Duck and Weave

I've been thinking about my own awards for over a month now, two weeks ago I drew up a list of all the possible games to consider and this week I locked it down to a final draft. This has been a checkered year and no mistake. Sure there have been some heartbreaking disappointments but then there have also been some amazing successes. So after much deliberation and confabulation you can now check out my list of awards for 2016 here. I hope you find it enjoyable and maybe see a game or two that you missed in the deluge of releases this year.

Two weeks ago Hello Games finally broke a month-long silence and released the 'foundation update' which (if I'm being fair) contains a decent amount of content including base building, various gameplay modes and even the ability to buy your own space freighters. While I'm not sure it works with the original theme of the game it is clear they have put a lot of work into it. In another interesting turn of events the ASA (advertising standards agency) based in the UK have ruled that Hello Games did not mislead customers... say what? Now the ASA have only looked at the Steam page and ignored the other countless examples of Sean Murray lying through his teeth: which kinda irks me. Surely if you want to look at how people had been misled you look at all the media, interviews and shameless promotions (IGN) that may have influenced hype. Even based on the trailer on the Steam page, Hello Games have misled gamers. After reading the report in full it's clear to me that the author simply does not know what they are talking about when it comes to the games industry: despite them clearly putting a lot of effort into explaining their investigative process. You can read the full report here.

I have also noticed a good amount of people online deciding to either buy No Mans Sky or dive back in and give it another shot: do people really need to believe so much? Now I have to give Hello Games props for not running for the hills and instead of putting in the effort to make it right. I could almost forgive them for the countless lies they told but the fact they have not even removed 'that trailer' from their Steam page feels like a slap in the face. At the end of the day everyone must make their own mind up but right now I still think Hello Games need to address the gaming world and set out exactly what when wrong (including a full and frank apology). 

Reports are in from the sales of Watchdogs 2 and unfortunately for Ubisoft it's looking like the original Watchdogs sold better: far better. This could be down to how burned many people felt after the bullshit trailers used for the original were exposed: especially for PC gamers. There is also the fact that many big games this season have done poorly on sales, I personally think this is just down to saturation. When so many full priced games land in the same period gamers struggle to keep up both in terms of affording them all but also the massive time requirements. Regardless the PC version is out now and you can find my review here. I have found Watchdogs 2 to be fantastic fun and far better than I had expected: even the performance has been surprisingly good on PC. My favourite aspect so far has to be the hybrid multiplayer and the way it lets you invade other players while they play the single player game. As you initiate a hack you then watch the other player frantically search the area and if you are like me you can play with them like a cat plays with a mouse. Just remember the same can be done to you.

It's easy to write something off as bad. Countless times this year I've uttered the mantra 'fuck this year', almost always in response to listening to the news. As a UK citizen we have had Brexit happen and not wanting to get into a political rant I'll just say this: I don't agree with Brexit and think ignorance prevailed over wisdom. We have also seen our friends in the States go through a similar turbulent time with the election which ultimately ended with Donald Trump set to pick up the keys to the White House. Then on top of the tectonic plates of our political landscape shifting we have seen what seems a never ending list of stars pass. We all die, even the great people but to lose so many legends like David Bowe, Alan Rickman and Gene Wilder in one year is tough to take. It was especially shocking to hear about Anton Yelchin who died in a freak accident at his home: already a star but someone who had so much more to give. My list below is not exhaustive but these are the people who we lost this year that meant the most to me. Thank you for everything you did for us and may you each rest in peace.

David Bowie 1947-2016
Alan Rickman 1946-2016
Terry Wogan 1938-2016
Ronnie Corbett 1930-2016
Victoria Wood 1953-2016
Gene Wilder 1933-2016
Anton Yelchin 1989-2016
Robert Voughn 1932-2016
Mohamed Ali 1942-2016

This will be my last blog post before Christmas and the New Year, so I just want to say a huge thank you to all the people who help me with my site. Especially to my friend Daryl who gives me lots of sound advice, John who helps with tech support and my wife Debra for reading my work with her expert (elf) spellchecking eyes. I shall be publishing a roadmap right after the new year setting out our course through 2017 and a separate piece looking at the games we have coming over this next twelve months. It's going to be an awesome year and I cannot wait to get stuck in. 

Stay epic guys and I'll see you all next year!

Ivory Tower

What is the role of a publisher? I have been thinking about this question a lot this week. While developers often appear to have a human side, publishers usually project a far more 'this is a business' image. Hey, I get it, publishers are not here to be my friend, to get me a good deal or give me a cuddle when I'm having a shit day: publishers are there to make money. So it can often seem like the decisions they make are not in gamers interests when really it's just about keeping the lights on. 

However, while all this is true, the recent move by Bethesda to end the practice of review copies going to independent review sites is a huge step over the line as far as I'm concerned. So after a year when gamers have already been misled so many times, I question how Bethesda can justify this move and still claim to care about the media or fans. I think this is an important issue and so I wrote an article on it: you can check it out here.

This last few months have been a shooting gallery of multiplayer FPS games and now with Call of Duty Infinite Warfare just landing, the deluge has reached its apex. I have reviewed all these games apart from COD as the game has no interest for me but also the coffers are empty after such a busy month. If you would like to read my opinions for Overwatch, Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 you can find them in the reviews section. I love all three of these games and despite being roughly in the same genre each one offers very different gameplay experiences. Battlefield 1 does feel like the biggest of all these titles with a good collection of single player stories as well as stunning battlefields to rage war across. However this week Titanfall 2 has been keeping me up until the wee hours with its fast paced and addictive combat. Matches are over in minutes but there are so many exhilarating moments within these bouts you often feel breathless. 

While I don't usually pay much attention to the COD series but something did catch my eye this year and it may just secure Activision a place next to Bethesda in the dumb publisher awards. For some reason, Activision thought it would be an awesome idea to make the players with a Steam version of COD: Infinite Warfare unable to play against those who bought the game on the Windows store. I would love to know whose gem of an idea this was and what bizarre thought process ended up with this in the go box. As it stands early predictions show that COD isn't doing all that great in sales and I'm sorry to say the writing is on the wall: it may be time to innovate instead of releasing the same game year in year out.

