Author - Ripper71

One Troll Army FREE! Review

2016/06/08

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

If you play video games on the PC and haven’t heard of One Troll Army I am surprised, if you spend much time on Twitch I am equally surprised if this is the first word you have about the Midevil monster mash. However if you play games, like fun monster titles AND pay attention to the Twitch community I might approach you with kindness and ask how long ago your amnesiac fever had broken. One Troll Army is a fun game that might have been missed if not for the fact the developers set a price tag of about $10 and then laid a challenge at the Twitch community’s feet: One Troll Army would be live for 8 hours straight, if the Twitch community beat the game it would not only be fun kudos but the game would cost $0 on Steam. The loyal (fanatical) Twitch community got it done in 6 hours so while you are reading this go ahead over and start downloading the game for free, it doesn’t take up much space or dl time and if you don’t like it after giving it a play Uninstall.

Trolling Around:
It is very seldom that my first comment in the hands-on portion of a review is a concern/gripe but in this case I feel warning is not just fair but really necessary. This game has such counter-natural, clumsy controls that at first you might think they are intentional. It reminded me a little of surgeon simulator where you try to perform open cavity surgery with a hand that moves like it has been shot up full of Novocain. Looking into it as far as I can tell the difficulty in the controls isn’t on purpose and after a decent amount of practice you almost forget the difficulty until you took a break and came back again and your Troll and goblins go scattering more like a monkey.

This kind of brings up the only other minor issue, a WoW player in the family walked in the room while I was playing and asked “what is the orc game you are playing?” and when I said it was a troll she laughed and said nope! People have long had a different interpretation of what a troll looks like compared to what an orc looks like. There is no definitive answer and just because WoW has made one particular look strike like an orc doesn’t mean the image is set in stone, as a matter of fact I support an anti-piracy program that has it’s version of a troll that looks just like the game’s one.

Now that those have been addressed no matter what kind of creature you think it looks like it looks really nice. The graphics can be simplified and the output can be changed down to a square if your monitor still needs an upgrade but that being said if you have a nice state-of-the-art graphics cards and monitor you can crank the game up to unexpectedly nice graphics quality. Whether you are zoomed out so you can see your castle and the enemies’ approaches or you are zoomed in to see the detail of the enemy and how there are so many different types with different abilities which are recognizable onsite when you move in tight. Also when you assign a goblin to a task in most games they start performing the task but otherwise there is no noticeable difference in the NPC, in this game if they are sent to build something they don yellow hardhats, looters carry bags on their backs to the fortress and the shaman that heals you between waves has an ornate headpiece and a healing dance he performs. Upgrades on the buildings also have detailed and nice changes, you feel a lot of satisfaction when the first tower goes up and the nicer the walls the more opportunity you feel you have to try out more advanced and experimental tactics. You can also pick which kind of tower is at which location such as cannons or arrows to best defend that section of wall.

The enemies seem to mostly have certain locations they attack from but I believe that is mostly due to land obstacles such as a big lake. So paying attention to where they attack and how they group up might be a deciding factor on whether you survive the wave or not. They attack in waves which give you time to recover your three main supplies that have to get you through the battle: your health, you castle’s health and your special powers’ energy bar. They are all pretty self-explanatory, losing all of your health or the castle’s and you surrender causing you to lost the round and take some penalties. If you have a choice between losing the round with your troll’s health or the castle’s lose it with the troll. Not much more to it, as you progress you unlock special powers and additional buildings and upgrades to both but when it comes down to it it’s all about you and your troll and smashing time.

Last Smash:
There are a couple of things that will make One Troll Army a bit rough to get used to at the beginning, namely the controls but if you still with it you will find yourself flying through the levels and really having fun with it. If you don’t the game was FREE so just Uninstall if you never get used to the controls. The game would be a good deal at it’s original starting price of $10 but for free it is really hard to rate, especially when it is a true Free-To-Play game. I guess if it isn’t five coins to a player they can go ahead and Uninstall it with nothing lost.

