This is gonna be short, because I desperately want to get back to playing.
I spent a couple hours last night with Horizon Zero Dawn and absolutely loved it.
Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv
That was fun. I was also REALLY tired.
Today, I've finally got some proper time with the release build of Torment: Tides of Numenera, which I'm firing up again in just a moment.
I adore both of these games so far, and highly encourage everyone to try them both. They are utterly different mechanically, but each present a fascinating look at a very distant future in which society as we know it has been dead for a long, long time. I'm sure that there are other fictional portrayals of a post-post-apocalyptic society that is set waaay after 'the incident,' but I've never seen one (if you have, I'd love to hear about it. I'm really enjoying this.)
Again, these games are so utterly different, yet have such compelling settings and lore, they are a perfect pairing. I'm gonna go play some more.
Are you playing either of them? If so, what do you think? I'll have more to say tomorrow. Adios, muchachos.
-Blaine
20170227
TORMENT/HORIZON DAY EVE!!!
Happy Monday!
It's almost here! Torment: Tides of Numenera, my personal most-anticipated game of 2017, and Horizon: Zero Dawn are both out tonight/tomorrow. Holy shit, they're finally real.
I know I've droned on endlessly about Torment, but goddamit, I'm serious, the Early Access build was that good. It really spoke to me, and is what I want from games. I'm tempted to rattle off all the design aspects that I like, but I'd rather just gush about how alive the world feels, how choices feel like they really matter, and how immersive an experience it is overall.
As for Horizon ... I'm so disappointed that this is locked to a console, but I'll play it remote, and hopefully, that offsets it a little. I just don't like the physical constraints of console gaming, especially since at least one member of my family is always on the TV. I may just move the PS4 off that TV, though. Hmm. That's a really interesting thought, actually. Understand that I game on a fatty gaming laptop wherever and whenever I want.
I would also much rather play this kind of game with a mouse and keyboard. I'll live, though.
This isn't a gaming news site, but fuck it ...
Anyway, there's some fun stuff going around the gaming world right now.
We already knew that Mass Effect Andromeda was gonna have lots of fucking, but DAMN, I guess it really will. Now, compare that with The Witcher 3's ESRB rating, and this is gonna be a FUCKING great time. Any time you're wondering what the barometer for 'video game fucking and tits' is, just fire up the latest 'The Witcher' release, and that's it.
GDC is happening this week. I almost went again this year, but opted not to, at the last moment. I don't regret that, but ... man, it's a good time, and I kinda wish I was there. I think it's going to be kinda quiet in terms of blockbuster announcements. There was a time in which GDC was becoming known, more and more, for announcements, but that's quieted down a bit. There's not even any real coverage presence from GameSpot and IGN this year, which is rather telling.
Still, maybe something interesting gets announced? This is the official 'live feed,' which it actually is not, but whatever.
IGN is doing a Save Point Live Stream that sounds pretty cool today. Basically, they're raising money for the Video Game History Foundation folks and playing lotsa canceled and unreleased shit. Give it a look. It looks totally cool.
Ack, I just read the comments in a gaming article. What the hell was I thinking? I'm now reminded why so-called 'gamers' are basically the worst humans in the history of the world. Why do we get so bent out of shape about what different people enjoy? If someone likes 'company x' and you don't ... it doesn't matter to you at all. Not even a little. Why pronounce judgment over all people that might at all enjoy a thing that you don't? Yes, I think it's weird to like some of the extremely Japanese gaming stuff, but I have friends that love that shit, and I really enjoy hearing them talk about it, even if I've tried it a few times, and not found something I want to spend time with.
Anyway, let's be excellent to each other.
Me Streaming and Making Videos (OH YEAH)
I continued my 'Road to Andromeda' Mass Effect series this past weekend. You can get caught up right here, or just below.
We're near the end, friends. I've been working on this since September of last year, and it's been a blast. I'd love to get some more eyeballs on it, and get some suggestions for my next series, whatever it may be. I've loved doing this, and love sharing my passion for Mass Effect. If you don't mind, give it a look and lemme know what you think. And bear in mind that it evolved over the course of the series.
My current plan is to finish the fight this weekend. I've done everything there is in the game, with the exception of the end of ME3. I'll be picking it back up Thursday night, and it would be fun to end the game with friends.
Tonight, I'll be streaming Horizon Zero Dawn starting at 2300 central time. I don't normally stream brand new games, but I thought this might be fun.
I will not be streaming Torment at all any time soon, because I don't like streaming when I really want to feel my way through the game AND it has a ton of text to read (which I enjoy, but makes for bad streaming.) Horizon, though, is fully voice acted and very cinematic, so that'll be fun.
And it'll be even more fun if ya'll come on out.
MAN, I am SO EXCITED for Torment and Horizon! YES! Get in my hard disk NOW!
How about you? You excited?