Tonight at midnight I will finally get my hands on Dishonored 2 and given my love for the original I cannot wait. As I have already covered, Bethesda has now implemented their ridiculous review policy and so at least my review will have a little more relevance this week. I am aiming to keep the quality of my review high but at the same time let you know as soon as I do how the game is looking. If you want early impressions keep tabs on my Twitter feed @riggedforepic

So with the world waking up to the news that Donald Trump is the 45th president of the USA I am feeling a little bewildered this morning. Assuming Trump can do all the (good) things he's claimed: he's still a racist, bigot and bully who thinks he can use his position to sexually assault woman. Good job America, let us just hope Fallout 5 doesn't come sooner than we would like

Back of the Queue

It has been an awesome year for gaming but for every success, we have had our share of disappointments. I wouldn't say No Mans Sky was a disappointment for me personally because I was sceptical from the start but one game that has let me down is Mafia 3. As we well know, games that don't send review copies out usually (but not always) have something to hide and unfortunately Mafia 3 has plenty. 

Things didn't get off to a great start when the game launched with an FPS cap of thirty, obviously, the PC forums exploded and negative Steam reviews starting flooding in. With media outlets starting to review the game at launch this at least gave me a chance to furnish the world with a PC review that wasn't out a week after the big boys. The first thing I did was map the crouch key from 'X' to 'C' but when this essential skill stopped working entirely I ended up spending four hours and two fresh installs just to get the game working again. After the weekend patch, the FPS cap has been removed but only after all the skills have been remapped to completely different keys than before. To make matters worse the games performance is fairly poor and there are more bugs that the Bayou. Even with the repetitious gameplay loops Mafia 3 does have some very nice elements such as amazing cut scenes and compelling storytelling. If I'm honest while I'm annoyed PC gamers once again have been given a shitty port, I did have some fun with Mafia 3. You can check out my full review here.

These last three weeks I have actually been replaying one of my favourite gaming series of all time: Bioshock. Last month 2K released the Bioshock collection which allegedly remastered the first two games on PC and all of them on console. This port is shocking condition and instead of telling people about this legendary game I had to spend time picking through the mess of problems. Borked mouse acceleration, hard crashes, settings changing at random and the removal of all but the basic graphical options. It is interesting how the same company who worked on the Mafia 3 port also did the work on the Bioshock series (Blind Squirrel Entertainment), it seems these guys just don't think PC gamers deserve a game that works properly. I played through these problems and still had an absolute blast revisiting Rapture and Columbia once more: this time I also played through the two DLC story missions after Infinite. I now consider Burial at Sea (parts 1 & 2) as actually essential to the ending of Bioshock because so many mysteries and secrets are uncovered. You can find all three games in the review section as well as Burial at Sea which is also a final analysis of the whole series (so spoilers!).

As the Autumn nights grow darker many games pull on a Halloween themes coat and Overwatch has led the charge this year. There are now Halloween-esk skins etc for players to pick up in loot boxes and unlike the Olympic Games cosmetics: some of these can be bought with in-game currency. As I hoped it would, Overwatch has totally energised our community: myself and friends play it at least three times a week. Blizzard never seems to cease working on their new IP and it is really paying off for them.

So now I've polished off the Mafia 3 review what is next for this month? Well, games don't sneak up on me often these days, however, after seeing the review for Shadow Warrior 2 reviewed by ACG and Idiotech I decided to give it the review treatment which you can find here. I have also been chipping away at two early access games called Everspace and Osiris: New Dawn. The former is a space themed rogue like that so far is proving very enjoyable. Osiris is also a very interesting title but despite having some strong foundations still needs a lot of work. I am in fact still trying to decide what to do with early access titles as they don't really belong in reviews section: so some site formatting might be in order. Two games now firmly on the horizon are Battlefield 1 and Dishonored 2: so while many games have now landed the game of the year title is still very much for the taking.

Last of all I just wanted to touch on two unfortunate news stories that have come out this week, the first being that Watchdogs 2 will now be delayed from the 15th of November to the 29th of November on PC. Ubisoft released a statement yesterday stating that this extra time would allow them to "ensure that Watchdogs 2 runs smoothly across a broad range of hardware". As usual with these bullshit statements I translate this to mean they have now finished the all important console version and are now rushing to get the PC port in a playable state so they can then release it and start a system of patches over the next six months. In less surprising news while the gaming world celebrates the news that Red Dead Redemption is getting a sequel, PC gamers learn that once again we are being left out in the cold. I say it is not surprising because Rockstar who have never been big fans of PC (which is their prerogative) took two years to get the PC version of GTA 5 out and have never released the original Red Dead on PC despite a massive interest. I just think it's a real shame that we have a games platform that can make games look so good and for 'reasons' we're always last in the queue.

Those are my fortnightly ramblings for nowguys, if you do visit my site and like it please return soon and tell everyone you can about me. Every single like and retweet on Twitter is wholeheartedly appreciated and you can find me @riggedforepic

All Change

It has been an interesting few weeks in the world of technology and no mistake. Apple has apparently changed everything (again), VR has seen a huge drop off in sales and Sony have dropped a bollock with their new system. My theory is that console manufacturers are racing to release new hardware in an attempt to fill the ever growing gap between console and PC performance. So while not directly related to PC gaming it is still fascinating to watch these tectonic plates shifting under our feet. After this topic hit its third paragraph in my blog post I decided to make it into an article of its own so you can read my thoughts on the PlayStation 4 Pro here. Regardless of what happens with the new system, I cannot wait to check out the new Spiderman game.

This last week I have been getting stuck into the open beta of Battlefield One and for the most part, I absolutely love it. Out of all my friends who have tried it, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the latest offering from Dice. Set in the First World War this era of conflict is rarely used and so feels fresh. There is no mistaking this is a Battlefield game with many of the systems from Battlefield 4 being dragged and dropped into the new title. I haven't played BF4 a while now so maybe that has helped this new game feel neoteric, but I really think the weapons and vehicles that come with the new setting fit Battlefield like a glove. I have penned my impressions of the beta here and for those that don't care for reading I have strung together some of my finer moments in the beta. If you don't watch the entire video I urge to at least watch until the second clip where my trusty steed avenges me after being shot off my horse.

