This is a title I am really looking forward to, and have been since it was first announced. Re;Birth1 was a great new take on the original title, and I am holding out similar hopes for the upcoming Re;Birth 2 as well.
Our take on some of the scariest games ever - Gaming Thoughts
Every year around this time, gamers have a tendency to look back at the titles that scared them the most. Which games provided our team the most thrills and chills? This is an amusing topic for me in particular, because I absolutely love the genre. Turns out that is not the case for some of the others on the team, several of which simply replied "No" when asked to talk about the games that creeped them out the most. The rest of the team? Well, we have a good story or two to tell.
Samurai Warriors 4 - PS4 Review
I’ve been playing Dynasty Warriors for a long time between the main
series, the Gundam spin-offs, and now the more recent Hyrule Warriors.
Until last week however, I had never actually played any iteration of
the Samurai Warriors and the only thing I can say to myself now is: why
had it taken so long? That and wow. I had originally thought that the
only major difference between the two series is that Dynasty follows
Chinese history and that Samurai follows Japanese. Having finally played
the Samurai Warriors, that statement doesn’t even come close.
One of the first things that stuck out to me before even starting was that regardless of choosing the story or free mode, there are options that asks if you want to play Single player or Local Multiplayer. Even playing Dynasty Warriors 8, Gundam Reborn, or Hyrule Warriors, a second player has to confirm their entry before each and every level. Being able to set it to two players by default, while not seeming like a big thing, was huge to me since half the time I’m clicking too fast for my two friends that come over and play these along side me. Sorry guys!
Before making my way into the gameplay, which is generally why we love
these series as much as we do, I want to draw attention to two things.
The First is that graphically Samurai Warriors 4 is stunning. Character
models, landscapes, combat animations, menu lists, everything is sleek,
smooth, and very pleasing to the eyes. Running on the PS4 even with the
hordes of enemies coming at me, or at one point my friend and I, not
once was there a framerate drop or loss of quality. If that wasn’t
enough, the rendered cutscenes are even more stunning. Being one of the
first to be developed for a next (or now current?) generation console
truly shows off what one of these games is capable of.
The second is the quality of music and the actual soundtrack. I found myself a few times just leaving the game in one of the menus because the music was just that awesome as I went about making something quite to eat or clean up. The tracks are all clear, crisp, and catchy in certain cases. While out on the various fields of battle I also found myself once again turning it up just to listen to the soundtrack. The gameplay had a perfect accompaniment both graphically and audibly making the experience that much better than it already was.
Samurai Warriors 4 has three major action packed modes. The first is the Story Mode in which multiple campaigns can be played out in the Sengoku period with varying levels of cutscenes. The second is the Free Mode in which players can replay any of the completed levels within the story mode with any available character. The last mode is the Chronicles Mode in which is an original free form story in which players take up a custom character in which to use.
The customization options available to players span from just about any physical aspect with with various sliders to choose from. Thankfully there is a random feature that I used to get something that I liked (for one) because if I had started on all of those options… I would still be there getting things just right and this would never get written. The one great thing however is that I spent a lot of my Chronicles time playing as my videogame / anime self as it’s not very hard to make. Being able to have this level of customizations is a lot of fun and I have done it often enough in games such as Dragon’s Dogma, White Knight Chronicles, Dark Souls 1-2, Soulcalibur, etc. Needless to say that I was quite happy to have it.
That
wow that I mentioned earlier? Generally the gameplay combat in a
Dynasty Warriors follows a fairly standard formula that by now is quite
tested and true. Standard attacks can all be finished off with a power
attack pulling off some pretty awesome finishing moves. The power attack
on its own was is generally not the most useful short of a few specific
characters. This of course was unless it was within the Gundam series
in which it acted as your range weapons. As characters level up, the
amount of standard attacks increases according to the character’s
progression. Along with the standard attacks, the amount of power
attacks that can be used to follow up each one of these also increases
up to a maximum of three making some of these finishing moves very
impressive. This makes sticking with one character more efficient that
switching between various ones as you go through the campaign. I much
prefered the various levels of character progression over a obtaining
these at a standard set level as it makes things much more interesting
as some characters are designed to get all the standards first, while
others are designed to have all of their power attacks.
