W♥M

Weekend Gamer: Go! Go! Zo!

      Weekend Gamer here.

      With CES (Consumer Electronics Show) coming up on January 7, I am hearing all these rumors about what to expect in the popular computer handheld market: Lenovo Legion Go S (two variants), Legion Go 2, Atari Gamestation Go, Zotac Zone 2. If true (or false), I will update this article with additional details after January 7.

Legion Go S Read More Lenovo Legion Go As you know, I recently purchased the Lenovo Legion Go, and I’ve been enjoying it. Of course, as soon as I bought it, there’s already rumors of a Legion Go 2, which may come out in 2025. The biggest feature will likely be a … Steam There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation. According to steampowered, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and …

LEGION GO S
lenovo.com

      In my original rumor in November 2024, I mentioned that the we’re getting a “Legion Go Gen 2 and Legion Go Lite”. It would seem that not only are we getting two new Legion Go’s, but three.

      There will be two Legion Go S, a black one running SteamOS and a white one running Windows 11. As I previously mentioned, the S models are smaller, with no detachable controllers, and less powerful than the regular Legion Go… so I am not interested in this. The only way I would be interested in the S model is if the price is attractive. For example, I had no interests in the Xbox Series S model, but when I saw it on sale for $199, I bought one (even though I already had a Series X).

      I am also not interested in running SteamOS on the Legion Go S, because I want to GOG or Xbox Game Pass… however, I can see why people would want a better Steam handheld. The current Steam Decks are old, by technology’s standards, and from my understanding, Valve (the maker of Steam), will not release new Steam Deck 2 for another few years.

      What I am really interested in is the Legion Go 2 with a new AMD Z2 chip. I like the first one, but I want a bigger, faster, and kickass version. I hope Lenovo fix everything wrong in the new version. For example, maybe add a second fan or redesign the Legion Go for better cooling. Right now, my Legion Go overheats due to the SSD running too hot and the device’s inability to cool it with one fan.

Gamestation Go Read More Arcade1Up So, I accidentally bought my second Arcade1Up, an Atari's Asteroids machine. Of all the cabinets that Arcade1Up released, this was my least desirable.…

GAMESTATION GO
atari.com

      Atari will be heading into the crowded handheld market with their new Gamestation Go, announced via a twitter post.

      Look, I have absolutely NO INTEREST in this. Here is the reason why: the Gamestation Go is not going to be very powerful. It doesn’t have to be to run 50 year old games. Plus, I am assuming this thing can ONLY RUN Atari games. You know what else can run Atari games? The ROG Ally or Legion Go!!!

      Before I dismiss it, I will confess that the reasons why people will want the Gamestation Go is that there are controls unique to old Atari games. Such as a trak-ball, padding, and the 10-key numpad that you see in the image. Most modern handhelds won’t have those unusual controllers, so if you are hardcore serious about your old Centipede or Breakout games… yeah it makes sense that you would want a Gamestation Go. Me? I’m going to hard pass on this.

Zotac Zone 2 Read More Nitro Blaze 7 In other PC handheld news, Acer has also entered the crowded handheld market with the announcement of the Acer Nitro Blaze 7, via their website. There’s nothing really new or interesting here …

ZOTAC ZONE 2
zotac.com

      The Zotac Zone came out last year. The only thing that sets it apart is the AMOLED screen and control dials and two trackpads and webcam. This thing is truly a mini-laptop… and comes at a cost of nearly $800. Even if you wanted one, you currently can’t even buy it. I’ve looked online, it’s just not available to buy as of this writing (January 2025).

      Despite not being able to buy it, Video Cardz is reporting that we are already getting a Zotac Zone 2 with an upgraded Ryzen AI 300 chip and upgraded RAM and SSD.

      The thing is, how do you know you have the Version 2 vs the first version? Does it come in white or have some sort of distinguishing look to set it apart?

      Like all these new PC handhelds entering the market in 2024 and 2025 (such as the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 which was announced last year), I feel like it’s already too late. By now, every gamer who wanted a handheld already put their money in a device. I mean, I, as the Weekend Gamer, have already purchased a Steam Deck, a ROG Ally, and a Lenovo Legion Go. I don’t really need another handheld… unless you’re going to offer me some insane deals or have a feature that really stands out.

      I will add that I get why these PC manufacturers want to get into the handheld action. If you make gaming laptops, it just makes sense to reuse or design it in a way to fit in a handheld device. Just because I don’t need a gaming laptop, there is always someone out there that needs a laptop. The same can be said for a gaming handheld. Also, you know what they say, the more the merrier. In this case, if that means cheaper prices with more competition, I am all for it.

