We are kicking off 2015 with a list of highly anticipated games. I have really high hopes for these games coming up and I do hope I get to experience them all with you. These are games that are going to be so entertaining and time consuming that you will not be seeing much of the outside world and end up growing a pretty epic beard. Without further ado lets get it started. Here is my top five list of games I am super eager to play in 2015; they are all multi-platform based so as not to exclude anyone. These game seemingly have the most intrigue and promise of things to come:
Name: Dying Light
Platform: PS4/Xbox One/PC/Linux
1 to 4 Players
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Genre: Action
Release Date: 2014
ESRB: M
Name: Project Cars
Platform: Xbox One/PS4/Windows/Steam OS/Wii U
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Genre: Racing
Release Date: 3/17/2015
ESRB: RP
Name: Mortal Kombat X
Platform: PC/PS4/Xbox One
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Release Date: 4/14/2015
ESRB: M
Name: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Platform: PC/PS4/Xbox One
Developer: CDProjekt RED
Publisher: Warner Bros.
Genre: Role-Playing
Release Date: 5/19/2015
ESRB: RP
Name: Grand Theft Auto V
Platform: PC
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Genre: Action Adventure
Release Date: 24/03/2015
ESRB: M
Do not let any of these games pass you by in 2015; you will regret it...
Welcome to another random Monday blogpost, trying to keep these short and sweet going forward. So not sure if you recall but a couple months back when E3 2013 happened we did our summary of the big question going into the holiday season. Which Next -Gen console to invest in? You can see that video below:
Months later and the dust has settled and the numbers are in. *Drumroll Please* Who comes out on top in the battle for Next-Gen Supremacy after all the changes and releases?
I called this from day one. Whether they want to call me a fanboy or not I was right. The facts were all there, even if certain policies and features changed here and there over the time period of when I released this video and now. So by now if you are a heavy gamer and been following the console wars you should have a firm grasp of what has solidified Sony's victory in the battle of Next Gen gaming, but here is a updated glimpse of why.
The Games
Sony has the potential for more exciting exclusive games than Microsoft. Granted everyone is hyping over Titanfall right now, but already PS4's release of Infamous: Second Sun has further helped sell PS4's on release. As great as Titanfall is it isnt exactly the great console seller for theh XBOX One like Halo was for the original XBOX. According to a trusted source of the market for computer and videogames (MCV); PS4 hardware sales have been boosted a full 106% since the release of inFamous: Second Son. Supply constraints may have prevented that number from being even more significant. inFamous: Second Son is the first post-launch testament to the PS4's power, offering owners a chance to see visuals unlike ever seen before on a console. Sony has gone on to release a list of over 100 games that are scheduled for release on PS4 over the next year which you can see by clicking here.
Services
Essentially Sony went the route of appealing to gamers while Microsoft tried to be a jack of all trades by trying to appeal to everyone. Sadly when you are a jack of all trades but master of none it doesn't always workout so well. Granted now both consoles require you to pay for an online gaming experience but at least with Sony you get value for your money from all the PlayStation Plus deals and free games they offer. Couple that with the upcoming testing and release of PlayStation Now which will provide access to all the previous generations of games at your fingertip and its a no brainer. Ill give Microsoft the nod as far as service integration goes simply because they have the better dashboard and motion gaming setup but I play games and so do many others. I don't really care much about a voice control system that doesn't work well enough for me to abandon the idea of just using my controller to navigate the menu.
Performance
If you saw the video I did you should know the specs between both systems are relatively the same but the PS4 has a slight edge over the XBOX ONE. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes developer Kojima has gone on record saying his game will look better on PS4. And there's been a lot of argument around games like Call of Duty: Ghosts that run natively in 1080p on PS4 vs. 720p on Xbox One. Of course, the Xbox can run games in 1080p and 60fps, but with multiple titles coming in with lower native resolution on Xbox, Microsoft's machine has been publicly perceived as less powerful. Granted the experiences and games are almost identical like on Xbox One and PS4, but people will gravitate to what seems like the better system for the money. At at a $100 lower price point and essentially better gaming specs the choice is clear.
