If you are a fan of Role-Playing games then you know what separates the "Good" games to the "Not so good" games. Or if you don't play Role-Playing games and you don't know what it takes to make a game of decent quality, well then, sit on back and enjoy.

First, what is a good RPG? This question is rarely asked to developers while they make their games. Why is that? Ultimately, everyone expects something slightly different from an RPG. This may be why there are so many RPGs out there. Everyone who is competent enough to do so makes an RPG which will fit their preferences. From this, we can deduce that it is impossible to create an RPG which will be good in everyone’s eyes. It is safe to say that it is impossible to please everyone, and therefore impossible to make an RPG everyone will enjoy, especially with many people having mutually exclusive desires in an RPG. Despite this, I believe that it is possible to an RPG to please almost everyone. How's this possible? Well, I've picked out details that "Good" RPGs use to create their version of "the perfect game". These details, if used correctly, all mix together to create that perfect blend.

And, CHARGE!

First step to making that perfect RPG is THE STORY. Now remember that word, "story". A key, and I mean a key aspect to any game, especially a Role-Playing tale. RPGs have to have that kind of story that keeps your mind going, a story that makes you comeback for more. No disrespect, but we can't have any lackluster story that comes straight out of an FPS multiplayer heavy game. The games that you are only playing single player so you can get those trophies or achievements, but the story that you want to experience. I, for one, thought Dragon Age: Origins had something to its story that made me wanting more, same goes for Mass Effect, the whole history of that game can be written in a novel. The player has to feel something special while engaged with the tale, we can't have gamers just yawning to themselves while chopping off their enemies heads, there has to be a reason why you are where you are and why you are doing it.

If a RPG can tell a tale in a single game, then great. If they need to expand it out threw a sequel or two, that's fine too. With the writers that know what they are doing, a game can be pushed into the right direction. Don't rush it and you will have first, and important flavor to add to your game on your quest to perfection. Tell the tale and make sure you have good writers providing it for you.

What do you mean we're not an RPG?!

Next come the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Over the years I fell in love with Garrus Vakarian from the Mass Effect series, I also really liked Commander Shepard. Those two characters were a great duo and threw out the whole ride I kept telling myself, I have to keep Garrus alive. I always made sure that took Garrus on my main missions and made sure that we were fighting side by side. Bioware hit the nail on the head with the character development and I was greatly impressed by how many characters I liked and hated. If I lost a member that I liked, I felt sad, If I killed someone I hated, I enjoyed it and felt accomplished. Role-Playing games in the making should take notes from Bioware, which mastered the character development department.

We need those characters that you feel drawn to. If one of those characters die, it needs to be an emotional roller coaster. The player wants to feel that a part of them is lost with the death of a buddy. No random guy deaths with sad music in the background trying to make the player sad when truthfully, the most players just want to move on with the game. That connection between the player and the character is key. The highs lift up the players, and the lows, well, bring the player down, maybe even to the verge of shedding a tear. Have feeling for the character, sympathy, anger or something else. Not just for the main character but for his nemesis and his 'sidekicks'.

No! Not Solider number 5! Don't kill him, please!

The next piece of the pie is MORALITY CHOICES. While morality isn't as major of a factor than the story or characters, I still think it's important. While playing an RPG I think that the players should have a say in whether they want their character to be good or evil/Paragon, renegade. Between the small choices, helping a child in need or ignoring him, to the more game changing choices, saving a colony, or leave it as it burns. Morality in Role-Playing games are a popular mechanic that allows the player choice in gameplay, giving the player greater input into how the story unfolds than traditional "on rails" plotting where the player simply follows the predetermined path the developers create, and that's the gloy of an RPG isn't it? The player chooses their own path. 

They are two typical types of morality systems in video games, the simple, and the complex. Excuse my rant here, but I do like to research morality in games and I've learned a lot about them. Simple morality systems include those in games such as Fable or Knights of the Old Republic and consist of one-dimensional, clearly defined "good" and"evil" choices which are usually directly at odds with one another. These simple systems have the problem of rewarding a player if they consistently choose one or the other side, but not rewarding a nuanced playthrough where one may choose to be "good" in some circumstances and "evil" in others based on context. They have the advantage of being easy to implement and thus less demanding on the developer, as well as making it easy for players to know which choice they want to make based on their personal preferences.

More complex morality systems attempt, to make choices less about "good" and "evil" and more about two or more distinct but equally viable methods to solve a problem. The player will still solve the problem, but how they go about it is up to them. Mass Effect 1,2, and 3 attempt to solve the problems of prior games by having two discrete meters for "Paragon" and "Renegade" actions. Although still loosely good/evil choosing to make a Paragon action does not directly penalize you if you make predominately Renegade options and vice versa, and thus allows for the player to put more thought into their actions instead of being rewarded for consistently choosing one or the other.

Regardless of method, morality choices are often at odds with scripted gameplay sequences and design, putting pressure on developers to write and script multiple pathways to the same end objective, and although the balancing act is difficult it can lead to greatly rewarding gameplay and a richer game experience for the player. That's why this is a key ingredient to a good RPG.....Wow that's a hell of rant, I got a little carried away there.

Renegade for life Joker, renegade for life.

The fourth key is, WEAPON ARSENAL. Picking up weapons, throwing them in your inventory, and upgrading them. The player is more than likely going to want to change up their taste when it comes to weapons. Swords, maces, arrows, different types of guns, and armor and appearance. Loot, buy, and sell. The perfect blend of an RPG can't keep the everything the same. Upgrade a gun or a sword and when you want to master another one, equipped it with you and rack up some XP and become the ultimate weapon. Done with that weapon, sell it and get cash for it. The power to change up the players character is an important factor. Create and recreate your version of the perfect arsenal. Nothing like uncovering an object that you picked up earlier in your journey and forgetting that you had it. Sell and resell, remember that, sell and resell.

So where do you keep all your weapons?

That's none of your damn business.

Factor five goes to, EXPLORATION. This just doesn't go for RPGs, exploration is everywhere in games. A very common game mechanic where the player is invited explore the environment with the intent to discover new areas or upgrades. The concept is far reaching in that it applies to almost every game, from the RTS to the Platformer.   Usually the more diligent the player in searching everywhere, the more rewards the player is met with, these rewards vary from interesting sights to see, easter eggs, power ups, more ammo, etc. etc.

They are hand fulls of different types of exploration out there. Many will work of an RPG. "Fill in the Blank." In this type of exploration you start off with an empty map screen and as you progress you fill it out, making it easy to navigate and plot your course around through the world. As you fill it in you are sometimes rewarded with locating items that would have been missed, or sometimes in the case of Final Fantasy VII of being rewarded with items on the spot for completing each levels map. The Elder Scrolls is also an excellent candidate of using this function.

I believe that with these 5 factors blended together, a good RPG can be made for everyone. With the proper tools the "perfect" Role-Playing game is out there. Sure, the genre isn't for everyone but for the fans of Role-Playing, we have all played the RPGs that we loved and the ones that we hated. The key is to blend in everything from the game you love and mash it into one. The form of artwork that an RPG is is meant to be handled with care and not rushed. The perfect Role-Playing game is out there, you just gotta go get it.

Happy Hunting!

Nathan Drake, Solid Snake, Commander Shepard, Ada Wong, John Marston, Sam Fisher and more. Video games have not only impressed us with graphics, story, and multiplayer but with characters. Whether you like their wit, personality, looks, or maybe you have sympathy for them, character development has been a key role for me when it comes to gaming and while the developers do a great job creating the characters I want to give a shout out to the voices behind the face. Voice acting has been overshadowed for some time now as we see Hollywood actors staring in games and cartoons. Sure, some do a decent job but most will admit that voice acting felt too awkward and that it's not for them. Voice acting and acting are a different business and I thought, we always see actors getting phrase so why not we show some love to the voice actors? You may not know their faces but you know their voices as they have impressed us with their talent. This blog will contain some of my favorite voice actors in the business and is my way of shouting out. Thank you for all your great work behind the mic, we appreciate it.

Mark Hamill: Mark is the best man who has ever played the Joker. Don't get me wrong, Heath Ledger did a great job but Mark is the creator of that wacky laugh and played the insane clown beautifully. When I hear that he was playing the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum I let out a cheer as childhood was coming at me as I can recall watching the Batman Animated Series as a child with Hamill playing the joker. Mark Hamill proved that the role of the Joker has and will always be meant for him in not one but two great performances. I can't imagine anyone playing as good of a Joker as him and I will never forget all those great laughs we shared. I want to keep this more focused on video games but Hamill does more cartoons than anything. As he was the voice of Captain Sticky Beard in Codename Kids Next Door, he was also featured in SpongeBobas the Mothman and he is currently staring on Cartoon Networks hit show (my personal favorite) Regular Show as Skipps which is a perfect role for him. Thanks Mark Hamill for all the great memories as the Joker and for continuing to make me laugh as Skipps.

Ali Hillis: Ali has become one of my favorites with her roles as Liara T'Soni (Mass Effect) and Lightning (Final Fantasy XII-XII 2) Ali does more supporting roles when it comes to video game, she did provide the voice of Mizuki McCloud (Ninja Gaiden3) and she was featured in Valkyria Chronicles and Xenosaga. For me though, her notable performance has to be Liara. Her portrayal of the character truly swept me away, arguably creating a deeper and more human character than the majority of the non-alien crew. Ali hasn't been around for too long when it comes to voice acting but after her performances in Mass Effect and Final Fantasy, I hope she explores more in the voice acting gig.

They're like twins.

Steve Blum: Steve has been around since 2000 when he hit his first gig providing the voice for TOM, the robotic host for Cartoon networks Toonami. He voiced TOM up until the shows cancellation in 2008(worse day of my life). Four years later, 2012, Adult Swim announced that Toonami will be making a return, this time the program would be aired during Adult Swim and the shows wouldn't be as heavily edited. It was also announced that Steve Blum would be returning as the host of the program. Blum has worked on many anime's such as The Laughing Man for the hit Steampunk anime Ghost in the Shell. He also provided the voice for Spike from the classic Cowboy Bebop. Steve starting to provide voices in video games, his resume is real impressive as he's played the major roles in so many games. Some roles, I don't even know it was played by him until I see his name in the cast list. I wouldn't have ever guessed that the actor that played Oghren from Dragon Age: Origins was the same guy that played Garcia Hotspur from Shadows of the Damned. Steve does a great job of changing his voice in almost every game. From the rough and tough Killer Croc (Arkham Asylum) to the joking Mexican of Garcia, (Shadows of the Damned) Steve Blum certainly knows what he is doing and I'm sure he will continue to keep up the great work.

Claudia Black: Claudia is one of the few voice actors that does live action work and is good at both. This Australian actress hit it big with the Sci-Fi series Farscape and Stargate SG-1, but it's not her live action performances that get praise here, it's her roles in voice acting. Claudia started her voice acting career with the 2002 video game adaptation of Farscape voice the character that she played in the show. Claudia went on to voice side roles when it came to voice acting until she played the role as Chloe Frazer in Naughty Dog's award winning title Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Claudia was praised by Naughty Dog as, an absolute treat to work and for preforming a drop dead performance. Claudia went on to play Morrigan in BioWare's critically acclaimed, Dragon Age: Origins. She voiced the smart talking lovable character perfectly and proved that she wasn't a one hit wonder. Claudia went back to work with BioWare this time to voice three characters for the Sci-Fi Mass Effect 2. She voiced the roles of Admiral Xen, Matriarch Aethyta, and Rachni Envoy, she voiced the same characters in Mass Effect 3 as well. Claudia then went on to work on another big game, this time with Epic Games voicing the role of Samantha Byrne in Gears of War. Claudia has voiced some important characters in big games, it's just too bad that her role in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception wasn't as big as it was in the 2^nd one. Claudia also voiced the narrator in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and had a role in Diablo III. Claudia has won three award, none of them have been for her voice acting, however. She was awarded best actress in 2005 for her role in Farscape, in 07 and 09 she won Best Female Performance for a Sci-Fi role. Claudia is a fantastic voice actress and an even better actress, kudos to you Claudia.

Have to save Nate's *ss again.

David Hayter: I want to give a short shout out to Hayter since he is more of a writer than he is voice actor. Hayter is known for voicing the famous video game character, Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. Solid Snake, Naked Snake, and Old Snake have all been voiced by him. Hayter also played himself in the opening videos of Metal Gear Solid 4. Like I previously stated, Hayter isn't typically known as just a voice actor, but his work with Snake is so good that it puts him at the top of voice actors. Hayter was also featured in the classic psychological horror game, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem as small cameo like characters. Hayter also voiced in Star Wars: The Old Republic as the male Jedi Knight.

Jen Taylor: Taylor started her voice acting career back in the late 90s when she voiced a role in Backyard Baseball. Her next role was Princess Peach in Mario Golf and ever since then she has been the voice of the character. Jen also provided the voice for Zoey in Valve's Left 4 Dead and she also played Amanda Young in the unsuccessful Saw video game. Jen has been featured in a lot of games, mainly because of her role as Princess Peach but her most phrased and most recognized role is Cortana in the successful Halo series. Jen plays the AI perfectly and truly makes the character unforgettable.

Troy Baker: Troy is featured in a bunch of Animes, which is A-Okay with me, but he is in even more video games. Chances are if there is a character that you like and don't know who the character is voiced by, it's probably from the voice of Troy Baker. Baker voiced Two-Face and Robin in Arkham City, Vincent from Catherine, Valvatorez in Disgaea 4, Snow from Final Fantasy XII/XII 2, Male character in Saint's Row 3, Kanji in the Persona series, Captain Renko from Singularity, James Sunderland in the HD remake of Silent Hill 2 and a bunch more of characters. The thing about Troy is that he was a fan of video games before he started voice acting in them. Troy says; "It's a dream come true to be acting in all these video games." Troy Baker is one of my personal favorites not only because he has played so many of the characters that I've loved but because he sees himself as a normal guy, he started out just as a normal gamer who played guitar and now he is a famous voice actor. Troy doesn't let all the hype get to him as he is incredibly modest about his career. It's a fact that his voice acting career isn't fading away as he is voicing the roles and mocaping (at least one role that I know of) the lead role of Joel for Naughty Dog's upcoming game, The Last of Us, Booker DeWitt in the highly anticipated BioShock: Infinite, and voicing the role of the newly added protagonist to the Resident Evil family, Jake Muller for the upcoming Resident Evil 6. We are lucky to have such a great voice actor such as Troy Baker to play the leading roles in so many video games.

Nolan North: Nolan has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man." It's tough but I'd have to say Nolan North is my number 1 favorite voice actor in the business. For those Assassin's Creed fans (I'm looking at Nikolas Davidoff and ace13) might recognize Nolan as Desmond Miles. Nolan has been in a lot of games, like Troy Baker. He was recently the voice of Penguin in Arkham City, the goofy and lovable Sigmund in Ratchet & Clank: Future Crack in Time, Will in Dark Void, Roland in Resistance: Retribution, Brawl in Transformers: War for Cybertron and Cliffjumper in the upcoming Fall of Cybertron. The list goes on and on for Nolan's roles but his award winning role comes from the Naughty Dog award winning series, Uncharted. Nolan voices and mocapes the games lead character, Nathan Drake. The witty, unlucky mixed with good luck, unforgettable character is voiced perfectly by Nolan and I couldn't imagine anyone else acting as him (that means you Mark Wahlberg!). Nolan also voices Deadpool in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and will be voicing him in the Deadpool game. Nolan North is said to be a legend when it comes to male voice actors, and that statement is 100% true.

Jennifer Hale: Alright everyone, make way for the queen of all voice acting, the best amongst the best, the one the only, Jennifer Hale. Jennifer Hale is said to be, "The best female voice actor in current time." Well, that statement is all fine and dandy but one word doesn't fit in,"female". Female or not Jennifer Hale is the best voice actor in current time. Gender doesn't matter when it comes to voice acting. Yes, I've stated that Nolan North is probably my favorite and Troy Baker is up there too but I think I can safely say that Jennifer Hale is the best that there is. She branches out from more than just video game voice work as she has been in many cartoons such as; Billy & Mandy, as Billy's mom,  X-Men as Jean Grey, Camp Lazlo, Totally Spies, Scooby-Doo, Kid's Next Door and many more. Jennifer started her work with video games back in 94 when she played a role in a game entitled, Quest for Glory IV. In 98 she landed her first notable video game performances with the role of Dr. Naomi Hunter in Metal Gear Solid. Jennifer went on with more roles in video games and started to make a name for herself in the video game business. Her most notable role of this generation is with Female Shepard in the Mass Effect series. I had originally played Mass Effect as Male Shepard, not even knowing that the most notable voice actress played the female version of Shepard. I played the whole series to the end with my imported Male Shepard, since I've beaten it the trilogy I have now gone back to replay the series as FemShep. Not only because I enjoyed the series but because Jennifer Hale is that great as a voice actress that I need to replay the series as with her voice as my Shepard. Hale stated with her role as Naomi from Metal Gear Solid and preformed an unforgettable performance as the character in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. She also stayed as the voice as Jean Grey, or Phoenix and voiced her in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, she is also the voice of Leah in Diablo III, and she is the narrator for the multiplayer in Uncharted 3. Jennifer, of course, has been in a lot more games and cartoons with important roles but if I were to list them all it'd be way too long of a blog. I've never been this certain when it comes to a topic but Jennifer Hale is without a doubt that Jennifer Hale is the queen of voice acting, and even though Nolan North is a fantastic voice actor, the title of the best goes to Jennifer Hale. Thank you Ms. Hale for all the excellent work that you have done and I'm sure we will continue to see more great work from you.

Stay frosty GIO, stay frosty...

August is over, September has begun, the kids are back in school, Colleges have resumed for the fall semester, and the air has become cooler. It's safe to say that summer is now over and the fall has begun. Some might cheer while others might not, but all I can say is, summer will be back next year. I love this season has much as the next guy or gal does, the warmth, the blue skies, calm nights, going out having a good time and not worrying about how cold or rainy or snowy it's going to be when you have to drive back home. Yeah, I will miss summer but I will also welcome my favorite season, the fall. Living in a state that has all four seasons, has hot summers and cold snowy winters, I really look forward to the fall for its nice cool, not too hot not too cold weather, plus I like Halloween.

