tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17144838066439230932024-03-15T20:10:07.930-05:00The Huh?Joshua Barsody's Official Blogjoshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.comBlogger1471125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-12858846770777531262021-04-08T11:30:00.002-05:002021-04-08T11:30:57.075-05:00Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare DLC Revealed & Thoughts<div> Dotemu, Guardcrush, and Lizardcube have finally released the trailer for their brilliant <i>Streets of Rage 4</i>'s first DLC titled Mr. X Nightmare.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://youtube.com/embed/4LwwRrI-NY0" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> According to the Steam page:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div></div><blockquote><div><b><span style="color: red;">"The fight continues in Wood Oak City.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: red;">After the events of <i>Streets of Rage 4</i>, our heroes wanted to prepare themselves for future threats. Axel, Blaze and their mates will start a very special deranged training with the help of Dr. Zan, who built an AI program from the remnants of Mister X’s brain that simulates every kind of danger they could be facing."</span></b></div></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The trailer reveals that not only will we be getting more gameplay, but it includes new special moves, new weapons, new enemies, and 3 new playable characters- of which we only currently see the highly anticipated Estel Aguirre! Though the silhouettes at the end appear to hint at new Max and possibly the updated Shiva. Many of us are also hoping to see long time fan-favorites join like Dr. Zan, Skate, and Roo so perhaps we'll eventually see a second DLC released further down the road with them as well.. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> They've stated that the DLC will allow players to customize their move sets giving players the ability to build the characters to their own kind of playstyles. Dotemu has gathered a crew that seems to have given 200% in updating this beloved franchise. Keep up the great work!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b><i>Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare</i> is listed as "Coming Soon." [ <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585820/Streets_Of_Rage_4__Mr_X_Nightmare/" target="_blank">Steam </a>]</b></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-73320586810720761142021-03-10T12:03:00.004-06:002021-03-10T12:03:57.111-06:00Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge: Reveal trailer & Thoughts<div> The <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles </i>have had a long history in video games from the lowest of the lows (the damn level in the original NES game) to the highest of highs (<i>TMNT</i> for the GBA), with plenty in between. But the publisher of the glorious<i> Streets of Rage 4</i> (Dotemu) has come through again with something players have been asking for- a new beat em' up <i>Turtles</i> game- with developer Tribute Games. This is truly something to celebrate for fans of the <i>TMNT</i>, an actual sequel to one of the franchise's most beloved games three decades in the making! Cowabunga dudes!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://youtube.com/embed/gHMYwrC7oAo" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> According to the official reveal:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge</i> reunites Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello to kick shell in a beautifully realized pixel art world invoking the turtles’ classic 1987 design.</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"> With Bebop and Rocksteady amassing gizmos to support Krang and Shredder’s latest scheme, <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge</i> finds the turtles battling through a breathless tour of iconic TMNT locations to thwart their nemeses’ most diabolical plan yet. Armed with shell-shocking new abilities built on a foundation of classic brawling mechanics, the gang are in for an exhilarating, Foot Clan-stomping romp leading them through the sewers and bustling boroughs of New York City all the way to Dimension X.</span></b></div></blockquote><div></div><div> Honestly, I haven't been this excited for a game since <i>Streets of Rage 4</i>, and now we're getting something we've been asking for for literal years. The developers haven't given out too much information yet, but it appears there may be more playable characters in the future as I spotted both Splinter and April in action in the trailer- and we can only hope that there'll be plenty more to come in the future! This is definitely a game to keep our eyes on for fans.</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I'll be covering this game religiously in the future.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b><i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> will be coming to PC [ <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1361510/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_Shredders_Revenge/" target="_blank">Steam</a> ] and consoles (though no release date is specified).</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> For related posts [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=tmnt&max-results=20&by-date=true">TMNT</a> ]</b></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-67938452793972863702021-03-02T16:46:00.002-06:002021-03-02T16:48:58.273-06:00Ashes: A First-Person Dungeon Exploration Experience: A Short Review <div> <i>Ashes</i> is an intriguing game to be sure. It touts itself to be a combination of a narrative focused first-person walking simulator with a dash of <i>Skyrim. </i>Meant to be a single-sitting gameplay experience giving you a light dose of explorative adventure into the life of a man suffering some odd form of amnesia that wakes up in a strange dungeon.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://youtube.com/embed/n6jeCNz0iiM" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The gameplay of <i>Ashes</i> is simple enough, including melee combat, a few puzzle sections, and a handful of platforming sections. The combat is barebones. You literally just fight a handful of skeletons with melee weapons through swinging and even a block. It's sufficient for the game, really. <i>Ashes</i> really doesn't need any more depth to the combat. Hacking and slashing is good enough for this type of game. Though, I actually would've appreciated much more of it. Not all at once, but peppered throughout. To see the bodies of others laying around, or even maybe a few skeletons shambling around in cells. Or better yet, why not have a few just aimlessly wandering around confused and not actively threatening the player even when confronted? And why aren't any of them found fighting amongst themselves?</div><div style="text-align: left;"> There is weapon degradation as well, which I found to be extremely annoying because from the weapon goes fine for quite a while, then suddenly looks to be near breaking and breaks in just a few swings. The swiftness it happens always seems like it is fine for 9 swings, one swing to damage the weapon, followed by one to break it. That progression is too quick, and honestly, why even have it in the game at all? The weapons seem to have 2 damages, weak and strong, and they are separated by roughly one hit worth of damage to kill an enemy and the system really could be done without completely.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> On a side note there's some floating orbs that light the areas up and can be broken, but there's really no purpose to them. Why have them even be destructible if it isn't for a reason? It seems like a strange decision. Bouncing off that, the game has a collectible in the form of glowing green skulls. The fact they are there isn't a problem, it offers a nice distraction while exploring the dungeons. What nags at me is they seem like an item that should offer a reason for being there. Maybe have them drop some lore of the world, or spark a new exclusive memory unlock. Have a reason to be collecting them outside of Steam achievements. There's a necromancer out there in this world, so why not have them tie to maybe bits of narrative from him? Or perhaps have them be other peoples' memories (include their own voiced narration)?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> As for the level design and art... you know, I actually really, really like it. I'd actually tie it much more closely to being a combination of a narrative walking simulator and <i>Ico</i>, as opposed to <i>Skyrim</i> as the devs say. <i>Ashes</i> has a very nice feel and it's areas differ just enough to make things interesting. There's dark shadowy areas with green glowing ooze, to empty sewage tubes, as well as bright sunlit courtyards, creating a nice range of things to look at. With that said, there's room for expansion here. Considering how vast the castle is, personally I would've really liked to have a lot more exploration options. There's a bunch of doors that don't open- so why not make them open into larger places to roam around in. That would help get rid of the deliberate linearity the game has you follow along, providing players with more time to enjoy the world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> My biggest qualm with <i>Ashes</i> is that it feels like it's truly just the beginning of a larger game. There's some unfair storytelling elements that make the ending both good, but also predictable, and a little unfair. <b>[ <span style="color: red;">SPOILER</span>: <span style="background-color: white;">Not one other skeleton is wearing clothes, and they all have a distinct sound when running around- so why does the player have clothes and not make that noise? That kind of thing is deliberately lying to the player to make a payoff in the end. The twist could be handled better, the story could have a bigger payoff by having some of the skeletons wearing bits of clothes and some distinctions. Maybe have some wear gauntlets, some wearing all clothes, some just pants, and so on.</span> ] </b> That isn't to say I didn't like it. I guessed it quite early on, and liked the narrative memories coming back as you progress through the castle. It might've been more effective to space them out instead of having large chunks all at once. Slow it down and allow us to digest it as we go. If the developers take my recommendation to add more places to explore they could add small touches to expand the story as well. Perhaps have a series of passageways that lead to a kitchen or dining hall and maybe something like memories returning of dinners with the family come to the surface.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Now I must also mention the voice acting of the player-character's narration. He does pretty well, but could use just a bit more emotive force and range. Granted, what we get is good, so that isn't a complaint, more of a request, I want just more. I want more story. I want more exploration. I want more combat, puzzles, and exploration out of<i> Ashes</i>!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <i>Ashes</i> appears to be an exercise for the developer to show off what they can do while still leaving us wanting more- as I wrote earlier, this game feels like the beginning of something much larger. I'd be more than pleased if the devs, Windlimit Games, went and actually added some of the extra things I've suggested. But I digress, even as it is right now, it's still a decent fantasy dungeon exploration game with a unique narrative. I'd happily recommend this game because it's all of the things I want in games lately- it's brief, engaging, and fun- and it actually leaves me wanting much more. Overall, <i>Ashes</i> is a great one-sitting experience and I'm eager to see what the devs make next. Go check it out.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> <i>Ashes</i> is $3.99 on [ <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/904160/Ashes/" target="_blank">Steam</a> ]</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Review Copy Provided, Thank you</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-11731283798791579802021-01-10T14:34:00.000-06:002021-01-10T14:34:51.670-06:00ZCREW: The Last Legion: Review: A Decent Start to a Post-Apocalyptic Shooter<div style="text-align: left;"><p> <i>ZCREW</i> is a <i>Diablo</i>-esque post-apocalyptic isometric shooter. A group of elite militaristic elites have banded together to bring order to a world falling apart and reclaim the Earth from mutant hordes. As the official sites say:</p><p></p><blockquote><p><span style="color: red;"><b> "<i>ZCREW</i> is an isometric shooter that supports up to 4 player co-op. In the world destroyed by an alien virus, every day is a matter of life or death. Players will need to cooperate and fight back the mutant blight in their quest to rebuild the world and restore civil order.