Looter Shooters, Extraction Shooters, Hero Shooters, even Battle Royales are starting to become an overpopulated set of genres, some would even say a fad in gaming.

Everything from Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny, The Division, Warframe, Escape From Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown, Rainbow Six: Siege, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s DMZ, to Overwatch.
Only a short time has passed since ill fated hero shooters Concord and XDefiant were shut down. Yet already we have Arc Raiders, Marathon, and many more are lined up to launch this year.

With every game asking gamers for ALL of their time, continuous financial investment whether it is DLC, battle passes, season passes, loot boxes, cosmetics, or other over priced features, players are feeling the pressure. Some studios are greedy, some content is meant to support the developers and keep the lights on at the studio. It’s difficult to spend millions or hundreds of millions on a single game, only to offer it for $60, $40, or entirely free and hope to make money from expansions and cosmetics.

The economy is in a difficult transition, a large majority of gamers are working class. We’re not millionaires and billionaires with time and money to spend. Any moment we have to relax after a hard day of work or school is precious. There’s no time to spend on games with enormous, never ending content funnels. Some people prefer games with a good story, a definitive ending, a chance to move on and play other games. Others might prefer a never ending experience, to dive into a world and explore it with friends indefinitely.

In my case, I always enjoy returning to games like Destiny and the Division, but I’m always trying to keep up with new releases. It’s fun to play games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II and Helldivers II with friends on occasion.

In between all these great experiences are the opportunity to jump into new worlds like Marathon and Arc Raiders, but if they’re not innovating on the extraction shooter formula, if the art style and characters aren’t appealing, then why should we invest time and money in it. This is a fiercely competitive group of genres with a trail of failed attempts, millions of dollars lost, thousands of layoffs, studios shuttered, all because you can’t predict the future. So developers follow the latest fads in gaming and hope in a few years when the game transitions from development to launch, you hope for the best. Game developers hinge their bets that the battle royale, looter shooter, and extraction shooter will maintain popularity, and hopefully there’s enough room to coexist with the likes of Fortnite, Destiny, and other established titles.
Sometimes it’s publishers or even more likely shareholders that want games that will make them a profit, not necessarily something that will be artistic, or a great new innovation in gaming that' we will talk about for decades.

Gamers are likely already entrenched in their favorite games in these genres or others. If a game is just another attempt at the same formula with a different coat of paint, or an obvious cash grab, gamers won’t waste time or money on it.

Incredible experiences like the Campaign and PVE elements of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, Black Myth: WuKong, and other innovative titles are few and far between. Fleeting experiences like these Looter Shooters, Extraction Shooters, Hero Shooters, and Battle Royales are only alluring when properly balanced, free from cheaters, and the servers are still live. Once the lights are out, there’s no chance to relive the good times. We’re creating a history of games that will one day be lost to time. Development costs will be too high, servers will be shuttered, your digital copy won’t load, and the empty plastic case will only have a useless disc inside. Previous generations we had games you could replay decades from now. Multiplayer had split-screen and system linking, LAN parties. Backwards compatibility was an opportunity to keep the games you own and be able to play them in the future. Gaming was an investment in a fun hobby that was mostly affordable.

Now, we are burdened by too much choice, too many games launching in one month. Games that cost more than you can afford with time investments you can’t make. A bottomless pit of fleeting experiences all begging for your time and money. An industry that has expanded past its limits. Developers can’t afford the time and funds to make massive AAA games, players don’t have the time or money to invest. A game doesn’t even have to flop, successful games have seen studious shutter. Games with critical acclaim like Hi-Fi Rush have seen their doors close, because even a great experience doesn’t guarantee publishers won’t see their financial return or happy shareholders. Gaming used to be about innovation, preservation, and new ideas. Now it is about who can catch onto the latest fad and recreate the consistent financial gains that Fortnite has.

While I may not have instant solutions, the first step is identifying the problem.

I was thinking about this today but wouldn't it be better if we kinda just had less videogames coming out?

I love that there is so much variety and so many great games out but I miss when we ALL had time to experience some of these games before the next major release. Think about how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Rise of the Ronin, and Dragon’s Dogma II came out all within weeks of each other, each filled to the brim with massive open worlds and RPG elements to spend hours upon hours immersing yourself in.

When everything is 40-200 hours, it's hard to find space between games or find time to go replay old favorites.

There's a lot of half finished early access and live service games that are being sold at full price with the "promise" they'll be just as great as finished at time of release single player games are.

I just wonder if they fully cooked these games before giving us a raw plate of bad food would be better for gaming in general. I'm happy to wait on some of these games.

There's no shortage of incredible games to play in the meantime. On the other hand, gaming has gotten too big and now it's all about appeasing shareholders and not making great experiences.

Look at the recent news from Ubisoft: Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed for more polish, Star Wars Outlaws launching below sales expectations, a drop in Ubisoft’s stock price that is the lowest it has been in ten years.
In addition to the delay, lessons learned from the launch of Star Wars Outlaws and the departure of the traditional Season Pass model, Ubisoft will release the game to all players at the same time with the first expansion being free for those that pre-order.

This also has led Ubisoft to release Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Steam Day 1, rather than make it exclusive to Ubisoft Connect for several months. Star Wars Outlaws will be arriving on the Steam platform on November 21 as the developers are working on several updates around gameplay polish, optimization, quality of life changes, new contracts in-game, as well as adjustments to combat and stealth gameplay.
Shareholders are looking to oust management as leadership identified the need for “greater efficiency while delighting players” with a new “player centric approach.”
Ubisoft has stated their goal is to entertain and reach a broad audience and NOT push any specific agenda.