Summer is a tough time if you want to buy brand new games and really enjoy them. The summer drought of games can be a long 3 months if you let it, but it is a perfect time to catch up on those older games that you missed out on, or time for another play through for a game that you enjoyed. As someone that always makes time for games in my schedule I have dealt with these problems of the lack of newer games. During the summer, when I'm playing games I'll find that one or two games to be released and buy them, but manly I go to my enormous library of games and pick up the ones that I have not finished, or play a second or third play through. This summer I accomplished a lot more than I expected from myself, I can look back on my gaming summer with a smile on my face as I push my head threw the gaming holiday season.

At the end of May, the beginning of summer, gamers were treated with two highly anticipated games being released on the same day. The last high powered games being released before E3 and before the longest months for gamers, Max Payne 3 and Diablo III. I picked up the games to enjoy myself with the last new games that I would buy in a long time. I started up Max Payne and was very impressed with it, as Diablo III was going to be my on and off game. I wanted to take my time with Max, switching between multiplayer and single player. On about the last day of May or on the first day of June I had finished Max Payne's single player and was amazed, I did stick with the multiplayer for a little bit, but not being a multiplayer heavy gamer I dropped it sooner rather than later. After Max Payne 3 I tuned into E3 so I can get excited for upcoming games and start putting some money to the side for all the games that I will be buying. (I'm still recovering from last year's mega holiday season) My excitement started to boil but the convention had ending. It was time for me to move on to play a game that I hadn't finished yet. So, I went into my huge library of nicely sorted out games and picked one up that I had been telling myself for months that was going to be a summertime game.

I started up Yakuza 3, a very impressive game which I'd recommend to any fans of Japanese games. I had originally started it up last August but I sat it back down because I kept buying new games and the game had a painfully slow start. My regret is that I waited months a pond months to pick it back up, but at the same time I am kind of glad that I waited to play it for one of my summer games. I had finished threw the slow beginning during my last play so I was able to get right into the action. I was hooked right away as the story grew and the more intense it got. I had, what I call, Fallout syndrome. When I had gotten Fallout 3 I locked myself in my house during my free time, threw my phone on the other side of the room from me and had change my eating habits to only water and peanuts. I took breaks here and there to give my eyes and system a rest, I didn't sleep much and I didn't eat anything besides peanuts that were at my side. (Not healthy kids. Remember to eat) I started doing this with Yakuza 3, although it wasn't as bad of a case, it was still bad. The game didn't let go of me, plus it was a long tale. I damned myself for waiting so long to pick it back up, I was really enjoying myself. The game threw me twists, intense moments, dialogue, and an emotional climax toward the end of the game. I loved Yakuza 3 and I had finished it a lot sooner than I thought. I was worn out and tired from all the gaming I had done, however. I spent my free time doing more healthy things to get myself back on track, but it was still June and I needed to move on with my summer gaming.

What the heck are you lookin' at, punk?

Initially I wanted to continue with a game that I had bought a few months ago but never got deep into it, but I insisted that I play LA Noire and do some trophy hunting. I was around 5 trophies away from platinum so I though; what the heck? I went for my platinum run at mid-June and finished it in about a week. First trophy I went for (I don't know how I missed it) was 'Roscoe and Friends', all you have to do is earn a kill with every gun in the game. Simply, I unlocked it with ease, but I had more challenging trophies to get such as; driving each vehicle in the game, finding all 50 hidden gold film reels, causing $47,000 or more damage in a single case, and 100% the game. I went right for the film reels thinking it was the easiest, as I searched I went into any car that didn't look familiar to me. After 2 days of searching I had found all the reels and was about 7 cars away from driving them all. My total percent was at 96% and would reach 100 once I had driven all the cars. After some thought I decided to try and find the cars before doing the 'Public Menace' trophy. ($47,000 damage) After going through hell and frustration I found all but 2 cars, I took a break from games for a day but when I picked it back up I was determined to found those cars. Within 5 minutes I found car number 94, one more left, after an hour of searching and a little chase I had found the damn car. I threw my hands in the air and let out a giant YES! With that trophy also came the 100% trophy. The next day I went for my last one, and on the first try I had gotten it. Finally after that trophy dinger went off and seeing the two trophies unlock was a special site for me, I was so happy that I had unlocked the top honors for the game, and it was the last week of June, a lot of summer left to go.

With a Platinum in the bags and Yakuza both finished in June, plus Max Payne 3, I had to go back to the library of games and picked up Resistance 3. Not a diehard of the series but I did enjoy number 2 I gave three a shot. Played a bit, but for some reason I put it down. What a better time to pick it back up? I had about 15% of the game finished before summer, so I expected it to take me longer to finish. Resistance 3 is a shorter game than most, it was a fun experience, not the best by any means but for me it did the job, nothing more unfortunately. Exploring the destroyed country and shooting aliens kept me a little busy, but it didn't give me any unforgettable parts, like I said, it did what I thought it would and nothing more. July 1^st it was when I had stopped with it, so much for keeping me busy. 4 summer projects complete and it was only July.

 The following day I picked up Alan Wake to increase my 360 collection. I've heard of this game and thought it was interesting. A man named, Alan Wake writes a horror story that seems to be coming to life, Alan is forced to travel in a deadly town that is being consumed by what is known as the 'darkness' and fighting off the deadly hostiles that have been possessed by in order to find his supposed dead wife. I've made it far in this game but I have yet to beat it, I'm close though. While playing Wake I was one day on the PS store and came across InFAMOUS: Festival of Blood. Being a spinoff DLC I wasn't too sure but I gave it shot since it was on sale. I took my time with Festival trying to make it last, I unlocked all of 'Mary's teachings' (which didn't take long), and I managed to find all the 'Blood Jars'. I finished the DLC in about 2 weeks, which was longer than I had thought it would. I would then slow down a bit on my gaming.

After my date with Bloody Mary I decided to go back to the PS store, I had run into the trailer for Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse. The trailer made me laugh and since I was a fan of the Back to the Future game series (both games done by TellTale Games) I put in the money and downloaded it. As of today I am on the final episode, I downloaded it in mid-July. I thought that the episodes wouldn't be too long but since the game has some tricky puzzles the series is a bit lengthy. A cool adventure mixed with funny characters and that taste of crude humor that made me pause the game since I was laughing too hard (some of the little references got me). Sam & Max has been every bit of fun for me, unlike the Back to the Future puzzles, I really had to stop and think of a way to get past a certain, HINT: You have to be creative.

Being a PlayStation Plus member, I get all kinds of special deals on games and a lot of free ones. Saints Row 2, Just Cause, BloodRayne, The Walking Dead 1 and 2 and other games downloaded really give me a lot of more games to play. Yes, I played these games and they could have kept me busy for a long time but I still dropped by GameStop to purchase some games. I wasn't feeling like spending money or playing some of my unfinished games so I went to Heavy Rain. (Which I've already beat) Late July I started it up again and I took my time with it finishing it up in mid-August. I'm a big fan of this game and it is like anything I've ever played before and it will stay in my memory. Once again, I received my vision of the best ending with the 'Four Hero's' (having all Four characters survive up until at least the final conflict) section.  I was happy with this ending the first time that I unlocked it and I was once again happy once I received the same ending...Remember, when in doubt think like Norman Jayden, and yes, I made sure that I was pleased with his ending...again.

A dog and a Rabbit with guns...Aw Yeah!

August was wrapping up and the drought was coming to an end. For me, it started with Persona 4 ARENA, the fighting game of Persona. With that Persona feel and good fighting mechanics, this was a solid buy for me. Metal Gear Solid 4 had gotten it's trophies and I started it up again for the fourth time, The Last Story had come out (this game is not a 6) and with it I had also bought Darksiders II. Before I knew it I was back to my old ways spending a bunch of money on games. I thought that these games would keep me busy for a while and that I wouldn't buy anymore for a month or so. I was wrong, the next week I went right back to purchase Sleeping Dogs (I am really enjoying it for some reason). Still not done yet, I went to go for the Ratchet & Clank HD collection and BlazeBlue Vita edition. So much money had gone to games and it put a small smile on my face saying, "The drought is over". With all these game, I'm gonna be busy for a while. I'm surprised by how much I accomplished over the summer gaming wise. Heck, I still haven't finished Wake, MGS or any of my August games yet. Maybe I went a bit over board with all the gaming but I'm not filled with any regret, I made it through the slowest time in gaming and now I have the fall season to look forward to.

I did say Sleeping Dog, right?

Stay frosty my friends.

Almost everyone out there knows about TellTale's new game series, The Walking Dead. The game is a 5 part bundle each episode being released once a month, just like any other TellTale game. TellTale turned Robert Kirkman's comic into a point and click adventure game which is solely based on player choice. If you've played games such as Mass Effect, Heavy Rain and other games with choices you might have been impressed with how much the world chances with each one of your decisions. In The Walking Dead literally every small decision you make will have a certain outcome, it's hard for two people to get the same exact outcome and have each character feel the same way about you. The Walking Dead is shaping up games based on choice and has stepped up the power of choice.

TellTale isn't a newer company, not for me, TellTale is behind the Back to the Future series, Sam & Max and Jurassic Park. I started my first game with TellTale back when the released their Back to the Future series, a direct sequel to the 3 film. I downloaded the season pass on day one because I'm a huge fan of the film series and the fact that it's a cannon sequel to part 3. My only worry was who will play Marty McFly since many of us know Michael J. Fox is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease which has prevented him from acting. TellTale found a young man named AJ Locascio to play McFly, AJ played a dropped dead performance sounding just like Michael J. Fox. The game also was able to get Christopher Lloyd to return to play as Doc. Brown, and don't worry, Micheal J. Fox was able to make an appearance in the episode. I enjoyed the series and was a bit sad when it was all over, since then I have been a fan of TellTale as I have also played Sam & Max. TellTale's Jurassic Park was smashed with bad reviews when it was released, which prevented me from playing it for myself. After the disappointment with the dinosaur tale the company redeemed itself with The Walking Dead and know the company is getting praised and is becoming more known.

Whether you are a fan of the comic or the AMC TV series I think the game will be to your liking. As the show follows around a sheriff of Atlanta, Rick Grimes the game series follows around Lee Everett, still from Atlanta but a convicted murderer. Both the series and the game have the main protagonist leading a group of survivors. Rick finds a group and is welcomed to it while as Lee forms a group as he slowly meets survivors. In Rick's group, the survivors always like to think positive and when a problem with the group happens everyone forms together to squash the issue and move on. In Lee's group people seem to have different few points which leads to fallout and Lee has to do his best to take care of the issue, even if that means siding with someone. In the beginning of the game series Lee meets a little girl named Clementine who has been taking care of herself ever since her parents left her with a babysitter. Lee takes her in and tries to find other survivors while keeping his and Clementine's hopes up with keeping positive. I decide not to tell Clem that I am a convicted murderer because I don't want her to be scared of me. She also worries about her parents, unfortunately it doesn't seem like they are still alive. There is no evidence that they are dead but the odds don't seem to be in their favor. I keep Clem in a positive mood by making Lee say things such as, we can look for them once we get to where they were and I'll take care of her until we find them. I gain Clem's trust and since I'm a softy whenever she feels a certain way and no one else goes with what she has to say, I pick her side. Sure, I might lose some respect from the other members but I get the trust of Clem as I have made Lee her new father figure.

These small decisions in which if you side with someone affects everyone's view of you in the group. Remember, you can't always make everyone happy. Each episode opens up with a black screen saying; "This game series adapts to the choices that you make. The story is tailored by how you play". This opening gives you a hint that you are going to make some tough decisions threw out the game. Each talking sequence offers choices of what to make Lee say, during the intense and dramatic conversations you are timed. Unlike Mass Effect and Dragon Age where you can have your character stare off into space for 5 minutes before saying anything, The Walking Dead makes you choose your dialogue in a rush. A lined like timer is at the bottom of your screen which shows you how much longer you have to say something. If you panic you might say something that you don't want to and which can lead to a big fight, always keep calm and if you are a slow reader skim threw each choice.

GET BACK!

Dialogue isn't the only important part of the game. At the end of episode one I was faced with an important decision in which caused me to freeze for a little bit, letting the time run down to get every short second to think. I made my pick, in one which I don't think many people did but I did because I looked at the big picture down the road. I wish I could tell everyone my choice to end off episode one but because of spoiler alerts, I will keep it to myself. I was shocked by how much of a big story defying decision was made in this early of the series, this was a little taste of what to expect later down the road. The episode concluded with a, next time on The Walking Dead with a preview that showed what to expect from next month.

Since I am a PS Plus member I had access to the first two episodes all for free. The next day I started up episode 2. In this episode you see how much Lee and the others have changed and adapted to the end of the world. The group, however, isn't always on the same page with one another as there is always arguing which leads to me stepping in and cleaning up the issue. At the start I was faced with sorting out food and had to make the hard decision of getting to pick who got to eat. I fed all the kids first, the young man who came with me on my latest mission to the woods and the man who, for some reason hates Lee. I fed the rotten a-hole because I thought he might gain some respect for me, but he took it anyways and was still a rotten old a-hole. I could have kept some of the food for me but I decided to feed the group instead. This led to group members thinking different of me, and one of them said, "You are a true man for taking care of the kids first." Even though I left some of the group hungry, left myself hungry and gave my last bit of food to my worst enemy, I still felt good about my tough decisions.

Throughout each episode of the series dialogue is the main source of player choices. Yes, the quick thinking decisions are very important but you will be handed a lot more important dialogue. After my job with of feeding the group Lee and the young man (which I mentioned above) went out to work on a secure area. During our conversation he asked me why a specific person didn't like me despite all my help around the group. As the timer ran down I selected, "He's just a racist a**hole", I could have said something like "He's been through a lot" but I just don't like the guy and I didn't want to give him any excuse for being a jerk. I didn't get a good look at the other option so I picked the one that said he was racist. After saying that, a small alert came up from the top of the screen saying, "He will remember that" indicating that the person with me will remember that I called a man racist and now he thinks that's the reason why that man hates me. I thought that my choice of dialogue wouldn't really come up as important but later on the man started an argument with Lee over nothing and while I was preparing to fire something back at him the young man told him to forget race and stop hating Lee because he is black. The man turned to Lee and laughed saying, "You think that's what this is about?" I could have made Lee back out saying that he never said that but I pushed forward saying, "Yeah that's right I said that". This led to everyone getting angry at each other. I pulled the young man aside and asked him why he said that, he apologized and asked me why I didn't deny saying it. This showed that Lee wasn't going to throw anyone under the bus.

As we moved forward I did my best to make the choices that I wanted Lee to make, I remained a father figure to Clementine, kept a loyal friendship, tried to get the angry guys daughter to stop being mad at me, she had a trust problem with me, and I tried to keep the group positive as I wanted us to make the right decisions. I tried to keep balance, I tried my hardest to get along with everyone but since I had to clean up arguments by taking sides or by saying, "I'm not taking sides, there are no sides" which could led to everyone feeling poor about me, but when taking a side I might gain respect and trust from one person while the other person thinks poor about me. Later on in the episode while things went completely wrong (that'll happen when the end of the world has occurred) I was faced with another tough decision that I wasn't too sure about making. I'll keep it spoiler free but I will say this, my closest friend from the group and someone who hadn't trusted me were having a life defying argument and I had to pick which one to side with. This wasn't just an, I'm right you're wrong argument either, this was heavy. I thought on my toes and decided to pick the choice in which was doing the right thing in my eyes and I didn't side with my friend. In that instant my closest friend couldn't stand the sight of me and the person who hadn't trust me would now fully trust me as I was the only person they would trust. After this decision I need to slow down a bit but the game progressed further giving me some action sequences and more dialogue choices. After a rollercoaster ride of a finish the episode had been beaten, choices were made, a friend betrayed and an enemy now an ally. Like the last episode this one had a "next time on The Walking Dead" segment showing me what to expect come episode three.

I was still in shock and awe by the conclusion of episode two that I wanted three to come out as soon as possible. Playing two almost 4 weeks after it had come out gave me less of a wait than everyone else. I waited about 2 weeks then I was treated to episode 3 (as I am writing this I have not yet finished it, two more trophies left in episode 3, so I'm almost done). The opening credits rolled and the segment telling that the game is based on player choice came up again. After two episodes I knew that how the story unfolds is entirely up to me. As the episode opened up I was faced with a decision, a right one that may make things harder for me or a wrong one that will make things easier. My once close friend came up with the wrong choice, I wanted to gain his loyalty once again and since he had made a valid point justifying the wrong choice, I went with it. Some people probably wouldn't agree with my choice but it did help out a lot. Within the first minutes of the episode I was fighting for my life as the 'Walkers' were ambushing my partner and I. I was in a jam and my decision from the past episode came up into effect and he hesitated to help me, I was on my own for a few moments. Lee was angry as that this man didn't try and help me and he justified himself by saying, "These things are everywhere, besides you're fine". I knew what he really meant though, it was a middle finger to the face as he's screaming, "Screw you, I'm mad at you and I couldn't care less if these things kill you".

With my past choices coming up into effect already in the game I was faced with new ones. Someone in the group had become paranoid and was accusing people, remember I'm the only one this person trusts. I humor them and help out, some things go down and I make more dialogue choices. As I try to get my old friend back with agreeing with some of the things he says I can tell that he is starting to get a different view of me as he is starting to forget my choice that went against his, there is still bad blood but it is starting to slowly stop. While pursing to get my friendship back I was still faced with issues threw out the group. A smaller argument came at me (the smaller ones can still be story altering) and while the conversation heated up my dialogue choices became more 'tough' and the timer seemed to go faster. While replying back to a fellow survivor I choked, the time was going quick and I didn't really see and of the dialogue option too well. This caused me to panic and I hit a random button, Lee then said something that I wouldn't want him to say. This mishap made me face palm myself and with the game always auto saving, you can't go back and undo yourself (I wouldn't want to anyway). Lucky for me, it wasn't a big issue conversation and my mishap didn't affect me too much, but if this were to happen in a more important sequence, I would have been pretty disappointed in myself.     