</b></span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><b> Battle within the Ruined City and the Lost Desert, facing hordes of infected humans, mutant insects and creatures unknown until now."</b></span></p></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/ucOFigLKmNQ" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">INITIAL THOUGHTS</span></b></h3><p> Players begin the game and can choose one of 4 different classes- Assault, Warrior, Supply, or a Medic. They all begin with a singular skill like a dash or teleport. As you do missions you unlock both more skills (of 4 total) as well as small perks applicable to the character, weapons, or skills they use. Each of the classes then also begin with their own type of weapon- assault rifle, sniper rifle, SMG, etc- and it is an absolute slog to level up anything because the experience is based on in-game level completion and I don't believe enemy kills actually seem to give you any bonus XP. </p><p> The early game skills make the player classes start relatively the same, but as the game goes they wind up much more varied in HOW those skills are used- which is awesome. Each character's movement skill begins just as a movement, but as skills unlock through leveling the characters up they add bonuses to them. The Assault class can leave a trail of electricity to the teleport, while the medic can disperse poison orbs in 4 directions upon dashing. It is the beginning of great system.</p><p> There's a lot of good ideas in mission variety- find or investigate areas, escort NPCs (that really shouldn't be nearly as dumb as they are currently), even some where you need to find some parts and build something to make way into the next area. Honestly, some of the early levels could be lengthened with the option for more exploration, but overall, it's still really fun to go in and start the action. The levels don't have much right now in the way of extra things to wander around for. They are made to be simple and linear by giving you tasks to complete and waypoints to follow. Drop in hidden areas or things for players to loot. Give players a reason to explore these gorgeous-looking areas you've made. </p><p> For weapons, you have to randomly find design blueprints as random drops, parts, and currency to build new guns, then create parts to build those guns up in the players' hub. The system isn't great, and could definitely use some streamlining- why should you need 2 of the same gun blueprint to make that gun? Why doesn't one suffice?</p><p> The weapons have just barely enough difference, but could use some bolstering to make them feel really different (the bullet impacts, reload and firing speeds, firing distance, etc). Players begin with their class' starter weapon, but can switch to another later. Each weapon then can be upgraded with parts you find schematics for- such as extended magazines, sights, shoulder stalks, etc- each item bumps up various stats to the weapon you attach it to. It's a great idea, but the implementation is poor. Just as the core weapons, players have to find multiple blueprints of the same weapon (often it's 2), then randomly find parts during missions, and then currency to make them. But you also need to use multiple terminals in the players hub to build them up, then another to equip them, and so on. Why not let players be able to equip a weapon from the crafting station or personal inventory as well as the character screen? Why can we craft but not dismantle at the same station- why can we only dismantle from the personal inventory station?</p><p> As the hub where players go to (which is for some reason in 3rd person instead of the isometric view the entire rest of the game is) is confusing already, they really need to clean it up. Why aren't all the varied menu consoles consolidated? Put the weapons/items, materials, and character screen all lumped into one? We are forced to craft weapons in at one console, but equip that to the weapon in another. Or, why aren't the mission control and multiplayer ones merged? As of right now you have to enter a mission select, choose the mission, then leave to go to another console to select a player ready. These should be streamlined for sure, and really, they might want to think about shifting the entire player hub to the same isometric view as the rest of the game while reducing the number of terminals players have to interact with.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">GAMEPLAY</span></b></div><p> The first major combat irritation is how enemies spawn. Sometimes they appear far enough away that players have time to react with moving or shooting, but at other times 5 enemies will spawn surrounding you leaving you nowhere to go and guaranteeing you will take heavy damage and likely die. This is insanely annoying in the early game when you try and do a mission "search" (holding the E button for way too long) enemies will consistently spawn nearby and interrupt you. This might not be as frustrating if you were playing multiplayer (or why can you not bring in AI support characters of the classes you are not playing as?).</p><p> Even more frustratingly, if you fail a level (after 3 deaths), EVERYTHING you did is lost in it, items you found are gone. I had a level where I spent 20 minutes slowly making my way through, completing all the tasks, the end of every level is a timed rush to get to an extraction point. This part is an absolute MUST change part of the game- players are swarmed with overwhelming hordes of enemies. I got completely buried in enemies with ZERO way of avoiding instant damage and died immediately after each respawn literally lost all that effort within seconds. It is easily the worst design decision in the game. That run to the extraction point should, first off, not have a timer. And it should be balanced to how many characters are playing. If you are stuck playing solo (I had only a single time being able to actually play a level with another player, all other attempts we could match up, but our levels were 2 or 3 off and we couldn't play together (why would you allow players to match together, but then not allow them to actually play a level together?!?). Why would you spawn 40 enemies on a solo player that has no hope of fending that many off, especially in the early levels? By changing this singular thing, <i>ZCREW</i> would be instantly better. Perhaps giving players far more health (and get rid of the run button, make the base speed the run speed- enemies can easily catch you even when you run), and have the absurd enemy damage reduced, and it might help balance things out a bit.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">FINAL VERDICT</span></b></div><p> There's a myriad of small problems (remapping a controller for Steam winds up a mess), some general control issues (running away while firing backwards at enemies will shoot a few first shots/grenade the direction you are running and NOT the direction you are aiming), and oddities in player numbers to enemy numbers (both sheer numbers, as well in health and damage). If the developers keep at it, they have a truly good gem here, it'll just take a lot of hard work and balancing to get it to make it into a great one.</p><p> With all that said, <i>ZCREW</i> actually does have a solid foundation and is generally enjoyable (outside of the aforementioned frustrations). There are numerous irritations and problems with the game, but I don't want to dissuade anyone from actually playing the game. I did actually enjoy it quite a bit, and will be playing more as the developers continue to improve the game. I believe they have a tremendous base to build upon. There's a lot to like and I look forward to seeing how<i> ZCREW: The Last Legion</i> shapes up over time.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*A review copy was provided, thank you!</span></p></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-2634957359846099882020-08-25T10:04:00.001-05:002020-08-25T10:04:07.636-05:00Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck Official Reveal Trailer The new <i>Borderlands 3</i> DLC full trailer has released and it is a doozy! The <i>Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck</i> trailer starts with my two favorite characters, Tannis and Krieg, and gives us a glimpse of the jaunt into the bonkers mind of everybody's favorite murderous meat machine.<br /><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This appears to be the exact DLC that has the potential to renew my passion for the series, as it has been waning since the launch of <i>Borderlands 3</i>. It just didn't have the great writing that the previous games had- but this looks to remedy that with a warped reality of a mind torn apart through Hyperion experimentation. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Which makes me wonder... where's Krieg's soft voice at? Will we see his rationale mind's personification in this game mode? I certainly hope so. I also hope it gives us a story that is as moving and on par with the hilarious and heartbreaking Tiny Tina's Bunkers & Badasses DLC <i>Assault on Dragon Keep</i>. I mean, we do get a slight tease at Krieg's infatuation with Maya, so there's hope this could be great.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <i>Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck</i> arrives Sept. 10th.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> For related posts <b>[ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands">Borderlands</a></i> ]</b></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-78295860953811224682020-08-20T13:18:00.001-05:002020-08-20T13:18:17.542-05:00Borderlands 3: Campaign DLC 4 Teaser Featuring... KRIEG!!! It's been a long time since I've written about <i>Borderlands</i>. I was an early adopter of the first game, and blogged incessantly about the sequel and Pre-Sequel, as well as a lot of the tie-in materials (comics, toys, etc), and a whole lot of self-made <i>Borderlands</i> memes, but <i>Borderlands 3</i> just didn't capture the magic of 1 or 2. The story wasn't nearly as well written, but the gameplay was still greatly improved.<div><br /></div><div> Well, this teaser for <i>Borderlands 3</i>'s 4th Campaign DLC has got me hooked again. It features my favorite playable character in the entire series, Krieg, and I'm eager to see what's become of him<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KpJvyoS5T2g" width="560"></iframe></div>
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</div><div> The full reveal for this DLC will arrive on August 25th. I'll be eagerly awaiting it.</div><div><br /></div><div> For related posts <b>[ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands&max-results=20&by-date=true">Borderlands</a></i> ]</b></div>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-68494736449865375322020-08-10T20:53:00.003-05:002020-08-10T20:53:57.639-05:00The NeverEnding Story: The Original Dark Souls: The NeverEnding Souls Meme<div class="separator"><p style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1211" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DVCJOFiarSKzCriRUZlzg19jGv6y0UjiM_YMVXrGrUsB2xinrRv-1pnz3oDU5JrftJA25vp5WLeIgBXIogkcjOTXJZGXT5BzNE90MRCSrfGZTZdpv2rBo_24EkBn4ZDMGfoL47F2n92M/w242-h410/NeverendingSoulsDone.jpg" width="242" /></p></div><p> It's been quite a while since I posted on my own sites, and even longer since I made any kind of memes. Well, I've been on a <i>Dark Souls</i> kick recently, and going over old movies for reference material for a project I've been working on. In doing so I came across a long-time favorite film from my childhood- <i>The NeverEnding Story</i>.</p><p> In re-watching the film I realized that <i>Dark Souls</i> has a LOT in common, and a lot of parallels with the film (and I suppose the book it's based on). I mean, right off the bat, Fantasia is being destroyed by an infection of darkness called The Nothing- whereas Lordran is being devoured by consuming dark called The Abyss. There's the great wolf Gmork and the great wolf Sif, and so on. There's the multiple gates on the way to finding a way to solve the problem besetting the land. I'm genuinely curious to know if Hidetaka Miyazaki has ever seen this and unconsciously drew any inspiration from the film.</p><p> I'd actually like to recommend people just watch the film again anyways, due to the tremendously meta work of the story itself- and in even more surprising recommendations, I recall the book being less impressive than the film- which is quite rare for me to say. Anyways, I laughed watching this scene and picturing this exact moment as if I were playing the game and experiencing it like this.</p><p> Have a laugh and enjoy. #NeverEndingSouls</p>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-75580937897561732062019-11-13T21:59:00.004-06:002019-11-13T22:03:23.256-06:00Infected Shelter: Short Review: An Oddly Fun Zombeat-em-up (Available NOW!) Sometimes you find a game that looks kind of silly, and kind of dumb, but you go and give it a shot anyway. And sometimes those games turn out to be truly unexpected gems. Developer Dark Blue Games'<i> Infected Shelter</i> happens to be exactly that type of game.<br />