[easyreview title=”One Troll Army Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Battle Worlds: Kronos Review

2016/06/06

Ripper71

Geek News, News, Reviews, Xbox One News, Xbox One Review

As a junkie for tactical games, our Editor-in-Chief doesn’t even ask if I want the assignment, he just passes it my way. He knew he especially had me hooked with Battle Worlds: Kronos because this big fish of a game was making splashes on a console platform, giving me a chance to rest my back in bed and figure out how they took a game format that usually uses most of the keyboard and squeeze it down to 12 buttons and a couple sticks. So enough about me, let’s talk about Battle Worlds: Kronos.

Hands On:

When the developers started at building the game they had a vision, what would “Panzer General” or Battle Isle” look like if it were made with modern technology and graphics? So they went to crowdfunding through Kickstarter and tried to get their backers input as much as possible so that they can truly bring about a game that the backers wanted to see. I got into Panzer General a lot but for the most part I went into this game not remembering either of those and so as to not go in with a bias I didn’t research. I quickly found I was playing a hexagonal strategy game with vehicles that looked like StarCraft but the gameplay was very traditional hexagonal turn-based which intrigued me since traditionally strategy games don’t mesh well on the console, partly the player based but mostly since it generally takes a lot of keyboard to get some of the work done and you are now down to a dozen buttons and a couple sticks.

Going with a hexagonal base was a very smart choice, there is no rush to get through you turn you just need to make sure you get everything done with a controller. Taking your time, double check choices, save often and end your turn only when you are completely sure you have done everything. If you did forget anything that is why you have the frequent saves. If you are a bit of a perfectionist like people who keep re-rolling their adventure game stats until they feel they have them about as high as possible you can do the frequent save before each battle since it is random chance and can turn out ugly. If you are an armchair general this game is terrific, you can figure out flanking maneuvers, that a frontal attack by itself is usually suicide and when to pull back and regroup.

I really thought using a controller would slow me down because the only way you would be able to do anything was to memorize a complicated set of buttons to get anything done but it features a really well-done design that wasn’t quite intuitive but really not that bad. Once I realized that turns had phases to them (MTG fans will pic it up in a heartbeat) then it went even smoother. It was also already built into the game that way since the game’s PC days but if a game is having a hard time converting from PC to console and can work in a phase system it will insanely ease their work. With phases you can use the same buttons you used in phase one of your turn for say phase three because they are no longer occupied with the last commands. Brilliant!

The single player campaigns boast over 50 hours of content which would probably fry your brain on so take breaks to stretch often and don’t be afraid to save, it will just make your game more fun. There were a few times I would forget to save for a couple hours then BAM! I need one and I have to go back nearly to the start of the level.

Another nice thing about the game being turn-based is how the multiplayer system can be set-up. They have actually implemented a “play-by-mail” system which is something I haven’t seen a game do in some time. Back in the days before telephones in every house game of chess would be played through the mail, each player having a table in their house and making their moves and their opponents on it. In this case the multiplayer game is very similar. You make your move then turn it over to the other player and come back later in the day or even the next one. During that time the other player will come and make their move. It’s clever and I’m surprised I can’t remember seeing it done with a turn-based strategy game. Maybe the impatience of the generation. Additionally, the game’s graphics look great and fit this genre perfectly.

Last Volley:

Battle Worlds: Kronos was a great example of a game that promised it’s Kickstarter supporters something and not only delivered but set a new bar. I look forward to playing it some more and replaying it and DLCs on their way. I’m not sure what I hope for more, that the development team gets snatched up to create even bigger projects or have them continue making great games on their own terms. For my money (and it would be since I would invest in the next DLC) I hope to see more Battle Worlds in the future…

[easyreview title=”Battle Worlds: Kronos Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Postal Redux Review

2016/05/25

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Lately I have been playing a lot of strategic games, sharpening my mind while my body is resting. I start playing figuring I might go for an hour – then three hours later I’m still playing, my eyes have become blurry and I need something to take my mind off of sharpening my mind. TV can be nice for that but it is passive participation and sometimes you really just need some silly hands-on carnage to release the stress of the day. It doesn’t get much more active crazy carnage than a classic killer brought up to date with gorgeous gore like Postal Redux on Steam.

Hands On Guns:

Ah 1997, the Nintendo 64 was hot, Final Fantasy VII reased in Japan, human cloning is banned… ah heck who cares about that crap? If you are reading this you want to know about Postal which made a bloody splash on the market back in that year. In human years 19 isn’t that big of a deal, in video game years that is an exceptionally long time ago! As a result Postal was a little unrefined looking but nobody really cared it was all about the mass unadulterated slaughter of everything in sight. It earned it’s claim to fame in video game history and those who lived through the days talked about it fondly.