The Ubisoft CEO said, "I want to reaffirm that we are an entertainment-first company, creating games for the broadest possible audience, and our goal is not to push any specific agenda. We remain committed to creating games… that everyone can enjoy”

If the games aren't good or entertaining, no one is going to buy. Ubisoft has tried agenda over player first games and it doesn't work. Nobody wants Star Wars with agendas, they want Star Wars with lightsabers, blasters, and space battles! Free from our world's politics, but immersed in the world of Star Wars and their issues. Sure there's some people mad about the characters in both Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows but that's mostly racist/sexist folks that aren't the majority of gamers. I don't see this as them backing down to culture wars, but a shift to what players want when they buy a game, and it's not what games like Concord offers. At the end of the day, companies must generate revenue and if something is not selling, changes must be made moving forward.

What was Ubisoft doing in 2014 and beyond that led to a rise in their shares? Assassin’s Creed Unity, Watch Dogs, Far Cry 4, and the Crew all in 2014. 2015 led to games like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege which is still an active and healthy live service game to this day. Tom Clancy’s the Division, Watch Dogs 2, and Steep would all launch in 2016 leading to For Honor, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017.

Ubisoft has made a lot of great games in the past two decades arguably from the launch of the Tom Clancy series of licensed games, Prince of Persia, Rayman, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, and many more.
What has changed in Ubisoft’s formula? A lot of it is a result of pushing out Assassin’s Creed games and DLC on a yearly basis, at a certain point quantity over quality stifles innovation.

Ubisoft needs a big win with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, not just for share prices and for management to desperately cling to power, but because players have been asking for an entry in Japan since the series began in Assassin’s Creed (2007). Expectations are high and players want to be deeply immersed in a world where they can play as Naoe, a Japanese Shinobi or Yasuke, an African Samurai.

I am personally excited for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the choice to switch between two characters with drastically different gameplay styles, one being heavy armored sword fighting and the other a stealthy parkour ninja. Star Wars Outlaws is a game I have enjoyed playing on the YouTube channel but it does require some adjustments to stealth gameplay and takedowns can be frustrating and slow animations. The world is immersive and the reputation system allows you to play one gang against another as you steal from them all in order to be the ultimate Outlaw. The story was better than expected and Kay Vess and Nix are quite the duo.

Where should Ubisoft go from here? Well, I have a few suggestions:

—Tom Clancy’s The Division 3 with DLCs taking us to new and old locations, the full live service treatment with continuous updates for years to come. The Division 2 has a healthy community starving for more story content, missions, and gear.

— Rainbow Six. The live service game Siege can continue to generate revenue and keep PVP players busy but there’s still a market for a single player and co-op squad based shooter. Travelling the globe, saving hostages, defusing bombs, stopping terrorist attacks, and telling an engaging story we haven’t seen since Rainbow Six Vegas and the cancelled Rainbow Six Patriots. Games like Ready or Not and Ground Branch as well as a bevy of extraction shooters are invading the market Ubisoft used to dominate with Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Mix elements of third person shooters for the cover system a la Rainbow Six Vegas.

Rainbow Six Patriots Synopsis:
Team Rainbow is called to New York City to deal with a terrorist group calling itself the 'True Patriots.' Styling themselves as a populist militia group, the True Patriots have taken it upon themselves to act as judge, jury, and executioner on behalf and avenging the alleged victims of what they see as Wall Street corruption.

To complicate the situation, the new leader of Team Rainbow is James Wolfe, a former Navy Seal who believes ethics are irrelevant in dealing with the True Patriots. As Echo Leader, a man who looks up to Wolfe as a father figure, they must stop the True Patriots at all costs; even at the price of their own personal morality.

This game that never was could make for some interesting stories in a post 9/11 world. It could have made for some dark and political storytelling that would immerse players in the world of counter terrorism.

Rainbow Six Patriots footage revealed in 2011 but cancelled in 2014 to make way for Rainbow Six Siege.

—Ghost Recon. Bring the series back to basics: third person squad based tactical shooter, option to play singleplayer and command your team, and opt for semi open world hub maps in different locations over massive and empty open world maps.

—Splinter Cell. There may be a remake of the original 2002 Xbox game but we desperately need one of the best stealth games and the iconic character of Sam Fisher to return. With Michael Ironside voicing Sam, bring back as much of his original Third Echelon team as possible and have him working for the NSA. Stick with a modern setting without too much futuristic technology. Keep the series grounded, Sam uses DARPA technology, Krav Maga, a knife, pistol, NVG’s, and the SC20K. Opt for semi open hub maps where the player has control of how to approach the mission and extract. Allow players to customize Sam’s gear, tailored specifically for the mission, think how Hitman allows for cargo drops of weapons, or certain restrictions like disguises or limited inventory in a location. Take the series back to basics and get the sneaking animation as flawless as it was in the first three games. Keep the series rooted in stealth with some possibilities for action but don’t market to the mainstream audience that hates stealth games.

—Steep. An incredible game that captured many winter sports, awesome visuals, great graphics, and the culture. A sequel with multiple locations and options of gear to use would make for a welcome sequel.

What do you think? Let me know your suggestions down in the comments.

What if AAA live service games that are the latest gaming grift? As someone that enjoys live service games when they're well implemented it does seem to be the next "big thing."

I can see board rooms of execs and greedy CEO's frothing at the mouth over converting studios to make live service games because they see the monetization opportunities and the recoup of investment, only making one game.

Without the full understanding that few survive and even less are prepared to pivot over the years as Destiny and Warframe have.

These are just examples from games I've played and not necessarily aimed at Suicide Squad.

-No one understands what makes live service games successful so publishers/developers keep attempting it. Thinking if you just keep mining, you might strike gold. They just see the big dollar signs that games like Fortnite, Destiny 2, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six: Siege and others can generate.

-In-game stores with high cosmetic prices even if the game isn't free to play. Sometimes players invest if the game is good. When the game is broken, harsh critiques hit the entire team when there's more of a focus on the marketplace than the content of the game.

-Since you only make one game, don't have to invest in a series of expensive sequels over the next 10 years. Only have to pay to keep the servers up, keep adding content, especially cosmetic outfits that are recolors.

-Often a team that is more experienced in single player narrative games is chosen to go live service/looter shooter. So sometimes it doesn't fit what the developers skillset is, which leads to financial ruin when the game is shut down in less than a year.

