Showing posts with label Xbox One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xbox One. Show all posts
This year marks the second time that I've gone to Fan Expo Canada. For a guy who has plenty of geeky interests and writes a blog with "Geekiness" in the title, you would think I would have visited sooner? I know...I'm ashamed of myself. My nerdy and cosplayer friends let me have it this weekend. Still, I made the trek and spent four days capturing photos and attending panels.
Now that the weekend is up, it's time to clear out my storage space and share these photos with the world. I have an appreciation for cosplayers as they spend a lot of time perfecting their outfits and look, so naturally I captured more photos of the costumes.
Here are 10 cool costumes I spotted at Fan Expo (sorry if any of the photos are blurry):
CAPTAIN FALCON
GAMING #1
GAMING #2
LINK & PRINCESS ZELDA (THE LEGEND OF ZELDA)
LUIGI (SUPER MARIO BROS.)
PSYCHO MANTIS (METAL GEAR SOLID)
SKULL KID (THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK) & ARIEL (THE LITTLE MERMAID)
PIKACHU & SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
THE PURGY: ELECTION YEAR
YUNA (FINAL FANTASY X-2)
Which outfit was your outfit? Was there one you spotted at Fan Expo that you liked better? Share your thoughts in the comments.
A good multiplayer video game can be so hard to find. Sometimes it's simply tacked on to a primarily solo story game with little care or it holds a multitude technical problems that prevent the experience from growing. I've played plenty of multiplayer video games through my console and PC gaming history. But when I find a really great game with an amazing multiplayer experience, I always come back for more. And the video game I will be reviewing today is definitely on of those games. On this video game review article, I'll be reviewing the first-person shooter multiplayer video game: Evolve.
The Story: Set on the distant planet of Shear, dangerous monsters have attacked the human settlements and nearly wiped out the population. No creatures are more so dangerous than the titans. They are the most powerful on the planet and they prove to be evolving at a rapid rate.
Players can take on the role of either a Hunter or a Monster. Hunters are from a crack team of military exterminators, specializing in roles like Media, Trapper, Support and Assault. There are plenty of different characters to choose from while Monsters, the sole competing enemy, is one of three different types of titans.
Where To Play: Evolve is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The Good: Evolve sets its sights on delivering a good multiplayer experience, and it does it pretty well. The concept is simple: you're either the Monster plotting to defeat the Hunters or vice versa. Evolve features a collection of unique characters and roles to choose from for each match. Instead of the stale monotony of playing the same five characters over and over again, each role has at least three different characters with unique weapons, powers and features to help take down the competing side. Plus, each role and character is styled differently, such as one female Trapper has a pet animal who tracks the Monster down while another Trapper is basically a cowboy. Variety is a big strength for Evolve.
The environments in Evolve are also a big takeaway. Each location is visually beautifully and offers something different for the players competing in that specific location. Also, each location contains their own set of mini-monsters and obstacles that could kill a Hunter. You wouldn't believe how many times I did from being eaten by a plant!
The Bad: With any multiplayer-based game, there are always some technical problems and glitches around that could be fixed. Evolve has its few issues where I've noticed that it impacted my online experience. Sometimes a game would lag or crash and I would need to restart a match. I've had my character miss several important hits because of a technical snafu where my character turned around or attacked on its own. The issue wasn't because of my internet connection as I was able to reconnect in the next match. Those small little things just added up as the game went out.
Another point which I want to bring up, which could be viewed as good or bad, is that Evolve is a hard game. Whether you're a Hunter or a Monster, winning a match isn't easy. Depending on which Monster or which Hunters you're facing, it could become really difficult to win the game. I groan whenever I notice I'm facing against a Wraith or a certain Medic/Trapper character. It takes a lot of determination, evolving, team coordination (an absolute must!) and evolving to win.
The Results: 9/10!
I really liked Evolve. Evolve offered a change of pace for a multiplayer game and didn't over-complicate the experience with complex mechanics. The environments were beautifully created and each character was designed differently, albeit sometimes on the stereotypical or cliche side. The video game does have its fair share of tiny technical glitches that could ruin a good online match. However, these barely occur few and very far between. Evolve is a perfect game for gamers who love a first-person shooter or enjoy playing against other gamers online.
I love survival-horror. Ever since the early days of Clock Tower, Silent Hill and Resident Evil, I was pulled into these extreme worlds of scary monsters and dark adventures. There's something about venturing into the unknown and fighting evil that really connects with me as a gamer. It's one of my favourite gaming genres. Unfortunately, as the years have gone by, the landscape of survival-horror games have changed and it's no longer just a scary world out there - it's the hybrids that reign supreme. One of the games released this year promised to head back to the survival-horror roots of gaming. Did it live up to its hype? The video game I'm going to be discussing today is the bloody supernatural adventure: The Evil Within.
The Story: Players take on the role of Detective Sebastian Castellanos as he's pulled into a nightmarish world of monsters, death and a mystery spanning the unknown. After responding to a police report at Beacon Mental Hospital, Sebastian encounters the villainous apparition known simply as "Ruvik" who leads Sebastian on a horrifying adventure that bends reality. Joining Sebastian on his 15 chapter story includes fellow detectives Juli Kidman and Joseph Oda, Dr. Marcelo Jimenez and his patient Leslie, and a nurse who knows more than she lets on.
Where To Play: The Evil Within is available on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and the Xbox One.
