Geralt is as bad ass as ever. It’s nice to be back in Geralt’s shoes. He’s older, he’s got his memory back so now obviously wiser, and he’s still witty in his gravelly, awesome voice. It’s just nice to be reunited with such a great, morally grey character. Feels like I’m back in the saddle.

The world is huge. HUUUUGE. One thing I realized from the get-go is the world is overwhelmingly big. This is no holding your hand for the first hour or two of the game in a relatively small space sort of set up. Even though you start in a town, that town is just a small space on the road of a map that is HUGE. And oh yeah, that huge map is just one section of a larger world map and so everything is pretty much massively overwhelming. I easily rode off into areas where I was underleveled and quickly noped my way out of there, with plans to return. You know, after I do the twenty million other things that keep popping up EVERYWHERE I TURN.

 Gwent is addicting. The new mini game of the Witcher world is Gwent, replacing Dice Poker of 1 and 2 (RIP).Gwent is a card game you play with NPCs where you both are generals of an army and your army is your cards. You play cards with different strengths and that have specific abilities, or weather cards that may affect the ability of your different units; close combat, ranged combat and siege combat. You can play and beat people for special cards or buy cards from merchants to build your deck. I’m already playing a character who has beaten me repeatedly, but I just keep trying because it’s addicting and quite frankly, fun. I’m jealous of the special edition people who will get an actual deck.

 Camera angles are a funny thing. One negative I have noticed is that the camera can be a little, well, annoying. It’s not that I don’t have control over it, but even still at times I feel like I’m doing a lot of twirling around with it when sometimes a monster might be off to the left of my screen; Geralt will go to fight him and now he’s to the left, and I can’t see what I’m doing well until I play around with the camera. It’s also gotten into weird corners in indoor areas, much to my chagrin. Annoying, but not game breaking.

Graphics are pretty. I’m playing on the PS4, so keep that in mind when I say, it’s pretty. The sky is beautiful during sunrise and sunset, the water looks amazing (isn’t everything graphically always based on the water?) and there are certain details in the grass, trees, and other elements that look great. I can only imagine what it will look like on a suped up PC rig.

Combat is spot on. The combat is much better in 3 than it ever was in 1 or 2. 1 was just slow and a little clunky at times, and while 2 tried to make things speedier, they took away potions during battles (why? WHY?!) and it never felt all that seamless. The Witcher 3 brings back potions during battle, finally, has all our favorite signs to use, and just feels super nice. I haven’t run into any combat specific issues yet.

So there you have it; a quick look at my initial thoughts, spoiler free. This one is going to give me hours upon hours of entertainment, and I’m really excited to see where it all leads, killing some awesome monsters along the way. At some point I’ll be sure to update on progress and have a more cohesive review put together!

I just wrapped up my first full game run through a couple of days ago. I scored the second of three endings, being that I was missing certain items to obtain the “final” and some would say “true” ending. With that even in mind, my whole experience was terrifying, frustrating, creepy, and overall, just wonderful. I’m not a newcomer to From games; I’ve played all of the original Dark Souls, reached a halfway point with Dark Souls 2 (sorry Xbox 360, but you got shafted once my PS4 came out) and I was ready to take on Bloodborne, to see if it would match all the hype.

Bloodborne is the same and yet different. Yes, you still fight through onslaughts of difficult enemies, to then face off monstrously large and difficult bosses, some that will have you dying again and again and again. But while the overall structure of the game is the same, there’s much that isn’t. You’ve probably already heard all about the faster pace of combat; you are rewarded for going back in for more punches after being hit with actually filling back up your health bar. Attacks can be parried with your firearm and a visceral follow up attack does enough damage to encourage you to get close enough to perform it. Blood vials are also more plentiful than Estus Flasks ever were, but don’t let that fool you. It does not make the game easier, if only more accessible to those who might quit out early. And you’ll still find yourself in predicaments where you’ll have to farm for Blood Echoes (the game’s version of souls) to buy more Blood Vials, or farm for the item itself just to get wrecked by a boss all over again.

I do enjoy the new style of gameplay; it forces you to engage, not hide behind a shield and wait. It’s weird at first for a Dark Souls player to get into, but once you get the hang of it, it’s rather exhilarating. It’s more about quick thinking, not plotting, and not being afraid to lose some Blood Echoes in the process.

