Overwatch: Let's Get Physical

It's been a long time since I have seen a new physical retail box of a personal computer game in my Game Room because you know, PC game distribution is almost exclusively digital these days. Imagine how awkward it felt for me today when I received my copy of Overwatch: Origins Edition. It was a strange sensation, having to take out the game activation code from the gloriously glossy and colorful cardboard box - which is of course very typical of Blizzard - which came complete with a double folded front cover. It was kind of magical. It made me feel like I was doing something new.

Inside, there are plenty of goodies for Blizzy's other games.

The rather thick notepad that came with it is very cute.

Oh, the inside of the box is orange and it's full of character icons.

Don't worry about me folks, you know as well as I do that it's the nostalgia talking, You will not see me beg and cry for physical copies of games because of what happened today. No sir, I am still sensible enough to know that digital distribution is definitely still the way to go.

LG and the Arcade Stick

I have always wanted to get an arcade stick for my Personal Computer. Even though I have access to a fightpad with 6 face buttons, I always find it awkward when attempting to press two buttons at once. I could probably get used to the fightpad if I utilize it often enough but I don't. Unfortunately, my fightpad will be forever abandoned now that I have received my F300 Mayflash Arcade Fighting Stick. What attracted me to this particular arcade stick is the fact that it is compatible with the PC, the PlayStation 3/4, and the X-Box 360/One. Normally, if an arcade stick is compatible with the PC, it would only be compatible with one of those system families. But the other reason why I decided to go ahead and get the arcade stick is really personal: my husband. He had mentioned to me in the past during one of our extremely rare video gaming session together that he disliked using the gamepad and he wished he could play my games using an arcade stick. So I showed him the stick this evening and he was excited about it He immediately asked me about games like Pac-Man and Galaga which I am now determined to get for him soon - Bandai Namco released these games as parts of their "Arcade Game Series" on Steam last month - so I can finally get to see him gaming even if it's just once in a blue moon.

I used to play a lot of Street Fighter II in the arcades many, many years ago.

As for my own experience with the F300, though responsive, I find moving my characters in a plethora of different games, including shoot-'em-ups, slightly awkward. I personally never had a problem with using both the analog stick and the d-pad on a controller so I am sure that the odd feeling is just me trying to get accustomed with the joystick again. I do love the rediscovered freedom of having easy access to all the available buttons when playing 6-button fighting games so the F300 is now my input device of choice for that genre. I think I will mostly stick with my PS3 controller when playing shmups. I do feel like the F300 is still a gaming peripheral worth having for me, especially if it manages to turn my husband into an occasional gamer...

Futon Begone! Game Room Re-Realized

Remember the futon situation that I wrote about last year? Well, it took a while but I finally managed to get that monstrous thing out of the Game Room. This means that I can finally maximize the space potential of this room and if nothing else, at least it looks a lot cooler now because it doesn't double as a false bedroom anymore. The funny thing is, now that the futon is gone, I really miss it. I enjoyed lying down on it as I watched my favorite Twitch streamers or other stuff on my big screen display. But this is a good change. If I really need to lie down, I can just go to the bedroom or just hop over to the guest room next door, which is now the resting place for the futon. Yoshi loves chilling on the futon though, I know that's not going to be replaceable but I have placed a blanket in the back of the room to encourage her to hang out with me while I'm gaming.

The room feels more spacious now.

Yoshi is not impressed with this change however.