Wrapping Up The End of The Year

Well the last couple of months have been pretty crazy for me. Me and my wife welcomed our second child into the world and thus life has been busy. I haven't had a ton of time to play, but when I have, well it's been Destiny. After almost 3 months and over 60 hours (which is a lot for me) I still come back to Destiny day after day. A lot of people have had issues with it and dropped it after weeks, but whenever I have friends online we are all over it, and if not then i'm just working on bounties and such. So i've been mostly playing Destiny, however I also picked up Dragon Age: Inquisition as well as Diablo 3 for the PS4 so I have quite a bit to play. I've been busy but I am going to start on my year end list pretty soon, just wanted to touch base on how life has been and what I have been enjoying.

Also, the Wii U has been out for 2 years now and I love it even more than when I first got it. I play Destiny a lot but as far as flat out fun games, and fun times when people are over, it's all about Nintendo and their system. If you don't have a Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros yet, well get on out there and pick one up. Trust me, you won't regret it. Best exclusive library and next year there are even more great titles coming out. Until next time, keep on gaming.

A Destiny repost from Reddit about missing content

I just saw this and after reading that the original post had been deleted, thought I would copy and save on here. Some interesting stuff about why Destiny is lacking in what was originally promised to the audience. I really like the game, but the story is so weak, thus this is pretty interesting. Original post is as follows:

"This thread is a collection of posts and my thoughts that show how Destiny's development changed DRASTICALLY within its last year.

It is the reason why the story is lacking, the missions are repetitive, and why there are grimoire cards. A lot of shady stuff went down during the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014.

Anyway, let's start off with what the Story was supposed to be like:

STORY: This reddit post from a deleted thread Here explains how Destiny's story was originally during E3 2013. Bungie.net user Diver2441 sums up all of this here:

(Key parts are BOLDED for the lazy)

So recently a Reddit thread came to light detailing what Destiny's narrative looked like in 2013, and it's very different from the ailing excuse for a story we're presented with today: the Traveler bringing the darkness, Crow, different progression through planets and even considerable cut areas. So it becomes apparent that between mid to late 2013 and launch, Bungie gutted the story. Now this is where it gets good, something else happened back in late 2013 before the story was gutted; Joe Staten, Bungie's former lead writer left. Some may think it coincidence, but I think not.

Now the Reddit thread (which has mysteriously disappeared) outlined a story sprawling across a considerably larger solar system, and including a number of characters and factions who never so much as appear in the full game. The prime example of this is Crow, the character/faction who was set out to expose the Traveler and Speaker for in fact bringing the darkness along with the Traveler, and not the Golden Age. A specific reference to Crow can be found in the above video at 1:01, where a mission would have you assist Crow in looting the Archive on venus for details on the Vex Gatelord (which is in fact a mission we end up doing in the main game, but Crow is clearly not a part of it). The Gatelord was said to contain a way to access a pre-Collapse AI construct who had the ability to expose the Traveler, and we can see this in the form of the inaccessible Bunker RAS2.

Even in the PvP, we see a reference to "faction wars" at 1:20 in the video, so it appears that justification and explanation for the different factions in the tower was cut as well.

Destiny's current half assed story starts to make a little more sense when we apply the context that the entire narrative was gutted less than a year before launch, and remade without Bungie's lead writer. Why Joe left, and why Bungie felt the need to completely gut the story of the game and cut huge areas is beyond me, but it's abundantly obvious that there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.

WHAT THE STORY WAS RE-WRITTEN INTO: Grimoire Cards. I'm currently trying to find the post where I discovered this Check Edit2 for Source, but basically back in February 2014, a man was hired to write all the Grimoire Cards. This was clearly the solution to trying to incorporate as much story as possible with what little story was actually in the game. This also is most likely the reason why there is no Grimoire UI in-game, because it was far too close to release to actually incorporate such a thing.

UNUSED LOCATIONS AND FEATURES:

Continuing from Diver2441's post, he mentions:

If we look at an article from 2013 and the reveal ViDoc, it becomes very obvious that the game we have today is vastly different from what it was as little as around a year ago. For starters there are references to areas such as Old Chicago, the ghost fleet in the rings of Saturn, Charlemagne's Vault, and others that very clearly never made it into the full game, despite being fully made and playable around a year ago. Additionally, at 3:24 in the video above, we see an in game location in The Reef, and from 3:43 - 3:51 we see a pine forested area in game that never saw the light of day as well. Even in our own back yard of Old Russia in the retail games, we have locked off areas such as King's Watch, the Jovian Complex, and the Seraphim Vault, none of which are even mentioned in the retail game today.

CUT CONTENT BEING RESOLD AS DLC (POSSIBLY):

This video shows that the majority of the first two expansions of DLC is potentially already on the disc! Even in the beta, areas such as the King's Watch and Seripham Vault were accessible through glitches and yet are not available in the full game (Actually, these places aren't even mentioned in the DLC either!) More proof about these areas can be shown through the data dumps athttp://db.destinytracker.com

I want to note here that this doesn't mean the content is actually finished, but the idea that it could be is annoying and makes sense given the amount of content that had already been cut.

ANOTHER COINCIDENCE: Along with Bungie's Lead Writer departing for unknown reasons, we can't forget about Marty O'Donnell being fired too. We're all aware that the situation had to do with salary, but when Marty left, there was a clear bitterness between him and Bungie. Bungie had changed, and the lead writer had recognized it too. Was it Activision? Probably. But we're not being told the full story and I don't expect us to find out unfortunately.

WHAT BUNGIE SHOULD DO: There are a variety of options Bungie can do to fix these problems.

1. GIVE US THE HELD-BACK CONTENT FOR FREE: Unfortunately, this isn't very likely given Activision's greed and contracts already settled in to sell this content later. Some could also argue that it's a good thing this content is being held-back so that the game will stay alive for much longer, although I personally disagree given the lack of content available at launch.
2. GIVE US JUST THE STORY MISSIONS FOR FREE: This is a bit more reasonable and would solve the overall complaint with Destiny. We know there is a story being held back greatly, and we should not let them sell this to us as DLC.
3. GIVE US A SCHEDULE AND COMMUNICATE BETTER: This is my final plea to Bungie. The game is already out; we don't need to be left in the dark anymore. They need to tell us when content is being released and what we can expect so that we can voice our opinions better and prevent them from making more mistakes.

