A final reflection on the games of 2019. It’s a bit late to talk about last year but I filmed this a month ago and it needs to be seen. Consider this a preamble to the HMG redemption arc.
2019 WAS AWESOME, I HATED IT.a final reflection on the games of 2019. it's a bit late to talk about last year but I filmed this a month ago and it needs to be seen. consider this a preamble to the HMG redemption arc.
That’s right, 2019 was awesome, I hated it. As of right now, YouTube sucks so I’m going to be sticking with Facebook Watch or any other non-YT video hosting platform. Plus, the FB page is where all the memes are at, so follow the video to my page and SMASH THAT LIKE.
Picture this. It’s the middle of August. Chet finishes his 3rd round of selecting new released to pre-order for Q4. The decisions were tough, and several interesting games had to be nixed. That’s when the big question hits. Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming out this year. For realsies. Chet and Vega stare at this and ponder who should cover the game.
Vega doesn’t like open world games for the most part. He also doesn’t like westerns very much. He has plenty of other Japanese games to play because he is an unabashed Sony fanboy. Chet has played so many open world games by then, he doesn’t want to play it either. He also doesn’t like westerns. So they asked some of their regular contributors to look at the game. One contributor hates all modern games so he was out. The other was stuck playing another game and didn’t want to stop, so he was out. Who will play this game?
Then we thought… do we actually have to review Red Dead Redemption 2? Do we REALLY have to? What crazy thing could we possibly say about this game? This game obliterated sales figures as expected. It sold 15 million units so far, and that’s just physical copies. We knew in our head that not even Call of Duty could touch the heaps of money that RDR2 would make (however, that said, Black Ops 4 did pretty good compared to the last few titles).
It was no surprise that the game sold what it did. It had to. It’s a Rockstar game. They are responsible for the most profitable piece of media ever made with their figures for Grand Theft Auto V. They know how to sell. But we just weren’t having it. But we did hit a bump on our way through the winter release madness.
Vega got a game he didn’t want to play since it required too much knowledge of the anime that it was based on. That got returned. But what did he get instead? RDR2? No, he got Warriors Orochi 4. A game he deserves because it follows the traditional roots of warriors game, and not the abomination of Dynasty Warriors 9. Good on him. Then Chet received Let’s Go Pikachu and he hasn’t played a pokemon game in decades. But, despite thinking that the game requires pokemon go, it’s actually a full experience on its own, so he was down to give it a shot too.
We don’t need RDR2. If you are reading this right now, its 95% likely that you already bought the damn game and came here wondering what was wrong with us. Nothing is wrong with us, we don’t like westerns and we all have shit we’d rather play. Vega has a ton of multi and figting games, Chet has Assassins Creed and Forza Horizon, both of which he cannot stop playing.
And that’s just it. Despite having several titles we have to miss and several titles that are must-plays, this game isn’t on the list. We don’t need it to be on the list. You’ve played it, you’ve seen the metacritic scores, that’s all there is to it.
Controllers, Clouds, Counterstrike, and Cole Train
Good news and bad news. Comparisons of titanic forces. And all the power money could buy if money could buy power. That’s what this week looks like for the gamers who can use a little good feeling. Last week brought us interesting rumors around power moves and saddening, yet exciting delay announcements. Here are the reason you should feel like a Lucky Gamer:
1. Microsoft buys more clouds and enters the rumor mill.
Microsoft is undeniably the most financially capable of the big three video game console makers. Sony’s a company shifted their focus to Playstation a few years back to help keep the entire company afloat. Nintendo, on the other hand, really only makes video games so they are stable but not as much cash flow available. That’s why the rumor that Microsoft is considering buying EA, Valve, & PUBG corp. is incredibly believable. And with none of those three having responded to comment after nearly a week (at the time of this writing) boy oh boy what might we be in for. On the factual side of business, it’s business as usual. The super company just acquired PlayFab, a backend cloud based service provider. The goal is to have PlayFab work as an extension tool to build on Azure, the current cloud. Look at you go Microsoft, look at you go.
