The Mortal Essensce of a Batman Game: An Arkham Origins Review

     It has become rather standard fact that up until Arkham Asylum that no videogame company could do the Batman franchise justice. So After playing into the latest title of Arkham Origins I felt compelled to break down the Arkham Series and take a closer look at what makes a good Batman game.

• The Invisible Predator -

One of the first things that was brought out of Arkham Asylum was the Predator approach to clearing a room of bad guys. As many comic fans and well fans of the Batman anything know the caped crusader is not all fight but a mixture of intimidation and catching his opponents off guard. This has been a staple since Arkham Asylum and even been slightly modified yet always for the better.

• The Warrior Within -

Batman is a very skilled martial artist and well usually one to rely on his fists last, unless there is no other answer. This is where early games had issues either they made him a brawler or a run and gun and well battarangs aside Batman isn't really a "gun" person. Although many of his tools resemble guns, they always house another surprise. The Arkham Series has held strong to batman being able to fight his way in instances where well there is no other choice so again a bonus to them for keeping to the truths of Batman.

• Batman Does NOT Kill -

     This is a tough topic with any game series and even Arkham has had it's deaths but they were all written to not be directly by the hands of the Bat. Early games had you working on killing enemies or defeating bad guys with a gun or battarang launcher and it just lost that Batman feel. Arkham has been strong in keeping to that story essential code.

• Batman the Detective and Vigilante -

This has always been a controversy as Batman is a hero detective but also a vigilante whom cleans the streets where and when the cops cannot. Early Batman games stuck to either one but never got the combination quite right so you'd feel off. Arkham has found it's way to allow Batman to do both and thus is a Hero but also in this newest endeavor a enemy in the eyes of the police.

     Now these are a lot of the basics besides getting into the detail of Batman's gadgets and equipment you have to keep in mind that Batman although looked at as rather meager is really quite a complex super hero. So a lot of questions fall to looking into a Batman game and thus have lead me to the following takes on the Arkham Series -

Arkham Asylum: First Batman game done right. A mixture of challenge and well thought out use of villains as well as a strong story. They kept things simple to the Island that is Arkham Asylum and allowed the player to delve into the mythology and the rather obscure aspects that are Batman. It's really hard to top this as a Batman game as you have to look at so many components that worked well together.

Arkham City: It was a hidden hint in the first game. So well hidden that it was only after it was announced that people started to understand or even find the hint. This was well done to expand upon what Arkham Asylum was and mix in further aspects of the Batman Legacy as well as give the player a mixture of the hidden details and get a good look into how big a game of this style could go.

Arkham Origins: It's Arkham City pre Arkham City so you have the huge part of Gotham as well as a nice mixture of characters yet it's not quite the first two but I'm going to get into that a bit further down the page. I've not finished the story as of this posting, but I really have been looking at detail and this falls under a good Batman game, but like many good game legacies this has been infected with the multiplayer aspect. It's not bad, but think Gotham City Imposters meets Arkham Asylum.... it's limited and well lets just call it a beginner multiplayer experience.

Flaws to Arkham Origins.
     This is where we start getting a bit of mixed feelings and to be honest a lot of this is my opinion but also factors that I feel could have been improved upon.
Characters.) I'm a finicky bastard when it comes to what Villains you choose to throw at me when it comes to a comic book story. The first two Arkham games went with favorites I can agree to that aspect, but I like to see that mixture of super powered or intelligent that batman has to overcome instead of "Assassins" Not that I'm not a fan of Deathstroke, but C'mon. They start you out against Croc and it just seems to drop in enemy style from there.
Character Modeling.) This is another aspect that not many think about when playing a game but I'm rather fixated on. If you're sticking to a series name try to keep your modeling close or even within the same aspect. Killer Crock and Bane are both a third of the size they were in the first two games and I understand this is a prequel but I think you're going off a different set of comics and it kinda kills the feel.
Voice Acting.) Before you bash me for being a purist I have to say I'm for the earlier casts rather than the Origins cast but the origins cast is close but not that accurate. I don't hate them, but I feel like I've been shorted in the Joker Dept. and yes that is aimed at you Mark Hamill.
There really isn't much else in the way of flaws against Origins the controls are strong and even the free flow combat seems to be much improved. So Although I have some gripes this game has earned it's way into staying in my library of games for a long time.

- William Dreimann

Gaming Realism and Benefits of keeping some of the fantasy as is.

     I keep seeing a call for realism in video games. Now with some things like puzzles I can agree, but with the more elaborate fantasy drama's and battle games well, it seems to want to kill the player. Now before I get a response of but..... Let me explain how I am seeing things and where developers should draw the line.
    Puzzle Realism:
   Ok so lets use an example of a game I have played recently, I believe it was Zero Escape: Virtue's last reward: Now the way this game starts off there is a story, then puzzle or escape mode. The story is bland, but the escape mode is a puzzle. You have to search a room for tools and items so you can work your way through the puzzle and escape the room. Sounds easy enough. Here is where I found my issue with "Realism" in this game. There is a panel with four bolts each color coded and you find a colored handle and some sockets that are described to be like a socket wrench. My issue is that if anyone has used a socket wrench more than one head can be used for a handle. This game did not want to hear this and had me continuing to look for 3 other handles just to open a vent. Now granted they were not hidden well so it was an easy find, but seriously. Developers this is the excess shit we don't want. Stick with some realism here and we are golden.
     Fantasy Realism:
Now some of what I hear being called for is realism with weapons in games and well with some of the fantasy games I hear this being called for well you're asking for player death. Seriously look at the weapon and consider some of the realism if you were to wield it. I'm sure you'd end up more injured than your opponent. Let's leave a lot of this to fantasy.
     War Time Realism:
This actually works somewhat and again can also lead to player death. It again goes to weapon realism, but it's a 50 50 draw on what should and should not work. IE: an enemy drops his gear around the room you should be able to use it. Seriously why not. Yeah I understand if it's a gun or piece of armor way to big or heavy for you to use, but a revolver or a knife. Now again this also tends to span into the Fantasy Realism. If it's some sort of alien creature I can see less chance of usage but then again if you let us use some of the other alien weaponry..... you see where I'm going here.
     Overall there is a fine line to what gamers should have realistically and what should follow in a realistic situation. I for one love the fantasy approach of a 5' muscle bound soldier being able to carry a tank cannon as a weapon but then again I like the chaotic approach.
What's your opinion folks?
- William Dreimann

Indie games: A bit of reviews and some odd opinion

     It's hard to avoid indie games these days. Many have gone from obscure to really popular. Others are gems in the rough that you either know or you don't. I've decided since I've been exposed to a bunch of indie games to share a small listing here as well as a quick review of some of these awesome games.