Beyond this though, is the story and design behind Bloodborne. Yeah, I said it. Story.

But From always has really confused, barely there stories, you say! Trust me, the “confusing” part hasn’t left the building here and often I visit the Bloodborne subreddit to read up on theories of lore, or what clues other players have cracked. But, there’s still many more of those breadcrumbs to follow and they are a bit easier to piece together than the old Dark Souls games. You’ll actually feel like you have some understanding of what is going on, in chunks. Pieces of a puzzle that you’ll have to go back to, to figure out how they fit together. And man, is it Lovecraftian and creepy and everything a dark fantasy world should be. You’ve got men turning into beasts, people being dragged away to be experimented on, a church that might not be full of the best intentions, beings called Great Ones who are equally worshipped, feared, and hunted, and oh just some really creepy stuff about babies and fetuses. Lots of babies and fetuses.

The enemy design is tops, with things getting progressively weirder and weirder as you go further into the game (I’m looking at you, singing Brain Trust dudes). Things feel actually original; I think particularly to one optional side boss I won’t give away, in the Upper Cathedral Ward, that was equal parts beautiful and grotesque. The art style is on point and honestly, I’ll say it, better than Dark Souls. Maybe it’s because it feels more rich and unique than the medieval setting Dark Souls is in. Maybe it’s because I’m bias towards enjoying horror. But I’d own that art book in a second, if they made it (and a lore book! Give me an official one, From!).

And here’s the thing about Bloodborne for me. I don’t normally NG+ most things. I beat a game and I feel pretty satisfied with it. But I can’t stop playing. I want to see the other endings (despite already knowing what they are), I want to finish the optional chalice dungeons, I want to interact with NPCs I missed the first time and I just want to experience the world all over again.

No game is perfect. My biggest gripe with Bloodborne is network issues and how long it can take to connect with friends for co-op. And the PvP process could be better. But man, if I didn’t put that controller down when the credits rolled and really soak in the experience I had just had.

So that’s it. Just a sum of my thoughts. Maybe not the most cohesive of “reviews” but it’s hard to talk too much about the game without giving things away (and I’ve already given away some already). There’s games I like, and there are games I love. And I would settle down and have babies with Bloodborne. That’s the kind of love I have for it.

Destiny

No matter who you talk to lately it’s just “Destiny! Destiny Destiny Destinnyyyy! Destiny? Destiny!”

OK maybe my conversations don’t really sound like that. Or if they do, I might wanna get my head checked.

Point is, everyone is talking about it and it makes sense. I mean, it’s an FPS meets MMO by Bungie and has been hyped up all year. I got on the hype train, choo choo!, and pre-ordered the game some time ago so I’ve been rocking it since day 1. My views on it are mixed.

Pros:

• It’s beautiful. I have it on the PS4 and so I can’t really compare it to other console versions, but all I know is it looks freakin’ great.
• It’s really fun with friends. If I can jump in with some of my buddies, whether we do story missions, patrol or crucible, I have a good time.
• I love the controls and I love how it easy it is to use inventory. It’s nicely set up and easy to get into when talking to merchants, or to compare current equipment with whatever you may be eyeing.

Cons:

• There’s a lack of story. The truth is, Bungie actually has a really fleshed out story and background, but you wouldn’t know it unless you log in to the site to review what are called Grimoire cards, that you get in game for completing things or finding things or killing things, but you can’t actually READ in game. Most people are not going to jump on the site to read this stuff, but the thing is, if you did  you’d see it’s all there. But somehow, that’s missing in the game. The story missions are vague at best, and I’m almost done with it (hey, I didn’t rush through like some people!) and I still don’t understand the relation of a lot of different factions and just what the “darkness” is.
• Peter Dinklage. Come on, even if you haven’t played the game, you already know. That wizard came from the moon.
• Did I mention crucible is damn near impossible if you aren’t level 20 bajillion already? Can’t have fun unless you are way up there because there seems to be no logical match making what so ever. I tried it out as soon as I was level 5 or 6 and it was like a kindergartner trying to face off with the terminator.
• That god damn loot cave. I’m over it guys, can we do something else with our time except shoot at endless amounts of enemies for engrams? Surely there’s more to the game than this?! Oh wait, there isn’t. Because once you hit level 20, all you do is grind. And the rest is kinda boring.

