games

All Things Geekery Podcast: S3E15 – A Refined Playlist

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In this episode we are going to discuss the newly released titles of Gears 5 and Borderlands 3 and how they have stuck by the “if it is not broke don’t fix it” mentality.  We will also talk about two games that have been out for a while but we have just recently been playing. Finally, we will wrap up the episode talking about the fantastic news of the Super Nintendo addition that was added to the Nintendo Switch Online Catalog!

Click to Listen: S315 – A Refined Playlist

Show Notes

Gears 5

  • Picks up right where Gears 4 left off
  • Make senses but it is the best looking Gears game to date
  • Every part of the game has been finessed
  • Hits your right in the feels – right from the get-go
  • The new addition to have someone play the support class is nice and provides a brand new way for co-op to be played
  • The story keeps you engaged throughout when some things happened that will leave you shaken story impact wise
  • They definitely are “gearing” up for a 6

Borderland 3

  • Mayhem has begun!
  • Can say right off the bat that anyone looking for something “new” “game-defining” will be disappointed BUT anyone looking for more Borderlands games played that has been even more refined will be in for the best Borderlands game to date.
  • The loot is never-ending, a lot of QOL added…..though some could still be needed but are minor
  • Probably the most I have been engaged to the story of any of the main Borderlands games
  • The dynamic level scaling for co-op is amazing and allows the co-op to be even better as you don’t have to worry about out leveling a friend
  • On the co-op note the unique loot mode “Cooperative” is what Borderlands has needed for a while

Elder Scrolls Online

  • The Positives
    • ESO is a typical MMORPG and tries to give you that experience as best it can
    • This, however, is not a free-roaming exploration zone-based progression game like Skyrim was and struggles a bit in piecing its story together
    • LORE – the game is deeply rooted in the world of storytelling and finding out about the world of Tamriel is fun!  The game systems, unfortunately, don’t compliment the story enough for me to stay engaged. The buggy, broken systems take away from the experience.
    • The game has a guided epic story with over 100 hours of main story content to play through.  That’s a lot of story to get through but if you are willing to hang on and grind through the content, I think the story delivers a very nice experience!
    • I think the world quests as a whole do a decent job of capturing the Elder Scrolls experience, as well as the MMO experience.  This is all paired and made more bearable because of the epic soundtrack!
    • CRAFTING
      • One of my favorite aspects of the MMO genre and ESO does a brilliant job on it’s crafting system!
      • It does have its downsides as the resources needed for crafting, does require a large “Bag, Vault, and Storage Space” but is manageable
      • Even though they do a good job overall, this system still has a lot of features that needed to be better to enjoy it!
    • Let’s talk big adventure and big story for a moment
  • The Negatives
    • A search bar for ingredients or materials when inside a vault or storage area
    • There is absolutely no way to sell your resources except through “Hocking” items in world chat, or at a “Guild” store
    • Syncing with other players and timing of events such as helping other players out in quests seems to be a challenge most of the time.
    • The multi-player gameplay is “Lazy” feeling as once you do get synced up it doesn’t seem to be much of a challenge to defeat enemies.
    •  Overall the game was too disconnected for me to really enjoy overall, even though I love MMO’s and I love the grind this one wasn’t for me
    • The game overall has some of the most annoying buggy systems I’ve ever seen
    • Finding a guild isn’t the easiest process by any means
    • GOLD SPAMMERS, they exist in every MMO and it will always be a negative impact on someone’s experience
    • The game, in general, looks pretty terrible!
    • Between the drab world landscapes, and details it makes for a pretty lackluster experience.
    • The combat mechanics are very clumsy and clunky feeling
    • Crafting overall lacks some of the most basic UI features such as
    • The multiplayer functions of the game don’t always work as they should either.

