Battlefield 1: Nothing Is Quiet On The Western Front

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Matthew

vlcsnap-2016-10-26-21h07m40s853

Tim mows down a trench full of soldiers from a zeppelin gunner’s nest. I blow up a plane mid-air using a tank shell. A horse gallops by at full trot, both it and its rider aflame.

These are just a handful of the “holy shit” moments Tim and I experienced within our first few hours of Battlefield 1. With the Civilization VI launch last Friday, I didn’t expect to touch a new AAA title anytime soon. Thankfully, Tim is a die hard Battlefield fan and picked it up for the XBox One, and I’m still coming down from our last game’s adrenaline rush.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Battlefield 1: Nothing Is Quiet On The Western Front

Civilization VI: O Brave New World!

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Matthew

20161022210903_1

I’ll admit, I was worried Civilization VI might not turn out well. In a previous article, I wrote about my love affair with Civilization V (and my sincere disappointment with Beyond Earth). One of the reasons I was wary of Civ VI is because Civ V already does so many things perfectly: The cleverly-balanced combat, the struggle to outpace your opponent through a myriad of overlapping game systems, and an addicting sense of progress that’s interwoven perfectly with the actual historical advancement of the human race. Not to mention the charming faction leaders that were so noticeably absent from Beyond Earth.

It truly seemed to me like the series had nowhere to go but down. Sure, they could tweak a few mechanics, but would that feel enough like a new game? And if they abandoned the old mechanics entirely, would it no longer feel like a Civilization game? It turns out I was wrong on both parts, and Civilization VI is unfolding to be one hell of a game.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Civilization VI: O Brave New World!

Emily Is Away: You’re A Frigid Bitch, Emily

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Matthew

vlcsnap-2016-10-13-01h00m51s092

Long before social media dominated our lives, we crafted our online personas through the glory of AOL Instant Messenger. We chose our buddy icons based on the latest movie releases, customized the our font to the most unreadable colors possible, and added our favorite song lyrics to our profiles (or if you were like me, added the most sarcastic comedian quotes you could find). Truly the early 2000’s were a magical time.

Emily is Away is a friend-zone simulator based around your AIM chats with a girl named Emily, your “best friend” as you prepare to graduate high school. The game takes place across five years, from your senior year to your final year in college. During each chat session, you’re presented with three different ways to respond that may change the course of your conversation or the actions you agree to take in real life (which happen off screen). In this way, it’s a lot like a “choose your own adventure” game that takes place across AIM.
Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Comments Off on Emily Is Away: You’re A Frigid Bitch, Emily

Achievement Hunter: My Quest To Nab All 286 Civilization V Achievements

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Matthew

civ5_convoy

About three years ago I lamented on a Facebook status that I would have to spend the rest of my life playing Civilization V before I acquired every one of its 286 achievements. A friend shot back a challenge: “You’d better get started then, man.”

Now its the eve of Civilization VI‘s launch (Beyond Earth is for heathens), so it felt like a good time tally my progress. Just the other week I managed to pass the halfway mark with 154 achievements, a whopping 54% of the total. That’s 209 hours of gameplay as well. An honorable run, I’d have to say.

Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Achievement Hunter: My Quest To Nab All 286 Civilization V Achievements

Enduring Dark Souls’ “Return to Lordran” Day

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Matthew

20160930221155_1

Dark Souls isn’t a game I ever thought I’d attempt to beat. My lack of free time means I don’t easily stomach frustration, and the Souls series’ brutal reputation basically kept me away for good. But after getting a taste for Bloodborne, I eventually consumed Demon’s Souls and, well, here I am. Dark Souls was the inevitable next step.

