Gamepad: Call of Duty may be changing drastically and why you should care…

   It seems that people are idiots and will always complain no matter what. Trust me, I don’t want to sound like a condescending neckbeard here, but I’m just pointing out the facts. Anyways, since we’re getting pretty close to May, which is the month that the annual CoD release gets teased, people are starting the rumor train, putting that coal in the speculation oven and choo chooing away into the land of rumors. And since we get ”leaks” on new game releases every other day, a pretty reputable source is suggesting that Call of Duty in 2016 is going to be a “full-on sci-fi”. The same source also predicted that last year’s CoD will feature cybernetic soldiers and robots, among other speculations. Now I’m not going to provide any evidence here, because this isn’t the point of this post. No, I’m here to talk about why YOU should care that this year’s Call of Duty is going to be a drastic change for the series.

We’ve all been there, you see the new CoD trailer and there’s about a hundred comments saying that it’s the same thing every year, Activision wants your money and CoD sucks, and whatnot. Those are the same type of people that always have such a problem with Destiny, even though their opinion is based on seeing a few semi-subjective posts or videos on the game, and the same type of people that always have such a hard-on for Minecraft, Bethesda and other franchises or companies whose MO is pretty close to that of Activision. Some are even worse…

But in the past few years we’ve seen the Call of Duty brand evolve pretty nicely (apart from all the microtransactions shit). CoD multiplayer now slightly resembles that of a MOBA with individual characters having unique skillsets and “Super” abilities. We’ve also seen an improvement in loadouts and some killstreaks. And in terms of stories, we’re getting very weird (in a good way) plots. Even though BO3’s story was pretty lackluster in my opinion, I loved the world that the game took place, the sort of gritty cyberpunk dystopia, or Advanced Warfare’s semi mechanized world with exosuits and invisible sniper drones.Yet people complained like crazy about them.

A pretty interesting observation I heard recently is that the average CoD or FIFA or whatever gamer will never go and bitch about how bad the game is on random internet videos, even the hardcore part of those communities prefers to spend time in the game, as opposed to trolling the comment section. It’s always the vocal minority that’s a problem.

But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m the biggest CoD FANBOY around, I don’t have a hard-on for Activision or whatever, and after all this is pure speculation, so we can never be too sure if it’s a false rumor. But if it’s true then I’m glad Call of Duty is making the steps to innovate it’s brand and I can only hope we get a pretty good game at the end of this year…

2K Games – The Most Dominant Games Developer

You’ve almost definitely played a game developed, made or released by 2K Games. Civilization V, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, WWE 2K14 and onwards, NBA, Borderlands, Bioshock Infinite, you name it, 2K Games somehow got their hands on it.

It seems they’ve got pretty much every gaming genre locked down, strategy, sport, shooter, dating simulator, literally any genre, they’ve probably done it. So they’re pretty much the biggest game developer, aren’t they? Well, sort of, yeah.

If you look at the most popular game series’ today, you’ll come across at least a good four or five game series that had 2K games involved in some way. Bioshock, Borderlands, Mafia II. The list goes on for a very long time. When we think about all the games they’ve been involved in, how did they do that? I mean, they’ve only been round just over 10 Years now, so how did they come to being a mega power in the gaming industry?

Well it’s quite simple actually. They make good games. You thought I was going to go into length about the ethics of video games and publishing rights and all that juicy stuff didn’t you? No, not today, that’s for a different post. They’ve got a franchise in mostly every platform. For every Elder Scrolls there’s a Borderlands, for every Age of Empires there’s a Civilization V, for every suspenseful, underwater utopia horror shooter, there’s Bioshock, for every pile of shit, there’s Evolve.

And to be quite honest, Evolve was the only blunder they’ve made. As long as we don’t count the Ghost Rider game for PS2. Every game company has its ups and downs though, but what they did with Evolve is disgraceful (all that damn DLC) and definitely a mark on an otherwise perfect record. Like I said, every gaming company has its ups and downs and 2K games has mainly been up, rather than down.

I honestly don’t think any other games company has come close to doing what 2K games has done. And what they’ve done is made a hell of a good company in such a short time with some amazing games. But what about companies like Bethesda and Activision? Some could argue that these are the true behemoths of the market, with Bethesda running two of the most critically acclaimed RPG’s in gaming history, and Activision releasing the same old shit year after year with no end in sight.

But what makes 2K so successful? I think for me, it’s probably because of the very pristine image that 2K have gotten over the years. It’s very difficult to trust game developers nowadays so the fact that we can trust 2K to deliver a functioning and good game surpasses all expectations. The fact that when they show off a game, we can put our worries to rest at the fact that we know 2K Games is going to bring us some top quality gameplay.

Now I must say, the only 2K game I’m really a huge fan of is Civilization V, I was never too keen on Borderlands, I’ve never played Bioshock and I have a copy of Mafia II that I still haven’t played yet. 2K games own about as many different franchises as EA, but are able to deliver new, fresh content every release they make. I think this has got to be something to do with how much they care about us.

