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Monday, June 29, 2015

Games Played 06/22/2015 - 06/28/2015

- 06/22/2015 -
Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends - PC
All Zombies Must Die! Scorepocalypse - PC
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Fallout Shelter - iOS
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Starlaxis Supernova Edition - PC

- 06/23/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Batman: Arkham Knight - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/24/2015 -
Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends - PC
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Batman: Arkham Knight - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Shovel Knight - PC

- 06/25/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/26/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Clicker Heroes - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/27/2015 -
Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends - PC
Batman: Arkham Knight - PC
Clicker Heroes - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/28/2015 -
4 Elements - PC
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PC
Clicker Heroes - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC


Screenshot of the Week:

This game may end up being more optimized than Witcher 3 by the time the PC rework is done.
Batman: Arkham Knight (Personal Computer)

Monday, June 22, 2015

Games Played 06/15/2015 - 06/21/2015

- 06/15/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC
HuniePop - PC

- 06/16/2015 -
Alien: Isolation - PC
Astebreed - PC
Cosmic DJ - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Luftrausers - PC

- 06/17/2015 -
Dark Souls II - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/18/2015 -
Alien: Isolation - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/19/2015 -
DigiFish Aqua Real 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/20/2015 -
DigiFish Aqua Real 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Strider - PC

- 06/21/2015 -
Age of Wonders III - PC
DigiFish Aqua Real 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC


Screenshot of the Week:

The best way to fly.
Strider (Personal Computer)

Monday, June 15, 2015

Okay Microsoft, This I Like

Microsoft announced today during their E3 conference that the X-Box One will be receiving X-Box 360 backwards compatibility, with the amount of compatible games reaching around 100 by the time the feature is officially launched this fall. The coolest thing about this is that Microsoft is claiming that these games will run natively on the X-Box One instead running on mere software emulation and that even retail disc games will work. I really like this idea. I mean, I really like it a lot. With Sony trying to milk their loyal customers dry with the rental game service of past generation PlayStation games, Microsoft is paving a more intriguing path. They also claim that the list will continue to grow as long as the publishers of the affected games approve those games to be playable on the X-Box One. This could be tricky though so it is possible that this may turn out the same way as how the original X-Box compatibility was on the X-Box 360 - which if you remember, was severely lacking - if these game publishers get too selfish. But you know what? I have to give credit where it's due and Microsoft is doing the right thing here and technically, they are allowing full backwards compatibility but they cannot force the publishers' hands. This is an excellent feature that should continue across console generations and I am a supporter of backwards compatibility - that is why I primarily game on the Personal Computers (Steam rules all) because you know, almost all of those PC games are compatible with newer operating systems. You have won Microsoft because you even made me start thinking of getting an X-Box One - gasp! I love the idea of having another hardware that I can use for my X-Box 360 games. It would have been nicer if you just allow Windows 10 to be able to play both the X-Box 360 games and X-Box One games but you know that will never happen.

Can we speed up the release of this feature and bump up the number of games please?

Games Played 06/08/2015 - 06/14/2015

- 06/08/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Chicken Invaders 5 - PC
Ginga Force - X-Box 360
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/09/2015 -
Chicken Invaders 5 - PC
Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition - PlayStation 4
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Hohokum - PlayStation 4
Peggle 2 - PC

- 06/10/2015 -
Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match - PlayStation 3
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd - PlayStation 3
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown - PlayStation 3

- 06/11/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown - PlayStation 3

- 06/12/2015 -
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
HuniePop - PC
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match - PC
Pillars of Eternity - PC

- 06/13/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC

- 06/14/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal - PC
Fallout Shelter - iOS
Heroes of the Storm - PC
HuniePop - PC


Screenshot of the Week:

The largest click orgy fest in gaming history?
Monster Summer Game (Personal Computer via Steam)

Friday, June 12, 2015

Steam Monster Sale 2015 Purchase Catalogue

The Monster Summer Sale on Steam has begun yesterday and it will last through 06/21/2015. I know that I will be getting quite a number of games because of this and starting with this summer sale, I decided to catalog everything that I inducted into my Game Library for each of these events just to see how merciless Valve can be. This list will be updated daily so stay tune to witness all the potential induction craziness. Bear in mind though that since I already got a lot of Steam games in the past, it is getting harder and harder to find deals to grab because for the most part, I already gotten those games in the past. As a reference, I normally would only get games with a ≥75% discount. I do make exceptions to that rule but only on special cases. Don't be surprised to see a crazy influx of inductions during the last day of the sale - that is when I would go nuts with getting all the ≥75% off games from my Steam wishlist knowing that they won't get a higher discount with the event coming to a close.

