Call of Duty: Ghosts

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The internet is blowing up today with the news of the next Call of Duty game. Activision sent out a press release covering general information about the game, as well as an official Facebook page, website, and teaser trailer. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out:

Obviously it’s a teaser, so very little information has actually been released, but we can definitely make some guesses based on what was in the video. Personally, I would love to see a game with more stealth elements. After hearing the official name was “ghosts,” I couldn’t help but think of a stealth game. The quiet, stealthy missions in the past COD games were always my favorites.

A few important pieces of info in the press release include the fact that it contains a brand new story, new characters, and an all new engine. The engine, in my opinion, is the most important part. I would love to see a redesign of the current COD layout, and I think the fans would love it as well. The second important piece of information is that it will be available for next generation consoles. Although this isn’t really a surprise at all, it’s still nice to see it stated officially.

Apparently more information will be released at the Microsoft press conference on the 21st, where they are also expected to announce the new Xbox console. My guess? COD: Ghosts will be a launch title. It only makes sense.

If you have any specific hopes for the game, I’d love to hear them! Just post them in the comments section below.

Xbox: The Next Generation

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We knew it was coming, but we didn’t know when. Now, with a brand new press release straight from Microsoft, it looks like we’ll be seeing what the next Xbox will look like very soon. How soon you say? May 21st at 10 P.M. PST to be exact.

I WANT

I WANT!!!

According to Major Nelson, they will be discussing the future of Xbox, including “games, TV, and entertainment.” For anyone who can’t attend the event, which is practically all of us, we will be able to watch a live stream on Xbox.com as they “pull back the curtain.”

Also, for anyone who is going to E3 or planning to watch its coverage online, they’re going to be releasing even more information there during the Microsoft press conference. Sadly, I won’t be attending E3 this year. I had a blast last year and would love to go again, but I’m going to be out of the country. Hopefully I can go again next year.

That’s all the info I’ve heard so far, but if I find anything else I’ll post it up here.

Bioshock Infinite Review

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Bioshock Infinite is a game like no other. Yes, it’s not a completely original work, as there are other Bioshocks that came before it, but it sets itself so far apart from the others that it may as well be. Before giving you my thought on the game, I should probably give you a brief summary of what it’s about.

This is not my photo, go here for the original: http://hypeup.net/engine/images/uploads/1118/bioshock-infinite.jpg

Bioshock Infinite takes place in Columbia, a floating city high above the clouds. You play as Booker DeWitt, an investigator from the Earth’s surface sent to the city to rescue a girl and bring her back in order to wipe away a personal debt. When you first arrive in Columbia, it seems to be a utopian society filled with early 1900s American Patriotism. Barbershop quartets sing along the streets while American flags wave in front of every store. It all seems perfect at first glance, but then you begin to look closer… Continue reading →

Let The Games Begin!

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As much as I love Xbox, there is no way I can dismiss what is going on with the other gaming consoles. I figured it would only be right to go over some quick points on what my opinions are towards Sony’s latest announcements regarding the future of Playstation.

If this venue doesn't yell "Playstation," then I don't know what does. I really think they should get some other colors in their color palette.

If this venue doesn’t yell “Playstation,” then I don’t know what does. I really think they should get some other colors in their color palette.

After boring me with their Playstation Vita news, they finally grabbed my attention when they officially announced the PS4. They began going over the specs for it’s GPU, CPU, RAM, and other main features within the console (although they weren’t showing the actual console). I was quite impressed, but not really surprised, by what I heard. It really isn’t that surprising that the PS4 will be able to do vastly more powerful things than its predecessor. That being said, there were a few curveballs that I found intriguing. Continue reading →

Revolution DLC Pack For Black Ops 2 Preview

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If you pay attention of Call of Duty news, you are about to be bombarded with information regarding the upcoming DLC pack entitled “Revolution.” Why? Because a new trailer was just released, with information regarding 4 new multiplayer maps, a new zombies map, a new zombies game mode, and a new online weapon. Because you’re going to want to watch the video anyways, I’ll just show it to you instead of summarize the whole damn thing. So here ya go!

