Atomic fun

Heya guys,

So let's get the obvious right out of the door, I've been playing Fallout 4 - a lot. Obviously my site is still small fry and advanced review copies are not an option, so I had to hit the ground running on the 10th but it has been an awesome ride. If you head over to the reviews section you will find my ten pennies worth about this gigantic game that also comes with a few caveats and bumps: but ultimately I'm giving Fallout 4 a big thumbs up. With that said I am still not even close to being done with the apocalypse but as a certain other game released on the 19th of November I am going to have to put my incessant scavenging on hold because Assassins Creed Syndicate has just dropped on PC and you can now also see my opinions on the latest offering from Ubisoft.

It's a shame that it received a later release date, in a way it steals some of PC focused reviewers thunder because in many people's eyes the game has already run its course in the media and most console owners have played and beaten it. Of course a later release date is always vastly preferential to a shoddy port being kicked out of the doors that barely works. While my audience is primarily PC gamers I also want to help present the advantages of PC gaming to console owners so then they at least have the information to make an informed choice. It's not that they don't know the PC exists but often our platform gets far less attention - unless there's a shit storm over a bad port: as they say there is no news like bad news.

Last week we heard that the next expansion for Don't Starve (Shipwrecked) will be hitting beta in December, which for me signifies many late nights with my friends screaming 'the base is on fire' or 'there's a turkey in the berry bushes!' I often wonder if we ever did have a real fire in the house how long it would take for my wife to notice what I was saying. This new chapter sets sail into the, up until now, unreachable realm of the sea and so once again ways to die will also undoubtedly increase accordingly. The developers (Klea) have so far done an amazing job of updating the game and also letting the keen modding community go wild with their creations and ideas. The base game is a single player affair but you can also now try the Don't Starve Together beta which for me is a natural progression from the single player game, I have no doubt we will see this awesome game in the upcoming Christmas Steam sale so maybe put it on your wish list. I shall be dedicating a retro review to Don't Starve some time in December, once I am done stepping on mutated scorpions and skulking around London looking for naughty people to assassinate.

There were some very interesting articles flying around last week in the mainstream media, one that caught my eye was one titled 'What Happens When A Video Game Publisher Doesn't Like What The Press is Saying' on Kotaku. No matter whose side you feel more aligned to it certainly makes you consider that usually where money is concerned corruption and mendacious behaviour are not far behind. The games industry is one of the youngest entertainment forms on the planet and yet it is also fast becoming one of the most lucrative. As a brand new site it's easy to feel insignificant compared to the big fish but as long as I keep my integrity under my hat and an eye on the horizon - my only real goal here is to offer honest and well considered reviews for PC games.

Last of all the latest Steam Sale just opened it doors and the first day was to the tune of adventure games - so far I've picked up Subnautica and Wolfenstein: The New Order. I am saving Wolfenstein for a quiet week but after a few hours on Subnautica I can say this is looking like one of the most interesting games I've picked up this year - expect a few videos and preview soon.

As always if you enjoy the site please tell your friends about me, you can follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and also email me on riggedforepic@gmail.com with feedback or questions. Thanks for reading guys, please check back soon for more PC gaming content.

Peace,

Genophix

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

I'm back

Nostalgia is my arch enemy, it's always in the background tempting me away from the new and exciting into the old and familiar. When this happens I have learned from experience to kick nostalgia squarely in the bollocks and run for the hills but sometimes the little bugger catches me off guard. On the 29th of September Wildstar went free to play and as someone who was heavily invested in the game at launch I'll be interested to see what Carbine have in store to lure the crowds back. As a few of my gaming friends are interested in taking another look like any good guildy I will tag along and see how deep the rabbit hole goes this time around. I shall be doing an article on Wildstar covering what is new and how the game feels in its new free-to-play model.

