Life Long Gamer w/A Full Time Life!

We have a weekly Podcast!

2015-08-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Hey there!

It has been quite some time since I posted here on my blog, and I realized that I need to change that. My first post back is about the gaming podcast I host and run on a weekly basis, where we talk all about games.

We're up to 7 total podcasts so far and we've covered a wide range of topic! If you're a gamer who loves gaming related podcasts, this one is for you. We keep it light hearted and free formed for the most part, so be sure to come check it out!

Pharaoh Danger on Youtube!

I have also taken to doing play throughs of some games that I find interesting and they are both current and previous gen games. You can find that other stuff on the main page and I hope you enjoy!

Finally, I'll start posting back here again because I've been bitten by the writing bug again. I appreciate your support and keeping this blog around by viewing all the things I wrote.

Thank you!

It's all about change!

2014-09-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

I've always tried to maintain the idea that gamers should unite and now worry about platform preferences. I've gone so far as to write several posts about not focusing on platforms as much as focusing on games that are fun and for the most part, this still holds true.

There is one thing that has come to be a consistent theme in my Facebook and Twitter streams that are really starting to get under my skin. The fact that Fanboys are so blind to their platform allegiances, that they refuse to see when the different camps are making missteps that could hurt not just their platform, but also the gaming industry as a whole.

This time, I am coming out to give you an example of what Microsoft has been doing right ever since the backlash of the original reveal almost 10 months ago. First and foremost, they have listened to the community and responded accordingly:

• No DRM
• No Always online (Despite games requiring it anyway, Destiny ring a bell?)
• Used games run on the platform
• Bundle without Kinect to allow for choice
• Games with Gold subscription based to provide for better games in the long run
• Consistent updates that improve the console on a regular basis (remote download, better friends list, better party chat etc etc etc)
• Updated SDK to ensure developers get extra 10% GPU reserved for Kinect if they need it, thus resulting in games hitting 1080p 30/60fps

Yet despite these moves, MS has can do no right in the mainstream media, which is quite perplexing. Yes, they made mistakes and yes they were big ones, to be sure. However, when a company responds to their fans with such speed and attention to need ( Regardless of it is for business reasons, which of course is the main reason) you have to acknowledge that much more than has been done in the mainstream media.

I'm one very pleased Xbox One owner and feel like my day one edition was worth the price of admission with all the exclusive games and the fact that multi-platform games are hitting parity with their PS4 counterparts. When I look to the exclusive games like Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Master Chief Collection etc coming out, I think things are going well.

On the other hand, I'm upset with Sony for not investing in their gaming community in the way I except them to. I've been looking to get a PS4 for a while now, but Sony is not showing me that they are going to be invested in the same way as Microsoft when it comes to games and services.

I want the God of War series, I want the uncharted games and I want new IPs the way that Sony used to bring it. I want an online service that is more than just free games, I want one that make me want to play multiplayer games on it. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing that, but rather, I am seeing slight of hand with trying to corner Destiny and make it appear as an exclusive game.

I want to buy a PS4, but I am not going to get one until I see the games I expect on the platform. I waited some time to get a PS3, but was so excited about The Last of US that I pulled the trigger, and I'm so glad I did. That platform has some outstanding exclusive titles and I don't regret the purchase at all. From The Last of Us, to Uncharted series to the God of War series... Sony has proven they can put out titles that are top notch.

Indies are not the way, slight of hand with Multi-platform titles disguised as exclusive are not the way. I am still waiting, with money in hand, to get a PS4 and I'm sure I will sometime in the future. Until then, I would urge all Playstation fans to ignore the Xbox fan boys, but be sure to focus your attention on Sony to demand more from them. Positive, constructive feedback can do wonders to help Sony focus their efforts.

I would suggest that doing so had such positive effects on Microsoft, and you can see that by all the bullet points I outlined above. Additionally, with Phil Spencer ( A games guy for sure) you see things like EA access on the Xbox platform which I see as the wave of the future. I see the future being very bright for Xbox as they continue to improve over time.

Earlier this week, analysts for investment firm Wedbush Morgan predicted that Sony sold around 175,000 PS4s at U.S. retailers, while Microsoft was right behind it with 150,000 Xbox Ones sold.

This competition is what will drive the market forward and make things better for all gamers!

Back online

2014-05-20T09:14:00.002-07:00

I'm back. After several months of not writing a single post, I felt it was time to come back and write about gaming once again.

It has been 5 months since I got my Xbox One and overall, I've been pretty pleased with it. I've also been really pleased with how often the are update the OS and adding improvements to it. With the huge announcements of the price drop to $399 (w/o kinect), paywall falling down on apps like Netflix and Hulu + as well as the changes for games with Gold on XB1 being more subscription like (Read newer games a hell of a lot sooner) it certainly is a great time to be a gamer on Xbox.

While I have no definitive proof on this, I can speculate that a lot of these changes, shifts within the Xbox division have everything to do with Phil Spencer being the new head of Xbox. He has always been about games and that is bubbling to the top of what MS is doing now. They are focused on games and focused on the gamer. I don't think this is simply a move to sell consoles (Though that is certainly a big motivation for them), but rather a move to help clarify what is important to Xbox.

It's all about listening to the customer, giving us choices and making course corrections that drive the business towards a console gaming experience that is top notch. It's also about acknowledging mistakes that are being made and doing something about it. This is something we've not seen from MS a lot in the past and it is refreshing to say the least.

Moving forward, I'm pretty excited about E3 and looking forward to it being all about the games. It also reminds me that at the end of the day, we're all gamers and this should be great news for all gamers, not just those in the Xbox camp.

As a gamers we need to get out of the mentality of being a series of smaller fractured groups living under one roof. Being a gamer, for me, is so much larger than being an Xbox guy, a PS guy, a PC guy or a Nintendo guy.... I'm all of those things and more. We have to start understanding that at the end of the day, we love games and we love to play them.. it really doesn't matter what we play them on.

As fans of this industry, we deserve to speak with a collective voice on the types of things we want to see in our gaming experiences, independent on what we choose to play on. I agree that competition is healthy, but picking sides is pointless in the long term. To understand what I mean, just imagine if Sony closed it's doors tomorrow due to finical collapse.... what would that do to the gaming landscape? Would MS be forced to innovate or do anything above and beyond their original plans? NO. What if MS went the way of the dinosaur and closed down the Xbox division... would Sony be a better company without MS pushing them? NO.

Choice is great, and the competition from that choice is what makes things move forward. Remember that the next time you want to take potshots at someones choice. If they weren't free to make their choices, you may not be enjoying the great console you have in your possession in its' current form.

Enjoy!

New You Tube Channel!!

2013-11-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings All,

In order to maximize my time, I have started a You Tube channel that has my thoughts on the latest games I'm playing.

Please check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/grovedoggy

I will attempt to continue my blog in the written form as time permits!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGkjavDKwOw

Enjoy!

A Call for Peace

2013-10-31T10:33:00.004-07:00

One of the things that I've observed over my years of gaming, is the increasingly divisive current running through the gaming world. The pool of people that are, "Just Gamers" appears to be shrinking, and pledging allegiance to one platform seems to be what the majority of gamers are gravitating towards.

