So you want to get better at video games? A lot of people do. The Wall Street Journal ran an article back in July about parents paying for tutors so their kids can get better at Fortnite, a popular video game. When I started playing Red Dead Redemption 2, I did really well at the beginning but then found myself struggling. I wanted to get better and so I thought I would offer a few tips from someone that works with video games every single day.
Tip 1: Practice
Anyone who has ever learned to play a musical instrument knows the importance of daily practice. Since I have started learning to play the guitar, I try to practice for an hour a day. I am not always successful and can tell when I have taken a day off. The same applies to video games. If you want to get good at them, you need to make sure you are playing regularly. Unfortunately this may cut into other activities and so you will need to decided how good you want to get. I would much rather be an excellent skier and just a mediocre video game player and so I adjust my priorities accordingly. If you are still in school, I would place education over game-playing skill. You may disagree but you will be better off in the long run.
Tip 2: Watch other Players
Let's assume that you have decided to set aside one hour per day to practice video games. That is an appropriate amount as it acts to relieve stress and hone your problem-solving skills. Don't feel compelled to just play games in the hopes that you will get better. There are a number of forums such as YouTube and Twitch that have countless hours of game-play video.
You have your own style of play and will continue to do the same things over and over. By watching other players, you will pick up tips and tricks that you have not thought about. I suggest watching games that you have completed so you don't spoil some of the secrets in your current game unless it is repetitive like Fortnite. As you go through sections that you have completed you will find yourself wondering why you didn't think to try something while you were playing the game. Perhaps there is a secret room you missed or you used a noisy gun when a silent crossbow would have been a better weapon to take out a guard.
Watching other people play a game you are familiar with is a great way to help you develop new strategies for different games. If your game of choice is something like Fortnite, it will help you see what you might be doing wrong and how to survive longer.
Tip 3: Explore Trophies and Achievements
I used to not worry about trophies (on the PlayStation consoles) or achievements (on the XBox consoles). Then I had a coworker talk about how it changed up his play and made the game more enjoyable. I decided to take his advice and looked at the various trophies available for the games I play. Sometimes you will receive a trophy simply for changing out the various weapons in the game. I am one of those people that prefers a sniper rifle to a shotgun and so I rarely pick one up. Trying to get different trophies has encouraged me to try the various weapons in shooter games and I find myself becoming a better player overall. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer taking someone down from a distance but sometimes you don't have that option and if you find yourself in close-combat situations, it is important to know different fighting styles.
Trophies and achievements will also having you looking around for other parts of the game you may have not considered. There is one trophy in the Uncharted games where you just need to wade through a pool on an abandoned cruise ship. Knowing about the trophy had me wandering through various parts of the ship I might have ignored. Needless to say I found a bunch of different collectables and improved as a player.
Tip 4: Play other Games
I would have to say that my favorite type of video game is the action/adventure genre. I still play other types of games though. Earlier I mentioned Uncharted and that is one game where you are sometimes shooting bad guys, other times solving puzzles, and maybe even driving cars. That could be why I like it as I can get bored with the same thing over and over. There are a number of specialized games that can help. If you find yourself having trouble evading bad guys in a car, try picking up a driving game for your favorite console (Gran Turismo on the PlayStation or Forza on the XBox).
Someone in the video game industry recommending you to play different games my come off as a bit self-serving. After all, the more games you buy, the larger my bonus at the end of the year. However it isn't necessary to buy a bunch of different games. There are a number of places to borrow games including public libraries and close friends. Even if you don't plan to complete the game, borrow one every once and a while just to get a feel for what else is out there and see if it doesn't help you improve your video game skills.
I always try to change up the genres of video games I play to keep things fresh. While there are 6 Uncharted games that you can play (including 1 on the Vita), I have never played all 6 in a row. In fact, I have only completed 5 of the 6 as I am playing other games before moving onto the last one. I also probably should have changed genres after completing Far Cry 5 and moving onto Red Dead Redemption 2. I am getting a little bored with Red Dead Redemption 2 even though it is a great game and I loved the original so much.
Conclusion
There are probably a few other tips for helping you improve you video game playing skills. These are the ones that have worked for me. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. It may help someone trying to get better.