• Little Inferno: A game for you pyromaniacs out there. Although the game states that you should not play with fire, and I agree. The premise of this indie is to well burn your toys to stay warm. Although there is no real losing.... It's you burn a toy and get money for it, then spend the money to buy more toys from a catalog which burning toys gives you more money than the toy was worth. The trick here is combo's. Certain combinations of toys gives you extra shipping stamps and a challenge to figure out what is really going on. The ending of the game is some what forced, but after watching you can go back to burning stuff.
• The binding of Isaac: I have to admit I played this one on good authority from a friend. Think The legend of Zelda with the more sadistic undertones. It's put out by the wonderful people over at newgrounds. Now those of you familiar with Newgrounds should know many of their odd and very odd creators. This is a game that I'll be honest is worth a play just to ask the What the fuck question over and over.
• Beat Hazard Ultra: This one is a little more for you music buffs. Imagine this.... you are playing something like galaga or even asteroids, now add that enemies and effects are spawned and selected by your music. That's right you pick the track and the music dictates the stage. It's quite the feat and visually amazing. The downfall is it is very high in flashes and strobes so you may want to think about that before letting your kids play, but overall depending on the song it's really quite a fun game.
• Terraria: Like minecraft, Terraria is one of those seek the world and build stuff. There is no real story, but it's addictive. There is a lot to find and do once you figure out the basics. Bosses are not out right they either sneak up on you or work on a series of events. Either way it's quite the adventure.

Old School New School and PC Gaming

     I like to rant and get a little out there with my thinking, but a thought crossed my mind as a friend of mine advised that the current "New" consoles suck compared to PC gaming. Now there is some truth to this as well there are some flaws to all forms of gaming. I feel though as a devils advocate in this era that some things are lost in all gaming and decided to explore further the old school details compared to todays gaming as well as the ups and downs of PC gaming for me. I must reiterate this is my opinion based on what I know and the information I've come upon in reading and well learning more and more of todays technology.

      So lets start on the old school / new school of consoles as this is part of what keeps me playing the games I do in the way I do. Each period of gaming had it's benefits but if you compare lets say anything before PS2 went network enabled to the Network enabled and PS3 to today you get this rift of what was added and what seems to become lost on game producers.
Old School
Benefits -

• Whole game to a disc or cartridge. (or a series of discs FF)
• Secrets (cheat codes and such) built in
• You invited your friends over to play multiplayer.
• It was a bit less social media yet social inspiring.

Flaws-

• If a game was poorly put together a whole new game had to be released.
• Over use of cheating.
• You had to go to game store to buy new games.
• Many times you had to search to find a copy of a game.

New School
Benefits-

• With online options gamers can get their games off an online store so there is always a copy available.
• If a game is poorly made they may patch or update to run better or just work better.
• Less cheating unless you have money.
• friends at your fingertips for online play

Flaws -

• Friends no longer hang out to play a game and you can't play two player online unless they have a copy.
• a lot of downloadable content so games release faster and occasionally broken in play style.
• Downloadable content can make everyone a cheater.
• Online players either really good or really bad at a game thus leading to player hate.

     Now this is just from experience and well I can't say either side has a total killing flaw yet it can define your experience on if you continue to play a game series. This is aimed more at the new school as you force more people to play online you tend to find that people sometimes clash and thus a game that they may have enjoyed they are going to avoid due to player hate. Now this also has to take into consideration connection speed lagging ability as there are some wonderful devices that allow you to almost break pedal the connection and thus allowing them to somewhat pause you and move at higher speeds due to connection buffering. I'll come back further to this rant as I really have a lot to say on this and I feel that it's own topic would be better.

Now onto PC Gaming-
     Being a child who grew up in the Nintendo era I feel that unless you can give me a controller I can work with Pc gaming is either fun or the controls are just too much for me to use for my type of gaming. I'm speaking more of the "Mouse Keyboard combo" Yeah I can use it for games of the FPS variety, but the action adventure games it just looses me a bit. I feel too lost working a keyboard to jump a chasm. Now a days though this isn't so much of a problem due to emulation and controller integration into most games. With gaming communities like Steam or Humble Bundle you get games at a reasonable price and can play how you wish. My biggest problem here is the excessive customization needed to play certain games. When I want to play I want to play now, not a half hour from now when I have finally gotten things set just right to play. Some say build it up yourself.... this would be excellent except for two small problems for me. Lack of funds and well by the time I got what I want together it's way outdated and I have to revamp my plan just to play the game I want. This is where consoles have a stronger advantage for me. I don't really need to upgrade every few months hardware wise with some games and I don't need to set many settings. Again something I prefer not saying it's better or worse.
     I'm playing devils advocate here as I feel there are some strengths to PC gaming, but have not completely gotten myself there. I'm partial to something familiar such as a Playstation or even old school Nintendo controller. So one might say this is where I currently stand. Until I rant further.
- William Dreimann

Nostalgia -

With the PS4 quickly approaching (2 days from this post) I wanted to give an overview of the Nostalgic moments of the PS3 which may soon go to the shadows just like the rest of the older consoles.
     Back before trophies I can recall the simplicity and rather unique approach the PS3 had to online gaming and well backwards compatibility.  Here are the things I remember most:

• Downloading anything on the playstation network put you at a halt to doing anything till the download was finished. Yes this was a flaw that was later fixed, but back in the hay day this was how it was done.
• Watching videos of games to come and having to wait a year or so for release..... Yes I'm looking at you LAIR.
• The amazement with how fast PS2 games loaded past the "Loading" screen.
• Heavenly Sword and how it almost stood the tests of time, still waiting for a sequel folks.
• The original Resistance Fall of Man. I did not really get into online war until this game.
• How a fair portion of the PS3 store was "Free".
• The Thursday updates to the PS store

     Then trophies came as well as many many updates. The gamer was no longer playing for just the experience of a game but to earn something that isn't really real, but is. I'll speak honestly, we all became a bunch of trophy whores. So thus leads to my second segment of Memories from the PS3 Era.

