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LetMeGetToACheckpoint BlogLetMeGetToACheckpoint Bloghttps://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/atom.aspxCommunity Server2014-12-28T23:15:00ZGaming Adventures Are Coming In 2017/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/12/24/gaming-adventures-are-coming-in-2017.aspx2016-12-24T11:15:00Z2016-12-24T11:15:00Z
2017 is barreling towards us and I personally can't leave 2016 behind fast enough. Yet, 2016 brought us games aplenty that are keeping us playing into next year. On top of the games, there are a few 2016 gaming announcements and trends that I'm excited to see flourish in 2017.

Personally, I wonder whether the Nintendo Switch can hold a long enough charge for on the go gaming.

2017 brings us a lot of gaming questions. Physical games or digital? Do the consoles have enough memory? What will the Nintendo Switch be successful at? Will Destiny 2 bring the franchise onto the PC? Will Mass Effect Andromeda make the Mako's driving controls tolerable? What I'm wondering is...

What is Microsoft's Project Scorpio?

We don't know what Project Scorpio is. Last June's E3 announcement for Project Scorpio had no actual information besides that it's an Xbox with a release date in fall 2017. The message was further muddled with the announcement of the Xbox One S. The Xbox One S was the expected Xbox One upgrade that shrunk the console, added memory, and (most importantly) tucked the power brick into the console.

I know nothing except that I want it!

Microsoft's original 2013 plans for the Xbox One to dominate the living room have changed drastically because the always-connected cable box wasn't successful. However, Microsoft is persistent. The Windows 10 platform aims to integrate all Microsoft products for cross use. For gamers, the Play Anywhere initiative is an attractive offer to buy a game once to play on both the Xbox One and PC with saved progress across the platforms. Overall, I strongly support a multiuse Xbox. Yet, I'm not entirely sure what the means nowadays given that nearly every digital device has multiple functions and so my Xbox One plays video games and Blu-ray disks.

My one hope for Project Scorpio is that it's a Virtual Reality ready machine, perhaps for the Oculus Rift due to the Oculus Rift launching with Xbox One controllers. Or perhaps the integration of the HoloLens, an Augmented Reality technology. I'm all for whatever technology allows me to equip an Omni-tool on my actual arm while I play Mass Effect Andromeda. Regardless of the details, I expect something more from Project Scorpio and I'm excited to see what that is.

Mass Effect Andromeda

My gaming backlog is oversized, to put it mildly, and I've resolved to buy a lot less games at release. An absolute day one purchase is Mass Effect Andromeda. All I want is to return to the Mass Effect franchise which was my absolute favorite series in the Xbox 360 generation.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the rebooted Mako.

Admittedly, I'm worried about the gameplay change that accessing the weapon wheel will no longer pause the game. Personally, Mass Effect's weapon wheel was my favorite iteration of the mechanic which let me pause and scan the battlefield in order to make my combat decisions.

Still, I'm excited to return to a vast universe with detailed storytelling and my very own spaceship that's outfitted with a space monkey.

Free Content Updates

Recently, Halo 5: Guardians released its tenth free update that includes new modes, maps, and gear. I love the free content drops that maintains a unified player base. Similarly, I bought Titanfall 2 and Gears of War 4 in part because of the free new multiplayer maps. Maintaining a steady player base is harder than ever given the breadth of our gaming options. Free new modes and maps in multiplayer keeps us all playing rather than dividing into the haves and have nots.

CD Projekt Red's thank you note in The Witcher 3 was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture.

Additionally, I just started The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and upon cracking open the box I greatly appreciated CD Projekt Red's thank you letter to players for buying the game. I remembered how the game was supported at launch with free weekly content updates as well as a commitment by the developer that paid DLC should only be purchased at the discretion of the player because the base game provided a full experience.

Every player decides whether DLC is worth paying more. I appreciate developers supporting, rather than dividing, the player base with free base content updates and add-ons. In 2017, I'll do my best to spend my dollars on gaming developers with business models that I support.

20% Off New Games

Amazon Prime and Best Buy Gamer's Club offer 20% discounts off of newly released and/or other new games. I absolutely love it! The biggest win is stacking sales with Best Buy's 20% off. Now $48 is my base price for newly released games. In fact, I'm much more willing to buy more expensive editions due to the 20% savings.

I can no longer pay $60 for a brand new game but I'm now willing to pay $80 for a Collector's Edition priced at $100.

While, GameStop still has that in-store experience of poking around the used games and searching through the gaming merchandise. GameStop's prices just don't compete with the automatic 20% discount. In the course of a year, I'll frequent GameStop for a few used games and pre-order one game both for a GameStop exclusive bonus and to support the GameStop experience of a store all about video games.

The majority of my gaming monies go to Amazon and Best Buy because in order to buy more games, I need to save more money.

End Game Content

I've never played heavily on PCs. And so, I haven't fully understood "end game" content until the release of Destiny. I now get the hook that reaching the level cap is just the beginning. Players who enjoy Destiny's gameplay can continue the loop into better and better weapons and gear. Yes, the Random Number Generator can be infuriating and the gameplay loop can be repetitive. Yet, during the past 2 years I've been engrossed in Destiny for weeks at a time anticipating Xur's arrival on Fridays and the Iron Banner competition at the month's end. The latest expansion, the Rise of Iron, hasn't kept my attention lately. Instead, I'm playing Overwatch for hours in order to unlock competitive play at level 25. Or checking out the new modes in The Division.

Playing after the game was over was a entirely novel concept to me when Destiny launched.

I'll likely be excited and maybe even preorder Destiny 2 in fall 2017. We'll see. There's a lot of games to play and I expect even more games to bring "end game" content to the consoles.

In 2017, rather than anticipating a long list of games, I'm excited for gaming news. I expect the games that I already own to have a long life and for changes to continue in how we experience games from DLC to VR to AR to episodic games. In short, there's a lot to look forward too.

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for reading during this busy holiday season!

What are you most excited about in gaming for 2017?

What do you think will be the biggest change to gaming in 2017?

What is your most anticipated game in 2017?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxWhere Did All Of These Games Come From? /blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/11/27/where-did-all-of-these-games-come-from.aspx2016-11-27T07:25:00Z2016-11-27T07:25:00Z
Thanksgiving and Black Friday has come and gone. The Black Friday sales quickly became a parade of games that I recently purchased at prices even cheaper than my 20% discount on new games at Amazon or Best Buy. For example, my beloved Dishonored 2 Collector's Edition that retails for $100 but my Amazon Prime membership nabbed at $80 was discounted to $60. The game alone went as low as $28. What hurt the most was the Gamestop Exclusive Call of Duty: Infinite Warefare Legacy Pro Edition that I splurged on (with the help of a gift card from friends) had a $20 price cut. Both games released in November.

Even now I'm weighing whether or not to get that last game, The Turing Test.

Suddenly, I realized that not only have I not completed most of the games that I bought on day one last fall. There's games I've purchased in previous Black Friday sales that I haven't even started. In the past year, my gaming time was severely curtailed due to life's responsibilities. While I expect to play again more robustly there's still only so much time for gaming in between work and sleep.

No sale is so good that owning the game justifies not playing it for years. This is the year of buying less games while I tackle that insurmountable backlog that grows every Black Friday. In order to make my plan realistic, I broke this big goal into more manageable pieces. In no particular order, here are games that I've purchased in Black Friday sales from past years that I haven't even started. In 2017 I'm resolved to both play and complete these games.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I want to be playing this game SO badly! After all these years, I'm SO close to the end of The Witcher 2.

In last year's Black Friday sales, I picked up The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for $25 and the sale was an absolute steal. I was so excited to dive deep into the complex fantasy adventure that my wife searched for weeks in order to find a copy of the original game guide in hardcover as a surprise gift. I even unwrapped the game in order to prepare for my inevitable play through. However, I just had to finish The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings before playing The Witcher 3.

While The Witcher is a PC game, The Witcher 2 was ported to the Xbox 360. I've started the game at least three times. As a PC port, The Witcher 2 on Xbox 360 has overly complicated controls and is buggy to the point of frustration. As a game, the lore is so dense that making sense of the narrative requires intense concentration.

My resolve to conquer my backlog is anchored on the fact that I haven't even installed The Witcher 3 despite my enthusiasm when I bought the game last fall. Therefore, I've dedicated this Thanksgiving weekend to completing The Witcher 2 and (with my wife's support since we share the television) I'm in the game's final (and shortest) chapter.

Dragon Age 2 / Dragon Age: Inquisition

I'm determined to play Dragon Age 2 before I play Dragon Age Inquisition. Playing more games is never a bad idea, right?

This entry is a bit of a cheat with two (long) games. I adore a good story but I struggled with Dragon Age Origins. I never became comfortable with the real-time, turn-based combat. Ultimately, I admitted defeat and set the game on easy. Still, the combat remained so off-putting that I never played the DLC.

I really want to play Dragon Age Inquisition and I grabbed a Game of the Year edition. I adore fantasy tropes and combined with BioWare's inclusive stories, it's a game that I don't want to miss. However, because it's such a story heavy franchise I've been hesitant to skip Dragon Age 2 despite its well-known flaws.

Due to having other RPGs unfinished on my Xbox 360, I've been determined not to begin Dragon Age 2 (and subsequently Dragon Age Inquisition) until I beat either Lost Odyssey or The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Lost Odyssey remains undefeated due to my difficulty with reaching its save points. However, I'll finally finish The Witcher 2 if not this weekend then shortly.

Metro Redux (Metro 2033 / Metro Last Light)

Whenever a game sale seems too good to pass up I remind myself that I haven't even started this franchise yet.

The Metro franchise has a creepy vibe with survival gameplay mechanics and a unique story that I really want to play. The Metro Redux bundle was (and is often) at near giveaway prices. While Metro Redux is technically two games, I would be satisfied to complete only Metro 2033 then to tackle Metro Last Light another year.

When THQ dissolved, I scoured Ebay in a gaming panic worried that no more copies of Metro 2033 would be made available and I excitedly scored a copy. Not only is the game now available on disc and digitally but it also received a sequel. Yet, I still haven't played it.

Final Fantasy XIII

I want a Final Fantasy experience without buying a new game. Luckily, that's what backlogs are for!

Final Fantasy XV releases in mere days to long suffering Final Fantasy fans who've been waiting for the game for a decade. I'm not one of them. I know nearly nothing about the Final Fantasy franchise and what I do know I learned from Kingdom Hearts.

I'm constantly looking for an entry point in franchises that I've missed. I bought Final Fantasy XIII a few years ago wondering if I'd be able to catch up before the release of the final game in the trilogy, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. I not only didn't catch up, I didn't even start the game.

I recognize that the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy isn't considered a seminal moment in the long running franchise. However, the first game is supposed to be the trilogy's best. I'm not committed to the entire trilogy and the game will fill my desire to play a Final Fantasy game until Final Fantasy XV is more reasonably priced such as in next year's Black Friday sales.

