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Imperial Assault review – The Gamer in me GL-14

A great Design

I’ve been playing board games for a long time.  One thing that I can say for sure is that Game Design has significantly improved.  I use to find major flaws with almost every game I purchased after a few times playing.  The percentage of games that are brutally unbalanced, or contain game breaking elements are far lower now.  Imperial Assault is no exception.  I’ve read other people’s reviews, and comments about Campaign balance issues.  After playing through the game a number of times.  I can assure you that their opinions are unfounded.  The concern is most commonly about one side (Rebels or Imperials) gaining a significant advantage by winning too many missions in a row, and gaining an insurmountable advantage.  With proper Strategy, no advantage is insurmountable if you focus on the objectives.  Another aspect that is overlooked by most is that in order to win, the only mission that matters is the last one.  Every other mission only helps determine which path you take to get there.  I’ve also come across discussions on the Forums about assembling super groups of Rebel Heroes.  Trust me there is no such thing.  As the Imperial player there will be some missions that provide you with a predetermined Imperial units load out that can significantly limit your chances of success.  Of course there are other missions that provide you with the freedom to select the best possible group of units to defeat the Rebels.  In this way Campaigns involving equally skilled players rarely feel unbalanced.  Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each and every character feel unique, and equally important.  Of course there are characters like Gideon from the Core set that can combine with others to create powerful effects.  This in no way makes other characters feel insignificant.

Unpredictable turn sequence

An interesting departure from the majority of RPG style dungeon crawler games is Imperial Assault’s Turn sequence.  Instead of all the Rebel Players playing their turn, then the Imperial player taking theirs.  Each Character or unit takes their turn alternating between the Rebels and Imperials.  The order isn’t predetermined by initiative or any other means.  Each side selects which unit they would like to activate next after the opponent has completed their last activation.  This makes choosing which unit to use next, and how to use them quite similar to Chess.  Although the game is character driven.  Rebel Players will be upgrading, and levelling up their Heroes as the Campaign progresses.  Imperial Assault is first and foremost a Strategy based Board Game.  Resource management, time management, character formations, and even sacrificing characters play an important role.  The simplest of Actions could be the difference between winning or losing a mission.  All of these elements combined make for a very enjoyable game to play.

Is it Star Wars?

There are many games on the market that are based upon existing storylines.  Whether they are video game adaptations, movie adaptations, literary adaptations, or historical adaptations.  A recognizable background story can make a game appeal to a far greater number of people.  Obviously Star Wars is recognizable by most people.  The Star Wars universe is so well known that it places an even greater importance on creating something that feels authentic.  Well Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each mission in Imperial Assault feel like a scene out of one of the movies.  The Rebels always seem to be out numbered.  Whenever they do appear to gain the upper hand.  A powerful Imperial character like Darth Vader shows up to wreck the day.  The sense of urgency that you feel throughout the majority of Star Wars films. The Rebels always seem to be running out of time.  That is also well represented in an Imperial Assault Campaign.  You might expect to see many of the most popular characters early and often in an Imperial Assault Campaign.  To be honest it’s what I expected the first time I played the game.  Well you would be wrong.  The Imperial Assault Campaign system does a good job of placing the importance on the Players Heroes, but still having your favourite characters from the movies be a factor.  This effectively helps keep everyone interested, and adds an additional element of excitement when a famous character from the Star Wars universe makes an appearance.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe, or just a fan of strategic dungeon crawler style Board Games.  Imperial Assault would make a great addition to your game collection.  As far as Campaign based Board Games go.  Imperial Assault has become my absolute favourite.  Although there are quite a few expansions, and character packs available.  Imperial Assault is perfectly playable with only the Core set.  If you have three or four friends that you can get together with on a regular basis.  Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Imperial Assault.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Amnesia The Dark Descent – The Gamer in me GL-13

Another great addition from PS Plus

If you like horror genre video games then The Dark Descent is definitely for you.  Currently Free to Playstation Plus Subscribers as part of the Amnesia Collection.  This game is unlike any other horror survival game I’ve ever played.  You are unsure of what your goal is at the beginning.  This is in keeping with the Amnesiac theme.  You are unarmed, although you can pick up a bottle or chair in a pinch and hope that helps.  Helpful hint here, it won’t!  You’re wondering around a dilapidated mansion without any sort of detailed map.  You’re even unsure of how much health your character has because it only tells you things like you are currently bruised.  The beauty of it is that the less you know, the scarier it is.