Showing posts with label Uncharted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Uncharted. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Christmas Break Video Game List
This afternoon I am taking a small break from working at home to watch my son play Horizon Zero Dawn with the downloadable content (DLC) The Frozen Wilds. It has me thinking about the games I want to play over the break. I made sure to pick up a number of games from the office before leaving and I will see how many I can get through during my time off. I will probably save the Horizon games until I head back to California as it looks like a good game to play during my evenings on the boat. Here is my list for the break:
Star Wars Battlefront II - I watched my son start out this game a few days ago and it looks very interesting. I must confess that I am a huge Star Wars fan and we will see if it lives up to my expectations.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - I am a huge fan of the Uncharted series and have played all of the other games. I have high expectations for this game and think I can get this completed before the break is over.
Steep - I have wanted to play this game for a long time and finally picked up a copy. Of course I will also be skiing Snowbird and Alta so we will see how much time I want to swap from real skiing to do virtual skiing.
I have a bunch of other games in my library but I think this is a good start for my break. We'll see how many I get played.
Star Wars Battlefront II - I watched my son start out this game a few days ago and it looks very interesting. I must confess that I am a huge Star Wars fan and we will see if it lives up to my expectations.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - I am a huge fan of the Uncharted series and have played all of the other games. I have high expectations for this game and think I can get this completed before the break is over.
Steep - I have wanted to play this game for a long time and finally picked up a copy. Of course I will also be skiing Snowbird and Alta so we will see how much time I want to swap from real skiing to do virtual skiing.
I have a bunch of other games in my library but I think this is a good start for my break. We'll see how many I get played.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Video Game Review: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Last night I just finished playing the 4th game in the Uncharted series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the series and I think is the best game so far. Fortunately there is another installment in the form of "Lost Legacy." I will give that a shot after playing a few other games in between.
The game starts off with an exciting boat chase and then moves to the beginning of the story. Doing this received a lot of acclaim when they did it in Uncharted 2. The thing that I didn't like with the 2nd game is that when you got back to that part of the game, you had to go through the whole scenario again. I appreciated that Uncharted 4 just shows highlights of the encounter and lets you continue without having to redo anything.
The scenery in all of the Uncharted games is amazing and the 4th game does not disappoint. There are the usual tropical islands but other parts of the world as well. While pictures can give you an idea of the detail in the game, you really need to play the game to appreciate it.
I felt a real connection with the story and think it is the best one yet. I felt that Uncharted 2 really just repeated the same story from the first game. I also didn't like the "mystical" aspect of those two games. With Uncharted 4, the story is very believable and it really felt like I was discovering ancient ruins.
During the story, you continually add entries to a journal. Once I completed the game, I would have paid a healthy sum of money to get one sent to me in print. Perhaps Naughty Dog, the game developer, should make a completed journal available for fans of the game like myself. You can purchase a blank journal but I want one already filled in with drawings from the game.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and Uncharted 4 is the last game featuring Nathan Drake as the main character. It is clear that he won't be going on any more adventures. When I first heard that, I thought something bad happens. I don't want to give any spoilers but it is a happy ending and not tragic.
Uncharted 4 is rated "M" for mature because of violence and language. You wind up killing a lot of bad guys and people do use some colorful language. The language is not as bad as some of the other "M" games I have played but you should be aware of it. You can purchase the game new for around $40 or used for $15. I don't know why anyone would sell their copy as this is one of the few games I would consider replaying. I definitely recommend this game for teenagers, young adults, and those of us older guys that still like playing video games. I got my copy using an industry discount for around $11 and plan to keep it in my library.
My standard disclaimer is that I do work in the video game industry, know several people who worked on the game, and may even be associated with the developers in some way shape or form. I still hope you find the review somewhat objective.
The game starts off with an exciting boat chase and then moves to the beginning of the story. Doing this received a lot of acclaim when they did it in Uncharted 2. The thing that I didn't like with the 2nd game is that when you got back to that part of the game, you had to go through the whole scenario again. I appreciated that Uncharted 4 just shows highlights of the encounter and lets you continue without having to redo anything.
