Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition (Xbox One)

Going into this review I'm going to approach it as a new game as I have no clue as to what the new additions are about. Bare with me, please ...

When I first began playing Larian Studios' "Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Ed." I was truly overwhelmed by the attention to detail. So much so that I had to spend a little more time with it than normal to give it a fair chance. It had gorgeous landscapes, impressive character design, and tons of menu management options to boot. What you have to understand is that at first the immense amount of text based dialogue, accompanying voice-overs, and multi-layered menus had sort of left me lost without a proper grasp, or understanding. I thought all of it was too overbearing, and that it took away from the actual gameplay portion of the game.

Upon spending some quality time with it though the game grew on me. I became thankful that I didn't just quickly brush it off as some game not worth buying, and that I actually got to a point where I enjoyed it so much that I took to Twitter to boast about the find. I told my followers that it was a gem, and that it was very much worth the asking price. Both of which things I wholeheartedly believe. I also mentioned that it reminded me of a combination of other RPGs including Fable, Diablo, and D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) due to the implementation of things like a moral Q&A system, and Diablo-like perspectives/looting. It truly took me by surprise, and actually brightened the miserable week I was having through it's embedded sense of humor. The game definitely has an irresistible charm about it, and one that is so alluring it reminded me of so many wonderful fantasy films, and fantasy book adventures I partook of in my younger days. The movie, "The Neverending Story" comes to mind.

The Man Who Talked Sense (A PARABLE)

A moral story by Bradley Carver

Long ago in a busy village filled with idiots lived a hermit who had seen it all through the words of mankind. This man of a relatively young age, but elder wisdom lived at the edge of the village outpost in an overlooked, and long forgotten house on a clearing of land surrounded by forest. His humble home which was made of the most affordable materials at the time had an interior lined with shelves that were filled with a treasure trove worth of books, scrolls, and lost manuscripts. Day in, and day out the young lad buried his face in the pages of books. He knew about everything there was to know of the world around him without ever having stepped foot into the heart of the neighboring village, or even beyond it's boundaries.

One day while he was in the midst of his reading a knock came at his door. Curious, the young lad opened up the door to find an idiotic mob of villagers begging for his help. They clambered on about their crops not growing, and various other agriculture related issues. Having the knowledge to help, and excitement that comes with wanting to share his gained knowledge the man followed the village idiots to their farm lands, and one by one gave instructions to them on how to cultivate the land so that crops would grow. He even instructed them on how to raise livestock for the coming season's harvest. Once the deed was done the village idiots went back to minding their own business, and for countless years to come they once again left the young lad to himself with his tomes of knowledge.

Rodea the Sky Soldier (3DS)

Kadokawa's "Rodea the Sky Soldier" has an interesting history that began in 2011. It's one that started on a rocky road of development, and has only since came to fruition this year. Interestingly enough this sky oriented action game that takes hints from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise, and "Nights Into Dreams" began as an ambitious Wii title. You heard me right. Rodea's adventures in the sky kingdom of Garuda was meant to be released only on the Wii. Through delays as well as development, and publishing issues though it ended up not only switching intended release dates, but also which consoles it was to be released on. Instead of being a Wii exclusive it became a WiiU, and 3DS exclusive for the sake of being console generation relevant. Though the time, and transition phase was geared towards making the game what it was meant to be on the newer consoles it did not seem to change all that much.

After having gotten my hands on a 3DS copy of the soon to be released game it was more than obvious that the game was dated both in the graphical, and functional sense. The animations definitely looked like Wii era visuals, and the controls just did not jive with the 3DS control layout. Despite the the 3DS including a console tilt/movement function similar to what you'd get using a Wii Mote, and accompanying nunchuck it failed to make the tedious tasks of objective fulfilling, and point "A" to point "B" traversing a manageable ordeal. If you strayed from the beaten, and often times unapologetic linear paths you'd struggle just to regain your bearings, and would have trouble getting back on track where you needed to be. This along with some targeting, and movement issues only served to hurt my opinion of the game as you will find out ...

