mrgameandwrite

[mrgameandwrite]

Backlog Additions for 2018

aNow that all the commotion of New Year's settled and all acquaintance has been forgot, it seemed like a good time to reflect on games of 2017. Awards have been dolled out, but debates still rage on regarding what everyone’s favorite game of the year was and why you’re wrong for thinking otherwise. But just as important as the games we all played this year, so are the many great games that have yet to be played, or in my case, the games I felt I had to get in the moment but haven’t properly played yet. Here are some of the gems sitting on my backlog entering into 2018.

Nier Automata

Hey, I started this one! Progress! It may be a bit early to form an opinion, especially with all the hype surrounding it, but I will say that it has a killer soundtrack, it is a bit odd when it transitions it’s camera from a free-form action game to a side-scrolling shooter to a top-down shooter and I’m not in love with the combat just yet. Time will tell.

Danganropa V3: Killing Harmony

After playing through Persona 5 and loving it, I wondered to myself “what other numbered Japanese series can I jump into with little to no expectation?”

Yakuza 0

See above thought process. Although, this one is a prequel, so in a sense, it’s the perfect place to start.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt should have been the game that absorbed most of my attention in 2015, but two BFFs stole my heart when I played through Life is Strange. When it was announced that there was a follow-up prequel coming, I was more apprehensive. Would a prequel do justice to characters that I had grown so strangely attached to? Would not having the original voice actresses do the performances hinder it any way? As I tend to do with episodic games, I got the season pass and decided I’d wait until all the episodes were released. After it was announced that both original actresses would return for a bonus episode (for release in 2018), I can now say that I’m eager to see where this epic tale began. 

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

All of the Uncharted action, focus on minor, under-explored characters from previous games and plenty of winking? Sign me up.

Night in the Woods

Read a steam review that stated “Are you in your 20’s and depressed? If so, this game is pretty much essential”. Sold.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Originally, I was planning on knocking out this game and What Remains of Edith Finch back to back, ending the year on two narrative high notes. However, after Edith Finch, I needed to give myself some buffer time to really let that story sink in. Hellblade may be the first game I beat in 2018 though!

I am Setsuna

Technically, this game has been on my backlog longer than 2017, but I’m putting it on here now because a melancholy JRPG like this seems perfect fit for the portability that the Nintendo Switch offers. I have a feeling that there’s going to be a few games that I get again to play on the Switch once they’re ported over.

Stardew Valley

Did I mention there would be a few games that I would buy again on the Switch once they were ported over?

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

Horizion Zero Dawn was one of the best games I played in 2017. Naturally, I would be excited for its DLC. That excitement waned a bit in the crazy holiday season and I haven’t been ready to jump back into that world just yet.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Champions Ballad

See the response for Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds, except there’s a little more excitement for Link and his motorcycle.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole

Loved the Stick of Truth, still love the pun in the title . I picked it up on sale during Black Friday but still have yet to get into it. Here’s to 2018 and fixing my Fractured But Whole problem

Undertale

Against my own better judgement, I am strictly a console gamer. That is, until I hear enough about a game that my Macbook Air can handle for a few days before I get tired of gaming on my Macbook Air. Undertale is the most recent example of that specific train of buyer’s remorse. When it came out for PS4, I downloaded immediately, excited to experience this game on a platform I actually enjoy. Then life happened and Undertale hit the back burner riiiight before Destiny 2 came out. Side note, I would probably buy this game again if it came on the Switch.

Soma

So, I’m not a huge fan of the horror genre in general, but I love the idea of environmental storytelling. Soma’s safe mode, which removes enemies from the equation, intrigues me as it would allow me to explore the abandoned, underwater research facility and uncover the haunting story behind it without worrying that something’s going to pop out around the corner, make me scream and throw my controller at the screen.

Steamworld Dig 2

I’ve also started playing this one too! Hooray for progress (although you can probably make the argument that playing multiple games at a time is partially why my backlog grows in the first place…)! Steamworld Dig was one of the few games I enjoyed playing on the Wii U, a credit to the game more than the system. Steamworld Dig 2 feels like more of the same, with a better story that I’m very excited to dig into (obvious puns are obviously best!).

Games that are perpetually on my backlog because I never want to finish them

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

[mrgameandwrite]

Mr Game and Write’s Favorite Games of 2017

It may be a bit cliche to say, but (insert current year) 2017 was a banner year for games. It saw an extremely successful launch of Nintendo’s new flagship console, the Nintendo Switch, consoles jumping into the 4K terrain with the Playstation 4 Pro and Xbox One X and virtual reality really hit its stride. Oh, and a lot of fantastic games came out! Here are my favorites.

Persona 5

Persona 5 is my favorite game of 2017 simply because I never saw it coming. This was my first foray into the Persona franchise and I was consistently blown away with how much style oozes from this game. It’s video game jazz for people who don’t like jazz.  With its dynamic combat system, one of the best gaming soundtracks of the year, and the heart and soul of most of the characters involved, Persona 5 is an instant JRPG classic.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I mean, what can I say about this game that hasn’t already been said 100 times over? Open world marvel? Check. Masterclass in enticing exploration? Check. Best launch game of all time and arguably the best Zelda game in the storied franchise? Check. Best game of 2017? Check.

Super Mario Odyssey

Gotta tip my cap to you, Nintendo (obvious puns are obviously best!). I did not expect to be as enamored by Cappy and the possession mechanic as I was. But once again, Nintendo has created pure magic with gaming’s most iconic character. Even with over 800 moons to collect, Super Mario Odyssey never gets old.

Horizon Zero Dawn

This game was the reason I got a PS4 Pro (and am loving it, despite it not playing nice with my TV…) and the first game where I truly noticed the validity of 4K. Visually stunning in both its environment and facial animations, Horizon Zero Dawn is yet another hallmark for the year of open-world games, but this one lets you fight robot dinosaurs and surprises with one of the sci-fi stories of the year.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

In a year dominated by open world games, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus shows that there’s still plenty of life left in linear experiences. Now, it’s hard to say whether or not it surpasses The New Order, but it has a couple of the biggest OMG moments and the best video game villain of 2017, Frau Engel. Combine that with gameplay that suits players who want to run and gun or sneak around (me) and Wolfenstein 2 carves a niche for itself as the best shooter campaign this year.

Splatoon 2

Admittedly, the biggest mistake I made with the Wii U besides owning one was never playing Splatoon. When I got a Switch, I promised to not make the same mistake twice and what I found was one of the most unique multiplayer shooters I’ve ever played. Matches themselves are short and sweet, it’s created a wonderful community around it, and the addition of Salmon Run, Splatoon’s horde mode, makes this game one of the most well-rounded multiplayer experiences of 2017.

Golf Story

I had to include at least one Nindie on this list because frankly, I love the term Nindie to describe indie Nintendo games. It was a tough call between this and Steamworld Dig 2, but I’m going with Golf Story for originality points. It’s a satisfyingly deep golfing sim, but also tells a surprisingly charming story along the way. It really lives up to its name and is a perfect companion for the portability of the Switch

Destiny 2

Ok, so this is more obligatory as Destiny 2 is far from one of the best games I’ve played this year. Hell, it may not even be the best Destiny I’ve played this year. But it came at a time where I desperately needed to distract myself with satisfying shooting, a rich sci-fi universe, and reconnecting with my old fireteam. If history has taught me anything, it’s that I will spend more time with this game than any other game on this list and it will be a huge reason that games stay on my backlog much longer than they need to.

Cuphead

Ah, the lone “Xbox exclusive” on my list this year. Cuphead’s 1940’s cartoon aesthetic and wonderful soundtrack set the stage for a surprisingly challenging platformer. I’m still waiting for an update that will allow online co-op since Cuphead is at its best with another person. Until then, I’ll happily play Cuphead alone, at least until I get frustrated and throw the controller across the room.

What Remains of Edith Finch

Edith’s journey of familial discovery through her childhood home is highlighted by a series of stories told through letters and diaries from those who had come before her. Some are as simple as a child rocking back and forth on a swing, while others brilliantly showcase one of the Finch’s mental collapse. Clocking in around two and a half hours, What Remains of Edith Finch was definitely the shortest game I played this year, but filled with narrative moments I won’t soon forget.

What were your favorite games of 2017? Let me know on Twitter @mrgameandwrite

[mrgameandwrite]

A Date with Destiny 2: The Review, Then and Now

Destiny is a game that’s hard to grade at launch. It’s far from your static shooter that sticks to its guns no matter what. Instead, Destiny is a game about time and evolution. Expansions are typically when the big wheel of Destiny begins to turn, but it’s important to remember your roots. So before Curse of Osiris, Destiny 2’s first DLC expansion, launches tomorrow, I wanted to take a look back at my experience with Destiny 2, both at my peak play time and in the calm before the DLC storm.

Story

Then

After the original’s rather cryptic take on storytelling, Destiny 2 comes out of the gate establishing a motive for the villain’s actions and making the player feel an intimate impact of those actions. Dominus Ghaul, a Cabal warlord turned emperor, is pretty jealous that the Traveler chose humanity over his faction, The Red Legion, to bestow its vast power. He launches an assault against humanity and obliterates their last stronghold. Simultaneously, he captures the Traveler and severs its connection to the Guardians, leaving them powerless. It’s up to you to regain your power, prevent Ghaul from accessing the power of the Traveler and save the galaxy from certain destruction.

The rest of the campaign plays out like your typical shooter story. You get new powers because you’re the best. You have to stop the big baddie from getting powers because he’s the worst. I even began to hum that familiar Halo theme during missions where I squashed aliens while driving a space tank. Destiny 2 isn’t trying to blow your mind with a rich narrative, and it doesn’t have to. The story is just the beginning of a game like Destiny. But the fact that I know who I’m fighting and why is huge coming off the original where I fought darkness because it can posses statues and that’s scary.

Once the story wraps up, Destiny 2’s end game begins to open up with a wealth of activities to do, gear to collect, and other guardians to connect with.

Now

Having played through it three times for three different characters, I’m annoyed that it’s necessary to go through each time, even with its drastic improvements from the original’s blah story. Also, even though Destiny in general focuses on superhero-like abilities for each character, I wish more of the story had focused on lost light and regaining that power from Ghaul. If you’re gonna make me go through the story regardless, might as well make it relatable and showcase that great shooting.