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<i>Infected Shelter</i> is a simple at first glance a randomly generated, post-apocalyptic, beat-em-up, rogue-lite. I say simple at first glance because playing it somehow sucks you in. There's something special at the core of the game that just clicks. It hits the right buttons for fans of the previously mentioned genres.<br />
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The graphics have their own style- they're a cartoony, almost paper cut-out style- and there's a threadbare story, but the music and gameplay are absolutely intuitive and on point. Controls are easy to grasp and quite fluid (though the really early access version had a small lag at some points, the full release version feels much tighter and responsive). I'd highly recommend using a controller over a mouse and keyboard, but once you are dropped into the action things become truly fun.<br />
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The game lets you choose whether or not you want to begin with a short tutorial or not, with one of four selectable characters- a one-legged soldier, a guitarist, a builder, and my personal and hilarious favorite a girl that swings her wheelchair-bound grandfather around as a weapon. Characters can do special move finishers that made me laugh every time, and now with the full release players can jump in with up to 3 other players via co-op to share in the zombie-slaughtering amusement.<br />
The difficulty curve starts out a bit steep, but turns around relatively fast as you collect new items, new clothes (which alter how the characters special stats change, like the nurse costume adds healing, and so on), and blueprints for a ton of new weapons. Sure, players will be dying a lot, but in this game it never feels like a bad thing, because you can easily mow through waves and hordes of zombies over and over again after obtaining new items. That may seem monotonous, but <i>Infected Shelter</i> has a certain allure that kept drawing me back in for another try, so it never reached that point.<br />
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It's not often I find games like<i> Infected Shelter </i>that I can hop on and enjoy for 5 minutes or 5 hours at a time. The game is filled with a gloriously gory hilarity. <i>Infected Shelter</i> is for fans of things like <i>Castle Crashers</i> or <i>Dead Cells</i>. It may not have the depth of many triple A games, but it has more than enough heart to make up for it. In a way <i>Infected Shelter</i> is the equivalent of a video game candy bar, sugary-sweet entertainment, while the major triple A titles would be nutritious full meals that take a lot of time to eat and digest. It may not be for everybody, but it can damn well hit the right spot when the craving hits, and I highly recommend it. On the whole, <i>Infected Shelter</i> is a simple and engaging rogue-lite beat-em-up to occupy fans of either genre for hours on end.<br />
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<b><i>Infected Shelter</i> on [ <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/926390/Infected_Shelter/">Steam</a> ] for $9.99, but is 10% off until Nov. 18th.</b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*An early access review copy was provided by the developer. Thank you!</span></b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-19177186954772851792019-09-16T14:42:00.002-05:002019-09-16T14:42:28.723-05:00Slaughter 3: The Rebels Has Arrived on Mobile! Long time readers will know I've been a fan of the wonderful mobile 3rd person shooter game <i>Slaughter</i> since it launched. I gave it a <a href="https://www.droidgamers.com/2017/02/14/slaughter-review/">glowing review over at Droidgamers</a>, and when the sequel hit- I was equally hyped and impressed as I was with the first game- and a while after that I even did a small <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2017/12/exclusive-interview-with-slaughter-2.html">interview with the developer Ray "Venomized Art" Spark</a>.<br />
Over the last year, I've been eagerly following the small updates of the game's status on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/VenomizedArt/">official Facebook page</a>, and watching all the developer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCDFQE3t_Xu8-lkekF06MMg">Youtube videos</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUA4vmRJ_H4"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VUA4vmRJ_H4" width="560"></iframe></a></div>
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The game is available right now, and Mr. Spark has once again outdone himself on every front. The game is bigger, has more weapons, larger levels, improved visuals and controls, and a much, MUCH more expanded story. If you like mobile 3rd person action games, this is another genuine treat to play and I highly recommend it.<br />
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<b>For more information and to follow the developer [ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/VenomizedArt/">Venomized Art</a> ]<br /></b><br />
<b> <i>Slaughter 3: The Rebels</i> is $2.99 on [ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.venomizedArt.SlaughterRebels">Google Play</a> ] and $1.99 on [ <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slaughter-3-the-rebels/id1477104304?l">iOS </a>]</b><br />
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<b> The original <i>Slaughter</i> is $2.49 on [ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.venomizedart.Slaughter&hl=en">Google Play</a> ] and $0.99 on [ <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slaughter/id1179441297">iOS</a> ]</b><br />
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<b> <i>Slaughter 2: Prison Assault</i> is $2.49 on [ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.venomizedArt.Slaughter2&hl=en">Google Play</a> ] and $0.99 on [ <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slaughter-2-prison-assault/id1302383059">iOS </a>]</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> For transparency's sake, I have to say I've been helping a little with translation and localization for the game (which will be completed and added in a future update patch). I've received <b>no</b> pay or benefits and I bought my own copy of the game. I support it because it is good, <b>not </b>for any kind of compensation.</span>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-15713582951325597652019-06-05T21:06:00.004-05:002019-06-05T21:13:55.267-05:00Borderlands 3: NEW DLC for Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary As has been speculated for the last year or so, it looks as if there will be an absolutely new story DLC for <i>Borderlands 2</i> coming. It's been almost 7 years since the game originally launched and this appears to be a bridge between the last game and its highly anticipated sequel.<br />
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<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8VZaA-U0AAKR2Z.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="460" height="262" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D8VZaA-U0AAKR2Z.png" width="560" /></a></div>
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According to a <a href="https://www.resetera.com/threads/borderlands-2-commander-lilith-the-fight-for-sanctuary-leaked-by-steam-june-9th-free-dlc.121174/">post on ResetEra</a>, Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/RobotBrush/status/1136412986028044288">@RobotBrush</a> had spotted the Steam page leak. Some of the details included things like a level cap raise to 80, new enemies, vehicle skins, rainbow rarity weapons, a major new villain, and a wonderful little fact that it'll be 100% free. The Steam page has since been taken down but not before having things <a href="https://imgur.com/a/UtflKRy">been screencapped, saved</a>, and noted.<br />
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The leaked description reads:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: red;"> <b>"Return to the award winning shooter-looter for a new adventure that sets the stage for the upcoming <i>Borderlands 3</i>. Sanctuary is under siege, the Vault's map has been stolen and a toxic gas is poisoning Pandora. Fight new bosses, explore new zones, get new loot (including an entirely new tier beyond Legendary) and join up with Lilith and the Crimson Raiders to take on a deranged villain hell-bent on ruling the planet. </b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: red;"> Returning players can pursue an increased level cap of 80, while newcomers can automatically boost to level 30 and dive straight into the action."</span></b></blockquote>
With the HD remasters, new <i>Borderlands 2</i> DLC, and <i>Borderlands 3</i> all hitting this year- it's truly the year of the <i>Borderlands</i>. Now we can only wait and see what other goodies Gearbox might be cooking up for fans. Personally I hope we get a mobile tie in game, and a plethora of entertainment merchandise like comics and toys.<br />
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And probably the best part of the leak is that...<br />
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...it claims that <i>Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary</i> drops June 9th!<br />
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<b>Proof of Steam redaction [ <a href="https://twitter.com/SupMatto/status/1136433139239309313">Here</a> ]</b><br />
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<b><i>Borderlands 3 </i>launches on Sept. 13th.</b><br />
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<b>Related posts [ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands&max-results=20&by-date=true">Borderlands</a></i> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-13331037554487316982019-05-30T15:07:00.003-05:002019-05-30T15:07:57.939-05:00Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered Coming Later this Year!<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"> <b>#JoinTheGhostbusters!</b></span><br />
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It looks like <i>Ghostbusters</i> fans are in for quite a treat. This year marks both the 35th anniversary of the franchise and the 10th anniversary of <i>The Video Game</i> itself.<br />
In recent years there's been a plethora of <i>Ghostbusters</i> mobile games and a few console games, but none of them have truly captured the spirit of the franchise so special in the first place, and this fact is made so much more obvious as when playing <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2012/08/ghostbusters-video-game.html">Ghostbusters: The Video Game</a></i>.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e6jLqwaGtWo" width="560"></iframe></div>
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According to the official Saber Interactive announcement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: lime;"><i> Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered</i> delivers a unique story from Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis that captures the supernatural comedic fun and fright fans love from the franchise, which celebrates the 35th anniversary of<i> Ghostbusters</i> this year.</span> </b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"> As the new rookie on the <i>Ghostbusters</i> crew, you’ll team up with your favorite characters from the films, reunited by the voices of Aykroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson as Stantz, Spengler, Venkman and Zeddemore, alongside Annie Potts, Brian Doyle-Murray, William Atherton, and Max von Sydow. Manhattan is overrun once more by ghosts, demons, and other paranormal creatures unleashed by a mysterious force, and only the <i>Ghostbusters</i> can drive this evil back to whatever dimension it crawled from and save the Big Apple.</span> </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: lime;"><b> Hunt, fight and trap a variety of new and familiar ghouls and phantasms, all remastered in HD resolution. <i>Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered</i> equips you with cool gadgets and upgradeable weapons to play with in huge boss fights and destructible environments. Scan and analyze targets with the P.K.E. Meter and Paragoggles, then strap on your Proton Pack to wear ghosts down with the blast stream before wrangling them with the capture stream.</b></span></blockquote>
