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Game of the Year: Elden Ring

Read More Elden Ring Yes, I’m finally playing Elden Ring, the game that literally everybody was playing in February 2022. The game went on sale on disc, so picked it up. I popped in the disc, expecting to play the game. Guess what? You can’t just put in a disc and play the game. ....

Ever since I started playing Elden Ring in September 2022, I knew this game was special. At first, you might get discouraged, but as you build up your character, you feel accomplished when you finally take down that boss!

Of all the games that came out in 2022, I really felt that Elden Ring was my personal game of the year.

As it turned out, the Game Awards also agreed with me, and gave Elden Ring the “Game of the Year” award as well. The game also won three other awards: “Best Game Direction”, “Best Art Direction”, and “Best Role Playing”. Its biggest competitor, God of War Ragnarök, the sequel to my game of the year 2018 God of War, won “Best Narrative”, “Best Score and Music (Bear McCreary)”, “Best Audio Design”, “Best Performance (Christopher Judge)”, “Best Action/Adventure”, and “Innovation in Accessibility”.

I personally haven’t played God of War Ragnarök as the game is on PS5 (which I don’t have) and it was only released in November 9, 2022. I’m sure the game is deserving of those awards, but it just seemed really unfair to release the game only weeks before the Game Awards… so it’s so fresh on everyone’s mind.

With the Game Awards over and done with, I’m excited to see how everyone loved Elden Ring … that it’s almost guaranteed to get a sequel. Of all the Souls-like games, I felt that Elden Ring is the best among them, thanks to the open world nature of the game.

If you follow what I have said in the past, I have disagreed with Sony and their greed. In additional to raising the PlayStation 5 prices, they’re releasing their new games at $69. New games on Xbox are $59 (or in some cases, free via Game Pass), and games on PC are $59 new. Sony wants $69 to be the normal price for “next gen” games. Let me speak for everyone, no one wants to pay $70 for a new game. Since I refused to get a PS5 (and being locked in that $70 per game pricing), I’m glad to see that Sony decided to release their PlayStation exclusive games on Steam, starting in Jan 2022 with their PS4 game God of War. I think the trend is good for Sony, as they’re seeing even more profit from having their games on the PC.

Since these PlayStation games are now available on Steam, I have purchased God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn™ Complete Edition, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, UNCHARTED™: Legacy of Thieves Collection, and Days Gone. Besides from GoW, I wouldn’t have bought or played these other games, if those games remain exclusively on their PlayStation … so, yeah, I’m glad Sony is moving their games outside of their PSN.

Even though I own The Last of Us on my PS4, I’ll probably re-buy it on Steam, as the game is now available for pre-order for Mar 3, 2023.

Returnal also has a listing, but no release date is set. I’m probably less interested in this game, but will likely pick it up if it’s on sale.

In other gaming news, Ubisoft has come back to Steam, with its game Assassin's Creed Valhalla on Dec 6, 2022. Ubisoft wanted to make money by force PC players to buy games directly from them, using their U-Play launcher. Unfortunately, PC gamers refused to buy it on U-Play, so Ubisoft has decided to bring their game back on Steam.

Enjoy,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Weekend Gamer: Warhammer: Vermintide 2 free on Steam

Read More Warhammer 40,000 I got the free promotional game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition when I bought the Lenovo Legion. At first, I thought the game code is inside the box, but that is not the case ....

Weekend Gamer here. Just a reminder that the Warhammer 40,000: Vermintide 2 is free until November 7th. The giveaway is due to Fatshark’s next game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, released seven years ago.

In addition to the free game, Steam is also giving away a free DLC Trail of Treachery, starting November 8th (mark your calendar!)

This is exciting, considering that if you bought a NVIDIA 3060, 3070, 3080, or 3090, you were also given a free copy of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition (which I happily redeemed Nov 2).

There’s never been a better time to be a Warhammer 40k fan.

Additional details:

November 30th marks the release of Fatshark’s next game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, an intensely brutal cooperative game set in the Warhammer 40,000 world. This release will be the 3rd installment of “Tide” releases over the past 7 years and adds to the already critically acclaimed Vermintide series.

Throughout November and leading up to the release of Darktide, there'll be activities and updates from Fatshark for all "Tide" players to celebrate its launch. This includes a free copy of Vermintide 2*, a free update to Vermintide 2 (Trail of Treachery DLC), access to play Darktide early for pre-order players, and a free download of the Devoted Rejects DLCfor all Vermintide 1 or 2 players who jump in and play Darktide.

