NewNews - Goodbye for Now

Happy New Year, Gamers!  2013 was a fun and surprising year for gaming and so there was a lot to write about.  Unfortunately, after some reflection and thoughts throughout my break in December, I have ultimately decided to stop writing on Superpad Unplugged for the time being until I feel ready to pick up blogging again.  It simply takes too much time out of each day for me to do anything else which is a real problem when writing has always been something done on the side.  I might come back to writing once more someday as I do enjoy it greatly, but my priorities and responsibilities lead me to stop for now.  So for my last post, here is a reflection of last year's games and this upcoming year of releases.

Games I enjoyed in 2013:

10) Battlefield 4 (PC) - Honestly, I'm a little disgusted with myself for even putting this game on the list for all the grief it has given me.  On the first night of trying to start up the game, I spent 2 hours updating drivers, changing settings, restarting Origin and such because the game would either crash, have a display or direct X error, or the game would not respond.  And when the game finally decides to work, it has a lot of glitches, lag spikes, hit-box discrepancy, and imbalances to team match-up.  A lot of the multiplayer maps are designed around dominance with vehicles and leaves little room for infantry battle.  Even single-player has its fair share of problems with glitches.  Despite all that, I have put in 36 hours and still plan on playing multiplayer.  Single-player has a better story and gameplay compared to Battlefield 3 and so I enjoyed that more.  Multiplayer, I felt there were some aspects that Battlefield 3 did better than Battlefield 4.  In between the raging and grief while playing Battlefield 4, there is a sense of entertainment and excitement I get from playing it.  Also, I got the game for $20 which I was very happy about.  I would've gotten Call of Duty Ghosts as well, but it refused to drop below $40.

9) Rogue Legacy (PC) - This little indie project wasn't on my list of games to look out for in 2013, but I saw it on Steam Greenlight and was instantly intrigued by the idea of a Metroidvania game with rogue-like elements.  The game is challenging in both platforming and action aspects with unforgiving enemies and inevitable fact that you will die a lot.  I love Metroidvania games and feel that there aren't enough these days.  Although many Metroidvania type games had released in 2013, Rogue Legacy was one that I got to play that stood out for me.  I'm looking forward to find the time to play Guacamelee!, UnEpic, Valdis Story, and A Valley Without Wind 1&2 as they are also Metroidvania type games.

8) Senran Kagura Burst (3DS) - I was really shocked to see Senran Kagura brought over with the amount of controversy over it and the lack of interest the West seemingly had for it, but I'm really glad they did.  2013 was a really good year for Beat-em-Ups and Senran Kagura Burst was one that I really enjoyed.  Although the presentation isn't as good as Code of Princess in terms of variance, graphics and music, the gameplay is technically better with a larger array of attacks, combos, and abilities that the player can utilize.  Combat is fluid and easy to pick up while the gameplay can still be challenging and difficult.  Besides fun gameplay, Senran Kagura also has a decent story!  That was also a shocker for me seeing how the game boasted itself mostly for its fan service.  It's a shame that a physical copy wasn't available for North American customers, but it was a bold move for XSEED Games to bring it over nonetheless.  Hopefully they bring the Vita version over as well.