The scenery in all of the Uncharted games is amazing and the 4th game does not disappoint. There are the usual tropical islands but other parts of the world as well. While pictures can give you an idea of the detail in the game, you really need to play the game to appreciate it.
I felt a real connection with the story and think it is the best one yet. I felt that Uncharted 2 really just repeated the same story from the first game. I also didn't like the "mystical" aspect of those two games. With Uncharted 4, the story is very believable and it really felt like I was discovering ancient ruins.
During the story, you continually add entries to a journal. Once I completed the game, I would have paid a healthy sum of money to get one sent to me in print. Perhaps Naughty Dog, the game developer, should make a completed journal available for fans of the game like myself. You can purchase a blank journal but I want one already filled in with drawings from the game.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and Uncharted 4 is the last game featuring Nathan Drake as the main character. It is clear that he won't be going on any more adventures. When I first heard that, I thought something bad happens. I don't want to give any spoilers but it is a happy ending and not tragic.
Uncharted 4 is rated "M" for mature because of violence and language. You wind up killing a lot of bad guys and people do use some colorful language. The language is not as bad as some of the other "M" games I have played but you should be aware of it. You can purchase the game new for around $40 or used for $15. I don't know why anyone would sell their copy as this is one of the few games I would consider replaying. I definitely recommend this game for teenagers, young adults, and those of us older guys that still like playing video games. I got my copy using an industry discount for around $11 and plan to keep it in my library.
My standard disclaimer is that I do work in the video game industry, know several people who worked on the game, and may even be associated with the developers in some way shape or form. I still hope you find the review somewhat objective.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Video Game Review: Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception
Monday evening I finally finished playing Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception on my PlayStation 4. This is a game I started playing with my son over Christmas last year but didn't have time to finish until now. Rather than pick up where I left off, I started over a few weeks ago. I'm glad I did as I had forgotten a number of the controls. Besides, the beginning of the game is a lot of fun and worth playing over again.
I have mentioned that I am a fan of the Uncharted series of games and really looked forward to finishing up the original trilogy. I have to say that my favorite of the 3 is the last one. I felt that Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2 were the same story with just a bit different window dressing. I think that 2 did a much better job telling the story than 1 but they had a lot of similar elements. Uncharted 3 continues to share some of those elements but also has a lot of new elements that increased my enjoyment.
I felt like the end of both Uncharted 1 and 2 required me to fight some pretty difficult battles with superhuman monsters. Naturally I would die and have to restart the battle. Eventually it got rather tiring and only my desire to finish the game kept me playing. With Uncharted 3, the end battle also felt difficult but I didn't have to worry about superhuman monsters. I will confess I didn't make it through without dying once or twice, but the battle felt more natural and I enjoyed it significantly more.
Uncharted 3 is part of the Remastered Uncharted Collection game available for the PlayStation 4 and has an ESRB rating of T for "Teen." There is some mild language and violence but I have and would allow my teenage boys to play the game. If you have a PlayStation 3, you can find the game for that platform relatively inexpensively and it is definitely worth the price.
Now that I have finished Uncharted 3, I will take a bit of a break and play a different type of game. Playing the same game series one after another can lead to a bit of a burnout. Once my next game is complete, I am really looking forward to Uncharted 4 and will play that.
I have mentioned that I am a fan of the Uncharted series of games and really looked forward to finishing up the original trilogy. I have to say that my favorite of the 3 is the last one. I felt that Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2 were the same story with just a bit different window dressing. I think that 2 did a much better job telling the story than 1 but they had a lot of similar elements. Uncharted 3 continues to share some of those elements but also has a lot of new elements that increased my enjoyment.
I felt like the end of both Uncharted 1 and 2 required me to fight some pretty difficult battles with superhuman monsters. Naturally I would die and have to restart the battle. Eventually it got rather tiring and only my desire to finish the game kept me playing. With Uncharted 3, the end battle also felt difficult but I didn't have to worry about superhuman monsters. I will confess I didn't make it through without dying once or twice, but the battle felt more natural and I enjoyed it significantly more.