For a limited time only, you can download Vermintide 2 for free and keep it in your library forever

Read more Weekend Gamer.

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

Lenovo Legion Gaming PC

Specs Intel Core i5 11th Gen 11500 2.7GHz Processor NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM 512GB SSD+1TB HDD Microsoft Windows 11 Home 10/100/1000 Network 2x2 802.11ax WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 400 Watt Power Supply Free game: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition (must be redeemed by 11/10/2022) Read More Lenovo With Lenovo Smart Display, it’s pretty much free. If you want music, you can upload all your MP3s to Google Music and access them via the Smart Display. Of course, if you prefer, you can subscribe to Google Music, YouTube Music … iBuyPower Since owning the new iBuyPower’s Fallout computer, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the computer. I’ve been really into RGB lighting for my computer and recently purchased …

Since I got the the Straight Talk Home Internet, which promises 10-100mbps 5G speed, I’ve been enjoying fast downloads of games for my Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. I average about 30-50mbps. Unfortunately, my aging Fallout iBuyPower Computer could not enjoy the same download speed. This is because the Wi-Fi chip in the system is old (2017) and uses old protocol. Plus the computer was downstairs, far from the router. Whatever the reasons is, it has trouble connecting to the network and the speed it was getting was often under 1-4mps. I suspected it was the Wi-Fi card because the Xbox, sitting right next to my computer, was doing 80mps!

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve been looking around for a new gaming computer, and this was just the final straw. There are numerous problems with the Fallout computer, first the fan is starting to rattle and prevents me from doing audio recording because it was so noisy. Next, in order to upgrade the video card, I would have to replace the power supply. Also, the old computer would just not upgrade to Windows 11. Plus, it was just getting slow.

So, it was time. 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. Just a quick Amazon search, shows that the average 3060 card is $400-$500. The 3060 card will be a massive improvement over my old 1660 card.

Download Speed

The key thing for me is the WiFi 6 card, which is the latest protocol. Of course, the first thing I did when I started up the computer was doing a speed test… and yes, it’s now fast and on par with what my Xbox was getting, in terms of download speeds.

With the fast internet connection, I’m able to re-download all the software that I need. All my movies and music are on external hard drives, so physically moving them to the new computer was effortless. I’m just afraid that with so many hard drives (6 in total), that the 400 Watt power supply might not be powerful enough. The first game I’ve re-downloaded is Elden Ring, which I am enjoying on the Steam Deck.

The new computer does have one USB-C, which is great. I’m going to have to get a USB hub to take advantage of it.

This is my first Windows 11 machine, so, at first, I’m not used to it. At first I wish it was Windows 10, as it’s what I’m familiar with… but I suppose over time, I will learn to understand and get used to Win 11.

Otherwise, I’ve zero complaints about the new computer. It’s fast, and it runs whisper quiet, which I absolutely love.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

PS I got the free promotional game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Imperial Edition when I bought the Lenovo Legion. At first, I thought the game code is inside the box, but that is not the case. If you buy it, look for the game code on your receipt. The promotion ends 11/10/2022, which is in about a week. The game official comes out November 30. You’ll need both an Nvidia and Steam account… but if you’re into PC gaming… you’ll already have one.

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

Weekend Gamer: Fallout 3 free on Epic

Read More Fallout Fallout 3. Obviously, I'm still playing the game. At one point in the game, you have to go into Vault 112's virtual environment and it's seriously straight out of the Twilight Zone. You need a high Charisma or Speech skill …

Sure, you already own Fallout 3. If you don’t own it, it’s practically on sale all the time. If you’re still super cheapskate, you can finally get it for free on the Epic Game Store for free, starting October 20th.

I bought the game in 2008, not exactly convinced that the Fallout series will benefit from a first-person view. You see, I came from the original games, which is turn-based and top-down view. I love those original games! I didn’t think Fallout would work in 3-D, but I was wrong!

What I am right is that Fallout should be a single player game… taking it online in Fallout 76 is a disaster, and fans would agree with me. We don’t want an always-online game.

Anyway, if you have not played Fallout 3, there’s no reason not to play, especially if it’s free on October 20th on Epic.

Also, if you are wondering, yes, people have gotten Epic to run on the Steam Deck, using the Heroic launcher. I have Heroic, but after I couldn’t run some GOG games, I just gave up.

