Game of the Year 2015 - The Witcher 3: Wildhunt

The video game awards kicked off at 9 pm ET on December 03, 2015 and ended with the Witcher 3 taking home the big prize of the night, the much sought after Game of the Year award. Many were upset with the fact that the Witcher 3 beat Fallout 4 for game of the year, and therefore ruining Bethesda’s long running Game of the year award winning streak, spanning to 2002 that started with the Elder scrolls 3: Morrowind.

However, this year there were some key elements that allowed the Witcher to topple the big giant and win game of the year. In previous years, Bethesda was ahead of the race by releasing their biggest titles in key stages of the previous generation of gaming. By doing so, Bethesda set the bar for what a true next generation game should be like. Bethesda started in 2002 with Elder Scrolls 3 at the dawn of generation 6, and again with the Elder Scrolls 4 at the dawn of generation 7. Releasing titles early allowed them to gain grown on the competition, and put them years ahead in terms of visuals and graphics. Finally, the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released 2011, around the end of the previous generation. This gave Bethesda the closing statement of the argument and as previously mentioned, set the bar for the current generation of gaming. All of these games won Game of the Year by setting the bar exceptionally high as to how a real open world RPG should play.

This was not the case this year when CD Projekt RED released the Witcher 3 at the dawn of generation 8, months before Fallout 4, and therefore setting the bar for the next generation of open world RPG’s. For the first time in a very long time, Bethesda saw themselves competing, instead of leading the way. Also, Fallout 4 released only a few weeks before the awards took place, giving gamers and critics alike little time to play the game, while most people waited until Christmas day to even play the game itself.

This is not to say that the Witcher did not deserve the win. The Witcher 3 was a beautifully done and well organized. It boasted one of the most powerful visual generators of the current generation of gaming. When visually necessary, the Witcher 3 is capable of reaching up to 1080P resolution and 60 FPS for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.  CD Projekt RED outdid their previous work with the Witcher 3, making the game over 30 times larger than any of the previous Witcher titles, and according to GameSpot, the Witcher 3 is 20% larger than the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Witcher 3 also features dynamic weathering and lighting, as well as advanced artificial intelligence.

From the very beginning the game was engaging, and soon the player found themselves with an entire continent to explore. CD Projekt RED aimed to include roughly 100 hours of total gameplay, being divided evenly between side quests/ Witcher contracts, and main quest story line. The game also maintains the player informed as to what’s going on in a particular instance in the story line, and at no point does the player find themselves with not knowing where they left off once they pick the game back up. The quests are well organized in order to maintain a sense of structure in gameplay. As mentioned, the game included the main quest, which guided the player through the storyline, the side quests that helped advance the main quest and helped get allies, Witcher contracts that earned money, rare items, and experience points, and finally the treasure hunts, which gave access to Witcher gear, considered to be the best gear in the game.

The Witcher 3 did a tremendous job at storytelling and finishing the story of The Witcher Geralt of Rivia. Its landscapes are mesmerizing, and the monsters are fearsome. If you have yet to play the Witcher, NerdSplash highly recommends you to grab yourself a copy, you will not be disappointed.

Amiibos: A one year story of hunting and collecting

November 21, 2014 is a day where Nintendo and its fans will look back on with a big smile.  Not only was it the release day for Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U, but it also marked the day where Nintendo released a little NFC figure that became so popular; they crashed websites, caused Black Friday type lines well after the holiday seasons, made Nintendo a millions of dollars, and in the process, still provided a fun alternative to various games that the player couldn’t get through without using these little things. Of course ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about AMIIBOS!

Is Fallout 4 the best game of this generation?

Upon the release of Fallout 4, it’s a convenient time to review our previous article on the game. The article was released on October 17, 2013, over two years ago. In the article, we posed the question “Will Fallout 4 be the greatest game of the next generation?”

Halo 5: Guardians

Halo has been one of the most successful videogame franchises of all time, and rightfully so. Time and time again, comments are made that Halo isn't an original series. It was not the first sci-fi first person shooter, or the first to have online multiplayer. However, Halo introduced many elements seen in today’s popular first person shooters, such as regenerating shields. Regenerating shields had been done in other games, but Halo was the first videogame in the first person shooter genre to do so, and doing so in a competitive multiplayer environment.

