DDR3 [11]
CPU	Single-chip x86 AMD "Jaguar" processor, 8 cores [12]	8 Core Microsoft custom CPU[13]	Tri-Core PowerPC "Espresso" CPU[14]
GPU	AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next engine w/ 1152 shaders [15]	853 MHz AMD Radeon GPU w/ 768 shaders[16]	AMD "Latte" 550 MHz GPU w/ 320 shaders[17]
Peak GPU Shader Throughput	1.84 TeraFLOPS/s[18]	1.31 TeraFLOPS/s (estimate)[19]	0.352 TeraFLOPS/s[20]
Storage	500 GB Hard Drive (user removeable)[21]	500 GB Hard Drive (non-removeable)[22]	8GB or 32GB Flash
External Storage	TBA	Yes, USB [23]	Yes, USB
Cloud Storage	Yes [24]	Yes [25]	No
Play As You Download	Yes [26]	Yes [27]	No
Remote Download	Yes [28]	Yes [29]	No
Account Access from Multiple Consoles	Yes [30]	Yes	No
Mandatory Game Installs	No [31]	Yes [32]	No
Required Internet Connection	No [33]	No, but required for mandatory day one update. [34][35]	No
Used Game Fee	No [36]	No [37]	No
Digital game sharing or gifting	No	No	No
Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One	Wii U
Backwards Compatibility	None [38]	None [39]	Yes, Wii
Cross Game Chat	Yes [40]	Yes [41]	No
Controllers	PS4 Dual Shock (1 included)	Xbox One Wireless Controller (1 included)	Wii U GamePad (included), Wii Remote + Nunchuk (sold separately), Pro Controller (sold separately)
Controller Batteries	Rechargable (built-in)	AA (2). Rechargable battery packs (sold separately)	GP & Pro: Rechargable (built-in). Wii Remote: AA (2).
Motion Control	DualShock 4, PlayStation 4 Eye (not included), PlayStation Move (not included)	Kinect 2	Wii Remote (sold separately), Wii U GamePad (included)
Second Screen	Vita (not included) [42] Playstation App[43]	SmartGlass (devices not included) [44]	Wii U GamePad (included)
Voice Commands	Yes (scope, TBA)[45]	Yes [46]	No
Subscription Service	PlayStation Plus[47]	Xbox Live [48]	No
USB	USB 3.0 (3 ports)[49]	USB 3.0 (3 ports)[50]	USB 2.0 (4 ports)
Live Streaming	Yes	Yes	No
Reputation Preservation	Trophies will be ported	Achievements will be ported[51]	N/A
Web Connection	Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n[52]	Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5Ghz)[53]	Gigabit IEEE 802.11 b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5Ghz, LAN via USB dongle
BlueTooth	Bluetooth 2.1 (EDR)[54]	No*	Bluetooth 4.0[55]
Wi-Fi Direct	No	Yes	Yes (for GamePad video streaming)
A/V Hookups	HDMI output (4K Support [56]) Optical output[57]	HDMI input and output (4K support), Optical output[58]	HDMI out, Component/ Composite out
IR	No	IR out, IR Blaster (Kinect)	IR Transceiver (GamePad)
Power Supply (PSU)	Internal	External (power brick)	External (power bricks)
Near Field Communication (NFC)	No	No	Yes (GamePad)
Region Locked	No	No [59]	Yes

*Confirmed to IGN by a Microsoft representative.

Online Feature Comparison Chart

Online Services	PlayStation 4	Xbox One	Wii U
Online Game Play	Paid Access Via PS+ Subscription	Paid Access Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription [60]	Free
Netflix	Free Access to Application [61]	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription*	Free Access to Application
HBO Go	None	TBA	None
Skype	Possible[62]	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription [63]	None
ESPN	None	TBA	None
Hulu Plus	Free Access to Application [64]	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription*	Free Access to Application
IGN App	Yes	TBA	TBA
Game DVR	Free Access to Application	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription [65]	None
Streaming Game Video	Free Access to Application	TBA	None
Web Browser	Yes[66]	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription [67]	Free Access to Application
NFL Application	None	Paid Access to Application Via Xbox Live Gold Subscription [68]	None

*Based on current Xbox Live Gold requirements

Console Bundle Comparison Chart

This chart compares the physical contents of the launch day bundles of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U. Other console comparison features are outlined above.

Feature	PlayStation 4	Xbox One	Wii U
Pack-In Game	Playroom (Requires PlayStation Eye, sold seperately) [69]	None [70]	Nintendo Land(included inDeluxe bundle)
Controllers	DualShock 4 Wireless Controller	Xbox One Controller,Kinect [71]	Wii U GamePad
Headset	Wired Mono Earbud [72]	Wired Mono Headset [73]	Not included
AV Cables	HDMI Cable[74]	HDMI Cable (Cat2) [75]	HDMI Cable
Charging Cables	USB Charging Cable [76]	Not included[77]	Wii U GamePad Charging Cable
Camera	Not included[78]	Kinect [79]	Wii U GamePad Camera
Trial Subscription	All PS4 owners get one month of PS+[80]	All Xbox One owners get 14 days of free Xbox Live[81]	N/A
Colors	Black	Black	Black, White

Specs via: IGN

PayDay 2 Review

2013-08-15T21:01:00.002-07:00

PayDay 2 caught my eye on a couple YouTube channels, it peaked my interest enough to where when it came out I gave Sony my 39.99 and decided to give it a try. I had never played PayDay 1, but heard pretty good things about it. I have only been playing the game for a couple days now, but I have to say I'm enjoying it. PayDay is a PC based game, but I'm not much for the keyboard, and more for the sticks, so I waited until it became available on Playstation and went from there.

Basic facts, the game is fun, if you've ever felt the need to want to rob a bank, jewelry store, or steal weapons and drug from dealers, this is a game for you. Best part of it is, you won't go to jail for this one. The name of the game is basic, get your team, get the goods, try not to set off alarms, but if you do, (and it's more fun this way anyway) wage an all out firefight with the cops.

