Jeff's End of 2016 Awards - Part 3

At long last, we have come to the end of 2016 and the year that was in the world of video games! With as much negativity that went on in the world this year, we must stay strong and focus on the positives as much as we can to remind ourselves that good does exist.

To that end, let's talk positives. Here are my Top 10 Games of 2016. First, however, the rules:

1. You won't find any handheld titles here. Yes, there were great games on the 3DS and Vita this year, but I didn't find any up to the caliber of these 10. Plus my time spent with these systems are quite limited anymore.

2. No mobile games here either. Most of the same reasons as for handheld titles, with the added issue of there being so many things on various app stores.

3. MOST IMPORTANTLY: I had to have played it. I am but one man using my own funds to purchase and play these games. The goal/dream is to get a job in the industry so I do have time and the resources to access any game whenever I want, but until then it's on me. So if you think I may have missed a real obvious one, I may not have played it as of this writing.

Enough stalling! From 10 to 1 here are my favorite games of the past 12 months! BEGIN!

10. Hitman

Agent 47 has fallen into the background while other franchises like Tomb Raider and Deus Ex have been getting recent great pushes. That all changed in 2016, but it took a couple risky choices. First of all, calling it simply Hitman, implying a full reboot of the series. Secondly, going the "episodic" route, delivering content on a monthly basis. This means the game had to come out strong so gamers would actually WANT to come back over the lifespan of the game. Luckily it did. The best thing I can say about Hitman is that it strikes a perfect balance between serious stealth action secret agent, and "Well, that's dumb in an awesome way". Add in the "Elusive Targets" and special themed missions, it's no wonder the game is gearing up for "Season 2". There's just something so satisfying about dressing up as a world famous model, strutting your stuff on the runway, then carrying out your mission by chucking a kitchen knife at your target's head.

9. Firewatch

There are so many things that I will take away from my time with Campo Santo's Firewatch, primarily hope. Hope that more games like this can exist. This game was able to combine a colorful and vibrant landscape, with great voice acting, beautiful ambience and smooth controls, and add in that last super important ingredient many games take lightly: an engaging and powerful story. I actually had several moments where I just stopped worrying about what I was doing in the game, took it all in and just thought "Wow". I can not remember the last game that made me feel like that.

8. The Witness

All those things I really liked about Firewatch? Replace "great voice acting" with "mind-bending puzzles" and you have The Witness. Even when you are banging your head against a puzzle, it is just awe-inspiring just to be in this universe. Every puzzle is a unique experience and you get a real sense of accomplishment when you figure out the mechanic. Even when you don't, you are compelled to see it through and figure out what all this is leading to. It's never frustrating, always rewarding and easily one of the best puzzle games I have EVER played.

7. Gears of War 4

The story idea of "Son of original protagonist" can seem a little easy and boring, but Gears 4 pulls it off tremendously as it gives players a great combination of nostalgia and new exciting experiences. It also helps that it's the first in the series on the Xbox One (and Windows 10 with the wonderful "Play Anywhere" feature) and looks gorgeous, especially when it can get to 60 frames per second. Add the usual slew of multiplayer options and nailing the unique feel that makes these games so damn good in the first place, and you have a more-than-worthy entry in a blockbuster franchise.

6. Battlefield 1

Honestly, when I first saw footage of Battlefield 1, I didn't know what to think. Sure, I was glad to see the series go back in time rather than further saturate the market with modern and future shooters, but the bitter taste of Star Wars Battlefront was still present and I was nervous that we would see more of that. Luckily, what we got was a mix of the good design choices from both Battlefront and the mainline Battlefield games on a wonderfully realized backdrop of alternate history WWI. The campaign was told well enough, but this is the most fun I've had in Battlefield multiplayer in quite some time. I'll never forget the feeling of fear I had when I was hiding behind a boulder for cover as explosions surrounded me and watching the bodies of my teammates fly by my head. I mean I chuckled a bit because I'm messed up and that's a fun visual in gaming, but the wonderful graphics, amazing sound design and top-notch control scheme put this game among the best in the genre.

