Troubled Times for Many But Only for Now.

Let’s be real here for a second. As gamers, I have said many times we are due for some serious shifts. Hell before Microsoft turned everything around on the Xbox One, I predicted they would be out of the console race this generation. Now as the 2 newest systems finish up their second months, we are seeing both of them already break 3 million units sold, which is nothing to sneeze at.

But at the moment, that prediction may show itself to not just be wrong, but amazingly so. It’s not time to call anyone out of the race just yet, but we just might be able to see it from here. But for us as gamers, whatever happens should be nothing more then a temporary setback.

Well That Could Have Gone Better, Eh Machinima?

The news has been buzzing around for a day or so now, and bringing it up here will likely get me called some kind of fanboy, but… we really should talk about it, as it brings into question the value of anyone you don’t know’s word rather directly. So here we go. It appears that over the past few weeks, Microsoft and Machinima have had a backdoor deal in which the big Ms were paying off youtube channels to promote the Xbox One. Now this in itself wasn’t that big a deal, considering we see things like that all the time in movies, games, sporting events and many other public actions. A company or three will sponsor the event provided they get some positive publicity from it.

But the problem here arises in that the very terms of the event required the people doing it to not breath a word that about this sponsorship.

Platforms of the Platform: 3rd edition

Well, it’s that time again. As the new platforms roll out, gamers are choosing what they want to be their main gaming beast for the next several years. Some will pick Xbox One. Other will pick the PS4. Still more might even pick a WiiU. But there is a trend of gamers who are considering walking away from the console mess and starting anew with PC. Each and every one of these gamers making a switch will of course need a little time to adjust, but the PC might prove the most interesting (and confusing) switch. To these gamers, they will be moving from static machines to something flexible, fluid, and full of choices they frankly never had to consider.

Now, as far as hardware goes, these choices have been covered again and again from professional websites to forum members eager to welcome someone to their ranks. But no one seems to consider where to get your games, and what sources to welcome in. Allow us to help with that. In what follows, you can get to every source we talk about by clicking on the picture for it, so if it appeals, have a peak. And welcome. Although I do not believe you should abandon your console field, but add PC to your selections, welcome and enjoy.

SimCity is About to Become Offline…

This is something I stumbled on yesterday, but have not had time to talk about till now. According to an article on PC Gamer, the next update coming to SimCity is going to give the game an offline mode. As they read this, I’m sure there are a lot of gamers throwing their hands up in vindication as they see the proof that they were right and online only was nothing more then “shitty DRM from from a shitty company producing nothing but shit” and will then proceed to say they still won’t buy the game because “something something something EA sucks.”

But I personally find this to be a very immature attitude to take with games, which is why I have never been able to support the rage that followed the Mass Effect 3 ending… and in this case, I am not sure if this is a win for gamers or just a glob of shit-icing that morons will celebrate because “fuck you.”

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC) Review

I remember the launch night of this game like it was yesterday. It was a midnight run, and we happened to live close by the store where Curt Chilling and R.A. Salvatore would be there to sign new copies. My brothers and I headed out with eager anticipation, and got there to not only find a small line, but that we would be joined by several members of 38 Studios as well!

Then the store opened, and shortly after my brothers got their copies of the game and were in line to get them signed, I picked up my copy of Darkness II, also launching that day. You see, they were all about checking this game out, but I really didn’t see enough to draw me in when Jackie’s new and actually deserving title was coming out the same day. I had drawn my lot, and as you can tell from my review of it, I loved every second.

With some time, this game became the center of some of the saddest drama I have ever witnessed in gaming history, with the studio closing down, deep in debt and the state of Rhode Island auctioning off everything. It was not something anyone wanted to see. And EA quickly dropped the price of the game after, so I somehow doubt it did as well as they wanted on top of all of this. But due to this, someone who has cash on Origin because bioware points for Mass Effect 3 expansions can sometimes pick up something interesting cheap, and so, when this was $5, I picked it up. I finally finished playing it last night, and while it wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t good either.

This is why I Generally Don’t Bother with CES

Why, Razer, WHY?!?!? Who the HELL wants or needs this? As it stands, upgrading your PC is basically about as complex as playing with expensive Legos that you should probably touch the doorknob to your room first. In the absolute WORST case scenario, you could find yourself needing a small tube of CPU paste to better the connection to the heat sink above it… so what the hell is with THIS monstrosity?

CES is going to be BIG for PC Gaming this year

As the convention gets set to begin in Las Vegas tomorrow, a lot of gamers will let it slide by. After all, console gamers will have no interest in what the new hardware is because theirs is already set and console gaming isn’t exactly the biggest part of this convention. A lot of PC gamers (myself included) also tend to look the other way since new hardware is not so much new and exciting as just something we know is coming due to the gradual nature of our choice device. But this year, I think there are a few participants who will make it worth our while to pay attention.