Tales of Berseria (PS4)

Bandai Namco's "Tales of Berseria" is a thematic story driven action RPG that delves deep into the human psyche through a varied storytelling presentation that includes a plot of revenge taken on by an exorcist's apprentice who was wronged in the worst sort of way. Velvet, that wronged protagonist, starts off in a semi-happy life tending to her ailing younger brother Laphicet while abiding by Arthur's guidance, and instructions. The latter of whom is a man of the utmost seriousness, and who is loyal to his duties as the town's unwelcome savior/exorcist. While the world in which Velvet, and the trio of main role-players is oppressed by a surrounding demonblight, or rather an unexplained plague which turns humans into daemons, the lot of them push to make the most of their humble lives. Like many people in the real world they aspire to do great things in the midst of dark times, but suffice to make ends meet through hard work. Unfortunately for them the aspiration, and dreams for a better life are cut short one fateful red mooned night due to a certain character's selfish decision, and the resulting seeking of vengeance by the wronged, Velvet. As it were Velvet's quest, and thirst for revenge is what set's the stage for the bloodthirsty battles ahead, and drives those who join her cause to fight alongside her.

Quest of Dungeons (PS4)

Upfall Studio's "Quest of Dungeons" is a procedurally generated, and turn based rogue-like RPG in the more classical, or retro sense. It takes the top-down dungeon-like formulas of games like 'The Legend of Zelda', adds a bit of humor, and a cliche adventuring focus along with endgame stats to make each playthrough notably different. You are given a choice of four different heroes including the warrior, the wizard, the assassin, and the shaman, and are placed inside a dungeon with the simple goal of surviving the perils therein as long as you can. You'll encounter plenty of traps, monsters, and boss creatures as you explore the rooms, and floors of each given area. Each hero in the game specializes in specific forms of combat according to character class, and can carry/use only character specific weapons. This along with your mortal coil that is a single life is to get you through to the end, and hopefully to the top of the game's global leaderboard rankings. As you tread the dungeon floors in the footsteps of your chosen protagonist you'll also be able to break objects, and loot chests for things like coins, health items, or even equipment. All of which can be used, and  equipped via a slot oriented inventory, or which can be sold/bought at the mysterious hooded merchant that resides in certain rooms within each dungeon floor. Whether or not you see the game to completion your stats will be tallied up at the end, and your ranking will be given accordingly.

RWBY: Grimm Eclipse ~ Team JNPR Bundle (PS4)

Where do I start? I suppose my lack of knowledge of the RWBY series would suffice. Going into this review I honestly did not expect to get caught up on the entire lore surrounding Rooster Teeth's RWBY series. The game description on the PSN store clearly stated that this was a new scenario that was to tie-in with the series main characters, and enemies. At the same time though I kind of expected the developer to at least give some kind of background on the main characters, and their predicament in order to possibly gain the attention of people like me who may not have followed the RWBY story progression. This did not happen. In fact the story that was told through faux smartphone chat for the duration of the game's campaign by four of RWBY's doctors only hinted at what was going on, and in no way really fleshed out a new story. I was left with a lot of questions, and did not feel any closer to learning about RWBY than I did before doing my playthrough. Needless to say there was a great opportunity missed to connect with a new audience, and to stay connected with the audience Rooster Teeth had already amassed. Not only that, but the gameplay I'm about to describe is flawed to a point that the game does not really earn the asking price it so boldly requests ...

Let it Die ~ Tips & Tricks

Those of you who know me know I've fallen head over heels in love with SUDA51's 'Let it Die'. It far surpassed my expectations. I was not exaggerating when I said on Twitter that it would have been my top pick for 2016 game of the year had I even bothered to do a proper end of the year list. It is truly that good. As of now I'm fairly deep into the game. I'm on the 12th floor of the Tower of Barbs. I have gained a ton of weapon blueprints, and have some significantly leveled up gear that I can purchase whenever. I also have a well established waiting room defense with 7/8 placed characters. Some of which are ranked at the 2 star level. My clan has also went flawless, and won 3 consecutive clan clashes which landed us some sweet rewards. Why I'm telling you this is, because I've established an approach to the game that will get you in a favorable position for easy progression. I've devised a plan to get newcomers into the game efficiently, and to help them prioritize what is important when it comes to gameplay focus. Without beating around the bush too much longer though I will go ahead, and disclose the details for you ...

The First Day of 2017 ...

This morning I awoke to a gloomy rain filled day. I did my usual routine of house cleaning before settling down with social media to catch up on the world's response to the new year. Once I was tapped into the internet (Twitter specifically) I was met with the same social media buzz as the day before. Things like politics, and various other agenda specific topics were being discussed as they have been the entirety of 2016. Honestly I did not expect some miraculous change in the world, or in social media though. It's as Boogie said. A calendar rolling over doesn't change people, or situations. That sort of thing comes from within. Unless we all work at becoming a better, more positive person in the collective worldly sense nothing will change this year. We need to realize this if we are to make the most of our 2017.