• Getting your first platinum. It seems so pointless now as we are all trying to get more and more of them but that first is always a major achievement in our books.
• Broadening of who you were willing to friend on PSN. Let's face it some of us friended others just for help getting trophies completed.
• Waiting in anticipation for a new game as you found the trophy list online and just had to find out what "Become ****'s special friend" meant.
• synching trophies to see whom of your friends holds the lead in what game.
• Judging a game on how quick and easy it was to get all trophies.

Now this still goes on today and will carry over to the 4 but still the PS3 stands rather strong as well PS4 doesn't have a whole lot promised out the door, but continuing my Nostalgic Moments.... The Birth of Playstation Plus, that's right a plan in which you were to get free games (true still to this day) free add on's (not so true nowadays) and free stuff for paying $50 bucks a year. I'll be honest I started it as I had gotten a gift card and still use it to this day. So the memories continue:

• Checking every Tuesday for what was free this week.
• scouring the playstation blog for what will be free in the weeks to come.
• downloading now able to be done in the background
• Filling your system with games you have still yet to get to .
• complaining because you bought the game day one and all of this month is games you already own.

I'll be honest this isn't all happy memories nor exactly bad ones. This is just a fair view of what I can recall of the strong years of PS3 and even with it's flaws I still hold myself as a Sony fan. Here's hoping the PS4 brings a strong future even with any flaws or madness and that the PS3 doesn't fade into obscurity.

The Parental Cheat Sheet:

After my last post I felt that some parents just are being out smarted by their kids as kids know their media well and have the upper hand. Having an niece and nephew whom may one day go gaming nuts I feel this is a good time to express the benefits of a Parental Cheat Sheet. So parents out there take some notes or fire your printers up now. Kids are media strong and you don't always have the time to check out a game or research it before your kids get ahold of it so please use the following to level the playing field in your favor.

• If there is a question check the ESRB ratings this will give you a strong handed approach to what may be in the game. I say strong handed because well sometimes the rating may be a little high for what may show for 20 seconds or less.
• Always look to see if there is a Demo. If there is a demo download it and play when the kids go to bed or with the kids depending on age. This will give you a nice cross section of gameplay and detail of the game. From this you can determine if this is a game you want your kids playing.
• Just because it's cartoony does not mean it's kid friendly. If something is questionable simply take a moment to watch a video of it on You Tube or even off the game networks. You may see why your kids want it and what they may be trying to slide past you.
• Take a moment to make an informed decision. Which simply means don't "Ask the guy at gamestop" when purchasing or even the people at Walmart. Just because someone sells the game does not mean they know it. Look into some ratings and reviews online or any of the above. Some idiot 17 year old clerk may not have your kids best interest in mind.
• Learn some of the game details. Is it all blood and guts or is it a story that is mostly fantasy. Don't just take your kids word for it and learn something. You don't want to blame a game for something your kid did while you were not looking.

Now I'm sure some of the younger gamers out there may be cursing my name or even thinking how I'm screwing them over here. Let me set you straight. This is the parental cheat sheet which can work in your favor. Be honest and really explain the game you want. I've stated the ESRB can be heavy handed younger gamers may be well of age for something that the ESRB has rated mature, and trust me not all kids want to play the games rated E for everyone. Sometimes they are just filler or crappy games. I am addressing both you the gamers and you the parents out there with this next list of necessities in gaming.

• Be honest and fair. Don't get mad at a game for something some idiot said online while playing with your kid. You can't control the internet or who logs into a game online.
• Make sure you know what the gist of the game is. Think of a game like a book sometimes a great story has some blood gore and adult themes but is a great story. It's all about focus.
• Understand Kids will be Kids. You may hear a lot of smack talk from your kids when they play online, but this is just the way kids are. If you don't like their language express it, but don't blame the game developer because your kid has a potty mouth.
• Take a free day and play the game yourself (I'm talking to you parents). Not only will this give you and your kids something to talk about but you just may find yourself caught up in a great story.
• Explain something that may be questionable. If the game uses something like crass language explain the plot and character, your parents may not like it, but if you explain how this is not just a guy cussing and saying nasty shit they will respect your honesty and you may just give them a reason to let you buy another game of the same caliber.

Now Parents whom have done the quick skim of this. Stop being a douche and actually read to understand. I'm doing this not only as a public service but to keep your ass out of a sling. You are THE PARENT.... ACT LIKE IT. I understand you're busy, but your kids are not only learning from these games, but from you. If you speed through something without understanding it, they will too. So realize that and when it comes to gaming and your kids you have the power to express why something is wrong. To save you the "Why did you..." later in life, take a moment and understand what is going on around you.
- William Dreimann.

A taste.... The benefits of a Demo

    Felt I had to post as I just finished toying with the "Castlevania Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate" HD demo. As a Castlevania fan I find this to be intriguing enough, yet sorta short of what I've come to expect. The tutorial is a little heavy handed even on easy, yet once into the game it lightens greatly. In playing this I felt the need to express my gratitude of the Demo. Not for just specifically this game, but for the gaming genre.
     A demo can make or break some games many games I've purchased usually was due to playing the demo and well.... drooling over being able to play the full game. Some of my favorites the demo was enough to sway my purchase. Sometimes though the demo puts you either too far in or too far out from the gameplay that it can sway you the other way. These games either fall to obscurity or didn't give enough to be remembered. I used to love downloading Demo's for the PC because it greatly expanded my gameplay beyond what I could afford. The current gaming options and platforms also have made the demo almost invaluable to players whom are looking for a new game. Some games don't require a demo as they've got a legacy either newly born or as old as gaming such as Mario or even Borderlands 2. Yet some game the demo is enough to pique your interest such as if it was on another platform and ported over or a game you know nothing about. Some are just fun for the physics of the gameplay. A great example here is "Fairytale Fights". I'll be honest the story was good, not great but that wasn't the selling point. The selling point to the game was not only the blood and gore, but the blood physics. Now many may question what I am referring to here. The beauty of this game was you could use the blood of your enemies to maneuver the battle field. Either sliding forward or using the slide defensively. The demo was simply just killing and playing in a pool of blood.
     In the early days of the PS3 I downloaded all demo's just to see if the game was something I wanted to try or even just something to do. Some lead to me purchasing the game, others was more for simple amusement. Now many of you gamers out there are going "Duh this is something we already know". I'm not aiming this specifically at you. Whom I'm aiming this to is not only the game companies (some of which refuse to demo) and parents whom know nothing about their kids games. Let me explain this as sort of the Parental Cheat. If your kid is excited about a game and the demo is available download it and try it yourself. Game developers like to show a bit of their best here so you get a nice cross section of the game. As well if there is any coarse language or something questionable, you get a taste of it and can make an informed decision on if this game is for your child.
Now game developers whom refuse to give us a taste. C'mon I'm showing you some very strong beneficial reasons to demo. This will help your sales and get some of the good games out of the shadows.
- William Dreimann.

