There is a lot I want to say about Ghosts of Tsushima, but to get us started, I would like to point out something that Ghosts of Tsushima is not. It is not like Dark Souls or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, from developer FromSoftware Inc. Months before Ghosts of Tsushima released, the opinion of the internet was that this game tite would be similar to the games FromSoftware have developed, but it really isn’t like that at all. Ghosts of Tsushima does not offer the same depth. The controls are simpler in several ways. Even if you were playing Dark Souls as a hack n slasher without strategy, you would still find the learning curve of Ghosts of Tsushima to be simpler. So, if the reason you haven’t played it is because you aren’t a FromSoftware fan, you can take that reason off your list, because they are very, very different games. Now that I got that out of the way, let’s take a look at what Ghosts of Tsushima really is. It is a solid game that has the potential to be a 10 out of 10, but it has its share of things that bring the score down a little. I am not paid to tell you what the developers want you to hear, I am paid to tell you how I feel about the game and with all due respect, opinions differ. So, bear with me here and hear me out. The story is amazing. The story itself is very well written and doesn’t leave you feeling in the dark about what’s going on. Granted, it does reveal itself at times when you might start to wonder where the story is going, but before you find yourself confused over it, things reveal themselves to help make sense of it all along the way. Without spoiling the story, I’ll sum it up. You are a Samurai that is on a mixed path of emotions. A Samurai that is hell bent on revenge, loyalty, protecting those that cannot protect themselves and dare I say, out for justice? As to why this is the path of our Samurai, you will have to play it or read a spoiler review in order to get that info and I’m sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I don’t want to spoil it. This really is a story that I feel people should experience themselves. Yes, I found the story to be that good. Now, a game without a good story is disappointing and can make a game seem meaningless, but we have to remember that it’s not just about a good story, just good graphics don’t make a good game alone. There are plenty of things to factor in and I will do the best I can to point out the good and the bad. So, in regards to graphics, I have to say Ghosts of Tsushima does not disappoint. It is very beautiful and has a great … Read More
The Last Of Us Part II Review – Let the argument begin
As you probably know, The Last Of Us Part 2 dropped last week. At his point, it has gone on to be the fastest selling PS4 exclusive to date. That’s pretty impressive, but not surprising to many of us. What is surprising though, is the argument that seems to be taking place over the internet. The argument is based on whether or not the game is good. While a lot of game news outlets have seemingly given The Last Of Us Part 2, a rather high score rating, many consumers seem to be voicing a different opinion. Many are saying the game is an utter disappointment. To be fair, that’s not to say the game is trash (although I have seen a good amount of that speech…), but more that the game may not live up to its predecessor. Quite a few gamers went back to play the first entry of TLOU right before part 2 was released. Remember the original? Such a good game. Great storyline, attention to detail and a good amount of actual gameplay. I went back and played it myself and I easily recalled why I enjoyed it so much. It got me even more hyped for part 2 and I couldn’t wait to see where the story would go from there. Well, I am sad to say that I was disappointed with Part 2’s story, Not just the story, there were a few other minor things I will mention throughout this piece. For now, I’ll start with my opinion on the story, but don’t worry, I will not spoil it for those that have not played it yet. I’d also like to stress that you should come up with your own opinion, but I am giving my honest feedback that I believe is relevant here. There are a million ways this story could have been written and played out and some of those other stories could have been better or worse, no doubt. After two playthroughs of the game, I have to say the story felt mediocre at best. I might sound harsh, but my disappointment lays within two things. How quickly things unfolded and how quickly I realized that I just couldn’t form a bond with our protagonist, Ellie. I mean, bits and pieces here and there, I felt some empathy and it could draw me in a little, but it got flat fairly quick. Mostly because the story was dragged out in unnecessary ways. Ways that made feel like it would be fun to watch some paint dry for a little while. Maybe I’m being too hard on the writers, but this entry doesn’t come close to delivering the same charm as the first one did. Sorry if you disagree. Before I go one, let me say that if this game was made by just about any other developer, I wouldn’t be judging nearly hard, but this Naughty Dog. I have come to have certain expectations from this more … Read More
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Preview – Everything is Permitted