      There’s no rumors of ROG Ally 2 appearing at CES… but who knows? Maybe we might get an announcement. Based on the release of the ROG Ally X in May 2024, we may start seeing a new ROG Ally release every year on the anniversary of the ROG Ally. That means we probably won’t see the ROG Ally 2 until June 2025.

     

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Epic Games: Control

Control Ghostrunner 2 2023 Game Giveaway Kickoff Special: Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (2023) 12/20/23 DNF Duel 12/21/23 Melvor Idle 12/22/23 Art of Rally 12/23/23 Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition 12/24/23 Ghostwire: Tokyo 12/25/23 The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition 12/26/23 Human Resource Machine 12/27/23 Cursed to Golf 12/28/23 Cat Quest 12/29/23 Snakebird Complete 12/30/23 Saints Row 12/31/23 Shadowrunner 01/01/24 Escape Academy 01/02/24 20 Minutes Till Dawn 01/03/24 A Plague Tale: Innocence 01/04/24 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Read More Epic Games It’s that time of the year again: Epic Games’ Christmas Game Giveaway! Every year since 2021, the Fortnite owner gives away some great games every day until the new year … Control I’ve heard a lot about Control, from Remedy Entertainment/505 Games. The game got a lot of positive reviews from critics, and to be honest, I’ve always wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, I …

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Epic Games is doing their annual Christmas Game Giveaway (there was a free daily game until the new year).

This year (2024), it’s been somewhat disappointing with the Epic Games Giveaway leading up to Christmas Day. In years past, we got some great exciting games Christmas eve and Christmas day, but so far, I’m not really digging the games. I know I am complaining about free stuff (beggars can’t be choosers), I’ll still take what I can get.

The big Christmas game this year is Control, which was originally given away for free in June 2021… and is a game I already own.

I previously wrote, “I’ve heard a lot about Control, from Remedy Entertainment/505 Games. The game got a lot of positive reviews from critics, and to be honest, I’ve always wanted to check it out… I know a lot of people hate on Epic, saying they’re a bully, saying that they’re own and controlled by China, saying their software sucks (it does!)… but still, despite the jank, at least this company is giving away free games. The rich/powerful Steam won’t (and has never) done anything like this.”

Still, if you missed Control the first time around, now is your second chance to get the game for free.

The free game on Dec 26 is Ghostrunner 2, which came out in 2023. Game director Radoslaw Ratusznik described the game as an Ghostrunner 2 as an evolution to the original Ghostrunner.

I don’t think I own the original Ghostrunner… so I’m not sure if I will ever get around to trying out the sequel.

Epic Christmas Game 2024 List:

12/12 The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

12/19 Vampire Survivors

12/20 Astrea: Six Sided Oracles

12/21 TerraTech

12/22 Wizard of Legend

12/23 Dark and Darker - Legendary Status

12/24 DREDGE

12/25 Control

12/26 Ghostrunner 2

12/27 HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™

12/28 Kill Knight

12/29 Orcs Must Die! 3

12/30 [REDACTED]

12/31 Sifu

01/01 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

01/02 Hell Let Loose

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Game Awards 2024

Game Awards 2024 Winners Game of the Year: Astro Bot Players' Voice: Black Myth: Wukong Best Action Game: Black Myth: Wukong Best Performance: Melina Juergens as Senua – Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Best Family Game: Astro Bot Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8 Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantazio Best Role Playing Game: Metaphor: ReFantazio Best Multiplayer: Helldivers II Best Community Support: Baldur's Gate 3 Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto VI Best Game Direction: Astro Bot Best Debut Indie Game: Balatro Best Sim / Strategy Game: Frostpunk 2 Best Sports / Racing Game: EA Sports FC 25 Best Ongoing Game: Helldivers II Best Adaptation: Fallout Best Score and Music : Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Best Mobile Game: Balatro Best Independent Game : Balatro Best Audio Design: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Best VR / AR Game: Batman: Arkham Shadow Games for Impact : Neva Innovation in Accessibility: Prince of Persia Best Esports Game: League of Legends Best Esports Athlete: Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok Best Esports Team: T1 (League of Legends) Content Creator of the Year: CaseOh Global Gaming Citizens: Laura Carter Game Changer: Amir Satvat Read More Game Awards I normally don’t do live streams, but when I got home from work today, YouTube was heavily promoting the livestream of The Game Awards (happening at exactly the time I turned on my computer). … Twenty One Pilots Columbus, OH duo Twenty One Pilots arrived in downtown Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center, for their latest stop on The Icy Tour- what is very likely the most entertaining and energetic arena concert of the year. … Snoop Dogg On the 20th Anniversary of Snoop Doggy Dog's debut album Doggystyle, Engine Room Recordings released their tribute to the man with Doggystyle Restyled: A Tribute To Snoop Dogg, which came out . ....