The Goods.

The sounds are one of the best parts of the game, the sound of the weapons going off in a firefight is crisp and clean, it actually sounds like there is a gunfight going at a gun range. Along with the sounds is the customization, this is the part of the game that keeps you coming back for more. You can customize everything, from masks, body armor, guns, to health and ammo. The more you play, the more experience you get, the more stuff you can acquire. (Hint. First things you purchase should be ammo and health packs, body armor right at level 12). Finally, the environment, games like this could get extremely repetitive, doing the same things in the same places, over and over again. But in PayDay 2 nothing is ever the same. You could play the same mission at the same place over and over again, and the safes, and objectives will be in a different place, keeping you on your toes. Plus the fact that this game is $39.99 compared to the usual 60.

The Bad
The Gameplay is a little rough, you can run through teammates and police just like they were ghosts, and you can sometimes get stuck on things any half brained human being could just step over. Second, finding a game can sometimes be a challenge in itself. It sometimes can take 5 minutes or so just to get into the game. However, the game has taken off, so it could be that the servers are overloaded, and a patch could come out to fix that issue. But for right now, prepare to spend sometime searching for a game, you'll also have to hope the host is ready to go as well..... Finally, this game is meant to played as a online team game, if your hoping to play with AI, they are no help, and it's practically impossible. Plus when it comes to your human teammates you better hope they know what they are doing, if your hoping to sneak into a robbery for a better score, one stupid teammate will ruin this instantly. If you can get 3 other friends to play, where you can talk and coordinate, you can be very successful.

Verdict.
This is a fun game, I find myself constantly going back to it. Even though it is a simple concept, and could get repetitive over time, the fact that it is simple, makes it great, because sometimes a lot is just too much. The fact that it's simple is awesome, go rob and bank and keep the cops at bay, the game is challenging and gives enough different options that it will keep you coming back. You'll have to deal with a few minor glitches here and there, but it's nothing that takes away from the overall experience of the game. The best part of the game is the price, 39.99 on the PS3 or XBOX 360 is a bargain, easily could have charged 59.99 for the game, and people would still have bought it. If you need a game to get you to Call of Duty: Ghosts or Battlefield 4, it's an above average filler game.

Score 7.5

PayDay 2

2013-07-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

I came across this new game while browsing through my normal YouTube channels, I had never heard or seen anything about this game called PayDay but it has me now intrigued. If you've never heard of it, it's a bank heist type of game, you gather 3 other people, either friends or randoms, and you plan a robbery. The point of the game is to get away with the goods, undetected. Some heists are more difficult than others which makes the game playable for beginners or difficult for fans who have been playing since PayDay 1.

The game looks like fun, you have to plan heists, be swift and quick, taking out guards, cameras, and alarms, and hopefully not running into the cops. Any type of suspicious acts will alert guards, who alert the cops and then you have quite the amount of police trying to gun you down. In the video's I've seen it can get pretty crazy, and all of a sudden you find yourself in a shootout with the cops while you're trying to drill through safes, and get away with the cash.

If you have never heard of the game, we've posted the gameplay trailer, give it a look. If you have played this game please comment on the page and tell us what you think of the game. What's it like? does it get repetitive after a while or are there twist that keep you coming back for more? and finally, is it worth buying? the game is suppose to be coming out in mid August, and should be out for PS3, XBOX, and PC. The only gameplay I've seen is for the PC, so it's a question as to whether to get it off Steam for PC or try it on one of the consoles
. Let us know! Give us you're two cents!

DVR in your PS4 & XBOX One?

2013-07-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

As you may or may not know, the next gen consoles will allow you to record your gameplay. This will allow users of the systems to record and then save and or post to YouTube. We have seen this feature in a few games before. Black Ops 2 allows you to record your gameplay and save it so it can be reviewed, but that's about it. The details have been somewhat leaked, and from the rumors that we are hearing, you will be able to record the last 15 minutes of gameplay on the PS4 and the last 5 minutes on the XBOX One.

With that bit of information it leads to this question, do we really need it? Honestly, the answer is

no. Is it cool to have the capability to use it and post on YouTube when something really cool or crazy happens? Ya sure, when a get a stupid ridiculous head shot from across the map and smoke one of my friends, I want that video to rub in their faces. But that lasts a couple days or so and you really don't talk about it anymore. Here's what my guess is going to happen; when these next gen systems come out, YouTube is going to explode with videos from users, anything and everything PS4 or XBOX One is going to be up on YouTube, for about a month...... and then it's just going to come to a halt. I think it's a useless tool on the system and it's useless for one reason. Anyone that does any type of video game recording for work or YouTube already has a DVR. That DVR is probably better than the one that will come equipped with the systems, and it will records hours of footage, not the last 15 minutes of play. For the normal user, it will be a cool little feature, that will get over worked within the first month, but for any real gamer, or someone that records a lot of footage, they'll never touch it.

Trey Parker says, "F*** that!" to DLC

2013-07-19T15:40:00.001-07:00

Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park was asked recently if the Stick of Truth would have any DLC, since a good chunk of material they wrote won't make it to the game. His response to the question... "F*** that!" Apparently, Parker and Stone wrote about 850 pages of material for the newest South Park game, but they had to cut some of it out in the interest of development time. Developers were trying to figure out how to get the rest of the material into the game, one idea was DLC, but Parker has literally zero interest in that.

Parker and Stone have a lot on their plate, at E3 they announced the game, gave a little intro and sneak peak, and then left to continue working on it. They have a lot to do, they've been working on this game since last year, and now they have the heat of the new South Park season coming up, so it's not surprising that going back to the developer and creating a DLC isn't in the cards. So
there's good news and bad, the bad news is, there will be no DLC for the game, the good news is A.) you don't have to pay for DLC, and B.) they are going to use the left over pages and put them into the show. So you'll get to see the content either way.