THOUGHTS? I know this thread is extremely long in details, but I think it needs to be seen. The Destiny today is not the Destiny we were promised or the one Bungie had even imagined. Locations, ship customization, a real story, and other deleted content were all things planned/created before last year and are all gone now. Something must be done.

(I will continue to edit this post as more info comes along).

EDIT1: Source to Diver2441's post: http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/70651356/0/0

EDIT2: More details about the Grimoire cards and the fact that all of this "cutting out content" was very recent.

Posted by Reddit user /u/mrdabu:

...Moreover, basic game elements were removed - in the developer commentary for the gameplay reveal the bungie developer (Mike Zak, environment artist) says that the hunter could have gained his weapons and armor through trade with other players or a kind of gambling (8:12). this is not implemented in the release version. The video was released on july 8, 2013 on youtube. So the decision to cut these features out was made in the last year of a more than 5 year development period which is very uncommon.

Perhaps the story is so lame and such a mystery because of all the changes during the last year.

Then he talks about the grimoire cards which contain the story. in the forum of destiny.bungie.org a guy called general battuta says that the grimoire story was „mostly written and edited in one crazy spiny very close to launch“. (sept 14, 2014) On feb 13, 2014, he posted a thread in which he shared his excitement of being hired as a writer for bungie in seattle. this was 7 months before release.

EDIT3: Reddit user /u/PopeOwned gives a little bit more info about Bungie's Lead Writer, Joe Staten, leaving:http://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/2hk88o/spoiler_redditor_provides_insight_as_to_why/ckthwqk

EDIT4: Further proof that the story claimed by the reddit poster is TRUE: https://i.imgur.com/Xv02vmU.jpg (Thanks /u/martellus!)

EDIT5: I want to note that the demands listed are just things Bungie COULD do to fix all of this turmoil. I am not saying that we deserve anything from them, although it would be in their favor to at least communicate better with us on Destiny's future."

An Open Letter to Bungie

Dear Bungie,

I have been playing games for about two and a half decades, ever since our family got our first computer, a Commodore 64. I have put more hours than I can probably count into games and it's my favourite medium in regards to entertainment, enjoyment and engagement in storytelling. It's how games tell stories that really makes me love them more than almost anything else. I love a good RPG and really anything that has a solid story behind it. Generally I have no interest in shooters, CoD has ruined that for me probably. The stories always seem kind of tacked on and it's merely there to prep you for playing online. Not a lot of interest for this guy.

Then came something called Destiny.

Truth be told I only ever beat one of your Halo games, and that was Reach as I took it out of the library and plowed through the campaign in a few days. However, I loved the story, the characters, and the tragedy that was unfolding around me. Master Chief has always seemed too distant and I could never relate to him. However, this squad made me care about them and what was going to happen to them. That was when I really started to care about the games you guys make.

Back to Destiny.

I remember first hearing about it as the new IP that you were working on, and as more details started to surface I thought it looked pretty cool. I was down with the shoot and loot style of gameplay that has made Borderlands so popular, and the idea of MMO influences in a semi-open world shooter seemed pretty great. But once I started to read about the worlds, about the Traveller and the tragedy surrounding humanity I wanted to know more.

Then I played the Alpha, and Beta.

I was hooked.

I had so much fun playing with my family and friends, the game even convinced my one brother who had an Xbox One to sell it and get a PS4 to play with the rest of us. We even have a clan all set up for next week. This all comes down to right now, the game is a mere week away and I am so incredibly excited. I play a lot of games and get excited for some, but I have not been this excited since anticipating the end of Commander Shepard's journey in Mass Effect 3.

I'm excited to see the worlds, to explore other maps, to join up with my family members, friends and even new friends I have made in the burgeoning Destiny online community. I want to take on new Strikes, I want to get new gear, and most of all I want to take on the first Raid and see how me and my crew fare.

I love games, but this anticipation has grown greater than most other games that I have looked forward too. I highly doubt that this will let us down and I just wanted to say ahead of time thanks for the memories. I look forward to them.

Sincerely

PS4 Guardian- Virtute1979

Destiny Is Almost Here

Destiny releases on September 9th and I can't think of a title in recent memory that I have been more excited for. I have held off on watching too many of the newer trailers or seeing any new posts because I don't want the game to be too spoiled for me outside of what I played in the Alpha and Beta, but honestly the wait for the next 2 weeks is going to be too much I feel.

Destiny ad campaign at Times Square is impressive to say the least.

I am not a big fan of first person shooters, generally I am not too good at them but on occasion I like to play some FPS titles. Destiny has been one that I have really gotten a high level of interest into, partially because of the same kind of shoot and loot style of playing and rewarding that made me like the Borderlands games so much, but also for the world that Bungie has carefully been crafting for the last number of years. I am excited to get the game and start playing with my brothers and friends, in both the Story mode and also in Explore; just roaming around those gorgeous maps is something that I really can't wait for. As far as Crucible, well I am sure on occasion i'll try my hand at some versus but it's not my bag. I am in this for the story and co-op so I am pretty sure I will stay away from that mode.

The Warlock is going to be my go-to character class.

I'm excited to dig into the game but with a new baby on the way am not too sure how often I will play. However, I do recall many nights with my son where I would be up with him in the middle of the night and could not sleep so i would cradle him in my arms and then still hold a controller and play some Mass Effect or something of the sort. I'm sure it'll happen on occasion.

I can't wait to explore Destiny and while I may not have as much time to sink into it as others, it's going to be a title that I treasure for quite some time, I can feel it.

Hands-On Time with PS Now

Now that school has wrapped up for me and I am back from my time working the Squamish Valley Music Festival, I figured it was time to game a little. Imagine my surprise when I realized that PS Now is up and running for PS4 in Canada. I took a poke around at the titles that were available and the pricing for the service.

