My Thoughts On Xbox One Scorpio & PlayStation Neo

So, the next-gen console upgrades are very much confirmed. Microsoft is promising that Xbox Scorpio will be the most powerful console ever made. The developers say that the games and the Xbox Live Community will work on both the original Xbox One and the upgraded version. Only thing is, we have heard that the games would run better on Scorpio so it feels like Xbox isn’t telling the whole truth. It does feel a bit unfair if the gamers who just bought the expensive next-gen consoles will have to play the new games with less functionality. In addition here’s an interesting statement coming from Xbox’s Phil Spencer :”Scorpio is designed as a 4K console, and if you don’t have a 4K TV, the benefit we’ve designed for, you’re not going to see.[…]If you own a 1080p TV then you should buy an Xbox One S”. At least we got this info before the consoles are released!

That was the official Project Scorpio video, which I personally think is a mental image type of advertising that will make the product (and why it’s made) sound more appealing than it is. One of the developers on the video actually said that it’s the “we heard you console”. Okay so what was the Xbox One then? “We didn’t quite listen to you, but don’t worry, you get to buy the console we promised you a few years late and you get to spend double the money, yay!” Well that’s what it sounds to me at least, don’t know how you people feel about all these semi-new consoles but to me that’s a bit too cheap.

PlayStation Neo is following pretty much the same idea. The new PS4 games will work on both the old and the new consoles, Sony President Andrew House is saying that PS Neo will”sit alongside and compliment the standard PS4″. PlayStation Neo too will support 4K streaming, but again you will need a 4K TV screen. The VR support should also work better than with the original PS4. It is also to be expected that the new games will run more smoothly on the upgraded version since it will have better specs. All in all the game experience should be better, just like with Xbox Scorpio. But again, you have to pay for it.

My apologies if this article sounds a bit too negative, I’m sure the new consoles will be brilliant and that people will have loads of fun with them. It’s just that this feels like the big companies are betraying the ever loyal customers. I personally can’t get over the fact that they would knowingly release consoles in full price just to sell better versions of them later. I feel like they should probably concentrate more on their new concoles so that they wouldn’t need to make these “upgrades” in the future.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

Wreck-It Ralph Review (Wii & 3DS)

In 2012, Disney Animation Studios graced cinemas around the world with the villain-to-hero Wreck-It Ralph. The film cleverly showed us what your video game characters get to up to when the arcade lights turn off, and no one is looking.

The film had something for everyone of all gaming ages, and also showcased a number of classic characters such as Sonic, Qbert, and the Pac-Man ghosts to name a few for the gaming veterans, giving countless moments of joy and getting the nostalgia juices flowing.

Along side the movie release, Nintendo developed the video game companion available on the Wii and 3DS. For many fans of the film, this is an exciting idea, but in reality, those looking to relive the experience of the film, will be severely disappointed. It’s set immediately after the events of the film, and allows you to play as both Wreck-It Ralph and Fix-It Felix. You’re tasked with clearing the 2D sidescrollers from the cy-bugs – the only enemies you’re up against.

The game is made up of 4 stages spread over four ‘worlds’, each one defeated with a victory in a battle against the Boss. The worlds are made up of a main hub and the other three are themed around games brought to life from the film. In the movie, each game Ralph visited was vastly different from the last, unfortunately, this did not transition into the game. They’re the same 2D platform with the slightly altered setting to represent which world you’re in. This isn’t always a bad thing, but each level is poorly designed making it a task in itself trying to navigate each area.

The Wii wasn’t always classed as a console with breathtaking graphics, but it certainly used what it had available to the best of it’s abilities. However, Wreck-It Ralph, the game doesn’t even try to look pretty, and it succeeds in being a total eyesore, giving blurry character models and even worse backgrounds.

All this being said it’s a very easy game to complete, making it ideal for children playing their first video game, that is, if you’d want this to be their first video game. To continue through each level, you must switch between Ralph and Felix in very obvious ways, for example, there’s a large box that needs to be destroyed by Ralph or a small gap that someone little can walk through…Felix. And if it’s still too difficult to figure out, the game kindly shows a picture of who’s required to proceed.

It can be completed within 2 hours or less, and this is regardless of gaming experience. Unfortunately Wreck-It Ralph for the Wii and 3DS, falls in the usual category of dreadful movie video games that come out year after year, giving you an empty feeling upon completion, and a disappointed wallet.

