Return To Yamatai

There is literally no describging how bored I am these days with no major video game release in sight. Having Given up on my quest for the Watch Dogs Platinum Trophy (thank you stupid drinking mini games) and being disguested by the Battlefield Hardline Beta, I decided to finish Tomb Raider Definitive Edition on my PS4.

I had already played and quite enjoyed the reboot back when it launched last year but I never fully explored the world. After countless headshots and counter jab kills I finally finished the campaign after which I decided to go back and get all the collectibles; It wasn't until then that I realized how beautiful this game truly was. The once hostile Island was now a serene expanse of jungles and peaks just waiting to be explored. I took my time combing over every inch of each zone exploring areas I hadn't even noticed before; which to be honest is understandable, I mean how much can i explore when I'm being shot at and chased by wolves right? 

Completing the campaign and exploring the Island are two completely different experiences, and while the combat is enjoyable and the QTE's give you some heartstopping moments; the post game is how Tomb Raider is truly meant to be enjoyed. Revisiting area's gives you a new perspective because now you actually have the time to take in the sights and enjoy where you are. Places like the mountain peaks or the starting jungle with the wolves, that were once hostile and honestly speaking gave me a lot of grief are now calm and beautiful. Sure they bring back memories of some harrowing times, but its worth it. Besides, thing's tend to look better when you're not being shot at and there's no crazy hurricane brewing. The tomb raiding aspect of the game is much more enjoyable post game, as compared to stumbling across a tomb while trying to evade enemies. Even though most of the tomb's where fairly easy, they were quite fun. Some of the game's unlockable challenges are often overlooked during the campaign and now you have the time and freedom to go about them at your own pace, with bright skies all around of course. It makes for a more cheerful and enjoyable experience. 

Safe to say this should keep me occupied for a few more days until Valiant Hearts releases. 

Battlefield Hardline : WTF

So I had a chance to get on EA's latest shooter, Battlefield Hardline during the limited Beta on PS4. Honestly speaking the game is extremely disappointing and is so not what players expect from a battlefield game. The growing focus on closed quarters combat and kills over objectives is destroying the once great franchise.

Here's a some gameplay commentary of the new game mode Bloody Money.

Gotta Catch Em All : Google Pokemon Challenge

So when PSN pretty much ruined what was supposed to be an epic night of gaming, the unlikeliest of heroes stepped in to save the day. I'm talking about Google and their Pokémon challenge of course. What was supposed to be an April Fool’s day prank has swept the world in what has to be one of Google's most successful campaigns.

Basically the whole map is riddled with some of the franchise's most iconic Pokémon and you must capture all 150 Pokémon to become a 'Pokémon Master'. While of course there is no actual job opening, this was probably the most interesting user engagement campaigns in a long time. Of course Google gets so much more user data than they would have otherwise and it’s a great little (massive) promotion for Pokémon. 

However what I loved about the campaign is that it turned the internet into a nicer place, even if it is only for one day. So many folks out their posting locations, helping each other and collaborating on their Pokémon journey; it was quite a surprise to be honest. I myself spent 5 hours last night helping folks find some of the rarer Pokemon. Unfortunately, despite being up till about 5 am I couldn't quite get 150, still about 45 short but I might give it another go later tonight. Do let me know if you need a little help.

If you're interested here are a few location tips with images. Other than these you should check out Sydney, There are a ton over there! Don't forget to explore the entire island for Tortuga bay, and do check out Stanford, Harvard, NYU, MIT, CERN and places similar to those. Hope this helps.

        

300: Rise of an Empire

So I managed to catch the new 300 movie after what was probably the worst meal of all time at Johnny Rocket's(seriously, do NOT go to the India stores, they are horrible.).

Food aside, I went into the movie with a blank slate and came out more or less satisfied. If you're going for a film like 300 and expect stellar acting, brillliant writing and strong characters; you need your head checked. The movie fails horribly in those departments, but you know what? its ok. A movie like 300 is all about the action and in this case some pretty slick 3D and this movie delivers in style. While the characters are nowhere as strong and memorable as the one's in the the first 300 movie they get the job done. They deinitely look the part, but thats about it.

The action sequences in the movie are absolutely amazing. Some wicked sound effects coupled with 3D sword fights and folks going all matrix on the battlefield is really enjoyable. Despite the fact that the blood looked like 'thick expired ketchup' the action scenes still look amazing. Most of the movie revolves around Naval combat and some of the manoeuvres are pretty cool and looks freat with the 3D. This is one of the few movies where I genuinely enjoyed the 3D effects and its great to see people are finally doing it well compared to the horse sh*t we were subject to just a few years ago.

It has set up quite an exciting finale with one hell of a battle lined up for the final installment of the film. Though I am curious to see whether or not they will explore a romantic arc between Themistokles and Queen Gorgo, unlikely but then again might just add an interesting element to the mix with some more crazy 2v2 fighting scenes.