I've tried to wrap my head around why this is happening, and I have a theory that may be able to explain this situation. My console is better than yours is not a new battle cry, and in fact, it has been around since the dawn of gaming. In my day, it was due to the monetary side of things, meaning that your parents were only going to buy one console (Because they were expensive, and still are in the minds of parents) and that console had to be the best. It had to be the best, because being the best validated your choice of console.

Nobody wants to be wrong, and nobody wants to make the wrong choice, so you defend your platform to the death. Atari is better than Colleco Vision, Nintendo is better than Sega, Microsoft is better than Sony and vice versa to all of the above. No, this core issue has been around from the beginning.. so that is not what has changed.

So what has changed? The interconnected nature of the internet is what has changed. So these arguments are now a world wide thing, with folks all over the globe trolling each other on which is better. But is that the only reason why this is happening.. price and interconnectivity? I would have to say no, given one other thing that has come to the forefront of late.

That other thing is a complete and utter lack of understanding of our condition as gamers. That condition is that we LOVE gaming... it is the one thing we all share in common, regardless of what platform you play and regardless of what CHOICE you make. This love of gaming should be driving our discussion as gamers, not petty fighting over which company/console/platform/whatever is better than the other.

Criticism is a healthy thing, as long as it is constructive and being constructive comes from being able to disengage emotionally from a discussion. It has a place when companies try to do things that you don't agree with. You speak with your wallet, you speak from a position of being a passionate gamer, with a rational mind.This is something that is sorely lacking in our community and in fact, people pride themselves on just how emotional they can get. Fanboys will defend their platform to the death based on some misguided perception that their choice is the valid one.

This hurts us all as gamers, because we loose sight of the proper question, which is, is this game fun? That is a discussion we should all be having as gamers, because that is what should drive our beloved pastime...fun games vs immature flame wars. I don't care which platform is better, I care if the games are fun, if my friends are playing with me and if this hobby is worth my time and money.

As gamers, we should not be wasting cycles on fighting each other on who has the better platform or who has the better specs etc.. we should be talking about if games are fun. Anything else paints us as the stereotypes the world sees us as. As a responsible, employees adult, I can honestly say that I've owned all current gen consoles and played games on them and computer. I go where the games are fun and where my friends are... it is that simple for me, and in all honesty, it should be that easy for all of us that are gamers.

Enjoy

Passion

2013-10-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

I find myself writing yet another post about being a gamer, but this time I'm writing with a more philosophical view of things. Being a gamer to me is a very personal experience, one that reflects a lot of who I am and in some cases, why it's part of my life.

I've always been a technically minded person, and I've always had a passion for technology in all sorts of shapes, sizes and arenas. To me, video games is a great marriage of the fun of games with the wonder of technology.

From my first atari 2600, I've always been drawn to the interactive world that came alive on my tv screen. Asteroids was the first game I remember playing, and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. Later on, I remember going to a friends house and playing with their Colecovision and playing Donkey Kong and Zaxxon and just being blown away by the colors and sounds. Finally, getting a NES was about the coolest thing in the world to me at the time with those awesome graphics, colors and sounds.

Those systems would set the stage for a life long love affair with video games that continues to this day. The fact that I am a 39 year old man, a husband and father of two should crystallize the notion that games are not just for kids anymore. Like books, movies and every other form of entertainment, Games have a board scope that has everything for everyone.

Keeping that in mind, I want my kids to experience the same wonder, joy and enjoyment from video games in the same way I did growing up. I have to be responsible enough to know what is appropriate for them and what is off limits no matter how much they may not like it. As games have evolved, our attitudes towards them need to evolve with them in order to make sure our kids get to stay kids. So that they have a chance to gain proper perspective on what is acceptable behavior and what is not... You're the parent, not the game console. You set these standards for them and you set the guidelines... not the games that they love.

I think it goes deeper than just knowing things about a game. I think it has more to do about being involved with your kids life and understanding who they are and what their interests are. It's about being active in their lives and getting into the fray. Don't just research a game, play it with them...even if it isn't your thing.

By being active and present, you are also becoming more engaged in the things your kids are doing. That makes you feel better about what games they play and it makes you realize just how much fun spending time with your kids can be.. with our without a controller in your collective hands.

Enjoy!

Join the Crew!!!!

2013-10-14T11:30:00.001-07:00

Playing GTA V & want to join a crew on Xbox 360? Join my crew here: http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crew/lifelong_gamer/gtav.

Come have a fun time, earn some cash and level up with a bunch of life long gamers like yourself! All positive, easy going people are welcome!

Enjoy!

I did something I said I wouldn't do....

2013-10-01T13:46:00.003-07:00

Yes, I'm back and yes I am blogging again. I've been away doing other things, and one of those things was something I said I wouldn't do.. at least not till next year. My Xbox One has been pre-ordered and I should be getting it sometime by Dec 31st (Curse me for not getting it pre-ordered sooner apparently). You did read that correctly, Dec 31st is when I can expect to see my Xbox One ship from Amazon.

Amazon offers the following, logical and aceeptable reasoning:

Why is the release date showing December 31, 2013? The manufacturer (Microsoft Games) announced a release date of November 22, 2013 for the Xbox One. Due to high demand and limited initial inventory, orders will ship based on inventory availability, but may not ship until December 31, 2013.

You may be asking yourself, " What changed? Why are you pre-ordering a new console when you said you weren't going to?" The simple answer is that I am a nerd, a geek a technology whore and I simply wanted a new console. Plain and simple.. nothing deep about it. Let's be honest though, the 360 is long in the tooth at this point and it is time for something new and interesting.

Also, I'm interested in some of the launch titles, and have loaded up my game Q with Gamefly to reflect that interest:

For now, The Division is going to be my first purchase... unless Watch Dogs for Xbox One blows me away. Aside from that, my Gamefly queue is going to be getting a workout.

Once the console gets here and the games start flowing, the posts will too. Until then, please feel free to dig through past posts and enjoy!

Dan

Saying goodbye to this gen, thank you for the awesome memories

2013-08-29T11:54:00.002-07:00

2005 saw the birth of Next-Gen with the Xbox 360. That was the start of what would be the transition from SD (Standard Definition) gaming to HD (High Definition) gaming and with it.. all the great games and experiences that we would come to love.

The new Next-Gen is almost upon us, and I thought the best way to honor this current gen is to talk about the games I loved the most on the current platforms. Given that at one time or another, I owned each of the above shown consoles.. this love letter will span consoles, genres and target audiences.

The first game to get the love letter treatment from me has to be Assassins Creed one. Despite all it flaws, the game itself was one of the first WOW games I played both in terms of graphics, gameplay and story.

I wrote about this game extensively in my games you need to play series:

I want to start off by saying that you will either love the first Assassin's Creed, or you'll hate it. You can assume that since it is on my list of games you need to play, I do in fact love the game. That being said, I feel like the above statement needs some level of explanation.