-Live service game doesn't have all the features available at launch. "Soon" there will be raids, patches that fix live service instability, new weapons, new armor, new characters, the initial storyline will be drip fed in DLC rather than part of the full package of the game at launch.

It might be the latest grift. Sometimes it's done really well, sometimes not. I don't think all studios are working under this mentality. It may be the higher ups forcing this on them, but it's a hard sell when the majority of games offer big promises with little to show.

Much like how crypto has been mostly scams, money laundering, and counterfeiting. The few legitimate cases that shine through, where people get rich off crypto don't prove it's for everyone.

Market trends and grifts can align though. The market has been trending to VR, Crypto, Live Service games, all can and do have grifts.

For all of these successes: Fortnite, Destiny, Warframe, etc. there's a dozen failures that died within a year or more. Anthem, Knockout City, Lawbreakers, Battleborn, Marvel's Avengers, Evolve, Babylon's Fall, Radical Heights.

So even if you're a major developer with major success in single player narrative games like Bioware, Crystal Dynamics, or Rocksteady, they can still fail in the Live Service space.

Even if you have a big brand like Marvel or DC Comics, it's not enough to save you.

It's really hard to copy Fortnite or Destiny and make it fun enough and different enough, with replayability and a loot pool that people want to grind for gear in.

Destiny spent years trying to figure out the proper flow of releasing and creating DLCs and content. Players would rush through the new content within hours and then be begging for more. In Destiny 2, they began experimenting with seasons and dripfeeding weekly storylines. Marvel's Avengers had no roadmap and inconsistent drops of content that was once every few months or half a year or so. Anthem didn't bother to listen to their playerbase and had little endgame so it was dead within weeks.

Destiny was built on FOMO. From vaulted content, battle passes that expire even if you spend your hard earned money on them, limited seasonal events that drop gear that sometimes is only attainable ONCE. Even Fortnite and other games offer new characters and skins that are limited time and once they're gone, they're gone.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League at least has a seasonal plan and some interesting endgame even if people find it repetitive, hopefully with more narrative bits but that's the nature of live service. Every game sends you back to the same locations with similar objectives to level up and get cool gear and skills.

I guess my main point is the "we'll fix it in post" attitude of live service games isn't resonating with gamers. That's how it feels like a grift. We pay $70 or more and we don't even get a full and complete storyline, game breaking bugs, more cosmetics that are often just recolors than there is content in the game, recycled boss fights and gear. I would argue that even the ending of Suicide Squad felt really incomplete and lacked a sense of finality. End one chapter but then start a new one. Now we're left hanging to defeat 12 more Brainiacs. I'm keen to do it, but what's the value proposition? Where's the excitement? We killed the Justice League, that's an unpopular thing to do.

Some of the microtransactions in the games can add up to thousands of dollars even if they're optional.

There are even times like when Destiny 2 sunset a lot of weapons and gear; that was years worth of grinding rare and hard to unlock weapons instantly rendered useless and 3 years playing the game were wasted. Even content that we've paid for has been vaulted to optimize the storage space of the game. There's many ways players can feel cheated, deceived, and now live service games leave a bad taste in people's mouths.

I love live service games especially when they're done right and I'm willing to give them all a chance. I think just because there is no intention to make it a grift doesn't mean that players won't see it as a grift. Trust is earned. Grand Theft Auto V has spent a decade adding content and building rapport with fans that have already enjoyed their single player experience.

Suicide Squad came in at a time where people really don't like live service games, we've seen a lot of them sink lately and would have preferred a Justice League game, or a co-op game about the Suicide Squad.

Not something we have to sink time and money into for the promise that "someday it might be something great."

That's where live service games feel like a pyramid scheme. Buy "The Boys" skins in Call of Duty, you'll have more fun while wearing these, we're adding new maps and modes. Everything now days is hinging on the possibility of "someday" and asking for the money up front.

I may not think some of these games are grifts, but it certainly seems like gamers see it that way. Without the gamers, nobody makes any money.

If we look at Helldivers 2 we can see that a well implemented live service game can be done right, and players will invest accordingly.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Fallout 3

Fallout New Vegas

Fallout 4

Fallout 76

Stellar Blade is incredible! The combat in this game takes me back to my playthrough Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice! Perfect parries and dodges, satisfying deflections, stylish action, quick time events, with a little sex appeal. Okay, maybe a lot of sex appeal.

There is Interesting lore, gorgeous cutscenes, solid dialogue, all of that has me immediately invested in this world. Excited to level up and unlock skills and craft my build of armor and weapons to take down enemies the way I want to.

This is gonna be in the Game of the Year conversations. I don't think I've replayed a demo this much in a LONG time. This is some satisfying gameplay! Check the video below to see my impressions.

Is it fun to unlock the Joker in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? The grind is rough. Having to get to level 35 and unlock Joker can easily hours of grinding the same missions in the endgame based on your playstyle and the missions you choose.
(I got to level 12 in 3 hours, but keep in mind I'm livestreaming, keeping up conversation, answering questions, taking breaks, looking at gear, etc.)

You could potentially unlock Joker faster or pay the $10. I like the game, but the grind is NOT THAT fun.
So far there hasn't been anything engaging happening story wise, hopefully that changes when the Joker is unlocked and we battle Brainiac again.

I was a fan of this game, the main story was solid although it ended in a way that left a lot of questions that are not being answered. The endgame isn't fun, this first Season is not looking like it's gonna get any better. Sad to see. I'll keep playing. More details soon. Check my livestream below for more.

Amid rumors that Microsoft Xbox exclusive titles Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and Indiana Jones: The Great Circle will come to other platforms like the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch gamers and all of Twitter/X are rightfully confused as to what this means for Xbox, the industry, and exclusivity to platforms.

I don’t think we’re asking the right question here.
It’s not:
Is this the end of the console wars?
Is this the end of Xbox?
Will Xbox go full third party and launch games on all platforms?
Should I be mad that my favorite plastic box will/won’t have exclusive titles?