Uncharted 3 is part of the Remastered Uncharted Collection game available for the PlayStation 4 and has an ESRB rating of T for "Teen." There is some mild language and violence but I have and would allow my teenage boys to play the game. If you have a PlayStation 3, you can find the game for that platform relatively inexpensively and it is definitely worth the price.
Now that I have finished Uncharted 3, I will take a bit of a break and play a different type of game. Playing the same game series one after another can lead to a bit of a burnout. Once my next game is complete, I am really looking forward to Uncharted 4 and will play that.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Video Game Review: Uncharted: Golden Abyss
I have to begin this video game review with the disclaimer that I am a huge fan of Naughty Dog's Uncharted series of games. I have versions 1, 2, and 3 for the PS3 as well as the remastered versions of them for the PS4. When Uncharted 4 is released in April I will get a copy of that too. Now for a small confession. I have only ever finished Uncharted 1. I started it on the PS3 and never went back to it. I was finally able to run through the whole game on the PS4 during Christmas. I found it to be a lot of fun and so when I started using my PlayStation Vita to kill time at airports, the first game I played was Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
Golden Abyss has the usual characters from Uncharted such as Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan (Sully) but also introduces a new female character for the story: Marisa Chase. While Naughty Dog is the game developer for all of the other Uncharted games, Bend Studio created this title for the Vita. Both studios are part of Sony PlayStation's World-Wide Studios and so everything is kept in the family. Golden Abyss was a release title for the handheld console and so it serves two purposes: providing a game at launch and showing off the features of the new console. Some of the guys at work feel like the Vita-specific controls detract from the game. Fortunately the developer exercised wisdom and provided dual controls for most everything. If you are familiar with the larger console titles, you will have no trouble controlling the game on the Vita.
One major difference with Golden Abyss over Uncharted 1, 2, or 3 is that the chapters are a lot shorter. However there are more of them. That is great as sometimes you often don't have as much uninterrupted time on a mobile console as you might on one connected to the television in your living room.
I found the game to be a lot of fun and it helped me while away the time when my flight was delayed by several hours one evening. Now comes the question: would I recommend it? That depends. If you already own a PlayStation Vita, then I recommend you purchase this game if you have not already done so. If you don't then I am not sure it is good enough to recommend purchasing one. I have a very specific use for my Vita but realize that not everyone needs to entertain themselves while waiting for flights on Thursday evenings. The game is rated T for Teen because of violence and strong language.
Golden Abyss has the usual characters from Uncharted such as Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan (Sully) but also introduces a new female character for the story: Marisa Chase. While Naughty Dog is the game developer for all of the other Uncharted games, Bend Studio created this title for the Vita. Both studios are part of Sony PlayStation's World-Wide Studios and so everything is kept in the family. Golden Abyss was a release title for the handheld console and so it serves two purposes: providing a game at launch and showing off the features of the new console. Some of the guys at work feel like the Vita-specific controls detract from the game. Fortunately the developer exercised wisdom and provided dual controls for most everything. If you are familiar with the larger console titles, you will have no trouble controlling the game on the Vita.
One major difference with Golden Abyss over Uncharted 1, 2, or 3 is that the chapters are a lot shorter. However there are more of them. That is great as sometimes you often don't have as much uninterrupted time on a mobile console as you might on one connected to the television in your living room.
I found the game to be a lot of fun and it helped me while away the time when my flight was delayed by several hours one evening. Now comes the question: would I recommend it? That depends. If you already own a PlayStation Vita, then I recommend you purchase this game if you have not already done so. If you don't then I am not sure it is good enough to recommend purchasing one. I have a very specific use for my Vita but realize that not everyone needs to entertain themselves while waiting for flights on Thursday evenings. The game is rated T for Teen because of violence and strong language.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Video Game Review: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
I had a goal to finish one video game over the Christmas break and was successfully able to complete Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It is the first in a series of PlayStation exclusive games and really set the bar high for action adventure games. I have versions of the game for both the PS3 and the PS4. I understand that they went so far as to rerecord the music to higher standards for the remastered version on the PS4 and so I played that over Christmas. I had started the game on the PS3 several years ago but never had the time to finish it. I got all the way to chapter 7 and thought I was getting close to the end. Little did I know that there are 22 chapters and was really just getting started.