There's a reason many fans consider <i>The Video Game</i> as third film despite it being removed from official canon. It plays well, it's got a great story, and it was made by the original crew.<br />
The <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/04/ghostbusters-video-game-2016.html">2016 <i>Ghostbusters</i> game</a> was a mere reskin of 2011's <i>Sanctum of Slime</i>, the <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/08/lego-dimensions-ghostbusters-packs.html">Ghostbusters: Lego Dimensions</a></i> game is the standard LEGO game kind of fun, there's a generic puzzle game <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/08/ghostbusters-puzzle-fighter-review.html">Ghostbusters: Puzzle Fighter</a></i>, for a time the small side-scrolling, gem of a platformer titled <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/09/little-ghostbusters-tiny-mobile-game.html">Little Ghostbusters</a></i> was available, and a low key kids game <i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playmobil.ghostbusters">PLAYMOBIL Ghostbusters</a>,</i> then there was the mediocre <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/07/ghostbusters-slime-city-short-review.html">Ghostbusters: Slime City</a></i>, as well as the strange augmented reality game <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/08/ghostbusters-paranormal-blast-augmented.html">Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast</a> </i>which was essentially remade by a better company into <i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ftt.gbworld.aos">Ghostbusters World</a></i>. There's even an augmented reality VR game by Sony Interactive called <i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.ghostbustersvr">Ghostbusters: Now Hiring</a></i>, which is yet another mundane game for mobile devices. In addition there was a bunch of content added to the <i><a href="https://respawnables.fandom.com/wiki/Ghostbusters_30th">Respawnables</a></i> from the <i>Ghostbusters</i> franchise that was surprisingly well done.<br />
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Sadly, the best game the franchise has ever produced was <i>Ghostbusters: The Video Game,</i> and now we get it as a wonderful remaster by Saber Interactive. We can only hope that as we close in on Jason Reitman's new <i>Ghostbusters</i> film (slated to release on July 10th, 2020) we might see some new games, mobile or otherwise, that are up to the high quality of <i>The Video Game</i>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyBEhSHYGSPNJhGBzdeVjOG9mhahg1GKVdUjHu_7r3SlqzDYgBxVBL7MrXuOA35dDtiREUdpPi8g9NyyLZOCBblLZF6ozN0rjN1tIBE4eYd8tmA7OpiWcFDX4Fkip-FQAmqHAlp9oR_uP/s1600/GhostbustersMurrayCameo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="864" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyBEhSHYGSPNJhGBzdeVjOG9mhahg1GKVdUjHu_7r3SlqzDYgBxVBL7MrXuOA35dDtiREUdpPi8g9NyyLZOCBblLZF6ozN0rjN1tIBE4eYd8tmA7OpiWcFDX4Fkip-FQAmqHAlp9oR_uP/s1600/GhostbustersMurrayCameo.jpg" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: lime;">Good news Ray, the Remaster is staring right at me.</span></b></td></tr>
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<i>Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered</i> is coming to PS4, XBox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via the Epic Game Store later this year.<br />
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<strong>The official site [ <a href="http://www.playghostbusters.com/en/">Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered</a> ]</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong> Related Posts [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=ghostbusters&max-results=20&by-date=true">Ghostbusters</a> ]</strong>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-27417095506820801472019-05-22T22:50:00.002-05:002019-05-22T22:50:39.901-05:00Slaughter 3: Closing in on a Release Date The day of release for the third installment of the badass mobile 3rd person shooter game <i>Slaughter </i>is nearing. I was a <a href="http://www.droidgamers.com/2017/02/14/slaughter-review/">massive fan of the first game</a>, and an even bigger fan over the sequel which introduced a number of drastic improvements over the first. It had better graphics, better gameplay, an arena mode, and even a 1st person mode for those that might dislike the 3rd person version.<br />
Recently developer Ray Spark has posted more new images for the upcoming <i>Slaughter 3</i> featuring a great leap in graphical quality and environmental details. Check out the images below. <br />
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<a href="https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60870191_2845170482219715_4079374119722811392_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-2.fna&oh=ffae6fcdfa375660fcd643e81fb76f76&oe=5D51453A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="250" src="https://scontent.ffcm1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60870191_2845170482219715_4079374119722811392_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-2.fna&oh=ffae6fcdfa375660fcd643e81fb76f76&oe=5D51453A" width="400" /></a></div>
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The chain link fence in the sewer looks amazing, the dusky sky and street light are phenomenal, and the texture work on the rubble ground is damned fine. It should be noted that Spark says the icons are currently only placeholders, and there's currently a lot of "unnecessary elements in the levels." Regardless, they look awesome so far.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60357159_2845170842219679_5478178920022933504_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&oh=73f0c15f81ebce54022010e65d488cf6&oe=5D9FA273" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="250" src="https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60357159_2845170842219679_5478178920022933504_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&oh=73f0c15f81ebce54022010e65d488cf6&oe=5D9FA273" width="400" /></a></div>
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According to his Facebook page, the story is almost done and the game's final polishing will begin relatively soon. I for one, am greatly anticipating <i>Slaughter 3</i>'s release date when it arrives. The exact date has not yet been officially announced.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/53740581_2721959894540775_7390560735459278848_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&oh=8d2875e88d7874ac9cc464a9cb8728b5&oe=5D970A10" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="250" src="https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/53740581_2721959894540775_7390560735459278848_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&oh=8d2875e88d7874ac9cc464a9cb8728b5&oe=5D970A10" width="400" /></a></div>
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All I can say for now is go check out the first two <i>Slaughter</i> games, and give them a chance as they are fun as hell. They've got action, humor, and a pretty damned decent story.<br />
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<b>For an interview with the developer I did back in Dec. 17 [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2017/12/exclusive-interview-with-slaughter-2.html">Link</a> ]</b><br />
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<b><i>Slaughter</i> is $2.49 on </b><b>[ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.venomizedart.Slaughter&hl=en">Google Play</a> ] and</b><b> $0.99 on [ <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slaughter/id1179441297?mt=8">iOS</a> ]</b><br />
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<b> <i>Slaughter 2: Prison Assault</i> is $2.49 on [ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.venomizedArt.Slaughter2&hl=en">Google Play</a> ] and $0.99 on [ <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slaughter-2-prison-assault/id1302383059?mt=8">iOS</a> ]</b><br />
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<b>Source [ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/VenomizedArt/">Venomized Art</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-30004214751051945712019-04-03T09:50:00.004-05:002019-04-03T09:53:11.426-05:00Joker: Official Teaser Trailer & Quick Thoughts The first trailer for the Joaquin Phoenix <i>Joker</i> film has landed, and it's... different. Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, we'll just have to wait and see.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t433PEQGErc" width="560"></iframe></div>
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The <i>Joker</i> seems to take a completely different approach to other DC films in that it gives us the origin of the Dark Knight Detective's most famed villain and puts it center stage. I'm cautiously optimistic as it does look good, but could revealing the Joker's true origin ruin some of the magic that made him so special?<br />
<a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2012/07/dark-knight-rises-joker.html">I'd previously written that Nolan handled him perfectly</a>, he arrived on the scene and "had no fingerprints, no ID, nothing but 'knives and lint.'" He arose from nothing, and in the end literally vanished. But here, we get motivations and familial links- which can only serve to humanize him, making him more relatable and understandable, which in turn takes away the true wild card aspect of his being.<br />
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I'm of the same position I was when first seeing <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/10/suicide-squad-empires-jared-leto-joker.html">Jared Leto's Joker from <i>Suicide Squad</i> for the first time</a>- we have to wait to see it in action. Granted, after seeing Leto in action I had to write:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>"I think they went a little too far into a Tony "<i>Scarface</i>" Montana look. I mean, while he is the Clown Prince of Crime, they entirely left out the clown part. When he makes Griggs kiss his hand I was totally expecting a water spout to splash out of the ring in the face, or have a flower on his coat do it, but it never happened. Ayer completely left that aspect out. They made him all bling and no sting." </b></blockquote>
Hopefully this team has learned the lesson of failure from Ayers and Leto. In the mean time, I'll keep my fingers crossed that Joaquin Phoenix along with writer/director Todd Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver have done something much more in line with the iconic and beloved arch-rival to the legendary Batman himself.<br />
Seriously, this looks to either be a masterpiece, or something very, very terrible. It's a risky film that DC is taking a massive chance with.<br />
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The <i>Joker</i> waltzes into theaters October 4th.joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-68648340064857333412019-04-03T09:21:00.002-05:002019-04-03T09:21:31.353-05:00Borderlands 3: Official Announce Trailer: Launch Day & Epic Games Exclusivity Well, today is a momentous occasion- we get both great news with the official launch date (Sept. 13th, 2019), alongside some pretty crap news. We have official confirmation that <i>Borderlands 3</i> will not launch on Steam, but instead will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for 6 months.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JiEu23G4onM" width="560"></iframe></div>
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I don't like to be a naysayer, but this is not a move people like. The Epic Game Store has been in some serious controversies (primarily the spyware potential and privacy policies/data protection problems- as seen in this wonderful explanation <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6i6dyBGY8">video by Yong Yea</a>). Steam having competition is a very good thing, but the way things are being handled are not. Making this worse is the limited features of the store in general.<br />