For the first time that I’ve played any of these type of games however, there were two things that make me sit back and just marvel at the novelty of it all. The first is that the power attack is now a series of attacks of their own which are quite fast paced and flashy. This new sets of attacks use the standard attack button to finish them off (vice versa to the standard formula) with some other pretty awesome finishing moves. To switch things up that substantially creates not only a whole new set of possibilities combat wise, but a whole new gameplay experience that makes it quite phenomenal to play.
Musou skills are just as awesome as they have ever been. Used alongside a character’s normal and power attacks, these skills can change the tide of a battle in a moment. Losing to a much more powerful foe? Launch a Musou as it might give you that edge that you needed. More powerful yet though, and I think I had first experienced this in Gundam Reborn, is the Hyper mode which enhances all of a players abilities to go (lack of a better term right now and is Omega-Xis’ fault in Mega Man Starforce) Buck Wild on the enemy. Being in Hyper mode allows for some serious damage output. Using this at pivotal times can result in finishing off multiple captains, heroes, or other less powerful named enemies.
To gain a new weapon type / style to fight with, as almost each character has a style different from the next, player must max out their friendships with these warriors by selecting them as partners as they travel the land on their quest. Completing stages with these various partners will bring the player through cutscenes in which dialog options are available to select within conversations. These dialog choices bring your character closer to the current warrior that you are partnered with. Once the friendship reaches its maximum level, their weapon will be available to use by your own character allowing you to switch into it if you want to. So far? I haven’t budged from my two handed sword and rifle. I am more than happy with that style.
With all the time that I spent, there were very few disappointments. The first, and I wasn’t the only one to think while we played, was that players do not have access to an ability to lock on to a more powerful foe making flying around the battlefield hard to keep track of where the enemy is currently standing. Eventually one learns to adjust their movements but it can be a bit harder when only using half of a screen. The second is that Player Two (in this case not my better half but a friend over for the weekend) has their screen real-estate taken up by the various messages cutting their view down substantially. This wasn’t an issue for me as much as it was for him since it goes down into Player Two’s space. The last of the tiny issues was that once a mission is selected, there is no way to back out of it. Players had to either go into the level and then exit, or head back to the main screen with a reset. Generally I avoided this by just reminding myself of what I wanted to do once the stage was complete by victory… or a game over. Yes those can happen when playing on harder difficulties.
Overall, I’ll say that if you haven’t already picked this up I don’t know what you are still doing reading this and not heading out to get it at the store or over the PSN. If you are still here reading this however, I will say that I’m sad that it took me so long to pick up a Samurai Warriors as it was one of the best experiences in this genre that I have ever had. I love you Gundam, but this was something else. Now if everyone will excuse me, I’ve got more playing to get in before the weekend is over.
One of the first things that stuck out to me before even starting was that regardless of choosing the story or free mode, there are options that asks if you want to play Single player or Local Multiplayer. Even playing Dynasty Warriors 8, Gundam Reborn, or Hyrule Warriors, a second player has to confirm their entry before each and every level. Being able to set it to two players by default, while not seeming like a big thing, was huge to me since half the time I’m clicking too fast for my two friends that come over and play these along side me. Sorry guys!
The second is the quality of music and the actual soundtrack. I found myself a few times just leaving the game in one of the menus because the music was just that awesome as I went about making something quite to eat or clean up. The tracks are all clear, crisp, and catchy in certain cases. While out on the various fields of battle I also found myself once again turning it up just to listen to the soundtrack. The gameplay had a perfect accompaniment both graphically and audibly making the experience that much better than it already was.
Samurai Warriors 4 has three major action packed modes. The first is the Story Mode in which multiple campaigns can be played out in the Sengoku period with varying levels of cutscenes. The second is the Free Mode in which players can replay any of the completed levels within the story mode with any available character. The last mode is the Chronicles Mode in which is an original free form story in which players take up a custom character in which to use.
