fallout

All posts tagged fallout

My Top Games of the 10’s

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/30/2020

Posted in: Blogs. Tagged: 10's, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, a plague tale, alan wake, amnesia, arkham city, automata, batman, battlefield 1, battlefield 3, battlefront ii, bayonetta, bit.trip presents, black ops, blops, call of duty, castlevania, cod, crash bandicoot, dirt 3, doom, fallen order, fallout, far cry 3, firewatch, forza horizon 4, forza motorsport 7, future legend of rhythm alien, galaxy 2, gears of war 3, god of war, god of war iii, grand theft auto v, gtav, horizon, innocence, jedi, journey, last light, life is strange 2, lifeline, lords of shadow, maker 2, marvel's, metro, middle-earth, mk9, modern warfare, monument valley, mortal kombat, mortal kombat 11, mortal kombat x, n.sane trilogy, new vegas, nier, odyssey, overwatch, papers, please, portal 2, red dead redemption, red dead redemption ii, reignited trilogy, resident evil, resident evil 2, revelations, rocket league, runner 2, season 1, shadow of war, skyrim, soma, spider-man, spyro, star wars, starcraft ii, super mario, super meat boy, tamriel unlimited, tearaway, teso, tesv, the dark descent, the elder scrolls online, the elder scrolls v, the last of us, the lost legacy, the new colossus, the walking dead, the witcher 3, tomb raider, top 10, top 10 games, uncharted, until dawn, wild hunt, wings of liberty, wolfenstein ii, zero dawn. 1 Comment

Red Dead Redemption – 2010

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360
Score: 9.5/10

Red Dead Redemption kicked off the new decade with a bang and shook the entire gaming industry for years to come. It’s considered by some to be one of the greatest games ever made, maybe even the best game of that entire generation. Rockstar gave gamers a new setting but with the incredible detail they are well known for. Tight controls, great characters, a story that sucks you in, and just a beautiful world to be lost in. It was my game of the year for 2010 and for good reason.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent – 2010

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Mac – Switch
Score: 8.5/10

Amnesia pretty much started video game streaming. It was a huge phenomenon seeing people get scared of this game and for good reason. It was a terrifying game as it didn’t let you fight back and the monsters were insane and the atmosphere was always eerie. Exploring the mansion and solving puzzles was an incredibly memorable experience as it’s one of the scariest game ever made.

Fallout: New Vegas – 2010

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC
Score: 9.5/10

New Vegas took the world by storm and pleased haters of Fallout 3 with a deeper story, better quests, and better gameplay such as weapon mods. New Vegas was a brilliant game despite the dated engine it ran on and the numerous bugs that shipped with it. I have fond memories of this game as it was the first Fallout game I played on my new gaming laptop and my now wife stood in line for me at the midnight launch and won both raffles for an extra set of playing cards and a NCR T-shirt. The collector’s edition sits on my shelf to this day.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 2010

Wii

Super Mario Galaxy is one of my all time favorite games and my favorite Mario game. It just felt magical and had a whimsy to it that I hadn’t felt in years when playing a game. It was fun, addictive, beautiful, and perfect. Mario Galaxy 2 was more of the same, but that was a good thing. I was sad when the first game ended, but when this game came out I couldn’t wait to play it. I still had the same whimsical feeling I did when I played the first game and held up my expectations.

God of War III – 2010

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4
Score: 9.5/10

I remember the excitement leading up to this release. God of War is one of my top 10 gaming franchises, and I remember playing the demo multiple times and standing in line at midnight for the launch to pick up the collector’s edition. The buttery smooth 60FPS combat and next-generation visuals were a sight to behold in 2010. This was a juggernaut of a game and didn’t disappoint one bit. It remains one of the best games on PS3 and the remastered version is the best way to go these days.

Bayonetta – 2010

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC – Switch – Wii U
Score: 9/10

Bayonetta was a game no one saw coming. Platinum Games hadn’t really made a name for themselves yet and the game felt like another Devil May Cry rip-off. Boy were we wrong. I remember picking this up on launch day and being blown away by the visuals and the insane combat system. The game played so well and was so much fun with so much flash yet a lot of substance. Bayonetta quickly became the next video game icon with a sassy personality and sexy looks.

Alan Wake – 2010

Xbox 360 – PC
Score: 8.5/10

Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time, and my favorite game by Remedy. The gameplay itself is fresh and new with the flashlight mechanic mixed with guns. The story is interesting with great characters, and the entire game is set in rural Washington and Oregon which is a personal connection with me as I live near the areas where Alan Wake was inspired by (Snoqualmie, Washington). The atmosphere is tense and the game just feels unique.

Call of Duty: Black Ops – 2010

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC – DS – Wii – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

Black Ops was the start of a continued series of games that would soon become a pile of garbage, but the first game in the spin-off series was fantastic. Set in the Cold War, the story had some great scripted events, era specific weapons, and all new multiplayer suite with great maps and addictive gameplay we had grown to love. This remains in my top Call of Duty games list, and I wish it would be remastered already!

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – 2010

PC – Mac
Score: 9/10

StarCraft II was one of the most anticipated games of all time. Released almost 10 years after the original, it helped respark the RTS genre on PC, but also was met with backlash from hardcore fans. I personally loved it. It was what I wanted in an RTS game, simple gameplay, fun scenarios, great visuals, and a decent story. It was just a fun package all wrapped up into one, but also had a deeply competitive online community that I personally couldn’t get into. It remains one of my top RTS games of all time.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – 2010

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC
Score: 9/10

Lords of Shadow is probably the only good 3D Castlevania game in existence. Mercury Steam did a phenomenal job capturing the art and beauty of the series and gave us inspired gameplay from God of War. The combat was perfect, the visuals looked astounding, and the story and voice acting were amazing. Getting Patrick Stuart on board was great, and not to mention the heart wrenching twists and turns of the story. It’s a one of a kind game that just can’t, and hasn’t, been replicated.

Super Meat Boy – 2010

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – PC – Mac – Switch – Wii U – Vita
Score: 9.5/10

Super Meat Boy is a sadists best friend, and despite the insane gameplay, it had amazing tight controls, great visuals, and tons of humor and gore. It remains one of my favorite platformers of all time, and while I never actually finished the game, resetting the 100th time never felt too frustrating as I got a little further every time and completing the levels felt so good. The game also has a soundtrack that’s so good I listen to it to this day.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 2011

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC – Switch
Score: 9.5/10

Skyrim is by far one of the greatest games of all time. Some people think it’s boring, some think it’s too clunky, I say it’s grand and epic. Sure the game shipped with more bugs than probably any other game that to this day still haven’t been patched out, but it was the adventure that made it so memorable. With a great story, characters, and lore deeper than a well, there was something here for everyone. I personally spent countless hours modding this game on PC and even own the collector’s edition.