The biggest video game award show, The Game Award, is airing/livestreaming right now with over 1 million watching the main stream. I’m very excited about this, because this is the 10th Anniversary of the show (which started in 2014 by Geoff Keighley). The show is broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Troy Baker at Twin Cities Con (09 Nov 2024)

They spared no expenses. Before the actual show, there was actually “an opening act” from Sydnee Goodman, a 30-minute showcasing some video game trailers and handed out some awards. Then, in the first few minutes of the actual show, they had Troy Baker (who we just saw in person at Twin Cities Con 2024) and Bethesda’s Todd Howard, with surprise guest Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, presenting Best Performance.

Then we got a cinematic of the new The Witcher game, featuring an older Ciri. This looks incredible! As far as I know, this is the first time we’re seeing any glimpse of The Witcher IV, the sequel to the beloved Witcher III: The Wild Hunt.

No surprise, but the biggest action game of the year, Black Myth: Wukong, won the Action Game Award. There were advertisements for my favorite early access game Path of Exile 2 and forthcoming Borderlands game.

The cool thing about this year is that it seems the show is allowing creators to say more. It seems there are less sketches and jokes, leaving more time for the creators to speak more.

Twenty One Pilots, featuring D4VD and Royal + The Serpent, were the first musical guest, paying tribute to the steampunk action-adventure television series Arcane series. The medley features Royal & the Serpent starting with “Wasteland”, then D4VD singing “Remember Me”, and finally Twenty One Pilot performing “The Line.”

This followed by an appearance by Hideo Kojima, who is working on Death Stranding 2, as well as a live adaptation of Death Stranding from my favorite movie studio, A24. He introduced the Best Game Direction award… which Astro Bot won. I’m surprised at their second award, so I will have to check out the game soon.

More surprises: a new Turok game in the works. I can’t say I am a fan of the original game, but I do love that it’s based on a comic book, so the Turok: Origins game is now on my radar.

Best Adaptation went to Fallout (as I would have picked it). If they had announced Arcane, I wouldn’t be surprised, as that is a solid show. They made the right decision, Fallout was a great series.

Snoop Dogg performed a brand-new song, but towards the end he threw in some lyrics from his big hit song “Gin and Tonic”.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won the Best Score/Music, and the creator mentioned that the game will come to PC.

Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul appearance was a surprise. I guess he actually stars in a video game called Dispatch.

It looks like the biggest winner of the night is Metaphor: ReFantazio, who won three major awards: RPG, Narrative, and Art.

Before Game of the Year was revealed, the showed a cinematic of Intergalactic by Naughty Dog (the creator of Last of Us).

Larian Studio’s head Swen Vincke (and winner of last year’s Game of the Year for Baldur’s Gate 3) was the presenter of the GOTY for the Game Awards.

Game of the Year went to Astro Bot, which was an absolute surprise to everyone.

Royal + The Serpent at Game Awards (12 Dec 2024)

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Epic Games Christmas Game Giveaway 2024

Read More Epic Games It’s that time of the year. Epic Games is doing their annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaway… well, it’s more like 15 days of Christmas. Already, I’m very happy to now own Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game …

It’s that time of the year again: Epic Games’ Christmas Game Giveaway! Every year since 2021, the Fortnite owner gives away some great games every day until the new year. The daily giveaway starts on December 19th, but usually the week before (starting December 12th) you also get a nice game, which, for 2024 is The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria.

Most of these games I already own on other platforms, such as Steam and GOG, but as I previously mentioned, it’s always nice to get some free games on Epic. If you’re an achievement hunter, you can replay previously beaten games on Steam and earn some achievement badges on Epic!

Also worth noting, is that Epic usually gives out a nice discount with a Holiday Game Sale (a regular sale with an additional 10% reward kickback). I have previously purchased some games on Epic during these sales - so it works! Currently, I am playing Path of Exile 2 on Epic so I am regularly on the launcher.

Last year, the big Xmas free game was Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, along with other free titles that I enjoyed: Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition and A Plague Tale: Innocence.

In 2022, the big game was Death Stranding, with other titles like Wolfenstein The New Order, Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game, Metro: Last Light Redux, and Dishonored - Definitive Edition.

In 2021, we got Tomb Raider Trilogy, along with Pathfinder: Kingmaker Enhance Plus Edition.

I will be updating the free game list as soon as I know the titles, if there is an amazing title, I will be sure to spotlight it in an upcoming post.