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I've been a Borderlands supporter since the original launched a decade ago, and this is the first time I will not be buying it on PC. I will not support it on the Epic Game Store, I absolutely refuse to use it and will wait the 6 months of exclusivity to get it on Steam with my other <i>Borderlands</i> games. That said, I'll still be purchasing it on Playstation 4 as that is my primary console (outside of PC).</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To read how displeased many, MANY fans are just scan through the responses on the official <a href="https://twitter.com/Borderlands/status/1113425921116188673">@Borderlands tweet</a>. And for even more, the link to the official trailer has a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiEu23G4onM">plethora of disapproval throughout the comments section</a>. It isn't the best idea to crap on Steam users. Sorry 2K, but this was not a good decision at all.</div>
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<b>For related posts [ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands&max-results=20&by-date=true">Borderlands </a></i>]</b></div>
joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-64951771022994477282019-03-29T12:23:00.002-05:002019-03-29T12:28:16.214-05:00Sex & Mortal Kombat: 100 Things In Common (Guest Post by @EricVBailey)<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Sex and <i>Mortal Kombat</i> have a lot in common. </span></b><br />
<br />
So I wrote a list.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-65a76fdd-7fff-2a1e-5551-cfa3dcb6f196"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="225" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/qiCfQVarGxHQDP8KLCfuEyQAGtEnFjeQPlZ937400pb_fyS7Xt49eEYtdjt7BMT9_LjlhMd8dB6vbLG1YWmAlntHAkklusA70sZ9LrhfBUsBKN5lkg4xz-kAfkkWGyGwfLQNvjBc" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
1) You can choose whether you’ll have sweat or you’ll have blood.<br />
<br />
2) You might go two or three rounds.<br />
<br />
3) Successive impacts may elicit heightened vocal response.<br />
<br />
4) Skill with hands is good but some may prefer skill with feet.<br />
<br />
5) There might be costumes involved.<br />
<br />
6) You might sneak in a match at your buddy’s house.<br />
<br />
7) Your parents aren’t entirely comfortable with your participation.<br />
<br />
8) You aren’t entirely comfortable with your parents’ participation.<br />
<br />
9) You went through a phase of ‘researching’ more information online.<br />
<br />
10) Years ago, you would’ve had to rely on magazines for this ‘research.’<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-947ebdb7-7fff-7cbd-2e44-bd9a18890c9c"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="224" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Y3yiEtn3nii4jGCAjQiLys7m7RtCMZnDFnRVC3rawBrZb9-x4PiiUaMTIbdv93OzHp7U3JNw5IlvpWir50t_GMJydbpbl2vZ0Lw2OLyUGAaNFdz9mOYTTE7nN89jejNlc3l_lfCv" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
11) You may stick with a main for a while but try to switch it up sometimes.<br />
<br />
12) Some of your friends have no clue about it.<br />
<br />
13) Remember that period in high school when everyone was talking about it?<br />
<br />
14) Every new release still feels like a big deal.<br />
<br />
15) The acting in the films is not the greatest.<br />
<br />
16) The films also lend unrealistic expectations with inaccurate portrayals.<br />
<br />
17) Still, many have their favorite movie on the topic.<br />
<br />
18) Some may worry about their children being exposed to the subject prematurely.<br />
<br />
19) Politicians occasionally take fanatical positions concerning it.<br />
<br />
20) Some prefer the men, some prefer the ladies.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-cecad9bf-7fff-af83-8a01-15aadd31f11d"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="225" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2nhTk8UclnNs3zGiJdXwtU-0HZKcLqqMCbJRpsVZHTQDhW3qvGLluq8XujEChtG4q8IPl6Ol8xvYMaOwQ6tFmyrWdIbj1QjVf6sorht4V9MwbXnQ23fkXze49BUR8LQ-ExvRxVee" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
21) Thousands of people are enjoying it right now, at this moment.<br />
<br />
22) Some people don’t even like it.<br />
<br />
23) There is plenty of amateur art online, and a lot of it is inappropriate.<br />
<br />
24) People have written entire books about it.<br />
<br />
25) Be careful -- overdoing it can exhaust you.<br />
<br />
26) It might cost you some money.<br />
<br />
27) There are some spectacular finishing moves out there.<br />
<br />
28) Apparently there are YouTube tutorials to help improve your skills.<br />
<br />
29) Typically, men are lauded for playing the game but women are met with disrespect.<br />
<br />
30) Fists play a part.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-899177e9-7fff-e6e1-549f-989e0bf1c84c"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="198" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nPJ9GfNV5MpTDFvgTjkGwJOYWKntbbkao4m0Ns0mKIji_km5qZv7SZYmCvFRfwUNFD1-h736ioAM1PElyiYYFT7qmCEyBDRt3QBlaSY-f6doQQFmOFUvmeGR4agNcn_1JhBnccLw" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
31) You may see some unusual or extreme anatomy featured.<br />
<br />
32) It has a long history, generations’ worth.<br />
<br />
33) You can match up with a partner online.<br />
<br />
34) Might make for an interesting first date.<br />
<br />
35) Some married couples don’t even bother with it anymore.<br />
<br />
36) You don’t see it play out in public much. But you might.<br />
<br />
37) You can play by yourself but it’s not as fun.<br />
<br />
38) You probably won’t make much money writing about it.<br />
<br />
39) You can enjoy it in the bedroom, or maybe on the living room sofa; the kitchen, more rarely.<br />
<br />
40) You used to see it at the arcades a lot more.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-681c8f8f-7fff-1e99-fd5c-5e5470c1894f"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="225" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FpCOokXRBVgoWVvBA9ugbHvipMSERGhnFPcYaE-WXtOIs-SfcyN_Wrw60uYa257cP07L5jtbN_fEtKKvI5wPwF6CIoUUo0TYP4g7VWNIa6aFVoxQ9TGgrCD5Bqj1USFiLUV9F1BA" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
41) If you could go at it for five hours straight I’d be impressed.<br />
<br />
42) I understand if you’ve never tried it, but it’s harder to believe you’ve never heard of it at all.<br />
<br />
43) If you keep getting kicked in the face, maybe you’re not doing so well.<br />
<br />
44) If you do it a certain way, you end up with a baby.<br />
<br />
45) If you do it another way, you end up as friends.<br />
<br />
46) And if you really screw it up, you might have your spine torn out of your body.<br />
<br />
47) It’s rare to have more than two players at once.<br />
<br />
48) The setting doesn’t really make a huge difference, honestly.<br />
<br />
49) Often, one player is going to have a much better time than the other.<br />
<br />
50) Typically, a “nothing but roundhouse kicks” strategy is frowned upon.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-21691b87-7fff-5155-d7b9-2185b4415aed"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="250" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FYdjtVfQoDTbQ13yCT-zmepvRI1-EQXP7BdXlXW0tFWuH3--SU_w7eLe52PpMfQhanx2dX_XXOD5S-Zwzr9nvJuEpKythHl0gQH35GkHXqCvWVo-EhF_tqgJSbgSIeQuNzzmca6h" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
51) There are very few friends of whom I’d be comfortable asking about their performance.<br />
<br />
52) You’d probably get in trouble if you were caught doing it at work.<br />
<br />
53) “Excessive jumping” is totally a thing.<br />
<br />
54) I understand Nintendo is reluctant to release this kind of content.<br />
<br />
55) I’d prefer to not have someone watching over my shoulder while I’m going at it.<br />
<br />
56) Some people are more vocal than others while it’s going on.<br />
<br />
57) C’mon, don’t make fun of people who are new to it.<br />
<br />
58) I think the Bible has some relevant commentary.<br />
<br />
59) Juggling at the same time would be rather difficult.<br />
<br />
60) The right soundtrack can help set the mood.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8dc160a1-7fff-a808-8025-9d862b6f9743"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kxQ2c2zQBeYhHAOZecjwHxVyS19X36KAmkTyHl8Wu6g1kv4aDC5qbRrF85AQ52GQIW3nOMyBLavIETR_O_ExD3MMY-hYqpI7_17FTd1dpmSqKJBjrQr5tRobOb2ZvIoQ9udna_it" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
61) There are oh-so-saintly prudes out there who probably take pride in never trying it.<br />
<br />
62) I see chatter on Twitter about it occasionally.<br />
<br />
63) It’s the sort of content that gets an “R” or “M” rating.<br />
<br />
64) Sometimes you just have to growl “Get over here!”<br />
<br />
65) If your doctor says you’re not healthy enough for it, please listen to them.<br />
<br />
66) The 3D modeling has really advanced over the years.<br />
<br />
67) It’s all about who’s in control.<br />
<br />
68) There are firm boundaries, and it is good to know them.<br />
<br />
69) Leave your grandmother out of it.<br />
<br />
70) The classic debate: Should you try everyone, or stick to one main selection?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-c483752e-7fff-e36a-0288-cf4f1e6c062f"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="222" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/BtW1kNpedPZWG-aiWYweJfERG3rRMQNPd-0_bPvndOOvbAbpgZM9Oot7XEBwoDDN5DPhJssQ6APHzF1Bf7fD1NuvvNiEfY6Su4q9NG_coiHaJVeQKO8mREmt3TzFckTR4IYri3bU" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
71) You might have luck finding it on Craigslist.<br />
<br />
72) The motion-capture work is always interesting.<br />
<br />
73) If you record yourself doing it, someone out there would probably watch.<br />
<br />
74) Let’s be honest: Sometimes it’s gross.<br />
<br />
75) Mileena is either the best or the worst, depending on how you look at her.<br />
<br />
76) You might have your heart ripped right out of your chest.<br />
<br />
77) Personally, I don’t like involving food, I think it gets messy, but hey, you do you I guess.<br />
<br />
78) Have I ever paid $60 for it? No. Has someone else? Yeah. I bet a lot of people have.<br />
<br />
79) Has it gotten worse as you’ve aged? That may depend on who you ask.<br />
<br />
80) You have to know how to push the right buttons.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-7d806102-7fff-196c-1242-651d824568c2"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="194" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iXK_HiZPu-kAcoVMhCyj0toyN3VS8t1y5DAsw5dsHafR4uxiA04CBfyXZ9JwHXWb-E9C3sp3yzS-y6hoSmA6ludTrphGDyYplNiyM64V5hb-fihvmhO_yD37gQgCVz-EmDc8Arrz" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
81) But timing is crucial. Timing is the difference between success and disappointment.<br />
<br />
82) However, pressure is important too. You have to know when to go hard and when to lay off.<br />
<br />
83) Your first time is going to be an awkward disaster.<br />
<br />
84) Sometimes it leaves a big mess.<br />
<br />
85) You might stay up too late doing it.<br />
<br />
86) Can you play in VR yet? I’m not even sure.<br />
<br />
87) Try moving your thumb in gentler circles. Flick back at just the right moment.<br />
<br />
88) You can face one way or the other way.<br />
<br />
89) Some of the most innocent-looking people have far more experience than you’d think.<br />
<br />
90) Be respectful of your neighbors, try not to be too loud.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-6da1fd91-7fff-408c-3b3a-abe92e91d87a"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="221" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8RLpH8jEP4oosqaegY4NlzLSD6vltKR6w4CPPiVsf7JzNEb8yzJvjxZDIR1pUfGe_DPeHPT2T0GA1E8K7va8pIEGe3VU_y13ltlbLsqohc-jYYJaoGb6hfwV1B1PA-gQHMYCWpyn" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
91) I bet there are people who are absolutely obsessed.<br />
<br />
92) No, I’m not interested in your podcast about it.<br />
<br />
93) Make sure you’re properly hydrated beforehand.<br />
<br />
94) You may experience sweaty palms for the duration.<br />
<br />
95) You may have to compete with killer instinct.<br />
<br />
96) Never pick a guy named Stryker.<br />
<br />
97) There’s a chance your play will involve some electric shock.<br />
<br />
98) It’s the shape-shifting warlock you have to worry about.<br />
<br />
99) Use that block button to help prevent unwanted advances.<br />