By fortunate coincidence, “Return to Lordran” day was scheduled for October 4. This annual event was initiated by the Dark Souls community as a way to rekindle the game’s online experience following the success of Global Restart Day earlier this year. Dark Souls has remained enduringly popular over the years, attracting a dedicated following that continues to discover new aspects of the game to this day. Many gamers consider Dark Souls to be one of the best games of all time. The game’s age, however, means that online participation has slowly dwindled over time, taking away a significant part of its experience. “Return to Lordran” was the community’s answer to that problem, bringing together veterans and newbies alike to relive the magic of launch day.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Comments Off on Enduring Dark Souls’ “Return to Lordran” Day

Inside: Limbo++

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Matthew

vlcsnap-2016-09-28-00h13m25s077

Two weeks ago I returned from work to find Tim Lee sitting on the couch playing Inside. Joining him on his merry adventure, we spent three nights powering through the main story plus the game’s hidden content. Thanks Tim. You saved me $20.

Inside is essentially a follow-up to Playdead’s previous indie darling Limbo, and the games are similar in most ways. You control a boy in search of some unspecified thing in a monochromatic, hostile world. It’s a side-scrolling puzzle platformer where, like Limbo, the world will try its best to kill you in whatever way possible. Limbo‘s gruesome deaths return here – along the way you’ll be tazed, shot, drowned, and mauled by dogs (among other things). You’ll even recognize a couple of familiar environments, such as the forest at the start of the game, and jumping across rooftops adorned with bold, neon letters.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Inside: Limbo++

Valiant Hearts: Surprise, It’s Not An FPS About WWI

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Matthew

20160920221240_1

It surprises me that World War I has largely escaped the capture of the public’s imagination. I can only name a handful of WWI movies, and there are even fewer games to speak of. Even my fourth grade teacher, a public official paid to educate children, wasn’t able to tell me how or why it got started. For most Americans, WWI is a gaping hole in history with a beginning and an end and a lot violence in the middle. Spoiler alert: The Allies won.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments

Mario Retardy: The Mario Party Drinking Game

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Matthew

mario_retardy

For full rules, scroll down to bottom of page.

It’s no secret that drinking can lead to some bad decisions. Case in point: After several beer-soaked rounds of Jackbox over at Nick’s apartment on Saturday night (note: two Saturdays ago now – I’m late to posting), my friends once again convinced me to a round of the crassly-named “Mario Retardy” drinking game. Full disclosure: The last time I played this game I was so hungover that I had to call out of work.

Most of you are probably familiar with the Mario Party series by now, but if not, here’s a basic rundown: Four Mario characters compete against each other in a dice-based board game where the spaces you land have various effects. Your goal is to collect stars by making it to star spaces before your opponents. In between turns you play minigames for a chance to win coins that you can use to buy stars and other useful useless items.

Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

5 Games That Disappointed Me At E3 2016

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Matthew

I originally considered telling you my top picks for E3, but then I realized it would be a lot funnier to tell you everything I hated about it.

When it comes to E3, there’s a hard and fast rule that you should always follow: Expect to get hyped by trailers and severely let down by actual gameplay. I consider this a universal rule. In fact, just for fun Randall, Chris, and I went back one day to watch old E3 trailers and then compared them to the actual product that got delivered. What a hoot.

Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on 5 Games That Disappointed Me At E3 2016

PAX East 2016: Day Three

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Matthew

IMAG1136

Dawn of the last day. I desperately wanted to try out some VR this weekend, but its a no-go as you basically need to sell your left nut to register for a spot. As such, I decide to at least see what AAA titles are on offer this year. Randall did a good job pointing out that most of the AAA titles this year are simply multiplayer betas that have already been available before. Some examples:

  • Gears of War 4: Multiplayer open beta available starting tomorrow.
  • Uncharted 4: Open beta was available back in March.
  • Battleborn: Open beta available on April 13.
  • Overwatch: Open beta on May 5. Closed beta began several months ago (and closes tomorrow).
  • Doom: Open beta was available from April 15-17.

Building playable demos that don’t crash at the convention sucks a lot of time out of development, so I get it. Plus, open betas mean millions of eyes looking out for bugs in your game. But no one likes to stand in line for two hours to play a freely available demo. I treat the AAA section as a spectator sport instead.

Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on PAX East 2016: Day Three