Monday, December 21, 2020

Granblue Fantasy Versus | Yuel

Yuel is Granblue's own foxy Southern Belle. In fact her foxy nature isn't up for debate. Within the confines of the Granblue fighting game Yuel sports a fox's ears and tail, and refers frequently to her fighting technique as being that of the "FoxFlame". Additionally as an Ancestral Guardian within the series lore she channels fire energy into her dual swords as a means for combat advantage. Demeanor-wise her overall countenance is that of the usual cutesy waifu inspired anime girls who are cross-animal types. Her voice in English is also something worth noting as it brings with it a certain Southern charm. To accent her Southern Belle English voice-over, Yuel also sports two ribbons of large and smaller bells in her hair. Bells which she playfully toys with in the pre-match introduction. During said intros she often times talks to characters about dancing, and their boots lending further credence to her Southern influence. She's fun, fiery, and feisty with her own balancing act turned sword dance. 

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Zombies ... Die Maschine

Cold War, like all the other black Ops entries in the Call of Duty franchise brings with it it's own take on Zombie warfare. This includes three new main modes of play. Die Maschine, Die Maschine 20, and Dead Ops Arcade 3 being those three modes. The story driven, and wave based Die Maschine, in particular, is what I'll be focusing on in this article. Within Die Maschine the developer, being Treyarch, adds a new Soviet spin to the ongoing Zombies lore. This time around the Nazi experiment falls into the Soviets hands, and once again all hell breaks loose on earth. We find this out from a female agent who has gone off the grid after stumbling upon video footage of the containment breach from an unknown machine that has quite literally reanimated the dead after having been reactivated itself. This of course takes place in and around a snowy bunker, and abandoned communications/crash site. As one of four soldiers it is your duty to go in on this informational lead, unlock the mysteries at hand, and defeat wave after wave of increasingly stronger undead as you collect that intel.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Crawlco Block Knockers | Nintendo Switch Review

In an age of gaming where the nude, and the lewd are more frowned upon than usual there exists one publisher willing to push the bounds of maturity well beyond decency. That publisher is eastasiasoft. This time around their nudity filled indie masterpiece happens to be a puzzler of old origins that has you completing lines of color coded blocks, and killing enemies with said blocks to uncover images of birthday suited broads. In your work, as a lizard for hire, you will ultimately face off against lesser enemy types as well as gargantuan bosses on a grid based playing field as you do the bidding of your own boss at a company known only as Crawlco. 

Friday, December 11, 2020

Space Invaders Forever | PS4 Review

Space Invaders once again returns to the forefront of gaming in what can best be described as a variety bundle. Including previously released, and never before released titles it brings to the player three significantly different ways to experience Space Invaders. This includes 'Space Invaders Extreme', 'Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE', and finally 'Arkanoid vs Space Invaders'. Each of which are mildly derivative of the original's base mechanics. With 'Space Invaders Extreme' you get a flashy arcade-like shmup in the vein of the original but far superior in the way it handles shmup combat, and scoring. Utilizing chain scoring tied to different accomplishments such as color focused kills, and column kills alongside intermittent waves of bonus rounds, fever rounds, roulette rounds, standard waves, and boss battles you will be fighting others on a global leaderboard for top score. Modes of play include 'Arcade', and 'Free Play'. Arcade mode being a path based playthrough similar to that of Darius which takes end rankings in account for path progression, and Free Play being the single stages unlocked from the arcade playthrough that can be revisited for perfection sake.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Unto The End | PS4 Review

Unapologetically challenging, wholly atmospheric, and realistically difficult is "Unto The End". It demands skill, patience, and endurance to see it through to it's mystery finish. As the designated player of the untold tale you take on the role of an unnamed red bearded viking who is seen off by his wife, and son. From their company you take with you, but three items. A sword, a dagger, and a torch. Initially a spear as well. From your departure forward you brave the Winter's snowy cold, and dark cavernous regions as you not only try to survive the untamed wilds thereof, but also fend off creatures, and avoid other hazardous things. Making your way from the beginning Oak tree to an unknown destination. It is all about discovery, and overcoming seemingly impossible odds. At least at base level. That, and finding out why it is you are on this journey in the first place. One thing about "Unto The End" is that there is no narrative. There is no story being told. Not in the traditional sense. The story is instead the adventure that plays out as you make your way to the end, and finishing that story is up to you.

Monday, December 7, 2020

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Further Thoughts & Opinions

I've been fairly invested in Cold War's multiplayer. I started playing it not long after I played the campaign. Shortly after that though I encountered a console bricking bug that caused me to step away for a good few days. A bug that has seemingly since been fixed, or made fixable. I read up on fixes, and found that the most agreed upon workaround was in regards to downloading the right version for the console you are playing on. This CoD release actually marked the first time a Call of Duty game had been released on dual platforms of the same brand. In the rush to get the game out there was obviously some missteps that resulted in the game auto-downloading certain files that were either new-gen friendly or old-gen compatible. Making it not work correctly in some instances depending on the console in use. I actually ended up deleting the original download, and went back to the library to re-download the appropriate files. Being I got a reviewers copy I wasn't able to download the proper version from the PSN Store which would have been the preferable method of dealing with it. Now that it's fixed, and I've spent more time with the maps, and loadout options I feel more comfortable in giving my opinions on the multiplayer gameplay.

Friday, December 4, 2020

Nine Witches: Family Disruption | PS4 Review

In my time as a gamer I've very rarely stumbled upon a point-and-click adventure that was as humorous, engaging, or as puzzling as that of Maniac Mansion or any of the LucasFilm games of the same genre. Thankfully Blowfish Studios, and their team of developers delivered something that hit on all noteworthy points in regards to those set standards of excellence. Through dual protagonists Alexei Krakovitz, and his assistant Akiro Kagasawa we find an unusual story involving an alternate WWII scenario in which a hostage witch, a Nazi general, and a mad scientist release a curse on a town in an attempt to turn the tides of the war in their favor. As the two protagonists whom each interact like a comical version of Sherlock Holmes, and Dr.Watson we slowly unravel the mystery at hand. Krakovitz, a paranormal sleuth and Kagasawa, the hands on investigator through controlled actions help piece together puzzles while interacting with people of interest who in turn help in forwarding the mission objectives at hand. Both from the side of Resistance, and the Nazi regime. With a notebook that acts as a checklist of things to do, the ability to investigate, the ability to use items, and the ability to enter the spirit realm to converse with wayward spirits things become clearer as the moon is slowly eclipsed over the town of Sundae by the curse brought forth by evil deeds.