As the release for Dishonored 2 is getting ever closer I decided  it was high time I gave the original a little poke: as it turns out Dishonored is ageing very well indeed. One aspect of the game that really stood out in my play through was how well the visuals have held up. As I detail in my retro review, the art team used a wonderful painterly effect which is just shy of cell shading. Combining a stunning use of light and a rock solid engine makes Dishonored relevant way beyond its years. You can check out my retro review here.

 
I just wanted to mention that one of my favourite mainstream games Journalists has moved on from his job a Gamespot to pursue a new endeavour. Danny O'Dwyer has given up a job he loved to try his hand at freelance where he is hoping to create a unique space on the internet that will be home to many quality documentaries about gaming. I love the idea of someone making actual observations of the games industry and leaving a vault of information for future generations to see.  If like me you have ever enjoyed his work on the Point and other gaming content you know this guy will do us proud. His new venture is called NoClip and you can find him trail blazing across the tinterweb here: I wish him all the very best.

Looking forward to this next few weeks I have got plenty to keep me busy and my first port in the storm will be none other that by old friend Bioshock. Just this morning I've set both the first remastered games to download and as soon as I return from a family trip on Sunday I'll be descending into Rapture once more. As mentioned already I'll be doing a full run of all three games and their respective DLC: then writing three comprehensive retro reviews which will include how the remaster has changed things. For those that don't know Bioshock Infinite has not received an update on PC because it was still too sexy to bother. Bioshock aside I have also been blasting my way through Everspace since yesterday and so you can expect a full early access preview soon.

That is all for now ladies and gents, would you kindly follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and tell your friends about my site. Take care.

Tell me lies

The quandary of No Man's Sky has provided an interesting week for many gamers, for some they have been given the Sci-fi romp of their dreams and others, the hype train came crashing off the tracks in an explosion of disappointment.

No Man's Sky is possibly one of the most divisive games I've seen in years, I am very disappointed to report that my opinion of the game is overall not a good one. I had anticipated the game would have some shortcomings or quirks, but the sad fact is that this highly coveted title from indie developer Hello Games has fallen well short of the mark for me. The PC version has arrived in a fairly unoptimised state with many crash bugs and glitches: while this poor PC version is in itself not good enough the problems I have with the game are much deeper and can't be patched so easily. The first trailers for No Man's Sky set the gaming world alight with intrigue and hope, was this the game we'd all been waiting for? Every fibre of my being was telling me this was too good to be true and that the team wasn't nearly big enough to make this kind of game. Just taking a look at the previous titles from the studio, it's mind blowing how they went from a sideways scrolling game like Joe Danger to a game with the magnitude of No Man's Sky. For the most part, gamers ignored all these facts and jumped on the hype train with both feet: like our old friend Mulder - we wanted to believe.

There are some impressive elements to No Man's Sky, the sheer scale of its game-space has never been matched by any other game. The fact you can see a moon from a planet's surface and within seconds be hurtling toward that moon is astounding. This entire universe was obviously not hand crafted but instead generated by a 'superformula', a procedural algorithm that has allowed eighteen quintillion planets to be generated with only the 'rules' of creation set by the developers. As impressive as this is I do think that when you use procedural maths to make everything, gamers will very quickly become tired of seeing the same basic templates stretched over a slightly different world. Surely it would be better to handcraft chunks of the game world and then use procedural content to fill in the gaps between? The best of both worlds if you like. If you want to read my full review of No Man's Sky for PC, please check it out here.

There are a few other reviews lurking around my site this week so if you are stuck for something to play why not check out my thoughts on Helldivers and ABZU: both reviewed very well. Helldivers is one of the most polished and fun twin stick shooters I've played in recent times: just make sure you have a few friends ready to jump in with you. ABZU is an absolutely exquisite game that feels like the spiritual sequel to Journey, you can check out both these games in the reviews section.

As summer starts to fade and the Autumn makes itself known we enter a quiet month, which has been great to take a break and catch up with a few smaller games (and a cheeky visit to London). However this year still has some big games left to release, notably Deus Ex: mankind divided, Watchdogs 2, Mafia 3, Battlefield 1 and Dishonoured 2. This year has certainly left me a little more wary of having high expectations for games, The Division seems to have vanished from the world and now No Man's Sky has left many gamers feeling deceived/letdown. Out of remaining releases, I pray Dishonoured 2 will be good because the original is one of my favourite games of all time. I think we know what to expect with Battlefield 1, it will sell well, have some bugs to start with and eventually end up fairly polished. It is actually Watchdogs 2 that really has something to prove this year due to the first title falling very short of what was originally shown, this was the game that (for me) displayed in neon lights how dishonest game developers can we when showing off their wares in staged trailers. Come November I shall be taking a very close look at Watchdogs 2 with a full review but also comparing it to the usual hype videos.

This week the world's gaming press has descended upon Germany for Europe's biggest gaming event: Gamescom. Due to a combination of factors (money and health being the main two) I have had to once again miss this year's event but, of course, that won't stop me covering the games and announcements from HQ back in the UK. I shall be pouring over every trailer, interview and reveal looking for all the news and information that pertains to PC gaming. With the EA press event kicking off in a few hours (at the time of writing) I shall post this and head to the bunker: let's hope we see many awesome games.

Can't catch em all

Human curiosity is a force of nature, our ability to wonder and dream is perhaps one of our most fascinating qualities and has lead to some of greatest achievements. We see curiosity in other species but we are unique in that we combine this with all the gifts that come with being a sentient life form. This week most of the developed world has succumbed to yet another fad, nothing new there you might say but this particular one has caught my attention because it hints at how social gaming could look in the future: I am of course talking about Pokemon Go.

This is what too much Sunny Delight did to kids in the 90's

If I ever needed proof that the gods are having a laugh at my expense it's that this social phenomenon has come when I'm housebound with a gammy leg. I've never had the urge to steal my elderly neighbour's mobility scooter before, hell I'm sure even he might be playing the damn thing. This Sunday I had my first trip out in weeks and while being driven to the pub for Sunday lunch with the in-laws I was frantically stabbing at my phone trying to catch enough to at least reach level five: in another cruel twist I made it to just shy of five before returning to my prison. It's intriguing watching people play this new augmented reality game, from my vantage point at the pub I could see people searching, some on their own, parents with excited groups of kids and gangs of teenagers all hunting, chatting or just watching others. Yes, it's a naff game, mostly fuelled by nostalgia but there is no denying the social aspects are fascinating. 

