A Week Of Thoughts

Basically, what I'm doing here is writing a shorter thing in this one post every day for a week and then just posting it as one thing. This will help me feel more productive and also help me write more. Because I think of writing a lot and then I just don't. Whether it's because I just don't feel like something is good enough or because I just don't get around to it. I don't know, but here we go.


Blizzard Patches Diablo 2:

Yes, you read that right, Diablo 2, released in 2000 recently got a new update that "focuses on system glitches introduced by modern operating systems" and this seemingly won't be the last update we see for this game; Blizzard is also "working to improve our cheat-detection and hack-prevention capabilities," and they're also hiring people to "maintain legacy games", so we can probably expect other games to be patched as well. Actually, as I write this, Blizzard has released a patch for Warcraft 3, and also said there is more to come for that game, as well.
Really though that's all I have to say. It's awesome Blizzard is taking time and resources to continually support nearly 20-year-old games with sequels, even. Can you name another developer that has done that? Bravo, Blizzard, bravo.


Jim Sterling Being Sued by Digital Homicide:

So, I wasn't going to write about this because I'm very obviously biased, but I want to, at least, give an opinion.
In December 2014, Jim Sterling, a pretty popular Youtuber/game critic, made a video regarding a game released on Steam called Slaughtering Grounds. This video was basically centered on how this game was the epitome of why Steam Greenlight - a system that lets indie developers submit games to the community to be sold after they are voted for - is not very curated.
The developer of this game, Digital Homicide, wasn't happy about this video and released a video themselves insulting Sterling. The conflict has only gotten worse with Digital Homicide releasing more, shitty, half-baked games and Jim Sterling continuing to make them points of topic in his series The Jimquisition.
A few days ago, Digital Homicide announced on their website that they would be suing Sterling for about $10 million for assault, libel, and slander. So I guess that's that. Rather than fixing the shit of their games, they (Digital Homicide) are throwing a tantrum and suing. I'm excited to see where this goes.
For a more in-depth, less opinionated piece, read this (thanks,  Patrick Klepek).


Stardew Valley Mini-Review:

PC - Steam

Stardew Valley is a really good game, my game of the year so far, actually. After quitting your dead-end job working for a large corporation, you inherit your grandfather's farm in Stardew Valley. The core gameplay loop involves; buying and planting vegetables, fruits, and other things; raising animals; fishing and foraging; maintaining relationships with the townspeople (if that's what you want to do, of course)  and even fighting bad guys in the mines. You can basically do whatever you want, if you want to be a suave farmer who gets all the ladies and makes beer, you can be that. If you want to be a weird, rich hermit, do that if you want to. This is a really chill, super fun game and if you are remotely interested in Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, this is a game for you.

Thoughts and Stuff

Extended Title: Things That I Have Issues Articulating into Something That Would Necessitate a Full Post, So I'm Putting Them into One Comprehensive Post

The Division vs. Destiny: They Are Not the Same

A couple weekends ago I played in the Division beta, and it was actually pretty decent. The shooting was fun, albeit being a Third-Person shooter and the overall gameplay loop seemed like it would last a while. I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to get at is that these 2 games really aren't the same. A lot of what I've seen on this game is comparing it to Destiny; take a step back, though, and actually look at what these two games have in common. The only thing I can think of is the loot drops, otherwise, they don't really have much more in common. I think people are kind of grasping at straws trying to draw comparisons between these two games, when, in reality, they're only similar in a very barebones kind of way. It's like saying Diablo 3 and Borderlands are the same game, but really they just share a loot treadmill.

Bungie Please

Yesterday, Bungie released a weekly update, stating that a larger update, coming in the spring, will feature a significant Light increase, new gear to earn and equip, and new PvE challenges centered on replayability and fun experiences. They also announced that Destiny 2 is coming in 2017. Bungie, please, you're falling into Activision's trap of shit. I wouldn't doubt if Destiny 2 is another half-baked game that is fun, but flawed, much like Destiny was. It's taken them this long to "fix" Destiny (The Taken King was really good), but now, it's been basically radio silence since. Yeah, they've added a few things, like microtransactions, that have helped fund smaller events, like the Halloween and Valentine's Day ones, and the Sparrow Racing League. These small things aren't substantial enough to keep a player like me happy over the months we go without any new content. The point is, Destiny 2, I think, will be another disappointment, at least at the start, filled with Bungie telling us every week that they're busy fixing the issues just to be followed by more issues created by fixing the older issues. Until one day they come out and say "We've got a new expansion coming that is going to rework the entire game" and so on to viscosity. 