TellTale Games Walking Dead Definitive Edition

  • Looking back at the “Final Season” which was released back in Fall of 2018, Telltale did not rule out future The Walking Dead games; Creative Director Kent Mudle said that The Final Season title represented the end of Clementine’s journey from Telltale’s view, but could revisit the franchise through other characters.
  • However, due to the sudden near-closure of Telltale Games on September 21, 2018, only two of the four episodes were released and production on the latter two were canceled, effectively leaving the season half-finished. With fans, longing for another company to turn to, Skybound Entertainment who were creative directors for the first and second seasons stepped in with a ‘Still Not Bitten’ team and saw out the remaining entries to the series, as Kirkman had felt it necessary to properly complete Clementine’s story. Skybound also acquired the rights to all previous Telltale The Walking Dead games, becoming the supporting publisher for these on various storefronts.
  • The Definitive Edition
    • Skybound published The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series that includes all episodes from all four seasons, as well as 400 Days and The Walking Dead: Michonne, for release on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 10, 2019. Each of the previous episodes in the series was remastered to use the new rendering system that was introduced in The Final Season and adds over ten hours of developers and voice actor commentary. Additional improvements have been made in character models movement and lip-synching.

Nintendo Switch Online – SNES 

  • It is about time!
  • The small selection right now
    • Brawl Brothers
    • Demon’s Crest
    • Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
    • Kirby’s Dream Land 3
    • Star Fox
    • Super Earth Defense Force
    • Super Mario Kart
    • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
    • Super Puyo Puyo 2
    • Super Tennis
    • Breath of Fire
    • F-ZERO
    • Kirby’s Dream Course
    • Pilotwings
    • Stunt Race FX
    • Super Ghouls’n Ghosts
    • Super Mario World
    • Super Metroid
    • Super Soccer
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • It does require Nintendo Switch Online but once you download the SNES Online app you have immediate access to play all the Super Nintendo Games in the Catalog without having to download them
  • The same save state, and……the rewind function.  That’s right! You lose the power-up? – Rewind You died on the final boss? – Rewind  This single function is completely changing how these SNES games are played.
  • On to future state – Since they have shown they want to completely negate their physical classic hardware of both the NES and SNES, What does this mean for N64? Gamecube? Someday please Nintendo? PLEASE?!?!?!?

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All Things Geekery Podcast – S3E14 – A Cyberpunked Classical

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In this episode, we are first going to talk about the very recent re-release of Wow Classic and how it has reunited the Warcraft community. We will then discuss the resurgence of players that have returned back to a blocky game we’ve all loved and played. Next, we will talk about the released information that hit about Destiny 2’s new “battle pass” type system which will be coming with Shadowkeep. Finally, we are going to talk about the most recent trailer for Star Wars episode 9 and also the deep dive video for Cyberpunk 2077.

Click to Listen: S314 – A Cyberpunked Classical

Show Notes

WoW Classic – 

  • The re-release of the game that has dominated the MMO landscape for almost 15 years
  • Everyone has been able to Experience what happened when Wow first released.
  • This time the setting is different – We now have instant updates on people’s progress, superior communication(Discord), and gaming communities that didn’t exist 15 years ago(Twitch. Mixer, Facebook…etc)
  • Brand new ways of playing are being done just due to support from communities made possible by modern entertainment avenues(Example – Streamer loot)
  • It will be interesting to see how the drop of goes but even with that said we are about to get Battlegrounds added – Blizzard is having an update schedule similar to what took place or original WoW release

Minecraft – 

  • A resurgence in Minecraft has taken ahold – why is this?
    • People like us have stopped playing long ago as many updates have taken place completely changing some aspect of Minecraft
    • Also, Shaders and Texture packs almost make it like a completely different game
    • Some Fornite streamers have actually gained popularity because of Minecraft 
    • It is a game of Endless play and Endless Customization 
    • Bring in friends and the fun goes up exponentially 

Destiny 2 Battle Pass (Season Pass)

Destiny franchise director Luke Smith, Bungie revealed how seasons will work in Destiny 2’s third year; including Shadowkeep and New Light this fall.

Each season has a free or paid version (“10 bucks” each, according to Smith), similar to battle passes in games like Fortnite or Dauntless. The first season of Year 3, Season of the Undying, comes bundled with Shadowkeep (players can purchase it separately as well).

ROTATING ACTIVITIES

The new season will focus on changing Destiny 2’s world every three months. In Season of the Undying, players will open a Vex gate, creating a new activity and rewards. Three months later, players will close the gate, end the activities, and set Season of the Dawn in motion. Including Season of the Undying and Season of Dawn, Year 3 will contain four seasons.

Bungie believes that removing activities each season is the only way to make the game feel like it’s evolving. “We believe that Destiny will grow even better when the world state can change and that the best Destiny stories are the ones where ‘you had to be their when…,’” Smith said.