The question is: why does it matter? Of course we’re speculating here that these rumors are true. Does it really change anything for you if Starfield which was exclusive to Xbox and PC, available on Game Pass, as most titles in the Xbox ecosystem are, suddenly arrives on PlayStation 5? It shouldn’t hurt you to see more people experience the great games you know and love.
I was elated when Death Stranding was ported to PC and more people that didn’t own a PlayStation could actually play this incredible title. I wanted to share the experience of roaming and musing about the world Hideo Kojima created for us with others, not keep it all to myself and some weird cult of Sony fans.

The bigger question is will this change the dialogue around Starfield? Will it now suddenly be hailed as a pinnacle space roaming RPG amid several other Game of the Year titles in 2023? Now that we’re not console warring over the game, can we debate the game on its merits and enjoy the role playing experience it provides, the beauty of a universe to explore, a ship to customize, worlds to live in, characters to fall in love with, and a story to immerse yourself in. Now that more people can enjoy Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, and Indiana Jones: The Great Circle, can we please just celebrate how awesome gaming IS.

Is this the end of Xbox and exclusivity? Probably not. While Xbox plays by a different ruleset than most, exclusive titles will probably always remain. What ruleset does Xbox play by though, let’s examine that. Quite frankly there are no rules: Xbox exclusives and third party titles show up on Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox exclusives show up on PC, because it’s Microsoft. So people often debate if you even need to buy an Xbox console, or is it better to own a PC for more access to games beyond Xbox. Xbox hasn’t been shy about putting exclusives like Minecraft on other platforms and providing adequate support and even exclusive content. Xbox isn’t here to sell consoles, occasionally they have a massive hit that is a must have: a new Halo, Gears of War, Forza, Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, etc. but they’re not even in the business of creating big narrative, action, movielike set piece videogames the way PlayStation does. Xbox is selling you the ecosystem: the incredible experience of online gaming through Xbox Live, portability through Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass delivering so much value in being able to play ALL the games on day one and have access to many titles anywhere at any time. So Xbox is not bound by traditional rules in the industry. They can play the game however they want, but does this ruin loyalty to the brand?

I have no doubt some people may be selling their Xbox or sawing them in half in videos over such outrageous news that some games may be going multi-platform. It shouldn’t ruin the brand. No one should be loyal to a plastic box but people do invest money in buying one console over the other based on the experience they believe they will get. Some may look at what games are playable on one console or another, people may compare the value of Xbox Game Pass to what PlayStation offers via its various memberships.
Buying a console is a major expense and most gamers are making a decision that will decide what games they will be playing years from now and they may not be able to invest in multiple consoles during any given console generation.

Does Xbox need to comment on this? Maybe. While I understand there’s really no reason to comment on speculation or rumors, it would be nice to know what the company formula is moving forward. Can we expect more titles to be multi-platform? Or should we still plan on some games being exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. What value does Xbox plan to deliver in the future that provides good reason for gamers to invest in their platform? If everything is on shaky ground with titles like Redfall launching in a broken and uninspiring state, can Xbox and its studios deliver experiences gamers want? Xbox has acquired many incredible studios and has a lot of projects in the works. Some like Perfect Dark, that we haven’t heard from in years, not even a concept of what the game will be. Halo Infinite should have been a grand slam, but it took years to stabilize the failure to launch and deliver features like Campaign co-op, Forge, and everything people expect from the popular sci-fi shooter. The game is in a great state now, but people do not want to be sold on false starts and a “we’ll fix it in post mentality.” Redfall may be great years from now, but who will care? The damage is already done.

It often feels like we are left waiting for next year the same way a popular sports team pines for making it to the big championship game like it used to. Next year we’ll have these big titles that justify buying a console in the Xbox ecosystem, next year we will have things to be excited about, next year we will hear about what’s next for Gears of War, Halo, and unannounced title x and y.

Xbox isn’t on the same playing field as others. They’re not playing by the same rules. It’s not about console sales, exclusive titles, blockbuster games, it’s about the ecosystem, the platform, and the value Xbox can provide. It’s the same way you choose an Apple phone over an Android phone. Both make calls, both have great cameras, fancy features, exclusive games, things that make them unique. You buy a phone from a certain platform based on the OS (operating system), the feel, the ease of use, and the value it provides. Some choose an Xbox the same way. We like the feel of the Xbox controller, the way you can customize the dashboard, store your games and access them via an external drive, how you can access backwards compatible games from all generations of Xbox on ONE platform.

Xbox needs a clear vision moving forward. Games that are released in a playable state and something that everyone at team Xbox can be proud of. There needs to be some sort of reasonable roadmap of when titles can be expected. The Xbox Series X|S generation launched with a ghost town of titles to play on the new and powerful hardware. We were left waiting for Halo Infinite while we played previous generation titles that were being enhanced for the new hardware. The industry is unpredictable and delays and changes in plans happen but it is not unreasonable to communicate what Xbox plans to deliver. Xbox having more showcases, directs, and communication online is a great thing. The internet is a constant game for attention and Xbox should be delivering the same excitement and anticipation Nintendo and PlayStation provide ahead of their showcases throughout the year.

So in conclusion, you’re asking the wrong question. There’s lots of questions to ask and the most important is “does it matter?” Not really. Games being more accessible to a wide audience allows Xbox to advertise the brand and sell more people on their games and the ecosystem that is Xbox. Enjoy games wherever you are and play what you want to play.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrived on the PlayStation 5 on 1/19/24 and a lot of gamers are curious as to whether the visual upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version of the game that launched 6/19/20 has the value for the price. While we can have a conversation on whether three years is too soon to be remastering games and if this is some sort of cash grab, I’d rather focus on the details and let you decide if this is a purchase you would like to make.

First, the game takes place five years after Joel and Ellie’s trek across the United States. They endured and survived a post-pandemic America coming into conflicts with raiders and infected alike. They have settled in Jackson, Wyoming amongst a community of survivors. The storyline will have many twists and turns as Ellie sets out on another quest.

