Saturday, January 30, 2016

The Division Beta Impressions

Hey Guys, I've spent quite some time on the beta for the Division. Since the beta is only available until this Monday as of writing this, I can't put in the amount of hours into the beta as I originally hoped to. However, I do have to give this game the benefit of the doubt since this is just a beta.

This is the first time you would be able to enter the city

Before I start on the gameplay, let me mention Ubisoft's tendency to make a downgrade to their games by the time they release. If you have not heard or noticed by now, the graphics to The Division have been watered down quite a lot. The graphics should not matter, but since this game was made specifically for current-generation hardware there should be no reason why it should look the way it does. Are the graphics bad? Of course not, but it just looks bland.

Most importantly, Ubisoft made the same mistake with Watch Dogs in terms of graphics. Remember how much of a big deal it was when fans noticed that Watch Dogs looks a lot worse compared to when it was first announced? This should set off some red flags if you ask me.

Okay, let me go on to the most important matter which is the gameplay.

Let me mention that the initial character customization screen really sucks. You have a choice of about 5 randomized default characters from the start for each gender. However, this is the beta, so I shouldn't be too critical about it.

If you haven't noticed, you could also change your clothing. You kind of have to pick them up from an enemy if they drop something new.

Now, character movements and gunplay are the best parts of the beta. If you've played Gears of War or any kind of cover based 3rd person shooter, you're going to love the gameplay. Literally, how the game actually plays.

Otherwise, the game feels too much like Destiny. If a game is too much like Destiny, then there should be red alarms setting off right now. I'm not kidding. The story in this game is uninteresting, but it is only a snip-it of it, so I'll still give a pass for it. Additionally, the reusable enemy types are totally something out of Destiny.

Even the enemies are scaled to match your level. By the way, you level up insanely fast, but that's because it's the beta. Much like any RPG, you kind of have to level up in order to actually use better weapons.

The weapon customization looks like it has some hope coming for it. The attachments you use actually matter, so you feel compelled to look for more attachments or even for better weapons. Of course, you could always get better loot from The Dark Zone.

I stood here for a good five minutes just taking in the environment

The Dark Zone is such an empty, depressing place to be in, but that's exactly what makes it so awesome! This is also the place you're going to spend most of your time in because you get to actually find loot as well as working with other people or killing people to get these loot items. Also note that all contaminated loot you find must be extracted through helipads. Once you call in for an extraction, everyone in the match will be aware of it, so either prepare to fight NPCs alongside players or get ready to fight against other players.

If you kill people in The Dark Zone, you will be targeted by the whole server. It makes The Dark Zone much better to play on because these fights against other players can get pretty tense.

Let me talk about the world itself. It's a pretty good size for a beta, so I hope it gets much larger once the games releases. I'm aware that more of New York will be unlocked within the next couple of months after the game releases, but the map should be bigger than it was in the beta.

I know what I'm about to complain about may not matter, but there is too much HUD information! I know this is common in a lot of Tom Clancy games, but I personally feel like the HUD needs to take it down a notch.

Overall, I feel that the beta is solid at best. I'm not really impressed by what the beta had to offer, but I still enjoyed my time with it. Please, do play with friends. However, the game could either be dead on arrival or a better version of Destiny. At the same time, I don't want to have to compare this game to Destiny, but I just get a Destiny vibe whenever I hear the mere mention of this game.

As I said several times in this post, this is only a beta, so only time will tell if this game will live up to its hype.
Till Next Time!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Xbox Live: Free Games of February 2016- Why do I even bother?

Hey Guys, the next set of free games have been announced for February and yet again we are given another lousy month of games. As usual, let me go over the free games then I will move onto my unimportant opinions on this.

Image Provided by Major Nelson's blog
























For Xbox One owners starting February 1st-29th, Hand of Fate will be free. Following this, Styk: Master of Shadows will be free starting February 16th-Match 15th.