Epic Christmas Game 2024 List:

12/12 Christmas Kickoff: The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

12/19 Vampire Survivors

12/20 Astrea: Six Sided Oracles

12/21 TerraTech

12/22 Wizard of Legend

12/23 Dark and Darker - Legendary Status

12/24 DREDGE

12/25 Control

12/26 Ghostrunner 2

12/27 HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™

12/28 Kill Knight

12/29 Orcs Must Die! 3

12/30 [REDACTED]

12/31 Sifu

01/01 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Yours,

Weekend Gamer
[email protected]

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Gamescom Opening Night Live (20 August 2024)

Gamescom ONL Gamescom ONL Game List InZoi Sniper Elite: Resistance Borderlands 4 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Goat Simulator Rematered Persona 3: Reload - Episode Aigis Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Dying Light: The Beast The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Infinity Nikki Arc Raiders Path of Exile 2 King of Meat Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Mecha Break Reanimal Dune Awakening Marvel Rivals Genshin Impact Naraka Bladepoint Sid Meier's Civilization 7 Starfield Monument Valley 3 Batman: Arkham Shadow Monster Hunter Wilds Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Secret Level Towerborne Age of Mythology: Retold Masters of Albion Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Little Nightmares 3 Squid Games: Unleashed Dark and Darker Mobile Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Mafia: The Old Country The First Berserker: Khazan Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred World of War: The War Within Unknown 9: Awakening Read More Game Awards I normally don’t do live streams, but when I got home from work today, YouTube was heavily promoting the livestream of The Game Awards (happening at exactly the time I turned on my computer). …

Gamescom is one of the world’s largest events for computer and video games, and it is taking place right now in Germany. As the resident Weekend Gamer, I’ve always been interested in this 15-year-old event, but this is the first year that I live-stream their event, courtesy of The Games Award. With various live-streaming partners, including Games Award, Twitch, and IGN, I’m certain this Gamescom 2024 will surpass the 13 million views from last year.

Starting Opening Night Live, August 20, was Kyle Bosman, who did a pre-show top list and introduction.

Canadian game journalist and television presenter, Geoff Keighley was the main host of the event. He previously hosted/produced The Game Awards, as well as hosts of Summer Game Fest, E3, GameTrailers TV, and G4tv.com. Keighley is a genuine video game fan, and fans and developers loves this guy.

His co-host was Sjokz (Eefje Depoortere) who is a Belgian tv presenter and eSport player. She currently hosts multiple League of Legends World Championships.

The majority of ONL were just video game trailers, with some spots for interviews with game developers: Peter Molyneux talking about his upcoming Masters of Albion game, Blizzard’s rep talking about Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, a pre-recorded Troy Baker voice over on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Nick Baynes’ pre-recorded introduction to Mafia: The Old Country.

Personally speaking, of all the games that were announced and shown, I wasn’t particularly interested in any of them, except perhaps the Diablo expansion (but I’ve already talked about it previously).

Keighley closed the ONL with somewhat of an advertisement for his upcoming Games Award 2024, which is premiering on December 12. He said that it will be the special 10-year anniversary of the Games Award, and that he planned on something very special for the event. I’m certainly interested.

There’ll be two more days of Gamescom, and I’ll definitely check them out. I don’t know if I’ll be live-streaming them, but I’m definitely going to watch it at a later date. I’m interested in seeing what Xbox has to say, since they now own Bethesda and my favorite game series, Fallout.

As far as predictions for the next couple of days, someone said that they’re predicting Nintendo Switch 2, which I highly doubt. That’s because Nintendo has been very tight-lip about it, and the only announcement will be coming from them through their own Nintendo Direct. The chance of the Switch 2 is 0% in my opinion.

The other predictions I’ve read is that there’ll be a new Tomb Raider game. I can see this happening, only because the trilogy from Crystal Dynamics was so beloved and fans (including myself) are just itching to play something new. Since I’m a fan, I want to believe this, so I’m giving it a 30% chance that this might happen.

Since Xbox is so invested in Gamescom with two days of game announcements from the studio, I would probably bet we’ll hear something new for the Elder Scrolls series… or even just mention that they’re working on a new single-player Fallout game. After all, it’s been 9 years since Fallout 4, I want something new for the ten-year anniversary. That’s my prediction, I give the Elder Scrolls thing at least 75% confidence.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

Gamescom Opening Night Live (20 August 2024)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Read More Dragon Age Anyway, I am really enjoying Dragon Age: Inquisition at the moment. Even if the game is not my all-time favorite game, it is certainly my favorite game of 2014! Dragon Age: Inquisition is currently on sale on EA's Origins system for $39.99 …

I previously mentioned that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf coming out in early 2025…. Well, there’s a couple of changes since then. Electronic Arts (EA) announced that the name is now called Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and it is coming out October 31, 2024.