But weapons and rewards for the seasons won’t be gone forever. While Smith didn’t elaborate on how players should expect weapons they’ve missed to return within about six months. However, Smith was clear that there will be periods where players have no current means of acquiring some past items.

ARTIFACTS

On top of seasons rotating activities, the new seasonal Artifact will create individual player growth each season. Artifacts are free for all players, and Guardians can level them up during the season. Each level comes with uncapped bonus power that extends across a player’s account.

Players will also unlock new and powerful mods through the Artifact. After they unlock a mod, Guardians can slot them into weapons and armor for the remainder of the season. The goal is for the mods to change the way players interact with the world and create unique effects against everyday enemies and bosses.

At the end of each season, the seasonal mods and bonus power will reset. Players will earn a new Artifact for the next season, and start the process over again.

SEASON PASS

The Season Pass is a new idea to Destiny, but similar to battle passes in other games where players can earn rewards on a free and premium track depending on whether they own the season or not. Each season comes with 100 ranks, and the experienced players earn at max level counts toward their pass.

Free players can earn some powerful items and rewards through the season pass, but the real goodies come with the $10 price tag. Bungie laid out the rewards players can expect in Season of the Undying’s season pass as an example.

Season Pass owners get access to a new seasonal activity, the Vex Offensive, which includes:

  • Four Legendary Weapon drops
  • Additional weekly and daily bounties
  • Additional weekly challenges with powerful rewards

A new weapon quest for an Exotic Bow, Leviathan’s Breath

  • Exclusive to Season Pass owners

A new Exotic Hand Cannon, Eriana’s Vow

  • Awarded on Rank 35 of the free track
  • Awarded on Rank 1 of the premium track

Three seasonal Legendary armor sets (one for each class)

  • Collect a complete set during the first 25 ranks of the free track
  • On the premium track, you get all three sets on Rank 1
  • These also drop within the Vex Offensive seasonal activity
  • If you want versions with higher stat tiers, you’ll need to play Vex Offensive to earn them

Some additional premium track rewards:

  • Three universal ornament armor sets (one for each class)
  • An Exotic weapon ornament for Eriana’s Vow
  • Two Legendary weapon ornaments
  • A new finisher
  • An Exotic emote
  • An Exotic ship

Star Wars Episode 9 – Newest Trailer

    • Call back to every other previous Skywalker Movie – Showing the History of the Skywalker line
    • This is it….the end of the skywalker story in more ways than one
    • How will they send off Leia?  How much will Luke’s force ghost appear?
    • What an ending with Rey as a Dark Side user.  Is it a Clone? Is that Rey? Force Vision?

Cyberpunk 2077 DeadDive Video

  • The first thing to notice is the reduction in gaming quality – Maybe what to expect from console play?
  • The choice options will be immense – How you complete your mission is up to you
  • Although you can pick different play styles you can be classless in how you pick skills
  • Playable areas shaping up to be huge
  • Gunplay looks questionable – we shall see how it feels
  • We need to know more about Johnny Silverhand!
  • Launch date: April, 16th 2020

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All Things Geekery Podcast S3E11 – Destiny Resurgence

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In this episode: We cover the recent resurgence of players in the Destiny community, how the state of Destiny is keeping those players engaged, and finishing with the top things we are looking forward to when Shadowkeep hits in September