5. Titanfall 2

In wrestling terms, I am a Titanfall "Mark", meaning that I pretty much geek out over anything that says "Titanfall" on it. The first game had such a strong impact on me the likes of which no other shooter had before. Titanfall 2 retains all the fast paced action of the original while adding some fun new toys, my favorite being that grappling hook. I remember getting a melee kill by grabbing an enemy with my hook, pulling him towards me and delivering the fatal kick while Jeff IRL started screaming his head off thanks to a Testosterone and Adrenaline cocktail. There is just a surreal rush you get while playing Titanfall 2 that you don't get anywhere else. Getting rid of the Burn Card mechanic was a great touch but the biggest addition was an actual (and fun) campaign. Is it weird that I am getting a twitch in my hands just from typing about Titanfall? MUST PLAY!

4. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Oh nothing much, just another amazing Uncharted game, yawn. This has been the premier series on Sony's platform and you knew it was going big for Nathan Drake's swan song. While there really isn't anything in the way of innovation in gameplay here, Uncharted 4 has the most engaging story in the series coupled with a technical marvel in graphics, sound design, controls and voice work. What it amounts to is a love letter to fans of the franchise which cements the Uncharted series as one of the biggest and best of this generation. This is the best game in the series and that is saying something. Thank you, Naughty Dog.

3. DOOM

I knew this game was something special even before the opening title screen. DOOM comes out of the gate fast and sets the tone with one of the best opening scenes in gaming history, punctuated by slamming your fist into a screen while the guitar starts driving forward, I'm even head banging as I write this just thinking of that part. Everything is just so fluent, whether you are running around the levels shredding enemies with the various weapons, or caving their skulls in with their own feet or feeding them their own hearts, nothing stops the action and it's the ultimate adrenaline rush. There is enough nostalgia here to please fans of the series while also carving its own identity to bring new people into the franchise. The multiplayer, while a little generic, is still a lot of fun and only adds to the experience. DOOM is a blood-soaked guitar-thrashing in-your-face thrill ride the entire way through and I will gladly go on that ride over and over again, cackling all the way. Pure joy.

2. Sid Meier's Civilization VI

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum from DOOM we have Civilization VI. I got into this series with the previous title and it feels like VI took everything that was great about V and somehow made it better. It's a combination of the little things, whether it's combining the Tech Tree and Civics Tree into one menu, opening up the Religion aspect, actively placing districts and Wonders in your city and watching those cities evolve, or simply making it easy to see which Civ is winning. There are enough "under the hood" tweaks here to make a big difference while also keeping the feel of the last game in tact. I have said before that V is one of my favorite games of all time, and VI is even better than that. I have a bad case of "One More Turn-itis" and this game should be filed as a narcotic.

1. Overwatch

It's weird to imagine that Overwatch only came out this year, since it feels like it's been around forever. That's the impact this game already has. Blizzard is the Apple of the video game world because they take a formula that already existed and turned it into something revolutionary. It's a shooter at the core, but it is so much more than that. Every character brings a new experience, each team composition brings a new experience, every match brings something completely new to the table. The characters in Overwatch are quickly becoming some of the most recognizable in gaming while the game itself remains one of the most played games on any streaming service. Constant updates, patches, new characters, themed events and so on just reiterate the fact that Blizzard is all in on this and when they go all in, greatness happens. Even when my team gets "rekt" it's never frustrating because I still had fun playing the game. Overwatch is not only my favorite game of 2016, but it is definitely one of my favorite games of all time.

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There you have it! My favorite games of 2016! See? Some good came from this year.

What do you think? Did I get it right? Did I get it wrong? What were your favorite games this year?

Stay tuned in 2017 as I take the brand even further: Regular Twitch live streams, more YouTube fun, more blogging, more collaborations. 2016 was a good foundation for me and my gaming brand as I work to hopefully get into the industry, and I have a really good feeling about 2017. Happy Holidays to all, hope you get some great games to play!

Jeff's End of 2016 Awards - Part 2

As 2016 comes to an end, I'm sure many people will look back at all the negatives the year gave us, so I will too. Here are three games that, while they are definitely not THE WORST games of the year,  did end up being some of the biggest bummers in the video game year of 2016:

Runner-Up #1: No Man's Sky

It's well documented that this game received a less-than-stellar response upon release. Negative reviews all over the place, people asking (and granted) full refunds, which is a rarity these days, as well as a full-fledged investigation into overpromising and underdelivering. I will say I had this game preordered, played for about 12 - 15 hours on launch day, and pretty much saw everything there was to see. Truth be told, I probably saw all there was to see during the first 6 or so hours and just pressed on as I hoped the game would show me something. The game has since been patched, more content has been added and the investigation has been dropped, but for as much hype and attention this game was getting, plus all the delays in development, more was to be expected at launch.