Gears of War 3 – 2011

Xbox 360
Score: 9.5/10

Gears of War 3 was the end of an era. Gears of War dominated the Xbox 360 since the launch of the first game. It was a mega blockbuster that couldn’t be stopped. With some of the greatest video game characters ever created, and a world that’s deeper than most shooters, Gears of War 3 looked great, perfected the series’ gameplay, and added some great online multiplayer modes.

Mortal Kombat – 2011

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC – Vita
Score: 9.5/10

This was one of the few games I was excited about for months before release. I picked up the collector’s edition and watched every trailer and video I could. I played the demo to death and owned it on nearly every system it was released for. It was the return of a juggernaut as MK had slipped into mediocrity during the PS1/PS2 era of consoles and has been unstoppable since. The return to 2D is just what the fans wanted and MK9 delivered.

Portal 2 – 2011

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

Portal 2 was so exciting because Valve rarely releases games, and everyone loves Chel and GLADOS, but the introduction of new characters like Wheatley was fun and were added to some of the greatest video game characters ever made. The addition of various gels, expanded levels, and new gameplay ideas made this a perfect game. Portal is one of my favorite games of all time, and remains one of the most unique puzzle games ever created.

Batman: Arkham City – 2011

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC – Wii U – Mac
Score: 9/10

The Batman games from Rocksteady are some of the best ever created. Arkham City is the best of the trilogy thanks to it’s perfect gameplay, and bringing the series into Arkham City itself and making it open world. The insanely clever Riddler puzzles, to the uniquely created Batman characters are just some of the best video game pieces ever crafted. I spent a good 45 hours on this game trying to get 100% of everything it was that good. To this day many games copy this series’ fighting system too.

Battlefield 3 – 2011

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC
Score: 9/10

Battlefield 3 change the game for online first person shooters. After being dominated solely by Call of Duty, many players wanted something new. Battlefield brought a slower paced shooter that felt like arcade like and was a smash hit. With fantastic maps, excellent gameplay, and using EA’s brand new Frostbite engine, Battlefield 3 took the industry by storm and even provided a decent single player campaign.

DiRT 3 – 2011

PlayStation 3 – Xbox 360 – PC – Mac
Score: 9/10

Dirt remains one of my favorite racing simulators to this day. It was accessible for console players, but was also a powerhouse for PC gamers. I actually completed Dirt 3 100% by finishing first in every single race, and I’ve never done that with a racing game since Gran Turismo 3. It was fun, exciting, had excellent physics and handling, and introduced some fun gameplay modes like Gymkhana, and not to mention top-notch visuals.

The Walking Dead: Season 1 – 2012

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – Vita – PC – Mac – Switch – iOS – Android
Score: 8.5/10

The Walking Dead and Telltales take on adventure games literally brought the genre back from the grave. The Walking Dead is one of my favorite games of all time and it’s all due to great writing, memorable characters, and the choices you make actually making a difference in the game. Yes, the series suffered many bugs and dated visuals, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying every bit of story I could absorb.

Journey – 2012

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – PC – iOS
Score: 9.5/10

Journey is by far one of the greatest indie game ever created. Not only was it a technical marvel in which Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3 team had to talk to thatgamecompany to figure out how they did sand displacement on the PS3, it was a magical adventure. Sure it was really short, but it was perfect. With a unique social aspect that allowed players to see each other but only communicate through calls, and not to mention a story that was told strictly through visuals, and a fantastic soundtrack that I listen to to this day. Journey is beautiful and a one of a kind ride.

Resident Evil: Revelations – 2012

3DS – PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – Switch – PC – Wii U
Score: 8.5/10

Revelations was the Resident Evil reboot everyone was asking for after Resident Evil 4. The over-the-shoulder third-person shooter action game is what sold fans over, and the fact that a new game debuted on the 3DS was a shock. The game had fantastic controls and put us back in the hands of Jill Valentine. The game took place on a boat, but had a useful map on the second screen, and had great 3D effects. It felt like a classic RE game and is one of the best in the series.

Far Cry 3 – 2012

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9/10

Far Cry may be a stale series these days, but it once was an open world masterpiece. Far Cry 3 mixed great open world gameplay with a fantastic story and one of the best video game villains ever created. It was fun, bombastic, and downright brutal and odd. It was made at the pinnacle of Ubisoft’s open world games, just before everyone got tired of them, and remains the best game in the series to date.

Metro: Last Light – 2013

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC – Mac – Switch
Score: 9/10

Last Light is by far the best game in the series due to the perfect balance of gameplay and story. The game still feels like a survival game with you scrounging for ammo and being scared of everything that moves. It was a nearly perfect shooters outside of a bunch of bugs, but it also was one of the most technically advanced games upon release. The Redux versions are superior these days, but Metro remains one of my favorite game series of all time.

Tearaway – 2013

Vita – PlayStation 4
Score: 9/10

Tearaway is one of Sony “artsy-fartsy” games that sets their systems apart from the rest. Media Molecule are masters of their craft, and Tearaway remains of the best Vita games on the system. Using every piece of the hardware in unique and interesting ways, Tearaway was an easy but very enjoyable adventure. It was short, but it left a smile on your face and a reason to be a Sony fan.

Papers, Please – 2013

Playstation 4 – PC – iOS – Mac – Vita
Score: 9.5/10

Papers, Please was a surprise to everyone. A game in which you stamp papers and compare facts across different notes and sheets of paper. How does this sound fun? It satisfied the OCD in all of us and it just so addictive. The story behind the game is interesting enough, and the various scripted events that play out on top of trying to balance out your income and not get fired is pure genius. The game has a unique art style and soundtrack and has become a cult favorite among many.

Grand Theft Auto V – 2013

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9.5/10

GTA V was not only the only GTA released this decade, but the best selling game of the entire decade as well. GTA V was an unstoppable juggernaut and still kind of is selling copies every single day. The game is just brilliant with perfected open world gameplay, great characters, a good story, and a huge online component. GTA V may have been rough when it first launched, but with better hardware and patches the game became a masterpiece. It’s one of the few games I can constantly play over and over again and always find something new.

The Last of Us – 2013

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4
Score: 9/10

The Last of Us was one of the last games to ring out the PS3. It looked fantastic, played well, and had a beautiful setting with memorable characters and a fantastic story. It’s one of Naughty Dog’s best games, and probably one of the top PlayStation games of all time. If you own a PlayStation console you must play this game as it’s one of the defining games for the platform.

Tomb Raider – 2013

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – Xbox One – PC – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

Tomb Raider is a game of a decade for sure as it rebooted a long running series that was sliding down hill fast. It’s also one of the most iconic game characters re envisioned into something more modern and respectable. Tomb Raider had familiar gameplay but it was all tied into an amazing package of amazing and groundbreaking visuals and character development. Tomb Raider was the first mainstream game to use hair physics among other graphical effects. I feel it has the strongest impact over the sequels as what it did helped remold open world games.