I hoped that patrols would be more fun but it seems like you are just patrolling big empty planets. I want more Bungie, give me more! I understand this is a “10 year game” but like, make me feel as if the first iteration is worth my full $60.

The Witcher 2

OK, let’s talk about games I totally missed out on in the past but I’m gleefully enjoying now. So, I finished Witcher 1 a couple of months ago, in between was playing Dragon Age (LOVED it. Marry me, Alistair.), and now I’m moseying along in The Witcher 2 (on PC).

I’m not sure how I feel about it compared to 1. Although 1 starts off with some pretty bad dialogue and a kind of boring start, once you get into the first town things get SO good. And after getting used to the combat mechanics, I liked it. I hate that in The Witcher 2 you have to meditate before hand to drink a potion. 9 times out of 10 this ends up in me getting killed in a battle I didn’t see coming, to have to then go back to my old save to meditate and prepare for said battle, instead of being able to make those decisions in the midst of everything. That and I’m not sure how I feel about combat, I feel like I better understood how my strikes were affecting opponents in 1 and in 2 it’s like, just hack and slash away and pray you don’t get surrounded. And roll. Roll a lot.

Granted, I am only a few hours in so my opinions still need to develop. I just don’t know! It’s not pulling me in the way Witcher 1 did.

 Five Nights At Freddy’s

Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.

I love scary games. I do. But something at Five Nights at Freddy’s just really freaks me out, guys. You are just a guy (or a girl, hell, I don’t know), in a room, as an overnight security person in a pizza place from hell. In said room are security cameras to look at and doors to shut closed just in case some MURDEROUS MECHANICAL ANIMATRONICS COME AND DECIDE TO STUFF YOU INTO A BEAR SUIT.

You can’t move. You can only..observe. You can watch said robotic grizzlies of doom on camera and if you look at them, they can’t move. But if you aren’t eyeballing them, they can make their way closer to where you are. But the thing is, you can only look through one camera at a time. and oh, yeah, you run out of power the more you use the cameras. Or those neato security doors. Or lights so you can see them looming in the hallway next to you. And if you run out of power, you are done. DONEZO.

I noped the hell out of there after the first night, the first time I played, and I have a high tolerance for scary. But I just didn’t understand the controls and what I was meant to do and I think that didn’t help the situation. The second time around, I got through night 1 no problem. By the end of night 2, one of my doors jammed and I knew I was done for. Yup, death.

Now I’m up to night 3 and honestly… I’m stressed, guys.  I don’t know, man. I don’t think I’m meant for all 5 nights. I quit. Someone else can take this shit job.

Yup, that’s me, on the Rift!

Because I have friends with exquisite tastes who love to jump on new tech, I got to experience the Oculus Rift myself and a variety of demos that have been released for it. Plenty of people are  coming up with cool demos to try out with the latest Rift Dev Kit 2 and I had the pleasure of test driving a handful. Before I get into the demos particularly, I want to talk a bit about the experience of using the Rift in general.

First,  it’s fairly easy to get started, but your pupil distance measurement is key for things to show properly. There is a tool to use to help the Rift figure out what works for you and while by no means is it super accurate, it gets the job done. Once you fiddle with that, you’re good to go. The Dev Kit 2 is obviously a lot bigger than what they are planning to create for a final home product. They are already looking into more streamlined, lighter designs. That said, for as big and bulky as the Rift currently is, it’s surprisingly not too heavy, though it does odd hit the top of your cheeks which can feel sort of funny after a while of using it. It’s fully adjustable so I was able to fit it perfect to my smaller head as opposed to my friend who, as a guy, wears it at a bigger size.

Other than that, it’s really non-intrusive and as long as you don’t stare through it when a demo isn’t running (which was making my friend prone to almost instant headaches), it’s pretty easy to just open your eyes and get immersed.