Well folks, the next Assassin’s Creed has been rumored to be a Viking-themed adventure for some time now, but it’s finally official! You all may remember that tease in The Division 2 that pretty much confirmed it, but now we have official word on Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla! Check out the trailer below, and all the first details on this next generation chapter of Assassin’s Creed! Two Protagonists, Two Systems Firstly, let’s get that trailer in here, shall we? It seems to be a CGI trailer, but hey, we still haven’t seen what kind of graphics the PS5 is capable of, just saying. The trailer itself is classic Ubisoft with awesome music and an eye for stunning cinematography. Interestingly, the narration comes from England, who see the Vikings as a scourge on the land. As they describe them, however, the actions we see in the trailer show them in a different light. A very cool way to look at how propaganda distorts the personality of those it targets. Of course it gets violent towards the end. There’s a moment where the protagonist in the trailer also spots a figure in a hooded robe and claims that “Odin is with us!” I’ll be honest, I saw the beard and thought it was Ezio, but that wouldn’t make any sense of course. Still, a man can dream right!? The finale of the trailer was superb as well, with a reveal of the hidden blade as a striking moment that solidifies this as an Assassin’s Creed game. We also know from Ubisoft that you’ll play as Eivor (it’s pronounced like AYY-vor), who can be a man or woman based on your preference. Nice to see that option again. You will lead your clan into battle against England in what Ubisoft describes as “more action-packed and brutal than anything Assassin’s Creed has seen before.” The release date is currently the 2020 “holiday season,” and it has been confirmed that we will see Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Xbox One, PS4, PC, Google Stadia, Xbox Series X, and of course the PS5. Read on to check out all the details behind the game’s creative and artistic reveal! One of The More Creative Reveals The reveal happened over the course of eight hours today on a stream where artist BossLogic drew the image you seen above in real-time. Ubisoft is known for being creative in their marketing. Just look at the intro to any one of their E3 showcases to see that. Even so, I’ve never seen a reveal done via digital painting, but I gotta say, I like the idea! For those without eight hours to spare (seriously, you’re in lockdown, what’s you excuse?), here is a time-lapse of the process via Ubisoft’s YouTube channel: While we don’t know much else currently, it’s safe to say that this new iteration of the series will most likely release on PS4 and PS5, much like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was a title for both systems (and a PS4 … Read More
Days Gone Developer, Sony Bend, Hiring for a AAA PS5 Project!
We’ve just recently hit the first year anniversary of open-world action game Days Gone, and people have once again started talking about this little exclusive that could. Despite some mixed reactions from critics, the fans are extremely passionate (myself included). As we look back on this divisive PS4 exclusive, the developer just so happens to be hiring for a position that involves work on a AAA budget PS5 project. Sequel anyone? Let’s see what details we can dig up! Not One, but Two Positions Open up at Sony Bend Two job positions opened up on Sony Bend’s website. The first is for a Rigging Technical Artist position, and the second is for a Senior Audio Programmer. Digging into the job postings, the first position has some interesting responsibilities: Create high quality character rigs with cinematic-quality facial articulation Develop and implement skinning methods to achieve realistic deformation for faces, bodies, clothes.. The requirements also mention human, creature, and animal rigs as part of the applicants portfolio. The first two points here point towards improvements we can expect to see on the PS5. Looks like facial animation will get a boost, along with skin and clothing. The last point is important because humans, creatures, and animals were all a big part of the Days Gone world in terms of what you encountered. Turning our attention to the other position: The requirements mention that the candidate should have experience implementing interactive 3D audio in dynamic game-world environments. The desirable skills section also mentions experience working on environmental audio, sound propagation, and 3D audio. The big takeaway here is that 3D audio is confirmed to be a significant part of the feature set on PS5. So much so, that the PS5 specs includes a chip solely for audio. I’m willing to bet this is all going into work on a Days Gone sequel, so let’s talk about what that could look like. Imagining a Days Gone Sequel Days Gone was your quintessential open world experience, for better or worse. It had a massive world full of things to do, multiple storylines split into quest types, a sprawling story that lasts far longer than similar titles, and plenty of things to see and do just about anywhere you went. For some, the pacing was a little off. Others felt the mission types repeated too much. Still others had complaints about performance at launch (it was improved via updates). For me, the pros far outweighed the cons. I thought the character development was superb, the world well-realized, and the gameplay a rich mixture of action and horror. Specifically, the game’s use of hordes and their inherent behaviors was a big plus for me. Spread across the world were groups of “Freakers” that would travel in packs and hide during the day. At night, they would come out to feed or gather at watering holes like some sort of nightmarish nature documentary. Taking on these hordes was a big part of the story and the endgame. The … Read More