Bit.Trip Presents… Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien – 2013

PlayStation 3 – PlayStation 4 – Xbox 360 – PC – Vita – iOS – Wii U
Score: 9/10

Bit.Trip 2 is one of my favorite platformers of all time, and it’s all because of its addictive nature of timing. Rather than skill based off of how well you jump or how you control the character, Bit.Trip is an endless runner that require precise timing and memorizing the levels. This is a new form of excellent gameplay that I loved from the first game. The game features wacky visuals, fun characters, and smooth and tight controls. It’s a game I can play over and over and always have fun.

Monument Valley – 2014

iOS – Android
Score: 9/10

Monument Valley is one of the few mobile games that makes you want to play them. It’s a short puzzle game with great visuals and a beautiful soundtrack. The MC Escher style art and puzzles will make you think, and wish that the game never ended. The game is one of a kind and you can’t get anything else like it on other platforms. It left a big imprint on me and most other mobile games don’t hold a flame to this.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited – 2015

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Mac

TESO is by far my favorite MMO of all time. It’s not only an Elder Scrolls game, but after the abysmal launch the dev team did a 180 and crafted a beautiful and fun world to explore. The game constantly expands with nearly every province in Tamriel now available as of this writing with more to still come. The gameplay barrows from Skyrim a lot to make it feel familiar, but even playing by yourself, there’s so much to explore and the focus on dialogue and lore is just amazing. If you love stories and lore and characters, then this is a game to really pick up even if you have never played a TES game before.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 2015

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch

The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece, and a game you only get maybe once every 5 years. While The Witcher 2 was fantastic for its time, The Witcher 3 expanded on the already amazing world with top notch voice acting, writing, and a giant world to explore with unique quests and endless fun and things to keep you sucked in. While it has a steep learning curve, the game rewards players with intricate combat, great lore and characters, and hours of masterclass gaming.

Mortal Kombat X – 2015

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9.5/10

MKX helped push what MK9 in the same direction. With next-generation visuals and additional gameplay tweaks, great new characters, and upping the notch on the gore. I hadn’t been this excited for a game in a long time as well. I bought the Coarse collector’s edition and even bought all the beers that were released for the game. It remains a favorite among fans, but also the start of a possible new cycle of MK games that may require a reboot soon.

Rocket League – 2015

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

Rocket League is by far one of the most fun games I’ve played this decade. It’s just pure and simple fun. I can play this game anytime, any day, for a few minutes or several hours. There’s something that just works here. Cars batting around a giant ball is something I never thought would work. As the game continues new items are added with customizing cars being a ton of fun and unlocking new items is exciting. This game will always remain one of my favorite online games of all time.

Soma – 2015

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Mac
Score: 9/10

Soma isn’t just another adventure game by the guys behind Amnesia. This game had a story that rocked my core and has to be one of the best video game stories I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. While the gameplay is similar to other horror adventure games, the visuals and art style are just phenomenal, along with the voice acting and writing. I was glued to my seat and didn’t want to put the game down. The story was so intense and the twist at the end just blew my mind.

Until Dawn – 2015

PlayStation 4
Score: 9/10

Until Dawn helped push the PS4’s exclusive library and prove it was the system to win this generation. With amazing visuals, great voice acting, and an interesting enough to story to keep players going, Until Dawn was a fun adventure game with slasher horror elements, and with choices that mattered. It was so much fun to play that I didn’t want to put it down until it was over. It remains one of my favorite PS4 games.

Lifeline – 2015

iOS – Android – PC – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

Lifeline is one of the few mobile games that were unique and memorable to me. A text based adventure isn’t something you think you would see on this list, but the game did things so differently and had an incredibly amazing story. Being stranded in space has always been a fascinating thing to me and the psychological aspects of it. Lifeline digs exactly into that with a stranded astronaut sending you messages, and in real time you have to wait for him to reply. Your choices help guide him to safety and the things he goes through is awful, yet engaging. There’s nothing else like it out there.

Firewatch – 2016

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch – Mac
Score: 8.5/10

Another adventure game to add to the list. Firewatch is just told very well and each set piece and event is done in a way that grabs you and has become one of my favorite adventure games of all time. Being stranded out in the middle of nowhere is another concept that fascinates me on the psychological side of it. It makes human do incredibly strange things, and Firewatch is a game that slowly digs into your psyche. It’s well told, and while the ending isn’t all that great, the journey leading up to had me playing through the end in one sitting.

Overwatch – 2016

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch – Mac
Score: 9.5/10

This game is by far one of my favorite multiplayer games of all time. The characters are memorable, and oddly enough became some of the biggest video game sex icons in history, and just has some really simple yet fun multiplayer action, but what sets this game apart from the others is each characters unique abilities and backgrounds. The maps are well done, the graphics are beautiful, and it’s a game I spent dozens of hours in and can still just jump into. There are always new characters being added and tweaks being made, but the characters is what really sells the game. Some of the best video game characters ever created bar none.

Battlefield 1 – 2016

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9/10

Battlefield desperately had to change things up. Everyone was tired of the yearly modern shooters, and ironically missed the WWII shooters of yore. Battlefield 1 came swinging with WWI stuff and had gripping mini-stories within its campaign and fantastic online multiplayer. It remains my favorite Battlefield game to this date and I enjoy the campaign every once in a while. The visuals were fantastic and is still a favorite among fans.

DOOM – 2016

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch
Score: 9/10

DOOM took the world by storm. It was a skeptical hype train, but once the game released it blew everyone’s minds. id Software had managed to recapture the magic of the original game in a new generation. The visuals were breaktaking, the gore and gameplay were there, the movement was fact paced and insane, it felt like classic Doom. There were plenty of secrets and something for everyone. It remains one of my favorite shooters of all time.

Forza Motorsport 7 – 2017

Xbox One – PC

Forza 7 perfects the series gameplay and adds a ton of cars and just gives us more of what we already love. Forza 7 remains the best console racing simulator and quickly has become one of the top PC racing simulators. I personally am still playing through this game with my racing wheel setup on PC, and is one of the game that made me want to invest in one. The handling is amazing, the visuals are astounding, and I can never get enough of it.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – 2017

PlayStation 4
Score: 8.5/10

Lost Legacy is probably my favorite Uncharted game story wise. The banter between Cloe and Zoe is just so amazing and I got hooked and sucked into the world more than the main games in the series. That’s not saying they were bad, but the writing is so tight and clever here and I loved the locales of this game. It was shorter than previous games, but I couldn’t put the game down thanks to the amazing voice acting and writing. It’s a slightly overlooked game that was overshadowed by Uncharted 4, but should be played by any PlayStation fan.