The best explanations are those which set the proper context and offer a good background in order to make clear all the points that are trying to be made. Assassin's Creed is best described as (From the Xbox site): The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You are Altair, a Master Assassin sent to kill corrupted leaders profiting from the war. As you carry out your missions, you find yourself tangled up in a conflict that threatens not only the Holy Land, but the entire world. Master the skills, tactics, and weapons of history's deadliest and most secretive clan of warriors. Plan your attacks, strike without mercy, and fight your way to escape. Experience a living, breathing world in which all your actions have consequences. Crowds react to your moves, and will either help or hinder you on your quests. Do whatever it takes to achieve your objectives.

That in and of itself may be enough for you to plunk down your money and enter the Third Crusade as an assassin. The caution here is that during the time of Altair, there apparently was A LOT of repetition in day to day life. As an assassin, that included journeying to another city, talking to an assassins bureau head, getting information on your target, getting the blessing of the bureau head and then FINALLY getting to assassinate your target. You do this a total of 9 times throughout the game, and for some, that was a real deal breaker.

For some that was a problem, but for me, I was not one of those turned off by this. The main reason for that was three fold: (1) The gameplay was fun, regardless of how repetitious it was. The free-running, go anywhere gameplay mechanic of this game was revolutionary (2) The beauty and historical accuracy that this game showcases is simply fantastic. (3) The story was intriguing, bold and different from any other game I had played before and kept me hooked.

The game still sits in my game collection as something I go back and play from time to time. Not because there are missions left to be done ( There are a few collectables in the form of flags spread throughout the game I need to find), but because playing the game makes me feel like I was actually in Jerusalem during the 3rd Crusades and was a person playing a role in the struggle between the assassins and the templars.

The game has been so successful, that it has spawned 2 additional games with afourth installment coming this Nov. Each additional iteration has improved on the problems of the original, but as flawed as some aspects of the first game were, I still feel it is something every gamer should experience.

I cannot state enough how amazing this game was to me the first time I played it. I could overlook its' flaws and embrace all the things that made this game the basis for one of the most successful game franchises of this generation. Be patient and give this first title a chance and you may just find that you love it as much as I do!

Enjoy!

Xbox one, why I will be getting one...Next year!

2013-07-26T12:25:00.002-07:00

Now that a ton of dust has settled from all the outcries from people on the internet and now that MS has reversed a lot of their policies.. I know feel that enough time has elapsed to discuss why I will be getting an Xbox One next year.

Before you start crying foul with my purchase time frame window, I have to say that with any new console, there has to be software for me to want to buy it. For example, I waited a year before getting an Xbox 360 because it took the original Gears of War to get me to stop playing my original Xbox. This is the same unit of measure I am applying to a purchase of Xbox One... no game that I HAVE to play, no purchase. I am perfectly content to play my Xbox 360 and all the great games that are out for it ( Or soon will be out, GTA V I am looking at you).

Also, when you consider that the 360 has been around for 8 years, there are literally thousands of games to play on the system... so there is no rush. Add in the fact that I just bought a PS3 and you know that I will have gaming goodness for a long time.

That is until games like The Division pops up on my radar and I found out that it is only on next Gen... this forces my hand and makes me want to get a new, next gen console. Of course, there is not only The division, but there are other games as well like TitanFall, The Witcher 3, Watch Dogs and this big ass list of games coming out that IGN put together:

Game	Developer	Release Date	Required Online Connection
Assassin's Creed 4[2]	Ubisoft Montreal	TBA	TBA
Battlefield 4 [3]	EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE)	TBA	TBA
Below	Capybara	TBA	TBA
Call of Duty: Ghosts [4]	Infinity Ward	11.5.2013[5]	TBA
The Crew	Ubisoft Reflections	TBA	TBA
Crimson Dragon	Grounding	TBA	TBA
D4	Swery	TBA	TBA
Dead Rising 3	Capcom	Q4 2013	TBA
Destiny [6]	Bungie	TBA	Yes
The Division	Massive	TBA	TBA
Dragon Age Inquisition	BioWare	Fall 2014	TBA
Dying Light [7]	Techland	TBA	TBA
Elder Scrolls Online	Bethesda/Zenimax	TBA	Yes
Fantasia: Music Evolved [8]	Harmonix	TBA	TBA
FIFA Soccer 14 [9]	EA	TBA	TBA
Final Fantasy XV	Square-Enix	TBA	TBA
Forza Motorsport 5[10]	Turn 10	TBA	TBA
Halo for Xbox One	343 Studios	TBA	TBA
Just Dance 2014	Ubisoft	TBA	TBA
Killer Instinct	Double Helix	TBA	TBA
Kinect Sports Rivals [11]	Rare	TBA	TBA
Kingdom Hearts 3	Square-Enix	TBA	TBA
Lego Marvel Super Heroes	TT Games	TBA	TBA
LocoCycle [12]	Twisted Pixel	TBA	TBA
Madden 25 [13]	EA	TBA	TBA
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain	Kojima Productions	TBA	TBA
Minecraft [14]	Mojang	TBA	TBA
Mirror's Edge	EA DICE	When it's ready	TBA
NBA 2K14	Visual Concepts	November 2013 [15]	TBA
NBA Live 14 [16]	EA	TBA	TBA
Need for Speed Rivals [17]	EA	TBA	TBA
Peggle 2	PopCap	TBA	TBA
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare	PopCap	TBA	TBA
Project Spark		TBA	TBA
Quantum Break [18]	Remedy Entertainment	TBA	TBA
Rabbids Invasion			TBA
Ryse: Son of Rome	Crytek	TBA	TBA
Skylanders Swap Force [19]	Vicarious Visions	TBA	TBA
Star Wars Battlefront		TBA	TBA
Sunset Overdrive	Insomniac Games	TBA	TBA
Thief [20]	Eidos Studios Montreal	TBA	TBA
Titanfall	Respawn	TBA [21]	TBA
Trials Fusion		TBA	TBA
EA Sports UFC [22]	EA	TBA	TBA
Watch Dogs [23]	Ubisoft	TBA	TBA
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	CD Projekt Red	TBA	TBA
Wolfenstein: The New Order	MachineGames	TBA	TBA
Zoo Tycoon [24]	Blue Fang	TBA	TBA
Zumba Fitness World Party	Majesco	TBA	TBA

Now to be clear, not everything on this list is something I would want to play, but the point is that there ARE going to be titles I want to play that are only on Xbox One or next gen. The funny thing here is that I actually want to play them on Xbox One, now that MS has reversed a lot of their policies. The biggest one for me was the ability to play rented games on my Xbox One. The lack of that was a deal breaker for me.

Even though I can afford to buy a crap ton of games if I wanted to, as a gamer with discerning tastes and a family to support, it would be stupid and irresponsible to buy a game on a whim. There are a lot of games that I am interested in, but very few of them turn into purchase for me. I have a specific criteria that I use to determine a rental from a purchase and it may be something you all are interested in learning about.

The biggest factor is my probability of playing this game for a long time, and that is directly related to the replayability of a game. That criteria can take so many forms when you think about what makes a game replayable. A game like Skyrim, that never really ends if you don't want it to is a game that would be replayable for me. A game that has new game plus, and the story/game play was so fantastic that I want to jump back into it is also a reason to play that game again. Through in co-operative multiplayer with my friends and family and ...Bingo.. something I will want to play over and over again.