<br />
100) Your opening move might be the most important.<br />
<br />
And have a bonus round:<br />
<br />
101) Whoever gets the first blow doesn’t always win.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-95d49944-7fff-689e-1f85-aa571e4cdcc4"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Z2Wo0fHg8OwidT5c9BvQmIIjd2oLx6dYt2wOl3ifnSSu-gFHh9hZCUIof1E7I6zXaRFA4v8smsO_UXXzhIDhi-8WuZNd2b5JLhwlnjU1ZN-iY0qzjzovdvZ6-AcYNEvYuaVWxqpD" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></span></div>
<br />
<i>Eric Bailey likes Nintendo games and writing about Nintendo games. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/EricVBailey">@EricVBailey</a>, check out his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3tReu9PbgrKhjQ596M8EcUs1irM86CST">minimalist YouTube series</a>, <a href="https://www.patreon.com/EricVBailey">support him on Patreon</a>, or ignore him altogether.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Previous Guest Posts by Eric Bailey:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2018/12/who-can-eat-more-yoshi-vs-kirby-guest.html">Who Can Eat More: Yoshi vs Kirby</a> ]</b><br />
<br />
<b>[ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2018/08/tribute-links-awakening-guest-post-by.html">Tribute: Link's Awakening</a> ]</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b> [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/06/youre-all-idiots-everythings-on-fire.html">You’re All Idiots, Everything's On Fire, and Nothing Ever Changes: Yet Another Critique of Gaming Culture</a> ] </b><br />
<br />
<b> [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2017/08/easy-mode-players-are-real-gamers-guest.html">Easy-Mode Players Are The Real Gamers</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-49726223164439614922019-03-28T16:16:00.002-05:002019-03-28T16:17:34.790-05:00Borderlands: The Handsome Collection: Ultimate HD Upgrade Pack is Free on April 3rd! Today is a good day. First there was the official reveal trailer for <i>Borderlands 3</i>, then they announced a <i>Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition HD</i> for the modern generation of systems, and now, we are also getting a <i>Handsome Collection</i> (including <i>Borderlands 2, The Pre-Sequel</i>, and all DLC) 4K ultra high definition upgrade for free.<b>*</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HWGP4p8u3Ig" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
<i>The Handsome Collection UHD Pack</i> arrives April 3rd for PS4, X Box One, and Steam.<br />
<br />
<b>For related posts [ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands&max-results=20&by-date=true">Borderlands</a></i> ]</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Presuming you already own the game.</span></b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-23867067005331845882019-03-28T16:03:00.001-05:002019-03-28T16:05:01.679-05:00Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition HD Remaster Arrives April 3rd! Not only did we finally get the highly anticipated official <i>Borderlands 3</i> reveal trailer, but we also get a complete remaster of the original game for current gen systems. It looks to be one hell of a visual upgrade to ultra high definition.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UKzMC90kaRw" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
This Game of the Year Edition includes all 4 DLC packs, along with some quality of life improvements, as well as what looks to be a few currently unannounced extras- just take a look at the differing character heads towards the end of the trailer which were not in the original game.<br />
<br />
This is definitely the Year of the <i>Borderlands</i>, marking Gearbox's triumphant return as a developer after the poorly received <i>Battleborn</i>, and the whole <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2013/02/aliens-colonial-marines-game-over-man.html"><i>Aliens: Colonial Marines</i> </a>fiasco.<br />
<br />
<i>Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition </i>drops April 3rd on PS4, XBox One, and Steam.<br />
<br />
<b>For related content [ <i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=borderlands&max-results=20&by-date=true">Borderlands</a></i> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-35067164282053865252019-03-28T14:34:00.005-05:002019-03-28T14:34:54.092-05:00Borderlands 3: The Official Reveal Trailer has Arrived Hot on the heels of yesterday's teaser we get the official reveal trailer for he unimaginably anticipated next installment of the <i>Borderlands</i> franchise, and it is everything we could've hoped for.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d9Gu1PspA3Y" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
It's got guns, bad guys, heroes, explosions, a plethora of wonderful looking new locations, and an absolute wealth of returning characters, including a few from <i>Tales from the Borderlands</i>. I honestly don't have to really say anything, as the trailer speaks for itself.<br />
<br />
The hype is real, and the end gives us the news that more will be revealed on April 3rd.<br />
<br />
<b>For related posts [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search/label/Borderlands%202">Borderlands</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-79141010445709664042019-03-12T15:15:00.002-05:002019-03-12T16:21:24.033-05:00Borderlands 3: Possible PAX East Reveal: Randy Pitchford May Have Given Us the First Teaser It's been a long time since I've posted here, and even longer since I posted <i>Borderlands</i> related material- but there's some possibly huge news that just came in the form of a wonderful teaser from Gearbox head Randy Pitchford.<br />
<br />
He's posted a Tweet that looks very remeniscent of something out of the beloved <i>Borderlands</i> franchise, pointing towards an announcement of something at PAX East:<br />
<blockquote align="center" class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
I am excite <a href="https://t.co/utpP2t5GuC">pic.twitter.com/utpP2t5GuC</a></div>
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuvalMagic/status/1105548303725445120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRKNKdDpCgyoTfwMA6Ds1Daj_Yj9fX_Gf92q75M9-ZMKlR9eByckQr8GcU6K9kh6fJiMwKooOsRohUlZ5yLNPhgrNg-HyT9xFqLWzWHsP89OMdYMzlABYP45ouVkR-G3upqpmN2KbgAis/s1600/TannisNotWhatSheSeems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="476" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRKNKdDpCgyoTfwMA6Ds1Daj_Yj9fX_Gf92q75M9-ZMKlR9eByckQr8GcU6K9kh6fJiMwKooOsRohUlZ5yLNPhgrNg-HyT9xFqLWzWHsP89OMdYMzlABYP45ouVkR-G3upqpmN2KbgAis/s320/TannisNotWhatSheSeems.jpg" width="207" /></a> Could we finally see the long awaited announcement and release of the third core installment in the franchise? I believe so. There's been a slew of update activity on Steam, countless small leaks, and even this wonderful April Fool's teaser from a year ago:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/Borderlands/status/979764466551160833">"Do Not Open the Vaults."</a></b></span></div>
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My hype for the game and blogging has returned. I look forward to updating and discussing news of <i>Borderlands 3</i> as it comes. A <i>Borderlands</i> review was one of my very earliest blog posts (though it corrupted and I lost the page), and <i>Borderlands 2</i> provided years of content, so the third game can only offer a large amount of content for me to provide- so I hope to hear from many of you fans again in the coming months.<br />
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<b>For related posts [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search/label/Borderlands%202">Borderlands</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-18455045855947068122018-12-28T12:33:00.000-06:002018-12-28T12:33:04.098-06:00Who Can Eat More: Yoshi vs Kirby (Guest Post by @EricVBailey )<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>THE QUANDRY</b></span><br />
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Yoshi and Kirby are two Nintendo characters who have a lot in common: They both have a reputation for being more “cute” than combative, they star in their own series of games, they have a limited vocabulary, and they are known for eating their opponents or other items.<br />
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But who can eat <i><b>more</b></i>?<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><b>YOSHI</b></span><br />
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Mario's faithful steed has to be near the top of the list of competitive eaters in gaming lore. The green dinosaur does little else besides eat and be sacrificed for longer jumps. With a flick of his tongue and a lay of his egg, he rapidly disposes of any meal placed in front of him.<br />
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In <i>Super Mario World</i>, the larval form of Yoshi doesn't even need the classic tonguing action. You just kinda shove his face into any enemy and Baby Yoshi will eat it. We take it for granted, just how impressive this feat is. Have <i><b>you </b></i>ever tried to eat something larger than yourself in less than a second?<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0977ef01-7fff-97e3-f5fb-865b0b4b0d4e"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="220" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/s6boSftpi-uhNoci28j6abn3RON-KaP4c4msJ3bqNn3cmbf4Oa0IgCvXUfEpp5VlSby05Nd7I09znDyYyd5WvjDKSt9WhlBcQ4aBkRnaejr83UVET23l3FCW7DBBxjylRSuh1rmo" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="370" /></span></span></div>
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This is the truly impressive facet of Yoshi's consumptive power – not just the size of his conquests, but the raw efficiency of the process. From the gulping swallow to the egg-to-ammo transformation, Yoshi seems to have optimized his guts for maximum capacity. You can parade an endless stream of feed-fodder straight toward his mouth, and he will just keep swallowing. Look at this .gif, illustrating the point. You could leave this thing running for decades, only to come back and still find Yoshi wolfing down Shy Guy after Shy Guy for all eternity.<br />
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So beware the tongue of Yoshi, lest he get you next. He may yet tempt you, or even impress you, with the skillful application of his long, thick, and moist appendage. He is quite capable of giving you a good tongue-lashing. Yes, he'll tongue you good. He'll tongue you hard, and deep. His skin glistens with sweat, his sinews drawn taut, his shoulders rising and falling with excited breath as he bites his lip and proceeds to-- *stares off into the middle distance*<br />
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<span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><b>KIRBY</b></span><br />
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In the circle of Nintendo's competitive eaters, Kirby has to be in the mix as well.<br />
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This lovable pink puffball seems to have an insatiable appetite. Whereas Yoshi converts his foes into weapon-projectiles through arcane digestive means, Kirby himself is the end of his means, the final destination for those unlucky enough to cross him. His mouth is like a black hole, his stomach the period that the story of life.<br />
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Yoshi's gift for rapid-fire snacking is nothing short of miraculous, but Kirby has him beat in a few specific ways. For one, Kirby can eat more than one thing at once. Yoshi has this certain physical limitation about him, this constraint whereby the tip of his tongue must physically connect with his target. Kirby shows no concern for paltry ideas like “physics,” instead electing to consume, consume everything.<br />
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Yoshi's backstory has something to do with living on an island and playing a part in the rise of the <i>Super Mario Bros</i>. Kirby's story always seems to essentially boil down to “One day, Kirby was having a picnic or taking a nap or otherwise being perfectly innocent and adorable, until his idyllic peace was interrupted by a paradimensional entity bent on the violent destruction of all life. So Kirby ate him. Peace was restored, the end.”<br />
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You don't mess with Kirby.<br />
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Kirby will eat everything, instantly, forever.<br />