Tales From The Borderlands

I could use a few good laughs. I'm all for jumping into a funny game.

Telltale Games' first season of The Walking Dead made me a believer in the studio. The Telltale Games Collection was an easy buy a couple of Black Friday sales ago. The bundle included both seasons of The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands and the game that I wanted most at the time, Game of Thrones.

Tales From The Borderlands has an industry buzz as a highpoint for Telltale Games. I simply know nothing about the Borderlands franchise. I don't have a co-op partner and so I'm perfectly fine with missing the Borderlands games. As a fan of Telltale Games and due to the critical acclaim for Tales From The Borderlands, the game is a must play and not a huge time commitment.

In the past year, my "interactive story" game of choice was Life Is Strange. I enjoyed the game but it was an emotionally taxing game that left me needing a break from the story-heavy format. Once I make headway on beginning the longer games on my list, I'll add in Tales From The Borderlands as a sillier gaming option.

Of course, my plan to resist Black Friday entirely this year failed. I grabbed Gears of War 4 as well as the Gears of War 4 Xbox One controller along with Virginia and Inside. Of course, I'll play those games too. I'll just stop sleeping.

It's been awhile but thank you for reading!

What game(s) in your backlog do you want to play most?

What did you pick up in the Black Friday sales?

What game(s) did you play over the holiday weekend?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxFall 2016 Cannot Come Fast Enough/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/07/24/fall-2016-can-39-t-come-fast-enough.aspx2016-07-24T14:45:00Z2016-07-24T14:45:00Z
The past year (and the previous couple of years) have been a rough adventure in being an adult with no extra lives, restarts, or previous saves. With what is hopefully the worst of the adventures in adulthood (nearly) over, I'm ready to both be a responsible adult which includes play video games. And so, I'm trying writing about video games yet again.

There's nothing like couch co-op, even if it's just my wife mimicking Lord Saladin during Destiny's monthly Iron Banner.

The remainder of July and August are devoted to my ever expanding backlog. I'm proud that the Steam and Xbox Summer Sales didn't result in even more games for me to play. I need to focus if I'm ever going to play all, or even most, of the games that I own. In my return to gaming I've re-committed to Fallout 4, was creeped out by episode four of Life Is Strange, and am committed to Destiny's monthly Iron Banner event.

However, fall 2016 isn't too far off. In my downtime, I'm already daydreaming of the new games I'll pick up in the fall rush. In fact, my current line-up has me playing a new game each month this fall. I'm excited!

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Releases On August 23, 2016

I absolutely and utterly cannot wait to kickstart this fall and my birthday which such an anticipated game. Even if it means eating energy bars for health.

Recently my wife announced that my birthday present is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Collector's Edition! I'm ecstatic and I've picked out shelf space for the Adam Jensen statue (my Thor piggybank is being displaced).

Deus Ex: Human Revolution was one of my favorite Xbox 360 games. Yes, the game released imperfectly with combat best suited for stealth but boss battles that required gun fights. It was an unfortunate surprise when I faced off against a super solider and my primary weapon was a tranquilizer gun. I haven't had the opportunity to play the Director's Cut edition that rebalanced the boss fights. While, the stealth gameplay suited my playstyle, it was the story and the game world that hooked me.

I am a deaf player and I spend a disproportionate amount of my time worried about health insurance. In short, insurance in the United States doesn't cover hearing aids. Due to my severe to profound hearing loss I'm constantly caught between thousands of out of pocket dollars for hearing aids or pursuing cochlear implants (a surgical procedure that implants assistive hearing devices in the head) which are insured.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution wove a nuanced tale about socioeconomics and its relationship to accessing health care. In the midst of Jensen's transformation into an augmented superhero in pursuit of his kidnapped wife was a detailed story about a world of those with and without augmentations. Augmentations were desirable and required in order to be competitive in the world but were prohibitively expensive and tied the augmented to medical treatment forever. Such a world reworked the concept of disability when technology granted "greater than" abilities as opposed to the "same as." Additionally, layered in was a story of whether humans should pursue such advanced technology.

The real world story set in a video game universe has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Destiny: Rise of Iron, Releases On September 20, 2016

Fresh content for Destiny? Yes, please. Also, are we getting pet wolves?

The Destiny bug is simple. The game is fun and even comforting when I'm stressed. While Destiny is a repetitive loot grind, I have a rule that when I stop having fun I stop playing. I've stayed away from the game for months at a time but I've always come back. The April 2016 update is the best yet for solo players such as myself. Post update, I am steadily leveling up and acquiring new gear and weapons. I may not be dedicated enough to grind for the maximum light level or complete the year two Moments of Triumph but I am having fun.

My favorite changes in year two are the Lord Shaxx bounties that rewards end game loot, Three of Coins applicable to Crucible matches, and the improved loot awards in the Iron Banner. In short, PvP is my jam this year.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is an expansion. I simply expect more Destiny, not a major overhaul, and I am eager to play. Personally, I wish for more in-game matchmaking and as a stretch goal for a more comprehensible story.

Titanfall 2, Releases On October 28, 2016

There's nothing quite like a Pilot and their Titan companion.

Titanfall was my 2014 Game of the Year. I praise Titanfall in the same way that others praise Overwatch in which satisfying gameplay results in a unique experience in each match. For me, Titanfall matches contained an addicting gameplay loop that escalated PvP gun fights amongst Pilots to warring Titans with a sprinkling of PvE against the AI. Additionally, Titanfall was accessible in both encouraging all players into its FPS gameplay and included specific features for disability accessibility.

For example, the Smart Pistol allowed players who struggle with FPS gameplay an opportunity to be competitive by locking onto opposing Pilots as opposed to landing multiple shots as well as the option in matches to combat AI bots in order to garner points towards calling down a Titan. The setting menus directly addressed disability accessibility such as with multiple controller layouts and, my personal favorite, subtitles for the scripted dialogue in a PvP based game. Titanfall is only the second game that I am aware of with this feature, the other is Evolve.

Respawn Entertainment's misses at Titanfall's launch were no player customization, an outdated DLC business model, and a lackluster progression system. Titanfall 2 is heavily pitching the game's changes and my personal favorite that the DLC is no longer community splitting map packs.

Dishonored 2, Releases On November 11, 2016

I'm really torn between playing as Corvo or Emily. I'll just have to play the game twice!

Dishonored was a 2012 gem as an incredibly solid game. The intriguing story was bolstered by a detailed world in which players gradually unlocked more powers and fought against increasingly difficult enemies. While the morality system was black and white, the storytelling wasn't. The final moment of each level in choosing between a lethal or nonlethal option has stayed with me because the nonlethal decision was oftentimes a fate worse than death.

Additionally, Dishonored let me play stealth but gave me a suite of direct combat options. When 20 minutes of stealthily sneaking resulted in a firefight, I could win and continue playing as opposed to restarting at the last checkpoint.

Dishonored 2 adding Emily, the princess that the player spent the first game rescuing, as a playable character both absolutely ensured my pre-order and has left me conflicted because I want to see what happens next with Corvo, the original protagonist. I don't often play a single game more than once because of my limited gaming schedule but I just may play Dishonored 2 as both Corvo and Emily. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to add the Dishonored: Definitive Edition to my playlist this summer in order to experience the DLC before November 2016.

Absolutely, this is my fall of sequels and I can't wait! Many thanks for reading and game on.

What game(s) are you anticipating this fall?

What's your favorite game so far since last fall?

My gaming secret is that I want Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in order to scratch my Mass Effect itch. Am I way off base?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxA Case For Subtitles/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/05/22/fghfhgf.aspx2016-05-22T18:15:00Z2016-05-22T18:15:00Z
On April 5, 2016 I was unabashedly excited for the launch of Quantum Break. After all, Remedy Entertainment developed one of my all-time favorite games from the Xbox 360's generation, Alan Wake. However, Quantum Break released with bugs including a bug and game development decision that resulted in a game that's unplayable for me. The subtitles were broken both unintentionally and intentionally. As a deaf player, subtitles are one of my most important features in a video game.

I absolutely couldn't wait to for launch day.

Quantum Break combines a third person shooter with episodes of a live action television show. Players' in-game decisions impact the television show and the actors are both the in-game models as well as the live actors within the television show.

For me, upon reaching the first television episode the subtitles didn't appear. In a video game in which the story is paramount, missing subtitles for a deaf player is game breaking. Prior to reaching the television show, I realized that the game's side content and ambient dialogue weren't subtitled such as audio character diaries and an in-game television promotion for "Alan Wake's Return." I turned Quantum Break off.

Initially, the subtitles were quite nice due to being readable, including the name of the speaker, and even a notation that the speaker was doing a voice over.

On April 18, 2016 Remedy Entertainment posted a "State of Game" blog in response to a myriad of bugs that Quantum Break launched with. Included in the patch notes was:

"Ambient Subtitles

While atmosphere is an important part of Quantum Break, we decided to not include subtitles for ambient sound (e.g. - in-game radio broadcasts) to ensure those subtitles did not conflict or overlap with the subtitles for actual character dialogue."

An early disappointment was that this in-game television promotion for Alan Wake Returns wasn't subtitled.

After the update went live, I booted the game up again and episode one's subtitles briefly appeared but then disappeared again. Without subtitles, I can't understand what's said much less continue to play a story focused game. Additionally, the decision to forgo ambient subtitles hurt. Such subtitles were done so incredibly well in Alan Wake that I realized that not only are ambient subtitles possible in video games but the subtitles introduce me to new aspect of gaming that I haven't often had access to.

And so, I tweeted Remedy Entertainment and I e-mailed the firstname.lastname@example.com account which is the go to hub for disability accessibility for Xbox products. I wrote the e-mail below:

"My apologies to only write-in when something goes wrong. The Xbox platform has certainly done a lot regarding video game accessibility for players with disabilities.

Thus, the lack of subtitles whatsoever in the latest Xbox One exclusive, QuantumBreak, in the highly advertised television episodes interspersed throughout the game and are based on player choice is not only surprising but heartbreaking.

I understand the details. Remedy is its own, mid-size, video game development studio and the Xbox exclusivity is the game's platform, not its creators.

At the same time, Remedy's Quantum Break and its integration of television episodes into the game is well associated with the Xbox One. I excitedly pre-ordered Quantum Break based on a series of previous experiences that were at first borne out. Quantum Break allowed me access to the options before gameplay began. I enabled the subtitles and as the game began the subtitles were fantastic. The subtitles were larger than typical as well as included the name of the speaker and even more information about the speaker when applicable such as that the speech was occurring as voice-over from an interview previously shown.

Shortly into the game, I discovered that side content such as character diaries and a television short played on an in-game television wasn't subtitled. Such is typical and even expected within video games for me as a deaf player.

