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Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

at 2:26 PM 0
The Division is one of the most discussed and anticipated games of 2016 and people have really high hopes for this game. Does it live up to what every expects or does is fall apart and trip all over itself?

I have been able to play The Division since the launch day, on the Xbox One, and to be honest, launch day was not a pleasant experience. There were plenty of server and network issues that caused frustration and inconsistent gameplay. As we know though, you can't judge the game on day one only.

So lets start with the visuals. I played on the Xbox One and though Ubisoft had to tone down the SnowDrop engine for the consoles, The Division still looks great. The developers did a really good job of immersing you in the environment with weather changes and day to night changes that are all so seamless. There are points of the game that you can see building broken down and beat and other times you know you're in a better area just based on the quality of the building and your
surroundings. The menus in the game add a level of depth since they are as a frosted glass that shows content behind the menu. The game should leave you satisfied with the visuals. The visuals allow for you to get immersed to the point of that it adds to the actual gameplay.

For the gameplay, you really need to break it down in to two different parts. Since the game has the normal zone or area and the Dark Zone, you need to play differently in both. As a whole, the gameplay is enjoyable and a tremendous amount of fun.

The normal zone has less stress involved since you are primarily fighting the CPUs. There are a fair amount of missions that allow for multiple possibilities as to what you do every time you play. The game offers a ton of customization options for your character's appearance and for the guns and customization. The story in the main game is not especially long but it is still interesting. The action in each mission makes for an enjoyable experience and it is even more fun when you have your friends fighting right by your side.

Now where the game really does things different is the Dark Zone. The gameplay in the Dark Zone changes a bit because you are now not only fighting the CPUs your are running in to the general populous or other network players. If you are to attack someone that is also playing the game you will become a rogue. Once a rogue you are marked on the map and you and expect people will be coming to find you. The weapons and rewards you get for fighting in the Dark Zone are much greater since y
ou are in a much more dangerous position. The anxiety levels are very high in the Dark Zone since you can be killed at any moment at any time by anyone. When you die in the Dark Zone, anything you found there gets left there unless you were able to extract it prior to your death.

In an overall look The Division the game is really enjoyable and fun to play. The game has many options and customization that you will not be left board waiting for a DLC, even though there are some coming already. You can move freely from the normal zone to the Dark Zone at anytime, which allows for a variety of situations and gameplay experiences. Ubisoft did a great job with delivering a quality experience for the game.


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at 1:06 PM 0

We have been waiting for what seems like a very long time for this release, does it live up to everything we have been wanting. Fallout 4 has one of the largest feature lists we have seen in a game in a long time and with all those features comes a lot of bugs.

The game by itself is fantastic! There is an expansive map and you are able to go anywhere you would like to go unfortunately there some invisible walls. Fallout 4 has improved a ton of things from the previous game. The way that guns handle is a huge upgrade. You are able to design and build anything with the new building system. You can spend endless hours just building your fort and trying to get more people to live in your base. You can lose yourself trying to discover more areas of the map and see all the things you can stumble upon. The Power Armor now feels like it is actually powerful where as in previous games it was more like just a suit. One draw back to the new changes though is that the emphasis has shifted a little more towards a first person shooter then an RPG style game.

The graphics have have been upgraded as well though there is no new engine. The game looks beautiful and detailed but there is an occasional poor texture here and there. The world you are in has so much to see and discover and it all looks gorgeous. You are able to just get lost in all the attention to detail that Bethesda has put in to the game. The environment overall is done really well for a post-apocalyptic Boston.

Next, I am a huge fan of the building features. I love being able to build my own fort its amazing, but putting up walls without them going wherever they want is extremely frustrating. Sure it’s a good feature so you can continue to build easily but if you have to angle it a certain way or do whatever you need it to do and it will snap into the wall you just set up and not do what you need it to.

Now to some of the bugs that I am hoping get fixed soon.  I don’t know if its just me or if you guys have the same problem but what is wrong with the companions? I get that its cool to have a sidekick with you while you explore the Commonwealth but come on! They are absolutely useless, I think I have died more times due to glitched companions than I have been killed by creatures, raiders, and just plain old radiation. Here is one example of what happened to me. I am walking through a tunnel underneath the lonely chapel going to the military stronghold and Dogmeat gets stuck in the door way trapping me while a Molotov cocktail burns me alive. Maybe it wouldn’t of been a problem if it only happened once but three times this happened. I like the fact that they give you Dogmeat and other companions but they need to prove themselves useful.