Exploring New Places

Then

Considering you have to play through the story before doing much of anything else, you probably already noticed how beautiful this game is, but maybe some of it slipped past you while you’re running and gunning and saving the universe. Even after dozens of hours in Destiny, one of my favorite activities in Destiny 2 is still setting a course for a planet just to take time to stop, smell the space roses and enjoy the scenery.

The new destinations of Nessus, Io, European Dead Zone and Titan each have their own unique charms, whether they be more about the visual stimulation of the electric seas of Titan or exploring the giant pyramids of Io.

If exploring isn’t your thing, it’s cool. Most planets will have public events spawning a regular intervals, so if you’re tired of searching catacombs and want to get back to that sweet shooting, there’s always a chance. On top of frequently dropping and being easily trackable in-game, these events will also have mini-objectives done to turn them into heroic events, which usually means more chaotic fights and better loot drops. Whenever you can, make your public events heroic. Trust me.

Among your exploration, you may come across some strange symbols painted on walls. Follow them. They will lead you to Lost Sectors, or mini-excursions that showcase hidden areas of the map.

If you’re looking for something more linear and with some more story, you’ve got adventures and strikes. Adventures are bite-size story missions that aim to provide a little more backstory into the sprawling world of Destiny 2 (one of these adventures gives you more context on the end-game raid, for example). Strikes pit fireteams of three into longer missions culminating in a boss fight at the end.

Public events are always worth doing when you’re exploring, but Lost Sectors, Adventures and Strikes are best done early. Once you get to higher levels, the rewards become minuscule and they are hard to justify putting significant time into. Fortunately, Bungie recently announced that they are reworking the reward system to increase the value of these events.

Now

For all the things to do, there really aren’t a lot of things to do once you reach the higher levels. Adventures, lost sectors and public events lose their luster with very limited loot drops, and gear obtained from strikes hardly make going through all the bullet-sponge bosses worth the time investment. The only PVE activity that has any loot value is the raid.

Raid, Raid, Go Away

Then

Lastly on the PVE side of Destiny 2, there is the Leviathan Raid. Fireteams of six guardians are invited to board former Emperor Calus’ ship for an audience with the glutinous general. If, of course, you can survive his trials. The Leviathan raid is broken down into three challenges with wave-based combat sections that separate each challenge room. Once all the challenges have been complete, Emperor Calus awaits to cap off an underwhelming experience.

The coolest part of this raid isn’t the raid itself, but the fact that the raid isn’t just an activity, but a destination. After completing the raid, guardians are given different keys that unlock chests hidden deep in the catacombs of the Leviathan ship. The rewards are still rather paltry, but I like the idea of exploring the locale that the raid takes place in without having to participate in the raid. I’m hoping Bungie finds a way to expand this to more Leviathan-specific activities in the future.

Now

Honestly, haven’t felt compelled to raid that much in Destiny 2. I’ve already got most of the gear I really want from it. Even the lure of the prestige raid, which heightens the challenge of specific sections, isn’t enough to make go through a raid that I’m don’t care for.  

PVP

Then

Ah, Destiny PVP. My bread and butter. Even during the times where I don’t want to play Destiny, it’s online multiplayer is still something I come back for. Destiny 2’s PVP underwent some serious changes from the original that take some getting used to. For better or worse, it’s still one of the best online experiences I’ve had.

No matter what game type you’re playing (and there’s not a lot to choose from), there are two big changes that you’ll notice right off the bat: changes in weapon categories and team size.

Instead of having a primary, secondary and heavy weapon, Destiny 2 players get a kinetic weapon, an energy weapon and a power weapon. Kinetic and energy weapons both fall under the same archetypes of auto rifles, pulse rifles, hand cannons and scout rifles. Power weapons include rocket launchers, swords and former secondary weapons like shotguns, sniper rifles and fusion rifles. I was annoyed at first that the days of running around with a shotgun all the time were done, but as time has gone on, I’ve come to appreciate it. It brings a balance to gunplay and stops stupid people with snipers hunkering down in a remote part of the map and picking people off.

The team size in Destiny 2 has been reduced from six to four, which leads to some mixed feelings. Smaller teams means that more communication and teamwork is required, which leads to less exciting moments of a Rambo-like charge that turns the tide of the match. However, combined with the changes in weapons makes for fairer games where it comes to the best shooter winning rather than getting caught off guard with a random super.

Now

Destiny PVP is still one of my favorite aspects of the game, but weapons need some more balancing. I’ve become set in my ways in terms of my loadouts, so having more balance would allow for more experimentation between weapon types.

Community

Then

The original Destiny left little to be desired in terms of community building, but the players of Destiny stepped up through to power of the Reddit, LFG and other forums for players to find each other and team up. In Destiny 2, Bungie introduced two features to help alleviate those burdens: Guided Games and clans.

Guided Games are restricted to Nightfall strikes and raids for now, but they essentially allow players who are looking for groups to complete this activities with find them easier. When launching a guided game, players looking for groups will be seekers, while groups searching for an extra player or two search as guides. They’re then put into a queue that searches for players looking for the same activities. Notably, it does take a lot longer to find a group than a single player, but for those looking for an in-game solution to find others to play with, this is a great tool.

Perhaps while playing a guided game, you’ll come across a group or a player that you really enjoyed playing with. Sure, you can just friend them, but why not add them to a clan? Clans are larger groups of people that come together to play games under one collective banner. In Destiny 2, clans that frequently play together get rewarded with different perks depending on clan level.

Now

Guided games are great for players just starting out in activities, but I’ve only really used it in nightfalls when me and a friend are looking for another player to make things easier for us. It’s not a knock against guided games as much as it is not being enough to do at the end-game.

Clans, on the other hand, are still great. If enough of the clan has stuck around to this point. I’m hoping the latest DLC will bring those clanmates back to the fold, but who knows for how long.

List of complaints

Hey, if there’s any lesson learned from the original Destiny, it’s that the more you complain about something, the sooner Bungie fixes it. Squeaky wheels and all. Here’s a shortlist!

The Loot System

It’s not my favorite. Destiny 2 still has some random drops as in Destiny, but not nearly as much. Most of the time, completing activities gives you Tokens, which you trade in to level up with certain NPC characters. Each time that you level up one of the ranks with these characters, a gun will randomly drop. It takes away from that rush of completing a tough challenge and having the gun or piece of armor you’ve been waiting for drop immediately after the fight. It’s compounded that every piece of gear drops is the same for everyone. In order to access new and more casual fans, all weapons and armor drop with the same perks, meaning that there’s less grinding out activities hoping that a piece of gear will drop with the perks you want. If I have a Better Devils hand cannon, it’s the same Better Devils that anyone who’s acquired that gun has. Casual fans aren’t going to grind the same boss for multiple hours trying to get a “god roll”, but they’ll never know the elation of when it happens. Sad.

More Storytelling, Less World Building

While the straight-forward approach to storytelling is welcome for both old and new players alike, hardcore Guardians are going to be a little disappointed with the overall lore in Destiny 2. As much shit that Bungie took for the original story in Destiny, they did an amazing job at creating a universe through collectible cards called Grimoire. Through Grimoire cards, you could learn more about the surrounding universe and everything in it. Most people ignored this due to the fact that Grimoire cards were not actually viewable in game (you had to login to Destiny’s companion app or Bungie’s website in order to read them), but for me, Grimoire provided that extra, sci-fi goodness that turned Destiny from a game where you shoot aliens to one of the most enthralling sci-fi universes. In Destiny 2, the Grimoire approach has made its way into the game itself, but it’s a more limited. It’s confined to descriptions on certain weapons and armor pieces that give a little backstory to those gear pieces, but nothing else. New players are going to be left in the dark because of this. Obviously they’ll understand why they’re fighting the Cabal, but what of the other races of enemies that are shooting at them? They’re going to have to wait until a piece of DLC drops to learn how awesome the time-travelling robot Vex are? Fuck that.

WHY CAN’T I DELETE THINGS IN BULK?!

Shaders, ships and sparrows. All of these items used to be permanent unlocks in the original, but they have become finite items in Destiny 2 so they can be added to the list of things you can buy for real money. Neat!

The Verdict

Then

Destiny 2 learns a lot of important lessons from its predescor, specifically in the story-telling department. It still retains some of the best shooter mechanics of this console generation and it’s still a blast to collect all the new loot.

Now

There just isn’t a lot to do once you hit that end game mark. Destiny 2 seems to be stuck in a place where it can’t decide whether it wants to appease the hardcore following that makes it close to the level cap, or try and entice new players by being less of what enticed those longterm players in the first place. I hope it finds that balance, and maybe Curse of the Osiris will be the first step in that direction.

[mrgameandwrite]

Gaming in Retrospect

A lot of people can say that they’ve been playing video games for as long as they can remember, but not many can say that gaming is one of the first things they remember. I am one of the fortunate few. When I was around three years old, I had some kind of virus that caused a temporary paralysis from the waist down and required a multiple-day stay in the local hospital. Of that whole ordeal, I vividly remember three instances: my elderly babysitter’s son picking me up and placing me in the car that would take me to the hospital, calling my dad to tell him when I started walking again (spoiler alert!), and holding an NES controller to play some vague baseball video game.

I have plenty of memories of playing video games as a kid from that moment on. I remember breaking into my neighbor’s house in order to play Super Mario World on SNES, which was always an unpleasant surprise for my neighbors when they’d return home. I remember the first system I owned, a PSX, and playing all three Crash Bandicoot games, Final Fantasy VII, and a Japanese import of Dragon Ball GT Final Bout (no idea how I found a Japanese import of that though). I remember my first LAN party at a friend’s house playing Halo: Combat Evolved and pissing him off so much that he ripped my controller out of his Xbox and threw it across the room. I remember falling in love with the Pokemon games and having a level 100 Haunter because my friends were more interested in sports than video games.

I have so many fond, vivid memories surrounded by video games, but it’s difficult to recall those childhood feelings. Sometimes replaying old games helps, but most of those feelings faded away over the years along with that childhood innocence. For the most part, once those feelings disappear, there’s no way to bring them back.

Back home, my parents have started a Halloween tradition of inviting a family from their church over for dinner after the trick or treating is done. This year, the family came dressed as members of the Mushroom Kingdom, including seven-year old twin boys dressed as, you guessed it, Mario and Luigi. It felt like appropriate attire to play some Nintendo Switch, so after dinner was done and the adults were talking, I set up some Mario Kart on the Switch and taught the boys how to use the Joy-Cons.