Now fast forward to these days and those who talk about it fondly decided to do something about it and bring it back, cleaned up graphics with a couple more goodies to main and kill with, another mode and some new areas to kill in because let’s face it everyone wants to go kill happy in a Carnival.

Just like in the old days the cops show up at your house and boy is that a mistake. So as to not give away plot points (there are a couple) you use up to 10 weapons including mines, heat seeking missiles, flame throwers, of course machine guns and now the Commanding Revolver to tear your way through 17 levels. Tear through a junkyard with your trusty boomstick (they call it a shotgun but I will always call them boomsticks) which is also great for the all important double tap, head through the ghetto with a Molotov cocktail (I’m sure they won’t mind) and lay mines for extra fireworks on the midway at the Carnival. Just remember above all save some flamethrower for the marching squad, that is epic!

The improved graphics really make the game the fun that it is, the old one which is still available and around is okay but look at a comparison and you can see the huge difference. I absolutely love the Carnival level in case you haven’t gotten the hint, the colors and richness of the graphics show the how much the developers cared about the game’s updating.

The addition of Rampage Mode also will keep you coming back for more since it is a constant wave mode that rewards kill streaks, creative kills and speed. It’s a great way to play then challenge a buddy to beat your score and go back and forth.

Last Blast:

Postal Redux on Steam took a classic game that players looked back on with nostalgia and gave it a caring update that makes it even more fun than it was in the old days with graphics that it well deserved. So the next time you head it pounding from a hard day or you just want to unwind or heck you simply want to napalm angry ostriches have Postal Redux updated and thrill in the mayhem.

[easyreview title=”Postal Redux Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Nostalgic Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Steel Series Siberia 200 Gaming Headset

2016/05/24

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

As a full time gamer, I can say that the problems with dealing with wearing headsets during long gaming sessions is very real. There are environmental considerations, aesthetics, weight, mic design, where controls are located, and overall head comfort to consider when purchasing a new one. You can buy multiple pairs for multiple uses (I have) but it is always nice to find one that you can use in multiple locations without it looking silly or paying for a celebrity’s name. With all this in mind I am reviewing the Steel Series Siberia 200 Gaming Headset, a descendant of one of the first headsets I ever reviewed for GamingShogun.com.

Instead of list a bunch of feature gobbledygook, I will mention a few where they seem most important. First off a very important feature is that the SteelSeries Siberia 200 has a microphone that slides up into the left cup area and becomes barely visible. This is great when you are playing games that don’t require team communications or if you slide them up far enough they might not be noticeable if you take a walk somewhere in them. Another feature to this effect would be the in-line mic and sound controls so that if you need to shut off your mic to talk to someone or one of your teammates start throwing a massive meltdown you can easily turn down the volume until they have eased up. It is also handy if you are just wearing them walking around the house listening to music, you can leave your device in your pocket and adjust the levels in-line. The nice thing about the mic system is you retract it into the headset cup and it is safely tucked away from harm. I have used some very nice headsets with some very sexy looks and a name you know but after a couple days of heavy use the mic which is a jack plug into cup system has worn out at the jack and hangs limply or worse just randomly falls out. Let me tell you when you are in front of an audience and up against a professional gamer that was flown in for the event you don’t want to be constantly losing communication with your rookie teammate. That being said when you are kicking it at home and decompressing and it happens that just jacks up you tension rather than releases it.

While the SteelSeries Siberia 200’s microphone design and performance is important – let’s face it, generally it is the second most important aspect behind the actual speaker design. The Siberia 200 Gaming Headset uses 50mm drivers in a system they call “audio shaped” so you pick up key sound frequencies and their locations. So the idea is no one will be able to sneak up on you because you will be able to hear where their footsteps are coming from or tell where the bombs will fall to get the heck out of their way.

These drivers are encased in heavy duty plastic and nice thick cup cushions so that hopefully it will survive gamer rage or just the occasional accidental standing up with them still on. the solid cup and cushioning does a terrific job of blocking out sound, I found myself using them around the house to block out an argument of playing white noise to help fall asleep on those rough to sleep nights that I have from time to time. The cups aren’t perfectly comfortable when laying down but they aren’t designed to be either.