Runner-Up #2: Street Fighter V

"Wait, but you like this game, Jeff. You said you want to spend more time with it." This is true, Street Fighter V is a good and fun fighting game...NOW. At launch it was an absolute mess. Which is evident from my live stream.  A connection to the server is required to basically do anything in the game, which isn't a new concept, but you think they would have learned from other games that have done it before. In order for this idea to work you need to have servers that aren't melted. What's worse is that when playing a normal mode like Survival, and you're about 5 or 6 rounds in, then the severs crash and erase all your progress. It was basically unplayable at launch. Yes, it's much better now and is a hell of a fighting game now, but it really felt like Street Fighter V needed a little more time in the development oven before being deemed ready.

"Winner": Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Yeah, I deem a Mario game to be disappointing. You know what would have been great? Being able to create Mario levels on the go with the 3DS and import them to my Wii U to finish, tweak and import...yeah, can't do that. Well it would be cool if I could search for my friend's levels or a specific level to play whenever I wanted to on my 3DS...yeah, can't do that either. The game will just randomly spin the wheel and give you a handful of levels to choose from, you can always ask for new ones but if you want a specific one, you're screwed. You can save a level to play later, but only AFTER you play it once, so you can't just think something looks cool and save it, you have to take time to play through it to decide if you want to keep it. Just so many strange design choices take something that could have been a supremely meaningful addition to one of the best things Nintendo has EVER DONE, and instead leaves me wondering "What's the point?".


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Alright, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Again, those aren't the worst games, just the ones that left a little bitterness behind. In Part 3, The Main Event. My Top 10 Games of 2016!

Jeff's End of 2016 Awards - Part 1

It's good to be back on the blog, been way too long. Well I am here and will be back WAY more frequently.

2016 is (mercifully) coming to an end and while many people would like to forget the year that was, it would be irresponsible of us to not at least acknowledge the wonderful year in video games. Over the next three installments, I will be recognizing the most memorable (for better or worse) games of 2016.

Part 1: Games I Played In 2016 That I Want More Time With In 2017

I am but one man with only so much time and money, so I wasn't able to get quality time with all the games I wanted to this year. Here are five games I put some time into this year that are at the top of my "to-do" list in 2017:

(Keep in mind: the games didn't need to come out in 2016, but I just needed to spend some time with them this year)

1. XCOM 2

I played a live stream's worth of this game earlier this year and besides realizing I suck at these games, I knew I needed to spend some more time to fully grasp all that's going on. I was a huge fan of Enemy Unknown and there is just as much depth here in the sequel. While this game may not have grabbed me immediately like its predecessor, this is still a quality title that I just need to focus more time on.

2. Atlas Reactor

This game is cool. Again, I played a few hours worth of it for a live stream and my interest was definitely grabbed. It's a unique style of game with simultaneous turn-based combat full of depth, visual flair and fun character designs. Plus it's FREE! The community seems to be growing and that's a good sign since this game shows a lot of promise and is something I will be coming back to very soon.

3. EVE Online

Yes, I know this game has been out for a long time, and I have been playing it off and on throughout the years, but two factors have been keeping me from truly getting into it: (A) It takes a considerable amount of time to get all the mechanics down, this is a deep game and (B) It's ANOTHER $15 per month that I just couldn't justify. Well, that second part is now gone since EVE has gone Free-to-Play. This is great, because I did like what I have played over the years, and now the financial burden has been lifted.

4. Street Fighter V

In case this is your first time checking out the blog, I am a fighting game fan. When a numbered Street Fighter game gets released, it's a BIG deal. SFV had a (let's be nice and say) rough launch and that has prevented me from fully getting into Capcom's latest fighter. I did fire this game up recently and bought the Season 1 characters and started getting back into it. The core engine is still top-notch, the game looks great and it still feels like a Street Fighter game. That, coupled with the recent release of Akuma and upcoming Season 2 characters, makes me want to start (hopefully) kicking ass all over again.