-Blaine
It's almost here! Torment: Tides of Numenera, my personal most-anticipated game of 2017, and Horizon: Zero Dawn are both out tonight/tomorrow. Holy shit, they're finally real.
I know I've droned on endlessly about Torment, but goddamit, I'm serious, the Early Access build was that good. It really spoke to me, and is what I want from games. I'm tempted to rattle off all the design aspects that I like, but I'd rather just gush about how alive the world feels, how choices feel like they really matter, and how immersive an experience it is overall.
As for Horizon ... I'm so disappointed that this is locked to a console, but I'll play it remote, and hopefully, that offsets it a little. I just don't like the physical constraints of console gaming, especially since at least one member of my family is always on the TV. I may just move the PS4 off that TV, though. Hmm. That's a really interesting thought, actually. Understand that I game on a fatty gaming laptop wherever and whenever I want.
I would also much rather play this kind of game with a mouse and keyboard. I'll live, though.
This isn't a gaming news site, but fuck it ...
Anyway, there's some fun stuff going around the gaming world right now.
We already knew that Mass Effect Andromeda was gonna have lots of fucking, but DAMN, I guess it really will. Now, compare that with The Witcher 3's ESRB rating, and this is gonna be a FUCKING great time. Any time you're wondering what the barometer for 'video game fucking and tits' is, just fire up the latest 'The Witcher' release, and that's it.
GDC is happening this week. I almost went again this year, but opted not to, at the last moment. I don't regret that, but ... man, it's a good time, and I kinda wish I was there. I think it's going to be kinda quiet in terms of blockbuster announcements. There was a time in which GDC was becoming known, more and more, for announcements, but that's quieted down a bit. There's not even any real coverage presence from GameSpot and IGN this year, which is rather telling.
Still, maybe something interesting gets announced? This is the official 'live feed,' which it actually is not, but whatever.
IGN is doing a Save Point Live Stream that sounds pretty cool today. Basically, they're raising money for the Video Game History Foundation folks and playing lotsa canceled and unreleased shit. Give it a look. It looks totally cool.
Ack, I just read the comments in a gaming article. What the hell was I thinking? I'm now reminded why so-called 'gamers' are basically the worst humans in the history of the world. Why do we get so bent out of shape about what different people enjoy? If someone likes 'company x' and you don't ... it doesn't matter to you at all. Not even a little. Why pronounce judgment over all people that might at all enjoy a thing that you don't? Yes, I think it's weird to like some of the extremely Japanese gaming stuff, but I have friends that love that shit, and I really enjoy hearing them talk about it, even if I've tried it a few times, and not found something I want to spend time with.
Anyway, let's be excellent to each other.
Me Streaming and Making Videos (OH YEAH)
I continued my 'Road to Andromeda' Mass Effect series this past weekend. You can get caught up right here, or just below.
We're near the end, friends. I've been working on this since September of last year, and it's been a blast. I'd love to get some more eyeballs on it, and get some suggestions for my next series, whatever it may be. I've loved doing this, and love sharing my passion for Mass Effect. If you don't mind, give it a look and lemme know what you think. And bear in mind that it evolved over the course of the series.
My current plan is to finish the fight this weekend. I've done everything there is in the game, with the exception of the end of ME3. I'll be picking it back up Thursday night, and it would be fun to end the game with friends.
Tonight, I'll be streaming Horizon Zero Dawn starting at 2300 central time. I don't normally stream brand new games, but I thought this might be fun.
I will not be streaming Torment at all any time soon, because I don't like streaming when I really want to feel my way through the game AND it has a ton of text to read (which I enjoy, but makes for bad streaming.) Horizon, though, is fully voice acted and very cinematic, so that'll be fun.
And it'll be even more fun if ya'll come on out.
MAN, I am SO EXCITED for Torment and Horizon! YES! Get in my hard disk NOW!
How about you? You excited?
-Blaine
20170223
Games Media Is a Mess
Back in the late 80s, the day that the latest Nintendo Power would show up was like a mini-Christmas every month (or every other month, when they went bi-monthly.) I had an idea of around when it was going to hit the mailbox. I'd pore through it, drool over the latest Ninja Gaiden or CastleVania screens, then chuckle when Legend of Zelda was still #1 in the monthly most popular games.
I drifted away from gaming in the 16-bit era, as I was focused on playing in a band and chicks, but when I came back, in the mid-90s, there were a lot more gaming mags.
At first, I scoffed at the magazines that were multi-platform, and not directly from the console manufacturer, but that attitude quickly changed, as I came to really enjoy the writing in magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, and GameFan. In fact, whenever I'd stop at the store with my girlfriend, I'd grab all the latest issues of each one, and devour it.
EGM, in particular, was a standout for me. The writing got better and better as the years went on, and they were my shepherd into the online coverage, via the beloved 1up.com.
