Loadout PS4

So big news today, a huge PC game Loadout, has been announced as a console exclusive for the Playstation 4. Why is this big news? Because, this game is wickedly fun and competitive. Think, Team Fortress 2, with 10x more gore and weapon customization.

In fact, the big draw to the game is the "Billions of combinations" you can make for your weapon. I have played it on the PC, and I have spent a good 2 hours on just creating my weapons. Creating laser beams, rocket launchers, and assault rifles...the choice is yours.

Also, according to the developers, it is not going to be a straight port either. They are going to rework the balance of the game to make it feel at home on the Dualshock 4. This is great news, shows that they are going to put some time and effort into bringing their game to the Playstation 4.

Anways, I am quite excited for this pre-E3 announcement. My personal views on it are that I can't wait for it to come out so I can wreck some people with the Hammer, which is their form of capture the flag. I am skeptical on playing the game with the controller because I tried on the PC and I felt severely hindered. But, if they re-balance the game that will be perfect.

The trailer is just below.

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Google buys Twitch: Thoughts

So, what is the big news this week? Well, it might just be that Google (YouTube) is trying to purchase Twitch.tv for $1 Billion. Now, because of this there are numerous people in a panic on how Google is going to ruin Twitch. How Google is going to force people to use Google+ on Twitch. Here are my opinions on the matter.

First off, Google will most definitely not force users to use Google+ on Twitch. I say this as they have already begun abandoning the total integration of Google+. It has been a commercial failure, especially with the integration of YouTube and G+. For goodness sake, the father of G+ actually left Google, probably to run away from the scrutiny he was receiving internally about the failures. So, I do not see this integration of G+ and Twitch happening.

What I do see happening is Google will allow Twitch to govern and run itself independently, but with the addition of the financial support of Google. This will only allow Twitch to grow as a service and hopefully be more reliable. That would definitely be the best case scenario for all of this.

I do think that people freaking out about it is uncalled for. Monetization and copyright will probably end up acting the same way that it is currently. At least, that is what I am hoping for. I mean what do I know? I barely have any twitch followers as much as I want to have more, I think it is hard to get into now that it is over saturated.

Opinion: EA and Microsoft paying Youtuber

Here is my whole opinion on what is going on with the whole EA and Microsoft paying Youtubers to say good things about them. First off, you can not blame the Youtubers, this is their job and they need money, yes they ahve the decision to either comply with them or not. I'm pretty sure most of them believe what they are saying also, of course they are the few that will do it just for the money.

You know what, who cares? If a video is coming off like an advertisment...then it probably is. Take what you see on Youtube with a grain a salt, do more research than watching one persons video. This is being blown way out of proportion to begin with. It is common practice and people need to get over it, thinking of it as infomercials....or product placements within movies. 

With that, I can see how people may be upset with the situation. They are thinking their favorite Youtuber is being pressured to report on something they might like. Which is a reasonable reason to be upset, but one has to see that this is their job. Watch more footage of gameplay and form your own opinions. That is what is important, that you form your OWN opinion about stuff and not play/buy something just because your favorite Youtuber said he liked it.

What really is pissing me off is King trying to trademark "candy" and going after smaller companies with "saga" and "candy" in it. Their excuse for going after The Banner Saga is completely ludacris. I'm hoping some companies form an appeal for the trademark to put King into their place. They are basically bullies right now. 

What are your thoughts/opinions on this? 

Have you been in a situation where you recieved money for saying good things about a company?

First Play: Trine 2 - Complete Story

Yesterday I purchased Trine 2 - Complete Story for the PS4. I was looking for a fun, engaging, and challenging co-op game. These are hard to come by, especially for the Playstation 4. It was between Trine 2 and Tiny Brains; I will inevitably purchase both in the end, but I went ahead and got Trine 2 first. 

Finding a game that my girlfriend will enjoy was the priority for the purchase, and I must say it was worth it. We have only spent about 2 hours with the game, but we are thoroughly enjoying the game. My girlfriend, Kim, loves to play as the Thief, Zoya. Using the grappling hook is her favorite mechanic so far, even if she does complain that the game is a little too hard. See, she is relatively new to gaming, only playing Mario games before; so finding a game she can enjoy is quite difficult. 

Personally, my first impression of the game is that it is stunning. I can not wait to venture forth into the different environments as what I have seen far is breathtaking. The environments feel very organic and alive and I constantly catch myself just staring into the backgrounds as Kim fights hordes of monsters. 

The puzzle elements of the game constantly keep us thinking about how to get to new heights and acquire more XP. Fighting is fun and equally hilarious finding new ways to vanquish the enemies with different combinations from the heroes. Kim and I have vowed that we will platinum the game and earn all the trophies, that is how much we are enjoying the game. On top of beautiful environments, top-notch puzzles, the story pretty engaging as well. We haven't learned the reason why the Trine reached out to us, but we are itching to play more to find out the reason. 

A proper review will come in the future, when we get further into the game. But as of right now, I would totally recommend it to everyone. Especially, for those who want a fun local co-op game to enjoy with friends and significant others. 