Sorry for the long wait but you should know by now that every year we do a top ten games list for the year. With all the ongoing and upcoming changes I figured I would also change up this yearly post. Going to list the top five games that you must play at least one from this year and then go on to list honorable mentions. Also note that these are in no particular order, feel free to disagree and comment if your favorite game didn't make the top of the batch. OK so lets get this cracking so I can get back to working on the blog redesign...
Without a doubt GTA V came in like a wrecking ball; to borrow a line from up and coming songstress Miley Cyrus. Late in the year when loads of people had already solidified their lists of top games Rockstar dropped the biggest bomb to level the industry. On release and leading up to it GTA V was the end all be all of mainstream gaming, publishers/developers pushed back game releases from sheer fear of competing with the great one. With good reason for within mere days GTA not only broke multiple sales records but also managed to secure stellar reviews all around; all people could do was sing its praises.
This game is the epitome of what it means to reboot and breathe new life into a franchise. From the character modelling choices to the plot development and story design; Square Enix did the Tomb Raider franchise justice. Why are you still reading this? Go buy the goddamn game ASAP, its worth your time, money, love and devotion. Granted the multi-player side of it was a bit seemingly tacked on, the single player made up for it all in spades; really wish Square Enix had listened to the fans and given us more single player based content.
Easily one of the strongest contenders of the year starting out as number one game for 2013 it gathered accolades near and far. Granted it released in the much earlier half the the year its longevity is tantamount to its impressiveness as no list of top games would be complete without it. Winner of over eighty awards it was definitely not a game to be taken lightly and proceeded to amass stellar reviews across the industry from journalists everywhere. 2K Games have done a great job of keeping the standard of quality expected for their superb franchise.
It would be a great injustice for me to make this list and leave off a lot of peoples obvious choice for game of the year. Granted I more was looking forward to Beyond Two Souls; I knew this game was going to be good, that was a given. I didn't however know that it was going to be great. This game definitely helped sell some PS3's this year on Black Friday. Loads of people are gonna be pissed that this is only available on PS3 but it is what it is. Between PS+ perks and this game I can't say there are any PS3 owners who have buyers remorse at this point.
At first I wasn't going to include any next gen titles in this top five list for 2013 but I felt this game deserved some proper credit where due. Granted i'm not the biggest fan of sports games or the fact that its typically the same game with a changed roster every year. This edition is not only a smooth-flowing piece of pro basketball simulation, it’s also one of the few games that makes a true next-generation leap in visual fidelity. Here is a game whose visuals are so beautifully realistic that you almost have to stop and try it, regardless of how much you like basketball. The game still has a steep learning curve but boy oh boy is it pretty...
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Saints Row IV
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Injustice: GAU
Devil May Cry
Rayman Legends
Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Pokemon X & Y
Soul Sacrifice
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Killer Instinct
Tearaway
Dive Kick
Guacamelee
Skullgirls Encore
Cal Of Duty Ghosts
Ryse Son Of Rome
Resogun
Need For Speed Rivals
Walking Dead Season 2
Thank you all for your continued support and I do hope I can continue to entertain you for another year come 2014. Well back to trying to figure out the yearly blog redesign so see you guys soon. Keep the dream alive and help spread my aweshumness, all it takes is some teamwork to get the word out...
Well here we are on E3 week and boy oh boy has it kicked off in fine style. As per always we do a E3 run down every year and count our blessings that we get to look forward to. For those that may not know shame on you but we welcome you with open arms. Feel free to check out any of the live streams from IGN or Gametrailers that are doing live coverage of the event. So we are gonna try out something different and do something of a VLOG instead of all the typing and reading that you are normally accustomed to. Hopefully its entertaining to you and I don't bore you too badly; so please do enjoy.
With all that info flung your way i'm sure you are a bit overwhelmed so take some time to let it all sink in. Here are some of the interpretations from the internet in regards to the competition between XBOX One and the PS4.