The MMO scene has taken a bit of a battering as of late and while there are still promising developments on the horizon it all just seems to have gone off the boil. A few years back it seemed like everyone was trying to cash in on the success Blizzard were having with Warcraft but now even the King of MMOs is looking tired and old. Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online and Wildstar all never really hit the highs their respective developers promised they would and yet they still endure. ESO and Guildwars 2 still have a lot going for them and the latter is wading in with Heart of Thorns next month, a fully fledged expansion from Arenanet who said there would never be a fully fledged expansion: I guess that shows you can never really say never in gaming (unless it's Half Life 3). Sadly for now I'll have to watch others play this due to commitments to other games but let's hope it provides the goods. Once the dust settles from the Wildstar reloaded launch and Heart of Thorns has been live for a few weeks I'll be taking a more in depth look at where the MMO scene is at and where we can expect it to head in the future.

I wrapped up my review for Mad Max last week and with that out of the way I can turn my attention to a few articles I've been wanting to focus on: if you've not played Mad Max yet check out out in the reviews section. If I'm honest I enjoyed taking screenshots as much as the actual gameplay, this isn't to say this game was boring but the camera mode really does lend itself to anyone who loves to spend time getting that perfect shot: it also helps that the game is utterly gorgeous.

I've had a quiet few weeks to prepare for the onslaught that will be Autumn in the gaming calendar. The obvious eye of the storm here will be Fallout 4 but there are also a few other interesting games  launching themselves upon us in the coming months and so I thought it wise to get some downtime while I can. My Blue gaming microphone arrived this week and coupled with Adobe Premier I should now be able to start producing decent video footage. However I did promise myself I would also completely refit my gaming bunker and after watching Martian last night I'm being inspired to do some awesome modifications to my set up: for science! Last of all I have been playing through all the availble episodes of Life is Strange this week and with the concluding chapter dropping in five days expect a full review shortly after. So that is all I have for now guys, if you enjoy the site please tell your friends about me and I hope your gaming is epic wherever you are.

Peace Out.

Scores on the doors

It has been an utterly fantastic week in gaming, while playing the recently released Phantom Pain I've also been working away at the review, which I'm very happy to say is finished and on the site for your perusal and pleasure. It's a big one and will require some reading but I hope you guys are starting to see now that I try and give you an alternative to a score: I not only an opinion from a PC gamers point of view but I also explore the issues that have surrounded the game for a few months prior to launch. There are so many things I had to cut from my review to avoid spoilers but trust me when I say, you absolutely need to play this game.

I know that some gamers just want a number so they can make a quick decision and go about their day but there are problems inherent to scoring systems, not least that so much gets missed and abbreviated. It also seems like any game that doesn't hit 80% gets instantly dismissed by the majority of gamers and this is a dangerous habit to get into, everyone is different and you could be skipping your favourite game of all time. I've seen so many titles that while have some fairly substantial flaws are still excellent games and totally worth the time to play. I think that part of the reason for this addiction to Metacritic and scorecards is that we simply don't have enough hours in the day to keep up with the tsunami of releases: I often joke with my friends about our ever increasing list of games we've picked up but will never play.

In my own personal gaming I do look at and use review scores to gauge how a game is doing but more and more I'm seeing gaming review scores as negative. In fact I've been thinking this for a while and catching up with YouTube yesterday I listened to a video by Total Biscuit covering this exact thing. He also talks about how gamers and professional reviewers are kinda looking for different things: in essence they are coming from different places. It's a really interesting video so check it out.

I've had Mad Max sat here since downloading MGS:5 and apart from a cheeky hour I haven't touched it, so this week I'm going to try and prise myself away from Phantom Pain for at least a day or two and start my Mad Max review. Due to circumstances I'm a little late to the party and most reviews sites already have their opinions out on the net but this won't put me off having a look. It's interesting seeing how the main review sites have been quite critical of the game and yet gamers seem to be having a blast.

I shall also be putting in my order for a webcam and microphone this week, it's taken a few good research seasons to finally decide on what I need and given my very tight budget it's a fine line between quality and blowing my spare cash for the next three months. One problem you may have noticed on the videos I've already produced is not only is the headphone mic poor quality but my PC fans are making a right old racket so I decided I need a mic that could also plug into my iPhone: that way I can record the narration somewhere quiet. The idea is to start producing videos reviews along side my written reviews and see how we go but for the foreseeable future the written content will take priority.

