It’s interesting to see EA and Dice place blame on Microsoft’s release of Halo Infinite for Battlefield 2042’s poor sales and even poorer player count. Talk about not accepting responsibility for your actions. Video games are a giant industry and with any company involved, there are bound to be some bad products and Battlefield 2042 is no exception. The game isn’t great. I admit that I had high hopes for a great game, but alas, those hopes were crushed by a lack of content and a plague of bugs. Battlefield 2042 was in development for a long time and to see such a lack of content is mind blowing. If you thought Call of Duty Vanguard was disappointing (which it is…), well I personally found Battlefield 2042 to be even more so. Its no wonder there is a petition with over 200k signatures already, to get EA to refund unsatisfied consumers that purchased the game. In all reality, I know I’m not getting my money back, but damn it all, this game isn’t good and EA really needs to own that. Now I know the company is trying reiterate what they said and put a spin on it, but the company needs to wake up and create a decent product from Battlefield before the franchise is cursed forever! I really don’t enjoy having to rag on a game, but it was so bad, I didn’t write a review for it because I didn’t want to express my opinion on it. Personally, I think this is the worst entry in the series that I have played. It isn’t innovative and it feels like it was taken out of the oven way too early. I just don’t understand what they did all these years while developing this game. It isn’t even that fun. It just sucks to play. Even when I’m having the best matches of my life, I don’t really recognize it because the crapiness is distracting me from any real entertainment. All of this of course is just my opinion and if you don’t agree with me, that’s cool. I mean no disrespect, but this is just how I feel about it. I find it frustrating no one has stepped up and admitted they made a huge mistake, but of course that probably won’t happen. If we want better games, we need to find a way to make a change together. Maybe it’s time EA got bought out by another company and reworked into a decent game publisher again. After all, EA execs make the final call in end. What do you think about the EA allowing the buck to be passed over to Halo Infinite? They can blame sales all they want, but how does that affect the quality of an already finished product? Let’s discuss! As always, thanks for reading!
Horizon Forbidden West Review – PS5
Horizon Forbidden West is just about to officially release and there is a lot of hype around it. The hype is real my friend. The hype is real. Full disclosure, I have not completed the game in its entirety just yet, but I am close and I have had enough time into it to write a fair review. I tightly I could complete the game before release day, but alas, I was wrong. As you can tell from my opening line, my recipe is going to be quite positive and with good reason. The game is amazing on PS5. I have not played on my PS4 Pro, so keep this in mind as I go on about how amazing it looks and plays. I’m going to start off with graphics and landscape. Boy, oh boy! This game is stunning. Gorilla Games really put a lot of work into the art and detail in this game. If you played the first entry in the Horizon series, you shouldn’t be surprised by my comment. This one was absolutely beautiful all the way around and Forbidden West is no exception. Getting behind the controls of Aloy once again felt great. It plays so smooth and has such great game mechanics, it’s hard to ignore just how important tight controls and smooth movement transitions are in a game. When I compare the controls and movement to other recent titles, Horizon Forbidden West is superior, hands down. This isn’t a matter of being biased, this is a matter of fact. It’s just right and I wish other games could create such an excellent control scheme. Can’t get enough! The campaign and storyline are amazing! I love a good story. Scratch that, I love a really good story! I would really like to chat with the writers and ask them about what inspires them to keep Aloy’s truth fresh and fun for returning fans and new ones alike! If you haven’t played the first Horizon, you really should before playing the sequel. It will make Forbidden West all that much more satisfying. I have sunk hours into not just the story, but getting lost in exploration. Playing through, leveling up, discovering new locations and weapons is all part of the fun. The audio is crisp and using 3D headphones is amazing. I have not had a chance to use the surround sound hooked up to my TV as I have been using my gaming monitor, but I’m sure that would also be a great choice. The sound effects are great and the composed music really sets the tone along your journey. All in all, Horizon Forbidden West gets a 10 out of 10 from me. This will easily be one of the best games of the year and sets a new standard for PlayStation exclusives. If by chance you haven’t bought the game yet, buy are planning too, grab yourself a PS4 copy and get the PS5 upgrade for free. … Read More
Is there about to be an acquisition war between Sony and Microsoft?
