Resident Evil 2 Remake Better than Ever?

Following the success of Resident Evil 7, developers have taken the RE7 engine and remade a cult classic Resident Evil 7.  Being a fan of the Resident Evil movie and gaming franchise, I know I’ll give it a try, and I’ll tell you why...

Resident Evil 2 gets us familiar with the franchise’s main two protagonists Leon and Claire.  In RE2 Leon and Claire are wide eyed rookies tempered by the hard realities of a corrupt local government condemns, corporate politics, and medical experimentation.  For those of you like me that came into the series around RE4, Leon and Claire are not the same calm and experienced zombie slaying experts that make good decisions under pressure.  Leon and Claire are pure rookies that are scared and learning their purpose in life and accepting their destiny to forever fight a war against the Umbrella Corporation.

Leon and Claire have no chance to save the day in this game, instead we are challenged with escaping Raccoon City.  Well that being said, developers added some new challenges to the game to keep consumers invested in the same product they made for an old platform decades ago.

I know most of you were like me and said this game was bad and hard to play in 1998

So why should I give it a chance in 2019?  Here are the reasons why:

Changes from 1998 to 2019

It features a host of changes and improvements over the original, such as a new over-the-shoulder camera, revised puzzles, and modernized controls.

To meet modern expectations, the team attempted to make the remake more realistic; for example, Leon no longer wears large shoulder pads, which were added to distinguish his original, low-polygon model. Though they strove to make a "modern, accessible" game, they focused on horror over action, hoping to preserve a claustrophobic feel.

Producer Tsuyoshi Kanda acknowledged the difficulty of making zombies scary, as they had became ubiquitous in entertainment media since the release of the original Resident Evil in 1996. By removing the fixed camera angles, the team had to use different ways to conceal enemies, using elements such as room layout, lighting, and smoke.

The new camera system also affected the sound design, as it no longer made sense for sound to come from a fixed source.

Resident Evil 2 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows worldwide on January 25, 2019.[12] The game supports enhancements on the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, offering either 4K resolution or 60 frames per second.

Resident Evil 2 will be getting a "1-Shot" demo on Jan 11, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.

The Outer Worlds

I hate to crown a game as the best before I play it, but The Outer World’s seems like the best game of 2019.  The developers of Fallout New Vegas have started a similar Fallout series in space.

There is little content about The Outer Worlds.  From the trailer, looks like you are specs explorer that is stationed on space colony experiencing a war between colonist and corporations that want to have more influence and control than needed.  Seems like you are part of a rebellion and that is the core of the story.

I like the dark sense of humor of the storyline in the trailer and gameplay seems to have the mechanics of Fallout 4.  To me, it seems like Borderlands 1 meets Fallout.  The game was predicted to be released in late 2018 and exclusive to Xbox One since Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft.  The game was pushed back and will be released TBA 2019 on Xbox One, PC and PS4.

Far Cry New Dawn

Far Cry 6 is shown at the 2018 video games awards and my thoughts are Mad Max meets fallout.  The story is set following a nuclear fallout and a world reborn in chaos with no government or structure.  You play as a hero among villains that raiders and survivors.

Facts sheet:

• What is it? The latest addition to the Far Cry action-adventure series
• When can I play it? February 15 2019
• What can I play it on? PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
• Price? $39.99

Is this a DLC or it’s own game?

If you got the 'good' ending at the end of Far Cry 5, then Hope County, Montana was destroyed (probably with the rest of the world) by a nuclear explosion. 

The teaser trailer for the next game talks about how an explosion caused death and "The flames devoured everything" but eventually "years of rain and howling winds gave way to blue skies and a new world in bloom".

This game takes place 17 years later in Hope County.  The new base is named Prosperity and it seems you must fight a gang of highway men known as the new order and lead by twin sisters, Mickey and Lou.

Seventeen years after a global nuclear catastrophe, civilization re-emerges from the chaos to find a world dramatically changed. In Hope County, Montana, the remaining populace has divided into different groups, each with their own rules for survival.