The other problem is that while Steam Deck can run Fallout 3, it’s not a good experience because of the controller scheme. It’s meant to be played with a mouse and keyboard, so you have to compromised when you play it on the Steam Deck, because obviously you don’t have a keyboard. However, you can always get the Steam Dock and hook up a keyboard and mouse to it… at that point, why not just run it on a dedicated computer or laptop?

So speaking of the Steam Deck, this is my only device that I’m using for gaming currently. That is because it’s so easy to start and stop, especially if you only have a few minutes on your break or waiting for something. With the Xbox, you have to sit down by a television, you have to turn it on, etc. The same can be said for my gaming laptop, I would have to log into Windows, I would have to find the game to launch, and so on. With the Steam Deck, you just wake it up and it’s good to go.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Weekend Gamer: You can buy the Steam Deck and Docking Station right now

Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

There’s no more waiting… You can now buy Steam Deck, right now, without reservation.

According to steampowered.com, it’s been more than a year since it was first announced, but due to numerous supply chain issues and component shortages, they couldn’t deliver on all the demand. If you wanted one, you had to wait up to a year to get your device. I personally had to wait a little over a month… but as of today, there’s no waiting.

With that announcement, they are also releasing their official Docking Station, which is shipping in one or two weeks. The price is $89, which is more expensive than all the third-party docks out there… but I don’t mind getting the official docking station, because I wanted to support Steam, and for reasons, which I will address below.

The official docking station has DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, Ethernet Port, 3 USB 3.1, and a USB-C pass-through power input. The best part is that it comes with a 45-Watt charger (this by itself is $30 alone).

I did previously bought a third-party dock for $33, but I had to spend another $25 for a 65-Watt Charger, so when you add it up, it’s about $60. You do run the risk of buying a cheap/terrible unofficial product… so I don’t think it’s that unreasonable to ask for $89 for the official one, especially if you know the product was especially designed for the Steam Deck from Valve.

I’ll probably set one up by the television and one closer to my work desk.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Weekend Gamer Update (August 2022)

Read More Steam Weekend gamer here. This weekend, we will look at Steam’s Steam Deck (not to be confused with Elgato’s Stream Deck). For some months, I’ve been eyeing on the handheld AYA Neo as a … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. … Xbox So, I joined Game Pass. There are two price points, the $10 per month pricing is strictly for Xbox games, and the $15, called Game Pass Ultimate includes PC, EA and Xbox Gold (you need this to play online … Sony Still, you know I’m still somewhat interested in seeing the next generation of gaming consoles… and today, Sony showed up what the upcoming PS5 will look like. And holy crap, it is so ugly. …

It’s the weekend, and here’s your Weekend Gamer update.

I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck.

I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more. Even though Steam said they are ramping up production, and it’s listed as delivery date of “October-December 2022”, but I doubt that I will get my Steam Deck until 2023. The company already announced they are working on a Steam Deck 2. I think the smart move is to just wait for the second version, as it will fix all the problems in the first version...

I think my main reason for wanting a portable PC game console is that increasingly I’m very unhappy with the performance of my Nintendo Switch. I recently launched Diablo II on the Switch and it was just unplayable. Whenever there are hundreds of enemies on screen, the Switch just crawls to a snail’s pace. The Switch desperately needs a refresh. Come on, it’s been five years already!

Also, after six months, I finally cancelled my Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The main reason is that I honestly did not have the time to fully take advantage of Game Pass. I love the fact that I could I try out the full games that I normally wouldn’t pay money for... And for titles that would normally cost $60! It was a huge savings, but at the end of the day, I would just rather buy (and own) the games that I like. What I am trying say is that I end up just playing the games that I already paid for.

I had a problem with Game Pass removing some games when they end their license agreement with Xbox. It’s very frustrating to play a game one month and then come back a few months later only to find out that game is no longer accessible, because it left Game Pass.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Microsoft announced that they will no longer be offering free downloads to Xbox 360 games in their subscription services (they simply ran out of games to give away). The one saving grace of Game Pass was that you were allowed to keep one Xbox 360 game for free (yours to keep forever!)… and it was going away as of October 1st.

Having said all those negative things, I still believe Game Pass is worth that $10 (or $15), because if you just play one game, you’ve literally made up the price of admission. It is excellent value for the money... but I didn’t have the time for it. When I find myself with more free time, I will definitely reactivate my Game Pass.

