Last Nights Grime

Let me take you back to when I first bought “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” It was during the 2016 Cyber Monday sale on Amazon. A very cheap buy, maybe like thirteen bucks for the physical copy, I was stoked! Threw the disk into the PS4 and instantly got overwhelmed by the sheer number of objectives, collectables and characters the game offers! I put “ACS” away for almost a year, felt an urge to break it out a month ago and haven’t stopped playing since.

The Break Through

Here’s how I I coped with the AAA titles’s incredible amount of content. Liberating Victorian era London from the Blighter gang’s control is super satisfying and an easy way to narrow the scope of the game. This method allowed me to get comfortable with all the other dimensions of “ACS” too like crafting gear and collecting items.

Being OP Is Underrated

Early into the game, I found myself playing a reoccurring sidequest which consisted of stealing the Blighter’s cargo from carts and boats a lot. These missions are fun AF–and little-by-little my money and XP went through the roof. I was able to buy all the gang upgrades then use my XP to nearly max out my character’s skill tree. So now, I feel like a damn God in the game. Sneaking around is quick and exciting. Fighting enemies alongside my gang is a breeze but brutal and super satisfying. This does make catching up on the main missions really easy but that’s fine. After all, being OP fits a seriously lethal assassin.

Will I Keep Playing?

Yes! I’m 50% done with the whole sequence and I’m not burnt out yet. Lets go!

Watch the trailer below:

The developer blog says it all: “Reducing the total number of maps available for play in the Casual playlist make the process of learning the maps that Rainbow Six has to offer easier for new players.” The blog goes on to say, “We are quickly approaching the limit of our data sizes, and this will require a rework of how our maps are stored. As a result, we are currently planning on removing maps from the game entirely down the road (not in Season 3).” As a long-time “R6 Siege” player I ask,  why is Ubi really pulling this?

Are rookie players the future of this game? Could their season pass money which will flood in keep Ubi’s doors open? I just want to know, because what they said is completely bullshit. Tough luck if the game is hard, don’t take maps away. Tough luck if your data sizes are approaching their limit, don’t take maps away. I digress. I need a coke.

According to G Fuel’s website, the Twitch-sponsoring energy drink wasn’t created for gym rats but rather for the gamer looking for an edge. It’s designed to increase focus and awareness unlike anything else on the market. After a big spiel geared toward gamers the website also says it can work in “split-second decision fields such as MMA, Sky Diving, Weight Lifting, BMX, and Extreme Sports.” So I’m drinking a formula that can work for MMA fighters and gamers, huh? Sounds good, I’ll give it a test run.

Purchase & Initial Thoughts

I bought the G Fuel tub, Fazeberry flavor on Amazon. EZPZ. Drank a scoop (recommended dosage) in some tap water as soon as the package hit my doorstep. The taste is way better and less chalky then the pre-workout supplements I’ve ever tried in the past. My roommate also tried some and he said it tasted like a “melted popsicle.” I actually could agree more.

The energy you get from sucking down the mix is different too. Your peripheries are hazy compared to what’s going on in front of you. I guess that’s just what focusing feels like… It’s a mellow rush even though your heart is racing at one hundred miles an hour. With a promise of no comedown, the product does, however, make me feel a slightly strange after it has worn off. A confusion rather than a crash.

Conclusion

I don’t think G Fuel can beat out originals like coffee and coke. Is it simple to use? Definitely. But it’s overhyped for what it is.

Remember when Sean Murray, the head of Hello Games, completely overhyped and his game, “No Mans Sky”? I seriously ate that shit up. Lets take a look back at that dumpster fire, shall we?

Sean stretched the truth about his game on camera so many times, it’s almost unbelievable. The false claims ranged from the multiplayer elements to the procedurally generated world in the game. Sean even went on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to spew some BS (see video below).

However, Sean has been slightly vindicated recently. “No Man’s Sky” got an update that features a multiplayer mechanic. It came one year later but it seems to have satisfied some disgruntled fans.

