Casual News – Persona 5 Arrived

Things just got very real in our home today. If I don’t make it back, tell my family I love them.

Casual Reviews – Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Warning: The following trailer is NSFW…and NSFBC (Not Safe For Brain Cells)

Sometimes you just know when something is Right. I’m talking about truth in its purest, most basic form. Right with a capital R. It’s explicit. You don’t have to think about it.

Bacon? Correct…bacon is good, bacon is Right.

James Earl Jones is Darth Vader…that is Right.

Staying in the Star Wars universe, you know this one is coming…Han shoots first. That is Right.

S’mores at a campfire…can’t be more Right.

Sean Bean dies…Right.

Donald Trump would never have support to become the President of the United States…hahaha that is so Right I can’t…hehehe…believe my brain even came up with that notion. He he…I mean am I right or am…I…I can’t…wow, sorry guys but I’m a little choked up. *sniffle* Let me get a new keyboard. The saltwater from my tears for my nation corroded this one.

Anyway, Far Cry in cheesy 80’s form? Yes please.

Casual Reviews – The Walking Dead: Season 2

“TellTale’s The Walking Dead Is Coming To Current Gen This Month” by BagoGames. CC2.0

I have never played anything by Telltale Games. Having to pay per episode really…really…really turns me off. Buying episodic games is like buying an EA game before the inevitable DLC (a.k.a. full game) bundle comes out next year for the same price. I have refused to dip my toe into those impure waters.

Then, in the month of November, PS+ decided that Season 2 of The Walking Dead would be free. Season 1 was also placed on discount…I see you Sony…I see what you did there, you cheeky turds.

Thankfully my back pocket is stitched together with a will of iron. Instead of succumbing to the temptation…I began Season 2, allowing choices from the first season to be generated.

Casual Reviews – Journey

“Journey” by Jem Yoshioka. CC2.0.

Well everyone, it’s been fun. We’ve had some laughs, some heartbreak, and some disappointments…looking at you, Destiny. But my friends, it has been too long since I reviewed The Last of Us…and so, it is time for me to make enemies of all Sony console owners…again. But the stakes are higher this time. Much, much higher. Not only am I speaking about a celebrated PS3 (and now PS4) instant classic, but also my wife’s favorite game on PS3.

…and she proofreads my posts.

…

Okay, Let’s do this!

Oh, wait, one more thing…this game is a can of worms just waiting to be opened that I don’t want to touch in my review…however, I shall nudge that can at the end…and if it should topple over into the comments section, so be it.

Casual Reviews – Far Cry 4

“Gamescom 2014: Far Cry 4’s Keys to Kyrat a PS4 Exclusive” by BagoGames. CC2.0

Okay, so the Far Cry series…it’s…um…well, you know, it’s…It’s like. Well how should I put it? I mean, there’s usually some terrorist…or militants; yes, call them militants. There’s a standard issue dictator…dick for short. And I mean like…total 100% full on dick. Who needs to die. There’s you of course, but no one really cares about you…not even you. There’re guns. Obvious, I know. There’re also wild animals, fire, masks, propaganda, weird magic voodoo, mini helicopters, cars, trucks, four wheelers, wing suits…

For reals people, this game is like Rambo vomited his wet dreams/PTSD nightmares all into one place for everyone to enjoy.

But for a game that is crammed full of so much awesome, Far Cry 4 feels empty.

Casual Reviews – Valiant Hearts: The Great War

“Valiant Hearts. The Great War. PS4. 1080.P. 😁 New Gameplay on my You Tube Channel 😁 http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwsjII0MclEEfvjp_6KNwTVxgRDv96Yzl 😁” by Rob Obsidian. CC2.0

I apologize for the absurdly long photo name and smiley faces but it was the only creative commons photo I could find.

And with that out of the way…

Platform games are not my thing. I enjoy a go at Rayman games, but only if my wife is joining in on the fun. By themselves, side scrollers have never hooked me with single player gameplay. I didn’t grow up playing Mario, so, while I understand its importance in video game history…I’d rather shove a thumbtack in my eye than actually play the original Mario games.

But once again, PS Plus has blessed my console with another platformer.

I slowly waded into the frigid water of side scroller gameplay, hesitating for a second at my nuts (mid-way through the game I took a break…), and finally submerged, completing Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

Casual Reviews – Mass Effect Trilogy

“Mass Effect 3: Crucible” by Ryan Somma. CC2.0

To be honest, I don’t know how to start this review. I actually don’t even know for sure what I’m going to say, and much like the creators of this game, I have no clue how to end it.