A surround sound system masterpiece

The game actually suggests that you should play it while wearing headphones for the greatest affect.  When you have a surround sound system like mine though, headphones aren’t necessary.  Just the sound effects are enough to freak most people out.  The Designers have done an excellent job of setting the mood through sound and lighting.  I should say the lack of lighting because like the title implies, The Dark Descent is definitely dark.  Thankfully you can light the occasional candle, or carry a lantern around with you to light the way.  Of course the brighter things get in the Mansion.  The more likely something undescribably horrible might find you, and viciously rip you a new one.

Defeating the Demons

In the event that you come across something menacing, or horrific.  Don’t immediately despair.  Play it right, and you can still make it out alive.

Option 1- find a dark place like in a closet or under some stairs, curl up into a little ball, and pray that whatever that thing was doesn’t find you.

Option 2- turn away from the freakish thing that you just saw, and run like your life depended on it, cause it does.  Keep running until you think you have escaped.  Then proceed to use Option 1.

Will you be frightened?

Yes you will.  Some people will try to argue with me about this.  There’s always that one person who claims to be totally unafraid.  What The Dark Descent succeeds in doing to everyone that plays it is make you incredibly nervous.  It achieves this in a number of ways.  I’m not going to tell you about each way because that would ruin the surprise.  What I will tell you is that it makes you doubt your characters sanity.  This isn’t a spoiler because one of your characters key stats is Sanity.  Of course like your character’s Health it isn’t represented by a quantifiable score.  There are times during the game where you may begin to wonder if what you are seeing is real or imagined.  That alone can be very disconcerting.  Then there’s the constant creaks, footsteps, opening and closing doors, and everything else that doesn’t feel right about the Mansion.  As soon as you think you have a feel for how the game operates.  That’s when things will suddenly get very different.

The more the merrier

Although you would think that The Dark Descent is probably best played on your own.  Like one of my other favourite games Until Dawn, it’s actually a blast to play with a few friends.  How each one of you is affected by the gameplay can actually increase the tension in the room.  Also the game can be so mentally, and psychologically taxing for some people.  That way somebody else can take over playing while they give themselves a rest.  I would definitely suggest that any fans of the horror genre download the Amnesia Collection.  Even people who don’t normally play horror games, but can appreciate a very well designed exploration game will like it.  Also if you have invested in a serious surround sound system like myself.  Then you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t own this game.

 

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Boardgames are back The Gamer in me GL-11

Disconnected

I’m old enough to remember a time when the kids in my neighborhood would decide where to meet that evening on the bus ride home.  Maybe we would all get together at the local baseball diamond, or meet up at my place to play pond hockey in the winter.  Sometimes just a couple of us would go to a friend’s house to play video games, or board games.  You see we weren’t all connected to one another by Smart phones.  We didn’t have Facebook, or Instagram to immediately find out what everyone else was up to.  You couldn’t just sign in to your cellphone Game account, Xbox account, or Playstation account to play a game over the internet with a friend.  You had to go out of your way to see a friend, play a game together, or just find out what they were up to.  The irony of it all is that the more we try to become connected through technology.  The more disconnected we have become. The art of conversation has suffered.  They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well we as a digital society have begun to rely on it.  Why take the time to describe something that happened to you.  When you can just snap a picture or shoot a short video of it. It’s all so very convenient, but there’s something missing.  Something each and every one of us naturally craves.

