Coming Through The Door Blasting Volume 1: "Fluff" Gameplay, Battlefield 4, Dark Souls 2

Written By: Tyler

In "Coming Through The Door Blasting," I will be taking aim at various video game issues, whether it's in the form of rants or confessionals... maybe a mixture of both. Consider it a series of video game related brain droppings (pixelated poops?). A lot of the opinions that I express in the "Coming Through The Door Blasting" saga (ha) will be reactions to what I've been reading around the net or hearing in person, so obviously there is a lot of generalization going on.

There's no rhyme or reason to when I will release each volume of this because I write them when I have some stuff I need to rant about and/or when the blog is low on content.


I Don't Think Dark Souls 2 Is For Me

I'll begin this with a full disclosure: I haven't played this game enough to feel like I can write a full review of it, and I probably never will. It's like a light version of a review-in-progress that will never bloom to a completed product. I would love to write a review of it, but I am just having an incredibly hard time getting into it, and some of that is on me and not the game, but I can't look at Dark Souls 2 as a masterpiece either.

I'm playing the PC version right now, and I've read that it's buggy in comparison to the console version, but since it's my point of entry on DS2, it's all I can talk about. The mouse lag is terrible and in a game of inches like this one, it's incredibly frustrating that you can't attack like you plan and intend to. The game is hard enough as is, this extra difficulty doesn't help because it's cheap. They also clearly want you to use a controller because the commands on the screen come up as, "Press A." My controller is broken, plus I'm playing on PC, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect developers to optimize their PC games for the PC.

But that isn't why I can't really get into the game, that's just a port issue (I'm assuming) that doesn't exist in the console versions. This is going to put me at risk at receiving proclamations from people that I am a "casual gamer," but I think I'm past the point where ridiculously hard games appeal to me. I grew up with hard games, and I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older and feel like I've done my time with hard games, or if I just don't have the patience that I had when I was a kid and could only afford one game at a time -- thus making me play that same game for hours on end, regardless of how difficult it is. Or it could be that nowadays there are so many games to play that it's hard not to be pulled in a million directions, making me dedicate less time to games than I may have in my younger years. Maybe it's a mixture of all those things, but I don't like struggling my way through a point only to die and have to do it again. And again. And again. There's a death penalty where your life decreases whenever you die, though admittedly you can get a ring pretty early that helps with that by only allowing it to go down to 75%. I still don't like the idea of the death penalty. The game is hard, and each battle is difficult, and this was just unnecessary. Keep in mind, this is the point where I will concede that this whole paragraph is more of a personal problem than a game problem, except for the death penalty which I will defend as being pointless and stupid.

I don't actually think the game is this amazing accomplishment in game design either. I think it's a completely solid Action RPG, with some occasional thrilling moments and aspects I admire like the multiplayer (which I've enjoyed since Demon's Souls). I admit that when you finally complete an area and get to a bonfire it's a rewarding experience. The combat is difficult but I don't see anything awe-inspiring about it. Block/dodge, then attack. Sometimes there are multiple enemies which increases how stressful it is. I'm not saying the combat is easy, I'm just saying it's not really that in-depth.

I read somewhere that Dark Souls 2 puts its best material halfway through the game. If this is true, that doesn't actually excuse it. A game is different than a movie. Slogging through half an hour in a movie to get to the best part is different than slogging through a game for 20 hours.

Please keep in mind before you read the rest of this paragraph that this is literally just me asking questions and pondering out loud. These aren't concrete statements, they are hypothetical musings. I wonder if the game would be getting the accolades that it has been if it wasn't for the difficulty. If games back in the NES days had the same technical advancements that games of today do, would Dark Souls 2 really stand out? Or is this a moot point not even worth mentioning because the point of Dark Souls 2 is that it exists today and promises crushing difficulty and it's impossible and just plain dumb to compare it to games of yesteryear?

I know that if On The Gamely were a popular blog I'd start getting a lot of hateful comments here saying how I'm whining or crying, but if I were to give Dark Souls 2 a rating right now, I'd give it somewhere between a 7 and an 8. This is taking into consideration the fact that I believe a rating should consist of how "objectively" good the game is and your own personal taste. It is entirely possible to acknowledge a game is really good while also accepting the fact that it's just not for you. I am like that with Dark Souls 2, but I still see some problems with it. I'm glad there are a lot of people enjoying it though and I hope the series continues and makes a shit-ton of money because the variety of games is nice.


So I Took A Step Into The Realm Of Battlefield For The First Time This Past Week

I never played a Battlefield before because there are already too many shooters and another military shooter wasn't that appealing to me, despite the fact I'm in awe of the destructible environments and think it could add tremendously to the experience. I actually almost bought Battlefield 4 when it first came out but my computer couldn't run it. I consider myself lucky considering the difficulties the game has had since release.

