For Honor is an upcoming game from Ubisoft about medieval warfare. Players can choose from three different factions: Knights, Samurai, and Vikings. The full game is set to be released next February 14, but this Thursday players can register to get into the closed alpha and get a taste of the game before its' full release.
The alpha will have quite a lot of features including: being able to play as two of the four available heroes from each of the three factions (knights, samurai, and vikings), three (3) maps, three different multiplayer modes (1v1, 2v2, and 4v4). There will also be a little bit of leveling up to do in the alpha that will allow players to unlock cosmetics for the available characters as well as perks and equipment.
If you want to sign up to get into the closed alpha, go here, and sign up with Uplay.
The Last Guardian has once again been delayed. Even after the announcement at E3 2016 that the game would be released on October 25. The announcement of the delay comes from Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. In a blog post on September 12, 2016, Yoshida makes the announcement, to a surprisingly calm internet. Perhaps because this game has been in development for a very long time, and we're all just kind of used to this thing by now. However, The Last Guardian is still slated for a 2016 release, and it seems as though the development team are just ironing out the bugs now to make sure that the game is what they want it to be.
While some of my posts are very old, and I wrote them long before I started to dedicate myself to this blog and practicing my craft more. I'd say that it still counts.
Either way.
I've been writing on this blog consistently for a while now, and I'm really proud of myself for doing so. It is not the most popular blog on the internet, and most of my personal friends forget that I even write this blog. However, that doesn't stop me from doing so. I really enjoy writing. It's my passion, and I know that there is room for improvement. Practice makes perfect, as they say, so I like to keep on writing. It's important to me that I do so, because I don't want to lose whatever edge that I've spent so much time developing. I kind of feel like a character in an MMO, where I am frequently told that only I can save the world, but there are seventeen thousand other characters of the same class who follow the same quest line and get told the exact same thing, and we all follow the same missions that can "change the tide of battle", but it doesn't make a difference one way or the other. It just feels kind of pointless at times, but whatever. I'm still having fun doing this.
There are lots of times when I don't update my blog, and I get pretty upset about it. At the end of the day, I just have to shrug it off. I missed a day. It isn't the end of the world. Besides, it isn't as though I can't update again, or write on a day that isn't when I had planned to write. Inspiration can strike at anytime, and that's when I like to write.
Often times, it does seem rather fruitless to continue to write on this blog, especially when I do such a poor job of sharing it around, but I like doing it. I play so many video games, and in reality they don't help me to get anything accomplished, but I have enjoyed myself. I just want to be happy at the end of the day, and if I can feel accomplished by making a blog post, or by playing some video games, then that should be enough. It's kind of difficult to be an adult these days. There's a lot of things that stress me out. I battle depression on a regular basis, and I'm only just making it by financially. Yet, there are still things that I can do to just be happy.
Happiness is a concept that we learn about when we are very young. At some point along the way, probably during school, we forget about being happy. We start to take ourselves seriously. We have responsibilities, and deadlines, and all of these things that stress us out. More often than not, we're worried, and we're just doing okay. It's difficult for us to say that we're happy. I love my video games, and I love this blog. I like spending time with people I care about, and I like having fun. It's kind of sad that I have to make time for those things, but it's really important that I do, because I should be happy. We all should. I don't think that it's worth working all the time, so that I can have money, so that I can work more, so that I can get more money, so that I just end up staying in this vicious cycle that doesn't leave any time for myself, or the things and people that I care about. Even the Bible says to keep the Sabbath holy. In other words: take a day off. Treat yourself. Enjoy life. Because so many of us are just existing. I know that I am. I have to fight to break that monotony of rhythmic routine. That's why I like video games. That's why I like writing. That's why I like spending time with other people. Because it breaks that routine where it becomes mind numbing.
I may have rambled for this post, but it felt good to do so. I know that life is difficult, and that it's hard to see the bright side sometimes, but also, we have to make the bright side. There's probably something that you can do today to make yourself just a little bit happier. Go be happy. It isn't childish. It isn't silly. It's something that we all need, and we all deserve.
I intend to keep on writing this blog, whether you read it or not, because it makes me happy, and I like doing it.
Streaming service Crunchyroll recently announced that Funimation has entered into a partnership with them. This means that Funimation shows that premiere in Japan will be available the next day on Crunchyroll. Other Funimation anime will also be available on Crunchyroll, such as Cowboy Bebop and Psycho Pass.