Greetings good people out there in the interwebs; welcome to another random Monday blog fresh off my awesome weekend going to my first FGC Major tournament. That's me pictured above in the black jacket chilling with one of my newly found Kingstonian friends who just so happened to place in the top three for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Matthew Marshall I respect your Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom skills especially since you team doesn't tier whore like most the other competitors. Anywhore enough about the epicness that is me and my friends; we are here to talk about Mash Di Button.
So this event was the first of its kind on such a large scale and I must say it was quite the success; I wish i had gotten more pictures and maybe done an interview or two but I was more focused on being a participant than covering the event. Plus there were more than enough people already dedicated to covering the event so no worries; i'll just update this blogpost as the Fighter's Allegiance Jamaica group makes all the necessary footage and what not available. You can go ahead and join their Facebook group as well as subscribe to their YouTube channel for future fighting game content and more. Special thanks to those that came out and supported both casually or in the tournaments; your presence was duly noted and greatly appreciated.
A special thanks to Caribbean Video X Games St. Marten The Spot Sports Bar & Grill Enhanced Realizm Studios Str8Games and Yardie876Gamers who was on site with casual gaming stations setup for one and all to experience the joys of gaming on a Playstation 3. Feel free to go visit his Facebook page for more information related to purchasing video games.
Honorable mentions for the tournament games played are as follows:
All the grand finals matches were played on stream to be uploaded to the Fighter's Allegiance Jamaica YouTube channel so you can go ahead and subscribe like I told you before to check out those super hype matches once they are uploaded. I know that the internet does not like to wait however so in the interim please accept these as an offering to hold you over until the FAJ gets everything up and running. First up we have the Instagram account for the FAJ which shows off some of the competitors.
There is also a few pictures on our Facebook fan-page that you can check out as well as like the page and support our gaming addiction at www.facebook.com/Zalgo.Cometh so our community of gamers can grow. So our first place winners Mr. Lee and Mr. Tekken will be receiving round trip tickets to St. Marten to participate in the yearly VxG fighting game tournament with a chance for more prizes and surprises in store proudly representing Jamaica. We wish them the best of luck as they have proven themselves to be the best of the best and we know they will represent the country proudly. So on that note I will bid you all adieu and leave you with this footage I personally recorded of some of the matches myself and friends played in for the Super Street Fighter 4 tournament. Enjoy....
Well after much hype, rumors, and anticipation Sony has unveiled their entry into the next generation of console gaming; the PS4. Personally I super pumped for this console even if I wont be purchasing it anytime soon. The tech demos that were showcased along with some of the console exclusive titles are looking really strong for the PS4. Hopefully you got to see the presentation in its entirety but if you didnt feel free to watch it here:
Now before I go any further let me just address the haters for a second. Yes they didn't show the actual console, yes you probably feel like your time was wasted, but ask yourself why would you as a business show all your cards regarding the most hyped up to be released gaming product for this year. Be glad they even had a release and just chill. They showed enough to keep the hype train rolling until a month or two when they will have to show something else. Without a doubt you can expect full disclosure at E3 so you know it will be worth the wait. It might have seemed like Sony fucked over a lot of people but in reality they fucked everyone just right. Give up just they tip of the dick and leave the bitches wanting more. The big highlight of the presentation was:
The Controller - I AM SO RELIEVED!!! I knew they were planning to make changes to the controller and there were talks of a whole new controller design so when I saw this my heart jumped for joy. Dual Shock 4 has arrived in fine style and I am fine with its new design. We see an enhanced joystick and shoulder button setup, better vibration from the rumble pack, decreased latency for wireless connectivity, a touch-pad for new ways to interact with the user interface, a color coded identifier for distinguishing players and finally the long discussed share button. It almost seems like they incorporated the actual PS Move controller into the Dual Shock Controller. Here are the specs:
External Dimensions Approx. 162mm x 52mm x 98mm (width x height x depth)
(tentative, excludes largest projection)
Weight Approx. 210g (tentative)
Keys / Switches PS button, SHARE button, OPTIONS button,
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right),
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square),
R1/L1/R2/L2 button, Left stick / L3 button, Right stick / R3
button, Pad Button
Touch Pad 2 Point Touch Pad, Click Mechanism, Capacitive Type
Motion Sensor Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, threeaxis accelerometer)
Other Features Light Bar, Vibration, Built-in Mono Speaker
Ports USB (Micro B), Extention Port, Stereo Headset Jack
Wireless Communication Bluetooth® Ver2.1+EDR
Battery Type Built-in Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery
Voltage DC3.7V (tentative)
Capacity 1000mAh (tentative)
After that was done the games were the next thing that got me all hot and bothered. Here are my top picks:
inFAMOUS: Second Son- I so called this while talking to my friend during the presentation. Happy to see the inFamous series getting some love especially for the new PS4. Its definitely a flagship title and deserves to be on the starting line up for the PS4.