A sense of sharing and togetherness

The most fun I’ve ever had playing a video game is with three friends offline.  The game was called Champions: Return to Arms for the PS2.  If you are unfamiliar with the game, it’s very similar to Diablo.  The graphics weren’t especially great.  Like Diablo it was basically a loot and character advancement style of game.  What made it great wasn’t the game. It was the shared experience, and teamwork it required to succeed.  All four of us together in my living room enjoying the game as a team.  If one of us made a hilarious mistake.  We all laughed together.  If we beat a level boss.  We all celebrated the victory together.  I didn’t snap a picture, or shoot a short video so my friends could laugh, or celebrate after the fact.  You see that’s what is missing.  The shared moment.  Outside of Sports, there isn’t much that we need to do together anymore.  It’s for this reason that there has been such a huge resurgence in Board Games.

Innovation

How different are today’s video games from the ones we played 5 years ago?  The graphics are a little bit better, and more people can play together online than before, but that’s about it.  There aren’t too many video games these days that really surprise me.  That isn’t the case with Board Games.  Every year a new take on an old genre pops up.  Board Games used to be very linear.  Every time you played the game, how it progressed was the same.  Now you have games that randomly create the board as you play it.  Some games require you to build a card deck before you begin, while others have you build a deck during the game.  There are even games that are played with each other cooperatively, as opposed to against each other competitively.  It doesn’t matter what your interests are, there is a Board Game for everyone.  Even if you aren’t much of a Gamer.  Chances are that you will really enjoy yourself the next time you get together to play a Board Game.   You know why?  It’s because you will be with friends sharing the experience.

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The Gamer in me GL-9 Top 5 Board games for Game night

When four friends get together to play Boardgames

You have set aside one night a week for a few friends to come over.  The kitchen table has been cleared.  You have a bag of dice, and tokens at the ready.  There is a full bowl of chips, and another couple extra bags “just in case”.  The fridge is full of beer.  Not a single one of your friends can say that you weren’t prepared.  There’s only one more thing you need.  The Games!  Which Games should you have to make sure this night is a success?  Well here’s my Top 5 games to complete the perfect Game night.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

If your play group isn’t too large.  This is probably the best Board game you can play with three or four people.  Up to six people can play but I found four to be the absolute best.  The premise of the game is simple.  You and a few others are exploring a haunted house.  Each character in the game is reminiscent of a typical horror movie character.  That alone is entertaining enough.  The real thrill of playing the game is that the evil presence in this house will eventually take control of one of the characters.  At that point the Player who is in control of that character becomes the antagonist.  Until this point the Players have just been exploring the House, which reveals itself one tile at a time.  As soon as a Player becomes the antagonist, the winning conditions for that scenario are revealed to both the antagonist, and the remaining Players.  If you are worried about replay value, don’t be.  Betrayal at House on the Hill has 50 scenarios!

Roborally

If you have read my previous gaming posts.  Then you know that Roborally is one of my favourite games of all time.  You don’t need to be an Uber Gamer to play it.  Honestly anyone who comes to your Game night will enjoy this game.  So on nights when your friends bring someone else along with them.  Someone who maybe isn’t well versed in some of the more challenging Games to play.  Roborally is probably the best choice.  Another great thing about Roborally is that it can be played by up to 8 people so when those impromptu large play groups happen.  You can be ready.  Read my full review to see why this is my all time Favourite Board game.  The Gamer in me GL-5

Ticket to Ride

One of the most popular topics for Board games recently has been trains.  Whether it’s about Running a train company, traveling by train, or building tracks between destinations.  Train games have become a mainstay.  The best of these is definitely Ticket to Ride.  Great for groups of 3-5 Players.  Ticket to Ride is another game that’s relatively simple to learn.  The Strategy required to win at Ticket to Ride is knowing when to go all out, and when to play it safe. For a game that you can teach someone to play in about 10 minutes.  Ticket to Ride has a lot of routes to victory, and limitless replayability.