Day 1: 06/11/2015


Day 2: 06/12/2015

Day 3: 06/13/2015

Day 4: 06/14/2015

Day 5: 06/15/2015
NONE

Day 6: 06/16/2015

Day 7: 06/17/2015

Day 8: 06/18/2015
NONE

Day 9: 06/19/2015

Day 10: 06/20/2015
NONE

Final Day: 06/21/2015

Monday, June 8, 2015

Games Played 06/01/2015 - 06/07/2015

- 06/01/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
Mortal Kombat X - PC
Tomodachi Life - 3DS

- 06/02/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Clicker Heroes - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Ikaruga - PC
Pinball FX2- PC

- 06/03/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Pinball FX2 - PC

- 06/04/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
League of Legends - PC
Mortal Kombat X - PC
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - PC
Tiamat X - PC

- 06/05/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC

-06/06/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm - PC
XIIZEAL - PC

- 06/07/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm - PC
Raiden IV: Overkill - PlayStation 3
SingStar - PlayStation 3
SingStar Rocks! - PlayStation 3


Screenshot of the Week:

Is this an indication that we will see Cave shmups on Steam soon?
XIIZEAL (personal Computer)

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Lazy Valve Lawyers

Today, Valve has started to accept pre-orders of their line-up of Steam Machines and peripherals via the Steam client. I am not going to keep beating on that now rotten dead horse, you can click here to have a little taste of what I think about their living room gaming agenda. More interesting however, I can't help but notice the following bold statement in regards to these Steam Machines:

Oh my. Did you mean, "most modern TVs in the house" Valve?

It states, without any kind of disclaimers, that you can "play your Steam Machine on any TV in the house". You know Valve, there are still people out there who uses really, really old televisions without the proper digital input connections so, don't be surprised when they get pissed off. This whole living room gaming is so... 2010? You would think that people play games in their Game Rooms or Man Caves or Woman Caverns these days so that they won't be bothered by those non-gamer friends or family when those folks decided to stop by the house... invited or, galaxy forbid, uninvited!

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Steam: Refund Policy for a Digital Age

The time to start buying games digitally is now and the best place to do that? Steam. Today, Valve has announced an incredible new refund policy for all your Steam purchases! Sure, Origin has something similar but it only affects games made by Electronic Arts while Valve's coverage is much, much wider. Basically, if you don't like a game, you have only played it for less than two hours, and it's within 14 days of purchase, you can return the game for any reason and get a full refund. Yes, how crazy is that? Even if the game falls outside of those guidelines, Steam will be happy to review your case! At the moment, there is no other digital gaming distributors across all gaming platforms that offers anything remotely close to this. As if this is not already great news, the process for refund is now streamlined within the Steam client to make things very convenient. Of course, they will be monitoring this closely for abuse situations because we know some people just can't help themselves and developers' confidence in Steam has to be maintained. So if you have always been weary about buying digital games because of the inability to return said purchases, well, that reason is no longer valid. Start gaming on Steam, the ultimate gaming haven, today!

Valve is playing for keeps. This is why I love them so much.

2014 Gaming Analysis

2014 was a rough year for me because I was unraveling. It started very early into the year and it persisted for a long time. It was hard to deal with the reality that I do not have a gaming companion and though I have a better handle of things these days, the pain still lingers sometimes.

But it's not all bad. The year was also a triumph as it further validates the relationship between myself and my husband. It was almost unbelievable to be there when my husband finally announced to his family about our relationship and marriage. Sure, he may not be a gamer nor will he ever be one but I just cannot see myself being with someone else.

This analysis includes all games that were inducted in 2014, even if the games were released prior to that year. The brackets shown in the number counts signify the difference between 2013 and 2014. I hope you will find this report informative and an entertaining read.


--- HANDHELDS ---

iPAD
Total Inductions: 5 (0)

NINTENDO 3DS
Total Inductions: 6 (-4)

PLAYSTATION VITA
Total Inductions: 7 (-1)

Favorite Game of the Year:
Tomodachi Life
Developer: Nintendo
Induction Date: 06/07/2014


The struggle of a lonely gamer. No game characters, public figures, ex lovers, and secret crushes are safe from being turned into my friends in this wacky Nintendo game. It's a weird life simulation that takes place on a small island but in reality, it is a game about nothing other than a reflection of oneself. Though it is a bloody shame that the game wouldn't allow me to hook up with my very own husband who joined the cast of crazies, Tomodachi Life is one of Nintendo's most creative - albeit strange - games ever made.


--- WII BRAND ---

NINTENDO WII
Total Inductions: 1 (-7)

WII U
Total Inductions: 9 (-5)

Favorite Game of the Year:
Hyrule Warriors
Induction Date: 11/04/2014


This game is all the proof Nintendo need that they need to really cash in on their intellectual properties in more ways than one, not to mention that they need to spread themselves across all gaming platforms already. A hack and slash Zelda action game? If you love the Dynasty Warriors games and all of its spin-offs, then you will go crazy over this one. Hyrule Warriors is the best DW game to date and those special moves, they are absolutely crazy looking!