For those unaware PS Now is the game streaming service that Sony is leveraging for the PS4 utilizing the game streaming capabilities they got access to with the acquiring of Gaikai a couple of years back. For right now they have a few dozen PS3 titles available but I am sure that more will be released down the road and hopefully PS One and PS2 titles will be available. The games are available to rent based on a number of timing options; 4 hours, 1 week, 30 days or 90 days. The prices are still a little so-so I think but overall I think it's not too bad. Before you can even stream or do anything really you can run a check to see if your internet connection is good enough for streaming games, which is great.

Deus Ex Human Revolution was my first go at PS Now

So I ran the check and it said that I was able to stream games, which shocked me as our router is two floors up from us, and I tried to figure out what I wanted to play. I enjoyed Deus Ex Human Revolution on the 360 so I figured I would give that a try. Rented it for the 4 hour option just to see how well it worked and off we went. So the game loaded up and started just as if the disc was in the system. The game started up and off we went. I played the first hour or so of the game, including cut scenes and the great stealth and shooting action that the game is known for and there were no issues whatsoever. I was greatly impressed by how well the streaming worked, and another great thing is that trophies you get in the game can be synced to your trophy list and added to your overall trophy score. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

No one messes with Alpha Protocol

I was impressed by how well Now worked and am pretty sure I will go back and dig into some of the great games they have on there, like Darksiders 1 and 2 and some not-so-great games that I like anyways, like Alpha Protocol. Definitely give PS Now a go and see if it works on your system, and it'll be interesting to see if it works as well on the other devices that it's supposed to come too also.

What I've Been Up To

So I haven't written in here in almost a month it seems. School got crazy, life got crazy, however I've still fit some time in for some gaming. Primarily, the biggest standout would have to be playing the Destiny Alpha. Me and my brothers got some quality time in, adventuring and doing Strikes, and let me tell you, that game is awesome. I can't remember the last time I had that much fun with a shooter and I'm anxiously anticipating the release of the beta here in a couple of weeks.

Well, and the full release in September.

Yes, it's that good.

I've also gotten quite a bit of time in with Mario Kart 8, and while I am not the best kart racer in the world, I still have a lot of fun. My son loves Mario and anything with Mario in it, but his favourite character is easily Bowser. Any time I am playing now I pretty much have to choose Bowser, but I'm ok with that. I also have played a bit of Pikmin 3 which has been a fun title as well, and I'm glad that I'm finally getting around to playing it. There's still even more gaming to get to but with my semester quickly ramping up I'm not sure how much I will play but soon I'll have a ton of free time.

Time to hit up that backlog that has been building up.

Nintendo at E3

I feel like I write more about Nintendo than anyone other gaming company on my blog, and with good reason. I love the Big N and love their games, and have for decades now. I've stated before here that I purchased a Wii U so that I could ultimately play Nintendo games with my children as they become old enough to game, though that doesn't keep me from enjoying them right now. As we head into E3 there are a lot of questions on peoples minds including my own so I wanted to speculate a bit and write about what I hope to see come out of E3.

Wii U

Only a few days to go.

I have been enjoying my Wii U since launch and even though third-party support has pretty much turned into no support at all, minus some Ubisoft and Activision games, there is still a bit of hope. Nintendo is a firm believer in the idea that software sells hardware and if they provide great games then systems will sell. We know that Mario Kart 8 is coming out this week and Nintendo has already started a strong marketing push for the game, and as well is offering free digital downloads for those that get the game and register on Club Nintendo. Smash Bros as well is going to be out by the end of the year, and I still stand by the prediction that it'll be out the week before Black Friday, though some are guessing December. I think November is still the better choice and it will help move systems through the biggest selling week of the year, though this will be the third Black Friday the Wii U will be on sale so hopefully things go a bit better this time around. But what comes between Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros?

Bayonetta 2. Any new Platinum game is reason to celebrate.

Well the titles that should be coming out before long that we know about are fairly varied and should offer a little of something for a variety of gaming groups. Platinum's much anticipated Bayonetta 2 is expected to be out this summer and I would guess that we will see it in July at the latest. Also out this summer is Hyrule Warriors, or whatever it ends up being called, and the marriage of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors looks intriguing, but again this seems something up the alley of the more dedicated gamer. I feel this one will be slotted for September in the west, though it could be as early as August. With these 2 games Nintendo could lure away even more hardcore gamers and if not, when Smash Bros comes out look for these titles to be picked up alongside them. 

Yarn Yoshi looks straight up adorable.

Yarn Yoshi is another title probably heading out this summer or into the fall and offers up something for the families alongside getting Mario Kart 8. I'm surprised that this is the only family friendly title that we know of so expect to see something like a new Kirby or even a Mario sports title to show up.  But what else is there, what else is going to show up at E3? Hopefully we get some more word on X and on Shin Megami Tensai x Fire Emblem, again more for the hardcore, but I am certain that Nintendo will show off their new Zelda. While many feel that it will look similar to the teaser from a couple years back, through interviews with Aonuma I think it will actually have a similar aesthetic to Skyward Sword, and I am totally fine with that.

I think Nintendo will have a great deal of Wii U titles to show and with Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros plus the other supporting titles they can start to turn around the system. However, if these titles don't do it then I think support for the system will really start to tail off as they push more towards their Quality of Life project.

3DS

The 3DS is in an interesting spot as it's still continuing to sell a great deal of hardware and software but little is known as to what is coming out soon for the system. That does include Smash Bros and really, everyone and their dogs is going to get Smash Bros to play on their 3DS so I don't blame Nintendo for holding much back, everyone will be too busy battling on the go and collecting StreetPasses to bother with much of anything else. At least Tomodachi Life comes out in a couple weeks and there seems to be quite a bit of buzz regarding that from people that I wouldn't expect to hear talking about the game. Looks like their ads are working, which sometimes makes me a little crazy that Nintendo has marketed the 3DS pretty well but still has done so poorly with the Wii U.

Smash Bros on the go, who doesn't want that?

Down the road though there are the remakes of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire that will be coming out, and again people seem to be very excited for them. I have always had a rough time with the Pokemon games as their stories offer very little and I haven't ever quite gotten into the battle system. Regardless, those games will sell a great deal and those will be a lock for Christmas sales. What else is coming? Well Nintendo has confirmed that at E3 there will be a lengthy press-only event for an unannounced title and I have heard all sorts of rumours, such as a new Metroid. Whatever it is it'll be a meaty title that will end up on many a radar thanks to the showcase Nintendo is giving it, so I look forward to that. As for anything else, well we will have to see.