Thank you for everyone who visits my site on a regular basis, I love writing reviews and articles but it wouldn't mean anything if they were not being read and enjoyed by someone. The internet is a big place to try and stand out so if you do enjoy something you see here please tell your friends, re-tweet my 'twitterings' and most of all keep checking back for new content. Have an epic weekend guys and gals,

Peace out,

Genophix

Ghost in the machine

Even as someone who spends a considerable amount of time playing games there are so many these days it would be impossible to play them all. When the industry was in its infancy gaming was a totally different beast, you could throw months into titles like Settlers, X-Com or Dungeon Master and not worry about your ever growing list of Steam games you'd never play. After passing the origin titles it's sometimes hard if not impossible to get into a game series as you feel like you have simply missed too much. Deux Ex for example is one game where I did play the original at the time it was released and I know that it just would not elicit the same feelings if I played it present day: notwithstanding the fact that these games have not aged well in the graphics department.

Today sees the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and this game has had me thinking about how much time and emotional currency we invest in these progressive game series. As mentioned previously, I watched a friend play the original Metal Gear on PSOne back in the day and while aware of various other Metal Gears coming and going I've never invested much time following the story that is often a huge talking point for fans. So I find it incredible that with all this said, I'm more excited to play this latest MGS game than any other title this year, but why?

A good starting point to answer that question would be to pick any of the reviews already out for MGS:5: it has received critical acclaim across the board scoring either perfect tens or near as damn it. So while I don't want to start gushing here it's safe to say we have a masterpiece on our hands and one I am going to throw myself into these coming weeks. My plan is to try and bring you guys a deeper review than we've seen so far that tells you more about what is going on under the hood. I must admit, a hard part of starting your own review site is that until you gain some momentum and notable success you cannot hope to get invited to special events like the one hosted by Konami last week: this was arranged to allow the big game journalism sites to get a review in place prior to launch.

I picked up Ground Zeroes this year on PS4 and played through most of the missions with relative success - as I've gone through in my Phantom Pain preview, this new game has me utterly intrigued. If early reviews are to be believed MGS:5 is looking like it might be one of the best open world games we've ever seen and a serious contender for game of the year: some feat considering it will be in the same race with The Witcher 3 and the soon-to-be released Fallout 4. However there is something else that's caught my attention this week and that is the huge amount of content I'd actually missed in Ground Zeros, the prologue to Phantom Pain.

It turns out that Hideo Kojima must have know he'd be leaving Konami and so decided to insert a message to the fans right into the game, what a legend. How much Konami knew about this prior to GZ going gold is not known but the way Hideo approached this is pure class. Once you unlock the bonus mission Deja Vu you walk around the base looking for scenes reminiscent of the origin game. While in this level you can acquire a special rifle with an ultraviolet light which you then use to scan the names of all the MG games hidden around the base: ones Hideo made get erased and ones he had no hand in are dismissed by coms as not important. At one point you are told that the messages will disappear but the memories will remain. I find this thrilling and also incredibly poignant. When you scan the final genuine Metal Gear game Kojima himself thanks fans for all their support. I don't know about any of you guys but I found this incredibly emotional and he has found a new fan in me. This is why I started this entry talking about gaming sets and how we do miss some: if I could go back in time I really would make sure I'd played all his wonderful games.

This coming week I will be playing and reviewing The Phantom Pain, I'm amazed I've found the willpower to type this Blog post before running downstairs to boot it up. I also have a copy of Mad Max so you can expect a review of this in the coming weeks as well. For now take care guys, I hope whatever you are playing you are having fun.

Peace out,

Genophix

Shutter Bug

Why do we take pictures? What makes one thing seem worth the effort to get my camera out for and another just ok slip by in the flow of time? I have been watching this week as my old chum Benedict Cumberbatch was imploring his fans not to take pictures or record video in his performance of Hamlet and it got me thinking about photography again: it also prompted me to get the gallery sorted out on my website.

One obvious answer to my opening question is simple enough, like a billion human beings before me I want to record my time here in this world and when people, places and situations have gone forever the light that shone bright was for a split second fused into an image, frozen in time. Maybe that is also part of it, maybe it's partly mortal beings defying the inevitable onslaught of time that enthuses us to take pictures 'fuck you baldness and fuck you wrinkles..I'm keeping this one thing for me'.