Click to Listen: S311 – Destiny Resurgence

Show Notes

  • Resurgence – 
    • Since the release of Forsaken we have seen a steady decline in the want to play the game – a slight bump in players as new content was released but still a decline
    • But then 3 things took place that combined has revitalized the community to new levels.
      • 1.) Bungie split from Activision
        • This was a huge want from the community to finally split from the “greedy corporates” at Activision
        • Bungie is now free to build a game the way they want to
        • This does not mean Eververse will go away as to keep producing “free” content you need some way to keep the lights on
      • 2.) All new items and content announced for Shadowkeep
        • New Light
          • Some people may say that Free-to-play is a  sign of a game failing but the way that Bungie is implementing is more like a demo but people will still be able to play multiplayer with friends
        • Cross-Save
          • Every multi-platform game to date has wanted this.  We all have friends on different platforms and want to play with them without having to start over.  Cross-save fixes this and will be a continued plus for new players coming into Destiny.
          • This also pairs REALLY well with Destiny 2 on Stadia too as we now have an on the go version of the game that we can just continue playing our characters
        • Transmogrification sorta – AKA Armour 2.0
          • Just yes – we finally get to wear the gear we want and slot the stats we want
        • Moon’s Haunted – Story
          • We are going back to the Moon!
          • Looks like we may go up against some ghosts of the past
      • 3.) Season of Opulence
        • The biggest item that has hit with this season has been the Menagerie.  A multi-boss raid-lite that has built-in matchmaking
        • Along with this, and with benefit from a bug, this event has been a go-to grind because of the loot rewards and the ability to craft the weapons how you want it giving the player just the right amount of control.
  • State of the Game
    • People are loving the grind for all things PVE
    • PVP is not in a horrible spot but still is rough
    • There is so much to do if you have not been keeping up and so much content to go through but almost all of it is really good and worth the work
    • So much lore to work through and very engaging storylines to keep up with
    • -Personal Experience-
  • Tops items we are looking forward to – ERIS MORN!!!! & Cross-Save

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All Things Geekery Podcast S3E10 – E3 2019 Review

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In this episode, We are going to cover all things E3. Starting with the pre-E3 details of Stadia and our thoughts on it. We will work through each of the main conferences calling out our top moments and items that got us excited. Then we will wrap up this episode with our personal Best of E3.

Click to Listen: S310 – E3 2019 Review

Show Notes

  • Google and Stadia 
    • Baldur’s Gate 3
    • Destiny 2 – All content free 
  • EA Play 
    • Star Wars – Jedi Fallen Order 
  • Microsoft 
    • Project Scarlett
      • Next-gen Xbox console
      • Releasing 2020 holiday season
      • Able to do 8k and 120fps
      • Halo Infinite will be launching with the console
    • X-Cloud
      • Getting Console Streaming “AKA” Remote Play
        • Ability to stream your games off of your home Xbox One to anywhere starting in October
      • X-Cloud will be coming out later
    • GAMES
      • Revamped Battletoads
      • Halo Infinite – Releasing holiday 2020
      • Age of Empire II – 4k graphics and updated audio
      • Ori and the Will of the Wisps
      • Cyberpunk 2077 – Keanu Reeve
      • The Outer World
      • Borderlands 3
      • Elden Ring
      • Phantasy Star Online 2 
  • Bethesda 
    • Doom Eternal
    • Wolfenstein Youngblood
    • Commander Keen – RIP childhood memories
    • Ghostwire Tokyo
  • PC Gaming Conference – AKA the Epic Gaming Show
    • Spiritfarer 
  • Ubisoft 
    • Gods and Monsters
    • Watchdogs Legion – Beware Grandma
      • Not only is it set in London, but it gives you the ability to recruit and play as literally any person in the open world game
    • Ghost Recon – Breakpoint – Almost too much talk about that game 
  • Square Enix 
    • Marvel Avengers – Crystal Dynamics is at the helm of developing the game
    • Final Fantasy 7 Remake  
  • Nintendo 
      • Super Smash Bros new DLC character – Banjo—Almost the ultimate jabait happen
      • The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild 2
      • The Legend of Zelda – Links Awakening
      • Super Mario Maker 2
      • Panzer Dragoon: Remake 
  • Contra: Rogue Corps 
  • Sega 
    • SEGA Genesis mini console coming September 2019 with mini-games like Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Earthworm Jim, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, Ecco the Dolphin and 35 more classic games

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All Things Geekery Podcast S3E9 – Unlikely Allies

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In this episode, we are going to cover the news about Microsoft and Sony recent team up and what this could mean for the future of the Console Wars. We will then discuss what our opinions are on the current status of Epic’s game launcher and the hate it receives. Lastly, we will wrap up this episode talking about some of the recent games we have been playing and what about each has kept us playing them.