I am sure that my complaints are small compared to others who have issues with things such as the dialogue or getting stuck in an elevator. I just hope that Bethesda is listening to the Gamers and working on fixing the issues. Fallout 4 is a great game all we can complain about are minor issues that every game has.

The Commonwealth has so much to explore and can keep you entertained for hours. That’s why even with my small gripes I will rate this game as a platinum. I'd love to hear everyone else's problems so please comment and we can all chat about them together as gamers.



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at 8:28 PM 0

So here we are again after a long wait, it has finally happened... A Halo game that we have all been waiting for! When I first saw the teaser for Halo 5 at E3 I was super excited but was still not too sure it would be the game I wanted. After 343 Industries taking over the franchise I have been skeptical if the game would ever return to its original form and glory and with Halo 5, we get exactly that with some new surprises too.

Halo 5 looks really really good. The game runs really smooth and the experience visually is pleasing to say the least. 343 did a good job making sure that the game got a visual update that fit the new generation of this console. What was pleasant to see was that the game also has visuals that match the original as far as what you remember when you think Halo. I am happy to say that there really isn't anything that I could complain about.

Halo 5's gameplay is absolutely incredible. The game has been designed to take you back to the things that made Halo great originally. The guns are very balanced and there really isn't any gun that I would say needs fixed. The maps are designed for the quick and fast pace action that everyone loved with Halo. With the new maps comes the surprise that really adds more to the Halo franchise and brings some new and enjoyable features. Warzone is a new mode that brings even more people in to the battle. The best way to describe what Warzone is like, is that is is kind of a combination of a MOBA and a first person shooter. Warzone is a pleasant addition to the Halo franchise and bring a lot to the table.

With the addition of Warzone they added requisitions which are quick upgrades for your character, guns, and vehicles while you play Warzone. Using the correct requisition at the right time can change the way the game is going and shift the balance of the teams. It adds a lot to the game and allows for more customization for your in game character.

Halo 5 is the game we have been waiting for. It brings all the things we remember and love about Halo with new and exciting features and experiences. The game is well worth the $60 price tag as a new game purchase. If you own and Xbox One then this is a must have for your video game library.


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at 9:18 PM 0

With the Mario Kart franchise having a very successful and celebrated past will Mario Kart 8 live up to the standard of past games and come in first or will hit get hit will a blue shell to fall in to last place?

Nintendo has always done a really good job of breathing life in to a franchise so that it seems new and exciting from each new console of that generation. Mario Kart 8 is no exception and in fact in may be one of the best Mario Kart games in the entire franchise. The Wii U is not the most powerful console on the market but Nintendo makes up for the lack of power with the stylized graphics and exciting game-play.

The graphics in Mario Kart 8 cannot be fully appreciated until you see side-by-side comparisons of levels from previous consoles. I understand that you expect that the levels look better from each console year, that is logical but Nintendo paid attention to all the little things. When you drive in snow or sand, it sticks to your tires. When you go through water it is clear and splashes on your screen when you exit the water. Nintendo really impressed me with the graphics boost and it was a pleasant and welcome upgrade.


The gameplay of Mario Kart 8 is a solid upgrade as well. They added the ability to fly and and glide which adds a new level of fun to the game. Nintendo is also making DLCs that will add more tracks as well as more characters. This is great to see and will greatly expand the amount of time you will spend playing the game. Mario Kart 8 will keep you coming back for more because the experience is so unique and entertaining you will want to enjoy all that the game offers.



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at 8:18 AM 0

The Wolf Among Us had a hard act to follow, since it released after the acclaimed The Walking Dead series created by Tell Tale Games. Does The Wolf Among Us bring the same great story with a unique playing experience or does it just end up bitting?

The first episode of The Wolf Among Us set the tone for the entire series. You open with the main character, Bigby, breaking up a fight. The fight goes from an apartment to the street and lets you know that you will be in for a wild ride when playing this game. The plot has plenty of twists and unexpected turns. To avoid spoilers I will not go in to a lot of detail but I will that the story does a good job of taking you from one guess to another without giving anything away.

The graphics for the The Wolf Among Us were improved from The Walking Dead but the visual style is still very eye catching and creative. You find yourself immersed in the visuals and you are aways looking at the attention to detail that Tell Tale put in to the entire game. The graphics help tell the story because you are able to understand the settings and body language of the characters. The graphics will appeal to all audiences and make for an enjoyable time while playing through the game.

The game overall is an experience that is unforgettable and entertaining. The story keeps you interested and craving more and more. Tell Tale did a great job and they finish it all up with a twist that will keep your craving unsatisfied.