For Xbox 360 owners Sacred Citadel will be free starting February 1st-15th. Then, Gears of War 2 will be free starting February 16th-29th.

That's it. Literally, there is nothing else that comes with these games. Now, onto my thoughts.

I was hoping for the best, but I literally expected this to be another crappy month. Out of all four games that are free, I only know and played Gears of War 2. If you have had an Xbox 360 for many years, there should be no excuse that you haven't played Gears of War 2.

Additionally, the game was free for people who purchased Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. As a matter of fact, you got every game in the series for free if you bought the Ultimate Edition.

I would say that the only redeeming quality of this month's free games is the fact that Gears of War 2 is free. However, this only applies to people who have never played the game before or have played the game but want to go back to it.

I think I'm just going to give up on these free games. I'm not even going to put in the smallest of hope into the Games with Gold program. Oh well, I'll just stick to Rainbow Six Siege.
Till Next Time!!

Monday, January 25, 2016

Should there even be a Destiny 2?

Hey Guys, I could not enjoy Destiny. It's not just because of the monotonous gameplay, but it's because of how disappointed the game made me feel that just made me quit Destiny

If you've been reading on my blog for a while, you should already know my stance on Destiny. As soon as The Taken King was released, I officially quit Destiny and am proud of it. Before Destiny fanboys react, keep in mind that I don't think it's a bad game, but it's Bungie who is really to blame for me not enjoying the game.

Recently, there was news floating around that the announced Destiny sequel is being postponed until 2017. My biggest question is this: should this even exist?

Before any Destiny fanboys start attacking me or just exits out of the page, let me explain then you could judge me all you want.

I'm going to go back in time, so here is an article on GameSpot that contains information on Destiny's lifespan by Bungie Community manger David Dague. He stated, "Given the different ways of playing Destiny...the amount of time that we’ll be relevant to the gamers who decide to play it is something that we think will be a very long life-cycle".

It's not really specified exactly how long this life-cycle is going to be. I've seen reports of 10 years or even less than that, but I could be wrong. The game was released in September 2014, so it has not been out for 2 years as of writing this and there is already a Destiny 2 planned.

What the hell? Will somebody please take me off this planet or at least get me a Mountain Dew with some Doritos?

As of writing this, the game has received two expansions. In my opinion, the first two kind of sucked and only really gave some new maps, but without these maps it will be pretty hard to find a match to play on. Regardless, that expansion pass was a waste of $30 since those expansions were less than stellar.

Fast forward to when The Taken King's price was announced and you could tell how pissed Destiny expansion pass owners were. If someone is going to buy an expansion pass for some new modes and maps,-especially if most of them were garbage-then they should have the right to have access to all future expansions at not additional cost. As a matter of fact, it would have been cheaper to get The Taken King when it came out then buying Destiny and its seasons pass back when it was new.

Instead of having to develop a sequel to Destiny, why not focus on the first game and making it better? Seriously, continue to support the game's life-cycle like it was originally intended to. If the game was meant to be like an MMORPG,-which it was treated as such since its inception-then give it the support of one!

If The Taken King is treated as its own game, then there is no need for a sequel to begin with. Instead of a sequel, how about making more DLC for the game that it is both story-driven and multiplayer-driven. For anybody who originally bought the expansion pass, they should be able to receive these expansion packs for free or for at least a significantly reduced price.

In the grand scheme of things, my opinion really does not matter and you're not obligated to take me seriously, but Destiny is still a game that is open to constructive criticism. By the way, thank you all so much for 70,000 page views. You don't know how much that means to me. Even if I get less than 12 views on each post, I'm still happy about since it shows someone having interest in my writings.
Till Next Time!!

Monday, January 18, 2016

A fan-made remake of Metal Gear Solid is in the works: My Thoughts

Hey Guys, this is one of the coolest things that I have seen this year. A fan-made remake of Metal Gear Solid is in the works using Unreal Engine 4. If you want to see the video for yourself, you can check out the video here.