One nice thing about action adventure video games is that you get to run through a number of different activities. Sometimes you are shooting at bad guys while other times you are solving puzzles. Sometimes you try to do both without getting killed in the process. It was a lot of fun over the break to come home from skiing and spend an hour or so getting deeper into the game. Sometimes it was painful for those around me to watch as I struggled to climb around various parts of the game only to fall and have to restart that section. My son kept wanting to take the controller and get me through certain areas. Then I would breeze through other parts of the game that had him stuck for hours. It probably would have been much more enjoyable for him to jump from precarious ledge to ledge while he let me shoot bad guys. We could have worked together to complete the game in half the time.
The original Uncharted game was a breakthrough in many areas and really opened a new genre of video games. It was followed up by Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 which continued to build on a solid foundation. Then other games like Tomb Raider evolved the genre so that I am eagerly anticipating the release of Uncharted 4 later this year. Unfortunately that means that Uncharted is not as much fun as these other games and I have to admit that it got rather tiring at times. Several of my co-workers that are avid video game players have yet to finish the game because they lost interest. Given the choice of Uncharted or Tomb Raider, I would recommend the later.
That being said, Tomb Raider is one game and if you purchase the remastered version of Uncharted, you get Uncharted 1, 2 and 3. I have yet to play 2 or 3, but judging from comments made by those who have, I am in for a lot of fun. I'll give them a try over the next 3 months and be sure to provide a review for each of them.
Uncharted is rated T for violence and strong language. It definitely has a lot of both and so if you are sensitive to them, I would recommend a different game. However if you like a good tropical action adventure game, Uncharted is well worth your time. If you are a budget shopper you can get Uncharted on the PS3 very inexpensively. The Uncharted Collection for the PS4 won't be so kind to your wallet.
I have to remind the reader that I work for a video game company that may or may not be involved with any of the 4 games listed in this review.
One nice thing about action adventure video games is that you get to run through a number of different activities. Sometimes you are shooting at bad guys while other times you are solving puzzles. Sometimes you try to do both without getting killed in the process. It was a lot of fun over the break to come home from skiing and spend an hour or so getting deeper into the game. Sometimes it was painful for those around me to watch as I struggled to climb around various parts of the game only to fall and have to restart that section. My son kept wanting to take the controller and get me through certain areas. Then I would breeze through other parts of the game that had him stuck for hours. It probably would have been much more enjoyable for him to jump from precarious ledge to ledge while he let me shoot bad guys. We could have worked together to complete the game in half the time.
The original Uncharted game was a breakthrough in many areas and really opened a new genre of video games. It was followed up by Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3 which continued to build on a solid foundation. Then other games like Tomb Raider evolved the genre so that I am eagerly anticipating the release of Uncharted 4 later this year. Unfortunately that means that Uncharted is not as much fun as these other games and I have to admit that it got rather tiring at times. Several of my co-workers that are avid video game players have yet to finish the game because they lost interest. Given the choice of Uncharted or Tomb Raider, I would recommend the later.
That being said, Tomb Raider is one game and if you purchase the remastered version of Uncharted, you get Uncharted 1, 2 and 3. I have yet to play 2 or 3, but judging from comments made by those who have, I am in for a lot of fun. I'll give them a try over the next 3 months and be sure to provide a review for each of them.
Uncharted is rated T for violence and strong language. It definitely has a lot of both and so if you are sensitive to them, I would recommend a different game. However if you like a good tropical action adventure game, Uncharted is well worth your time. If you are a budget shopper you can get Uncharted on the PS3 very inexpensively. The Uncharted Collection for the PS4 won't be so kind to your wallet.
I have to remind the reader that I work for a video game company that may or may not be involved with any of the 4 games listed in this review.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
So Many Games, So Little Time
I am working from my home in Utah this week as it is the Thanksgiving week and I figured I would abstain from adding to the chaos in the airports this time of the year. With all of my recent travel it feels kind of strange to be home for such an extended period of time. Normally I don't play video games at home but as I find myself with a lot more time here I have turned on my consoles every now and then. It is a great way to stay awake when I am tired.