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At this point, some Yoshi apologist will say “b-b-but what about Mega Yarn Yoshi, and those giant metal eggs from New Island?!” Get that garbage argument out of here. Look, Yoshi's a dinosaur, he has to adhere to certain physical limits. Kirby, on the other hand, laughs at every attempt of the cosmos to contain him.<br />
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We can look to one title in particular for the most compelling persuasion: In Kirby Triple Deluxe, Kirby does this thing where he goes “hypernova” and his suction rips entire dang trees out of the ground, among other objects. There is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ddJsuxS8g">video evidence</a>. But if you're going to watch one video to summarize Kirby's nigh-apocalyptic prowess, check out his<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z53syCZdzKg"> final boss battle from that game</a>, in which he swallows... a streaming blast of supernatural energy? And then fires it back out of his face to annihilate all in his path? Ridiculous. That kind of eating can't be quantified.<br />
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Perhaps there was a time when this article began with a good-faith intent at debate but, no, let's be honest, Kirby wins this battle of bites and it's not even close. Even if Yoshi forked his tongue, and stretched it out, and massacred his mouth into an inescapable maw of unfathomable tentacle-tongues, Kirby would just suck 'im up like the infinite vacuum he is and swallow it all whole.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>THE WINNER</b></span><br />
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Kirby wins.<br />
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Easily.<br />
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Decisively.<br />
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…<br />
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Although...<br />
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Now I do have to wonder:<br />
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Could he eat a ghost?<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-13918c58-7fff-7660-5db8-7301646608f9"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="134" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QcHBwhCBVf-n63wOpmCj48x1tzcojxCJH62PGYUygmkxaOIZ_ehj1PwerXiRqtd9k--bL7G7fUtnXvOjYd67v_xsLGUwexRU3XWsxhYK61Ek5UNZKiHBhqG9XdeVj152RJSG3n50" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="220" /></span></span></div>
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<i>Special thanks to internet pal and Kirby expert Jonathan for his input on this piece. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/radicaldefect">@radicaldefect</a>.</i><br />
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<i>Eric Bailey likes Nintendo games and writing about Nintendo games. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/EricVBailey">@EricVBailey</a>, check out his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3tReu9PbgrKhjQ596M8EcUs1irM86CST">minimalist YouTube series</a>, support him <a href="https://www.patreon.com/EricVBailey">on Patreon</a>, or ignore him altogether.</i><br />
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<b> Previous Guest Posts by Eric Bailey:</b><br />
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<b> [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2018/08/tribute-links-awakening-guest-post-by.html">Tribute: Link's Awakening</a> ]</b><br />
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<b> [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/06/youre-all-idiots-everythings-on-fire.html">You’re All Idiots, Everything's On Fire, and Nothing Ever Changes: Yet Another Critique of Gaming Culture</a> ] </b><br />
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<b> [<a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2017/08/easy-mode-players-are-real-gamers-guest.html"> Easy-Mode Players Are The Real Gamers</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-33667247648786877832018-12-27T22:25:00.000-06:002018-12-27T22:25:12.019-06:00Dead Island: Survivors: Short Review It's been a little over 2 years since <i>Dead Island: Survivors</i> shambled into soft launch in Norway, and it has finally spread the infection to the global market. The <i>Dead Island</i> franchise has definitely had a rough patch over the last five years. <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2014/11/escape-dead-island-review-ps3.html"><i>Escape Dead Island</i> missed the cel-shaded mark</a>, the <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/10/dead-island-epidemic-servers-officially.html">highly under-rated MOBA <i>Dead Island: Epidemic</i></a> was shut down before it could even leave open beta, <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/05/dead-island-retro-revenge-trailer.html"><i>Dead Island: Retro Revenge</i> wasn't anything like the beat 'em up it was originally advertised to be</a>, and <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/05/dead-island-2-deep-silver-comments-on.html"><i>Dead Island 2</i> is still lost somewhere in developmental purgatory</a>.<br />
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Unlike its <i>Dead Island</i> predecessors <i>Survivors</i> combines base building with tower defense and adds a dash of 3rd person zombie slaying action in as well. Players are tasked with setting up protective perimeters, laying all manner of blockades and traps, and defending their bases while attempting to round up all the other survivors from the formerly idyllic nearby islands. Sadly, what makes this one unique addition to the tower defense core of the game go awry with is the absolutely atrocious controls for the character. When you want to engage in melee combat with a character the control is of the point and click variety instead of a traditional joystick (virtual in this case). It then locks your camera in and having to constantly adjust to see what you are missing is infuriating to no end. Trying to attack a specific zombie in a horde is utterly worthless, resulting in wasted attacks and time, which in turn generally lead to losses for the player. You have to either focus on building and maintaining the defense system OR using the extraordinarily poorly controlled character. You cannot do both as the other will suffer quite swiftly- creating an awful situation where in the later game you hit impassable walls because you can't do both. Having to sacrifice one aspect of the duality is not a good gameplay decision here at all.<br />
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Deep Silver’s development studio Fishlabs Entertainment has brought the franchise to the mobile market, but despite the potentially bright rays of sunshine a new <i>Dead Island</i> game might've provided us with, the Banoi Archipelago has seen better tie-in game days (<i><a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2015/10/dead-island-epidemic-servers-officially.html">Epidemic</a></i>), but to be fair, it's also seen much, much worse (<i>Retro Revenge</i>). There's an absurd microtransaction focus that happens with a great many mobile games by gating off things with an overabundance of timers and an extreme scarcity of resources leading to the inevitable lengthy wait times and slowing down progress to the point of actually discouraging gameplay. <br />
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As much of a fan of the series as I am, I can't recommend this game at all unless you really, REALLY like the monotonous grind of tower defense games. <i>Dead Island: Survivors</i> is a case where they might've done far better had they broken the game into either strictly a tower defense, or gone with a simple hack-n-slash adventure game (which is what I had hoped for) as opposed to attempting to merge the two together as an incongruent mess. That's a very disappointing thing for me to say too, because the visual design is so good in <i>Survivors</i>, and any hope for another mobile tie in game that is truly worthwhile is rapidly dwindling while awaiting the official <i>Dead Island 2</i> to re-emerge from whatever undead state it currently resides in.<br />
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<b><i>Dead Island: Survivors</i> [ <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dsfishlabs.disurvivors">Google Play</a> ] [ <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/dead-island-survivors/id1133576563?mt=8">iOS</a> ]</b><br />
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<b> <i>Dead Island</i> on [ <a href="https://twitter.com/deadislandgame?lang=en">Twitter</a> ] [ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deadislandgame">Facebook</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-25176793461697968812018-08-29T10:54:00.001-05:002018-08-29T11:46:29.961-05:00Tribute: Link's Awakening (Guest Post by @EricVBailey )People enjoy stories about likeable protagonists who overcome adversity.<br />
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In the face of overwhelming odds our hero manages to triumph, and our sympathetic tension achieves a victorious payoff. One popular framework toward this end is the shipwreck. You have a happy character, on top of the world, enjoying some maritime travel, who is suddenly thrust into harsh conditions. This is quite a dramatic turn, bolstered by historical examples, and works to unfold our fears of an uncertain future.<br />
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Castaway is a generally well-received film, with Tom Hanks continuing to stretch his acting range in a challenging role. <i>Robinson Crusoe</i> is regarded as a literary classic. The television series <i>Arrow</i> leaned heavily on a “stranded on a remote island in the Pacific” backstory. Even the Bible heightens its drama with the account of a shipwreck in the book of Acts. And tucked back in the late 20th century, on a humble handheld machine, gaming also has its premiere shipwreck story --<br />
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<i>Survival Kids</i>.<br />
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… no, wait, sorry, not Survival Kids.<br />
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<i>The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening</i>.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>On a dark and stormy night...</b></span></div>
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<i>The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening</i> is a video game that originally released in 1993 for Nintendo’s portable Game Boy system. It is one of my personal favorites, and I believe it is great.<br />
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This topdown adventure oozes classic Nintendo appeal and, in my view, sports some brilliant design strokes that perfectly complement a delightful original world. The setting often straddles the line between charming and unnerving, and I found the overall effect intoxicating when I first played the game as a child. Just as a good book is described as something you cannot put down, <i>Link’s Awakening</i> was truly an experience that I was reluctant to let leave my hands; notably, I do not often feel this way about games.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Franchise Legacy</b></span></div>
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In some ways, <i>Link’s Awakening</i> is a radical departure for the <i>Legend of Zelda</i> franchise: It is the only game to take place on Koholint Island, the first portable Zelda title, and plays extensively with references to other games and media altogether. In other ways, it poses more subtle subversions.<br />
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In <i>Ocarina of Time</i>, a girl named Malon teaches Link Epona’s Song for his ocarina. In <i>Link’s Awakening</i>, a girl named Marin teaches Link the Ballad of the Wind Fish for his ocarina. Both of these characters show an affinity for animals.<br />
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In <i>Link’s Awakening</i>, using the Bow and a Bomb at the same time results in firing an arrow attached a bomb that explodes on impact. Curiously, this has never been confirmed or denied by the developers as an unintentional glitch. Arrows and bombs could be combined in <i>Twilight Princess</i>, but it was not until <i>Breath of the Wild</i> in 2017 that Bomb Arrows were finally their own full-fledged item.<br />