The headsets are designed for long term gaming use so we know the sound in it is good and it handles a block-rocking beat, can be quickly turned down when some kid rages in game’s com and you can flick a switch to turn off your mic when someone decides to have a conversation with you by yelling from another room. All of that is important and nice but if you can’t keep them on your head for long periods of time none of that matters.

First off all the above mentioned hardware and casing is extremely lightweight which really means the bridge section of the headset just needs to maintain the weight and comfort as much as possible. To maintain the shape and tightness without increasing the weight they did a dual bridge system, one is ridged and two pipes and goes up above the head. The next is a lower section which is directly on the head and has a lightly padded flattened section held to each cup by double cable wrapped in rubber. At first this looks like it would be too fragile to hold up but on closer inspection the wrapped metal cables inside the plastic look like one of the most durable parts of the headset which is important for how often it will be rubbing against your head. Attaching this piece to the cables maintains a strength in the bridge without adding much weight (it actually then spreads it out to the upper bar a bit and into the cups).

The Steel Series 200 is compatible with mobile devices, PC, and consoles (adapters may be required). One last thing if you are wondering the difference between the Siberia 200 and Siberia 2V, the 200 features an upgraded headband, a longer cable, and a mobile adapter.

Still Listening:

Steel Series is a reliable name that makes reliable products and the Siberia 200 Gaming Headset is an excellent example of that. I expect these headsets to be in my main usage for years to come, the only decision will be where to use it. If you want a quality, comfortable product with a reliable name rather than a trendy one give the Siberia 200 a place in your house.

[easyreview title=”Steel Series Siberia 200 Gaming Headset Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Bloody ZL50 Sniper Edition Laser Gaming Mouse with LightStrike Technology Review

2016/05/24

Ripper71

News, Peripheral Review, Peripherals News, Reviews

Back when I attended CES in January, I had the opportunity to check out a bunch of amazing tech, like an electronic geek in a techno candy store. Just like many other people in that candy store, I knew I couldn’t even begin to buy much of those items at retail as the prices are really high (bleeding edge tech and all). I then started searching for tech that gave me as much of the same bleeding-edge cool factor without the bleeding-edge price tag. From a peripheral maker you may not know yet comes a mouse with an amazingly large number of features in a sexy package: the Bloody ZL50 Sniper Edition Laser Gaming Mouse with LightStrike Technology.

Crapload Of Features:

Lower CPI for in-game precision “Sniper-key”
Instant sniping technique upgrade with 6 sniper modes
4 Weapon Modes of left key
11 Macro buttons
Metal X’Glide Pro Mouse Boots
Infrared Micro Switch: LightStrike Switch technology
AVAGO A9800 Gaming Laser Engine
Built-in 160K memory – driver free
Ultra Core4 Bloody 5 gaming software activated
Adjustable resolution 800/1000/1200/1600/8200 CPI
Tracking speed: 150 inches/sec(ips)
Frame speed: 120,000 fps
Acceleration: 30g
16-Grade calibration: Fine tunes focus to improve tracking
Infrared-wheel: Over 1 million scrolls
Image processing: 10.8M pixels/sec
Key response less 0.2ms

Hands On:

Now that I’ve presented you with all the important technical details you may want to soak in like the ingredients on a candy wrapper let’s take a bite. I probably would have skipped over that last section entirely myself because to me what matters isn’t a bunch of numbers that by themselves are impressive but really have to be brought together to decide how well it work out. For example, the 6 sniping modes are useless if the snipe button configuration is in a bad location so that it can’t quickly and comfortably used.

So we’ll start with the buttons. Not only are the side ones in an easy to use locations but the positioning and shapes make it clear which one you are using. The two most forward buttons on the side are sloped in on each other in the natural resting spot of the forward section of the thumb. The main snipe button is not only in the resting spot of the palm of the thumb but it also has a nice little scope marking on it to make sure you know what it is intended for. The final side button is actually a a switch that rests above the thumb marked for profiles “1-N” which is a click switch that re-centers after hitting it. This is one side button I didn’t find as comfortable and easy to use, clicking it back into to the “N” position was easy enough but clicking it up to the 1 requires you to anchor your hand on the other side of the mouse. It is something you can get used to but it is one of the few features that aren’t as easy.