No matter how many rounds of drink-and-drive I play, nothing I’ll do as an adult will match the pure joy radiating from these boys. We must’ve restarted six or seven Grand Prix runs because they wanted to try as many different character and kart combinations possible. If this happened with fellow adults playing the game, it would’ve driven me up a wall, but I couldn’t help but be infected by the curiosity and fun these kids were having. I even selected a bear ATV I had never used before after they suggested I use it because it was cute. And you know what? They were right.

These kids didn’t care if I knocked it down to 50cc and switched the computer difficulty to easy. It wasn’t about trying to be better than each other. They were just happy to be driving around, no matter the end result. I expected to have to console one of the boys after he repeatedly fell behind his brother and myself (that’s right, I don’t take it easy on anyone in Kart). Instead, the other brother offered up the pro controller to his struggling sibling while he took over the sideways Joy-Con. There was no shit-talking as I would expect from brothers playing a game, but a cooperation to make sure the best Mario Kart experience was had for all. This was the friendliest game of Mario Kart I’ve ever been apart of, and I loved every second of it.

I’ve literally played video games for as long as I can remember, but I can’t always remember what it’s like to play games as a kid. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the adulthood pressure of figuring out how to turn this love of video games into a career and forget why I want to do that in the first place. Thanks to a session of Mario Kart with these boys, I got a reminder of what it’s like to see games through a kid’s eyes and why playing video games has never gotten old.

[mrgameandwrite]

A Date with Destiny 2: A New Beginning

I bet you were wondering when I was going to talk about Destiny 2. Well, that time has come. For the past three years, other games have come and gone, but Destiny has remained a constant. Sometimes it was the game I chose over maintaining a social life, other times it was the familiar comfort food I craved when I stumbled home drunk at 3 am and couldn’t sleep. But after three years, I had done all that there was to do in Destiny. I moved on to other games and didn’t look back. For a while.

Enter Destiny 2.

Destiny 2 is a fresh start, whether you played the first one or not. If you did, you can carry over your character cosmetically, but all the equipment that you earned in the first Destiny is left behind. It doesn’t matter how much time it took you to get your favorite gear with the right perks - it’s not coming with you in Destiny 2. It’s hard to let go of all the memories made over those three years, but I trust that along with similar great gameplay and improvements to the narrative, there will be new stories unfolding each time another piece of loot drops. I’m trying to remember that optimism in more than just Destiny terms.

Destiny 2 released during the beginning of a challenging time in my life. Life dealt me a rough hand and with nowhere else to turn, I moved out of the city and back into my parent’s place to regroup and rebuild. Needless to say, it’s been a tough transition, but I’m trying to trust that things will be better someday. Thankfully, Destiny 2 came at a perfect time for me to escape, and switching from Playstation to Xbox to reconnect with friends has made the experience that much better.

After I packed up my entire life and moved back home, the thought of unpacking it was impossible to swallow. So I left. I left all of things still in boxes, packed up my Xbox and a TV, and drove to Minnesota to see my best friend. Naturally, Destiny 2’s release was as good a reason as any to make the trip. But we both knew that after everything I was going through, I needed to get away. I’m so grateful for that time with my best friend when I needed it most.

But I’m also grateful that I have other friends that are getting into Destiny 2. For years, I tried to get my friends to get into Destiny. I tried to explain how great raiding was and how it would be even better with a full group of friends. I tried to explain that Destiny’s competitive multiplayer felt more like the Halo days of yore than the newer experiences from a different studio. I tried to explain that it didn’t matter that even after  three expansions, The Taken King was the best version of Destiny. All to no avail.

I’m not sure if it was all the advertisements for Destiny 2 or all the good words I put in for its predecessor, but I was thrilled when the group decided that Destiny 2 was going to be the next adventure on their game-of-the-month club (hopefully they’ll last longer than that, but beggars can’t be choosers). I was already excited for Destiny 2, but I think the more exciting part for me is that even while I’m rebuilding my life, I’m able to share this experience with a new fireteam.

[mrgameandwrite]

Splatoon 2 Review: The Squid’s Are Alright

One of the few regrets I have about the Wii U era (other than owning a Wii U) is that I never got into Splatoon. I had chances to play it, but I also had excuses not to. I really need to raid in Destiny (which I didn’t). I should really finish The Witcher 3 (which I still should). There was always a reason for me to put Nintendo’s newest shooter IP on the back burner, especially knowing how Nintendo handles online games and that voice chatting with friends wouldn’t be an option. So when I got my Switch, a system that I truly enjoy playing on, I decided I would forgo that stubbornness that held me back before and dive into Splatoon 2. What I found was one of the most unique shooter experiences in years that’s chock full of that classic Nintendo charm and a community that succeeds in spite of Nintendo’s online shortcomings.

Multiplayer

Splatoon games are by far the friendliest online shooters you will ever play. Instead of spraying bullets at enemies, Splatoon is all being a half-kid-half-squid-animorph-thing and running around spraying ink in your environment. In Splatoon’s standard mode, Turf War, the team that has the most ground covered after three minutes wins the match. Attacking the other team’s players is not the primary objective. In fact, you can be first on the leaderboards without landing a single kill.

Three minutes isn’t that long for a multiplayer match, but is long enough to make sure most matches devolve into colorful chaos. Central areas in each map are taken and retaken in seesaw battles for territory. That said, I’ll say this for new players: be the real MVP and don’t forget to ink your spawn!

Along with Turf War, there are three other objective-based game modes that comprise Splatoon 2’s Ranked and League Modes. Splat Zones tasks players with controlling certain map points for as long as possible. Tower Control makes players control a moving tower and advance it into the enemy base to win. Rainmaker acts as an inverted capture the flag by making players grab control of an item and storm it into the enemy base.

Online multiplayer in Splatoon 2 does expose the piss-poor handling of party functions by Nintendo. They announced that with the Nintendo Switch, there would be an app for iPhones and Android devices that would allow players to party up with friends and chat through a needlessly elaborate headset contraption. As if this weird work-around wasn’t bad enough in and of itself, the mic function makes people sound like they’re talking with a mouth full of marshmallows.

                                          Whaaaaat?

Party functions aren’t the only issue with Splatoon 2’s online, but Nintendo has also taken a bizarre approach to matchmaking. Wanna play with a group of people? Well, that’s not guaranteed. Sometimes even with a full party, teammates will randomly be placed on opposing teams. Wanna back out of a lobby before the game starts? Nah, can’t do that either.

Look, I get the idea behind nintendo's online approach with online for this game. I really do. They want to promote a family-friendly alternative online space, and as friendly as I tried to be in my head, it didn’t take long for the competitive rage to boil over. And no matter much fans of Nintendo would wish they would handle their online party system differently, they don’t have to. It’s a damn shame though, because with all the hoops players have to jump to just to play with friends, it directly affects the game’s longevity.

Salmon Run

New to Splatoon 2 is Nintendo’s take on a horde mode called Salmon Run. Two to four Squidlings team up face waves of enemies in order to collect a certain number of eggs that come from defeating mini-bosses that periodically appear. The more eggs that you collect each round, the more gear and perks you can unlock back in the Salmon Run corner of Inkopolis Plaza. After each round, players will randomly have their weapons swapped. It takes great teamwork in order to prevail in this hectic mode, but man, what a rush it can be. I’ve had games that came down to two players frantically struggling to accomplish what four should and succeeding at the last second and I’ve had games where me and my team wiped out within 30 seconds. It’s pure bedlam, and even with Nintendo’s lack of standard matchmaking and chat functions, it’s been my favorite part of Splatoon 2.

Single Player

Admittedly, I still haven’t fully sunken my teeth into Splatoon 2’s single player story mode, but that doesn’t mean that it should be ignored. Tying into the story from the first Splatoon, I’m sure I’m not as invested as fans of the series since the beginning would be, but that doesn’t detract from its excellent platforming both in the levels themselves and each overworld. There are 5 overworlds that each house a number of levels that need to be completed in order to move onto the next.

There’s plenty of exploring and shit to be done without stepping foot into a level, though. Between poppable balloons that will scatter across the map and just figuring out how to get the entrances to each level, Splatoon 2’s overworld gives a taste of what the levels themselves will hold.

The goal of each level and overworld is pretty formulaic: go find a power source in each level, bring them back, unlock a boss, beat said boss, move onto the next world. But with different types of enemy sea life and giant floating platforms to navigate, how you go about getting that power source is up to you and the variety of ink-based weaponry at your disposal. Wanna blast your way through, charge in for some close combat with a paint roller, or stealthily sneak your way to the end using a sniper and hiding in the ink trail it leaves behind? Your call, squid.

Once all the power sources are collected in a given world, the boss of that world unlocks and you must defeat it. These fights were some of the highlights of the single player not because they’re the only times where violence is encouraged, but because they were hilariously designed. Nothing like fighting a giant, evil toaster.

The Lobby

Each time that you open Splatoon 2, you are greeted by the charming faces of Pearl and Marina, the hosts of Inkopolis’ favorite talk show that showcases what levels and modes are available when you log in. After getting the latest update, your Squidling is transported to the center of Inkopolis Square, which houses various shops for clothing and weaponry as well as portals to transport players to single player, multiplayer, or Salmon Run lobbies. You’ll also encounter other players’ avatars and the pun-filled messages they display. Right from the beginning, Splatoon 2 creates a community and an economy that further helps envelop players in this ink-tastic world.

Splatfest

Periodically, the landscape of Inkopolis changes as some of the world’s most important questions are addressed: is cake better than ice cream? Is ketchup better than mayo? These questions are tackled during Splatfest, a limited time event that transforms Inkopolis Square turns into a raging party as players battle it out in Turf War for their respective sides.

It’s a fun event, but not without its flaws. For starters, Pearl and Marina are the spokes-squids for each side. So far, in terms of sheer numbers, players flock to Marina as the Beyonce of Inkopolis, while running in fear from the gremlin Pearl. However, this also affects how the matchmaking works and how the scores are inevitably tallied. During this last Splatfest, most of the games that I played were against my fellow Ketchup connoisseurs. I’m not sure if these games simply didn’t count towards our wins and losses or if they did but cancelled each other out, but the ultimate victors turned out to be Mayo. Why was I playing so many games against Ketchup? No idea.