As the episode progresses the more and more intense it gets leaving the group to wonder what's going on. After a low a high happens then a low then a high then a total low that throws everyone off. This chapter had an emotional set piece that shocked me and I'm still trying to figure out what's all going to happen later down the road. With a nice art style, good voice acting, fantastic set in dialogue choices and game altering decisions, TellTale has put together a nice series. With each choice you make having consequences (action reaction), and the feel of uneasiness I can see why a lot of people are becoming fans of the game series. TellTale hit the nail on the head when it comes to decision making and multiple outcomes, it's like they came up with hundreds of little different things that play along differently down the road. The player steps into Lee's shoes and feels, pressured, uneasy, and at times confused and you really feel a sense of attachment to the character. TellTale has made something special and turned the tables into the right direction to the decision making genre that big named companies can only sit back and envy.

Stay frosty my fellow survivors.

The following contains brief sexual comments that some might find offensive

PlayStation Home is an open beta for all PSN users. The beta is set up in an almost "Sims" kind of way. You make an avatar to look like you and you can interact with others, play mini games, meet new people, set up gaming session's, or just enjoy your time there. The beta was released in 2007 and is still running, over the years Home has changed; rooms are different,  more mini games, clothes and other stuff you can purchase through the PlayStation Store and more. One of the biggest changes, however, is the users who are using it. I use to spend some time on Home back in 07 when it launched and I used it as most people did, I met some friends, some in which are still on my friends list today including ones that I still play online gaming with, and I also set up gaming marathons there. I slowly departed from Home because I got bored of it and spent more and more time with my collection of games.

I had no interest in going back to Home not until I stumbled a pond an 'experiment' on a PSN internet forum. The test was called "The PlayStation Home Gender Test" and I started to read into it. The experiment seemed kind of simple. Anyone who performs the experiment had to follow a few rules; all male subjects would make a male avatar resembling themselves and spend at least 3 days on Home. Your goal was to get into conversations with has much people as possible. You had to first; be silent and let others come to you then you had to make your presence known and try to start conversations with other users. You'd then take note of how quick someone came to you, how quick someone replied to you, whether you started the conversation more or someone else did, if you talked in any big groups or just one person, and how many people you talked to in total. After those 3 days the subject would then make a female avatar resembling someone they know or making one at random. Then, do the same test for 3 days and vice versa, female subjects would do the opposite. I took this test and here is what happened in my 6 days of experimenting.

I had the hypothesis that in my 3 days as a female avatar I'd get slightly more attention from other users.

I started up with making my male avatar, making it look like me to the best of my abilities, dark hair, slight facial hair, average height, eye color etc. I then joined in the main lobby where most others spent their time. At an instant I was bored, I walked around, sat down and traveled to other areas and no one acknowledged my existence. 35 minutes in and someone finally went to me and said "Hello", another male avatar. We went and talked about a whole bunch of nothing for a good 15 minutes or so. Not making my presence known as a male I got a whopping 5 people to acknowledge me in those 3 days; one of them in which was a recruiter for a"Family" who asked if I was interested in joining. Now, I normally think those kind of things are stupid and a waste of time, but I was bored half to death and said I was interested. I had then joined into a 6 people conversation (my biggest has a male avatar), the convo was about this whole 'family/gang' thing. I even got to meet the leader and was thrown with 5 friend requests. The family had a set of 'apparel' rules and certain dates in which are 'training' for recruits and 'family meetings'. I'm not even sure what these people do on Home and to this day I haven't attended one training session or family meeting and I'm waiting for the day that those 5 friend requests that I gotten are deleted (2 have already been gone because they kept messaging me and got on my nerves).

The baddest gang on the internet

When I made my presence known I had a mixed reception. Some people would just stare at me and make me look like an idiot, others, however, replied and we would talk and talk. A total of 13 people I had talked to in 3 days of making my presence known (not including groups). My conversations went from video games, to movies, to anime, to art, to music and more. I had talked with a few cool people in larger groups, I just had to work to get these conversations. It took a few minutes, however, the first 4 or 5 people each time I set up my "presence known" session would just look at me and not say a thing, and it frustrated me a little. When I talked to someone, however, more and more people would follow and this test became easy. My 3 days were up and nothing worth noting came up other than one conversation I had with a female that told me, "Some people on Home can get a bit bothersome." This gave me an idea of what I was in for while having a female avatar. I got into more conversations as a male when I went and tried talking to others, when I sat there and did nothing people zipped pasted me like I was chopped liver.

As expected!

Well, no, not really. I remember being able to sit on a bench back when Home was new and people would make conversations with me. Now, things are different; at least if you are a male. Total count of people talked to was 18 (5 while being silent, 13 while pursuing a conversation) and that's not including the extra people who were in groups. So, with my final day rapped up as a male I fought boredom and annoying "Gang" members who wanted me to participate in meetings; the leader would also leave his message off with a "Don't let me down, recruit."  Let's just say...

I let him down!

With the first 3 days down I wasn't sure if I would make it out alive. Talk about extreme boredom. I was forcing myself on this Home place, I wanted to play video games but no, I needed to finish up and mustard 3 more days. Heck, maybe being a female would give me a different experience. Well, it did and it wasn't an experience that I ever want to experience again.

I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I wiped the laziness from my face and started on my 3 day journey of the opposite gender. I never thought that I'd be disguised as a female before...I don't want to do it again. First came making the avatar. The rules were for the subject not too make their opposite sex avatar look 'crazy'. So, basically make your opposite avatar like you'd make the avatar looking like you; as an average looking human. Now average means someone who you would usually pass by while walking down the street. So, I took the advice of making my female avatar looking like someone I know, my girlfriend (with her permission of course.) Doing this gave me an idea of how to make the avatar since I don't have experience making female avatars. I gave the avatar her hair style, hair color, skin tone, height, etc. After the task of dressing my avatar I sat back and noticed that my avatar looked like an average Joe and I was ready for my 3 days.

My first task was to not make my appearance known for the first half of the day, just to get all the boringness out of the way. Before I had a chance to even sit down on a bench a male avatar came running at me from out of nowhere and said; "Can we talk?" Surprised by how quick this occurred I wasn't too sure what to say. I replied with a; "I don't see why not." What did I get myself into? I want to warn you readers; this first guy was the most bizarre avatar that I ran into in my 6 total days of testing. This guy didn't try to build on a conversation, he went straight for the throat and showed me his lady skills. His first question was asking me for my number. KIND OF TOO SOON DON'T YOU THINK? Now, I don't want to be a jerk or anything so instead of slapping a "NO!" in his face I try to be polite; "Why do you want a complete stranger's number?" I asked. "Because, I'm not doing so well and I need someone to talk too." He replied. As I go to facepalm myself I sent him a hint that I wasn't interested. I said, "Why don't we just talk on PSN?" So, he sent me a friend request. For my own sake I didn't want to accept it but the experiment comes first and I accept it. Apparently in his friend request he added in his number, which I didn't see but he did tell me. He asked, "You aren't going to give me your number are you?" Now, what's a fella to do? I don't want to give him my info, and god knows I won't but I didn't want to be a jerk about it so I said; "I just don't give out personal info on the internet to strangers." He then sends me a chilling response; "We can become friends." I'm starting to get a little scared here, I just tell him; "Look, I probably won't give you my info but I'll think about it."

I thought that saying this would just get him to shut up and leave me alone but the creep wasn't done. He goes on talking about how bad it's been for him and he just needs to talk to someone. Talk to someone who is buying this crap. My thoughts were that he isn't going through rough times and he is going on a crazy mission to talk to females on PS Home. He continues to talk and I just reply with "Yups" "MmmHmm" and so on. After over 10 minutes of nonsense he tells me, "I'm pretty [expletive] right now, so you'll have to excuse me." Well, that's enough to send chills down my spine and make me want to puke. I thank him for telling me about his body issues and he apologizes and continues. Can you believe it? The little creep continues to talk about his body to a lady. A lady! "Sorry about that but I was touching you know what" No I don't know what. Well, I do but I'm not going to think about it. I asked him to stop talking and he apologizes for his ruddiness. Then...he continues. "It's been a long time"

Shut up you little weirdo!

I tell him to stop talking before I walk away. He apologizes again and tries to put me on the guilt trip by saying;"It's just been hard for me and I'm just trying to talk to a girl." Oh, if only he knew the truth. After the longest talk that was about to give me nightmares he says that he has to go to work soon and asks if I consider texting him later. Maybe he lived in another time zone or works at night but it was past 2 am at that time. I tell him I'll think about it. Yes! The freak is gone, right? Wrong? He takes two steps forward and turns back to me and tells me how he is slightly high; which I couldn't care less about. He tries to talk to me more and then asks me the most chilling question I've yet to be asked; "Can I think about you tonight while I sleep?"

Hold up there captain? Just wait a god darn minute!

My jaw dropped ten feet and I nearly drop the controller. I wanted to say; (and this is edited for language) "Heck no! What kind of question is that you sick [expletive]?! I'm just an avatar you son of a goddang [expletive]. I hope you fall off the face of the earth and rot like the sack of [expletive] that you are! And guess what bucko? I'm really a man!" I didn't say that, however, I said; "No" He asked me why and I replied; "Because that is weird, now please go away." Finally he realizes that he gives me the creeps and he leaves. He parts by saying; "lol I'm off to work, so please think about giving me that number. I'll catch ya on PSN."

Well, he didn't go to work. He signed off for a minute then went back online and; I tracked his location, he goes back on Home to the Poker Room. I wanted to call it there. Just what kind of a girl does he take me for anyway? I don't want any guy thinking about me while they sleep. I never want a guy to think of me ever like that. I wanted to cry. No, I had to shower to wash that filth feeling off of me. That's what this guy was, filth.

I continued the test, the next day I had the woman who was based off the avatar sitting next to me this time so I wouldn't have to experience the terror by myself, and to have a female's reaction the strange people that might come up. I made my presence know and talked to some guy who was actually cool and told me that they are some creeps on Home but if you are careful you'll be okay. Now this guy was pretty awesome to talk too. The first person I pursued a conversation with was a success not only because he replied back to me "Hello" but because he didn't try hitting on my. Despite being called a "Big baby" by my girlfriend and the constant getting made fun of by her because I "Over reacted to the first day of my test" this started out smoothly. Until someone followed me for a few minutes. I asked what his problem was and he asked how come I didn't stop?

Well, excuse me. Who are you; king of PS Home?

Now this guy started the conversation smoothly until when he asked me how old I was. Which, I guess isn't too bad. I pulled a number out of my head; it was 20 I think. (which is not my real age) He then asked how I look in real life. How can I respond to that; I'm a guy in real life? "I tried to make my avatar look like me." Was my reply. Funny enough he says; "Oh, hot then."

After laughing for 5 minutes I looked at my girlfriend and with her eyes opened wide and a puzzled look on her face I was more than tempted to hand her the controlled. Never in my life did I think I would be called "hot" by another guy. "Thanks" was my reply. He tells me that he has a strange mind that goes off sometimes. On PS Home you can take pictures with your phone thing. I swear I heard a snapshot. Plus, he told me he had a dirty mind right before he pauses and the snapshot sound goes off. My theory is that the guy took a pic of my avatar. To end this encounter I tell him that I have to go, which is a good way to end, right. Well, he shoots me a funny gut busting reply. "K bye sexy."

I laughed so hard that I felt a tear run down my face. If only he knew I was a guy in real life. My friend, well...She shook her head in disgust...probably because she knew I wasn't ever over reacting.

After laughing for 5 minutes I looked at my girlfriend and with her eyes opened wide and a puzzled look on her face I was more than tempted to hand her the controlled. Never in my life did I think I would be called "hot" by another guy. "Thanks" was my reply. He tells me that he has a strange mind that goes off sometimes. On PS Home you can take pictures with your phone thing. I swear I heard a snapshot. Plus, he told me he had a dirty mind right before he pauses and the snapshot sound goes off. My theory is that the guy took a pic of my avatar. To end this encounter I tell him that I have to go, which is a good way to end, right. Well, he shoots me a funny gut busting reply. "K bye sexy."

I laughed so hard that I felt a tear run down my face. If only he knew I was a guy in real life. My friend, well...She shook her head in disgust...probably because she knew I wasn't ever over reacting.

For the rest of my testing the results led in a huge response as a female. Most talks were about the same as I kept getting into big groups of people while taking the silent approach or not. Most of these people were male and the majority of them were creeps. I had over 30 people come to me as a female while being silent and I was 14 for 18 while trying to pursue a conversation. The number of people who tried to barge into my conversations and everyone who was in groups of people chatting are uncountable. I didn't get slightly more activity as a female but I skyrocketed with conversations as the female avatar.  Safe to say, the female avatar was more popular especially by males as they were more than half of the people who I talked to.

So, what did I learn from this test?

First all, I'm happy that I had taken the challenge and completed it. I learned that Home is not the same anymore. I was blown away by the large amount of activity I had gotten as a female compared to being a male, and the amount of strange conversations I had gotten into. Does this mean all male PS users are bad? No, while I didn't want to believe that this many males were going to treat a female avatar rudely, I can't say that is all the male players. I checked into the trophy cards of these people and they averaged around 30 or 40 trophies telling me that they don't use their system to game (like most of us do) but to go on Home and make fools of themselves. Ladies, you aren't off the hook either. I did some observing and now that Home offers clothes for avatars female ones can purchase those iffy costumes. Leather tight, low cuts; you get the picture. I noticed that a lot of the avatars dressed like that were getting a lot of attention. It seems that you wanted attention by dressing like that and you are getting it. Of course this isn't always the case. I mean I was dressed like an average female and look at what happened to me.

I'd like to say; ladies, I am truly sorry for some of the craziness that you must go through. After 3 days on Home I felt like I went through a part of hell. In PS Home or gaming or in real life, if you stumble across these issues I truly am sorry for the remarks that some might give you. Don't be afraid to speak your mind on these creeps.  Give em hell!

I can feel that I might not ever sign back onto PS Home because of its big changes. Well, maybe I might go to that 'Family meeting' for the gang. PS Home isn't the same as it was back in 07 when I stumbled across it with a few of my friends. I had my time with it and now I am done. I don't think I can ever go back. This experiment not only gave me a new few at Home, but it did give me chance to revisit it. I just wish that Home was a little bit different. Honestly though, I'm glad it's over!

Goodbye PS Home

Thank you all for reading. If you want to try out this challenge, may god be with you. If you have any wacky experiments that you have heard of or come up with feel free to let me know and I just might try them out.

Stay Frosty my friends.

"I heard it's the best in the series. They say it's been delayed 3 times." This is a quote from Elizabeth early in Infinite as she refers to a slot machine. As I began playing Infinite I admittedly thought of what changes Irrational Games made to BioShock: Infinite during its 6 year development cycle and its 3 lengthy delays. "We want to make a game that many players will think is perfect. A perfect experience is what we want for our players." We heard explanations like this time and time again while Infinite continued to be pushed back. These explanations were not far from the truth as Infinite is an outstanding game that feels like it was handled with care. A game that has been delayed and plays perfectly is better than a game that was rushed and plays alright. The delays for Infinite may have made the game better and that is something that many players can stand by.

BioShock: Infinite starts up as you may expect it too. The hero must step into a world in which he has no idea existed and must use anything at his disposal in order to survive. Like Jack from the original BioShock, Booker DeWitt must learn quickly and turn his body into the ultimate survival machine. Like the Plasmids in BioShock, Infinite has Vigors which are used just like the Plasmids. You can set enemies on fire, zap them with lightning, possess them so they attack their allies (being your enemies), or my personal favorite; sending enemies floating in air making them easy target dummies. Of course they are more Vigors that are different from the Plasmids which makes the idea of Vigors feel fresh. With Vigors come upgrades to your body. Setting people on fire when you jump from a skyline or chaining together your attacks with fire. Like the EVE, Salts recharge your Vigors. Unlike EVE, once you pick up a Salt you use it. This doesn't make using your Vigors as a last ditch effort. Vigors aren't as sensitive as the Plasmids; you can use certain Vigors, with good upgrades for a long period of time before having to fill up on Salts. Salts aren't as hard to find either, and this system creates strategies that can be used.

 Much like Rapture, Columbia looks beautiful. The city above the clouds is filled with color and gorgeous designs. The citizens are life like, and the atmosphere fits in perfectly. Up close the game has some muddy textures, but it isn't enough to give the city a bad name; this place is beautiful. Booker can also travel in style by jumping on to skylines with the 'skyhook.' This is much like zip lining to get from point A to point B. However, this is a key component when it comes to traveling. Columbia is a big city and is spread out through the clouds, so you are going to need to use these skylines to get around. The skyhook is also a weapon. Like the Wrench and the Drill from the first two BioShock titles you can use your skyhook as a melee weapon to stun your enemies and to unleash brutal takedowns. Snap necks, cut off heads, or slash your enemies face; this is possible with the skyhook.   

Gameplay in Infinite works very well. I rarely had an issue when it came to gun fights and using my Vigors. The player can easily shoot a group of enemies then quickly light another group on fire. The switching between guns and Vigors is just a button press away. Press L-1 to shoot and with one press of R-1 Booker will shoot a Vigor. (This game was played on the PS3, hence L-1 and R-1) You can string together kills and takedowns that will make you look like a pro and it doesn't take a large amount of headache either. Set an enemy on fire and as he runs take him down with one of the two guns you are carrying. Possess one solider and use him to set up an opening in the battlefield and flank enemies. Zap them with lightning and hit them with your skyhook. Send killer crows to attack groups of enemies and easily pick them off. 

With the countless of possibilities that you can achieve with your Vigors, Elizabeth can be used to open up tears. These are items that exist in one universe of them world but not in the one that you are currently in. Elizabeth can pull these items into the universe that you are in. You can tell her to open up a hook in which you can attach yourself onto to pick off enemies from above. She can also pull in cover, machines that will fire at your enemies and water puddles in which you can set Vigor traps in which an enemy can step on and die. Unlike the other BioShock titles you cannot hold all the guns in the game at once. Booker can only hold 2 guns at a time. With this, Booker can, however, hold onto all of his Vigors without upgrading like in the previous two games. You have to think about which guns you want to carry. A sniper for long distance and a shotgun for close range. A pistol and a machine gun, a carbine and a scattergun. Management between your 2 weapons is important as the enemy types may vary. Another component to gameplay is, again, the skyhook. Zipping on skylines works easily, keep in mind that they aren't just used for traveling. At times I jumped on a skyline to get a better angle on my enemies and to become a harder target to hit. While zipping along Booker can slow down making it easier to hit his opponents, and he can even dive from a skyline and charge at an enemy with one swipe of his skyhook.