RPG: a lost art or is social media ruining life...

   I've always been a fan of RPG's it's made me a geek in certain circles of my life, but to be honest they are the longest video games and well I don't usually beat them in a single sitting. I like to see as well how in depth the writers get with their stories. Lets take a good example of a good RPG (I'm sorry I'm about to show my age)... The classic Final Fantasy. Series wise this is one of the longest running RPG's out there. They've always written a rather well told story even if their approach to playing the game has gone from rather standard to way out there. Yet as the years pass and the newer pieces of the franchise come forward there is a feeling of loss. I'm speaking plainly of the MMO and XIII. I'm not bashing these games yet they do leave something to be desired, and if you haven't followed me thus far I'm speaking of 13 and 14.
     I have a numerical affinity with the number 13 so thus a new storyline and approach made this game rather desirable yet it seems the story hit a lacking fatigue and an over desire to grind to move forward. Now don't get me wrong grinding isn't bad, but when it puts a story in full halt you lose some of the pleasure of following what's going on. 13 part 2 continued and further explained some things yet had a lot of the zombie apocalypse moments and again the story hit a halt requiring grinding to move forward. Here's hoping part 3 isn't the same.
     Fourteen the MMO which is quite beautifully done and well put together if you can get past the control scheme feeling off or just clunky (for ps3 and PC if using a controller). Yet the story seems lacking the missions are fun but some seem like a lot of work for something so minor. My best example here is the mission for goblin cheese. For a simple piece of cheese you have to face a nightmare of a dungeon and defeat an acidic dragon just for a npc to have a wine and cheese party. Yes you read that right the over story is that they are testing you to choose if they should help you face the greater threat to the land, but I felt quite irritable after that boss fight just for cheese. Now again I'm not bashing the game but trying to pull forward a point to the game makers. As I shall further explain.
     An RPG is supposed to be an epic tale where a hero goes on an adventure and the story helps the player get involved into the goings on of the world. The player want's to be inspired to journey to explore not to be a bounty hunter and just kill for profit directly. Yet this can be part of the story. Lets look at another example of a good RPG that being the cross with a FPS Borderlands. This is truly innovative. You are a Vault Hunter you do quests to get money guns and well help you survive, yet you feel a camaraderie with the cast. Even the most annoying character is someone you somewhat care about. Yet even Borderlands falls into some faults... that being DLC.
     I'm not saying DLC is bad, but there is this fine line between a good game with DLC and well DLC ruining your experience. I understand technology is improving we people as consumers need to buy things to make things better yet my claim here is for things such as a Season Pass. This is a great idea, but when you put up things the player would like to play with more outside of your season pass, well you're just being mean. The digital age is hurting in a strong way yet improving in others the way of the RPG and here is the fine line I'm trying to point out folks. A lot of gaming today is being based on what you can offer via DLC this is actually killing some of the storylines that make a good game. I don't think gaming should be about how much money you can pull in via levels needed in DLC yet I feel the DLC and the add on should help enrich the game. I understand the need for exclusiveness yet sometimes it's like putting up a barrier between players. One with money can go anywhere one who has to limit his or her spending can only go so far. Videogames should not emulate life but allow us an exploration outward. An RPG is the great exploration so why are we limiting the adventure seeking warriors to realms limited by real money. Back before the whole internet feature of gaming even shortly after games were detailed and everyone got to explore  the great worlds of owning a game, why are we slowly taking that away from the player?
- William Dreimann

Sick of gaming haters and haters of gaming: A RANT

     I think there needs to be a moderator for stupid people who make comments that make themselves sound like spoiled bastards. I was reading a few reviews of things to come and some of the comments made after really make me wonder about the type of people I'm gaming with online. Such comments such as "If I can beat it in a sitting it's not worth playing" really make me wonder about some of these players. Look lets ask a few questions that should clarify this up. (since these are ps3 gamers).

•  Have you platnumed the game in question in one sitting?
• How long is one sitting?
• What difficulty did you play this game on in your one sitting?
• Did you follow the story at all?

I keep hearing these boasting statements that really moch a decent game. I understand a different studio created a game that is now part of a series of games you loved but it's always worth a look to see what a different studio is capable of. The problem I keep seeing with these boasting game haters is something my parents taught me of is they don't appreciate the story or the substance of the game. They play through it once and tell you it sucked. Did you try any of the other modes???? Ok so it sucked how about trading it in for a different game? I just don't really care for the "I'm going to boast about how quickly I beat your game and say it sucked and ruin the experience for another gamer because I'm boasting how easy it was." Really if I valued your opinion maybe just maybe I'd ask you for it.
     What gets me is it's usually some FPS asshole who had no friends online and decided to play an Action/Adventure game that wasn't up to their standards. Here is the problem with the gaming industry either you pander to the lowest common denominator being the person who doesn't want to see something too violent or scary or you pander to some asshole who is prone to playing all games on super nightmare death difficulty and unless it kills you instantly it's not fun. There are millions of gamers inbetween who enjoy playing a challenging game. They also enjoy playing games for the story not the ultimate death challenge.
     It fucking sucks that these gamers are the loudmouth fools who ruin a good series by telling all their friends it sucks. How about an honest opinion such as "I found it rather easy, but you may enjoy it." or "I beat it rather quickly I found a way to cheat the system and well you may enjoy it more than I did." See asshole now you've not ruined someones opinion on a game before they get a chance to play it. This is why gaming is getting such a bad rap and having such a tough time finding their audience.
     There are libraries of games that people would enjoy for the story, the adventure and well just the first time through that you fuck heads don't seem to get.  Let people make their own opinion and give them a fair chance to enjoy something if possible and if they don't like it you can compare notes. HOW FUCKING HARD IS THAT!!!!