Top button consist five and the wheel, two of them being the left and right button. The right and left button are standard and most mice come with a button just behind the wheel now the difference is this time there three buttons to work with. Just below the button is the bloody logo which handily changes colors when you change profiles as well as the the rear section of the mouse which looks a bit like an insect anthrax. The last exterior part worth mentioning is the bottom skid plates which are made of metal X’Glide Armor Boots for 20% faster sliding on the skids.

So between all these described outer functions and the interior functions listed in the “Features” section you can see how it is designed nicely to be a FPS sniper mouse while at the same time being useful for any other gaming or non-gaming needs. The button with the scope on it is designed to quickly change weapons which is ideal if you are sniping and your position is compromised or if you are on the way to or from the roost. Once you choose to take a sniping shot you choose your weapon then use the side keys to help your shot. In the guts is 160k of memory which sounds amazingly small but when you consider it is being used in a mouse to map out button and macro designations that is actually about as much as you could want, you can have multiple type such as MMO, FPS, Sim/Tactical, really there is a lot to imagine using it for and once it is programmed into your mouse you can take the mouse driver free to other computers and still have your setting and with someone like me that has medical issues that sometimes leaves him in bed for long periods of time being able to just unplug my mouse and move it to the next computer it is insanely handy.

It also comes with a couple types of interactive downloadable software to make the most of the mouse, particularly in gaming where it has a program designed just to track PK results and how many milliseconds it took to fire and respond.

Last Shot:

The Bloody ZL50 Sniper Laser Gaming Mouse promises and delivers on a lot of the big boys offer quite often at twice the price. The company’s logo is pretty awesome too, especially to us horror film / Halloween fans. If I had some stickers I would comfortably put them on all sorts of things since the product delivers and promised and promised a lot.

[easyreview title=”Bloody ZL50 Sniper Laser Gaming Mouse Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Wizard World Las Vegas Comic Con Wrap Up

2016/04/07

Ripper71

News

Las Vegas is a strange town. Internationally famous people like Elton John or Bill Marr might spend months here and just about every music act at one point or another will pass through, but when it comes to celebrity conventions there is a big giant hole. It may be due to the fact that the celebrities show up for non-celebrity conventions like CES or NAB, which aren’t always public. You find yourself standing and watching CEOs give presentations with one of the all time top scoring NBA players joking by your side or have a professional gamer who makes almost a million dollars sit down at their rig and take on retired special ops soldiers in a first person shooter match. Finally, it looks as though we have some conventions moving in that will bridge the gap of cultural celebrities and comic celebrities and I think Wizard World Las Vegas is a terrific example of this.

On The Floor:

To start it off each year and to make sure that the press gets a few words with at least a couple of the celebrities before the real craziness begins, Wizard World Las Vegas started as they usually do, with four celebrities attending a press mixer. This year two of the celebrities that struck particularly home with my wife and I were Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn, who played Brad and Magenta in the Rocky Horror Picture Show (which was our first date 24 years earlier, almost to the day). When it came time to snap pictures with them Barry called my wife and I over saying “I like the look of this guy!” Surreal is kind of an understatement on such a moment. Cosplayer Jackie Craft was definitely making an impressive scene in her full suit of armor from WoW though she was geeking out on seeing Victor Dandridge of Vantage:Inhouse Productions whose publishing work has inspired her for some time. Personally I dressed up in green beads, eyeglasses and ties and ran around with Dandridge seeing who could seeing who could make the sillier St. Patty’s Day drunk face. All in all a great way to start the weekend.

Once the show itself kicks off there are basically three things you have to decide between and sometimes more within them. If you have done a decent size con before this is no surprise. You have booths you can look through, panels you can see and autographs/photo ops to be had and how much cosplay you want to take in. Each one of these will each a surprisingly fast amount of your time and you really almost need to research as much in advance what is going on to catch what is most important to you. I spent only a few minutes the whole event at looking at booths, I brought help to take in cosplay and I did a photo op and then panels, panels, panels.