The city of Columbia is the star of the game as the city is flowing with life. With Rapture we step into the city after its downfall and everyone has been turned into spliced up monsters and has lost their minds. This isn't the case for Columbia. The city above the clouds is swarming with life and is at a high point in its life cycle. Yes, the citizens of Columbia are mostly close-minded racist rich fools but they are a nice change to the BioShock universe. The city has not fallen apart and Booker can travel without wondering if there is an insane citizen at each corner. The city still has that unreal and fantastic feel like Rapture had. Both cities have dark secrets to uncover and strange inhabitants. Like the Big Daddies in Rapture Columbia is home to the Handy Man. A large part machine part man that is hell bent on taking you down. If you want to get past this large hulking monster you must use everything at your disposal and keep your distance. Another mysterious creature in Columbia are the 'Boys of Silence.' These are some of the most strange and chilling inhabitants of Columbia. The Boys of Silence work similar to the security cameras in Rapture. The Boys of Silence are blind but they can hear and sense almost anything. If you are going to get past one, you have to be stealthy and hope one doesn't sense you. Columbia shines as the most unforgettable cities in any video game. Columbia is a city that I will never forget, from its buildings, to its hidden passages, this is one city worth exploring.

Booker is our main protagonist but he isn't the only one who made my trip into Columbia unforgettable. Elizabeth, the girl Booker is sent to find and bring with him as he leaves the floating city, is the most important character in Infinite. Elizabeth has strange powers which allow her to open up doorways, known as tears. She has also been imprisoned in a tower for most of her life and has only read about the city of Columbia in books. Her guardian, the Songbird, has one mission; protect Elizabeth and makes sure she never leaves the tower. This isn't good news for Booker, since he has to free Elizabeth and the giant bird will stop at nothing to lock her back up in her tower. Apart from her story, Elizabeth is the best NPC I've ever encountered in a video game. The player has to escort her out of the city, not protect her. This means that we don't have to babysit her and follow her everywhere she goes. After I first met Elizabeth a popup on the screen came up and said "You don't have to worry about protecting Elizabeth during combat. She can take care of herself." This statement is 100% true.

I never once had to worry about Elizabeth while I was fighting off a group of enemies. She finds her own cover and stays down until it's safe to move up. During combat she looks around for useful supplies to keep you stocked. She'll throw you ammo when you need it and Salts and Health when you are running low. I was in a large battle and both of my guns were running low. I was using the last of my salts to throw enemies in the air as I ran looking for ammo and wondering how I'll survive. Elizabeth called out to Booker and threw me ammo for my carbine. About 45 seconds later, she threw me Salts to refill on my Vigor. During noncombat situations she throws Booker money and points out items such as lock picks which you can collect and have Elizabeth unlock locked doors. She also points out rooms which may contain supplies. I did a lot of exploring during my time with Infinite. I went into every room that I could and looked for recordings and other useful supplies such as an upgraded for health, Salts, and Shields. One occurrence, however, Elizabeth pointed up past a skyline and said, "They might be some supplies in that room." I would have never found that room if Elizabeth had not pointed it out. It made me wonder how many rooms in BioShock 1 and 2 I had missed out on. Elizabeth is also filled with life; she looks at certain items and reacts, she greets other citizens as they walk by her and she even told me to hurry on when I once backtracked to a room that was empty. Not once did I have to worry about her, not once did she get in my way, and not once did she become a nuisance. She wonders off on her own and you don't need to worry about where she is at.

The story of Infinite is one that I was truly engaged with. The mysteries are unfolded with great fashion, the characters are all very well written and how the story is told is done very greatly. We begin with Booker DeWitt on a mission to find a mysterious girl in a strange city. Booker is in a lot of debt with the wrong people and they offer him one last chance, 'Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt.' He is warned not to fail them. Basically if he doesn't come back with the girl he shouldn't come back at all. We begin to learn more about Elizabeth, about Booker, the creation of the city and its creator. As the journey goes on, the story begins to unfold and we learn more of the dangerous world. Who are the people who want Elizabeth? Why has she been locked up for years and experimented on? What's Booker's story? Who is the 'Prophet'? All of these questions and more unfold over time in one of my favorite told stories in any video game. It ends with my favorite ending in years. I didn't want my time with Infinite to end but how it did was the only way I can imagine it concluding. Have a clear mind and do not worry about the twist that is thrown at you. Yes, Infinite has a twist, and yes it is a very good one but don't worry about it before you get there. Focus on your task and parts of the story that is going on. I had theories of what the twist might be but they were all wrong. The game offers the best 40 minutes or so that unfold in the best fashion and is a step up from how the BioShock 1 twist was told. Infinite has a story that I will never forget and is one of the best told stories in years.

I ran across one small issue in Infinite, one that isn't worth being upset about but I will address it. The lack of Handymen and Songbird encounters. I had expected the Handymen to have as much appearances as the Big Daddies. Both are tough to bring down and give you that sense of accomplishment after they have been defeated. However, unlike the Big Daddies, the Handymen don't have many appearances. I would have liked to have fought these hulking bosses more but I only got to fight them less than every so often. I also didn't run into the Songbird that much. I figured since he is Elizabeth's watcher (much like a dragon that watches over every imprisoned girl) we would have bumped roads more often. This isn't the case though. I was waiting for a chase scene that never happened. I only wish I had seen the giant bird a little more. The lacks of these antagonists were a small letdown but not enough to damage my thoughts on the game.

All in all, BioShock: Infinite is a near perfect game. I had so much fun in my journey and it's one that will require another playthrough. The game offers a fun challenge that isn't agonizing but isn't mindlessly easy. With the very good story and the best AI in any video game thanks to Elizabeth, it's hard to find a complaint for this game. I walked across as much of Columbia as I could and it did not grow old, not once. The voice acting thanks to well-known voice actors Troy Baker and Jennifer Hale and newly named voice actress Courntee Draper, is the best cast I'd heard since Uncharted. I did not run into a part in the game where I told myself, "This part shouldn't have been here and would have been so much better if it were trashed." Every set piece in Infinite fits in perfectly and feels fresh. Infinite is a breath of fresh air and requires the player to pay attention and to think which is my favorite part of the story. Infinite is a smart game and proves that Irrational Games is a smart developer. I have never once played a game like Infinite, I didn't want it to end and I was truly happy to play a game like this. From start to finish, Infinite is a masterpiece, one game that every fan of video games should play. Not only is BioShock: Infinite the best game I've played this entire generation, it's also the best game I've ever played.

Score

10/10

I'm not a fan of giving out perfect scores but I'd say BioShock: Infinite truly deserves this. In my years of playing video games I never played a game that I enjoyed this much. I never thought a game could top the original BioShock for game of this gen but Infinite does that and more. Irrational Games proves that they are the best in the business.

Pros.

The story is very well thought out and told/ Columbia is beautiful and full of life/ Fun gameplay/ Terrific voice acting/ Elizabeth/ The best AI in a long time.

Cons.

Lack of Handyman and Songbird.

This is not an actual review of the game and is intended for humor and humor only. This is not meant to be taken seriously.

Alright, so The Last of Us takes place 20 years after a deadly fungus (Cordyceps) infects humans and all normal civilization is lost. Now, this fungus is the real deal, it's not some made up Harry Potter B.S. This fungus infects ants and other insects; in fact it even spread to bees. Naughty Dog (the creators of a few game franchises that you never heard off) thought of this crazy idea; "Dude, like...what if...this fungus went to humans and they lost their minds." "Yeah bro, we could like...make a game about that. We should call it...The Walking Fungus." One name change later and BAM! We have our game. You might be thinking; this is just another zombie game BOOORING! If you are thinking that, stop thinking that and slap yourself. In fact, if you were to say that in public or on YouTube you'd get beat up and sent death threats. And you'd have to deal with some angry fans telling you "They aren't zombies! They are infected humans who have lost their minds! Now shut up and play CoD you little brat!" Again, not zombies just infected people.

The Last of Us has some opening scene that will make you cry. Titanic cry. Some, who aren't strong enough, will take their copy back and slap the person who sold it to them because the sadness is just too much to take. Others, will nod their head while saying, "Seems legit." If you can get pass the opening you have to deal with brutal combat which has been given a bad rep from the internet. You should enjoy it if you aren't a baby. If the combat makes you pee yourself calmly turn off the game, get a change of clothes and play a Telly Tubbies game because this isn't for you. Kids shouldn't be exposed to violence anyways because any shooting or murder that takes place is in fact caused by video games. Jack the Ripper played video games, Alexander the Great played video games, the Devil plays video games and even George Washington played them. If your kids are choking other kids out or bashing their faces with bricks...Well you know why.

I just want to make love!

Joel is our main character and I am getting reports he is not Nathan Drake?! What is this Bullsh.. Oh sorry, Joel is a harden survivor who use to watch My Little Pony and was so looking forward to season 4 until the fungus took over the world. He lost the most important thing to him; watching the ponies going off on adventures and learning the true meaning of friendship. Without MLP, he forgot what friendship means or what it was about, so now he breaks people's faces and eats the mushrooms from the 'Clickers.' Sorry...I'm just getting a little chocked up here. I'm good now. Anyways, Joel is NOT voiced by Nolan North- the character is voiced by Troy Baker who has voiced Booker DeWitt and 1,001 different characters. And before you ask, no he is not a baker. Joel is overall a likable character, one that you can feel connected to. He always pushes forward, never looks back, and takes care of business. Along with Joel we have Ellie who is a 14 year old girl who was born into this post-apocalyptic world. She has only heard stories about what life was like 20 years ago and frankly, she is glad she was born after the outbreak. She is Clementine on steroids, without a hat. She is a cool character and people will say she is the main character, but these people are wrong. The Clickers are the main characters of course. Ellie also has a real potty mouth, she drops more bombs than Joel does for crying out loud. It gets so bad that I went to tell her parent to ground her. Post-apocalyptic or not, swearing is swearing and it's unacceptable. She does, however, make cool guitar sound with her mouth.

Gameplay: Gameplay is less like a shooter and more like a survival, which is good because it's a survival action game. Ammo is limited and health does not regain by itself. At times you'd rather move in and knock the socks off of you enemies because A) it's fun and 2) it can be easier than shooting them down. The melee combat works nice and simple. Bash square and triangle to feel like a bada**. Shooting shouldn't be your number one option. The game offers dynamic stealth which is key when you are surrounded by baddies. You don't have to be stealthy if you don't want too, go and be heard if you want. This game offers a good stealth vs. action without punishing you for playing one way unlike *coughs* Dishonored. Yeah I said it. Dishonored and your so called "optional gameplay" that's bull****! YOU HEAR ME BULL****!

Please Stand-by.

Oh sorry, I didn't see you there. Now where was I...Oh yeah! Back to trolling, I mean reviewing. You can hold the R-2 button down to activate "listen mode" or whatever the heck they call it. Joel has superhuman hearing abilities and hitting this button allows him to listen to what enemies are saying more clearly and allows him to see where they are at. This is a key to stealth play and it works out great especially when hiding from Clickers. The only time when stealth is almost mandatory is when you are in a room with Clickers. They can't see but they can hear. This means you have to be silent and sneak by them. They have strong senses and if they hear a mouse break wind they will come for you. Oh and, there is no ability to break out of a grab attack from one of them, once you are caught its game over, kid. The listen mode comes into play strongly against these freaks and it works well. Well, until Ellie decides to stand up and scream, "Oh my god that guy has corn flakes on his head!" The Clickers also make a strange clicking sound when they are near. It's a cross between a Predator clicking and Kelly Clarkson's singing, only they are way better sounding.

Another infected type of enemy is the Runners because they run. They scream at you, beat the hell out of you and try to bite you. They are very fun to fight though, melee or sneaky kill is best against these guys. A runner is someone who has recently been infected by the fungus, stage 1 if you will. And of course we have bandits, the human enemies of the game. Nothing special to report about them, they carry guns and stuff. This game has a large amount of enemy types but they all die the same way...except the Clickers who can only be killed by a few bullets to the head or a shiv, very unfair if you ask me. The graphics and sites in this game are good but whenever I say "graphics" people lose their cool with me and start yelling at me and say blah blah graphics aren't the most important thing about a game and blah blah blah. So you know what, these graphics suck!

There is a multiplayer which features a whopping 2 game modes! That's like, a lot! One mode is very similar to team deathmatch and a mode called Survivors, if memory serves. In this mode it's a best of 7 style mode where if you die you remain dead until the next round. There is also a 'game within the game' and by this I mean you have a clan that you need to maintain. You can do this by collecting items during each round you are playing. The multiplayer is the main reason to play this game. You don't even have to play the boring singleplayer and I recommend playing multiplayer first and foremost. The other game mode is just like Survivors only it's completely different. This one is called Supply Raid and it's the games version of team deathmatch. Each faction gets 20 responds, meaning you have to kill the other b*stards 20 times. Once all 20 responds are up it goes to sudden death, meaning that members of the faction that has used all their responds have one last chance to stay alive, once they die they stay dead until the match is over. Isn't that a hoot?! Like I said, multiplayer is the reason you should be playing this game. In fact, if it wasn't for the online play we'd just have a subpar game that gets dried out too quickly. Not every game can be a singleplayer powerhouse like the Call of Duty franchise. In multiplayer, you aren't tasked with boring upgrades either which is good because I could never understand how to work the damn perks in other games. Every upgrade comes from in the match. If you want bombs or a melee tool than you just have to craft it while you are in a match. This is good because we are all equal before the match starts even if I am better than you. Another great feature that the multiplayer has is its level up system. You ready to hear this? There isn't any level up system! Unlike boring shooters you aren't known as a number, uh no, you are known by how many weeks you survived. Remember the game within the game? Of course you don't. You build a clan after each match by collecting tools and this makes more dots, which represent people, come into your clan. After each match you play a day goes by and until you maintain a good clan for a week you get a new number next to your name! If you make it past 1 week than you are level 1, if you get past 2 weeks than  you are 2 and on and on. The multiplayer is so rich and it never gets old, so after you finish reading this go play it!

Bro, do you even lift?

Time to get down to business. We all know Naughty Dog paid every game site to give this a good score because whenever a game gets a good score you morons THINK THE DEVELOPERSPAID THEM BECAUSE NO ONE EVER MAKES A GOOD GAME AND YOU ARE JUST A LITTLE BRAT! Now then, yes ND paid me good money to give them a perfect score. Even if I give this game anything lower than that people will send me hate mail because how can a great game like this get anything lower than 11.5 out of 10? Let's see what other sites gave it. PlayStation magazine gave it a 10 out of 10 saying; "This game is so perfect. The best game ever made, and we aren't just saying that because it's a PS3 exclusive." 2 Legit 4 Games gave it a 12.225 out of 11 saying; "I like this game! It's not perfect but I'll give a good score." Xbox the Magazine gives it a 5 out of 10 saying; "I don't know what all the fuss is about? It's really not that good of a game. You aren't missing out on anything by not playing this game." Polygon gives it a something out of 10 saying; "Remember kids, murder isn't the crime in TLoU. Murder is the POL in TLoU." Whatever the hell that means. This game overall has gotten good rep and as I'm typing these words I don't know what to give it. Do I want to be cool and give it a meh score or do I obey my contract and give it a perfect?

After much thought I was going to give it 8.74657 but I soon realized that isn't a real number. Then 10 came to mind but you know what? This game is in a class of its own. It doesn't need a number to represent just how good (or not so good) it is. Who am I to tell you what number this game is? So I don't get smack talked on the internet about giving the game a low score I'll just give it a...Wait. I didn't tell you about the loading screen did I? Oh boy. The Last of Us has one stinking load screen in the entire game (other than multiplayer) and that's when you go to resume or start singleplayer, much like Max Payne 3. This is good because you aren't interrupted with load screens in the middle of a level. However, this load screen is SO FREAKIN' LONG! You have to sit and stare at some blank screen for 15 minutes before the game starts up! There isn't even a minigame or quotes to keep you somewhat entertain! All you have is the loading percent which sits at 44.34% for the longest time- this is the longest dang loud screen in the history of load screens! 10 out of 10 my butt! If you can get past this than it isn't too bad. Anyway, I now have a score after much thought. On a scale of Duke Nukem (1) to Gangster Legit (10) The Last of Us receives the score of 'The Last of Us' because this game is in a league of its own, normal numbers can't tell how ba...I mean good this game is. The Last of Us is magic and this score I'm giving it justifies that. This new Developer who no one has ever heard of has made a game that will be remembered forever. The Last of Us scores a 'The Last of Us' out of 10.

Final Score: The Last of Us Out of 10.

Overall this is one of those games that a lot of people are going to play and say, "That's tasty!" Because this game is tasty for multiple reasons. The Last of Us has a great multiplayer that everyone should play, some cool characters and a very long load screen.

Pros.

The multiplayer is golden/ Ellie makes guitar sounds/ Joel has an awesome beard/ Stealth vs Action works good/ The game is 'Tasty.'

Cons

The longest load screen in the history of load screens/ No Nolan North.

LULZ WTF Did I Just Read? This J Warrior guy is an idiot.

Thank you for making it to the end of my parody review/blog.

The Walking Dead was a gaming success last year winning over 85 Game of the Year awards. The story was always on pace and made up for the 'little gameplay.' It's not hard to imagine why so many people are a fan of the game, and with a season 2 coming fans can only get more hyped. A few months ago TellTale announced a DLC episode for the first season. An episode that will tell a different story and feature new characters with heavy decisions to be made by the player. The Walking Dead: 400 Days is the new episode from TellTale but is it an absolute must play? If you love the original series than you might want to get your hands on it just to hold you over until the 2^nd season. If you aren't as crazy about the series than you won't be doing yourself any harm by not purchasing the 5 dollar extra level. While the extra level is fun at times and brings back The Walking Dead that we know and love, it isn't a must play. You aren't missing out on anything by not playing the level; in fact it in no ways tries to tie in Season 1 with the new story. 400 Days is simply a love letter to the fans of the game and is no more than that. I believe the real fun will continue this Fall when Season 2 continues.