Imperial Assault

Why is Imperial Assault on this list?  Hmmm, let me count the reasons.  1- it’s set in the Star Wars universe.  If you aren’t a fan of Star Wars, well #### you.  2- it’s essentially a Sci-Fi version of the best dungeon crawler Descent by Fantasy Flight Games.  If you haven’t played Descent, well #### you.  3- it comes with what should be a 36 hour Campaign perfect for 3-5 people.  If you aren’t into Campaign games, well #### you.  4- it’s a currently supported title with expansions coming out regularly, so replayability isn’t a problem.  If you aren’t a fan of games that require expansions, well #### you.  Other than that, it’s possibly one of the most addictive games ever made.

Clue

I probably surprised most of you with this one.  The original classic Game of limited information is still one of the absolute best games to play with a group of friends.  I’ve heard people say that once you have figured out the basic Strategy to Clue, it’s only a matter of time before you know who did it, with what, and where.  I don’t disagree.  Anyone who has played Clue enough times knows this.  That’s why very few people I play with have the patience to wait until they have figured it out 100%.  As the solution begins to become clearer.  Each Player begins to worry that somebody else will figure out the final solution before them.  So what tends to happen is that Players make educated guesses.  At my house, if you guess wrong you pitch in double for Pizza.  The eventual winner gets their Pizza for free.  If it’s been a while since the last time you played Clue?  Do yourself a favour, and get a few friends together to play a game.  You won’t be disappointed.

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The Gamer in me GL-8 That’s You

A Happy alternative

So I celebrated my birthday a week ago.  Unfortunately the actual day landed on a Tuesday so I waited until the following weekend to party.  Now usually my birthday celebrations involve a bunch of friends, a bar, too many drinks to count, and a lot of very bad choices.

Well this year I decided to do something different.  I wanted to avoid the embarrassing moments, and subsequent hangover.  Instead of going out, I invited a select group of friends over to my place.  In place of a dance floor and bar.  We had a living room and kitchen.  Instead of a DJ we had my PS4.  Sure there was still plenty of beer and wine in the fridge.  The drinks were going to happen no matter what I decided.  What really made this birthday special was the addition of a specific game.

That’s You

If you have a PS4 and haven’t played this yet?  Then you are doing yourself a serious disservice.  If you are a PS Plus member?  Log into the PlayStation Store and download it now for free.  Go ahead and do it now, I’ll wait….

Once you have the game loaded on your PS4. You will also need to download the companion App on your smartphone to play.  The way the game is played is simple. The game asks the group of Players a question.  Then each Player decides which one of them is the most appropriate answer.  The game might ask you which one of you is always late?  Then through the Application on your phone you select your answer.  The more Players that agree with you.  The more points you will receive.  The Player with the most points at the end wins.  There are also a few mini-games  that include sketching with your fingers, or taking a selfie.  They add additional elements to the game, but the real enjoyment is in the questions.

It might surprise you what some of your friends think about you.  Of course it’s all in good fun.  You won’t lose any friendships because of That’s You.  Well at least I hope you wouldn’t.  I’d be surprised if you aren’t laughing out loud by the third question.  Up to six people can play at once.  It makes for a very competitive game.  Keep the number of Players in mind though if you plan on having a That’s You party.

The game had me so enthralled that even though my fridge was full of beer.  I woke up the next day, and for the first time in about as long as I can remember.  I wasn’t severely hungover the day after my birthday.  I was so focused on the game that I forgot to drink.  That’s all the proof you need to know that it’s a great game.

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The Gamer in me GL-8 Hearthstone

Hearthstone

If you enjoy Collectible Card Games, but rarely find the time to get together with others to play?  Then I would highly recommend that you download the Hearthstone Game Application.  It is as simple to play as the easiest Collectible Card Game.  Despite it’s simplicity it still manages to maintain a fair amount of depth.  For those of you that are relatively new to Card Games.  The Hearthstone learning curve is very short, so it makes for a great place to start.  Hearthstone takes full advantage of it’s Application based play by providing you with Goals, and Challenges to overcome.  Something traditional Card Games aren’t able to offer.