Just look at how amazing the graphics are!

The project is currently called "Shadow Moses Remake". It's important to note that Konami has no involvement in this game whatsoever, so the create even admitted he wouldn't be surprised if the game were to be canceled. Keep in mind too that everything shown in the trailer is not representative of how the full game will look.

Now onto my thoughts.

Seriously, I would totally buy this if it were to release on consoles. This is more than just a remaster. If you couldn't tell by the screenshot I took, this is built from the ground up. You can easily tell that a lot of work has been put into this project.

However, it really is disheartening that we may not be able to experience this amazing game because Konami could shut it down. Knowing how Konami is today, I wouldn't be surprised if they just said pulled the plug on this. Imagine being the creator's shoes for a second. You would probably be devastated to find out that a company shut down something you have been putting your hear and soul into.

Regardless, the only way we would be able to play this is if Konami gave the okay to the creator to release this since Konami does hold the rights to the series. I wouldn't be surprised if Konami took most of the profit to this game should they give it the okay.

Besides just focusing on the game itself, just look at the visuals! It really shows what Unreal Engine 4 is capable of. I'm going to admit that I was not a huge fan of the Unreal Engine, but Unreal Engine 4 has shown that it is headed in the right direction. If it was able to rebuild Metal Gear Solid, just imagine what else can be done with Unreal Engine 4.

Here's hoping we get to be able to play this game! As a matter of fact, I actually hope it comes to consoles.
Till Next Time!!

Friday, January 15, 2016

Should you buy The Division Xbox One bundle?

Hey Guys, if you aren't living under a rock then there is a strong chance that you have seen at least one ad for The Division. Since the game is coming out in March, there is going to be a ton of ads for it. The beta is even releasing this month for Xbox One users first. Speaking of Xbox One, guess what? Yeah, say hello to another console bundle from Microsoft....

Image Provided by Major Nelson's blog


















The bundle comes with a digital copy of The Division and a 1TB hard drive. This bundle will be available on March 8, which is the same day The Division releases.You can get this all for the price of $399!

Okay, I have two issues with this bundle. One is for value and two is for timing. I'll explain each in just a second.

I'll start off with the value issue. This bundle is $399. You can get the Rainbow Six Siege bundle for the same price. Keep in mind that the Rainbow Six Siege bundle comes with three games, a 1TB hard drive, and a mic. Although I did explain that Rainbow Six Siege is not a console seller, it's a much better deal than The Division bundle if you think about it. I even think that Rainbow Six Siege is included in its physical copy form.

Now onto the timing issue. We don't know if The Division is going to be good. We could always give the game the benefit of the doubt, but if someone is going to drop $400 on this bundle and realize they don't like the game they just wasted their time. In that situation, they would only be paying for the console which you could get for about $350 by itself.

Should you buy this console bundle? No. The only noteworthy thing about this bundle is that it comes with a 1TB hard drive. You could always buy this console bundle later when The Division reviews are released, but the value would still be an issue.
Till Next Time!!

Saturday, January 9, 2016

The Oculus Rift Controversy

Hey Guys, most of you probably know or know of what the Oculus Rift is by now. It demonstrated that virtual reality games have a lot of potential. Imagine being able to play horror games on that thing! The Oculus Rift has a lot of promise. However, there is no way in hell that anybody would want to pay $600 for this.

I'll bring up both sides of the controversy. I can't just be biased throughout this article because there is a lot more going behind the scenes than we know. I'm not kidding. People will hate on the Oculus Rift's developers without knowing what they are getting mad about.

I'm going to be using this thread started by Palmer Luckey, the founder of the Oculus Rift, from Reddit. Please, I'm only going to go over his noteworthy responses and give my thoughts afterwards. You can check out the original thread by clicking on that blue "Reddit" link.

This is going to be formatted a little strangely because Luckey is answering multiple questions in one post. Just bear with me here. Additionally, try to ignore that stupid white highlighter thing because Blogger just loves screwing with "copy-paste" material.