Nier Automata – 2017

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC

Nier Automata was a huge surprise as the first game wasn’t received very well. With amazing visuals, superb combat, and a wonderful art style and memorable characters, this was Platinum Games next magnum opus. They remain one of the greatest hack and slash developers of all time. Nier also created one of the biggest video game sex icons next to Overwatch. Google 2B and you will see what I mean. The 2B butt contest on Twitter probably didn’t help that either during development.

Star Wars Battlefront II – 2017

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC

Despite being one of the most controversial video games of all time, it quickly turned around by removing loot crates and has remained one of the best games in the Star Wars game universe. The game has a great single player campaign along with a constantly expanding multiplayer suite. It brings back memories of the original games on PS2 and holds up to that standard.

Super Mario Odyssey – 2017

Switch
Score: 10/10

Super Mario Odyssey is one simple word: Perfect. It’s the best Mario game ever made in my opinion, and is just pure simple fun. It looks great, players great, and each level and action Mario does is amazing. There’s so much to discover and do that I spent dozens of hours in this game and got lost, I never wanted to put the game down. It’s a testament of Nintendo’s game development that after all these years they can still make amazing games. There’s literally nothing like it out there.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – 2017

PlayStation 4

Horizon is a huge departure from Guerrilla Games’ usual Killzone outings, but it became one of the best game released this decade. The game featured a great story, characters, an a beautiful world that pushed the PS4 to its limits. I have yet to complete the game, but its deep combat, and no-so-easy approach to enemies means this isn’t your usual easier open world outing.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – 2017

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch
Score: 9/10

Wolfenstein II is one of the few shooters that provides a fantastic story and characters, and a great setting. With the Nazis having won WWII BJ and his crew are still trying to find a way to take down Hitler and his band of merry men. Classic Wolfenstein gameplay is in play with great level design and some tense scripted events. It remains one of the best shooters of all time.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy – 2017

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch

N. Sane Trilogy set the standard for video game remakes. We’ve had HD remasters and upgrades for over a decade and they were getting tiresome and not adding enough to these games outside of making them playable on newer systems. N. Sane Trilogy took three entire games and remade them from the ground up with new visuals, improved gameplay, and all the love but into the originals. Many games have followed suit and total remakes from the ground up are the best way to go.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War – 2017

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC

Shadow of Mordor was a new era of Lord of the Rings games. While the older ones from EA in the early 2000’s were considered nigh perfect, there wasn’t much since. Shadow of War introduced the fantastic fight system from the Batman: Arkham games and added an open world with amazing visuals, characters, and expanded lore. There was a lot to do here and it was the first game set in this universe that fully immersed the player. Shadow of War just did this and then some by perfecting what was already done and creating a better story.

Forza Horizon 4 – 2018

Xbox One – PC

Forza Motorsport is already one of the best console racing sims out there, but take that and add some arcade flair and you have one of the best arcade racing games in recent memory. Horizon 4 expands on Horizon 3 tenfold with more cars, better visuals, better wheel support, and fun new expansions. The open world racing has never been better and Horizon 4 remains some of racing fans greatest games of all time.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy – 2018

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch

Following Crash Bandicoot’s footsteps, Spyro was the next PlayStation classic to be remade from the ground up with love. While some fans didn’t like some gameplay changes in the game, it still remained in the pinnacle of video game remakes. With gorgeous visuals, refined controls, and three whole games wrapped into one, there is so much to love here.

Red Dead Redemption II – 2018

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC

Red Dead II is probably one of the most anticipated games of all time. While it feels very different from the first game, it’s slower paced, more realistic, and extremely heavy on survival aspects, it’s still a fantastic Wild West simulator with amazing visuals, great characters, well written dialog, and plenty to do and explore. Rockstar games are events and chapters in gaming history, not just releases.

God of War – 2018

PlayStation 4
Score: 10/10

God of War is by far, and most wouldn’t argue, the best game released for this generation cycle. It’s exactly what we all thought this generation would bring. Groundbreaking, breathtaking visuals, exciting cinematic gameplay, and not to mention, and entire reboot of one of Sony’s best franchises. The story is phenomenal, the gameplay is a blast, and while it’s short, there’s so much to explore and find. This is one game that every gamer is missing out and worth picking a PS4 up for.

Marvel’s Spider-Man – 2018

PlayStation 4
Score: 9/10

Spider-Man isn’t something you would think would be one of the best games on a PlayStation console. Being a Sony exclusive is a huge strategy move, and any fan of the hero is missing. This is one of the best games of this generation cycle, and on PS4. With amazing visuals, a huge sprawling world, and combat similar to the Batman: Arkham games, there’s not much to dislike here. The story is great, the characters and writing are well done, and the visuals are some of the best you will ever see.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9/10

Modern Warfare isn’t just another Call of Duty game. It’s a smart reboot that very well may have saved the entire franchise from its own demise. The game hearkens back to the original trilogy of Modern Warfare games by bringing us back to the good old boots on the ground gameplay that we grew to love. With the best campaign in the series history, and a fantastically well done multiplayer suite that is bar none some of the best online gaming you will ever experience, Modern Warfare is nearly perfect.

Resident Evil 2 – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC

RE2 pretty changed the way we look at remasters/remakes. No one will except just a resolution bump anymore. RE2 is an entirely new game while also still being the same game we loved. It’s one of the best games ever created, and somehow is better than the original. It stays faithful to the original game while also being new. It features the most realistic zombies ever made and not to mention outstanding visuals. It’s a game of an era and hopefully more are to follow.

A Plague Tale: Innocence – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9/10

A Plague Tale was a shocking surprise to me. An indie game that feels like a AAA game. A heart wrenching story, great voice acting, gorgeous visuals, and some of the best paced gameplay I’ve ever experience with each section feeling fresh and exciting. It’s a wonderful game that many should play as it’s one of the best of this generation cycle.

Super Mario Maker 2 – 2019

Switch

Very rarely due Mario games become memorable to me, but Mario Maker 2 is basically The Best Of Mario. It features all the physics and visuals of every Mario generation wrapped into a level editor with endless content. It’s the perfect 2D Mario game. You can play any type you like with thousands of different levels from the developers and players. There’s endless fun here and it’s exactly what makes this game so amazing and exciting.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC
Score: 9/10

Fallen Order isn’t just one of the best Star Wars games, it’s the best Star Wars game ever made, at least an action one. There is so much here that works such as the amazing combat system, the puzzles, the story and characters, and dialog that feels like it was written for a movie. The visuals are fantastic and I felt like I was sucked into a Star Wars universe. There’s so much here that works and it’s original and not based on a movie which is hard to find these days. I just feel this is the Star Wars game everyone has wanted for years, and what we thought The Force Unleashed would be.

Life is Strange 2 – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Mac
Score: 9/10

What I love about Life is Strange 2 is that it feels close to home for me (I live in the Seattle area) and it has all the makings of a memorable game that feels real and down to Earth. These two brothers becoming homeless while running from the law is a real thing that can happen. Each chapter in the game feels raw and powerful and up close and personal. I was glued to my seat and sat through the whole game in one play through it was so good. Your choices really matter here.