The Walking Dead: What you can expect from season 6

By Lucky

WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Rocket League

When was the last time anyone has ever heard of race cars and soccer fields used in the same sentence? Nobody expected those two things to ever come together, but Psyonix Inc. has taken a second chance with the release of Rocket League for the PS4 and the PC through Steam in the summer of 2015. Psyonix first released the original version on the PS3 with Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars! The original game received a 6.5/10 from IGN, and a 3.5/5 from Metacritic, which indicates it received fair reviews for its unique style of game play. Teams of race cars competing together against other players did not maintain its popularity during the time the game was released because of such titles like Gears of War, Fallout 3, Assassin’s Creed, and Call of Duty: World at War dominating the world of gaming. Despite the slow start of the first title, Rocket League has now changed how gamers will spend their time in the living room with their friends!

Forza Motorsport 6

Forza Motorsport 6

Forza Motorsport 6 is the sixth major installment in the Forza Motorsport series developed by Turn 10 studios and was scheduled for release Yesterday (September 15, 2015).

Dr. Eggplant’s game review: Shovel Knight

Back in the 90’s shows like Captain Planet and the original Power Rangers, would have heroes combine their efforts to form something so legendary that people would remember it for years to come.  Well when it comes to the 8-bit era, if a gamer were to combine some aspects of Mega Man, Ducktales, Castlevania, Zelda II, and Super Mario 3 all into one game, you would get Shovel Knight.  The first game designed by yacht club games, Shovel Knight is an old school 2d sweeping platformer that takes the best aspects of the 8-bit Era and jumbles it all into one game.

Dr. Eggplant’s 5 things I want to see at E3

With E3 a little less than a month away, the rumor mill around the video game world has started buzzing, in which some news has already been confirmed before the press conferences have begun.  With confirmed titles like Gears of War and Uncharted already in the works to the annual rumor about Nintendo making a new Zelda game for its respective home console, this year’s E3 is shaping up to be one of if not the biggest E3 in recent years.  All of the companies have promised us that they are going to come out firing with games upon games upon games, and why not, a year after the revealing of the new generation of systems between Sony and Microsoft and the fact that Nintendo is releasing quite possibly its most popular franchise on 3ds and the Wii U later this year, the 3 way battle for video game supremacy is hotter than ever.  Of course gamers want to see titles that have yet to be revealed, or something that will peak their interest on upcoming titles that is the whole point of E3 and that’s why gamers look forward to this event every year.  With that being said these are the top 5 things I think gamers would like to see at this year’s E3 press conferences (digital event for Nintendo).

The 5 it could happen video game moments of 2014

We are already a couple weeks into 2014 and gamers right now are still enjoying all of the launch titles that the Xbox one and Playstation 4 have provided along with the Wii u and the great titles they released this past holiday season.  However with the successes that these systems are having there is much more to come not just from these companies but from many other companies including valve who is on the brink of releasing their steam system and Bethesda who has been the brunt of many rumors throughout the end of 2013 into 2014.  Although most gamers know exactly what is going to be released this year and what possible news to expect, we all get shocked when the unexpected does happen.  So in honor of the unexpected I thought it would be interesting to try and predict these moments because “it could happen,” now keep in mind that some of these are long shots of happening but this is about the unexpected which means anything can happen; so with that being said here are my 5 “it could happen moments of 2014.”

Super Smash Bros for Wii U: 2014 Game of the Year?

 

In the last 15 years there have been many franchises that gamers consider to stand out on their own.  Games like this usually offer a unique aspect to their genre or gameplay that has inspired other games to be made. One franchise that accomplished both these feats is Super Smash Bros.  Since its release in 1999, Smash Bros. has become one of the perennial franchises for Nintendo.  I have talked to various gamers about Smash Bros and many of them said it is the reason why they own a Nintendo System (mostly with Melee for Gamecube and Brawl for Wii).  Other games like TMNT Smash up and Playstation All-stars Battle Royale tried to “join the battle” but were unable to match Smash Bros’ success.  Smash Bros has turned the fighting genre upside down and created an experience unlike any other.

How EA needs to ride the success of their arcade sports

As a 90’s gamer there were many classic franchises exclusive to the decade that I still play to this day.  Games like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Vectorman, and Earthworm Jim are just a few 90’s franchises that will give me that Nostalgia factor; however there are a couple franchises that me, my brother, and friends played all the time; those were NBA Jam and NFL Blitz.  These franchises really launched the popularity of sports in the gaming world with over the top moves and no rules gameplay that made gamers save up their quarters each week.  No question NBA Jam and NFL Blitz have become cult classics to the old school gamers that lived in the arcades.