Happy Halloween 2015!!!

It is October 31st of 2015. It is Halloween!!! Currently some of you are at work, and some of you are at school. The lucky few like myself are at home preparing for the evening's activities in some form or fashion. Whatever your plans may be, be sure to play it safe this Halloween. Parents it is your duty to keep your kids safe, and kids it is your duty to do as your parents tell you. I know that may be hard as a youngster, but your parents do know best ... usually.

In light of the holiday that is Halloween I do have some tips to help you in making sure this nightly celebration of ghoulish delight doesn't turn into one of tragedy, or misfortune. First, and foremost do not go into neighborhoods that are known for violence, or criminal activity. Secondly be sure to wear brightly colored clothing, or reflector strips to keep people from running over you in their vehicles. Also do not walk in the middle of the roads. Always keep your eyes on the traffic, and always mind your surroundings. When 'Trick or Treating' be sure to do so in the company of others. Preferably in the company of a responsible adult, or adults. When you get your candy back home check every piece for tampering, and if a piece of candy looks like it's been tampered with throw it away. For those of you with food allergies be aware of the types of candies you have, and what types of ingredients make them up. If you are allergic to any type of foods be sure to have the appropriate medications on hand in case you should have an allergic reaction. Those are all good tips that you should each abide by this Halloween!

Zen Pinball 2 - "Balls of Glory" (PS4)

It's not a normal thing for Zen Studios to step outside the comfort zone of their "E - T" rating spectrum in regards to the table themes they choose to take on. You can imagine my own personal surprise at the fact that they actually went after "MA" rated late night cartoons this time around. While the cartoons themselves are often times subject to media scrutiny, and looming controversy due to their overly explicit content the tables did seem to stray away from that mindset, and maintain the common decency which Zen Studios is known for. You won't hear cussing, or anything questionable in the way of quotes, but you will still find the often times unapologetic, and sarcastically dark humor associated with each of the four television shows embedded within. Among the lot, which you will be getting for a single affordable price ($9.99) are "Family Guy", "Bob's Burgers", "Archer", and "American Dad!". Each of which comes complete with character based scoring objectives, and features as well as events that tie-in with fan favorite episodes pertaining to the long running series. Like the cartoons that they mimic every table in the set comes to life with replicated character animations that look as if they were ripped straight from the shows themselves, and accompanying voice-overs that seems to have been contributed by each of the original voice actors, and actresses. It is truly fan service at it's finest. In saying that, and realizing that that's the case I've come to understand that if you've not followed the cartoons like me you'll be completely lost in the puns, memes, and comedic jabs that are thrown out at the gamers in a sort of massive assumption of common understanding. It's not necessarily a bad thing though.

Future Reviews & Smite Impressions (Xbox One)

While you wait for my next three review posts I thought I'd go ahead, and let you in on what's up. Recently, and possibly by good fortune I was able to secure three games/items for review including the latest Zen Pinball 2 "Balls of Glory" tables, 'Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Ed.', and 'Rodea the Sky Soldier'. It honestly seems like it's been ages since my last review posting, and I cannot express how excited I am to be able to get back to work. As far as said work goes I'll be doing some serious multi-tasking since the games I've received were ones that were all slated to be released around the same time of month. All three games, though on different consoles come in at an order of importance close to one another due to their release dates, and accompanying embargoes, so you can expect them sooner rather than later. In fact two of the game items have already been released, and only Rodea is yet to be out to the public making it all the more important for me to get the job done ASAP. Speaking of Rodea, my nephew is going to get a sneak peek of it this evening while I begin my playthrough. It's one of the perks of being related to me, lol! He saw the word "soldier", and got super excited. I can't blame him. I don't think he knows what it's about though. My guess, since he is into that G.I.JOE toy phase is that he thinks it's an army type of game. Hopefully he'll enjoy it regardless as he's working hard at his school work just to be able to watch me play.