Get a PR rep people!

Check out the mess:

You have ADHD and video games alone just don’t do the trick anymore, I get it. The solution is simple. Get two screens, play your favorite video game on one and  stream a bomb show on Netflix, Amazon Prime or a different service on the other.

Here are the 5 best shows you should watch while playing video games:

1. Archer (Netflix) | Alcoholic spy who can’t keep it in his pants

2. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Netflix) | The Gang Plays Video Games

3. BoJack Horseman (Netflix) | Washed-up horse finds his way in the world

4. Mr. Robot (Amazon) | You’ve been hacked bro

5. Eastbound & Down (Amazon) | Hilarious baseball scrub makes his comeback

Grab yourself some Cokes and start going duel screen! Your attention span will thank you!

The last thing I wanted to see this morning was Valve’s announcement about their “Dota 2” card game. No big reveal about “Half Life 3” or a brand-new IP, instead Valve announced a fucking digital card game.

It seems like Valve has officially jumped aboard the greedy developer train. They don’t come out with anything new in so long and they drop this BS? Sure, the game will generate a shit load of revenue from suckers buying new cards in game but this is stupid as hell for fans who have been aching for years for “Half Life 3” or something that has nothing to do with digital cards.

As to not single out Valve, lets look at other franchises got turned into whack digital card games by their devs:

1. Gwent
2. Hearthstone
3. Elder Scrolls: Legends
4. Chronicle: RuneScape Legends
5. Keystone
6. Mobius Final Fantasy
7. SMITE Tactics

Gaming should be better than this. The titles listed above might be a great time but you have to realize they are made to get into your wallets! Lets not fall for it.

So Valve, thanks for the effort but it missed the mark.

Hear the crowd’s reaction to the HUGE reveal:

Nintendo’s handheld comes through in the clutch often. Boring bus ride? Break the 3DS out. Chilling, watching Netflix? Break the 3DS out. Don’t want to talk to anyone at a party? Break the 3DS out. It’s a piece of technology that is perfect for an anti-social person like me. But in the end it doesn’t get the love like my PS4 does and I feel bad about that.

The system has memorable AF games that I’ve played the hell out of while doing the activities listed above. Here are some of my favorites:

1. BoxBoy! | You’re a box solving puzzles. It’s as simple and awesome as it sounds.
2. Resident Evil: Revelations | Seriously on par with RE 4. Revelations is a horror game that I am so addicted to, I look beyond how scary it is. (Recently announced for the Switch)
3. Animal Crossing: New Leaf | For when I want to chill hard and pretend I’m an animal who has animal friends.
4. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth | Anime shenanigans mixed with dungeon crawling madness.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | Just a great port of the classic N64 title. Highly recommend.

I should probably get myself in more situations where I have to block out the world by throwing the 3DS in front of my face. Or I need to stop sitting at home, drinking so many Cokes and playing R6 Siege on my PS4.

 

Since launching in 2011, Twitch has been the online destination for watching your favorite games be played by your favorite personalities. However, the Twitch drama seems to be ramping up with no end in sight.

The Recent Controversies

Summit1G, one of my favorite Twitch streamers,  was caught up in some drama when a player got a seven day ban from “Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds” for allegedly stream sniping him as he played duo matches with another streamer Shroud. For those who don’t know, stream snipers are players who watch/follow a streamer into a server or a game queue to kill them. Lotoe denied the stream sniping offense.

Dr. Disrespect, a super-familiar face on Twitch, especially in the “Playerunknown Battlegrounds” community, killed his teammate on purpose in front of thousands of his viewers. An offense that is likely performed day-in day-out by other players with no repercussions, so it’s all good, right? The “PUBG” mods then handed the internet-famous streamer a fresh ban and it got him a fresh ban.

So, What’s Next?

Twitch is more popular than ever–so it won’t be surprising to see more firestorms similar to the two above. It’s seriously some “Real Housewives” stuff going on! Grab your popcorn and get ready for some more Twitch drama!