If you (or your child) currently have this game on a wish list and loved the film, do yourself one favour: keep your happy memories of the film alive and maybe invest in Mario Kart instead.

SNIKT!

Dead Rising 4 Is Coming In Time For The Holidays!

One of the most fun zombie games is back, and you don’t even have to wait for it that long! Dead Rising 4 is promised to be released on 6th of December this year, so if you’re a zombie fan, you know what to put on that Christmas list. The game series has always been Xbox exclusive(excluding Dead Rising 2) so I doubt that us PlayStation users will get a chance to play it, unless we want to get it on PC. The trailer of the game is super fun, at least in my opinion. I love the Christmas theme mixed up with zombie hordes and weird weapons. The protagonist will be Frank West, the freelance photographer we know from the first Dead Rising game. This is something that I’m totally loving right now, because Frank was(and probably still is) an amazing character for a zombie apocalypse game. He isn’t a generic pretty boy like so many characters in video games are, he is realistic, sassy and unique. The upcoming game has many new features, among which are an exoskeleton suit, 4 player co-op, and the ability to take selfies. Dead Rising will be brought closer to our era, and Frank is actually browsing Twitter in the official trailer, which you can check out right now!

P.S. This bit of game news really makes it hard for me to resist buying Xbox One!

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

Tekken 7 Coming In 2017!

One of the biggest names in fighting game genre is gettin yet another sequel in the beginning of 2017. The trailer of the upcoming Bandai Namco title looks good but it’s not as edgy and fresh as I would have hoped. Nevertheless the game does have a lot of potential. Let’s hope the developers will bring us something that will make Tekken 7 stand out from the earlier fighting games. Katsuhiro Harada(The game director) has made a statement about the new game that could be interpreted as a good sign:“Not only will Tekken 7 evolve as a competitive fighting game, as you just saw, there’s an all-new story mode that transitions from epic narrative cinematics to action-filled gameplay,”. There is something interesting for Street Fighter fans too, since Akuma will be acting the bad guy in the forthcoming game. Akuma and Heihachi are actually  battling in the trailer I put in here just for you! Tekken 7 will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC(through Steam).

 

If you can’t wait for the next Tekken, and if you are an Xbox Live Gold member, you can ease the pain of waiting by playing Tekken Tag Tournament 2, which is free just for this week!

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild celebration was held today at E3

Today was Nintendo’s first foray into this year’s E3. A wonderful jump into an amazing conference. They promised a day of Zelda and boy howdy did they deliver. After an amazing trailer this morning they jumped into the game and it is all just so stunning.

I was lucky enough to be able to watch most of the day’s events and I couldn’t bare to take my eyes off of what was being shown. The size of the map is ridiculous and even just the small portion of the idea could take hours to comb over.

This game clearly is working with the idea of an intense open world Zelda experience. I cannot even wrap my head around what was shown in such  a defined area and I definitely cannot wait to hear more.

Now, the demo is situated around a small plateau. It is probably the smallest area on  the map and that is not a bad thing. A lush plateau with mountains to explore. Different weather occurs on the fly and right off the bat you can go to different locals from a snowy mountain, to a hot volcanic area.

This game seems to be somewhat similar to  Skyrim as Eiji Aonuma the creator of the series mentioned in a video that people should expect a game in the same vein as the Elder Scrolls.  Funny enough some fans have dubbed this game the “Zelder Scrolls” which is quite comical.

Now this game does share many characteristics with other Zelda games. Such as dungeon trekking and puzzle solving. Link wakes up at the start of his journey in an odd room and is thrust into adventure. The real connection is definitely to the first Zelda game where you are thrust with nought but the clothes on your back.

In this game you can forage for food and other things while you fight enemies. Food and clothing are integral to your survival as you can even take damage when you are traveling. If you aren’t wearing the right gear you can even freeze taking your hearts.

Now they didn’t show any characters except for the weak bokoblins and the collectable Koroks that live on  the Plateau. But they also announced that players will be able to have Wolf Link join them if they scan the Wolf Link Amiibo. He will aid you in hunting and fighting as you trek around this world.

I’m sure the other characters are going to be great, and I am fine with waiting as they really did show so much even in such a succinct area. It really proves a game is great when game play can make you want to play rather then an incredible story. Though story may be integral games shine when you are dying to play it no matter what the story holds.