Now, on to some demos I got to check out:

Radial G: This demo puts you in a cockpit of a racing car attached to a cylindrical road. You can spin around that road as much as you’d like, which I learned myself by doing it constantly and making myself beyond dizzy. You don’t race against anyone else and it only ends when you want it to. I was pretty much immersed from the start; it really shows off the speed and the kind of gravity defying, dizzy-inducing games that can be produced. After about 7 minutes or so my brain couldn’t handle anymore, but I did really enjoy it and it made me want to see an Extreme-G like this (yes I was on that side of the Extreme-G/F-Zero battle). They were trying to raise money on Kickstarter to make a full game of Radial G but unfortunately they did not hit their goals. I do hope to see them find a way to continue the project, though.

Millennium Falcon Experience: It’s just what you think it is; walking around the Millennium Falcon. It’s a very small demo, where you get the main training area and the cockpit, and that’s about it. Word is this demo was put together in just a day, just to see how something like this would work. All I could think was, what would this be like if characters were walking around that I could interact with? And then I had about 2 minutes of daydreams of how great a game that’d be.

Kokiri Forest: When my friend put this demo on, I squealed and my mouth dropped. Here I was, standing in Kokiri Forest, the opening of Ocarina of Time. And it.  Was. Glorious. Well, save for the fact that you moved like molasses. Clearly I wasn’t actually Link, otherwise I’d be able to tumble and yell “Cheeeaaah!” and cut grass like a crazy person. But when I went to go see the Deku Tree… I had a moment. It was huge and awesome and I could look up at its wondrous branches and its oddly shaped face and just thought, this is everything my 12 year old self ever dreamed of.

Cyber Space Ride: Cyber Space Ride is one of the earlier demos I saw on YouTube when people were first playing around with the Rift. It has you on a ride called Cyber Space that essentially is a theme park ride that flips you around, up and over and upside down, like an insane swing. The way it tricked my brain into thinking I was actually making some of the descents was mind boggling. Here I was, sitting stationary on a chair, and still felt that feeling in my chest like my body was experiencing Gs. That, and the ability to hit the space bar and send your body flying as far as you can before splattering on the ground left me with a very satisfied demo experience.

Chilling Space: Another simple demo but a great one. You float out in space, gun in hand to shoot meteors (if you want to, not even a mandatory thing), floating just above Earth. I looked around at the stars and details forever, lost in the fact that I could literally look any which way and just see nothing but awesomeness. simple, but beautiful.

Ocean Rift: This last demo…well. I could explain to you what happened, or you could just watch the YouTube reaction video my friend posted of me:

What are your thoughts on the Rift? Do you have a dev kit or were able to try out any demos? Which ones would you personally want to, if you could? Let me know!

I never owned a Playstation console before the PS4.

That’s it. That’s the answer. While the service probably doesn’t make sense to those with a library of past Playstation games and own their old consoles, it makes sense for someone like me who missed out on the Uncharted series or some great PS2 classics. This is the perfect opportunity for me to play and enjoy games I didn’t get to before and for a reasonable price.

Speaking of price, here’s an idea of what people are seeing on Beta (and it varies per game).

Saints Row: 4 hours for $4.99 and 90 days for $29.99

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:  4 hours for $4.99, 7 days for $6.99, 30 days for $14.99, 90 days for $29.99.

This is where the problem lies. At least for right now, prices are a little, shall we say, askew.  A 4 hour rental should be no more than a dollar or so, or hell, even offer 2-3 hours for free so someone can try out the game and see if they want to continue. But $5 for 4 hours, in which no game can likely be beaten unless its a very small indie game, no thanks.

Now, the 7 day rental makes some sense in comparison to the few rental options out there currently. But when you start heading into $15+ dollars for games that can be bought for cheaper, I see the issue. In the cases of the games above, they are NOT Sony exclusives and therefore I can (and do) own the on other platforms, likely for much cheaper than a 90 day rental.

Playstation Now’s appeal comes from exclusives, I believe, and only for those who do not own past consoles and therefore cannot pick up an actual copy on Amazon for $15. It can have a much more widespread appeal if they do reevaluate their price points.

But, this is a beta. We can only hope that in being so, final prices will be different. I’d also love an option to just buy a game to download for $25 or $30 than just having the 90 day rental.

