The quiet before the storm

 

Heya guys,

 

So as October comes to its close my enthusiasm for November can only possibly be matched by my son's excitement for all things Halloween: I remember last year we went through three pumpkins before Hallows Eve finally arrived. It really is going to be an excellent month for gaming and one which I expect will pass very fast due to the sheer fun factor. The shining star will undoubtedly be Fallout 4 - the level of anticipation I have for this behemoth is way beyond what I usually commit to unreleased games. Bottom line is I think we know it is going to be immense and deep in equal parts but just how good? - good enough to beat the Witcher 3?..


Check out the best stage demo in years.

This month I have been focused on more structural work behind the scenes of the website and deciding on a few new avenues of content. If there is one thing I've always been good, it's trying to do a barrel roll before even getting off the runway. This site was only ever supposed to be written reviews for a limited set of PC games, but as I move forward and look around at what my fellow game reviewers are doing I really do think I can do more. As I push forward I will be releasing video content on YouTube and as soon as my new gaming area is set up I will be streaming various games: I sense many flat packs in my future. My webcam arrived in the post yesterday so you may soon be seeing my funny looking mush beamed across the tinterweb.


My retro review for Metro 2033 and Last Light (Redux) went live a few days ago and even though I have played both games before, in all honesty I'd forgotten how good they are. If you are like me and enjoy tense atmosphere, excellent gun fights and gorgeous environments you could do a lot worse: check out my review to find out why you need to play this game.

 

 

It is still common these days for console games to get a release date prior to the PC version and unfortunately the latest Assassins Creed game has fallen prey to this tradition. Assassins Creed Syndicate launched on consoles last week and is set for launch on PC on November 19th. This trend has been around for many years and in fact used to be far worse but, whilst PC gaming has arguably never been more alive, it is still often given less attention than its console counterparts. The usual line from developers is that they are spending extra time to make sure the PC version runs well - as we all know this is developer speak for 'PC sales don't net us nearly the amount of console sales so the PC version is last on our priority list'. I'll be looking at this issue in a future article but for now I'll say that I'm very interested to play the PC version of AC Syndicate on the 19th as console reviews seem overall fairly positive. Let's hope that, for once, Ubisoft release a well-optimised PC game that runs as it should on PC.

 

This week we also see Batman re-released onto the PC: Warner Bros has announced plans to give away free digital copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY, Batman: Arkham City GOTY, Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate to players who picked up Batman: Arkham Knight on the PC prior to November 16. I do think this wasn't exactly the best way to go about compensation for PC gamers because while this is on paper a fairly good scoop of games the fans of the series will in all likelihood already own them. There is also the open offer for a full refund for PC gamers who purchased the PC version prior to the above date and this window will be open until Christmas. So, if I'm being fair, WB are showing they want to make up for the mistakes they have made but the fact still remains the game is still not working as it should. Many players are reporting launching bugs as well as persistent stuttering. For Windows 10 owners the game now requires a whopping 12 GB of system RAM up from 8GB in the original launch requirements. If Warner Bros and Rocksteady had shown PC gamers the same level of professionalism and respect they gave to their console fans this would never have happened but instead the PC 'port' was treated like an afterthought and one that didn't really matter all that much. I will be publishing a separate article which follows my original 'Who killed the Batman?' publication so enough on this for now.


In order to keep myself busy over the lead up to Fallout 4 I've got a few things on my plate. Last night I set out once more into the dark and dangerous world of Dunwall: which of course is the stomping ground of Corvo Attano - the master assassin of the stealth/action game Dishonoured. I have played through the base game and its two story DLC packs three times now and this will be my fourth: I have even beaten the entire game with no kills for the 'clean hands' achievement and for anyone with the patience I would highly recommend it for a second play through. This time I'll just be having fun and refreshing my memory for a good retro review. If I have time I am also hoping for a cheeky review of  the wonderful Don't Starve game but we will see how the cards line up over the next week.



That's it for now guys so take care and, wherever you are, I hope your gaming is epic.


Peace out

Genophix