While these groups attempt to rebuild their lives, a new threat has arisen, twin sisters Mickey and Lou .

The Twins are completely at home in this new world, having grown up in the harsh conditions caused by a cataclysmic event and learned to survive by any means necessary. They lead a merciless band of scavengers, the Highwaymen, across the country plundering and pillaging for their own benefit and enjoyment. For them, there is no tomorrow – only the present. And the most powerful characters will rule.

Their next stop? Hope County.

With Mickey's calculated planning and Lou's impulsive, unpredictable nature, the two of them make a deadly leadership duo. And having gone to extreme lengths to take over the Highwaymen, they have already shown that they will stop at nothing to stay at the top of the food chain.

Hope County, still recovering from cataclysmic damage after seventeen years, may not be ready for the new danger approaching.

Will you be?

2018 Video Game of the Year Winners

I have to admit some of the games this year were a heck of a lot better than last year.  If you’re still undecided about what to get your family member who is into gaming then here is a recap of the award winning games of the 2018 year:

The Game Awards 2018 winners

Game of the year

God of War

Best game direction

God of War

Best narrative

Red Dead Redemption 2

Best performance

Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2

Best score/music

Red Dead Redemption 2

Best audio

Red Dead Redemption 2

Best art direction

Return of the Obra Dinn

Best ongoing game

Fortnite

Best multiplayer game

Fortnite

Best independent game

Celeste

Best action-adventure game

God of War

Best action game

Dead Cells

Best role-playing game

Monster Hunter World

Best sports or racing game

Forza Horizon 4

Best fighting game

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Best family game

Overcooked 2

Best strategy game

Into the Breach

Best mobile game

Florence

Best VR game

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

Best debut indie game

The Messenger

Games for impact award

Celeste

Industry icon

Greg Thomas (Visual Concepts)

Content Creator of the year

Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins

esports player of the year

Sonic Fox

Best esports team

Cloud9

Best esports game

Overwatch

Best esports event

League of Legends World Championship

Best esports host

Shockz

Best esports coach

Reapered

Best esports moment

C9 comeback win in triple OT vs Faze

Best student game

Combat 2018

RTS Revivial - There are Billions

I have really been disappointed with the recent games on console, so I turned to PC for some new gaming.  I was very curious about the RTS, real time strategy, and base building games.  There's something about gathering resources, developing a base, and defending your citizens from enemies. 
I asked for recommendations, and everyone said There are Billions is the best RTS game out there now.

First off I have to say, There are Billions is like Dark Souls and its a game that is nearly impossible to beat.  The game has evolved since it's release in 2017.  The add-ons and updates really made the game more manageable, but the challenge to survive 100 days against a billion zombies is still there.

The game is a city builder and military builder.  You have to make sure you're researching technology to utilize in order to fight the overly smart AI.  Developers said the AI for the game is like something you've never seen.  The AI will literally send a small army of zombies to test your weak points in mini horde waves, then send a horde of 20,000+ to destroy and infect your base.  The toughest part of the game is when one zombie gets into your base and infects it.  Once your base is infected, it's basically game over.  Once the base is infected the citizens will turn to zombies and attack the rest of the base. 

The game plays much like starcraft where you research technology, expand your base of operations to capture resource points, and grow your army to defend or attack.  There are many strategies to use to survive, but ultimately the find show down is defending your base against the final zombie attack on day 94 to 100.  You will get hit on all sides of your base by over 50,000 zombies on screen, so having 100 soldiers and few fences will not be ideal defense strategy.

I admit I have fun with strategy games and trying to outwit the AI.  It's a challenge, a few more options, missions, player vs player features, and more bench marks with other RTS games and it will be a contender with the others out there. 