After watching the game trailer, I can’t say that I’m excited about the game or the name change. “Dreadwolf” sounds so cool, while “Veilguard” sounds boring. Also, the art style looks cartoony, like something like World of Warcraft, which I personally do not find appealing.

Of course, I’ll still give it a chance, but given that it’ll cost $70 on launch, I might wait for the reviews before pulling the trigger. Traditionally, I would wait for a sale, which may happen six months or one year after launch. I can (and will) wait, because I find the new “standard” pricing of $70 is just too much for the asking.

When I bought Dragon: Inquisition in 2014, it was $40. In just a decade, the gaming inflation price has nearly double. The more it costs, the less I’m likely to buy. After all, I have years and years of video games (over 1,600 games) that I can always go back and re-visit… including re-playing Dragon: Inquisition, now with all the bugs stamped out with all the DLC.

Speaking of pricing and costs of games… check it out: Epic Games is giving away The Callisto Protocol for free on August 22. This game is actually very good, despite the clear and obvious Dead Space influence.

The story behind this game, as I understand it, was that EA was not going to make a Dead Space 4, so the Dead Space series creator, Glen Schofield and his team formed a new studio and worked on The Callisto Protocol.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition and The Callisto Protocol free on Epic Games

Unfortunately, EA decided they were going to remake the original Dead Space game around the same time. Both The Callisto Protocol (Dec 2022) and Dead Space (Jan 2023), came out around the same time and I read that basically no one bought The Callisto Protocol.

In fact, I didn’t buy The Callisto Protocol until December 2023, because it was on sale on Steam, and I thought it was pretty decent. I didn’t understand why no one liked the game. I thought it was a hard game… and maybe it was a little too much like Dead Space, that perhaps they could have gone in a different direction. Also, I didn’t like the name, I had a hard time remembering what it was called, and may have referred to the game as “the Dead Space knockoff game.”

Anyway, for the price of $0.00 on August 22, I wholly recommend checking it out.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Fallout: TV Series

Fallout (TV Series) Read More Fallout I was most excited to see some of the main cast (Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Aaron Clifton Moten) for the upcoming Fallout television show from Amazon Prime on stage. They even had a guy in a power armor suit! …

Amazon decided to launch their Fallout television early, the series debut on April 10 at 6pm (the show was originally scheduled to launch on April 12). I didn’t mind, the earlier, the better, in my opinion. So I spent Wednesday night watching the pilot on Amazon’s Live Service, along with thousands (if not more) viewers at the same time. I’ve never done this sort of live watching before, but I wanted to be one of the first to see this.

I’m happy to say that the show did not disappoint me, this is great news as if the show sucked, I would’ve been embarrassed to be a Fallout fan. Everything is resolved by the end of the first season, but does set up Season 2: Deathclaws, New Vegas, and so much more.

Some people thought Fallout took too long to get going, but I thought it was fine as it sets up all the characters and their motivation. Lucy is looking for her father, Maximus is looking for a scientist, and the Ghoul is like a wild card. I didn’t particularly like Maximus, as I thought he’s not a very likeable character, especially when he was willing to kill everyone to keep his secret.

Although the main story is between Lucy, Maximus and the Ghoul… I was also heavily invested in the “3 Vaults” mystery. I thought that whole vault thing was interesting and gripping, and I didn’t know where it was going to go… until it was revealed near the end. This is the first time that we’re introduced to the three vaults: 31, 32, and 33… all three are connected (but apart). None of the vaults in the video games are connected this way, so it’s interesting to see new lore introduced into the franchise.

My favorite is the naïve Lucy, who was born and raised in a vault, so she has no idea what the real world is really like. I love how she’s bringing back, “Okay dokey” and “What the fudge?”

While overall, I love Fallout and am very eager to see Season 2, I did have some complaints. First of all, they really overuse the 1940s/1950s music. It started to look like a Zach Snyder joint with all the slow-mo music video. Don’t get me wrong, I love the soundtrack, it’s just overused (in scenes that doesn’t need music). I swear I heard Dinah Washington’s “What a Difference a Day Make” three times too much.

Some stories, I could use less of - like Maximus… his whole story is a lie, and that’ll carry over to Season 2, as the entire brotherhood is treating him as some sort of hero. Maybe less of the Cooper Howard’s cowboy backstory. I’m not sure if I needed to see all his movies… but I felt like maybe they could have shown Cooper as a young soldier in a T-45 Power Armor (as it’s important 214 years later when he has to fight against the Knights).

Otherwise, the story, especially the ending, was fulfilling, and, as a big Fallout game fan, I was satisfied. The show got things right: everything from all the Fallout lore, the Fallout weaponry, the Fallout creatures and mutants… I love it. I love all the Easter eggs, it really shows that everyone working on the show are fans and their attention to details are much appreciated.