Regardless, since it's currently on sale for $25 I reckon if I'm going to get it, I better get it now. And getted it I did. I really dig it. I'm iffy on vehicles in most competitive shooters, but depending on the game you're involved in, they can help create some truly exciting and memorable encounters. On the flip-side, it can lead to getting completely dominated in the most frustrating way possible, but my experience with BF4 has been mostly positive.

I don't want every FPS to have destructible environments, but holy crap it adds a lot. One of the first games I played, I ran into a building, the wall got blown up, so I ran into the next room and that wall got blown up. This level of destruction wouldn't be at home in certain shooters, but it's welcomed in Battlefield.

I like the game looks, feels and sounds, too. It doesn't pass my favourite shooter (Killzone), but the battles are chaotic and intense, with explosions and death everywhere you turn. Battlefield and Call of Duty compete directly with each other, despite offering different spins on the military shooter, but Battlefield stomps all over CoD.


Not Every Game Has To Be 200 Hours

I'll try to make this one quick because the article is already longer than I intended, but I don't think every game has to be long, non-linear or open-world. I don't need a million side-quests and I don't need a lot of replay value. Replay value used to come from it just being a great game that you want to experience again, though I'm not saying that another type of replay value isn't a positive thing because it is. I'm completely okay with a "short" game -- within reason -- so long as it's a memorable game.

If Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 only had the campaign, that'd be a rip-off because even though I have turned my back on CoD, I still think the campaign was great though incredibly short. Two and a half hours is too short for a full-price game.

Ten hours really isn't too short. My favourite RPG of all-time, Parasite Eve, clocks in at rougly ten hours. Mind you, games were cheaper, but the economy was also different back then. I'd be completely fine with Parasite Eve being released today with the same length because the game was fantastic from beginning to end.

We, as gamers, demand more and more from a technical standpoint these days. Games are held up to different standards because the technology is so much more advanced and we pay for that. Unfortunately this means prices also increase due to various factors, so even though cheaper games would be welcomed, you just can't expect a AAA title to do that. At least we have indie games for an alternative.

That's not to say I'm going to bat for companies pumping out short games, and unleashing unfinished games and expecting us to buy DLC is definitely not on my agenda. Bravely Default had a pretty decent runtime, and I enjoyed the hell out of that (until the end, ugh), and games such as Watch Dogs will demand lots of hours from me. There are always going to be open-world/sandbox games and I welcome that, but there's also something to be said for a concise story. If a game can do all that at once, more power to it.

My problem with a lot of longer games is that the gameplay just gets boring at some point and I end up ignoring side-quests and just doing the story. Someone could argue that since these side-quests are just extra material that you don't have to do them, but in some games you could miss out on a bunch by not doing them. I can't put the amount of time that some people do into MMOs because there's a lot of "fluff" gameplay that is just trying to extend the playtime, like stupid level/world design that makes you walk farther than you should have to. Making long-ass hallways just to make the game longer isn't appealing. Doing a million repetitive side-quests is only fun for so long most of the time.

There are exceptions to this rule, and I can be hypocritical, like with my love for Diablo-style Action RPGs. It's not an exact science. I guess my main point is that developers shouldn't stretch out the game if it doesn't make sense to do so, because it actually has the adverse effect and detracts from the overall product.



The point of these articles is to encourage discussion, so please, comment in the comment box below or tweet me @ArtBathednCrime. Let's... get this party started?

The Game With The Lame Name -- A Bravely Default Review (Finally)

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: 3DS

Rating: 8.5/10
Verdict: Bravely Default is a wonderful RPG in a lot of ways, but there are some things later on that dampen the experience and keep it from being a masterpiece.


"Oh man, I can't wait to play Bravely Default... it's finally out!"

I turned on my 3DS and cleared off some space and started the download. After it was completed, I laid down on my bed and fired it up. "Oh, this is a pretty song on the main menu, I'm getting into this already. This feels like an RPG."

I press New Game, and I do all the things the game requires me to do to set it up. All of a sudden I'm looking at my room through the top screen on the 3DS -- a feature that has always existed on the 3DS but one that I haven't really seen used in-game before, but I only bought my 3DS last year and have mostly played RPGs on it anyway. A woman comes onto the screen (the screen that is still showing my room) and she's in a panic. She's screaming and rambling on about saving things, but I'm swinging the 3DS around following her as she walks around. All of a sudden the ground gives out and there's a giant hole in my room. This woman, Agnes, is now scratching and clawing for her life. I tilt the 3DS down and look at her as she is at my feet, her body dangling down into the hole. She falls.

"Wow, that was actually a really awesome beginning." From that moment I was hooked. It wasn't until later that it all tied in, and as of writing this review, I can fully appreciate what they were trying to accomplish there. Very cool stuff.

From there I play as Tiz, and while I wished I could change the names (I come from the old school of RPGs), it's not a big deal because at this point in gaming it's understandable, with voice acting and whatnot. I watch Tiz loses his family in the same way I just lost Agnes. "This game is dark," I say to myself, continuing on.