5. Axiom Verge

I played about an hour of this during my Extra Life charity stream and that wasn't nearly enough. I am a sucker for "MetroidVania" style games and not only is this a fantastic one of those, it has a striking visual style, a terrific soundtrack and responsive controls. This is definitely a game I can lose hours into if I just sat down and focused, which I plan on doing once the calander flips over.

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There you go! Five games that I spent a little but of time with in this recent 12-month span that caught my attention enough to be on my immediate radar for 2017. In Part 2, I will show three games that ended up being big disappointments in 2016.

Hey, Jeff...Been A While!

Hey everyone! My apologies for the lack of updates recently, but a LOT of stuff has been going on and I wanted to clue you all in on some of the changes coming up for me and the Jeff of All Games "Family" of networks.

First of all, I am now blogging over at video-game-break.com with other like-minded gamers. I will blog here still when the time calls, but you should check out VGB for great articles from smart gamers, and anything written by "Jeff" would be THIS GUY!

Second, the Jeff of All Games Podcast (if you haven't been able to tell yet) is going on an indefinite hiatus, mostly because with my current schedule, it's hard to come up with quality content on that end and that's not fair to you to readers, I will dabble in Podcasting again when the time is right. It is not the end of the Podcast, just an extended break to rework the structure.

Third, the Patreon will close. I haven't been able to give that the attention it deserves and it's collecting dust. Again, that may resurface when the time is right, but that time is not now. I need to grow a bigger audience before diving into that.

Fourth, the YouTube channel is growing with more and more content and more subscribers. If you haven't subscribed yet, I would love you forever if you would hit that sweet "Subscribe" button. I have been ranking fighting games, recording "Let's Plays" and archiving all my live streams there.

Fifth, I will be making a Facebook Page for you all to go like and that should be up by next week.

Sixth (I told you, lot's of updates) I have officially signed up for Extra Life again this year. The structure will change from before, but the goal is the same: to raise money for The University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Click HERE to get all the info and to (hopefully) make a donation and give me a head start to my goal.

More updates will come, but as always, thank you for reading my blog, thanks for all the support and I promise to continue to bring it!

- Jeff 

What I Think Of... PvZ: Garden Warfare 2

When Plants vs. Zombies first started popping up on our mobile devices and consoles, it was an innovative spin on the tower defense genre, and a ridiculous concept of the reanimated dead vs. horticultural hombres (I don't have many chances to use the word "horticultural" so just go with it). The series caught on and took off immediately, similar to the way something like Angry Birds or Candy Crush did. Thankfully, PvZ didn't get shoved down our throats the way those other franchises did (and continue to).

2 years ago (to the day, in fact...nice little coincidence there), the first Garden Warfare game was released and hoped to do to the shooter scene what the original game did for the tower defense scene. What we got was a nice, fun, cute shooter that we could pass some time with. Generally well received, with myself being one of those fans. Sure, it had some issues and felt more like a "let's see if people would actually care about this" game, but it ended up selling well enough to warrant a sequel.

How does the said sequel fare? Did EA deliver or go too far? Here is what I think of Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2.

The first big change is the fully immersive menu system. In the previous game, you would boot up into a menu to do all of your character customization, sticker buying, and mode selecting. Now you are dropped into the "Backyard Battleground". You are free to roam around this map, going from station to station to do the things you would normally do in a basic menu. You can walk to a dressing room to customize characters, go to a vending machine to buy sticker packs, check out your stats on a big board in the back of the base, walk up to the multiplayer portal to adjust settings and jump into a match, board a ship for the Garden/Graveyard Ops Mode, and so on. The map is divided into three parts, the Plant base, the Zombie base, and the center. The center is sort of a "no-man's land" and will always have A.I. Plants and Zombies fighting and endless fight. You could roam out there and get some practice in, or you can raise the flag in the center and begin a wave survival mode, which is fine, but a little long.

This map is also where you get your single-player quests. Yes, a single-player component that was absent from the first game. Both Plants and Zombies have quests to complete. You talk to an NPC on your side and they will send you off on your quest. Sometimes they can be abridged versions of the wave-based survival mode, other times they can be as unique as giving air support to a comrade, protecting them from oncoming enemies. Completing these quests will reward you with XP and Coins to use on sticker packs. The single-player is a welcome addition, even if it's not where you're going to be spending the majority of your time.