Since this version of the game is built for the PlayStation 5 it contains features not possible in the PlayStation 4 version: Visual performance upgrades that include native 4K output in Fidelity mode, 1440p upscaled to 4K in Performance Mode, and an Unlocked Framerate option via VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) with TVs that support it. The game also features increased texture resolution, level of detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more. While some of these changes may be hard to notice without a keen eye and a visual comparison, the game is stunning and gorgeous. The PS5 SSD will also allow for faster load times, whether you’re starting up the game or coming back from a game over, you spend more time playing the game than waiting. On the accessibility features side, which is already incredible, Descriptive speech and audio to vibrations has been added.

Beyond that, there are also new things added to the game. A robust developer commentary that allows the team to shed light on the game development and narrative choices made while designing the game. A rather exciting feature is the Lost Levels: which allows you to play three new levels that are early development versions: Sewers, Jackson Party, and Boar Hunt. While these are unfinished levels that are in an early development state, it is interesting to get a glimpse of what was cut from the game and experience it. A rare thing we usually only see from movies in their special features. Guitar Freeplay is a new mode allowing you to play the in-game guitar freely as any character in any of the various locations provided. There are new instruments you can swap out in Guitar Freeplay as well.

The photo mode now includes dynamic lighting, frame forward, gaze direction, along with new frame and logo options. You can also dress Ellie and Abby in new clothes and adorn their weapons with cosmetic features which are unlockable via points you earn as you play the game.

A feature I found really useful was importing my PS4 save file from when I played The Last of Us Part II in 2020. Instantly trophies were popping and points I unlocked for cosmetics by completing the game started rolling in. It was a nice quality of life feature that didn’t require me to replay the game to immediately dive in and enjoy all the unlocks for time previously invested.

The game also includes full DualSense wireless controller support providing more immersion from haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers so each weapon feels its weight and a trigger pull changes from a bow, to shotgun, to a pistol.

You’re probably wondering about the price, if you already own The Last of Us Part II on PS4 you can simply upgrade to the PS5 version for $10. If you own a disc copy, the disc must be inserted into the console to play the game, this acts as a registration key. If this Remaster is your first purchase you can own it for $49.99.

Lastly, I want to talk about the most exciting addition to The Last of Us Part II: Remastered, No Return. This roguelike survival mode aptly titled No Return is a set of randomized encounters featuring different enemy factions in memorable locations from The Last of Us Part II. You choose your path in the Hideout by selecting each encounter on a branching corkboard of photos. The game will advise you about the faction you’re going against, the location, the objectives, and if you have an AI controlled ally by your side. If you die in this mode, you lose your gear: weapons, items, upgrades, and you start all over at the beginning. You do however unlock characters and outfits to adorn them with through continued play of this mode. You can expect that by playing as Ellie and surviving encounters you can unlock Dina, Jesse, Tommy, and Joel. While playing as Abby and completing challenges you can unlock Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny.
Each character has unique traits which gives you an advantage based on the character you pick. I’ll share some of the traits so you have an idea of what decisions you’ll have to make when choosing a character.
Ellie has traits that allow her to get 50% more supplements, a molotov recipe, and two upgrade branches from the start. Dina has traits that have her ready to place traps. Jesse gets 30% more currency and unique items at the trading post. Tommy starts with his iconic Sniper Rifle but cannot dodge. Joel begins with his custom revolver, he’s sturdier against melee, can’t dodge, and also has a shiv recipe/upgrade branch. Abby can heal on melee kills and begins with a melee upgrade recipe and the brawler upgrade branch. Choosing your character based on their traits and starting inventory can be key to a successful run.

After each encounter you will return to the hideout to purchase weapons, items, skills, and upgrade your gear using the resources you’ve gathered. You receive coins after each encounter to spend in the locker on weapons and gear upgrades. Weapon parts are also rewarded so you can modify your weapons and craft items as needed. You will also receive supplements and manuals to upgrade and unlock skill trees for your character. This allows you to build your character the way you want each run, but because everything is so randomized, you must adapt, endure, and survive. Keep in mind if you die, you’re back to zero.

Each encounter will be one of these four challenges: Assault, Capture, Holdout, and Hunted. You will fight off waves of enemies in assault. Capture will have you attempting to break into a safe full of valuable resources that enemies will guard, you can attempt this in stealth or other means. Holdout has you team up with an AI controlled ally while enemies surround you. Hunted has you face off against infinite enemy reinforcements until the timer runs out. It is also important to know that different factions can be faced in these modes. The corkboard also notifies you whether you are starting the encounter with the enemies in search mode or combat so you can plan accordingly. Keep in mind just because an encounter starts in combat doesn’t mean you can’t break line of sight, hide, and control the encounter from stealth. You can use the environment against patrolling enemies by setting traps, holding off choke points, or using distractions to flank the enemy.

Each run ends with a boss encounter, of which there are six possible bosses to face off against. Once you’ve defeated each boss, future runs will randomize which boss you will face.
Randomized mods will be applied to encounters, they can either be helpful to you or potentially very challenging. Things like enemies having more/less health, invisible enemies, enemies that explode on death, thick fog obscuring your vision, and more! In addition to mods there are also Gambits, which offer the opportunity to complete a challenge to unlock additional resources. This could be achieving a certain amount of headshots, kills from stealth, or dodging a specific number of melee attacks. You will have to decide if the gamble is worth taking for a reward that could make your run easier.

Below I have a video of a livestream I did with my first impressions and multiple runs of the No Return Mode for The Last of Us Part II: Remastered for Playstation 5. I hope you found this review and video helpful and enjoy the game if you decide to pick it up!
Here’s my affiliate link if you’d like to purchase the game through Amazon I get a small cut. Here.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Off the cuff with Aaron Shack | The Game Awards 2023 | Episode 2 https://t.co/dh8pW335zC

Check out Episode 2 of my new series Off the Cuff with Aaron Shack. Exclusive to Twitter/X. I’ll occasionally do live streams and Twitter Spaces quite literally “Off the Cuff” to talk about the latest stuff going on in gaming, tech, news, behind the scenes, and anything else I’d like to cover but feel like making a high production edited video is too much. Off the Cuff is authentic, fresh, and engaging and I hope you’ll join the conversation.