What drove EGM, and then later, 1up.com, was the personalities. Yeah, you were reading it for the games, but after a while, each writer's distinct voice, as well as the personality of the mag and site, brought you back to THEM instead of IGN or whatever else there was at the time.
Meanwhile, G4TV became a thing, and I quickly came to adore X-Play, and appreciated the myriad other gaming-based programming (before they just showed COPS reruns 25hrs a day.) It was astounding, the humor that show got away with.
Somewhere around here, podcasts started to catch on, and 1UP Yours was born.
Inevitably, 1UP moved into the video space, and the 1UP Show became, in my mind, the best video game show ever.
1UP Yours and the 1UP Show were absolutely incredible early examples of games media's expansion from the printed word. Again, it was the personalities that made it. The editors and writers around the 1UP office just seemed like the coolest people you could possibly hang out with, and they really grew my interest in gaming.
I've talked before about my 'onboarding' to PC gaming, and the various factors that went into it, and among those factors was Jeff Green and Shawn Elliott, editors at 1UP and Computer Gaming World. Their podcast, CGW Radio (later GFW Radio), ushered me into a whole new way of looking at games, and their outlook on things was so different from the more rosy, cheerful console side. I came to love both tremendously, but Jeff and Shawn helped me want to become a PC gamer, and before long, I was loving Guild Wars and Company of Heroes.
As time went on, the talent left 1UP for dev and publishing, words became fewer, videos became shorter, and 1UP was shuttered eventually. Meanwhile, and since then, articles have become lists or clickbait, videos are now more about someone shrieking in falsetto than talking critically about a game, and the personalities too often move around.
I still love reading about games, and I feel like a couple of recent upstarts, Glixel and Waypoint, are killing it. They are exactly what I want. Beyond that, I still enjoy GameSpot. PCGamer is still probably the first site that I check every day. I also like RockPaperShotgun, GamesBeat, and a handful of others.
On the video side, Twitch and YouTube have totally upended games coverage. In some ways, for the better, but in others, not at all. 'YouTubers' are quickly becoming the preferred mouthpieces for publishers and developers, as 1) most of them (not all) seem more willing to just mouth the message, and 2) they're not actually journalists, and thus don't apply the pressure that comes with being trained as a journalist. Conversely, gamers are seeing more preview builds in more depth than ever, but what's missing, often, is the critical analysis and interesting developer interviews.
Back to the gaming sites, the personalities aren't as sharp, or aren't show. And quit covering fucking movies and comics, please. I think each site has some great personalities, but where is the modern 1UP Show? Why has no one tried to take that on again? It was such a great concept, and did a lot to actually drive the 1UP brand.
On the news side, the clickbait shit is out of control. It is so bad. THAT is killing games coverage more than anything else.
Now, I'm pretty diverse in how I absorb all this. I hit the above sites pretty much every day, I watch a handful of Twitch streamers (Starbuck2190 is my favorite; great Mass Effect streamer), I check my YouTube subscriptions when I get home, and I listen to some gaming podcasts throughout the week, in particular, Elder Scrolls Off the Record and OotiniCast.
But it's messy now. I guess I get what I need from all of it, but I don't LOVE any of it, like I used to. Were an outlet to get really smart, what they'd do is have non-clickbait written coverage, a daily stream, or even a couple, a weekly podcast, and then an end-of-the-week show that captures what has the office chattering. It's a lot, yeah, but that would become a force to be reckoned with. And when I say show, I don't mean a filmed podcast, I mean something produced, like the old 1UP Show.
Shit, even something like X-Play would be cool.
I think maybe we saw the ultimate rise and fall of games coverage, and news in general is becoming democratized, for better or worse.
Phew. This went on way longer than I'd intended. Sorry.
So, what say you? How do you like the state of games media?
Tonight and This Weekend
I'll be streaming again tonight, but may not start until close to 2100 central time. My wife is outta town, and I got kid things to take care of before I can settle in and stream more Mass Effect 3. The plan, tonight, is to play through Sanctuary. I'd love it if you came on out and shot the shit with me while I played!
I'll be streaming more Mass Effect each evening this weekend, probably starting around 2000 or 2100.
If you wanna get caught up on my The Road to Andromeda series, in which I play through all of Mass Effect 1-3 (including all DLC + some mods that make it pretty), check it out here or below.
And that's it, for now. I'll post something really brief tomorrow (Fridays are always hectic for me) that probably does little more than pimp my stream, but we'll see.
Anyway, hope to see ya tonight!
Also, five days til Torment/Horizon Day!
-Blaine
I drifted away from gaming in the 16-bit era, as I was focused on playing in a band and chicks, but when I came back, in the mid-90s, there were a lot more gaming mags.