The meat of the game comes with the multiplayer options and Garden Warfare 2 added some impressive features. When you boot up the Multiplayer Portal, not only do you get a great "retro" interface, but you get plenty of options. You have your choice of Public, Private, or Solo matches. Solo is pretty noteworthy since you can jump into any multiplayer mode against A.I. bots and earn the same XP and Coins that you would in an online setting. I personally love the idea of bots since it naturally extends the life of a game, with the added bonus that you still earn the same rewards, so you aren't being punished by going this route. Also, you can add mutators that can change the gravity on the map, give you low health, and more. You also can change the team composition, so if you just want a certain type of Zombie vs. a certain type of Plant, you can totally do that.

The online multiplayer is just as fun as it was in the first game. The modes range from simple Team Vanquish (Deathmatch), to Vanquish Confirmed (Kill Confirmed), to Suburbination (Domination), and more. Worth noting, I played the game before the retail launch, then at retail launch, and added around 10 - 12 more hours, and I have experienced VERY little online issues. Matches in GW2 can go by fast, which helps the frantic feel of the game as well. The maps are all unique, look great, and are fun, especially "Lunar Landing" which incorporates lower gravity, making your jumps float more than they would elsewhere. Gardens and Graveyards returns from the previous game, but only has two maps, though I am sure there will be more maps in future updates.

New characters have been introduced, 3 per side, and they all have their fun additions. The Plants have the Rose, which has the power to turn Zombies into Goats, which is hilarious and effective. The Citron is a powerhouse that can deploy a personal shield, and the Corn (my favorite, and not just because I live in Iowa) has machine guns and can deploy butter air strikes. The Zombies add the Pirate, who has a precision pistol and can deploy a cannon do deal massive damage, the Imp which has low health but can call down a mech to jump in and wreck house, and the Superhero who is melee focused but can throw fireballs as well. These new characters, along with the original roster, means that players will find more than one character to gravitate towards. On top of that, each character has different "hero versions" which take the base character and gives them a cool twist, usually elemental. The Pea Shooter, or instance, has a Toxic version which deals poison damage over time, an Electric version, an Ice version, and more. So even if you don't like the base character, perhaps these other versions may entice you.

This concept existed in the first game, and a really neat feature here is the ability to import your hero characters that you've unlocked from the first game for use here. You get rewarded for unlocking heroes, abilities, and leveling up in the first game and will continue to up until February, 2017.

Garden Ops, the wave-based "horde" mode, returns, but now, if you are playing solo, you actually stand a chance since you can add A.I. partners to help you. This is great, just know the enemies will be harder the more you add, and you can add up to three partners. Also, the Zombies have this mode with Graveyard Ops.

The leveling up system got a much needed change here. In the first game, you had to complete certain tasks with each character to earn stars to level up, which ended up changing how people played the game, since they would focus on those tasks as opposed to playing for the good of the team. Here, you earn XP the more traditional way; getting kills, assists, capturing points, reviving teammates, etc. You earn XP whether you are playing online or Solo. You also get XP and Coins from completing daily quests. Yes, the feature that is sweeping the nation has found its way in here and I love it. These quests can range from "Kill 'X' amount of Citrons as a Zombie" to "Win 15 Suburbination matches" and so on. Completing these quests will also boost your XP multiplayer, so you can start getting double XP after you complete enough daily quests. This resets every day or so, so "play a lot and play often" is the mantra here.

Worth noting, every character levels up individually, that includes hero variations. So, for instance, you level up the basic Pea Shooter and Toxic Pea Shooter separately. Each character can get to level 10 before you have the option to "Promote" (Prestige) to reset back to level 1, get a new title, and go again. It looks like characters can do this 5 times.

Sticker packs are back and buying them will unlock consumables for Garden/Graveyard Ops, tons of customization options for the characters, and new hero characters. There already seems to be a TON of customization options and likely TONS more through future updates, so chances are really high that your character will be quite unique. Also worth noting is the concept of "Hero Showcase", which is basically like a "Free Rotation" character from various MOBAs, allowing you to play as a certain hero character for a short period.

If it sounds like there's a lot going on in PvZ: Garden Warfare 2, it's because there is. It can seem a little overwhelming for GW newcomers and some of the single player quests feel like they go on for way too long, but the multiplayer meat is still there and just as fun as ever. I haven't even mentioned the fact that the art style is still fantastic and the sound design is superb. This game looks amazing, plays silky smooth, and has a great, bubbly personality about it that you'll probably be grinning throughout and not even know it.