In this episode I talk about the aftermath of The Game Awards 2023 and have special guest J. V. Smooth (@J_V_Smooth on Twitter) join the conversation.

Off the cuff with Aaron Shack | Episode 1 https://t.co/oNnkkpcp3b

Check out Episode 1 of my new series Off the Cuff with Aaron Shack. Exclusive to Twitter/X. I’ll occasionally do live streams and Twitter Spaces quite literally “Off the Cuff” to talk about the latest stuff going on in gaming, tech, news, behind the scenes, and anything else I’d like to cover but feel like making a high production edited video is too much. Off the Cuff is authentic, fresh, and engaging and I hope you’ll join the conversation.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is meant to be a back to formula and a homage to the first game; with the classic social stealth assassinations and parkour the series was built on. Ubisoft Bordeaux’s first game developed is Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which follows the story of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a thief from the streets tortured by haunted dreams and visions of a djinn. Djinn/jinn are often alluded to in the Qur'an and stories like One Thousand and One Nights as sentient beings that occupy the space between the spiritual and the physical world. The story takes place during the Ninth Century Golden Age of Islam in Baghdad.
Basim meets Roshan and is mentored by the Hidden Ones to become a Master Assassin. He will journey to Alamut, much like Altair traveled to Masyaf to train to become an Assassin among his peers in the order.

Upon his return to Baghdad and the surrounding desert and towns, Basim will utilize his parkour skills to seamlessly traverse through the four districts of Baghdad. To the southeast, the trade region of Karkh, to the north the industrial Harbiyah district, and to the west the scientific district of Abbasiyah which contained the House of Wisdom, in the center the gardens of the Round City or Madinat As-Salam. Basim will seek out side contracts, tools, and assassination targets at the Assassin’s bureaus. The menu in the game will allow Basim to chart out his investigation by collecting vital clues and assembling them in a chart that makes investigations and missions easy to track based on district and targets. It is through this research that Basim is able to stalk and identify his targets before going in for the kill. Mirage also presents the return of social stealth, Basim will have many skills and tools that will allow him to stealthily take down targets using both new and familiar abilities from the series’ past.

Basim will utilize many tools that are incredibly useful for maintaining stealth, ditching pursuit from guards, or eliminating enemies either in combat or in stealth. You will be able to freely choose which tool you unlock, so picking a tool that suits your skills and playstyle will be key for early gameplay. I’ll start with the most useful tools I found helpful in the game. The throwing knife is particularly useful in taking out enemies when targeting the head. The torch will allow you to illuminate dark caves and underground corridors, or light things on fire and cause explosions. The smoke bomb is the perfect tool to confuse enemies from a quick escape or distraction, but can also be upgraded for more offensive capabilities. It can easily become the most powerful tool by extending the duration and circumference of the smoke area, because of this you can instantly assassinate each target within the smoke cloud. So it’s perfect when you’re outmatched and don’t want to run away. Some gadgets will be able to cause fear and make your enemies flee, or modified to be explosive/flammable. The noisemaker is a handy tool for distracting enemies with a small sparkling explosive. The trap is a tool that can be placed and act as a proximity mine essentially knocking down enemies for long periods of time that can also be modified for deadly use. The final tool is the blowdart, which can put targets to sleep from range. This is far less useful than the throwing knife but can be upgraded to enrage enemies into attacking their own people or simply poison them. Each tool has its own special use and once I had them all, I felt like a true Master Assassin when I had them upgraded and I was capable of anything.

Some might think that after upgrading skills on the skill tree, which is mostly for extra tool capacity, more focus bars, more tool slots, and the Chain Assassination ability the game would have you overpowered. This is not true as Basim was designed to be more of an Assassin than a Spartan Warrior or Viking Warrior. While he can hold his own in combat by dodging, parrying for a follow up attack capable of killing some enemies, it only takes a few hits to cut through Basim’s leather gear and cloth robes and render him dead. The Chain Assassination ability allows Basim to stealth kill one target then press a button to instantly throw a knife at the next target. Perfect for taking out pairs of guards on patrol or a quick and powerful way to enter combat with multiple enemies from a position of stealth. Using the focus bars that you upgrade via the skill tree, Basim can perform chain kills using the Assassin Focus ability. The more bars you have, the more enemies you can kill in sequence. Think Splinter Cell Conviction and Blacklist’s “Mark and Execute” ability. The player can mark targets (up to five when fully upgraded) and then he will quickly dispatch them, teleporting around as the Animus glitches to render his speed and ferocity at times. For me, this breaks the realism that I enjoy from parts of the series but is nevertheless really cool to see in action.

Now that I’ve covered some of the overall features and ideas explored in the game, let’s get into what makes this game special and what perhaps holds it back in some ways. First off I think the game is graphically held back by being spread across last generation platforms. The game looks and runs fine but in the past each Assassin’s Creed game was a showcase of incredible graphics, gameplay, and densely packed worlds to explore. The game does return to form with social stealth being central to gameplay. It is nice to see the return of stealth based assassinations for a game named Assassin’s Creed, other entries have lost sight of the core of the gameplay and have turned into Pirate/Spartan/Viking simulators over Assassin gameplay. This game ditches the complex RPG mechanics that level gate enemies and areas and allows you to stealthily assassinate whatever enemy you can just as the classic games allow. Sadly there are only a few animations for combat and assassinations and they are not as smooth as previous games. Enemies will often pause and allow Basim to strike the hidden blade into them. The combat is sadly not a return to form and is pretty much what you can expect from Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla just slightly modified to be a little less hack and slash. Perfectly timed dodges and parries can open up instakill opportunities for Basim or a chance to get in some key slashes. The older Assassin’s Creed games allowed the player to time their parries and attacks into smooth animations eliminating enemies just as Batman in the Arkham series or Talion in the Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor/War series. Unfortunately the game does not offer an evolution of more combat but feels like a slight modification of the newer games bland Soulslike combat.