400 Days plays differently than The Walking Dead that was released last year. We play as 5 different characters each with their own little story that ties in at the end. You aren't just seeing 5 different groups at random either- each characters story is connected to at least one other story that is being told, and to add on to that you get to play them in any order you wish. One of our lead character's stories is told during the second day of the outbreak, another is 200 days in while another is 50. You can play these in any order and just like the film Pulp Fiction, it will all make sense in the end no matter what order it's told in. All 5 characters have their own personality and of course are under your control. That being said, you can be calm with character A and not so calm with character B. While one character in particular made me laugh from time to time, no character in 400 Days is remotely close to the crew in the original game (We have Lee and Clem to thank for that). The stories are too short to even have feelings towards the characters you are playing as.

400 Days plays the same as Season 1, which is a good thing considering how well it worked out. The point and click is there, the dialogue (timer included) is there, and the quick moving is also there. Along with this the most important question is; is the choice system still there? The choices are back and happen more often, rather than being spread apart like in the original game. While the choices are sometimes tough to make they aren't gut wrenching like they were in Season 1. One choice in particular made me sit a think for a while though. Being this is a spoiler free review I will not go into detail but it was during the "2 days in" story line. I was about to make choice A when I than realized something that made me go to choice B instead. It's these times that really make me enjoy the game. The rest of the tough decisions do alter the storyline but don't carry a huge weight.

I felt that, while the 5 stories were nice, each chapter was too short and very little questions you have are answered. In my last chapter my character and her 2 companions work their way back to their camp when one of the women says that she has a surprise in her bag and won't show them until they get back to camp. This then leads to a big argument that lasts for a large part of the chapter. This only makes you wonder even more what's in the bag. Each chapter picks up towards the end until the screen goes blank and while you expect to continue with the chapter you go back to the chapter select screen and keep playing. 2 out of the 5 chapters end on good notes while I feel like the other 3 ended very poorly and left me questioning to myself; "That's it?" It's a dark world, its gritty and so on but even when each story is tied in you are still left with all these questions that are never answered, which makes it hard to care about each character.

While you might have read that your choices made in Season 1 will factor into 400 Days, that's not really true. 400 Days offers two short references (one which I thought was really cool) towards your old play through that it's even easy to miss. 400 Days is its own story, not that it's a bad thing, but don't go in thinking Season One will play a part in any of it. I like how 400 Days was is its own thing though. Sure they could have stayed close to Season 1 and make 400 Days mandatory to play but they didn't and I can respect that. 400 Days feels fresh and it's a great way of showing how others, rather than the Lee group, is affected by the zombie outbreak, I only wish if each character had more screen time. 400 Days isn't just a brush off of the same story that we seen last year, it's new and feels like how a fresh DLC should feel, it just feels a little rushed and not as memorable.

One aspect of 400 Days is- how you play throughout does affect the final outcome and you don't know that until you look back on your stats. Each character chapter comes together and finally forges in the prologue chapter. While the DLC has one ultimate ending there are some changes that happen depending on how you played. It was always neat seeing how everything came to be connected and you got to see certain events through different perspectives, which was my favorite part of the episode. How is Shel connected to Russell and how is Wyatt connected to them as well? These stories slowly come together and it was fun to see. It was a nice change to the world of TellTale's TWD and I'm glad they took the risk as it paid off of them nicely.

The episode ends off with the prologue chapter which is the ultimate tie in point of the episode but it ends on a sour note. We finally see how everything is pulled together but one resolution ends with so many questions that are thrown into the air and none have any answers. I'm not sure if 400 Days will play into Season 2, in fact I doubt it will, so the fact that the DLC ends the way it does is just bizarre and somewhat frustrating. The ending isn't terrible by any means but it does so little to impress anyone. I feel like I will forever be hammered with questions that will never be answered. 400 Days just ends out of the blue and I waited behind a blank screen just hoping for another scene or anything to happen but there was nothing, 400 Days ends like it was in a rush. The prologue sets the episode up for a resolution that will feel satisfying but instead ends with a dozen questions that have no answers in sight.

At the end of the day The Walking Dead 400 Days is a fun DLC, no more, no less. While it doesn't offer the hard decisions and engaging storyline that the game was founded on it still has the great dialogue system and while the story isn't heart wrenching it's still fun to follow. 400 Days falls short as an episode I'd hope to see but it's enough to hold me over until next fall. If you really liked the original game than 400 Days might be something you'd want to get into but it's not forced and you aren't missing out on much by skipping out on it. No, 400 Days will not make you cry or feel sick but it will push you to continue playing and putting the controller down isn't that easy. With some rough spots 400 Days is a nice hold over until the story continues in Season 2.

Score

7.2/10

400 Days is good fun and all but do not force yourself to buy the extra episode if you aren't sure about it. The storytelling is my favorite part; I just wish each chapter was a little longer for the sake of character development. I grew little feelings towards each character but their connecting journey makes up for some of that.

Pros.

The connecting stories work well/Jumping back into TWD is always nice/Playing in any order you wish.

Cons.

Little character development/Most chapters end too soon/The ending could have been handled a lot better.

The following isn't meant to be taken seriously. This article is an attempt- a poor attempt at that- at being funny. If you take this as legit, well good for you!

From the publisher that brought you the worst game of all time bring you another stinking attempt to revive a dead franchise. Alien: Isolation! Play the game that pre-released critics said; "Seriously? No more!" "This crap again?" "Fool me once, shame on you (or is it me?), fool twice I PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!" Oddly enough, the Alien game that everyone was whining about turned out to be the most playable.

Before I get to the goods, let me give you history lesson on the franchise. ~ Alien was a horror film released to theaters in 1979 by director Ridley Scott. It scared the pee out of me. It was praised for its Alien rape, awesome villain, and adorable cat. Years later in the 80s (if you want the exact year, look it up yourself!) James Cameron directed the sequel called- guess what?! Aliens! (See the "s"?) The sequel gave horror the middle finger and was all about the guns. After two successful films, 20th Century Fox said no more films would be made. Fans were outraged. The film studio released a statement saying; "We believe a 3rd Alien film would be stupid. When that happens you'll want us to redeem ourselves with a 4th one, right? Well, a 4th one would be even worse! Then what? Alien vs. E.T.? Alien vs. The Thing? See how a good idea can be ruined? So we are stopping after 2 films before the franchise becomes stupid." With all that, fans were without Alien for like 20 years.

Where's my 3-quel Fox?!

Now be honest. Who actually likes an Alien game anyway? No one, that's who! Alien hasn't been relevant since the last film (again, the last film was Aliens). So when this game was announced you all complained because gamers are a bunch of babies who whine! Stop crying all the damn time! No one is out to steal from you or kill the industry you sons of bitc....

Okay, okay, I'm cool. I'll just get to the review. So, Alien Isolation is a sequel to the first film and works as a prequel to the second. It is set 15 years after Alien. We play as Amanda Ripley, a smokin' hot ...uh, I mean a young engineer who so happens to be the daughter of Ellen Ripley. Amanda is on a search to find out what happened to mommy. (God, is she stupid and hasn't watched the movie? SHE'S IN HYPERSLEEP!) She is informed that the flight recorder of the Nostromo is on board a space station called Sevastopol. Simple pick up, right? Haha WRONG! The space station has an alien on board and has the hots for Amanda (hands off! She's mine!). The alien will kill anything in its path to get to its true love, Amanda.

One Alien? Man! That's no fun, right? Well, according to the developers the alien can't be killed. I disproved this because I, in fact, killed the alien early in the game? How? Because I'm smarter and better than you. For you casuals, don't worry. Humans who are wary of Amanda are on the station and you have Working Joes. These are the poor mans androids. The company that makes them are so poor that their robots don't look or sound human. However, the stupid uggos are tough to kill. The are unpredictable, just like an angry woman, and are hard to deal with in groups, just like an angry woman. They will kill you if need be, just like an angry fanboy reading a review they don't like.

It will find you, and it will marry you.

Now I know what you're thinking; "How does the damn game play?" I'm getting to that. Alien: Isolation plays like Outlast only it doesn't and it's completely different. First person point of view, but don't go thinking this is a shooter. Remember, Ripley Jr. is an engineer and she didn't get the same training as Issac Clarke did. You will craft items which are often used as distractions. You will hide in crates, under tables, and- my personal favorite- in lockers. The amount of detail in these lockers are awe inspiring. I was letdown by the crates as they failed to deliver, but the lockers stole the show. Can I fight things? Sure. Humans and a robot. The alien? Unless you're me, no you can't.

But is hiding really fun? It's better than dying. Hiding isn't your only option. You can make noise makers to go off by humans and watch as the alien comes down and kill its prey. Laugh as you send them to their horrible deaths. Smoke bombs can be used to cover an enemies view. A bunch of stuff can be used for survival. Find out for yourselves, damn it! You do get guns that you can use to shoot Working Joes and Humans. Ammo isn't all over the place, so be careful. In the end, it's a game of hide and seek. Hide while the love struck alien seeks you.

Is it scary? You'll piss your pants, it's scary. Everyone wants to act like a tough guy; "I ain't scared of this!" No! Shut up! You're scared. This game is spooky. Largely do to the fact of the save system (and I'll get to that later). No auto checkpoints, ladies. If you die without saving it for 30 minutes, you'll have to relive that 30 minute nightmare all over again. That is scary. Also, the alien kills you in one touch. I, personally, think one touch is too much. Should be one stare and you're dead. That adds to the scare factor, but I just feel that one touch is too easy. The Creative Assembly had an opportunity to make the game more of a challenge but they swung and missed. At least, it is scary and tense.

Overall, the game looks great. The textures are so real that I feel like I'm actually there. The alien looks creepy but oh so cool! More importantly, this game gives you legs. We all know that in a handful of First person games, you look down and you have no feet nor legs. What? Are we floating? This is no excuse and it is why CoD will never be as good as Battlefield. This issue has bugged gamers for years. Well, in Alien: Isolation, Amanda Ripley has a fine pair of legs that she be rockin'. I often found myself looking straight down while running in circles just to see legs. As a professional journalist and gaming genius for the past 5 days, nothing has made me happier than to see a First person game that give me legs. Next gen, I see you! Apart from legs, I noticed that every single character sweats. It drove me crazy. Why are they all perfectly sweating all the time? You will see perfect sweat marks on all character foreheads. This causes for a distraction that is unneeded.

Now, I want to get to that save system. I liked it, but I didn't, but I did. To save your game you need to find a phone station and manually do it. Oh, and you have to wait for a 5 second boot up time. This also works as your checkpoint system. That's right, no traditional checkpoints. This adds to tension. "Do I backtrack and save?" "Can I make it?" No one wants to lose 40 minutes of gameplay. (If you manage to lost 40 minutes, you must really suck." Sadly, they're too many save stations. In fact, they're frickin everywhere! I don't know why all these other "professional reviews" are complaining about this feature. Oh, Boohoo! You lost a few minutes of gameplay. Well, maybe if you didn't suck and played the game right! Yeah, I said it! All these big time reviews just suck at the game. "Oh, it's too hard for me. I wish I was as awesome at games as that J Warrior guy..." Just because you suck doesn't mean the feature suck. What sucks is that the system makes it too easy! I think it should have no saves at all. If you die or turnoff your console, you gotta start all over sucka! The save system is a good idea but it isn't hard enough.

One other thing that I should note is that the game is too short. 15- 20 hours isn't long enough. I could be like all these other selfish a-hole reviews who get the game for free and have the guts to say "Ohhhh, too long!" but I won't To you, my brothers and sisters, you have to pay 60 dollars for a game so damn it, it better last! I was hoping for a few more hours to the game, but it just ended. On the plus, they managed to make a moderate length stealth infused game constantly feel different. Each new area on the Station feels so different. You'll be like; "Damn, son! That's a lot of new detail!" This is excellent. I can just imagine the other areas that could have been added if the game were longer.

Game over, man. Game over!

Alright, it's about that. Chances are, you're some american who hates reading and you just scrolled down to the final score. If you see a score you don't like, you'll scream; "Damn him! That review is garbage!" If you see a number you like; "I love you! Totally agree with you." So I won't waste anymore time. But before that, let's check out what others are saying:

Horror Gamer.com says; "The greatest game to have ever been made!" 10/10   ImAGamerToo.com raves; "That game is so fresh. Had me on edge from start to finish." 9.2/10. IGN whines; "This game is too haaaaard. The alien doesn't do the same thing. It doesn't hold my hand. I suuuuuck! This game hurt my ego. Wahhhhhhh!" <whatever lame ass score they gave it>  Gearbox.com adds; "Weak! The worst Alien game ever made." 3/10.  Sega gloats; "Haha. Told you we could do it. Haters say whaaaaaat?!"  And lastly; "Stop asking me for a god damn quote, you hippie!!!"- My neighbor Phil.

End of the day, it took a darn RTS developer to actually make the first quality Alien game. A game in which, all the goods out way the bads. A game that will be remembered as; "Yo, not bad *head nod*" Alien: Isolation is for everyone! So everyone go buy it. (Am I doing it right, Sega? Just leave my money under the rug.) Uh, you didn't hear that. Gee, come on people. Publishers don't pay us reviewers off. So stop effn' saying they do just because you don't agree with a review!!!!! KEEP YOUR CONSPIRACIES TO YOURSELF!! But yeah, um, Isolation has its missteps in a few areas, but it strides in many more. Alien: Isolation has been well worth the 20 plus year old wait. After all those years, Alien is finally relevant again.

FINAL SCORE: 3 OUT OF 3

PROS:  Amanda is smokin' hot... I mean she is nice lady, The sweat looks cool, dat Alien doe! Legs, The save system.

CONS: The save system, Too short, Too spooky, You if you didn't read all this.

-I actually did this blog on my phone. So please forgive any mistakes in spelling or awkward picture sizes.

Do NOT Read This will probably sue me for using a picture that is similar to his avatar but I don't care mukka sukkas!

WARNING! What you are about to read is incredibly stupid. In all sense and purposes, I'm doing this for laughs.

Let's face it. Gamers don't get any respect these days. We are all overweight, nerdy, basement dwellers, can't talk to the opposite sex and so on. All these harsh stereotypes hurt but we have proved many of these wrong. Gamers are actually, sexy, well liked, playas. We have accomplished so much in giving our Counter Culture a good name and it has been a long time coming. More and more people join us each and everyday and that's something to smile at.

However! While we have disproved many stereotypes, one will never be killed and we only have ourselves to blame for it. A stereotype that we helped created. "Gamers are dumb babies." Outrageous, right?! Well, no, in fact it is kind of true. See, these days developers know we are dumb. Why else would they release broken games? Because they know we'll buy them! Babies? Hell yeah we are! We cry about everything. Okay, okay. If you don't believe me, I'll show you some of the dumbest things we gamers say. I know you are all guilty of saying some of this stuff.

I shot him like 10 times! What the Frick?!

This refers to all you multiplayer shooter players out there. It happens. You play Call of Duty, or Battlefield, or Halo (lol not the BrokenChief Collection) and you get killed like 10 times in a row and you are fed up. You shout out something so stupid and you actually believe it. Maybe you shot AT the guy but you weren't hitting him. If you DID hit him 10 times, he'd be dead, but you didn't.

Games like these aren't made to cheat us out of our kills. Sometimes you just suck and when you suck you have to own up to it. 

I wanted to see if it would let me jump off the cliff.

Unlike the top one, when you say this, well you aren't lying. So, you walk your character towards a cliff and you jump forward to indeed see if the game let's you fall. Sure enough 8 out of 10 times it let's you fall. We are all guilty of this. The great thing about video games though is that we can get a due over for doing stupid stuff. I mean, this is just dumb! Of course the game is going to kill you for jumping off a cliff but we are just oh so curious to see if it does let us die.

For a future warning though don't push someone off a cliff in real life and say; "Hey, I wanted to see if he would actually fall." Score one for video games! Suck it real world!

The stupid controller is broke!

This is a popular one for fighting games. It's so cliche that I'm surprised how much it gets used. You get your butt whooped in a match and you blame your poor performance on the controller. Even if it's brand new, the controller is broken. No, YOU didn't lose the match, your controller did. Let me slap you with some reality: Controllers do what they are told to do. That means, what happens in the game happen because of the buttons you push.

We like to blame others for our failures. Get an F- the teacher is an idiot. Get fired- the boss was a fool. Lose a round of Street Fighter- Damn controller broke on me...

I beat the game on hard. The trophy just didn't unlock.

You know what I miss about the older consoles? No public award system. The good days where I could beat a game on Easy and tell my friends I beat it on Very Hard. Now, trophies and achievements let everyone know the truth. Most games have trophies for completing said game on the different difficulty settings. Since you can view your friends trophy list, you get to see what they beat the game on (if said game has difficulty setting trophies.) If you beat it on Easy, well that's the only trophy your getting.

God for bid I play a game on Easy! I have my friends saying; "J! You only have the Easy trophy? What's up with that?! Hahaha! U six, bro!" Screw you! I beat it on hard! The stupid trophy just didn't unlock!

I played the game at a buddies place.

So listen to this. A sweet game came out and everyone is talking about it. You haven't played it, for whatever reason, and you're asked if you have played it. Fact: Humans like feeling like they belong in a discussion. Even if it is a stupid one. Instead of saying; "Naw, man. I haven't played it." You just make a quick lie saying your imaginary friend played it with you. But why? Because we just want to belong and sometimes saying you haven't played it will do nothing but give you 20,000 questions on why you haven't.

Sometimes lying about it is the easy way to go. Damn right, I'll lie about it.

These pictures are making no sense...

I swear I only played it for the trophies.

These days, if you play a game like Hannah Montana Saves Christmas, or some perverted game, everyone and their mother will know about it. But that's okay because we can use trophies as a scape goat. "The game has easy trophies and I like trophies." Seems logical, right? However, this excuse just doesn't work anymore. It's like those thirsty guys who go to a club and claim they are only there for the food. Yeah, right...

If you want to play a girly game, just play it and own up to it. Yeah, I played Barbie the Game and it was glorious! The trophy lie isn't going to lie anymore, even for the poor souls who do play these games for the trophies.

I was in bed with your mom last night.

Do I really need to go on? 

I am so done buying video games now!