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at 11:43 AM 0

Opening 
Well I finally got into the Strife closed beta, and I'm here to share my thoughts. First of all I have to say I was strongly annoyed by the forced tutorial! Even though the two tutorial missions were not very long, it still should not have been forced. For players who have played MOBA games before it's annoying thing to be forced to sit through all the things you already know. Nevertheless, I have to say Strife is quite addicting. I found myself just playing again and again and again! I actually played Strife one day instead of League of Legends. Now I'm not saying Strife is better the League or Dota but it definitely has its finer quality's.


Is Strife a copy of Dota 2 and League of Legends?
Well, you could say that every MOBA is a copy of League of Legends and Dota because those were the first MOBA games, and all MOBA games are similar. So in a way, yes, Strife is sort of a copy of Dota and League of Legends, but Strife makes itself stand out. One of the things that makes Strife stand out is that for people who are not familiar with MOBA games, they will be able to jump into Strife fairly easily.


What is different about Strife from other MOBA's?
As I said earlier, the main thing is that new players to MOBAs can get into Strife easily. The second thing that I found to be a very nice game mechanic is the use of a buff  like creature that the whole team attacks, and if you defeat it you get a giant gorilla like creature that pushes a lane like a siege engine. The game also has a crafting feature where people can choose what items build into a main item which is a very interesting idea. The game also gives you pets which basically are just spells. they have spell like abilities like removing CC (Crowd Control) effects, Heals, or Mana regen etc...


Can Strife Last or Compete in the MOBA Genre?
Actually, yes I believe it can! Strife sets a bar for MOBA games in the fact that it it fairly easy to jump into, so for people who want to get into the genre and want to play games like Dota, League of Legends, or Smite but are afraid of the complexity of these other MOBA games, they can play Strife for awhile and get a feel for the MOBA genre.

Closing Thoughts
All in all Strife is a fun and fairly easy to play MOBA, and its one of the first new MOBA's that has kept my interest, with great map design and decently balanced gameplay even in beta. Strife shows promise, so go ahead and sign up for the closed beta and give it a go!





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at 11:07 AM 0

Daylight is a horror survival game that will try to take you one a psychological thrill ride but does it deliver? I was doing all I could to try not to compare this game to Outlast, but it is so hard to forget the gold standard of a horror game that was set by Red Barrels studio.

The game starts you off right in the building you will be spending most of the game in. There is no real story build up or explanation of why you are even there. Upon exploring the first room is where I found my first problem with the game. While you are in the room there is a book bag that has glow sticks in it that you can use to see... A never ending supply of glow sticks. There is nothing scary about always being able to see, in fact it made it so I could just run around with glow sticks, not worrying about whether or not they would wear out because I knew where the bag was that had my unlimited supply. On top of searching and wondering around the rooms and hallways, using only the light of your phone and glow stick, you have someone that continues to buzz your phone giving you information about where to go or what to do. He is so hard to understand and he doesn't really tell you enough to help, so he becomes just white noise.
During my play through I had begun to get so frustrated about playing because there was no clear objective and the level design was so poor that I couldn't tell one room from another. I would try to use the map on my phone to navigate but it was as confusing as the guy talking on the phone. All of this just added to my frustrations. Once I was able to find a new avenue through the generic hallways, I stumbled upon another wealth of light, flares. The flares are used to scare the ghosts away but as with the glow sticks, there is an unlimited supply of flares. To add to that, in my play through, there was not one ghost that appeared. Not one! I understand that is procedurally generated but there should be at least one ghost. I found that I had begun to hope and ask for ghosts to appear to make the game scarier and more challenging.
To summarize, I found myself frustrated and upset that I spent most of my time wondering around trying to get scared. The game left me feeling like something was missing and lacking from the game. Zombie Studios seems to have rushed on bringing this game out because there is money to be made in horror survival genre again thanks to Outlast.


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at 8:36 AM 0

Recently I picked up an iPhone 5s case hoping that it lived up to what it claims to do. Now I read plenty of reviews before I got it and honestly I'm disappointed with what I read. A lot of the reviews said it was flimsy, breaks easy, bulky, lop sided, and not worth the $80. We'll let me tell you this case is amazing. I beat this case up to the point were I thought my phone was done for sure. 
       Since I'm going through the fire academy, I thought It would be the perfect place to test my case. As nervous as I was to try it on my new iPhone 5s, I went through it anyway and couldn't be any happier with how well it worked. Leaving my phone with the Lifeproof Fire case in my outer pocket of my protective clothing it went through high heat from a car fire, extreme water pressure from commercial sprinkler heads, banging off the ground doing hose line advancements and crawling through a pitch black maze, and there isn't a single nick scratch or dent on my iPhone or the Lifeproof case. Yes, it is flimsy but it is thin for getting it in and out of your pocket and it's built to be punished. The $80 spent on this case blew the old Otter Box I had out of the water. It's super durable, thin, and the colors are great. I got the blue one. This is a great purchase 10 out of 10.