Ninth Century Baghdad is a beautiful city and time period to explore from the markets, rivers, deserts, and towering structures. The city is perfect for parkour across the rooftops, swinging from beams, sliding over/under things, and climbing tall towers. There are new interactions like pulling down scaffolding to create a barrier between Basim and the guards chasing him. There is also a pole vault that can be done between rooftops. Sadly, these interactions are few and far between so I only did it a handful of times during a single playthrough.

The codex highlights the culture of Baghdad, serving as a resource to learn about the history of the people, locations, poetry, literature, and art showcasing the Golden Age of Islam. During one of the missions, Basim will meet a poet in the House of Wisdom named Arib Al-Ma'muniyya. Arib is a famous artist known for being a poet, composer, singer, and courtesan. This opens up the opportunity to explore the art and culture of the era from poetry, art, music and more. I found myself excited to discover all the historic locations and unlock the historical context in the codex and learn more about Baghdad and its people, which for a Catholic raised American Palestinian, was quite an exciting education on Islam.

Basim is an interesting character and his journey from Street Rat to Master Assassin was exciting and a dream come true for someone like me to enjoy in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. I feel like the game rushed a lot of the storyline to be more about executing targets than about learning who Basim is. In other games we lived Ezio Auditore da Firenze’s life, from the dull moments, the vengeance, the laughter, the romance, the fun, all of it. Now we did get to experience that over three games but my point stands. Basim goes from zero to hero in a short cutscene and some short training sequences. I wanted to explore his life in the slums, his upbringing, more than just joining the creed out of desperation. The djinn could have been used more as a frightening gameplay mechanic, stalking and haunting the player. We don’t necessarily understand why this djinn is tormenting Basim and the story does little to explain this. As a result of all this we don’t learn much about his personality other than he can be charming and brash at times. He feels like he is underutilized and capable of so much more, yet no one manages to see that in him. I still enjoy him as a character but would have loved more depth for him and the overall story.

There is no modern day story happening in this game, which since Desmond is no longer involved feels very irrelevant and disappointing for those that enjoyed the science fiction and modern day storytelling of the early games.

This is a promising step forward for the franchise and likely an experimentation into would these classic mechanics that honor the original Assassin’s Creed be something players are interested in now? I say 100% yes, but this falls as a halfhearted attempt at what could be an incredible reinvention and a massive step forward for the series. That being said, I played the game to completion, explored every location and all the side quests, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The game was of the appropriate length and size and was quite refreshing in a world full of open world fatigue. I highly recommend Assassin’s Creed Mirage even though it falls a little short of my expectations.

I’m including a shelf with some of my personal screenshots to share my experience with Assassin’s Creed Mirage below. I hope you enjoy it. As always share your thoughts in the comments below.

From Publisher 11 Bit Studios and Developer Starward Industries comes an all new narrative exploration experience, The Invincible. It is a science fiction, Astropunk styled, space exploration game that has the player assume the role of Yasna, a biologist on a research vessel sent to Regis III to search for signs of life. Things go wrong and Yasna wakes up with no memory of the expedition. The game unfolds with mystery after mystery as you explore the planet and attempt to find your crewmates, rescue them, and remember what happened. While the game is mostly a walking simulator, much like Firewatch, you will make lots of narrative conversational choices throughout the game as you chat over the radio with the Astrogator.

You’ll interact with classic Astropunk retro technology that seems heavily inspired by the 1950’s-1960’s technology in science fiction of the time as you seek to understand the mysteries of the planet and the factions that occupy it. While the game is narrated by an excellent cast, the pacing stays relatively flat. Even the most exciting moments are derived of tension when narrative choices ultimately lead to little confrontation, little risk, low stakes, before you’re back to exploring. The game is very immersive but if you’re not interested in biology and engineering talk, you might find some of the dialogue boring. I however enjoyed the immersion of researching the planet, theorizing what is happening, and seeing if the scientific method proves correct.

You’ll use a journal to log things you find and plot out your journey on the map. You also have a telescope you can pull focus with, a metal detector, and a tracker used for finding signals of your crewmates and other humans. I found myself obsessively wanting to notate everything I discovered in the game and make sure I was gathering all the clues and evidence needed to understand the events of the game.

Seeing the glass of the helmet fog up as Yasna breathes and the mic and edges of the helmet connect on screen is incredibly immersive. The audio and visual immersion is key to the experience that could be heightened if this game were in VR.

Overall, I would say it is a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative exploration titles. Walking simulators can get a bad rap, but Firewatch and The Invincible are exceptions that are especially immersive and really pull you in. Just be aware the pacing is a slow burn but once the story picks up a little you won’t be able to put it down. I recommend it!

Many thanks to Shawn at Evolve PR and the wonderful folks at Starward Industries and 11 Bit Studios for the opportunity to cover this game on the channel and review it on the website.

Check out my livestream gameplay on YouTube at:
Gameplay Part 1: YouTube Link
Gameplay Part 2: YouTube Link

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Alright, let's talk comic books. Remember when Tony Stark realized the weapons of his company were bombing innocent people and ironically one lands near him? Remember what he did? We all praised him for that. Wow, he stood against war, against genocide, war profiteering, all of it.

He took his money and did something good with it. He realizes he can't be the sleazy playboy billionaire and ride off the success of his parents arms company. He builds the first suit. He became Iron Man. He stood against the very evils his company was built on. Sometimes he fights alongside America's interests, other times he doesn't want to be their puppet and admits he fights for what HE KNOWS is right.

Therefore, in sort of a fictional way, he's incorruptible.

He makes mistakes sure, he battles his ego, but he learns from every experience and grows from it.

To pretend that our media: comic books, movies, video games, TV shows, books, etc. isn’t full of political themes is to deny the very emotional storytelling that we praise from media. Everything has a meaning and a message.