The community (mainly streamers and YouTubers like ProfessorBroman, KingGothalion, and Datto) is making this out to be some huge announcement that will breathe life back into the game, but really come on, we already knew this was coming, like really, we knew there was another expansion coming, we knew there was going to be a sequel, this is literally no big news. The expansion wasn't detailed past "it'll be here in the spring so GET READY" like they've done with every other thing. Shit, at this time last year we already had the Dark Below for a few months and were on the heels of The House of Wolves. Now, we're seemingly a few months out from this newest expansion and we know nothing about it. I'm preparing myself for the worst, but hoping for the best; because hell, I love Destiny, I have over 500 hours put into it, but really, I can't handle shit like this. I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that this was not a substantial "announcement", or really even an announcement at all, so don't get your hype thrusters reared and ready to go, just to be almost definitely disappointed, and if you're not initially disappointed, just wait a few months.

Assassin's Creed Is Taking a Break

"This year, we also are stepping back and re-examining the Assassin’s Creed franchise. As a result, we’ve decided that there will not be a new Assassin’s Creed game in 2016. Since the release of Assassin’s Creed Unity, we’ve learned a lot based on your feedback. We’ve also updated our development processes and recommitted to making Assassin’s Creed a premier open-world franchise. We’re taking this year to evolve the game mechanics and to make sure we’re delivering on the promise of Assassin’s Creed offering unique and memorable gameplay experiences that make history everyone’s playground." - Direct quote from the Assassin's Creed team. 

Good. This is a good thing. People often rip on annualized franchises, myself included because they always seem rushed, and Assassin's Creed is no exception, especially with Unity being as terribly buggy as it was. The team taking a step back to really work on a game and take in the community’s feedback shows that there is some heart and care in the series. I'll definitely give Assassin's Creed Reborn a try when it comes out in 2017.

Firewatch Mini Review

Firewatch is the first game of its kind that I have played. The decent story is made great by stunning graphics and fantastic dialog and is only held back by feeling a little bit on rails at times. It would be nice to have a sort of New Game Plus where you could just freely explore the Wyoming wilderness without being held back by the story of the game (though, as I said before, the story is really good). The graphics in this game are really stunning, filled with oranges and yellows, a color that, I think, is underused in gaming. The dialog in this game is some of the best I have ever heard, guiding witty exchanges and meaningful conversations contained some of the most memorable parts of the whole game. Pair that with a decent, engaging story, and you have a great game. The only gripe I have with this game isn't even huge, I just don't feel the need to play it again. 

Random Thoughts and Stuff

Extended Title: Random things that have been going on but either don't necessitate a full post or I can't fully articulate my thoughts into something that will form a full post.

WB Abandoning PC???

This week, MKXL was announced for PS4 and Xbox One and is set to release March 1, 2016. Notice anything weird about that? If you noticed it's not coming to PC, you're correct. Really, this is bullshit, especially after the game being released on PC in the state it was - riddled with bugs, and for a lot, the game wouldn't even launch, let alone be played. Come on, WB, really? PC, while not as big as the console market, still holds a large majority of "hardcore gamers", and those are the people you do not want to piss off. After Arkham Knights abandoning on PC, you'd think they'd want to make it up to PC players by at least fixing the games they release, but instead, the games just get left behind, which is despicable. Step your game up, WB.

Might No. 9 Delayed, AGAIN.

Keiji Inafune stated this week that Mighty No. 9 is being moved from its release date of Feb. 9 back to "Spring 2016"; this is the 3rd delay. For a game that is already surrounded by shit with Kickstarter, whether it be the multiple campaigns or the multiple delays, this last (hopefully) one, really is just adding insult to injury.

