I found myself at the center of a debate recently. An argument between two others began with one person stating that any real gamer knows that PlayStation is the best console brand to pick from. This was an obvious attempt to spark the never ending console wars. The person that comment was directed at, didn’t offer the rebuttal I was expecting. Rather than playing into the hands of the PlayStation Fanboy, he went on to say that there is no such thing as a Gamer and that people need to stop labeling people that enjoy video games. Their argument escalated while more and more people jumped in to make their points. It was interesting to read and I was staying out of it until a friend of mine tagged me and asked me to drop my thoughts on the matter. Granted, at the end of the day, it’s all opinions no matter how hard people want to claim it as facts. So, after entering the debate, I decided I would share my opinion here as well. Is there such a thing as a Gamer? My answer is yes, Gamers are real people. Is being called a Gamer a label? Yep, It surely is a label. And what do labels do? They identify something you know what it is. It makes life easier. Not all labels are a good thing, but I personally think the label of Gamer is a good thing. Some of us like to use that label to easier explain our passion. Yes, we Gamers tend to be passionate about video games. So what makes one a Gamer? Well, there are several things that can be factored in here, but I’m going to keep this fairly simple for the ones in the back. Simply put, if you like and play video games, that would classify you as a Gamer. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that, but it can also get much deeper when explaining why we like and play our video games. I’m not going to explain all of that, but I am going to continue with explaining just a few other personal opinions of mine. Now that I’ve simplified what makes a Gamer, I want to throw out that Gamers are not restricted to one game type. Gamers are also not expected to play every single game made, let alone like them all. You can like ice-cream and not enjoy every flavor. Just because someone enjoys playing Call of Duty and doesn’t play much else, doesn’t make them less of a Gamer. They just have their favorite game all picked out and that’s ok! I personally play all sorts of titles and genres, but I also have some friends that only play Fortnite. That doesn’t make them any less of a Gamer to me. It just means if I decide I want to play Fortnite, I’ll have a friend to join me. Now, the console wars. This may be … Read More
Uncharted the movie – non-spoiler review
To start, if you haven’t played the Uncharted games, I highly recommend you get on that. Uncharted is one of the best video game series ever created. It’s a lot of fun and has a great storyline throughout the franchise. That being said, if you have played the Uncharted games but haven’t seen the Uncharted movie, get on it!! It’s pretty good and even better if you played the games. Now, let’s move onto the movie review. I wasn’t going to write a review about the Uncharted movie. I didn’t get to see it in theaters and so it seemed like dropping a review long after theatrical release wouldn’t be very ideal, but after seeing it for the first time last night, I felt compelled to share my thoughts and try to get people to see it at home. It’s worth it for any fan of the series, in my humble opinion. Tom Holland plays a better Drake than I was expecting. I didn’t have real high hopes, but he did make a pretty good Drake overall. Mark Walhberg did just fine in his role as Sully, but I think someone else should have filled that role. I’m not sure my Walhberg was cast, but he did fine, so I’m not hung up on that. Just pointing out my thoughts. As I watched the movie, I got the feeling of deja vu several times. I thought to myself, I’ve played this! It was kind of weird in a way. Watching a game I’ve intimately played become a movie on the big screen. The more I watched, the more I was sucked in. It has original content that wasn’t sniped from the game, but if you’re a fan of Uncharted, you can’t help but see it all. I feel like it gives hope that future “games into movies” could be a really good thing. All too often a movie based on a video game misses the mark and ends up not even close to as magical as the game was. I guess the same goes with books, but you can’t fit off that content into a single film. Luckily, Uncharted manages to capture the magic of the game and successfully place it on film. It could be better for sure, but it could also be far worse. For fans of the Uncharted franchise, there’s a great Easter egg in the movie that is sure to please. I know I was tickled by it. All in all, the movie is action packed, has a good storyline to follow and the acting is good. It felt a little silly at times, but then again, so is Drake, so it all comes together great. I give it an 8 out 10 for sheer entertainment. It won’t be my movie of the year, but definitely worth sitting down and watching either alone, with family and friends or whomever you desire to watch it with. You can watch … Read More
The next God of War isn’t ready for us to see, but still releasing this year…
Some concern has surfaced from God of War fans recently as it was announced that the game is not ready to be shown. The concern here is that the game is slated for a 2022 release, but we haven’t had so much as a glimpse of it yet. Being this close to a release, it does seem alarming that we can’t see a trailer or anything else for that matter. But, the games animation director Bruno Velazquez, says the game is definitely releasing this year. The games director, Cory Barlog, went on Twitter and said he wished they could show us footage of the game, but it’s just not ready to be shown, and fans went from there. And for good reason. As I said above, it’s close to being released. The only thing we’re really left wondering is why it isn’t ready to be shown. Maybe it’s simply because Sony has something special planned for the first gameplay trailer or maybe the game really isn’t ready for a showing at all. What are your thoughts? Do you think there’s a chance it could be delayed again or?