I only have a PS3 on my boat in California while I have both a PS3 and a PS4 at home. That has opened up a number of games for me this week. Here are some of the games I will be playing this week:
1. Star Wars Battlefront - I preordered a copy and it arrived while I was in Japan last week. Since I have been home I have gone through several training missions. If you are a fan of the Star Wars movies, then you will love this game.
2. The Order: 1886 - I was given a copy of this game when it came out yet have never found the time to play it. I understand that it should only take 4 to 6 hours to complete and look forward to finally being able to dedicate that much time to it.
3. The Uncharted Collection - I have all three Uncharted games for the PlayStation 3 but only ever played the first game. My sons have played both the 2nd and 3rd games and said they are awesome. I enjoyed Tomb Raider a lot and look forward to a very similar game. I want to get all 3 Uncharted games completed before Uncharted 4 comes out next year so I am ready for it.
Now for the standard disclaimer: I have connections in the video game industry that allow me to get really cheap copies of all these games. In fact I may even work for one of the companies that creates the games mentioned in this post.
I only have a PS3 on my boat in California while I have both a PS3 and a PS4 at home. That has opened up a number of games for me this week. Here are some of the games I will be playing this week:
1. Star Wars Battlefront - I preordered a copy and it arrived while I was in Japan last week. Since I have been home I have gone through several training missions. If you are a fan of the Star Wars movies, then you will love this game.
2. The Order: 1886 - I was given a copy of this game when it came out yet have never found the time to play it. I understand that it should only take 4 to 6 hours to complete and look forward to finally being able to dedicate that much time to it.
3. The Uncharted Collection - I have all three Uncharted games for the PlayStation 3 but only ever played the first game. My sons have played both the 2nd and 3rd games and said they are awesome. I enjoyed Tomb Raider a lot and look forward to a very similar game. I want to get all 3 Uncharted games completed before Uncharted 4 comes out next year so I am ready for it.
Now for the standard disclaimer: I have connections in the video game industry that allow me to get really cheap copies of all these games. In fact I may even work for one of the companies that creates the games mentioned in this post.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
My E3 Favorites
I have had the pleasure of walking the E3 show floor for the past couple of days and have been amazed by the high-quality games soon to be available. I thought I would take a paragraph or two and mention my favorites from the show. Before I do that I have to provide the disclaimer that I work for a video game company and may be promoting one of my own games. I don't think that is a real issue as there are a number of games from different studios that I mention. Hopefully I am seen as objective and not playing favorites. So in alphabetic order (to keep it fair), here they are:
Call of Duty: Black Ops III - I have always been a fan of first-person shooters and Call of Duty is the most popular franchise out there. I have played a number of COD titles and they all have felt very well put together. This one looks like it will be a great game when it is released on November 16, 2015.
Doom - Doom is the original first-person shooter. I remember playing it on the PC when it first came out and spent many hours crawling around the dungeon-like setting. The latest version is a major advancement in graphics and looks to be the same great fun available in the Spring of 2016.
Just Cause 3 - I never played the first two versions of this game but was drawn into the Square Enix booth at E3 and really enjoyed the rich environment found in this game. I sat through the demo movie more than once and look forward to the release some time this year.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Several years ago one of my coworkers gave me a copy of Metal Gear Solid and suggested I play it. I loaded it onto my PlayStation 3 but couldn't really figure it out. Today I spent 45 minutes in the Konami booth watching an expert go through a mission. There is a lot to the game and I could see why it was so tough to figure out the first time. This is one of those games that will take hours to master but will be well worth the effort. It will be available September 1st of this year.
Star Wars Battlefront - When EA released Star Wars Battlefront II for the PlayStation 2, I went and bought 2 copies. One for each of my PS2 consoles. That way each of my sons could play each other over the network. It was a really great Christmas break. When the latest version was announced, I was excited to see game play footage at E3. It did not disappoint me and I will immediately rush out and get this one when it is available on November 20th of this year.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Uncharted has to be one of my favorite game series ever. I have to admit that I am not very good at it but my youngest son is. I could sit and watch him play for hours. It was a toss-up between 2 or 3 being better but they were all a lot of fun. I have only been able to see small sections of 4 and it looks like it will be another immediate purchase I make when it is available in 2016.