Watch Dogs- We had gotten a night time demo of this game at E3 last year and it blew everyone away; well its back and this time showcasing daytime play. Without a doubt this game is positioning itself as a must have for the PS4 when it launches. Watch Dogs Will Be Out On PC, PS3, 360, And Wii U. But First It’ll Be On PS4.
To round it all out here are some overall things I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more about in the coming months...
Remote Play for PSVITA:
Gaikai's Dave Perry took the stage to announce a bunch of new "social" features for the PS4 today: including Ustream/Facebook support, streaming capabilities, and and "remote play," which allows you to play PS4 games on your Vita. "Our vision is to create the first gaming social network with meaning," he said. Perry said the long-term goal is to make "every PS4 game" playable on the PlayStation Vita. This positions the PSVITA as a very necessary handheld to have if you are a serious gamer and will undoubtedly boost their struggling sales as people would have cross play access to their entire library of games.
We've been speculating and spilling them for months, but Sony has finally revealed, at least partially, the basic spec sheet for the PS4. It's...very basic, but as you can see, there's 8GB of memory, a hard drive and an x86 CPU. This is looking a lot like a PC rig build and if that's the case the gap between console gaming graphics and PC gaming graphics is going to be come less and less of an issue. So as developers push the limits on what the console can do and harness as much of its raw power as possible we will have one less reason to worry about building a top quality PC. We will just buy a PS4 for the price of a top end graph card for a PC rig.
Well I think that covers everything I wanted to touch on for the PS4 press conference so hope you are as informed as you would hope and until next time keep on gaming.
Well its about that time folks; its been a hell of a ride this here 2012 and I gotta admit I never thought I would still be doing this for a second year. This blog started but just a year ago and we have steadily and consistently grown and appealed to gamers far and wide. At the end of every year we look back and rate the top ten games of the year so you know what games you really need to clear off you back log list of games to enjoy as well as now is the time of year games are on sale for Christmas. So feel free to drop hints to friends and such so you can get some of these as gifts and just buy yourselves the rest as these games are a must play experience for any and every gamer. Let's get this show on the road:
1. The Walking Dead (Made by Telltale Games) - Multi-platform This is without a doubt the highlight of my gaming year, the crown jewel of games this year that reminded many that you don't need a huge budget to make a great game. It showed us that it is good to try new gaming experiences instead of rehashing the same formula over and over again just because it works. You can check out our review where it all began with Episode 1. If you cant get your hands on a copy to play for yourself and you like what you see you can go watch our play-through as we documented our entire gaming experience with it on our YouTube channel.
2. Lollipop Chainsaw (Made by Grasshopper Manufacture) - PS3/XBOX360 There is so much fan service in this game its unbelievable, from costume bonuses to gratuitous panty shots, to crass humor, to sexual innuendo's this has everything that I need to have a great action packed time. I pre-ordered this game and "I REGRET NOTHING!". I enjoyed my time with this game from start to finish and would still be playing it if it were not for reviewing games for you guys, my 9-5 job, practicing to keep my fighting game skills somewhat up and now adding to that list of time consuming things; playing PlayStation All stars Battle Royale to unlock in-game content. You can check out our review of the game here.
3. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (Made by Superbot Entertainment) - PS3/PSVITA Here is my current obsession, this game occupies my mind day and night, I play it at home, I play it on the road, when i'm not playing it i'm thinking about playing it or how to come up with new combos/strategies. It's been a long time coming that gamers have wanted an alternative brawler type game besides the Smash Brothers franchise from Nintendo. Thankfully this game is that and so much more, if you own a PS3 or PSVITA there is no reason for you to not have this game. NO REASON AT ALL!!! It is a game made by good people for good people; currently there are plans to release two FREE DLC characters in January. Our review of the game is posted here.
4. Borderlands 2 (Made by Gearbox Software) - Multi-platform Without a doubt one of the years biggest and highly anticipated titles. We see a new batch of fearless vault hunters return to Pandora for another action packed adventure. With a current level cap of fifty, five different classes to choose from, multiple additional DLC missions, the freedom to customize your skill tree to your personal play-style and a vast array of weapons to choose from it is clear to see why this game is enjoyed by so many the world over. I had a blast playing as Gaige the Mechromancer class and am currently at lvl 50 awaiting what other goodies will undoubtedly be released in due time. See our review of the game if you haven't already.
5. I Am Alive (Made by Darkworks/Ubisoft Shanghai) - Multi-platform
I had heard about this game from as far back as 2003 but with delay after delay and an eventual change of studio we are only now in the year 2012 getting this game in all its glory. Received relatively well by most gaming presses it suffered from the typical flaw of games that stay in game development limbo for long time periods of time; graphical appeal. Thankfully through the power of PC gaming this is only an issue for the console releases as the PC one performs beautifully and is truly an immersible and impressive sight to behold. With a open and expansive world to traverse and many perilous obstacles to overcome you are guaranteed many hours of game-play to enjoy. Go check out our review for more details.
6. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Made by Treyarch) - Multi-Platform Well as the sun shall rise and the sun shall set a new Call of Duty game came out this year as expected an dit sold well worldwide within hours of release as expected and as expected its on our top ten list of games for yet another year. Its really easy to hate on a franchise as such but game recognize game and its easy to recognize the if it ain't broke don't fix it formula. The game is more or less the same it with a few tweaks here and there that add a bit more of a spice to the game original flavor of the Call of Duty franchise. Hop over to our full review to see whats up.
7. Asura's Wrath (Made by Capcom) - PS3/XBOX360 For those that follow my blog regularly for gaming you know by now that I am a sucker for a good story and QTE's. I feel like these are fundamental tools that should exist in every game in some way or another; as such that is probably why both Lollipop Chainsaw and Asura's Wrath are on this years list of top games everyone should play. The intricate art style and gripping story of betrayal and the never ending love a man had for his daughter couple with epicly action packed fight scenes will entertain both the player and anyone watching. See our full review of the game here.
8. Max Payne 3 (Made by Rockstar Studios) - Multi-platform Max Payne makes his startling return to the gaming world in a blaze of glory and pain killers. Eight years later after the release of Max Payne 2 we get the long awaited sequel fans have been waiting for. I suggest a bit of research into the prior games as I always do when recommending a game that is a sequel in nature but this I had not as much problem recommending as it is almost like a revamp of the game and character in a sense so you can pick up on the experience from this iteration of the game. See our full review breakdown of the game.
9. Dishonored (Made by Arkane Studios) - Multi-platform One of this years up and newcomer titles that truly brought something new to the table with its original game-play system and new intellectual property Dishonored quickly set the tone for a unique game-play experience as soon as it was released. The ability to not only mold your character but as well as the story progression helped usher this game into the history books as a game worthy of each and every accolade that it received. Take a look into the city of Dunwall and experience life as an assassin in our review of Dishonored.
10. Spec Ops: The Line (Made by Yager Development) - Multi-platform I'm not the biggest fan of third person shooter titles not to mention that I didn't want to over-saturate this list of games with military shooters but I had to give up a spot to this game. The story is a new refreshing twist in the world of military shooters that provides a look on the darker grittier side of war instead of the over glorified hype of gun fights and vehicular warfare that is ever so present in the Call of Dutys' and the Battlefield type military franchises out there. Check out our review that we posted for the run through.