The customization options available to players span from just about any physical aspect with with various sliders to choose from. Thankfully there is a random feature that I used to get something that I liked (for one) because if I had started on all of those options… I would still be there getting things just right and this would never get written. The one great thing however is that I spent a lot of my Chronicles time playing as my videogame / anime self as it’s not very hard to make. Being able to have this level of customizations is a lot of fun and I have done it often enough in games such as Dragon’s Dogma, White Knight Chronicles, Dark Souls 1-2, Soulcalibur, etc. Needless to say that I was quite happy to have it.
For the first time that I’ve played any of these type of games however, there were two things that make me sit back and just marvel at the novelty of it all. The first is that the power attack is now a series of attacks of their own which are quite fast paced and flashy. This new sets of attacks use the standard attack button to finish them off (vice versa to the standard formula) with some other pretty awesome finishing moves. To switch things up that substantially creates not only a whole new set of possibilities combat wise, but a whole new gameplay experience that makes it quite phenomenal to play.
Musou skills are just as awesome as they have ever been. Used alongside a character’s normal and power attacks, these skills can change the tide of a battle in a moment. Losing to a much more powerful foe? Launch a Musou as it might give you that edge that you needed. More powerful yet though, and I think I had first experienced this in Gundam Reborn, is the Hyper mode which enhances all of a players abilities to go (lack of a better term right now and is Omega-Xis’ fault in Mega Man Starforce) Buck Wild on the enemy. Being in Hyper mode allows for some serious damage output. Using this at pivotal times can result in finishing off multiple captains, heroes, or other less powerful named enemies.
The
second, which makes the options of Single Player or Co-op make more
sense is that regardless of which mode you are playing (with the
exception of Chronicles as that is a local single player / online
multiplayer only) Players select a second character in which to play
through a stage with. This second character has their own KO count,
experience, items, and to make things really really REALLY cool (sorry
there may be a bit of glee in a few of these statements) is that the two
characters can be switched between on a moments notice. Something
happening on the complete other side of the map and you can’t get there?
Switch characters as the other may be closer.
At
the end of every level, both characters gain experience from the total
amount of kills and combo counts that were performed. This makes
leveling a second character that much easier than it would be normally.
On top of being able to level this said secondary character, it makes
some campaign levels easier as sometimes not all characters are
available for every stage. When this happens taking up a first level
character much farther down the length of the campaign is almost
tantamount to suicide. Having this other character levels the playing
field. Finally these characters can also be used quite strategically as
they have three possible options to perform while using the other
character. The first is to do as they please, the second is to stand
their ground, and the third is to follow and defend you which can be one
of the better decisions if either one of you happens to be the lower
level.
Along
with leveling up to become more powerful, players can acquire weapons
to upgrade as they defeat the more powerful units which are either
heroes or captains of varying specialities. Before upgrading these
weapons however, gems will be required as well as gold to perform these
upgrades. Gems can be acquired in one of two manners. The first, like
weapons, is that they are dropped from the more powerful units. The
second is smelting down the various weapons that are not being used or
obsolete which grants an amount of gold and several random gems. These
gems are required to upgrade the various stats from how powerful your
horseback riding skills are to how powerful your weapon stats are.
Sometimes a less powerful weapon could be more useful is there is an
element attached to it such as frost that will freeze foes in place or
Wind that will do damage regardless of if they are guarding or not. This
can sometimes lead to a bit of choice paralysis as picking a weapon can
sometimes be hard until the right one is found to properly support your
character.
The
most interesting features came from the Chronicles Mode. This mode
takes your custom character and puts them in a scenario in which they
set out on a quest to catalogue every warriors in the land. This would
be easy enough, however not everyone is going to want to talk to you.
Throughout your journey through a board like map you will encounter the
various other heroes as you stand with or against them as friendships
and rivalries blossom.