Over recent years we have seen an uptick in developer studio acquisitions, but this year has really begun to heat things up. Or at least it seems as such. Microsoft showed the world just how serious the company is about getting ahead of the curve and definitely flexed just how much money the company has to play with. With the acquisition of Activision underway, Microsoft has a huge edge right now. Owning both Bethesda and Activision is a major win for the company. Granted, Sony has made some decent acquisitions such as buying Insomniac and now buying out Bungee, but it just didn’t speak as loudly. When it was announced that Microsoft was closing a deal to purchase Activision, stocks for Sony took a big hit. Sony answered the call by announcing they were buying Bungee. That’s a small flex, if it’s a flex at all, but still, the timing was definitely about trying to swing back at the Xbox company and try to give investors a little peace of mind. While Microsoft has stated that Activision games will continue to show up on PlayStation consoles even after the initial timed agreements, that could very well change once Microsoft seals the deal and owns the company. We don’t know for sure that the acquisition will go through as lawmakers in the US look into the matter, but if it does happen, there’s a good chance Microsoft will recant on their promise or even go as far as using their new found franchises as a bargaining chip to get more of what they want out of Sony. It wasn’t that long ago that Phil Spencer said he wants Xbox Gamepass to be available on PlayStation consoles. He wasn’t kidding when he made that statement and in my humble opinion, I don’t think Microsoft cares as much about console sales as they do subscription and game sales. Infact (and call me crazy), I think it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft closes up shop on being a console manufacturer and solely becomes a game publishing company instead. Not because they have to, but because the company makes money for software sales and not so much hardware. Granted they make their own consoles in order to get more sales, so I could be completely wrong, but it’s just my opinion and doesn’t hold much water. As 2022 goes on, I think we’re going to see a few more major acquisitions from both Microsoft and Sony. Both companies obviously have different strategies when it comes to this, but Sony is definitely looking into its pockets to see if there’s a way to increase their acquisition budget and grab a few more studios. I don’t think Sony has anything to worry about. The company may not have the deep pockets that Microsoft has, but that hasn’t kept the company from continuing to dominate the industry. I know the Gamepass is incredibly hard to compete with … Read More
Dying Light 2 – Review
Ahhh! It’s great to be back in Harran! Am I right? Beautiful views, plenty of work and hordes of zombies! I tell you, if a zombie apocalypse ever comes to be within my lifetime, I’ll be just fine. Wink, wink! Anyway, for starters, if you haven’t played the first Dying Light, you’re missing out. Not only is Dying Light a great game, it helps you appreciate and understand Dying Light 2 much more than you would a newbie. So, if you haven’t played the original, I suggest you go pick it up and play it out! It’s worth it. Moving on, let’s go over the good and the bad until we reach my final score of the review. Graphics are pretty good on the PS5 and the game doesn’t seem to stutter and buffer when playing through and of course, there are no real loading times to contend with on current Gen consoles, so we’re happy there. Parkour games don’t always play well, and it’s far from my favorite type of playstyle, but Dying Light does it so well, I forget just how much I hated Mirrors Edge. The developers at Techland definitely offer great parkour gaming! The controls work great all the way around. Very responsive and the button layout works well without needing to make changes, at least for me. You’ll find that as you level up and upgrade your character, the controls become much more important than meets the eye, so pay attention to those upgrades! The storyline is alright, but not great. I thought the story in the first entry of the series was better, but that’s just my humble opinion. The story is just fine and as you play on, it does get better. I found myself becoming more emotionally invested half way through my playthrough. We may not always realize we are invested with characters we play, but it goes to show just how good a game can be. Sometimes you just don’t care about the characters or stories because a game is just that bad. Thankfully, that’s not the case here. The audio is also spot on. Sound effects and music together really make the setting come to life. There is some licensed music in the game, so if you’re streaming, check the audio settings and turn off licensed music to avoid any copyright issues you could run into. Upgrading your character isn’t the only upgradable thing in the game either. You can mod your weapons which is practically an upgrade in itself. You can also upgrade crafting recipes. If you have a recipe for medicine to heal yourself, you can upgrade that recipe and make the medicine more powerful and quicker to use. You can also upgrade your weapon mod recipes for even more powerful weapons all around. As far as the bad goes, I haven’t had too much trouble with bugs, but I have had my instances where I couldn’t complete a … Read More
Is the end of CoD on PlayStation?