Old vs New

2013-07-15T15:18:00.002-07:00

With the recent success of new titles such as "The Last of Us" the question has become, "should developers start creating new original titles rather than remakes?" It's hard to argue with the success that an original game such as "The Last of Us" has, but then again, it's not like a franchise game such as "Call of
Duty" is doing terrible either. So which is better? original or continued remakes?

Honestly, it's hard to argue against either one because they both show great success in doing what they do, but there's two sides to every coin and when it's tossed in the air, you have to make a choice. Gaming should continue to create new original idea games, they're fresh, interesting, and fun to play. I've only dipped my toe into Last of Us and it's already an amazing game, it should be number one or two for game of the year (GTA 5 and Battlefield 4 will have a say in that) this year. But the idea for the game is great, it's fun, entertaining, exciting, and all completely fresh and new idea's.

Now, I know what you're thinking, you're sitting there saying to yourself, how can you say that gaming should turn to more of a fresh original idea standard, and yet you're saying games like BF3 and GTA 5 should be nominated for Game of the Year? Yes, Battlefield 3 and GTA 5 have been around for a while and have a history, but there's a difference. BF3 and GTA don't come out every year, or even every two years, the last time we saw a GTA was in 2008, Battlefield was 2010, these game developers take their time to make sure the game is new and fresh. In GTA 5 you'll be able to do things, and explore places, drives an insane amount of vehicles that you could never do before in a game. In Battlefield 3, you can blow up skyscrapers, fly jets, helicopters, and drive tanks. Whereas the a game like Call of Duty really only gives you a new storyline for the single player mode, and different maps for the online. Realistically and honestly, can you think of what was the newest addition Call of Duty made to it's franchise recently? It's probably the addition of Black Ops and it's Zombie Mode, and that was all the way back in 2010. With Call of Duty it's the same online gameplay every time, there's nothing new about it, and I'm usually bored with it after about a month, and to be honest, I couldn't tell you the last time I put the COD disk into my PS3, let alone the last time I played an online game that wasn't a private match. Does Ghosts look interesting? Yes, but for how long, another 60 bucks to play a game for a month and then put it down?

Game's like Call of Duty have become a trend, create the next storyline, make new maps, and get it out every year. We need more games like Last of Us, original ideas always make up for the best games, or at least older games like Battlefield and GTA take their time and give us something new and exciting when they come out with their new edition. This is what keeps us gamers coming back, is new, exciting games, Call of Duty is never going to change, and as long as it is still successful, maybe it shouldn't but if I had to take a guess right now, when the year is over, I don't think Ghosts even makes it in the Top 5 games of the year. As of right now, I have Last of Us, GTA 5, and Battlefield 4 all ahead of Ghosts, that's position 4 and the year is only half over.

GTA V

2013-07-10T20:50:00.002-07:00

As if there weren't enough games to look forward to, we get to look forward to one more. Grand Theft Auto V just released their first gameplay video, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. The scenes look amazing, the gameplay smooth, and the possibilites endless. We'll just highlight a few things and let you enjoy the video for yourself so you too can drool all over your keyboard.

The scene takes place in a Los Angeles based city, and the city is huge! It captures everything about LA, the mountains, downtown, the shores, buildings, everything. The developers really did a good job to make the game area huge, and very realistic, the surrounding areas look just as good as the real thing. Now, one of the new features of GTA V is that you actually follow three characters rather than just one, but that's not the coolest part of the game. Normally, with three characters you'd think that you would just switch back and forth from one to another following the story of each one. In this game though, that is not the case, the characters are intertwined, and you can actually switch back and forth from characters as you please, even during the same scene.

There is a lot to explore in the map, and the possibilities are endless of the different places you can visit, the different cars you can drive, and the different vehicles you can use. In the video you see everything from, cars, to planes, to jet skiis, to helicopters, to just about everything! This game looks amazing, and we haven't even gotten a chance to look at what's in store for the multiplayer, and who knows what tricks Rockstar has up it's sleeves for that one!

PS4 & XBOX One Games Online All the Time!?

2013-07-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

The latest news coming from the next generation console and games rumor mill is that almost all of the PS4 and Xbox One games will be entirely online. But wait, didn't we just put Microsoft on blast for requiring the system to be online once a day everyday, what was the point of that? Well the fact of the matter is, that's just the way it is. Before you blow up, let's explain; the fact of the matter is, online play is really the reason we all buy the consoles, and why we all buy the games. Yes, Campaign mode is fun and entertaining, but when you're done with that, you go to multiplayer. Basically game developers are heading in that direction, they want gameplay to be online, and certain games are all going to be played online eventually, so PS4 and Xbox One is where they are going to start feeding us this trend, until eventually we get used to it, and it becomes the norm. So here is comes, reports are coming in saying, games like the The Division and The Crew will always be online.

So what you're probably wondering now is what are the good things and bad things about this, and will we have a choice?

First off, No, you won't have a choice, games that are made to be always online, are going to always be online.

Second, what are the good things about it?

Being online all the teams means you can play anywhere, from your console to your phone, to your tablet, you really can play from anywhere. Also since the game is always online, then the world is always changing, meaning the second you put down the controller, the game is constantly changing because other players are still playing and changing that world while your gone. This will make the game a new experience every time you pick up the controller. Finally, it will also mean you can jump into a game whenever you want, you can play with your friends at any point and time, from anything that can connect to the internet.

So now, the not so good parts of having always online games.

The first one is the most common one, you need an internet connection to play, plain and simple. But, A.) who doesn't have internet and B.) why would you buy a PS4 or Xbox One if you didn't have an internet connection? Second, server crashes; with games always being online, that means there will be a massive amount of traffic hitting those servers opening week, there's always potential for crashes. But you would think (and hope) that if a developer is going to create a game to be online all the time, they would realize their server needs to be really for a HUGE amount of traffic. Finally, these last two kind of going hand in hand. If you're online all the time, developers could be watching you, what you do, who you're playing with, that kind of stuff; plus the always lovely, hackers. While being online all the time, you are always in danger of getting your account hacked, it happened to Ubisoft, and all of us Sony owners remember it happened to Sony. I'm not saying it's going to happen, I'm saying the possibility of it increases because it of it.