Well there is our top ten list for 2012; many games came and many games went but these were the ones that lingered on in our thoughts. So I strongly recommend you experience these games in some shape or form before the year is over or the next big game purchase sneaks up on you. No matter the type of gamer you are at least two of these games should appeal to the gamer within you. This will be my last Game related post until next year when I get my hands on the first big title of the new year that I am eager for which will be the new and improved DMC: Devil May Cry scheduled for release on January 15th 2013. Seems like the Mayans were wrong after all so yaay for us more games. In closing remember we are having a giveaway contest to close out the year so feel free to check out that video with all the necessary information as such --->here<---.
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the glare, and it is from a sniper rifle gun.
Arise, throw grenade into window, and kill the noob camper,
Who is already on a ten kill count streak.
If you are a fan of gaming and chances are that you are since you are here on a gaming blog you know this is one of the years most highly anticipated game releases. The Call of Duty franchise gets its newest addition to the family with Black Ops II on November 13th. Hate it or love it this is without a doubt guaranteed to sell well and will definitely be giving Halo 4 some stiff competition in the sales department. As is customary for Call of Duty releases somewhat copies of the game have found themselves on the internet by as much as a month in advance of store release dates. I had an interesting conversation with my co-worker today about the video game industry and how piracy is wrong so I figured I would drop a line or two stating my stance on the subject. Sadly this topic is a cloudy and touchy one which akin to religious debates is open to interpretation and perspective. However for the sake of entertainment and making this applicable to all individuals and not just gamer's this is my standpoint on the topic...
Now I know that some will say its still theft because you are stealing money from the original creators of the content but ideally most of the people who say this live in a first world country and have certain options available to them. Piracy is defined as the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc. Granted i'm not justifying that pirating games, movies, etc. is necessarily OK but I just want people to understand that its not as big a deal as some over exaggerated and make it out to be. Ideally in a perfect world everyone would pay for their own copy of whatever data it is they want and only make copies for themselves as a means of backup/archiving in case something should happen to the original. Sadly we do not live in a perfect world; as such there are many reasons why people pirate all sorts of data, lets take a look at what I like to term the levels of pirateers. Which category are you in? Comment your thoughts below.
1. Joe Schmo - This group includes parents, relatives, random girls, and so on that typically have to ask some one who is as I like to call it tech-inclined to procure the pirated copy of whatever. A lesser type of Joe Schmo are sometimes told by another class as a recommendation to try a pirated means of procuring what they need.
2. The Newbie - This is the next stage after being a Joe Schmo; these people now repeatedly seek out pirated data for purchase whether on the roadside DVD movie sellers or those douchebag computer repair shops that sell pirated copies of windows to people under the guise of fixing and formatting their PC's.
3. The Techie - Having seen the wonders of pirating and not wanting to spend unnecessary money this person now does research into piracy and finds out how to start doing it for himself whether it be copying borrowed copies of data or just downloading stuff and reselling it to the general public at large.
4. The Veteran - Been around long enough to know the difference between a crack and a fix, a rip and a release, a torrent and a direct download these persons know all the right places to get any and everything the internet has to offer. They ideally are the first to test the waters and then share the info to others once it has been deemed safe for consumption.
5. Based God - These are the people working behind the scenes to make things happen. These are the ones that get the original data and hack, crack, or otherwise re-encode it for mass production on the world wide web. Some do it for honor, others for glory but at the end of the day it's these people that are at the heart of it all.
