With XCOM 2 in the books, it’s time to move onto the next game in my queue: Gears of War 4. While I was a huge fan of the original trilogy, Gears of War: Judgment left a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully, it sounds like Microsoft has righted the ship on this one. Will have some thoughts on the game and maybe some video soon!
Judged solely on its gameplay alone, XCOM 2 is a wonderful addition to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One lineups. Building off the success of the original, this game improves on its predecessor in almost every conceivable way. Unfortunately, some glaring technical issues make this game really hard to recommend if you have the ability to play it on PC.
The Mortal Kombat franchise has had its fair share of bumps over the course of its 20+ year existence. However, Mortal Kombat X isn’t one of them. Building off of the success of the Mortal Kombat reboot, this is the best iteration of the series to-date. This game may no longer be the new hotness, but it still has a large and active community that play it all the time. If you’re just getting off the ground, here’s a few tips to help smooth out the learning curve!
Languishing in mediocrity for years after her groundbreaking debut, Lara Croft came back with a vengeance in the Tomb Raider reboot. Mixing in elements of exploration with a heavy dose of Uncharted-style cinematic events, that game was one of my favourites from the last generation of consoles. With her new origin story in the books, Rise of the Tomb Raider takes Lara on an all-new adventure. What does she have in store for her next act?
Prior to the release of Street Fighter V, I’m taking a sabbatical from Ultra Street Fighter IV to play Mortal Kombat X. It was a Christmas present from Steff that I cracked into as soon as the holiday madness cooled off. So far, I’m loving it. Full review to come, but kudos once again to NetherRealm Studios for knocking another one out of the park.
My biggest hurdle with the game so far has nothing to do with the game itself. Rather, it’s an internal problem that has manifested itself through my success in Street Fighter IV and other fighting games. Right now, I’m trying to overcome my fighting game superiority complex.
After floundering for years, Mortal Kombat got its groove back in 2011. Great graphics for the time, a switch back to 2D fighting and a well-refined battle engine made it a worth rival to the likes of Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Not willing to rest on its laurels, Mortal Kombat X is bigger, bolder, and better than its predecessor in almost every way.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown was one of my favourite games last generation. It was an excellent (and sometimes brutally difficult) turn-based strategy game that really put your skills to the test. I loved it so much that I beat it multiple times on console and then played through it a third time on iOS. While I am glad that XCOM 2 is set to be released in just a few days, I’m hugely disappointed in Firaxis and 2K’s decision to go PC-only.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor had been sitting on my shelf for almost a year before finally giving it an honest try. Despite the game’s critical acclaim, I had a hard time putting it over other games in my queue due to my disinterest in the Lord of the Rings. As it turns out, the game doesn’t require a background in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic to be enjoyed. Also, it’s awesome.
Recently, NetherRealm Studios announced that Mortal Kombat X was getting updated with GGPO-style rollback netcode. This is a huge win for the game and its fans, as the dynamic latency model currently used leads to a less-than-ideal online combat kombat experience. As far as I know, a complete overhaul of a game’s netcode this long after launch, at least in a fighting game, is unprecedented.
It’s easy for me to romanticize about the glory days of Rock Band. From the hundreds of songs I’ve purchased, to the countless number of hours I had playing that series with friends, to the way the games inspired me to start learning real instruments, its influence on my life can’t be ignored. As much as I adore that franchise, there are reasons why I – and many others – abandoned the entire genre years ago and haven’t really looked back.
Are people ready for the return of Rock Band? Am I ready for its return? Whether we’re ready for it or not, Rock Band 4 is here, hoping we’ll all get our bands back together.
In Third Person 