Star Wars: Battlefront Free Content.

There's free shit coming, costumes and maps for survival and multiplayer. That's pretty much it, EA also announced the Death Star and Mos Eisley as new maps coming with paid DLC. If they added more heroes and villains I would be interested, otherwise, meh.

FNaF World Pulled From Steam

Come on Scott Cawthon, you release your game EARLY and then pull it because it's buggy? If this isn't an ARG for a FNaF sequel, this is just stupid. But, looking at the history of these games, it is probably just some stunt; considering he allowed the game to be fully refunded despite play time.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Comes to PC

Dragon's Dogma originally released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in May 2012 and got the Dark Arisen edition in April 2013. This game is good, it has a Shadow of the Collusus mixed with Dark Souls feel and it is backed up by fun gameplay and a unique party system - basically, you choose "pawns" to accompany you, these pawns are created by other players and are chosen from an online pool. It is a decent port, supporting up to 4k resolutions and has had, at least for me, no performance issues. The only downside to this game is the low-quality textures, this game has obviously aged, but if you look passed that, there is nothing really bad about this game.

Darkest Dungeon Leaves Early Access.

Red Hook Studio's first game Darkest Dungeon, a roguelike dungeon crawler, left Early Access on January 19th. Oh man, this is a game. Fantastic narration and sounds paired with a horrific art style really make this game stand out among other "indie" titles. Brutal gameplay mechanics and punishing turn-based combat also add a great amount of depth to this great game. I really look forward to sinking many hours into exploring rotted dungeons and finding out why I'm reclaiming this estate.

The Witness Hits PS4s.

Johnathon Blow's long-awaited game, The Witness finally, after 8 years, released on PS4 January 26th. Braid, Blow's previous game, is one of the games that helped define "indie games" so, The Witness is a must play for many people. Stunning graphics and tough puzzles make up this game, and I do plan on playing it, even though I am not the biggest fan of puzzle games, I look forward to experiencing what Johnathon Blow has to offer.


That's pretty much it, you'll probably see a few more of this style post go up in slow news times like this, so look forward to them!

2016 Most Anticipated Games

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is my favorite Gamecube game, and now, with an HD remake coming to Wii U, I am obviously excited. Though this game gets a lot of hate, I believe it is one of the better games in the franchise (rating 2nd on my list, only behind Ocarina of Time). Now, as far as I know, nothing new will be added to this game, but if it is anything like the Wind Waker remake, then we're in for something good. And, if they don't change anything but the graphics, that's cool too. Twilight Princess HD will come to Wii U on Mach 4th.

Having not played the original games for more than an hour, the Rachet and Clank remake/reimaging piques my interest, as I have always been interested in them (they came out before I was really into video games, so I just never really put in the time to play them). I played a demo of R&C at CES last week and I was pretty impressed. The game looks fantastic, runs well, and plays well. One of the more promising remakes I have seen will hit the Playstation Store on April 12th.

Another game hitting stores on April 12th is Dark Souls 3. This is my most anticipated game of 2016 though I am a little scared of it. Coming off of Dark Souls 2 - a great game, just not a good sequel to Dark Souls, which is arguably my favorite game of all time - this game has a lot to prove to fans of the series. Dark Souls 2 is looked at by many as the worst of the souls games, and is definitely my least favorite (don't get me wrong, I still love it, but it is still the worst of the best).

As mad as I am at Blizzard for not letting me into the beta, this game is still in my top 3 for most anticipated 2016 game. Hero-shooters (basically, you choose a class that has a certain power or nuance that is specific to that class) are the new thing for gaming; we are seeing a lot of FPS take this approach to their games, but I think Overwatch will be the most successful hero-shooter. Why? Because come on, it's Blizzard.

I have written about this game before, and since then, the hype has just grown. I want this game in my life, I am ready to be enraptured by its endless planets and exploration. I'm ready to find out what is in the middle of the galaxy, I want to find the mysteries hidden on each of the 18 quintillion planets. If this game is disappointing I will be devastated, honestly. I know over-hyping something is bad, but, come on, it's kind of hard not to be excited for this.