Looking Foward - January '14

What am I looking forward to this month? There is one major release that I am definitely going to pick up, and that is Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. With the Definitive Edition, I will be able to experience the game as the developers intended it to be experienced, as I have just beaten it on the PS3. With the improved visuals and clarity, I expect for a better more thrilling adventure. Though, I am saddened that no new content will be added, but that is alright as I enjoyed the game so much I am willing to pay for it again. 

Steam DevDays is happening this month, so I am looking forward to what news comes out of that. News already broke that the steam controller is ditching the touchscreen in favor for 6 physical buttons. That is a welcomed change, I did not like the touchscreen idea one bit. 

Bioshock Infinite, DmC, and Don't Starve hit the PS+ Instant Collection this month. Will pick, up DmC and Don't Starve, as I already have Bioshock Infinite on the PC. In fact, those two games were already released in the first week of the month. I have been spending some time with Don't Starve, it is a grueling game that I find quite rewarding. Definitely worth playing the game, but of course not too long because  you WILL get frustrated....and die a lot.

Well, that is pretty much all that I am really looking forward to this month. Not many game releases that I am excited for, unlike next month!

MUST PLAY GAME OF THE MONTH:

Long Overdue

This is long overdue, but for good reason. I have VERY busy with my PS4. I got it a day early and have not stopped playing it. But, enough with the excuses, I will detail my experience thus far with the new Playstation 4. 

I received my PS4 on Thursday which was definitely a pleasant surprise. I was Ready to get to play, I purchased Assassin's Creed 4, FIFA 14, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Need for Speeed: Rivals. Needless to say I was stoked. 

That first day I spent about an hour and a half in each game getting the feel for it. I will have more detailed Reviews of each in the coming weeks. Here are some preliminary thoughts about those games plus DC Universe Online, Contrast, Resogun, Warframe, and Blacklight: Retribution. These were free games, either free-to-play or PS+

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AC4 - GREAT GAME! Probably my favorite title of the series as of yet. The ship battles are glorious and everything about it seem so much smoother. The visuals are unparallelled, I feel like I am in the Caribbean. There are some free running bugs and I always hate running up the wrong building. Note: Already Beat. 

CoD - Unfortunately the story was convoluted and lackluster. I beat it very fast which was sad. The multiplayer on the other hand is definitely the best yet. The controller is so much suited for FPS titles now. It feels...fantastic to say the least.

FIFA 14 - JUST WOW. Animations, crowds, and physics feel so realistic. A huge step up for the series.

NFS: R - Best arcade racing game yet. It is Burnout Paradise mixed with Demon Souls. It is hard but a lot of fun. The cars look insanely good and the environments look even better. The power behind the PS4 is amazing

Resogun - It is Super Stardust on roids, it is made by the same people. A lot of fun just like Super Stardust HD.  FREE WITH PS+

Contrast - creepy puzzle game. Haven't played much. FREE WITH PS+

Warframe - Really cool dungeon crawler-esque game where you control a warframe (you can change your type) and shoot and kill and complete missions. Littered with micro transactions as it is a Free-2-play game. But I find it a lot of fun

DCUO - Really fun FREE MMORPG for the PS4. I play with my brother which is nice. You can create a superhero and there are tons of options. 

Blacklight - An Alpha build (Very buggy) FPS multiplayer game. Also F2P, doesn't have many micro transactions as of yet but unlike Warframe it is not pay to win. Which is nice. You can be really good without spending a single di0me in the game. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS OF THE SYSTEM

The system is so much better than the PS3. My favorite feature by far is the fact that we can play different games and we can talk to each other. You need to hook it up online man if not for that fact alone. I also love that I can buy a game while playing a game and that downloads never pause even when you play online. The standby mode is very nice where it downloads and installs updates to your games with it in a super-low-power state. 

The system is inconspicuous and yet so stylish. The subtle glowing line is a very nice touch. It just a marvelous piece of machinery. 

I experience no slow-down when I am doing a million and 1 things on the machine. It is incredible and it is only bound to get better which is awesome. 

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Finally, Drakengard 3!

The first big PS2 game that I played growing up was Drakengard. It had absolutely everything that I ever wanted in a video game, Dragons and lots of fighting. Being able to control the dragon was a huge bonus. Plus, the story was amazing. What brought me to the game was the fact that you can obtain a ton of weapons and each weapon leveled up and evolved. It gave me a reason to look all over the map and perform challenges to be able to collect all the weapons. The games story was amazing, even including multiple endings and scenarios when you finished the game.

So here I am, browsing Twitter where I read as status that Drakengard 3 is coming to the west. This makes me unbelievably happy and I am definitely going to be picking up the title. The only disappointing thing about this, is that it is releasing in 2014 and on the PS3. This is where the streaming of PS3 games to the PS4 works well. Because I will probably end up doing that if the title is available on the service, as well as my internet can handle the service. If not, i will be looking forward to upgrading my internet service to accomadate the demands of next-gen consoles.

I only saw some brief pictures of the title and I am extremely excited about it. In fact I know little to NOTHING about it, but I am going to read up on it. My excitement is purely based on how much I loved Drakengard on PS2 and that's all I need to buy the game.

Image from VG24/7