Something else that’s somewhat unique about Hearthstone is the limited card base you are forced to construct your deck from.  I actually found it to be quite challenging to construct a cohesive deck in the beginning.  This actually makes it that much more satisfying when you begin to see your Deck Design come together after playing a few games.  Another bonus for new Players is that Hearthstone can be played entirely for free!  Just by playing, and completing Challenges.  You earn a virtual currency that can be used to purchase packs.  Of course like the majority of Application based Games you can make in app purchases.  Spend some real money, and buy a bunch of packs so you can build stronger decks right away.  As tempting as that may seem.  I personally won’t do it.  The Game selects your opponent by your skill level, and Win-Loss-Tie  record.  So you will generally be matched up against balanced opponents.  I’ve been matched against a few people who have purchased packs, and still managed to defeat a few.  It makes winning all the more sweeter.  Of course I have come across decks that are so stacked.  I really had zero chance of victory.  The odds of playing that particular individual is extremely slim though.  Their Win-Loss-Tie record will quickly place them out of reach.

Unlike many Collectible Card Games, Hearthstone doesn’t suffer from timing issues.  Everything you do happens on your turn.  There is no worry about your opponent interrupting your turn.  You also won’t have to worry about resource management, or “mana hosing”.  Each turn you automatically gain an additional resource point towards playing cards.  When designing a deck from your allotment of cards.  The first step is to decide which of the nine classes you are going to play.  In the beginning you only have access to the Mage class.  You are required to unlock the others in order to play them.  The remaining eight classes are the Druid, Hunter, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior.  Each class has cards that are specific to it.  All classes also have access to a number of neutral cards that can be used to complete a deck.  Depending on which cards you open in your first few virtual packs.  That will help you determine which classes you should build in the beginning.  As you win games, and complete Challenges more packs can be purchased.  The cards you open will eventually allow you to build competitive decks with all the classes.

Another thing that intrigues me about Hearthstone is not knowing the Card pool.  Sure I could go online, and study lists of all the available cards.  I really don’t see a good enough reason to do so.  I find it more enjoyable to keep that element of surprise.  Every game I play has that pre-release feel to it.  The potential for almost anything to happen.  It’s an element that’s sorely missing from the majority of Collectible Card Games these days.

Being able to play wherever, and whenever is a welcome change.  The average Game is over within 15 minutes.  You don’t require a lot of free time to play.  The game doesn’t penalize you for losing either.  Conceding a game because something unexpected came up isn’t an issue.  Actually some of the Challenges don’t even require you to win matches.  For example one of my previous Challenges required me to defeat 100 minions.  Not a single game transpires without me killing at least a few of them.  As long as I kept playing I would eventually defeat the Challenge.  It’s a game I can’t imagine ever getting bored of. Whether you treat it as a casual distraction, or are determined to master a particular class.  Hearthstone is a game that any fan of Collectible Card Games can enjoy.

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The Gamer in me GL-7 MTG Deck design

Aggro, Control, or Combo?

Ask anyone that’s played Magic the Gathering for a significant length of time.  They will tell you that there are three primary deck archetypes.  Aggro decks that take advantage of incredible speed, or strength.  Control decks that can take over a specific aspect of the game, or lock out your opponent.  Combo decks that group specific cards together to achieve game breaking effects.  Quite often this results in a Rock, Paper, Scissors situation.  Where Aggro beats Control, Control beats Combo, and Combo beats Aggro.   Deck choice is usually a matter of personal preference.  Lately though playing whichever deck is winning major events most often is the popular choice.  The alternative is to design, and play the Scissors to the currently popular Paper.  Most Players have a particular preference towards a certain style of deck.  In the beginning I preferred building, and playing Aggro decks.  They were quite easy to build, play, and could earn you a quick victory if your opponent got off to a slow start.  As my skills at the game improved.  I learned to enjoy playing all three archetypes.  I now enjoy all three equally.