There is a lot going on with the game industry right now, and if you’ve been living under a rock lately (which is actually possible), you probably already know that Microsoft is purchasing game publisher giant Activision for close to $70 billion USD. I’ll be the first to admit that I never saw this coming. I mean, I’m not usually surprised when a development studio gets purchased, but Activision? I’m still a little floored by this announcement. The biggest thing I’ve been hearing about this acquisition is concern that Call of Duty will no longer be put on PlayStation consoles. There is a lot of back and forth thinking on this topic. On the one hand, people have pointed out the loss of sales the franchise would have if it was no longer available on PlayStation. On the other hand, it would most likely help boost the number of Xbox consoles sold by Microsoft. Either way, Microsoft is going to be in control and there isn’t anything we can do about it except to speculate about the future. CoD has always been a favorite game of mine, but over the years it’s gotten to a point where many feel like the series has gone downhill. It’s really a rollercoaster ride. One year it could be a great entry and the next it could be Vanguard. It’s hard to put faith into it these days. It feels played out and used up. Hopefully, this Microsoft acquisition will improve the series, but this does sting a little. I am fortunate enough to have both a PS5 and Xbox Series X, but I always prefer my PlayStation as the go to console. It’s been said that the next three CoD titles will be on PlayStation, but I take it with a grain. We thought Starfield was still going to be on PlayStation, but it was yanked and will be an Xbox/PC exclusive. It seems strange to me that after we finally got cross-platform play on consoles, that they would take the franchise away from PlayStation players, especially since we’ve seen MLB The Show become available on Xbox consoles. All of the above said, if Microsoft does end up pulling CoD from PS consoles, I don’t think it will really matter. People won’t leave Sony over CoD. I don’t buy the PlayStation brand so I can play CoD, I buy it for the exclusive titles. Same reason I have an Xbox on the side. There are some games I want to play, but they’re only on Xbox or PC, and my PC is a potato, so there’s that. Personally, I think Microsoft will eventually make CoD a timed exclusive that will release on PlayStation consoles later on. This gives consumers motivation to purchase a new Xbox console and CoD in order to avoid waiting for it to drop on PlayStation. We might just see timed dlc exclusives like the old days (that weren’t that long ago, really) … Read More
What you need for your new PS5!
Here we are again. The holidays are in full swing, video games and accessories are on sale everywhere you turn. For many gamers out there, this is the best time of year and there are plenty of good reasons for that. Wake up to some brand new video games, stockings stuffed with accessories, candy and possibly some energy drinks to help get us through an extended amount of play time, if all goes well. Of course there’s that major gaming purchase that a lot of people are still hoping for, a brand new PlayStation 5! Sadly the pandemic rages on and is still causing a microchip shortage across the globe, which leaves a lot of less consoles available to purchase. Not to mention the scalpers are still out there scalping… it doesn’t help matters any. Pandemic woes aside, what would you want to go with your PS5? A few games, a headset? A new screen, maybe? To get things going, here are a few things I recommend this holiday season for your PS5! I’m going to avoid recommending game titles this year. There isn’t a huge selection to pick from just yet and if I’m being quite frank, a lot the games so far have been disappointing. Looking at you CoD. You too, Battlefield… Headset! The PlayStation 5 has 3D audio and will work without a headset, but for any avid gamer, a headset should be on their list. I highly recommend Sony’s PS5 headset. It sits at a great price of $99.99 (USD) and has excellent surround 3D audio that was designed for this console. It’s a comfortable headset that has a wide range of features to pair up with your new PS5. An extra Dual Sense controller. This might not seem like an important accessory with today’s gaming market. Couch co-op still exists, but it isn’t very common, so why the need for an extra Dual Sense? Well, the Dual Sense doesn’t have the longest battery life when you’re deep in long gaming sessions. Having a spare charged up and ready to play is definitely a good way to go. Sure you could plug in the controller and use it that way, but not everyone wants to do that. While the PlayStation 5 controller is quite durable, it’s also nice to have a backup just in case something goes wrong. The biggest accessory I’m going to throw out there is a pretty big deal. It’s also the most expensive one, but worth the money. I’m talking about curved monitors. Grabbing a curved monitor that is 1ms and is at least 144hz, you’re in a pretty position. I recommend going with a 27 inch curve and as far as graphics go, I think that’s more up to you. The 1080p monitors are cheaper and offer the above features I mentioned, but if you really like your graphics to be pretty, shelling out a little extra will give you the 4k experience you’re craving. As far as the little things … Read More
Battlefield 2042 review
