Ace of Spades HQ

April 06, 2014

Gaming Thread 4/6/2014
— Gang of Gaming Morons!

So Amazon released their Roku like box that also plays games. Hopefully this isn't their gaming hardware otherwise there is a ton of talent working on mobile games. Dunno with the pricing they have. $100 for the box and another $40 for the controller seems a bit steep for what it's offering.

Build 2014 is going on right now, not much news coming out of there pertaining to gaming without completely boring everyone with a ton of slides

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News

• Satya Nadella announced that Phil Spencer is the new head of the Xbox brand. On one hand, they really don't have anyone else and on the other, he knows gaming. In an era where making a profit is nice, dunno if he is the right choice but he is their choice.

• I've never been shy is stating that I'm not a big fan of Kickstarter, this card based RPG for kids does seem kinda interesting. Hope it makes it goal.

• Not to shock anyone but the beta for the upcoming Doom that comes in Wolfenstein is only for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

• Microsoft showed off some cloud based computation at Build 2014. Phil Spencer said that this demo isn't throw away work for what it's worth.

•The other big gaming related thing to come out is after a year or so of strongly hinting at it, they finally announced that they are in fact unifying app development so they become universal. Not really gaming related but this kinda makes apps on the Xbox One be open to an extent outside of the traditional hoops you need to jump through.

• Good riddence, the final nail in Gamespy is going to be pounded into it's corpse on May 31st.

• Game is still a bit of a mess but this is still undeniably pretty cool

• NEW TRAILER FOR SOMA!!! Can't wait for this to come out

• Amy Hennig found her landing spot at Visceral Games (Dead Space series) and becomes their creative director for their upcoming Star Wars game. If nothing else, at least Visceral will finally release a game with a decent story.

• Turnopia and Siltherine announced that their Qvadriga PC game is being ported to the iOS and Android. Though I do like the games that I've played Siltherine has published, I can't say I stay on top of their releases but a chariot racing management sim has my interest piqued just on concept alone. Probably end up buying the PC release sometime this week.

• Middle-Earth: Assassin's Creed not only gets a release date (October 7th) but a trailer that touches on the story of the game

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STUFF I'VE BEEN PLAYING

Monument Valley came out on the iOS and I played through that. It's a lot like Echochrome that was on the PSP and PS3 but a lot easier and a beautiful art style. For $4, I got my money's worth with about 6 hours of gameplay.

Been checking out FTL's new expansion pack, Advanced Edition. Some nice tweaks and enough new content to make you dip your toes back into the game.

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NEW RELEASES

Disney Magical World (3DS) - I honestly don't know much about this one other than Japan went googoo over it. It looks a lot like Animal Crossing but like I said, I don't have much clue about this one. Nintendo are banking pretty hard on it by not giving it one branded handheld but two. A white and gold 3DS XL which is a Walmart exclusive and a pink 2DS which is exclusive to Gamestop

Kinect Sports Rivals (Xbox One) - The game that should have been there at launch. New entry in the Kinect Sports series, the wave racing has had a demo on the marketplace since launch and it's pretty good. The sports in this one are: bowling, jetski racing, rock climbing, soccer, target shooting and tennis. They've added a face scanning option to place it on your avatar and it's built around having sports clubs and world rankings based on those clubs. Even get David Tennet yelling at you. I personally have dug the series (fun party games) so I'll be picking this up if nothing more than for bowling. If you're skittish on it, the reviews hit tomorrow morning.

Lego: The Hobbit (PS3, 360, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, Vita and PC) Third Lego game in the last 7 months, it will never end. Now personally, I'm not a fan of the Lego games but the Lord of the Rings ones were pretty good (and looked gorgeous on the PC) so I'm curious about this one from afar.

Fables: The Wolf Among Us - Episode 3 (PC, PS3, 360, iOS) - Well, at least it didn't take four months for this episode to come out and there is no way it could be as short as the second episode. The series has been pretty good so far, better than I expected.

TitanFall (360) - So the 360 version of TitanFall is coming out and other than a few tidbits, there is exactly very little to go on. They say it runs at 30fps and nothing has been cut out but that's really all about that is known. I personally would be very cautious about this release. I would post a trailer but there isn't one for the 360 release o.O

Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut (Xbox One & PS4) - Frankly, I really didn't care for this on the PC but with it being the dry period after new hardware is released, anything to get you through it. The game is really pretty and it does fill some needed Omega Boost (the best game from the Gran Turismo guys) gaps but I thought the controls were sloppy which lead to some cheap hits and frankly just kinda sucked the fun out of it. And enough with the damn escort missions

That's it
Catch me on Twitter
The Dude

Posted by: Gang of Gaming Morons! at 09:50 AM | Comments (26)
Post contains 1006 words, total size 8 kb.