Game of the Year Deliberation

So, I, uh, have been thinking about my game of the year all December, and I just can't decide on one, so, I am just gonna put words down and see if this helps me. So, welcome to my thought process, this won't follow my standard guidelines for usual post, its just gonna be a flow of words, so if you want cool pictures and bolded/italicized words, leave now, because you're not getting it now, maybe for an official post, but I don't know if that is coming (it probably will very early 2016, like in the 10's of January). I will also probably work on this for a few days, so it is going to be scattered as hell, so just be prepared. 

So when I think Game of the Year for 2015 nothing really comes to mind, though this year was a fantastic year for gaming; we got the long awaited sequels MGSV: TPP, The Witcher 3, and Fallout 4. 2 of which are way too dense, the other is just a lackluster sequel. All 3, though, are really great games, they just aren't games that are truly exceptional. The Witcher 3's world and story building are great, and MGSV's stealth and emergent gameplay are probably the best ever, but still, I have trouble staying immersed in their worlds. Something about playing for 12 hours and only making a small amount of progress makes me say, "meh, I'll go do something else".

Bloodborne is really something else. Not quite as good as Dark Souls, but it is really not terrible. I played through and beat it with a few characters and I really do love this game. But I love all soulsborne games and to me, this one just isn't as good as From can do. Don't get me wrong, from a design standpoint, this game is about as good as it gets; boss designs are great, the story is cool as hell and has a fantastic twist, and the environment design is great. The thing about this game is the simplified stat system, it leads to less build diversity (along with a smaller selection of weapons, though that isn't as big of a deal) and the fact that blood vials and bullets aren't unlimited (I sound like spoiled brat haha, but this is a legit issue) takes away from the exploration, like in Dark Souls I could be like "I'm gonna run here and see what it's like, if I die before a bonfire oh well, I'll just make sure I don't have any souls so I have nothing to lose" in Bloodborne, if you want to do that same thing, you have to be mindful of your bullets and blood vials, as if you want to get those back you'll have to grind in one way or another, and come on, I don't want to have to grind so much in such a punishing game (a little is fine, but I don't want excessive grinding).

Which brings me to Dying Light. Do You like zombies and parkour? This is your game... Maybe. Probably not, though. It is fun, but quests are meaningless and it is a damn grind fest. Add the weapon durability on to that and you got yourself a pretty okay game. It's just fine.

Speaking of mediocre, how about that Batman Arkham Knight. God damn was it mediocre. Would've maybe been good had it not been shit on the PC.

But what about the games I haven't played? Undertale, Xenoblade, and Rise of the Tomb Raider among others, (like Splatoon, which I hear is fantastic) I mean, I guess they'll just have to be left behind. As sad as I am to say that, they just didn't take precedence in what I play (I have the ability to play all of them except for RotTR, but that is coming to PC soon, so I suppose it can take a spot in my next year nominations).

Why isn't Destiny here? Well, it did release last year though I did put a load of hours into it this year, it still doesn't belong and doesn't make my Best Old Game so it is just being left out.

Speaking of Best Old Game, that absolutely goes to Super Smash Bros. Wii U, it is the most fun I have had in a game this year, and if it would've been released this year it would be my game of the year, easily.

But we are not in last year! We are in this year, and after a while of thinking, I'm sure Bloodborne is my game of the year. It is the game that I played and enjoyed the most, it is also the game with the least amount of bad, to me. There are a few gripes I have that I will talk about in my in-depth decision piece, but there are, by far, more upsides to it; and I haven't even begun the DLC.

Super Mario Maker is a very very close second place, though. So much enjoyment can be taken from that, and now, a couple months after release, most of the bad maps (my only gripe with the game) have stopped, or, at least, I have gotten used to them. Anyways, making Mario levels is something I'm sure every gamer has wanted to do at some point, and the creation tools in this game are unrivaled by any other game of the like that is out right now. Also, you can actually play levels, which is awesome, so it's not just Super Mario Maker, it is also Super Mario Player, I suppose. 

God Damn Microtransactions

Extended Title: Holy shit, not one day after Destiny adding more egregious microtransactions to their game, Activision announces "Call of Duty Points" God damn microtransactions, god damn Activision. 