So, does Playstation Now need some fixes? Yes. Can Sony turn it into a worthwhile service? If they listen to feedback,  I think so. Will I end up renting Playstation exclusives on it, assuming the price seems justifiable to me? You betcha. Because in the end, it’s cheaper than buying myself an old PS3 and the games I missed.

What are your thoughts on Playstation Now? Will you use the service? Do you think Sony will change prices after listening to critics and users? Let me know!

A friend of mine is getting his Rift shipped to him next week and it got me thinking; if I had the choice to play any game I’d want on the Rift, which would I want to experience the most in a virtual reality world?

Skyrim: There have already been people who have used the Rift with Skyrim and it looks no less than awesome. I put over 200 hours in the game but I’d gladly put 200 more if I was able to experience it in a VR way. To me, any RPG like this is the perfect companion for the Rift. If not Skyrim then the next Elder Scrolls?

Slender: I’m all for scary games and there’s plenty of good first person horror experiences that could work. But the first that came to my mind was Slender. I mean, how much more of a heart attack would you have knowing that if you literally turn your head you might see him, watching you, coming for you? Just the thought gives me the creeps and that’s totally something I’d want to try!

Doom: I want a good classic and Doom seems as great as any. OK so maybe the textures won’t look fabulous all up in your face but they don’t have to. I just want to take on a Cyberdemon mano y mano. I also feel like shooting a BFG in VR would be really satisfying.

Mirror’s Edge: With the first being such a cult hit and the second one on its way soon, playing Mirror’s Edge with a Rift strapped to you would be pretty awesome. I mean granted, you won’t be literally parkouring around because that could mean broken objects in your living room, but I still think it’d make for  a lot of fun.

Rollercoaster Tycoon: Let’s say we take the elements of the originals and the ability to ride your creations from 3 and combined it into one awesome Rift game? I think there’d always be an appeal for riding your own roller coasters virtually. If you look at some of the games demoed for the Rift, a lot of them are amusement park based because it makes sense to test out the experience with rides. So why not be able to ride your own coasters, or explore your own park via Rift? We just need to make sure the game isn’t a buggy mess like 3 was.

So those are just some games I’d love to see on the Rift (or sequels of), but what would you love to play if you could choose anything?

Watch Dogs

A lot of people have felt the game did not live up to the hype. I’ll say this; no, the graphics are not quite as beautiful as they seemed when shown at E3 last year. That’s a disappointment to most, even those who don’t focus too highly on aesthetics. Second, yes, it’s sort of like GTA with hacking but there’s nothing inherently wrong with that because look at how great the GTA games are. It doesn’t take away from the fun, nor the really great way hacking is implemented. I thought I’d get tired of hacking fuses to explode at the perfect time to take out a couple of gang members at once, but nope. Still great, even 20+ hours in.

Aiden Pearce as a protagonist leaves a little to be desired. He’s not as boring as say, Connor from AC3 (sorry, but he might be the most boring Assassin we’ve ever encountered) but he’s a bit low key and sometimes a little drab, making it hard to find him as likeable as some of the supporting characters (I’m a big fan of Jodi and “T-Bone”, or so his cover name is so I don’t give anything away). I do like that he’s avenging the death of his niece and cares for his sister and nephew, not his wife or own child which is the usual connection in games like this. In fact, Aiden is completely single and devoid of family and that makes his connection with his sister and her kids greater and I enjoy that.

It certainly is not a perfect game and sure, maybe falters a bit compared to the expectations we had after its reveal, but I’m still having fun and I’m still getting my full $60 worth and really, that’s all I can ask. I’m also looking to see where the story goes so I’m eager to finish it.

Gone Home

Everyone’s been talking about Gone Home. I didn’t know much, just that you come home to your house from a trip to see your family, but no one is there. You have to search the house for clues as to what happened. That’s the very basic premise. I was excited to see it on sale for 75% off on Steam so I grabbed it.

I’m about an hour and a half into the game and things are starting to unravel. I wouldn’t dare give anything away because that defeats the purpose of playing, but it’s fair to say that even without any antagonists, enemies, or much of anything but exploring items in a home, the game definitely has a great atmosphere. It’s eerie that this house is empty but it’s sort of sad as well, when you start reading notes and rifling through items. The game is supposedly only 2-3 hours long, and I already see where the story is going (or so I believe). So far it’s been a good experience and I’d recommend it for something a little different.