You may have noticed a lull in activity from me this last week or so and the primary reason for this is that I took on the hefty task of playing the Witcher 3 from start to finish (including both pieces of DLC). I rolled over the finish line a few days ago and thus you can now find my final review here. Just checking Steam I currently have three hundred and sixty-four hours associated with the Witcher 3: for a single player game that is immense. In my travels with Geralt I have also captured some pretty good images which you can find in the Shooting Gallery here, so please check them out.

My router packed up yesterday to I am now waiting for a bod from Virgin Media to come and replace it tomorrow. Once that is done I can download a few of the games I gathered in the Steam summer sale and get some honest to goodness reviews out of the door again: watch this space! I love Steam and with a fairly chunky internet connection I can download most games in minutes but when you do lose the net for a period of time, you lament the days when games lived on your shelf and not at Valve.

In terms of PC games, it seems to have been a fairly quiet few weeks, Overwatch has had a new character revealed and some other tweaks. No mans Sky has gone gold and will be arriving with us next month so expect a full review as soon as I have played it enough. Given the purported scale of the game, I will in all likelihood be doing a preview to get some general first impressions out. I guess the big event on the horizon is Gamescom which draws ever closer. While I am gutted not to be going this year I will at least be able to get coverage and content out faster than when in the eye of the storm so to speak.

If you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and if you wish to contact me you can do so at Riggedforepic@gmail.com I hope you guys are having a great summer and your gaming is epic wherever you are.

The Witching Hour

So there we have it ladies and gents, it is one year to this week that I launched Rigged for Epic and  it has been an amazing experience so far. My underlining drive to create Rigged was a personal one, a need to write my thoughts down about the games I play and thus it follows that I now wish to share my work. One thing I have found is that many online social hubs, (Reddit, forums etc) are very intolerant towards people like myself sharing my site, which I can understand. However as I speak to other gamers, journalists and content makers alike I feel like my site is now just starting to break through the wall. I am hoping to add new forms of content this coming year including a front page which will offer my readers an easy way to see what's on my site and where they can find it.

The big news of these last few weeks has of course been E3, the annual games event held in LA and it was a cracking show. As usual, the major players in the industry had their own shows to kick off the event and it is here we usually see most of the reveals and new information on games we already know are in development. I have pegged a few of the stand out PC games here complete with trailers. Please let me know if you think I have missed any important games that are coming to PC in the future.

I have finally made a break from playing Overwatch on a daily basis as other games are in need of my attention, although I suspect Blizzard's new shooter will be on my regular playlist for the foreseeable future. So what have I been doing wth my time? Well from Saturday I have delved back into the world of the Witcher and my goal of playing through the entire suite of Witcher 3 content is now well underway. Once again I'm being reminded of why this game sits on the throne of modern day RPGs and I will be letting you guys know my opinion of the two substantial pieces of additional content. As anyone who has played the Witcher 3 will attest to, the game is gargantuan in size and so for the next week, my site will be light on new content.

As most of you will be aware of the Steam summer sale kicked off last week and as many wallets brace for impact, gamers around the world scurry across the vast catalogue of deals on offer. As is always the case, when you have a good Steam sale and snag plenty of games, the next one will always bear less fruit. That said, I already have at least eight games in my cart and I am very much looking forward to bringing you the reviews for these interesting titles: watch this space.

I guess this is not directly relevant to a PC gaming blog but the world is reeling from the news that Britain is to leave the European Union. As someone who loved being part of something bigger I now find myself looking at my own country and not liking what I see. We all know the EU wasn't perfect but this shocking move goes against everything I wanted for my children and the place I call home. To all my friends and readers across the EU, I'm so sorry this has happened and am frankly gutted my nation voted for this course of action. I hope the British games industry does not suffer any ill effects and still continues to be a hotbed of talent and innovation.

That is all for now, guys, I hope whatever you are playing it is epic. If you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and if you have any feedback or comments you can send them to me at riggedforepic@gmail.com.

Take care,
Genophix

Overwatch help group required

I'd taken a few hits but most had been absorbed by my front shield, the D.VA on the opposing team had been making considerable efforts to take me down: maybe a bit of robot rivalry? My team was now making its last push, to take the point and with only a minute remaining it was going to be tight. A dragon from Hanzo only managed to take out their Bastion so we would have to do this the hard way. Our tank class Reinhardt was making a valiant push up the centre with his shield providing cover, we rallied behind him and but they were just too many: a sterling effort with losses on both sides but one by one our team fell and it was over. But then a flash of light, my hands instinctively flew back onto mouse and keyboard: our Mercy had managed to cast her resurrect in the last second before going down. The opposing team were clearly as dumb-struck as us but we recovered faster: in a few seconds the combined firepower of Solider 76 and D.VA obliterated the remaining enemy players. Our Teamspeak channel erupted into joyous rapture and applause for our healer who had saved the day: moments like these are gold and they happen often when playing Overwatch. 

Blizzard's first foray into the FPS genre finally landed last week and the launch was nothing short of flawless: but did we expect anything less from a developer like Blizzard who wrote the book on quality control? I have been surprised how many of my friends have refused to wait for the cosmetic items to drop from loot boxes and instead paid real money to buy them: even then you are still not guaranteed the items you want. I personally am happy to just play the game and wait, maybe that is because I'm older and a little bit more patient. Since Tuesday, I've poured all my spare time into Overwatch and am still feeling fresh and ready for more. However with other games on the horizon, I will soon have to sate my hunger for this absolutely epic arena shooter and cast my attention onto something new. I have reviewed Overwatch and this includes my first video review so please check it out.