Shopping for the Sweet, Sweet Loot

On top of all the weaponry you can bring into the game, there are numerous shops around Inkopolis Square where you can buy headgear, shirts and shoes for your Squidling. On top of looking hella fresh, each piece of gear has slots for different perks that can do things like give you more resistance to ink or recover ink faster. Perks are assigned to slots as they’re worn in multiplayer games, so of course I’ve spent a large chunk of time in this game trying to roll items with an ideal perk set. Way too much time. Not as much time as I’ve spent doing the same in Destiny, but still, too much man.

In the end, the shortcomings with Nintendo’s matchmaking and party chat systems don’t take away from all the ink-splattin’ fun of Splatoon 2. For first time Squidlings like me, it’s the best version of an innovative shooter experience with plenty of Nintendo charm. For those more experienced, adding the co-op Salmon Run to the Splatoon suite you know makes it the definitive Splatoon experience. Plus, it’s on a system that people actually own, so that’s neat.

[mrgameandwrite]

Date with Destiny Part 11: The Destiny 2 Beta

This past week, the beta for Destiny 2 was released to consoles for guardians both old and new to get a feel for the next chapter of the Destiny saga in September. In this early run of one of my most anticipated games, Destiny 2 piqued my excitement, but not without some reservations.

Story

Destiny 2 actually has a story, which is more than can be said about vanilla Destiny. Right off the bat, Destiny 2’s story gets personal as a vicious assault is orchestrated on The Tower, a safe social space that longtime Destiny fans have spent quite a bit of time in (seriously, they blew up the fucking space soccer ball. Shit got real). The charge is led by a Cabal leader named Ghaul, who takes over the Tower and subdues the Traveler, taking away the Light that has given guardians their power. Ghaul himself may seem one dimensional at this point, but there’s still enough to hate as he leads the charge to destroy everything that we, as guardians, hold dear.

                                              RIP, old friend. Along with a very hateable villain, it’s a great step forward to actually be fighting alongside the Vanguard at the tower. These were some of the best characters in Destiny after the Taken King DLC, but never actually participated in the fighting. Good villain, personal narrative, and fighting alongside Cayde-6. Nailed most of my story wishlist in one mission.

Class Abilities and New Subclasses With a new Destiny comes changes to how the classes and subclasses work, with ne of the most welcome additions being that each class now has their own unique ability that can be used regardless of which subclass is chosen. Warlocks can call an aura that can either boost damage or heal, titans can generate a barrier for more protection or quicker reloading, and hunters can dodge (haha, hunters suck now). As a warlock main in Destiny, I’m super excited about the Warlock’s new ability and that they’re going to be a necessary character when it comes to the raid and other endgame activities. Generally speaking, these abilities provide a whole new level of strategy to both PVP and PVE activities. In addition to those general abilities, each class had a subclass removed and replaced. Warlocks replaced Sunsinger with Dawnblade, a more offensive subclass whose super ability showers the battlefield with flames from a sword. Titans lost Defender but gained Sentinel, which is by far the most interesting new subclass as it can be used for either offense or defense. Click the super button and the Sentinel will generate a shield a-la Captain America to smash or heave at foes. Hold the super button down and the titan will generate the Defender bubble to protect himself and allies on the battlefield. Hunters Arcstrider is pretty much the same as the replaced Bladedancer, instead of dual-wielding knives, they get a staff (seriously, can’t get enough of seeing Hunters get screwed over).

New Maps, New Modes

Control

One of Destiny’s most tried and true modes gets some tweaks in team composition and point capturing. Neat! For starters, this mode has been condensed to a 4-on-4 team structure. For smaller maps like Endless Vale, the map used for the Control playlist, will no doubt benefit from a smaller team structure, leading to quick and frantic skirmishes. Perhaps the biggest change is how capturing points works. Rather than gather a group together to neutralize a point before even starting to take it over, the speed of the capture is not affected by how many people are there and there is no neutralizing a point.  These changes lead to a quicker pace of battle and more strategy than in the previous iteration. I’m still hoping there are playlists for bigger teams as Control was one of the best parts of Destiny’s competitive multiplayer, but the capture changes are small things that make a great mode even better.

Countdown

New to the Destiny franchise, Countdown has two teams alternating between trying to arm or defuse bombs. If armed, the defending team will have time to defuse it before it explodes and the round is one by the offensive team. However, the most common way to win rounds in this mode is eliminating the opposing team completely.

Honestly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this playlist. There was some confusion as to whether eliminating a team AFTER a bomb has been armed meant that the round was over (I had one game where the attacking team had been eliminated, but still won because the bomb hadn’t been defused, but also had the same circumstances but came out with a win). The map for this mode, Midtown, was a bit underwhelming as well. I’m usually a fan of urban maps, but I would hope that the final version would include utilizing the buildings on a more vertical basis.

New Strike

For those looking to get a break from Destiny’s PVP component, the beta featured Destiny 2’s first strike, Inverted Spire. After the tight quarters of Destiny 2’s PVP, it’s good to stretch my legs and get into a strike, even if it’s not a great example of Destiny’s 2 new weapon system. This sprawling strike features both Cabal and Vex and showcases the new classes of baddies, including a butcher-type Cabal with two cleavers as well as very angry doggos. After some environmental hazards and a few waves of enemies, this strike culminated in a boss fight that really left me feeling underpowered, mostly because I was trying to go at this thing with two different primary weapons, which leads me to a frustration with the new weapon system.

New Weapon Categories

One change that I’m having a hard time getting used to is the weapon categories. Previously, weapons were broken down into primary, secondary and heavy categories with specific types of weaponry in each category. In Destiny 2, the categories break down into kinetic, energy and power weapons. Energy weapons are essentially just primary weapons with either solar, arc or void attached to them. Power weapons take the place of heavy weapons and include previous secondary weapons like snipers, shotguns and fusion rifles, in addition to bigger guns like the new grenade launcher. Look, I get why they did it. Part of the reason these changes bother me is I’ve spent thousands of hours in Destiny pinballing around maps with a shotgun in hand. However, when doing activities in the environment, switching between a hand cannon to a pulse rifle just really emphasizes the bullet-sponge nature of big bosses. Hopefully there can be some tweaks before the final game to help balance the PVP weapon meta vs PVE activities.

There was a lot less to Destiny 2’s beta than the original, but there didn’t need to be more. It was the perfect amount to showcase the changes made for the Destiny-faithful and give new players a taste of what this game has to offer. Overall, the changes made in PVP are a welcome change of pace, but weapons have now become an issue for PVE activities. Regardless of what further tweaks are needed, it’s more than enough to get me ready to be sucked into this world again on September 6th.

[mrgameandwrite]

Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 2 Review: Solid Sizzle, Not Enough Steak

Well, the honeymoon’s over. Episode 2: Under Pressure turned the focus inward as it examined the relationship between Starlord and everyone’s favorite asshole raccoon, Rocket. Unfortunately, while the closer examination of this relationship helped strengthen it, the others that aren’t examined are left out in the cold, which leads to frustrating conversations with little give and take. The other guardians weren’t the only ones who suffer, though. The story surrounding the Eternity Forge took a backseat as well. It remains to be seen what the rest of this series will hold as Telltale has said that each episode will focus on one character, but after Episode 2 put more emphasis on characters rather than story, I’m concerned.

Minor Spoilers Follow

After Episode 1 and given his confrontational nature, focusing on Rocket was a wise choice. Choosing between him and Gamora back then wasn’t much of a choice as his plan just seemed dumb and he refused to see any logic to Starlord’s arguments before storming off on his own. Enter Episode 2 and a new power to the Eternity Forge, which acted as the vehicle to allow Starlord to dive into a particularly painful memory for Rocket.

After reliving that memory, it became easier to handle Rocket’s demeanor and his choices. I still didn’t side with him when it came to a Telltale decision in this episode, but it was much harder to do so than in Episode 1 where his attitude and decisions had no context. I still feel like I made the right call, but I like that I actually had to grit my teeth to make that call.

However, other characters stepped up to take seemingly logical decisions as personal attacks against them without listening to Starlord’s argument.. Specifically, I chose Gamora to guard a prisoner instead of Drax, who seemed appalled that I didn’t lean his way. Maybe Drax will be the focus of Episode 3, but I’m hoping that by diving into one character each episode doesn’t keep leading into this pattern of others just not making any sense until the following episodes dives into their minds.

Of course, no Telltale episode would be complete without a dynamite quick-time event sequence. However you feel about this type of gameplay, there’s no doubting that a rock-fueled, zero-gravity space battle is a marvel to behold.

Telltale continues to be the king of character development, but up until the end of Episode 2, very little was done to advance the story, and even then, it was just to set up Episode 3. I’m all for each character getting their own episode, but I’m hoping that the over-arcing story gets fleshed out at the same time. Telltale’s trademarked character development and exciting quick-time events shined bright and hopefully the story can catch up in future episodes.

[mrgameandwrite]

E3 2017 Summary

By the time you’re reading this, E3 will have come and gone. The drought of game releases of the summer will have given way to the hope of games that are on the holiday horizon. And goddamn if it isn’t a beautiful horizon that we, as gamers, are flying towards. This year’s E3 did not disappoint as there were a myriad of big announcements, huge surprises, and oh so many games. In case you missed it, here are all the highlights of E3 2017.

EA

EA kicked things off with a relatively tame conference, but the crowd reactions did not help. Granted, there were few things that I’m actually excited about from this conference, so I can’t chastise the crowd too hard. Still, E3 has begun!

Announcements

New IP from Bioware called Anthem, a gorgeous sci-fi shooter with power suits.

A co-op prison break game called A Way Out

Need for Speed: Payback, because cars deserve revenge, too.

Battlefield DLC that adds night time maps and Russian expansion.

Madden 18 has a story mode, which I will only play if you can ruin your career through idiotic antics at the club.

Fifa 18 has Ronaldo all over it. Because it’s “fueled by Ronaldo”. Every drop of his sweat makes the game better.

NBA Live 18 will try to be relevant.

Star Wars Battlefront II will look to improve on Star Wars Battlefront, you know, like the OG Star Wars Battlefront II.

Biggest Highlight: Star Wars Battlefront II

Featuring new campaign, multiplayer from all eras with more customization, vehicles, and various improvements to gunplay. Still skeptical as the first one left a bad taste in my mouth, but it’s hard not to be excited about being part of Star Wars battles.

Biggest Surprise: A Way Out

Made by the same people who made Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Interesting idea that the game MUST be played co-op, either through split screen or online. Could be hit or miss, depending on how matchmaking would work. 