7) Dynasty Warriors 8 (PS3) - I wasn't sure how Koei was going to live up to Dynasty Warriors 7 because it was such an incredible experience.  It's a bit tricky to describe how I feel about DW8, but I guess the simplest way would be to say "the presentation wasn't nearly as good, but gameplay wise it's technically better in every way".  The cinematics, voice overs, and interactions between the characters  in DW7 made for an unforgettable story, and DW8 simply doesn't have that.  Yes, all the DW games follow the same story, but they're all told in different ways.  DW8 takes out a significant amount of voice overs in narration and pre-battle chatting.  Cinematics aren't as emotionally involving and free flowing as DW7.  But here's where DW8 shines: alternate story paths depending on the outcome of in-game decisions, more weapon variations = less duplicate character types, the return of musou rage, and a rock/paper/scissor mechanic to change up the way you fight generals and officers.  When I say "in-game decisions", I don't mean to say pick choice "A" or choice "B" in a dialogue, but actual execution of an order on the battlefield such as wiping out an ambush or stopping a siege weapon.  With more weapons, the ability to use musou rage, and utilizing 3 different musou attacks, a number of possible combos and approaches can be made when going into a fight.  The special mode for DW8 also has better replay value and variation than DW7 did.  It's similar to DW5 Xtreme Legend's "Xtreme Mode" where you go into 3 randomly generated battles to further grow in strength, numbers, and equipment without the permadeath system.  Besides all that, there are a few new mechanics to change up the fight such as breaking an enemies focus and unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks on them.  My favorite new mechanic in the game is being able to jump on your horse/mount while running.  So in short, I guess what I'm trying to say is "Dynasty Warriors 8 doesn't have as good of a story mode as DW7, but combat is considerably more enjoyable!"

6) Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS) - I really wanted to find a game for the 3DS that I'd enjoy playing well beyond its main game for long durations.  I thought Heroes of Ruin was going to be that game, but to my dismay the game doesn't have end-game content worth playing.  I was reluctant to get Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the 3DS when I heard you couldn't play online.  I don't live near any of my friends who have the game.  After trying out the demo, I found out you get 2 computer AI allies to help.  I love boss fights in videogames, and Capcom is one of the developers who really know how to make amazing Boss fights.  Monster Hunter is essentially a string of boss fights that the player faces back to back.  Each boss take a considerable amount of effort and time to take down and the feeling you get at the end of each one is pretty satisfying.  It'd definitely be more fun to play the game with 3 other friends, but it still passes for a great game to enjoy and kill some time well after you've completed the main game.

5) Path of Exile (PC) - I'm not sure if I'm the right person to really talk about PoE as I've barely scratched the surface of the game.  I have a friend who has poured hundreds of hours into the game from planning and training his character.  At first glance, the game looks like your usual Diablo clone as a top-down, point-n-click, Action-RPG.  However, the main attraction to the game is its skill jungle.  Most games like it will have 3 branching skill trees to choose from and focus on, but PoE has an entire grid players can utilize to make the kind of character they want to the playstyle they enjoy.  It's much like Demon's Souls/Dark Souls where the player can start at any class but ultimately go into any sort of playstyle they want.  Skills can be traded, found, swapped, buffed, and utilized with any piece of equipment that has a slot.  I've been playing the game since last year when it went into open beta and it had tons of changes for the better on its official launch along with a Steam version.  You can have builds where spells blow up around the screen or shoot 7 arrows in a fan with lightning element or decimate enemies with insanely fast attacks.  The game has been praised for its dark atmosphere akin to the original Diablo, its passive skill jungle mechanic, its online play, and for being one of the most high quality free-to-play games out there.

4) Risk of Rain (PC) - I've never heard of Risk of Rain prior to its release, but was interested when it appeared on steam and saw how it looked like a 2D shooter and was described to have Rogue-like elements.  At first, I was shocked and upset that the player only shot left and right and didn't use the mouse to shoot.  But after playing a few rounds, I realized that it worked really well in the way it was designed.  Multiplayer Online isn't very elegant with an archaic means of playing, but when it works it's a really exciting multiplayer experience.  The game is frantic and chaotic with a sense of satisfaction when you're destroying everything.  Surviving is challenging and the enemies can be brutal.  And since levels, item spawns, and enemies are randomly generated, there's a different experience each time you play!

3) Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F (PS3) - I wasn't going to get the game even though I was interested in it and was announced for a Western release.  There have been too many games that didn't seem popular get brought over as a digital download only and I didn't want to support that if I could help it.  Then on release day, I found out that they had physical copies being sold.  I went out and got a copy from the excitement and found out that there was a special controller for it.  Besides the super large, bright, and flashy controller, there was also a mini controller that was being sold online.  They were expensive, but I made the effort to get one.  In the end, it was worth it.  The game is reminiscent of Gitarooman on the PS2/PSP with matching buttons and directions to the ones on the screen.  To my surprise, I enjoyed listening to a lot of the songs and so it made for a fun experience playing the game.  I was afraid I would only like a few of the songs and dislike the rest.  There are 4 difficulty modes and modifiers to make it even more challenging as well as a DIVA room mode.  It's a little weird, but it's essentially like a Tamagotchi mode where you give gifts, interact with the characters, and pet them.  The game is just filled with "happiness", I guess you'd say.  The songs are catchy, the videos are flashy, and the graphics are bright and colorful.  I feel like I've been away from music Rhythm games for a very long time and so this was a welcome entry to the list of games I enjoyed playing in 2013.

2) Dragon's Crown (PS3) - I played a lot of Beat-em-Ups in 2013: Anarchy Reigns, Code of Princess, Sacred Citadel, Dungeons and Dragons Chronicles of Mystara, and Senran Kagura Burst.  But out of all the Beat-em-Ups I played that year, Dragon's Crown was the one that I really enjoyed and was able to get others to play.  Played similarly to traditional Beat-em-Ups, the players run through a level fighting enemies and take on a boss at the end.  Through that simplicity, it's everything around and in-between the game that makes it so great.  There is a large array of attacks and abilities the player can perform with the character as well as different builds they can go for similar to an RPG.  There are tons of items to buy and acquire.  Progression is story-driven with available side-quests to help in leveling and farming.  Both local and online players can drop in and out to help out, and even if you play solo you can have computer allies help out.  Essentially, there are a large number of factors that goes into Dragon's Crown for a deep and enjoyable experience that breaks the mold of what a Beat-em-Up are generally like.  Local cooperative games are also a rare aspect in games nowadays, so it was quite a treat being able to have a group of my friends be able to play alongside me.

1) Project X Zone (3DS) - I realize that I'm extending this post much longer than I should, so I'm going to have to shorten everything.  If you are a fan of a lot of the characters and where they come from and enjoy the tactics genre of strategy games, Project X Zone is a treat that should not be missed.  The whole game is a huge string of fan-service that makes you excited with each turn of event.  I am so happy that they brought it over.


I was going to add a "Music" category and "Great games I missed" section, but It's going to take me a long time to finish if I do that.  So I'm going to jump straight to the list of games I'm looking forward to this year:

Anticipated Games of 2014
Bravely Default
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Toukiden: The Age of Demons
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles
Thief
Divinity: Original Sin
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Dark Souls 2
Titanfall
Infamous: Second Son
BlazBlue Chronophantasma
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
The Witch and the Hundred Knight
Dying Light
Destiny
Bayonetta 2
Child of Light
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Drakengard 3
EverQuest Next
God Eater 2
Hellraid
Homefront 2
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
La-Mulana 2: The 0th Body, The 9th Spirit
Mario Golf: World Tour
Mario Kart 8
Mercenary Kings
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Persona 5
Pillars of Eternity
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Shadow of the Eternals
Starbound
Strider
Sunset Overdrive
Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS
Tales of Xillia 2
The Evil Within
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
The Sims 4
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Tom Clancy's The Division
Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots
Transistor
Watch Dogs
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Yoshi's New Island
X

And as a bonus, here is possibly the worst game of 2013:
Source: Youtube Channel motdef

Thank you for all the support in the past 3 years, everybody!

NewNews - Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Writing takes up a lot of time, especially when it's something that requires research.  Because of this, I actually produced a lot less work than I wanted to this year outside of writing.  I want to take the time to work a bit on music and art and reflecting on my time with this blog and decide whether I should continue to keep writing in the future or if I should stop and put all my focus on other endeavors.  So for the rest of December, I won't be posting anything new.  If I do decide to continue, I will start posting again in January.  And even if I choose not to continue posting on this blog anymore, I will make one last post to let you all know in January.

