Best known for making meaty single-player RPGs with a heavy emphasis on storytelling, BioWare is trying something different with Anthem. They don’t completely leave the RPG genre behind, but this is an action game to the core. So much so, that it’s heavily recommended you play the experience online with friends or strangers through matchmaking. Does BioWare have the chops to create a game this far out of their comfort zone? And for fans of their previous works, does Anthem provide enough reasons for you to join them on this journey? The full game isn’t out yet, but I tried out the demo to get a taste of what’s to come.
Shovel Knight breaks out of his 8-bit world to star in the anime crossover fighting game Blade Strangers! Watch him fight his way up the arcade mode ladder! Full review coming soon!
The process of streaming is generally a solitary experience in front of the webcam. You get your game feed and one webcam feed with the streamer playing the game. From there, you play the game while engaging with the chat as best you can. I’ve grown accustomed to that process and enjoy it. There’s something cool about being able to have these quasi-direct conversations with others in the chat that you’d never have otherwise. However, there’s a magic that happens when you bring multiple people together face-to-face, or at least voice-to-voice. As if making a regular stream wasn’t hard enough, it’s even more difficult to put multiple people from different places in the same window.
What started out as a retro game show-and-tell takes a turn when we begin talking about how we used video games in the past as an unhealthy means of dealing with stress, depression, and anxiety. Video games can be a positive coping mechanism, but in these particular cases, they weren’t. We then talk about our career anxieties today.
It’s a topic I’ve touched on before, but it was a very therapeutic chat with Muligoon. If you’re going through anything, please know that you’re not alone. There are people out there willing to help, whether it’s family, friends, or medical professionals. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help!
This is it! Does Madeline have what it takes to finally reach the peak of Mount Celeste? And what will she do if she gets there?! One more time in the world of Celeste let’s go!
Years before we wed, Steff was my girlfriend and the focus of my Girlfriend Gaming series of posts. Throughout that series, I tried to document her journey through games and our experiences gaming as a couple. It was actually one of the most popular series of posts I did for a while until it stopped in 2013. Let’s take a minute to reflect back on the series that was Girlfriend Gaming, where we’re at now, and what I’d fix if I were to do it all over again.
Starting at noon EST today and ending at 9pm EST on Monday, February 4th, the Anthem demo will be playable for all. As a huge BioWare fan whose had this game on pre-order for years, I’m really excited to give their next adventure a shot! Will have more to say on the demo soon, but for now, I’ll be anxiously awaiting for it to launch!
Having the right hardware is just a part of the overall experience, but it’s an important foundation to have. Without the right gear, your stream could suffer from lag, blurriness, your voice sounding scratchy through a crappy microphone, or any number of other problems that negatively impact your production quality. With so many good streams out there, it’s important to not let your hardware deter others from enjoying your show.
Compiling the lessons I’ve learned over the past two years, here’s a list of hardware upgrades to consider as you build the streaming rig of your dreams!
Admittedly, I haven’t followed the Power Rangers since their original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers run in the early 90s. Having said that, I know the franchise continues to thrive with new stories being told in that universe all the time on TV, in comic books, and even in the theatres. As far as games go, Power Rangers: Legacy Wars has been a popular mobile fighting game for some time.
Now the Power Rangers are jumping back onto home platforms, and hopefully leaving the most broken fighting game character of all-time behind. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a 3v3 tag fighter that stars a whole bunch of rangers from different generations. I have my concerns, but I also have hopes that this won’t be terrible.
I like the idea of this being a tag fighter. The Power Rangers fight as a team, so of course they would team up. This looks to borrow the basic framework established by the Marvel vs. Capcom series, where you control one “point” character, while the others can be called upon to perform assist moves.
From the little we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks like the game is going to make good use of this mechanic. In this one GIF above, the classic red ranger does a move that allows him to dash behind his opponent, while his yellow ranger assist continues to hit him from the front. Classic tag fighter tactics right there.
However, the animation of the game gives me pause. Movements look stiff in a way that is jarring to my eye. Combine that with the game’s overall pedestrian presentation, and I’m a bit concerned with how the game is shaping up.
POWER RANGERS FIGHTING GAME!!!!
Here is a fun fact about this game
I am currently helping balance the game and making sure this game is AWESOME! Please tell me how awesome my balancing skills are when you try this game out
At the very least, I’m glad to see the developers taking this game at least somewhat seriously. Fighting game legend Justin Wong has announced that he’s involved in the project in a consultant role. Not sure what his abilities are as a fighting game designer, but he’s phenomenal at playing them, even if he did lose to me once (and no, I will never let him live that down). Hoping his expertise helps take the project to the next level while possibly opening up more career opportunities for him!
We won’t have to wait too long to see how Power Rangers: Battle of the Grid turns out. The game is set for release this spring. Fingers crossed that it shapes up to be a quality fighter!
In Third Person 