But I do know I want to talk about Mass Effect. But before we begin, a word from my endorser…

“I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite blog on the internet.”

Okay, this sweet babe was birthed from the loins of possibly my favorite game of all time, Knights of the Old Republic. It was published by one of the most hated companies in gaming, EA, and is the work of the developer BioWare. BioWare took the core concepts of what made KotOR so good and created a whole new world with it. A world which I ignored for a long time. I couldn’t get interested in a sci-fi universe I didn’t have knowledge of. Sure, friends kept telling me to try the game. Some offered to buy me a copy. The problem was, I knew that this game would take some work to really enjoy. I’d actually have to pay close attention so I could understand what was happening. Yes…I was that lazy.

I broke down one Friday and bought the first Mass Effect. I failed the following week’s Organic Chemistry mid-term.

25 bucks well spent.

This review may end up being slightly longer than most, but remember, it’s a threesome. You should expect things to go a little longer than normal. I will speak to each game individually in every section, and the final rating will be an average of each installment’s score.

Environment

Describe the Environment of Mass Effect? Jiminy Christmas, how to begin?

Oh, I know…

“history-channel-hd-aliens-thumb” by Sparkle Motion. CC2.0

Casual Reviews – Bioshock Infinite

“Bioshock Infinite-like logo” by Alan Klim. CC2.0.

Story-driven first person shooters don’t usually get me excited. I enjoy first person shooters for the shooting…obviously…but the storytelling feels limited to me. There are some exceptions such as Halo: Combat Evolved; however, I prefer seeing my characters interact with the world, which helps me engage with my character.

But I had played Bioshock. I was pumped to get my hands on Bioshock Infinite.

Environment

The original Bioshock set an amazing atmosphere of captivating horror. I don’t play many horror games because they are so dark. I’m not talking mood here, I mean…literally. No lights, difficult to see, and strange noises. It’s a scare tactic that is so overused and such a crutch to compensate for poor writing that I don’t feel there’s any point in playing. I know what is going to happen. Some freaky things will flash on the screen, accompanied by a sudden loud noise meant to cause instant panic with a side of incontinence. Bioshock was different, more intelligent. I was curious if Infinite was the same.

Casual Reviews – Red Dead Redemption

“RDR – Shooting” by RodrixAP. CC2.0.

I tend to review games negatively. I can find the bad in just about anything, video games included. There’s a reason I’m like that. It’s the same reason the dark corners of the internet are inhabited by ravenous wolves known to the locals as ‘trolls.’ It is safe. Instead of risking having my reasons for what I enjoy being ripped to shreds, leaving me rejected and alone, I reject preemptively. It’s so much easier to tear down what you don’t like than defend what you do.

If we are honest, we must admit there is a little troll in all of us. But now I believe it’s time for me to step out of my comfort zone and review one of my all time favorites.

Casual Reviews – Destiny

“Destiny_20150122184727” by Ferino Design. CC2.0.

Having just completed my review of Diablo III, this task is even more difficult than I originally planned. I’ve already tried several humorous opening sentences and deleted them all. They weren’t that good, felt forced, and my heart wasn’t in them. And that is the perfect description of Destiny. Bungie, the creators of Halo (the game that introduced me in spectacular fashion to the FPS genre), brought Destiny to the next generation of consoles in a tidal wave of hype, the likes of which I had never seen before. This game would change our understanding of the very fabric of gaming itself. I allowed myself to be caught up in the expectations. I pre-bought the game.

I don’t want to be so harsh as to accuse the creators of making a game based only on hype in order to earn as much money as possible with as little effort as possible. I believe Bungie cared about Destiny. I believe they care about the gamers. But I also believe they didn’t fully understand what they were doing. Their hearts may have been in this game, but it doesn’t feel that way. Instead, it feels like a paper I once wrote in nursing school. Destiny is trying so hard to dazzle us, but there isn’t a solid outline upon which to do that. Instead, like my paper, it has become an incomprehensible mud of good ideas and intentions.

My paper overwhelmed me every time I tried to work on it. Every change and edit I made seemed to make it worse. It was like fighting against quicksand, and I imagine that’s what Destiny felt like to Bungie.