Starting
off a custom character players may find some certain options outside of
the physical look lacking. There aren’t that many wardrobe options or
weapon types to really pick from. Worry not! This is part of your quest
as you roam the land searching for these other warriors. Merchants,
which can be found roaming around carrying various armour pieces as well
as new mounts for players to ride. On top of those purchasing options,
they also allow for weapons to be upgraded or smelted down as mentioned
earlier. But what of the weapon style?
To gain a new weapon type / style to fight with, as almost each character has a style different from the next, player must max out their friendships with these warriors by selecting them as partners as they travel the land on their quest. Completing stages with these various partners will bring the player through cutscenes in which dialog options are available to select within conversations. These dialog choices bring your character closer to the current warrior that you are partnered with. Once the friendship reaches its maximum level, their weapon will be available to use by your own character allowing you to switch into it if you want to. So far? I haven’t budged from my two handed sword and rifle. I am more than happy with that style.
With all the time that I spent, there were very few disappointments. The first, and I wasn’t the only one to think while we played, was that players do not have access to an ability to lock on to a more powerful foe making flying around the battlefield hard to keep track of where the enemy is currently standing. Eventually one learns to adjust their movements but it can be a bit harder when only using half of a screen. The second is that Player Two (in this case not my better half but a friend over for the weekend) has their screen real-estate taken up by the various messages cutting their view down substantially. This wasn’t an issue for me as much as it was for him since it goes down into Player Two’s space. The last of the tiny issues was that once a mission is selected, there is no way to back out of it. Players had to either go into the level and then exit, or head back to the main screen with a reset. Generally I avoided this by just reminding myself of what I wanted to do once the stage was complete by victory… or a game over. Yes those can happen when playing on harder difficulties.
Overall, I’ll say that if you haven’t already picked this up I don’t know what you are still doing reading this and not heading out to get it at the store or over the PSN. If you are still here reading this however, I will say that I’m sad that it took me so long to pick up a Samurai Warriors as it was one of the best experiences in this genre that I have ever had. I love you Gundam, but this was something else. Now if everyone will excuse me, I’ve got more playing to get in before the weekend is over.
Rainbow Skies gets a new trailer, some new images
Rainbow Moon was a delightful little grind-fest of a strategy/RPG game, and the upcoming Rainbow Skies has been on our radar ever since it was announced. Now we get a look at some new assets for the upcoming title by Eastasiasoft.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - Xbox One Review
Grizzled ex-cop. Murdered wife. The murder is tied to the newest street drug. At times, the drug is described as having “divine” connections. Law enforcement may not be trustworthy. Our protagonist’s two main hobbies seem to be drinking and moping. He also seems to have supernatural reflexes and powers. Max Payne, right? Not this time. This time it is D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die by Swervy, whose previous game was Deadly Premonition on the 360, PS3, and PC. And that is where the similarities end.
Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut - PS4 Review
Not every game needs incredibly detailed, grizzly graphics and the latest in surround sound to pull off a proper scare. Sometimes it just needs to play some mind games with you instead. In truth, this is often the most important part of any good horror movie or game. Shock value is all well and good, but if the game moves too fast from one fright to another, it can dull your sensitivity to the subject. Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut plays with the mind as much as the body, providing an excellent modern horror story.
Fractured Space brings tactical space combat to the PC
The creators of Strike Suit Zero have a different kind of space-based game in mind now. They formed Edge Case Games and plan to focus on team-based online space battles with this upcoming release.
Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - 3DS Review
I really wanted to like Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle, since I tend to gravitate towards almost any kind of anime regardless of the age group it is designed for. The anime is geared towards younger viewers (probably closer to my sister's age and she is twelve), but there was at least the potential to make a game that was fun, if targeted at a younger audience. There are multiple problems holding Tenkai Knights back, from lackluster visuals, inconsistent audio, repetitive gameplay and clunky controls. I realize the game is geared towards younger gamers, but I cannot recommend this to a player of any age.