I will buy the game from Gamefly, or pre-order from a store that has earned my money, or in some cases, who has the best pre-order items. All of those examples are games that I've researched to death and made damn sure they are going to be worth my money.

So sometime next year, between the months of Jan and April, I'll be getting an Xbox One and playing great games like The Division or Watch Dogs or any of the other stellar titles on that list I already pasted into this post. No reason to pre-order a console and no reason to get all crazy if the games you want aren't out there yet. Take your time and pace yourself because if the current gen has taught us anything, it is that this console cycle will be long and it will be packed with a lot of games worth your time and money!

Enjoy

What does it all mean?

2013-07-25T08:25:00.001-07:00

Hope. Hope for a cure, hope for redemption, hope for a chance at a life taken away. Hope is at the very center of this great title by developer Naughty Dog. For Joel and Ellie, The Last of Us is a journey that looks to fill that need of Hope for both of them, but in very different ways.

I will be discussing key aspects of the game and some of it will contain spoilers, so please read ahead at your own peril. I will say this, please do not read this post if you want to be pleasantly surprised by this game, just like I was. You've been warned.

After a short intro cut scene, the game starts of with you playing as Sarah, Joel's teenage daughter, right as the outbreak is starting to take hold. The visual detail and the tension that Naughty Dog has captured in these opening moments are masterfully well done. Like Sarah, you have no real idea what is going on and you have no idea where your dad is. You search around the dark house while the chaos that is happening outside is present both in sounds you hear, sights you briefly glimpse and news reports coming from a TV left on in your dad's room.

Joel finally turns up as he runs into the house, out of breath and very distressed. He quickly grabs his gun from a drawer and loads it as he breathlessly tells you to stay away from the windows. Just then, your neighbor runs up against the sliding glass door to the kitchen, where you're both standing. As he breaks through the glass with his body, Joel tries to reason with the distraught man, but his pleas fall on deaf ears and he is forced to shoot him point blank.

This scene signals the intimate violence that The Last of Us is replete with. The violence serves purpose showing you how desperate the people in this game are and just how horrific this world has become. It sounds corny, but the violence in The Last of Us serves to make you uncomfortable and to ground you in the reality of the world that these people are living in.

Back to the game, Joel and Sarah leave their house to ride with Tommy (Joel's brother &Sarah's Uncle) in an attempt to get away from the chaos that is quickly consuming the area around them. Through a series of events that I won't spoil for you, they end up in the middle of town amongst the fleeing people and the newly introduced infected hordes.

As you attempt to escape, with Sarah in your arms as she is injured, you make your way thorough burning cars, screaming people and a overall sense of tension that made my hands sweat. What happens to Joel and Sarah after that is something I will save for you to experience for yourself given just how much it moved me almost to tears, it was that good.

Jump ahead in time and you see that the world has devolved in to military controlled quarantine zones, where life is bleak, ordered and harsh. Joel has become a smuggler and a former shell of the person you met earlier in the game. He had his partner, Tess appear to be less than good people given their lives as smugglers, killers and basically survivalists.

Through a series of events, you and Tess find yourselves face to face with the Fireflys, a anti-military group hellbent on getting humanity back to where it was before the outbreak. Meaning, they are against the military and are in desperate search for a cure to this horrible fungal outbreak that has torn the world apart.

In order to get a weapons cache back (That ended up wrongfully in the hands of the Fireflys) you agree to smuggle something out of the QZ for them. Enter Ellie, a 14 year old girl that appears to be immune to the infection and represents the last hope for a cure.

From there, the games turns into, not just a journey to get Ellie to the people she is supposed to go to, but a journey for both of them to find hope. Hope for something to believe in and a meaning to all the chaos around them in spite of all the horrific things that both Joel and Ellie are forced to do in the name of survival.

I won't spoil anymore of the game for you at this point, but rather, I'll talk about the philosophical aspects of the game that struck a cord with me. Having completed the game, I can honestly say I feel like the idea of selflessness vs selfishness are one of the main central themes to the game. By this I mean, the world has devolved to the point where survival is the only concern and there really is a sense of everyone for themselves.

The aggression, violence and brutality that people show in this world in order to survive is truly terrifying. Putting yourself in that situation, you question what you would do... and the horror sets in when you realize that you would be in the same boat. Joel and Ellie protect each other as they go on this journey, and they do so by any means possible.

That means a lot of humans and a lot of infected die at your hands, and rightfully so. The game drives you to feel a connection with your companion through conversations, sharing of thoughts and memories and any threat to that connection is dealt with swiftly.

The Last of Us is so much more than just a video game. Yes, it is fun and yes the graphics, sound and gameplay are amazing... but to view it only as a video game would be doing it a disservice. You need to take in the great story, the great soundtrack and the great themes that are being given to you and run with them.

If you are looking for a game with depth, soul and purpose then you need to get a copy of The Last of Us right now. It was the reason I bought a PS3 and I am so glad I did!

Enjoy!

The Last of Us...so far

2013-07-03T14:37:00.001-07:00

As you may have gathered from a previous post, I recently bought a PS3 in order to play some of the great exclusives that are on the platform. One of those exclusives to the PS3 platform that I've wanted to play is developer Naughty Dog's The Last of Us.

While I've yet to finish the game, I do have a lot to say about it so far. The story that Naughty Dog has crafted here is nothing short of spectacular. You play mostly as Joel, a man who has lost everything to the infection and who 20 years after the initial outbreak, is living the life of a smuggler. He resides in a quarantine zone in Boston and life had been reduced to a daily grind of savaging and trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world.

Outside the zone lies the infected, a mutated zombie like strain of humanity that is more monster than human at this point. While I won't spoil a lot of the details for you, I will say that this games' take on the zombie apocalypse is a refreshing spin in a played out genre.

Also outside the military controlled zones are the hunters. A roving band of humans that roam the land scavenging, hunting and killing people in a desperate attempt to survive. The are brutal, singleminded groups of people that make you wonder who is worse..the infected or the humans. Circumstances soon find you I apposition to answer that question for yourself.

You and your partner Tess set out to get your guns from a person who double crossed you, only to find that they have been sold to the Fireflys. You come to find that they are a rebel group that is fighting what is left of the military that is still imposing martial law on the populace. You and Tess strike a deal with Marlene, the head of the Fireflys in the area, to smuggle out some cargo in exchange for the guns.

Well it turns out the cargo is a 14 year old girl named Ellie and so beings the cross country journey that is at the heart of The Last of Us. A cross country journey where the two characters grow through each encounter with infected, hunters and others. They grow closer together and evolve on their year long journey.

I won't say anymore about the story, I'll leave the rest of it for your enjoyment because the story really does set this game apart from other 3rd person shooters. Speaking of 3rd person shooters, let's talk about the combat, controls and graphics, which are the other major draws of this game.

Combat and controls for this game are standard like they are for most shooters of this style and that is a good thing. It makes it easy to jump into this game and not have to think too much about it. Joel switches between weapons and inventory items swiftly, and in real time meaning, you better wait till it's clear to used a med pack or reload as there is no pausing of the gameplay while doing this.