Overall, is this a good thing or a bad thing, well that's basically up to you the consumer to decide, you're the one buying the product. However, this is the way that game developers want to go, this is how games are going to be here in the near future, so we might as well accept it now, and just enjoy it.

More than Just Zombies to Worry About

2013-07-03T16:06:00.001-07:00

According to BBC News, the very popular PS3 exclusive game, "The Last of Us" had to release a patch this week after an embarrassing mistake was found. Normally, a patch comes out for a defect in the game, or to patch a hole a hacker has found during game play, in this case, it's completely different. Naughty Dog had to release a patch for the game to change the phone numbers that appeared on an in game poster for pest control. Only that number wasn't for pest control, nor was it just a dead number, the number lead fans of the game to a real life sex chat hotline.

Apparently, the artist of the game were creating the posters and decided to make up a number and put it on the posters. They decided to put "555" in front of the number, thinking that's what they do in the movies, so no big deal. But they also put "1-800" infront of it as well, and that lead fans to the sex chat hotline. Naughty dog has quickly fixed the issue with their new patch, and explained that the issue was "just an honest mistake." Whoops!

South Park: The Stick of Truth!

2013-07-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true, there is a new South Park game coming home this holiday (we hope) and it looks pretty damn good. We haven't seen a really good South Park game since the N64 and PlayStation 1 days, but finally there is a new South Park game on the horizon. We here at GameSwapHQ were able to sit in and watch actual game play during E3, and at first glance the graphics on the game were so well done, we actually thought we were watching an episode. Bottom line with this game, if you're a fan of South Park, you will love this game, it's fun, it's hilarious, and you will enjoy the crap out of it. On the other side, if you're not a fan of the show, and you don't enjoy the dirty humor that comes along with the show, then this game isn't for you.

From what we were shown at E3 the basic idea of the game is, you are the "new kid" at school, and you are trying to become the 5th member of the group and become cool, while you fight throughout South Park for the "stick of truth." As you might have guessed from the E3 preview video, your greatest asset is the fart. During the short demo, we watched as you walked through the school battling Stan and Kyle's henchmen, while you and Butters ( the fact that you get to have Butters on your side during this game is all I needed to see to get me hooked on this game) make your way through the road blocks and obstacles that prevent you from reaching your goal. The game looks like a lot of fun, and the fact that you're constantly around South Park characters guarantees you are in for a bunch of laughs as well. Just from the E3 reveal, you can see characters such as, the crab people, Mr.Slave, Mr. Garrison,
Butters, Professor Chaos, and one big ass Clyde.
This game looks extremely funny and entertaining, and we have come to expect nothing less from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, so there is no reason to believe that they won't come through with this game. It doesn't have an actual release date, as during E3 Stone and Parker told the audience that they have to get back so they could continue working on the game. Even during the E3 trailer Cartman says "coming this holiday season, well some holiday season, you know how video games are." I really don't expect this game to be late, so expect it this November/December. Since the game was originally dated to be released on March 5th, 2013 until THQ folded and the release date was pushed back, I also don't expect the game to be a next gen console game. It's just another reason not to box up the PS3 and XBOX 360 quite yet.

NHL 14

2013-06-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

No one talks about sports games, but GameSwapHQ does! The sports genre is really dominated by one franchise, and that would be the Madden franchise. Madden is celebrating it's 25th anniversary, which is actually really incredible that one game could last 25 years. But the one franchise that doesn't get much hype is EA's NHL franchise. At E3 this year, it won "Best Sports Game" from three gaming websites, losing only to FIFA 14 who had 7. I was fortunate enough to be able to play this game at E3, and for someone who has played the crap out of NHL 13, I was really surprised at how much different NHL 14 felt. In 13' EA improved the skating and feel of the game, and it was a big improvement, but it felt like it was almost there, but not quite. NHL 14 got it right, the skating feels smooth and like you are in complete control. EA knows they have a winner with the NHL franchise and they are sticking with the "if it ain't broke" idea. Instead of trying to redo this game every year, they just tweak something here and there, and honestly that's really all it needs.

There are three significant changes to NHL 14, one we already got into a little bit, skating. It feels a lot smoother, and they really improved and picked up were they left off in 13'. The game doesn't quite feel such as quick as 13' but it's a lot smoother, which is a very good thing. EA calls the improvement "True Performance Skating" and it's a great feature that goes really well with the "one touch deking" If you're a fan of the dekes than you'll love this new feature, I will say however, it might take a little time to get used to; it's a bit different from the deke you know and love from 13'.
To go along with the skating is one of the best new features, "NHL Collision Physics." One area that was lacking in 13' was the collision recondition. Sometimes you feel like you would crush someone and it wouldn't even faze the puck carrier, and they other times you'd get chased down from behind, get nudged, and go flying. EA has greatly improved this area of the game, and now if you get hit, you'll know it.

Finally, the best part, and best improvement of NHL 14 is the fighting! EA finally improved the part of it's game that is one of the most exciting parts of hockey, but was so lack luster in the game. In NHL 13 and NHL's of the past, a fight would take around 5 seconds or less, just two players button mashing until one or the other went down. Fights were anticlimactic and took absolutely 0 skill. Now, that all has changed with the new "Enforcer Engine", fight's take skill and patience, and are no longer in 1st person view. Fights take place with an "over ice" view, two players duke it out while other players on the ice and bench watch, and all these players are visible during the fight. It now takes a little skill, patience, and timing to win a fight, and earn stamina for your team, no more button mashing. Overall, if you love EA's NHL franchise, NHL 14 is one of the best to date, it takes what NHL 13 started to improve on and finishes it, it's a great game, feels great, and looks even better.