Until then, have a fun and safe holiday season!  Game On!

NewNews - Steam Autumn Sale 2013

Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/

Steam Autumn Sale is here!  And look at the selection for just the first day!  Left 4 Dead 2, Terraria, Rogue Legacy, Sleeping Dogs, The Walking Dead, and Skyrim are all highly notable games while Prison Architect has been working through early access with positive feedback from the community, Anti-Chamber has had many praises for its unique puzzle-solving mechanics, and Outlast for being one of the scariest games to come out recently.  And as usual, there will be a flash sale every 8 hours until the last day December 3rd.  With the sale started and Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I will probably be taking a break the next two days and so should all of you.  Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday and be careful for those going out for Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales.

VGCulture - Lil' Guardian Pyro

Official Site: http://www.sourcefilmmaker.com/saxxyawards/
Source: Youtube Channel Harry101UK

The Saxxy Award is a contest hosted by Valve to give people an opportunity to show their creative side to the world using the Source Film Maker Program to produce a short film.  I don't pay much attention to each year's Saxxy Award, but I came across one of the entries while reading NerfNow.  Lil' Guardian Pyro was winner of Best Overall video from the bunch and I could see why.  It had humor, a sense of drama, action that was also charming at the same time, and that tense moment at the end.  Congratulations to the winners!  Click on the top link to check out the other entries that got nominated!

NewNews - Amazon Black Friday Sale Week

Amazon: Black Friday Sale

Amazon is having flash sales for their games for this year's Black Friday Sale.  Sure you avoid the physical lines in retail stores, but you'll have to fight the internet speed and refresh rate to nab some of the offers as some are in high demand.  DmC: Devil May Cry might have gotten a lot of critical reviews from the community, but that didn't stop it from being in high demand as it sold out this morning in just a manner of minutes of the flash sale starting.  Check the day and time the sales start and start refreshing the page for that specific game and you'll see a "Flash Sale" button on the right of the page.  As long as you claim a copy before they're sold out, you're guaranteed to receive it as long as you buy it within 15 minutes of claiming it.  Keep in mind that Free Shipping is for a purchase of $35 or more instead of the usual $25.  I'm not certain if this is permanent or if it's just for the holidays, but remember this when checking out and looking for free shipping with the product.  Good luck and Happy Sales to you all!

NewNews - Xbox One Launch Games Line-Up

These are the games you can buy/install and start playing on your new Xbox One:

Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Crimson Dragon
Dead Rising 3
FIFA 14
Fighter Within
Forza Motorsport 5
Just Dance 2014
Killer Instinct
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
LocoCycle
Madden NFL 25
NBA 2K14
NBA Live 2014
Need for Speed: Rivals
Powerstar Golf
Ryse: Son of Rome
Skylanders: Swap Force
Xbox Fitness
Zoo Tycoon
Zumba Fitness

Sad to say, but I think the Xbox One has a better launch line-up than the Playstation 4 does.  Despite the flack Microsoft had throughout the year of promoting their system, the Xbox One actually has more exclusive titles that interest me.  Crimson Dragon, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Ryse: Son of Rome are among the exclusive titles that interest me.  Still, I don't plan to get an Xbox One and will be getting a PS4 much later.  With the Wii U, PS4 and now the Xbox One out, we can finally step into another generation of gaming.

GameLight - Tree of Savior (Project R1)

Source: Youtube Channel steparu

From what I understand, this fantastic looking game is by the same creator (not company) of Ragnarok Online.  Ragnarok Online (RO) actually still exists today and was just recently added to the Steam platform.  Many other games similar to RO has released in the past decade and even a sequel was made, but none of them had quite the same satisfaction, excitement and wonder that RO did.  The creator of RO wants to bring back those feelings in a new original MMORPG called Tree of Savior Online which features 80 classes.  With those 80 classes, a player can advance 10 times.  I'm not entirely certain yet, but it looks like the game isn't a point-n-click from the gameplay videos and looks similar to how the Ys series plays as a top-down hack-n-slash.  The game is said to have an intricate skill tree and attribute level system which opens up many different possibilities of playing.  Perhaps it's similar to Path of Exile where the character starts with a class but can extend out to many different playstyles.  Needless to say, I am extremely excited to see more of the game and hope that we get a Western/International version available for us to play one day.