The Good: The Evil Within plays to its strength when it comes to horror. Dark and confined spaces, grotesque monsters, blood and unexpected surprises - the game wasn't missing its mix of survival-horror. I quite enjoyed that for a few portions throughout its story, I was pleasantly scared. (Seriously, there were mannequins...lots and lots of mannequins!) I miss the scare factor of survival-horror games and before I even began this game, I was a little hesitant that it wouldn't live up to its "horror" hype. I wasn't fully blown away, but I did enjoy the horror element.
There's one fact you will come to understand when playing The Evil Within: you will die - A LOT. This is no easy game. Around every corner, every room, there are potentially many hidden ways to die. You would be surprised at the number of times I was killed by traps, common enemies and big boss battles. The Evil Within is a tough game to play and coupled with low ammunition/supplies, finally completing all 15 chapters felt like a real accomplishment.
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The Bad: The Evil Within has an interesting twist to it with its story. These articles and reviews are spoiler-free so I won't go into details beyond the bare bones of the plot. However, as I progressed through the many chapters, it became hard to get a clear grasp of the overall plot timeline. I understood many of the plot points about the villain, the deaths and missions but the overall arc was all over the place. A lot was happening at the same time and Sebastian was being pulled to different areas while given bits and pieces to try and determine the story. I had made a tiny logical guess by Chapter 4 and it proved somewhat right by Chapter 11, but I still needed to Google search a few articles and videos to fill in the story from people who pieced this together already. I like a story that makes me think so I was conflicted once the game was completed.
Also, I just want to throw this out there. I like Resident Evil 4, it's a good game that blended action and horror together. However, as I played the game, The Evil Within reminded me too much about RE4 to the point that I considered it nearly the same game. With the exception of The Evil Within being bloodier and scarier, the game was reminiscent to that vibe. The action, the mechanics, the male lead, the minions - it felt like a next generation spin-off.
The Results: 7/10!
The Evil Within strived to relaunch the roots of the survival-horror video game genre. It was creepy, it was bloody and it was a tough game to play. Through the eyes of Sebastian, you get to explore many locales that bridge on the horror cliché, like a mental hospital, graveyard and a large mansion. Monsters were plenty throughout the 15 chapters and they could sometimes feel a tad too familiar from other games, especially with the mindless villagers you face. The downside to The Evil Within is that the game doesn't offer anything new. Many of the locations, the enemies and bosses could have been inspired from horror tropes in the past. With the exception of a few items, like the agony bow or the plot twist, there wasn't much new ground covered, but with over 20 years of horror games already out (Wow, I feel old), it's hard not to expect some certain things to appear again. If you're a fan of horror, whether it's games or movies, The Evil Within might be your thing to play.
Where To Play: The Evil Within is available on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and the Xbox One.The Good: The Evil Within plays to its strength when it comes to horror. Dark and confined spaces, grotesque monsters, blood and unexpected surprises - the game wasn't missing its mix of survival-horror. I quite enjoyed that for a few portions throughout its story, I was pleasantly scared. (Seriously, there were mannequins...lots and lots of mannequins!) I miss the scare factor of survival-horror games and before I even began this game, I was a little hesitant that it wouldn't live up to its "horror" hype. I wasn't fully blown away, but I did enjoy the horror element.
There's one fact you will come to understand when playing The Evil Within: you will die - A LOT. This is no easy game. Around every corner, every room, there are potentially many hidden ways to die. You would be surprised at the number of times I was killed by traps, common enemies and big boss battles. The Evil Within is a tough game to play and coupled with low ammunition/supplies, finally completing all 15 chapters felt like a real accomplishment.
Also, I just want to throw this out there. I like Resident Evil 4, it's a good game that blended action and horror together. However, as I played the game, The Evil Within reminded me too much about RE4 to the point that I considered it nearly the same game. With the exception of The Evil Within being bloodier and scarier, the game was reminiscent to that vibe. The action, the mechanics, the male lead, the minions - it felt like a next generation spin-off.
The Results: 7/10!
The Evil Within strived to relaunch the roots of the survival-horror video game genre. It was creepy, it was bloody and it was a tough game to play. Through the eyes of Sebastian, you get to explore many locales that bridge on the horror cliché, like a mental hospital, graveyard and a large mansion. Monsters were plenty throughout the 15 chapters and they could sometimes feel a tad too familiar from other games, especially with the mindless villagers you face. The downside to The Evil Within is that the game doesn't offer anything new. Many of the locations, the enemies and bosses could have been inspired from horror tropes in the past. With the exception of a few items, like the agony bow or the plot twist, there wasn't much new ground covered, but with over 20 years of horror games already out (Wow, I feel old), it's hard not to expect some certain things to appear again. If you're a fan of horror, whether it's games or movies, The Evil Within might be your thing to play.
I love gaming. I like zombies. And I can't wait for the next generation of consoles. Obviously, combining all three together would sound like a pretty enticing topic. I have yet to purchase the Xbox One - I'm still holding out until my birthday - but when I do, I believe that this game will be the first game I will purchase to welcome my new console. The open-world zombie survival-horror game: Dead Rising 3.
My first purchase for the Xbox 360 was the original Dead Rising and I was equally excited for the sequel a few years back. Now that the series is continuing to the next generation, the game has been equipped with new features, characters and a continuation to the storyline that will make the wait so much better.
Dead Rising 3 is currently out today but if you're still unsure about the purchase, check out the recent trailer released by Gamespot.