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I feel <i>Link’s Awakening</i> forged new ground for the Zelda series in ways that have been overshadowed by the contributions of other titles, like later games get credit for feats Awakening already achieved, and much of its greatness has been lost in the mix of fondness for some of Link’s other adventures.<br />
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<i>The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask</i> has received lots of praise over the years for its melancholy mood and a darker theme. Rightly so! It remains my favorite Zelda game, largely because it is so unusual. However, some may forget that <i>Link’s Awakening</i> has its share of dark imagery as well, <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnImadNasr/status/916302328763944963">as noted by a Twitter friend of mine on a playthrough</a> in 2017.<br />
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<i>Link’s Awakening</i> was already exploring the idea of an oncoming world-ending cataclysm in a world entirely separate from Hyrule years before<i> Majora’s Mask</i> would, complete with the necessary epic songs and ventures into added layers of the not-quite-real.<br />
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How about cameos? In the 64-bit Zelda titles, you can find little winks to the <i>Super Mario</i> canon, like the Bowser jewelry in Ocarina and the Mario mask in Majora. In <i>Twilight Princess</i>, keen observers may spot a Bullet Bill image. But did you know that in <i>Link’s Awakening</i> you can find Yoshi, Goomba, Pirahna Plants, Cheep Cheep, Bloobers, and a Chain Chomp! Never again would so many Mario characters manage to squeeze into one of Link’s adventures. It’s so strange!<br />
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<i>Breath of the Wild</i> is infamous for hiding 900 Korok seeds throughout its world, rewarding completists who will search every blade of grass for hidden treasure. Ocarina had its Skulltulas. But y’know which Zelda game started the trend of having a big fetch quest throughout? <i>Link’s Awakening</i>, with its 26 Secret Seashells, 20 of them standing in the way between Link and his sword upgrade.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;">It’s A Good Game, Brent</span></b></div>
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Consider the worst parts of popular Zelda titles.<br />
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What’s the one design element you hate from each one? Is it the rain in <i>Breath of the Wild</i>, or how poorly the polygons have aged in the N64 games? Do you despise the endless sailing in Wind Waker, or was it the Triforce shards that drove you to despair? Did you abhor the motion controls of <i>Skyward Sword</i>, or the barren overworld of <i>Twilight Princess</i>?<br />
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<i>Link’s Awakening</i> doesn’t have any of these issues.<br />
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It’s just a solid, well-rounded game. Like any high-caliber Nintendo fare it has charm, humor, a memorable soundtrack, tight gameplay, and some gorgeous visuals. Your mileage may vary as to its difficulty, but I always thought it hit a great spot between ease and challenge.<br />
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Words can hardly encapsulate the experience. Maybe some games can be summarized in a reflection like this, but I think <i>Link’s Awakening</i> truly rewards those who dig into it. I recommend you try it, and I’d love to hear what you think. I have a feeling it’ll be one of my sentimental favorites for as long as I live.<br />
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<i>Eric Bailey likes Nintendo games and writing about Nintendo games. You can follow him <a href="https://twitter.com/EricVBailey">on Twitter @EricVBailey</a>, check out his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3tReu9PbgrKhjQ596M8EcUs1irM86CST">new minimalist YouTube series</a>, support him <a href="https://www.patreon.com/EricVBailey">on Patreon</a>, or ignore him altogether.</i><br />
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<b>Previous Guest Posts by Eric Bailey:</b><br />
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<b>[ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2016/06/youre-all-idiots-everythings-on-fire.html">You’re All Idiots, Everything's On Fire, and Nothing Ever Changes: Yet Another Critique of Gaming Culture </a>]</b> </blockquote>
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<b>[ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/2017/08/easy-mode-players-are-real-gamers-guest.html">Easy-Mode Players Are The Real Gamers</a> ]</b></blockquote>
joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-69415738608527315572018-08-27T14:44:00.001-05:002018-08-27T14:44:11.154-05:00Streets of Rage 4 Has Been Officially Revealed!!! It's been a long time since the 1994 release of the last new installment in Sega's iconic beat 'em up <i>Streets of Rage</i> series, and today Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games have announced <i>Streets of Rage 4</i>!<br />
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According to the official site:<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">After many years, Axel and Blaze are finally picking up the fight where they left. </span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: red;"><i>Streets of Rage 4</i> builds upon the classic trilogy’s gameplay with new mechanics, a fresh story and a gauntlet of dangerous stages with a serious crime problem. <i>Streets of Rage 4</i> recalls classic gameplay but it stands as an entirely original arcade-style romp thanks to the expertise of Guard Crush Games and Dotemu. </span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Whether players gang up with a friend or clean up the city solo, <i>Streets of Rage 4</i> is a skull-bashing, chicken-chomping delight all set to a thumping soundtrack sure to get your blood pumping.</span></b></blockquote>
The reveal trailer shows us some glorious gameplay featuring an older and more grizzled Axel Stone along with long-time bare knuckle companion Blaze Fielding taking on some familiar old enemies in a truly amazing new visual style. No word yet if other old friends will be playable characters as well like Adam or Eddie "Skate" Hunter, Max Thunder, or possibly even former-enemy-boss-turned-friendly-combatant Shiva.<br />
I'm also hoping they nail the music for the game, as it played a massive part in setting the tone of the first and second games.<br />
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I've said numerous times before, that <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=streets+rage"><i>Streets of Rage 2</i> stands as one of the greatest games ever</a> made, and we can only hope this game turns out to not only live up to, but actually improve on that legacy.<br />
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No release date or platforms have been announced yet.<br />
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<b>For more information check out the official site [ <a href="https://www.streets4rage.com/">Streets4Rage</a> ]</b><br />
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<b>Source [ <a href="https://twitter.com/Dotemu/status/1034084806324379648">Dotemu twitter</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-70273801181833776552018-06-28T21:20:00.003-05:002018-06-28T21:21:52.076-05:00Marvel Future Fight: Teases (X-traordinary) X-Men Announcement for SDCC 2018 Ever since the 3 year anniversary of <i>Marvel Future Fight</i>, the game and developers have really turned things around from a few great flubs in the last year- such as the loot box <i>Ultimates</i> characters which resulted in amassive player boycott.<br />
Today after the official <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelGames/status/1012425413044330498">Marvel Games twitter account posted an image</a> about what is in store for this years San Diego Comic Con without <i>Future Fight</i>, players questioned the lack of the game, and the official <i>Future Fight</i> account was quick to respond with an amazing teaser.<br />
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Calling all Agents! Your presence is urgently requested for a briefing that is of the utmost importance! We have something... X-traordinary to discuss! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarvelSDCC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarvelSDCC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SDCC2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SDCC2018</a> <a href="https://t.co/DNUiL6WC0j">https://t.co/DNUiL6WC0j</a></div>
— Marvel: Future Fight (@Marvel_FFightUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/Marvel_FFightUS/status/1012427335243481088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This seems like an easy teaser for the <i>Extraordinary X-Men</i> comic series. Granted we can only speculate at this point, but we already have a lot of the team in the game and there's an opportunity to give them new uniforms and even expand the roster with fan favorite characters like Deadpool.<br />
Considering that last years SDCC announcement was the Age of Apocalypse, I can only imagine this years will need to top the hype and subsequent letdown last year- Apocalypse himself didn't even arrive in game until a couple weeks after the initial update hit.<br />
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The hype has already begun, and I for one, am very X-Cited to see what Netmarble has in store for <i>Marvel Future Fight</i> as SDCC 2018 at the Marvel Games Panel on Thursday, July 19th from 1-2pm.<br />
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<b> For related [ <a href="http://www.joshuabarsody.com/search?q=marvel+future+fight">Posts</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714483806643923093.post-27663723491351325612018-06-27T18:05:00.001-05:002018-06-27T18:05:06.991-05:00Morbius: Jared Leto Officially Cast as The Living Vampire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In an out-of-left-field announcement, Sony has announced that Jared Leto has been cast in a <i>Morbius</i> film, based on the 1971 comic character created by Gil Kane and Roy Thomas for <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> 101.<br />
This comes as an odd surprise as Morbius has never been a huge character in the <i>Spider-Man</i> universe, whereas the <i>Venom</i> film makes sense because he's been in countless issues and series as well as being wildly popular as a dark and gritty anti-hero. Morbius has only appeared periodically since that first issue and even had a solo-series for a few years.<br />
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Michael Morbius was a scientist with a rare blood disorder, and in a typical old horror story fashion through an effort to cure the disease via a science experiment gone wrong, he instead transformed himself into a pseudo-vampire- along with all the vampire-like traits that come with it such as enhanced strength, speed, a healing factor, night vision, echolocation, and the classic vampire staple- a thirst for blood.<br />
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He began as a foe of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and eventually grew to be a tragic anti-hero and fight for the side of good. Perhaps Leto will be able to really nail the tragic dichotomy of a man torn between seeking to do good and fighting his inhuman lust for blood. Rumors say that Daniel Espinoza (<i>Safe House</i>) is going to be directing the feature, so hopefully we'll get something more character accurate than Leto's bizarre take on the Joker from <i>Suicide Squad</i>. In addition, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are writing the script, and they will be overseen by Palak Patel.<br />
Now I'm curious to know if Sony hold the cinematic rights to Jack Russel, of Marvel Comics' <i>Werewolf By Night</i>. Or if they'll have a cameo appearance of either Venom or Spider-Man considering the relation of the properties.<br />
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<i>Morbius</i> has no set release window yet.<br />
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<i>Venom</i> is set to release October 5th.<br />
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<i>Spider-Man: Far From Home</i> is slated for early July 2019 release.<br />
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<b> Source [ <a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/news/jared-leto-spider-man-spinoff-morbius-1202799820/">Variety</a> ]</b>joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11445309993717135544noreply@blogger.com0