Mortal Kombat 11 – 2019

PlayStation 4 – Xbox One – PC – Switch

MK11 is, hopefully, the end of an era for the series. We have three amazing 2D fighting games that are within the same generation of each other. X-Rays, environmental hazards, and the storyline, which is the best fighting storyline ever created, is fantastic with so much lore and content. MK11 may have changed a little too much for some players, but I love the visuals, gore, and all new content available here.

Why Microtransactions will kill the game industry

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/21/2013

Posted in: Blogs. Tagged: bleszinski, blog, borderlands, candy crush, cliff, fallout, game, gears of war, halo, industry, microtransactions, skyrim, the elder scrolls v. Leave a comment

You install your favorite MMO, sign-up, boot it up, create a character, and after about level 10, you start to realize that all this grinding is getting pretty damn boring. So what do you do? Probably just uninstall it. But no, developers have this thing called microtransactions where you can just buy more XP! Sure great why not! But wait, $50 for enough XP just to get 2 levels? At least I can partake in new quests then I’ll be okay! Most gamers would stop there, but some will carry on and spend that $50 instead of going out and buying a good game for the same price.

It’s not just MMOs, but it runs like the plague in mobile games which is where they started. Many offenders like Candy Crush, Rage of Bahamut, Dark Meadow, Infinity Blade II, and many other “free-to-play” or small-priced mobile games have this. You may pay $7 for a mobile game but can buy armor, gold, weapons, and other items optionally. I still find this sad and unorthodox. Charge me $15 for Infinity Blade II and get rid of all that crap. Charge me a $5 a month fee for Candy Crush and leave me be! Let me play this game, it’s like the developers stand over your shoulder and tell you what you can and can’t do. Why spend $10 on a virtual card pack when I can buy DLC for a much better game like Fallout: New Vegas?

One particular MMO had me peeved and that game is Scarlet Blade. The allure of scantily clad women in an MMO gets the 12-year-old boy’s pants all tight and they secretly install it. There’s a special item called the Lingerie Remover, but it costs $20. You can try winning it during your hourly prize chest, or get it as a rare loot drop, but only from certain bosses. This is the single reason why most people play Scarlet Blade, to get that oh-so-secret Lingerie Remover. Once you do this your character can run around completely nude, but then what? Is that really worth $20? Instead, I can take that and buy two amazing indie games like Limbo, Braid, Fez, Hotline Miami, or several excellent mobile games. This is taking advantage of people’s impulses they can’t control. I never would have dreamed this would leak into the gaming industry.

Now, I understand developers and publishers need to make money, that’s the only reason why anything exists, for money. However, you can try making your game good. By making less than stellar games and charging out the ass for everything, that’s not the answer. Some people may say that you can get through a whole game without buying anything like Dead Space 3, then it’s fine. However, they are still taking advantage of the impatient and that’s greed. Nothing but sick, twisted, demented greed. There are other ways to make more money off a game by making great DLC packs like Fallout, Call of Duty, and Gears of War. Spend $10 for a map pack for extra content, and it’s completely optional. You’re getting value and more gameplay for your favorite game. I don’t want to spend $100 on 10,000 pieces of gold so I can buy a sword to beat the next boss without it taking months and weeks otherwise. See the difference?

One person who would probably take a bullet for microtransactions is Cliff Bleszinski. He’s the maker of Gears of War and Unreal Tournament. Great developer, a genius, and I used to have a lot of respect for him. After his outright foaming at the mouth outbursts about supporting used game fees and microtransactions, I lost all respect for him.

More studios WILL close and you’ll see more PC and mobile games.
I have seen the number of unique gamer tags vs actual sales numbers and it ain’t pretty.
At the end of the day many hardcore dislike what was attempted. You can’t do well in that space with many of your core unhappy… Especially when users have a choice. The nature of capitalism encourages competition and Sony played into that.
Brace yourselves. More tacked on multiplayer and DLC are coming.
You’re also about to see available microtransactions skyrocket. HATS FOR EVERYONE.
I want *developers* who worked their asses off to see money on every copy of their game that is sold instead of Gamestop. Fuck me, right?
*Sony* forced Microsoft’s hand, not the internet whining.
You’re going to see digital versions of your favorite games with added “features” and content to lure you to digital over disc based.
I find it funny how people are saying that I “lost” when I don’t have a job or an allegiance now.
What I do have is 20 years of experience making games and seeing how the sausage is made.

These are direct quotes from his Twitter after Microsoft changed their used game policy to have no fees. Guess what Cliff? That stuff would have happened anyway because you forget, companies are greedy and want more and more and they are never satisfied. We would still be paying $10 for a used game and still having microtransactions in it with crappy multiplayer that no one wanted, then that publisher would charge $10 for an online pass. Where does it stop? You can scream all you want about how microtransactions are the future and companies need money. I think you’re forgetting about our perspective. We buy your games, of course, you want more of our money. How about making good games and we might give them to you? How about making quality content? Gamers aren’t dumb, especially us hardcore guys.

Developers do see money for every copy sold, it’s called “new games”. Once we buy our copy Cliff, it’s ours. After that we can do whatever we want to it, crap on it, spit on it, sell it, use it as a coaster because, for some games, that’s all they’re worth. So should a TV company charge a fee to pawn shops and craigslist when we sell it? They get less money than developers do! People only buy TVs once every 5 years or so. How about furniture? What if we donate our games to charity and some poor kid needs to pay $10 to play his game that he got for free? All because you guys can’t come up with good enough ideas to make more money?

How will they kill the game industry? Think about 10 years from now you playing Fallout 6 and you start talking to someone. Your conversation choice says you can try to convince the guy to give you something if your speech is high enough. You try and fail, then an ad pops up saying “For just $1 you can increase your speech enough to win him over” or something like that. At that point, these aren’t games anymore, but interactive ads. Everyone complained about ad placement in sports games and Burnout years ago, but they were just on billboards, and honestly, it didn’t bother me.

Another example, you’re playing Halo 8 about 8 years from now, probably the end of the Xbox One’s life cycle. Let’s say Halo 8 is a more open world like Borderlands. You get to certain main missions and you realize you just can’t beat the damn boss. You try buying the most powerful guns available to you and the best armor, but you just can’t do it. Then you realize, “Wait a minute! There’s that one shop on the other side of the map that sells better armor, I wasn’t a high enough level yet, I’ll go look.” Your confidence is up, you have plenty of coins to buy something, then you realize it’s greyed out because you need to use Spartan Coins which are bought with real-world cash. You throw the controller, turn your game off, and sell it to GameStop. Or you can continue shooting up smaller bad guys and repeating the same missions for about two weeks to get enough Spartan Coins to buy it.