Upon reaching the first television episode, the realization that the television content wasn't subtitled whatsoever was a punch in the gut.

Remedy's Alan Wake, its previous Xbox exclusive, was a rare horror game that was playable for me as a deaf gamer. The horror was visual rather than audible, including an in-game television show that was subtitled, and I absolutely loved the game. I appreciate the creation of Ease of Access features on my Xbox One including that with the closed captions enabled that the recent Xbox One update video was closed captioned.

I am proud to play games. I am an employed adult who does my best to make time to play in my busy household. Last fall I purchased multiple games that in one way or another were not accessible to me as a deaf gamer. Fallout 4's opening and ending videos weren't subtitled, the audio collectibles in Halo 5: Guardians weren't subtitled, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's zombie mode has no in-game subtitles purposefully so as "...to avoid the subtitles becoming a distraction during gameplay" as stated on Activision's support website. Such is the norm for a deaf player and I play as best I can.

And so, I was ever more grateful for the superb subtitles and Xbox's support of Crystal Dynamics' Rise of the Tomb Raider. Or that Halo 5: Guardians' gameplay has given me a player versus player multiplayer opportunity that's second to only my all-time favorite of Titanfall.

With all of the above in mind, I was confident that Quantum Break wouldn't eschew subtitles altogether in the main game. The missing subtitles were a confidence breaker in a platform that I trusted more than any others."

I've watched the early minutes of the first live action television show over and over hoping for working subtitles.

Unfortunately, I didn't receive any responses. The disappointment about Quantum Break runs deep for me. And so the game is slated for a trade-in in order to make room for a title that's accessible to me.

I recognize that for the hearing that sound is a reliable source of communication and that my struggle with communicating by sound is a minority perspective. Simply that the closed caption device skipping lines at the movie theater, missing what the bus driver/cashier/waiter, etc... is asking, as well as smiling and nodding through almost any conversation is my personal experience. In a hearing world, I come across inaccessibility in nearly every facet of life and I do my best to adapt.

A fun Easter egg is a classroom chalkboard with storyboard notes for Alan Wake.

Certainly, there's other games to play. Games that I'm eager to play. I was excited to play Quantum Break given Remedy Entertainment's history in game design. Having a gaming choice involuntarily removed from my options is an obstacle that all players with disabilities face. There's no pre-release review of video games' accessibility features. No game reviews at a major outlet that provides feedback about accessibility features.

Therefore, as I play all I can do is keep writing.

Have you ever noticed a game's subtitles?

Or have you noticed a game's accessibility features before?

What is one of your gaming disappointments?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxStill Gaming/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/05/15/fghfjhgjg.aspx2016-05-15T18:15:00Z2016-05-15T18:15:00Z
There's a high number of draft blogs on my desktop. Question, if a (unfinished) blog is not read by others then does it exist? Clearly my attempts at posting regularly have failed. There's only one solution. Post something. And so I'll return to the oldest gaming topic (again) which is to write about what games I'm playing.

I try not to play too late because I need to get up in the morning but time disappears while gaming.

Time absolutely flies. Somehow in May with June and the Electronic Entertainment Expo (i.e. E3) nearly here, I am still struggling with playing the releases from last fall. Of course, I've added new games in the interim. The hype has been real and in the past few months I've gotten Tom Clancy's The Division, Quantum Break, as well as Dark Souls 3. I'm doing my absolute best to forgo new games until Deus Ex: Mankind Divided releases on August 23. Until then my own game collection is more than enough to keep me busy.

Throwing flaming hammers are a dream come true. Now I know how Thor feels.

Destiny

Destiny's April 2016 update got me. After The Taken King's, an expansion, release last September, I played Destiny heavily until I encountered a familiar obstacle and I easily shelved the game given the depth of my options. Basically, I am a single player. Other than the story quests, activities that don't include matchmaking I don't play. And so I make sure to level up beyond the level recommended for story missions. With each update, I encounter a story mission that I just can't complete on my own and levelling up eventually becomes a tedious slog. Thus I tend to stop playing entirely in frustration.

The April update has made Destiny friendlier than ever for single players based on leveling and quest changes. In the past month I gained 20 light levels, finally completed the epically long quest to unlock Crucible bounties, and using Three Of Coins in Crucible matches has netted me more exotics than ever. In short, I feel rewarded for playing rather than grinding for meager rewards. Destiny at launch versus Destiny now is entirely different game that lets players participate more so on their own terms rather than requiring sinking hours in a single play session with a dedicated Fireteam.

Come home Dogmeat! I've no idea where you went!

Fallout 4

When I look dismayed at my backlog and wonder what games I played last fall after buying so many I remember that I played Fallout 4 nearly exclusively. And still I seem to have hardly played the game.

Fallout 4 is such a big and dense game that despite tens of hours playing, I've a lot of game left and not a ton of time for gaming. I've found a balance between intricate exploring and using a guide when stuck. For example, when I fought my way along the Freedom Trail I carefully wrote the hard to see letters embedded in the sidewalk along the way. Upon arriving at the secret society's entrance I realized that I was missing a few letters in the password. Rather than tortuously backtrack, I turned to my guide for the password. This balance between a detailed playthrough and turning for help rather than sitting stuck for an hour has been crucial in making progress and in having fun.

What I enjoy most about Fallout 4 are the new companions. The Wasteland is much more inviting with a friend who can pitch in during the firefight and who has the occasional backstory to interject. Even if I've somehow misplaced Dogmeat, his dog house is ready and I've dog armor to give him whenever he decides to return home.

This dungeon is even more nightmarish the second time through, I'm never going to get out.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

I really want to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt but I absolutely, positively must finish The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The Witcher 2 is a fantastic game but the gameplay and UI are often cumbersome. For example, in multiple instances I've spent 20 minutes simply trying to find my intended location. The mini-map is all but useless.

Recently, I recommitted to the game but my desire to complete the side missions stymied my progress. A side mission required collapsing three passages in a mine with "beehive" bombs. I completed other quests in the mine but I couldn't find any "beehive" bombs for the original mission. My frustration led me to online help where I discovered that "beehive" was a wrong translation for "grapeshot." Grapeshot bombs are the game's most basic bomb and I've a ton in my inventory.

However, I've already left the winding and torturous mine that includes incredibly annoying and respawning Rotfiend enemies. Now I must return to the horrific mines with bombs that I already had in my inventory. Of course, I don't have too but I really want to complete the quest and see the game's story to its end. Only then will I finally be able to play that game that everyone is talking about...Gwent.

Max is excused from rooting through everyone's things because she is nosy.

Life Is Strange

Life Is Strange's narrative thus far is easily the most memorable story that I've played recently. The premise is the "cute" concept that Max, a student at an elite high school, can rewind time and thus change her answers when called upon in class or help a classmate avoid getting hit in the head with a ball. Ultimately, the story is definitely not "cute."

I'm now in the final chapters and I truly have no idea what the ending will be. At the same time, I haven't finished the chapter because I'm almost scared to see this story to its end. In the game, I am headed to confront another character and I am not so sure that I want to know the outcome of the confrontation.

While the game is set in high school, the narrative includes many mature themes and emotionally fraught situations. The game unabashedly explores narratives that shock me, make me think, and leave me hesitant to push forward because I am worried about what I will encounter.

The game is beautifully detailed, the time travel puzzles are clever, and the story both mesmerizes and paralyzes me. Now it's time to see this journey through.

Writing this overview showed me that due to my many gaming options so much about the games that I choose to play is about why I put another game down. Having a substantial number of games hasn't made me play more games through but instead encourages me to switch games upon encountering difficulties. Any hesitation is easily solved by switching games.

At the same time, when I turn my Xbox One on I prioritize picking a game based on what seems most fun at that moment. I enjoy meeting my desire to play the game genre that I want at any given time. Yet, I find myself jumping from game to game and rationalizing my switching based on what I dislike about a game. Moving forward I want to remind myself why I like playing a particular game rather than why I stopped playing another.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!

What game(s) are you playing?

What causes you to switch games?

Do you play one game at a time or multiple games simultaneously?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxJumping In On Day One/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/03/28/jumping-in-on-day-one.aspx2016-03-28T19:31:00Z2016-03-28T19:31:00Z
The REQ pack system in Halo 5: Guardians is genius.

No one can take down the original Spartan, Master Chief.

Halo 5: Guardians receives monthly new content for free such as the well-known Forge, a map-making tool, and the recently announced Firefight, an oft-requested player versus environment multiplayer mode. The trade-off for monthly free updates is micro-transactions, REQ packs that can also be earned with in-game currency. The genius is that the progression system in Halo 5: Guardians is nearly nonexistent. Thus the REQ packs are a fun assortment of cosmetic swag, multiplayer match earned points boosts as well as weapons and gear for the chaos of Warzone.

I am not nostalgic about the Halo franchise. Bungie's Halo didn't subtitle the in-game dialogue and so I didn't play. After 343 Industries brought subtitles to in-game Halo dialogue, I played Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 4. Ultimately I didn't buy Halo: The Master Chief Collection due to its technical problems. I pre-ordered Halo 5: Guardians because of the announcement that the monthly updates which included new content was free. With no season pass to even consider purchasing, buying the game on day one was an easy decision for me.

Before Halo 5: Guardians, what I didn't understand about Halo multiplayer is that there are no load outs. Instead, players spawn in with the same weapons while other weapons and armor add-ons are strewn on the map for pick-up. In Halo 5: Guardians, in ranked player versus player matches the spawn-in weapons are an auto rifle and a pistol. The fun in social playlists is the changed spawn-in weapons such as rocket launchers with unlimited ammunition in Rocket Party or the overpowered Gravity Sword and Energy Hammer for each player in Grifball.

REQ packs are earned in-game a number of ways as well as can be purchased with real world money.

The end result is that unlocks for weapons or gear for customized load outs is non-existent. In fact, in team based PvP matches the only customization is for the player's armor type and weapon skins which are entirely cosmetic. Instead, players earn REQ packs.

The REQ packs are an ingenious business model because levelling up isn't paramount. The top goal is either winning matches, in part by knowing the spawn locations for weapons, or having silly fun with over powered weapons. In between those two multiplayer game types enters the new mode Warzone. Warzone is the sandbox of Halo 5: Guardians as an even bigger Big Team Battle of 24 players facing off in two teams of 12. The chaos includes power weapons, armor abilities, and vehicles. Luck can be as powerful as skill such as when I used a random weapon card that resulted in me spawning in front of a Wraith with a Spartan Laser, i.e. a Wraith killer. Or for that pivotal moment of which team lands the final shot on an AI boss for a precious 100 points out of the required 1,000 points to win. In Warzone, players can activate weapons and gear earned via REQ packs. Of course, a player can just pick up weapons dropped by fallen players.