So that’s what I’m playing currently and will be wrapping up both these games in the next few days. What have YOU been playing lately? Would love to know and hear any recommendations/thoughts!

You start off, of course, creating your character and choosing from one of the 3 main factions; hunter, titan and warlock. After a long debate and inner turmoil I chose  hunter over warlock and set out to make my half head shaved, red headed alien chick because why not. From there they drop you into the world in the very first quest of the game. You are led around by “Ghost,” a little floating orb voiced by Peter Dinklage (though halfheartedly) gives you some insight on where you are and what the background is. However, I felt a little lost being dropped in with no real explanation of who the aliens (The Fallen) are, why I’m fighting them and what the overall premise is.

The game has all the mechanics of an FPS when out in the world. As you progress  you can upgrade abilities, like gain double jump, have better focus with certain guns and throw knives instead of just needing to be up close and personal. Certain abilities need charging after use though, and throwing knives, along with grenades, are a couple of these. It makes for a fairer fight and causes you to save said grenade for larger groups rather than wasting it on a couple of Fallen.

After your run through with the first quest, you head to the Tower, which is the main hub where you can upgrade armor, weapons and your ship. You can receive rewards from your faction’s leader and interact with other players. Here it is immediately thrown into 3rd person and feels like a true MMO, running around a base and being able to “wave” to and “dance” with players, etc. It definitely brought me back to my Old Republic MMO days (which were short lived, FYI).

Later on in my play-through I joined up with two friends in their FireTeam. It makes traveling with each other easy; the leader of the squad can choose to go to orbit and pick a new destination and you all follow instantly with the same loading screens. Working together was fun and definitely makes quests far more manageable. This feels like a game that can be completed alone, but you are going to get a lot more out of it if you head out in groups.

We did choose an “explore” mission that wasn’t part of the story, but a lot of it had mini-quests that were essentially “kill this many bad guys” or “go after this one souped up bad guy.” Fun for a bit, but not for prolonged play.

The game itself is beautiful, there’s definitely no faults there. Great renderings, beautiful skyline views and just a nice overall art direction.

So far, the game feels like WoW in that you complete quests to level up and gain XP, but not in that its an FPS/action game, which is more something that would keep me interested. It’s a different take on the MMO world and is seamless in its integration. It’s been fun and this weekend I’ll take the time to explore even more and give the Crucible a try, which is the PvP arena. I’m not sure it 100% lives up to the hype, but keeping it mind this is an Alpha build, there really could be much more to come when the game is finally released.

4 Player Co-Op for Assassin’s Creed: Unity: I’m curious as to how they are going to work it with the actual characters people play as opposed to whoever the main assassin will be (or do we get to choose or own assassin for the storyline? hmmm) but Ubisoft made 4 player co-op look pretty badass. Taking down evil templars with your buddies? Yes! So long as one of them isn’t a clumsy jerk and attracts the attention of all the guards. Then you’re out of the creed, sir!

Little Big Planet 3: I was a little late to the LBP bandwagon in the past, as I didn’t own a Playstation 3 and had to enjoy it when at various friends’ places. But Sackboy grew on me, he did, and my heart soared when I saw LBP3 and it’s new characters. I think my favorite might be the cute little OddSock, but Toggle was pretty awesome as well, with the ability to change size and weight to get through various puzzles. I’m looking forward to this one.

Rainbow Six Siege: It’s been 6 years since the last Rainbow Six, and man if this did not look super fun. We were given a demo of gameplay with two teams, one taking a hostage away and another trying to rescue her.  What I really enjoyed was that with each death of a teammate, the game updated you with a ” 4 vs. 4″ or “3 vs. 2” on the screen, adding to the excitement of  what was going on. Of course, the way people talk to each other in multiplayer for demos always sounds so much more professional than real life which will likely just be my friends yelling orders at each other, over each other, but whatever. I’m ready to save some hostages!

Bioware’s New Secret IP: Yes, the news that the next Mass Effect is being worked on is great, but it’s not really news. Bioware said long ago that they would continue games in the universe after Shepard and company. What got me was that they revealed they are working on a whole new IP, and that gets me very excited. I want to see what other new worlds outside of ME and Dragon Age they can come up with.