How’s that option Cliffy? How does that tickle your fancy? You don’t have to play them so you could care less. Maybe in the next Gears of War, we have to spend $5 to unlock the chainsaw on the bottom of our Lancers. When you rev up the gun with B an ad pops up that says “Spend $5 now and get the chainsaw bayonet! Watch this trailer to see what you’re missing out on!” I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?

In the end, it has to stop somewhere. Either continue gouging us and exploiting the weak, or make quality content and charge a little more so more people will buy it. I had no problem throwing down $40 for both Skyrim DLCs. Not a second thought. I love Skyrim, it was a great game, and the DLCs had a lot of content. I do think about paying $5 for some coins to continue in a game that I could care less about. Developers need to start asking themselves this question: Does our game have enough quality where gamers would buy stuff for it? If it’s no, go back to the drawing board instead of forcing it down our throats. We don’t want to buy the game industry’s puke and diarrhea just because a company wants a little more money.

Death of the Game Manual

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/25/2012

Posted in: Blogs. Tagged: 2000's, 2010, 90's, blog, call of duty, death, ea, fallout, game manual, gog.com, manual, Microsoft, Nintendo, playstation, PlayStation 2, ps2, Sony, xbox. Leave a comment

I was reading the manual from the free copy of Fallout I got from GoG.com (you guys are great!). Upon reading this I found that it was teaching me how nuclear bombs work on a scientific level. I also learned how fallout works, radiation, and everything in between. I learned more about this from a game manual than I have from other media in my entire life. This was 1998 when publishers still cared about gamers. The manual is over 100 pages with details on how to even play the game via a tutorial. I was impressed, and then realized I was in 2012. Manuals back then taught us stuff while nowadays they have 5 pages on how to turn your console on and how to not have seizures. The depression slowly sank in.

I then proceeded to look through game manuals from the mid-’90s, early 2000s, mid-2000s, late 2000’s, and 2010 and beyond. I say a pattern that I never really noticed before and it kind of scared me.

Manuals through the 90’s

I picked out some PlayStation manuals and realized they were pretty much all the same. Ranging from 10-15 pages with black and white screenshots. They all told about the story, had a character dossier, then guided you through the menus, HUD, and controls. The only ones that went beyond this were JRPGs and deeply involved games like Metal Gear Solid. PC game manuals were mostly long-winded with tutorials, keyboard reference cards, and info on every single item in the game. This added a good amount of weight to the case and felt like you got your money’s worth. Even 16-bit games came with decent manuals that were on simple black and white pages, a few were even in full color.

Manuals through the 2000’s

After a while when shuffling through Xbox, PS2, and PC games made in the 2000’s I noticed a pattern change. They tended to cut out all that detailed information in the mid to late 2000s. The only ones that still held the 90’s manual traditions were games from Japan, but RPG manuals were cut down from 25-30 pages down to 10-20. When the internet started getting huge in the early 2000’s big publishers like EA and Nintendo were adding website information and ways to register your games.

The problem with this is that most of the links and codes don’t work anymore and sites like EA don’t even have those games on their site like they never existed. It seemed console games were taking manuals in a new direction while PC manuals kind of stayed the same for a while. During the late 2000s, manuals started becoming so bare that you wondered why publishers bothered. Games like Call of Duty and other shooters only contained a few pages, but now most manuals are less than 5 pages. Then around 2009 something called digital manuals started cropping up.

Manuals 2010 and beyond

I opened Rayman Origins for Vita and was shocked to see nothing but a game card. No physical manuals at all? Really? How could this be! It’s a tradition! Vita manuals are now digital and embedded on the game card, while PC games now do the same or don’t have one at all. Physical manuals are so bare, that some are just folded pieces of paper with legal info on them, while Nintendo has a 20-page pamphlet on how to take care of yourself and to sign-up for stupid clubs. Almost every PC game has no manual, while even physical PC games are slowly not being printed anymore.

What are we to do now but slowly watch one of gaming’s most traditional items, manuals, slowly die away. It’s bad enough we’re either spammed when we open the cases or see nothing but the disc/cartridge. Even the games themselves are slowly finding their ways in cyberspace only, but what will happen to manuals? They will eventually be obsolete by 2020, and I see physical games being completely digital. Eventually, game consoles won’t have disc drives anymore, and this will mean physical media will no longer be needed, thus game manuals. Games are so advanced these days that you don’t really need them due to in-game tutorials. All I know is that I love my game manuals, and so do you.

Fallout: New Vegas — Lonesome Road

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 10/05/2011

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: bethesda, dlc, downloadable content, fallout, fps, lonesome road, new vegas, obsidian, pc, post apocalyptic, shooter, steam. Leave a comment

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian

Release Date: 9/20/2011

Also Available On

With this being the final DLC in the New Vegas saga this one is about you. You finally get to meet Courier Six, and this journey is a true test of your skills leading up to this release. This lonesome road doesn’t allow you to take companions (you do find an old friend inside, however), you also get new weapons, enemies, and probably the most destroyed-looking area in any Fallout game so far. The game is very linear, but not like Dead Money where you just run around in circles completing stupid tasks. You go from point A to B, but it’s a long road (about 5 hours actually) and there are some surprises along the way.

First off you get a detonator gun along the way that allows you to blow up nuclear warheads along the way (30 in total) to kill enemies from afar or make new paths. This is exactly what I have been waiting for since Fallout 3 and we finally get to do it. Hell, you get to launch 2 different huge nukes in this DLC. The ending also makes a huge impact on the story (even if you did finish the main story). You do get new weapons that are mostly energy-based, but there are some awesome melee weapons, so there is something here for every type of player.

The new enemies are Marked Men which are NCR troops that got stuck out here in this nuclear site and turned into ghouls. These guys have many different weapons (the new Glare gun is my favorite since it acts like a semi-automatic rocket launcher). The Tunnelers are pretty tough little guys that are fast-moving, but you only run into them when you are underground. Deathclaws make an appearance and will cut you down fast if you don’t have some good armor. Overall the game will provide a great challenge, especially the final boss fight (which required several restarts and quick saves for me).

Overall Lonesome Road provides a great challenge, new weapons, and environments, but there are no real quests since you are only going in one direction. There are also only two characters in the whole DLC, so overall the DLC may feel empty to some people and too straightforward. I liked it since it really made you feel alone, and everything was up to you: Survival, the ending turns out, and saving the Mojave from mass destruction (once again). The DLC feels like the exact opposite of Old World Blues (tons of brilliant characters and quests), but not nearly as linear and hard as Dead Money.

Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 08/23/2011

Posted in: DLC, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: bethesda, dlc, downloadable content, fallout, fps, new vegas, obsidian, old world blues, pc, post apocalyptic, shooter, steam. Leave a comment

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian

Release Date: 7/19/2011

Also Available On

New Vegas has been struggling in having solid DLC that stands up to the Fallout 3 releases. Old World Blues is the best of the three so far even for just the excellent dialog, great characters, and huge new world. Old World Blues has you going to a drive-in that teleports you to Big MT. Once inside you meet some strange doctors who lobotomized you and you are on a quest to stop the evil Dr. Mobius and find your brain. Old World Blues takes a whole new approach to Fallout DLC by removing your spine and heart and giving you perks at the start. There are new weapons, enemies, and a whole new world to explore.

There are also a lot of great dungeons to explore such as the X facilities which have things such as new armor, testing facilities that run you through a series of courses, as well as other hidden items like new recipes. My favorite part of the whole DLC is the excellent new characters that are inside The Sink which is your little safe hub inside the dome. All the appliances have hilarious personalities such as the evil toaster, crazy miniature robot, the perverted fertilizer, and the seductive light switches. Sound strange? That’s what makes this DLC brilliant. Even the doctors have great personalities and the whole story has some twists at the end so you really get a punchy fulfilling story and ending.

The new weapons are some of the best yet such as the K9000 Cyberdog gun which actually barks when you shoot it thanks to the dog brain attached. The Sonic Emitter pistol is probably the best thanks to the upgrades you can find for it to enhance the power. Unfortunately, this DLC is really best for people who specialize in energy weapons and melee because guns are hard to come by. Old World Blues also raises the level cap so you will have a chance to maybe dumps some XP into energy if you are weak in that area.

The new environments are great such as the canyons that have giant red crystals which are a huge change from the brown wasteland. The new enemies are challenging such as the robo-scorpions, lobotomites, and other weird creatures lurking around. I highly doubt you will be bored with this DLC due to so many things being different from the other ones. All I have to say is that the dialog and characters are probably better than the main game and are just top-notch.

There are a few problems such as the initial dialog with the doctors will take you a good hour to get in its entirety. While the characters are very interesting you’ll start getting antsy to start exploring. Most of the quests are fetch quests and this really kept the score from getting a solid 9 because I wanted some pre-scripted stuff or just more unique quests. Most of the quests consist of getting technology for The Sink and Dr. Klein. This kind of gets old after a while, but the quests drag you through most of Big MT so it’ll help you encourage exploration. The usual New Vegas glitches and bugs are still ever so present, but the dated Gamebryo engine can’t really be saved at this point. Old World Blues is a must-buy even if you skip the past two because the good 12-15 hour storyline is just brilliant.

Fallout: New Vegas — Honest Hearts

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 08/10/2011

Posted in: DLC, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: bethesda, dlc, downloadable content, fallout, fps, honest hearts, new vegas, obsidian, pc, post apocalyptic, shooter, steam. Leave a comment

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Release Date: 5/17/2011

Also Available On

It seems the New Vegas DLC just can’t balance itself right. First Dead Money was full of cramped environments and brutal difficulty with game designs that worked against the game. Now Honest Hearts has a very open area to explore, but the characters are pretty underwhelming as well as the overall story. You meet some travelers who are part of a caravan trying to get across the Zion National Park and they hire you to protect them. Of course, there’s more than that so when you enter you see three rival tribes fighting against each other. You have the Dead Horses, White Legs, and Sorrows. The White Legs want to prove themselves so they can work for Caesar’s Legion, but the Sorrows want to stay, and the Dead Horses are a rogue “extra” tribe. Of course, know Fallout there’s some sort of third-party hand in the pot and that’s where Daniel and Joshua Graham come in.

Joshua wants to fight the White Legs and Daniel wants to run. Without getting into their backstory too much you help each one out on various missions, but most of them are fetch missions and aren’t very inventive. I was really disappointed with this and kept expecting some more exciting missions. Even Dead Money had some exciting missions despite its major flaws. The characters seem interesting at first, but after the initial dialog stuff when you meet them you never do much more with them. This is due to the DLC’s short length running at about 10-12 hours. There are hardly any side missions, and it feels like the huge area gets wasted since you don’t really get to explore it much.

The area is full of huge canyons and cliffs that surround a lake and a couple of rivers. The area is a pain to navigate because it’s hard to find how to get to high-up areas due to all these layered cliffs. Some of the areas are great to see and they really captured the national park feeling with abandoned camps and cars on the road right when the bombs fell. So there is a nice charm about the area and seeing some trees and rivers is a nice change from the dried-up Mojave. Other than that the environment is full of vicious animals instead of just people so that’s also a bit different than the Mojave and Dead Money.

Other than that the DLC is worth a purchase, but don’t expect 15+ hours and tons of new weapons or extra stuff. It’s the best New Vegas DLC so far, but it’s also not the best it could be. I hope the third and fourth DLC is a lot better and are finally on par with the excellent Fallout 3 DLC add-ons.

Fallout: New Vegas — Dead Money

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/14/2011

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: bethesda, dead money, dlc, downloadable content, fallout, fps, new vegas, obsidian, post apocalyptic, rpg, shooter. Leave a comment

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Release Date: 2/22/2011

Also Available On

I have a feeling the Fallout series has a curse that the first DLC release isn’t very good. Dead Money tries to do things with the game that it can’t do, and it makes the DLC very hard, and sometimes boring, but the story, characters, and underlying reason why you’re in the Sierra Madre are great. You start off by following a signal to the Sierra Madre Casino, but then you’re knocked out and a collar is put on you. You’re told to find three people to help you open the casino and bypass its defenses.

The three characters are great to talk to and learn about. Dog/God is a Super Mutant with schizophrenia, Dean Domino is a British stage actor turned ghoul, and Christine is a mute who was tortured. After you find each character you must take them to their designated spots in the Villa. This is the second part of the DLC, but by the time you get here you’ll have cried up a storm. The game features heavy stealth and hand-to-hand combat so people who put points into the classes will breeze through this. There are guns, but the ammo is scarce, but people who invested in energy weapons have no shot here.

The ghost people are extremely hard to kill even if you are at level 30. You’re mainly forced to use melee with bear trap fists, spears, and knives. If you invested in guns you’re going to have a real hard time here. It doesn’t help that all your equipment was taken away and you stuck with the few armor pieces in this whole 8-12 hour DLC. It’s light armor and it sucks, but it’s better than nothing. There are no vendors here just vending machines. Oh, but wait you can’t use caps. You have to use Sierra Madre Casino chips that are scattered everywhere to buy stim packs, ammo, and everything else. Yes, why would they work against the system that’s already made and working? It’s very odd and makes playing the game so frustrating because you’re scrounging and looking for exploits in the game design to not die.

It doesn’t help that the DLC is very maze-like and this is bad for this type of game. Where are the open areas? Nowhere. It’s just corridor after corridor, and it’s dark, bleak, and boring to look at. Everything looks the same and it’s not very nice to be in either. Not in a good way either I felt cramped throughout the whole ordeal, and it gets worse when you get in the casino to figure out how to get into the vault. I hope Obsidian doesn’t force us to do things the engine can’t really do next time. Part of the frustration comes with the beeping collar. Let it beep too long and you blow up and die. There are speakers everywhere that emit a signal and you have to run around until it stops, but this is trial and error. Run down the wrong path and the signal won’t stop there so you die. Yes, save constantly or you will tear your hair out.