No, shut up! Okay, this is just annoying. Your punk butt is going to be at GameStop tomorrow buying more games. The tough guy; "I'm done with games!" act isn't going to work. This is just an empty promise. You spend so much time hating and hating and saying you are done with games? Hogwash! You probably buy more games than most people do. A piece of advice: Next you say you are done with video games, actually stop buying them and fulfill your promise and leave us all alone.

Remember, I'm doing this because I care.

I'm not a fanboy. I love them all.

If you have to say your not a fanboy, chances are that you probably are. What's wrong with liking one console more than the other? It doesn't mean that you hate the other guy. I love the Ouya more than the other guys. I will admit that and I am proud of it. The other guys are alright too, but I think the Ouya is way better.

Instead of making a fool out of yourselves and lying about loving every console so much, just be proud with the one that you like best. We are so worried about being called the dreaded F word that we kiss the butts of all the consoles.

I'm not even trying with these pics anymore.

To wrap it up, here are a few quicky pics of the stupid stuff we say:

"I'll wait for them to patch the game before buying it." - never buys the game.

"That's okay, Ubisoft. We forgive you"

"I BLAME EA!!!!!"

"You're a girl?"

"Accept my friend request...not just because you're a girl..."

"My K/D is a lot higher than that. The thing is glitched."

"I would have won if my team didn't suck!"

"This game is too easy so I'm going to stop playing it."

"The bosses suck."

"I hate patches."

"Come on guys. Mass Effect 3's ending wasn't that bad."

"This shouldnt even be DLC."

"PC is better." 

"Not enough female leads, I tell ya!"

It appears that we still may be look at as dumb for years to come with all the stupid stuff we say. But that's okay, because we are who we are and nothing is going to patch us. See, unlike games, humans don't rely on patches or scripted moments. We are unpredictable creatures who no one, not even us, can ever understand.

Note: No, I don't think gamers (besides me) are stupid. You are all very smart and wonderful people.

NoteNote: If any picture sizes are off, or grammer is wrong, that is due to the fact that I did this on my Android phone.

SPOILERS TO ARKHAM CITY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I have made a rule for myself to never over hype a game. When someone says, "The hype is real", I wince and hold my breath. Sure, getting excited for a game is only natural but saying, "This is going to be the greatest thing ever made" is borderline foolish after a year in which Driveclub, Titanfall, Watch Dogs, and Destiny (well, I enjoyed it) have failed to meet many people's expectations. Maybe we are getting hard to please. That is a very reasonable thought.

With that being said, however, no where in my right mind can I not be more than excited for Rocksteady's conclusion to The Dark Knight's tale; Arkham Knight. Slated for a June 2nd release, I'm already counting down the days. This totally contradicts my philosophy of excitement. I can't help it though. If Arkham Knight is less than stellar the gaming community will be devastated. No pressure, Rocksteady.

So just how good does this game have to be? Rocksteady has set the bar unbelievable high with Arkham City. If I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I'll say it has to be one of (if not, the) best licensed games for it to be superior than Arkham City.

Now, I can't speak for everyone but here is what I want in Arkham Night. First, don't just make the Batmobile a gimmick. Nothing is more frustrating when a game showcases a new, cool feature for it to only turn out to be a small gimmick in the game. I want to drive this thing as much as I can. This very well should be the Bat's ultimate tool in the game. The demos show how slick the driving will be. Something that smooth can't be a gimmick. It needs to be a big role in the game.

Next, Arkham Knight should have a big role. I enjoyed Arkham Origins, but what I didn't like is how small of a roll Deathstroke and Black Mask had. These two characters were showed off the most during pre released, but they were riding the backseat for most of the game. Don't let this happen with the Arkham Knight. We know that Scarecrow is the main antagonist in the game, and that's great, but with Arkham Knight being a freshly created character and is suppose to, "Push Batman to his limit" I think he deserves some of the most screen time for the villains.

Next, push Batman to the brink of insanity. With Scarecrow's Scare Toxin in Gotham and the events of Arkham City haunting Batman, it's a perfect set up for Batman to lose his mind. I can picture some levels that take place in Batman's mind, flashbacks etc. A PTSD Batman. By the time the game is reaching its conclusion, I suspect that Batman will be a very different...umm...Batman from when we saw him in Arkham Asylum.

Going back to the Arkham Knight here: Take the unveiling of who he is special. A lot of popular theories are out on the internet about who this guy is. Rocksteady says he is a new character. Sure, but that doesn't mean that whoever is under the mask isn't an existing character. Regardless of who is the Arkham Knight, that unveiling moment needs to be a jaw dropper. Whether, it's Batman taking off his mask, or the Arkham Knight unveiling himself before killing the Batman. Hell, maybe the Arkham Knight is a result of the Scare Toxin, although I'm not too convinced.

Next, have Batman admit he needs the Joker in his life. Like Heisenberg admitting he got into the meth business because he loved it. We all know Batman isn't the same without the Joker and no matter how many times he says he hates him, he needs him, and he probably misses him. For crying out loud, he left Talia's dead body and carried out the Joker's instead at the end of Arkham City. Also, if Joker comes back to life, somehow, I'll punch every single cat I see. Keep him dead, because that was a great move in Arkham City.

The conclusion needs to be unforgettable. I'll admit, Arkham City's ending hit me just as hard as Persona 3's ending. However, I loved it and it was the perfect way to set up one final battle. Trilogies have an infamous track record with endings, Return of the Jedi, Return of the King (which refused to end) so on and so forth. The Dark Knight ended with a good set up for a finale, however Rises has one of the laziest endings in recent trilogy history. I'll admit it, to say I didn't like The Dark Knight Rises is an understatement. I absolutely hated it. No, I despised, I dreaded it, and I hated it all in one. Not only was the entire film lackluster, the ending was horrendous. (Remember this is just my opinion) I'll throw this out to Rocksteady; Please, wash out the bad taste Rises left in my mouth. This ending needs to be great. The best way to end off an already great trilogy is an even greater ending.

Lastly, as Heath Ledger said, "Kill the Batman." I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but this would be the proper way to end it. As someone who is all for main characters dying, and someone who likes dark endings, I'm more than for this kind of ending. Let's be honest, they are setting it all up for Batman to die at the end. All his enemies want him dead, the one thing that kept these gangs apart is gone (The Joker), he blames himself for the incidents at Arkham City, and his perfect opposite is after him. I can't think of another conclusion that is more fitting than having him die. I don't mean Bruce Wyane lives on while Batman dies either. I'm saying, die as in die. Bruce, Batman, kill him. This is your chance to succeed where TDKR failed; Kill the Batman.

Obviously, we still have months before we can get our hands on Batman's epic conclusion. Now is the time for speculation, however. These are just a few pointers (story wise) that I'd like to see in the game.

Curtsey of Game Trailer.com

If I had to sum up gaming in 2014 in one word I'd use "mysterious." I'm not one to say how disappointed I was in 2014 or call the year "garbage." Doing so wouldn't seem fair to the good games we received from 2014. It was a mysterious year. One moment we had a great game, the next a disappointing one, then an unfinished one. Wait what's that? Your most anticipated game got pushes back until 2015? Very mysterious year, indeed.

However, this isn't about the ill times we had this year. It's the end of the year, and- as this is being typed- 2014 ends tonight. This is the time of year for gamers to look back at what impressed us the most. The time where we tell everyone what games were our favorite and why. With gaming in 2015 on our minds, it's time for us to look back at what we remembered (good memories, not the bad) the most. With that being said; here our my 10 favorite games of 2015 in ordered.

Please note. I am far from being a wealthy person. I only make so much money so I can't afford every game that comes out. With that being said, Bayonetta 2, Sunset Overdrive, and Far Cry 4 are absent from this list. All 3 are well praised games that I'm sure I would enjoy.

10. South Park: The Stick of Truth.

Maybe it's because I'm a fan of the show? Okay, I won't lie, it is because I'm a fan of the show. Stick of Truth takes and easy turn based game and throws in South Park lore that makes you feel like you are in an episode of the show. Stick of Truth doesn't do anything ground breaking. The game is easy, fairly short, and simple but the characters, setting, and jokes make it all worth the while.

Truth be told, if it wasn't South Park I wouldn't pay any mind to it. An RPG that stops your level progress at 15? But who cares? You're in South Park and, while it's simple, the combat is fun and never gets old. I've always wanted to spend a day in South Park, and with Stick of Truth, I got to do that.

9. Destiny

Probably the most controversial on the list. Destiny wasn't as big as we hoped for but damn was it fun. With a great soundtrack, visuals, and fun shooting Destiny stands out as a fun game. A game that should be played with others, mind. Most of my fun came from my fire squads. Patrols, story levels, and of course the Strikes are all much more fun with friends. Customization and finding the best gear is another aspect that I enjoyed. Destiny takes an MMO element of leveling up gear and made it work (although it could have been handled better).

The Crucible was the shinning landmark for me, however. Take your Guardian and fight against other players. Your Guardian and gear is taking straight from your PvE experience making you feel more unique. Destiny has a lot going on Customization and gear wise and that's enough to keep me coming back for more.

8. Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc/ Goodbye Despair

I'm going to break the rules and add both Dangan Ronpa games because I love them so much. You take the concept of Zero Escape and Ace Attorney and you have the foundation of Dangan Ronpa. At its core this is is a visual novel. Trapped by an unknown captor you and several other people are forced to start murdering each other if you want to escape. When a dead body shows up the fun begins. You are tasked with investigating the scene in a First Person point and click set up. After you have gained all the knowledge you can you and the rest of the survivors are thrown into a trail. Your goal, uncover who is the killer. If you fail everyone EXCEPT the killer gets to leave. Oh, and everyone but said killer all die. If you uncover the killer, said killer is executed in horrendous ways. You and everyone else survives, but you are forced to watch the convicted be murdered. You never feel like you are winning.

In order to succeed the trails you must properly argue and show evidence in an Ace Attorney set up. With a thrilling story and characters you grow attached to Dangan Ronpa is a standout. It never gets easy seeing a character you like get murdered, or worse, send them off to their deaths as you convict them. However, with one of the greatest villains ever created in Monokuma, it sometimes feels like a light hearted journey.

7. LittleBigPlanet 3

The iconic Sack Boy is back, this time with friends. If ever a 3rd LBP game were to have been made, Sumo Digital did it right. Not only buy adding new tools but by adding new characters. Sack Boy is joined by Oddsock; a dog like creature who can run up walls. Toggle: A massive Sack Boy...thing who can shrink in size. And lastly, Swoop: A bird whose speciality is, you guessed it, flying. The little additions such as slides and being able to climb walls are genius as well.

However, this isn't a game that's all about tools. It's a game about you and your imagination. Each character speciality and new tools can be put to full use in the iconic "Create Mode." I've spent around 200 hours with LBP 1 and 2 (3 shouldn't be any different.) but that isn't because I'm a level creator. Over 9 million levels have been created and I play as much as I can. These new tools are great assets for the best LBP creators. Shout out to "Fossil Island" If you haven't played it yet, do so.

6. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

In all honesty, I expected very little from Shadow of Mordor. Another Lord of the Rings game destined for disaster I thought. I thought wrong. Mordor is surrounded by a simple theme; kill orcs. Mordor takes aspects that made Arkham and Assassin's Creed successful. With the combat of Arkham and the movement of Assassin's Creed rapped in one. However, what makes this game stand out is the Nemesis Mode. The Nemesis Mode shows the ranks of different orcs. Each starting as a captain. They will duel other captains, lead hunting parties, or execute traitors as they climb the ranks. You get to kill as many of them as you please. However, if you fall to one, they will receive a promotion and will be harder to take down. 

Mordor does fail to have a story worth while, which can be disappointing when you look at the lore of The Lord of the Rings. A revenge story that we've seen a thousand times. However this can be overlooked because of how fun the game is to play. Where Mordor fails to have a story, it shines with its Nemesis Mode, which is a story in itself.

5. The Evil Within

I've been a fan of the Survival Horror genre for a long time, and over the years it has become one of my favorites. In recent years the genre has become a ghost of its former self. So, when I heard that Shinji Mikami was returning to the genre he helped create, I was stoked. The Evil Within wastes no time throwing you into a hostile world and it feels so right. Resources aren't flowing for you, your environment can be a great weapon for you, or your death, the monster designs are cool, and you are always filled with uneasiness.

In The Evil Within, you are always on edge, and while it isn't very scary, it certainly is tense. I enjoyed shooting off Haunted heads more than you can believe and running away from The Keeper and Laura nearly took a few years off my life. The Evil Within is what Resident Evil 5 & 6 should have been and is a hell of a returning party for Shinji Mikami.

4. InFamous: Second Son

Second Son is the best looking game graphics wise that I've played on these new consoles. Sucker Punch steps away from the comic setting from 1 and 2. In return, Second Son steps into a more modern setting. Instead of a fictional setting, Second Son takes place in a beautiful Seattle. With a new character and new powers to explore, Second Son is a hell of a ride. Sucker Punch struck gold with Delsin's power. Instead of one power type Delsin can absorb and use other powers. Smoke, Neon, Electronics, and stone. You won't get bored as each power has their own skill tree and different abilities to use.

Replay value is strong as the moral system takes stage. Be the hero Seattle deserves, or be the villain they need. Both, hero and villain, paths are pretty similar in terms of core story. Different scenes scenes come up, the powers take a small change. However, the big difference is the endings. Two very different endings. A hero ending, which is what it sounds like. And a villain ending, which is the definition of an evil ending. Both are worth playing the game through twice.

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die

I don't know if D4 has finished its "first season", or if it has and the next will be "Season two" or what. To be fair, I don't even know what D4 really is. What I do know is that, whatever it is, it is one of m favorite experiences ever. A point and click game for the Kinect. Simple, right? Wrong. The story of D4 is about an ex detective who can time travel as he tries to solve the murder of his wife. As strange as this might sound, the game is far from dark. The hilarious characters and dialogue make it a special experience.

The story is complex and works with the simple gameplay. As funny as it is, the mystery is investing. D4 is a game that not many developers would take a change with. A goofy story that tries to be serious. Whatever they did, they did it right. D4 was something that the gaming industry really needed.

2. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Easily the biggest game I've played all year, Dragon Age wastes no time trying to overwhelm you. Full character customization makes a return, including race, class, and gender. With this, you can fully customize and control your party. Inquisition centers around you, the Inquisitor. A whole spitting out DarkSpawn can only be defeated by your powers. You will need to recruit, earn power and respect, and do a hell lot of side quests to reach your goal.

Combat is like a mix of Origins and 2, blended into its own thing. My favorite part is how each major area is so different feeling than the others. Just when I think I've seen it all, new areas pop out and more quests. Character interaction is huge as well. Each major character have their own stories for you and missions. With all this, you are in charge. You get to design who joins the fight, how you want your SkyHold to look, and how to handle your prisoners. An RPG worthy of new gen.

1. Alien: Isolation

I call a transit to carry me to my objective. As I heard it coming slowly in the distance the area gets very misty. Something doesn't feel right, I can feel it my gut. I turn around, slowly walking around the room. From the ceiling I see an object that looks like a pipe hang down. Before I realize what it is, it is too late. The alien is on me and ends me quickly.

That was my first true encounter with the alien and became one of my favorite moments of the game. Finally! Someone has made a good alien game. After failed attempts at a James Cameron style Alien game, the Creative Assembly decided to go with the Ridley Scott set up. One Alien, no pulse rifles, pure horror. Admittedly, when I first heard that Isolation would be a one alien game, I wondered if the Creative Assembly could actually make a game that doesn't feel stale with just one alien. Thanks to the unscripted AI, and the phenomenal pacing, they succeed. The alien doesn't show up until a good hour into the game. Making the reveal that much better. When he shows up you aren't being chases for 20 hours as he goes away for a few levels. But when he is hunting you, it is truly unforgettable.

Human enemies and androids all have their own different AI and way of dealing with things, which changes thing up. You never feel safe in the game. Hiding under a desk as the creature's tail drags by, or hiding in a locker as you hear the heavy stomps from far away is a sight to see. This is a survival game done right. It is as close to a survival simulator as we can get. Let's not forget about the setting. It's Rapture in space and that's the biggest compliment I can give. The eerie isolated feeling does the alien universe justice. A ruthless, unforgiving alien creature that will learn from how you handle your situations. Good luck surviving it.

So there you have it, Alien: Isolation is my game of the year for 2014. In a strange year, Alien makes me forget about the "could haves". Not only is Alien: Isolation my Game of the Year, it's an experience I'll never forget.

Now it is time for us to look to the horizon of 2015.

The following is a parody and isn't meant to be taken seriously. This blog doesn't reflect my actual thoughts on the game and on gaming media.

The Cutscene: 1886 is one strange game. Xbox fans have been having a field day since reviews went up saying; "Greatness a-what now?" Sure, PlayStation fans made fun of the Xbox when Ryse turned out to be what it was. So call it...poetic justice. (PC Master race mothafu...) Regardless, The Flop: 1886 is one hell of a weird game. It looks like real life and has werewolves, and it even has a story that is done decently. Want to know what it doesn't have? GAMEPLAY! Where is the god damn game?! Is this a movie or a game? I can't tell the difference. It's a 60 dollar flick and no flick (not even Ghostbusters and Saving Private Ryan) are worth 60 smackers.

If I had to describe The Movie: 1886 in basic terms I'd say it's sorta like an attractive person who doesn't want anyone near them. I mean, it's like when someone who you have the hots for walks into your life but they won't let anyone talk to them or hang out with them. You can look, but that's all you're gonna get. QTE: 1886 looks very, very nice but you don't actually get to play it. In the 2 hours it takes to beat it, you only get to play 2 minutes and 37 seconds of it. How is that fair?! You can lipstick on a turd and it won't turn into Emma Stone. It will stay a turd. You can give a machine freewill but it's still a machine. Games need gameplay!

Let me be frank; I have nothing against story driven games nor QTEs. Games like Heavy Rain and The Wolf Among Us are great fun because it uses its limited gameplay wisely. The QTEs in those games don't break up and disrupt your core gameplay. And let's not forget about the dialogue feature. Mustache: 1886 doesn't use QTEs wisely and it's core gameplay was cool back on PS2 but isn't now. I don't know if I should be more bummed that the gameplay isn't in it enough or if it's too outdated....