Crunchyroll is basically the Netflix of anime, and has a huge selection of shows to watch. Crunchyroll also offers the viewing of new anime that is released the day after it premiers in Japan, so anime lovers can stay current with all of the new anime that comes out. It's also a good way to support the official release, and makes it easier to get your hands on professional and official English dubs of anime without having to scour the darker corners of the Internet.
There have been a lot of takedowns by Nintendo of fanmade content. Namely Pokemon Uranium and AM2R (a full remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus).
On the other end of the spectrum, a fan made a Sonic game called Green Hill Paradise. Instead of making a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), Sega decided to let it ride. The Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account further punctuated this by posting this:
Sonic has even gone so far as to bring fans on to help develop future games such as Sonic Mania.
Personally, I think that Sega doing things right by letting fans continue to let their creations stay up for others to enjoy. Nintendo is well within their right to take down fan creations for the sake of protecting their properties. However, I, along with many other fans, would like to see these games available for everybody else to take a look at. Especially since there hasn't been a new proper Metroid game since Metroid Fusion. After all, Nintendo is one of the most influential game companies of all time. I think that they should be honored that so many people are paying tribute to them by making these games. While I may be unfamiliar with the laws of copyright and DMCA, I still feel as though Nintendo is being a bit too harsh with these takedowns.
Bethesda had announced that there will not be mod support for their games on the Playstation 4, but not of their own volition. Sony did not approve of allowing mods for both Fallout 4 and the upcoming Skyrim Remaster. In a post on Bethesda.net, the company revealed that Sony themeselves were responsible for this prevention.
"After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.
Like you, we are disappointed by Sony’s decision given the considerable time and effort we have put into this project, and the amount of time our fans have waited for mod support to arrive. We consider this an important initiative and we hope to find other ways user mods can be available for our PlayStation audience. However, until Sony will allow us to offer proper mod support for PS4, that content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on PlayStation 4 will not be available.
We will provide an update if and when this situation changes."
This seems similar to what happened with the original Skyrim on the PS3. While players on Xbox 360 and PC were enjoying the DLC packs that were released for Skyrim, Playstation 3 users did not get to experience them until the game of the year edition was released on store shelves. However, this is all just personal speculation. I think that Sony is making the wrong move here, especially when Bethesda has made an effort to make sure that the mod support for the PS4 versions of Fallout 4 and Skyrim would work on the console.
Sony held its Playstation Meeting today in New York where they made many announcement. One of those announcements was the official announcements of the rumored Neo, a higher powered version of the Playstation 4. The Playstation 4 Pro is basically what the Neo was, but now with the name of Pro.
With a new look, upgraded specs, and a 1 TB hard drive, the Playstation 4 Pro is a new generation of console generation within the current generation of consoles.
The Playstation 4 Pro will be released November 10th 2016.
Nintendo is slowly starting to make their presence known on the mobile market. Earlier this year, they released Miitomo. Today, during the Apple conference Nintendo announced Super Mario Run. The app is a simple one touch runner, where players collect coins and make their way to the flag at the end of the stage. Super Mario Run will also have a competitive mode where users can face off against friends and strangers from around the world and set high scores. The game will be released this Holiday 2016.
Over the weekend, Nintendo released their Nintendo Direct, a video containing new announcements and details of things to come from the company. While many were expecting more details on their upcoming console, the tentatively named "Nintendo NX", there were a lot of surprising announcements for their current handheld console: The 3DS.
Of course there was some more information about the new Pokemon Sun and Moon games coming out later this year. A new Mario Party game was announced. A new Picross game, and a few other digital games that will be available in the future. However, some of the more impressive announcements were the ports of some Wii U games to the 3DS.
Titles like Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Wooly World, and Pikmin. All of these games are available on the Wii U, but now they're available on the go. These aren't special editions, but rather, direct ports of these titles of Nintendo's console.
While I have a 3DS, I don't play it nearly enough. There are tons of great games out there for the handheld, and it looks like Nintendo is doing what they can to ensure that 3DS owners are getting the most out of their console. Having direct ports of Wii U games is great, because not everyone owns both a 3DS and a Wii U. Good on you, Nintendo.