When designing a new deck.  The archetype used to determine the deck’s primary path to winning.  The Aggro deck just needed to be faster than the opponent’s deck.  The Control deck just needed to be able to stop the opponent’s deck from doing what it was designed to do.  The Combo deck had to reach it’s combination of game breaking cards before the opponent defeated you.

In today’s game your real goal should be to achieve some insurmountable advantage.  In Magic the Gathering there are two primary forms of advantage that can be had.  The first is Card advantage, and the second is Board advantage.  Each of the three archetypes can be utilized to achieve either of the two major advantages.  I’m not saying that a fast deck can’t win just because it’s fast.  Of course it can.  What I’m saying is that a fast deck, that also gains you Board, or Card advantage will win far more often.  One of the best early examples of this is the Swamp-Dark Ritual-Hypnotic Spectre first turn play.  A first turn 2/2 flying is fast.  Add in the Card advantage that’s created when the Hypnotic Spectre forces your opponent to discard a card, and you have a game winning situation.  A similar comparison can be made for Control, or Combo decks.  Be mindful when designing your next deck that it does have the capability of creating a significant advantage.  If it doesn’t, then all you are essentially doing is gambling.  Obviously if you only copy netdecks, then this doesn’t apply to you.  Still understanding why certain decks succeed is important to know if you hope to actually defeat them.  There have been some very successful Magic the Gathering decks.  Most of them will sound familiar to even newer players.  Necropotence, Prosper-bloom, High Tide, Affinity, Copycat, and the list goes on.  What made these decks great was there ability to create massive advantages in the game.  If you can’t create a deck that can do the same?  Then save yourself so cash and just play Rock, Paper, Scissors for free.

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The Gamer in me GL-6 Until Dawn

Until Dawn

If you are a Playstation Plus member, and haven’t played Until Dawn before you need to download it now.  This is one of the few games that I had no reservations about preordering.  I absolutely love choice and consequence style games.  Heavy Rain is still one of my favourite PS3 games.  Until Dawn takes the Heavy Rain system, and improves on it in every way.

Until Dawn puts you in charge of deciding the fate of a number of interesting characters.  In classic 80s slasher movie style.  The characters find themselves in an old house in the woods being pursued by some unknown evil.  It’s your job to get them through a night filled with incredible danger.  Each character is well represented, and their personalities are quickly identifiable.  How each character is connected to one another plays an important role in the development of the story as well.  While playing the game, you will begin to develop favourite characters quickly.  This is one of the more interesting aspects of the game.  As potentially sacrificing one character to insure the safety of another can become an option.  Do you sacrifice a physically strong character you have grown to hate?  Just to save another character you like, but freezes up at the first sign of trouble?  These are questions you will ask yourself during the course of a game.

The graphics for Until Dawn are excellent.  It makes watching the game just as much fun as playing it.  Actually one of my favourite ways to play this game is with three other friends.  Each of us pick two of the eight characters to play.  We have a mini draft and pick characters one by one.  Whichever character is in control of the situation.  That determines which Player gets the remote at that time.  You’ll learn a lot about your friends over the course of a game of Until Dawn if you play it that way.  If there’s ever a Zombie apocalypse.  I know which friends of mine I wouldn’t want to be trapped with.  You might be surprised how many of your friends wouldn’t take the smallest risk to save both of you.  They’d rather sacrifice you to guarantee their own safety.

Once I completed my first play through.  Everyone and their dog was asking me the same question.  Is it scary?  This game is based on classic horror films after all.  Until Dawn does have it’s moments.  It depends on the individual of course, but I’m sure it will catch everyone off guard a few times.  Play it at night with the lights off, and the volume up to get the most out of it.  I’ve seen people watch me play Until Dawn while clutching a blanket.  Just in case they needed to cover their eyes at a particularly suspenseful moment.

