Ah, winter. Cold weather, leaves changing color, all that crap. Not being a fan of cold temperatures, I have been staying in, doing what I usually do and that's play video games. I mean, that's why you're here, right? To listen to me rant on about what I'm currently playing and what I'm wanting to play? If not, you may have taken a wrong turn somewhere on the internet. Well, while I have you here, we may as well talk about some games!
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| Welcome! |
Christmas is always a great time for gaming. The gaming industry pulls out all the stops to make sure you buy every game that they have ever put out, or at least the most recent one. I lucked out this year by getting six games. SIX. No one has seen me since. Natural light is now a foreign concept to me. I'm only writing this now because my computer just so happened to be close to my bed. While I have taken a break to somewhat interact with other humans, I'm gonna tell you about my experiences (so far) about the games I have had the pleasure of playing this Christmas season.
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| WILSON! We have to reach level 70! WILSON! |
1. Diablo III
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| Looks like sensible armor. |
If you were a Blizzard fan from way back, the announcement of the third installment in the Diablo series was a BIG deal. I mean, it took them twelve years to release it. Twelve! That's a long dang time. Usually if you take that long to release a sequel, you're not going to have too much of a fan base left. However, Diablo and Diablo II were so good that fans of the series were salivating at the chance to jump back into the realm of Tristram and take out the lord of darkness once again. I have spent more time on this one so far, as it is rather addictive. Plus, I have been an RPG fan since I was a kid, so having a new one to dive into has been a blast. Also, I'm aware that this came out almost three years ago. Im broke, ok?
2. Destiny
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| "I know my car keys are down there somewhere..." |
Once again, a game I was a little late on, but like I said, Christmas is awesome. Destiny is definitely an acquired taste. As a mix between a first person shooter and an MMORPG, it may or may not have been exactly what you were looking for. I was skeptical about Destiny at first. Ive never been a Halo fan, and I really only play Call of Duty with close friends, as I never really feel like being smack-talked to by an eleven year old. So on a whim, I checked this game out from work. After about an hour, I was hooked. The story is really in depth, the controls are pretty good, and the graphics on the PS4 are phenomenal. Well done, Bungie. If you made more games like this, you would expand your fan base by a huge margin.
3. The Evil Within
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| "Wait time out! I lost a contact!" |
Holy crap. Seriously. Holy crap. There are not many games at all that can blend survival horror with action as seamlessly as this game does. If you haven't read any of my previous blogs, horror is my favorite form of entertainment. That uneasy feeling you get when really embraced in a game or movie is a feeling like no other. This game is no exception. The Evil Within is an awesome blend of paranoid tension and heavy action that I haven't felt since Silent Hill: The Room. I haven't finished this one yet, but so far it has been a blast. If you love horror and are looking for something new to play, grab this one. You won't be disappointed.
4. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
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| *Cue the romantic music. |
With the last Hobbit movie playing in theaters, it has been a bittersweet time for wannabe citizens of Middle Earth. I'm not gonna lie, I teared up a little when the credits started to roll because I knew that this was the last time I'll get to see a Tolkien story on the silver screen. But even though I won't be able to go to the theatre and get my fill of elves and orcs, I can now control my own destiny and take my place on the battlefield and take out some Orcs and Uruks of my own. Shadow of Mordor plays a lot like the Arkham games, which is a plus for me, since I was already familiar with it's control scheme. With an awesome story and a good difficulty curve, this is one that fans of the book and movies series will not want to miss. The only thing that it's missing(so far) is an appearance by the always creepy Galadriel.
5. Alien: Isolation
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| Guess who! |
I've only logged about an hour or two into this one, but so far it has been amazing. The developers were really able to transfer the creepy atmosphere and general confusion of the movies into it and make you really feel like you're looking through the eyes of Ripley as she tries to solve the mystery of Sevastopol Station and survive to tell the tale. I really like that this isn't just another first person run and hide game. Well, it is, but it's very neat that they implemented the crafting system. It adds a whole new level to surviving.
6. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
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| I'd wager this picture is very confusing to a lot of you. |
Ok, so this one was a little present to myself. Like the rest of us Isaac addicts, after the announcement of a PS4 port and the addition of a ton of new items, enemies and bosses, there was no way that I was gonna let this slip by. I won't get into the story and all of the theories and hidden meanings that the game has because that would take up a lot of time, but I will say this: Rebirth lives up to all the hype. And even though it may not have all of the funding of Destiny or Alien(not like that should matter anyways, but to some it does), it has more depth and replay value than almost any game I've ever played. If you're a fan of PC gaming or if you have a PS4 or a PS Vita, this is one to definitely pick up. Fair warning, though. this game does have some very dark overtones and a pretty twisted story, so if that's not your cup of tea, you might want to do a little research on the story and some of the pickups and their effects. If you don't care about any of that, pick it up and have a rage-inducing blast.
In closing, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a happy new year! Be on the lookout for more posts from me and don't forget to like The Midnight Brigade on Facebook. We're gonna have a lot of new videos and posts this coming year, so tell your friends. 'Til next time!