Styx: Master of Shadows - PS4 Review
Today ladies and gentlemen, we are going to talk about patience. Patience is, to some, is a virtue. It is something to be upheld above all else when dealing with someone, or something that can seem to be aggravating. Apparently I have none when it comes to true stealth. Which is funny because my favorite Dungeons & Dragons class is that of a rogue. Styx put me to the challenge and I am fairly certain that I failed. Modern gaming may have ruined me a little bit on the inside because Styx himself is not built for combat. I can say that rushing in and hoping for the best with dodge rolls and quick parries does not work very well.
Silence - The Whispered World 2 coming to Xbox One
Simply put, Daedalic Entertainment has long been one of our favorite development teams around here, and their Whispered World was a title we absolutely adored. Therefore, this is a fun announcement for us.
Endless Legend - PC Review
In mid-August I had the pleasure of getting my hands on a preview of Endless Legend and as I mentioned, I was very excited; after all Amplitude Studios is the development team behind one of my favorite 4X games, Endless Space. Some months ago when I heard they were doing a fantasy-based 4X game I was understandably excited; after all I am a pretty big fan of the whole magic, fantasy races, etc. Plus, swords and maces and magic are pretty cool too. When I then hear that Endless Legend was taking place in the same universe/mythos as Endless Space I was even more excited; Amplitude Studios was going to create a fantasy game using assets and histories from Endless Space which is one of my favorite game of all times.
Sunset Overdrive - Xbox One Review
There is a lot going on in Sunset Overdrive at any given time. Lots of places to go, lots of bad guys to kill and lots of ways to do it. There is a bright edginess to the gameplay that immediately worked for me, because Sunset Overdrive is attempting to do something different. It seems to be inspired from lots of different games, but the end result is unique - but most importantly it is fun.
Senran Kagura Bon Appetit has a release date
This afternoon we took a look at Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus on the Vita, and now it looks like another title in the Senran Kagura series is going to be coming out soon as well.
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus - Vita Review
Do you like fighting? Do you enjoy lots of anime-style fan service? If you are willing to check your need for logical storytelling at the door, there is a lot to like about Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus, which is fun despite a ridiculous story and lack of clothing on the female cast of characters.
Orbital Gear - PC Review
Gravity. Sure, it’s that handy physical law that keeps us from drifting out into the bleakness of space. But it makes for a some really fun mechanic in a wide variety of games. Whether it is a simple ragdoll tumbling down a hill in a FPS, a simple Flash golf game, or one of the myriad Scorched Earth clones, I still get a thrill from playing with the physics. In fact, years ago, I interviewed to write for a now-defunct physics game website just to fuel that glee. When I was offered the chance to play Orbital Gear, a side scrolling shooter featuring large mechs hopping and drifting around planets, I jumped at the opportunity. But is the game an out-of-this-world experience, or does it struggle to really get off the ground?
Garruk's Revenge coming to Magic 2015
We had a chance to review Magic 2015 earlier this year when it released, and while it disappointed on some fronts, it did some things (deck building in particular) quite well. Now the first expansion is set to release on November 5th.
Dungeons & Dragons: Hoard of the Shadow Queen - Tabletop and Board Games Review
This 96 page hardcover book stands as a module for delving deeper into the newest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. It is geared for roughly four players and can see them all of the way through level seven starting off as new adventurers. I already had a chance to take a look at the Starter Set, and while these two sets have some things in common, there are a good number of differences as well.
Ancient Space - PC Review
My first introduction to true space-based realtime strategy came near the end of 1999, roughly 18 months after the release of Starcraft which had been dominating my RTS time back then. When I first caught wind of a new title by Relic and Sierra I was fully in the grips of space-based gaming. From the old Wing Commander games to Freespace and the X games, I was desperately trying to find more titles that had to do with the inky blackness of space rather than the wooded forests filled with elves, orcs, and other mystical beings (though I still love a good fantasy game) and since I had to wait another year before Tachyon: The Fringe was released, I needed to find something. Enter Homeworld, which released at the end of September of 1999 and it was everything that I had dreamed of.
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is set to arrive in December
We have been following Guilty Gear Xrd for a while now, and now that the game has a release date and some more information, it looks like we will be seeing it sooner than expected. On top of that, Aksys has announced their pre-order bonus.
Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Tabletop and Board Games Review
For me, nothing screams Dungeons & Dragons more than the Monster Manual. This is my favorite book with pretty much every edition that comes out, and that holds true so far with this fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons as well. There are so many different things that go into a fantasy world, from the different races, magical artifacts, unique lands and the use of spells. However, the monsters (both good and bad) are what make the setting come to life and is both fun to simply peruse but essential for adding flavor to a campaign.
Styx: Master of Shadows - Xbox One Review
Like the rest of the gaming community, I first heard about Styx: Master of Shadows at E3 this past year. I honestly did not know what to think of Styx outside of the fact that I was super interested in the fact that you play as an ugly little goblin and not some shiningly perfect example of a perfect human or a tall and graceful elf. No, not in Styx; you play a grimy, nasty little goblin who slithers around in the darkness, has a really cool tattoo, and carries a really big knife. It is not often you play something that is the equivalent of an anti-hero in video games and I thought that it would be a nice change of pace. As more details emerged about Styx: Master of Shadows I became more interested in it; after all the last time there was a game that focused more on stealth and completing tasks without killing everything in sight, we were given Mark of the Ninja, one of the best side-scrolling games since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (I love that game ...).
Lords of the Fallen Dev Diary
With Lords of the Fallen right around the corner (releasing on October 28th), we are happy to share some press information, assets and a brand new dev diary that was released today. Take a look!
Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook - Tabletop and Board Games Review
Most of the books found in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game is geared towards the DM. The man behind the curtain/tabletop screen may be akin to the great and powerful Oz, but in truth the players are really the driving force to a good tabletop session. This is a hardcover book with plenty of beautiful illustrations to tease the eye, but at the end of the day it is an essential reference for players looking to get the most out of their tabletop gaming experience.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog Joystick - Hardware Review
I am a longtime fan of flight simulators and space-based simulators and since the old days of Flight Simulator 2004 where I picked up a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback flight stick I have been hooked on the use of a flight stick. As the years went on I became more interested in the benefits of a H.O.T.A.S. system (which stands for "hands on throttle and stick" for the uninitiated) though only trying a handful over the years. Due to the complexity and relative high cost of a HOTAS system there are unfortunately far too few manufacturers that make affordable systems, though there are plenty out there that provide the flight stick only.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set - Tabletop and Board Games Review
Few brands evoke the images that Dungeons & Dragons has over the years. I have always thought of Dungeons & Dragons as a toolbox. It gives structure to a story, and an opportunity for people to roleplay and add their own personalities or imaginations to the outcome. I first started playing Second Edition back in very late high school and throughout college. The rules were often dense, and there was more than one session that got held up by the interpretation of the rules. Beyond that it was not always approachable for new players. The latest version of Dungeons & Dragons attempts to address those concerns and so far the early returns are incredibly promising.
Lords of the Black Sun - PC Review
When I first previewed Lords of the Black Sun I was unsure of what it would turn out to be; was it going to be just a clone of Endless Space? Or was it going to try to reimagine the 4X genre the way that Sins of a Solar Empire did all those years ago? What was it that Lords of the Black Sun was trying to do? When I previewed the title a few months back it was early on in the Early Access cycle so there were a number of unknowns; from world-ending bugs and crashes to features simply not being there. Now a few months later Lords of the Black Sun was lifted from the Early Access phase, it is time to see if Lords of the Black Sun was ready for its release.
Deathtrap Early Access starts soon
Deathtrap was a title we took note of when it was announced, and with new screens and information, the wait for Early Access is nearly at an end.
Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star - PS3 Review
Ar nosurge: Ode to An Unborn Star is a continuation of a PlayStation Vita title called Surge Concerto: Ciel nosurge which was a life simulation game that has not seen a release outside of Japan (yet), and something of a pseudo-prequel to the Ar Tonelico series that is also developed by Gust. The reason I mention a pseudo-prequel is that Ar nosurge and Ar Tonelico take place in the same universe with the same mythos and even a number of the same mechanics between the two franchises, however the similarities stop there as the games each cover their own topics at their own times with non-related characters. Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star, Gust's most recent release here in the West uses the Dive system as seen in the Ar Tonelico series as well as a few other feature so fans of Gust's previous works will certain feel right at home.