Visually this game is stunning, and is one of the best looking games on the PS3. Naughty Dog hasn't only made a game that looks great, but also one the has created a living breathing world, repeat with a stunning level of detail. You really buy the world that they have created and feel like this is what a post apocalyptic America would look like. You really do need to see it for yourself in order to truly appreciate the game.

That being said, I did come a few bugs that took me out of the immersion that this world has provided, but they are minor and nothing that a restart of the game couldn't fix. There are also AI issues that help break the immersion, but nothing deal breaking.

If you have a PS3, you need to play this game and experience it for yourself. I am on my way to the ending of the game and if it turns out to not be good, I will take solace in the fact that the ride was well worth the price of admission.

Enjoy!

Just got a little more gaming variety in my gaming

2013-06-28T14:40:00.002-07:00

In what can only be described as hell freezing over, a Playstation 3 now resides in my entertainment center, along with my Xbox 360. For those of you that have followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I primarily game on an Xbox 360 and that is not really going to change as I have a ton of friends and investment of both time and money on the platform.

What brought the PS3 into my house is the great exclusive titles the console has. Games like The last of Us, Uncharted, God of War and Infamous all seem like great titles that I would want to play. Also, given the great deal I got on the console and a year of PS+ for free and The Last of Us looks so compelling, it was a no brainer.

Once I start playing The Last of Us, I will be sure to post about it for those of you that are interested. I may even write about the adjustments I've had to make as an Xbox gamer, now playing on PS3. Of course, these adjustments are not meant as derogatory comments towards the PS3 platform, but rather observations on what is different.

Overall, I am enjoying the platform and loving Uncharted 3.. though it is a lot more cut-scene oriented than I expected, at least in the 20-30 min of gameplay I've gone through thus far. I'm looking forward to playing through more of the exclusives via Gamefly and really getting into the platform.

I will say that I am still an Xbox Gamer and any and all multi-platform releases are going to be on 360, not PS3. Again, that is due to most of my friends play on 360 and I've already invested a lot in that platform to be able to have those experiences. The PS3 is just for me, and just for those great single player experience I can only get on PS3.

Got the PS3 Ultra-Slim and am loving it.

Enjoy!

You've got a lot of convincing to do...

2013-06-18T09:47:00.003-07:00

E3 has come and gone and there has been a lot to take in and process. Since I am a loyal Xbox gamer, and have been for the last 8 years.. I have to say that I am conflicted. While I loved the showing of games from MS, I still feel like there is a lot left to resolve for me to consider moving from 360 to Xbox one.

To start, the price is too high, plain and simple. Given that I have zero use for the TV functionality and given that I have better devices to watch Blu-ray movies and a better way to watch things like Netflix and Hulu+.. I really will not be using an Xbox one for the that. It would be exclusively for games and I am having a hard time trying to justify the $100 price difference over the PS4.

The new Kinect looks compelling and great and all, but to be honest, this device is not really aimed at me, but rather my two kids and my wife who currently use the sensor exclusively in my house. I will consider their needs of course, but then again, we have an Xbox 360 with a 1st gen Kinect that works fine for their needs.

The new controller looks great, but again, this is not a major reason to buy the new Xbox. I can get a 3rd party controller for my current Xbox that has a great D pad and finely tuned analog sticks. Yes it won't have the cool rumble in the triggers that the new controller has, but my current controller still has rumble in it, so I am good for now.

Having access to all my games on Xbox one with a simple tap of a button is a great idea. The ability to download items to my Xbox one from using Xbox.com and have it waiting for me by the time I get home is great and I love the idea of being able to share my entire library with family (And friends I consider family). But the cost of the DRM they have built into the system, I am not sure that I want to pay that cost since I don't own my games, I own a license. If I am paying $60 for a disc, I want to own the disc and do what I choose to do with the disc and in the world of Xbox one, I don't anymore. As a consumer, this is not right and it is really not my fault that the developers are getting screwed by companies like Gamestop and folks who want to buy used games.

I honestly feel like MS has some good ideas with their console, but the message and the way they way they are implementing things is not to my liking. Will I jump ship and head over to PS4? No, there are so many issues I have with Sony that I cannot make that leap. Will I stay with my Xbox 360 for the foreseeable future, you bet. I feel like that is the best choice for me, and also for those that don't agree with some of the choices MS is making.

Perhaps by next year, around my Birthday I will reconsider getting an Xbox one if MS has payed attention to what THIS consumer is wanting. Additionally, my friends will have to make the shift too considering the heavy emphasis on multiplayer gaming and the power of the cloud they keep throwing around. What good is an always connected console, if there is no one to connect to/with and play games?

Enjoy!

Keep it to yourself (NSFW, you've been warned)

2013-06-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

That's it.. I'm done. No more gaming news sites for me for a long time. I can no longer spoil things for myself as a gamer when it comes to E3 or anything related to the new consoles, games etc. I can no longer take all the noise that is out there in regards to the new Xbox or the new PS4. I can no longer listen to how Nintendo hates their customers, or that Microsoft is the devil or that Sony can't get things right.

Enough is enough with all the negativism in regards to what these companies are doing. The time for talk is over, and it is now time to speak with my wallet and I will make my choice based on good old fashioned research and examination on who is going to give me the most value for my money.

I will say that the last few weeks have really opened my eyes in regards to some alleged gaming news sites. You can really start to see which ones are against one company (Or more) and which ones are for a particular company. Honestly, I have to say, shame on you sites that claim to be gaming news sites.. because you really don't report the news, you report your editorial slant on EVERYTHING.

Personally, I don't care what your take is on something, I would just like the facts. I don't need your speculation on why something that is not even shipping, nor has full discloser on features and functionality been revealed. I don't need your monologue on what I as a gamer want or need.. I look to you for facts, not to tell me why something is going to fail based on what the internet says or what you say. Last time I checked, neither you nor the internet controls my funds, or my thought process, so suck it.

The bottom line here is that there seems to be a segment of gamers that all they want to do is bitch and complain about everything. If something doesn't meet your every need, you lash out like a petulant 3 year old. Look up the word, oh wait, you'd also bitch about that too:

petulant |ˈpeCHələnt| adjective(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered:
Stop giving gamers a bad name and try to make up your own mind on things. At the end of the day, if you don't like something... don't buy it and just go on your merry way.

Enjoy, or don't because I don't give a shit!

It's been a while...how ya been ?

2013-05-31T10:20:00.001-07:00

It has been some time since I posted and honestly, there was not a lot that I had to say. That being said, there has been a lot of news that has come and gone in the gaming world since I last posted and I wanted to take some time to talk about it.

As I am mainly an Xbox gamer, I wanted to talk about the Xbox One, now that I've had some time to think about things and reflect on all the things talked about during the announcement. These are my personal feelings and nothing more, so you are welcome to agree or disagree based on what YOU think about all the things talked about.

First off, I wanted to talk about the appearance of the Xbox One. While I am still unsure of how I feel about the styling (I like to see things for myself and be up close and personal with it before I will know how I really feel about it), I can say that I understand why MS designed it the way they did. The first thing I thought when I saw the console was that is looked like a DVR and it turns out, that was a conscious choice on their part.