Click to Listen: S3E9 – Unlikely Allies

Show Notes

  • Microsoft and Sony
  • It was announced in the previous week that Sony and Microsoft are working on AI and cloud technology
  • This move makes no sense due to the continue gaming war the two companies have been in.
  • …then again it is possible Sony and Microsoft are wising up to what Google is planning to bring to the table.
  • When it comes to AI and cloud platforms Sony does not have either so it had to choose between the big 3 – Largest Amazon, Establish Microsoft, or the Youngin Google. It went with its mortal enemy
  • This move also took the PlayStation team by surprise but according to their leadership this has not changed any plans about their future console
  • We could be looking at the beginning of the end for console gaming.
  • We could be coming to a time when if you do want low latency input for competitive gaming then you buy a PC type device….if not you sign up for one of the game streaming services that will be available.
  • Microsoft console announcement could have some of the “cloud gaming attributes” as part of the architecture. – We shall see at E3
  • Side – note our next podcast will be an E3 pre-show where we will be talking about our expectation and wants to happen at this year’s E3

  • Epic
  • Let’s set the scene – Stream has had a monopoly on the digital gaming distribution market and launcher since it’s launch in 2003.
  • For a while it was the only one launcher to rule them all – Steam had a monopoly when it came to a game launcher platform
  • Some popped up but those were only for their own launchers – Blizzard, Origin, Bethesda
  • Then Epic came along and decided to put their massive cash flow from Fortnite to use – Making a universal game launcher to compete with steam
  • Right out of the gate – it was a much better alternative for game developers as Epic would only take 12% compared to the current Steam rate of 30%
  • Some companies immediately started deployment of their game on Epic and Steam but at the same time Epic was immediately paying companies money to gain exclusive or limited exclusive rights
  • And this is where the controversy takes place
  • The hate against EPIC has been extreme….
  • Main points of “HATE” that Epic takes
    • “Unfair” Exclusives
    • The store has less function than Steam
    • Rumor of the “Less secure – security” platform
    • People have been used to the convenient monopoly the Stream produced
  • -Discussion-

  • What Have We Been Playing
    • Victus
      • Metro Exodus
      • Rage 2
    • Detached
      • Division 2

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All Things Geekery Podcast: S3E3 – All Things Anthem

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Welcome to Season 3 Episode 3 of the All Things Geekery Podcast – All About Anthem

In this episode,  We talk about the recent “DEMO” for Anthem, What problems we encountered, Our 1st Impressions, What we thought about the gameplay and we discuss what we think the future of the game will be.

Click To Listen – S3E3: All About Anthem

Show Notes

  • Our Snapshot Opinion of the Game
    • Anthem feels like Mass Effect made a child with Division and they were raised by Iron Man in the world of Monster Hunter
    • This game is not Destiny, it is not The Division, it is not Warframe.  The one thing we can comment on is the quality of the game.
  • Publisher Concerns
    • EA – Need we say more
    • VIP weekend DEMO didn’t have a good start
    • Will they learn, and correct the issues presented during the demos – It seems like they did with the Open DEMO as server problems were much less but we did experience issues the first day
    • There will be microtransaction but only for cosmetics and all cosmetics in the game can be bought with a certain in-game currency – 0 items in the market currently affect your gameplay
  • Technical Issues
    • Not a technical issue but the naming could have been changed from DEMO to BETA and a lot of the PR would have been addressed – Community would have been more forgiving
    • Server problems
    • Connection Issues – for the VIP demo only
    • Lag – Mostly in VIP demo
    • Audio problems
  • Overall Feel
    • Combat
      • Good mix of strategy and learning needed
      • Teamwork oriented
      • Solo queue play is very challenging as you really need to be able to communicate with your team
      • Some mid-level tier enemies were extremely tanky.  EA will need to look at balancing the enemies vs. player shield levels
    • Loot
      • One massive key to a shooter-looter is the LOOT and it’s got to be good
      • The loot in this game was exciting and fun to get your hands on
    • Weapons
      • Good mix of weapons to use
      • Depending on what types of weapons you prefer there could be a bit of learning curve with the weapons
      • Situational
      • Each class should have a special weapon they can use, which I think would give just a bit more edge and hone in each class for specific fighting styles.  Would allow players to have a bit more customization with how they choose weapons for each of the slots
      • A lot of the weapons had the same look, sound and feel which made it hard to figure out what to use
    • Skills
      • Learning curve
      • Some skills felt very underwhelming in specific fights
      • Situational
      • Skills are somewhat customizable
    • Movement
      • Really felt like a console game that was ported to PC with how the controls were laid out
      • Flight and Underwater Movement was a massive learning curve
      • Overall movement was top notch and felt very smooth for the most part
    • Environments
      • Beautifully made worlds
      • Challenging to navigate first time in as most new worlds are
      • Exploration and hidden items
  • Playing The Javelin
    • Each Javelin is unique – Each has a unique feel
    • Our Opinion of each Javelin
      • STORM
      • RANGER
      • COLOSSUS
      • INTERCEPTOR
  • The Future of Anthem
    • We now have a road map which shows a plan with new strongholds, loot, quality of life changes, & GUILDS!
    • The core Bioware team is making this game
    • The End game has Legendary missions which are enhanced versions of the missions you get from quest givers. The drops from these missions will also be of a higher tier to match difficulty.
    • For the ultimate test in skill and squad cohesion, you can increase the difficulty of the mission to Grandmaster and above.   
    • It looks like we will have Diablo style loot in that there are rolls which will sync better depending on the play styles you are going for.  FARMING NEEDED!