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at 2:22 PM 0

Smite, the third person MOBA (Massive Online Battle Arena) is officially out of beta and has been released. I have played the Beta and it was decent, but it didn't hold my interest for too long. I was on and off about the game and I would only play it occasionally. Now that it has been fully released I decided to give it another shot, and I have to say I was quite impressed with the game. There were a lot of new Gods to play and there have been some much needed balance changes. The game also has a large variety of items to choose from, along with balance and new gods I found the games graphics to be very polished and the coloring was perfect, not to contrasted or to dark, just perfect. One thing that Smite definitely has going for it, is that this games community is much better then most MOBA's. Most of the games I played, when another player was doing bad my team was nice and would try to help him, or they wouldn't say anything at all. Rarely did anyone spew toxic nonsense into the chat, i found this a nice change of paces and a much more relaxing
experience.
   
            


                                     Can Smite Compete With Other MOBA's?
Well, that's hard to say, the game had success in beta reaching around 3 million players. The honest truth is that though this game is really good i think people will just play this now and then to take a break from the MOBA games that they main and love. I don't think Smite can contend with League of Legends because of its large player base but it might be able to take on with Dota 2. If Smite can make it to 3 million players in beta then they can possibly go head to head with Dota 2's 5 million in a couple years.

Want to play Smite? Here's a link friends! - http://www2.hirezstudios.com/smite
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at 8:00 AM 0

While exploring photojojo.com, I found the Eye-Fi  mobi SD card. This SD card allows you to automatically send your pictures to a mobile device wirelessly. I found this super convenient with my Nikon D3100 and it is super easy to set up. Just put the card in your camera, download the app(Android or iOS), and enter the code that is on the case. After you are set up start taking pictures and they will automatically start to download to your device. From there you can share your pictures on any service you prefer. The Eye-Fi comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32 GB or a 16GB Pro card. You can purchase them at www.eye.fi, photojojo.com, and bestbuy.com. I strongly suggest picking one up, it's another great thing to add to the camera bag.


Mobi 8GB, 16GB and 32GB
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at 1:26 PM 0

There has been a small storm brewing and more and more attention going to Canonical and Ubuntu for their touch OS. They have an interesting approach and goals, as they are aiming for convergence across the phone, tablet, and desktop. I have installed Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 7(2013) and we will see if they are working on the next big thing or the next big failure.

Overview
Canonical's take on the mobile OS market is being executed really well. They are building a product that will make waves in the market. There are some many great ideas and concepts in the Ubuntu Touch OS, that it is hard to find one and say it is the best. There seems to be a race to convergence right now, as we see with Microsoft's one OS on all your devices, but Canonical, with it's Ubuntu Touch, has an excellent strategy to make this happen.

Look and Feel
Ubuntu Touch looks beautiful! The plan that Canonical has as far as the UI is concerned is amazing. The UI has a, content is king, approach. All the apps, music, videos, and more are right there, available to you. The UI is continuing to progress and improve with each update. Canonical is making Ubuntu touch as pretty and polished as it can be, and this really shows. The software, for testing software, ran
really well. For the most part the UI is responsive, fast, and fluid. Still make no mistake, there are some issues since it is not a completed project yet. The app switching is fast and convenient, with a simple swipe from the right side you go to your last app or a swipe from the left and you are back to the home screen. The process of learning the gestures and swipes was so natural that I didn't even really think about once I saw what each gesture did.

Core Apps
The Ubuntu team is also working on, what they call, Core Apps. These are the apps that will bundled with the Ubuntu Touch OS. As of now the core apps that are available for testing right now are, Browser, Contacts, Friends, Messaging, Dialer, Calendar, Terminal, Reminders, Shorts, Music, Stocks, Gallery, Notes, Calculator, File Manager, Camera, and Clock. These are not finished and fully polished but they are making quick progress to get to that point. The majority of the apps have little glitches and bugs right now but you get to see what Canonical's plans and visions are for the OS, and they have great ideas. The apps get updated frequently and Ubuntu has hack-a-thons to find and resolve as many bugs as possible in the apps. The Core Apps show great potential and I look forward to see what Canonical has planned for the future of the apps.
Final Thoughts
The Ubuntu Touch OS is a clean and sleek user experience with a beautiful user interface. Though it is not finished and polished you can see the vision that Canonical has for the OS and it is very encouraging. The Ubuntu Touch OS does an excellent job of bring what you need and use regularly right to the forefront. We will be watching this mobile operating system closely... with much excitement.