After all, if you are trying to broaden your appeal to the average person, you make the device look like something they would already have in their house. Most folks (Not me) have a cable box or satellite box in their house, so right there you have a device that will blend in. From an appeal standpoint, I get it.. but that doesn't mean I necessarily like how it looks. Again, the final test for me will be seeing it in person and having a good idea of how it stacks up to the xbox 36o in terms of size.

I will say that I like the new controller just based on what I've seen so far. It looks like it would be more comfortable in my hand and thank God they fixed the D-pad. Looking at the pictures below, you can see how the design is an iterative improvement over what they had before, which is a good thing since the Xbox 360 controller was a good controller with only a few drawbacks:

Xbox 360 Controller

Xbox One Controller

As far as the Kinect 2.0 goes, I really have no feeling on it one way or another. It looks to be an improvement spec-wise over the current Kinect and that is to be expected. I know that if it tracks better and works better both my wife and daughter will be happy since they are the main users of the Kinect in our house.

The last thing I wanted to talk about is the topic that most folks have already talked about to death, though my thoughts on it are different. Used games and unique codes were the topics of much heated debate, and to be honest it seems to me that MS has not fully decided what they are going to do with either of these things. At the very least, if they have, they are not ready to talk about it and that is fine at this point. I personally feel this is a topic more geared to the specific audience it is intended for which would be the gamers who are going to be the first to buy this device.

The proper arena to talk about it may have been during the reveal, but E3 is really going to be the place for MS to put up or shut up about their console. I don't care about always on or always connected to the internet since I have functional internet.. very good internet as luck would have it with a fiber internet connection that has been rock solid for me for the last 4 years or so. I can understand and empathize with those that have crappy internet and how this console may or may not be for you. Of course, we have still yet to get a clear message from MS on if the console needs to always be connected to the internet, or if it needs to connect only every once in a while... and if that connection state has ANYTHING to do with games, or just the entertainment functions like TV etc ( Which I honestly don't care about since I will be using it to play games).

Back to used games... it appears I will be able to play them on Xbox One.. and it appears I will be able to sell my old Xbox one games to others... what remains a mystery is how this will be done and what the specifics are. To be clear, MS has mentioned that each Xbox One game will come with a unique code that validates against my Xbox Live account which is all well and good since I can play my game anywhere without having to take a disc with me. The crappy part, at least based on the murky message they have out there now, is that I cannot loan my friend games since they would not have a unique code.... that just stinks.

Another thing that potentially stinks is that I will no longer have a need for Gamefly since they too would run into the same issue as well. Now this would be a moot point if I could simply delete the unique code from account and then the other person could enter that code and then the game would be bound to their account. The benefit would be that games could be borrowed and rented without someone having to buy the game outright..just move the code from one account to another.

Of course all of that is speculation in place of concrete facts from MS on this topic. I am personally hoping that those facts come out at E3 so I can make more informed decision as to what I will be doing moving forward. I mean, aside from playing my 360 for a few years longer ;-)

Enjoy!

What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

2013-05-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

Allow me to tell you what you've done. You've taken the reason I bought an Xbox 360, the Gears of War Franchise, and turned it on it's ear and made it something that is not very compelling. Yes, I'm talking about Gears of War: Judgement and I am not happy with the results.

Now mind you, I liked the story line and I liked the way you showed me the chaos that engulfed Sera at the time of Emergence day...that was pretty cool. I liked the chance to see Baird and Cole as they were in the early days and that was nice.

I also like the idea of the declassified missions and they way that selecting them allowed you to experience the same mission in a different way. I enjoyed how it made things harder and I liked the way that I was rewarded for my efforts by earning XP and stars ( Stars which would unlock the aftermath epilogue bridged this game to the Gears of War 3 story in an interesting way.

I even like the way that you allowed me to use any weapon with a Boomshield in Multiplayer.. that was a very welcome addition. But that's it... that is the extent of what I liked about the latest Gears game. I will list below the things that I do not like about this game.. no wait.. that is not the right word... what I hate about this game:

• You removed Horde and replaced it with Survival, which you call en evolution of the Horde idea.

No sorry, Gears of War 2 to Gears of War 3 Horde mode was an evolution. What you did was create something different and called in an evolution. I have no choice on where I start my game, you make me start where you want me to. I have to be a specific class to do what I want to do... and since I can only be one class at a time you have made this less fun. BRING BACK HORDE.

• You removed Down But Not out in multiplayer

What are you thinking? If I wanted a Call of Duty Experience, I would play Call of Duty. I want the possibility of a teammate being able to revive me.

• Multiplayer is human vs human

I am not sure why, but you felt this was a good idea. It's no longer humans against locust.. which is the whole point of a Gears game, it is human against human. Last time I checked, this was a Gears game and not a Pendulum Wars game (The last human vs human conflict that is part of the cannon of the Gears Universe).

Again, if I wanted to play COD, I would go ahead and play that game. Ignoring the above issues of context, you have no made it really hard for me to tell who is bad and who is good in any other version of multiplayer other than Survival.

• You removed my option to carry a pistol, a rifle, a shotgun and a grenade. I now only can carry 2 weapons and a grenade

The issue with this is obvious

I could go on and on about what you broke in one of my most favorite games. Instead, I will do what most loyal Gears fans will do.. which is fire up Gears of War 3 and play that game.

Enjoy!

Not so Infinite, as I am done

2013-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

Bioshock infinite was a good game. I had fun with it and enjoyed the many layers it's narrative had to offer. I enjoyed the combat to a degree, though I did find myself employing the same sorts of tactics over and over again, but I was ok with that.

And while I liked the story, I found the ending both great and horrible all at the same time. What I mean to say is that narrative wise, the story had the right amount of twist to it but it also had an unexpected effect on me as well.

SPOILERS NEXT, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT THIS SPOILED FOR YOU!!!!!

The realization that Elizabeth was your daughter was something I started to suspect early on in the game, but the realization that you are both Booker Di Witt AND Comstock really caught me off guard. Quantum physics, parallel dimensions that occupy a similar time line all serve to explain this surface level disparity. The fact that you sold your baby girl to someone to erase your moral debt due to past transgressions really turned me off, but throw in the fact that you are in fact the main bad guy in the story as well made it such that I cannot return to this game.

The fact that there are so many time lines where you have been acting out your redemption over and over and over again, simply adds to the dismay I felt for being Booker Di Witt. He's more than a tragic character... he is someone I can no longer relate to, though I can understand his situation and his motives.

Don't get me wrong, I thought the story deep and rewarding and very clever. The side effect of following a narrative like this is that you run the risk of people not being able to overlook the deeper implications of Booker's actions and the awful mess his life is. It's one of those rides that is very interesting, but when you get to the end, you understand that it is not really something you want to relive again.

Sure there are a ton of things being foreshadowed in the game by comments made and things observed, all of which has a much richer meaning now that you fully understand their context. But the richness of that meaning can in no real way, entice me to walk in these broken, emotional shattered footsteps for a second time.