The opposite of not good value is PlayStation 5, which is still impossible to find in retail stores. I’ve seen a lot of Xbox Series X in stores recently. I’ve yet to see one PS5 in stores. In a move that I think is a mistake, Sony announced that they are raising prices for the PS5. While the USA is not one of the region that is getting a price hike, the announcement does not bode well.

Everything I’ve researched about PlayStation 5, from ripping people off on digital games to extra $10 charge for PS5 games to Sony blocking games from Game Pass... it tells me that PlayStation is very anti-consumer and they are only interested in profits.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Top 10 Reasons Xbox Series X is better than PS5

Read More Xbox After more than a year, most gaming fans still couldn’t get their hands on either the Xbox Series X or PS5. Everytime I see a news article like “PS5 in stock now at Walmart”, it’s almost sold out immediately. . ...

Since owning the Xbox Series X, I had to do a lot of research to see if I made the right decision. It’s still hard to get your hands on the latest gaming consoles, but it seems like I am seeing the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X in retail stores, like Target… I can’t say the same for any PlayStation.

I may sound like an Xbox fanboy, but you should know that I like them both, having own PS Vita, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One S. This is the first time that I will be skipping the PlayStation 5, and I feel like I made the right choice.

Top 10 Reasons Xbox X is better than PS5

1. Game Pass
   The best value in gaming. Access to hundreds of games for $10 a month. You do have the option to purchase Game Pass games at a discount, if you prefer to own a particular title (especially since some games are removed from Game Pass from time to time).
2. Quick Resume
   This is an amazing feature. You don’t realize how cool it is to have three or four games launching right where you left off. This is especially a nice feature if you like to dabble in various games… or have other users in the house.
3. Smart Delivery
   Xbox is smart enough to know what system you are on and will deliver the game optimized for your system. This is something PS5 is still struggling with.
4. Easy Storage Expansion
   Yeah, it’s expensive, but upgrading the storage is just plug and play. On the PS5 side, you have to shop around and then you are required to open up the device.
5. Variable Refresh Rate
   There’s no screen tearing, thanks to Xbox’s variable refresh rate option. PS5 doesn’t support this.
6. Design and Hardware
   It’s a matter of preference, but I think the Xbox X looks better. It’s smaller, it’s faster, and it looks good laying flat or standing up. The PS5 is almost 1.5 times bigger than the X.
7. Health
   It’s in your settings, but you can have Xbox reminds you to take a break if you played too long. I know this isn’t a major feature, but it’s nice to know Xbox cares.
8. Cross Play
   Xbox and PC (and some Switch) can cross play with each other. PlayStation refuses to open up Cross Play, unless the developer pays Sony their blood money.
9. Backward Compatibility
   Games going back to the original Xbox will work on the X|S. On PS5, only games on PS4 will work.
10. Future
    MicroSoft purchased Bethesda, Blizzard, and Activision, meaning that some of my favorite games like Fallout, Doom, Diablo, Starcraft will likely get the Game Pass treatment… or at the very least available on Xbox first.
    
    

Top 5 Reasons PS5 is better

1. Exclusive Games
   Games like God of War will only run on the PS5… however, Sony is releasing some of their titles on the PC a few years after it was released on the PlayStation. Also Sony said that all their exclusive games will cost you $69, a $10 markup from a standard PS5 game or Xbox new games.
2. Dual Sense Controller
   Everyone raves about the new controller, with its haptic feedback, microphone, and adaptive triggers… but the downside is that older controllers won’t work on the PS5.
3. Virtual Reality
   If VR is your thing, only Sony offers this experience. Of course, it is wired and it’s expensive… plus, it sounds like you need to plug in the old PS4 camera and PS4 controllers (for the useless lightbar) for it to function.
4. Standard NVME expansion
   Most NVME cards (with heatsink) will work on the PS5, however adding it in will requires you to open up your console and you may void your warranty if you really mess up. With Xbox you only have one option - the Seagate expansion card, and it’s not cheap.
5. Longer recording limit
   I’m not interested in recording my game play, so I don’t really care for this feature, but for those who are streamers, the PS5 is the better option.
   
   

To be honest, I had a tough time coming up with 5 PS5 features that beats Xbox… but I had to include them to be absolutely fair.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Xbox Series X|S Accessories

Read More Xbox After more than a year, most gaming fans still couldn’t get their hands on either the Xbox Series X or PS5. Every time I see a news article like “PS5 in stock now at Walmart”, it’s almost sold out immediately. . ...