Game Updates and things that amuse me.

     It's been a while since I've posted to this blog. I have been trying to keep an eye fixed on my other projects that this one gets somewhat left behind and it's mainly due to the fact that I don't have the funds to keep the information and things I want to speak about here up to current. Thankfully I've got a new game and well the last part of another game to freshen things up and felt the urge to write about them. So here are my Reviews of:

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep
     This looked promising as it was a well thought out mix of Tiny Tina's Madness and well a take on Dungeons and Dragons, only in this it was "Bunkers and Badasses". The concept is as the vault hunters are getting some information from an informant the rest of the NPC's had to keep busy somehow which lead to Tiny Tina playing DM and starting this game. Now for those of you who are Anti Spoiler or haven't played it yet I apologize and you may want to skip to the next review as I will give a few things away. This pack was well done in the fact that it's both the game world and the borderlands universe combined as you are the character in B&B. As Tiny Tina weaves her tale of wonder you find that the game world is controlled to respond to her and the other npc "players" commands. Such as Brick rolling highest in chance to speak which leads you to punch first and ask questions later. There is a lot of cameo rolls in the B&B world from previous expansions such as Mr. Torgue, who admits he's a geek, but not that much of a geek and thus wants you to blow stuff up or visit the bar in a town with no bar. The height of all this being a way for the characters to deal with a storyline event of the main game and remember their fallen comrades. (see I kinda dumbed down the spoiler there eh eh) I'd like to say this was the longest add on, but it's still a bit lacking in comparison to things such as the Secret Armory of General Knox in the first game, yet the story works well and the players get a full understanding of just how deep some of the original hero's and NPC's work emotionally. Now where this all gets made up for is the side quests. Which there are many of... from things like getting crumpets to finding and choosing armor for Elle to getting a shotgun that fires exploding swords of awesomeness. Overall it's a great finisher for this game as far as levels and story go, which actually make having the season pass well worth it (even if you have to pay extra for skins and stuff like that).

The other new title to my game library and other review of today is
DEADPOOL:

     Now I'll admit I'm somewhat of a comic book fan I knew the character and had a basic grasp of his skill, yet I seemed to have been on vacation for when he went "BATSHIT CRAZY" in most of the comics I had he was just a cold killer, yet now he's a lunatic who gets bored easily. This is a wonderful action adventure style game where you get the campy lunatic creating his own game approach but well put together. Now as this title is still quite new I'd like to say I'm going to try to avoid spoilers as much as possible and even if I told you everything that I know from playing and completing this title there is still so so much more that has to be seen to be believed. I will however focus on gameplay. The controls are a bit tight in some areas and a bit loose in others, like counterattacking... The window here to pull it off properly is actually smaller than one would like. It's not like lets say the Batman Arkham Asylum or Arkham City where you can play with it a bit. Yet the key to most of the boss fights is knowing the counter attack approach. Like most action adventure you can upgrade your abilities with DP points which are either lying on the ground or gained from combo-ing your enemies. There are also stealth kills and well ways to use your environment to your advantage. Cast wise the characters are given the Deadpool approach, and yes comments fly. I will say it's a great mixture with you playing the lunatic at the wheel, who not only has an ego complex but some rather adult views on things and very childish responses to some of those views. This is one M rated game that I feel deserves it's M rating. Especially if you watch a lot of the character bios. Now for those of you comic fans who stumbled upon this and have not gotten the game yet here is the roster of hero's and some of the villans you encounter.

• Cable
• Wolverine
• Rouge
• Psylocke
• Domino
• Mr Sinister
• Vertigo

That's what I can recall off hand. Oh yeah there are parts of sentinels too but that may give too much away. Now as far as most of your cannon fodder enemies they are mostly clone style foot soldiers  who range from guys with guns to melee which give it a nice mix up and yes sometimes this combination can get a bit annoying as you have to balance your shooting and melee skills. Yet the momentum boosts which help a lot in the game actually help bread this down. To explain this a bit better I'll give an example. Deadpool's main combo of weapons in the start of the game are his katana's and pistols. as you upgrade each gets better momentum attacks. The katana's start with a simple stab of the ground spin around and spin slash the last guy hit and grow to a powerful breakdance Ninja Turtles 2 style with slashing and the pistols get the whole "Tequila" classic movie effect of shooting almost any and every direction possible slowly cutting down your enemies but as you power it up can clear a room. That's all I'm going to say thus far on this rather psyched and tricked out game it's a great story and worth the buy.
- William Dreimann.

Game Theories -

      I love when people think things through and sometimes when they over think things. So I sat and watched some you tube videos entitled Game Theories. So yes I can state right off the bat as you may have guessed by the post title and my short explanation there that yes I condone and support people who think this way and as well do some research on the topic. This is a part of the gaming universe that can go simply from 0-60 and people will still be entertained. Yes it will spark controversy and conspiracy theories. That's what thinking does. Yet seeing someone point out the fine notes of how a game may be questioning religion or that something you never realized may be dark and disturbed in your videogame world is worth looking into.
     I've had some theories in gaming myself most of which deal with borderlands and portal, but it was proof that the game had me thinking. If something sparks thought or question this is good. It means your brain is working and you want to learn more. A majority of moments where my intellect was shown in school was where I could relate something to the gaming world. (this explains why I was good at raising questions in history and English lit.) Yes videogames are meant to be a time killer, something to keep you entertained and a form of media that gets some rather insane questions asked about it, but if you are questioned and can answer and can raise your own questions this is working thought. Okay enough ranting back to my topic.

