Hi Giant Bomb Fam! Another week, another blog entry from yours truly.

What have I been playing? More Gears, mostly.

Gears of War 3

Holy shit this game is insane. I haven’t played a game in a really long time where I’ve yelled out “OH MY GOD THAT IS SO COOL” over and over again. So many parts of Gears of War 3 are incredible. The new enemies, the Lambent, are ridiculous and the game never had a dull moment. On top of all of this, the emotional parts of the story were quite good and I’m surprised they managed to salvage a decent story after the first game.

Gears of War 4

Yeah, so I jumped right into this one after playing Gears of War 3. I couldn’t stop. The one thing I’ll say is playing through the first three games and then jumping to a current generation Gears of War game made me realize how big of a jump it actually is. Everything is much tighter, a lot of the cover is super destructible, the environmental storms are really neat and I actually enjoyed fighting the new robot enemies during the first half of the game. Also, the new trio of characters (JD, Del and Kait) have all been really good. In the first trilogy, you’re basically hearing meatheads bicker back and forth. In this game it’s seems more light hearted and comedic, which I dig.

Yakuza 0

I’ve been playing Yakuza 0 on and off between games and I think I prefer playing it that way. The story, the voice acting and dialogue is really good. I’m not terribly far into it but I’m currently trying to find out what this Tachibana Real Estate company is really up to. It’s been fun just playing through the various side missions, because they’re so ridiculous. The last mission was literally about a high schoolgirl selling her panties to make money because she was bullied into it by her classmate, and then you basically getting her to stop and calling out the perverts (oh my god this game is so Japanese and weird). I’m probably going to play this game in longer spurts once I’ve finished the Gears series.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This game is like crack. Look, I just need to craft more items to get my damn three new neighbours to move into Nagusame. If you’re reading this and have no idea what Animal Crossing is I’m sorry, I just really want to find apples and pears. Anyway, this game has been super fun to go into everyday for 40-60 mins at a time and just tinker around. I’m going to end up playing this for a long, long time and it’s really very good. Anyway, I have to get back to crafting a stone table now. Bye. P.S. Tom Nook is an asshole, I’m always in debt to him, smh.

Hello, Giant Bomb fam!

Considering all that’s going on in the world with the COVID19 pandemic, I figured I’d continue with my weekly blog series (Is it a series now? I guess it is)

Yakuza 0

I’m still playing through Yakuza 0 whenever I can, though it’s mostly between other games. I actually think that’s a good way to play through the game since a lot of the quests are pretty short and fun to jump into one or two at a time. It’s a fantastic game so far and I’ve already put about 8 hours into it. I’m still really early on in the game, only on Chapters 2.

I’ve always heard great things about the series but I‘ve never had a chance to play it until now. This is probably my favourite thing about Xbox Game Pass. I can give these games a shot without an upfront fee and if I really like it, I end up buying it at a reduced cost to support the developers. Also I have to say, all of the side missions have been extremely funny so far.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I played the shit out of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It was the first one I truly fell in love with. That said, I was holding off getting New Horizons for a few reasons. I thought the game was mostly going to be like New Leaf and I felt like I got enough out of that game, that I wouldn’t want to go through another one again. I also didn’t want Animal Crossing: New Horizons to eat up into my game backlog time because I have like ~60 games I want to play through at some point. Then over the course of March 20th, 2020 (the release date) it seemed like everyone was playing it except me. I got tempted, quarantined in my house, so I downloaded it onto my Switch. I’m so glad I did.

With all the COVID19 news, I was feeling pretty anxious, weird and uncomfortable. It’s a relaxing, fun escape during pressing times – which is exactly what I needed right now. I’ve had a lot of joy starting the game off, exploring my island, starting to build my house, talking to neighbours and just see what is going on. This will probably end up being my most played Switch game, along with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This one is a bit different in that it’s going to be fun visiting it everyday for 20-40 minutes at a time. It’s pure joy and everything I love about video games.

For the record, I named my island Nagusame, which translated from Japanese, means comfort. I think that’s fitting during these times.

Gears of War 2

Not too long ago I finished Gears of War Ultimate Edition. When I purchased my Xbox One S back in 2016, it came with Gears of War 4 and download codes for the previous 4 Xbox 360 Gears of War games. It also came with all the Halo games, and having never played that series before, that is where my priority was. When I was at home for a 2 week period on a staycation, I marathoned through each Halo game until completion. It’s kind of funny how now with Gears of War, I’m looking to do the same considering I’m staying indoors.

I’ve only ever played Gears of War 2 before on my Xbox 360. I don’t know why I never bothered to pick up Gears of War, Gears of War 3. or Gears of War: Judgment. It’s odd because I truly loved Gears of War 2 back in 2008. The cover mechanics, shooting and level design all still feel top notch in 2020. I’m glad I can go back and play through them all now, though! I also cannot believe the series is almost 15 years old — insane!

Gears of War 2 was a fun trip down memory lane. I beat it last night and absolutely loved every minute of it.