There are also shrines, about 100 to play through that task you with challenges to undertake. Things like using a certain item or method of getting through them. Now they only showed four but honestly these four were great to see in action.

I am excited to see more because I have heard that they really get quite intense. It seems that they really are going to test the players metal with these challenges which is good because if they were all simple they wouldn’t be something you may always want to do.

Seeing as they only showed 2% of the game’s map, it is clear that there is going to be a seemingly unending amount of game to actually pay when the Breath of the Wild hits our faces next year. Just  look at this world and be excited for what is to come!

Nintendo at E3 Day 2

Day 2 of E3 for Nintendo is a hodgepodge of different games. Far different then yesterday which just held Pokemon Sun and Moon and Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. The great thing about today is that the stream  really is mostly RPG’s. So many games worth playing for all different fans of RPG’s

First up is a new IP which is called Ever Oasis. This game is a new RPG by Grezzo and involves trekking through a desert and building up a home Oasis. I’m excited to see what this game holds  it’s sandy wasteland.

Box Boy gets a sequel in Box Box Boy which entails you to solve puzzles with Boxes. In this game you now have the ability to emit two sets of boxes to solve the puzzles before you. There are tons of levels to play and you can replay them infinitely to get world records which is always fun. Plus with challenging levels and a store in the game, this looks to be a game that will keep gamers enthralled for a long time. This game will be released on June 30th.

Mario Party Star Rush the fourth game of the day returns the series to its roots while keeping things fresh. In Toad Scramble you all play as Toads and can even recruit other characters to your side if you land on the right spaces. Looks like a fun multiplayer game.

Yokai Watch 2 Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls is fifth! This exciting sequel to last year’s Yokai Watch is going to continue the Yokai Explosion. This game series is a fun RPG series in which you collect different spirit like characters. Now they aren’t actually monsters or spirits but they are only seen by the user of the Yokai Watch. In this game you can travel back in time and play as Nate’s grandfather so you get two huge places to explore.

This game is actually really cool because you can learn alot about Japanese folklore. The characters that you befriend are based primarily on Japanese myth and stories.

Monster Hunter Generations the sixth game in the stream  is a new iteration is a great series. This game will really change things up as it is far more about customization. You fight monsters that have survived for generations and have learned a thing or two.  Not just monsters who were born recently, but foes that really know what they need to do to survive.

You can also play as a Felyne a cat like fighter. This is the first time that has actually happened.There is also a mode called Prowler mode which they didn’t have time to show.

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is next. This game came out eons ago but now they are releasing it for 3ds in America. This game is a solid RPG in the long running Dragon Quest series. This game is actually episodic and allows you to play as much or as little as you want in a sitting.  If you forget what you were doing it will even remind you, which is good for people who start and stop playing games regularly.

With 127 new monsters and over 400 in total it will be a game people will just adore playing for hours. You don’t enlist monsters to fight for you anymore, instead your characters literally change into monsters.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions # FE is next and this game is confirmed to come on on June 24th in the Americas. A beautiful RPG where you travel through the city of Tokyo fighting monsters in dungeons. An amazing combination of Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem. This game has a wonderful battle system and great characters. It flows so well and really looks so good. Such a treat to see Japan so vibrantly in a game.

Next up Paper Mario Color Splash!

Lastly comes Rhythm Heaven Megamix!

Feel free to watch the stream below, even though it may be over it will all be there below.

Go Toward The Future With Pokemon Go! E3 Developer Q/A

Pokemon Go is coming out sooner than later. First this humble idea was born as an April Fools Day Joke. But after its popularity skyrocketed Nintendo took it seriously and partnered with Niantic and the Pokemon company to make this a reality.

At E3 this morning they held a Developer Q and A with some of the greats including Shigeru Miyamoto and Junichi Masuda Along with Ishihara, Bill Trinen, and even the Jwittz.

This game is really looking like a fun experience as it puts people into their own Pokemon game. You explore this wide world of ours and catch Pokemon. It really is going to be something that makes you actually leave the house and explore. They will hold off on many of the functions of the game to allow for people to get used to it.

It looks like a game that will really engross you in your own world so that you can actually hunt Pokemon which is one reason it exists at all. Something where you can either go for a drive to somewhere new or even just go for a walk. You never know what Pokemon you may find in your back yard and that is just too cool.