At first, I scoffed at the magazines that were multi-platform, and not directly from the console manufacturer, but that attitude quickly changed, as I came to really enjoy the writing in magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, and GameFan. In fact, whenever I'd stop at the store with my girlfriend, I'd grab all the latest issues of each one, and devour it.
EGM, in particular, was a standout for me. The writing got better and better as the years went on, and they were my shepherd into the online coverage, via the beloved 1up.com.
What drove EGM, and then later, 1up.com, was the personalities. Yeah, you were reading it for the games, but after a while, each writer's distinct voice, as well as the personality of the mag and site, brought you back to THEM instead of IGN or whatever else there was at the time.
Meanwhile, G4TV became a thing, and I quickly came to adore X-Play, and appreciated the myriad other gaming-based programming (before they just showed COPS reruns 25hrs a day.) It was astounding, the humor that show got away with.
Somewhere around here, podcasts started to catch on, and 1UP Yours was born.
Inevitably, 1UP moved into the video space, and the 1UP Show became, in my mind, the best video game show ever.
1UP Yours and the 1UP Show were absolutely incredible early examples of games media's expansion from the printed word. Again, it was the personalities that made it. The editors and writers around the 1UP office just seemed like the coolest people you could possibly hang out with, and they really grew my interest in gaming.
I've talked before about my 'onboarding' to PC gaming, and the various factors that went into it, and among those factors was Jeff Green and Shawn Elliott, editors at 1UP and Computer Gaming World. Their podcast, CGW Radio (later GFW Radio), ushered me into a whole new way of looking at games, and their outlook on things was so different from the more rosy, cheerful console side. I came to love both tremendously, but Jeff and Shawn helped me want to become a PC gamer, and before long, I was loving Guild Wars and Company of Heroes.
As time went on, the talent left 1UP for dev and publishing, words became fewer, videos became shorter, and 1UP was shuttered eventually. Meanwhile, and since then, articles have become lists or clickbait, videos are now more about someone shrieking in falsetto than talking critically about a game, and the personalities too often move around.
I still love reading about games, and I feel like a couple of recent upstarts, Glixel and Waypoint, are killing it. They are exactly what I want. Beyond that, I still enjoy GameSpot. PCGamer is still probably the first site that I check every day. I also like RockPaperShotgun, GamesBeat, and a handful of others.
On the video side, Twitch and YouTube have totally upended games coverage. In some ways, for the better, but in others, not at all. 'YouTubers' are quickly becoming the preferred mouthpieces for publishers and developers, as 1) most of them (not all) seem more willing to just mouth the message, and 2) they're not actually journalists, and thus don't apply the pressure that comes with being trained as a journalist. Conversely, gamers are seeing more preview builds in more depth than ever, but what's missing, often, is the critical analysis and interesting developer interviews.
Back to the gaming sites, the personalities aren't as sharp, or aren't show. And quit covering fucking movies and comics, please. I think each site has some great personalities, but where is the modern 1UP Show? Why has no one tried to take that on again? It was such a great concept, and did a lot to actually drive the 1UP brand.
On the news side, the clickbait shit is out of control. It is so bad. THAT is killing games coverage more than anything else.
Now, I'm pretty diverse in how I absorb all this. I hit the above sites pretty much every day, I watch a handful of Twitch streamers (Starbuck2190 is my favorite; great Mass Effect streamer), I check my YouTube subscriptions when I get home, and I listen to some gaming podcasts throughout the week, in particular, Elder Scrolls Off the Record and OotiniCast.
But it's messy now. I guess I get what I need from all of it, but I don't LOVE any of it, like I used to. Were an outlet to get really smart, what they'd do is have non-clickbait written coverage, a daily stream, or even a couple, a weekly podcast, and then an end-of-the-week show that captures what has the office chattering. It's a lot, yeah, but that would become a force to be reckoned with. And when I say show, I don't mean a filmed podcast, I mean something produced, like the old 1UP Show.
Shit, even something like X-Play would be cool.
I think maybe we saw the ultimate rise and fall of games coverage, and news in general is becoming democratized, for better or worse.
Phew. This went on way longer than I'd intended. Sorry.
So, what say you? How do you like the state of games media?
Tonight and This Weekend
I'll be streaming again tonight, but may not start until close to 2100 central time. My wife is outta town, and I got kid things to take care of before I can settle in and stream more Mass Effect 3. The plan, tonight, is to play through Sanctuary. I'd love it if you came on out and shot the shit with me while I played!
I'll be streaming more Mass Effect each evening this weekend, probably starting around 2000 or 2100.
If you wanna get caught up on my The Road to Andromeda series, in which I play through all of Mass Effect 1-3 (including all DLC + some mods that make it pretty), check it out here or below.
And that's it, for now. I'll post something really brief tomorrow (Fridays are always hectic for me) that probably does little more than pimp my stream, but we'll see.
Anyway, hope to see ya tonight!
Also, five days til Torment/Horizon Day!
-Blaine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)