Microsoft

Microsoft started by addressing the elephant in the room: Project Scorpio. Now dubbed Xbox One X, this mid-generation upgrade is advertised as the most powerful console ever made that will play games the best. The price tag at $499, which gives players cost-effective options based on preference. Since specs were already released, Microsoft could address what it’s called, what it costs, when it will be out (November 7), then dive into games. They announced that the OG Xbox games will soon be backwards compatible on Xbox One, while some Xbox One games can be enhanced with the X’s new tech. After that, they dove into a shit ton of game trailers, so it would just be easier to borrow this list from Kotaku, which also notes their exclusivity:

Anthem (Non-exclusive)

The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti (Console launch exclusive)

Ashen (Console launch exclusive)

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Non-exclusive)

Black Desert (Console launch exclusive)

Code Vein (Non-exclusive)

Crackdown 3 (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

Cuphead (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

The Darwin Experiment (Console launch exclusive)

Deep Rock Galactic (Console launch exclusive)

Dragon Ball Fighter Z (Non-exclusive)

Forza Motorsport 7 (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

The Last Night (Console launch exclusive)

Life Is Strange (Non-exclusive)

Metro Exodus (Non-exclusive)

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (Non-exclusive)

Minecraft (Non-exclusive)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Console launch exclusive)

Sea of Thieves (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

State of Decay 2 (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

Super Lucky’s Tale (Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive)

Tacoma (Console exclusive)

Biggest Highlight: Xbox One X

Despite a really bad name (especially considering another console in the Xbox family is called S, surely leading to some upset children come Christmas time), Xbox’s top-of-the-line console came in with a reasonable price point considering all the tech that’s going into it. They got the important info out of the way and turned their focus to the games, which will no doubt benefit from the beefed-up console.

Biggest Surprise: Sea of Thieves

Out of all the games on that expansive list, Sea of Thieves seems like the most promising to me. This open-world pirate game from Rare looks like it’ll require a lot of cooperation in order to do effectively, but will be fun even when everything goes horribly wrong. Hunting for treasure on the seven seas hasn’t looked this fun in a long time.

Bethesda

Welcome to BethesdaLand! If not for that odd theme park ode to themselves, Bethesda’s event probably would take home the award for most predictable conference. That’s not always a bad thing though, as some big things got announced.

Announcements

Fallout 4 will be getting the virtual reality treatment this fall, with Doom to follow sometime down the line.

Creation Club brings paid mods to Bethesda games. Boooo

Amiibos will allow you to dress as Link in the Nintendo Switch version of Skyrim, at least until you find some more powerful armor

Dishonored 2 is getting a standalone DLC called Death of the Outsider.

The Evil Within 2 is coming out on Friday, October 13th. Creepy things on creepy days.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus completely ignores the ending of its predecessor, The New Order, looks amazing enough that no one seems to care

Biggest Highlight: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Who doesn’t love killing Nazis in a future where their power reigns supreme? Especially when it looks that gorgeous and the combat looks so fluid and brutal. Admittedly, I haven’t actually tried the Wolfenstein franchise, but this looks good enough to quickly change my mind. Because again, Nazi-killin’ and alternative timelines.

Biggest Surprise: Fallout 4 VR might actually make Fallout 4 interesting to dive back into.

It still may be a weak story, but if they can bring it’s gunplay to a VR setting, I’m sold.

Ubisoft

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2 IS REAL, GUYS! I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!

Announcements

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2 IS A REAL THING MADE BY REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL FEELS

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a goofy combo to have such a strategy-based focused, but I’m intrigued. Despite all the leaks about this game before E3, no one saw that coming.

The Crew 2, aka, The Crew 2: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Transference is a cryptic, creepy VR experience that I will never, ever play, no matter how excited Elijah Wood is about it.

Skull & Bones is a game based on the naval combat of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, except without assassins, or creeds (though I assume there will still be black flags a-plenty).

South Park gets double treatment, in the forms of a new mobile game called South Park Phone Destroyer and a new trailer for the RPG South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Starlink: Battle of Atlas looks like No Man’s Sky meets Skylanders, just in the sense that it’s a space game with real-life toys to scan in.

Far Cry 5 showcased Boomer, aka, Fang for Hire, WHO HAD BETTER NOT FUCKING DIE, I SWEAR.

Biggest Highlight: Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Ok, so since I won’t allow myself to put Beyond Good and Evil 2 in both this and the biggest surprise section, Mario gets the treatment here for a few reasons. First, the game actually looks really good, even with those silly Rabbids. It’s a game a-la XCOM with turn-based, strategic combat and exploration. Plus, it gave beloved Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto a chance to perform for the live crowd since Nintendo switched to pre-recorded showings at E3.

Biggest Surprise: Beyond Good and Evil 2

Arguably the biggest surprise of the whole damn show, Beyond Good and Evil has been rumored to be in development over the last 15 years. After the cyberpunk cinematic spectacle that was the trailer, designer Michel Ancel came out with a tear in his eye to a standing ovation as he got to show the fruit of over a decade’s labor. Who knows when this game will actually come out, but amongst all the suited presenters, it was fantastic to see some real emotion from someone who has poured almsot two decades into his passion.

Sony

Unlike Microsoft, Sony didn’t have a new console to unveil, so the focus of their conference was on the games. And goddamn, Sony had a lot of games to announce. Let’s dive right in.

Announcements

Uncharted: Lost Legacy looks like an Uncharted game alright. There’s plenty of guns pointed at people menacingly and people falling over cliffs and/or collapsing buildings. Still, I’m pretty excited to explore India with Claudia and Nadine.

Horizon: Zero Dawn is getting an expansion, which I’m sure I’ll be very into once I actually start playing Horizon: Zero Dawn (I’m holding out for a PS4 Pro and 4K TV to get the best experience possible, cause I’ve heard it’s pretty good).

Days Gone may be coming in towards the end of the zombie craze, but at least it’s doing some interesting things mechanically that should shake things up with that tired genre.

Monster Hunter World is the first time the franchise is coming to non-Nintendo consoles, which could be neat. Maybe through a more proven online infrastructure, more of my friends will actually join in.

Call of Duty: World War II is, well, Call of Duty. It’s cool that they’re going back to World War II, but that’s about it.

Shadow of the Colossus isn’t just getting an HD facelift, but the whole remake treatment. We already know it’s a fantastic game, but now it’s gonna have the looks to match. Let’s just hope the camera isn’t like The Last Guardian...

Quite a few VR games coming to PSVR, including Skyrim (holy shit!), a shooter called Bravo Team, a pretty game called Star Child, a thriller I won’t play called The Inpatient, a Final Fantasy XV fishing game called Monster of the Deep (da fuck?), and an actual interesting game called Moss, which puts you in control of a little mouse with a sword. If I ever get into PSVR, it’ll be for Skyrim and Moss.

God of War will attempt to tackle all of your daddy issues as Kratos and son are on some kind of quest through Norse mythology. It’s interesting to see a character like Kratos slow down from all the over-the-top bloodletting and take on the role of a concerned parent. I’m super excited for the shift in tone.

The people who made Until Dawn are making a mobile game called Hidden Agenda, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Undertale, one of the biggest indie darlings of 2015, is coming to PS4 and Vita, which I’m super stoked about.

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite was one of the few games to do the whole “you can play some of it right now!” treatment with a story demo. Looks a little odd, to be honest. I’m into the whole multiverse idea in general, but it usually makes for a weak way to connect fighting game characters.

Destiny 2 is continuing the trend of timed exclusive content for PS4, which continues to conflict me about which system to buy it on, even though I’ll probably eventually buy both PS4 and Xbox versions like I did before because I have a Destiny problem.

Spider-Man closed down Sony’s conference with a bang. Sure, there are a lot of quick-time events, but Spider-Man looks poised to become the new Batman. I’m hoping that what was shown was just that linear because it was a mission and that the game will have more of an open world, but even if not, this game looks very fun.

Biggest Highlight: Spider-Man

Man, this game looked good. Kingpin is a good choice for a villain, but I’m excited to see how these seemingly unknown characters are utilized. Also, nice little Miles Morales cameo at the end just when everyone thought it was wrapped up. It may not come out until 2018, but this has potential to usurp the Batman series as best superhero game.

Biggest Surprise: Shadow of the Colossus

Probably at third place for biggest surprise of E3, I don’t think anyone predicted that Shadow of the Colossus was going to get the remake treatment so soon, especially after the recent release of The Last Guardian. Not complaining, though.

Nintendo

Nintendo always goes to the beat of their own drum when it comes to E3 conferences. This year, the pre-recorded presentation lasted around half an hour.  However, they went for quality over quantity, and they may have already won E3 2018 with a couple huge announcements.

Announcements:

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was one of the few JRPG’s shown at E3 this year, complete with cheesy dialogue. I always want to break into this series, but whenever I hear this kind of dialogue, I cringe.

Kirby is making his first appearance to a home console in a very long time in 2018. Hope it doesn’t....SUCK. I couldn’t help myself.

For the first time ever, the core series of Pokemon games is making its way to a home console with the Switch. We don’t know if it’ll be a brand new series or if it’ll be the long-rumored Pokemon Stars, but I scared the shit out of my girlfriend when this announcement hit. I’m still scaring her.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, METROID PRIME 4 IS IN DEVELOPMENT. That’s all I needed to know. Nintendo is giving the people what they want. What is this world we live in? There’s also a side-scroller Metroid coming out called Metroid: Samus Returns for 3DS, BUT METROID PRIME 4, Y’ALL!

Yoshi looks wooly again and is getting a Switch game in 2018.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild outlined two pieces of DLC. The first, which is coming out on June 30th, is called The Master of Trials, which looks like a complex gauntlet of endurance and strategy. The second DLC, slated for holiday release, is called The Champions Ballad, and is coming with its own set of Amiibo, which I will probably have to get, goddamn it.

Rocket League is coming to Switch with Mario-themed extras and, most importantly, will feature cross network play. Maybe seeing how Nintendo handles it will convince Sony to try it, and then we’ll get to the beginning of the end of the console wars.

Fire Emblem Warriors is going to be a Dynasty Warriors clone with Fire Emblem paint, if you’re into that kinda thing.

And for the grand finale, Nintendo showed off a lot more of Super Mario Odyssey, including the fact that Mario, with his magic hat Cappy, has the ability to possess and become enemies, NPCs, and fucking dinosaurs. It looks quirky and cute and could be the runner-up for GOTY (Breath of the Wild has that on lock). It also is coming out October 27th.