 Game Theories I've always pondered -

• Darksiders - Post apocalyptic world where one of the four horsemen were called forth and made a scapegoat to a bigger conspiracy. There are a lot of topics here the religious, the divine and what makes this all click.
• Religion - They covered this slightly in the Game Theories videos on you tube, but a lot of games cross that line of religion iconography and historical accuracy to religion so this leads to a lot of questions. I don't think I can convey the direct question here, but you have to wonder about some of these aspects in the role of modern gaming.
• Portal - Appeture Science is one hell of a place what starts out as a puzzle game becomes a fight for your life against an AI that is taunting and questioning you. As the sequel occurs the depths and dark details of the center start to come together almost like Dante's Divine Comedy so does it correspond?
• Borderlands - Vault hunters are basically fortune hunting mercenaries who look for the big guns and rewards for surviving Pandora. So yes you are a highered killer who is basically being lead around by a robot who is not only amusingly annoying, but who is allying you with other psychopathic minds against a militarized corporation or two all with the promise of Big Guns and MONEY.

Now I've not quite gotten into the details and nitty gritty, but there is this quick look at games and topics that are being reflected in the media we enjoy. Some part of this is reflecting onto our personal character and we are enjoying the mayhem. Psychologically speaking we take on the role of our heroes in each game the topic comes down to some major questions which is what the stories of these games should be looking at ..... some do, some do not.
Questions that we should be asking our heroes -

• We all start out on a side of a conflict in all games, are we on the right side?
• Beyond self preservation what is motivating our choices? (to clarify here I don't really mean question the game design, but when given choices why do we do what we do)
• Games have been giving us a good and evil path for years now why do we pick the path we do?

I know these questions sound boring and quite stupid to be asking about playing a game where we control a hero who gains power and becomes ruler of all (generally speaking) but if you think about it some of the story lines are based solely on these questions and thus lead to paths we either guess or don't expect to happen.

Just a theory....
- William Dreimann

The next gen of consoles... a look at the insanity and the well minor stupidity of it all.

     Every once and a while the next generation of gaming is introduced. Personally myself I try to stay on the cutting edge of it as well I like to know what's coming and what will be available to myself the consumer. So this year as both Sony and Microsoft have announced is another E3 year of Next Gen Consoles. I'm not sure if this will be worth the watch or not. Again personally speaking I'm a Sony fan but each thing I hear about the next generation of consoles pushes either a wanting desire or an urge to vomit and give up on gaming. I've heard the rumors and seen the specs, but until the final product is out you can't make a true determination.
     My overall opinion to this madness is a simple question. Will it be worth it and well... is it too soon? There have been overhauls and rebuilds of some of the console models and makes that we are in a generation of ever expanding technology. Are the gaming companies taking things too far too fast trying to stay ahead of the curve? Let's look to the past and the issues and problems of previous releases and the problems that drew the market away from some awesome devices.
Examples:

• PS Vita - This handheld console is a rather intuitive item. It's dual touch body and build up from the PSP design is amazing. The flaw has been the limitation of games to this device. Yeah the library of games is limited and the classic and psp digital transfers are great, but there is much left to build this into the hype that had surrounded it.
• Xbox 360-  yeah it was the first on the market over the PS3 but it's major issue known simply as "Red ring of death" was a major flaw I know several people who bought multiple Xbox360's just to keep playing. The issue still continues to this day.
• PS3 -  I'll admit even the system I love personally had it's flaws. Early models suffered from a yellow light of death, but Sony made sure to replace or repair the issue even if it was no longer under warranty all due to the original complex body design.
• PS3 slim -  Yes this is even known to be flawed mainly for it's non backwards compatibility and just a lacking of hd space.
• All of the current gen gaming devices fall victim to the hd space issue. I'll admit I've filled 2 PS3's with games some I don't wish to delete to make room just because I'm not finished with them yet.

     So game companies if you happen perchance to read this lets take some things into consideration. Make sure if you promise the gaming community something we learn from our mistakes. I'd like to point out that the classic NES and Super NES still function to this day. I'm not going to get into the flawed design of the Nintendo Wii or even the flaws of the Wii U at this time I'll save that as a post for a later date.
- William Dreimann

The Playstation Wireless Stereo Headset - A review.

   
 I tend not to purchase accessories for some of my gaming equipment as some of them are just frivolous and some are well pointless, but on a whim we purchased the Sony Playstation Wireless Stereo Headset as my standard blue tooth headset just tends to die out and is a bit of a pain to get to respond the way I want to while gaming. This was not the case with this rather expensive but worth the money headset. Let me give you a breakdown of what I love about this and where there are some issues but not major issues.

The Pro's of this device:

• with a simple click will move all sound to the wireless headset which is great if you're watching a movie late at night and don't wish to wake your significant other.
• Charges from the playstation controller charger which again is a bonus
• Retractable microphone this has it's perks I'm not quite how clear I come across yet as I've yet to get into a heavy gaming session as most of my gaming done online isn't always chat heavy.
• On screen notification of mute, volume and power on and off. So like your PS3 controller it lets you know when something is updated or modified or if you bumped the side and muted yourself which makes the set up just as easy.
• Clear almost movie theater quality stereo sound I'd expect nothing less from Sony.
• Padded cross bridge which makes long wearing time a bit easier.

What's not so great about this item:

• It takes a little bit to get used to and set up the cross bridge (the band across your head) either it's squeezing you like a vise or it's a little loose.
• it negates the option to have the chat come through your TV which is kinda counter of what I tend to use a headset for as I like to chat with family over the network and well without another headset it's hard to keep everyone in the room in the chat.
• a bit heavy, but not overwhelming. this is kinda a 50/50 it goes with the getting used to it so it detracts from the comfort, but it's not necessarily bad.

I'll admit this is not your average gaming headset depending on your gameplay. What I enjoy most about it is it's really easy set up and once you have found your comfort zone it really can make a huge difference. The on headset controls and settings are not too hard to find and if you're like me who watches movies as someone else is trying to sleep in the room this has huge benefits as you can blast your ear drums and the person next to you will have no clue. Now there are settings on the PS3 itself that you may have to change depending on your gameplay style so you hear chat only, but it's a simple on off toggle. As far as game set ups go this headset auto set up everything for me so I could just jump in and play. I'm hoping to get a game going on Borderlands to fully try out the whole feature aspects of the headset and see if it helps in control and team aspects.
     I guess I'll add as things progress as always keep playing
- William Dreimann

Add ons the pros and cons of todays gaming.

     There are a few types of add ons for this gaming age and they break down into a multitude of type but I've decided to classify them in a way to break down what you're actually buying. The sad thing is this will almost look like a hatred of dlc or add on content and it's not it's kind of a consumer warning and realization on what exactly you're putting your money into.