What I would like to see in the upcoming season: the Institute, more Dogmeat, maybe a character from the games (like I would love to laugh at Butch from the Tunnel Snakes).

If you want to listen to the Fallout TV show soundtrack, Amazon has put together a playlist on their website:

1. Shall We Dance? - Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon & Yul Brynner
2. Hey Little Lucy (Don't Cha Put No Lipstick On) - Conway Twitty
3. There's No Tomorrow - Tony Martin
4. All Over Again - Johnny Cash
5. Easy Living - Billie Holiday feat. Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra
6. Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
7. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall - The Ink Spots
   feat. Ella Fitzgerald
8. Deguello - Max Steiner
9. Maybe - The Ink Spots
10. We'll Meet Again - The Ink Spots
11. Tweedle Dee - LaVerne Baker
12. Midnight, The Stars And You - Ray Noble & His Orchestra
13. Finger of Suspicion - Dickie Valentine & The Stargazers
14. Act Naturally - Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
15. Frenesi - Artie Shaw and His Orchestra & Artie Shaw
16. Bedroom Blues - Sippie Wallace
17. It Ain't the Meat - The Swallows
18. Bummin' Around - Jimmy Dean
19. In the Mood - Glenn Miller Orchestra feat. Glenn Miller
20. Right Behind You Baby - Ray Smith
21. I Can Dream, Can't I? - The Andrews Sisters feat. Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra
22. Henry - The Jet Tones
23. Anything Goes - Cole Porter
24. Battle Hymn of the Republic - William Steffe
25. National Pride - VARIOUS ARTISTS
26. Blue Skies - Maxine Sullivan & Her Orchestra
27. Ladyfingers - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
28. Kelley: Home On The Range - Bryn Terfel, The Tabernacle Choir

P.S. Comedian, actor, and musician Fred Armisen made a surprise appearance in the television, as a radio DJ for Minutemen Radio in the Wasteland. I am assuming he is a fan of the video game and took the opportunity to make a cameo. I laughed at his bit, and based the community on Reddit, they loved his appearance. The good news is that Armisen is on tour right now and will be in Minneapolis at the Fillmore on April 28, 2024.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Last Epoch

Read More Diablo You guys know me, I love Diablo. Ever since I played the demo disc from PC Gamer, I’ve been addicted to Diablo since 1996. I’ve bought every Blizzard games from Warcraft to Starcraft… but Diablo was my first love. ..…

As I previously mentioned, I hated Diablo IV because of its scaling difficulty. That’s when as you level up, the monsters also level up. So it’s meaningless to become stronger, because what’s the point? I hated that game mechanic, that I gave up on the game.

To get my Diablo-style fix, I am re-playing Path of Exile, with a new character, playing in anticipation of Path of Exile 2… which is set to release sometime in 2024.

I got level 30 in the first PoE game and, I’m not going to lie, it’s getting boring. I’m only in act 2, but it’s more or less the same gameplay … and I feel like I messed up on shaping my character. There really isn’t an easy (and cheap) way of respecting my character… so I might just give up (or perhaps restart a game with a new character build).

Since I’ve somewhat given up on PoE, I decided to check out another Diablo-style game called Last Epoch. This game is in early access, but it’ll be officially released in February 21, 2024. I thought, sure, why not buy into the early access, so I’ve been testing out the game before it launches.

First of all, I hate the name. What the heck is an Epoch? I didn’t like the name and had a hard time remembering what it was called.

Anyway, there’s a lot of bugs in the early build I was playing. It’s expected to be buggy, but holy crap, this game is about to be released in a month and from what I experienced, it has a long way to go.

For example, clicking on the “X” to close the inventory screen does not work. You just have to click “I” to close the inventory. In fact, any clicking is not accurate. If you fire an arrow, you would think it should follow your mouse - but it doesn’t. It shoots at 45 degrees or whatever the game wants to target. Sometime it’ll hit its mark, but most of the time (especially if you’re close to the enemy), the game does not hit the monsters at all! The targeting is absolutely terrible. At least using a bow.

I wasn’t very impressed with the graphics, that is until I realized by default, it is set to run at a very poor setting. Like window mode with V-Sync turned off and other niceties turned off. I suppose the developers just wants the game to run on very low spec PCs, but as a result, the game did not look good when you first start the game.

Other annoying features: throughout the game you find building materials. Instead of automatically putting it in your crafting table, the material will take up your valuable inventory! To put the items in your crafting table, you have to click on the button that will move it to the crafting table. Why couldn’t it just automatically go there on its own?