Assorted

I feel like Nintendo will probably have a good showing of some of their upcoming indie titles at E3, focusing on things like Shovel Knight and other titles that they really want to highlight. I think there will also be some more information given on the DS titles available for the Wii U which I am looking forward to as there are a few games that I would love to play on my tv using the system, especially the Zelda titles, and even Advance Wars.

Advance Wars for 3DS is what I really want.

Speaking of, what do I really want to see? I want an Advance Wars 3DS announced by Intelligent Systems probably more than anything. They have stated that they want to keep making the games and I feel after how big Fire Emblem: Awakening was they probably have the freedom to go and make a new Advance Wars. I would definitely be a happy camper if that showed up at the show. I also think it is still too early to talk about the Quality of Life concept in detail, but it could get a mention. Also, I feel that with the success of Wind Waker HD we may see some other Gamecube games given the HD treatment, and think that Super Mario Sunshine HD could come by the end of the year. Just a guess but I feel like it's going to happen.

What will happen at E3? Only time will tell but it's only a couple of weeks away so soon enough we will know what Nintendo has in store and though some still say the company is doomed, I think their future is bright and full of games that I'll enjoy, and that my kids will enjoy someday as well.

Transistor Review

When Transistor was first revealed last year I was enthralled. Bastion is one of my all-time favourite Xbox 360 games and when I found out what Supergiant Games was working on I had to have it. Well the wait is over and Transistor is finally out and after sinking a great deal of time into it I am happy to say that it has lived up to expectations and in some ways outdoes Bastion.

Red and Transistor. Image belongs to Supergiant Games.

Transistor is an isometric action game with some light RPG elements. I would say that sums it up best and is comparable gameplay-wise to Bastion in many of these aspects. The focus on the game is Red, a popular musician in the futuristic city of Cloudbank, which is part cyberpunk and part art deco. At the beginning of the game you are introduced to Red and the Transistor, which is a giant sword plunged into a mystery man that Red retrieves. However, it is not merely a sword but one that is imbued with intelligence and a voice. It's Transistor that provides the game with the bulk of the narration, guiding Red through the streets and rooftops of Cloudbank as she battles the Process, a type of robot legion, and searches for the Camerata who originally ordered her dead.

The story is very intriguing and I kept playing and searching through regions of the city to find little hints of story as they are strewn everywhere. Studious scavenging will reveal you with a great deal of backstory and even simple activities like voting at computer terminals gives you some insight into the world that has been created. The story and narration are key here, as is the beautiful world that you are presented with, but it is the use of music that really stands out in this game. Red is a musician so it goes without saying that music is a key to this game, and whether it is from her songs to the electro-infused jazz pieces that make up the games score, this game is an aural treat. With this soundtrack coming right after the outstanding Child of Light soundtrack, it's been a great year for music in games without a doubt.

The city of Cloudbank. Image belongs to Supergiant Games.

Combat however is the meat and potatoes of this game as you will be doing a lot of it, and guess what, it doesn't disappoint. At the start of the game you have a mere two combat actions, a basic close-range attack and a projectile attack. As the game progresses you gain access to more functions, which are the skills you can either equip as prime actions or you can set as support actions to increase the power of your main functions. This allows for a fair amount of customization and the ability to change your loadout, as it were, and whenever I got a new function I was always keen to see what it could do or how it could affect the others.

Red and Transistor and a stranger? Image belongs to Supergiant Games.

When in actual combat however you can opt to play it a couple of ways. You can maneuver the combat areas in real-time and use your attacks instantaneously without repercussion to how many actions you can take. The other way is to initiate a Turn which pauses the combat and lets Red move freely and use her actions. However each one takes away from her Turn bar and after you un-pause the game and let loose with your attacks, you will be left open for a time while your Turn bar refills. This leads to many decisions to be made in combat and quite a bit of risk-reward which I really enjoyed. As well, if you are to die in combat (which does happen) you will be revived but will be missing one of your functions. As long as you have functions left you can keep fighting but you will be hindered by the absence of needed abilities. It's never the end of the world and you get them refilled at the end of combat, but I enjoyed it as it added extra complexities to an already engaging battle system.

Red taking on a Jerk. Image belongs to Supergiant Games.

All in all, I enjoyed my time in Cloudbank. The world and characters have a great amount of depth to them, and the Transistor himself and his narration offer a great deal to the experience that Supergiant has created. With a great combat system, and a new-game plus mode to offer some additional replay value, Transistor is a game that should be added to your PS4 collection.

Score A-

The Value of Games

First off I would like to say that I really liked inFAMOUS: Second Son. I love what Sucker Punch did  with the game and their interpretation of Seattle. I quite liked Delsin and his brother Reggie and their war against Augustine and am still hoping for more instead of moving on to another Conduit.
However, it got me thinking, thanks to the recent hikes in price for newer games inFAMOUS cost just about $80 CDN with taxes.

I'm not one to complain really, I've been gaming for quite a long time and I remember paying $110 for Chrono Trigger on Super Nintendo. What it did get me thinking about is the great downloadable games I have picked up this year and the crazy value that these games are offering and a fraction of what a game like Mario Kart 8 will cost me. Let's have a look shall we.

Earthbound - Wii U ($10)

The legendary heroes of Earthbound. Image belongs to Nintendo.

I suppose that this was a game that when it first came out also cost the same amount as Chrono Trigger, and has actually steadily rose in value over the years. I remember renting it and playing it quite often, enjoying the characters and the world and the combat which could be unforgiving. If you have wanted to play it though over the last decade you pretty much either had to pay a large sum or download a ROM, the latter of which I have no interest in doing. So the fact that Nintendo announced last year that Earthbound was coming out on the Wii U Virtual Console was great news. The game still looks great and sounds great and having off-tv play has also been a boon. This is an adventure definitely worth checking out if you haven't had the pleasure.

Fez - PS3/PS4/PS Vita ($10)

The beautiful world of Fez. Image belongs to Polytron.