  • So Reddit user codisms asked, "why was the messaging about price so poor? $599 is not in the ballpark of $350"
    • Luckey then first responds with "I handled the messaging poorly". Let me explain why this single line is more important than it looks likes. He knew the Rift and the recommended PC specs combined would be about $1500. Luckey admitted that he knew that he wasn't sure about the price he first targeted. He even apologizes later in the article. 
    • Here's where things really take a dark turn. "To be perfectly clear, we don’t make money on the Rift". It probably costs about $599 just to make one of these Oculus Rifts. It's understandable for this thing to cost $599. However, this is where I almost laughed out of my seat. "It is expensive, but for the $599 you spend, you get a lot more than spending $599 on pretty much any other consumer electronics devices". He even brought up examples to a phone and mid-range TVs. I could get a screen that that is bigger than the Oculus Rift and has internet functionality for probably less than $599.
Okay, now on to my thoughts. There really isn't much I can go by other than what the man said. I guess the fact that he mentioned there should be at least 100 games out for it this year is cool. 

Remember when the PlayStation 3 was first announced? Yeah, who could forget that $600 price tag. Now, we have a company wanting the same amount of money for a virtual reality headset on top of the monster of a PC required to run it.

Let me make it clear. If you don't have a beast of a PC, you're not going to be able to use the Oculus Rift correctly. This means you have to pay almost a grand just to even use this headset if you don't have the PC to use it.

At the same time, I have to give the Oculus Rift some slack because of what it's capable of and that there is no profit being made. This thing is not worth $599. I would probably pay $300 max for this thing. 

I'll have fun with the TV that I have. I really have no interest in getting one of these things even with a price drop. Really, I believe that the price is what will scare most consumers away. 

But hey, with a small loan of one million dollars you could easily get one of these even if you are interested in it.
Till Next Time!!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Next Assassin's Creed entry to release in 2017: My Thoughts

Hey Guys, this has to be one of the best news in video games that I've heard in a while. Apparently, the next Assassin's Creed game will not release until 2017. Finally, Ubisoft is actually doing something right!

Ever since the series was annualized, each game began decreasing quality in terms of story and innovation. I'm not kidding. I'm not sure if Assassin's Creed Unity or Syndicate had the worst story in the series so far.

You just don't know how happy I am to find out that the next game is coming in 2017! Maybe my faith in the series may be restored.

Ubisoft really needs this time in order to take the story in the right direction especially the future storyline. I think I am in the minority of people who actually enjoyed the future story.

Sorry for the brief article. I want to save more of my thoughts for my review of Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
Till Next Time!!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Two new Xbox One Bundles to be released by Microsoft- This kind of sucks....

Hey Guys, I stumbled upon a couple of articles about two new Xbox One bundles. I didn't really believe them to be true. However, I actually found out it was legit because they were announced by Major Nelson. I'm not even kidding. Look, let me actually give you the details before I move onto what I think.

Image Provided by Major Nelson's blog














What you are seeing right now is one of the two new bundles. This bungle comes with a 1TB Hard Drive console with Rainbow Six Siege as well as the digital copies of Rainbow Six Vegas 1 and 2. This bundle will cost you $399. Of course there are certain countries that will not be getting this console, but you'll have to check that out at Major Nelson's blog.

Image Provided by Major Nelson's blog


















This is the Name Your Game Bundle. The key differences between this and the Rainbow Six Siege Bundle is that you can choose 1 out of the 4 games listed and this only has a 500GB hard drive. This is also the cheapest coming in at $349. You can choose Forza Motorsport 6, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and Rare Replay.

If you want to know more details about these bundles, please check them out over at Major Nelson's blog. The release date on both consoles is different for my US viewers. It really isn't specified in the blog.

Okay, now onto my thoughts.