Update
The Ubuntu Touch OS has updated it's UI and is really focusing on Scopes. I have some pictures below for you to see what Canonical is working on. They have been making really good progress on the mobile OS.




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at 8:00 AM 0
chromebook 11

Overview
There was a lot of noise and excitement around the HP Chromebook 11. The launch of the new Chromebook was met with some controversy and challenges but it appears that it was nothing Google and HP couldn't overcome. Changes and fixes came to the Chromebook, was it enough to make this a contender in the tightly fought Chromebook world?

The Chromebook had an issue upon launch with the power adapter but the adapter was just a minor issue in the scheme of things. Google was able to replace the adapter with a new one to resolve all the problems that people were originally having concerning the adapter. The HP Chromebook 11 has an 11.6 inch display that is probably one of the best displays you can get on a Chromebook, excluding the Chromebook Pixel. The next change that was made to the Chromebook 11 was the speakers. The Chromebook 11 has speakers that are around the keyboard where the color accent is located. The speakers are actually really nice quality and work well. I was impressed with how loud they can get and Google says that they are specially designed to be that way. The rest of the technical specs are the same as the Samsung Chromebook.

Look and Feel
The HP Chromebook 11 comes in two main colors black and white but the white one comes with 4 accent colors, red, blue, yellow, and green. The color is around the keyboard and on the bottom of the Chromebook. The Chromebook has a glossy finish to it and it still feels nice in the hands. One thing that I would like to state about the size of the Chromebook is that even at 11 inches the keyboard is still full size and quiet comfortable to type on. It doesn't feel cramped and small by any means. HP with the help of Google was actually able to make a Chromebook that looks really good and feels good to use.

Software
The software on a Chromebook is Google's Chrome OS. The Chrome OS has not changed too much from the previous Chromebooks. The Chrome OS does have the benefit of updating very frequently and the frequent updates bring new features. With in the last couple of updates we have seen the ability to do an expose style window view and many other features but overall the Chrome OS is what we have come to see on Chromebooks.

Final Thoughts
The HP Chromebook 11 is a safe move and upgrade by Google and HP. They took an already popular formula, Samsung Chromebook, and made minor but nice improvements on it. The HP Chromebook 11 is an excellent Chromebook for someone that plans to consume a lot of media such as video and pictures due to the great display. The HP Chromebook 11 may have had a rough start but in the end it finished strong. The Chromebook is designed well, has quality speakers and display, and is nice on the eyes. HP and Google made a quality product at a good price.
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at 8:16 AM 0

Overview
Now, I know that the Pebble Steel will be coming out soon but those of you who do not want to drop the $250 on it, like myself, can buy the Pebble for just $150. It works on iOS and Android. The Pebble connects through Bluetooth and is painless to use. You can do tasks such as controlling your music, seeing how far you rode your bike, read text message notifications, and much more. It also comes with a USB charger and simple instruction manual. I have purchased the Jet Black version of the pebble as seen in the above picture and I'm in absolute love with it. Pebble was one of the first Smart-watches out there and started with a simple Kickstarter.

pebble, watch, faceLook and Feel
The Pebble comes in 5 different colors with a black and white screen. Its thin, simple to use and can be customized to how you want the watch to look. The watch is not too bulking and does not get in the way. The face of the watch is slightly larger than a normal watch face but nothing too noticeable. The option to change the watch face and bands is nice to have, you can then customize the watch to fit your mood and how you feel that day. The build quality of the watch is good, it feels durable and constructed well. Overall the build and design of the watch works well with the software.

Software
The software on the watch is primitive, simple and straight to the point. The watch allows you to changes watch-faces, apps, alarms, and more. The pebble comes with 3 different watch-faces but there are thousands more to download. You are able to download watch faces and apps from the Pebble app that you install on you Android or iPhone. The apps allow you to also customize what notifications you see on the watch as well. The watch is paired to your smart phone and it is a fairly painless process. The watch will also reconnect to your phone whenever they have been apart without your intervention. The software and app, though basic, are done well and straight forward.

Final Thoughts
My final thought would be that the watch has a clean and simple interface with a solid design. The app is do in way that does not over complicate using the watch and does a good job to add nice benefits to the watch. I would have to say the Pebble is a must get watch.


Source:
getpebble.com
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