Biggest Highlight: Super Mario Odyssey

For a short conference, Nintendo focused the back half of it on Mario, and for good reason. Post Breath of the Wild, my Switch has been itching for this game and it’s charming mechanics. On top of possessing enemies, Mario’s hat can also possess things like electric wires to travel from building to building. It’s the centerpiece for this game’s mechanics and I couldn’t be more excited to throw my hat at every fucking thing.

Biggest Surprise: Metroid Prime 4

Now, if this category were giddiest reaction by me, it would be Pokemon on Switch, but with all the leaked info on Game Freak’s specific job posting, the biggest surprise is Metroid Prime 4 actually being worked on. We’ve been clamoring for a new Metroid game and it seems like Nintendo believes the Switch is the system that’s ready to handle it. We probably won’t see anything more concrete on it for another year or so, but knowing that it’s in development should have people salivating until then.

Best Game of Show: Super Mario Odyssey

Despite some exciting trailers for long lost sequels and excellent gameplay demos, Nintendo takes the cake in 2017 with Super Mario Odyssey. After only seeing a small teaser when the Nintendo Switch was first announced, Nintendo delivered what eager fans have been waiting for with the Switch’s newest blockbuster. Nintendo focused in on Mario’s magic cap through most of the E3 presentation, making fans salivate at all the goofy ways to explore and solve New Donk City and beyond. Complete with a release date of October 27th (originally slated as Holiday 2017), fans won’t have to wait nearly as long as most of the exciting things that were revealed in this E3.

[mrgameandwrite]

E3 2017 Wish List

Ah, summer time. The days are longer, movie theaters are overrun by superheroes, and E3 is almost upon us. E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is an annual conference where Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and various game developers showcase upcoming games, consoles, accessories, etc. During the summer when game releases tend to slow down, E3 is a breath of fresh air for the gaming landscape, exciting gamers for what’s coming on the horizon. In anticipation of the June 13th event, here is my wish list for E3 2017 announcements.

Borderlands 3

Right up there as my highest anticipated games of E3 has to be the third installment of Gearbox’s marquee franchise, Borderlands. The RPG-FPS hybrid has been attempted numerous times after Borderlands, but never to the level of perfection that Borderlands (2, specifically) has reached. It’s been relatively quiet since it was first announced back at PAX 2015, and it’s no certainty that it will make an appearance. But I can feel my Tiny Tina tattoo tingling, so that means that I feel some Borderlands news coming my way (that or I have a rash).

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

Borderlands 2 struck gold and is still widely regarded as one of the best co-op experiences in gaming. Borderlands 3 does not need to do much to improve the franchise, but I would like to see more characterization with the playable characters, such as in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (JUST LET ME BE TINY TINA PLEASE). Also, while there has been a break between Borderlands 2 and 3, the series took steps in a different direction with Telltale’s Tales from the Borderlands. Hopefully, the characters that stole my heart in that game make some kind of appearance in Borderlands 3.

Last of Us 2

Back in 2013, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us on PS3, a far departure from the Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted series that made them a household name. This post-apocalyptic game focused on the unlikely duo of Joel and Ellie as they struggled to survive in a world torn apart by infestation. Arguably one of the best games to come out of that console generation, the sequel is due to make another appearance after its debut trailer at Playstation Experience.

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

A new trailer and a release date, simple as that. I don’t know what improvements could be made to a game like The Last of Us (maybe tying multiplayer into the story somehow?). This is one of my favorite Playstation exclusives and I want to know when I can pick up the story again. 

Project Scorpio

While Microsoft will surely have some games to showcase, the biggest event of their press conference will be focused on their new console, Project Scorpio. Microsoft has promised that this mid-generation upgrade will be even more powerful than the Playstation Pro and it has the specs to back it up. If gamers are looking for a top of the line system that can handle gaming in 4K, this is the system.

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

A release date, sure, but more importantly, the price tag. I know that most of us are hoping for that magical figure of $500 or less, but based on all the tech that’s going into this machine, I would not be surprised to see it exceed $750, which will deter a lot of people (myself included) from even considering getting it.

Super Mario Odyssey

As happy as I am to have a Nintendo Switch, it has not been getting a lot of love these days. Yes, Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest games of all time, and yes, Mario Kart is still fun (even after buying it again on Switch), but to this point, there just haven’t been that many games for Nintendo’s new hybrid console that have peaked my interest. That changes with Super Mario Odyssey. Not much is known at this point other than it looks gorgeous and Mario’s hat is alive now , but with this game being the cornerstone of Nintendo’s holiday lineup, I’m expecting it to take over a large portion of Nintendo’s conference.

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

A release date, duh, but also more details on the game itself. But really, I’ll be happy with a release date. Goofy hat antics aside, very excited to sink some more time into my Switch.

Destiny 2

What, you thought Destiny 2 wasn’t going to make it on this list? It’s like you don’t even know me. After taking a hiatus from the game I’ve poured thousands of hours into over the last three years, I’m super excited to start from scratch on a new journey with new guardians on September 8th.  Enough said (for now, I’m sure I’ll have PLENTY more to say about Destiny 2 when I can get my hands on it).

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

Beta, beta and beta. Bungie has been very forthcoming with details in Destiny 2, including story details, changes in weapons, changes to character classes, etc. You name it, they’ve probably mentioned it in some capacity. The only thing that remains hidden is when Bungie will let us guardians get a chance to try out all these new improvements. I would be so giddy if they pulled one of those by-the-way moments and announced that the beta goes live right after E3. Fingers crossed!

Life is Strange Prequel

I wanna gush about high school girls. Dish dish dish, asked my faithful reader(s). Life is Strange was one of those games that I had no idea would impact me as much as it did when it came out back in 2015. As much as I hate the idea of prequels following up classics, I’m still obsessed enough with the characters from this game to be excited for whatever’s next.

WHAT I WANT TO SEE

Anything, really. Information about this was leaked not too long ago, so who knows whether or not this will even be at E3. All we know so far is that this game will focus on Chloe, so the time travel element should be non-existent, which is a little disappointing. However, I don’t expect that to take away from the narrative and characterization that made the original so enthralling.

Honorable Mention

God of War and bushy beards

Final Fantasy VII remake and the never-ending wait

Kingdom Hearts III and the never-ending-er wait

Spiderman for PS4

Sea of Thieves, Rare’s new project

Bethesda’s conference, where hopefully we’ll get a new Elder Scrolls

All of the surprises that are in store

 What are you looking forward to most at E3? Let’s talk about it @mrgameandwrite on Twitter!

[mrgameandwrite]

Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 1 Review: Hooked on a Familiar Feeling

After playing through Telltale’s take on Batman, the initial excitement I had for this series waned as I worried about how Telltale would handle another superhero series. But when you need a good laugh and badass, intergalactic action, you don’t call Batman. You call the Guardians of the muthafuckin’ Galaxy. In Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 1: Tangled Up In Blue, Telltale proved that this ragtag group of interstellar heroes are perfect fodder for their unique style of storytelling and added a fine coat of polish that set up for one of their best first episodes in any series.

Telltale captures the personality of the Guardians of the Galaxy without any direct ties to either the comics or the cinematic universe. From Drax’s blunt, literal responses to Peter Quill’s witty quips to the legend himself, Nolan North, lending his voice for everyone’s favorite sarcastic racoon, each character’s personality is given ample time to shine. Not every comedic moment lands, but when they do, they land hard enough that I actually lol’ed. And I never lol. Fuck lol’ing.

While GotG isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to Telltale gameplay, it does smooth out its edges, for the most part. Other than some tedious detective sections, exploring vertically using Starlord’s rocket boots is a nice new addition. Extended quick-time combat feels fresh thanks to switching between each character’s unique combat styles, highlighted by a pretty dope fight against a familiar foe. These quick-time battles provide just enough interactivity to make you feel apart of the action while still allowing you to marvel at the fantastic fight choreography.

Though combat shifted through multiple characters’ perspectives, most of the story beats puts the player in control of the group’s de facto leader, Starlord. Other than shooting up aliens and being heroes, it’s Starlord’s job to keep the big personalities of his comrades in check. Allegiances and decisions are made that will please some, but piss others off. As usual, it remains to be seen how these choose-your-own-adventure decisions will play out in future episodes, but when trying to keep the band together and happy, every decision could be a key one.

It’s also worth noting that this was one of the few Telltale episodes that didn’t have any issues with character animations (HUZZAH!). Yes, I mention it in every Telltale game I’ve reviewed and yes, it’s nitpicky, but it can really break the immersion when a character says some innocuous thing that breaks another character’s face. Hopefully this is something that can keep up with subsequent episodes (although having few human characters probably helps).

Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue helps set the stage for one of Telltale’s best series yet. It combines the fantastic characters of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy with talented voice acting while also fine-tuning gameplay and character animations. It’ll be hard for this to trump Tales from the Borderlands as my favorite Telltale series, but this episode cements a solid foundation for another great, humorous story.

[mrgameandwrite]

Ending Breath Of The Wild When I Damn Well Please And That’s Fantastic

Ya, the first thing I’m writing about this game is my experience with ending it. This game turned my life all kinds of upside down lately. I’m still trying to grasp at all my thoughts on this game. Bear with me.

Among the many great things about The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the WIld is a decision that took me 75 hours to appreciate: the fact that players can choose whenever they want to fight the final boss. Initially, I was confused as to why anyone would want to rush through the epitome of the Zelda franchise and speedrun to the final battle. However, as this has become a season of great games that are waiting to be played, I’ve come to appreciate that freedom to decide when I’m at a spot to finish one of the greatest games I’ve ever played.

                                                           Going gently into that good night

It’s yet another way that Breath of the Wild is a unique experience for each player. Some of my friends went and found all 120 shrines while others left some quests undone before facing off against perennial bad guy Ganon. It’s a game on anyone’s own terms. Instead of checking off objectives that ultimately lead to the final destination, players are free to choose when they feel satisfied with the experience, can move on to other games, and still be captivated enough to return later to do all the activities that were left behind.

Initially, this was not my thought process going into Breath of the Wild. I was dead set on finding all the shrines, completing all the side missions and experiencing all Breath of the Wild had to offer before completing the story. But here we are, one month later, and the list of side quests continues to grow and I’ve only found around half of the shrines in this game. If I truly wanted to 100% this game before beating it and closing the book, i would have a long journey ahead even after 75 hours.