Red Dead Redemption 2: Game of the Year

"I understand...that you can't be a bad man and expect good things to happen to you"
                       ~Arthur Morgan

It's been a while since a good game has hit the market.  I have to say men lie, women lie, but numbers don't!  Red Dead Redemption 2 has came to the for front and quickly became the fastest selling game of all time, but is it all hype or a quality game worth investing time and money in?

I have to admit, I was skeptical of the idea of a prequel to Red Dead Redemption.  I was a little upset with the ending to Red Dead Redemption 1, so I guess with John Marston being murdered by cops he trusted and help, there really was no where for the story to develop.  That being said, we turn clock back and learn more about John Marston's past life as a member of Dutch's gang.

Instead of playing as John Marston, the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 1, we play as Arthur Morgan.  Arthur is the number two leader of Dutch's gang and mentor to John.  Arthur is a pure gangster that kicks ass and takes names, and that's where Red Dead Redemption 2 separates itself from the original RDR.  The story begins with the entire gang being on the run from a failed robbery.  You're wanted in every territory, and you're broke.  Your goal for the game is to earn money to feed your family by any means necessary, even if that means robbing, stealing, killing, and setting the world on fire.

Features
I hate to crown the game before the year is over, but Red Dead Redemption 2 is the best game of the 2018 year.  There are so many themes going on in RDR2 that I cannot cover it all, and I encourage you to play it.  The game covers women's suffrage, native american great migration, KKK, interracial marriage, bootlegging, poker, fishing, sailing boats, racing, robbing stores and people, legendary creature hunting, hunting to feed the camp, loan shark, racketeering, and a moral compass that determines much more.  I feel like there is over 200 hours of content that you can get into that's not part of the main storyline.

Moral Compass
Just like in RDR, a moral compass is used to guide you decisions and outcomes.  Arthur can choose to help or hurt people, and those decisions will determine your opportunities, gifts and prices that must be paid.  I found RDR2 more rewarding for helping people than in RDR.  In RDR, you did good deeds and it was just something you choose to do no rewards.  In RDR2, good deeds build your reputation, and your reputation help give you discounts or escalated prices.  If you play the game as a good man, then you get rich quick and people remember your deeds than give you gifts like free items of your choice from stores.  On the opposite side of the coin, if you make evil choices and do bad deeds then you will pay the price for it.  If you make too many bad choices, then people will not help you in missions, prices will be higher or people refuse to serve you at their business, and eventually Dutch will kick you out the gang b/c you're too much of problem.

Story
I felt RDR2 has then best prequel story ever told.  I was familiar with Dutch and John Marston from RD2, but I was not familiar with the rest of the gang.  We get to meet about 12+ members of Dutch's gang with different stories, abilities, and hustle.  Some gang members hustle is tracking, hunting, and selling animal pelts.  Some gang members hustle is prostitution.  Some gang members hustle is loaning money to poor people and charging outrageous interest rates they cannot pay back.  Some gang members hustle is serving as leaders of the church and milking the congregation for all the money they have.  In the story, Dutch brings all the hustlers together regardless of race, age or gender to form a gang that is like a mix family. 

Dutch is the leader of the gang, but he has a few moments where he goes crazy and he unstable.  When that happens, Arthur serves as the pillar of stability and leader that keeps the gang alive and functioning.  Arthur has learned many hard lessons in life, and he has enough life experience to respect others and be an authority that others respect.  When times get tough, all gang members and townfolks you meet will seek out Arthur's help and you get to go an adventure that Rock Star games has never given gamers before.

Two playable characters
Just like in RDR1, something tragic happens and a second character finishes the game to get the true physical redemption, for the main character getting screwed over.  I won't spoil it, but I will say that Arthur dies and you finish the game with John Marston.  Arthur's end is based on your choices in the game.  I love the character development of Arthur Morgan and the back story we learn the John Marston was always the straight edge man we remember RDR1.  It's almost comical how we see John is a coward that resents his family, obligations, and life.  John is mentored by Arthur, and we learn the man John is in RDR1 is owed to Arthur's help.  I have never seen writing like this before, and I just have to say you are in for an new and welcomed experience.