DOOM Eternal Review
DOOM Eternal (and DOOM 64) has been out for a few days and I have to say, what a crazy few days it’s been. Crazy as in, the game is crazy fun. I take a lot of games fairly seriously, but with DOOM Eternal, it’s just serious fun and that’s all anyone really wants from a video game at the end of the day. So, before we get into it, it is important to know that this is a direct sequel to DOOM 2016. If you’re interested in learning about what brought events to unfold, you will want to venture back to DOOM (2016) and play through it. Other than that, let’s get into the nitty gritty of things. DOOM Eternal takes place 2 years after DOOM (2016) and things have gotten a little grim. 60% of the earth’s population has been wiped out and the planet is overrun with demons and the like. The only hope is you, The DOOM Slayer! Back with a slew of new weapons, it’s time to fight for the Earth’s salvation and send these demons back to hell! Graphically, DOOM Eternal delivers the goods. There is a lot of detail in the environment, but even more so in the characters you come across. Fighting off hordes of demons is rewarding in many ways, but taking a moment to actually look at the fine art of these grotesque creatures is pretty amazing. As I played through, I just couldn’t help but look in awe at what I was about to cut in half with a chainsaw. Definitely one of those “take the time to smell the roses” scenarios, but don’t gock for too long. They do want you dead after all. The gameplay is smooth and the controls setup well. It is easy to navigate through your arsenal of weapons and move your Slayer around the map. Add some maze like puzzles to the mix and a badass storyline and you have DOOM Eternal. Your weapons available are much more than meets the eye here. You can add two modifications to each gun you carry and have one active. If you don’t care much for the active mod you have on, you can switch it to the other (so long as you have unlocked both mods) and see what works best for you. While you can always run out of ammo, you have a trusty chainsaw at your side. Just slice one of those demons in half and they’ll drop ammo for you. The same goes for health and armor. You can perform a glory kill to gain extra health drops and use flame belch to gain extra armor. Along the way, you will be able to upgrade more than just weapons. You will be able to upgrade your Slayer’s suit and other abilities such as your dash recharge rate.But there is actually a little more this title has to offer you. Grab a copy of DOOM Eternal and you’ll receive … Read More
GTA VI on The PS5: 10 Places We Would Love to Visit
Rockstar delivered another hit with Red Dead Redemption 2, but we all know what’s coming next from the acclaimed game developer. While we most certainly won’t see it for a few more years, Grand Theft Auto VI, abbreviated as GTA VI, is coming to the PS5. The settings of these games is always an important decision. Should the new title go somewhere new, or revive a fan favorite in glorious 4K? These are ten places we wouldn’t mind visiting for the next entry in the GTA series. 10 Places Rockstar Could Choose For GTA VI’s Setting Some of these places are backed by substantial rumors. Others are complete speculation, and a few are wishful thinking. Rockstar usually creates a map of their own based on real world locations. Given this, if they decide to use one of these locations, it will most likely be under a different name. For example, Liberty City is based on New York. So where will GTA 6 take place?Let’s check out the best places the world has to offer for a Grand Theft Auto experience! 1. Vice City (Miami, FL) Our first pick is a GTA classic. The original GTA: Vice City was released on the PS2 and remains one of the best entries for a number of reasons. The setting, which was a fun twist on the 80s version of Miami, Florida, added a lot of color and style to proceedings. Not only has this setting been teased in the past, but a report from The Know revealed that a trusted source claims this is indeed going to be the setting of the next game. The game is currently dubbed “Project Americas” according to them. They even went on to predict that it would delve into the drug trade of the time and have the player visiting South America on occasion as well. Plenty of potential stories to work with here, which makes this one of the most likely settings for Grand Theft Auto VI. 2. The Entire United States What’s wrong with dreaming big? Other games this generation have tried to pack the entire United States into a single map (I’m looking at you The Crew), and had somewhat successful results. With the power of the PS5 at their back, Rockstar could finally connect all of their cities together into a super map. Imagine being able to visit San Andreas, Liberty City, Vice City, and possibly other locations as well without ever switching games. It would certainly be amazing, but this kind of decision wouldn’t leave much for future titles to go on. They would have to plan for the long-term if they wanted to use a map as large as this. 3. Chicago How would you like the next Grand Theft Auto to take place in the Windy City? It retains a lot of the scenic views that have inspired other locations, but it also has its own unique sights and a rich history to boot. If Rockstar decided to use this … Read More
PS5 Action and Adventure Games