Brutally Honest Review of The Last of Us single player

2013-06-22T19:53:00.003-07:00

The best reviewed game of E3 2012 has finally been released and I got my grubby little hands on it. After struggling with the damn plastic wrap, I finally stuck it gently inside her. She started humming quietly and I played with her knobs for a few hours. She got hot, then I suddenly stopped and made myself a sandwich. And yes, my Playstation3 is a 'her.'

The Last of Us is made by the same crazy minds that brought us the Uncharted series and it shows. Flashy and action packed cut scenes are immediately presented and enthrall you in the zombie infested world. The game play and environments are also Uncharted-esque along with the minimal HUD.

But that's where it ends. People start dieing, everything goes to hell, explosions, zombies nomming on dudes, and shrooms. Yup, tons of shrooms in this game. Cordycep shrooms to be specific, and they are not the fun kind of shrooms that you enjoy with friends in a dark basement. Nope, these shrooms will take over your mind and pop your eyeballs clean off. These mushrooms are the cause of the infection that plague The Last of Us and are a real species of fungus. Not only is it a real fungus, but cordycep fungi actually do infect and control insects. Google that sh*t and look at the images, its like the creepiest thing I've ever seen besides myself nude in the mirror.

Now playing the actual game is also very creepy at times. The fluidity of the physics and attention to detail really set this game apart from most. The transitions that form cut-scenes to game play are almost not noticeable and keep the game flowing smoothly. The game is set linearly as opposed to an open world style game like Day Z and it works. The story moves quickly and there is a mix of stealth and action as you battle against multiple zombie types with their own strengths and weaknesses as well as living humans who want nothing more then to gut you and take your shoes. And you do need your shoes bro, like totally.

You actually need more than your shoes. You need a lot of things, and the more you collect, the more equipment you have to craft different items. You have to choose wisely as the same items are used to make either a med kit or molotov cocktail among other things. The environment also presents opportunities to get you where you need to go. Find a brick and bash it over the head of a zombie that used to be a pedophilic gym teacher in high school. I would do it even if he wasn't shrooming. Or grab that empty bottle of American piss... I mean beer, and cause some noise to get around a group of nommers.

Got in a sticky situation with some dudes shooting at your face? Throw a brick at one of their fat faces and take him hostage as a human shield and pick off one of his comrades. The diversity of encounters really allows you to use your imagination to get where you need to go.

There are a few glitches in the environment that take you away from the nuance of the game such as white pixels around pools of blood and light coming through areas that don't make sense. The story is pretty simple and standard for a zombie thriller. The main character also resembles Nathan Drake way too much and some side characters are not necessary at all.

But all in all my verdict for this game is:

Get over to www.GameSwapHQ.com and nab this title NOW. I SAID NOW!

Battlefield 4 Multiplayer Trailer

2013-06-21T19:19:00.002-07:00

Once the dust settled from the battle between Sony and Microsoft at E3, we got to encounter some really insane looking game play. The next gen systems are going to take a great leap in design and performance, and it first off starts with Battlefield 4. We already witnessed the 17 minute reveal of the campaign mode (posted below) , which looks absolutely heart racing insane.

But now we have the reveal of the multi-player, and let's face it, that's what the game is all about and what we really want. I didn't think that BF4 could look any better than it already did from the campaign mode reveal, but they blow it out of the water! Having seen the campaign trailer, I truly think BF4 and DICE are going to beat Call of Duty Ghost in sales this Fall; Now, after seeing the online mode, I have no doubt. Call of Duty is Call of Duty, you know what you're going to get out of it. BF4 has taken it to a whole new level, the 64 players (no that's not a typo, it's 32 vs 32, it's crazy I know) battle on huge maps, piloting everything from helicopters to jet skis. This game looks absolutely incredible! The best part of the trailer is the part everyone saw and went "holy shit!" You have to watch it to believe it, but you can go into skyscrapers, take the elevators all the way to the top. It a snipers heaven, but beware, because when the say it's a destructible environment, they mean it! In the reveal, tanks pepper the base of the skyscraper, and it tips to it's side and falls to the ground, it's incredible!

I fully believe this game is the game to have, regardless of if Xbox One or a PS4, this game should be number one. It looks so much better than Call of Duty, and honestly COD isn't even number 2 on the list, Watchdogs is at number 2 and COD comes in a 3. But if you haven't watched these reveals, do it now! I mean right now!

XBOX 180: Microsoft Removes Used Game Restrictions on XBox One

2013-06-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

No, it's not a new system from Microsoft, but it is what Microsoft decided to do before their launch of the new Xbox One. After both presentations at E3 from Microsoft and Sony, the Sony had won the show, hands down. Sony sat back, watched Microsoft give away all their details, specs, and even their price with a big smile on their face. Sony gave players everything they wanted, and everything they had hoped for, while Microsoft didn't. Social media everywhere was buzzing about how Sony had stolen the show, Microsoft had failed, and the PS4 was going to kill in every single aspect in sales come this holiday season. At first glance all of this was completely true, the initial pre-order number had Sony running away, all of it's bundles were top sellers. It was going so well for Sony that one retail store had more pre orders for the Dual Shock PS4 controller than the Xbox One Call of Duty Bundle.

Microsoft heard the people, realized it needed to make a couple quick changes and it did. Microsoft announced today that it was going to be making two significant changes to the Xbox One.

First off, Xbox One users will no longer be required to be online at least one hour a day in order to be able to play Xbox One games offline. This is a big change, fans were wondering why someone who just wanted to play offline campaign modes had to connect to the internet for one hour each day just to do it. It really didn't make a lot of sense and Microsoft made the change.

Second, you can now trade, sell, gift, rent, and lend your Xbox One games to other users. After Microsoft said it wouldn't allow this to happen, Sony came out and used it to their advantage, even creating a marketing ad, to poke fun of Microsoft for this action. This made no sense in the first place, if the developers are ok with gamers buying and trading used games, why would the hardware side of coin be the ones to ban it and say "no". It left a lot of people scratching their heads, but luckily Microsoft has come to their senses.