Is this game worth playing, without a doubt I can say yes. Is it worth owning.. well that depends on your level of masochism you suffer from. In the end, I am thankful to have gone through this very well told story and would recommend that you too experience it for yourself. Unfortunately the sorrowful ending and the realization that your character is a flawed, broken monster is not something I can honestly say that I would care to play again.

Enjoy!

Where have you been?

2013-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

While I've been around, I simply haven't had the will to write anything lately. In the time since I last wrote here, I've finished Bioshock Infinite and Gears of War Judgement ... yet I found myself unmotivated to post, and with little to say.

It wasn't that the games were bad, or that I was thoughtfully thinking about what I wanted to say about them. No... I simply just didn't have it in me to write about it. The act of getting the thoughts out of my head and on the screen sometimes takes it's toll on me and I loose interest in writing. I'm sure we all suffer this lack of desire from time to time... and it is in no way a sign that I've stopped gaming.

The whole point of this Blog was to write about my thoughts on gaming and the games I play, on my terms and when I want to write. Honestly, the last year or so, I started viewing the blog as an obligation..something I HAD to do in order to make sure people would continue to follow this site and read my work.

Then it hit me... by forcing myself to write when I didn't want to, I set myself up to resent writing at all. I started to view it as a chore and simply didn't want to do it. So I stayed away for a while, thinking that would help me want to start writing again.

I can't say that plan was 100% successful as I am reluctant to want to write as frequently as I did in the past. I will say that I plan to write when the mood strikes and when there is something to write about... but simply writing to write, or writing to keep viewers is a thing of the past. I understand that attitude may loose me some folks, but honestly, it is all I can offer at this point.

That being said, I do plan to write about Bioshock infinite and GOW: Judgement here in the near future. Both will contain spoilers and both will be my honest feelings about the games.

Enjoy !

It keeps coming back to this...

2013-04-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

I cannot truly explain in words how fantastic The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is. This game came out on 11.11.11 yet I am STILL playing it to this day because it is just a fantastic world. Still to this day, there are areas of the huge world that I have yet to traverse and I'm ok with that. It means that the world still holds secrets and things for me to do.

The music, the world, the characters... all of it keep pulling me back in. I often times find myself stopping and just looking around.. admiring the world around me and listening to all the ambient sounds... the wind blowing through the trees, the sounds of the river rushing by... and for a moment, I feel like I am there. As my character runs through the snow, the sound of the snow crunching under my feet and the blizzard raging all around me and my breath is taken away.

I think that the greatest accomplishment this game brings to bear on the player is that you make the story that you want to make through your interactions within the world. Yes, true, the main story is the same for everyone for the most part.. but it is the journey you undertook to get there that is truly unique and your own. How you play the game, the choices you make along the way and the path you took to get there are all your own.

If you are looking for a game that really doesn't end unless you want it to, pick this game. If you are looking for an all engrossing experience that captures your imagination, pick this game. If you want to journey to a world that is amazingly beautiful yet has so much danger and mystery to it, pick this game. You may just find that you love it as much as I do!

Enjoy!

Bloody good show old boy!

2013-03-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Brutal, uncomfortable and unflinching. Those are three words I didn't think I would use to describe Bioshock Infinite when I first started playing the game.

At first it was somewhat creepy and mysterious as you are trying to piece together who your character is, what his mission is and where he needs to go. As the plot develops and as the story progresses, you find yourself on the floating city of Columbia.

On her surface, Columbia seems somewhat eccentric but a pleasant place to be. There is lively activities and all sorts of interesting people out enjoying the fair. As I moved further into the game, it is very clear that like most things in life, digging below the surface of such a facade reveals an something that is in stark contrast.

At first there are hints of racial inequality…statements made, the absence of people of different ethnicities on the streets. There is also hints of religious zeal that is oddly directed towards the founding fathers, and the founder of Columbia, Mr Combstock. All of it is minimal at first… but it quickly grows to a uncomfortable level as the periods historically accurate ugly side comes out.

The funny part is that is not what stuck me as the most jarring experience with my time in Columbia. I was aware of the racial disparity of the time and found it to be expected..especially in the context of what the game is trying to show me. What I found the most jarring was the level of violence that your character resorts to when combat suddenly begins.

Yes, suddenly and rather abruptly things get very bloody. One minute your are observing something and the next you are thrown into the mix in what turns out to be the first of many bloody encounters.

I am not making this observation as a way to condemn the game or somehow think that a first person shooter needs to not be violent. I'm making it because it is surprising and unexpected and it truly caught me off guard. After the shock settled, I realized what a great job Irrational Games has done with this game.

The world was so absorbing that when something happened that was atypical for the world, my suspension of disbelief was so great, that I had no idea it was coming. Yes, there was foreshadowing of events to come and I was aware of that. In spite of all that, I was shocked when combat began.

Good job indeed Irrational games, good job.

Enjoy!

Infinite is fantastic so far

2013-03-27T14:38:00.001-07:00

With it's amazing locale, interesting story and serious tones make this a great game so far. I am into the first few hours of the game and it is vintage Bioshock and that means plenty of period atmosphere (In this case 1912), plenty of interesting characters and plenty to take in.

For those of you that need more information, here you go:

This is Bioshock Infinite

BioShock® Infinite is a first-person shooter like you’ve never seen. Just ask the judges from E3 2011, where the Irrational Games title won over 85 editorial awards, including the Game Critics Awards’ Best of Show. Set in 1912, players assume the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. His target? Elizabeth, imprisoned since childhood. During their daring escape, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond -- one that lets Booker augment his own abilities with her world-altering control over the environment. Together, they fight from high-speed Sky-Lines, in the streets and houses of Columbia, on giant zeppelins, and in the clouds, all while learning to harness an expanding arsenal of weapons and abilities, and immersing players in a story that is not only steeped in profound thrills and surprises, but also invests its characters with what Game Informer called “An amazing experience from beginning to end."

Discover Columbia

The city of Columbia was built by the US Government in the late 1800s to serve as a floating world’s fair. The city was sent to travel from continent to continent and show the rest of the world the success of the American experiment. Unknown to most, Columbia was also a “death star,” secretly packed with weaponry. Political strife caused Columbia to secede from America and the city disappeared. No one knows how to get to Columbia.

Explore the Sky-Lines

The Sky-Lines were initially built as a means for shipping and moving cargo in Columbia, but the city’s youth quickly found a way to use them as a death-defying means of movement. As the struggle between factions in Columbia intensified, they become not only a method of transportation but also a facilitator of combat. In the second BioShock Infinite gameplay demo, you saw Booker maneuver through a system of interweaving Sky-Lines to outwit and outmaneuver his foes.

Booker Dewitt

You play Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton detective. Faced with mounting debts, you are forced to take one last job: you must travel to the missing city of Columbia to find a young woman and bring her safely out of the city.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth has been imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. All she knows about the world are her rooms and her jailer, a massive creature known as Songbird. Finally freed by Booker DeWitt, Elizabeth finds herself lost in the city and troubled by many questions.

Songbird

Songbird is the creature that serves as Elizabeth’s jailer, protector and only companion. Once Booker frees Elizabeth, Songbird will do anything and everything to return Elizabeth to her prison.