The first time I caught wind of this game I had little to no idea who Phil Fish was, I just thought this game looked neat. I tried it on the Xbox 360 and had fun but didn't get to spend the time I wanted with it. When it showed up on PS4 with cross-save with the Vita I knew I had to finally pick up Mr Fish's darling baby and see what all the praise has been about. This has been a welcome addition to my Vita on the go, and I love that I can start right where I left off when I get home. The puzzles are great but really it's the adorable graphics and the aesthetics of each little world I can't get enough of.

TowerFall Ascension - PS4 ($15)

TowerFall Ascension. Image belongs to Matt Makes Games.

The Ouya definitely has its fan base and I have had a little interest in the system, but the game that really impressed me was TowerFall. Therefore, I was ecstatic when it was announced that it would be coming out on the PS4 and it hasn't failed to impress. This has become our go-to party game, with easy to pickup controls but ones that are also difficult to master. I'm pretty certain that only when Smash Bros comes out at the end of this year will this game be dethroned, but until then we will continue to enjoy the best multiplayer game thus far, hands down.

Child of Light - Wii U ($15)

Child of Light. Image belongs to Ubisoft.

While this game is available on every system under the sun (and on the Vita in the next month or so) I wanted it for the Wii U as it seemed like playing with the gamepad controller would be the way to go. I have been in love with the visuals of this game and it never ceases to impress with the amount of colours and refreshing takes on standard RPG world design. The music as well is some of my favourite, as Coeur de Pirate hit it out of the park with the score and it was the first of two soundtracks that I needed to have this year. If you are looking for a beautiful adventure game with an interesting take on combat in the vein of Grandia or old Final Fantasy definitely give this one a chance.

Transistor - PS4 ($20)

Red and Transistor. Image belongs to Supergiant Games.

Another favourite of mine on the Xbox 360 was Bastion as I adored what Supergiant games did with storytelling in that game, having the narrator tell the story of the boy as you travelled through the worlds. Suffice it to say, I have been waiting for a good year it seems for Transistor to finally come out and while I have only spent an hour or so with it so far, I have loved it. Their new lead Red, an interesting female character uses a giant sword to defend herself in the neo-futuristic city of Cloudbank. This is another one game with phenomenal music and it looks like i'll be picking up the soundtrack for this as well.


There you have it, for seventy dollars you can have all of the above games and still be a bit under what it is going to cost you for Mario Kart 8. Not that there is anything wrong with the big, AAA-titles but it just goes to show that indie or smaller developed titles are definitely proving their worth and are titles that you should be adding to your collection. I know I am definitely happy with all of the above purchases. Anyone else been enjoying these?

It's Almost E3 Time

So I just realized that in a little over a month E3 will be upon us again. There's been a little talk here and there about what to expect but I think it will be completely crazy this year. I've heard that Microsoft is really going to be showing off even more games, which is nuts as they already have a number of holdovers from last year that still haven't come out so it'll be interesting to see where they are at. Sony will definitely provide more insight into Morpheus (the VR for PS4) as well as after last weeks "accidental" unlocking of most PSX and PSP games for the Vita many have rumoured that they will announce Vita TV for the West, for 99.99 and have all the games available for it that haven't been thus far. Also, hopefully they will announce some new games and at least have some new footage for some exclusives. Not that exclusives are the be all and end all, but Microsoft definitely has been showing what they did with their billion dollars they paid for exclusives. Hopefully Sony will have much to show.

As for Nintendo, well of course this is going to be the most interesting. After last years decidedly meagre showing and the fact that there is still not much known in regards to what is coming out later in the year, hopefully Nintendo will do a presentation and have a big showing there. Tomodachi Life comes out just before E3, and then Smash Bros for 3DS comes out this summer, outside of that, not much is known for the 3DS. For the Wii U, well Mario Kart comes out just before E3, and Smash Bros won't be out until November (which is my prediction). Otherwise there is Bayonetta 2, Yarn Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors more than likely coming this year, with X maybe this year and Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensai still not coming till maybe next year.

The incredibly hilarious Mega64 video showcasing Nintendo's E3 plans.

They just announced as well that they will be doing an online presentation again much like last year, which is somewhat troublesome, but again is how Nintendo is choosing to do things. Hopefully they will still get journalists to cover it as much as the other big press conferences, but really, we all just want to see what Zelda U is going to look like. It's a little over a month away and I seriously can't wait, best time of the year.

Nintendo's Ups and Downs

I write a lot about Nintendo on here, because, well I am a huge fan. I have been playing Nintendo games for a quarter of a century so there is a lot of history here. I have made it known that I love my Wii U and wish there was more support for it. Lately I have been playing my PS4 a bit more, but that has been mainly thanks to school eating up most of my time and only having time here or there to spend on games like inFAMOUS Second Son and Resogun.

Mario Kart 8.

However that has been changing. I have been embracing the indies on the Wii U more and more and have been enjoying some of the titles on the system. I finally got my hands on DuckTales which brings me back of course to the old NES days. I also picked up Unepic which is a more rpg heavy Castlevania type game that uses the gamepad in really interesting and smart ways, and is super tough. Plus, Child of Light comes out next week, and while it will be on most systems I am planning on getting it for Wii U, just because I love playing on the Gamepad.

Child of Light from Ubisoft.

There are even more games coming, slowly but surely. Mario Kart 8 is out in just over a month. Bayonetta 2 is probably going to be out this summer, as well as potentially X, Yarn Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors and of course Super Smash Bros, which will be out in November (that's my guess anyways). There are also over 50 more indie games on the way thanks to the Wii U and it's support for Unity, which is also good news, and some interesting things like Shovel Knight are coming.

Tomodachi Life from Nintendo.

The 3DS of course is still killing it, and I really don't need to say more than the Pokemon games selling over 12 million units, and price cuts on the key 5 Mario games due to them selling as much as the Pokemon games. Also, Tomodachi Life has been confirmed for the 3DS and is coming in June as well, and man that game looks amazing and ridiculous. There are also a ton of great smaller titles for the 3DS and Nintendo's first attempts at free-to-play are also of note. The 3DS is continuing to exert dominance in the handheld space even with the rise of mobile gaming.