I don’t mean individually, they couldn’t give a shit about our lives, but they give a shit about if we like the content they’re creating. A bit like me, I give a shit so I can find out if you like my content, but more or less, I don’t give a shit who reads it. I’m not saying I don’t like you, I’ve just never spoken to you so. Anyway, I’m getting off topic.

I’ve basically said all I can on the subject of why we like 2K Games. It’s because they give us quality games for quality prices and give a damn about whether or not we’re enjoying our time with the game. Unlike EA, they’re horrible.

Gamepad: My Favorite Mobile Games

 

Yay, another post about mobile games. But hear me out (or see, or whatever): mobile games are feckin fun!! Just try to remember the last time you had to think about something while on the toilet, or stare at nothing in class, or try to avoid contact with strangers in public transport? No, really think about it. We take our phones for granted, So I decided to make a list of my favorite mobile games ever.

10. Beast Quest 

Even though not all of us are Nintendo fans, I think we can all agree that the Legend of Zelda is a pretty sweet game series. Beast Quest is the closest thing to that, and it’s on mobile! How cool is that?!? It offers a pretty unique approach to fighting monsters and has some cool RPG mechanics built in.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

9. Fallout Shelter

Fallout Shelter is what you get when Bethesda puts their mind into something pretty abstract. It gives you control of your own vault, and you can even choose the number ( Vault 420 AYYYY). You’re tasked with taking care of your subjects and building additional rooms. There was a big content update about two weeks ago, so it’s worth giving a shot, even if you’re not playing it anymore.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

8. Clash of Clans

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, there’s a pretty good chance you already know about Clash of Clans, the online strategy mobile game, that’s all about upgrading stuff and conquering people, by destroying their stuff. Many people really can’t understand just how addictive Clash of Clans can get, and there’s a good reason for that.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

7. Major Mayhem

Major Mayhem is a cool shoot-em-up game from Adult Swim, the network that gave us gems like Cartoon Network itself, The Eric Andre show, Black Jesus and many more weird shows. So it’s no surprise that a mobile game made by them is a lighthearted comedy mess, poking fun at classic action movies.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

 

6. N.O.V.A. 3

Smartphones and tablets were clearly not designed with FPS games in mind, and most of the time said games run terribly on pocket devices, however N.O.V.A. 3 is an exception to that rule. The aim assist in this game is incredibly polished, and for once it actually feels fun to play an FPS on mobile. The story is nothing special but is on the level of a AAA title in my book.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

5. Crossy Road

Crossy Road pretty much defined 11th grade for me. It’s also one of the reasons I’m bad at Spanish (that and my general lack of care for that subject). The game is so simple – it’s ridiculous, all you have to do is tap so you can cross the roads and not die from getting hit by cars or drowning. You also collect characters which is a pretty addictive feature as well.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

4. Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes

Star Wars Galaxy of heroes is a turn based strategy RPG that’s all about collecting characters and upgrading them. Now, if I was to remove the Star Wars part from the whole thing, the game becomes pretty dull, but that’s fine because all we need is more Star Wars games in our lives. It also has the best daily login reward system I’ve ever seen and I did an article on the game a few weeks ago, that you should definetely read!

Download here (Android) (iOS)

3. Injustice Gods Among Us

Like the videogame and comic book series of the same name, Injustice is a fighting game… brought to mobile. Don’t expect anything great, mechanic wise it’s all about swiping and blocking with two fingers, but the card collection is where this game shines very bright. It also has a pretty competitive Multiplayer mode and there’s new challenges every month. About a week ago, it got a new content update, so I advise you to try it out.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

2. Sword of Xolan

8 bit is best bit, and Sword of Xolan shows just how beautiful a pixelated game can be. It’s also the ultimate pocket-friend: a 2D, 8 bit, side-scroller game that requires no internet connection to run. It’s pretty damn fun as well.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

1. Plants vs. Zombies

The number one game on this list is technically not a mobile game (shocking I know). The original Plants vs. Zombies remains one of the most immaculately designed games I’ve ever played, and the interface of the game is just soo mobile friendly, it’s uncanny. Unlike its half-decent, half pay-to-win sequel, the original PvZ is a game you can enjoy without spending a dime.

Download here (Android) (iOS)

No time to play Pt1: How to make the most of your limited time for gaming

I woke up one morning in the past and realized something terrible had happened. During the night someone must have come into my house and destroyed everything I knew and held dear. Suddenly when I woke I realized that I had to go to work, there were bills to pay and I even had to make my own breakfast. The unthinkable had happened. Against my own will I had become an adult. Not only did this mean I would begin drinking coffee and listening to NPR daily, but it also lead to dust collecting on my PS4 and my Steam account thinking I was dead or had at least been kidnapped.

I hadn’t been kidnapped, though. I was simply busy. Between work, relationships, learning new skills, and putting out the endless number of metaphorical fires in my life doesn’t leave a lot of time to sit in front of a TV. I didn’t stop playing games, though. If I did it might be a bit silly to run a gaming blog, wouldn’t it? Instead, I find that my gaming habits have changed significantly. In some ways for the better, even. So now I want to run down my methods of being a dedicated gamer on an extremely limited schedule.