Video Games

Out of nowhere, my dad gifted me a Warhammer 40,000 Elite Edition starter kit. Time to whip these miniatures into shape!

Let’s backtrack. 20+ years ago, when a young LNG was still in 5th grade, I discovered the world of table top gaming, more specifically, Warhammer 40,000. A local hobby shop called Marty’s Hobbies sold the 40k starter box sets and another store in town by the name of Game Keeper held game days where you could actually play the game itself. I would frequent these shops quite a bit during my first 40k phase. Obviously, the game made a lasting impression because I’m back many years later.

I’ve always enjoyed the 40k literature, so the game wasn’t too far out of mind. Being more limited on time these days (lots of wife priorities, gaming and work), I never thought I’d be back into the table top action. But I’m in the thick of it once more and I’m not mad. Building the models is therapeutic, painting them is meditation and showing them off is a source of pride. Positive takeaways!

I’ll just be over here painting for now. I’ll leave you with this awesome, fan-made Warhammer 40,000 vid:

Just like any hobby, video games take a certain amount of persistence to really sink your teeth into. Daunting stuff! But LNG is here to help. Follow the guidelines below and you’ll be a gamer in no time flat.

Twitch

A great point of entry into the world of games begins with super-popular streaming platform, Twitch. Watching a streamer play and talk games for 8-hours straight can bring you up to speed quickly. I suggest checking out the likes of Ninja, Nickmercs, Shroud and Summit1G. Streamers who appeal to the masses and play a wide variety of games.

NOTE: As great as spectating is however, it’ll never beat diving head first into a game yourself!

Tetris 99 & Other Puzzlers

Video games come in all shapes and sizes. So, for something different, play Tetris 99. This game will hook you something fierce, no doubt. If Tetris 99 doesn’t do it for you maybe jump into one of the many Picross games. Plenty of game options for the person who doesn’t want the usual shoot-em-up. Just anything to get you in front of the TV with a controller in your hand.

Enjoy the Classics

Some games have withstood the test of time. From Mario to Zelda, there are titles that tower above the rest. They greatly appeal to everyone also. Try those out, they good. Verrrry good.

Jump Into the Hardcore Stuff

Why wait? Fire up WoW. Fire up FF7 Remake. Fire up CoD. When it comes to gaming, it’s best to go all in, baby.

Let me know in the comments if any or ALL of these suggestions get you into the gaming spirit. Good luck on this fine journey!

The PS5 Dualsense controller feels and looks so good. Too bad it’s drifting for some folks.

According to Kotaku, one player started experiencing Dualsense drift in 10 days after purchasing their PS5. Extremely fast wear and tear, seriously. To top it off, it sounds like a hassle to get the controller up and running again through the PlayStation support page. For anyone experiencing problems, kinda sounds like the only solution is hitting up your local Best Buy for a brand-new controller.

I know a thing or two about Nintendo Joy-Con drift. I just figured the strange Joy-Con design was the reason behind the malfunction. Now, I’m starting to think all these next-gen controllers have technical issues. Anyway, it took about 3 weeks for the Joy-Con to get serviced and returned safely back to me. Which was super easy. Will the Dualsense ever have that option?

A recent IGN article details Sony’s new lawsuit over the wonk controller business. The suit even calls Sony’s conduct, “fraudulent, deceptive, unlawful, and unfair.” Seems like somebody is going to have to pay out the wazoo for this snafu. But seriously, are these lawsuits anything more than a big showing for the lawfirm? Does any good come from these lol?

Always something going on in the world of video games. Let me know what you think about all this drift drama in the comments. I’ll be drinking some G Fuel over here in the meantime.

RSS feeds are way too clutch and must be utilized.

Want all your gaming news in one location without ads pestering the F out of you? Articles neatly stacked for super easy perusal? Well, the RSS life is for you. I couldn’t be more grateful when a friend of mine showed me the way. It’s time to pass that knowledge on to the LNG loyal fans.

My preferred methods of RSS-ing are as follows:

Desktop RSS Reader

https://theoldreader.com

Mobile RSS Reader

https://netnewswire.com

Once you download/connect to one of these readers. Start loading in the RSS feeds of your favorite gaming websites. A full list can be found here. Easy as loading in the desired outlets, then becoming amazing at what you’ve been missing out on! I would never lead you guys in the wrong direction! Hit it!

More info about how to use The Old Reader right yonder:

It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

CD Projekt RED’s super-hyped RPG came out a little over a month ago (Dec. 20, 2020) and it’s still busted to heck on the base PS4. Too many bugs and hiccups to even list. Marcin Iwiński, one of CD Projekt’s heads, recently addressed the botched release, promising fixes. Promising that everything will be made right.

See, many players including myself had huge expectations of “Cyberpunk 2077.” Beyond the mountain of bugs and constant glitches– which were still there even after the first couple of patches–it’s clear the RPG has the makings of an excellent game. From the epic city setting to sweet outfits and gaggle of guns, there’s a lot to love. But only if the game works.

Alas, there was no way I could hang onto the game any longer. My lake of patience ran dry and there’s no way of refilling it once it’s empty. So, the return request has been placed with Sony. Will they actually accept the return a month after the release of “Cyberpunk 2077”? Not entirely sure on that one.