Rainbow Six Siege is a good game. Hell, it's a great game! However, I do not believe that it's a console seller. The game itself lacks serious content, but I guess it does make up for it by coming up with 2 games and a 1TB hard drive. However, you can do much better considering there is more 1TB Xbox One console bundles.

The Name Your Game Bundle actually had so much potential. The games listed are great games! However, it still feels so restrictive because you're still given a choice. If you paid for the console, you should be able to get a code that allows you to get any game on the Xbox Live Marketplace or something like that. Just think about that.

Additionally, why would they release this bundle with 500GB despite the fact that this isn't enough space? Don't even bring cost into account. It's pretty much the equivalent of the Rainbow Six Sige Bundle besides the fact this bundle comes with a different game and hard drive.

Well, I guess I'm done complaining for the day. I'm working on my next article and it does have something to do with Assassin's Creed.
Till Next Time!!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Star Wars Battlefront Sells 12 Million copies in 2 months: My Thoughts

Hey Guys, I once made an article questioning if Battlefront will fail. Well, I was wrong in the sense that the game was successful in terms of sales(probably the vast majority of sales come from kids and teens). However, it easily turned out to be one of the most divisive games of 2015. It really can't be argued that this game was disappointing.

The fact that this game sold 12 million copies is just depressing. You know why? It's a message to encourage EA to keep releasing games with less content.

If you bought Battlefront and love it, then that's fine. However, you are setting a dangerous precedent because you are acting as puppets to EA. A season pass for $50 without evening knowing what's to come? It's one thing to actually buy the game at full price, but if you bought the season pass then you really are being played like a DAMN FIDDLE!

Yeah, I just sneaked in a Metal Gear Solid reference. I digress.

I know I said this before, but I have to say it again. You don't have to care what I have to say or even acknowledge it. If you want to pay $60 for a half-assed game, then go right ahead as I won't do anything to stop you.

I'm merely warning everybody who purchased this game that they are encouraging EA even if they don't know it. It's even hypocritical for people who are against EA and still bought the game.

People don't realize how corrupt the gaming industry is getting. EA has to be one of the worst companies in the industry to date other than Konami. Either way, the consumers are responsible for allowing this to happen.
Till Next Time!!

Friday, January 1, 2016

Rainbow Six Siege Review

Hey Guys, I'm going to start off by saying that I absolutely like this game. I like this game so much that I got in one of these generic black cases you get at GameStop. Anyways, I digress.

I feel that Rainbow Six Siege is one of the most underrated games of 2015. It really is a gem, but I wouldn't say it's a hidden gem due to all of the promotion it has. However, this game does have its flaws and even gameplay "flaws" that some people may not like. Some of these flaws are actually much bigger than you think.

This is a screenshot I took during a game of Hostage. I blocked out the names due to privacy reasons.


What I like
Although the game is online only(I'll get more into this later), there is indeed a lot more variety in the game in the sense that your experience will be different every time you play. Because there are no respawns nor health regeneration, the pace is slow and intense. You even have time to prepare which involves either creating barriers or using drones to find the objective.

Because of the pace, the game really does force you to be creative on how to make your next move because messing up just once could easily get you killed. One well placed shot will put you down if you're not careful.

Additionally, you are able to access cameras to see where your enemies are located. It could be either the drones or surveillance cameras. If you see an enemy with your camera, you could tag their location giving your team the upper hand. When you die, you still have access to the cameras or even drones laid out by you or your teammates. However, these cameras can be destroyed in order to keep the game balanced.

I really do love this game because of how balanced it is! There really isn't any overpowered weapons since all of them are totally determinant on the player. There is no use of having a shotgun if you don't know how to use it.

Although the game does have microtransactions, there really is no need for them because the in-game currency is renown. You can get a good amount just by playing matches. The amount you get totally depends if you win or not.

I do love the Operators in this game. A couple of them may seem useless, but all of them do serve a purpose. The way someone uses an operator can effect the outcome of a game, but there really is no "best" operator in the game since the gameplay really isn't effected significantly based on the operator you choose.