The original Garden Warfare laid the groundwork for the franchise to reach past the tower defense roots, and Garden Warfare 2 takes the formula, makes smart and fun additions, and becomes a fully realized experience that you should definitely sink hours into. If you enjoyed the first game, this seems like more of that, so it will be familiar to veterans, while having a host of options for the new players to get in and see what the talk is about. I am having a great time with Garden Warfare 2 and will be sinking even more hours into this for sure.

What I Think Of... Street Fighter V

Capcom's premier fighting game has reached "V Status". We are finally being treated to the fifth core Street Fighter game after 7 years (!) of Street Fighter IV and all its iterations. While I thought SF4 was amazing, I was ready for the series to move forward and show me something new.

So, how does the next entry for the world warriors hold up? Here is what I think of Street Fighter V.

(Worth noting: I'm playing this game on PC with my Street Fighter IV Xbox 360 Fight Stick, I have also put roughly 8 - 10 hours into the game, which is enough to see what this game has to offer, though not nearly enough time to be, you know, good at it. I also FINALLY was able to get online and throw down against live opponents.)


The first thing you will notice about Street Fighter V when you launch the game is that it relies heavily on you being connected to the servers. This is because you can have the game look for an opponent in the background the entire time you are playing, so whether you are going through the Training Mode, Story Mode, or just looking through menus, the game can be searching for others to fight online, which is pretty slick. Though this is dependent on actually being connected to the server. At launch, the servers were, let's say, not adequate, and this will come up later in the review.

If you are looking for single-player modes, there is not much to choose from. You will end up spending most of your time in the Survival Mode, since this is how you unlock the different costume colors for the fighters. There are 4 different difficulties; Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hell, where you survive 10, 30, 50, and 100 fights respectively. These are all 1-round fights, so if you lose once, you're done. In between fights, you are given an option as to which "supplement" you want to take (don't worry, no drug testing here), these can range from a boost in attack power, to defense, to a full special meter, to a health refill. This mode is fine and all and I have played this the most just so I can get different colors, but it can get a little mind-numbing.

You can also take park in the Story Mode. Each of the 16 characters has a unique, and very brief, story. These serve as some nice backstories for the fighters, told through nice looking comic panels. These stories also put the fighters in unique costumes that don't appear elsewhere in the game. For instance, in Nash's story, you fight as him before he was "killed" and before he was disfigured. I can only assume these costumes will show up in some sort of DLC later on, which would be cool since some of them are really nice, especially Zangief's wrestling attire. I know I said the word "brief" earlier, and that actually might be underselling it. Each fighter's story can range from 3 to 4 fights, all one round. You could, theoretically, blow through all story modes (combined) in about an hour. No colors to be had here, you only gain XP, Fight Money, and Steam Achievements / PS4 Trophies.

There is also a training mode, so you can, you know, train. Pretty standard training mode. That's it right now for single player modes. You'll notice I didn't mention a Versus Mode. It is local Versus ONLY. As of this writing, you can not play 1P vs A.I. I'm a little baffled by this decision. You can not just play a normal Street Fighter match against the CPU in Street Fighter V.

Upon completing Survival and Story Mode, you are rewarded with Fight Money and XP for the fighter you were using. The Fight Money is the in-game currency that, right now, does nothing, and the XP for the fighter is how you unlock Titles for your fighter profile...I think, it's not really made clear what that does. The Fight Money will have some use when the Shop is added as a free update in March, and the XP is only given the first time you complete a mode, and earned through playing online. A note, if you are not logged in to the server, you do NOT get these rewards. Though it seems they may be added after the fact whenever you do manage to log on. Was tough to tell with the servers being the way they were.

Another thing, let's say you are connected to the server, and are deep into a round of Survival Mode, and the connection drops, you get booted out to the main menu and lose all progress. Sound frustrating? I had just beat the final match of Survival, win animation and all, screen went black to load my rewards, "Disconnected from game server", lost all progress, no rewards, no nothing. Let's say I was a little bummed.