Madden 15 - Xbox One Review
Madden, like the sport it emulates, is a cyclical thing. Year after year teams trot out some changes (rosters, game plans or coaches) in hopes of achieving a better result that the prior year. Most of the time the teams are not dramatically different, and in the end fans still watch because each year unfolds differently - oftentimes in unexpected ways. Madden is perhaps a bit more predictable, but the parallels are certainly there. This year's Madden trots out its best game of football in a few years.
The Hero of Thedas - Dragon Age: Inquisition trailer
We are huge fans of Bioware in general and Dragon Age in particular. There are a few members of the team here who consider Dragon Age: Inquisition as one of their most anticipated titles of 2014 and this latest trailer serves as a nice teaser until then.
Starpoint Gemini 2 - PC Review
I recently had the pleasure of not only reviewing the original Starpoint Gemini, which I enjoyed well enough given some of its shortcomings, but I was able to go about previewing Starpoint Gemini 2 as it enjoyed Early Access on Steam. From early impressions I could tell that Little Green Man Games was working hard to really build upon, and definitely improve upon the style of game that the Starpoint Gemini titles started out as. It is not very often that you find a space-faring exploration, trading and roleplaying game where your character is a ship rather than a specific person (ala Mass Effect).
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King - PC DLC Review
While each of the different episodes in The Lost Crowns DLC have each brought in their own unique hollows, Crown of the Ivory King has added more than the others, with the new Rampart soldiers and the horribly annoying and frustrating Rampart Hedgehog, being just a few of the new and very challenging enemies. Rather than reskins of other hallows, these units are completely new and are a fresh take on the enemies within the frozen grounds of Eleum Loyce.
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart announced
Noire is probably my favorite of the Hyperdimension characters, and she is leading the way in a new strategy-RPG coming out next year. Here is the press release and some images to go with it:
Kingston HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset - Hardware Review
When I received a press release regarding the Kingston HyperX Cloud headset I was immediately intrigued. Here is a company that I have used for years for solid state drives, RAM, and thumb drives and now, with their HyperX line they were breaking into the gaming and high performance market. Knowing that they were a company that has always put quality before quantity (their flash drives are some of the best in the business), I wanted to get my hands on a headset and when Kingston sent a headset out to me I was absolutely over-joyed and I would not be lying if I said I could not wait to get the unit.
SteelSeries Siberia Elite Prism Gaming Headset - Hardware Review
I recently reviewed the SteelSeries Siberia Elite Anniversary Edition here at Chalgyr's Game Room and it was one of, if not the first review to score a perfect 10. Given the range of games that we have covered over the last four or five years you would think that we would have at least one or two more out there. However, we tend to be quite critical in our reviews, rarely finding anything worth the perfect ten; while some titles or pieces of hardware, not many have ever managed to get absolutely everything correct. With the Siberia Elite Anniversary Edition having done so well, when SteelSeries announced the Siberia Elite Prism model I flew out of my chair and was leaping for a chance to get my hands on a device for a review, after all, its predecessor was perfect in every way. SteelSeries, awesome as they are, decided to send me a unit and I tore into the gorgeous packaging the moment it hit my desk. The big question is whether the Siberia Elite Prism is a worth successor to the Siberia Elite lineup and whether it can hold a candle to the Anniversary Edition that we were fortunate enough to review.