Gears of War 3

Surprise! I’m continuing my streak and starting Gears of War 3. I just started Act 1 but so far so good. It‘s improved on Gears of War 2 in a lot of ways and just feels even more refined than Gears of War 2 did. Plus, The Lambent are crazy mofos. They’re fun enemies to fight so far. I can’t wait to complete this and move onto Gears of War 4 or Judgment, I haven’t decided yet.

Hello, Giant Bomb fam!

I haven’t posted a blog here in years, I’ve been on a pretty good gaming binge since the start of the year. I needed some place to gush about my nerdy hobby! Plus, let’s be honest, with all the news surround COVID-19, I really need an avenue to talk about something not so gutting. So, I’m going to talk a bit about the games I’ve played/been playing since the start of the year.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

I started off the year playing a remaster of a game, from one of my favourite franchises, which I’ve never really played before - The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I say I’ve never really played it before, but that’s somewhat of a lie. I’ve played the original through the 3DS virtual console, but I never really got that far into it. The bulk of Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch was a completely new experience for me, and I loved it. The abundant references to all things Nintendo, the dungeons, the music and the items you get were all on point. Plus, I really adore the visual style. It felt good playing a new 2D styled Zelda game. I really hope Nintendo continues to make new 2D Zelda games along with the new Breath of the Wild formula Zelda games for years to come.

Devil May Cry HD Collection

Yeah so, I initially intended to play through Devil May Cry 1-3 before going through DMC4 and DMC5...then I played about 20 minutes of DMC1. I quickly realized I can’t do it and skipped ahead to DMC3. I’ve heard many people say DMC2 is terrible so I just avoided it as well.

Like Link’s Awakening, I played DMC3 way back when on the PS2 but never got really far into it. The HD remaster looks quite nice overall, but the lack of certain cut scenes being remastered is super jarring. I didn’t remember the original game looking quite as bad, but I guess that’s expected jumping ahead two generations. Overall I really enjoyed DMC3, the combat is quite fun and switching between the different styles, mixed with the different weapon combinations, offered up a lot of diversity in the gameplay. The only thing I was bummed out about was the camera. It’s pretty horrendous and hasn’t aged well, so much so that I had to quit after about an hour of playing on normal difficult and restarted the game on easy difficulty.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I’m juggling my time right now between three games, I might as well call it Haz Plays: Three Games. Fire Emblem: Three Houses was the first one I started after I finished DMC3. It’s been really enjoyable, albeit having only spent a short amount of time on it thus far. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about all the classroom and stats management of all the students in the garreg mach monastery, but I’m finding that I’m really liking it. I’m still working out all the intricacies of the game’s levelling systems, students’ goals, relationship management, classroom management and obtaining certificates (reclassing). This is on top of all the battle elements that I’m refreshing on, as the last Fire Emblem game I completed was Awakening back in 2013. I played a bit of Fire Emblem Fates, but I couldn’t get into it the same way as Awakening.

Yakuza 0

Oh my goodness, I’ve been waiting FOREVER to play this series! I was so ecstatic when I saw the announcement that it was coming to Xbox One, and on Game Pass too! I’ve heard so many great things about these games and after putting some time into it, I can definitely see why people love them. The story, dialogue and voice acting are all SO great in this game. I was immediately hooked from the get go. The combat system is surprisingly deep so far, due to the different fighting styles and how you can go about upgrading them. Apart from that, the optional quests can be pretty silly to take away from the super serious mood of it all. For example, the one I just completed was about helping a punk band full of relatively harmless university kids look tough to maintain their image for their fans. You tell each of the members how they should act and watch how it unfolds, it’s quite hilarious. I’ve also been enjoying the little things around the city in the game, like seeing all the shops or the SEGA arcades. I can’t believe you can actually play Space Harrier, it’s a neat touch.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of my favourite games of this generation, my favourite of Microsoft’s new IPs and my favourite of the Metroidvania types that have released this generation (honourable mention to Hollow Knight as a close second, though). Once Ori and the Will of the Wisps came out a few days ago, my attention immediately had to shift to it. This game is gorgeous and it’s just pure fun. It’s evident that the game borrows a lot from Hollow Knight, but all the good parts. The improvements to the combat system, coupled with the excellent level design, make the game a joy to explore and discover. My favourite part about the new abilities in the game is how easily you can string together a bunch of attacks to take on enemies. It’s just really well designed. I also really like the different upgrades you can buy to change up the combat, it ends up being pretty diverse. I’m really happy this is now a franchise for Microsoft and Moon Studios, well deserved!

Anyway, that was a lot to read through. Hopefully it was enjoyable for the community! I’m looking forward to writing more of these as the year goes on and I play through more titles!

I never thought I'd say 'I picked up an Xbox One', but last weekend that’s exactly what happened.