REQ packs include permanent unlocks such as a stance or armor as well as one time use cards for the Warzone.

REQ packs contain a random assortment of game boosts for additional experience and REQ points in multiplayer matches; cosmetic options such as armor, weapon skins, stances, and assassinations; as well as gear and weapons for the Warzone. Levelling up is only for bragging rights and for a new REQ pack with each level gained. Additionally, REQ packs come with commendations such as a number of kills with a specific weapon, from REQ points gained in multiplayer matches, and once a day after winning a multiplayer match.

Of course, real world money will also buy REQ packs with random cosmetic unlocks, match boosts, as well as gear and weapons for the Warzone.

What we've received and what's still to come.

Meanwhile, new modes are added to the playlists and new maps are added to the modes. The free new content means that the player base doesn't splinter between those who paid for more than the base game. Players cheered together that the Torque, a multiplayer map, brought back the Gravity Hammer and complained as a group that Overgrowth, a multiplayer map, was a confusing morass of caves.

Halo 5: Guardians isn't perfect. For the single player fans the campaign is short if only because a handful of missions are no more than a series of conversations. For PVP modes, ranked multiplayer has more options than the social playlist because 343 Industries clearly envisioned the Warzone as the new social go-to.

However, there is another perspective to the business model. Arguably, beloved and expected modes such as Forge and Grifball aren't new but are rather delayed content. In fact, Halo 5: Guardians' pre-release advertisement announced Forge as "coming soon." Certainly, there's a contention that Halo 5: Guardians shipped with less than expected content and used the business model of free new content as a cover. Personally, that wasn't my experience.

Gaming communities are truly there for each other. 343 Industries created the emblem and the constellation is included in Torque's, a multiplayer map, sky to honor a player whose children passed in an accident.

Without paid DLC, the day one players paid a premium price for a game that now has more content and now costs as low as $36. Buying a game on day one means a premium price to play a game now that will receive updates and price drops over the next few months. Still, when I have the money, I am more than happy to jump into that first day of shared experiences. There is a reality that first day prices are a premium for the buggiest version of the game, the allure is in playing that buggy game together. Let's agree that unplayable upon release is different than the amount of content on day one. In using my dollars to speak, I've abstained from Halo: The Master Chief Collection due to the unplayable state in which it launched.

Last fall I bought an unprecedented amount of day one games and I even won yet another. I've so many games (and so little time to play) that I've created a backlog of recent AAA titles made worse by buying Tom Clancy's The Division and pre-ordering next week's Quantum Break. Catching up is even harder nowadays not only due to the start of 2016's new games but last fall's games are now releasing new features and expansions.

Still, I haven't stopped playing Halo 5: Guardians. Some days sweaty Arena PvP matches scratches my competitive multiplayer itch and other days I laugh while unleashing Hydra rockets on my Warzone opponents. Either way, I log in with the entire game is available to me and I haven't paid a penny more than buying the game. This summer, I'll be playing Firefight.

By the way, 343 Industries please subtitle the collectible audio logs in the campaign and the in-game multiplayer dialogue. Please.

Thank you for reading!

Are you a Halo fan? What's your favorite Halo game?

What is your multiplayer go to game?

In multiplayer, do you prefer PvP or PvE?

Keep on playing!

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxA Deaf Gamer In The Division/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2016/03/07/a-deaf-gamer-in-the-division.aspx2016-03-07T18:39:00Z2016-03-07T18:39:00Z
Tom Clancy's The Division comes out tomorrow and this is one story about how a beta turned a single player into the game. Leading up to the game's release, I was fortunate to participate in the beta. Hands-on play time with a game before it releases is an invaluable opportunity to experience whether the game's accessibility features and general gameplay are suitable for me both as a deaf person and as a gamer.

Manhattan is a dangerous place in The Division but luckily we have backpacks.

With excitement and trepidation, I logged into The Division's beta with the simple goal of having fun. The log-in screen immediately gave me access to the subtitle settings which ensured that I wouldn't miss early game dialogue. I smiled. The game then launched into a tutorial. Not only was the tutorial subtitled but the subtitles were letterboxed (i.e. the grey background behind the white letters) and included the name of the speaker. Oftentimes, finding the source of a disembodied voice is as hard as understanding the speech. I broke out into a huge grin. For the past 6 months, I've struggled more than usual with my deafness due to using an old pair of hearing aids. My hearing aid frustrations bleed into my gaming with cheap deaths due to missed sound cues, hard to read subtitles and sometimes even no subtitles. Informative and readable subtitles available from the get-go allowed me to participate in the game from the very beginning.

Clear grenade impact zones make the combat visually focused.

Early in The Division's beta the player chooses one of three abilities. I naturally gravitated towards Pulse which highlights nearby enemies. Immediately, the gameplay made sense to me. The Division is a third person, cover based shooter. And so the gameplay is based on managing cover while firing off shots and the time to kill is longer than a twitch based shooter. Pulse instantly tagged enemies which allowed me to focus on strategy rather than the guesswork of enemies' location based on chatter and gunshots. Grenades, both thrown by me and thrown at me by enemies, included a clearly defined circle on the ground that defined the explosions' impact. Additionally, dropped loot is highlighted with a beacon to the sky. I finally relaxed and settled in to play the game rather than to fight against what I can't hear.

Overall The Division felt reminiscent of multiple games but showcased a new type of game. The Division's Manhattan is decimated by chemical warfare that hit on Black Friday. The winter holiday decorations reminded me of the Halloween decor strewn about in Fallout 4 due to the nuclear bombs falling shortly before Halloween. The Division's neon lines and constant information popping up in the player's HUD is eerily similar to Watch Dogs' minus the bizarrely personal factoids about the NPCs. Color coded loot that drops from fallen enemies and provides a reason to continue fighting a seemingly never-ending war quickly reminded me of Destiny.

Pulse shows how many enemies are nearby and their profile.

However, The Division's buzz is at least in part due to the Dark Zone, a mode that combines Players versus Environment and Players versus Players mode. There's no Team Deathmatch or Hardpoint game types. In the Dark Zone, players coexist in a map with hidden loot. Nabbing loot requires taking down enemy AI characters (i.e. PvE) or from going rogue by attacking other players (PvP). My lower level Dark Zone experience was largely positive. The extraction zones, where players are sitting ducks for rogues while waiting for a helicopter in order to "extract" hard won loot, were tense standoffs. Overall, players were more concerned about extracting their loot than attacking other players. Or in the Dark Zone's PvE fights players organically banded together, healed fallen teammates, and worked as a team to take down the enemies.

The subtitles are SO readable! What a relief.

In fact, my first rogue status was entirely accidental. An assortment of Dark Zone players engaged in a PvE battle together. Loot dropped by AI enemies is individual to each player's kills so there is no rush amongst players. In a PvE fight, the player has a chance at a loot drop if the player damages the enemy regardless of who lands the killing shot. In this particular fight, my shots were going wild and in desperation I lobbed a grenade. Just as the grenade left my hands, my allies took down the enemy, rushed the body for their loot, and then my grenade exploded. Immediately I was branded rogue amidst multiple other players and I was instantly killed. Still, I chuckled while I waited out the 30 second timer for my respawn.

The Division's beta solidly showcases a loot drop gameplay loop whereas story and side missions are grinded to level up the player and the player's base. Its RPG gameplay keeps players in the menus swapping weapons and gear while also deciding between cosmetic outfits. The Dark Zone adds PvP tension that's an exhilarating rush when multiple players converge together.

A beta is by definition a limited slice of a game and changes are possible up until release. For players with vision and fine motor disabilities the gameplay is often inaccessible. Weapons, gear, and map icons are color coded with no colorblind options in the settings. As an RPG first, The Division has pages of menus and data crammed onto the HUD in order to compare gear and weapon statistics against enemy health and weaknesses. While the subtitles are letterboxed which provides easy readability. The HUD's white text and small icons aren't which results in difficult to read text. For players with fine motor disabilities, the third person shooter mechanics require a complex use of nearly every button on the controller. Shooting and aiming, shooting blindly, switching guns, throwing grenades, rolling away from thrown grenades, taking cover, using abilities, using consumables, and more all happen at once in combat.

Every video game needs NPCs offering tuna sandwiches.

While The Division's beta wasn't perfect for deaf and hard of hearing players. For example, a needed change is subtitling enemies' chatter in order to be aware that enemies are nearby. Still, The Division's beta showed that well done video game accessibility features combined with a gameplay option that compliments the disability related symptoms is not only accessible but fun gaming. Here quality subtitles and a gameplay option that focuses on visuals results in playing a video game, not fighting it.

Many thanks for coming on by and reading my video game thoughts. Here's to The Division's release tomorrow and to all of the 2016 games to come.

Are you excited for The Division's release tomorrow?

Do you think the Dark Zone will be a viable multiplayer mode or a grief-fest?

What 2016 games are you excited for?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxThe DLC Game/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/12/30/the-dlc-game.aspx2015-12-30T13:25:00Z2015-12-30T13:25:00Z
The fall 2015 games are released, The Game Awards are dispersed, gaming sales continue at blow-out prices and I am ending 2015 with a gaming library bulging with new games. However, 2016 presents me with a new gaming dilemma, DLC.

The original, classic, and literally named DLC, "Horse Armor." You remember the outrage?

While I am eagerly awaiting 2016 releases particularly Quantum Break, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dishonored 2 as well as any Mass Effect news. DLC for my newly purchased games has risen in consideration for my gaming funds. In fact, when choosing my pre-orders this past fall the number one thought in my mind was, "How much will I need to later pay in DLC?"

In 2014 this Season Pass was pulled off the market, the Dead Kings DLC was made free, and those who pre-ordered the Season Pass were gifted an entirely new game.

DLC is the bizarre occurrence of more content after a game ships. Whether expansions or side quests, free or paid, maps or gear, pre-orders or a later buy, standalone or requires the base game to play, DLC gives us more of our frequently played games. While DLC has the power to maintain a game's longevity, it's also capable of undercutting a developer's commitment to the original product. I am not against DLC. In fact, after the debacle with Assassin's Creed: Unity's Season Pass in 2014, we've seen developers take new approaches to DLC in 2015.

Making DLC even more complicated is the fact that there is no one answer. In my own DLC history, many games that I greatly enjoyed at launch I had moved on by the time that the DLC released which includes Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. While I plan to return to the DLC of each of those titles, I haven't yet.

Other DLC offerings provided more of the same game but, for me, the base game was enough such as Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, all Assassin Creed titles' DLC and Sunset Overdrive's Season Pass.

DLC is changing and with it my video game buying habits. The change began slowly.

More and more DLC is a vague and indefinite term defined individually by each video game developer. The $60 base game is now simply the beginning of spending money on a favorite game. Understanding what the DLC provides for each individual game requires research and informed purchases.

Real cash buys the digital coins pictured above and the fake money buys in-game goodies.