With so many levels and people involved in the art that we have come to know as Piracy its sometimes a hard conversation to have with people. Some feel that it is wrong but then there are those people who solely pirate things to see if they enjoy them and then actually buy a legit version of the aforementioned item. This further breaks down when you get a person saying that they live in a region of the world where it is just financially unsound to pay exorbitant fees for the original thing when you aren't exactly being charged the original price in the first place. Case in point gamers in Jamaica who have to pay upwards of nine thousand dollars or more for new game releases that in the USA cost on average $60. Times that by our current JMD exchange rate at the time of you reading this and you will see there is a big price gap that seems very unfair to us as customers. Sadly digital copies of games are not yet industry standard so we have to make due as best we can. Then there are people such as myself that will buy games legit but sadly aren't made of money so try as we might to curb our gaming enthusiasm to match our wallet capacity it is an equation doomed to fail so we take solace in the fact that we aren't pirating every thing. Well with that being said ill just end this post here since my copy of Black Ops 2 is almost finished downloading; thank god for digital downloading for online gaming. I'll just leave you with this bit of awesomeness...
Waaasssuuuuuppppppppp????, lol god that never gets old. Anywhore; welcome to another video game review here on Zalgo_Cometh. I bring for your pleasure and entertainment another free game as promised for the month of August. As you should have realized by now today we will be looking at Alien Swarm. So sit back relax and as Deadpool would say "Feeeeeel the love...".
Alien Swarm is a freeware top-down shoot-em-up video game by Valve Corporation. It is a remake of the Alien Swarm mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, and it was developed by the original team, who were hired by Valve during the course of the development process. Four players can join a single co-operative game, the aim of which is to progress through science fiction-themed levels while eliminating waves of aliens. Players can choose from 40 different pieces of equipment. The game includes persistent statistics, unlockable equipment, and achievements. All this alongside the fact that its free and we can definitely say we have a winner on our hands ladies and gentlemen. The only official campaign in the game thus far, is called Jacob's Rest, and centers around a swarm of invasive aliens having taken over a colonized planet in December 2052. Marines deployed by a drop ship named "The Bloodhound" arrive to search for survivors and if need be, to destroy the colony to prevent the spread of the aliens.
The game is class-based, with players choosing from the roles of Officer, Special Weapons, Medic, and Tech. Each class has two selectable characters, with differences in abilities.
Officer
Grants a passive bonus to damage and damage resistance to nearby allies. He has access to the Vindicator, a class-restricted shotgun with an incendiary grenade launcher and has general all-around abilities. They are also capable of throwing extra amounts of explosive ordnance, and may find class-restricted ammo caches on the field for his Vindicator shotgun. The two playable characters are Sarge and Jaeger.
Special Weapons
Brings raw damage to the table and starts out with a customized autogun with superior parameters, high magazine capacity, and auto-aiming ability. The Special Weapons gains access to a powerful minigun at a high enough level, and can pick up class-restricted ammo caches on the field. The two playable characters are Wildcat and Wolfe.
Medic
Is the only class able to equip and deploy temporary healing beacons, and at a high enough level can use a medigun to selectively heal teammates and themselves. The two playable characters are Faith and Bastille.
Tech
Carries a motion sensor, sets up sentry guns faster, welds doors faster, and is the only class capable of unlocking certain door panels or completing certain objectives by means of a hacking minigame. They also have access to a prototype assault rifle with auto-aiming capabilities and the ability to fire stun grenades. The two playable characters are Crash and Vegas.
The game has a very well rounded and detailed experience system which keeps track of the players progress as you levels up. Leveling up is integral in this game as it is how you unlock a wider range of more powerful weapons and equipment. Though the characters, classes and their skills are fixed, players can earn Experience Points for their account by completing missions and earning Achievements. Each Achievement is worth 50 experience points, and experience from missions is based on several factors. Players still earn experience even if their marine dies during the course of a mission - but your income will probably be lower than that of your surviving squadmates unless you died near the end of the mission. Upon reaching the maximum level (27) you have the option to trade in all your accumulated experience points and revert back to level 1. For this you get what is called a promotion and a shiny new emblem/badge to go on your account so people can see how far you have gone playing the game. This system is similar to that of the Call of Duty franchise except less beneficial to the player directly. Well that about covers my little foray into Alien Swarm so be sure to check it out for free on STEAM and if you can't then recommend it to someone and watch my play-through.