I think this first pack is looking fantastic. The maps all look very original, and I like it when they include pieces of the map that change as the game progresses, such as the water in the dam on Hydro, or the gondolas moving through the Downhill map. I think little nuances like these give the map life, and are just enough to keep player on their toes. As for the new additions to zombies, I’m very pleased with what they’ve added. I always like new zombie maps, and I think we’ve all been wanting to play as zombies for quite a while (at least I have). The zombie maps in this game are already my favorite out of any other COD game, so the fact that they’re adding to that list is very exciting.

I think the new gun addition could either go very good, or very bad. COD players are known for being whiny. They’re always complaining about guns  being overpowered/underpowered/etc. With that in mind, I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be complaining that the gun is either too strong/weak, OR they’ll be complaining that they don’t get to use it because they didn’t purchase the DLC. Whatever it is, I’m sure they’ll find some way to complain.

Also, if you bought the 50 dollar season pass, not only will you be saving money on this DLC pack, but the rest as well. There are 4 projected packs at 15 dollars each, so do the math and you’ll be saving 10 dollars in total.

Overall, I think this is a great looking initial DLC pack, and I can’t wait to check it out for myself on January 29th! If you have any opinions on this, make sure to post them below! Do you like what you see? Do you think it’s worth the money? Let me know!

The Walking Dead: Even Zombies Love This Game

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This is not my photo. Go here for the original: http://www.bifuteki.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/walkingdead_ep2.jpg

If you’re reading this article right now, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Walking Dead TV show. Hell, I can’t go two minutes online without seeing something posted about it. If you haven’t heard, there is also a walking dead game for Xbox by the developer Telltale Games. It has been receiving fantastic reviews across the board, and even though I haven’t played it yet, I’m going to very soon.

I’ve been waiting to play the series because I’ve been playing other titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Assassin’s Creed 3, so I haven’t had much time for other games. However, I’ve just been informed that the first episode (there are five in total) is being given away for free right now! That means you can go on Xbox Live (or xbox.com) and download it for yourself at no cost! And as of right now, the rest of the episodes are also half off! They are usually 400 Microsoft points each, or 5 dollars, but now they are only 200 points, or $2.50. I’m not sure how long this deal will last, but from what I’ve heard about this game, it is DEFINITELY worth your money.

EDIT: So apparently the half-off deal was only for a day, however I have now played the first episode and I can definitely say this is a great game. It took me a little under 2 hours to complete, so that means with all 5 episodes, the series will be almost 10 hours in total (if they’re all the same length). This is a FANTASTIC deal, considering it’s only 25 dollars for all 5 (if you didn’t get the first episode free), where most games are now sold for 60. A typical console game still only takes about 10 hours to beat, so this is a lot of bang for your buck.

I won’t give much away in terms of the story, but one thing that I want to make clear is that if you have never seen the TV show, your experience WILL NOT be affected. I have never watched a single episode on TV and I still loved playing the game. They insert several hugely intense sequences in the story that affect the episodes later on down the road, and it really feels like I’m getting a unique experience. The last time I experienced anything like this was when I played Mass Effect. This is exactly the experience I was hoping to get out of it. I can’t wait to play the rest of the episodes. If you’ve played the game at all, let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Halo 4 Lanyard Giveaway!!!

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This contest is now over! Thank you all for playing and hopefully I’ll have another one soon. Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch and find out about any giveaways I have!

Since Halo 4 just came out, I figured I would have a little giveaway! I have a Halo 4 lanyard that was only given out at E3 (as far as I know), and I thought it would be a nice prize to give away since everyone has been so excited about the game’s release! How do you win you ask? Well, there are two ways to enter. First, you can follow me on Twitter and retweet my official giveaway tweet, or you can like my page on Facebook and comment on my official giveaway status on there! If you do both, you will be entered into the contest twice, but two entries is the limit. Again, you have to have my page liked or follow me on Twitter to win, so be sure to do that! Thank you all for checking out my site, and good luck!

You could win this!!!

Laziness Never Felt So Good

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If you happen to have the Xbox Live app on a smart phone or tablet, chances are fairly good that you’ve noticed the need for a recent update. Microsoft has just released an update completely overhauling the previous version of the app. The app’s new name is “SmartGlass.” If you payed attention to E3 news a while ago, you’ll remember that Microsoft unveiled SmartGlass, an app that let’s you control your Xbox from a smart phone or tablet. Here are some of my initial opinions on it:

The new logo for the SmartGlass app.