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All Things Geekery Podcast: S3E1 – Welcome to the New Year

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Welcome to Season 3 Episode 1 of the All Things Geekery Podcast – Welcome to the New Year

In this episode, We have our first ever giveaway to talk about plus we talk about setting goals and managing expectation. We delve into some of the hardware announcement from CES and what we have found most interesting. Then to finish out the episode we cover a couple non-mainstream games which have caught our attention recently.

Click To Listen – S3E1: Welcome to the New Year

Show Notes

Checkout Our GIVEAWAY!!!

Goals

  • The new year means it is resolution time!
  • Setting Goals are always good. Some do for health, for jobs, for hobbies.  It is always good to have an end-game goal but set milestones for yourself.
  • Those early wins with help keep you motivated.  Always look at what is realistic in the short term. Take time to reevaluate.

CES 2019

  • ASUS ROG – Mothership – Think Windows Surface but gaming –
  • AMD Radeon 7 – AMD’s next gen of card
  • AMD Ryzen 3rd Gen – First 7nm CPU on the market – 8 core CPU – Also according to the first test goes toe to toe with I9-9900k
  • Teslasuit
  • Samsung
  • Vive Cosmos. And Vive Pro Eye
  • RTX 2060

Game Review

  • Ashen
    • Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. This is a world where nothing lasts, no matter how tightly you cling to it. At its core, Ashen is about forging relationships. Players can guide those they trust in their camp – together, you might just stand a chance.
  • Thronebreaker
    • The world stands on the verge of chaos, as the tensions between the power-hungry Nilfgaardian Empire and proud Northern Realms grow. Facing an imminent invasion, Meve — war-veteran Queen of Lyria and Rivia — is forced to once again enter the warpath, and set out on a dark journey of destruction and revenge.
    • Thronebreaker is a single player role-playing game set in the world of The Witcher that combines narrative-driven exploration with unique puzzles and card battle mechanics.
  • Mafia 3
    • Gritty hardcore Mafia adventure Developed by Hangar13 and published by 2k games
    • Released October 2016, and I’ve had it in the backlog since it came out – Yeah just now getting to it
    • It is the first main entry in the Mafia series since 2010’s Mafia II. Set within the fictional city of New Bordeaux, based on New Orleans, the single-player story follows Lincoln Clay, a criminal who aims to build a new crime organization while seeking revenge on the Italian mob.

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GIVEAWAY!! Little Nightmares Complete Edition – Enter For A Chance To WIN!

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

All Things Geekery is hosting it’s very first GIVEAWAY!! Enter to win a copy of the Little Nightmares Complete Edition for the Xbox One – Ends 1/23.

Enter Here: https://bit.ly/2EOTbxZ …

The Review

Little Nightmares is a wonderful 2D horror puzzle platformer that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

When you begin the game you will be in charge of guiding a small character called Six through The Maw (an ocean facility with a slow reveal of its awful purpose) loaded with death hazards and tons of puzzles.  Being a fairly short game around five hours long, Little Nightmares feels a tad too short, as the implied scale of the game suggests there was more of the Maw to see.

Little Nightmares’ has some very similar related games like Limbo, and Inside, not just because of the child in danger, but in how cleverly it brings together puzzle design and storytelling. Every enemy, every room, every meat grinder you use to make a rope of sausages to swing from, contributes to the story of The Maw and Six’s survival.