It might only be two changes, but they are huge changes, and ones that can significantly help Microsoft get it's back into the race that Sony has a HUGE head start in. However one significant change that was not made was the price. Sony still offers the PS4 for $399 and the Xbox One is still at $499, that part has not changed, and it going to be interesting how much of a difference it will make in sales.

DayZ Upgrade

2013-06-13T15:47:00.001-07:00

One of the first titles that caught my eye at this years E3 was DayZ. I'am semi new at DayZ, it's a difficult yet addicting game. Like I've said before, if you enjoy zombies, and want something more than Call of Dutys acid gun, ray gun, zombie mode, then this is for you. One of the most difficult aspects

Other than that, DayZ plans to keep it's old maps, as well as implement some new ones. All the weapons are getting a complete makeover, and they plan on cleaning up a lot of the bugs from the first edition. This game looks amazing, everything they did made the game better and didn't take anything away from it. If you like zombies, you need to try this game out, it's the closest your ever going to get to a real life zombie situtation.

Finally, the release date. And there is none unfortunately, they are still working on the game, but from the mouth of one of the lead developers, the release is close, talking like a couple weeks to a couple months.

of DayZ was it's learning curve. With any PC game, you have to learn the controls, and the lay of the land. With DayZ, it's all that and more, you have learn how to survive, sometimes with no map, no food, no water, and no clue. Doing all this is very hard when you don't even know how to play the game. This is where the new DayZ thrives, while getting a hands on look at the new game, and hearing info on it from one of the head developers himself, DayZ has taken a great leap in becoming more user friendly. One of the newest features in the game is the inventory. Before in DayZ it could be very frustrating and complicated to figure out your inventory. From what you are actually holding onto, to what is in your backpack, and transferring items between the two. Now, DayZ will use the easier drag and drop method. You see an item on the floor, now all you have to do is look at it, bring up your inventory and drag and drop to where ever you want it.

E3 2013 HD Photos

2013-06-11T21:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the first highlights we will be covering from E3 2013

Follow GameSwapHQ At E3 June 11-13

2013-06-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

GAME SWAP HQ ROLLS OUT PAY-PER-TRADE OPTION

2013-06-09T11:44:00.002-07:00

Los Angeles, CA — Online video game trading company Game Swap HQ (www.gameswaphq.com) recently announced a pay-per-trade option, allowing users to swap discs for $1.95 per trade. The addition to the website was made publicly available on June 2.

The Los Angeles-based company’s decision to include a pay-per-trade option was intended to cater to casual gamers who wish to make a smaller number of transactions.

“We want to offer the gamer every option available at a one-stop site,” Game Swap HQ co-founder and principle technology officer Dan Yerukhimov said. “The occasional gamer and trader can use our site for almost no expense.”

Currently, Game Swap HQ’s users utilize the service for a $4.95 monthly fee, allowing as many video game transactions per month as mailing times – and trading desires – allow.

Game Swap HQ users upload their personal inventory of owned games and a wish list of discs across multiple platforms. The website’s algorithm matches users, who use a pre-paid mailing sleeve to send the disc to Game Swap HQ’s headquarters. After a quality assurance team receives both parties’ discs and ensures that the games are original copies and undamaged, Game Swap HQ sends off the discs to their new owners.

The decision was announced by Yerukhimov and fellow Game Swap HQ co-founder Collard. While citing existing online pay-per-trade video game options, the two entrepreneurs said that gamers needed an option that wasn’t built on the trust that an unknown trading partner would send a working disc, or one that required users to pay their own postage, like Goozex.

Hardcore gamers will still have use for the pay-per-trade option, too, according to Collard.

“A Goozex active user came over to give us a try, was vocal about a pay-per-trade option,” Collard said. “If someone is just going on vacation for a month and unable to get their money’s worth from the monthly membership, those users will want an option to make a trade and have time to sit down and finish a game.”

Game Swap HQ has more than 400 members. Currently, the website only caters to domestic users and original game cases are not involved in transactions.

For membership or more information, visit www.gameswaphq.com.

Mob of the Dead:Survival Guide

2013-06-04T17:30:00.004-07:00

A couple weeks ago Black Ops 2 finally released the second downloadable content for the PS3 called "Uprising". In the DLC came the new zombie map, "Mob of the Dead", this map is especially exciting because it takes place in a familiar territory, Alcatraz, AKA "The Rock". The only downfall from this map is Sean Connery isn't guiding you through prison telling you were everything is and calling you "Stanley Goodspeed".

This also isn't your typical zombie map, go find the box, turn on the power, get juggernog and try to stay alive, there is actually a lot to do, and it's very unconventional.

First, when you start the game, right behind you will be a 2x point power up, we highly suggest you wait until round 2 to get this, it seems like a waste if you grab it right away, wait till round 2, kill zombies and get the hell out of there. Of course if you have teammates with a short attention span this could mean trouble for you. There are two ways you can go, we suggest taking the wooden door near the 2x points, seems the quickest way to get things going. You'll want to accomplish two things once you exit the main room, 1.) get the wardens key, 2.) find the box. The wardens key is huge, it unlocks a couple rooms as well as a part to the plane (more on that later), and the box..... well it's the box, there's no need to explain further. Now here's the newest part of zombies, when you start the game you are in "afterlife" mode, basically your dead.... In this zombie map if you have an afterlife left when a zombie hits you, you don't die, you have an opportunity to revive yourself and stay in the game. But the afterlife has another purpose, you have to shock certain points in order to turn on the power, open doors, and you can even give yourself and teammates sometime by shocking zombies and teleporting them else where. Once, you find the dangling wardens key, there will be a place to send yourself to the afterlife, you'll need to jump up to the catwalk, and overload the transformer, it'll lower the key for your teammates, then turn around, walk down to the end of the catwalk and shock the other transformer, which will open the wardens room door (you will need to do this on the other end of the hall in order to open the stairwell to the lower floor) once you have the wardens key, and hopefully the box, make your way down.