I was extremely skeptical at first, because SmartGlass seemed very gimmicky. Honestly, am I really that lazy that I can’t just use a controller with my Xbox? I just figured it was something that you’d use once or twice to show off to your friends, and then you’d never use it again. However, this app definitely proved me wrong. First, it’s extremely easy to use. After I logged in, it immediately took control of my Xbox. I was flipping between menus like a pro, playing music/movies (It shows you all sorts of info on any media you are playing), and even typing messages, all without using a controller. I can’t believe I can finally type a message in a reasonable amount of time, instead of taking a year to type one sentence. As unimportant as it might sound, that was one problem I always had. I never wanted to buy those stupid qwerty keyboard attachments or use a full keyboard, but I also hated typing messages with the controller. Bottom line: as lazy as it made me feel, I was really enjoying it.

Once I finished messing around in the dashboard, I wanted to see it’s integration with an actual game. I loaded Halo 4 and my phone IMMEDIATELY came up with a Halo 4 screen and displayed all of my profile info. My campaign history, previously played online games, favorite weapons, and pretty much everything you can possibly think of was immediately available. I never would’ve expected for it to be such a seamless integration, but it was. I also wanted to see what it looked like on a tablet, so I loaded it up on my iPad, and it was just as great. It isn’t simply a larger iPhone version. It is a whole separate layout specifically for tablets, and it ran just as smoothly.

This could definitely be a competitor to the Wii U, with it’s touchscreen-toting controller. It no longer has that competitive edge, because it’s one key difference, the separate screen, is no longer unique to their console. If game developers start utilizing this app, we could be seeing a whole new wave of innovative games in the market.

As fun as it is on your own, SmartGlass has great potential when you are among friends. Navigating the menus is quick and easy, searching for movies only takes seconds (pausing/playing movies will be easier as well), and if your friends have never used a controller before, they’ll feel much more comfortable being able to use a phone to go through the menus.

I’m very pleased with how SmartGlass turned out, and I haven’t seen a single problem yet. If I find any, I’ll be sure to post them up here. Oh, and if anyone uses it with some other games, comment below on whether or not it is integrated with the game or not. I’m interested to see how many games are supported already.

Dishonored: The Good, The Bad, And The Stealthy

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With practically every new and upcoming game having some sort of affiliation with a series (COD, Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, Halo, Borderlands, Medal of Honor, Resident Evil, etc.), it seems as if the popularity and media attention concerning new titles has almost completely vanished. However, among this sea of remakes and sequels, a brand new title has found its way onto store shelves. Dishonored is a stealth game much different than any other stealth game to date.

Coming out of Arkane Studios (who contributed to Bioshock 2 and COD: World at War) and Bethesda (Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, etc.), this game has a very familiar feel that gamers will recognize if they have played some of these developers’ previously mentioned games. As Soon as I started playing, I felt like I was stuck in limbo between the world of Bioshock, and the world of the Elder Scrolls games. It is something that is hard to describe, yet once you experience it for yourself, you will surely understand. Maybe it is the way the first-person gameplay is utilized, or maybe it is how the areas are mapped. I couldn’t really say. Continue reading →

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Review

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When I think of skateboarding legends, I think of Tony Hawk. When I think of legendary skateboarding video games, Tony’s first game comes to mind (Coincidence? I think not). Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater originally released on the Playstation in 1999, and was released shortly thereafter on the Nintendo 64, Gameboy Color, and a few other platforms. I never owned a Playstation, but I definitely had an N64, and I played this game to death. It was the first game in my own lifetime that brought my gaming love to a whole new level. Mario, as well as other signature Nintendo games, never grabbed my attention the way THPS did. The difference? This game felt real. After all, I was skating just like Tony did! What more could a child ask for.

Last week, THPS was re-released on the Xbox Live Arcade for $15. My initial thought was to say no. Did I really want to spend 15 bucks on an N64 game? Eventually I said yes. The child inside of me just couldn’t resist, and I gave in. Now to present to you my review of THPS HD: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Continue reading →