May has now come to a close and as we look towards June those hot summer months (or probably only days in the UK) will see a slight vacuum of games in the run up to E3, which is still one of the biggest gaming events of the year. To spite this lull in activity there is still plenty to do, Mirrors Edge Catalyst will arrive on the 7th of June, the original was a slow burning success and now stands as a cult classic for many gamers including myself: check my site for a review soon. We also heard this week that the eagerly awaited No Man's Sky is being put back until July or possibly even August, which is a ways from the June 21st date. To spite feeling like the massively ambitious project will disappoint many, I am really rooting for the small UK based team.

Gamescom is drawing ever closer and I am still assessing whether my health will allow me to visit Cologne this year, however with tickets almost sold out now it's do or die time. I did attend Gamescom a few years back and had an absolute blast meeting many of my digital friends (because they are not real according to my wife) and also attending the VIP Wildstar party: that seems like a long time ago now. Assuming funding and health are willing this will be the first year I attend with Rigged for Epic to consider: alas I will need to start thinking about an actual website logo and some promotional leaflets.

The last piece of DLC for the Witcher 3 is now here and as the old Warcraft saying goes: 'I am not prepared'. The plan was always to start playing the Witcher 3 base game a few weeks before the last DLC dropped but due to time constraints (Overwatch) it has not worked out that way. So starting this week I will be heading back into the world of the Witcher once more, this time with a few goals of my own: first and foremost to achieve a better ending than my last effort. Secondly to explore the world a little more with a view to take on more of the excellent side quests. Most of all, and I guess the most obvious, is to run right through into both of the substantial DLC packages that will extend the game by a whopping fifty or so hours.

So last but certainly not least I played through Uncharted 4 last week and while I won't be doing a review you can check out some of my screenshots here. Uncharted 4 is by far one of the prettiest games I've ever played and displays a level of polish that might even give Blizzard a run for their money.

That's all for now folks, as always you can follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic, subscribe to my YouTube channel under the same name and if you wish to contact me you can do so at riggedforepic@gmail.com. 

Take care for now,
Genophix

We're all DOOMED

Bethesda did not do themselves any favours with the awful marketing they did for DOOM, in fact, they very nearly put me off buying it all together. The multiplayer beta was a disaster, not for one all-consuming reason but just because it came across as generic and boring. Then in a surprising move, the big B decided not to send any review copies out to media outlets, which as we all know is a good sign something is amiss. The reasoning given was so that reviewers would not critique  the game's multiplayer aspects on empty servers: are you kidding me? Why not just embargo the multiplayer portion until a few days after launch thus allowing review sites chance to review the single player campaign?

Yet on launch day as I booted up the game with such legendary heritage something was not as it should be, this was good... actually, this was very good. It is always great when a game you assumed would be a flop actually turns out to be one of the better games you have played that year. I also think that the big media sites are going to show a disconnect with how they review DOOM and how the average gamer sees the remake of a classic. I have just finished reading IGNs review and I honestly think they just don't get it. Ok so if you come at this game with the mindset of comparing it to all the other modern FPS games out there then on paper DOOM will end up lacking in many aspects. However, I believe a remake of DOOM needed to be the old game but improved, not a new game that looked like the original: still with me? The game we have been given is fast, ferocious and leaves your palms sweating and heart thumping. If you would like to read my full review please check it out here.

So we finally got to play an elusive target mission, an aspect of the new Hitman game that has been living up to its name. In fact, near missed the damn thing and only caught it with four hours left due to a friend mentioning he'd just done it. So how was it? Well, it's interesting, on the face of things it was a fairly dull mission: find a famous artist and make sure he had painted his last masterpiece. However, the sheer fact that you get just one chance to play this mission made every move tense and I ended up second guessing everything I did. An impressive thing to accomplish when I know the Paris level like the back of my hand. I still need to check out the second setting for the new Hitman so expect an update on this soon.

Today marks the one-week countdown to Overwatch, a game that pretty much all much gaming friends are aching to play again: impressive considering how much we played the beta. There is a palpable sense of anticipation for this new arena shooter from Blizzard and while I held off as long as I could: I think I am on the hype zeppelin with the rest of the gaming world. From what we can see the launch version will be almost identical to the beta client so that should help me get a review out in good time.

After spending all week drooling at screenshots for Uncharted 4 I finally gave in yesterday and picked up a copy. Apart from work, my PC may be getting the longest rest it has had since I built it. I have only played a few hours so far but damn, Naughty Dog can make games like no one else. I might grab some screenshots for the Shooting Gallery because this might be one of the prettiest games I have ever played. 

That is all for now folks, as always please follow me @riggedforepic, find me on Youtube under the same name and if you wish to contact me you can get me at Riggedforepic@gmail.com.

There be pirates

So I finally got myself a proper mic stand to go with my proper mic: a shiny Blue Snowball had been sitting there for well over a month and after several attempts to balance it on my knees while playing I decided it was time to get a stand. My desk is a weird shape and almost folds around me and in addition, the depth of the wood around the edge is so deep the mic arm clamp can't fit on it. Nothing a bit of sawing and sanding couldn't sort out of course and now I'm finally able to record my dull set tones in all their glory. If you are familiar with the Snowball you will know it certainly lives up to its name. In fact, when the red recording light is on it almost looks like Glados is perched in front of me: let's hope she doesn't take over.

So this week I've gone from batting them indie reviews out and instead jumping head first into the deepest MMO I have ever played. Black Desert Online from the Korean developer Pearl Abyss recently arrived in the EU and North America after getting the localization treatment. With a fairly light few weeks ahead I decided to take the plunge and see what it has to offer. I am trying something slightly new with the review and in fact doing it in stages. The first section I am called a road trip which will effectively be a journal covering my findings and adventures: a final review will follow when I feel I've seen enough of the game. You can find my first chapter and video in the articles section so please check it out. Additionally, if you do have any questions or would like me to look at something specific in the game then email me at Riggedforepic@gmail.com

Hackers and cheats have become a permanent part of PC gaming and there are very few multiplayer games that go unscathed. The Division has been getting crucified in recent weeks by players exploiting glitches and unlimited damage hacks. Ubisoft has been slow to respond but under increasing pressure from the industry they have finally started banning players for unscrupulous behaviour. The problem is that even if they vanquished all the hackers tomorrow, the games content library is still woefully lacking. The latest piece of content was pitched as something very special but is effectively just a single room with fifteen waves of enemies. The base game and its free updates post launch had to sell the paid DLC further down the line (assuming you didn't already own a season pass) and they have fallen short of the mark. There is just too little here for me to consider paying for more broken promises, so given there are far more interesting games out there to review I will be focusing my limited time on them.