1 I put this up early because I have to run and I have no idea on when I'll be back

Posted by: The Dude at April 06, 2014 09:56 AM (bStrg)

2 I like kickstarter. People just need to know that there is a risk involved and that it is just a funding mechanism. It doesn't provide you with stakes in the companies and they don't really have to follow through with their goals. So buyer beware.

Posted by: NWConservative at April 06, 2014 09:59 AM (ewX/S)

3 Is the "Fables" you mention related to the comic book?

Posted by: The Fabled Hat at April 06, 2014 10:03 AM (AymDN)

4 And I am so glad that I did not buy either the PS4 or Xbone. They really are not offering anything that my PC can't already offer and do better (60fps consistently @ 1920x1080).

Posted by: NWConservative at April 06, 2014 10:03 AM (ewX/S)

5 I'm interested in FireTV because the tower I have hooked up to my TV just crapped out on me, and I don't know if it's worth it to get it repaired. I'm trying to decide between it and Roku. The new Disney game looks boring compared to the Disney Infinity.

Posted by: no good deed at April 06, 2014 10:05 AM (vRCaC)

6 I could not, for the life of me, get the hang of flying a chopper in Battlefield 4.

Posted by: Adam at April 06, 2014 10:05 AM (Aif/5)

7 Yes, but Amazon hired Gary Busey as their spokesperson to sell this gadgetry. It's the most brilliant and memorable commercial I've seen in years. Better than Super Bowl commercials. Busey is featured as a crazier-than-normal and deranged Busey who likes to talk to things. Only the AmazonBox seems to interact with him successfully. I don't even know what the thing is, and I'm pretty sure I don't need it, but I want it now anyway.

Posted by: frigger611 at April 06, 2014 10:22 AM (I2IdM)

8 Posted by: The Fabled Hat at April 06, 2014 02:03 PM (AymDN) One and the same. serves as a prequel to the first issue

Posted by: The Dude at April 06, 2014 10:29 AM (DaU8I)

9 what? no Goat Simulator in depth review? In more serious news, .23.5 of Kerbal Space Program came out which didn't introduce anything really new gameplay wise, but it did introduce a ton of bug fixes and improved the UI considerably. I might start playing the real size Kerbin mod again thanks to many of the bug fixes in the update. Of course the new joint system has made damned/infernal robotics no longer function, but that was to be expected. I've also been playing a bunch of Payday 2 since it was on sale a few weekends ago on Steam. At the 70-hour mark, gameplay has gotten stale (though not "easy") due to a limited number of maps. The announced Western Armies pack for Company of Heros 2 is due out in June, introducing US forces and a new German faction (US looks to at least have paratroopers). Not strictly DLC as you can use just those armies in multiplayer against any of the other factions, but no single player campaign it seems (much like Opposing Fronts for CoH 1). Hopefully these armies don't throw balance off too much, although it is admittedly difficult to balance 4 factions with several unique commanders each. I'm going back through my collection of WWII FPS games from the early 2000s. Currently on Call of Duty. It's easy to forget just how great that game was after every CoD since. Next on my list is Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Spearhead, and Breakthrough. While CoD always felt like "fighting", MoH feels like an adventure with the great score, scripted events, and the like. They really don't make them like they used to.

Posted by: dudenolongerinsantacruz at April 06, 2014 10:29 AM (PGXA8)

10 Wouldn't mind a new WWII FPS myself. wouldn't mind Red Orchestra 2 to get a new lease on life either

Posted by: The Dude at April 06, 2014 10:32 AM (DaU8I)

11 I keep reading that as Phil Spector and, needless, to say, that tends to put a whooooole different spin on things.

Posted by: alexthechick - Oh save us mighty SMOD at April 06, 2014 10:33 AM (Gk3SS)

12 I'm skeptical about amazon hardware. We haven't had good luck with the kindle fires - always seem to have some point of failyre fro.cheap parts or something.

Posted by: votermom at April 06, 2014 10:56 AM (9WXVl)

13 what's up gaming morons anybody seen any news about eso release numbers still kinda meh about it myself

Posted by: rain of lead at April 06, 2014 11:42 AM (emQ8O)

14 It would have been interesting if Amazon had created something to really compete with the big 3 consoles. Although at least they are getting some first party/exclusive stuff. I think the lack of exclusives is what has hurt these Android consoles the most as you have access to a large amount of crap to choose from. Not much else that is worth it.