Ok so enough with the heavy stuff, like 'real life' I also love to take pictures of the games I play. I remember the first screenshots I ever took were from Warcraft and the motivation was very much to share things I'd seen or show raids we'd beaten. However over the last few years I've been taking more screenshots for a different reason and that is because games are becoming so damn beautiful. There have been a few recent games in particular where sights, vistas or just the general atmosphere has had me stopping in my tracks to gaze in awe. GTA 5 is one good example, I actually found myself going for an early morning cruise up the west coast, parking up and watching the sun rise from the ocean. Sat there listening to some 80's track and soaking up the atmosphere it was strange, did Rockstar know this would be a part of my gaming experience? The same can be said for The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition: I've found these game worlds so visually pleasing I actually have been playing to find good photographs of in game locations.

To this end please check out the 'Shooting Gallery', my new section which will very simply showcase some of the best shots I've garnered from various digital game worlds. Please be wary that you may see the odd mild spoiler in there of content in that particular game but I will do my best to avoid that. I'll be doing a gallery entry for every game I review from now on so please have a browse and share your thoughts. It's my eventual goal to have other people's shots on this site as well, as they say 'watch this space'.

I am away for a few days now but will be working on a few articles on my travels so expect to see them next week, for now thank you for reading my latest blog post and I hope your gaming is going well wherever you are.

Peace out,

Genophix.

'Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken'

Heya guys, I hope you are all well and good. This week I have been the busiest I've been since I started this project and no mistake. I already knew that games journalists didn't just play games all day but I can now attest to that through my own experience. My Youtube channel is now live and already has three videos uploaded, the first was encoded in the wrong settings from Adobe Premier so looks a little fuzzy but with some training from the Toobs I'm now in the know about such things. I almost feel like Neo downloading new skill sets for every new challenge 'adding music to video in Premier you say?'

I've also spent a considerable portion of my week not only writing my 'retro' review for Dying Light but also capturing/editing footage to use in two 'lets play' videos; if you have never played Dying Light I urge you to take a look or watch my antics to get a taste.  As with anything it's going to take some time to learn what people want and what they don't want. One thing I'm painfully aware of is that the quality of my mic is poor because right now I'm using my headphones; so next on my shopping list is a quality mic and also a webcam that does the job. If anyone has any recommendations I'd welcome them. So yes, I've been working my little socks off but I can also say I'm enjoying every minute of it.

So this week I saw they are to release a keyboard and mouse of sorts for the PS4 and I've got mixed feelings about this. When people ask me what think about console gaming I reply that it's great but some games just need a keyboard and mouse. So what's the problem? Well it all depends on you're set up and how far you're willing to go because to use a mouse you need a decent sized flat surface that is stable and solid. This just doesn't work while sat on a couch, I know because I've tried it. There's just no getting around the fact that to use a mouse and keyboard properly you need to be sat up and preferably at a desk; this is where PC gaming lives and until some genius finds a better way console developers needs to remember what it is.. and what it is not. I'm not anti console at all, I don't know why anyone would be because games are not just about fast framerates, gorgeous graphics and precise controls: games are games and it's more about the experience than anything else. I recently downloaded The Journey on PS4 and had one of the most emotional few hours in gaming I've had in months; myself and a complete stranger went through the entire game together and by the end we had a tangible connection. As we crossed the games threshold together I sat back and pondered where in the world was my single serving friend who I would never meet.

I've seen opinions like mine met with the usual 'PC Master Race' etc and it's a shame because I'd rather gamers embrace their chosen systems and also celebrate other systems (and their users) rather that make boundaries; we're all gamers no matter where or how we play. If you do get a mouse and keyboard for your PS4 then more power to you, maybe I'm wrong and it's the best thing since sliced bread.

So what have I got on the horizon this week? Well for one I'm going to have a jaunt through the DLC for Dying Light and then I've got a choice between the new Kings Quest or Life is Strange, keep watching the site as you'll see a review for both at some point. Of course I'd be remiss not to mention that Gamescom kicks off in Germany this week and I'm expecting to see lots of gaming goodness coming out of Cologne; I'll be doing a blog post or article specifically for this event. I also have some friends who are attending so I hope you guys have fun and the camping goes well and the beer is free-flowing.