Will Fallout 4 be the greatest game of the next generation? by Carlos Javier aka Cheese

Without a doubt, Bethesda Softworks is planning on releasing what could be the greatest game of the next generation. Pete Hines, Vice president of Bethesda Softworks stated that the company acquired the rights to Fallout in order to produce many games.  Now that we are heading into the next generation of gaming, it is almost certain that the next Fallout title will be part of it.

Gears of War: What does its future hold?

Go to any gamer and they will tell you that Gears of War is one of the defining franchises representing this generation of gaming.  However, Gears of War’s future seems to be looking bleak.  Although I am a huge fan of the franchise, it is pretty hard to see any type of future for the remaining members of Delta Squad and the rest of the COG.  The release of Gears of War: Judgment did not go over so well with gamers; telling a story that not many fans of the franchise really cared about. The multiplayer also took a step back trying to bring in new concepts like its survival mode and overrun.  It almost looked like a third person version of Call of Duty, which really put distaste in my mouth.  The failure of Judgment has put the franchise in dire straits, however I believe Epic Studios has several options to potentially turn the franchise around.

Pokémon X & Y

Pokémon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS is the next installment in the Pokémon franchise and will be introducing a total of 69 new Pokémon for the 6th generation. Like every other Pokémon game before it, the game follows a linear storyline as events occur in a fixed order. Also like its predecessors it stars a young teenager with a dream of becoming the best Pokémon trainer in the region, the main goal in the game is to gather all 8 gym badges and eventually challenge the elite 4. The game takes place in the region of Kalos and the player gets to choose from Chespin, Fennekin or Froakie as their starter Pokémon and later in the game the player gets to choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle.

King B Kool Quick Review: Wind Waker HD

  When this game came out for the Gamecube I never really gave it a chance. I enjoyed what I did play - windfall island was fun and seemed like a good substitute for Hyrule town, but the control scheme kept me from investing the time I should have. There was something about navigating the ocean with a sail and a baton on a talking boat that just didn't captivate me the same way running across Hyrule did.

Why is Call of Duty the “Jesus Christ” of shooters?

First off, it needs to be clarified what it is meant by the “Jesus Christ” of shooters. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the figure of rebirth, immortality, and overall the creator and the most powerful. Jesus Christ came back from the dead to become the central figure of the largest religion in the world today. That being said, how do those traits apply to the franchise Call of Duty? The very first installment of the series, Call of Duty, introduced a realistic style of combat that was not very popular, and hardly available in any first person war game shooter, the second installment, Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360 introduced a fresh idea in story telling of WWII, and the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series, specifically Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, introduced a modern, realistic standard which eventually led to today’s day first person shooters.

King B Kool Quick Review: Earthbound

I, like many of you, never played Earthbound when I should have. I even owned a copy of the game- and still never played it. (I was really lucky- a nice mint condition cartridge that I just never got around to playing still sits in its box in my room) By not doing so, I probably committed the ultimate childhood sin- or did I?

Classic Gaming and the Smart Device

             

Chances are if you’re a serious gamer you own a fairly recent gaming console like the X-Box 360, the PS3 or even a PC and are looking to the future and anticipating the next generation of gaming consoles. But almost every gamer has had his or her own golden age of gaming; everyone has those games that bring a wave of nostalgia rushing back. Whether you started with an Atari playing asteroids, Mario on the NES, Sonic on the Sega, or even Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation, every gamer has their own classic games and most want to relive their glory days. But what can gamers do to facilitate it when their old consoles, games or controllers no longer work?

How Smash Bros. left the door open for a Mega Man HD Game.

 

This past E3 Nintendo dropped a bombshell for all their fans.  Not just the simple fact that the new Smash Bros. will be released next year but an icon in the gaming community will be joining the fight; The “Blue bomber” himself Mega Man.  Without question fans have wanted Mega Man in this game before Brawl was even released but were left wondering “what if?”  Now that he is finally in Smash Bros. fans are getting exactly what they want with a fighter that is unlike any other that has been seen in a Smash Bros. game to date.