This is a tough review for me right now. I had the highest of hopes that Battlefield 2042 would be an amazing frigging game and if I’m being completely honest about it, I’d have to say this game is one the most lackluster titles available right now. Bugs aside, where is the content? It’s like the developers cut everything out that you were expecting and said here, have a couple game modes to play online and be happy about it. Granted, the publishers often have a lot to do with decisions in how a game shapes up, so I can’t put it all on the developers. I’m looking at you right now EA! As I was saying, the game is lacking a lot of content. No solo campaign, only a couple of the modes to pick from (that God for conquest)! There are plenty of weapons and soldier customization options, but nothing much else. Southern goes at least 2 points for lacking content. Graphics are OK. I did expect a lot more on the graphic front of things with BF 2042, but we can’t have everything we want. I guess I feel like the maps themselves are missing detail that I have come to expect in this day and age. Graphics don’t make an entire game, but they aren’t something to overlook. Graphics are definitely an important part of immersion. Audio is excellent! They definitely got the audio right on this one. Enemy footsteps, weaponry firing off, even voice chat audio is good in this game. I have been using the PS5 wireless headset from Sony to play through, but I believe the audio is well tuned for most outputs. It sounded great on my TV, but obviously not as immersive as a headset. Let me know what you’re using for audio and settings and if you find it satisfactory! As mentioned above, no campaign and not much to choose from in regards to multi-player game modes. There are plenty of bugs to contend with which is normal, but these bugs are littered in there a little more than most games. I really do hold EA responsible for the faults in this game. They control the budget and make a lot of decisions and there is no doubt in my mind they messed this game all up. What does the future of Battlefield 2042 hold? Well, hopefully more game modes, more maps and better visuals. The bugs definitely need to be squashed, but I’d take with a grain if there was more content. All in all I’m giving Battlefield 2042 a 5 out of 10. Without the content, the game feels empty and reduced from its former glory days. Of course most long running franchises have gone downhill over the years and none of the publishers seem to care. Maybe someday they’ll open their eyes and realize they’re making mistakes and not good games. That’s just my take on it, so feel free … Read More
Call Of Duty Vanguard Review Part 3: Multiplayer
Welcome to part three of the Call of Duty Vanguard review! In the final section of this review, we’re going over the most popular aspect of the CoD series… Multiplayer! We love to play it and love to hate it! At least that seems to be the ongoing trend when it comes to CoD titles. So, without further ado, let’s get started! Call of Duty’s Vanguard multiplayer variant is alright. It’s definitely not anything that stands out in the franchise. It feels rather plain and already done a bunch of times over. On the one hand, everyone seems to want the game to change, but everytime it does, people complain. On the other hand, everyone seems to get upset when it feels like another copy and paste. While it may be the best selling video game year after year, the developers just can’t seem to win us over no matter how hard they try. As far as I am concerned, Vanguard isn’t anything new and it is disappointing in the sense that this game was delayed last year and they put 4 years into this one. Granted, Sledgehammer Studios had a lot of changes in personnel including leadership, but I can’t really excuse the lack of innovation this time around. Not after 4 years. I will start you off with the good and work my way down to the bad. Keep in mind, this my opinion and it doesn’t have to line up with everyone else’s and it’s not meant to be insulting to those that thoroughly enjoy the game. Graphically, this game isn’t special on any platform. It’s obviously better looking on a PS5 versus a PS4, but not enough of a difference to really care. It’s smoother looking and all, but it may as well have been released on the PS4 and forget about current Gen platforms. It’s not bad, it just doesn’t live up to expectations. Audio is pretty good with this title. Footsteps sound much better than they have in recent years. I can tell the difference between my teammates and my enemies when playing matches and that’s pretty important to me. When I’m rushing to the other side of the map to find the enemy team, it helps to hear them coming in from any direction. I don’t use my mini map like I should, so I don’t always look up and notice the blue friendly markers. I feel like the sound of guns firing weapons and kill streaks has been brought back to a level it needs to be on. Since Modern Warfare, I thought the sound effects were too much and overpowered everything else in my headset and even though I made adjustments, it was still a bit much for me. I know I’m not alone in this opinion, but I also know there’s a good amount of players that disagree with me as well. All that being said, I’m definitely happy with the audio settings. Controls … Read More
Happy ThanksGaming 2021