I am a proud Browncoat and a few years back at a Hollywood charity event Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk reached out to shake my hand on their way out of the event and the woman running the event screamed “NO!” and slapped my hand. Stunned we all walked our separate ways but that had been my last chance to meet part of the Firefly crew. So when I had a chance to meet the lovely Jewel Staite I ponied up the money, got my 5 seconds of happiness and have a lovely picture that everyone says has one of the biggest smiles they have ever seen on my face.

When it came to panels I saw a really long list of them but some of the highlights that if you have to pick from that you should choose are Michael Golden (Batman, Dr. Strange, The ,Nam), Women In Geekdom, Psychology Of (Insert Character), Jewel Staite, any WWE player, and the Cast Of SHIELD. Above all however (maybe not Staite but that is personal) the person you have to see at the conference is Michael Rooker Vs. The Audience. They just give him a microphone and he is off into the audience like a madman talking to everyone, answering all kinds of questions and the only way you can keep you eyes on him is if you pull The Exorcist maneuver and spin your head around. I met him in an elevator last year and realized what a wild man he was then saw him at Wizard World last year and was amazed and this year it was no different.

The only complaint I could have about the whole conference was putting Jason Mewes up against Rooker in the same time slots. I have had personal conversations with Mewes at other events in the past and he is quiet and very sensitive since cleaning up his act and having the energy being sucked out of his room by the Rooker panel made it so that a lot of people missed out on a really terrific guy.

I am so glad that Wizard World Las Vegas is established and growing and I look forward to next year’s already and if it passes through your town do yourself a favor and go regardless of your geekdoms there seems to be a bit for most.

Photo Gallery

Better Late Than Dead Review

2016/03/19

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

I often just jump into games and start playing them without knowing all the much about them. I feel if I get too much warning about a particular game, I might figure out the story too much, master the mechanics quicker than the average player and have general surprises spoiled for me. If I know I am going to be reviewing a game I usually don’t even check out the trailer until afterwards to see if it adequately represented the game.

Better Late Than Dead however had been bouncing around since early alpha as a chat topic among players and reviewers and at first it was thought to be just an interesting take on a survival… maybe survival horror with the key for survival being more defensive than offensive. Then along came the chance to play it and I went right at it, running around doing things maybe a bit faster than the average player from so many survival games on my shelf when suddenly I was literally getting bit in the rear-end by an alligator. A few bites and I was Gator Chow and going for the last save point… which was grayed out… after hours of work. Wait, Permadeath? It’s got… ok that’s fine. I remember where just about everything was located so I will just head back and… random drop rate and location? So in a feature I don’t often use much these days here are the game’s features which will help you stay Better Late Than Dead.

Features:

[ezcol_1half]

Craft items using a combination of objects and methods like tying and cutting
Build a shelter to protect you from rain and dangerous animals
Online Multiplayer
Lose blood, break bones, become poisoned and stave off hunger and thirst
Varying weather conditions that affect gameplay
Procedurally generated items that the player must find to leave the island

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]

Dangerous animals including wolves, spiders and bears
Capture animals using traps
Permadeath – Will you be able to escape the island or will you succumb to its menace?

[/ezcol_1half_end]

Hands On:

Accept you will probably succumb to its menace a few times. This is a simple act that will help you maintain your Zen while playing this survival which has it’s own set of rules that might not fit the normal world. Things sitting around that look sharp and pointy will not be usable for it’s sharpness or pointy unless it shows up as such in the menu or after crafting. So the first important thing to do in the game is run and find what you need for the different crafting recipes while watching for anything that moves or for the music to turn ominous. Scary music like in a movie means even if you can’t see the danger it is nearby.

It’s really easy to start feel comfortable like you have a good idea what is around, these are really the times you need to be cautious. Permadeath. To be hours into the game and have permadeath hit you again… the save points are only for when you quit the game alive, they are no safety net whatsoever. It is a great game to play when you have as few distractions as possible, no television in the background, no one else in the house telling you they just stocked something on *this* shelf of the fridge. Think of it more as a jigsaw puzzle on a rickety TV tray that anyone else might bump over so you tuck it safely in the corner when others are around.