Mario Kart 8 footage from Nintendo.

So what is going to happen next for Nintendo? Well, I feel that once Mario Kart is closer to launch there will be a huge marketing push and hopefully new interest in the system. Hopefully Nintendo starts doing a better job at explaining what it is and what it can do. Also, later on in the year there will be a big push with Smash Bros coming and hopefully the official announcement of the new Legend of Zelda and perhaps another big title. There is also however the Quality of Life "system" that they are working on and the next handheld, which I am sure will be shown later this year as well. I think that the Wii U will still do better than the Gamecube but probably not by much. I love the system and hopefully some support starts to show up soon though.

PS4 New Game First Impressions

So I am currently deep in the heart of paper writing season, followed by finals, so what I am playing on my PS4 is pretty limited (I did however just finish Thomas Was Alone and am now playing Fez on my Vita). I have spent a bit of time though with a few new games and wanted to share some thoughts.

inFAMOUS Second Son

This is the game that I got a PS4 for. I love the other 2 inFAMOUS games and love the somewhat dark superhero world that Sucker Punch has created. So far I have enjoyed the variety in conduit powers that you can get, and how gorgeous the game is. I'm still not super sold on Delsin as a lead, and miss Cole and Zeke, but so far it hasn't been so bad. The gameplay more than makes up for it. Again though, this game is so pretty and a definite showcase for the PS4.

Fez

I have played a little bit of this on my PS4 but mostly on my Vita. On the PS4 it looks really sharp and the colours are so crisp. The gameplay is as good as it was on the 360, and apparently the framerate is much better on this. We will see so far, but for now it's been great and another great addition to the PS4 library.

Mercenary Kings

This was one that I was really pumped up on, especially as I love the character design/ art style of the guys behind the Scott Pilgrim game. It's essentially Contra mixed with Monster Hunter. Side-scrolling shooter and when you kill things you get items that you can craft into new weapons, armour, etc. I have to say I like it, and want to play more multiplayer of it, but after playing TowerFall this game seems really sluggish, and I hate that you can't shoot diagonally. It's a bit of a letdown but I'm sure that playing it more I'll get used to it.

Anyways, back to work, look for my TowerFall review in the days to come over on Recultured.

PS4 Indies

I felt like I needed to rant a bit about this. Whenever there are any articles about new indie titles coming to the PS4 there are always a ton of people commenting about how the games are garbage and they want more AAA titles. I know that people really want crazy new games to show off their new hardware but might I say that it's just the beginning of a new console lifecycle and in case people forgot, launches have generally been really awful as far as games go. Do people not remember the PS2 launch and only having Tekken Tag Tournament or Fantavision to play and that was it for forever. I have enjoyed having Need for Speed Rivals, Killzone, and now inFAMOUS Second Son finally out to play but having the other little titles to play has been great for picking up and playing for a bit here or there. Resogun has been a fantastic title to play when I have some spare time, and Don't Starve is so good playing on the Vita via remote play. Now with TowerFall Ascension out, and Fez and the countless other indies coming this month, there's never a time when I don't have something to play. Whether it's something that will take me 80 hours to beat, 8 hours, or just a couple hours, a great game is a great game and people really shouldn't look down on indies so much on the PS4. Be thankful that Sony has gone after these developers and there is something to play when you get tired of another CoD match.

More Love For The Vita

So I have had a bit of quality hands on time with my Vita the last couple weeks since getting it and I really quite like it. I like the feel of it for the most part but I can see why someone would invest in getting trigger grips for it if you are playing for more than say an hour at at time. But I love the screen and love the game selection for it. I still have yet to really get a "new" Vita game for the system, but have been enjoying playing indies such as Thomas Was Alone, Limbo and Spelunky and playing old ps One classics on it like Final Fantasy IX and lastly, PSP games like Final Fantasy Tactics. I spent $20 dollars over a month or so when there were deals on and I have 6 quality games for the Vita.

Now I need to figure out what should be my first full-on purchase for the system, titles like Persona 4 Golden, Tearaway, Toukiden and Batman Arkham Origins are definitely at the top of my list for the system. However, Final Fantasy X HD comes out in less than 2 weeks, so maybe that? Curse having too much to play and not enough time. All in all though, I hope Sony gives the system more of a push with it's connectivity with the PS4 as the system deserves it.

Side note, remote play with the PS4 is as awesome as I had hoped that it would be. Great little system.

Vita Acquired

So I decided to go with the old model of the Vita. Why did I do this? Mostly for the OLED screen, as it seems that the general consensus is that it is much better than the LCD on the Slim, so I went for it. So I have it and have enjoyed it so far, as I was up most of the night with my son so I played a few games. It's also loaded up with games so far and thanks to a PSN card I got at Christmas I had bought a few games on sale the last month or so, so I am set. What do I have?

- Limbo
- Spelunky
- Thomas Was Alone
- Final Fantasy Tactics
- Final Fantasy IX
- Flower

Also, thanks to PS Plus I have put Gravity Rush on the Vita as I've wanted to play it more since I first gave it a go. Next up, syncing it up with my PS4 and trying some Remote Play. In case you couldn't tell, I'm excited.

By the way, Limbo is fantastic, if anyone had forgotten.

To Vita Slim Or Not To Vita Slim

So I am currently torn between getting an old Vita, with the OLED screen, or waiting for the Slim bundle with Borderlands 2 to come out. First world problems, am I right? Regardless,  I have wanted one for a long time but the price has always been a little too much, and there wasn't much of a reason to get one. Now that I have a PS4, well that has changed. So, should I get one of the old ones while they are still available, or get a Slim in a month. Regardless, here are some of the reasons as to why I am finally on board.

- Remote-Play with the PS4

- PSP and PS One Classics such as Patapon, LocoRoco, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, etc.

- Great exclusives, especially Uncharted, Gravity Rush and Tearaway, the first 2 are also free thanks to PS Plus.

- Free games thanks to PS Plus (see above). There are 6 currently available for the Vita and of course they cycle every month.

- Use with Playstation Now (hopefully).