There were a lot of other games I thought looked pretty amazing and are eager for their release. I didn't mention them only because I don't have an unlimited amount of time to write this evening. Besides, these are the ones I am most excited about. Judging by the E3 crowd reaction, I don't think I am the only one.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III - I have always been a fan of first-person shooters and Call of Duty is the most popular franchise out there. I have played a number of COD titles and they all have felt very well put together. This one looks like it will be a great game when it is released on November 16, 2015.
Doom - Doom is the original first-person shooter. I remember playing it on the PC when it first came out and spent many hours crawling around the dungeon-like setting. The latest version is a major advancement in graphics and looks to be the same great fun available in the Spring of 2016.
Just Cause 3 - I never played the first two versions of this game but was drawn into the Square Enix booth at E3 and really enjoyed the rich environment found in this game. I sat through the demo movie more than once and look forward to the release some time this year.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Several years ago one of my coworkers gave me a copy of Metal Gear Solid and suggested I play it. I loaded it onto my PlayStation 3 but couldn't really figure it out. Today I spent 45 minutes in the Konami booth watching an expert go through a mission. There is a lot to the game and I could see why it was so tough to figure out the first time. This is one of those games that will take hours to master but will be well worth the effort. It will be available September 1st of this year.
Star Wars Battlefront - When EA released Star Wars Battlefront II for the PlayStation 2, I went and bought 2 copies. One for each of my PS2 consoles. That way each of my sons could play each other over the network. It was a really great Christmas break. When the latest version was announced, I was excited to see game play footage at E3. It did not disappoint me and I will immediately rush out and get this one when it is available on November 20th of this year.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Uncharted has to be one of my favorite game series ever. I have to admit that I am not very good at it but my youngest son is. I could sit and watch him play for hours. It was a toss-up between 2 or 3 being better but they were all a lot of fun. I have only been able to see small sections of 4 and it looks like it will be another immediate purchase I make when it is available in 2016.
There were a lot of other games I thought looked pretty amazing and are eager for their release. I didn't mention them only because I don't have an unlimited amount of time to write this evening. Besides, these are the ones I am most excited about. Judging by the E3 crowd reaction, I don't think I am the only one.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Console Games vs. Mobile Games
When people find out I work for a video game company, the first question they ask is, "What is your prediction for console games?" This is because everyone seems to be playing mobile games and the mobile market has turned the entire video game industry on its head.
If I look at my own video game habits, I spend much more time playing mobile games than I do playing console ones. I always have my phone with me and so whenever I have five minutes to spare, I pull out my phone and play a quick game of Risk or some other casual game.
However for the past two weeks I have gone back to Bioshock: Infinite and it has been a lot of fun. Instead of watching television on my boat, I have put in a couple of hours every night playing on my PS3 console. It is tough to stop for the night and so I have a self-imposed hard-stop every evening at 10:30. Otherwise I will continue playing and never go to sleep. This isn't an every night occurrence but accounts for 5 or 6 hours a week of entertainment. If I were to add up all of the 5-minute mobile game sessions in a week, I am probably only at 2 or 3 hours total.
Mobile phones are getting much more powerful and we are beginning to see some complex games that far surpass early generation consoles. While it is possible that full-featured games will appear on mobile platforms, I think that Triple-A titles like Uncharted and Bioshock: Infinite are best experienced in the luxury of your living room with a comfortable chair or couch, large screen TV, and plate of nachos close by. Therefore I don't see console nor console games going away any time soon.
If I look at my own video game habits, I spend much more time playing mobile games than I do playing console ones. I always have my phone with me and so whenever I have five minutes to spare, I pull out my phone and play a quick game of Risk or some other casual game.