Another appealing aspect of the game that I wasn’t expecting, is the mystery surrounding what occurs.  If you are like me you will find yourself trying to figure things out all the way through the game.  I expected a straight up Jason Voorhees slasher style game, but it was so much more than that.  Real attention was given to the development of the story, and motivation of it’s antagonist.

Obviously I absolutely love this game, but like the majority of choice and consequence games it suffers from the same pitfalls.  The most obvious of which is replay value.  Once you’ve completed Until Dawn once.  The appeal of the game is significantly diminished.  The unexpected moments, and sudden scares are gone.  The mystery behind the story, and it’s antagonist is already known.  The only motivation you will have is to finish the game without allowing any character to die.  Alternatively you could also play it to see how quickly you can get them all killed as well.  😈

That being said, replay value isn’t as much of an issue when you can download the game for Free! I paid full pop, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I promise you, if you set aside a day to play Until Dawn with a few friends.  You won’t be disappointed.

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The Gamer in me GL-4 Video game releases

The benefits of being patient.

New console video games are released every month.  I used to purchase at least one of those new releases each month.  I’d read every preview, watch every trailer, and gather every snippet of news that was released about every game of interest.  Then when release day came I’d be first in line to pick up my copy.  There are two problems that come with buying new games the second they are released every month.

The first problem is not having enough time to finish some of the longer open world games.  Before you are even halfway done.  A new game is released that you can’t wait to try.  Then the game you were currently playing gets put on the back burner.  By the time you get back to playing it.  You might have already forgotten key elements of the game.  You could be totally lost of where you are in the story, or confused about the game controls.  In some cases it’s easier to just start over.  Then before you know it.  Another game you’ve been anticipating comes out.

And so on…and so on…

The second issue with purchasing too many games at release, I touched on in a previous post.  Quite a few of the games released each year are total crap.   The majority of them are actually.   I’ve learned to be very wary of glowing previews.  You know who gets to preview a game?  Someone who’s written glowing reviews, or previews for games released by that Developer before.  Try writing a review about how you think a particular Game is garbage.  Then send that Developer a request to preview their next game.  Good luck with that buddy.  If I represented that Developer I wouldn’t send you a preview copy either.    You need to be skeptical of early test versions of games being demoed at E3 also.  Half of the time these demos are being presented on state of the art gaming computers.  The image quality, and frame rate could far exceed the capability of your consoles.

Your best strategy to insure that the majority of games you purchase don’t totally suck.  Is to wait at least one week after it’s been released.  Then read the reviews posted by actual players.  Are there any server issues?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Is the game plagued by glitches?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Does it suffer from frame rate problems?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Does the game just fail to deliver what you expected?  You’ll find out… Well you know where this is going.

Now some of you are worried about missing out on all that release day swag.  Those special character skins, bonus equipment, or extra downloadable content.  Truth be told, most of those release day bonuses are still available one week later.  If it isn’t.  Are you really going to be devastated about missing out on a character skin that everyone is using?  I know I’m not.  I get bored of having the same outfit, equipment, or vehicle that everyone else has right quick.  Don’t you?

Trust me if you remain patient, and only buy the highest rated reviewed games.  You will enjoy your game system that much more.  You’ll also have the necessary time to fully explore those fantastically realized open worlds.

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GAMING Uncategorized

The Gamer in me GL-3 Rec Room Toronto

First impressions of the Cineplex Toronto Rec Room

Cineplex Rec Room just opened up in Toronto.  They took over the space that used to be the Leon’s Roundhouse Location.  It’s on Bremner across from the Ripley’s aquarium and Skydome.  Yes I still call it the Skydome.  Shit most people I know still do.