Source:
-Steparu - Tree of Savior Online Preview

VGCulture - Filler - SSBM Final Destination

Sorry to leave you all with another filler, but it's a fitting follow up to yesterday's post.  Though a lot of fans of competitive Smash Bros. are excited about Project M, those who like to play casually are reminded how some people take the game a little too seriously and suck all the fun out of the game for them.  This little video, although facetious, does a good job of summing up what happens when you play with those who only want to play Smash Bros. seriously:
Source: Youtube Channel swordsman3003

So those worried that Project M just reinforces the competitive nature of the series, let me reassure you that anyone can still have fun with it.  Smash Bros. is like any other Fighting game where it provides a lot of depth in their game mechanics for further competitive play but will ultimately have distinguished skill levels among those who play it.  If you want to play more casually with items on and with special settings, do so.  There are definitely still people who play this casually, and Sakurai has already stated that he wants to produce a true party game that anyone could enjoy for the series.  I'm very excited to see how the next Smash Bros. turns out.

GameLight - Project M (SSB Brawl Mod)

Official Site: http://projectmgame.com/en/
Source: Youtube Channel Project M

Super Smash Bros. Melee is really popular.  It's actually super popular.  It's so highly regarded by fans of the series that play competitively that Melee tournaments are still held over Brawl.  Fans of the series wanted the fast, balanced and competitive play of Melee in Brawl but didn't get it.  Thus, a group of modders banded together to start Project Melee (Project M) which is a mod of Super Smash Bros. Brawl that bring in elements from Super Smash Bros. Melee into Brawl while having a major overhaul on the game's mechanics, character balances, custom stages, and bringing back older characters such as Mewtwo.

To many Smash Bros. fans, Melee is king of the series and people were really hoping to get more of that in Brawl.  Unfortunately, the game went in the opposite direction in hopes of making it more casual.  The goal of Smash Bros. was to be a fun party game that anyone could enjoy.  Through the strong community and fighting game enthusiast behind Super Smash Bros. Melee, the game became a much more competitive and serious game than what the developers had intended.  With slower gameplay, tripping, and such in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it was simply not viewed possible for competitive play.  Despite that, people tried and realized that the characters have vast advantages over others when played competitively.  Meta Knight never left the spot of the highest tier in the game since the game first came out and remains to be the top choice for competitive play.

With the team behind Project M, they wanted to break that balance barrier and create whole new possibilities with all the characters in the game so that there would be more variety in competitive play.  One great example is Sonic the Hedgehog.
Source: Youtube Channel Project M

I was very excited to hear Sonic being added to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but was very disappointed with how he played when I finally got the game.  I didn't mind that he deals very little damage due to this advantage in speed, but a lot of his attacks have charged up time, a long recovery delay, and a dive kick that can't be canceled that leaves him open or sends him straight down to his death.  Another problem is that he doesn't have many options for finishers.  His Back-Air has a long start-up and his forward-smash is very short ranged.  This makes both of them very situational and not very reliable.  What Project M wanted to do with Sonic was shorten charge up times, shorten recovery delays, give him more options for smashes, and possibly fix priority shots because every character in the game seriously has priority over all his attacks.

The mod has been created so that you don't need a hacked/cracked Wii to play it.  You just need a working Wii with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and an SD Card that doesn't exceed 2GB.  Still, I don't feel very confident about modding over my original game and hope that there will be alternatives such as being able to use the disc and mod files on PC instead.  But I understand that the team behind Project M wants to continue to support Nintendo and the those behind Brawl by preventing piracy, so that's commendable.