1. The make me pretty category - This is mainly your skins, heads and other aesthetic purchases which can be both beneficial and well just plain dumb. Lets simplify Example: you're playing something with a main story line driven by single player with very little online interaction if the skin or image booster doesn't change your stats or give you some minor bonus it's kinda dumb. If however you are playing an online game and well a mixture of this stuff helps you sort you out of a crowd to enhance your gameplay it's worth the money. Now let me add some extra clarification when I say it's worth the money... if you're spending more than a few bucks it may be excessive, but prices are more up to if the purchase finds it worth it or not. Understand?
2. The boost me like a mother category - Mainly an rpg staple now a days. Tired of grinding in a game to the point you forgot the story? This is where these come in. Usually it's a few well selected points when put to good use or a piece of weaponry you're not supposed to have yet that gives you an edge. Problem is that if you don't follow as the game releases you can end up with a super weapon that gets you through really fast but well you missed a lot of the finer points of the game. This is kinda tricky in it's execution but trust me it's being overdone.
3. The "Ain't nobody got time for that" category - This one irritates me it's basically I bought a game but I want everything done for me so I'll buy a pack that unlocks all the cool shit everyone else earned and roll with my homies. I like to call this the cheatin mutha fucka pack just because usually it comes out after I spent hours unlocking all this stuff.
4. The useless category - This is rare, but does occur it's usually a small rinkydink amusement that does nothing for you except point out that you are willing to waste money. The sad thing is that I did buy a pack that sorta falls under this category and well it was more of a joke, but I felt dumb for wasting the money. (I'm looking at you little big planet)
5. The everything else category - This is where your levels and extra play time come in I'll be honest this is where most of your money should go. Anything that will help you enjoy a game more or further a story that you have been following this is where it should all be. If it falls under any of the other categories it may be a small percent it's fine but if it is mostly one of the previous categories well it might not be worth it. but that's for you the gamer to decide.

- William Dreimann

Games I did not like and why -

    I tried doing game reviews before and well sometimes it's easy and sometimes it just sucks because you end up feeling like you're telling everyone you like just about all games. It becomes quite a mess and you really don't get a true feeling for why a game sucks or what makes a game like a game. So I decided to break down games I didn't like even if just a part and why this game sucked or just had a bad portion and yes some are based on the trophy / achievement detail.

• Demon Souls - This game is visually beautiful and the controls are tight so far this is what I like, then you get to gameplay. This game pissed me off faster than lemon juice and salt on an open wound. First off the challenge is to do everything in a single life so no real argument there, but you occasionally don't get a direct choice or learning curve and sometimes this leads to an rapid repeat instant death. Here are some quick examples on why I hated this game. 1.) the enemy ranges too quickly from easy to nightmarishly difficult. 2.) if you die once the easy enemies somehow gain an ability to bum rush you 3.) each time you die you start from scratch with no level gain so it gets old quickly when you reach a turn you're not quite sure of. This would be an awesome game if it was toned down and given a fair learning curve for the beginner
• Deathspank 3 The Baconing - EA dropped out and the developers got to make their game as they wanted so yeah this works, but here's my issue... They lost the gamers attention when it comes to detail. The first two games were challenging and spent a lot of time killing enemies which ended up tying into the trophy play. By the end of the first two games you had most of the trophies and this wrapped the gameplay up nicely. The third got lazy things I didn't care for or need or use much came into necessary play for trophies and well it got ridiculous my example here is the kill count which doesn't seem that bad if you compare to previous titles but I killed all badguys in the game and still didn't reach the limit. Also the developers went to the annoying fall back of beat the game on the hardest difficulty. The gameplay kind of got old in the third instance and well who wants to play number 3 on hard when you were able to go through the challenge of 1 and 2 with out having to up the difficulty to make it a good game.
• X Blades - The concept for this game seemed really nice there was adventure magic and weapons but no direction what so ever. I spent hours running around in circles before I even got to somewhere I could recognize and the enemies just respawn in rooms you've cleared. This game lost me.

     There are more, but I figure I'm going to get more detailed so this will be continued in a further post.
- William Dreimann

Prequels and Gaming Mishaps -

     Sometimes a prequel is a good thing, but mostly it's a bad thing in the world of gaming. I was reading a rant online about how a prequel always ruins a gaming franchise. Ironically this is mostly true. There are rare occurrences where a prequel works, but then again there are more instances of people asking WTF questions when it comes to a prequel game. For example a good prequel is another characters story that ties into the creation of the game, best example I have for this is Darksiders 2 which is a prequel in one hand but another story in the other. As the events are happening around or before the first game yeah the basic ideal leads to the ending but there is a lot more story to tell. Sadly THQ is down and out so the third and fourth parts may never come to light. I know it's not a perfect fit, but that's the best example I have. Most of the time the prequel leads to questions and errors which the majority of players hunt down and question as to why this does not effect the primary storyline of the original game. Here is a list of common errors.

• New weapons - So you made a prequel but decided to up the arsenal and oh yeah you made a whole new weapon set that our hero spends most of the game collecting. At the end of the game where we know what happens next you show our hero armed to the teeth. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE GEAR WE PICKED UP???? God of War did a nice thing with some of the prequels and gave a partial explanation to what happened to the weapons by having Kratos be knocked out seeing the gods take his toys and continue onward.
• Harder more legendary bosses - Now this works as you have to keep the challenge level up but here's a question the boss of the first game claims to have defeated all others to stay on top, you mean to tell me the enemy I took out in 10 minutes beat up the guy it now takes me 26 minutes to defeat.... really?
• The Hero did it clause - I love this one this partially works with the Harder bosses deal as some story tellers play this card way too often so with my previous question in mind you tell the story as the player took out the harder boss and the boss of the first game used that moment to seize power thus using the Hero as a pawn.... smart move, but again may conflict with your original story.
• Time issues - some prequels get this hero storyline mixed up a bit and well lead to questions about time and the observations of characters. Example team mate in game one tells you that they have never seen monster a before in their life. Prequel game team mate makes appearance as hero of prequel fights same monster you see in primary game and helps you defeat this monster.... are you telling me this character forgot????
• Weapon power - Ok so before you get the ultimate weapon in original game you get an ultimate power in prequel that is stronger than ultimate in original... see new weapons

And these are just the common mistakes. I'd like to get into more specifics of this, but I'll be honest I let a lot of things go due to the fact that well the prequel was either ok or sucked.