Now that the whole permadeath thing has been drilled into your head this is what you imagined Robinson Crusoe was like probably as a kid. Only with body bags. And cryptic notes about madness. And instead of a shipwreck you bust out of a crate that was supposed to be your watery coffin. Otherwise you need to find items and figure out how to craft them together. Your inventory is limited but if you concentrate on dropped items such as a key or a knife first and only work on growing stuff like shaking trees for coconuts and mangos as needed then you are less likely to have a full inventory and find yourself dropping excess coconuts in weird places all over the islands.

This is a review and I have been mostly loading it with tips because this a fun game with a lot of mystery involved and permadeath can be a very cool aspect of a title if used properly which Better Late Than Dead does. It is still being tooled a bit, go in feeling for a beta at this point and you will be more than happy with the results. I haven’t had a second player join me for multiplayer yet which was introduced very recently so hasn’t fully caught on as the game probably will through word of mouth. The game has good quality, a good concept and so far pretty good devlivery, just make sure that permadeath survival is your thing and you’ll be just fine.

Last Breath:

Better Late Than Dead is a fairly rare entry into the survival series with it’s permadeath and the interesting ways it tries to cause them which I don’t want to spoil here. It still feels like it needs a bit of tooling and I think it is still getting it at press time but even without another coat of polish it is a fun and addictive game.

[easyreview title=”Better Late Than Dead Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires PS4 Review

2016/03/19

Ripper71

News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 4 Review, Reviews

When I took the review for Samurai Warriors 4 Empires I thought, from just the initial images that I had seen, that it was an anime slasher with a few combo moves to remember – which I was more than in the mood for as my week of gaming was beginning. What I was pleasantly surprised by was that was just the beginning of this game’s adventure and I would be spending a lot of hours finding out just how deep it went.

Hands On:

The game started pretty much like I expected it to with a notice on the screen that our clan was in trouble and we needed to fight from certain destruction. I started swinging my sword, learning the minor power blows and being greeted by plenty of enemies flying through the air and and disappearing as they were wiped out. After a nice solid defense that had me prepared for more slash and dash suddenly the game entered Politics Mode. What?

Turns out is has a what at first sight is a light political section which actually winds up playing a fairly deep strategy section of the game which has as much say on what happens and the swords if not more. Actually it is through the strategy that weapons and troops upgrade for the hack and slash. The way I would describe it most simply is it is a strategy game that you then fight the battles through once it comes time to fight another clan/territory. You have advisers and generals who you must consider both their advice and battle prowess because after you use one aspect you use the next.

You also after capturing territories get new possible additions to your castle but they cost resources which then takes from battle… you quickly realize it is all a balancing act as you use a recuperating pool to bring back 200 of your men, but that leaves you with less resources in other places and then you still have to upgrade your castles as you capture them AND if you blow it in the hack and slash section which is timed it is all for nothing! Whew!

Luckily I love both strategy and hack and slash so I was adding up trophies on the PS4 like crazy and managing to mostly hold and maintain territories. It is definitely worth checking out the manual because though there are plenty of save times they are kind of hard to find most of the time and getting back to them means exiting out. I learned a lot of things through trial and error, the first time I lost a battle I didn’t understand how since I had dominated the map but I hadn’t defeated the last boss on the map before the countdown.

An interesting thing about the graphics are that they are a bit traditional strategy, looking like a Risk map then you go into battle and it is distinctly gaming anime with the big swords, dramatic ornate costumes and kind of hokey dialogue. I could see someone who isn’t really into both kinds of games being a little turned off by this but I personally enjoyed it, feeling that the mix worked and was a well rounded experience that went really, really deep.

Last Slice:

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is an interesting game with a great mix of strategy and hack and slash gameplay – which winds up challenging your muscle memory as well as your muscle memory. You can easily expect hours and days of play with lots of replay on the campaign section alone and you can also do custom gaming and expect downloads in the future. So work on trying to plan strategically ahead in a game as well as being fast with your fingers, your life might thank you sometime in the future.

[easyreview title=”Samurai Warriors 4 Empires Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Accessory Power GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset Review

2016/03/14

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

When I was a young man I used to wear my headphones everywhere constantly listening to my favorite tape of the time. If you are thinking of the average headphones of today your imagination might be a bit off, these were little plastic arms with circular ear pods. The full ear coverage of the 70s had been replaced with the little portable pods and the concern for bleed out was replaced with with a minor concert for bleed in, very minor concern taking a big back seat to portable. It was all about that Walk Man on your hip and durability and lightweight of the headphones. New eras which were mostly cycles of the eras before would come back with some technological edge and so has the ear pods with a terrific example to be found in the GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset.