A Look At Robocop (2014)

When you hear the word reboot it's natural to assume the movie will blow, past experiences have shown time and again that reimagination of a classic doesn't always yield good results. However of late they have done a pretty decent job expecially with the new Spiderman (yes I really like it, though in all honesty anything can be better the two movies that preceded it) even though its strictly not a reboot per se, but that's a discussion for another time. I'm here to talk about Robocop.

I caught literally the last show of the day at 11 30 at night and to my genuine surprise the movie theatre was empty when we walked in, literally. Even the attendant wasn't in the hall. There were a total of 3 people including tanks(my friend) and myself. Goes to show the sad state of affairs when it comes to english movies in Delhi/Gurgaon at least, if not all of India.

Now I know most people were sceptical about the reboot with all the shiny robots and whatnot but trust me its ok; you know what they say 'if the shoe fits, wear it'. The movie started off on a wicked note with the surprise inclusion of a slightly tweaked version of the Original Theme, gave me goosebumps. Though I was sad not to hear more of it throughout the movie. When looking at this remake you need to understand 2 basic things; 1- Movies are made to make money. In this day and age PG 13 will sell more than an Rated M movie, despite those 'limitations' Robocop does a pretty good job and has its fair share of action. 2- More importantly you need to realize this reboot serves as a base for future additions to the series and as such is laying the foundation for Murphy and his new life. At times the movie is a little slow so to speak with a few awkward scenes when he tries to reconnect with his family after his 'procedure'. These are extremely important in his character development and in understanding the changes he is going through. They set up rest of the movie and build up his character to one you try and relate to by the end. If you have played the new Tomb Raider you will understand how putting in elements to help viewers/players relate to the protagonist is important for them to get really immersed in the what they are seeing.

I quite enjoyed the movie and to be honest I don't know what all the fuss is about. Sure it wasn't as gory but hey its still a good movie. Look at the movie for what it offers and how well it does that rather than what it could have or should have done. The only real complaint I have with the new Robocop is how his mobility at times seems too fluid for folks who have been used to the original movies. Sometimes he's a little clunky but in battle he goes all acrobatic in a few scenes and it throws you off to say the least. Other than that I think the reboot was good and really goes to show that not all reboots are bad.

Ps: Samuel L Jackson was awesome!

Road To Comic Con India 2014

With Comic Con India just 2 days it's not surprise that I am still struggling to finish my costume. It looks like things are finally coming together but as always it's going to be a sprint to the finish.

Every year, the day after comic con i pretytmuch decide what I want to do the next year but laziness gets the better of me and I usually don't start working until mid January(shame on me, I know). This year however I was stuck deciding between two possible cosplays; Link and Cloud. I finally went with Cloud because I liked his sword way too much. I originally wanted to make the First Tsurugi but I went with his Buster sword he gets from Zach. At first I wasn't sure how it was going to come out but this thing is a work of art. I could not be happier. I went with a wooden hilt and a lighter

wood board for the blade to make it more 'manageable', but its still quite heavy, at least for my measly arms. You get only a sneak at the sword, BEFORE the finishing touches. The final product is a surprise.

The two components I ran into problems with were the wig and shoulder pad. The wig, ordered from China arrived TODAY despite being ordered almost a month ago just hours after a bought a replacement one from Delhi itself. But hey now I have two and that's never a bad thing! The replacement wig might just end up on a Super Saiyen outfit in the near future, I'll keep you posted.

The shoulder pad however was much more difficult. After striking out online and being turned down by a dozen metal workers I decided to try and make it myself. I went with PoP( the stuff they make a cast out of) and I'm quite happy with the result. I still need to cut it and and finish off some of the edges but the PoP has given a nice rugged look which I really really like. My clothes are almost ready, with only a few finishing touches needed, I might just be done in time this year! Comic Con India is always exciting and this year promises to be no less, I can't wait! Might post a sneak peak of the costume the night/morning before.

I also have a new Facebook Page where I will regularly post updates and stuff so you can stay tuned.

Peace

Upwards and Onwards

After 2 succesful seasons things seem to be looking good for my FUT. Now I ran into some problems with my formation not too long after I started which resulted in a shift to a more traditional 4 man back line with 1 CDM.

Now I have a solid line up and after 2 sucecsful campaigns and titles I am moving up nicely. I did run into a couple of Assh*les who just stepover every 3 seconds and chip the ball but apart from 1 bad loss I managed to keep up with most of them. I've only lost 4 games so far and have also recoreded a massive 12-1 victory!