Thanks for reading my latest blog post and check back for new content soon.

Peace out,

Genophix

Exponential Growth

Have you ever just jumped into doing something, not quite sure where you would end up? I would imagine you have and that's exactly where I am now. As I've already mentioned in previous posts, the inclusion of video content seems a given and a part of modern games journalism. If I'm honest, I do the written reviews as much for myself as for other people, I just enjoy the writing process and breaking a game down to see what makes it tick.

This week, while playing Alien Isolation for my review, I've been using Nvidia's video capture software Shadowplay and I think I've been lucky with some of the footage I grabbed. So, with the written review almost done and a folder full of video clips, it was time to do something I've been putting off for years: stepping into the Adobe showroom with my eyes wide shut. I have always wanted to get familiar with Photoshop and Lightroom, so it's weird that when I finally get around to getting an Adobe product it's their video editor that's first in line. So far I've just been getting familiar with the basics and so you can see my first edit in the Isolation review, this comprises a few gameplay sessions showing the varied situations you may find yourself in. I hope you enjoy it.
 

So some of you may be sat there wondering why I'm reviewing games that have been out for months and years? Well the answer is threefold. First off, I need to practice reviewing games:  previous efforts have been a labour of love in which I've not been trying to produce it for an audience so I'm having to spend a lot more time looking at spelling, format and grammar (and begging my wife to check it). Incidentally my wife is a spelling freak who usually spots mistakes everywhere from government documents and to large companies, so I force/bribe her to read my writing which is good of her as she's not a gamer.

Secondly, as I play games and get a taste for reviewing them there are plenty that I've finished and thought 'that would make a cracking review some day'; games like Dying Light which I'm currently working on a review for. As it happens there have been some good updates in the last six months including DLC and such. There was also an interesting teaser released this week showing what looks like the inclusion of vehicles into Dying Light. I'm just worried the current game is a little bit too crowded with street debris, so the vehicles will either have to be super manoeuvrable or they will have to add new areas (I'm in favour of both!)

The last reason I'm reviewing old games is that while many people are on board on day one there are many who miss good games for a plethora of reasons. These days we are spoilt for choice and if games like The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 came out on the same day it would have to be a choice (for most). I remember owning the original Metro 2033, trying it for an hour and then getting distracted with another game. I picked up Metro 2033 Redux and Last Light in the Christmas Steam sale and well, it has to be one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played bar none. So after Dying Light this will be my next retro review and one I'm very much looking forward to. There are hundreds of gems out there and rummaging through old games to say 'hey, why don't you play this?' is going to be a constant feature on my site and one which I hope helps gamers find new games they never considered before.

As an aside, I'll be attending ComicCon in Manchester tomorrow (Sunday 26th) to check out some games and hopefully speak to some fellow gamers. I've managed to cobble a business card together today and find a printer before they all shut for the weekend; so I'm hoping to hand some out and get more people using the site. That's enough ramblings from me for now guys, I hope no matter what lead you here you like the site and as always if you think it's missing something to just want to contact me please feel free on riggedforepic@gmail.com follow me @riggedforepic or you can now find me on YouTube as Rigged for Epic.

Peace out,

Genophix

Uncharted Waters

Heya guys,

So we've been live for two weeks now and it's been an amazing experience so far. Seeing the little bump appear on the 'visits to your site' metric was a great feeling. If I'm honest I knew who it was because I'd told them the site was live (thank you Ishvii) but since then we've had plenty more visitors. It's also abundantly clear I don't have a clue what I'm doing and riding uncharted territory but it's also a wonderful feeling to be finally out there.

As anyone who has read my mission statement will know this site isn't about making money, it's about getting the word out there about PC gaming and how incredible it is. It's also (I hope) going to be another voice standing up for PC gaming because all too often we are the last consideration for developers. This week I played through and completed Batman Arkham Knight which is currently surrounded by controversy and in a weird way gives me a reason to thunder on. I hope and I pray other developers have taken a good look at what happens when they take the piss out of their customers: nerd rage can be a force of nature.  As the dust settles the events of this past week make me look to the future: primarily at the games we are looking forward to this year. For me personally it's Fallout 4, Xcom 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4: The Phantom Pain. However the latter has presented me with a conundrum.