As time has gone on, it’s become more of a rarity for me to go back and replay games I’ve already completed. Gone are the days where I could run through Bioshock seven or eight times as games are simply rolling out at too brisk a pace. Even with continuing to ignore the games that are on my backlog, I still have Horizon Zero Dawn and Persona 5 to play on Playstation alone (while also trying really hard to like Mass Effect: Andromeda).

With a game like Breath of the Wild, I felt that it’s better to leave some things undone rather than push to complete every task. Allowing me to end the story when I chose prevents me from burning out on it and makes it a lot more likely that I’ll return someday later. Don’t worry, a full review is still in the works (so timely, I know) and will come while I’m playing another game (most likely Persona 5). But I know that someday I’ll pick up Zelda right where I left off, grateful that Breath of the Wild gave me the freedom to play how I want to play and end it when I choose to do so.

[mrgameandwrite]

Batman: The Telltale Series Episode 1 - The Tale of Three Batmen

Yup, it’s another Telltale game. But this is Batman, so it’s cool, right?

Back when Batman: The Telltale Series was first announced at E3, it jumped right towards the top of my most-anticipated list. A story crafted by Telltale following in the footsteps of the Dark Knight? What’s not to like?

After playing through Episode 1: Realm of Shadows, I’m still excited for Telltale’s take on the caped crusader, but I have some reservations. Episode 1 breaks down into a tale of three Batmen, all with different levels of effectiveness. There’s the man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, who becomes Telltale’s saving grace in this episode. He is the central focus of an intriguing story of political power struggles and the choices in the game that, at least for now, hold any significance. There’s Batman, the ninja warrior, who struggles a bit in Telltale’s version due to technical issues and frankly, not being all that well suited for a quick-time heavy combat system. Finally, there’s also Batman, the world’s greatest detective, who falls more into Telltale’s wheelhouse with simple yet effective methods of solving crime scenes and planning attacks.

Minor Spoilers Follow

Even though Batman is the titular character, Telltale does a masterful job of utilizing Bruce Wayne as the driving force behind the narrative, a trait not found in many Batman games. The story of Episode 1 revolves around Harvey Dent and his campaign to become Gotham’s mayor. As Dent’s biggest financial supporter, Bruce must schmooze Gotham’s big political players, including the underworld kingpin, Carmine Falcone.

How Bruce chooses to handle interactions with the crime boss can drastically affect Dent’s candidacy, as well as the Wayne reputation. Welcoming him as a friend can draw the eire of some supporters and bring the Wayne name back into the media for all the wrong reasons. Standing up to Falcone risks pulling his support and influence away from Dent’s campaign, leaving a corrupt mayor running Gotham. Navigating these political minefields as Bruce Wayne has been the most intriguing part of episode one and I’m excited to see how my decisions as Bruce Wayne are going to affect me as Batman, and vice versa, throughout the rest of this season.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the Arkham games, but the fears I had about combat in this game have come to fruition. Quick-time events don’t suit the caped crusader, as combat-heavy sections show a noticeable dip in framerate, but what’s worse is that player action is barely needed. I’ve failed prompts and haven’t even responded to some, but the events play out as they would as if I matched every prompt. I knew coming in that Telltale’s Batman would probably have similar pitfalls in terms of combat, but if the quickness or accuracy of the player in quick-time events ultimately doesn’t matter, what’s the point?

Thankfully, the non-combat aspects of Batman seem to be tailor-made for Telltale. Specifically, linking pieces of evidence together to put together what happened at a crime scene is simple and straightforward so that anyone can feel like the world’s greatest detective.

I know I kinda shit all over the combat, but one of my favorite moments happened right before another combat sequence.  In that moment, Batman is tasked with infiltrating Falcone’s stronghold, which is surrounded by armed guards. From a nearby skyscraper, Batman is able to use his drone to specifically plan how to take down the entire room before anyone has time to react. Once this is planned, the game goes back into another shitty combat sequence, but just the idea of planning those attacks feels like something that Batman would do.

When all three of these elements of the Bruce Wayne/Batman story come together, the end result is a new take on Batman that has a lot of potential. I’m not sure if combat will ever come close to the video game lineage Batman has earned through the Arkham Trilogy, but if Telltale can keep up the political intrigue of Bruce Wayne’s story and the sleuthing and strategizing of a more calculated Batman, it will be hard for me to complain.

[mrgameandwrite]

The Politics of Mario Party

For the past year, there has been a game that has defined the dynamics of my apartment. It has brought us together collectively as roommates and friends and devolved us into bitter rivals. It’s a source of ultimate triumph and painful anguish. The game is Mario Party 8, and the only rule is do what it takes to win.

For the uninitiated, Mario Party is a game that places familiar Mario characters into a virtual board game where players will roll a dice block and go around trying to gather coins to purchase Stars and play mini-games against each other. Players can use coins to purchase candies that can do things like give additional dice blocks to roll, steal coins from other players, or challenge players to one-on-one mini-games. After an allotted number of turns, the player with the most stars wins.

Periodically, all of the roommates in our apartment come together to play the 8th edition of the longstanding Mario Party series. It always starts innocently enough with someone’s suggestion and a naive enthusiasm from the rest of us. Surely a family-friendly game like Mario Party 8 will be fun for all! As time has gone on, however, Mario Party 8 has become a more cutthroat endeavor.

Let’s meet the players.

Peach

The ultimate heel of the kingdom. She is a ruthless winner and lets it be known how great she is if the final tally comes out in her favor. However, if she ultimately loses, she is not above shutting down the system before anyone else has time to celebrate (so not cool). I guess growing up in Mushroom Castle hasn’t taught her how to win or lose with dignity. With the longest tenure playing Mario Party 8 plus the way she handles victory and defeat, Peach has cemented herself as public enemy number one.

Yoshi

The calming presence of the kingdom. Yoshi does not buy into the competitive nature like the other players do. In defeat, she is reassuring and upbeat, while in victory, she is enthusiastic and charmful. If Yoshi ends up winning it all (which is a rarity), her attitude is infectious. No one is ever upset if Yoshi comes out on top.

Dry Bones

The strategic general/master manipulator of the kingdom. DB is a big-picture player, often planning for end-game bonus awards such as distance traveled, most candy eaten, etc., while still standing as a top-tier mini-game player. But that strategizing can go beyond the board as he will attempt to work players into pawns of his game. Yoshi used to be especially susceptible to his manipulations (maybe because DB looks strangely like her skeletal system), but as time has passed, most are able to see through his facade. Nevertheless, he is a force to be reckoned with and if let to his own devices, he is capable of running away with any given game.

Wario

The wildcard of the kingdom. Wario is a solid competitor in mini-games, but when luck is not favoring him, he begins to become more devious. When out of the running for victory, Wario is not afraid to select an opponent to focus on for one goal: sabotage. Victory is sweet, but when out of Wario’s reach, screwing with other players will suffice.

Toad

The newcomer to the kingdom. Toad only has only one game under his belt and is still learning about the basics of the mini-games, the various boards, and the power struggles between the other characters. It remains to be seen what kind of player Toad will turn out to be, but for now, the others are willing to take the extra steps to help Toad learn the game.

With this cast of characters, even the most straight-forward of games could be intense. But this is Mario Party 8, and chaos can be around every corner. The two most recent games are prime examples of both.

Game 1

The Players: Peach, Yoshi, Dry Bones and Wario

The Map: King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway

King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway is a map that is purely about luck. Hidden away in a random room on the board sits King Boo, who is willing to sell you a star for ten coins if you’re lucky enough to find which room he is hiding in. The other rooms in his haunted mansion lead to pitfalls, where players are forced to return to the start with nothing to show for it. Once a player secures the star, all the players are sent back to the start and the mansion is rearranged with a new star room to find.

This game started out as most games on this map do: each player went off in different directions, hoping to be the one to find the first star room. Peach managed to find the correct route first and secured an early lead, with only a small amount of gloating. After finding a second consecutive star, the others began to plot against Peach.

At the behest of Dry Bones, Wario began his subplot of making sure that Peach would lose as many mini-games as possible. Peach became flustered as DB started catching up in both coins and stars. When DB was close to Peach, he used a Duelo Candy, which allows the user to battle a player that he/she approaches for a one-on-one mini-game, with the victor throwing a dart at a spinning wheel to determine what kind of prize to take from the loser. In this case, DB took a star from Peach, giving him a commanding lead.

By the end of the game, DB had come out on top and Peach had dropped all the way down to third. In true form, after the standings posted, Peach ran to the Wii and shut off the console before retreating to her room and taking a sorrow nap. Classic Peach.

Game 2

The Players: Dry Bones, Yoshi (playing as Peach), Wario and Toad

The Map: Shy Guy’s Perplex Express

Shy Guy’s Perplex Express is a rather simple map. Players need to travel the length of the locomotive to get to the star, but should be wary of managing their coins as it’ll cost 20 coins to buy it. There are spaces that players can land on that will move the car before the star back to the beginning, but other than that wrinkle, it’s about making a mad dash to the front of the train.

With Peach sleeping off her loss in game one, Toad entered the fray for the first time and the rivalry between Wario and Dry Bones was renewed. While the rest of the group is willing to go along with DB’s manipulations when Peach is on the board, DB becomes the target if Peach is not playing. In Wario’s eyes, a showdown was looming between DB and himself. However, luck was not on Wario’s side and DB began to run away with the game.

DB was landing on Donkey Kong spaces, which means the star earned at the end was free. He was gobbling up all the distance he could find and getting to stars faster. He was winning a lot mini-games, so he was able to afford stars each time he arrived. He was a monster.

On the other hand, Wario was traveling too fast so that when he got to the star, he wasn’t able to afford it. When he did have enough to buy it and was close, his car got switched... twice. He was losing most matchups with DB, including a Duelo battle by one point. It was at this point that Wario gave up competing and began plotting DB’s sabotage and pushing the rookie Toad to victory, including throwing a Duelo match against Toad in the hopes that Toad would end up stealing one of his stars. It didn’t work as planned, but his strategy of distracting DB helped Toad get some victories in mini-games, earn some more coins and get another star.

At the end of the game, it was DB on top with four stars, Toad in second with three stars, Wario in third with two and Yoshi trying her best. It was time for the Bonus Star Awards, where stars are given to players for things such as distance traveled, most candy eaten, etc, meaning that in a game this close, it’s up to fate to determine the ultimate victor.