This mechanic is probably the most flawed since Fallout isn’t meant for this kind of stuff. I started hearing the beeping in my sleep it goes off so many times. Some speakers you can shoot and others you can’t, but good luck that you do not get tired of this. Overall, the story is excellent, and I really felt attached to the characters. The ending is probably one of the most interesting I’ve seen in a game, and I’ll say this part because it won’t spoil anything. There are gold bars and you can carry as much as you can and they are worth over 7,000 caps each!! I saw these and tried to stuff my pack with them, but they weigh you down quick. I decided to drop everything except one weapon and my armor to carry about 7 of them. People who have the Rat Pack perk will take advantage here.

With two different endings and choices being a big part of the three characters you should enjoy this part of the game. Only get this if you are a hardcore Fallout fan otherwise you should just pass. It’s way too hard, and the mechanics work against what’s already established.

Fallout: New Vegas

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/21/2011

Posted in: Editor's Choice, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: bethesda, fallout, fps, game of the year, new vegas, obsidian, pc, rpg, shooter, steam. 1 Comment

Publisher: Bethesda

Developer: Obsidian

Release Date: 10/19/2010

Also Available On

Fallout 3 was a phenomenon like no other. With such care and time spent into a license that completely reimagines it is daunting but Bethesda pulled it off. With the haunting and eerie atmosphere, huge selection of lore-friendly weapons, excellent story, dialog, and character design, Fallout 3 became an instant classic of the last decade. New Vegas continues this tradition, but Obsidian (the original developers of Fallout 1 and 2) is one board and has changed the game slightly that will either piss fans off or please them.

New Vegas starts out with you being buried alive after being shot. You are a courier, but a robot named Victor digs you out and Doc Mitchell patches you together. As you come to he talks to you as you select your character design, and SPECIAL just like in Fallout 3. While it’s not as memorable as Fallout 3‘s baby scene during this setup it works just fine. As you step out into the Mojave Wasteland your eyes adjust to the light and you’re set loose in Goodsprings which is New Vegas‘s equivalent of Megaton. You meet Sunny Smiles, and she shows you the ropes of the shooting part of the game, and from there you’re on your own.

The first thing you will notice is that the engine has had a slight upgrade, but not by much. The game still uses the Oblivion engine from Fallout 3, so its obvious Obsidian is playing it kind of safe. The game is also full of a desert wasteland and Obsidian did the impossible by making a desert feel fun to play in, and not feel deserted, empty, and boring to look at. Of course like in Fallout 3 you headed toward the DC Metro area. In New Vegas, you’re heading to the Vegas Strip to meet Mr. House who can help you figure out what exactly happened to you.

In the meantime, there are rival factions battling it out mainly the New California Republic and the Caesar’s Legion. The NCR wants to order in the Mojave and wants to take over The Strip, but Caesar’s Legion wants to enslave everyone. There are other smaller factions that you must decide what to do with and each one has tons of missions, and will ultimately decide how easy the end of the game is. Speaking of missions that’s one thing you will notice. There are tons and tons of them, but the game is missing the epic set pieces that Fallout 3 had. Instead, it’s just quest after quest, but they are all designed brilliantly and no one is ever the same.

New Vegas still has the VATS (Vault-Tec Automated Targeting System) system, but nothing about it has been changing, there is a new first-person iron sights view so with this you will rarely use VATS now. This helps make the action faster and speeds things along. Everything else from Fallout 3 is here, but a major addition is modding your weapons. You can find or buy things like clip extenders, silencers, and scopes to add to your weapons. Additionally, you can also break down ammo and create new ones, as well as make aid items from items found throughout the wasteland and cook them. These new additions are minimal and some people may not even use them, but that’s ok. There are a ton of new weapons, enemies, and everything you expected from Fallout 3 is in here.

New Vegas also has amazing dialog, characters, and quests and there is a ton of it. There are quite a few companions to have to tag along with, and there seems to be an infinite amount of spoken dialog. Player choices still play a huge role in the game so don’t think those are gone. The biggest feat for New Vegas is that it, yet once again, portrays a believable, enrapturing world and feels every part as amazing as the Capital Wasteland. There are a lot of easter eggs and tidbits for fans of the classic 90’s Fallout games too. New Vegas is just an amazing and engrossing game that you can’t get yourself sucked out of. The addition of gambling is a good example that can be done at any casino and can be a lot of fun.

The game does have a few flaws such as the copious amount of bugs, the characters looking ugly still, and it feels kind of dated. While the engine is solid and works for this game it just needs a huge overhaul for Fallout 4, but die-hard fans will appreciate the familiarity. On a side note (that doesn’t affect the score) the game has a huge mod community. Within the first week of being out, there were over 1,000 mods. While most of them are junk there are some amazing mods that you must have that will make you not want to play the game without them. Character mods to make them look better, sexier, clothing add-ons, quests, weapons you name it. I can’t play the game without these amazing mods, but for people who don’t care New Vegas is a great game.

On an end note New Vegas really sticks true to the RPG genre with tons of perks, a level 30 cap, and somehow makes item sorting fun. From pulling up your Pip-Boy to check your map, fast traveling to discovered locations, or finding little-hidden gems and secrets in the nooks and crannies of the world is satisfying. Before you know it 8+ hours will pass and you’ll go to bed with a smile on your face knowing that the Mojave Wasteland is safe with you around…or is it?

Collector’s Edition: If you want to pony up another $30 you can get a beautiful and well-put-together special edition. The biggest attraction is the real poker chips from each faction of the game plus the 200 Platinum chip. The playing cards are beautifully drawn and each card features a character on the back with a bio the quality is amazing. You also get the comic book and making-of DVD. Is it worth it? Hell yes.

2010 Game of the Year Awards Round-Up

————————————————

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Awarded

Best Puzzler

————————————————

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Awarded

Best Platformer

Nominated

Game of the Year

————————————————

Awarded

Best Atmosphere

————————————————

Game of the Year is one of the hardest decisions because so many games are created every year. But to come out on top the game must be excellent in its genre (usually re-define it) and have great production values, and not feel repetitive, and usually, it changes the way we think about games.

Red Dead Redemption

What sets Red Dead apart from all of these other excellent games is how authentic its world is. It feels so real and feels just like the wild west. With excellent voice acting, a huge open world to explore, lots of missions, and it’s just the subtle details that make it a winner. Hunting, gambling, horseback riding, even down to the drinks, attitudes of the people, clothing, accents, it just all adds up to something spectacular and really shows what a game can do. It’s Red Dead’s subtle details that truly make this game shine over the others.