Throughout 2015, I ascribed to the DLC argument that if I didn't want the content then I didn't buy it. This logic weathered me through the uproar over Destiny's The Taken King. The $40 expansion brought the PC's MMO business model onto consoles in which Destiny's original September 2014 release was largely rendered worthless without the expansion. Shortly after The Taken King's launch, Bungie introduced micro-transactions for cosmetic emotes. I bought The Taken King but ignored silver, the in-game currency bought with actual money. At the same time, Bungie suggested that Destiny's year 2 business model would focus more on players choosing whether to spend small amounts of money for cosmetic knick-knacks that would support smaller and more frequent events rather than costly and all-but-required expansions every 3-4 months.

REQ packs are the only DLC currently offered by Halo 5: Guardians.

Meanwhile, I praised CD Projekt Red for following The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's release with free bite-sized DLC and larger expansions available at additional costs for players who wanted more. I bought the game. I celebrated Halo 5: Guardians' making new maps free to all with a pre-order. While Halo 5: Guardians introduced micro-transactions for random loot drops that are easily earned in-game, the title doesn't even have a Season Pass. Additionally, I respected Respawn for making Titanfall's preciously purchased separately map packs free to all so as to unify the player base.

Sadly, I left behind Evolve despite its accessibility for gamers with disabilities. The enormous amount of DLC available at launch left me unsure what exactly was included in the base game and how much additional money I'd need to spend on DLC to stay competitive, even with free maps. Similarly, the recent sales on Star Wars Battlefront have failed to convince me to part with my money knowing that the $50 Season Pass includes not only maps, heroes and gear but new game modes too.

This immediate collectible unlock is a third of the game's base price at launch.

Yet, increasingly so a single game's DLC practices are more confusing than ever. DLC for arcade fighters is well known to be more fighters. Mortal Kombat X's $30 Kombat Pass features Jason Voorhees, Tanya, Predator, and Tremor plus skins. Even with more characters recently announced for 2016, Mortal Kombat X is all but certain to eventually release a "Komplete" edition that packages all of the DLC with the base game.

While I don't play arcade fighters with enough regularity to warrant additional characters. I greatly appreciated that as each Kombat Pack character was released, NetherRealm made the fighter playable to all for a limited time in a Living Tower with 6 fights, 2 for each fighting style. The free DLC preview was a rare opportunity that allowed me to feel comfortable choosing not to buy the additional fighters.

Still, Mortal Kombat X nickel and dimed players for alternate fighter skins as well as controversially allowed all Krypt items to be unlocked for an additional $20 and provided micro-transactions for Easy Fatalities. Yet, the overall transparency of Mortal Kombat X's business model as well as the fact that the Krypt items and Easy Fatalities can be earned in-game quieted the brewing storm.

More and more there is an onus on gamers now to know as much as possible about the game's business model before buying but at times keeping up with the information feels overwhelming.

For example, I jumped back into Destiny to try out the Sparrow Racing League before the end of the limited time event. The event's description of "free" felt like a misnomer with the thin offerings of 2 race tracks, daily bounties, and a quest-line that entailed completing different tasks while endlessly racing the same 2 tracks. On top of the anticipated exclusive gear set behind a paywall so too was the ability to track personal achievements during the event.

I get it. I'm just uncertain. But do I save money if I never play the content?

Or Dying Light. The game was at the top of my list of games to snag in a sale this fall and I did. Only to realize that the upcoming DLC is now branded an expansion that resulted in a price increase for the Season Pass from $20 to $30. Plus, an Enhanced Edition of the game will be released on the same day as The Following, the new DLC, on February 9, 2015. While I respect Techland for avoiding a repeat of releasing Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide as standalone games. I am caught in a decision whether to nab one of the few remaining $20 Season Passes before I've had a chance to play the base game at all or if it's best to hold onto my money until feedback after release. Is my $20 now or $30 later best spent on a different game? After all, I only have so much money.

With 2016 nearly here upcoming DLC is on my radar nearly as much as new game releases. Will the Rise of The Tomb Raider Baba Yaga DLC be better as a standalone purchase rather than paying more for a Season Pass that includes a survival mode and a horde mode? Will the Fallout 4 DLC drop me off in new zones but stripped of my hard earned gear? Is my fun with Call of Duty: Black Ops III worth another $50 for the Season Pass? Will Halo 5: Guardians maintain the free DLC that so far has included Forge mode, new gear and other in-game swag as well as a new ranked play mode? My gaming options are only increasing but my gaming monies remain limited. What games will I spend money on in 2016?

All that I know is that with the New Year comes a renewed resolution to write about games again. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful 2016!

Do you buy DLC or wait for it to be bundled with a re-release of the game?

What DLC did you buy in 2015?

Is there any DLC that you are looking forward to in 2016?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxTimes Passes By But I Game On/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/05/11/times-passes-by-but-i-game-on.aspx2015-05-11T21:48:00Z2015-05-11T21:48:00Z
Wow, time passes by so fast in my old age (I turn 30 in August). Life continues with a schedule that's hard to keep up with. I absolutely continue playing video games but writing about said games has been stop and start. A folder is filled with half-finished blogs and even my most dedicated attempts to write are derailed by me simply falling asleep at my laptop while writing.

EVERYBODY plays as Scorpion. I understand why - he has a teleport, a takedown, a flaming overhead punch, flaming punches in general, and that trademark "spear on a chain" that can now be doubled.

In order to write once more, let me return (again) to the easiest of video game topics - What am I playing now? That answer is easy. MORTAL KOMBAT X.

Isn't this what we all day dream about when we think about video games?

My careful playthrough of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in time for the upcoming The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came to a grinding halt in the wake of Mortal Kombat X. I am no good at arcade fighters but NeatherRealm Studio's 2011's Mortal Kombat 9 and 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us were just plain fun. Mortal Kombat 9 is well-regarded as a franchise reboot with familiar characters punishing with gruesome fatalities. We all saw the video of Aquaman's Super Move where he stabs his opponent with his trident then feeds the enemy to a shark. This is the stuff that video game dreams are made of.

Plus, I support NeatherRealm Studios. Arcade fighters as a genre are more accessible to players who are blind or who have visual disabilities. While not fully accessible, over time NeatherRealm Studios added accessibility features such as sound cues when players are near stage interactions. In life, disability accessibility is difficult overall. For example, this past month Netflix's acclaimed Daredevil television series launched on a platform that has not provided Descriptive Video despite a protracted social media campaign for the feature. Descriptive Video is a voice narration that describes what's occurring onscreen. For the blind and those with visual disabilities who require the feature, its availability is required in order to engage in television shows and movies.

An original series based on the superhero who is blind without Descriptive Audio was mean spirited even if the oversight was in ignorance. Two weeks ago Netflix issued an announcement that Daredevil now has Descriptive Video along with a handful of other videos. This long anticipated victory is not "more" but is the "same as" opportunity to use Netflix.

Sony really brought previously unavailable accessibility features to the entire Playstation 4. Bravo! Games for all!

On the subject of video game accessibility, I may own an Xbox One but I must shout out to Sony for the recent variety of accessibility features added in the latest update. Two notable additions were controller remapping and, a limited, Text to Speech option which alone in the list of features are cutting edge options available system wide on the Playstation 4. Controller remapping applies to both the console's User Interface and its games but in-game prompts and menus display the game's control scheme. The feature may require keeping written notes about your chosen button layout but it has been a long time needed particularly for players with fine motor disabilities. Text to Speech, text is read aloud as it's scrolled over, availability is limited but the option to communicate directly with Message and Party is a game-changer for players with visual disabilities to communicate directly with friends without relying on sighted assistance.

Simply stated, players with disabilities choose gaming and every added accessibility feature is meaningful. In fact, no matter who we are as gamers, we all choose gaming amidst all of the entertainment choices available and we want to immerse ourselves in a world that includes us.

Kenshi (balanced) and I have spent a lot of time together, he's taught me that one is indeed much cooler with a sword.

Back to Mortal Kombat X. Naturally, my main is Kenshi, the fighter who is blind. Again, very few video games purposefully include disability accessibility features for the gameplay or even in-game characters with disabilities. Mortal Kombat X has both. I had to buy the game and I am having a blast, even when I lose to the umpteenth Scorpion.

Still, I am a player with such limited gaming time that choosing an arcade fighter and planning on folding in a 100 hour RPG with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is senseless. I recognize that. And so my only solution is to sleep even less.

In team based online multiplayer games, during a bad gaming session I can hide in the group as I work to build up my momentum. Tired? Yawning? Fingers slipping on the buttons? Forgetting combinations? The arcade fighter is merciless. The other player attacks my weaknesses before I finish yawning if I am not paying explicit attention as the word "FIGHT" disappears from the screen.

Much in the same way that players trumpet their Bloodbourne achievements due to the game's brutal reputation, each one of my successes in Mortal Kombat X is celebration worthy. In fact, recently I fist pumped for my first Brutality in an online match. The Brutality was against a Goro and then I lost horribly to a fast moving Scorpion in my post celebratory euphoria.

Why are there piles of poop emojis? Why have I nearly unlocked all of the poop emojis?

But what makes games most fun is sharing these moments with others. The arcade fighter and more specifically the Mortal Kombat X community is vibrant. From Twitch streams (my favorite is Tru3Ta1ent) to helpful YouTube videos to online competition other players are sharing and playing the game together. Even in matches is a ton of non-verbal behavior between competitors. A sign of respect is only to use the X-Ray to end a round, rematching players you respect, and using emojis that are available in King Of The Hill where we watch a fight while waiting our turn to fight the winner. Somehow the only emojis that I am unlocking are variations of piles of poop. Apparently, the game itself has an opinion about my gameplay.

Of course, after my fourth loss in a row to a friend who was on the world leaderboards back in the day for Tekken but I kept losing because I couldn't adapt to his "expert" strategy of jumping around the screen. I needed a game change. Sometimes that frustration from repeated online losses requires a return to a solitary story where a loss isn't so embarrassing.

My Geralt definitely doesn't have this haircut. We sport a much more fearsome ponytail.

I returned to Geralt of Rivia in Temeria just in time to listen in on CD Projekt RED's in-game Lord of the Rings jokes about lembas bread and walking barefoot on a volcano in order to throw in a powerful ring. The friendly banter reminded me how much I respect CD Projekt RED. A gaming company known for putting gamers first with no DRM, free DLC, and paid expansions is a developer that I want to support with my wallet.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings isn't perfect. The inventory User Interface is illogical, hit detection in combat is problematic, and not much is explained in-game, including the dense story. But that moment when the game comes together opens up an intriguing RPG that forces the player into difficult situations with no clear answer and long running consequences. Plus, there's that one time I followed along a friendly conversation that led to in-game drunken rivalry. Geralt awoke on the beach with an embarrassing tattoo on his neck that is still on his character model in my playthrough in remembrance of the game's sense of humor and unintended consequences.