I've been playing Melee and Brawl again as I've missed the game very much and am very much excited for the new Super Smash Bros. that's in development at the moment.  I'm just hoping to be able to play Project M until the release of the Wii U and 3DS Super Smash Bros. comes out.  If you're done with Brawl and like what you see in Project M, click on the top link, go to Download and learn how to safely install the mod to your Nintendo Wii.  Project M Version 3.0 comes out on December 9th, 2013.

NewNews - Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade Announced for Japan

Official Site:
http://teamninja-studio.com/teamninja/doa5/ultimate/
Source: Youtube Channel KOEITECMOofficial

Namco Bandai has announced Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade, a version of the game specifically for arcades in Japan.  With that, they added one new character to the 29 character roster: Marie Rose.  She is absolutely adorable and is a practitioner or systema, a Russian martial art.  From what is shown, she might be a grappler (grabs and reversal throws) of sorts.  I don't like playing grapplers in fighting games, but she's so cute that I might not care!  The problem at the moment is that no confirmation for Marie Rose being brought to the West or even consoles has been made.  Team NINJA did leave a message on their Facebook page saying:

"Fighters! We see that you’ve discovered our newest character, Marie Rose for the upcoming Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade. Although this game is a JP exclusive title, we haven’t forgotten about our overseas fighters in the World."

So there's a chance Marie Rose will be released on consoles in the West as a DLC.  I really do not like DLCs, but I'll seriously consider it if it's for this one character.  Japan will be getting DoA5U Arcade sometime this Winter with the addition of Marie Rose.

Sources:

-Joystiq - Marie Rose enters the Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade arena

-Shoryuken - Team NINJA Hints at Possible Console Release for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade’s Marie Rose

-Dead or Alive Wiki - Systema

NewNews - Playstation 4 Launch Games Line-Up

These are the games you can buy/install and start playing on your new Playstation 4:
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStation

-Angry Birds: Star Wars
-Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag
-Battlefield 4
-Blacklight: Retribution
-Call of Duty: Ghosts
-Contrast
-DC Universe Online
-FIFA 14
-Flower
-Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
-Just Dance 2014
-Killzone: Shadow Fall
-Knack
-Lego Marvel Super Heroes
-Madden NFL 25
-NBA 2K14
-Need for Speed Rivals
-Resogun
-Skylanders: Swap Force
-Sound Shapes
-Super Motherload
-Trine 2: Complete Story
-Warframe

I'm honestly not very impressed by the line-up of games for the PS4 launch.  Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of great games to choose from this list.  The problem is that a lot of them have been out for a while now or can be played on different systems.  The only games released exclusively for the PS4 are Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack with indie games Resogun and Super Motherload for digital download purchase.  Even though I might not think this is a great line-up, it's a lot stronger with more choices than the PS3 did.  I just visited my local Target and all PS4 systems and the games for it were sold out except for a few copies of Madden NFL 25.  So the launch for the PS4 looks pretty successful so far.  I'm just waiting on games like Final Fantasy 15, Metal Gear Solid V, Destiny, Kingdom Hearts 3, and a new Uncharted to come out.  In any case, welcome to the next generation of gaming!

Source:
-Joystiq - These are the 23 games in the PlayStation 4 launch-day line-up

GameLight - Senran Kagura Burst

Official Site: http://www.hanzonationalacademy.com/
Source: Youtube Channel ContraNetworkHD