I am excited to finally get on board with the Vita, and hopefully with the compatibility with the PS4 being showcased, the sales and software will hopefully continue to pick up. Anyone else have a Vita? Favorite games?

Calm Before the Storm

Well it has been a pretty quiet month so far. Don't Starve! has been pretty fun thus far, though I haven't put as much time into it as I would like. However, next month things are going to get pretty busy. Bravely Default hits at the beginning of the month and is looking like a classic jrpg that I can sink my teeth into. Later in the month Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze comes out and I am looking forward to having my platforming skills tested once again. It is a bit disappointing that Retro just made a new Donkey Kong instead of a Metroid Prime, but hopefully that means that they'll move onto that next. Also, Thief comes out for most systems next month too, but I really want to try it on PS4. I loved those games on PC and they are some of the few games I really enjoyed on the PC, so a new entry into the franchise is something I can't wait for. February is a busy month, but then finally in March inFamous: Second Son is released and that is one that I can't wait to dig into.

So much gaming. Seriously, I can't wait to dig into some of these titles.

Also, news broke today that Microsoft has bought all the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic, and Black Tusk Studios here in Vancouver is making the new Gears game for Xbox One. This is pretty great as I love the Gears games and do look forward to seeing how the new games turn out. Plus, Capcom announced that next year Monster Hunter 4G will be released worldwide, which is also fantastic news. New Gears, new Monster Hunter, yes indeed, lots of great new things happening.

Bravely Default Demo

Well I have finally finished the demo for Bravely Default and I have enjoyed it quite a bit. By that, I mean I can't wait to get my hands on the full game in less than a month. Although I have found out that more than a few people have complained about the demo on other blogs and such, but I found it to be quite enjoyable and really I only wished that you could access more jobs and more skills past what I had maxed out on.

The battle system as mentioned before I really enjoyed. Basically it comes down to the use of Brave and Default actions for the systems battle points. Most battles start you off at 0 BP's and you can do one attack and your BP will refill for the next round of combat. However, you can use the Brave function to add an extra action, but if you do that then it will take extra rounds to refill your BP's so you can attack, which can leave you open. You can also choose to Default which will increase your defence and give you extra BP's so the more you do that the more you can unleash without worry of taking too much damage. The risk/reward focus of the battle system is great and a nice throwback to turn-based battles of old jrpg's and part of why I have enjoyed it so much.

As well this uses a job system much like games like Final Fantasy V or even Final Fantasy Tactics and you can add support abilities based on the jobs you have already levelled up. Having great support skills like the Performers combined with a solid defender like the Knight makes for a great pairing for one of your four adventurers. The characters as well seem likeable enough, although not much is really shown story-wise in the demo. Regardless, I am sure that the game will have a lengthy and well developed story and I'm excited to check it out.

After a solid 6 plus hours on the demo I have sunk my teeth into it about as much as I can and I am definitely looking forward to the finished product. I highly recommend checking this out, especially if you love classic jrpg's like Final Fantasy as much as I do.

Ode to Final Fantasy

I’ve been playing quite a bit of the demo for the upcoming Bravely Default game, which is essentially a new Final Fantasy game, and it got me thinking back on my history with the series. It’s one that is near and dear to me, as I grew up on Tolkien and the wonderful Dragonlance series and the fantasy settings of the early games are probably some of my most favorite settings of any sort of fiction.

            Growing up we had a Commodore 64 as our first computer and also gaming system. The C64 was probably used more for gaming in our house than typing letters and the like, and we had quite the assortment of games. Probably my most favorite though were the Ultima games that we had. I loved creating my hero and then seeing how far I could get in the world before ultimately biting the big one thanks to some lowly skeleton (I was 7 or 8, give me a break). Once the NES came out I had more and more friends that had them and I loved the games on it, especially Legend of Zelda. However, we were over at some friends of the family and the oldest son had a game called Final Fantasy, and he had a big map open of the game world and was sludging his way through it. I watched him play for a bit and I was hooked. When we finally got our NES, Final Fantasy was the first game that I had wanted for it.

I played FFI quite a lot actually, and enjoyed how I could fine-tune my party and especially thought that the magic in it was amazing. I played that game so much, that even when we went away to our cousins I would bring it with me so I could play it there while on holidays. I loved the epic battles with Kraken and Tiamat, though I am still ashamed to admit that I could never beat Chaos. It is probably the thing in gaming I am most ashamed of, though I always swear that I will go back and beat it.

            While I never did finish FFI, FFII on the Super Nintendo was one that I ate up and did not stop playing until I finished it. I remember borrowing it from my friend Jason and sinking hour upon hour into it, and thinking that Kain was one of the coolest characters in a videogame ever. FFI was definitely light on story, but I loved FFII for it’s epic tale, it’s wonderful characters, it’s heart-rending tragedies and of course, the summon spells. FFII was one of the first games that I played and played until I beat it, but it is FFIII that is far more important to me.

            When I first heard that there would be a new Final Fantasy coming out for the SNES I was overwhelmed with a ton of emotions. At this point thanks to some gaming magazines I was aware of the Japanese numbering and knew that FFII was actually FFIV and that FFV had been released in Japan, but not in North America. That was a total downer for me, but when FFVI started to show up in magazines and there started to be articles for FFIII, I couldn’t wait; I wanted that game.

            I read everything that I could in preparation for FFIII and was already entranced by the world and the characters. I loved the cast of FFII but I knew that Terra, Sabin, Locke and the rest would become my new best friends. The day the game came out I had it reserved at Movie Madness, which was the videostore that I rented from, and went there on my lunch break from school. After I got home from school I remember making a sandwich and then retreating to my room and put the cartridge in my SNES and started the game.

            Man was it ever epic.

            I remember playing it and skipping dinner the first day, and playing until after midnight, then finally going to bed. Got up the next day, went to school, and then came home, ate, and started playing again. I am pretty sure I made it to the World of Ruin before I had to return the game. I hated that I didn’t get to beat it, but thankfully for Christmas that year, just a couple months later, my parents got me the game. Pretty sure it was the only present I got that year, as cartridges were super expensive, but it didn’t matter. I played that game excessively, searched out every little nook and cranny, and was caught up in the characters that lived in this realm. I still remember after I beat it for the first time, how blown away I was by the ending, where most games at the time had pretty short ending scenes, this one wrapped up everything for every character and at once seemed to last a lifetime but also was over too fast. FFIII is still my all-time favorite game and it probably always will be, and that is a fact.