Movie: 1886 takes place in London during the year; you guessed it! 1886. You play as a Knight who has superpowers and a killer mustache. He is part of a club who has dedicated their lives to fighting half breeds. A half breed is a misunderstood half human, half dog (PITA is going to hate this game). The game offers moral questions such as; Are we really different than a bunch of dogs? And raises concerns about the human race like; If we keep going down this route, we will parish. And lastly philosophy that asks you; Is it better to be a man living by other's commands, or be a dog who is free? The game has so much deep meaning that it makes Deus Ex: Human Revolution and BioShock look like they were written by 5 year olds.

However, this deep (and controversial) approach isn't enough to save the game. Take the half breeds, for instance. They offer many of the game's moral codes that make you want to pause your game, hug your loved one and wisper in their ear; "Thank you. Thank you for making me feel like a free dog." However, that's all they do. Fighting them isn't any fun because of the broken AI. These guys do the same exact attack, act the same, and run the same route. Running the same route is obviously symbolic as the game is showing us that humans running the same route will lead to extinction. Half breeds aren't the only boring ones to kill. The human enemies don't do anything. They are begging you to kill them. Which actually might be symbolic as well... Hmm...maybe it means if humanity isn't willing to fight we might as well beg to die...Yes! That's it! Symbolism! The AI is great in that case!

Symbolism: 1886 suffers from random QTEs and cut scenes that break up your gameplay. Nothing is more strange than shooting at enemies and having to push X, square, X, and do a backflip for no good reason whatsoever. You also don't know when the game is going to inappropriately break into a cut scene. Shooting some goons and BANG! Cut scene! Walk 2 steps BANG! Cut scene! Pause the game BANG! Cut scene! The cut scenes even have freakin cut scenes. The main menus probably have a cut scene! The worst part is, cut scenes end just as suddenly as they begin. You will stand for 15 seconds before realizing that you are playing. I often looked up to the sky and asked; "Oh, so I can play this part now?" only to have a cut scene appear 5 seconds later which led to me screaming the f bomb as I got up and left...

That's just a cut scene

As I stated before, the graphics are great. I often asked; "Is this the real life, or is just fantasy?" The detail on the mustaches are so fine, and the dust that falls in each room...brilliant. I can't think of any other game that looks this good. PC master race, eat your heart out. The attention to detail is straight out of a movie, and I'm not calling it a movie just because it has a runtime of 2hrs and you only get to watch it. What is very surprising is the realistic and next gen nudity featured in the game. As you all know, most games only feature female breasts for nudity and a backside. Well, Nudity: 1886 says "Naw, man. We all about equality!" It has been on everyone's mind that games are sexist for only having female breasts shown in games. In Equality: 1886 there is a scene that shows male genitally. It is shown for a brief 0.983 seconds but it's there. The next gen graphics do it justice as well. The attention to detail- no matter how brief, is amazing. It's next gen. It's NEXT GENitally.

From the faces, to the nudity, to the buildings the game looks great. However, I'm not here to review an art project. I'm reviewing a game and this game is no game. Apart from looks, it stinks. Like...damn, it stinks. My mom always told me; "Son, you're an idiot. Second, looks aren't always everything. A person can look like Tom Brady but be as mean as David O Russell and no one will want to be near them. Now get the hell out of my house." This is exactly what she meant! A game can look like Jesus Christ made it but if it doesn't play AT ALL, let alone good, than it isn't a good game. Gameplayless: 1886 suffers from that so much. It could've been so great...but it dropped the ball. It passed the ball instead of running it to Beast Mode. It gave up a goal in double overtime to lose the Cup final. It got destroyed and lost in the finals against the guy's who heart it ripped out last year. It lost I'm game 7 and lost hopes of finally winning. It gave up 3 goals in the 85-final minutes and failed to close off a championship run. It...choked.

The Disappointment: 1886 had all the makings for a good game. Graphics, a female character, so much philosophy in the writing, nudity...but it didn't have any gameplay and the AI is dumber than a sack of rocks, and the CUT SCENES! If movies had good gameplay than this would be a good game. Enough about me. Here is what others have to say about the "game":

Xbox The Fan Site says: "Haaaa! Greatness a-who now? What, what?...please play Titanfall. Will anyone play Titanfall? Why doesn't anyone play it?!" 0/10

PlayStation The Fan Site defends: "Yo! This game is just misunderstood. The greatness in this thing is great, yo!...please give us a good exclusive soon. Second Son was so long ago." 11/10

The Telegram raves: "Wait...that was a game?" 4/10

GamesGamesGames cheers: "That next gen crotch was hype! But the rest of the game blows. You don't even get to push any buttons to make your guy do anything." 5.5over7/10

FromSoft says: "Don't worry guys. Bloodborne will be out soon."

A "game" that has generated a lot of hate for all the right reasons. I don't think I can even disagree with any of these guys. The Fail: 1886 has very little going for it and shouldn't be played by anyone who has no interest in it. I wish I could tell you that this is the next big exclusive for Sony...but it's not.

Don't worry PlayStation fans. Bloodborne will be here soon to save us.

Final Score: -1886/10

Pros: Next GENitally, So much philosophy.

Cons: Cut scenes! The entire game, You.

The following is a parody, you fool!

You are looking at Kaz Hirai. A legend? Maybe. A God? Yes. Kaz Hirai is a god amongst the internet with memes and gifs to boot, and even a kickass smile. But what goes on in the mind of an internet god? Does he feel? Does he taste? Does he get tired? Ladies and gentlemen, I was granted the offer to interview a god and ask all the questions we are all dying to know. A milestone in my career? I'd say; yes. Over the past few days a talked to the god and have gotten the answers to your burning questions in a very bizarre interview. I've been covering video games professionally for over 20-25 seconds and never once have I talked to anyone quite like Kaz Hirai.

Screw interviewing Kim Jong-un! This is the true interview of the century!

....

First off; let me say welcome and how big of an honor this is, Hirai-san (did I do that right?)

"I bet it is."

I guess I should just start off by asking: How excited are you by the success of the PS4. It has put up some impressive numbers.

"We are all very excited. Everyone has worked so hard and we are glad that the consumers are making the right purchase. They know what it is: The best place to play is on PlayStation. We have everything you need. Very excited to see what the future holds."

I hate to bring this up so early, but in terms of sales there was a mix up. Sony said that the PS4 was the lead selling hardware of the month of Feb. Later, Nintendo said that it was the new 3DS and they were right. What are your thoughts on that?

"Wait...who the hell is Nintendo and what is a 3DS?

Hmm...Oh! Nintendo are that parody company who doesn't sell consoles! Well, you tell Nintendo that I couldn't hear them over 20 million sold PS4s. Who cares about handhelds anyways? Handhelds are dumb and mean nothing."

That kind of leads into my next question. What is your relationship with key members of rival companies. Reggie of Nintendo and Phil Spencer or Microsoft?

"I've been told that I am a very friendly person and that means a lot to me. I will say that Reggie and I don't get along. He has a very punchable face and doesn't know what he is doing. He likes to talk too much and again...that face! Tell me that you just don't want to punch it.

Spencer and I are on good terms. We drink tea together and talk about our favorite singers. He is an avid PlayStation gamer, so he has that going for him. He is always saying: 'Kaz, Kaz! How do you make all that money? We want to be as awesome as Sony!' And I smile and say: 'Baby, you got to be born with it' He may get there one day...but sadly Sony isn't hiring at the moment *laughs*"

It does seem like Microsoft and Sony aren't as bitter as we may think. They even allowed Minecraft Vita to be made after they bought the IP.

"Isn't that funny though? Now Microsoft has more published games on the Vita than we do!

But yes, Microsoft and Sony aren't killing each other like the wacko's you see on the internet. All of this: 'Xbox is better! No, PlayStation is better!' It is all very dumb, if you ask me. We all know the truth; PlayStation is better, so let's leave it at that. If you look at it this way, the Xbox One is the little brother to the PlayStation 4. I mean that the Xbox One took a lot of the same idea's that our PS4 was going. They were all high and mighty saying: "TV! Online! DRM! No used games! Talk, talk, talk! Spying!" Then what happened? They put their tails between their legs and made a change. So what do they do? They need to look at a competitor and do some copying.

If you were in their place who would you copy off of? Ouya? Certainly not Nintendo, because they don't make consoles anymore. You're are going to copy off of the big guy; us! They take away all of their crazy original ideas and try to do what we do. They even copied off of us and hacked their own network so it would be offline like ours always is. So, Xbone users, you can thank us for saving you from a bad console.

What I'm getting at is that siblings shouldn't fight so much. Stop making fun of our little brother."

Speaking of being hacked, the PS4 has had some major issues with that. Any thoughts?

"Well, J-Man, I am confused. People always say how great the PSOne was, so we'd think that they'd like the PSOne servers so much more than the PS4's. 

This security stuff is hard too. Would you like to do it? No? So stop crying about it all. We get the servers up when they go down...sooner or later, and all we ask from you is to wait. It will get better, though. Since 2015 has started we have only been hacked 71 times."

On another subject: 2015 is going to be a big year. Bloodborne leading the pack, Persona 5, No Man's Sky and more. What I want to ask is do you see the Order: 1886 as a success? Lots of money made but...let's not lie to ourselves, the game was not very good. (read my review)

"Let me say this: I promise that the sequel to the Order will be a lot better. I know this, because they won't be a sequel.

We all knew that The Order wasn't going to be good. Did you actually have hype for it? *laughs* You saw those gameplay demo's, right? It was a success in terms of "mission complete". With the game, we proved that reviews are meaningless- except for yours. It all went right. Made us some good money and RAD pulled through for us by making a game has boring as that. Marketing, baby! *laughs*"

So, are you saying that RAD purposely made The Order disappointing?

"Oh come on. We are Sony! You honestly thought that we would have a developer make an exclusive game that bad...on accident? *laughs* You can't make a game that boring without meaning to."

But why? For what reason? What do you have to gain?

"Let me tell you something you may already know. 'You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.' What I mean is that when someone is subject to something so bad right before something so good, that thing that is so good is even better.

You have to let people down to bring them back up. That is what we are doing. We disappointed you all with The Order, and we are going to make up for it with something else. Not only that, but our little 'make up' is going to seem a lot better because of it.

Now tell me...what game is about to come out?"

...Bloodborne.

"Bingo! You were all subject to something so boring with The Order, which just happened to release one month before Bloodborne. After being letdown with The Order, we will give you Bloodborne which, will not only improve sales tenfold, but seem so great that you all shower us with praise. Isn't great! You have to think like a businessman to succeed."

So about Uncharted 4. We all knew how big of a deal this was going to be as a 2015 release. Thoughts on the delay?

"Well, it's like Miyamoto say's (by the way, he is not nearly as handsome as me); 'A delayed game eventually becomes a good. A rushed game is bad forever.'"

The Order: 1886 thinks differently.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!

You so funny, man! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me say that the extra time for Uncharted 4 is going to make it even more great. It also gives Xbone users time to trade in their consoles for a PS4."

News on The Last Guardian?

"I know as much as you do. Not even the developer knows what's up *laughs*. We will release The Last Guardian on the Vita! That'd make people mad! *laughs*

To answer your question, The Last Guardian is being made, but it isn't. Does that help?"

What is your favorite moment from your history at Sony?

"You mean besides kicking Microsoft's and Nintendo's ass? Probably our PS3 reveal at E3. I think we nailed it and everyone was laughing because of how great it was. 'RIIIIIIIIIIIDGE RACER!!!' That's still awesome. We announced the 599 US dollar price and everyone stood up and cheered. I had great fun and it was the beginning of a very great console. Times were easier back then too. Now, you have to try extra hard to please everyone and you forget to have fun. Not us, though. At Sony we always have fun. I even glitched the system when we showed off Uncharted 4 at PSX and made Drake fall through the world. Andrew House hacked PSN and caused it to go down for an entire day just to prank the guys! *laughs* We actually made people think that the Vita was going to have games! Never, ever forget to have fun."

Before I rap this us and let you go, I have one more question. What can we except from the future of the PS4?

"Greatness. Greatness awaits."

...

A legend? Maybe. A God? Yes. My sit down with Kaz has taught me a lot of things and I now realize just how important video games are. I wish we all could think like Kaz. That way we'd have no war, no suffering, no hardships. Like Kaz said; "Never, ever forget to have fun."

I'm J Warrior, asking the hard questions for you. Thank you for joining me, and I'll see you soon. Good night.

Riiiiiiiiiiidge Raaaaaaaacer!

The following is a parody.

Let's rewind the clock back to late February. The sky was falling on Sony. Sure, the PS4 continues to sell more than any other console on the market, but Sony struggled to find its footing with big exclusives. The publisher had just released its worst exclusive by far with The Order: 1886 (read my review). Apart from releasing the mess that was The Order the system didn't have its console seller. Sony was getting nervous. Keep in mind, the PlayStation 1 through 3 all had great exclusives. The fact that the 4 didn't have any yet was a scary thought. Sony needed something big, and they needed it fast. So, they looked to Bloodborne to be their savior. Bloodborne to redeem themselves from the horrid Order: 1886.

Now, let's fast forward the clock to present day. Bloodborne is out and I'm pleased to say that it is the savior Sony needed. This Gothic RPG from...From Software is what we all needed. A game that will kick your ass, call you mean names, and demand you quit. This is a win for Sony. Teaming up to bring a Souls style game to their console will be forever seen as a victory for them, and a loss for others (PC Master race and Xbones...oh, don't look at me like that). But with fanboyism aside, Bloodborne is truly a victory for all of gaming. In this day and age where games hold your hand and want you to beat them, Bloodborne spits in your face and dares you to beat it. See, Bloodborne couldn't give a crap if you beat it; it doesn't want you to win. Bloodborne wants you to quit and never return, it wants you to fail, it wants you to cry. And many people will fall victim to what Bloodborne wants them to do. That's the beauty, that's what makes it so great.

Come get some, you little punk!

Bloodborne takes place in Yharnam...it's hell. This is what hell is; Ugly, mean, bloody monsters everywhere you want to kill you...on second thought, it kind of sounds like a Sorority. Bloodborne takes place in a Sorority named Yharnam where a hunter (that's you) goes to wipe out the bane of all existence...Sorority Sisters. To accomplish this, you have a number of cool weapons and stuff. The best part is that your weapons can extend at anytime. No more deciding if you want a long or short weapon. You now have both! You also get guns! Now, this ain't no fancy shooting game and guns are used to push enemies back to open them up. You may have also heard that Bloodborne has no shields. Well, these people who have told you that are stupid. Bloodborne does have shields that you can use...they just suck and I recommend not using them.

Bloodborne is sorta like a Souls game only it's totally different. It's a lot faster and you are put on the offensive rather than the defense. To complement this is the regain system. Basically, if a fool hits you, you hit them back (equal rights for monsters and hunters!) and regain your lost health, but you have to be fast. Instead of Souls, you obtain Blood Echos which are totally not the same thing as Souls. You level up and buy gear with these things. You can't just level up where ever the hell you want, though. Your punk ass needs to find a lamp (thing Bonfire for you Souls casuals) and return to the safe haven known as the Hunters Dream. Here, Woody's (from Toy Story) cousin will assist you in leveling up and becoming stronger, faster, smarter...sexier. In this Haven you can also strengthen your weapons and buy gear. If Yharnam is hell, the Hunters Dream...isn't hell...or something.

I'm as shocked as you are. Hahahaha...ha

Bloodborne does everything right. The sounds that the enemies make will have your skin crawling. The atmosphere is straight out of a madman's dream. This game is very unsettling and I can't stress that enough. I spent most of my time lost and scared. Death often felt like an escape from the nightmare. Yet, I found myself wanting more and more. I wanted to beat this damn thing! Every encounter is a puzzle in its own and should be treated like so. This game is hard and there is no easy setting, that's what makes it so scary. Every area is deceptively beautiful; it looks great but in the back of your mind you know that monsters are waiting to feast on you. From Software nailed the atmosphere. It's like your in-laws house. It may seem like a welcoming place, but you just know that they are horrors in that house who will belittle you and say; "My daughter could have married a businessman. Someone who is smart, cute, and has money. But instead, she married your broke dumb ass."

Bosses have always been a theme for the Souls games and Bloodborne is no different. No other experience in gaming has gotten my heart pumping as much as the boss battles in this game did. I was scared, and confused during these fights. With this, nothing is more rewarding than beating a boss. You jump in the air and shout; "Yay! After 44 tries I did it! Time to get my ass handed to me by the next one!" And that's okay, you know the next one will be harder but you keep going because you are batsh*t crazy and we all love you for it. Bloodborne brings out the best in gamers. You know you don't have a chance against the next boss, but you are going to smile past your tears and say; "Bring it." You are going to run in and get totally destroyed during your first attempt. On your 30th, you'll be one hit away from winning before dying, and on you 34th, you'll beat the big guy. That's what Bloodborne is all about. It's about accepting the fact that you are a pathetic weakling and spitting in the eye of the boss while you give it another go.

With the hordes of enemies and bosses, this is a scary hard game to go in alone. Don't worry, you can bring in help. 3 player online co-op is in the game. But don't expect this to make the game very easy. If one of your allies falls in battle, they leave your world. With this, you should note that the most harsh things aren't always the bosses. Sometimes its your fellow hunters. PvP which allows hunters to kill each other because sometimes taking out your anger on little guys is good for you. The 3 player co-op comes into much fun with the Chalice Dungeon. This Dungeon is always changing which gives the game that much more replay value. 

The lore in Bloodborne is told just like a Souls games. The NPCs all talk like they are on some kind of drug. Not even they know what's going on. The story is very vaguely told. You all might think the game is just about killing ugly things. And to you, I say...GET SMARTER! The lore can often be told by reading items that you pick up and find. I mean, hell, they made the game hard so why not make the storytelling hard too? The best parts of the story, though, come from the discussions that you and your friends will have. Your friends will share stories of how they got their asses kicked, while you lie about how you kicked the game's ass. Isn't that better than any story ever written; the story of friendship? No? Well, forget you!

The musical score in Bloodborne perfectly sets the mood. From the relaxing tone of the Hunters Dream to the musical choir that breaks out during a boss fight, as the choir sings; "You suck! You suck! You suck!" over and over again. The musical score is good for daily life too. The theme of the Celtic Beast's fight is the same music that plays when I eat my morning breakfast. The Hunters Dream theme is the music that plays when I go to sleep.