I didn't think the game would ever be brought over to the West, but it has been done!  North America got its digital-only version launched today while Europe will get physical and digital versions sometime next year.  Senran Kagura Burst is a straight-up Beat-em-Up featuring incredibly busty schoolgirl ninjas.  I remember first hearing about this game and saw some of the screenshots to the game.  It looked really dumb.  But then they eventually showed a footage of the gameplay and I saw some combo demonstrations and was then interested.  If you can look past the copious amount of fan-service and you like beat-em-ups, this game can be very enjoyable.  The combat mechanics is similar to Dynasty Warriors where weak attacks can chain into strong ones and a powerful signature attack can be unleashed.  Furthermore, combos can be continued in the air for aerial combos similar to the Marvel vs. Capcom series where the player strikes an opponent into the air and continues another string of attacks in the air.  Animations are fluid and the attacks string together really well so that combat doesn't feel clunky.  The characters do follow the usual animé tropes, but they do give a fun personality to the cast.  The game feels a lot like an animé, overall.  It was a bold move for XSEED Games to bring Senran Kagura Burst over, but I'm glad they did.  There aren't that many beat-em-ups and we've gotten a good amount of them this year.  Senran Kagura Burst is a good addition to the beat-em-ups released this year and hopefully encourages publishers or even XSEED themselves to bring over Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus as well.

VGCulture - Filler - Top 10 Worst NES Games - AVGN

Ahhh, sorry!  I'm caught up with a lot of errands today so it's a filler for today!
Source: Youtube Channel Cinemassacre

GameLight - Dungeonland Free-to-Play

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/218130/
Source: Youtube Channel RatingTheGames

Dungeonland released earlier this year and it wasn't that expensive.  At one point, it was $2.49 for a sale.  Yet it somehow went free-to-play and re-launched today.  From what I understand, content has been ripped out of it and presented as additional content for Free-to-Play owners while those who previously bought the game has everything.  I think publisher and developers are abusing the term "Free-to-Play" and not really understanding the difference from a "Demo" or "Trial Version".  This "Free-to-Play" version is essentially a "demo" for players to see what the game is like as additional maps, weapons and such are available after paying for the "All Access Pass".  A "Free-to-Play" game should be a fully playable game with additional boosters or aesthetic enhancements.  I know that not all Free-to-Play games are like that, but they should.  Still, it doesn't make too much of a difference as the All Access Pass is still the same price as the game before and is at 50% off for $4.99.

OKAY, so enough ranting by me.  Dungeonland is a Multiplayer, cooperative, top-down, hack-n-slash action game where three players fight through dungeons that randomly generate enemy spawn, loot, and traps.  A fourth player can join and be the Dungeon Maestro to control the monster spawns and such to screw over the players.  The biggest complaint I hear about the game is how incredibly difficult it is.  Difficulty as a challenge is fine, but I heard it's so difficult that it's hard to enjoy.  Perhaps having the label "Free-to-Play" might attract more players to try out the game to keep the online community active.  In any case, I guess I'll give the game a try myself.

NewNews - Buy 2 Get 1 Free Deals (2013)

Every year for the past 2 or so years (maybe more, not sure), Target has had a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" Deal for videogames right around Thanksgiving time.  It's back again and it's a great deal for those buying the new Playstation 4 and Xbox One since all games count for the deal and people can grab 3 games for $120 instead of $180.  Amazon is having a similar sale for Playstation 4 games on their site.  For those not buying games for the new console, there are plenty of choices for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and PS Vita at Target for you to choose from.

Target: Buy 2 Get 1 Free On Select Games across all systems
Amazon: Buy 2 Get 1 Free On PS4 Games


Source:
-Joystiq - Target's buy two games, get one free sale spans all consoles
-Joystiq - Amazon offers buy 2, get 1 sale on PS4 games starting tomorrow

NewNews - Taking a small break

I'm taking a break this week for personal reasons and should return next Monday.

NewNews - Steam Sale Dates For 2013?

Whether this is purely rumor or a convincing prank, it's pretty evident to most steam users that there will be a seasonal sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Well it seems that one of the developers that Valve has notified about the upcoming sales to have them put a discount price on their game, which happens to be a greenlit game, has leaked a picture of the message stating that:

"Valve will hold its Steam Autumn Sale from November 27 through December 3, followed by a Steam Holiday Sale between December 19 and January 2."