I may have more than enough games to play but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt seemingly has the potential to be "that" game. The sequel that turns a well-regarded but flawed series into a console defining franchise. I'll be there.

Video game t-shirt day! There's no such thing as too many t-shirts.

Also, I bought a Fallout 3 t-shirt today with the "thumbs-up" Vault Boy logo because I am convinced that at this year's E3 Bethesda is bringing us Fallout 4. I just know it.

Time is always so very short. Thank you very much for stopping by here for a read. Fingers crossed for more consistent writing as I continue with the eternal struggle of establishing a work/life balance. I am glad to see both old and new video game bloggers here and I am thankful for every post that I get to read. Keep it up folks, keep on gaming and writing.

What are you playing lately?

What's your most anticipated title coming out next (I am excited for Destiny's second expansion but I haven't played in awhile. While I enjoy Batman, I am not a Batman: Arkham Knight day one fan)?

How much gaming are you able to squeeze into a day (I average about 60/90 minutes which is nothing in video game time)?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxMy 2015 Games So Far/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/03/08/my-2015-games-so-far.aspx2015-03-08T20:15:00Z2015-03-08T20:15:00Z
Anyone miss me? Or remember me? I've disappeared for a bit in a busy schedule of wedding planning and working but I haven't stopped gaming. I stay awake or wake up bleary eyed to run one more Strike in Destiny or to dig up treasure on one more Caribbean island in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.

Of course, a multitude of video game related thoughts are bouncing around in my brain (ie Why doesn't Destiny have a text chat option?, Should I preorder The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or The Elder Scrolls Online? Are the constant side quests in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag worth playing? Where did the puzzles go in Telltale Games?, etc...). For today, to take a break from the rigors of wedding deadlines and the unending To Do list of work projects, I will simply give an update on my gaming adventures.

As soon as I finish a game, there is always another game to play.

I've fallen hard into Destiny for the past month. Last fall, I sunk hour after hour into Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and now my first person shooter itch is scratched by Destiny's loot grind.

All of the cons about Destiny are true. The maps for all content are limited, the story is undecipherable, and the RNG (random number generator) loot system is maddening by definition, ie "random." But I can't stop playing. This weekend I devoted a number of hours that I won't disclose here to buy the Exotic (the highest tier) helmet, Helm of Saint-14 (I got it!). I am dedicated to leveling up my Titan's second sub-class (Defender - hence the grind for the helmet that blinds my enemies who enter my protective bubble) and I am itching to start a Warlock character.

I needed 2 more Strange Coins before 4:00 AM Sunday morning. I spent hours trusting that the RNG loot system wouldn't let me down.

Why do I play? Destiny is a continuous loot loop in either player versus environment or player versus player matches. Fighting AI hordes is a dramatically different experience than battling other players. The option to switch between the two modes keeps me engaged and the random(ish) loot drops keeps me salivating (metaphorically). Ultimately, the grind gives me a reason to hang out with other players.

Multiplayer games are difficult for me, I can't communicate by headset and so I must rely on nonverbal cues. Destiny isn't a perfect multiplayer experience, my biggest Destiny wish (isn't more Vault space) is for text chat. But it's the shared experiences with other players that turn the same old map into a victory worth celebrating.

Why is the Hunter in the middle of the Fireteam in all of the promotional materials?

For example, the same Strike (cooperative multiplayer) is a new experience when my Fireteam of three became two after one player dropped out. We were in a level 26 Strike, both of us were level 26, and the final boss was Omnigul (ie it was really, really hard). We dug in together and fought side by side firing shots, reviving each other, and more than a few "almost game overs" for over 20 minutes. At the end of the fight, cueing the Dancing emote together never felt so good.

The Telltale Games' treatment is well suited for the Game of Thrones franchise. The story's politicking became fast paced conversations as the timer ticks down while the player choose what to say. The season is centered on a little known House (ie a noble family) that is struggling to survive after a massive change in the local power dynamic. Plus, Telltale Games once again dares players not to have their heartstrings pulled by the plights of the young and it works.

Jon Snow made an appearance in Episode 2 and uttered ominous words something to the effect of "Winter is coming..." You don't say.

Personally, the most fun is the last screen that lists the "important" decisions I player made and the percentages players who did (and did not) agree with me. Most surprising in episode two was a nearly 80/20 split on whether or not to commit forgery as opposed to nearly unanimous decisions based on actions such as murder or thievery. For a single player game, the brief moment that brings a multiplayer aspect is the most engaging.

While I love the bite sized gaming chunks of episodic gaming. I abhor, not the wait itself, but the utter lack of a release date for the next episode. Episode three will come out...one day...maybe sooner...maybe later...but eventually.

Kudos that UFC includes numerous women fighters. Next we need an option to play as a woman in the story player mode.

UFC 184 was the big event last weekend in my household with Ronda Rousey squaring off against Cat Zingano. Women as top billing on the fight card in a UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) fight night was worth the Pay Per View cost. Back in high school, I got my black belt in Tang Soo Do in my lifelong dream to join the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The hype for this fight in the real world was at an all-time high. Cat was the foremost threat to the undefeated Ronda who won all of her fights by submission or knock out (ie made the other fighter tap out, mostly with arm bars). After staying awake until 11:00 PM, the fight was over in 14 seconds.

Naturally, I booted up the EA's UFC game to have Ronda and Cat fight digitally. UFC is a complicated game, it's most definitely not an arcade fighter. Both Ronda and Cat were able to knock out the other in a stand up slugfest. The controls for the ground game are so complicated that I spammed the "push down on the Left analog stick" for an automatic stand up. MMA fighting fans know that standing up while the other fighter dominates on the ground is nearly impossible, the button is akin to an automatic first down pass in Madden. Still, seeing Ronda take a knockout punch, even digitally, was a fun moment in an alternate universe.

Where is this moment?! Almost halfway through the story. Also, what good is a sword against a whale?

After Assassin's Creed III I took time off from the Assassin's Creed universe in order to absorb facts such as Paul Revere riding tandem to Connor in the famous midnight ride. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag does one thing really, really well. Being an assassin? Don't be silly. Being a pirate. Sailing the Jackdaw, looting the Caribbean islands for treasure, and general tomfoolery makes this fourth iteration the least serious of a somber yet.

What frustrates me about the Assassin's Creed series is that the narrative and ability unlocks take awhile to become engaging then abruptly ends. In Black Flag's promotional materials, there was an emphasis on hunting sea creatures and underwater exploration. I kept pushing the story to access to those water sports but I worried I would suddenly finish the game. An internet search showed that the features are nearly halfway through the story. I go to and from the game because I also have Assassin's Creed Unity and if I gorge on the Assassin's Creed universe I won't be able to return again for over a year.

No matter how much I am enjoying my current games, I can't help but look forward to the upcoming releases.

Last week, after a very long day, I went to GameStop for the serene atmosphere of staring at video game boxes but I in no way actually needed another video game. When I left the store, I carried a Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare t-shirt, Spiderman socks, and a preorder for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I succumbed to GameStop's latest decision to carry video game related swag, more t-shirts and posters please.

Looking forward my most immediate gaming goal is to be ready to play The Witcher 3:Wild Hunt on release day. Can I finish The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings before May 19, 2015? I am not sure. But challenge accepted!

What games are you playing nowadays?

What game are you waiting to play most whether it's to be released or in your backlog?

What is your go to multiplayer game?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxMy RPG Shame/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/02/01/my-rpg-shame.aspx2015-02-01T20:01:00Z2015-02-01T20:01:00Z
2015 is now well underway and I am eyeballing the upcoming game schedule trying to decide what game I am most excited for as I happily clutch a new GameStop gift card. How I keep lucking into new GameStop gift cards is a miracle that I dare not question. Upon review, I decided that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt looks spectacular but my excitement for the game ran up against an all too familiar problem, I haven't finished The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

I tried, I really did. But sleep won the first round.

I absolutely love RPGs. I swear. But you wouldn't know it from looking at my list of completed games.

I bought The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings with every intention of playing the game to completion. In fact, I played no other game and in-between gameplay sessions I looked up online walkthroughs in order to ensure that I didn't miss a single detail.

RPGs don't only have a lot of dialogue to follow but require a lot of brainpower to remember what all that dialogue is, y'know, talking about.

As I have often discussed, the majority of my game time is late at night or early in the morning. Unfortunately, really early and really late aren't conducive to RPG storytelling. While I was enjoying Geralt's search for his memories in the wake of the king's murder. Suddenly, I was fidgeting, yawning, and barely awake during a early morning game session. The lengthy conversations, critical for that all-important story in RPGs, were putting me to sleep in an instant. I switched to a more action oriented game and simply never returned to The Witcher 2, not wanting to yawn through my limited gaming time.

The weekend is when I can play during the daylight hours which is when I have full use of my mental capacity but that daytime gametime isn't guaranteed. So, I just never returned to The Witcher 2 and my last memories of the game was struggling to stay awake. However, I still have hope. The delay of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt into May 2015, rather than releasing in February 2015, gives me a realistic timeline to complete The Witcher 2 first.

Before I re-roll my The Witcher 2 playthrough I need to recognize my chronic problem. In the last console generation, I didn't complete any RPGs (unless the Mass Effect trilogy counts). I am contrite and committed to resolving my gaming shame.

Dragon Age: Origins

Epic game but I've spent a good deal of time staring at the loading screen after an untimely death.

I blew past my birthday (August) deadline (for a second year in a row) to beat Dragon Age: Origins before Dragon Age: Inquisition released. While I am at the very end of the game - on the second floor of my climb up the tower to meet the Archdemon - I just haven't been able to finish. My inability to master the combat led me to feeling that I am going through the motions without the pull of the gameplay to keep me engaged. My shame became complete after I switched the difficulty to Easy yet continued to reach the Game Over screen. As a result, the game feels endless with waves and waves of enemies in which I spam health potions and try not to die. The story keeps pulling me back to see how my choices will impact the game's final moments. But I groan with each new area that forces me back into the gameplay's combat.

Fallout 3

Nowhere else is like the Wasteland. Curses to the lack of subtitles that made me bitter about the title.

Actually, I completed the main storyline but I include this game because my gametime with the title feels incomplete. I finished the story with every intention to continue exploring the Wasteland and to play the remaining DLC. But the final cut scene wasn't subtitled. I was so angry that with a hundred hours logged in the game, I couldn't understand what happened in the game's final moments due to no subtitles in the pre-rendered cutscenes that I haven't returned to the Wasteland. This issue was addressed in Bethesda's next title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, because the cutscenes are not separate from the subtitled in-game animated sequences. Still, my frustrations that kept me from returning to the Wasteland have also prevented me from beginning Fallout: New Vegas.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

There's just so many fun things to do, including capturing fireflies.