Oh, Destiny, I love you, but I also hate you. In October, you added something to your game that I hate more than most things: Microtransactions. I've written about them before, and I'm sure you all know that I hate them. Silver (Destiny's microtransaction currency), at first, were just harmless emotes, not too bad, something I can look passed, but, hardcore Destiny players are too quick to jump to the defense of these microtransactions. Face it, microtransactions in this game have become progressively more terrible. Starting out with exclusive emotes, then moving on to sparrows/quest items, now to a level boost. I feel a pattern coming on, soon enough, Destiny will go Pay-To-Win or Fee-To-Pay. Adding a $30 microtransaction that allows new players to skip well over half of the content Destiny has to offer is pointless and egregious. There is no reason to pay to skip quality content. I really see this leading to something worse and I have said that before. There is no reason to include microtransactions in a game's development plan, other than greedy publishers who want to squeeze more money out of their loyal player base.

Really, Activision? This is bad as if annualizing wasn't already hurting Call of Duty (an admittedly good shooter), this will hurt it further. Of course, like most microtransactions, you can earn the loot you'd buy with them by playing the game, but come on, microtransactions exist because the devs want players to buy them; they're not there to get ignored. 

Open World Games

Extended Title: Open World Games, sometimes they're great, other times they're so large it's easy to get burnt out, and that isn't so great. 

Now, if you're reading this, you've likely heard of, if not played The Witcher 3, and if you haven't played I strongly urge you to. It is a sprawling open-world action RPG with in depth characters, fast, fluid combat, and great stories. But, is it too large? 2015 has undoubtedly been the year of open-world games (Fallout 4, Just Cause 3, Dying Light, among others), and while these games are fine, I think I'm getting a little burned out. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as these games are fun and engaging, I just feel like there is a little too much to do. Sidequests on sidequests, along with main quests, gear scavenger hunts, collectibles, and other things. If you could only buy one game to play for the rest of your life, this is definitely high up on that list.

Fallout 4, arguably one of the most anticipated games of all time, is one of the most in-depth RPG we've had this generation. The RPG mechanics, weapon and armor crafting, and the city-building aspect, among other things, make up the meat of the game. With a sprawling open world filled with different easter-eggs, a variety of different enemies, and emergent gameplay galore, there is definitely something for everyone in this game. My problem with this game is the same reason why everyone is so attracted to it; it's size. There is so much to do that it is hard to focus on one thing. First I'll say to myself "I'm gonna start this quest and finish it" next thing I know, I'm climbing to the top of a skyscraper that has nothing to do with what I had planned, this, by no means, is a bad thing, though. The game is massive, and it is a really good game, to an extent, but there may be too much to do, in my opinion.

Dying Light, the newest zombie slaughtering game from Techland is a very fun game. The combat is brutal and the parkour-based movement is intuitive and fast paced. Despite the good gameplay, I still fell out of the game some time after I started playing. This can be mainly attributed to sidequest design, I do not care about picking up 25 herbs for some random person I met 2 minutes ago. Quests, for me, have to feel meaningful; fetch quests are generally not good game design, and really feel needless in the context of the game.

Hideo Kojima's crowning jewel, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is one of the biggest games we got this year. Essentially an "emergent gameplay simulator", the game is not lacking content or fun. This is my problem with the game, though, the "content" there is likely something that you have done already or, at least, similar to something you've done in an earlier part of the game. There are so many side quests, main quests, and general things to do that it is very easy to get distracted -- again, not a bad thing, as having a lot to do is actually good. The game lost me after about 20 hours of play and, having not made any real progress, I decided it wasn't worth my time.

Open world games, though resplendent with content and fun, are, at least in my eyes, getting harder and harder to play. A large amount of games released this year were open world games, and though none of them were necessarily bad, having too many of these games leads to market saturation, and eventually burn-out. I love open world games as much as the next guy, the depth and sense of exploration (if done well enough, that is) these games offer is unmatched by any other form of media, but come on devs, I know you have ideas that aren't huge open worlds, change it up a little bit.