So far in the game, I've mainly taken in the religious and racial tones that the game provides that are appropriate for the time period this game takes place in. I've also taken in the classic Americana complete with fairs, barbershop quartets and all the interesting historical references that the game has to offer.

Needless to say, if you love great story telling that is thought provoking and great action that will have your heart racing... this is the game for you!

Enjoy!

Tomb Raider was excellent

2013-03-27T14:24:00.002-07:00

From start to finish, the single player portion of this game was fantastic. This origin story successfully made me understand how a character like Lara Croft came to be, and it was not in the way you may think.

Crystal Dynamic went through great pains to make me feel Lara's pain, her anxiety and her nagging self-doubt. She was inexperienced and unsure of herself in the early parts of the game, and near the end she wasn't Rambo, but rather, someone who was not a victim. Someone who did what she had to do to save her friends, save herself and make peace with all that happened while on this island.

You cared about Lara, you cheered her own as you controlled her through the obstacles that faced you/her on screen. You shuddered when your actions resulted in her death.. and trust me, there are some pretty gruesome death animations that are particularly jarring.

The story was great and moved along at a good pace. Things were interesting enough for me to want to continue progressing through the story to the end (Which I will not spoil), and the pacing was perfect. The game struck the right balance between exposition and action and as a result there was some actual tension and excitement to the game.

Overall, I would whole heartedly recommend getting this game for the single player experience. Welcome back Lara... we missed you and happy you're back in our lives!

Enjoy!

To Raid or not to Raid... that is the question

2013-03-05T07:41:00.001-08:00

I have to say that over all, I am very intrigued by the new Tomb Raider game that comes out today. I have been scouring the internet reading all the information I can about the game, watching every video I can in the hopes to better educate myself on if this is a worthwhile purchase or not.

I've played Tomb Raider games in the past and have liked them, but was never really heavily involved in them. It was one of those things that really never caught on with me... not enough to make an impact, or for me to WANT to play the game to the end.

Yet here I am, thinking about getting this game and adding it to my collection. Why would I do this with a game like Gears of War Judgement that comes out on the 19th of this month? I mean in all honesty, how much time would I have to play this game anyway right? Well...... currently I am playing games I have already beaten and while I am enjoying them.. I am not really engaged in what I am playing. I'm enjoying the games... just not really getting wrapped up in them because, like I just mentioned, I've already beaten them.

Why would I go and get this game when I know Gears will take a lot of my time? The answer is simple really and I'm a little surprised at how long it took me to come to the honest conclusion... because the game looks great. It is fun, fresh and a welcome change from the games I've been playing. It is a rebirth of the Laura Croft and the whole Tomb Raider series... and something that looks to be right up my alley.

Slick visuals and gameplay from a 3rd person perspective.... Check!
Large open world to explore....Check!
Great combat system (A first for this series)....Check!
Engaging story line that keeps you wanting to get to the end of it....Check!

But for those of you that may not know who Laura is, or what the Tomb Raider series is about... that's the great thing with this game.. you don't need to. You can come in cold to this story and not be lost. For those that are fans of the series, you get to see how it all began for Laura and how she became the Tomb Raider character you've come to know and love.

For those of you that want to know more, here is the info straight from Crystal Dynamics, the developer of the game:

STORY

Description:

Tomb Raider explores the intense and gritty origin story of Lara Croft and her ascent from a young woman to a hardened survivor. Armed only with raw instincts and the ability to push beyond the limits of human endurance, Lara must fight to unravel the dark history of a forgotten island to escape its relentless hold.

If that seems light on details, you are right... that would be the point of an origin story. the unfolding of the characters, events and story arcs are new and interesting and best saved for playing through the game to uncover them for yourself.

I know that I will be enjoying my time with Tomb Raider, even when I am enjoying my time with Gears in a few weeks. I also know that the games are different enough where I can shift from one from the other when I get bored of tired.

Enjoy!

Games you need to play: Mass Effect Trilogy!

2013-02-22T14:02:00.001-08:00

One franchise that has to be played by all those that appreciate great story, gameplay and graphics has to be the Mass Effect Trilogy.

Despite the ending of the trilogy, I find these 3 games to be among my most favorite games of all time. I have never played a group of games as much as these 3, and I played them over and over trying to find out all the possible results of my actions.

There were so many choices to make and so many things to do in the Mass Effect universe that you would be doing yourself a huge disservice by not playing them all.

For those that need more information, check out this snippet of information (From Wiki-pedia):

Mass Effect 1:

The first game in the series was originally created as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 but was later ported to Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios, and to the PlayStation 3 by Edge of Reality. The game focuses on the protagonist, Commander Shepard, and his/her quest to stop the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius from leading an army of geth to conquer the galaxy. During pursuit of Saren, Shepard learns of a far greater threat in the form of the Reapers. Saren has been mentally enslaved by the Reaper vanguard Sovereign, sent into Citadel Space to initiate the purge of all advanced sentient life in the galaxy, a cycle repeated by the Reapers every 50,000 years. Mass Effect was received with critical acclaim by many industry reviewers, and has garnered a large fan-following.

Mass Effect 2:

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.

To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy's most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.
Mass Effect 2 begins weeks after the ending of the first game. While patrolling for geth, the Normandy is attacked by an unknown starship, and many crew members die, including Navigator Pressly. The remainder of the crew is then forced to evacuate. During the evacuation, Shepard tosses Joker into the Normandy's final escape pod before being blasted into space. After a suit breach, Shepard asphyxiates and falls to the planet below. With the help of former squadmate Liara T'Soni, Shepard's body is retrieved by a human supremacist organization called Cerberus and they spend two years resurrecting him/her. Once revived, Shepard awakes aboard a besieged station, where he/she helps Cerberus agents Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson escape. Immediately after, Shepard is given an audience with the Illusive Man, head of Cerberus.

Commander Shepard meets the Illusive Man after escaping the besieged Cerberus station. Mass Effect 2's ending is affected by whether players choose to cooperate with the Illusive Man.
The Illusive Man informs Shepard that entire populations of human colonies are disappearing all over the galaxy; he believes the Reapers are responsible, and are working by proxy through an insect-like species called the Collectors. Shepard is convinced of the Illusive Man's theory after visiting a recently-attacked colony called Freedom's Progress, and agrees to help him stop the Collectors by eventually traveling through the Omega-4 Relay, from which no ship has ever returned.

Mass Effect 3:

The third and final installment in the Mass Effect trilogy, the game was released on March 6, 2012.^[8] Casey Hudson commented that Mass Effect 3 "will be easier [to develop] because we don't have to worry about continuity into the next one."^[9] However, decisions will still be imported from the two previous titles to Mass Effect 3, as to keep continuity within the series.^[10] In the final chapter of the trilogy, the Reapers have returned in force, and have begun their purge of the galaxy, attacking the human home world of Earth. During this attack Commander Shepard is on Earth and forced to flee.^[11] After fleeing Earth Commander Shepard must hurry and rally the advanced races of the galaxy to make one final stand, not only to save Earth, but also to break a cycle that has continued for millions of years.

These games are a must play for any fans of RPGs, action games or sci-fi games. As a matter of fact, these games have it all and would be a mistake not to experience this great series.

Enjoy!