This week the PC version of Dark Souls 3 has also been getting hit by the hackers and so given this has been a bit of a theme recently I have decided to write an article on cheaters, hackers and them there pirate folks. Look out for it in the articles section this week.

The Overwatch open beta goes live today for anyone who pre-purchased or was given a friends key (I am one of the latter). My initial impressions are it is fast, fun and more polished that a teenager's johnson. I will be recording some footage and be typing up an impressions piece this week so watch out for that. With the second instalment of Hitman is waiting in the wings and an avalanche of new games on the horizon my quiet month with BDO is starting to become a little hectic but damn it aren't we so lucky for having all these games to play.

That's all for now guys, if you don't already please follow me @riggedforepic and pop back to the site for new content soon. You can also find me on YouTube under the Rigged for Epic name and we will be seeing far more video content henceforth. 

Take care,
Genophix.

Winds of change

For years the games industry was on a fairly even keel, consoles were happy in their well-trodden groove, PC was secretly planning to take over the world and VR was still a cautionary tale for new emerging tech. In the last two years, old gaming institutions have been weathering the winds of change and many giants of the old world are scrambling to catch up.

This year at E3 Sony is expected to show off what has been dubbed the PS4.5 (codenamed NEO), same as the last but with more oomph. This news has left many PS4 owners (including myself) feeling a little short changed and rightly so because console cycles are meant to last longer than three years. Unfortunately for Microsoft and Sony technology is moving fast, faster than they would like I would wager and in more directions than one. To be fair Sony are trying to at least show willing with PlayStation VR and many believe the new PS4 is being released to power their VR headset. Apart from the Holo-lens Microsoft have yet to announce any VR plans but I would not be at all surprised if they cosy up with Oculus and use their VR headset on their own (with a new more powerful Xbox One presumably). So why am I wittering on about console comings and goings? 

Well, the other reason I think we have seen a sudden urgency to double down on power is that it's been excruciatingly obvious for a while now, that PC is not only vastly more powerful but many console players are making the jump to PC. I'm sure the question 'what can we do?' has been passed around many executive boardrooms. Microsoft has also been scrambling to profess their new love (again) for PC gaming by resurrecting Games for Windows Live into an even more restrictive and stifling iteration: geez thanks Microsoft. In case, you didn't know Microsoft have now started launching games on their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) but pretty much everyone has seen this for what it is: Microsoft seeking to monopolies PC gaming and strip it of the very things that make it special. Thankfully gamers and industry leaders seem to be speaking out against Microsoft: check out these two articles from the Guardian and PC Gamer.

A release date has leaked this week, June the 7th is penned for the next (and last) piece of DLC from CDProjekt Red's The Witcher 3. Blood and Wine is set to give players another twenty hours of gameplay in a previously unexplored area of Nilfgaard called Touissant. My plan is simple, start a fresh game a few weeks before this date and savour every moment again, then move into the DLC and write one final summary piece for this groundbreaking RPG.

Further on from my rant last week, I have since cancelled my Vive order and am now going to wait for at least six months to see where it all stands. Both the Vive and Oculus are painfully light on games and the ones on offer are nothing more than tech demos but in the main being sold at full price. I am also seeing a disturbing amount of dithering from developers whether to support VR, especially on the Vive. One game I was really looking forward to trying on the Vive was Subnautica but last week, when asked when Vive support would arrive I got a tepid, 'maybe we will'. This has been the same story with games such as Adrift where the developers have stated they 'probably will support Vive' but with such a lacklustre response I'm wary.

Interestingly some clever gamers have just hacked the Oculus Rift so games that run on Facebooks headset can now be played on the Vive: seems this is not so difficult after all. Of course, I'm Sure Oculus will be swift in locking this down but I really hope they don't. Right now the VR market is an emerging genre and in my opinion, the forerunners should be working together: not boxing games off as exclusives like Oculus seem to be hell bent on doing.

I have published two reviews this week, you can find both Hyper Light Drifter and Enter the Gungeon in the review section. I also have an older game reviewed but you will need to check back in a few days for that little gem. 

That's all for now guys, take care.

Genophix

The road to recovery

It's pretty amazing when you just stop and think about it, that I can type a few words right now and send them almost instantaneously to another person across the planet. This and many other marvels of modern living can sometimes be taken for granted. This may be the reason that I have been so thoroughly frustrated with HTC over the last few day because trying to reach the e-commerce team in that company is basically like trying to call god.

Just as the clock struck Midnight on Friday I had text from a friend saying that Payments for the HTC Vive were starting to be taken and many were bouncing back: the initial cause was thought to be overly efficient anti-fraud mechanisms. Best to be safe I thought as I called my bank and literally while in the queue waiting to be spoken to I got the text. So my payment had been stopped, no problem I thought, I'll just get them to take the money again tomorrow. A very long story short (and six hours on the phone) after being assured payment would be attempted again Saturday morning instead I received an email informing me my order had been cancelled. Local witnesses reported seeing a small mushroom cloud over the horizon of Manchester at around the same time. Since then I did find the one helpful member of the HTC customer support team and *fingers crossed* I will still receive shipment sometime in April. If anyone has had problems with this please don't hesitate to email me at riggedforepic@gmail.com and I will help as much as I can.

So who was to blame? Well if I'm honest partly myself for not using PayPal and also not informing my bank ahead of time. However if what I have been reading is true the payments being knocked back were also partly the fault of Digital River, the company used to handle e-commerce for the Vive's shipping. One thing that does lie squarely at HTC's feet is the truly shambolic customer support I have been exposed to: from being left on hold until the call expired, very poor quality call audio (often sounding like they were working in an open-top sports car) and just generally being unable to help. Ok rant over, let us move on.