Teamwork is important in this game. If you don't have a mic, there is no point to even buying this game as communication is key. Sure, you can tag enemies and your characters talk depending on their surroundings, but it's not the same as using a mic.

Let me tell you about the destructible environments. They are incredibly important. If you're standing behind a wall that can be blown up, then you will die unless it's reinforced. At the same time, the feeling of killing someone by shooting them through the wall is awesome. Additionally, you can create openings from walls or ceilings in order to have a tactical advantage.

The game already sounds awesome, right? Should I just stop here and say to just buy it? Well, let me give you the bad news.

Word of advice, always crouch in this game in order to make less noise


This is what sucks
It's clear that all the work was emphasized on the gameplay. I really can't complain about the gameplay, but what I'm about to say may easily hinder the game.

First of all, why is there no singleplayer? Most people played Rainbow Six for the story mode as well as its multiplayer. Sure, the story mode really wasn't anything special in the Rainbow Six Vegas games, but it was there for people to enjoy especially if they did not have Xbox Live or PSN.

Sure, most people should be having internet connections for their game consoles, but it doesn't mean that singleplayer should be omitted from the game. Even if you don't play story mode or singleplayer, there is no denying that you are still losing content.

I don't care how fun a game is. If there is a lack of content, then there is no reason why a game should even be sold for full price. This is my main problem with the game.

This is an online only game. Meaning, if your internet ever gets taken down or go anywhere without internet connections, then this game is pretty much unplayable.

There is a singleplayer mode in the game, but it's just tutorials essentially.

You remember how I said teamwork is important? Yeah, there is a good chance that people just will not talk in the game if you are playing with random people. If you don't have friends online(or even friends to begin with), then your chances of winning are slim.

Remember how I mentioned a lack of content? Well, there really isn't a lot of maps. I find myself on the same map maybe about five times in a row or I hardly notice that I'm on a new map. There really is no variety.

Additionally, I've only played Hostage and that one mode where you have to defend the biohazard  equipment or something like that. Sure, they can be fun! However, most of the time people don't even play the objective. Most people just eliminate everyone on the team. In Hostage, just hope you or your teammate don't kill the Hostage or the game is over.

Don't even get me started on the wait times. It takes me about 5 minutes or longer to find a game. I don't know if it's because the Xbox One version is barren or the game's servers are just failing. This is just unacceptable! Sometimes I'll get stuck during the map rotation and I'll be forced to restart the game.

Final Thoughts
Before I actually go onto my final thoughts, let me talk about the Season Pass. Although the Season Pass promised it wouldn't effect gameplay, it kind of does. Here's what I mean. If you have the Season Pass, you get to have a permanent renown boost. If you are in a game with someone who has the Season Pass, the entire team will get a renown boost. Although it doesn't really effect the gameplay, it's still unfair to people who have to grind to get renown points in order to get attachments or something like that. I really can't complain about it since it's only $30.

The game is enjoyable! I loved my time with the game. However, the game just lacks so much content to the point where it just doesn't feel like a $60 game. It doesn't matter if we are getting more maps for free, those maps should have been released day one.

It's cool we are getting them for free though. It's not like a Destiny situation where they asked for an additional $40 if you bough the expansion pass for the game.

My final thought,
Price Drop
Rainbow Six Siege is not a bad game, so I'm not going to say to not buy the game. However, I would say get the game when it's less than or equal to $40. This game had a lot of potential. For the most part, it proved itself to be a great game, but it's not a $60 game.

Unfortunately, I am going to part ways with this game because I don't want to support less content from Ubisoft. I'll buy the game again when the price drops and there is more maps or modes to play on.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate will be the next game I'm reviewing. It might take some time though as I haven't gone too far in the game.
Till Next Time!!
***UPDATE***: I tried returning the game, but GameStop wouldn't let me since I didn't pay any cash for it since I got it from the Buy 2 get 1 free sale. Oh well, GameStop is just an awful store anyway.