Weekend Blog Vlog (5/16/2015)

Here I sit at my PC pissing away time as I tell you about my first world luxury lifestyle. I do feel half bad about it, but I've worked hard to get where I'm at in life. I've even paid my dues by serving some serious time in some unmentionable psych ward at some locally undisclosed institute for the odd & unusual folk of the world. I think I earned this leisurely life. I do digress though. As far as the week goes it went by with a mixture of family drama, review work, and some much deserved time off. At one point in the week I made several trips to various local shopping centers to treat myself to some goodies which included a couple of newer dvds, and a couple of vidya games (I know I misspelled it). Amongst the new dvds I picked up were 'John Wick', and 'The Voices'. In the way of gaming purchases I bought the Shin Megami Tensei re-release of 'Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker', and even got 'Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate" for the pure heck of it. Two games which I've yet to touch. I blame that on "Gaming Gluttony". It's a terribly sinful disease.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (PS VITA)

Having had the privilege to play through, and review most of the recent Neptunia releases I've noticed a sort of gaming evolution within the series. It's a subtle yet noticeable evolution that seems to be aimed towards finding that perfect presentation for the attraction of a much wider audience. From the 'Re;Birth" re-releases to the Noire spin-offs 'Compile Heart', and their co-developers have re-imagined, and brought to life Gamindustri's CPU Goddesses in a variety of different ways. Some of these newer renditions of the fan favorite niche adventures stayed true to the original formula while others strayed from said path, and introduced entirely new gameplay mechanics. I watched as the Lily Rank system took on different meanings within each new release, and watched as the games' micro-management options took on different approaches that benefited each game in a uniquely complimentary fashion. In the case of this latest misadventure we find both the CPU Goddesses, and their sister candidates at an intersection of peaceful times within the Gamindustri. After being approached by a couple of competing journalists offering some article exposure opportunities based around quests, and monster battles the CPU Goddesses, and their younger siblings decide to take on a rivalry of their own in an attempt to impress their fanbase even further. Of course with this newly introduced plot comes some mechanics that are entirely different from the normal Neptunia adventures, and thankfully so ...

Mortal Kombat X - "3 Weeks In"

Believe it, or not, but MKX has been improving since my last post. I've been paying very close attention to how the game functions in both the offline, and online scenarios, and I'm pretty darn happy about it. I'm glad to report that 99% of menu functionality is fixed, and that the online multiplayer continues to get smoother, and more enjoyable as time passes. If you've paid attention to my previous articles you'll know that I spoke of the faction war page menus being plagued by constant server errors that would keep you from accessing the current faction challenges, and faction standings. This has stopped for the most part, but did happen once again recently as Netherrealm was updating the game's provided content for the Invasion event. I suppose that is to be expected though since the game is being updated internally via hotfixes, and whatnot. Along with that upside I have spent more time playing online, and have found more smooth lag-free matches than the laggy ones that were more commonplace at the game's launch. It is obvious, as I said before that Ed Boon, and his team of developers are hard at work to make the game as Awesome as possible for those who trusted in them enough to pay extra for the DLC along with the game's $60 price tag.

BRAWL (PS4)

Never in my career as a gaming journalist have I seen a developer initially offer up something so broken, and unplayable as their debut entry into next-gen gaming only to go back to the drawing board, and make it so absolutely awesome. Going into this review I had my doubts. I'm not going to lie. I just did not see Bloober Team pulling this one off, especially after seeing that it was free to everyone on the PS4. After playing it though I'm truly impressed, and on so many levels. Bloober Team took the journalists' advice, and added a significant amount of noteworthy content without simply tacking on extras to make it appear as if they'd listened. In this new re-imagining of "Basement Crawl" we have four new modes of gameplay with multiple options in each that are anything, but tacked on material. There's an objective driven story mode introducing each of the eight characters, an offline and online multiplayer with various types of modes to choose from, and two challenge modes that play sort of like a survival mode. The content is definitely there this time around, and the gameplay is far beyond what the first game had to offer in regards to a quality presentation.

UNBOXING - SMT: Devil Survivor 2 'Record Breaker' (3DS)

As I've said before I am a fan of Atlus, and their games. I'm such a fan that I won't let bad PR relations keep me from indulging in the latest Atlus RPG, or niche video game release. It's stupid to judge a gaming studio by their PR's actions. That's why I decided to go out, and pick up one of their new releases, in good faith. In fact while I was out for a lunch break today I decided to stop by the local Gamestop to pick up a copy of "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker" for the Nintendo 3DS. I had been watching the trailer updates via Youtube, and paid attention to the press releases that were sent my way. Having played, and owned "SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked" I sort of knew what I was getting into with this game. The first in the series, which I just mentioned wasn't all that impressive graphics-wise, but the actual RPG combat was addictive in it's own way. Like a Pokemon game the Devil Survivor series is all about capturing demons in a post apocalyptic world, leveling them up, and using them in combat against other demonic monstrosities. In the latest installment, or re-release this concept has been added onto, and expanded upon giving the gamer more bang for their buck, and extra content that was not in the original release. With that being said this collector's edition will set you back $50 plus tax, and makes you pay outright for that additional content.

Weekend Blog Log (May 3, 2015)

It's been an interesting week to say the least. The review work once again slowed to a crawl, possibly because I've failed to reach out as strongly as I used to to developers, and studios. On the flip side of the same coin though I've experienced what it's like to be without review work, and it's not too totally bad. I was able to help split the wood from the fallen trees outside my house, and enjoy some of the nice sunny weather that has been a rarity to us here in Georgia this Spring. I rarely get outside, and to be able to do so with company was a treat. I also had some Marcos pizza with family, which in itself was a treat. You'll find that I'm actually a very thankful person in life. I'm thankful for the review opportunities I get, the friends I meet through reviews and social media as well as the daily activities I'm able to participate in. I feel blessed even though I sometimes linger on the more negative things in my life.