Let me first preface this by saying that when it comes to Microsoft or Sony, I'm pretty indifferent and I’ve been pretty harsh on both of them over the years. I like both PlayStation and Xbox for different reasons. Both of these competitors have some really interesting ideas. Last generation I owned the Xbox 360 and loved it, until the later part of the generation; that’s when I wished I had a PS3.

Fast forward this generation, and I’m finding the opposite. I loved my PS4 for the first two years of owning it, but at this point I’m feeling pretty ‘meh’ about it. The PS4 Pro looks okay and Horizon Zero Dawn looks great, but, just something about Sony’s PlayStation plan this generation that makes me shrug at the moment.

So that’s where the beginning part of this blog comes into play. On a whim last Friday, I decided to pack up my PS3 and PS4 with my games for those platforms and head to EBGames. I traded it all in towards an Xbox One S Halo Collection Bundle (1TB). I had money left over to put towards something else, so I picked up Gears of War 4 – which came with the first three games and Gears of War Judgment. I ended up only paying $15 for that.

My impressions so far of the Xbox One S are really positive. The UI is really well designed, I truly did miss Xbox Live and the Xbox One controller is the best controller ever made, in my opinion. Twitch streaming has been almost flawless too, I’ve streamed my entire play through thus far of Halo: Combat Evolved onto Twitch and exported it onto my YouTube page. I can definitely see what the hype is about Halo now; I’m really enjoying it.

On a final note, being a late adopter has its perks too. I picked up Sunset Overdrive for $15 and I’ll be purchasing Rocket League for $14.99 since it’s on sale with Games with Gold. I think it’s unfortunately that the negative press the Xbox One had early on in this generation has still (kind of) carried over. It’s actually a great console and has a lot of neat ideas – design wise, I’m really impressed with Microsoft as well. Oh, I also need to get on Ori and the Blind Forest too. Apparently, it’s one of the best games on Xbox One too!

I had a few questions if anyone would be willing to answer them too, that'd be great! Thanks!

• How long does the controller last with the Play & Charge kit?
• Can you live stream to YouTube directly?
• Do 'free' games on Games with Gold work like they do on PSN
  • i.e you need an active XBL Gold membership to play them?
• Are there any other Indie games worth checking out that are on XBO? I only know of Ori and Inside

A new year brings along new games to play and look forward. While 2015 has a ton of content coming out for every platform (seriously, this is insane...!) it's also a year where I really want to play the older titles-- going back to the 'roots' of gaming, I suppose! It would have made more sense to do so last year since it was an underwhelming year of releases, but I've recently managed to rejuvenate my interest in gaming again (thanks, Bayonetta 2). I hit a rough patch last year where I was totally disinterested with games in general. This year, I plan to change that.

My lack of exposure to classic franchises is a problem. I love gaming, how did I go so long without ever playing the original The Legend of Zelda or Castlevania!? I need to play these games at some point. I was born in 1990, which means I really didn't start playing a lot of games until I was about 7 or 8 years old. I grew up with the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1, which both had their fill of classics, but I missed out on a lot. Off the top of my head, this is what I missed out on--Final Fantasy, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Metal Gear Solid ... the list goes on. It was only until the PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox era where I really started getting into games and even still I was unaware to those beloved franchises, to a certain extent.

Thanks to the likes of the Virtual Console, I now have a method to play these games (legally) all while being portable. The first series that I decided to take on was Mega Man. I wanted to play Mega Man because it's a series I've wanted to play for a while now, and 2014's Shovel Knight got me in the mood to finally visit the games from the Blue Bomber. The original games are all available on the 3DS which is convenient for me. I carry mine around to play on my commute to and from work everyday, so why not! I bought the original Mega Man on the 3DS Virtual Console yesterday and it's been kicking my ass.

Mega Man is not extremely difficult, but it does make you realize how easy games have become these days. I'm craving a challenge and Mega Man seems to fit the bill so far (until Bloodborne in March). I've defeated all Fireman, Bomb Man, Cut Man and Gut Man so far. I cheated a bit (as advised by @jordanelek) and I looked up the boss order. I did it in the completely wrong order, despite noting down who to tackle first in the 3DS' Game Notes.

From what I've played so far some enemies have a pattern, so you need to learn how to dodge them--like the Killer Bullet enemies from the Bomb Man stage. There's other enemies which you can avoid and some that you can't, and you'll need to learn how to jump at the right time and aim at the right moment. I've found it to be pretty tricky, but the more I've been playing the better I've become at it.

When I first started to play, I tried running through the levels as quickly as I could, while trying to defeat all the enemies as I rush through the level. I've since changed my tactics because that's obviously not going to work. This is what happens when you're usually an impatient gamer! So it's time for me to learn to be patient and tactful. I've died a lot in the game. Most games these days are pretty lax with little consequence for making mistakes. Clearly, Mega Man is not that kind of game. Seriously though, I'm really bad at these games ... if there was a way to broadcast 3DS games on Twitch, I would--for your entertainment.

I'm also planning on writing a weekly blog about what I've been playing. I haven't spent time to brush up on my writing skills since I graduated from University so why not talk about video games?