These last two weeks you may have noticed I've been fairly quiet and the reason being is I've had a fairly big operation on my leg: bed bound and in much more pain than usual I've been mostly listening to music and sleeping. The first game I dived into when able to sit back at my computer was a little gem called Stardew Valley, from a chap known as Concerned Ape. So I f you want to know what I thought of it please check out the reviews section, but the amazing story behind this game is that every single aspect was created by the lone developer. Sound impressive? Just wait until you play it. Stardew has been an awesome game to play while recovering as it completely absorbs your attention and can be quite serene at times.

So now I'm getting back to normal I've got a few games up for review and while I've been taking more of an interest in pixel adventures and indie games these next three will fit in very nicely. Enter the Gundeon, Hyper Light Drifter and Dead Star will all be getting the review treatment this week: if I can pry myself away from my farm that is.

Last but certainly not least I would just like to point some attention to a friend who is in the business of building custom made PC rigs. For now, I don't have any advertising on the site but if I see something I like I will mention it and obviously his quest to build people awesome gaming PC's fits with my own direction. I also buggered up the link the last time I mentioned him so there's that. Please check out Building a Gaming PC site.

City Lights

I have never been to New York, despite it being top of my 'must see places' list for a long time: after this week, I would know my way around just that little bit better. In case it's not obvious I have been playing The Division pretty much every day since launch and the big surprise? It's actually a decent game but that praise comes with a few caveats.

The launch was fairly successful with an initial twenty-four hours of choppy connectivity and the servers going down altogether. However this is to be expected (but not accepted) with any big online game and while you would have thought the world was ending in some corners of the internet, the game now seems stable. As far as I can see The Division has been a commercial success (Ubisoft's most successful new IP in history no less), media sites have also given out some decent scores and indeed my own review was overall positive. There is, however, an undercurrent of discontent regarding many of the games systems and I do think players have got plenty of reasons to be a little worried. The main problem thus far seems to be structured content - or lack thereof. 

Myself any many others have been at level cap now for days and apparently the 'real game' starts here - but if I am honest there is not a huge amount to write home about in the current build. Players are invited to complete daily missions on challenge mode which pits you against tougher foes that drop better loot - if you can get them down. Myself and my friends have had  some amazing fun in these missions and to get through you do need razor sharp communication/teamwork. But for a game that was pegged to keep us busy for weeks/months we do seem to be running out of road and fast. The fact Microsoft have snatched a thirty-day exclusivity deal for the first two DLC packs is also going to add fuel to the problem and, unfortunately, I don't think people are going to hang around that long. I question the wisdom of alienating two-thirds of your player base in a game so new, even if MS dropped a big pot of cash the overall negatives do not seem worth it. I watched Angry Joe give his final opinion in his usual angry way and I have to say I agree with his entire summary: the game is lacking so much and it is not the game we were sold by the hype train.

As the VR horizon ebbs ever closer the gaming world is buzzing with news, from games, applications and people deciding which camp they will reside in come spring: team Rift or Team Vive. Right now I am still the most excited to try Elite Dangerous and Subnautica running in VR but I have also seen some very cool things in the pipeline. As I am currently sitting squarely in team Vive's camp I have been keeping an eye on the comings and goings. Valve have announced a VR desktop mode which allows users to play 'none-VR' games in a VR space, even watching films will benefit from this theatre mode and it all sounds awesome. Expect more details to emerge out of GDC. We have also just seen a very cool Trials on Tatooine trailer which looks like an interactive VR movie, Valve really is pulling out all the stops to make the Vive the gamers choice for a VR experience.

The other big game popping onto my radar this week is the new episodic Hitman from Square Enix. As I am just digging my teeth into it, for now, I will hold off judgement until my review is done - but early impressions are very good. I have been a fan of the series since the very first game and while Agent 47 has seen some highs and lows this latest offering is looking like a return to form: however some are understandably cautious about this piecemeal way of delivering content. We shall see in time and I am hoping to have a review out by the end of this week.

That's all for now guys, as always please tell your friends about my site and check back soon for more reviews and articles. If you do see a game you think needs to be reviewed please let me know at riggedforepic@gmail.com and I shall take a look. You can also follow me @riggedforepic and find me on YouTube under the same name.

Take care for now,

Genophix

Chicken or the egg?

Games can sometimes be likes buses, you wait for an age and then three come along at once! This month has been absolutely awesome and I've hardly had time to write reviews for the games I've been playing. First we had Rise of Tomb Raider, then XCOM 2 and finally on the same day a few games dropped at once. I have just finished off my Firewatch review and will now be moving straight onto Dying Light: the Following. Firewatch is just a beautiful game that everyone should play: check out my none-spoiler take on it in the reviews section.

As I've stated my main goal was to get the XCOM 2 review out of the door but still keep to one of my founding goals for the site: that every game I review must have been played extensively and get the time it deserves before I give you my honest opinion. It was frustrating for me that the NDA lifted on XCOM 2 so early that most game sites had their reviews live four days before I even started playing. Please don't take my frustration as chagrin towards these sites, it's great they got early access and had a chance to test the game - this way they can give players a really good review before release and let players have an informed choice. However I do see myself more and more in a chicken and the egg situation: hits need relevant reviews and reviews that come out six days after the rest are not very relevant.

So yes, getting visibly is certainly one of the major challenges in setting up a game review site and for anyone else doing the same as me you have my support and sympathy. That all said I love a challenge and I also remember this project was primarily started because I love writing.

So back to games, you can find my thoughts on XCOM 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider in the reviews section.

In other news I saw this week that Ubisoft have confirmed Watchdogs 2 is in development and will also be with us in 2017. Assuming they started working on it right after the first game this is a reasonable development cycle. I just desperately hope they stay well away from making false promises and hype videos this time around: just make the damn game guys. It was such a shame because to spite the disappointing aspects of Watchdogs it was actually a great game with tonnes of good ideas. Snooping into people's lives and hacking into other people's games was really fun: in fact it was my favourite part of the entire thing. Let's hope they also ditch the lead protagonist and his supporting characters as they were possibly of one the most negative aspects of the title. Just while on Ubisoft If co-op shooters are your thing the open beta for The Division has just finished and you can see my second set of impressions for it in the preview section - release is set for the 8th of March. 