Eventually they will have a group event where you go and catch Pokemon of the legendary variety such as Mewtwo. An event that will require everyone in the area to work together to catch this Pokemon

They are planning on releasing this game by the end of July but that is subject to change. As it is a smartphone game, they are planning on releasing a peripheral called Pokemon Go Plus. This will allow you to keep your eyes on the world rather then your phone which is refreshing to say the least. If there is Pokemon it will vibrate and you can just press the button, if you catch it, it will flash red green and blue. Then later you can check on your phone to see what you actually caught.

So when it comes out, I really hope people take it and go on Pokemon journeys of their own. It’s time for us to see a little bit of the world while we aren’t engrossed in other things. Maybe you’ll find something cool out there along with a sweet new Pokemon!

Below is the original trailer, and it really is something to see.  Hope it really works out like the developers intend. I honestly think that it will be something to enjoy and that if the people who are field testing it are enjoying it than that is a good sign.

Update: The whole Q/A event.

New RPG IP At E3 For Nintendo! Presenting Ever Oasis

A new game IP is always the start of a brand new adventure especially with a game as cute as Ever Oasis.This game developed by Grezzo looks like a dreamlike adventure RPG.

Set in the desert you start your adventure with a small town. You need to make money to support your Oasis. The big thing is that you are the one who must hunt and find the things to keep the village alive.

Joined by a cast of lively characters you aim to make your settlement the best it can be and save the day as the hero you know you’ll become.

You travel through dungeons with two other friends either in game or online. It really does look like another fun Nintendo game and I think it will sate RPG fan’s needs. I usually am not one for cooperative game play but this game looks like it might be fun to take part in something especially if it is local. Real time game play can be interesting as you get to see how others play the game which you obviously wouldn’t if it were strictly solo.

When you aren’t fighting monsters and gathering you are making your settlement amazing. Doing all sorts of things like talking to shopkeepers and villagers. They ask for certain things and you have to fulfill their order

The characters are ridiculously cute from the protagonists to the penguin owls who cheep. It really looks like a good game to get lost in for a few dozen hours. A game that parents can play with their kids and anyone can probably jump in for a solid adventure.

This game is aiming for a 2017 release and I’m sure we will learn more as time passes. Tweet me your thoughts @Starkwyvrngamer and check out the trailer below!

Summer Time Is Fallout 4 Time With New DLC Coming Your Way!

Fallout 4 hasn’t even been out a year and Bethesda has blessed us with DLC to keep us engrossed in their post apocalyptic Boston.

First we had Automatron a fantastic story about robots. The amazing Silver Shroud noir superhero story continued with his villain the Mechanist. Building your own robots to do your bidding is just too fun.

Next was Wasteland Workshop which helped players build more. We were finally able to capture creatures and then make them fight in an arena.

Lastly was the amazing Far Harbor which takes place in Maine. A girl goes missing and it is up to you and Nick Valentine to save her.

Now that E3 has happened, we were lucky enough to get even more DLC. These DLC will be coming out all summer until the final one in August.

First up is the new Contraptions DLC! It’s really a fun thing to do is definitely going to be making huge contraptions. I’m sure it will have tons of other cool things to expand our settlements too!

Coming off the massive success of their mobile game Fallout Shelter comes a Vault designer. Now you can finally create a Vault with people to experiment on. Your quest to save your son is done, build a Vault and have some fun. It will be interesting to mess with your dwellers I am sure. This will be out in July.

Lastly will be the fantastic Nuka World. Another place to explore in the form of a wasteland amusement park. It looks like a fun excursion but being in Fallout I’m sure it has its secrets.

Watch the trailer below and tweet me @Starkwyvrngamer!

New Batman Game Coming From Telltale Games!

The popular Telltale Games is soon releasing another addition to it’s ever growing list of point-and-click graphic adventure games. The unique gameplay and style is going to depict Batman’s exploits, not only as Batman but also as Bruce Wayne. At some scenes the player is able to choose whether to approach a situation as Batman or mr. Wayne. And of course we can expect the same kind of effect from our chosen actions as in the games before. The art and the engine used in the new game is selected to be as perfectly suited as possible for illustrating the comic bookish style that Batman deserves. The moment in which the game takes place is the early years of Batman’s career. The game will be in 5 pieces just as the other Telltale Games’ titles have been. The sequences will be around 90-120 minutes long and the maturity of the game should resemble Telltale Games’ earlier works, The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among us. The first episode is due this summer.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek