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Weekend Gamer: Kingdoms of Amalur

Read More Steam Steam Deck is supposed to be a much faster alternative to the Switch. The other advantage that Steam will have over the Switch is that if you have a vast Steam library of games …

Weekend gamer here. As I get hype for the Steam Deck, I have decided to take a bigger interest in aquiring more games through Steam. I still prefer to buy games on GOG, but it’s obvious that they don’t always get the latest (or any DRM Games).

This weekend, I visited my local Gamestop to take advantage of some action figure sale and promotions and randomly saw Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Collector's Edition for sale for $20. That’s a great price, considering that the original retailed was $100.

The collector edition comes with 2 game discs, 5 oversized postcards, the game soundtrack, a metal keychain, and a very large statue of Alyn Shir. The statue, judging by other similar-sized statues, would probably cost $50 by itself... so $20 for the whole thing was a very good deal.

Here’s the thing – I originally own the game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning when it was released in 2012. I was already into RPG and, seeing as the game was written by R. A. Salvatore with Todd McFarlane doing the artwork… I was on board! I had the game on Xbox 360 and PS3 (and eventually PC).

I was excited in 2012, and put in about 20 hours into the game, but ultimately lost interest in the game. I felt the game was boring and just moved on to other games.

Then something weird happened, the rights for the series were purchased by THQ Nordic, and they went back and remastered the game for a re-release under the new title Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning for release in September 2020 (the Nintendo Switch version came out in March 2021).

Despite all the sales, I refused to re-buy the game, seeing as I already own the original game and I didn’t exactly love it… why would I buy it again ? I’m kind of glad I didn’t re-buy the game in 2020, as now I don’t feel so bad to own the Collector’s Edition for $20.

I guess the way I see it, is that I’ve added one more game to my 300+ Steam game library… all these games are simply waiting to be unleashed on the upcoming Steam Deck! In many ways, the Steam Deck is a much better option than the Nintendo Switch.

Since Nintendo doesn’t allow their fans to download old SNES or NES game (they won’t sell you the old games, you have to subscribe to their online service), the Steam Deck’s open-ness approach means that you can likely sideload old Nintendo games on the Deck.

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Weekend Gamer: Steam Deck

Read More Steam Speaking of Steam, it took some convincing, but I've decided to go all-in on the gaming distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation. Sure, I'm still a fan of GOG (and still buy their games) … 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. …

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 Windows-based portable gaming device. It was touted as the “World’s First 7nm Handheld Gaming Device” and was funded on Indiegogo with over $2 million. People were calling this the Nintendo’s Switch killer.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of crowdfunding project, AYA Neo only produced enough units for their backers. Obviously, I didn’t buy an AYA Neo.

Recently, in response to Nintendo’s lackluster announcement of the Switch OLED, Steam announced their Steam Deck portable gaming handheld.

So, why fans aren’t that excited about the Switch OLED? It is because the upcoming console offers no speed improvements (the internals are exactly the same as the initial release in 2017). When I finally got a hold of the system in March 2017, I noted that “the biggest problem isn’t that the tablet is underpowered.”

It was underpowered in 2017, so it’s inexcuseable to release the same underpowered unit 2021. Basically, for $350, you get an OLED screen upgrade and better kickstand for the new Nintendo Switch. I think if you own the original Switch… there’s no reason for you to rush out to get the new one.

Despite how fans feel and how I feel, I know the Switch OLED will sell gangbuster. It’s a fact, people love Nintendo, so it doesn’t really matter what product they sell, people will buy it and love it.

Steam Deck is supposed to be a much faster alternative to the Switch. The other advantage that Steam will have over the Switch is that if you have a vast Steam library of games… you can simply carry that over to the Steam Deck. Sure, you’re not going to get the latest Mario or Zelda game, but there are plenty of games on Steam/PC that are never going to make it onto the Switch.

Pricing seems reasonable, the Steam Deck starts at $400 and goes up to as much as $600 for the top-end model.

Now for some concerns. Steam, or the Valve Corporation, has never ever produced a good hardware product. Their Steam Machine, which was a line of gaming computers, based on Linux, were not very good, and its poor sales reflected as much. I ended up abandoning on buying the Steam Machine, based on owning the Steam Controller and realized it was poorly designed. As I mentioned in Jan 2016, “[the Steam Controller] pretty much sucked at being a controller”.

My other concern is that Steam is so big, they don’t really have a customer support department. Don’t believe me ? Try talking to a real person at Steam… you can’t. As I mentioned in Jun 2017, “there’s no way to contact Steam.”