- William Dreimann

Trophies = The want of something that isn't real that is.

     This is an aspect of the gaming industry I like and at the same time appall. With a simple sound you think you're awesome of are intrigued as to what you did to earn a little badge of pixels that you have to brag to your friends about. I will admit I'm overly guilty of this too. This should have been around in the 80's because it's amazing how simple this idea is and how that now it's really hard to find a game that doesn't want to use this option. For the non gamers let me clarify a bit of how a trophy or on Xbox the achievement works. This is for some of you parents out there.

Gaming lingo Definition
Trophy/Achievement - a pixelated badge for completing a goal set forth by a gaming company builds your player rank/score.

     Now let me clarify the ups and downs of this simple joy and why they get so popular and also so despised by a gamer.
Pros

• some are easy to get and well that's free points of showing your friends that you can play a game.
• some are for things that one normally would not do in the game allowing players to see other options of gameplay.
• some are inside jokes that well give the player a laugh and a feeling of understanding by the game company
• some are for things that one just would not think possible

Cons
I apologize ahead of time for some of this as you got to know how much this irritates me

• Some games are short and sweet but there are anal retentive people who say you've not completed a game till you get all of the things offered.
• some are pointless. I swear if I get another trophy for pressing pause.....
• Some are for things you just can't see doing. IE killing off 5.9 trillion bad guys in a game that is populated with no more than a thousand enemies.
• Some are for things no one really wants to do IE playing a game for 2 years straight.
• some give away that you have beaten the game

Now I'll admit there are some exaggerations there but not for the aspects of what you are thinking. This is why the idea is great and a bit iffy at the same time. I have no personal hatred for the idea, but sometimes there are things that would be a nice end to a bad game instead of trying to complete all the trophy aspects.

- William Dreimann

Collection of Disposable Media -

     I've noticed that when it comes to technology that everything is awesome until the next big thing hits. Thus a lot of the gaming industry is disposable media. What does this mean to you the consumer or you the gamer... It means that the sixty bucks you just wasted on a game is like buying a lemon car. Now before I get some pissed off gamers going nuts let me explain this two ways.
1.) Monetarily speaking after purchase your game loses value unless it's made of some amazing unbreakable material that we now consider currency it's almost of no value to anyone after you purchase and play it once. Seriously look at the prices of used games and new games. Somewhere in between there is a hell of a drop. Yeah market wise it's reasonable, but seriously collecting games holds no money value unless you are talking sentimental or auction value.
2.) The game library approach. I collect games so do my siblings and family it's what you do when you play games the games still hold no money value but sentimental value. I commented before it's like buying a lemon car. Let me clarify in the game library aspect of things. A lot of games as of late have been published somewhere near incomplete as with digital downloading we can get add ons and patches to fix games that are otherwise broken. Sad thing here is this is a growing trend. I'll be honest Let's take a game and break down what you're spending on:

Borderlands 2 (don't get me wrong folks I love this game but it's a great example)

• Game itself new day one purchase $60
• first add on extra character $5 (non exacts estimates)
• first add on extra area $10
• next add on area $10
• bonus heads and colors $5
• next area $10
• small extra arena $5

Right off the bat with this you've now spent $105 on things that in the PS 2 days would have been on the disc. Not that I'm arguing against the way things are done now, but this is a growing trend in gaming as you are spending a whole load of money but you only really thing you're spending a smaller portion. Because well you got the $60 out of the way in one shot, the rest doesn't seem so bad. Now I could go into greater detail here on things like season pass and other aspects, but seriously this makes a great point. The gaming industry is selling you lemons. Not that I'm calling Borderlands 2 a lemon, but games are coming out with more add ons that should be part of the game from the beginning than afterwards.
     This is why I'm for and cautious of the future of video gaming. Look at the specs we have gotten so far of the PS 4 I'm hearing more about online sharing and other aspects and less and less about games. ATTENTION GAME COMPANIES we already have computers and consoles lets focus on why we play the game and not how we can share and brag about a game that may as well be a guy farting on a snare drum just to say we can. Just in case this got a bit confusing as I'm rereading it myself I'm trying to clarify some things and don't want to over edit here. The future of gaming as it has been is great and I'm for it, but I'm cautious to see what comes next as I think it will be like me sharing a picture with facebook. Yeah it's funny and everyone will share, but that's not a great game. The videogames we know and love are disposable media and should be looked at as a part of our culture and our hobby of gaming. Hopefully the future will bring us great stories and awesome games that we can share and explain to future generations of how far the industry has come.

- William Dreimann

The gaming industry and the view of an avid player.

      I'm a gamer and to clarify I'm not speaking D&D, table top or card games I'm speaking the all mighty world of videogames. I don't classify myself as a hardcore gamer or a pro gamer because well I'm not. I'm an avid gamer through which does allow me to have a view of the industry and the gamers perspective on what is being handled, dished out and sold to us the public. Some of it is a game worth playing others are just nightmares that seem to be set for people who want an impossible challenge. I guess this can be considered my thesis of things to come as well I've got a lot of opinions of what is in the gaming market and some rather strong feelings of what is being put forth as a great idea for kids and other aspects of the industry that seem pointless.

      I will state the following facts, so if you choose to troll or argue against these basic facts that I'm going off of please realize you will be ignored.

FACTS:

• I am a playstation gamer, I will not speak of things I am not familiar with. DO NOT ask me why I don't refer to the Xbox or PC versions as most likely I do not have them and possibly will not play them unless otherwise noted.
• I don't deal with Fanboy bullshit. You like Microsoft over Sony or vice versa great... just don't bring your drama to me at all.
• If you disagree with my opinions great, you can state that but don't try to bash me down over a minor detail because you disagree. My blog = My opinions.
• I speak for myself and views brought to me from friends..... this does not mean I don't disagree with what I may be posting read all information before arguing.
• I am capable of mistakes. If you can prove me wrong or if things change as they do good I'm not infallible. If you make your point I'll respond gladly as such and all is good.

With all this being said I'll be working on bringing some of this madness to the surface. Hope you're happy to read or find something new here that may bring a little insight. Thank you for reading.

-  William Dreimann