I'm a PC gamer first and foremost but I do own a PS4 and enjoy the games I play on it. I play Resogun daily, (one life and once I'm dead that's it until tomorrow). As games have appeared on PC such as GTA 5 I have traded in my PS4 copies, as the GTA 5 port was absolutely spot on and exactly what a PC port should look like. I do own MGS: Ground Zeros on PS4 and had planned to get Phantom Pain on PS4 also, but now I hear the PC version is getting a simultaneous release date.. One of my little quirks is that with any game series I absolutely must play it across the same platform and if possible with the same control method (mouse and keyboard usually). So expect a MGS: Phantom Pain review for PC very soon after it's release. If I get time I will take a look at Ground Zeros again on PC in the run up to the release of Phantom Pain.

In other news we have a big Witcher 3 patch landing this week, finally we can stash our goods all over the show and not have to drag a small library around the land; this for me is more welcome than any DLC update. Now Batman has been beaten I've jumped back into the Witcher 3 as there is still a tonne to do and I've not even touched the DLC yet.

As I scoot around the net and look at various sites the inclusion of video to the site has been something on my mind. Initially I was going to keep the site very simple, just good honest reviews that don't have a score, just an opinion and a good discussion on the game's merits. However I'm now really considering doing some video content and inflicting my face on the internet, watch this space for more information.

Cracking E3 Gromit!

Heya guys,

Well as the dust settles from E3 I've been looking over the pile of games that gamers were shown. There were a few surprises, a few disappointments but I think it's fair to say this was one of the best E3's in recent years: mainly for me because there was a feeling 2015 was going to be a quieter year.

Bethesda opened the show and boy oh boy did they nail it. I can't remember another E3 show that seemed to generate such an electric buzz around the audience. The game that made this happen for me was Fallout 4. I don't think anyone could have asked for more, not only did we get an extended look at the game running but it caught a lot of people off guard with in game features. The pre-E3 trailer had left a few people a bit flat as it was kinda what we'd been expecting: a better looking Fallout. This stage demo seemed to look better, play better and now we were seeing what Bethesda had been busy with.

They started with a look at some of the beautiful concept art used to craft Fallout 4 and then moved right into where we make our character. As they explained that the game would start before the bombs fell we were treated to a very high quality face customisation scene: it's also great news we can play as male or female. This time around we also seem to have a faithful hound at our side who can help you in your travels, one example was the dog fetching a wrench for you. I hope you can use this feature in creative ways and dangerous situations. The VATS system makes a return and overall the game combat looks like it will be in the same style, which is great. Where the demo really hit turbo was when they revealed that with the special edition gamers will get their own Pipboy replica which houses your smart phone and with the help of an app will work as a real Pipboy. If that wasn't enough we were also treated to a demonstration of how the base building and crafting works in the game, the freedom we are being given is mind blowing: once you've placed structures and a power source you have to actually wire it all up yourself! The crafting also has a new twist because weapons can be made from a whole array of household items, items which in previous games were just vendor trash. It's really easy for me to say I think Fallout 4 was the game of E3 and stands a pretty good chance to dethrone The Wicther 3 as the best game of 2015.. we shall see.

Doom looks heart poundingly good, really good in fact with plenty of what we would expect from a modern looking iteration but as is often the case I think people usually hope for a bit too much: hence the media outlets like Gamespot and IGN weren't too excited about this one. We were also treated to a CGI trailer for Dishonoured 2, a sequel to what must be one of my favourite FPS games in recent times. This time it looks like time has jumped forward and new technology has emerged. It's exciting again we can now seemingly play as either Corvo or Emily: one to watch for sure.  

