Despite my adoration for its predecessor, XCOM 2 has slipped my mind a few times now. When it was first announced as a PC-exclusive, I whined about that fact on this blog and then forgot about it. While out on honeymoon in Hawaii, I was surprised to see console versions of the games available for pre-order. After that, the game fell out of my consciousness until it showed up in the mail just now.
xbox one
Kickstart Guide to Mortal Kombat X
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!
Rise of the Tomb Raider Review
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?
Mortal Kombat X Review
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.
Dreams of XCOM 2 Appearing on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
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 Review
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.
Mortal Kombat X is Getting Enhanced Online Netplay
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.
Rock Band 4 Review
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.
Gaming and the Weak Canadian Dollar
A few years ago, the Canadian dollar began taking a tumble in terms of value. I’m not going to try and explain why, as the economics behind the values of each currency mystify me. However, it’s impact on video games has been abundantly clear. For a good stretch of time, the standard price of a disc-based game was $60. Last year, that crept up to $70. Now, $80 is the new norm. This might not even be the end of the increases, as the Canadian dollar shows no signs of improving in the immediate future.
Jett Plays Star Wars: Battlefront
Taking part in the Battle of Hoth and getting shot a lot!
In Third Person 