I guess we can wait and see when the Steam Deck comes out. Due to the lack of inventory availability, I still don’t own a PS5 or Xbox Series X. I am going to assume the Steam Deck might be extremely hard to come by.

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

Free Games: Control, Hellpoint, and Batman TellTale

Read More E3 It’s E3 week (June 12th-June 15th). The Electronic Entertainment Expo took a break last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s back… although it’s mostly live-streams with some small in-person coverage …

As previously mentioned, it’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) week… so a lot of gaming websites are taking advantage of the event and giving away lots of free games.



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CONTROL (2019)
epicgames.com

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 just didn’t have the time, and thought maybe I would just wait for a sale.

When the game was re-released in 2021 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it was met with some criticisms, because it was sold as full price – and fans who already own the original base game didn’t want to pay for it again.

Based on the negative reactions from the Control fans, it did sour my interest in the game and I did put a pause on buying it.

I guess all that waiting was worth it, as currently, the game is free on the Epic Game store. 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.

Like all the free games, I just log in to claim the game… and when I have time, I’ll install and play it. So if you’re not sure you want the game… why not just claim it now and think about it later.



HELLPOINT
gog.com

I wasn’t expecting it, but my favorite game retailer, GOG (Good Old Games), was giving out Hellpoint for free. To be perfectly honest, I have never heard of this action role-playing game before. It was developed by Cradle Games and published by tinyBuild.

It looks interesting enough, I’m practically fond of RPG, so when I get the time this weekend, I’ll definitely be looking forward to checking out this game.

Perhaps if I like it enough, I might try and get it for the Nintendo Switch.



BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES
twitch.tv

Like many video game fans, I have dabbled in the TellTale games. They basically make visual novels… set to these “choices”. I’ve often felt that none of the choices you make actually affect the game. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get.

The two games I’ve tried out is The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, both based on popular television shows. After playing the games, I’ve decided that these type of games were just not for me. I find that the graphics are bad and the game engine (called Telltale Tool) is really dated/doesn’t really run that well.

After years of licenses… TellTale filed for bankruptcy in 2018, and its assets were sold to LCG Entertainment… who is still selling these aging games.

The Batman: The TellTale Series is currently free on Twitch, but only if you have Amazon Prime. Since I have Prime, it was an easy free claim for me.

The bad news is that you’ll have to download the Twitch Desktop App to be able to download the Batman game.

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The PlayStation 5

Read More Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

This is just a quick update. As you know, I used to be a big fan of gaming consoles, owning practically every console released since the Nintendo Entertain System. I retire them after the new ones comes out, and at the moment, I do own an XBox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. I have always had some sort of gaming PC as well, but with my ownership of my iBuyPower Fallout PC… I have practically given up all console gaming.

Why? There are many reasons why the PC is superior … first, it is because of the loading time is very fast on my PC, thanks to the ultrafast NVME storage. You don’t realize how much time you waste on a console when you’re launching a game or loading up a save file. On my PC, it’s almost instant when games launch or loading up game saves. Plus, depending on the graphic cards, my games looks a million times better on the PC than on any current console.

The other main reason is that games on the PC are much cheaper than on Xbox, PS4, and especially the Switch. In fact, Epic Games consistently gives out free games on the PC (this week it’s ARK: Survival Evolved and Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection).

Finally, in order to play online games, such as Fallout 76, you have to pay MicroSoft, Sony, or Nintendo, a monthly or annual fee. Sure, you get access to “free games”, but you don’t keep the games if you stop paying them the membership fee. I guess I’m just a cheapskate, but I just don’t want to pay for something that should be free.

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. Particularly the optical disc drive looking like a belly bump. To me, it’s clear that Sony originally designed this “sleek” looking system without the disc drive and it looks uniform and centered. Then they added that drive and it just looks awful.

Anyway, I’m probably not going to buy one at launch. It really depends on pricing. If the rumors of it costing $600, it’s a hard pass for me - especially given how ugly it looks. Obviously, the disc-less version will be cheaper… but if we’re talking around $500 for that version, I still wouldn’t want it. Without the disc-drive, it means that you can’t play UHD or Blurays or DVDs or CDs! The only reason why I started collecting gaming consoles was that they also serve as a great media center, as it’s a powerful machine to play my discs.

I guess we’ll wait and see how well the PS5 performs, according to The Verge, the system will be powered by an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and a custom AMD RDNA 2-based GPU. Based on Sony’s proprietary SSD, it should boost load times for games.

Even though I have no desire to buy the PS5, the main reason why I’m interested is for the new gaming technology. The PC can eventually adapt to it or offer their version of it… and that’s exciting.

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

Weekend Gamer: The Witcher 3 on Nintendo Switch

Read More Games I'm a big fan of CD Projekt, the maker of the Witcher series. One of the main reasons is that they allow their games to be played offline on a PC, which is how I prefer to play my games. In return, I'll always support the software company …

I haven’t played The Witcher 3 since May 2015 (when it first came out on PC). I honestly can’t remember if I ever beat it, as I’m the type of player that wants to close out all quests before taking that final battle. Certainly, I got really, really far into it… and reconsidered playing it again when the Expansions and DLC came out a year later.

When The Witcher television show came out last year on Netflix, there was a massive uptick on newfound fans playing the game again. That’s because, like the game, the show was very well done and had a compelling story.

So… why am I playing The Witcher 3 again? Partly because I’ve forgotten almost everything about the game, but also because I started playing The Witcher 3 on the Nintendo Switch in 15 to 30-minute increments at work. It’s slow-going, but I have limited time with it.

To get the massive game on the Switch, the developer had to make sacrifices, so, as a result, the game looks incredible ugly, compared to its PS4, Xbox, and PC versions. If you can get past the low resolution and junky details… it is nice to get the game on a mobile device. Alternatively, if you have the first generation Switch, you can always dock it to the television and play the game with a traditional game controller - but it’ll still looks fugly compared to the modern consoles.

The other thing about the Switch version is that the loading time is much slower compared to the PC version (especially with NVME storage).

There is cross-save between the Switch and GOG version for The Witcher 3, which is pretty amazing when it works.

How to use Cross Save on the Nintendo Switch:

1. On the Main Menu, chose “CLOUD SAVES”
2. Choose STEAM or GOG.COM
3. Log in with your credential
4. Choose STANDARD EDITION or GOTY EDITION
5. Choose LOAD GAME or UPLOAD

There is no automatic Cloud Saves, so you’ll have to manually do this every time you decide to go back and forth.

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

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Overview Forget everything you know about The Legend of Zelda games. Step into a world of discovery, exploration, and adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a boundary-breaking new game in the acclaimed series. Travel across vast fields, through forests, and to mountain peaks as you discover what has become of the kingdom of Hyrule in this stunning Open-Air Adventure. Now on Nintendo Switch, your journey is freer and more open than ever. Take your system anywhere, and adventure as Link any way you like. 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. …

Whenever I’m over at someone’s house, and we tried different games on the Nintendo Switch, the easiest game universally that everyone can play and have fun is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s just a fun little kart game. The more I use it, I’m convince the Switch (especially with the Joy Cons) is just a really nice system that you and a friend can play locally.

As for accomplishments, I finally got around to beating The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I clocked in about 80 hours when I beat it, and now I’m just casually going back in the game to look for all 120 shrines or finishing all the side quests. The game is big, that’s for sure, but I have a feeling that it’s time to move on to another game. There is an upcoming expansion for Zelda, but I’m not sure I’m ready to pay another $20 to go back grinding in that world.

As far as I’m concern, Zelda: Breath of the Wild this is a perfect ten game. I’m saddened to see that it barely cracked the top 50 on Game Informer Magazine’s Top 100 RPG.... but I suppose it’s not a traditional, classic Role Playing Gaming.

What is lovely about the game is the sense of discovery. The game doesn’t explain anything to you - and it’s intentional - you just have to figure out some things on your own.

If you’re new to the game, here are some tips:

You need 13 hearts to receive the Master Sword.

To get through the lost woods, just follow the wind (watch your torch!)

All weapons break... This was a design choice, as it made sure you try and use different weapons.

In a thunderstorm, don’t equip metal weapons as you’ll get struck by lightning.

The best recipe is cooking a truffle with rice, two easily accessible ingredients.

Always carry a sledgehammer to fight against rock creatures or break rocks.

Use swords or axes to cut down trees and harvest bundle of woods.

To create fire, you’ll need a flint and wood. Strike it with your arrow or sword to create fire.

Want to get across rivers but don’t have a boat or a giant leaf (or you don’t have the stamina)? You can use your ice power to create blocks of ice to jump on. It’s a slow process, but you’ll eventually get across.

Buy as much arrows as you can afford.

