Weekend Wrap Up - 1/26/2014

As you probably noticed this article before you is an entirely new addition to my gaming blog. My friend @oOScottyBOo over at Twitter inspired me to make this weekly feature, and make it a mainstay here at "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno". You might be asking yourself what the heck is a "Weekly Wrap Up"? The "Weekly Wrap Up" is basically going to be a weekly article that I'll post each Sunday containing an insight on my week's worth of gaming activities. The topics I cover can range from rants to talks about the various games that I've spent my time playing, and what I thought about them. I might also mention games that I've picked up during the week, and let you know if they are worth your time, and money. For sh*ts & giggles I might also throw in a funny gaming story, or something humorous that I encountered in that particular week. Seeing as this is the first entry in my "Weekly Wrap Up" series I'll be covering a lot of things about my gaming activities during this week in order to give the series a proper jump start. Keep in mind though that these articles will vary in length, and can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to more than 10. It all depends on how much time I choose to spend on it. I hope that you enjoy this series of sneak peeks into my personal gaming life, and that it gives you something to think, or talk about until next weekend's post. Enjoy!

This week of gaming has in retrospect been nothing, but SSDD. For those of you who don't know what "SSDD" means you can google it. I'm sure the interweb will have a nice juicy definition waiting for your viewing pleasure. By using such tools as the google search engine you'll also invite into your life a world's worth of knowledge, and can in turn share that said knowledge with fellow gamers. Knowledge is king in the world of journalism just as it is in the world of gaming. Getting back on track though ...

My SSDD week has been filled mainly with playthroughs of online GHOSTS matches, TEKKEN Revolution ranked matches, and even some "OlliOlli". To sum it all up I've been stuck in a rut playing the same old things. Why do I do this you ask? It's simply, because I'm anxious to play something new, and there's nothing new here yet. This January has offered a snail paced start to the year's game release offerings, and I'm starving for something new to write about. Why game developers chose to leave January void of anything new, and noteworthy is beyond me though. Here we are with our new next-gen consoles, and we are stuck playing the same mundane BS. It's inexcusable. Thankfully though February is just around the corner, and with it will come some good game releases on various console platforms. I personally can't wait.

The three Playstation consoles will definitely be gaining a lot in the way of proper releases this year, and for that I'm truly excited. Being the owner of all three Playstation consoles definitely has it's perks btw, especially considering my year subscription of PS+ has already been paid down. For a single subscription fee I am gifted access to free games on all three consoles. Usually I'm not a fan of paid monthly/yearly subscriptions, but for a mere $49.99 it is one hell of a deal. The fact that PS+ is mandatory of PS4 online play makes it all more worth the while. I'm honestly glad the PS+ subscription turned out being cheaper than Microsoft's XBL service though, because that sh*t got expensive last year.

Speaking of Microsoft, Xbox 360, and XBL I will not be renewing my subscription after it ends on February 10th of this year. I can't keep on forking over money on jacked up subscription fees that offer me little to nothing in the way of new forms of enjoyment. It has become obvious that Microsoft has lapsed in the security/reporting observations of their last-gen console, and as a result the once noteworthy online of the 360 now offers the same insecure online environment as the PS3. Both the PS3, and Xbox 360 are over-populated with hackers, lagswitchers, and modders at this point in time. The sad thing is no one seems to give a damn either way. Not Microsoft, and not Sony. If they don't wake up from their greed induced stupor soon, and take care of the situation at hand even they will lose out in the world of gaming. I've told them that very thing today on twitter stating that their profit making days will be numbered if they don't do something effective against the threat of hackers. That of course likely fell on deaf ears as it always does though.

Seeing as that's old news let us talk about something new ... Recently while out shopping I opted to pick up a couple of new PS3 games. One of them was the greatest hits version of "Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch"(which was selling out like hotcakes), and the other was an old Konami release, "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance". I have yet to play either one, but at this point I've decided I need to get out of my gaming rut, and do something new, and will likely be getting into one of those two games very soon. The reasons behind those game purchases was mainly due to the reviews of gaming journalist whose opinions I respect. Of course in the case of "Ni No Kuni" I heard nothing, but good things from all over the internet. My "Metal Gear Rising" purchase was a bit of a different story though. I had happened upon Maximillian's (Miles923) "Game of 2013" youtube video by accident, and seeing as he spoke so highly of it I decided to go purchase a used copy at a discounted price. The game looks good even though it's a branching story arch that's different from the main MGS (Metal Gear Solid) timeline. I'm hoping Maximillian was right as I spent the giftcard my Brother had given me for my birthday on it.

Aside from those purchases I do have my sights set on some future game releases that might just steal the money right out from my wallet. Tecmo Koei's "Toukiden: The Age of Demons" is one game I'm definitely excited about, and want to add to my collection. The PS Vita has really impressed me with it's JRPG game releases of 2013, and games like "Toukiden" have me excited for 2014's offerings. Aside from Tecmo's contribution to handheld JRPG gaming you'll find that both NIS, and ATLUS have some surprises up their sleeves for you in the coming months as well. The JRPG "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" has gotten rave reviews from the select lucky few who have gotten their hands on early copies of the PS Vita port. While it's a change from standard NISA JRPG titles it's visual novel style gameplay seems to have held the attention of some noteworthy gaming journalists. As far as ATLUS goes I can't wait to be scared sh*tless by their upcoming PS4 horror-survival game "Daylight". It's be a long time since I've had a proper scare. I guess watching horror movies all my life might have something to do with that issue though. Since playthroughs of "Daylight are never the same twice I can see this game doing some good for the horror-survival genre. Hopefully I won't kill over from fright during my playthrough though. I want to be able to continue delivering reviews to you guys, and I don't think the afterlife allows that.

In closing I'd like to mention a gamer whose PSN ID reflects the growing mentality of the ever-increasing CoD influenced gaming community. It goes without saying that "Pa1ry Hen1s" was indeed the prick of a player that he named himself as. Thank you Hairy Penis for letting us know what a prick of a gamer you are. A word of advice to all you proper gaming enthusiasts. DO NOT, for the love of all things sacred, name your online persona after a dick, or other genitalia. You're doing yourself a disservice. It makes you look stupid, S-T-U-P-I-D. If you are stupid though, and like trolling people as Hairy Penis does then by all means name yourself after a pussy, or a dick. It'll help honest gamers such as myself know to avoid your sorry ass.

Your Last Samurai,
Brad (OtakuDante)