Snap Judgement: Prey

Snap Judgment articles are meant to be just a really quick snap shot of a game after playing for several hours.  As a parent I don't get a ton of time to game but still want to get my impressions of newer and older titles out there.  Take a look and let me know of any games you'd like to see in the future on these

Prey

If I had to sum up Prey very simply put I would say 'tense'.  From the beginning of the game the atmosphere and the tone of the game makes itself very apparent.  Not since the first Bioshock has a environment and setting for a game presented itself in a way that it feels very integral to the game itself.  Prey actually makes me feel trapped on the station and it helps ratchet up the tension of the game.  Add in limited ammo, supplies, and enemies that can literally jump out at you from anywhere and you have got a game that get your heart racing in all the best ways.

Arkane studio does what it does best with this game and that is player freedom.  Just like there Dishonored games before it, Prey gives you a fantastic set of tools to add to your tool belt and lets you go out and attack the game from any angle.  Need to sneak into a office but cant unlock the door.  Use a power and turn your self into a coffee cup to roll through the open window.  That doesn't sound good?  Try getting out your crossbow that shoots plastic nerf arrows and shoot it through that same open window to hit the control panel to unlock the door.  Large crate blocking your way into a room?  Use the un-lockable skills to make yourself into a superhuman who can lift it out of the way.  Or use a grenade that sucks in anything not nailed down and turns stuff into itty bitty cubes for you to use in crafting.  The possibilities it presents are astounding.

Only being about 5-6 hours into the game the story has only started to take shape but it feels very much in the spirit of System Shock or Bioshock.  And the aliens were trying to stop are pretty creepy in there own right.  The Mimics can do just that, mimic anything around.  So if you see 2 coffee cups on a table you might start smashing things with your trusty wrench just to make sure you are not going to get jumped from behind.  The Phantoms are quick and can take you out very quickly if your not careful.  They are also smart.  If you have a turret setup to try and help take them out they will knock that over first before trying to go after you.

Overall I am enjoying the game and looking forward to sitting down and really sinking some time into it.  If it sounds like something you might enjoy there is a free Demo of the first hour of the game up on PS4 and Xbox One to check out.  Well worth your time.

Score:  4 mimics out of 5

Nintendo Switch: The Hype is Real!

When Nintendo started to slowly trickle out info on there Project NX I was super skeptical of everything that was leaking.  Could Nintendo get its groove back after the Wii U?  Would the people come flocking back to the a company that they felt had abandoned them to pursue cheap gimmicks and a larger fan-base?  I feel like that Nintendo answered a lot of those questions last week when they blew the doors off the machine.

There is a pocket of people out there that still think that Nintendo has gone with a gimmick to try and sell consoles.  What I see is a brilliant concept that has a wide appeal and goes after a group that Sony and Microsoft are not targeting.  Now let me say this.  Nintendo is never going to win in a horsepower war with the PS4 and the Xbox One especially with the new Pro and project Scorpio coming out.  But with the switch they don't really need to.  They have gone after a group of people who are used to playing games on there smart phone and when they get ready to go somewhere they can just take it with them.  Your in the middle of a great part of Zelda Breath of the Wild but you need to pop out the door and go to work.  Easy just grab your Switch from the dock and go.  Your kids do not want to quite playing Mario Kart but you do not want to be late for Soccer Practice grab the switch and let them play in the car on the go.

This concept of a hybrid home/mobile console has lots of potential.  I mean look at all the 3rd party company's that are excited to be working with Nintendo again.

Now compare that to who was working with Nintendo at launch for the Wii U.

I think there is a good story there.  It shows that the 3rd party guys are willing to tap into this new market.

Overall I am sold 100% on the switch.  I have one reserved and ready to start playing on March the 3rd!  I'm making the Switch are you?

Forza Horizon 3 Demo Impresssions

Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of racing games and the king among them is the Forza series.  Ever since the Horizon brand debuted though there is something different about this series. Motorsport is all about the full simulation Horizon has always been about the fun of driving, and Horizon 3 looks to continue this trend.
 Where

This picture was taken on my game.  It makes me want to spend more time taking pictures than playing the game.

First thing to say about this game though is that is breathtakingly gorgeous.  A lot of news articles and interviews have talked about how Playground games models its sky's and man if it does not show in the final product.  The sky in the game reminds you of the perfect summer day (except when it rains and even then it still looks great).  The different environments in the game all look so good you may want to pack your bags and head to Australia to see the real thing.

Oh and lets not forget the cars!  In the demo you start off in the cover car, the Lamborghini Centenario and boy is it a fun one to drive.  You switch off quickly between a off road vehicle for a quick drive down the beach splashing through surf as you drive.  Then your off to your first showcase where your racing in a four wheel off road buggy against a Jeep.... carried by a helicopter.  These races were some of the highlights with the other Horizon games and this one looks to keep up the insane races.

Little touches I loved about this one quickly show in the demo.  For starters the game asks you to select your avatar and your name from a list (somehow the demo defaulted to my name.  It was only a little creepy at first).  Plus you can personalize your plates for the car this time.  With the promise of you running the festival this time there will be a lot more customizing and I have a feeling a lot more of challenging your friends.