For $500, the Xbox Series X is a good value. Sure, you can spend more for a gaming PC, which admittedly can be use for various other things, such as productivity software, but it’s going to cost you much more than $500.

If you break down the components:

1 TB SSD ($120)

AMD Zen 2 CPU ($300)

16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM ($100)

Ultra HD Blu-ray ($100)

Xbox Game Controller ($60)

This isn’t even taken into account the custom motherboard and super quiet fans and design. I believe Xbox is losing money on every console they sell… but as you know, they will make back the money as they’ve now locked you into their ecosystem.

Once you’re locked in, you’re going to have to consider some of Xbox’s accessories, to take your gaming to the next level. This is where they are going to make money off of you.

Xbox Game Pass ($10 per month)

Seagate Expansion Card (1TB for $220, 2TB for $399)

Xbox Elite Controller 2 ($180)

Headset ($50 for wired, $149 for wireless)

Rechargeable Batteries ($10)

Halo Keyboard ($179)

Halo Mouse ($79)

The good news is that you don’t really need these accessories, and better news, if you have an older Xbox One or Xbox 360 accessory, you can use them for the new Xbox Series X. The only exception is the Seagate Expansion Card, which only exists on the X|S.

Like the PC, MicroSoft’s approach to backward compatibility is pretty amazing. All, or most, previous Xbox games and accessories will work on the X|S… something you don’t see that on the PlayStation (PS3 or earlier games won’t run on PS5) or Nintendo Switch (you have to pay full price for previous Nintendo games). No one wants to pay full price again for a game they previously purchased. That’s why I was blown away when I saw that all the games I bought from Xbox (going back from the original Xbox), just appeared on my account and that I can play them with no issues on the X.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Oceanhorn 2

Read More Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. …

Someone reminded me that Nintendo has a New Year sale… and so I spent about $50 to get some games on sale. I purchased Borderlands: Legendary Edition, Oceanhorn, and Oceanhorn 2.

I’ve previously played the demo to the original Oceanhorn and it was good enough for me. I guess it didn’t inspired me to buy the original game… even though I’ve seen it on sale for as low as $5 on the Apple App Store. The sequel came out in 2019, and it was only available in Apple Arcade, a monthly gaming service from Apple.

Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm finally came out on the Switch in October 2020. Since it’s on sale, I purchased it, along with the original game, and am looking forward playing the two games.

As for Borderlands, I’ve previously already own and played all the 2K games. However, since it was on sale for a really good price ($20)… I figure I might as well add it to my Switch game collection. This is because I’m quietly waiting for a Super Switch or a Switch Pro, because the last two variants, the Switch Mini and Switch OLED were not upgrades. I just really want a fast, better Switch. So many modern games, such as Torchlight III struggles on the current Switch and it just sucks.

I’m still investing in Nintendo games, because I know when they do release a faster Switch or next generation Nintendo Console, that I can just carry my old library over. At least that’s what I’m hoping.

In the meantime, gamers can get excited for the launch of the Steam Deck, which is supposed to launch next month… but due to the pandemic and parts shortage, I doubt they will have a wide release. In fact, I’m still having a lot of problems trying to get my hands on an Xbox Series X. Why is it so difficult?

I guess I should look at the bright side, if I can’t find the consoles for sale, I’m saving money.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is free on Epic Games

Read More Pathfinder As I’ve previously mentioned, I pre-ordered and looked forward to playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker. The game came out on Tuesday (September 25), and by Friday (September 28) …

You can hate Epic Games for their business practices, but you cannot deny that they are giving back to gamers with their free games. Many of them are Triple A games, including this Pathfinder: Kingmaker Enhance Plus Edition (which is free for Christmas).

I originally paid full price for Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and when I played for the first time, Oct 2018, I said there are so many bugs in the game that it wasn’t quite ready for release. The studio have since patched most, if not all, of the bugs I experienced, but it still left a sour taste in my mouth.

Clearly the game wasn’t finished back then, but I think the product is good now, as it stands. If you don’t have the game, please get it for free now.

Since that time, I have purchased the sequel, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and plan on supporting the developer on upcoming games.

I just love the idea that the original Pathfinder game is free, and I hope it opened up to a larger audience.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

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