Here we are again! Thanksgiving is upon us and the rest of the holidays are about to follow! But before we break out the Christmas decorations, the menorah or whatever it is someone might be celebrating, if at all (all of the above references are meant respectively), we definitely need to take a moment to celebrate ThanksGaming! That’s right! ThanksGaming is the holiday we derived from Thanksgiving. Because not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving and we reach an audience around the world, it’s a safer bet to just create your own holiday parody and roll with it rather than compete! That being said, let’s move on to things we should be thankful for this year! To start, I’m gonna straight up say I am grateful for video games! Without video games as a whole, not only would I not be writing this article and get to experience this job that I have, but I’d also have had a lot of really boring moments in my life. Video games have definitely helped me stay out of trouble, pass the time, make friends and of course, do the impossible! Now, this one might not settle well with everyone, but It’s gotta be mentioned… PlayStation 5! I am extremely grateful for my PS5! Not just because they aren’t easy to get, but because it is an amazing console that has only begun to scratch the surface of what it can do! The controller, the 3D audio, the lightning fast loading speed! The machine is exceptional and I cannot wait to see what features are added down the road! Online capabilities! I know there’s a generation out there that just can’t understand where I’m coming from right now, but there was once a time that Multiplayer games didn’t exist. When consoles first started getting connected to the web, it wasn’t necessarily a smooth experience. It was painful at times. Slow speeds, freezing up, getting disconnected from the servers. This might sound familiar, but we truly have it good these days when it comes to online gaming. Be thankful, not grumpy about it. Ya dig? I’m definitely adding Xbox Gamepass Ultimate to the list! What would add this to a PlayStation news outlet? Because thanks to Microsoft’s incredible deal on Gamepass and all that it offers, Sony is working on some type of Gamepass themselves. Anyone would be right in saying that Gamepass Ultimate is one of the best if not the best subscription services for gaming. While I don’t know what will add to their Gamepass, it has to be something worthy of competing with Xbox. Time will tell, but it is definitely in the works so, thanks Microsoft! Holiday Sales! What – What?! Holiday sales are awesome! So many games and devices get discounted this time of year and especially on Black Friday! While not everything will go on sale, a lot of titles will! Call of Duty Vanguard is even on sale for $39.99 right now! I saw Death … Read More
Call of Duty Vanguard Review: Part 2 – The Campaign
Welcome back to our ongoing Call of Duty review of Vanguard. In part 2, we’re discussing the campaign! Believe it or not, there are a lot of people out there still buying the game for the campaign only. I personally could care less for the campaigns, but I still play through them for principal reasons and obviously so I can complete the reviews. Moving forward, let’s discuss the storyline first. We kicked things off in 1945, during World War II. You are part of the Vanguard Task Force One and tasked with finding enemy intelligence and ultimately making sure the good guys win the war. Your team is made up of characters from the USA, Russia, England and Australia. A touch crew of misfits at that. As you play through the game, the story isn’t that great. I won’t spoil anything for you, as I try to avoid that, but I want to. I want to tell you exactly why I don’t like the sorry, but I’ll save that for a time where spoilers aren’t so much a concern anymore. Let’s just say, it’s rather mediocre and there isn’t very bonding with the characters. They are less than memorable. The graphics of the game irritate me because this game should look amazing. Unfortunately, it’s watered down and doesn’t look very next/current gen. This game was pushed back in 2020, and we got an underdeveloped version of Black Ops Cold War instead. Well, the extra year working on Vanguard didn’t help very much. Audio is definitely in good standing with me. Footsteps are where they should be and the sound effects aren’t overpowering each other like they do in Cold War and Warzone. A silenced weapon sounds silenced and you can still hear enemy and friendly footsteps over it. I typically turn the music level to zero and make other minor adjustments to fit my play style with little distraction. I use the same settings in the campaign as I do in Multiplayer. I probably shouldn’t as I’m sure I’m missing out on some things, but as I said earlier, I only play the campaign for principal and review reasons. Controls are tight and work flawlessly, but that’s definitely to be expected. Where the Call of Duty franchise falls short, one thing I can always count on is controls that aren’t clunky or wonky. Responsiveness is extremely important and Vanguard is no exception. The campaign is of course rather short. I managed to complete it in under 7 hours and that’s with looking around and taking my time to explore what I could when I could. Unfortunately, the storyline isn’t great and the campaign is easily forgettable. I just can’t imagine buying a game at full price and playing it for 7 hours and feeling like I got my money’s worth, but some do, so hopefully they’re satisfied with their purchase. All in all, I rate the Vanguard campaign a 6 out of … Read More