            You see, at this point in my life I was pretty depressed. Sure most teenagers are depressed but this was actual, clinical depression. I was pretty overweight and had never been quite active and didn’t like to do too much. I had really good friends, but I was generally content to stay in quite often. Plus, living in the prairies, winters in general are pretty brutal. But I had always loved great stories and liked getting caught up in them, and FFIII was a form of escapist literature that I had control over, that I was a part of, and I loved it. It made my day and even when I was sad after beating it, I had always hoped they would do some sort of sequel or additional content. I even wrote scenarios and created new areas for a secondary part to FFIII, that even though they would never get used, it still brought some joy to me in creating something like that. Again, it was a pretty rough time in my life but as long as I had some great adventures to take part in, I was all right.

            Following the SNES, I had gotten myself a PlayStation as it seemed that there was going to be a lot of RPG’s on the system, and once they announced FFVII I knew I made the right choice. I remember the first time seeing screenshots for the game and getting insanely excited for it. I even got the horrible Tobal No. 1 just so I could get the demo for FFVII, but I definitely played that thing enough to warrant the purchase.  When it finally came out I picked it up in the city, and then came home and played it, and played it, and played it some more. In total I think I put about 27 hours straight into my first sitting of FFVII. I just couldn’t get over how amazing the graphics were, the cut scenes, the story, everything. After finally sleeping and then going to work though, I came home to play and found out that my 3^rd party memory card was corrupted, and all my saves were gone. That was pretty much the worst, so after buying an official Sony memory card (which I still have) I started back up again.

            I played FFVII quite a bit, but it wasn’t until I had moved into the city that I finally beat it. It was kind of a rough point in my life, but I was glad to have Cloud and the gang with me to keep me company. I did so much grinding in that game, but after the 10 plus hours with chocobos and getting Knights of the Round, and beating the weapons, it was worth it. After beating that though anoter Final Fantasy came out, which was Tactics, and while not being a traditional game I knew I needed to play it. You see, for the Genesis the only games I really liked were the Shining Force games, so I liked turn-based strategy games. Well, this game had it in spades. I think to this day Final Fantasy Tactics is the game that I have played the most, having beaten it 6 times and putting hundreds upon hundreds of hours into it over the years.

            Tactics I should note came out at a rough time in my life, where I was living in my first little apartment in the big city and didn’t really know too many people yet. I was pretty new and dealing with a lot of craziness in my life, but it was always nice to settle down with a battle or two in Tactics, and often I would come up with ideal party combinations and see which ended up being best for battles. Other than FFIII I don’t think I have spent as much time just writing down with pen and paper ideas for a game or strategies for it. Tactics consumed a lot of my time and I miss having a quality game that would enable me to do that.

            While I played a lot of FF Tactics, FFVIII had come out and it has always been the one in the series that I really didn’t like. It just never jelled with me. I kind of liked the battle system in it, and how you get spells, but the characters just never won me over, and it always seemed too much like a soap opera for me. Hence, I played it and beat it, but I remember nothing of that one. Perhaps when I can stream things on Playstation Now I may give it another go. FFIX however, that is a different story.

            I remember being excited for that one as it looked like it was going back to more traditional fantasy roots and I desperately wanted to give it a go. I remember at that time money was really tight and I wondered if I could justify the purchase, but I went to a Zellers to pick it up, and they had entered it in wrong, and had priced it as a greatest hits title. Perfect! Brand new Final Fantasy for half the price, I was ecstatic and quickly went home and jumped into the colorful new world that Square Enix had whipped up. While the characters weren’t as “realistic” as the ones in FFXIII I found them to be far more enjoyable, tender, tragic and altogether have so much more depth than the characters in FFXIII. In fact, I would still say that FFIX is my second-favorite Final Fantasy after FFIII.

            When the PlayStation 2 was coming out I was going back and forth a lot between it and the GameCube. I love Nintendo, but it seemed like once again the best RPG’s were going to be on the PS2, and once word of FFX started to leak out, I knew that I needed a PS2. When I first picked up FFX I was overjoyed with how crisp everything looked, but more so the inclusion of voice acting. I have always enjoyed the stories, but with the phenomenal voice acting that was utilized there was definitely a greater connection with the characters and the story. Although, this has led to one of the most infamous scenes in games it seems, the Tidus and Yuna laughing scene. It’s so incredibly awkward now, and maybe a bit when I first saw it, but it still adds a great deal of human touch to the characters. I enjoyed FFX and although I have always wanted sequels to the Final Fantasy games, when FFX-2 came out, well I wasn’t completely sold. Again, I played through it but something seemed to be missing. With some of these other sequels though I have enjoyed them though a lot more.

            Most recently I have enjoyed the FFXIII games, although I think I like XIII-2 more than the first and that is just because I enjoyed the combat system a great deal better. My complaint for the first part was similar to most peoples, where it was too linear and that by the time you got to where you could adventure more you were almost done the game. That being said I did love the characters and following the saga of Lightning, her sister and company through XIII-2 was great, and like I said the combat system and the almost Pokemon style of catching monsters and training them and building up their stats. With Lightning Returns almost out, it’s looking like I may have to pull the Xbox out of storage and give that one a go, and I really can’t wait till XV comes out, whenever that may be.

            It’s been about 25 years since I first played FFI and if you couldn’t tell by now, I really love the Final Fantasy series. The characters and stories have been some of my all-time favorites in gaming, or any entertainment form for that matter, and whether it be Kain, Terra, Cloud or Vivi, these characters and stories will probably stick with me for a very long time. I always loved reading things like The Hobbit as I mentioned before, but these games have given me the chance to actively participate in the story that was being told and that is what I love and respect about the Final Fantasy games. While there have been some lows, there have been plenty of highs, and while the Mass Effect series has occupied more of my gameplay time in recent years, I look forward to Bravely Default, FFXV and beyond, because really, there will probably be no actual Final, Final Fantasy, and I am ok with that.