Getting to play Battlefield Hardline Instantly: There were a lot of beta sign ups being thrown around willy nilly yesterday, some of which were a bitch to get into because of the way people hounded the websites to sign up. But I was able to play Battlefield:Hardline almost instantly as my friend downloaded the beta to his PS4 in between conferences. Now that is pretty sweet. While the game right now feels like any other Battlefield with a cops & robbers skin over it, it was still a ton of fun.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War: I’m one of those people not necessarily enamoured by every artsy indie game I see, but Valiant Hearts: The Great War got me right in the feels with its trailer. It looks like it’s going to be a moving gaming experience, set in World War I, and I’m excited that it’s coming out in just 2 weeks.

No Man’s Sky: Lastly, No Man’s Sky looked like every sci-fi lovers dream. Endless exploration, generated worlds, no player starting on the same planet and given the ability to fly around in space and land on planets with ease? Yes. Add in the awesome art direction and this may be the game I’m going to stalk the most between  now and release time. I just hope they can live up to such vast goals.

So those are some of the things I found impressive at E3, among many others. I’m looking forward to more information as we move forward on all of these upcoming games and even a few others not on the list (Bloodborne, anyone?).

Saying this doesn’t make me many friends; Halo is one of those franchises that most people will stick up for, even if they aren’t hardcore fans. Halo is the “cool kids” thing to love. I will say my gaming experience with Halo has gone as far as playing and beating the original and getting through about a quarter of the way through the second single player campaign before promptly giving up due to lack of caring. I just don’t think the story is great and beyond that, I just don’t love the multiplayer. I will admit to being picky about my first person shooters and maybe that’s what I’m adverse to it. But I’m that person that rolls their eyes every time another Halo 7-11 cup is released or a Halo television show becomes a thing. Sorry, but I just can’t will myself to like the franchise, no matter how hard I try.

OK, I haven’t really tried.
2) Grand Theft Auto: This is a franchise that just seemed to get passed me. It’s not a “hate” thing, it’s an indifference thing. I missed out on the first few and didn’t actually get my hands on one until Vice City. I’m a big fan of open world games and I do like RockStar a lot. L.A. Noire is a all time favorite of mine, I enjoyed Red Dead Redemption (though I have to finish it) and I think they make some really interesting games. But somehow, I just never got into Grand Theft Auto. I feel a little lost every time a new one is released.

So, I bought GTAV a week after it came out. And I’ve been playing it. And you know what, it’s not bad. But I still got way more into Arkham Origins when that came out and frankly, once I get my PS4 this Friday… god knows where GTAV will be on my list of games to play. It still hasn’t won me over yet.

 
3) Call of Duty: I really, really have no desire for any Call of Duty games. Maybe because every single one seems exactly the same. Maybe because I think Battlefield is a far better first person shooter franchise. Maybe because I cannot stand the type of people on the multiplayer servers (not to generalize, but a lot of those guys are fairly infantile). Or maybe because I’m just over CoD and yet know there will be a CoD 50 but the time I’m in my 40s.
4)Minecraft: Guys. Minecraft. No.

I get the appeal. I see how many hits Minecraft let’s play videos get on Youtube. I see the amazing things people have created (entire Walt Disney World theme parks, anyone?) and yet, I have no patience myself to get in there and create, well, anything. Now, that’s not to say I’m not a creative person. It just means that I don’t have the patience for the meticulousness needed to make the Death Star in the game.

OK, so there’s survival mode, with zombies and other cool enemies. And I’ve played some of it multiplayer which was, to be honest, fun. At least for half an hour. But then I got tired of punching trees and mining and punching pigs and getting blown up by creepers.

In the end, I’ve deduced Minecraft is for the person who puts a lot of time in to see results. Me? I get antsy. I can’t do it. But I can still appreciate the game as a whole, more than some others on this list!
5) World of Warcraft (and most MMOs): This is a line of geekdom I cannot and will not cross. That’s not to say I’ve never played any MMOs, I was on The Old Republic when it came out (though abandoned it about 3-4 months later). But WoW is just beyond my brain’s capacity for grinding to level up a character and weird online interactions. No thank you.