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
Adjustable headband design
Onboard playback controls
Integrated Microphone
30ft wireless range
Rechargeable battery with 8 hours of audio playback
AC adapter included

Hands On:

There are a lot of benefits to this style of headset such as that it drowns out exterior noise. If you have are sensitive to in-ear designs, that should not a concern with these, as they tend to be able to be knocked around and still maintain playable position. The open cup design means less ear sweat and people trying to talk to you can hear bleed out so they know you can’t hear them. These were all the reasons why this particular design was slow to drift from the marketplace back in the 80s and 90s. The full ear cups tended to be weighty as well and so the ear pods were a nice lightweight replacement and the following design that when into the ear like an IFB were often uncomfortable in people’s ear canals.

So with all this in mind I thought of some of the few drawbacks of the old ear pods and the biggest were more designs of the Walk Man itself, all the controls were on the Walk Man and the cable to the headset was constantly getting in the way. I made my own case for my Walk Man in Leather Working class in high school so I could try not to knock it off my waste every time I changed tracks or rewound my favorite song. My design looked great, got an A, but still didn’t solve the problem.

So here we are now decades later and the fashion cycle has come around again. We are still using big old headsets like we had in the 60s and 70s but we are incorporating new technology such as wireless play and play/calls from our cellphone. Still they are bulky. In an attempt to bypass the bulky we are into the ear IFB style and people are still plenty uncomfortable if not moreso these days with things being jammed in their ear. They do it for the purpose of fitness and stability which makes sense but doesn’t make it any more comfortable.

Enter The Gogroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset. I cannot say strongly enough how much I wish this headset had been around when I was strength and cardio training in my teens. The ear pods are actually more comfortable than they were back in day while at the same time having better ear stability. One of the major tests that companies like to do with ear buds is to have an athlete put them in then run in place or do high jumps. This doesn’t really simulate running cross country or obstacle course jumping but the AirBand would hand such exertions easily. When using wireless electronics then playback time definitely is important but whether you are working out or just at work 9 hours of playback (my test results) with a few hours of recharge should get you through it.

Trying to think of any problems or concerns the only one I really came up with is there is some minor bleed out. This really won’t matter unless you are in a work or other sensitive environment where lyrics may want to be taken into consideration (ie. dropping f-bombs on a preschool class).

Last Play:

The GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset is the headset I have been waiting to come back into style for walks and hikes, I just wish I had had them when I was most vigorously in my body training. I will put it to good use now though with my physical therapy which when I find a product that can help I consider a blessing.

[easyreview title=”Accessory Power GG AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

GOgroove BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers Review

2016/03/02

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

It used to be when it came to your portable gaming rigs the only way it could look cool was by the the stickers you chose for it (you could never go wrong with VANS or Converse). Additional cool cred was given by your headset choice (full cups meant loaner and ear buds meant willing to teach a thing or two) and, of course, how big your hoodie was. Though, the hoodie and stickers are still solidly in play, your on-the-go speaker choices have definitely made an improvement and a fine example of that is the GOgroove BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers.

Hands On:

The particularly nice things about the GG BassPulse 2MX is that they are quick and easy to setup but loaded with style. They have a plug and play USB power source which gets the speakers bumping nicely immediately (universal AC Adapter spot included) while bringing in the blue or red LED glow highlights (I went with blue like most most my system). An included 3.5 mm jack will take care of just about any of your input needs.

Once you have gone through the two minutes or so it takes you to get set up you are ready for rocking and clocking. The subwoofer system is surprisingly deep for such a compact speaker model, I was actually expecting to damage them a couple times with some of the levels and depths I was tearing through them but they held up surprisingly and even entertainingly well.

The key is to remember this is a plug and play portable speaker system not designed to be a replacement for your home surround system as and long as you keep this in mind you will be pleasantly surprised.

Last Blast:

When I am running around with my gaming rig you can definitely expect to see these speakers in with my gear. Whether it is watching an action movie or busting out a couple round of CODIII the GG BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers has earned their place in my travel kit.

[easyreview title=”Accessory Power GG BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]