Rick and Maggie are Leaving the Walking Dead

Well looks like the final season of the walking dead is on the way. The actors that play  Rick and Maggie are not coming back to the show after this season due to bad contract negotiations.  Rick said he will focus on spending time with his real life family.  Maggie said she is moving on to a new show on ABC.  My favorite character Daryl is coming back bc he got a $20 million to stay.  Producers said they will find a way to write both Maggie and Rick out of the storyline and not replace them.

Don’t Be Bitter, Be Better

I was at the gym, and one of the people there kept hating on someone in good shape instead of focusing on his workout.  The first thought that came to my mind was he sounds like a bitter ex, that’s focused on being left in the past instead of a better future. The key to positive goals is not focusing on what was but what is.  Like Goku said to Gohan on dragon ball z, no one is perfect not even cell despite him given himself that name perfect cell.  We all make mistakes, but what matters most is doing better next time.  He asked Gohan can nagging, blacklisting  and hating on others change what happened.  Short answer is no.  Gohan regained his positive spirit and saved the day.  I always say positivity wins more good people than negative vibes.

Dragon Ball Super Ending was a Turn Around for the Franchise

On episode 132, Dragon Ball Super came to its conclusion for this season with Frieza and Goku working together to defeat Jiren and give Android 17 the win. The Zen-oh, the god of the universe, told 17, that he predicted his wish to bring back all other universes.  Zen-oh said that any other wish would not have been granted, and he would have erased the universe for selfish gains.  Frieza was brought to life by Beerus for his good deeds.  I really must admit Dragon Ball Super turned around its franchise from the mistakes of the past.

It really seems like Dragon Ball Super fixed the wrongs of the franchise that offended most of its audience. I must admit, I like how the franchise changed for a big positive. For the first time we saw female super saiyans, Mr. Popo color changing from black to blue his mannerisms from dumb to intelligent, Master Roshi sexual harassment been address and women standing up against him instead of being a victim.  We saw a dynamic of the powers shift from the saiyans being the only strong fighters to everyone reaching a solid potential and holding their own.

I found out that episode 132 will not be the last episode of the series.  There is a movie coming out December 14, 2018 that will reveal a new antagonist and drive a new story line for the series.  Some fans have speculated that the new villain is a saiyan, and he is good like Goku.  Some fans think the antagonist for the villain is Jiren, but nothing is confirmed.  In the movie trailer that came out last weekend, the villain had a saiyan tail and he looked dressed like natives of planet Vegeta.

New Spider-Man Game is a Game Changer

Since 1962, every Spider-Man cover has informed the reader to “expect something extraordinary.” After 20 years of successful movies, we have a new Spiderman game coming out aligned with the release of a summer blockbuster movie.  Insomniac Games and Marvel have collaborated to bring gamers a new twist to the Spider-Man video gaming Franchise.  Marvel stated that the best Spider-Man stories are when Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s worlds collide.

Peter Park vs Spider-Man

I had a good look at the cut scenes from the demo, and I must admit I was impressed by the details.  The tight framing of shots echo Peter Parker’s life.  He lives in a small studio apartment in New York, where we get to see what kind of Spider-Man we have.  Spider-Man puts on his web-shooters which mean we won’t have the Spider-Man from the early 2000’s trilogy that gave Spider-Man web making powers.  There are a few bills and messages in the apartment which leads gamers to believe we will have choices in Peter’s life vs choices in Spider-Man’s life the will have an impact on the outcome of the game.

Familiar Villains

The next scene jumps the player into the story line of a hot lead on the Kingpin.  Peter hears a police dispatch in his earpiece, then we are web-slinging across skyscrapers in New York City and Manhattan.  This game will be open world, so there is no limit to where we can go and interactions in the big apple.  Developers noted that web slinging will be more physics driven, and gamers will have to use momentum to swing around the city. 