Sony Continues Acquisition Streak With Jade Raymond’s ‘Haven Studios’
The word of the year is “acquisitions.” Between the bombshell news of Microsoft acquiring Activision-Blizzard and Sony acquiring Destiny 2 developer Bungie, it seems like billions of dollars are being thrown around on a weekly basis. Must be nice. At the tail end of March 2022, a new studio joins the PlayStation Family. Haven studios, recently launched by studio veteran Jade Raymond, has been officially acquired by Sony. Let’s dive in and see what the studio is working on for the PS5. Jade Raymond of Assassin’s Creed Fame, Helms a New Original IP When I think of Jade Raymond, I immediately go back to the original announcement of the first Assassin’s Creed game. She was a major player in launching that series. I still recall her E3 presentation where she asked the team not to pause the game because it would spoil something. That something, of course, being the Animus interface. Since then, Jade has come up in the news working as the head of gaming for Google Stadia, but with that idea inevitably being abandoned by Google, she went off to form her own studio, Haven. In 2021, Sony started working with Haven Studios to develop a new and original IP for PlayStation. Now, almost on the eve of their first year working together, the studio is being acquired. We don’t know much about the project, but it looks to be a AAA multiplayer title that PlayStation Studios Head, Herman Hulst, describes as a “a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways.” Time will tell what the studio brings to the table, but one thing is certain: Sony isn’t done buying studios. Stay tuned here for all the latest PS5 news, and let us know what you think Haven Studios is working on in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Insert date – 3/22/2022
Lets talk Speedrunners
Speedrunners are known for beating games at a remarkable pace. Playing through games faster than most can comprehend and I’m one of those onlookers that just can’t imagine being able to speed run a game the way these seasoned gamers manage to do. If you’ve been keeping up with gaming news lately, no doubt you’re aware that Eldin Ring has been released to critical acclaim from critics around the world. You also probably know that the game is not for the faint of heart. It can be a challenging title to take on and your very first play though will most likely be the most brutal, if you manage to hang in there and complete the game. It’s a beautiful open world that requires a lot of exploring and paying attention to your surroundings. Taking your time is definitely a smart way to play this game, but I am seeing a lot of frustration from gamers lately when the subject of a Speedrunner comes up. Hence why we are about to cover the subject. There have been major feats for Speedrunners in Elden Ring. In fact, the fastest playthrough was clocked in around 59 minutes and set a world record, only to be undercut to 49 minutes by another player in the same day. I could not imagine completing this game in less than an hour. This takes some serious practice and if I do say so myself, talent. I keep hearing from other players that aren’t necessarily complaining about Speedrunners, but more so seem to be confused by them. Comments like “why would you want to speed through this game and not take a moment to look at all the scenery?” Or “Speedrunners are stupid. You can’t even find all the items because you’re skipping everything!” This is all false. There isn’t anyone out there running through this game on the first try and beating it in under one hour. These Speedrunners have to play through the entire in order to learn how to speed through it. They have to level up their characters, find all the beneficial items they’ll need in the game before they start their next play through and know exactly how to kill off each boss quickly to move on. This is no easy feat by any means. It’s grueling, I’m sure. Speed running games aren’t something to scoff at, its something to be admired. If you really think about it, many of these players know these on much deeper levels than the majority of us casual and hard-core gamers. It’s not something everyone is interested in and certainly not something everyone can do, but we should all give props where it’s deserved. So to recap, speedrunners aren’t skipping entire games. They are exploring as many elements as possible in order to complete the run. It is indeed a feat that most of us cannot complete, but that’s alright too! We don’t need to. All we need to … Read More
No, it isnt Halo’s fault that BF 2042 dodnt sell well, the game just stinks!