When you head downstairs you'll run into the laundry room eventually, open the door to the dryer, shock the transformer, and turn it on, there will be a part in the dryer you will need. Keep making your way down till you find the revolving stairwell. Once there have all but one teammate run down to open the case with the numbers, open the door to the right, and make their way down to where the elevator will end up. Once there go to the afterlife and run down the stairwell, numbers will appear on the sides of the wall, once all the way down, you'll need to shock these numbers into the transformers, once done, the elevator will drop, and you have part number 2 for the plane. Next, you'll make you way outside, there a power room to the right, you'll need to shock 3 transformers, this will turn off the electric down in the wardens room for the last part. Make your way outside (juggernog is in this area as well) towards the end of the dock is part number 3, someone will need to shock the transformer to open the door to the part, and then shock it again to let you out, you will also need to go up and turn on the gondola. Make your way up the gondola, through the hallway, in the second hallway turn right (passed electric cherry) and make your way up to the roof, someone will need to go to the afterlife, go up to the roof and open the door to the roof. While waiting, the 4th part is in the case to the right.

While in here you will probably have to shoot some zombies, don't be alarmed if a dog that's on fire appears, this is a good thing, have the dog eat 5 zombies and he will go away. You need to do this three times, once in that room, once down stairs from electric cherry, and one just outside of the power room. Once this is done, make your way down to the dungeon area (near the laundry room) and claim your prize, a hatchet. This hatchet is AWESOME! It's capable of killing multiple zombies in the early rounds, and it can also retrieve power ups for you. Once all four players have parts, you'll make it to the roof and build the plane, the last part is back in the warden's room. Once the plane is complete, all players need to get on, and it'll take you to pack a punch. Be careful though, hoards of zombies attack here, get your guns, and get out. The way to get out is on the north end of the bride, get in the electric chair shock yourself, (you have to be alive to do this, not in afterlife mode) and you'll head back to the map. If you want to go back to upgrade again, you'll need to collect gas cans around the map to refuel the plane. And that's all she wrote.

Two extra notes
1.) The best place to hunker down is outside on the dock, there a sniper trap that can be turned on, and the zombies all funnel through to this one area, all from the front and left hand corner, it's a nice place to camp to survive the inevitable.

2.) The 2nd most redonk gun ever created is in this map (number 1 goes to the Wunderwaffle) You'll need the blundergat from the box, and then need to find three parts, one spawns near the starting spawn, you'll need to find the case. The second is in one of the three rooms in the wardens office, most likely to the left of the box. Finally, the last part is in the area right before you get to roof, it's an acid bottle, usually located on a table in a back room. Once collected, find any workbench and create it. Once built and upgraded, it shoot a bunch of acid pellet which attach to the zombie and then blow up. They also act as a monkey, so all the zombies are attracted to it as well. Pretty crazy right?

Button Mashing Bunnies

2013-05-02T13:30:00.001-07:00

This will separate the men from the boys, er... this will bring the men and the boys together to fight to the death. Playboy and Mortal Kombat have joined forces in order to promote the latest version of Mortal Kombat, which hit store shelves April 19. The commercial which of course can be seen here, definitely will catch your interest. Playboy Bunnies Jo Garcia and Brittney Palmer star in the commercial and if you didn't know who they were before, you definitely will after the clip. You actually don't even realize the video is about Mortal Kombat till the end, and why would you need to anyway? You'r already going to be glued to the screen to these two button mashing beauties the entire time. The girls even have characters in the game that resemble them pretty well. Mortal Kombat did well to include Playboy in their ad campaign, even if you only know that the commercial is about the game for the last minute or so who cares? The girls are super hot, and they're playing video games! I'm pretty sure that combination of hot and games pretty much is at the top of the list. Above is the video, enjoy.

DayZ: The Best Game You've Never Heard Of

2013-04-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about it yet, you should take a look into DayZ, a free mod from the makers of Arma 2. Now, I had never heard about this game until recently when I was watching a gaming preview on YouTube, and they had mentioned that DayZ was rumored to be coming out with the PS4. Now, I'm a zombie fan for sure, Zombie mode in Call of Duty is probably the only reason I ever purchase Black Ops. Plus, there's the TV series "The Walking Dead" which most of us are glued to every Sunday night when it's in season. When I heard about this DayZ game, I wanted to know more about it, so like anyone wanting to learn about just about anything I turned to YouTube, where I got most of my answers.
DayZ is a complete 180 turn from any zombie game you've ever played. If your a fan of Black Ops zombies, and prefer that the game be futuristic with ray guns, and upgrades, then stop reading here. DayZ is the most realistic zombie game ever created, it takes time, intelligence, and a lot of luck. It's basically what it would really be like if there were a zombie apocalypse, so if this sounds interesting pay attention. DayZ is a PC only game, (which is why people are excited about the idea of it coming to PS4) it will not work on a MAC, and you will need a good graphics card in order to run the game. The game is provided by steam, just go to their website, download the steam program (it's free) and sign up for your account. You'll then need to buy Arma 2, you will also need Arma Allied Operations, but it should come as a package I believe, the DayZ mod is free, but you need Arma 2 to run the program. Arma 2 is about $25, compared to PS3 and XBOX rates, that's a steal. These downloads take quite a while, but while your doing that, you will also need DayZ Commander, (this is free as well). I don't know why, but I found that playing the game through DayZ Commander, I have way more luck getting into a server. Once the game is completed, you have to run Arma 2, and Arma Allied Operations, just to install them, then you can get into your DayZ game, it's a lot, yes I know.