Let's see, other stand out PC games.. ok so we've got another Hitman in works. For now we know little so I'll file this until we know more. As always we hope and we pray. No Mans Sky was still looking vastly impressive as ever and yet I felt they really needed to show something other than how cool the procedural world generation looked. They remain coy regarding actual specifics and I hope this doesn't backfire. Hey I get it, they don't want a game tethered to constraints and set conventions, I'm totally onboard with that but at some point I hope they make the mechanics a little clearer so gamers have an idea if they will dig freedom of this scale. For Honour and Horizon: Zero Dawn also both look very promising. The Division again looks great but as I'm still stinging from AC Unity until I'm playing it I'll not hold my breath. Little was shown of Mass Effect Andromeda and Mirrors Edge Catalyst but again, they exist and I'm sure we'll see more from these in the near future.

And finally the first ever PC Game show, where PC game developers got a chance to stand up and tout their wares. Regardless of how successful it was the fact it happened is great step for PC. As my site is aiming to help change the profile of PC gaming in the wider audience a recognition of how well the platform has been doing in recent years is great. I woke up at 2am to watch it live and I felt it was a mix of good and bad, some stilted appearances and Phil Spencer looking like a fish out of water.. ("Yeah you know" I kept muttering) but there were also some great things shown. While we know (and they know) Microsoft have let the PC down badly in the past, it sounds like we're seeing a renewed level of commitment now from them: let's hope it's genuine, that DX12 sings and we don't get anything akin to Games for Windows Live forced on us again.

There are of course plenty of games I haven't mentioned here but again, for me the stand out part of E3 was Bethesda all the way. I'm going to aim to make it to the next E3 in some capacity but for now we have a very busy year ahead of us in PC gaming.

Inaugural Blog post

Hello guys and welcome to Rigged for Epic. This is my first foray into blogging so it's definitely a little bit daunting but also incredibly exciting. This blog is going to live on the Rigged for Epic website where I will post reviews and articles pertaining to everything PC gaming.

As I type the website is barley formed and still needs a lot of work but hopefully by the time you read this it will have taken shape and have at least a few reviews on there which I've written previously.The first current review I'm unleashing on the world is going to be The Witcher 3 review, which is a hilarious choice considering there are some two hundred hours of gameplay. That said I'm making progress and if I could stop my compulsive herb collecting and playing Gwent we might get done sometime before Christmas! I know that most people who are going to buy the game will have done so by now so this review is a bit late to the party. However I am hoping that if the site takes off I can start to get early access to games and so my reviews will be another opinion you can look for making an informed choice.

Where I hopefully can be helpful to you guys is with historic games that you may never have
played. These will be appearing soon and it will involve me going back and looking at games that have come and gone but are still worth a look. Games like the Metro series spring to mind, I recently purchased the Redux set and played through them start to finish. I can't wait to share my thoughts on why if you have missed them you should really consider taking a look.

So I guess this is as good as anywhere to quickly introduce what this site is going to be focused on and why I'm reviewing games. Well the obvious answer is that I like reviewing games and to spite my loathing for English at school I do now enjoy writing. I write the odd review for Exterminatus which is a gaming community I've been part of for five years now and some members thought I could be good enough to make it more official, so here I am. This content is currently being produced by my good self and so I won't be able to play every game but I will endeavor to play (and review) the games I think are important and worth a good look. If there is a game you guys think needs a good review then I want you to let me know and I'll add it to the list.. unless it's a sports game.

I've got other plans for the sites development but I guess apart from making a home for my rantings I also wish to promote the PC as a gaming platform. The PC is in my opinion is the first and last bastion of gaming freedom. PC gaming has no master, no one owns it and it can be everything we want it to be. I love my PS4 and know that consoles have been a vital part of gaming history indeed the evolution of the industry. However I feel that even today, the PC is sidelined, misunderstood and misrepresented across the board. We are usually the last to get a cross platform game and are more likely to receive poor ports and shoddy support after a game is released. Hell often I see a game adverted at the cinema with XBOX and PS4 emblazoned across the bottom when I know damn well there's a PC version somewhere that looks twice and good. Anyways there plenty of time for all that. This site is for PC gamers who love the platform and want it to prosper.

Ok that's me signing off for now, please if you have any feedback, suggestions or requests fire them my way.

Peace out,
Genophix