See the whole apology from Marcin here:

The love and hate relationship with fast travel is real. Let’s briefly talk about it to clear the air, yeah?

Here’s how Wikipedia defines fast travel: “a video game mechanic used in open world titles [not always] that allows a player character to instantaneously travel between previously discovered locations without having to traverse that distance in real time. It is a type of warp…” Think of it as a way to totally spoil the player lol!

Riffing off that last statement, FT has made me a touch lazy on the sticks. For instance, in the Remedy’s “Control,” exploration takes a backseat when all I gotta do is stand on a control point and select where I want to send my character next at the press of a button. Lazy bones over here. There’s no way I’ll actually walk the character from point A to B knowing the FT option is available. RIP exploration of any kind!

On the flip side, FT speeds up the game by removing tedious travel moments that could be a slog otherwise. Arduous movement with little reward can trash a players mindset. So, there are benefits the FT without question, but do they leave the game feeling hollow? That would be up to the player.

There you have it. Fast travel in a small nutshell. Heck yeah.

I trash talk it, you trash talk it, we all trash talk it. “Fortnite” is EZ to hate, but it changed gaming forever. Respect earned.

Bit of details first, Epic’s “Fortnite” battle royale released September 26, 2017. The free-to-play, third-person shooter not only had quality shooting mechanics, but a unique build feature that hasn’t been replicated. The crazy part is it doesn’t look like it’s truly slowing down any time soon.

NICKMERCS can’t get enough of the game, praises it left and right. Since “Fortnite” season 5 has dropped, he’s throwing it back into the usual rotation. Sometimes playing it over “Warzone.” For such a big streamer to return to big “Forty,” it’s incredible and proves the game has that lasting appeal even to the big guns.

Like I mentioned earlier in the post, the building mechanics haven’t been matched by any other game. Despite it being polarizing to some gamers, “Fortnite” prides itself on the distinguished build feature. Totally unique. Give credit where credit is due.

Big “Forty” appears to still have the pull for gamers and streamers alike. Viewership on Twitch has gone up like crazy for the month of Dec. 2020, just look at these numbers. Proving “Fortnite” still has gas in the tank, and deservedly so. Hats off to it!

Okay, my bro and I have started a podcast called “The Boss & The Pleb Podcast.” Loose affiliation with LNG. We are going to bring fans new episodes every week, all heavy games related. Keep it nice and breezy-easy at around 30 min each. Below is the first episode for your perusal.

Episode Info:

Meet the Players, Nostalgia Fans Unite & Cyberpunk 2077 Impressions – 12/11/20 Brothers Matt and Mike Lord introduce themselves to the world, the duo reflect on their early gaming careers which are chalk full of goofs and Cyberpunk 2077 hits the streets with bugs, but it’s still a blast!

Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts here!

Listen & Subscribe on Spotify here!

CD Projekt RED’s super-hyped RPG “Cyberpunk 2077” is almost here for the world to see–and what will the reception be? Nobody knows.

“Cyberpunk 2077” Positives

From unique cars to distinctive districts, Night City sounds to have an immense level of detail. If players learned anything from “The Witcher 3,” it’s that CD Projekt RED knows how to create an amazing world filled with all the fixings. Now I’m hungry. Can’t wait to see what Night City is all about.

Keanu Reeves plays a large part in “Cyberpunk 2077” and let’s be honest, the guy has major clout. He brought us “The Matrix,” he can do no wrong. While most celebrity cameos in games don’t receive much attention, Keanu’s star role in “2077” is like mega grande. Hopefully this is his best cameo yet.

A photo mode feature comes with the game. Exciting news for hardcore image takers and content creators. Never been too crazy about shooting photos in-game, but it’s worth noting as a good thing.

“Cyberpunk 2077” Negatives

Fluff details such as penis customization, which are getting a lot of attention, do the game a disservice. Like, honestly who cares? Plus, when penis customization garners a majority of the spotlight, it makes me concerned there’s something iffy going on with the game itself. A distraction for bigger issues, maybe.

Shroud trashed it for being too long of a single player experience. Strange take.

I’d rather focus on “Cyberpunk” positives, so I’m going to cut this section short.

“Cyberpunk 2077” comes out on Dec. 10, 2020, 2 days from now. I’m excited for sure. Twitter rumblings regarding the game are sure to raise all sorts of blood pressure. Strap in.

Check out the latest trailer, super sick:

Unsurprisingly, the holidays have snuck up on everyone. Time to get shopping for the gamer in your life. Here are the gifts to keep an eye out for this giving season.

PS5 & Xbox Series X

The next-generation consoles are here and, yes, they absolutely make for great presents. Word of warning, they are hard to purchase. Lots of hype surrounding these bad boys, but absolutely worth it if you can land one.

Both systems cost $499.99 for the top-tier options.

Gift Cards

At this point, gift cards are as good as GOATed. No fuss, no muss, find out which system the giftee represents and hit the nearest super market. Bing, bang, boom.

When all else fails, get a $50 card to ol’ faithful, Best Buy.

New Headset

This present may require some research as the gift recipient may already have a headset, but the best part is you can be the one who gets them the upgraded hotness. Might I suggest you hit ’em with the Astro A40s, I’ve been rocking them and swearing by them for a couple years now. Quality pair of headphones will elevate any player’s game.

So, that’s that. Happy holidays and a happy new year!