Now to the game, like I said before, it's the most realistic zombie mode ever, in most games, you start with nothing more than a backpack, a can of coke, maybe a knife, a flashlight, painkillers, and a couple bandages, everything else you'll have to scavenge. Weapons, food, supplies, can be found throughout the map,(which is huge!) different places have different things. If you go to a supermarket you'll find food, military bases, crash sites, or airports usually have higher grade weapons, churches and firehouses usually have a gun or food in them, it's all completely random. If you can find a working vehicle (most are broke and need to be fixed with parts) you want to go to towns to find supplies. Try to avoid Cherno, and Electro, those are the biggest cities and then are crawling with snipers. This game really is like the Walking Dead, the other players in this game are more deadly than the zombies. Players will hide in a tower or hill near these cities and kill on sight for fun. Most servers give you a map, but until you have or find a GPS the only way of knowing your location is simple street signs. The game is so realistic, if the server was created by someone in New York, it's on New York time, when it's dark in New York, it's dark on DayZ, and I mean pitch black dark! You will need to find night vision goggles. The game is so realistic, even the stars are correct, if you know enough to navigate by stars, DayZ provides accurate star positioning, from the North Star to Orion's Belt.

The cool, yet hard part about the game is it's a permadead game, meaning.... you die, you lose everything, all your guns, food, water, bandages, cars, everything. However, if you've had enough for the day, you find a nice spot in the woods to hide, with your car, tent, and supplies, click abort, and next time you sign in, boom! right back into the game from that spot with all your stuff. The crazy thing though is, people actually get taken hostage in this game, hoping that they don't get killed and lose all their gear, yes it happens.
This is a very interesting game, everyday I find myself getting better, the learning curve is pretty high on this game, lots on commands to remember, lots of different tricks to know, I really suggest watching YouTube to get a better understand of how to survive, how use your backpack, and everything that goes with surviving. There is just way to much to talk about with this game, (I didn't even get into talking about the helicopters you can fly) but if you have a PC, you enjoy zombies, and you have the patience to learn, die a bunch of times, then once you get the hang of it, it can be a lot of fun, especially if you get friends to play too.

Please comment and tell us your strategies for staying alive, best places to find weapons, vehicles, food, and anything else.

No Nintendo Conference at E3

2013-04-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

According to a post on NeoGaf.com, Nintendo has announced that they will not host a Conference at E3 in Los Angeles June 11-13th.

First, we have decided not to hold a large-scale presentation where new news is presented to a general audience from all over the world as in previous years. Instead, we are planning several smaller events for software targeted at the American market. One of these will be a closed event for distributors, and another will be a closed event for the Western press. I did not appear in last years presentation, and I do not intend to appear in these events either. Apart from these closed events, during E3, we are deliberating how to deliver game information to those at home using new methods, so we will announce further plans later.

This comes as a big surprise as Nintendo has always been a staple at E3 Expo. While this announcement has us a bit downtrodden, we are already looking forward to the software announcements they have mentioned above. New WiiU titles are on the way and that is all that matters.

Expendables 3 Director Announced

2013-04-23T19:56:00.001-07:00

According to IGN.com, Sylvester Stallone has chosen a director for the upcoming 3rd installment of the Expendables franchise. Australian director Patrick Hughes has been selected by Stallone himself to take over for Simon West who directed number 2. Stallone directed the first in the series.

The Expendables is an ensemble action film series. Each story follows the mercenary group known as "The Expendables" as they undertake a seemingly simple mission. It pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early 1990s, and stars an array of action veterans from those decades, as well as more recent stars.

For more information on the upcoming Expendables 3 movie, head over to the IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2333784/

Battlefield 4 Blows our Minds

2013-04-20T18:54:00.002-07:00

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should take a look at the new trailer for Battlefield 4, (it’ll be posted below) which is scheduled to be released sometime this Fall. If the trailer is any indication of the gameplay, then ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a good one. Battlefield has been around for quite awhile, we are all familiar with Battlefield 1942. But nothing has really been able to keep up with the Call of Duty franchise, that is, until Battlefield 3 came out. Battlefield is the first of the competitors to be able to keep up with Call of Duty because it offers so much more than COD can. While Call of Duty offers a smoother gameplay, BF offers planes, trains, and automobiles, (ok, substitute trains for helicopter’s, tanks, and motorcycles). Once again, if you have not seen the BF4 trailer, it looks amazing, just the 17 minute trailer keeps you on the edge of your seat. One thing DICE set out to do in this next step in BF4 is make the player feel attached to the characters, and during the trailer, you can tell they nailed it right on the head, while this trailer runs, it’s intense! The Atmosphere stays in a survival feel mode, the characters are constantly in danger, constantly taking fire from enemy soldiers, and enemy helicopters. One new aspect of the game is the team based mode, while watching the trailer, you can see that when the team is being pinned down, the player can mark the enemy, then his AI teammates will provide suppressing fire, which allows you as the player, to flank the enemy to keep progressing on the mission. When it’s all said and done, and the 17 minutes are over, you can’t help but think, “how am I supposed to wait till Fall for this?”

Not only that, but that was just 17 minutes of the campaign mode…… the real money maker for Battlefield is the intense multiplayer mode, where jets, tanks, helicopter’s, and motorcycles are constantly buzzing around the map, along with 24 players. We didn’t even get to see this part of Battlefield from the trailer, but if I had to guess, one has to think the multiplayer mode is going to be just as tantalizing. DICE did a very good job in it’s marketing plan to get this trailer out there, because A.) it’s amazing and B.) no one is even mentioning Call of Duty, (ohhhh yea right?) yea, if the past is any indication, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 or whatever they will be calling it, should be coming out around the same time, usually early November. But we have yet to hear anything about a new Call of Duty or even hear of a reveal trailer release date. Call of Duty is well… Call of Duty and it will sell, but if Battlefield 4 comes out around the same time, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the COD sales take a hit for Battlefield, unless COD comes out with an epic trailer of their own. Who knows where Activision will take the Call of Duty series, in MW3 the story ended, Captain Price defeated the villain and that was that, so where does it go from there? Who knows, but what we do know is that Battlefield 4 looks really impressive, and I, for one, am looking forward to Battlefield 4, and unless I’m persuaded otherwise, I don’t really have an ambition for Modern Warfare 4, which I would guess, is what most gamers are thinking right now too.