On the bright side, the cast of characters and the redesigns are, for the most part, pretty damn cool. I love seeing Nash as he is one of my favorite characters in the franchise. The redesigns of Ken and Dhalsim respectively are pretty badass, and I think Rashid is the coolest new character the franchise has seen in a while. Some I am not so bully on. I think Laura and Karin are a little annoying, F.A.N.G. is pretty lame but does introduce the idea of poison fighting which is kind of cool, and Necalli is a cool character design but really has nothing flashy. Overall, a good roster that will only get better with subsequent DLC characters.

The fighting mechanics have mostly been left untouched, though Street Fighter V has done away with many "Charge Characters" (i.e. hold back 2 seconds, then forward + punch for a Sonic Boom), and instead making them traditional "Quarter-Circle Forward Punch" style characters. This is nice to help pick up new characters and have them feel a little familiar to one another, but you still may want to do some training to get even more familiar. Also, the big inclusion this year is the "V-Trigger" system. When it is filled, hitting both heavy buttons will cause different things for different fighters, Nash will teleport, Chun-Li will do double punch damage, Dhalsim will lay down a strip of fire and do damage over time, etc. There is still the EX/Critical Arts meter that IV had, but this new "V-Trigger" adds a new element of strategy that has some pretty cool looking effects.

Speaking of looking cool, this game sure does look damn good. The characters look terrific and the expressions when hits land are very pronounced. Also, on a beefy PC like my rig, I have everything up to "Max" settings and it all looks great and runs super smooth. Though I can't say the same thing about the backgrounds. When the action in the forefront looks so good and runs as great as it does, you notice that the background animates at what seems to be a lower framerate and the people in the back generally look muddy.

Back to the online part. The servers did end up toughing it out and I was about to play about 10 - 15 matches online (and getting worked, mostly). You have the options of "Casual" or "Ranked" matches as well as the "Battle Lounge" lobby system. You actually choose your character and color scheme before you even start searching for a match, which takes out the character select screen. In the Battle Lounge, you can set parameters such as Rounds to Win, Allow Character Select, and Enable Cross-Platform Play. In the matches I was sucking at playing, I was able to get a mix of PC and PS4 players. You can also use the Capcom Fighters Network to watch replays of your fights, and even search for other players to view their profile and watch their replays. Once the servers got their act together and I was playing online matches, the quality was mostly pretty good. A little lag here and there but once a match got going, it was pretty smooth.

All this being said, I really like playing Street Fighter V. The fighting feels great, the character roster is overall good, and the game looks great. This game feels like it is catering to the competitive scene though. The lack of a Versus A.I. mode is baffling but telling, the fact that you have to be connected at all times to be looking for online fights is also very telling. Street Fighter V, in its current state, is meant for those who know the series and want to be competitive against live opponents. This may turn away the casual fan, especially since the single player content is so limited.

The free update in March will add the Shop, the Challenge Mode, and, hopefully, more single player content. This leads me to think that in some regards, this game may have benefited from a March release that included these things already. Right now, it seems like Capcom sort of put out a game, though what IS there is pretty good and I really enjoy it. There is a lot to enjoy about Street Fighter V, though in the same breath I can say this game feels a little rushed. Though, if the updates to Street Fighter IV are any indication, Capcom will update the holy hell out of this and help it reach its true potential.

Awesome Video Game Music - At Doom's Gate (DOOM)

Yesterday, as I was uploading a video to YouTube and allowing my internet to melt, I hooked up my Playstation 1 and decided to mess around with a bunch of old games. After playing some Rampage: World Tour, Street Fighter Alpha 2, and NBA Jam T.E., I had this sudden urge to play DOOM. Of course, there's been some hype around the franchise with the release of a new trailer and a May 13th release date. Without going too much into detail, since I could talk a lot about DOOM, let's leave it at "I'm pretty damn excited".

So, I popped in my PS1 version of DOOM, which came in those kick-ass long boxes, and, though it's a serviceable version of the PC classic, it felt empty to me. So after a couple levels, I went back to my PC, booted up DOOM 3: BFG Edition, which comes with DOOM, and DOOM II (and way easier to launch since you don't have to deal with DOSBox). Launched the original game, and it all came flooding back to me. The PS1 version had a HUGE omission: the music. How am I expected to blast monsters in the face with a shotgun when I don't have the kick-ass music behind me? More specifically, THIS song...