--- PERSONAL COMPUTER ---
Total Inductions: 356 (-105)

Favorite Game of the Year:
Developer: Treasure
Induction Date: 02/18/2014


Do I need to explain this at all? It's one of my favorite games of all time and though it came out to the Personal Computer really late, the gameplay is still fresh and fun. It is a miracle of gaming that Treasure actually decided to release this on the PC, fully Steampowered too. For those who have never played this masterpiece, the initial experience may be perplexing and frustrating for this is not a game that can be understood quickly. It requires the player's full attention and commitment to peel off the game's enigmatic layers of gameplay. Then, comes pure joy and enlightenment. For those who have already played the game before, this PC release is something that must be celebrated for both its historical and nostalgic values.


--- PLAYSTATION BRAND ---

PLAYSTATION 3
Total Inductions: 27 (-1)

PLAYSTATION 4
Total Inductions: 7 (+4)

Favorite Game of the Year:
Skylanders Swap Force
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Induction Date: 04/15/2014


The latest entry, Skylanders Trap Team, was also inducted last year but it is obvious that between the two, Swap Force is the superior title. With its more modern user interface, better graphics, and unique body swapping mechanics, I wish this game was Trap Team's sequel instead of the other way around so that I can play the Skylanders from Trap Team in Swap Force. It is also worth noting that even though Swap Force is a costly commitment, at least it is not as greedy for your cash like Trap Master and all of those traps you have to buy for it. The Trap Team figurines are indeed nicer in overall construction but if Activision is smart, they will employ Vicarious Visions instead of Toys for Bob to create their future Skylander games.


--- X-BOX 360 ---
Total Inductions: 3 (-3)

Favorite Game of the Year:
Disney's Fantasia: Music Evolved
Developer: Harmonix
Induction Date: 12/01/2014


A game like this justifies the existence of motion-based gaming and it is the best Kinect game I have ever played. The game literally makes you feel like a conductor where you have to do arm motions to the rhythm and beat of its varied selection of songs. The whole presentation is really pleasant too with beautiful exploration segments where you unlock contents and plenty of pretty light shows that accompany the arm swinging action. This could very well be the last great title to be inducted into my X-Box 360 library.


--- INTERESTING TIDBITS ---

MOST PLAYED GAMES OF THE YEAR
Games that were played for 10 days or more within the year:


TOTAL NUMBER OF GAMES PLAYED: 324 (-49)*
8.7% of the entire Game Library as of 06/02/2015

TOTAL NUMBER OF GAMES INDUCTED: 421 (-122)*
11.3% of the entire Game Library as of 06/02/2015



*It is quite interesting to note that ever since I started gathering the total played and total inducted data together for the 2009 analysis, this is the first time that I got more games than I actually played within the year. I need to improve upon this situation. Normally, I would make sure that I at least test run my new games I got soon after their inductions but apparently I failed to do that last year.

Monday, June 1, 2015

GTX 980: To Ti or Not to Ti

I have been waiting for Nvidia to announce a new line-up to their GeForce family to make a decision in regards to upgrading my GTX 670 and with the arrival of the GTX 980 Ti yesterday, I have finally made up my mind. I know AMD got something up their sleeve in the coming weeks but ever since I switched from ATI to Nvidia, I can never go back. Though I am tempted to to just shell out for the 980 Ti, I have decided to just stick with the GTX 980 since it's powerful enough to last me several years with my 1080p max resolution gaming. By the time I upgrade to a 4K big screen display, I can then get whatever the latest and greatest GPU available at that point in time. My new graphics card should be arriving shortly and I can't wait to see the improvements it will bring to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Grand Theft Auto V, the two games that do struggle with my current graphics card. They don't perform that badly, especially GTA V, a game that I found to be exemplary when it comes to its optimization for the PC platform - great job Rockstar Games, but I just can't crank everything up too high for them without sacrificing a smooth frame rate. These games are looking great now and they can only look much much better with the upgrade.

I opted for EVGA yet again.


Update Note - 06/05/2015: After some careful consideration, I decided to actually wait to upgrade my PC. Because my GTX 670 is still doing very well, I am going to stick with it for now and maybe in about a year's time, or more, I will do a complete overhaul for my entire system and not just the graphics card.

Games Played 05/25/2015 - 05/31/2015

- 05/25/2015 -
Cosmic DJ - PC
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC

- 05/26/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Blue Estate - PC
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC

- 05/27/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
The Witcher: Enchanced Edition - PC

- 05/28/2015 -
Audiosurf 2 - PC
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas - PC

- 05/29/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas - PC
Vortex Attack - PC

- 05/30/2015 -
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
League of Legends - PC

- 05/31/2015 -
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R - PC
Heroes of the Storm Beta - PC
League of Legends - PC
Mortal Kombat X - PC


Screenshot of the Week:

I don't think this guy understands what macho means.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R (Personal Computer)