The X-Men was about mutants seeking the same civil rights African Americans wanted and deserved. Marvel wrote about it and it had very deep meaning in our politics and our culture. We ate up the storylines about mutants just wanting to be accepted like normal people. We understood the trauma of the ones who stood with Magneto and believed they could never be accepted so they must rebel. Their powers are cool, their struggles are real, they feel just the way we do. We love to read stories about people we relate to, people we can idolize and mirror in our daily lives.

It's everywhere and guess what? You can still enjoy that media! Every children's story has a moral and there's a reason for that! It is connected to the human spirit to share what makes us better and what makes us grow stronger as we share our struggle. It is in our hearts to inform people we can do better. Politics is everywhere and to be apolitical and ignore it is a luxury few have.

To be apolitical and wish to separate it from our media is to rob our media of the very real, deep, raw expression that makes us praise the best of what we are capable of creating. We wouldn’t have these amazing stories without the real life struggles in the world. We wouldn’t be able to triumph over these real life struggles without fables, stories, poems, songs, art, music, movies, videogames, comics, heroes, and everything else.

Sure we often play videogames to disconnect with the outside world, to leave our real lives behind for a moment. To feel what it is like to be a hero in the virtual world, but there are times where in the real world we have chances to be heroes. We have chances to make a real difference in others lives. Sometimes all it takes is caring for someone else. Sharing peace and warm thoughts with people you have never met. Treating others the way you would want to be treated. Leaving this world and all the occupants in it better off than how you found it. There are little steps we can take in real life to be a hero. Even in the smallest definition of a hero.

Peace and love. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Should I analyze more comic book characters in a modern context?

I have milestones for certain amounts of donations where I will do fun things on videos and livestreams. I am also open to suggestions of things you would like to see done on stream as a way to bolster fundraising for this charity. Feel free to donate anonymously or publicly. Either way, your support is very much appreciated. If you've been looking for a way to help but are confused as to how you can best do so, THIS IS IT.

Use this link to donate here: Palestinian Children's Relief Fund

I am also including a video from People Make Games. This video includes several prominent voices of Game Developers and Palestinians speaking out about what is happening to Palestinians so you can have further context on this issue. Please note that the video is age-restricted and may show scenes of graphic violence. You will be opted to watch the video on YouTube.

I will also be making my own videos on Palestine and I have one older video from 2021 of my thoughts on the Palestinian Humanitarian Crisis here.

People Make Games
The Games Industry Must Not Stay Silent on Palestine

My Personal Story on the Palestinian Humanitarian Crisis involving Israel
Shackcast Episode 10 (2021)

About Palestine Children's Relief Fund

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund was established in 1992 by an American writer to bring injured and sick children for free medical care they could not get locally. The story of our founding is written up here. Since then, we have sent over 2,000 sick and injured children for free medical care, as well as sponsored hundreds of volunteer medical teams from all over the world to treat tens of thousands of sick and injured youths in local hospitals. PCRF also has built two pediatric cancer departments in Palestine and has several more major programs and projects taking place to help support the development of a sustainable healthcare system there. We are a grassroots organization depending on the support of thousands of volunteers all over the world to help us achieve our humanitarian mission.

If you have any suggestions of things you would like to see done on stream as a way to bolster fundraising for this charity let me know in the comments below.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Campaign complete in about 8 hours. Very powerful in terms of story and narrative. The Campaign maintains the usual set piece action packed missions with Weapons Free missions throughout. The Weapons Free missions alter the pacing of the game and place the player in a boots on the ground situation where the choices of how to complete the objectives are left up to them.

To those familiar with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Trilogy of the early 2000’s these newer entries are often branded as remakes, when they are actually more a reimagining, with modern graphics, controls, etc. The story took some twists and turns away from what people may expect, it is not a note for note take of the original trilogy.

The events of the game keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what is going to happen next. Whether it is stopping a terrorist attack, chasing a global fugitive, infiltrating a secret base or defending a location from an onslaught of enemies. The pacing is brilliant and I never wanted to stop as each mission had a reason to be part of the story and wasn’t merely just a chance to have a shootout in a different locale.

The cutscenes could easily be a Call of Duty movie. It's well acted, voiced, and beautifully rendered with cutting edge graphics. There were several times where I thought I was watching a movie, from the photorealistic graphics, to the camera angles, and the well written dialogue. I would very much enjoy deeper narrative journeys in the Call of Duty universe.

I love the Weapons Free missions, letting me explore and take out enemies in stealth as I find the gear I need to complete my objectives. I have the freedom to go guns blazing in close quarters, or snipe from a distance, or carefully sneak my way through, taking down enemies, and targeting with silenced weapons.

Tactical Stance makes CQC Close Quarters Combat easy to handle and increases visibility, as I'm not hiding behind an iron sight while turning corners and rushing enemies. It increased rate of fire on automatic weapons and makes shotguns easier to hold and aim.

Overall Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a great first person shooter and a thrilling experience, well worth playing! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

This Halloween I managed to create a Ghostbusters II uniform. If the trap and PKE Meter get backed from Hasbro Pulse, I'll have that. I just need a proton pack and/or maybe a Slime Blower? I gave out candy to some kids tonight and they loved it.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.

At the Xbox Partner Preview, a showcase of Third Party Games on the Xbox Platform the first in-engine look of pre-alpha footage of Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater was shown to gamers. This remake of the classic PlayStation 2 game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is running in Unreal Engine 5 and appearing to use some of the movement and technology of later games like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

The crouch walking and cover system are reminiscent of MGSV.

What do you think of the new footage of Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater? Let me know in the comments below.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is so fun! The animations feel inspired from The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) the game is full of WONDER and joy. You can't help but smile and laugh. Nintendo definitely has a lock on the nostalgia but also leaves room for new ideas and constantly evolves these beloved characters.

It's amazing how fast a 2D game like this shot up to the top of my Game of the Year list for 2023.
Let me know what you think in the comments down below.