The first bonus star was for distance traveled, which went Toad. While the others had other candies to work with, Toad was pretty much eating only double and triple dice candies, making him a clear winner for this one. The score was now tied between Toad and DB at 4 candies each.

The second bonus star was for most candies eaten, and that went to Wario. This was close, but with all the candies he ate to try and sabotage DB, it made sense. He was sitting at 3 stars with Toad and DB still at 4. It would come down to the final bonus star to determine the winner.

The third bonus star was the mini-game star. The other players began sulking in their chairs while DB was on edge. Clearly he had the distinct advantage in this category since he had been running the game. Shockingly, this star went to Wario, who did win a considerable number of team mini-games. All of a sudden, there was a three-way tie with 4 stars between Toad, Wario and DB.

When there is a tie for stars at the end, it comes down to who has the most coins. No one had been paying attention to who had the most coins since we were all assuming that the game was DB’s. The fireworks started going off on screen, building up the tension before announcing the ultimate winner. Everyone was standing, awaiting the reveal of the winner. When the dust settled, there was one player who stood tallest.

That’s right. Wario won. After giving up all hope, after trying to push another to victory, Wario came out as the ultimate victor. DB had to walk away as Wario cackled in triumph. But when the dust settled a bit, the two friends shook hands, albeit a bit smugly from Wario, and moved forward with the afternoon.

There’s never a dull moment in Mario Party 8. Friendships can blossom and relationships can decay. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the Mushroom Kingdom and while there may be a lot of scheming, strategizing and infighting, at its most basic level, it’s all about the luck of the dice. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[mrgameandwrite]

Date With Destiny Part 10: The Rise of Iron Iron Banana Extravaganza

So, you’re probably wondering if I’m gonna be doing anything special for the 10th edition of Date with Destiny. As if writing ten articles about Destiny is some sort of milestone. Well, you’re wrong, you stupid idiot. Ten dates with Destiny doesn’t mean anything when I’m gonna be datin’ Destiny for LIFE. In fact, to show you how little of a deal with this is, I’m gonna keep it short and sweet this time.

This past week marked the return of Iron Banner for the first time since Rise of Iron’s release. Unfortunately, it’s return was marred by the fact that the playlist chosen was Destiny’s latest additon, Supremacy. Was I super annoyed that I played through this bullshit playlist to complete the item in the record book just to find I’d be playing dozens of matches of it this week? You betcha. Did I do it anyway? Of course; Destiny is a game about pushing past the annoyances and the rage moments to find that gooey center of intense, exciting gameplay. Let’s dive in!

When first heading back to the temple, there is a cut scene where Saladin is approached by a long lost Iron Lord, Lady Efrideet. This spunky huntress serves as the Iron Banner vendor for the week and hangs out in a newly unlocked area of the Iron Temple. Neat, new friend!

That new area, however, is HUGELY DISAPPOINTING. Completely underutilized. Lady Efrideet stands at the edge of a cliff with the iron banner symbol aflame, but the rest of the area is filled with empty rooms and wasted potential. It’d be cool if each time you level up in Iron Banner, one of those rooms is filled with some other NPC’s or something other than lonely wolves.

This iteration of the Iron Banner has done away with both daily bounties and the tempered buff, which gave extra experience for Iron Banner activities each day that it was active (meaning that it was best to save turning in those weekly bounties until the last couple days before reset, but also made playing in the early days of the event mostly meaningless). While I’m glad to see the tempered buff disappear, I don’t understand removing the daily bounties. Rotating daily bounties changed the way you’d play each day, which helps keep it fresh for a week.

Teammates are the worst, but they’ve never been worse than in Supremacy. It’s bad enough that we had to suffer through that stupid mode, but on top of that, I’ve gotta watch as my teammates either completely ignore fallen ally tags that enemies pick up to score, hustle past fallen enemy tags cause they’re just trying to murder all the things, or both!

The drop rate for Iron Banner has steadily increased, and that makes me happy. I jumped up in light level from the low 350’s to juuuuust under 370 from all the Iron Banner gear that dropped after matches. Much love, Bungie. Much love.

Overall, Iron Banner returned to the top of one of my favorite Destiny activities. I love the PVE content in Destiny, but I’ve always been a fan of Bungie’s PVP multiplayer experiences and Destiny’s Iron Banner continues to be towards the top of that list. While the playlist choice annoyed me, there was more than enough loot drops to encourage me to continue on and level up. What did you think of Iron Banner? Chat me up @mrgameandwrite

[mrgameandwrite]

Date with Destiny Part 9: A Quick Thanks to Bungie

One of the new exotics introduced in Rise of Iron is the Khovostov 7G-0X, a versatile assault rifle with numerous customization options. It also strikes a chord with Destiny players because the Khovostov was the first gun that players picked up in the introductory mission (as someone who’s created and deleted dozens of characters, I am very familiar with this gun). While the questline to retrieving the fan-favorite Gjallarhorn follows a similar path, the road to retrieving Khovostov is more laden with sentimentality. From the first time ever picking up a gun coming full circle two years later to retrieving that same gun, Bungie took some time to thank Destiny players in the twilight of its life. I wanted to take a minute to return the favor.

                                                             Skip ahead to the 2:00 mark

I’ve been playing Destiny since day one and love it or hate it, it’s been a consistent presence in my life since that fateful day that Dinklebot awoke my guardian (RIP Dinklebot). I’ve poured countless hours into this game, whether it was with a fervent excitement over new content and experiences or grinding the same battles over and again to get the best loot. In these past couple of years, there have been plenty of games that have come and gone, but few that I’ve come back to time and again like I have with Destiny. If I am a guardian, Destiny has been my ghost.

So thank you, Bungie, for creating a beautiful, frustrating, mysterious universe for us to be enraptured by. Thank you for creating raid bosses who can be pushed off ledges with grenades or who perpetually kneel when a LAN cord is pulled, and for fixing those cheeses so that raiding can provide some truly exhilarating encounters. Thank you for creating one of the smoothest online shooting experiences on current-gen consoles, even if you’re saving a CTF mode for Destiny 2. Thank you for the life and death of Dinklebot. Thank you for encouraging the community that has grown around this game. Thanks for allowing me to pick up where I left off after I get bored and need a break. Thank you for the last two years of Destiny and for the places you plan to take us in Destiny 2.

Alright, enough of this shit. There’s Iron Banana (Banner) to be played. See you next time, guardians.

Follow me on Twitter @mrgameandwrite

[mrgameandwrite]

Date with Destiny Part 8: Rise of Iron First Impressions

Man, I’m going to be playing Destiny until my dying day, aren’t I? Shit.

Last week, Bungie released Rise of Iron, the final expansion for Destiny, the first expansion not tied to last-gen consoles. After a week of binging on Rise of Iron, I am simultaneously grateful and frustrated to have not advanced that far. I’m still grinding to get to a point where I can attempt Rise of Iron’s new raid, Wrath of the Machines. Be sure to stay tuned for my thoughts on that once I get there!

In the grand scheme of things, Rise of Iron feels like it’s a product of its tightened development schedule. It is still an enjoyable experience, but is clearly a step backwards from the acclaimed Taken King. It adds a few new features, but very few that I’m excited about, and while the grind I’m currently going through is refreshing and nostalgic, I worry that it won’t be long before everything becomes business as usual again with Destiny.

MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

Story

The story of Rise of Iron focuses on a fabled group of guardians called the Iron Lords and the threat that felled all but one. Lord Saladin, the stoic Iron Banner promoter, takes center stage as the last of the Iron Lords who did not fall to SIVA, a nanotech plague that threatens the fate of Earth. In an effort to contain it, most of the Iron Lords gave their lives, but the containment has been breached and it is up to today’s guardians to finish the fight that the Iron Lords started long ago. 

However, this story does not seem to repeat the lessons learned from the Taken King as the story seems more akin to Vanilla Destiny than a fourth expansion. The brief campaign has little personality until the fantastic conclusion, and I still don’t know much about the threat that I’ve conquered a few times over. There is no personal stake for the player, nor is there someone to vilify. In terms of the narrative, Rise of Iron seems more focused on world-building than storytelling.

PVE

After the story is concluded, players are free to explore Rise of Iron’s new map, the Plaguelands, as well as a new social space, the Iron Temple. While the snowy vistas of the Plaguelands and the mountainside village of the Iron Temple are breathtaking visual marvels, they don’t really have much substance. The Plaguelands are just a snowy extension of the dilapidated Cosmodrome and the Iron Temple, like the Reef before it, adds a few new characters but still isn’t the one-stop-shop needed for a social space. It’s frustrating that there are three different social spaces that have different specialties, but there isn’t one place that can do it all. Maybe that’ll be addressed in Destiny 2.

                                                                   Only look down...

Aside from new exploration opportunities, the additions that the Plaguelands add are minimal. There is a new patrol mission type called quarantine, which tasks guardians to find a special enemy to kill then defend a certain point. The other addition is the Archon’s Forge, which feels like a cheap knockoff of the Challenge of Elders arena. Archon’s Forge is difficult to find, locks out others who would want to join in, and is comprised of timed waves of enemies. If it wasn’t for the damn book of progress, I wouldn’t really give it much thought.

And maybe that’s the point of the book of progress, giving rewards to players for completing activities that they otherwise wouldn’t. But Destiny has enough grinding in it without making players feel obligated to complete menial tasks just to check something off in this shitty fucking book.

PVP

PVP players saw an update to Destiny a few days before Rise of Iron’s release with the long-awaited inclusion of private matches. Slowly crawling to the fun of custom games, people!

However, the new playlist Supremacy is a rip-off of Call of Duty’s kill confirmed, where players must pick up an item dropped by killed enemies in order to score points. Again, not something I’d do were it not a item from the book of nightmares for borderline OCD completionists like myself. I mean progress...the book of progress.

Conclusion

And there you have it, folks. The last major expansion for Destiny. Sure, there will still be special events like another week of the sparrow racing league (please) and social events like the Festival of the Lost for Halloween (YES!), but this is the last paid DLC before Destiny 2 will be announced for sometime in the not-so-near future (BUT OH THE RUMORS). What a saga.

As a swan song for Destiny, Rise of Iron falls a bit flat compared to its big brother. With three years under its belt, it’s frustrating to see Destiny repeating the mistakes of old. Maybe the raid will change my mind, but I’m already looking towards a new horizon with Destiny 2.