A minor change in Destiny could be a sign of major things to come - Gaming Thoughts
While Destiny has come under a good deal of fire for a variety of things, it is nice to see that Bungie has been doing several things right since its release. Primarily this has come in the form of behind the scenes work such as tweaking weapons or shutting down the infamous loot caves. For those venturing into the original loot cave, they recently came across an interesting surprise in the form of a corpse that could be interacted with that plays a message. This might not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it is if you think about it: your actions in the game do actually matter.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut - PC Review
I was first introduced to the Shadowrun universe back in the mid 90's when I rented Shadowrun for the Super Nintendo; truthfully I was only half-interested in the game. While I am a big fan of isometric role-playing games, I had not quite developed a taste for them yet, as I was more of a tabletop fan for my role-playing games that weren't Final Fantasy. I do recall hanging out with my D&D group after school one day and Shadowrun came up and I had been a bit confused since they were talking about Shadowrun's original run as a tabletop series and not the video game. Once I was properly educated by friends that were aghast that I was unaware of the tabletop version, we started playing a few games here and there. I eventually fell very much in love with the cyberpunk themes, criminal overtones, and the very raw, very dark universe but by the time the third edition was release (1998), I had moved on to other series and tastes.
Sacred 3 - PS3 Review
Sacred is a game that comes with a lot of history behind it. I had originally picked up Scared off a shelf at a now very long defunct computer store that we used to have which carried the obscure games as if they were the norm. I liked the way Sacred looked, and to this day I do not regret it what-so-ever. I bought Sacred 2 when it came out, hell I bought it again not only on the PS3, but also as a Gold Edition on Steam for the Expansion content. Needless to say, I’ve always loved the series with the Dark Elf/Vampiress as my favorite characters of the first, followed by the Seraphim and High Elf in the second. Sadly when Ascaron announced that it was closing its doors I figured that we would never get another chance to play a new Sacred until Deep Silver came along and produced Sacred 3.
Evolve alpha access opportunity
Evolve has been one of the more talked about games over the last several months, and 2K Games is giving players a chance to get a very early look at the title.
Stronghold Crusader 2 - PC Review
I was first introduced to the "castle sim" genre of gameplay with Firefly Studio's 2001 game, Stronghold. At the time the real-time strategy genre was all over the place; from fantasy based games like the Warcraft franchise to unique spins like Tzar: The Burden of the Crown, Earth 2150, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun. Fortunately it was a good thing, as some real gems came out of those days, Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader being a few of them. What was different about Stronghold and its sequel (-ish) was that it was a castle-building sim. You would gather resources, manage your town's needs, and build your army, but the real 'character' was the castle. Each map allowed you to build your castle to your desires.
How I found myself playing World of Warcraft... again - Gaming Thoughts
I never really planned on playing World of Warcraft again. Recently however, Blizzard ran a promotion that proved to be the final hook in getting me to recreate some characters and play again for the first time in years. There were some other factors as well, including friends at work who played, but at the end of the day I found myself almost too easily thrown right back into the mix. With the new patch 6.0.2 patch ready to go live today, I thought this was a good time to reflect on my time back in Azeroth.
New screens and a date for Pheonix Wright this winter
With some new screens and specific information about the titles, the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy looks to sneak in just before Christmas.
Meridian: New World - PC Review
I mentioned this when I first previewed Meridian: New World; I love real-time strategy games. As PC gaming grew, the real-time strategy and roleplaying genres were the genres to play. If you were not a part of the Command & Conquer, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Advanced D&D (Champions of Krynn!), or Elder Scrolls games then you were pretty much a square and did not deserve to play video games. I grew quite attached to the Warcraft and StarCraft brands as time wore on and primarily stuck to Blizzard's core RTS games. I did branch out a bit with Dark Reign, Earth 2140, then fast forward ten-plus years and got into Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, largely though I stuck to the Warcraft franchise though, admittedly, I picked up StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on day one. Outside of a handful of titles, there are not many "true" real-time strategy games available.
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition - PS4 Review
Diablo was a title that fathered an entire genre of gaming with series such as Sacred, Van Helsing, the homage that are Torchlight/Torchlight 2, and continues to evolve to this day even within its own sequels. Diablo III came out years ago for the PC and once again the console portion of the gaming community asked why in this day and age they couldn't get it. To me Diablo was a PC game, with network features, designed to play with a keyboard and a mouse. I’ve played countless hours of Diablo III on my PC with my brother and several friends and it was fun. Shorter near the end of the game, but fun. Then Blizzard did something they hadn’t done since 1998, they made a console port.