The next entry into Awesome Video Game Music: At Doom's Gate - (DOOM, 1993)

You can't tell me you didn't headbang a little just now. It's an iconic theme and something I hope the new DOOM will take advantage of. We all know just how important DOOM was and is to the video game industry and this song started the game off on the right foot, shredding guitar, driving beat, the perfect song to start laying waste to the horrors laid before you. Also makes for my new ringtone. Just a few months from now, we will be able to enjoy it again, for the first time.

What is this Rampage That's Becoming a Movie?

So, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has had his name attached to this project for some time now, but in case you haven't heard, he is going to star in a live-action movie based on the video game Rampage. So I am here to tell you a little about what this game is and what it could mean for moviegoers.

What is Rampage?

Rampage was initially released in 1986 in arcades. You played as one of three monsters, George (The Gorilla), Lizzie (The Lizard) and Ralph (The Werewolf). These monsters were humans that were mutated via experiments at Scumlabs. The basic premise as these monsters is to wreck everything in your way, earning points by causing destruction, eating civilians, or eating power-ups that could be either helpful or harmful. Once you destroy one city, you move on to the next. All the while, the pesky military constantly bombards you, since they probably don't like you destroying everything.

I remember this game being some mindless fun. I'm always a fan of mass destruction in video games. Plus, for the mid-to-late 80's, this was graphically impressive, even on the home console ports. My time with the original game was spent mostly in arcades but a bit with the NES version, which I still enjoyed, even if it didn't do a great job of keeping my interest throughout.

The original Rampage made it to several home consoles and collections over the years, even coming to the Atari Lynx, which added a fourth character, Larry the Rat.

Though I will say, the most time I have spent with this franchise was in the arcades with Rampage: World Tour, the first sequel in the series. I remember when I was a child, being in a Saturday morning bowling league, and there being a World Tour machine back by the pool table. When I would finish my (respectable) 3 games of bowling, I would ask my folks for some quarters and spent quite some time destroying cities. I think I could even go back to that building today and remember exactly where that machine stood.

World Tour was basically just the original game with better graphics and more locations to destroy. Looking back, the controls were a mess and it wasn't nearly as fun as the original, but try telling that to a 10 - 12 year old Jeff who just wanted to watch the virtual world burn.

The theme of "these games really aren't that great" would continue throughout the series. After World Tour came: Rampage 2: Universal Tour, Rampage Through Time, Rampage Puzzle Attack, and Rampage Total Destruction which featured 30 monsters (40 for the Nintendo Wii). None of these games were particularly good as the games controls were rough and the action was pretty mind numbing.

Why Make A Movie On This?

That's actually a really good question.

Video game movies usually suck hard. If you need proof, just try watching movies like Super Mario Bros., BloodRayne, Street Fighter: The Movie, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Dead or Alive, Hitman, Double Dragon, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, Wing Commander, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Alone in the Dark, House of the Dead, Postal....do I need to go on?

There are some OK video game movies, to be fair. Prince of Persia was alright, I guess, and The Rock himself was in a somewhat entertaining at least video game movie with DOOM. Plus I think Karl Urban is an underrated actor. So, there is some hope this will be, at the very least, entertaining.

Part of me sees why they want to make a Rampage movie. There aren't many "Monster Movies" in America. The latest Godzilla was pretty alright, though the Godzilla movie that came before that was that one with Matthew Broderick and .......just.....ugh. So this could be a nice change of pace. Plus that video game nostalgia can bring in the gaming community.

Though, there is a list of games I would rather see a big screen release over a game like Rampage:

- Street Fighter (with today's innovations)
- Mortal Kombat (with today's innovations)
- Mass Effect (Call J.J. Abrams)
- Super Mario Bros. (Get Disney / Pixar on it)
- Legend of Zelda (Could you imagine if someone like Peter Jackson got his hands on this?)
- Starcraft (Which might happen WHEN Warcraft does well in theaters)
- Twisted Metal
- Metal Gear Solid (Kojima on the big screen? YES!)


I could go on, but you get the point.

Jeff, Are You Excited About A Rampage Movie?

I wouldn't say "excited", I would say "slightly interested". I think Dwayne Johnson is one of the coolest people alive and he is definitely on my bucket list of people to meet, and I'm glad he has some interest in the video game industry, but I can't sit here and say I am giddy with excitement. I guess we will see whenever we start seeing pictures and trailers. As of now, the Rampage movie is due out in 2017.