Riot Games, creators of League of Legends and nothing else, just released a digital artbook that folks can look at and admire completely free. Entitled "The Art of League of Legends", it is a collection of concept, splash, and alternative designs of the champions of League of Legends. While not a fan of the game, I still really appreciate all of the effort that goes into the design of League of Legends characters. Riot Games is a studio that is driven by passionate people, who care deeply about their community and the game that they are creating. By releasing this art book to the general public for free, that's just one way of showing the fans that they care. So have a look at The Art of League of Legends.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Duke Nukem 3D, and to celebrate: Gearbox (developers of Borderlands and Duke Nukem Forever) are releasing a remastered version of the original Duke Nukem 3D along with eight whole new levels. These new levels are created by a team of developers who worked on the original game back in 1996. Allen Blum III and Richard "Levelord" Gray return as level designers for the new chapter, and Lee Jackson returns as well to compose the music. Of course Jon St. John reprises his role as Duke.
Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour will have a swap-able graphics mode between HD and the original, not unlike the Halo: Combat Evolved remaster. Plus, the game will include developer commentary, so players can get a look into what goes on behind the scenes.
Personally, I think that Duke Nukem is old hat, and needs to be thrown out along with the rest of the machismo trash that this game inspired. Duke's portrayal of masculinity is absurd, and most likely intended as a joke, but this kind of humor just doesn't land anymore. I feel as though video games have matured beyond this. Not just with the inclusion of more playable female characters, but in their storytelling and world building. I know that there are a lot of fans of Duke Nukem 3D out there who are probably shaking their heads at me for saying that we need to do away with Duke, but I stand by it.
Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour is released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC October 11
Niantic, creators of Pokemon GO, have officially announced the new buddy system for their game. This was rumored for a while due to the efforts of some data miners from around the Internet. The Buddy System is said to unlock "unique in-game rewards and experiences". This will include players receiving additional candy for their buddy Pokemon.
This feature will be represented by having your buddy Pokemon appear alongside your trainer avatar. Niantic also said that buddy Pokemon can be swapped out at any time.
This is great news, as players might not always get that Pokemon that they were looking for. In my experience, I got to choose one of the three starter Pokemon, and have yet to find another of its kind to trade in and level up the original. Having a Buddy System in place like this will allow for me and other players to walk around and regularly earn rewards for my preferred Pokemon. While there has not been a date announced as to when this new system will be in place Niantic said that it was "right around the corner". I'm looking forward to going on some more Poke-walks in the future.
On August 30th 2016, many YouTube content creators had their videos struck with notifications of their videos having monetization removed. The reason being: YouTube had rephrased their policies to allow for advertisers to better allow themselves to flag videos for inappropriate content. However, the list of reasons and topics that are considered "not advertiser friendly" cover the gamut of things that are in pretty much every YouTube video ever.
This image was posted on PhillyD's Twitter, and it highlights the reasons for some of his videos having their advertising being removed. In a video that PhillyD posted on the day of the policy clarification, he discusses the concerns that he had about the changes. PhillyD is one of YouTube's earlies content creators, as he mentions in the video, and he has only been flagged roughly twelve times during the course of the ten years that he has been consistently making videos on YouTube. However, because of this new rephrasing of YouTube policy, that number has doubled.
YouTubers make their money from advertising revenue. If they can no longer have advertisements on their videos, they can no longer make money. This is obviously a problem for the individuals who have made their living from said advertiser revenue.
For a YouTuber like PhillyD to have his monetization pulled for "controversial or sensitive subjects" is worrisome. I, myself, watch a lot of Youtube, and a lot of them technically violate these newly reworded policies. While these are not new policies according to YouTube, they have just been reworded so that advertisers can flag videos that they deem not appropriate for their advertisements and have a more clear reason for doing so. These flags are brought up by the advertisers, and not users, which is a good thing. However that probably wouldn't stop a group of people from flagging a video themselves, and complaining to the advertisers to take down their advertisement. This is the tactic that #gamergate used a few years ago. However, those people wouldn't even have to do that because of things like AdBlock, which removes nearly all forms of advertisements that help YouTubers make money. While their are other ways for these content creators to make money, with things like merchandise, Patreon, and donations from their respective communities, this is still a problem. Not everyone can afford to give money regularly, or even afford merchandise. The best way for them to support their favorite YouTubers is to simply watch their videos, and let the YouTube algorithm sort out how much money goes to that creator.