When approaching the Rec Room, you can be forgiven for mistaking it as a night club, or strip joint.  The first thing you’ll see is two guys that look like bouncers.  They are fully decked out in the typical tuxedo style garb, waiting to greet you from behind the rope line.  My first thought at 3:20pm on a Friday was am I dressed too casual for this place?

Now I know a little bit about the Cineplex Rec Room.  From my understanding it is just another version of a Dave & Buster’s.  So really their shouldn’t be anything wrong with wearing shorts and a collared T-shirt.  Still for just a moment I thought I might be denied entry.  Thankfully I wasn’t.

Once inside my suspicions were correct.  What I had expected to see was all there.  There were a lot of interesting games.  Many of the titles were familiar to me, but they had quite a few new games as well.  They had a pretty even mix of Video games, and games of chance or skill that earn you “tickets”.  Similar to Dave & Buster’s you need to purchase credits in order to play any of the games.  The more you buy, the better the value.  So my buddy Weber and I just pooled our money and purchased a single reloadable game card.   They have taken full advantage of the newest technology.  Instead of receiving a magnetic strip swipe card.  You are instead provided with a small tap card.  Not only does it transfer credits to play games.  It also keeps track of the number of tickets you win.  I’m torn between loving the simplicity of it, and missing the satisfaction of watching machines slowly spit out ticket after ticket when you win big.  Another point of concern with the tap card is it’s ability to pay for a game without you even realizing it.  Depending on your height, if you keep the tap card in your pocket and lean against a machine.  You could accidentally pay for a game.  I witnessed the same guy do it twice while watching his friend play one game, as he leaned against another.  Of course I helped out the best way possible.  In order to keep those credits from going to waste.  I stepped up and played each game so that he wouldn’t be disturbed, and could continue watching his friend play.  You’re welcome.

The main area has a long bar which serves an indoor lounge, as well as an outdoor patio.  Having that outdoor space is a huge bonus in my book.

Rec Room bar

There are two restaurants, one fast food casual, and one for dining in.  The first thing that really caught my eye when I walked in was a 6ft Pac-Man machine that two players can actually play simultaneously!

Playing together to clear each level actually required a fair amount of teamwork.  Shouting orders to one another to keep ourselves alive, and splitting the level into his section and mine was absolutely key to winning.

Giant Pac-Man

There are quite a few competitive games at the Rec Room.  The most popular of which was Super Mario kart.  It was so popular in fact that we didn’t actually get an opportunity to play it.  This was the first issue I had with Rec Room.  In comparison to a Dave & Buster’s, the Games area is much smaller.  It won’t take too many people before it’s packed.  Now it was opening week so you would expect a slightly larger crowd.  Still 4:00pm on a Friday shouldn’t have you waiting to play every popular game.

We decided to try our luck at a few of the ticket games while waiting for some of the more popular games to clear.  Something I noticed right away is the large number of Progressive jackpot games.  The highest of which was over 3000 tickets!  The temptation to try and hit the jackpot was very high.  With all those tickets you can have a swag buying spree in the swag shop right after.  I couldn’t help myself so I gave it a few tries.  On my third attempt, wouldn’t you know it, I timed that game absolutely perfect.  Well almost perfect, and walked away with squat.  Whoever wins Zombie arm owes me 24 credits.

One of the attractions I was most interested in was their virtual reality experience The Void.  The opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a Ghostbuster zapping ghosts is just too good to pass up.  Well unfortunately I did.  First of all it isn’t easy to find when you first enter.  Weber and I got so caught up with downing beers, and playing the newest version of Cruisin U.S.A. that by the time we were done.  The line up at The Void was just too long for us to wait.

Now would I recommend that you visit the Rec Room and experience it for yourself?  Definitely.  I’ll be back soon and next time the first thing I’ll do is try out The Void.  If you plan on going I would suggest picking an off peak time, or planning on staying for quite a while.  Bring a few friends along, and if you find a game you like.  Stick with it until you’ve had your fill.  You might not get back on it again if you leave.