I've been gushing over everything that Bloodborne does right, but it's time for me to tell you what it does wrong. Okay, so this is what I thought the game could have done better at..............

Bloodborne does everything right and it works as a perfect metaphor in life. When crap gets too hard, you have to find it in you to get up and say; "I got this." To have the strength and willpower to move on. You are going to get knocked down, you just have to accept it and learn from it. Smile in the punk's face who pushed you around and ask; "Is that the best you can do?" Bloodborne will kick your ass, but it isn't about that. It's about how you react to it. Do you give up, or keep at it? We all could learn a thing or two from Bloodborne. Games don't always have to be easy and hold your hand to be fun. Bloodborne gave me some of the most fun I've had because it wasn't telling me what to do. No one likes being told what to do! No one likes having their hand held! You are a man (or a woman)! You do what you want! Bloodborne lets you do that...it just kills you 1,000 times for it.

Bloodborne is everything that every gamer could have hoped for. Here is what others are saying:

Gameplanet shouts: "That junk is hard, doe! But so dang goooood!" 10/10

RatcherGamer says: "That game beat my ass and I loved it." 10/10

From Software brags: "Told you we got this covered, Sony."

Sucker Punch jokes: "Finally! Our back has been hurting from carrying the weight of the entire console." 10/10

WeHatePlayStation.com (Polygon) admits: "Guys, not even we can hate on this." 10/10

IGN says NOTHING! Because they weren't given a review copy! Hahahahaha!...10/10

Gamesradar poetically says: "This game...this game is what I was meant to play. I was born for this. As a inserted the disc into the PS4, I began to cry. It was then that I knew that my true calling was to fly like an eagle. I climbed to the roof and flew to the sky where I was greeted by the warmth smile of Hidetaka Miyazaki who was floating in the clouds. What I'm trying to say is that this game is perfect." 5/5

Sony raves: "We did it! We finally have our console selling exclusive!"

.......

For over a year, Sony struggled to find its big exclusive. Bloodborne is that game. A game that does everything right. Bloodborne is exactly what gaming needed and what the Souls series needed. Demon's Souls was the surprise hit because we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. Bloodborne returns us to that feeling of not knowing what to expect and I love it. The satisfaction of overcoming the challenges are far greater than the sting of constant defeat. 

For awhile the PlayStation 4 didn't have that console selling exclusive. With Bloodborne, the PS4 finally has that.

Score

10/10

Pros.

Bosses, monsters, monsterbosses, co-op, fun, hard, Sorority, soundtrack, Regain System, weapons, blood, lots and lots of blood, fly like an eagle, dolls, spooky, defeat, victory, borne in blood, lamps, the messengers, no hand holding, praise the moon!, loading screen

Cons.

I got nothing.

The following contains Strong/Adult Language 

The following Parody is made possible from the contribution of:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Until Dawn is a 2015 horror film from the Director that brought you Heavy Rain. Unlike his earlier films, the Director ditches his old philosophy of character development, dramatic storylines, and emotion. Lots and lots of emotions. Instead he turns to teenage hormones, one-liners, a cheesey storyline...and sexy stuff. Lots and lots of sexy stuff. What he came up with is a surprisingly fun gam...I mean movie. With annoying ass characters like these watching them die in painful ways is glorious! With Until Dawn, Sony has got its sleeper hit, though it ain't without its problems.

Until Dawn takes place on a Mountain cabin; 8 friends go up to said cabin for a night of douchebaggery, and sex...lots and lots of sex. But why do they go here? Well, it's quite stupid honestly- They are here to celebrate the anniversary of their friend's disappearance. Before you say; "What kind of heartless jerks celebrate their friend going missing?" know this. Where they are staying at is the exact place their friend disappeared at! I know, right! Because staying at the place that your friend was probably killed is totally safe! With a setup like that...woo, you've done it again Mr. Cage!

While on their stay some bullsh*t happens, and bodies start to drop like nobodies business. Turns out- and they would have never seen this coming- that a killer is lurking around! Who knew, right? It's not like...I don't know...ONE OF THEIR FRIEND'S WENT MISSING AT THIS PLACE ONE YEAR AGO! It's up to you to play director and control all 8 characters and only your choices decided who survives...Until Dawn.

Oh yeah, he's gonna die first.

In Until Dawn you explore an eerie ass setting with jumpscares all over the place. Never knowing when the killer is going to pop out and...AHHH!! Sorry...this junk is really scary. But is there more than meets the eye? Yes, this cabin on the mountain as got some supernatural sh*t going down. Your job is to find out just what the f*ck is going down up in this place. You'll walk, run, hide, shoot, talk, walk some more, run some more, have sex, throw snowballs, climb things, and play with dolls, all in your journey for the truth. Sounds cliche? Well, it is. The story is cliche- get this- on purpose! I know, right! And Jurassic World was unoriginal and boring on purpose too! This story is straight out of the 80s slashers. The characters? Annoying as my lame jokes. But it's on purpose! God bless you, Until Dawn!

Each character represents a walking stereotype, and it actually works nicely. You have the annoying rich girl, the douchebags, the standard black dude (who dies during the tutorial level), the brave handsome dude, and the one girl who you want so hard to survive. This game doesn't take any of the writing seriously and I love that. Even the killer as a clown mask and sounds like jigsaw; "Hello, Samantha. Want to play a game?" There is nothing worse than cheap writing taking itself too seriously. Until Dawn slaps you in the face and says; "This is how it's gonna be!" However, the game itself does offer some twists of its own. You can see bits of what can possibly happen to a character soon. And of course the Butterfly Effect.

Each choice takes you down a different path. Who lives, who dies, who bang who. It's all up to you. While great, some of these deadly choices rely on you guessing. While I was being chased and screaming like a little girl, I would find myself guessing on whether to run or hide. Both seen legit, but one ends with death and there is no way of knowing it. Lets talk about death for a second; This game has no Game Over screen. If someone dies, they stay dead. All 8 can live, all 8 can die. If a character you like dies, you can't restart. This is great and will keep you on your toes. I'll never forget my first playthrough. I wanted to get everyone killed. Mike was way more better looking than me, and whatsherface was an annoying daddy's girl. I wanted blood. Now, I did like Sam. Her easy on the eyes look, her nice personality, soft voice...pretty face...gentle look...SORRY! Sam was the only character worth giving a damn about but...f*ck it, I want death. However, since I'm so good at games I failed in failing. Everybody lived, and I was sad...

The best part of any slasher are the death scenes. Sadly, I completed the game without getting anyone killed, so I had to play it again. During my second playthrough I got some fools killed. Without spoiling anything let me say...God Damn that junk is sick! Guts, gore, and everything in between! I have seen limbs move in ways they weren't meant to love, and things get jabbed in places they weren't meant to be placed. So. Much. Blood. Whoever designed these deaths *claps* Good job, you sick b*stard. These are some creative, sick ways to kill of teens. What else is popular in slasher flicks? Nudity. Sadly, there isn't any nudity to be found here. Despite the sexual tension of 8 teens alone, they do a great job of keeping their clothes on; even Sam's towel stays on during a chase scene. No, there isn't any naked dead girls or boys laying in a pool of blood. So, your kids may watch this game...because in america guts and murder is totally fine, but the moment a breast comes on screen EVERYBODY FREAKS OUT! Oh no, the human body is only okay to look at when it is being torn apart, but god forbid if you see it uncovered!!! NOOO! Little Johnny can't see nipples, let him see guts instead! America, baby!!!

Remember when I said Until Dawn wasn't without mistakes? Of course not because no body actually reads reviews. Well, Until Dawn has its stumbling points. The later half of the story is predictable, and the cheesy vibe overstays its welcome. Sprinkle in some cheap jumpscares too. Now, don't get it twisted, the game is great with building tension. The game fools you into thinking something is behind that door, and when you mange to find the guts to open it, it turns out nothing is there. The tension is great, but it could have done without a few of the jumpscares such as a clock making a loud ding. One character in particular, who I won't name due to spoilers, feels overly pointless. I don't get why he is even in the game...

The music in this game...brah, good stuff. The music amps up, settles down, and rises again. Sometimes the scariest part of the game is the music. And this game is scary as junk! Don't play alone! Bring extra pants! Do whatever it takes!

Hello, motherf***er!

Acting in slashers isn't important but Until Dawn says; "If we gonna do one thing that isn't original lets do that!" From the talents of Hayden Paine...Paner...Penne...Panetti Bread, and other less important people, the acting is pretty alright. The star of the show, though, is Mr. Killer with his Jigsaw voice that will haunt your dreams. He taunts you by saying; "Here pussy, pussy, pussy." Never once have I wanted to thank someone for calling me a pussy...

Until Dawn though, is a great underdog story. For months before the release date Xbox fanboys were raging on the game, and PlayStation fanboys even agreed with them. I remember comments saying; "Bring out those 6s" "This gonna get a 5!" "Why did we even back this?"- Sony. Sony refused to advertise the game, and gaming sites ignored it completely. However, Until Dawn came through and pulled off its biggest twist. This game is actually good.

Let's see what others are saying:

GamingGuy67 shouts; "At first I was like brah, then I was like BRAH!" 8.5/10

Jimquisition states; "Game is good but I'm going to spend all my time berating David Cage in my review because I'm an ass, with a *** haircut, and *** glasses, and wear a *** glove, and a *** tie, and I'm failing my *** diet, and have *** heart problems..." ***/Dumberass

Sony says; "Never doubted you for a second!" 10/10

Gameinformer yells to the world; "Game had me crying cuz I was so scared! This game makes me want to crawl into bed and forget about all my problems. See, that's a funny thing. Like how tide goes in and tide goes out. Can you explain that? I can't. Now, all my problems are gone. What was I saying? Oh yeah, game is good." 9/10

Until Dawn has taken the gaming world by storm and is the sleeper hit we've been waiting for. Teens, sex, blood, clowns, and Panetti Bread were all it took. Sometimes the best things are the most obvious. Why take yourself too seriously, when you can be great by being your normal, stupid self? Until Dawn does this, and it does it with beauty. All those delays have been well worth the wait.

Score:

Not a 5 or a 6/10

Pros:

Sam is flipping dreamy! Game is scary as a muhfugga, Deaths scenes make you go "Mmm", Don't take itself to seriously.

Cons:

No Nudity, My soiled pants, That damn towel...

(I ain't proof reading this sh*t. If they are any spelling or grammar mistakes you'll have to deal with it!)

It's funny how things happen. We grow up into this world, and we all change. Looks change, personalities may change, and hobbies change. However, they are those things that just won't change. For me, I always thought it would be my fascination for video games. Everything related to video games have always been a big to me. I loved it. I was meant to love it. I was always going to love it...I was wrong. 20-something years since I have played my first video game, my love for them has started to fade. This is something that I thought was never going to happen. I never imagined myself not being invested in this industry. I never imagined myself waking up and not having the urge to play a game. However, here I am and it is happening to me right now. I'm left wondering- how did this happen? You don't just lose a part of yourself that has been with you for over 20 years, do you? Where has that urge gone? Why? Why has my love for this industry start to run dry? Maybe it was only a matter of time.

Before I go any further, I want you all to know that I am writing this blog for me and me only. So, I may ramble on and on. If you aren't interested in hearing about my personal life, then please stop reading.

So, I'd like to go into detail how video games came into my life. I was born into a very shaken family. We came from Hispanic descent and my mom and grandma were proud of that. We didn't have a lot, and where we lived was a reflection of that. It was like every where around us was infected with violence, and drugs. Growing up there, everyone had a role to play. You were either an enforcer, a victim, or "the help". Whatever you did, you didn't want to be a victim. You would do whatever it took not to fall into that group. An "enforcer" we're obviously the "bad guys." Gang bangers, hustlers, whatever you wanted to call them. "The help" well, mostly you would mind your own, but you made sure you never did anything to screw over the "bad guys", or else you would become a "victim." Me, I minded my own. My friends, we minded our own.

In an attempt to keep us out of trouble my uncle showed us video games. It worked for the most part. To escape our reality, we simply distracted ourselves with video games. I showed them to my best friend, and next thing I knew it, we were going to an arcade everyday after school for hours. Years went by, new consoles came out, and games got better. It's funny how much I loved them when all they were meant to be was a tactic by my uncle to keep me from being a stupid kid. I may be reaching with this statement, but video games may have saved me.

Years later as a 19 year old, my best friend and I took a shot in the dark and left for the other side of the country. We were fed up with where we were living and knew that we had to get out of that environment because nothing good was waiting for us there. So, we left. When we got settled in, we worked full time jobs, we had fun, we met new people, we had girls come over, we were stupid. However, even after all of this we still had our video games. A game called BioShock had came out and we both loved it to death. I can't tell you the amount of hours we spent in Street Fighter IV. We had our friends come over and we would all play games, just passing the controller for hours on in. We were having the time of our lives.

A summer came and we both started working less hours to enjoy our lives more. For that entire summer we, and our other friends, played Killzone 2 all night, every night. During the day, we did whatever we wanted, and I often found myself buying cheap games and plowing through them. Once, it was night, it was time to get our Warzone on. It's funny thinking back on it now, how invested we were in all things video games. Even on the mornings I had to go to work, I would wake up 2 hours early just so I can play a few games of something like Madden (yes, I was into that series back then).

Fast forward to a couple years. My best friend and I both planned on moving out and going to our own places. Now, living alone, and working consistently full time, my gaming time took a hit, but my love was still there. During my free time, you better believe that I was playing a few games. I was once late picking up my future wife from her house because I was playing a game called Yakuza 3...I lied and said I got caught in traffic. That year alone, I spent more time in a Gamestop than I did elsewhere. I was greeted by name by all the employees and we would talk like we were best friends. 

Uncharted 2 had came and it was some of the most raw fun I had. When I was at work or out, I was thinking about the game. I wanted to do nothing but play it. All I wanted to do was talk about it. It was the only thing on my mind at times. I use to set up game nights with my friends so that we could all play the multiplayer together. Just like our Killzone days, we were playing it all night. In fact, couple years later, Killzone 3 came out and we finally got back into our Warzone days. That still remains as the only game that I have bought all the Add-On packs for. Here we were again, playing it for hours, and having the time of our lives. We all looked forward to the future of gaming together, however, reality would finally come to wake us all up. That was the last game we had all got truly invested with together...that was 4 years ago...

Over the years my gaming started shrinking less and less. The last major gaming related thing I did was write up a blog on this site where I had a handful of other users vote for awards for the "Best of 2012 GIO Community Awards." The process took months, and I worked very hard on it, but I loved it because my love for games was there. After that, that's when it slowly went downhill, I think.

I gamed less and less, and was doing other things with my time. I no longer talked about video games with my friends as much as I use to. I stopped playing multiplayer games for a long time. As I tried to get back into them, they just would never last. I use to love multiplayer games, but now I couldn't play them more than a couple times. I switched to playing mostly single player games, and playing by myself. I never really thought about my gaming habits taking a hit. I guess I was ignorant to it and thought, "I'm just too busy right now." I use to make excuses to play video games, now I'm making excuses not to play them anymore. It is a total reversal to what use to been.

Most recently, Uncharted 4 came out. I game that I was beyond excited for to release for years. I played it, I liked it a lot, but the funniest thing happened to me while playing it. I wasn't forcing myself to stop playing it. I was stopping because I didn't want to play it past an hour session. Not because I didn't want to beat it too fast, but because I couldn't play it for too long without feeling like I needed to get up and do something else. It was at this point where I realized that, while I still have a love for gaming, my passion had taken a serious hit.

A lot has happened to me since gaming was my number 1 passion. I am now married, I have since moved back to California (not the same area where I grew up, though. God, no.), I have a career, and I'm satisfied with my current place. Video games just aren't as important to me anymore.

I don't think there will ever be a point in my life where I am not going to have a game to play. I still enjoy them too much for that. However, my presence in the gaming community has already taken that hit. I haven't read a Gameinformer magazine in over a year, despite still receiving them through the mail, my Gamestop Power Up rewards is nonexistent, and while I still have excitement to play upcoming games, my urge to follow news in this industry isn't there.

But thank you. Thank you, video games for truly helping me throughout the years. And above all, thank you for the memories that I will always cherish...

It's no secret that Red Dead Redemption II is one of the most anticipated games of 2018, but the title also has big shoes to fill. The new game is the first title since 2013's Grand Theft Auto V and its various ports and remasters. In the five years since release, GTAV has sold nearly 100 million copies, meaning that any game following the Rockstar titan has an unfair bar ahead of it.

When we spoke to Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick at E3, we were curious what his thoughts were on Red Dead Redemption II and whether Take-Two thinks it could possibly achieve the same highs that Grand Theft Auto V did.

"I don’t really feel that…look, Grand Theft Auto is the most profitable entertainment property of all time," Zelnick explained. "That’s a pretty big statement. I don’t think the challenge for any one of our releases is if it’s as successful as another release. I think the challenge is, have we made something of which we’re incredibly proud? Have we made an experience that we think consumers are going to love and have a lot of fun with? I think the answer is hands-down yes with Red Dead and consumers seem to be eagerly anticipating it, so that’s good enough for me.

"Do I think it’ll be a hit? Yes. Do I think it’ll be a huge hit? Yes. Do I know how huge of a hit it will be? I actually don’t, I mean I really don’t. I know the team has put their heart and soul into it and it shows."

Red Dead Redemption II releases on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 26.

It has been three years since Final Fantasy VII's remake was officially announced and about as long as it has been officially shown. With director Tetsuya Nomura making the rounds for Kingdom Hearts III's impending release date, questions about Final Fantasy VII inevitably come up.

KHInsider and translator Goldpanner have translated an interview with Nomura from Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation, which has released excerpts of an upcoming interview online. In it, Nomura explains a number of lingering Kingdom Hearts III questions, but also goes a bit into Final Fantasy VII. According to Nomura, there has been a lot of misinformation out there about the title, but development is coming along well.

Nomura explained that they have been quiet about Final Fantasy VII because Square Enix has other marketing priorities, including Kingdom Hearts III and some other titles he didn't elaborate on. The director ends the interview asking fans to be patient for more Final Fantasy VII info, which he says the team is focusing on now.

[Source: Dengeki PlayStation via KHInsider]