However for the past two weeks I have gone back to Bioshock: Infinite and it has been a lot of fun. Instead of watching television on my boat, I have put in a couple of hours every night playing on my PS3 console. It is tough to stop for the night and so I have a self-imposed hard-stop every evening at 10:30. Otherwise I will continue playing and never go to sleep. This isn't an every night occurrence but accounts for 5 or 6 hours a week of entertainment. If I were to add up all of the 5-minute mobile game sessions in a week, I am probably only at 2 or 3 hours total.
Mobile phones are getting much more powerful and we are beginning to see some complex games that far surpass early generation consoles. While it is possible that full-featured games will appear on mobile platforms, I think that Triple-A titles like Uncharted and Bioshock: Infinite are best experienced in the luxury of your living room with a comfortable chair or couch, large screen TV, and plate of nachos close by. Therefore I don't see console nor console games going away any time soon.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
I was going through my e-mail earlier today and received a note from PlayStation with news of a trailer for the new Uncharted 4: A Thief's End game. The trailer shows 15 minutes of game play and it looks amazing. I am a big fan of the Uncharted series of video games and will add that to my must have list when it becomes available. Uncharted is one of those games that makes it worth owning a PlayStation video game console as it isn't available anywhere else.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune first came out in November of 2007 and was an interesting game in that it played more like an interactive movie than a video game. I got the game shortly after its release and found it to be a lot of fun. I made the mistake of introducing it to my sons who also enjoyed it unceasingly. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves came out in October of 2009, I immediately picked up a copy and my sons attacked it with vigor. Naturally we couldn't wait to pick up Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception when it came out in November of 2011.
My youngest son really enjoyed the second game and thought it was the best of the three until about half way through the third one. Then he decided it was the best but felt the last two were a lot better games than the first one. We were all sad that there weren't going to be any more Uncharted games. Then the PlayStation Vita came out and had another Uncharted game among the launch titles. When they showed the Uncharted 4 demo at E3 this year, we were all pleasantly surprised.
The recent game play video puts Uncharted 4 as coming out in 2015 which means we don't have to wait too long.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune first came out in November of 2007 and was an interesting game in that it played more like an interactive movie than a video game. I got the game shortly after its release and found it to be a lot of fun. I made the mistake of introducing it to my sons who also enjoyed it unceasingly. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves came out in October of 2009, I immediately picked up a copy and my sons attacked it with vigor. Naturally we couldn't wait to pick up Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception when it came out in November of 2011.
My youngest son really enjoyed the second game and thought it was the best of the three until about half way through the third one. Then he decided it was the best but felt the last two were a lot better games than the first one. We were all sad that there weren't going to be any more Uncharted games. Then the PlayStation Vita came out and had another Uncharted game among the launch titles. When they showed the Uncharted 4 demo at E3 this year, we were all pleasantly surprised.
The recent game play video puts Uncharted 4 as coming out in 2015 which means we don't have to wait too long.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Uncharted
My youngest son had a ski race in Park City today and I worked as an official. That means it was a really long day spent out in the cold. We got home and had a very nice dinner. Then my wife and daughter wanted to go and see some outdoor Christmas displays. They knew we wouldn't be interested and left us to do our own thing. We decided to play Uncharted 3.
Recently we started playing the first game in the series. Then I got busy and so my son started the second game and was able to finish without me. We still have yet to complete the first game but since we have the third one, my son opted to start it. I guess you could say that my son is tired of watching me play and wanted to move on.
It is interesting to see the evolution of the game. The first one was alot of fun because it was like taking part in an action movie. The second game added more twists and also more features. The third continues but also adds such things as muli-player so both of us can play at the same time. Of the three games, my son prefers the second. However I think that will change as we get more into this game. Either that or my son just hates having to play with his dad as a partner.
Recently we started playing the first game in the series. Then I got busy and so my son started the second game and was able to finish without me. We still have yet to complete the first game but since we have the third one, my son opted to start it. I guess you could say that my son is tired of watching me play and wanted to move on.
It is interesting to see the evolution of the game. The first one was alot of fun because it was like taking part in an action movie. The second game added more twists and also more features. The third continues but also adds such things as muli-player so both of us can play at the same time. Of the three games, my son prefers the second. However I think that will change as we get more into this game. Either that or my son just hates having to play with his dad as a partner.
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