2. Waiting for Redemption better be worth it.
Who am I kidding, of course it will be worth it. It’s Red Dead Redemption, and even though i’m not the biggest fan, I have to admit I am among those looking forward to this adventure. With that said, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Red Dead Redemption 2 has been delayed to October 26th. Watch out Ubisoft, Rockstar is coming hard. Not much was said about what cause the delay but it doesn’t really matter. The fact is they gave us a solid release date, that could change, and that makes me way more comfortable with the delay then anything else they could have said. You know, other than “We tested it and felt like our horse mechanics just weren’t as fun as Dynasty Warriors, so back to the drawing board.” Also they released new screenshots of gorgeous sunsets. And horses.
3. Unlike Sonic, Mario is doing pretty well.
This battle of icons has been raging for as long as the video game industry has been booming. It’s like Jay-Z v Nas. Yankees v Red Sox. Trump v Everything that makes sense for a president to do. So of course Mario got word of all the things Sonic has been up to and decided to 10 up him. Sonic got a TV series, Mario partnered with Illumination Entertainment to make a movie. A whole feature length film. That’s how you go big but there’s more. Mario Kart tour was announced for mobile which is set to release sometime before March 2019. Boom headshot! Well not exactly. See in the midst of all these upcoming plans Nintendo also took the time to humbly brag that the Nintendo Switch has outsold the Wii U lifetime sales in less than 10 months. With the best selling game being, you probably guessed it, Super Mario Odyssey. Damn Mario straight killing the game. It’s also the fastest selling console in the history of consoles though, so no big deal.
4. Enter new Dualshock 4 Controllers.
This is the most exciting news for me! As a playstation controller connoisseur, there is no way I was going to miss an opportunity to make a big deal over the new PS4 dual shock 4 remote colors. Midnight Blue (which actually happens to legitimately be my favorite color) and Steel Black. They look absolutely gorgeous. Both controls will be available in March for the standard price of $64.99. And this announcement comes hot on the heels of a sneaker partnership announcement too! Damn it Sony, I am a starving artist. You need to show some damn consideration for the little guys cause now I gotta come short with the rent so I can get one of each control and the Playstation sneakers. Oh well, totally worth it.
5. Yea I used this pun last week but, let’s Switch the topic.
If you’re the type of gamer who has been patiently waiting to be charged more money for a service you’ve kind of already been using, then boy is this the box for you. Nintendo announced that the Switch’s online service will be launching in September of this year. No other information was really given so it’s safe to say the previous statements apply. It will most likely run you $19.99 and give access to a Classic Games Selection and eShop discounts, much like the competition. Also, although announced by Microsoft, the Nintendo Switch is getting some rather unique content. The Switch version of Minecraft saw the addition of the Xbox characters pack. This means you’ll be able to play as Master Chief, Cole Train, Banjo, and many more on a Nintendo console. Does this mean we are getting closer to a future where Gamestop employees no longer have to say “Mario is not on Xbox”? The update also includes the Moana character pack featuring characters from the Disney movie.
6. Diablo creator announces new game while Counter Strike creator gets in trouble.
The good news. David Brevik, the creator of gaming classic Diablo, has announced he’s finished a new game which is already in closed beta. The new game, title “It Lurks Below”, mixes elements from Minecraft, Terraria, and Brevik’s original work Diablo. If all goes according to plan, “It Lurks Below” should launch later this year on Steam. This is also Brevik’s first major project since 2013 and he mad it on his own as a one man team. The bad news. Jesse Cliffe, co-creator of Counter-Strike, has been suspended by Valve following his arrest on charges of sexual exploitation of a child. It is important to reserve judgment as details are still emerging around these allegations. We can only hope, as gamers, that this gets resolved in an honest matter and none of it is true.
7. Gaming goes South by SouthWest
SXSW Gaming is headed to Austin, TX March 15th through March 17th. It’s been a little while since gaming has taken part in the SXSW festivities but it’s exciting to see it making it’s return. The video game industry is booming and it really shows with events like this popping up all over the world all year around. This year the SXSW Gaming will feature eSports, indies, VR, AAA, and Mobile, which pretty much is all of gaming. Including gaming in this world of music, film, and art is just another example of the built up appreciation of video games. Hardcode gamers rejoice, a new day is coming.
Got anything that made you feel Lucky that I didn’t mention? Drop it in the comments below.