All in all if the demo is a good indication of where this game is heading I can easily see me losing several hours to this game as I have the previous Forza Horizon games.  Put this one on your radar and try the demo for yourself.  I have a feeling its going to be a great ride.

Ernest's E3 Predictions

Its almost upon us.  E3 will begin this Sunday when EA will kick everything off with the first press conference this year.  I love making E3 predictions almost as much as I like watching the show.  So with that in mind here are a few of my E3 predictions this year.

This game looked good on last gen.  Imagine how this will look on the new systems

1.  Bethesda announces Skyrim Remastered

This one is almost written on the walls.  Bethesda began its Fallout 4 development by porting Skyrim to next gen consoles to learn the systems.  So having a game that people still love almost ready to go seemed to scream money.  My hope is that they release a upgraded version with all the DLC and maybe even Mod support for the Xbox One and PS4 and the cherry on the cake.  Its available in the next month.  Its a great way for people to play some Elder Scrolls while we wait for the next installment.

Yacht Club knows old School

2.  Battletoads!

I think this is the year we will get a new Battletoads game.  With the release of the Rare Replay last year people got to play the classic games, now lets hit them with something new.  However I think this will be produced by Rare but the guys at Yacht Club Games will be the be the ones who are making it.  The brains behind the amazing 8 bit adventure Shovel Knight have already proven they love old school game design and even had the Battletoads in the Xbox version of the game.  This one could be a huge summer digital title.

Just more of this please Rockstar

3.  Red Dead Redemption 2

I know this is pretty much one of the worst kept secrets in gaming right now and all signs point to something soon but a part of me hopes that Rockstar shows up at a press conference and just says 'Lets show you what were working on' drops a trailer with a October release date and leaves it just like that.  Leave us salivating wanting more and then do your own thing after the show.  Red Dead Redemption was one of the best games of the last generation and a sequel has some big shoes to fill but we all know the guys at RockStar can pull it off.

4.  Ubisoft announces a new Splinter Cell game

Its been almost 3 years since the last time we saw Sam Fisher.  It seems like this would be a good time to announce a new Splinter Cell.  Whatever they say about the game they better put Mercs vs Spy's back in the game.  That type of online multiplayer just does not exist anymore.  It could be the announcement at the end of the Ubisoft show as there 'One last thing' that they have become known for.  

5. EA blows the doors off Mass Effect Andromeda

I think EA learned from Bethesda and Fallout 4 last year.  People loved the info blowout and deep dive into that game and then that hype pretty much carried them to release day.  I'm not sure EA will dump that much info but I'm thinking we will see more than we are anticipating and then we will have radio silence from them until after the holidays.  Give us as much gameplay and mechanics now and then focus heavy on the story later this year.

So there you have it.  Some of these are wishful thinking and some of them have some evidence out there supporting it.  What do you guys think?  What are some of your predictions or things you think we will see.  Let us know in the comments section.

The Old Man and the eSports

So last week I watched a pair of fascinating documentarys about eSports called All Work All Play and Free to Play(more on this to come later in a review).  I have heard of this mythical realm where people playing video games pack sports arena's all over the world.  These players are treated like rock stars akin to sports icon's.  The biggest question I walked away with still was 'Where was all this when I was growing up?'


In all honesty I've always thought eSports were going to be a fad and its 15 minutes would be over before we know it.  However its stuck around and grown in popularity.  Last year over 71 million people watched eSports.  Thats a huge number when you think that just last week Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals raked in the largest cable audience ever at 15.9 million viewers.  In contrast the finals for the League of Legends World Championship last year had 36 million unique user's viewing it over the internet.  That number is expected to grow this year.  Were seeing more big name sponsers get involved with eSports teams.  There are big names that are investing in these teams now including Shaquille O'Neal and Alex Rodriquez just to name a few.

So where does someone who knows nothing about the big games in eSports start?  I've always been the type of person to just dive right in and learn by doing and watcing.  I plan on starting a weekly column about the things I learn and my experiences of diving into this world.  The first question I have is which game will I invest my time in?  Thats where I turn to you guys.  Should I start off by jumping into League of Legends or DOTA 2.  These 2 games are the big dogs in the world of eSports it seems like and have the biggest crowds.  Let me know what you think and I will get started on a newbies perspective in this exciting new world of video games.

Review: Overwatch

In multiplayer the first person shooter genre is filled with veritable titans of the industry like Halo and Call of Duty that absolutely nail the mechanics of what they are attempting. In fact this perspective and type of game is filled to brimming with high quality experiences, so much so that it makes it very difficult to make a game that can stand with those titans with any sort of longevity. It’s fitting then that out of the ashes of a game called Titan itself rose Overwatch, because it does indeed stand head and shoulders with, and in my opinion surpasses, those experiences. Overwatch is quite simply the most fantastic multiplayer online experience I’ve ever had. 

ExtraordiNERDly Gentleman go to the Movies

Hey there everyone.  Your Nerdly gentleman are back from the movies and boy do we want to talk about it.  We decided to record a podcast and talk about the comic book movies that came out this year so far.  Which ones were grand slams and which ones left us disappointed.  Me and Adam talk about what summer movies have us excited and I also gush about Benedict Cumberbatch.

Take a listen and let us know what you think and comment below.

Special thanks for Trevor Lentz for the music.  Check his work out at 

http://soundcloud.com/trevor-d-lentz