The game isn’t as complicated as PoE, but it’s certainly more challenging than Diablo IV. Sometime I think the way Last Epoch slowly rolling out special abilities, it felt like I shouldn’t put all my points in the early features. Also, if you accidentally click on something you can’t undo the allocation!!! It’s like, “oh well, I guess you’re now stuck with that dumb special ability that you’ll never use…” It’s like these developers don’t play their games, or if they do, they know exactly what they want and don’t make mistakes.

Again, we’re still technically in “early access”, so I would wait until they iron out all the bugs.

Update: I’ve now put in about 30 hours into the game, and playing with two characters: rogue/archer and knight/paladin. I haven’t touched on the other characters yet. It’s pretty fun so far. My rogue is about level 60 and my knight has hit the 50 mark. I haven’t beaten the game, but I feel that I’m very close.

They’ve fixed the “X” inventory bug, and I’m assuming are constantly tweaking the game. Hopefully, by the time the game is officially released that I can recommend it. I believe it’ll be a free-to-play, or at least will cost very little. If the price is free, then, I highly recommend it. I think it’s better than Diablo IV… at least it’s fun and challenging sometimes.

I don’t know how they are going to do on launch day, but I’ve read that the online portion of the game is not good. I’ve seen that it takes a few minutes (if at all) to get into the online game. However, the best part of the game is that you can play offline! And that’s what I’ve been doing, just playing solo. I wish Blizzard would allow people to play Diablo IV offline too.

Read more Weekend Gamer.

Last Epoch

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Introducing the MSI Claw

Read More ROG Ally Now enter the ROG Ally from Asus. The ROG Ally will address all the things that I wanted in my Steam Deck: Windows, faster chip, better screen, higher resolution, pleasing looks, and the ability to dock in their enhance graphics … Lenovo I bought the Lenovo Legion T5i 26IOB6 Gaming PC for $850 today from MicroCenter. This is a great price, it’s about 40% off the original asking price. Most of that money probably goes to the Nvidia 3060 video card. … Steam There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation. According to steampowered, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and …

The handheld gaming space is heating up with another contender: MSI Claw A1M. This PC handheld gaming device was announced at CES 2024 (Consumer Electronic Show).

I’ve been following this gaming space for a while now, and always happy to see something new… especially, if the competition will bring in better performance and pricing.

I can’t afford another handheld, having own the Switch, the original Steam Deck, and ROG Ally, I just can’t justify spending another $700 on either the Legion Go or MSI Claw… but, I am looking into them and seeing what they can bring to the table.

So what makes the Claw stand out with all these handhelds? It’s the first one to use Intel, instead of AMD that all previous handhelds have used… so it could be a game changer. I’m a fan of Intel actually… as all my desktops that I own are powered by Intel i7 or i9 chips.

If the Claw’s Intel chip can produce a more powerful gaming experience, I will be the first in line to shout its praises. Again, I probably won’t be buying it, unless I see some massive improvement over my ROG Ally.

In my own experience with both Intel and AMD, I found that games and software run better and faster on Intel. AMD are generally much cheaper in pricing, but runs slower (but since it’s inexpensive it’s forgivable).

The other cool thing about the Claw, besides that awesome/awful name, is that MSI will be supporting the device with a custom dock with External GPU to enhance the Claw. Right now, the only viable eGPU solution is the ROG Ally, because of its proprietary connection, is very, very expensive. I am going to assume the Claw’s eGPU/Dock solution is also expensive. There’s a lot that we don’t know about… but I’m definitely interested in seeing more of the Claw.

Anyway, I’m excited to see another entry… but it’s probably too little and too late.

Here’s a comparison chart below. I have not included any Chinese companies, such as Aya Neo or OneXPlayer, because they do not have a US presence. You can always import their handhelds, but you’re never going to see their product at Best Buy or MicroCenter, etc. You will probably find MSI in stores, if they push it into retailers… I wouldn’t mind checking them out at Target (and who knows I might make an impulse purchase).

The other thing to note is that the Rog Ally was (perhaps it’s still on sale?) on sale for $599, making the AMD Z1 Extreme version an amazing deal and value.

The biggest thing between these handhelds is the software. Most people love the ease of use of the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck… and Windows 11 might not be for everyone. These Windows devices all have special software to make it useable on the handheld, for example, ROG Ally has their Armoury Crate and Command Center and Lenovo has Vantage… MSI will have their own software called MSI Center M. We don’t know anything about it yet… but I can tell you that since ROG Ally came out in June, they have been updating their software to squeeze out bugs and add a lot of new features.