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
Sony Acquires Bungie For $3.6 Billion, Studio to Remain ‘Independent and Multi-Platform’
Just when you thought it was going to be a normal, boring Monday… Just before the end of January 2022, A news bomb dropped that Sony is acquiring Bungie in a deal valued at $3.6 billion! While it’s not quite the sticker shock of the Activision Blizzard deal with Xbox, this is still another big move for the industry, especially when you consider Bungie’s history with Xbox. These types of deals take months or years to come together, so this isn’t some big response to Microsoft’s acquisitions, but it does show that Sony is hungry for more studios. Even so, the fine print of this deal wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Let’s dive in and check out the details. Bungie to Remain an Independent Subsidiary Post Acquisition Normally, these types of acquisitions are meant to secure new exclusives, but Bungie has been focused on Destiny 2 for several years now, which is a multi-platform giant of a game that has more expansions releasing in 2022. Whether or not your play Destiny 2, it’s not a stretch to think that Sony would leverage this deal to make it a PlayStation Exclusive. That’s…apparently not the case. Reading the fine print of the announcement, and checking out Jim Ryan’s post on the PlayStation Blog, it’s emphasized from the get-go that Bungie will still release games for multiple platforms. According to he post, PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan wants the community to know that Bungie will sit alongside PLayStation Studios and take advantage of synergies and collaboration, but will otherwise enjoy the backing of Sony Interactive Entertainment to do what they do best, which is *checks notes*, “Build incredible worlds that captivate millions of people.” Was This a Reaction to Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition? Given the timing of this, you would be forgiven for thinking this was Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion, but it’s not quite that simple. Acquisitions take months to finalize and don’t happen overnight. Christopher, Dring, of GamesIndustry.biz, explained this on Twitter the day of the Bungie announcement, and said that PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan told him this wasn’t the end for Sony’s acquisition plans: And Jim Ryan told me 'We should expect more' when it comes to further PlayStation acquisitions — Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) January 31, 2022 What’s Next For Bungie? One thing that’s interesting about acquisitions like these is that they make a big splash in the moment, but the true effects take years to really develop. Destiny 2 isn’t going anywhere, and it sounds like it won’t be PS5 exclusive, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see some PS5 exclusive events or content down the road. As far as Destiny 3 goes? That one is up in the air in this writer’s opinion. What makes this entire thing really interesting though is that Bungie put Xbox on the map back in the day when they released Halo: Combat Evolved. Now, they’re working for PlayStation. Funny how the world works. What … Read More
Sony Announces New Tiers For PlayStation Plus, Confirming Spartacus Rumors
Say what you will about Xbox and Microsoft, they’ve got a good thing going with their Game Pass subscription. It was only a matter of time before Sony decided to jump on board the same train. I’ll admit that, at first, I didn’t think Game Pass would be sustainable. I was worried titles would be too sparse, or would come and go too quickly due to licensing. So far though, neither of those things seem to be true, and I’d welcome a similar service on PlayStation in a heartbeat. On March 29th, 2022, the rumors became fact! Sony is launching a new tiered PlayStation Plus subscription service in June of 2022. Let’s check out the official announcements and see how close the rumors were to the actual plans! May 2022 Update: New Titles Confirmed For Each Tier! As we approach the release of this new PlayStation Plus program, Sony is finally trickling out some new information on what titles we can expect. You can find the full rundown on the PLayStation Blog, but we’ll highlight some of them here as well. One of the confirmations that some people will be happy to hear, is that anyone who purchased the digital version of select games from the PlayStation and PSP generations will not need to sign up for PS+ or buy them again to download them on the PS4 or PS5. Also announced in mid-May was the inclusion of the Ubisoft+ Classics catalog, which is a reduced collection of titles from the publisher pulled from their subscription service. These will be available to Extra and Premium tier PlayStation Plus subscribers. The most recent example on this list is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but other titles include Watch Dogs, Far Cry 4, Child of Light, and Steep. Those who opt for the second tier or higher (Extra or Premium) will get access to a catalog of PS4 and PS5 games. The exclusives here leave a little to be desired, but do include Returnal, Destruction AllStars, and the Demon’s Souls remake. Oddly enough, Spider-Man’s PS5 version and the recent Ratchet and Clank did not make the cut here. Other titles in this PS4/PS5 collection include, but are not limited to: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (A hidden gem!) Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut Death Stranding Control: Ultimate Edition Red Dead Redemption 2 God of War PS4 Outer Wilds Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy This collection also includes the aforementioned Ubisoft titles. Once we move into the classic games for PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP, that’s when things begin to lean into the streaming aspect and also require higher tiers of PS+ membership. In terms of the classics, you’ll need the “premium” subscription for these. Sony promises to continue updating the catalog on a monthly basis, but these are a few of the PS1 / PSP highlights: Ape Escape Hot Shots Golf Jumping Flash! Syphon Filter Super Stardust Portable Worms Armageddon (loved this one as a kid) Moving on to the PS2 catalog, this also … Read More