Blog Update Nov. 15, 2014

It's been a few days since my last post as you can probably tell. The games for review are becoming scarcer as the year comes to a close. Most of the retail games are already spoken for, and only a handful of indie arcade style games remain for bloggers such as myself. Not that that's a problem though. I do love a good indie, and have found out through my four years of work that some indies are far greater than any "Triple A" title will ever be. As we've all likely learned this year retail developers really seem to be caught up in a pattern of dropping the ball when it comes to a proper release. The latest 'Call of Duty' was a mess as was the equally anticipated release of Ubisoft's 'Assassin's Creed Unity'. I think a lot of us, including myself figured that out a wee bit too late. The sad, and unfortunate thing about this is that it hurts the consumers' confidence in the industry's offerings, and in turn hurts the industry as a whole. It makes loyal gamers begin to second guess everything from journalistic opinions to the biased advertisements that are released by developers, and PR. You've all likely seen cases of each if you frequent Twitter as I often do.

Regardless of the bad there is some good on the horizon for my blog readers. I will continue as always to reach out to any developer whose game seems fit for a review, and who is willing to aid my cause in spreading the word. For the games I cannot get for review directly from the source I might try to pick them via out of pocket expenses. Keep in mind that my gaming budget is a set in stone at a limit of $100 each month though, and that this pocket money doesn't really afford me many game pick-ups, or pre-orders. That's why I often times reach out to developers, and their PR. I'd very much like to type up more reviews for you guys, and gals, but the cost is even hard for a well to do lad like myself. One such game that I do plan on reviewing, or giving impressions of on my own dime is "Guilty Gear Xrd Sign". I'm hoping as a GG fanatic that it turns out to be Awesome, and that it attracts a big online gaming crowd. The fighting game genre could definitely use a proper boost in popularity as it has been hurting from bad design issues as of late, and hopefully the latest GG can do that.

Aside from 'Guilty Gear Xrd Sign' I also picked up the noteworthy PS4 indie release of "Never Alone". The developer's bold approach to storytelling really has me excited to see what the game is all about. For those of you who have never heard of 'Never Alone' just know that it was designed by a development team with a modest goal of preserving the world's history (Myths, Legends, Stories) through video games. They realize that a lot of the worldly cultures are being lost due to the younger generations unwillingness to keep traditions alive. Hopefully this game, and any other that that development team might create will help to do just that. It's a truly innovative approach to game design that not only aims to entertain gamers, but that also aims to educate them at the same time. Knowledge is king in this world, and if we fail to keep our past in check as human beings our futures will be a pointless mess.

In closing I'll remind you all that some time between now, and Dec.31 I will be doing a surprise contest. I will not announce that I'm doing it beyond this post. You will have to return each day to this blog to stay on top of it. I plan on posting it in my "Contest/Giveaway" section on a day only known to me. It will feature a few trivia questions, and the first person to post the correct answers will get the prize/s. Keep in mind that it is a US only contest, and that there will only be one winner. I apologize to all my other worldly readers for excluding you, but the shipping costs are ridiculous here, and I'm on a strict budget. If I can afford it in the future though I might do a contest, or giveaway solely for other countries outside of the US.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend, and that some of your time is being spent wisely. As for me it's been Awesome. I got to game with some UK friends, and a friend from the US. I'm also about to partake of some homemade Lasagna! TTYL!!!

Game On!!!,
Brad Carver (OtakuDante)