Blog, Blog, Bloq

 With the release of modern Action games like The First Berserker: Khazan and Lies of P, it is becoming clearer to me that the direction of the genre is skewing hard. Only a handful of titles like Soulstice or Valkyrie Elysium seem to be leaning toward that Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden-esque style anymore. And why would you? The FromSoftware formula has been working like a charm. Elden Ring is one of the most popular games, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is being used as the blueprint despite the foundations being laid down by Team Ninja with Nioh and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Obviously, this should also include PlatinumGames's Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as well.  But I think at the end of the day, the big culprit is Dark Souls itself. This is funny to think about because Demon's Souls was just two years prior, yet it wasn't the buzzword game that its successor would be lionized as. So fourteen years later, the modern Action game has almost homogenized into the...

 Postponing my Elden Ring post again because the Final Boss is beating my ass. So that means I can talk about one of my favorite events of the year, EVO. The Evolution Championship Series is back in Vegas once again. And I couldn't be more excited. It is easily the most entertaining major in the FGC because of the emotions that come out of it. Many players gear up for the chance to take the crown year after year. And the payoff is always tremendous when someone wins. In all my years of viewership, I have only seen a few instances of of the crowd not being moved by the victor. My journey with this tournament began over ten years ago when I used to watch Tekken Tag 2 sets. So, I was well aware of JDCR and Knee. Yet, I wouldn't really buy into the community until years later. My only points of knowledge were Tekken and Evo Moment #37. Like, I remember showing my friends the clip, and just being flabbergasted by Daigo's insane reaction and execution in the sequence. This type o...

 I am stupid. But I am victorious. Therefore, I am free. Free of the shackles that I had placed upon myself. The unbearable weight of the Fist weapon only run. And for a game that I had never beaten before, Dark Souls III.  Now, you might be wondering why I would do this to myself? This is a fresh playthrough and the initial impression of a game that I am developing as I go through on this perilous journey. So why would I put so much at stake off the rip? I just felt like my time with FromSoftware needed some spice.  I started the playthrough in 2022 according to my Trophies on PlayStation. And in my mind, I thought that I had enough game knowledge to overcome every boss in DS3 with my fists. The weapons are very fun to use, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. For the most part, I was not wrong. That was until I got to the DLC. That is where I would attribute most of my struggles with the game. A roster of bosses and enemies that were cooking me up and do...

 Recently, I've been back on the Genshin Impact grind. And the experience is reminiscent of why I left. But I keep coming back for one reason. The Open-World is crafted well, and it makes me want to keep exploring the depths of the surrounding areas. Especially with these latest regions in Sumeru and Fontaine. The multiple layers of the regions contain a large amount of secrets. And I just find it extremely fun to run around a world, just taking in the sights and mysteries within.  I am going to discuss some of the other details that make these types of game work for me. And also how some Open-World games are just not understanding how to keep a player's attention, I think that is what separates Elden Ring from Assassin's Creed Odyssey or Tears of the Kingdom from Forspoken.  Elden Ring and TOTK make me want to stay in the world and question the structures in the surrounding areas. Piquing curiosity is essential to the formula that AC and Forespoken just don't understan...

 The name Birdie Wing might not evoke anything out of the general anime audience despite coming out of a large corporation like Bandai Namco.  But, I'm here to spread the good word on this golf anime. This original title from Bandai Namco Pictures is now partway through its second season. And to be honest, it is one of the most entertaining week-to-week shows out there. The energy and plot lines are so chaotic that trying to predict all of the outcomes requires attentive details at times.  One of the bigger reasons I can think of as to why people are not tuning in would be the inclusion of sport, and golf specifically. Sports anime are relatively popular, yet golf isn't the most gripping sport to display. So, the sell on an individual sport like this one is rather difficult. The hotness right now are these heavy action series by miles and they're not slowing down. But as Birdie Wing falters in this landscape, it makes up for in having heart and the willingness to top the ...

 One of the things that I have been doing lately is playing Soulcalibur II on Xbox Series X. The game is fun and I love the Weapon Master Mode so much because it gives replayability and rewards for winning challenge specific battles. You can get different weapons, costumes, characters, and stages by working through it. This is the main component for getting the full roster while also adding extra characters. The mode also including a story makes the experience that much more fruitful as the added experience from Weapon Master makes a more casual player, like me, more enthralled with the title. A very similar vibe to Mortal Kombat's Konquest modes in their 3D era.  What makes this mode so rad to me is that I own the game on the original Xbox and the Series. So, I am willing to play through this mode across different generations and on two versions of the game. While I never finished it on the original Xbox, I decided I was gonna do that for the HD version. It was just one of th...

 For most of January, I finally got around to playing Elden Ring. One of the hottest games of last year that most certainly had lived up to the hype. While the game has fantastic storytelling, world design, and overall exploration. I found myself being at a disadvantage many times due to the playstyle that I go with in FromSoftware games. That style is the good old fashioned, "Big weapon that hits hard while dodging everything" strategy. For most bosses this did not pose an issue because many of the enemies in this game can be taken to task by the colossal weapons. So, my weapon of choice for much of this was Greatsword, the weapon based on Gut's Dragonslayer from Berserk. A mighty weapon that made the Radahn fight very enjoyable for me. Just two people big sword swinging, and I even managed to get a riposte off on him. This lets you know that even the biggest fighters could fall to this strategy. Yet there were a few fights that necessitated the use of back-up weapons or...

 There are many things to enjoy when playing video games, but the one for players like me is finishing everything the game has to offer. This bar can mean different things depending on the console era as achievements or trophies serve as this benchmark for this specific hobby. Letting us know when the time is up on the experience. Even this simple joy does not extend into all the possible genres as we have our comforts and preferred playstyles. Ultimately, it depends on whether or not that game is for you or if the grind is truly worth it. I'll take you through some of my completions and my current fancy to give an idea of how this joy can shift into a chore the more you play it.  One of my favorite completions thus far has been for the original Xbox remaster, Voodoo Vince. A 3D platformer about a Voodoo doll in a New Orleans-esque setting trying to save his owner. The appeal of the game is the setting and the wise-cracking Vince. Nothing too crazy, but I played the game as a ...