As excited as I am to know the dates, this causes some problems for people.  For other publishers and developers, letting the public know the exact dates may lower the profits and sales they could've made before.  That may not sound like a great deal for us because the customer wants to save, but we must keep in mind that developers and publishers are trying to break even and make a profit off their hard work.  As for us customers, this leak can cause several changes.  The dates won't change because that's a huge problem, but prices of discounts may change to compensate for the public knowing the dates of BOTH sales.  So instead of having the same sale price for both sales, we might not get as good of discounts during the Autumn sale if the publishers/developers decide to change them and will drop them lower in the Winter sale.  Or they can decide to not have as big of a discount for both sales because there will be people who plan on getting certain games during the sales no matter what the discount is and the price can still be kept somewhat high for the publishers/developers.

In any case, I'm ready for Steam sales.  There's a lot of games I'm looking forward to getting and playing.  I just hope Valve doesn't do something drastic like cancel the Steam sale.  Although, the backlash from the community due to the lack of a Halloween event for Team Fortress 2 and DotA 2 riled people up, so I'm sure Valve doesn't want to cause any more of that.

Source: Joystiq - Rumor: Upcoming Steam sale dates leaked

NewNews - 3 Year Anniversary

It's been 3 years as of today since I started this blog, it's crazy!  I wasn't sure how persistent I was going to be with writing so much from day to day, but somehow I've been doing this for 3 years!  Through these 3 years, we have seen Keiji Inafune leave Capcom and recently start up his campaign for Mighty No. 9 which raised over $4 Million.  We have seen the rise in popularity of indie games and MOBA.  We experienced the return of Fighting games back into the main stream community of gamers.  Tons of MMOs turn Free-to-Play and Valve launches the Steam Greenlight program and lots of games get brought to steam.  A lot has happened and it's kind of wonderful to be part of it.  I wonder how long I'll be able to keep this up.  In any case, thank you for all the support for those who have visited and a Happy third year anniversary to this blog!

VGCulture - Halloween Events 2013!

If you play an online game, there's a good chance that there's a Halloween event going on right now for it.  More games get involved with the holidays and will provide limited edition items, special game modes, special events and such.  Here are some of the games I found Halloween events for:
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot

MMOs:
-Dragon Nest
-Elsword
-Guild Wars 2
-Mabinogi
-Vindictus

Non-MMOs:
-Don't Starve - The Screecher Horror Mod
-Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams Halloween Level
-Killing Floor - Hillbilly Horror Fright Yard
-Serious Sam 3 BFE
-Terraria

Don't forget that the Steam Halloween Sale ends tomorrow.  Also a free Half-Life 2 Mod was added to Steam platform today called "No More Room in Hell" which features 8-player co-op Horror FPS action.  Have a fun and safe Halloween!

NewNews - Steam Greenlight Games Everywhere 10-30-13

Steam Greenlight: October 16th Batch
Steam Greenlight: October 29th Batch

Steam games are coming out so fast you can't count them all!  I just know that Steam Winter Sales is going to be killer on my wallet this year.  The support behind Steam Greenlight is extraordinary as some games that has just been recently posted already got greenlit.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that games such as Ikaruga got greenlit so quickly.
Source: Youtube Channel TREASURE Channel

I am surprised that Vanguard Princess got greenlit just as fast though as most people might not have heard of the game.  I've known about the game for quite a while now and have played the Japanese version and thought it was a pretty fun game.  With the English Version making a push to be put on Steam, I immediately upvoted it in hopes of supporting it when it releases.
Source: Youtube Channel Throneful

I'm also happy to see Eryi's Action FINALLY get greenlit after a year of waiting.  I mentioned the game over a year ago in August.
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia

Although I mention a bunch of Japanese developed games, there are definitely a lot of non-Japanese indie games worth checking out such as Ravensword: Shadowlands.
Source: Youtube Channel josh presseisen

Steam always has great sales for the games on their platform, so money isn't so much an issue right now.  Finding the time to play all these great games is what's really difficult to manage.

Source:
-Kotaku - 130+ Games In Two Weeks? Time to Slow Down, Steam