Finally Trying FUT

I've been playing FIFA for as long as I can remember, however I never really got into FIFA Ultimate Team. Ever since I got my PS4 I've been playing a lot of the 'Next Gen' FIFA 14 but honestly it doesnt really offer anything too different. I got a little bored of playing Career mode over and over again so I finally decided to try FUT.

I've heard my friends bitch a lot about folks just 'abusing' glitches or imbalances in the game and spamming a particular play style in FUT. I hope to play with a style that suites me but at the same time is a little competitive. Speed and Strength seem to be the only important attributes that players online value, I'm going to try and prove them wrong. I do prefer a fast paced approach but my lack of FIFA skills (I'm not particularly good) will make this a good challenge. So far I have managed to go toe to toe with teams much better than mine solely because they cannot completely counter my play style as I dont particularly have one; I keep all my options open. Though shutting down my formation does throw a wrench in my plans. The fact that I am in India and do suffer from a considerable amount of lag from time to time does indeed stack the odds against me especiall when coupled with my lack of FIFA skills. But things seem to be going good so far with my BPL squad. I do intend to buy a few Packs down the road but I will try to stick to a low budget squad that I hope can really stand up to the Pace Wh*res in FUT. Check out my small little video on my FUT journey so far.

Ooh Shiny: Techonological Advancement In Dont Starve

So I learnt quite a bit in a few hours of Don't Starve and that has exponentially increased my chance of survival. Getting your basic resources sorted out first is a must if you are to have any chance of surviving in the game. I like to find an open area with resources in close proximity where i usually set up what i call 'Home Base'.

Becoming Self sustaining in terms of food is of utmost important as the game's name suggests that is how you are most likely to die. I like to dig up some berry bushes and get a basic farm going where I get a regular supply of food from. As the Video shows i have msot of my basic needs covered and am ready to explore more as i venture into uncharted territory. However soon after I was finished with uploading my latest commentary video (Below) where I was all set with a nice food supply to go with a science machine and Alchemy Engine thigns took a rather unexpected turn. As night fell right after I signed off on the video i started to hear strange noises and thne out of nowhere freaky Hounds came out of the darkness and tore me to bits.

Sucks, I know. But at least I got to learn something out of it. Everytime you die and end a game you gain some 'xp' which unlocks the other characters My next playthrough will be with my newly unlocked character who comes with new abilities and stuff which is great as it offers many different styles of playing. Stay tuned for more! 

My First Video Commentary: 1 Day in Dont Starve

So I've been working my way up to this and we're finally here. My first Video commentary from my PlayStation4. Its ridiculosu that this entire process took me little over 3 hours between uploading to facebook, downloading from Facebook and uploading to YouTube. Sony needs to add a feature to directly upload this stuff, either that or Airtel really needs to give me better internet. Its laughable that the maximum speeds offered in my area are 2 mbps.

Anyways, so the video is finally up and its not all that great but hey, you gotta start somewhere right? The Voice over is a bit poor because A) I'm sick, B) the PS4 headset is the worst thing conceived by man and C) I generally mumble when I have to talk n front of people. That's why I like my job, writing . Far Far away from people. Back to the point. I'm really enjoying Don't Starve, I absolutely love survival games and this is right up there with some of my favourites. There's just so much to do and explore and I've just barely scratched the surfaec. I'm super excited and a little scared at what I'll find as I go on. You can be sure there will be more videos in the future. Hopefulyl I'll sound a lot better as I go on.

Taking Blacklight Retribution For A Spin

So as you might have guessed I can't get enough of my PlayStation 4. I've been fooling around with the Gameplay footage sharing and even though its a tiring process I'm getting stuff on YouTube slowly.

Finally got around to playing some Blacklight Retribution, the Free to Play shooter on PS4. Seems fun but I think its in BETA and needs stuff worked out. As you can see by the video the spawn hacking/killing is just ridiculous. Its too easy to tell where someone will turn up. I also noticed A LOT of microtransactions in the game and that's fine to be honest, they need to make their money somehow. Just hope its not another Pay to Win kind of game like Tribes Ascend. Man that was a horrible and thankfully short experience. In the future, Neo and I will think twice before looking around for games that aren't DayZ

First Day With My New PlayStation 4

I've never really been a PlayStation person but boy oh boy do I love my newPlayStation 4. It might be because all my other consoles are older and slower or just that I don't have the Xbox One, but I really don't care. Im happy with my purchase.

There aren't very many games, but I do like the PSN ones on offer and that's where I'm going to be spending most of my time. I'm really excited about being able to capture gameplay footabge, however getting it to youtube is a pain beucase it first uploads to facebook which takes foreer on my slow connection. I then have to download stuff from Facebook and Upload to Youtube. A pain in the a** but hey, you gotta do it. Until they add a direct Youtube upload feature, which I'm assuming is the next logical step.

Resogun is easily my favourite game so far, do check out Review as well. Cheers