For those times when you just need a sprawling adventure full of excitement and intrigue. And action, can’t forget that. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Aragami 2 Astro’s Playroom Balan Wonderworld Beyond Good & Evil 2 Black Myth: Wu Kong (Platforms TBD) Bugsnax Chivalry 2 Chorus: Rise As One Commandos Control: Ultimate Edition Days Gone 2 (Rumored) Deathloop Destruction AllStars Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition Dustborn Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires God of War Ragnarok Goodbye Volcano High Gotham Knights Grand Theft Auto V Haven Heavenly Bodies Hitman 3 Hogwarts Legacy Horizon Forbidden West Immortals: Fenyx Rising Jett: The Far Shore Kena: Bridge of Spirits LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Little Devil Inside Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered Marvels’ Avengers Microman Moonray Oddworld: Soulstorm Outriders Paradise Lost Pragmata Recompile Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart Roots of Pacha Sackboy: A Big Adventure Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One Solar Ash Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition Stray Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League The Lord of the Rings: Gollum The Pathless Tribes of Midgard Unknown 9: Awakening War Mongrels Warframe Watch Dogs: Legion Warms Rumble Yakuza: Like a Dragon Our Top Picks For Action/Adventure Games on The PS5 1. Grand Theft Auto VI – GTA VI Probably one of the most anticipated games for the PS5. No other console could handle the specs needed. Find out why in the links below: GTA VI will be on the PS5! (New Leaks) GTA VI: 5 Time Period We’d Love to Visit 10 Ideas GTA VI Should “Borrow” From Other Games GTA VI on The PS5: 10 Potential Locations 2. Naughty Dog (Uncharted, Last of Us) Anything Naughty dog touches turns to gold. While they keep saying they’re done with Uncharted, I don’t think that’s the case. Expect a spinoff series on PS5. With Last of Us 2 coming out, you can add that series to your list as well. I will be very surprised if they don’t reveal something new as well. It may start on PS4 or it could launch on PS5, but they have more ideas that will come to light sooner than later. 4. Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey) Arkane announced a PS5 game called Deathloop that seems to have Dishonored’s DNA with a time loop structure that involves two rival assassin’s hunting each other constantly through every loop. Big fan of time loops in fiction, so count me in! 5. God of War Kratos is back! God of War on PS4 took the world by storm, and left us hanging in the end. Since these things work best in trilogies, I expect we’ll see the next 2 games on PS5. 6. Ubisoft (Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed) Ubisoft is known for making games that involve open worlds and lots of collectibles. Both Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs have been doing pretty well. We know both series will continue on PS5 with Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. 7. Lego Games The Lego games have slowed down somewhat in recent years, but … Read More
GTA 6 on the PS5 – Release Date, Map, News
Today we’re going to look at some new rumors that suggest the next Grand Theft Auto game is coming to the PlayStation 5. We’ll also look at other rumors that are helping us build an idea of how Rockstar plans to top themselves with the next release in their ongoing series. Massive Leak Exposes New GTA VI Details! In September of 2022, a hacker managed to infiltrate Rockstar’s servers and release a treasure trove of footage onto the internet. In the days since, Take-Two and Rockstar have been desperately issuing takedowns and trying to scrub the leaks from the internet. Several rumors have been confirmed due to the leak, find out more in our full article! Release Date on the PS5 Sony really had people going for a minute during the PS5 reveal event. They opened with footage of GTA V, which made everyone think an announcement was coming! Instead, we got confirmation that GTA online would be coming to PS5 as a free standalone game for PS5 users. Geoff Keighly also tweeted, confirming the single player portion is also getting ported to the PS5 in the second half of 2021. I mean, that’s fine, but how about the sequel we all know exists? The latest rumor claims that we won’t see GTA VI until March of 2024! See below for more information on what we know. GTA Playstation Release Dates PS1 GTA 1 December 1997 PS1 GTA 2 October 1999 PS2 GTA 3 October 22, 2001 PS2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City October 29, 2002 PS2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas October 26, 2004 PS3 Grand Theft Auto IV April 29, 2008 PS3 / PS4 GTA 5 September 17, 2013 PS5 GTA 6 2022 New Bloomberg Report Reveals Key GTA VI Details A new report from Bloomberg, released in July of 2022, presents details on both the protagonist and world of GTA VI, according to those close to the development of the title. We break down the claims in our full article, but the highlights include a playable female protagonist, a more self-aware story informed by current events, and more! Rockstar (Finally) Confirms That GTA VI is in Development! This is the kind of news that you know is coming, but it’s always nice to hear it from the source. After a lot of rumors, speculation, and repeated releases of older GTA titles, Rockstar finally confirmed in a post on their website that Grand Theft Auto VI is in active development. The post is fairly long and discusses the next-gen verions of GTA V, as well as improvements to GTA Online, but the real nugget comes at the end: “With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in … Read More