After beating up, a few low-level thugs Spider-Man gets a few clues that lead him closer to capturing the Kingpin.  I really liked the combat during the fight b/c it showed what gadgets, web-combos, hand to hand combat.  After getting adjusted to the new controls, we get back on the streets. 

Open World and Cameos

Spider-Man mini-map in the lower left-hand corner of the screen that shows the street layout and highlight side activities.  There are a lot of possibilities and themes to explore.  Norman Osborne aka the Green Goblin the city mayor, so we know that will have ramifications that will lead to trouble for Peter Parker and Spider-Man.  Note for those of you who aren’t fans of the series, Green Goblin knows Spider-Man is Peter Parker!  It seems like a lot will go in this game.

As gamers explore the city more of the Marvel universe is unfolded.  The Avenger’s tower, Black Panther’s Wakanda Embassy, and Dr. Stranger’s Sanctum are available to explore in the city which means that we may get cameos from other Marvel heroes.

The RPG and Crafting

The ability to be in an open world means that the story will not be linear progressed, and gamers can approach resolutions to critical events in different ways or times.  There was one side quest on the game that had you locate Peter Parker’s old backpack with images of his first web shooters inside.  Developers stated events like this will be vital in fleshing out Spider-Man’s backstory with audio recordings as well.  As a reward for completing side quest gamers will gain a performance score for completing objectives and crafting components. 

The crafting materials will be used in a number of ways.  Drawing from Peter Parker’s scientist background, gamers can upgrade and create gadgets in the video game.   Gadgets and crafting will add to the new suit option portion of the game.  Gamers will have the ability to choose from dozens of suits, and the gadgets will serve as add-ons to enhance the suits.  Each suit will serve a purpose and give gamers a different experience or way to complete objectives. 

Impressions

The game looks solid, and I admit that I will play it.  Insomniac Games hinted it will do for Spider-Man what Rocksteady did for Batman in terms of development and pushing the limits of franchise to create a new experience.  Spider-Man release date is September 7, the game will be single player, and Playstation 4 exclusive. 

Tom Clancy's Division - April 12, 2018 - Save the Date!

Agents!

I'm happy to announce that Update 1.8.1 is launching across PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on April 12th! Players can expect two new Legendary mission modes for Amherst’s Apartment and Grand Central Station alongside the following Xbox One X patch enhancements:

• 4K rendering
• Higher anisotropy
• Improved reflections
• Improved object detail
• Improved screen-space shadows

Two brand new Global Events are coming to The Division: Blackout in April and Onslaught in May.
Global Event Blackout—Agents are equipped with Shock Ammo that stuns enemies. Shooting or running builds your charge meter. The more charge, the more damage you inflict.
Global Event Onslaught—Agents deal burn, bleed, and gas effects to enemies in addition to normal damage. Reloading changes the effect.

In addition, the new Classified acquisition changes will be live with 1.8.1. Here is a short recap for everyone who missed the news. Players can refer to the 1.8.1 Patch Notes soon for a full list of changes.

Vendor Changes

• Added a Classified Gear cache to the Special Vendor that guarantees 1 Classified Gear piece from the entire pool.

Global Events Vendor

• Removed the basic cache from the vendor.
• Each Global Event will now have individual caches per Classified Gear set for that Global Event. This allows the player to purchase, for example, a Fire Crest cache that guarantees one item from that set.

Exotic Loot drops

• Removed Premium Vendor Exotics from Open World loot pool and Exotic Caches.
• All Exotics added to the Open World Bosses.
• Classified Gear Drop Rates
• Classified Drop Rates chances have been increased in all locations.
• Legendary Missions now have a 20% chance to give Classified Gear as a reward at the completion of the mission.
• Season Pass Supply Drops now have a 10% chance to drop Classified Gear.
• Survival Caches now have a roughly 10% chance to drop Classified Gear.

Head over to the Official Forums to engage in the conversations and leave us some feedback. We will see everyone on the streets of New York!

The Division Dev Team