There has also been a little bit of controversy over the announcement from Microsoft that Quantum Break will be arriving on PC as well as Xbox One: like we didn't see that one coming. One content maker in particular has received lots of attention for stating he is cancelling his preorder of said game due to it now being on PC. Honestly, the mind boggles how these people ever become popular in the first place. In addition Microsoft have said the game will only be available on the Windows Store and for Windows 10: Games for Windows Live all over again? It is an interesting topic so expect to see an article on exclusives very soon. One last thing guys, a friend of mine who promotes a website for PC systems has asked me to give him a nod on the site so here it is. If you are thinking about building a system he had tonnes of advice, helpful links and guides on his site - so check them out HERE

So that's it for now guys, if you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic as well as on YouTube under the same name. I hope your gaming is epic wherever you are and I'll catch you next time.

Take care,

Genophix

Time sink

They say every dog has his day: I'm not sure if that is true because I know people who have had several and others who are still patiently waiting. In the last ten years MMO’s have seen some amazing dog days but now it seems that this once ever so promising genre of game has fallen into something of a decline.

Way back in 2005 a far younger version of me decided to dive into the now infamous WoW and in many ways the subsequent weeks/months/years I poured into the bottomless pit called Azeroth helped shape my gaming past. These were good times, real friends and new 'digital' friends alike would log in and make legends every night from the safety of our computers. Hey I could write a book on Warcraft and MMOs: in fact people have - but all we really need to say here is that MMOs happened. They had to: for us to develop the games industry and take multiplayer games to the next level.

So what is the next level? Well back in the dark ages of MMOs when Ultimate Online was the thing to beat the basic idea was to make a space for lots of players to co-exsist. A persistent game space that existed whether you were in it or not: this concept was new back then and we were on uncharted ground. To spite the graphics improving year upon year the idea never really changed all that much. Of course out of these exciting times WoW emerged King and thus reigned all powerful. Over time many new MMO's have been developed as 'WoW killers' and are now either super niche games that are kept alive by die hard fans (Lord of the Rings Online for example) or just have their few months and bomb into the nothingness of gaming afterlife. Skip to present day and WoW is still big but each year loses subscribers and the ability to stay relevant.

The last big MMO I played was Wildstar and Jesus I threw everything I had into that game, on top of being the community lead (or GM) for Exterminatus. These roles when done properly are more like full time jobs but it was mostly awesome if somewhat short lived. That's the point I'm coming to really, that MMOs don't seem to be doing all that great these day and I suspect it's not all down to the actual game's strengths and weaknesses. In the last two or so years we've certainly seen a shift in how we play games and how we meet our friends. Single player games still exist of course but more and more we see these hybrids: single player games which also have substantial  multiplayer elements. The upcoming Division is a good example of this which has just had it's last closed beta before launch: check out my impressions in the articles section and also my let's play video here.

So why the talk of MMO's? Well for the last two weeks I've mostly been playing Blade and Soul: the westernised version. A game I wasn't going to touch for a few good reasons, the main one being that Korean MMOs are well known for poor content and high time demands. Yet after being hit by the hype train a few days before launch I decided to 'have a few days' - that was two weeks ago and I have now been fully sucked into the levelling process.

Thanks to the aforementioned and unscheduled time in Blade and Soul I am now playing catch up before the big game of February: which of course is XCOM 2. The review NDA lifted a few days ago and the game has so far received critical acclaim. Of course I am still too small to ask for review copies of games so for now I shall just have to hit the ground running on the 5th of March. That said I'm not going to rush it, this game demands all my attention and rightly so - after all it's the grandchild of my favourite game of all time. Lastly I am currently hurtling through The Rise of the Tomb Raider in the hope I can get this review topped and tailed before I set out to save the world from aliens again - wish me luck!

So for now take care guys, I hope 2016 is treating you all well and I will be back very soon.

Take care,

Genophix.

Happy New Year!

One thing that I have always found is that once you drop out of a game for a week, even a few days, it's near impossible to generate the enthusiasm to get back into that game again. Sometimes it can be a real life issue, another game or a multitude of other reasons but now I think about it this has happened to me a few times this year and usually with the big open world titles.

I remember earlier in the year getting distracted from the Witcher 3 (for a reason I can't remember) and it took a gargantuan amount of willpower to boot up my old save. I've heard this happens to at least some of my gaming friends - in fact one of my gaming habits is to play a game for a few hours and then restart afresh. This in itself I can't really explain other than I find it satisfying applying the things I've learned and usually games will make you do most of the learning in the first hour or two.

So what on earth distracted me from the acclaimed Fallout 4 you may ask - it was a little game called Subnautica. You can find a preview on the articles section for this early access oceanic survival/exploration game and trust me when I tell you it deserves more than a passing look. As my preview explains I picked up Subnautica and Wolfenstein: The New Order in the latest Steam sale, after having a 'quick look' it took nearly a week to finally prise myself away from it and get back on the Fallout 4 horse. Incidentally I have also been plugging away at Wolfenstein and if you enjoy shooters this title is an absolute blast: not only is the gameplay top drawer but there were also a few welcome surprises in the mix. So once again Scully is in search of her infant son in the apocalyptic wasteland and after a few hours sorting through my junk pile I feel like I'm back in the groove - it was touch and go whether I would start a brand new game but after fifty five hours I thought that would be ridiculous even for me.

Last month also saw Valves VR headset ,the Vive, not launch on the 8th of December and in fact get confirmation that it will arrive some time in April of 2016. This was due to a ‘major breakthrough’ which many are now saying is the front facing camera which will allow the user to see the outside world without having to take the unit off: a very cool feature indeed. This is yet another reason why right now the Vive is the headset I would go for: so the question of which to save my pennies for once again has to be revisited. Oculus have also now started taking preorders for the Rift and the price (£500) revealed has many gamers up in arms: largely due to the fact Palmer Lucky gave the impression it would be far less. Regardless the stage is set for 2016 being the year VR finally became a reality: I personally cannot wait to give it a whirl in Elite Dangerous which now has just implemented planetary landings in the expansion Horizons. Expect features on VR and Elite Dangerous very soon.

So now we have Christmas tucked away behind us it’s time to set the wheels in motion again for what should be one amazing year in PC gaming.

I hope wherever you are your gaming is epic.

All the best,

Genophix.

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