I consciously decided to finish the main narrative then I ran across the Thieves Guild and started burgling all of Skyrim. My last memories of Skyrim involved some type of mission regarding sabotaging beehives.

Yes, Skyrim's NPCs are joyless, wooden puppets that the game explains away with the stress of eking out a living in frigid Skyrim. Yes, Fallout 3 has a more imaginative land with stories about ghoul discrimination, mutated trees running communities, and Nuka-Cola addicts. But there's an undeniable magic in Skyrim of inhabiting a land with humans, orcs, and elves. Exploration includes running across dangerous dragons, the beauty of the northern lights, and simply chasing butterflies. I do want to complete the main story, I am just worried of being drawn back into Skyrim itself before I remember why I booted the game back up.

Lost Odyssey

The hairstyles are the game's standout star.

Lost Odyssey is a fantastic game and a gem of an Xbox 360 exclusive. The modern day return to JRPG gameplay that adds-on an innovative animated text mechanic for telling stories is so much fun. Returning to classic JRPG conventions - wacky hairdos and outfits, an outlandish story, and silly dialogue - felt not only familiar but sheer fun.

Still, remember those other JRPG conventions? Random encounters and checkpoints. Random encounters I became used to again but JRPG checkpoints brutally restrict saving to the very beginning and end of levels as well as directly before and after boss battles. Limited gaming time isn't conducive to checkpoints spaced far apart. One morning I so very much wanted to know what happened next in the game that I popped in Lost Odyssey before work. Suddenly, my gaming hour was nearly over and I couldn't find a checkpoint after a series of grueling battles that were required to progress in a dungeon.

Currently, I am stuck on a puzzle-like level that eats up my gametime with random encounters before I can stumble upon the entry to the boss battle. Fear keeps me from the game, worried that yet again at the end of my gameplay session I will run back to the level's beginning for that all-important checkpoint.

My biggest gaming shame...I don't even own Red Dead Redemption.

I love RPGs so much that I kept buying more but refused to begin new games while my already started RPGs remained unfinished. I amassed a game collection of unstarted titles that requires hundreds of hours to play - Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning, Fallout: New Vegas, Nier, Dragon Age 2, and Final Fantasy XIII. Plus, don't tell anyone, but I never even bought Red Dead Redemption.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of those (as of yet) unplayed RPGs.

To the RPGs of the current generation, I won't leave you behind.

What unfinished RPG is your biggest regret?

What's your favorite RPG?

What was the most important RPG of the last console generation?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxWar Is Not Just For Soldiers/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/01/18/war-is-no-just-for-soldiers.aspx2015-01-18T20:25:00Z2015-01-18T20:25:00Z
The Monday I returned to work after the holiday season winter slammed my area with freezing cold, icy wind, and inches of snow. I stood at the bus stop that predawn Monday morning, ungloved my thumb to read the newspaper on my smartphone and I scrolled past the headline, "Iraqi Refugees Prepare For Winter." While my body froze over, I was grateful to realize that when I returned home getting warm didn't require crossing my fingers that my house hadn't been raided and deciding what precious resource to use for kindling (yes, I eventually had to burn the books).

I thought that I understood what this tagline meant but I didn't really until after I played the game.

In short, I spent my holiday break playing This War Of Mine.

What struck me so much about This War Of Mine and my Monday morning work commute was that This War Of Mine starts out with three refugees who are simply people stuck in a sudden warzone. Bruno was a chef, Pavle was a football player, and Katia a reporter who had once interviewed Pavle. Within 40 days of the outbreak of war, all three working professionals were dead.

Waiting for the bus, I wondered about the loss of infrastructure that I use every day and who I would be in not only the breakdown of society but amongst others as we scrabbled to stay alive.

Three people, not unlike myself, find themselves caught in a sudden war zone. How long could I make it?

Traditionally, in video games, I play good. I just can't be bad. Blow up Megaton? But people live there. Antagonize Wrex? But he's dealing with a lot. Leave the prisoner in a cage? Granted he murdered a family but he doesn't remember what happened and is now contrite. Steal the goods from the station wagon? But whoever it belongs too might be back soon. End the fight by ripping off his arm? But he will probably need that limb later. And so on. I just don't have fun making the "mean" decisions.

This War of Mine starts out with three survivors who sleep on the floor of a decrepit house, have food but no ability to cook the food, and who worry about the oncoming winter. Immediately, I had to decide whether or not to rob a friendly nearby survivor who had much needed supplies (I really needed that shovel). I didn't. I traded what I could afford to give up for a single tin of actual food (as opposed to the raw vegetables that my survivors were claiming wasn't filling). The sick survivor got the food tin and she complained about the taste. Yet, while we continued fixing up our damaged home (shelling will put holes in the walls) my survivors commented their pleasure that we hadn't stolen but instead traded nicely. I felt validated. We crafted a bed that day and let the sick survivor rest. But the other two were still sleeping poorly, hungry, and worried about the cold. Onto day three!

Within the next few days, I raided the house of an elderly couple and my actions doomed the elderly couple to their eventual death.

Where to go? Where is safe? Nowhere. Not even staying home means an uneventful night.

This War Of Mine is a video game. A point and click adventure that forces the player to remember the essentials of living. Want cooked food? Build a stove (and don't forget the kindling and water needed for cooking). Want to sleep? Build a bed. Worried about enemy survivors? Build a knife or even a gun (but know how many bullets you have). All of these tasks take time and are difficult to complete while bleeding from a wound, exhausted or starving but nevertheless time ticks on to the dreaded nighttime.

Initially, settled into the game comfortable in my gamer confidence that as just another video game I would soon master the nuances of This War Of Mine's gaming mechanics. Yet, despite my best efforts, hungry became a default state. The very hungry ate but food was so limited that first dibs went to the starving. Likewise, a survivor who was tired from scrounging for supplies the night before only slept if no one else was exhausted.

My default of playing "good" kept me from developing weapons early but we kept getting sick, wounded, or just plain hungry. Without an aggressive approach and dwindling supplies, my only options left were to pick at the leftovers in abandoned locations or to steal from the weak. After raiding the elderly couple, I stole from a friendly hospital.

Scavenging is scary and backpack space is limited (but how does one person carry a backpack filled with wood home?).

Without weapons, I existed in fear. Gingerly picking my way through a shelled store I encountered a man attacking a woman and had no weapons to fight with so I hid while he dragged her away. A few nights later another survivor at that location raged that no one stepped in against a single man. In contrition to my newfound realization that my personal survival now trumped "doing the right thing" I gave a rare food tin to another refugee begging for food.

My survivors - Bruno, Pavle, and Katia - struggled with what we had done. Some days an individual refused to even get up off the floor and precious time was required by another to sit and talk the inconsolable survivor into not giving up hope. Others fled from our doomed house. We persevered and limped to the door whenever anyone knocked because now and then a friendly neighbor offered free supplies.

Still, 40 days later the war raged on and despite our fight for survival every one of us was dead.

I had no idea what to do when my game ended, I really thought I could survive to the war's end.

I may not have started a second playthrough yet but I am still thinking about "playing that game."

What game has stuck in your head afterwards? Why?

What game has the best morality options in its gameplay?

Do you play "good" or "bad"?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxThe Modern Day Arcade: Bringing Couples Of All Kinds Together/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/01/04/the-modern-day-arcade-bringing-couples-of-all-kinds-together.aspx2015-01-04T17:00:00Z2015-01-04T17:00:00Z
When my girlfriend and I decided to stay home in Pittsburgh for ringing in the New Year, we knew immediately that we wanted to celebrate at Dave and Buster's. We arrived for an early dinner which let us watch a college football bowl game on the mega big screen and witness just how angry TCU is at the new college playoff rankings. From there we fought our way into the arcade ready to set more than one new high score.

I walked into the arcade, saw this machine, dumped the leftovers that we were carrying with my girlfriend, and ran into the cockpit..

Immediately, I had to play Mach Storm even though I am a failure at first person piloting games but the machine in front of me was unlike any arcade game I've seen. The enormous machine allowed one person entry into its cockpit via a small door. Sitting down the screen is so close to the player that it takes up the player's entire field of view. The resulting flight experience is dizzying. But the gameplay is what made me come out of the contraption smiling. Ever since I played my first piloting simulator (on a floppy disk) I've been terrible at the gameplay and I crash immediately.

In the Mach Storm gameplay, the player pilots the speed and direction while firing on enemy on combatants but the controls are generous and forgiving while making me feel like I am a fighter pilot. The flight control is half on and half off the rails. The player is dragged to the major gaming points and so is always behind the targeted enemy planes but the player must avoid the falling buildings and follow the enemy. The targeting requires that the player locks on but gives a few valuable seconds to fire. I even completed the initial level on one life. The experience of the up-close big screen was so new and dizzying that I didn't swipe my card for the next level but I definitely will return next time.

It was a must play and I really wanted the high score but I stopped after 4 tries.

Looking around the arcade floor I realized that in days gone by, video game consoles brought arcade games into players homes. Nowadays, the biggest reservoirs of game ideas for arcades are mobile titles and popular franchises. I looked up the list of new games before we left the house and I was on the lookout for Floppy Tickets (aka Flappy Bird).

Floppy Tickets didn't disappoint. The "Flappy Bird" style game is much more fun on the big screen. With one big button and a bird flying through Mario-style pipes, the pursuit of the high score was addicting. The overall high score was 179 and the daily high score was 66. After four tries, my high score was 38. I better keep practicing on my phone.

We looked around the packed arcade and noticed that the latest arcade gaming trend is couple games. We enjoyed the release of Deadstorm Pirates a few years ago (a couple must pilot the boat and shoot in tandem). We screamed aloud together in Dark Escape 4D (a horror game that requires players to shoot together but pits players against each other by measuring heartbeats and reporting which player "Panicked" the most - my girlfriend reached the panic level in which "Puppies are laughing at you"). We rumbled alongside each other in Typhoon (two players sit in a reclined seat and whoosh through journeys such as Canyon Coaster or Action Pinball with "wind," seat movement, and really intense vibrating). I wrote about date night at Dave and Buster's here.

We both took a side and tried our hardest to get all of the dumplings (but it wasn't enough for the 1,000 tickets bonus).

Kung Fu Panda Dojo Mojo showed one player in its "how to" but I only saw it played by couples of all kinds. Grandparents and grandchildren, young sisters, friends, teenage couples, and anyone who could find a partner approached the game in pairs. The game featured six large pads arrayed in two pairs of three and each player was responsible for one side. Breakable objects appeared on screen that corresponded with a pad and the player (forcibly) hit the pad with the goal to hit the required number of objects within a time limit. Of course, there are dangerous bombs that must not be hit. The addiction? The final level requires grabbing 35 dumplings within 20 seconds. We got 33 time and time again.