Posted by: Arcadehero at April 06, 2014 11:48 AM (27BfC)

15 "And I am so glad that I did not buy either the PS4 or Xbone. They really are not offering anything that my PC can't already offer and do better (60fps consistently @ 1920x1080)." I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way. I really see nothing on the X1 or PS4 worth paying the price tag of the console, the controllers, the games and the sales taxes that I can't do already on the PC. For different stuff that's why I got a WiiU, which has put together a decent library of exclusives so far. It probably won't be until 2015 that PS4/X1 have enough games that you can't get anywhere else to make them worth the trouble.

Posted by: Arcadehero at April 06, 2014 11:51 AM (27BfC)

16 Sup guys? Euro-truck Sim II is on SALE... great to have fun with, and I enjoy it more than I thought I would. @$7, it's a good deal. Just sayin.

I've finally got around to playing Skyrim. I really enjoyed play FO and Vegas... didn't think I'd like Skyrim, but after a few days of playing, I'm really enjoying it ( SP, not MP). I really like playing these games on the PC where you can find great mods and insert them.

The mod community is truly making great add-ons and whatnot that I think are going to drive more development in the future. (I use Nexus Mods).

Alright, got to tile the bathroom. Later.

Posted by: Yip at April 06, 2014 11:56 AM (/jHWN)

17 I am wanting a new console but as others have noted, there are not enough games yet to play on them I will wait till Christmas (more games, sale prices and the hardware will be a bit better)

Posted by: rain of lead at April 06, 2014 11:57 AM (emQ8O)

18 I will wait till Christmas (more games, sale prices and the hardware will be a bit better)

Posted by: rain of lead at April 06, 2014 03:57 PM (emQ8O)

first Christmas post launch has always the best time to buy a new console, no matter the gen

Posted by: The Dude at April 06, 2014 12:10 PM (bStrg)

19 Kicking around Diablo in our house. Nothing really new, just felt like playing something together. Nothing else amuses me atm.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at April 06, 2014 01:04 PM (IXrOn)

20 Hah! I had a buddy visit a few months ago and we fired up Medal of Honor: AA on the PC. Damn, the music in those games was something else. Good times. Also did some Dirt 2 multiplayer on Friday night. Microsoft is pulling the plug on Games For Windows Live on July 1st. GFWL sucks donkey balls but Dirt 2 is still the most fun I've ever had in a multiplyer racing game. Get your Dirt on while you still can!

Posted by: Pilot141 at April 06, 2014 01:36 PM (nPwzA)

21 Finally got around to finishing Max Payne 2.

One thing I found interesting is how often the game killed me at the easiest difficulty level.

I attribute it to newer games having cover mechanics that encourage you to hide between shots. Without the "take cover" button or animations - I had a tendency to just run in shooting and soaking damage. Add in that there's no auto-regenerating health, and suddenly I'm quick-loading after every other fight.

Was still fun, though I wouldn't put in the time to beat it at the highest difficulty to get the special ending.

Posted by: ConservativeMonster at April 06, 2014 01:48 PM (M9BzG)

22 Re: Dirt 2... that they're killing it off on Live is crap. I enjoy it thanks to Pilot141, though we've never been able to play online. Heh. Thanks though.

Posted by: Yip at April 06, 2014 03:15 PM (/jHWN)

23 Is there a chance that dirt 2 is getting switched over to steam like the arkham games were?

Posted by: Buzzion at April 06, 2014 03:19 PM (uVZUu)

24 Buzzion, Dirt 2 used to be available on Steam but it looks like it is no longer available. Once GFWL gets pulled I don't think there will be any way to hook up online for racing. Yip - I should have sent you an invite Friday night. It was chaotic last-minute stuff though, including chatting on Mumble. And there might have been alcohol involved...

Posted by: pilot141 at April 06, 2014 04:07 PM (nPwzA)

25 been really busy the past couple weeks so haven't finished Thief yet still, but getting close and still enjoying it apart from that, been playing some multiplayer Monaco the past couple days which is a lot of fun (somehow I'd only played the game single player all the way through the 1st campaign until now, and it really is the zany MP where the game shines) and some Hearthstone, just got my Priest to level 60 today as I'm working my way up the ranked ladder in the first official season.

Posted by: tintex at April 06, 2014 08:41 PM (n36K8)

26 also, considering ESO but I'm hesitant to pay a subscription on top of a pretty hefty purchase price for a game I'm still not sure will hold me long term. once upon a time I would have said I preferred subscription models, when LotRO was the only game I played (though I bought a lifetime sub not that long after I started playing it in 200

, but since I've basically quit playing it since the latest expansion ruined the game, I've been playing a variety of different games, and not sure a sub for a game I'd likely only be playing part time, even if it does grab me, would be worth it either. and Shadows of Mordor still looks pretty damn cool, despite the cringe-worthy lore-breaking on proud display. but the fact that WB has its hands on it makes me hesitant given what's happened to LotRO since they took over Turbine.