To fight against giant rock foes, the only way to damage them is hitting their weak point (usually on the back of the rock). In order to reach its back, the best strategy I’ve found is to temporary freeze them with your timer and run behind them to shoot an arrow at their weak spot. Use explosive arrows, it causes more damage to rocks.

Guardians are weak against Ancient armor and weapons. If you don’t have the tech, the best way to defeat them is to time your shield right or hit them directly in the eye with your bow. You can also cut off their legs to keep them stationary.

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

Nintendo Switch

Pros: Portable Gaming AAA Game Titles Multiple Players Joy-Cons Cons: Expensive Big & Heavy Charging Money for Online Services Not Latest Technology Poor Battery Life Unnecessary Accessories Slow Software Release Not Backward Compatible Read More Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account … HTC Vive As a part of last weekend’s Wizard World Minneapolis, the kind folks at NewEgg gave us a hands-on demo with the latest in Virtual Reality technology, HTC Vive, and this is truly the future to come. … Games Well if you're in the same boat and want a game that is meatier, you need to check out Dragon Age: Inquisition. …

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. Now that Nintendo ramped up their production, you can get their console at any major retail stores now.

To give you a little background, I’ve own every Nintendo system except for the Wii and Wii U (the original Nintendo, SNES, N64, and the cute GameCube), so we love Nintendo. It’s just that I somehow outgrew Nintendo and didn’t want to play games using motion.

Anyway, with the Nintendo Switch, this is a hybrid handheld and game console.... meaning it will fit to your preference. Their “Joy-Cons” (joystick controllers) can detach, and using accessories, it can adapt to games. The best part about the modular controller is that the left and right joy cons can become two single controllers if you hold it vertically - so basically you can have two controllers if you need it. There’s also a motion chip built into the controller, meaning that you can play it Wii-style.

The problem with modern mobile phone games is that your fat fingers always gets in the way of the screen. With dedicated buttons and mini-joysticks (and not to mention vibration rumbling), playing games on the Switch is a much better experience.

The biggest problem isn’t that the tablet is underpowered, but that it’s really expensive. It costs as much as a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One ($299). If you throw in $30, you can even grab the current New iPad, which does more than just gaming. Nintendo can bring down the price if they unbundle the TV Dock, which I have rarely used. I don’t think anyone who owns a Switch uses it as a television gaming console. Graphic-wise, the Switch doesn’t even compare to the worst-looking PS4 games, but if you’re playing it on handheld, you can forgive the lower graphics on a small screen.

If Nintendo just sell the tablet and Joy-Cons, they can probably get away with a retail price of $199 or less, so they can compete against Sony.

Speaking of expensive, their games are also expensive. Major titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 are $59.99 each.... but man, these Nintendo exclusive games are so fun and I will begrudgingly say it’s worth the money. Zelda, as far as I’m concern, is a perfect 10 game. It’s right up there with Skyrim, Fallout 1-4, Icewind Dale, Pillars of Eternity, and Dragon Age.

At the moment, there aren’t many games for the system, so if you’re thinking of picking up the Switch, I would say wait until July when Splatoon 2 is released. Or when they bundle a free game (I strongly feel that their two player-only game 1-2-Switch should be free) with the console or discount it around Christmas 2017.

My other complaint is that Nintendo said that they will start charging a reoccurring fee to play online. Both Xbox Live and PSN does this with their Gold and Plus services... which I have to admit is not worth the money (especially if you only game solo). With Nintendo joining in on this so-called “service”, count me out. Nintendo simply has the worst online presence, no lobby, and its “friend’s code” is a terrible way to add a friend. Plus, it currently has two online services: Nintendo eShop and Miiverse.

My next game I will buy will be Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (which just came out). It’s a 25-year-old game, but at a very expensive price of $40. Just for comparison, I recently paid less for The King of Fighters XIV for the PS4 (on SteelBook!) for $29.99.

Recommended games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Puyo Puyo Tetris Street Fighter II (will be purchasing) Not Recommended: 1-2 Switch Arms Grip accessory

Looking forward to these games: Monster Hunter XX Skyrim Call of Duty Super Mario Odyssey Mario & Rabbids Syberia 3 Pokemon Sonic Forces Virtual Console (retro NES/SNES games) Video Services (Netflix, YouTube, etc.)

Since the Switch allow storage expansion using a normal MicroSD, I plan on buying the largest card I can afford and will be getting all my games on digital. The reason for this is that I just don’t want to carry around a bag of game cards... unfortunately, the drawback is that I can’t re-sell my old used game.

Nintendo Switch

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