The Maw itself is something like a death trap dollhouse.  The developer Tarsier knows exactly how to bring a mix of suspense and horror and still keep you interested in the story. I don’t recall a single jump scare in the entirety of Little Nightmares’ runtime, but I know I flinched and had that uneasy feeling most of the game.

Six is thrust into a world that is lit like a haunted house, regularly forcing you to flick open Six’s only possession, a tiny cigarette lighter. This place – with its nurseries full of restlessly sleeping children, curious packages transported by hook, and some truly disgusting visitors is strangely functional as a world to bring horror.  All these details and mixes bring one of the best gaming locations I’ve seen in years.

Now for some of the negatives of the games which is a shame as it’s quite a wonderful looking world, but Little Nightmares does have some issues.  One of the biggest problems is the movement of an almost 3D platformer. The slightest move at the wrong angle or direction can send you plummeting into the abyss of death. Likewise, a few of its instant-death obstacles are the kind of trial-and-error puzzling that become frustrating to finish. Pair that with inconsistent checkpoints and ridiculous long load times (a trade-off presumably made to allow entire chapters of the game to be played seamlessly).

Overall those occasional issues, though, more than made up for in the constant pleasure of exploration, which is enhanced by some subtle tricks. Environments are often built just bigger than the camera’s field of view…..just urging you to look into the crevices of this game. The camera itself moves with an ever-so-slight delay and sways with The Maw’s ocean rocking, giving the impression of not being a perfect lens which makes for an interesting experience.

This game has much more to enjoy, from Six and her lighter, to the boss battles that require some thought and tactic. Little Nightmares will make you re-evaluate where all the baddies could jump out from and at what point will you pulled into the black abyss of death.  It’s a well-designed game with lovely animations, impressive sound engineering, a world with breathtaking visuals, and a story that pulls you in.

All Things Geekery Podcast S2E14: Forging Ahead

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Welcome to Season 2 Episode 14 of the All Things Geekery Podcast: Forging Ahead

  • In this episode, the geeks will be talking about Rockstar’s latest hit Red Dead Redemption 2 and how it could be one of the best games of the modern age. We will also discuss the post Apocalyptic disappointment that is Fallout76.  We will wrap things up by talking about Destiny 2 and the latest addition to the game which will be Black Armory and why it has the community excited

Community Member Highlight

  • Each week we pick a new/upcoming content creator or seasoned vet in the geeky stratosphere to highlight and give a shoutout!   
  • This Weeks Featured Community Member: 
    • Belghast over at Tales of the Aggronaut
      • Bel is a seasoned vet in the Blogging and Podcasting community!
      • Make sure to swing by and check out his content