The fall season is upon us ladies and gentlemen. Do you know what that means? Life is about to get real freaking crazy! We got games, big games, releasing nearly every week through the remainder of the year. A slew of gaming events in the pipeline. And the best holidays of the year all lined up! To quote a very wise young hip hop artist by the name of Reign, “Let’s Get It!”
1. Amnesia and Phantom Pain being handed to gamers!
Right out the gate we open up with the freebies. Playstation Plus subscribers will have access to some incredible games this month. The October games for plus include Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (my least favorite in the series but only because all the games are amazing) and Amnesia Collection, a horrifying game series fitting for the month on PS4. On PS3 however, all gamers will be able to access are Monster Jam Battlegrounds and Hustle Kings, the amazing pool game. Finally the PS Vita dedicated out there will be able to play Hue and Sky Force Anniversary, also playable on PS4. I think this will be an amazing addition for Playstation Plus subscribers, but what do I know?
2. Gone Home with a Medal of Honor!
There is something amazing that happens every time to epic entities battle it out in the month of October. Think about it. Freddy vs Jason, Alien vs Predator, David vs Goliath. Actually I don’t know if that last one happened in October, or any of them to be honest. I do know that Xbox Games with Gold is playing a strong hand almost as if in direct competition with an unnamed competitor. Games with Gold will give players access to Gone Home: Complete Edition and The Turing Test on Xbox One. Xbox 360 players and anyone with a backwards compatible Xbox One (spoiler alert: that should be everyone with an Xbox One) will be able to play Rayman 3 HD and Medal of Honor: Airborne. It is going to be an amazing end of the year.
3. A new console challenger appears.
After nearly 20 years without developing a shiny gaming box, Atari has returned to war zone. With a release window of late Spring 2018 and a retail price range between $250 – $300 the new console will be a Linux-based PC experience for your TV. The device will be powered by a custom AMD processor with Radeon graphics. The most interesting thing about this entire announcement is that it is expected to be a crowdfunded adventure. The question very quickly becomes: who asked for this?
4. Battle.net App launches on iOS and Android.
Now I must admit, as someone who uses battle.net for absolutely nothing, I can not explains why this excites me at all. Perhaps its because we are embracing a future where all our favorite things will be supported by one device we carry with us all the time. Blizzard’s Battlenetis coming to iOS and Android is simply a matter of taking social features mobile. The app will make it easier to send and receive friend request, chat with friends, and organize matches for later play. The App is currently available to download and explore so take it for a spin. I can’t imagine you have much to lose by trying it.
5. Sword Art goes mobile.
Thank god for all these tech upgrades on smartphones because developers obviously have big plans. Sword Art Online: Replication, a virtual reality game for mobile, showed its head recently at the Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival. During it’s brief introduction we were provided a solid bit of information. The game will follow a new hero who’s primary objective is keeping Mist, the newest heroine to join the party, safe from harm. A stress and connection test will be taking place in Tokyo from December 8th through 10th, but no other release info was announced. I would love to see where this goes because this would be the perfect game for VR. Maybe not for mobile VR though, that sounds really dangerous.
6. Battlefront 2 for the fans.
Eleven multiplayer maps and five modes will be available right out the star gate when Star Wars Battlefront 2 launches on November 17th. How’s that for an opening line? The breakdown for the maps is as follows: 3 from the highly beloved prequel era, 5 from the original trilogy that people are kind of ok with, and 3 from the new era. The new era is really just The Force Awakens, but thats ok. The five modes are of course very Star Wars themed versions of standard FPS modes but that doesn’t make it less cool. The unique “Starfighter Assault” mode will see the player take control of ships, fighter, and bombers while two teams engage in multi-stage, objective based battles. And of course the “Heores vs Villians” mode give you control over fan favorites in 4v4 team battles. That’s how you please your fans.
7. And finally, Redemption!
Come on. You didn’t think I forgot. It’s not like a birthday, anniversary, or some other silly occasion. Its a butt-ton of official information around Red Dead Redemption 2! Official story details place the game in official “not a sequel” realm. The game will follow a new protagonist, Arthur Morgan, and be set to the east of the original game. Make sure you check out the official trailer for even more insight and fun. The new game will also feature an online mode and with a formula as successful as GTA V, I can only imagine the cash cow this will become. Unfortunately the game was delayed to the Spring of 2018. That’s ok though, it’s not like the anticipation will kill me or anything.