Compare	Nintendo Switch OLED	Steam Deck OLED	ROG Ally	Legion GO	MSI Claw
Release Date	September 20, 2019	November 2023	June 13, 2023	October 2023	March 2024
Price	$349	$549	$699.99	$699.99	$699.99
O/S	Nintendo	Linux	Windows 11	Windows 11	Windows 11
CPU	ARM 4 Cortex-A57	AMD Zen 2	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Intel Core Ultra 7
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 @ 1331/1600 MHz	16 GB LPDDR5 @ 5500 MT/s over 4x 32-bit memory	16 GB LPDDR5 @ 6400 MT/s on dual channels	16 GB of 7500Mhz LPDDR5X RAM	32 GB of LPDDR5-6400
Storage	64 GB eMMC with microSD	512 GB NVMe SSD with microSD	512 GB NVMe M.2 SSD with microSD	512GB of PCIe Gen4 SSD with microSD	512GB of PCIe SSD with microSD
Screen	7-inch OLED at 1280×720 @ 60hz	7.4-inch OLED at 1280 × 800 @ 90hz	7-inch LCD 1920 × 1080 @ 120 hz	8.8-inch LCD 2560×1600 @ 144 Hz	7-inch LCD 1920x1080 @ 120 hz
Controllers	Removeable Joycons	Standard controllers with two touch pads	Standard controller	Removeable controller	Standard controller
Power	4310 mAh Li-ion battery at 39 watts	5200 mAh Li-ion battery at with 45W Charger	40 watt 4S1P, 4-cell Lithium-ion battery with 45W Charger	49.2 Watt 900mah Battery with 65W Charger	6-Cell, 53 Watt Battery with 65W Charger
Weight	420 g (15 oz)	669 grams (1.475 lb)	608 grams (1.340 lb)	854 g (1.88 lb)	675 g (1.48 lb)
eGPU	No	No	ROG XG Mobile (expensive)	Yes but limited to USB-4 speed so not much to be gained	MSI eGPU with dock designed for the Claw

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer and Technology.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Epic's Christmas Game Giveaway 2023

Read More Epic Games It’s that time of the year. Epic Games is doing their annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaway… well, it’s more like 15 days of Christmas. Already, I’m very happy to now own Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game …

It’s that time of the year again: Epic’s Christmas Game Giveaway. Like previous years, Epic Games is giving away a free game every day around Christmas time.

On top of that, you can also save on some select PC games at an additional 33% savings (prices must be more than $14.99 to use the coupon). Offer ends January 10, 2024 at 11am ET.

UPDATE: The Christmas Game Giveaway kicked off 12/20 with fighting game DNF Duel.

12/20 DNF Duel

12/21 Melvor Idle

12/22 Art of Rally

12/23 Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

12/24

12/25

12/26

12/27

12/28

12/29

12/30

12/31

The first free preview gift game on the 2023 Christmas Game Giveaway is Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (2023). The game normally sells for $60 and is free until December 20th.

Details about Legacy Collection:

This edition includes The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep. Play through three epic campaigns, unlock 37 Exotic weapons, 15 Exotic pieces of armor, and the power of Stasis, allowing you to lock down and control the battlefield.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Delve into Savathûn’s Throne World, a twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. Learn the secrets to crafting new weapons, the power of the new Glaive, and survive the truth within her web of lies.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light
The frontier of Europa holds many lost secrets, including the dark power of Stasis. Work with the mysterious Exo Stranger to harness this new power before Eramis, the Kell of Darkness, bestows it on her Fallen forces. Grow your arsenal, command Stasis, and go beyond the Light.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
As the heroes of the last safe city turn their attention to the far-reaching frontiers of our galaxy, new Nightmares have emerged from an ancient evil that once slumbered beneath the Lunar surface. Journey deep into a mysterious Hive Keep and work with Eris Morn to slay the Nightmares before they cast humanity into a permanent age of darkness.

Last year these were the free 2022 games… this should give you a good idea of what you can expect to get.

12/15/22 – Bloons TD6 12/16/22 – Horizon Chase Turbo 12/17/22 – Costume Quest 2 12/18/22 – Sable 12/19/22 – Them’s Fightin’ Herds 12/20/22 – Wolftenstein The New Order 12/21/22 – Lego Builder’s Journey 12/22/22 – Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game

12/23/22 – Encased 12/24/22 – Metro: Last Light Redux 12/25/22 - Death Stranding 12/26/22 - FIST Forged in Shadow Torch 12/27/22 - Severed Steel 12/28/22 - Mortal Shell 12/29/22 - Dishonored - Definitive Edition and Eximius: Seize the Frontline

P.S. Not to be outdone, GOG is currently giving away Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager.

Yours,

Weekend Gamer

Read more Weekend Gamer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com