We jumped on not sure what we were in for in for and suddenly we were face to face with a dragon.

Dream Raiders defies description. Settling into the reclined high seat (our feet didn't touch the ground) the players go on an amusement park-style ride while shooting at enemies or course obstacles. This is actually a hard task and I took awhile simply to exert any control over my reticle. But video game dragon fighting will never be the same after this game. The first person perspective while in a moving ride and firing at the dragon was a hoot. I may never again experience the rush of being eyeball to eyeball with a dragon while we fight but I never will forget that it's terrifying and sheer fun.

A classic that was a blast in a head to head battle.

Another noticeable trend was that carnival games received a reboot. The under 7 crowd couldn't get enough of Fishbowl Frenzy, a digital remake of Plinko with a fun 2D/3D gimmick that turned a digital image of a shadowy ping pong ball into an actual ping pong ball plinking down the course. Fish bowls stuck out of the screen and the player tried to land the ball into the fish bowls with the highest ticket number. I think I accidentally elbowed a 5 year old running up to the game in a frenzy when I stepped up to the game trying to get a play during the brief moment that a horde of children weren't crowded around. Down The Clown dressed up the classic clown decorated targets with neon lights and set the player loose with knocking down as many targets as possible. The most important factoid about this game is that I won our head to head match up.

We didn't get a chance to climb in but now we have something to look forward to for next time.

Of course we played old go-to games. We competed in basketball, hoped that we could make tokens fall of the edge, tried for stuffed animals in claw machines, and played a wall-sized Connect Four. There were so many new games that we didn't even get around to Batman (a Batmobile based game), Transformers Human Alliance (two players sit together battling Decepticons), Deadstorm Pirates Special Edition (we've beaten the original together a few times), Monopoly, and Simpson's Soccer.

A surprise game that kept us coming back for just one more match.

At the end of the night, the stand out winner game was a complete surprise. Red Cup Challenge which may remind you (of the appropriate drinking age) of a popular drinking game. Yes, seeing the under 12 year old crowd playing a clone of a drinking game was unsettling. Yet, nearly everyone who passed the arcade game couldn't resist. We watched crowds realize that the game was playable up to a 4 person competition and turn one person's quick game into mini-tournaments amongst families and friends.

The premise is well-known to many, players choose to throw or bounce the ping pong balls into the red Solo cups. The cups were lighted and arranged in a diamond pattern. The player was tasked with landing a shot into each of the ten cups. My girlfriend and I had a head to head competition and the highest either one of us scored was eight. The non-alcoholic version was a blast. There was no sticky alcohol spills to clean up, lost ping pong balls, or need to reset the cups after each match. At the end of the night we found ourselves wandering back over for just one more match before going home.

New games are fun and all but us gamers are always looking at what games are coming out in the future.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR FEBRUARY 2015!

As we left Dave and Buster's we noticed the announcement of a new Star Wars game coming in February 2015. The Star Wars: Battle Pod will set the player in the pilot's seat of any vehicle in the original trilogy (or so the advertised read). The Star Wars Trilogy arcade is my all-time favorite arcade game (you can read about my obsession here) and I continue mourning its removal from nearly all arcades. I am most definitely returning in February to see if my need for a good Star Wars arcade game will finally be met again.

Upon returning home I looked up the game and it appears to be a Mach Storm clone. I greatly enjoyed my game time in Mach Storm and to return to the gameplay but in the Star Wars universe is a gaming dream I didn't know that I had.

We rang in the New Year in gaming style and now February 2015 can't get here fast enough to put me in the pilot seat of classic Star Wars battles. If I want to play the game all the way through (which I do) I better start saving my gaming money now.

Is there any arcade that you visit with regularity?

What's your favorite gaming prize (we used our tickets for 2 coffee cups and a mini-basketball)?

Which arcade games have you tried for the high score? Did you get it?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxzxcz/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2015/01/04/zxcz.aspx2015-01-04T14:31:45Z2015-01-04T14:31:45Z
zcxz

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspxThe Gamer's Commitment/blogs/members/b/letmegettoacheckpoint_blog/archive/2014/12/28/the-gamer-39-s-commitment.aspx2014-12-28T22:15:00Z2014-12-28T22:15:00Z
The holidays are winding down. Our new video games are filling up our hard drives and still the sales continue. An e-mail just came through that I received a Steam gift and a $25 Best Buy gift card is burning a hole in my wallet. I certainly don't need any more games because Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition and UFC are still in the shrink wrap. I certainly don't need anymore games.

Additionally, simply due to limited gaming time I rarely replay games, even my favorites. Remasters or ports of games that I've already played are ignored in favor of new gaming experiences. After all, most games are set stories that even with continuation into a sequel have no narrative change during a replay. Yet, now I really want the Telltale Games collection which is a special offered on Xbox Live. What gives self?

Stories worthy of a wall of text have been around for years and years.

For $55 packaged together are 5 seasons of Telltale Games' most recent games including Tales From The Borderlands and Game of Thrones which are still releasing the remaining episodes. This is bundling at its finest in which known hits are packaged with the unknown to bring players into all of Telltale Games' franchises.

I love a strong narrative in a game and The Walking Dead Season 1 experience was unforgettable. The Walking Dead Season 2 ended with a jaw drop and Season 3 is confirmed. While the player choice may sometimes come across as smoke and mirrors, the playthroughs make the characters my own. From decisions big and small, whether I saved Doug or Carley to who got what snacks (after the children are fed divvying up the food is complicated), the adventures of Lee and Clementine felt shaped by me by decisions I made which made the adventures my own.

Every time I tell myself that I don't need this bundle I remember all of the Seasons that are packaged together and my willpower falters.

Therefore, I can only play Season 3 with my own choices, especially with Season 2's multiple and very different endings. But my playthroughs are on my Xbox 360 and surely Season 3 will release on day one on the Xbox One. The same goes for Season 2 for The Wolf Among Us.

Yes, I will have to replay The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us in order to have save files ready for the next seasons. But the short and episodic structure of the games allows me to enjoy a replay to experience the story again but without devoting tens or hundreds of hours into gameplay that's meant to trigger cutscenes at pivotal moments.

The lure of Telltale Games is that player choice not only tells the story but continues to reverberate throughout the title's next "Season." The Telltale Collection is an inspired bundle. Without the ability to import my save files between my Xbox 360 and Xbox One, any future seasons of favorite Telltale Games' series requires a rebuy and a replay. The older hits are a sure bet of not only fun but developing the needed save files for upcoming franchise releases. While the newly launched franchises gives me the opportunity to make a decision about the series on the entire season rather than on the first episode. All of $11 per season. Well-played Telltale Games.

The Dragon Age Keep reminds you of all those really bad decisions that you made.

BioWare is the originator of console player choice in which save files are transferred from game to game in order to continue a playthrough based on the player's choices. The Mass Effect and Dragon Age universes gives the players narrative choices that tie into the next games in the franchises.

With the release of Dragon Age Inquisition this fall, the story of the war between the Templars and the Mages continued from the previous two games in the series. And so BioWare gave us the Dragon Age Keep. In comic style "Choose Your Own Adventures" players can import previous save files or pick out their choices along the tapestry's flow chart of decisions required by the Dragon Age universe. Who players sided with, saved the lives of, romanced and supported may not change the serie's overall story but impacts who is in the world and how those characters interact with the player.

The story is paramount. After all, players invested hundreds of hours in the Dragon Age universe long before Dragon Age Inquisition and losing that time dedicated to deciding big and small decisions that make "my" world removes the impetus to play the latest installment. I am curious why the Dragon Age Keep wasn't included in the base game similar to the introduction comic included in the Playstation 3's Mass Effect but required an online website outside of the game.

My Dragon Age: Origins playthrough remains incomplete and I've promised myself not to delve into a BioWare game without playing the previous games. I've dabbled in Dragon Age Inquisition with EA Access' 6 hour trial in the default world. Already I recognized references to the player's involvement in the Dragon Age universe. The Dragon Age Keep is a clever mechanism to distill the player's decisions into a series of comic book style renderings that both reminds the player of their emotional involvement and give the player access to "their" Dragon Age world.

The Telltale Collection and the Dragon Age Keep gives us a bridge to connect the narratives. Sometimes the link between games isn't the story but using different systems to run the game. Losing game progress from one system to another is so disheartening that starting over requires coming back to the game much later with a clear head.

I threw my (really heavy) laptop into my bag and got my laptop out at a restaurant in order to have my computer available to sign up for the Steam Family Sharing program as my brother is rarely at my house.

My brother and I linked our Steam accounts under the Family Sharing program which allows me to play his games when he isn't using his game library. However, I don't have much gaming time and my brother is a huge Dota 2 fan. The game sharing is restrictive and if he's playing any games in his Steam account I can't access his library. He's a good brother and he stays out of his gaming library when he sees that I'm playing. Due to his much bigger gaming stash I've played Divinity: Original Sin, Wasteland 2, and The Banner Saga.

That Steam gift that I received was my brother gifting me Divinity: Original Sin. I texted him my holiday joy and rightfully dubbed him my favorite (albeit my only) brother. I booted up Steam and discovered that his game gift not only unlocked Divinity: Original Sin in my Steam library but also included my game progress. Of course, for such a big RPG that I haven't touched in months I was already planning to re-roll my characters.

Gaming progress is a testament to the time that we gave to a game. All gamers know the grief that comes with unexpectedly losing that all-important progress. The simple detail that my progress was saved despite not owning the game myself made the gift that much sweeter. Even if I reset my adventures, the decision to restart is my own because I have the option to continue my journey.

The Steam Family Sharing has strict requirements in that we had to link our accounts in person (he is my brother but we live in different states and we don't always have our computers on us when we are together) and if he is playing any game whatsoever in his library I cannot play any of his games. But that moment of discovering that my gaming gift came with my progress is a smile that only a gamer understands.

Even without player choice there are those stories that remain playable time and time again.

In linking a franchise's installments together with a shared story that's determined by the player, Telltale games has found that gaming magic in a bottle that BioWare excels at. Keeping players' choices throughout a game series is complicated and elicits strong player reactions. But most important is giving players access to those all-important decisions made in previous games. Dragon Age games are much too long for me to replay (or apparently even play through once). The shortness of Telltale Games gives me that elusive opportunity to replay a stirring narrative and to tweak my choices. Hopefully, one day I will complete Divinity: Original Sin but if I don't it won't be because I lost all of my gaming progress because I now own the game.

Still, the question remains. Do I hit "Buy" on the Telltale Collection? I have until December 31 to decide. I've too many games to play and there are too many fantastic gaming sales this holiday season. Oh, gamer problems.

What is your horror story of losing your game progress?

Do you enjoy games that link the story between the installments?

What's your favorite surprise moment upon buying or being given a new game?

LetMeGetToACheckpointhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/LetMeGetToACheckpoint/default.aspx