Google+ Subscribers, Twitter Followers & Page Views

It is 2016, and I'm still getting turned down by the occasional misguided indie game developer. For some reason they think the Google+ subscriber widget that is on this blog reflects my total audience count, and traffic sources. This couldn't be further from the truth. What developers, publishers, studio & PR need to understand when entertaining one of my review offers is that the Google+ widget only reflects the Google+ subscriber count. Not my blog's following. Here at this blog I get traffic from multiple sources, one being that of my Google+ page which houses all of my reviews, and blog posts. While that is substantial enough in the way of page views you have to also factor in my Twitter follower count which has friends, and followers who see and click on every review link that I share there. Currently I'm over 3,000 in Twitter followers which is definitely not a low number. It may not be on par with celebrities, and other famous persons of interest, but if you do the math and add up the links that are read and shared by said followers things begin to multiply. Things add up. I was not lying when I said that my Google+ page is nearing the 3 million view mark. That in itself is traffic worth mentioning as Google+ only contains post from this blog. Furthermore other traffic sources that contribute to my viewer reach include various other journalist sites who have linked to my blog as well as my Youtube channel which catches a lot of attention for what I provide there.

Zen Pinball 2 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PS4)

Before I get into the thick of this review I thought I'd be courteous, and let you know that I don't intend on leaking any movie spoilers. From time to time I may reference characters, but at this point we pretty much know of all the main role-players. For those of you who are unaware, and who have not yet bought this latest Zen Pinball 2 DLC pack I think you'll be pleased to learn that there are two tables instead of the one previewed table that was shown in the teaser trailer. It is the usual packaged deal in that you'll be forking over $4.99 in PSN credit for the DLC instead of the cheaper price for the individual tables. Single tables usually cost $2.99 each. In comparison of the two DLC types I think there is a bit of a discount with this set's pricing. The question that remains though is if it's worth having at all?

The State of Destiny 2016

I've been outspoken about Destiny since it's launch. Sometimes I've praised it, and other times I've outright bashed it because of it's growing laundry list of problems. Even with it's major downsides though I continue to play the game with friends, and admittedly so. I liken said experience to beating my head against a brick wall, but finding euphoria in the trauma induced dizziness afterwards. It's just one of those things in life, I suppose ...

Seeing as it's 2016 I figured in my spare time between reviews that I'd try to breakdown my thoughts on what Destiny has become, and what needs to be done in order to revive fan's faith in the game/series. I definitely have a lot to say, and honestly a lot of it is going to put the game in the negative spotlight. At the same time though I want you to understand that I don't want to see the game fail. I don't want to see it in the state of mismanagement that it's in. I'm hoping the team at Bungie can get it together enough to do what needs to be done in order to reverse the damage that Destiny's current build has done to the morale of those who have invested so wholly in it.

Amplitude (PS4)

From the creative minds at Harmonix comes a game that is all about sensory overload. This game of which I speak is actually a remake of a cult classic of the same namesake. It is known as, "Amplitude". Amplitude, at base level is a game that utilizes similar mechanics such as those which are tied to games like 'Rock Band 4', and Disney's "Fantasia: Music Evolved". By this I mean you will be hitting targets via specific button presses in time with songs that are each associated with the game's included soundtrack. As far as a story goes Amplitude does include it's own underlying plot about nano-technology packaged in a tutorial style campaign mode, and in providing such content said story implies the use of pseudo-surgery on the human psyche within a particular patient. The game itself combines trance-like music from various artists, mixes it with some intense psychedelic visuals, and adheres it to the rhythm style gameplay that comes with the interactive music experience. Along with the challenging, and musically driven gameplay presentation also comes high scoring opportunities tied to an online leaderboard, and a separate mode of play known as "Quickplay". For those of you looking to best your friends with noteworthy top scores you'll find that, that is also an option if you choose to buy the game.

Troubling Tales From GameStop

Over the years I've become a frequent shopper at the local GameStop. Compared to most GameStop shops in the state the one nearest to me is actually quite large, and houses more merchandise than most. I go to it mostly out of convenience since it is a simple 15 minute drive from my house. Having to pay for games to be shipped to my house, and risking them coming in possibly damaged, or stolen is not the ideal scenario for a collector like me. While GameStop does have it's good side it also harbors an evil side built upon greed, mismanagement, and customer service that is either good or bad depending on who's working that day. Through the many shopping experiences that I've had at said GameStop I've had a few instances/encounters that made me rage inside, and nearly outwardly so. I actually spoke out against some things openly, and even took to the surveys, and online to voice my complaints in the past. Among said instances I've had pre-order bonuses nearly denied, and have even encountered employees (doing their job) trying to sell me a used game as new with a new price slapped on it. The latter happened to me again today, and that's what I'll be talking about in this very article ...

The "OtakuDante's Gaming Inferno" Youtube Channel

Unbeknownst to a lot of you I've had a Youtube channel since mid 2009. It started off with some modest home videos of me playing games (which are now lost to history), and slowly evolved into replay captured features when the option to provide such content became available to me. I did provide some commentaries along the way, but mostly stuck to gameplay videos without my own voice or myself included. I'm honestly not the best commentator, and often times stutter, say "Uhm ...", or get lost with what I'm trying to relay to my viewers. I wanted my commentary inclusive videos to be genuinely good, and non-scripted, but I've yet to release a totally coherent one. Despite these shortcomings I've made the most of my channel, and have gained over 200 followers in the process. I continue to offer replays from various games, and even include upcoming trailers when I feel like it. On the rare occasion you might also find an unboxing video of a new game with my thoughts on said product included.