Click On The Link To Listen

Show Notes

  • Red Dead Redemption 2
    • Rockstar knocks it out of the park again with a game that is deep in story and also immerses you in the wild west of America in 1899
    • The verdict is out on this game and the fans are calling it one of the greatest games of the modern age.
    • You can expect a very lengthy story of around 60 hours of gameplay with some of the best storytelling Rockstar has ever done
    • Rockstar went all out on the level of detail this game brings the players as it is leaps and bounds above anything else they have done
    • The world is extremely large and will make any open world MMO’er feel right at home for questing, exploring, and make completionist wonder if they should quit as there is that much to do in the game
  • Red Dead Online
    • GTA 5 but in the wild west – and that’s not a bad thing –
    • A lot of the missions are an extension of what we would have done in the story but if you happen to be caring something of value – other players can kill you can take it for themselves.
    • There will be microtransactions but currently, the only thing that would apply would be gold bars which are used for cosmetics only
    • Different multiplayer mode that mimics modes we saw in GTA 5
    • And of course, no modern multiplier is complete without a battle royal mode
  • Fallout 76
    • Now when you do have a full team of people all running quests together and fighting off the wasteland it is fun and you do not notice some of the negatives.
    • With that said Fallout 76 is a shell of a game of what was promised to us – Bethesda has said fixes and content are on the way but right now we have another No Man’s Sky on our hands
    • It was supposed to be an answer to all the prayers for the fallout fan base which was Fallout game we have known to love but multiplayer It was not
    • Sure it had that Fallout feel of a game but it had and still has a lot of downsides
    • No non-robot NPC
    • Because of no NPC, the story is locked away in audio logs and notes found throughout the world
    • No decision dialogue
    • Limited building storage
    • A LOT of bugs
    • No Mods Support
  • Destiny 2 – Season 5 (Season of the Forge / Black Armory)
    • Black Armory will be releasing on December 4th – Must own the Annual Pass
    • Story-wise we are being tasked with a new mission to go rediscover 4 weapon forges lost during the golden age
    • The Hype is real – and yes we know we have been stuck in this before but the success of Forsaken has us encouraged
    • New higher light level – Increase of 50 Power Levels
    • New powerful and unique exotics
    • New areas that we have never been able to access or explore before
    • Soft cap will still remain at 500
    • Players under 550 should see an increase in Prime Engram drops, and receive higher power bumps to help them reach end game content a bit easier
    • Powerful reward sources will remain consistent for anyone who owns D2 Forsaken
    • New powerful gear rewards introduced for anyone who owns the Annual Pass
    • New “RAID” called the Scourge of the Past “Bit of a Spoiler”
      • Scourge of the Past tells it’s own story and is not related to the Dreaming City storyline
      • Not as large as a full Raid, but much larger than any Raid Lair ever created
      • Comparable to mechanics from Rise of the Machine
      • Scourge of the Past will release December 7th @  9am with a recommended power level of 640 but no minimum power level to play
      • Must have the annual pass to enter the Raid
    • New Power Level of 650
    • No annual pass required to reach this power level
    • Veteran of the Hunt Bundle
      • Bungie is releasing a new bundle which includes shaders, emblems, emotes, and consumables
      • To get this bundle you had to have played Destiny 2 forsaken before October 16th
      • This bundle was going to drop with Black Armory but is now going to drop with a later update coming December 18th
    • The Fate of Xur in Season 5
      • Bungie did mention on Twitter that Xur will continue to offer his fated engrams through Season of the Forge – Those engrams will only drop Year 1 gear
      • Bungie did say they do have plans to address this vendor and bring Xur bounties at a later date

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Twitter @detachedgaming
Twitter @victus_darkaero
Twitter @allthingsgeekry
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All Things Geekery Podcast S2E13: The Blunder of Blizzcon

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ATG Podcast S2E13 - The Blunder of Blizzcon.png

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 13 of the All Things Geekery Podcast: The Blunder of Blizzcon

In this episode, the Geeks will be talking about this year’s Blizzcon – What’s become of it, What they are doing for the community, What new announcements Blizzard brought to the table, and we’ll be dropping our opinions and covering the controversy regarding Diablo!

Click The Link To Listen

Show Notes

  • We jump in and review the flow of the conference! You would think the types of conferences would have a good flow to them.  This year’s Blizzcon had some extremely awkward moments
  • eSports and how Blizzard has contributed to the success, and how they are helping propel the future
  • How does Blizzard continue to make good games, what are they doing right and how they are still drawing fans into the world of gaming
  • Blizzard did a thing and created a fund for the Mercy Breast Cancer research, which they were able to donate the single largest donation from a company
  • Starcraft 2 – We review what makes this game so strong in the competitive RTS realm and what might happen with the story
  • Heroes of the Storm – We take a look at the new direction Blizzard is going in hero creation and what it’s going to do for the future of the game
  • World of Warcraft – We review the state of the game and discuss how a lot of the fans are feeling towards this long-running series!
  • World of Warcraft Classic was announced at the conference – Can we say Nostalgia and what does this re-release bring to the community and will it be received well
  • Overwatch – Dominating the cinematography gaming world, and we review the newly announced hero Ashe
  • Warcraft 3 Reforged – Need we say more!
  • Hearthstone – We review the new expansion that was announced, our love for these types of card games and what new mechanics could be delivered
  • The controversy over Diablo Immortal – the Geeks jump into all of the craziness flying around on social media, and what the announcement of Diablo Immortal being a mobile-only could do to the company!
  • Last, of all, we give our conclusions on the overall conference, the future of Blizzard and how they might recover from the negativity surrounding Blizzcon, and the Diablo franchise!

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

SUBSCRIBE

ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter @detachedgaming
Twitter @victus_darkaero
Twitter @allthingsgeekry
Blog @ http://www.allthingsgeekery.com
Blog @ http://www.ahobbitsjourney.com