Once I become familiar with Tiz, and end up meeting Agnes again, I realize that at this point in time the story is nothing fantastic. I meet Ringabel, who doesn't remember who he is, and Edea, who was a villain but left the Eternian forces (Sky Knights) because she starting seeing things differently than them. Ringabel is a pervert. Edea is hardheaded. Bravely Default has been called a Final Fantasy by many reviewers, and I'm no different. It has all the trappings of a good Final Fantasy/JRPG, with its cutesy character models, perversion, Job System, and a story that involves crystals. I find out that Agnes is trying to reactivate all the crystals, and that's pretty much how the story goes for a long time, while I see how the characters grow and change towards each other.

Ringabel and Edea, in particular, are the most interesting to watch interact. There are legitimately some times where I laughed out loud and how they talked to each other. While Tiz and Agnes are more serious and predictable in where they will go, Ringabel and Edea keep the mood light and entertaining as often as they can.

A man modeled after my own heart.

As I walk through the different lands to each of the crystals, I am treated to a beautiful World Map song. It helps make walking feel like a real adventure, as any RPG should. As I hear more and more of what the OST has to offer, like the fantastic boss battle themes, or the music while I'm in my menu, I think to myself about how wonderful the soundtrack is from top to bottom. This is another reason why Bravely Default can favorably be compared to a Final Fantasy because at its best, Final Fantasy had amazing and awe-inspiring soundtracks. Bravely Default is no different.

I also am treated by the gorgeous visuals. The art and visual design on this game is on point, with every location feeling distinct and different, and beautiful rendered. It truly feels like a fantasy world, and allows me to get lost in it.

I am never forced to listen to the small talk between the characters, because the developers were smart enough to realize that a lot of people don't need to hear every single thing that a JRPG character has to say. Instead, I find it refreshing that "Party Chat" pops up on the screen and you press a button in order to access it. I always eavesdropped on the characters anyway, but it's a small feature that's appreciated.

As I progress, I keep myself busy with a few different things. Throughout the game I am reconstructing Norende, the town that Tiz is from that he saw get destroyed. When I am going to save the game, I can choose to update and the game will find villagers for my town. I can do this once a day, and when I do, I get optional monsters sent to me along with the villagers. I am the boss now, and I choose where to place my villagers. I realize it's smart to just focus the villagers on one thing at a time, because it can take hours upon hours to complete one task, especially later on. I get rewarded for my fine managerial efforts in various ways: I can buy more powerful weapons and armor, sometimes I get gifts in the forms of items, or I can get abilities to add to my special attacks. It's a simple concept, but it is important to remember to constantly have construction going so you can get some of this cool stuff. After all, it's as easy as simply clicking what you want to focus on next and when they're done you'll get a message on the screen saying they've completed it. It takes no time at all and is a huge benefit.

But as I play with the complex Job system I am filled with the most joy. Like Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy 5, the main pitch for me is the existence of said Job system. Each Job can level to 14, but not only that, you can have a sub-Job and special abilities from whatever jobs you've unlocked stuff for. What this means is that there are a ton of ways to play the game. Do you for some reason want your Black Mage to also have the Martial Arts ability (a Monk ability)? Well you can. You can also select buffs from all over the spectrum, if you've put in the time to unlock them. The combinations are endless, and as I progress through the game I kept getting more and more jobs and kept re-thinking what I wanted to do.

I grind so I can level-up my jobs and see what they have to offer. I do this again and again and again, but it's never boring despite the repetitive nature. Every time I level up a job I get excited to see what I will gain. When I master a job, I jump to another job to see what it has to offer. It's an obsession for me at this point.

I do the side-quests because they aren't really side-quests at all. It becomes clear early on that in order to unlock at least half of the jobs of the game, you have to complete these side-quests. I think to myself, "Why wouldn't anybody do these? The main crutch of this game is the Job system." Some of these side-quests are long, but I knew what was coming so I anticipated it like a child on Christmas Eve.

As I travel through the world, activating the crystals and seeing the melodrama unfold, I never get bored of the battles because Bravely Default does some neat things with the JRPG formula. For one, they created "Braves" and "Defaults." I think having that as the title is dumb, but it makes sense because it is a main point of the game.

The game has Brave Points, and you can have up to 4 at any given time. When you start the battle you have 0, and when you do an action you lose one. You gain one each turn so what this means is you can always attack once per turn. That isn't anything new, but if you Default, you gain a BP and it's like defending in other RPGs so enemies do reduced damage that turn. There are abilities in this game that require BPs instead of MP, so the battles are a constant struggle between managing your BP and risk and reward. It's a refreshing take on a tried, tested and true system because theoretically you can demolish your enemies in one turn... which cuts down on the grind time. So does the fact that you can fast-forward through a battle at two different speeds. You also get rewarded at the end of the battle for winning in one turn, along with other things. The battle system is still turn-based but they tweaked it enough to make it interesting even today.

There is also the SP, which allows you to interrupt your enemies for another attack. You get more by leaving your game on Sleep or paying for more, but I never needed them. They're just a way to make things easier if you need help. "I don't need no stinkin' SP," I say to myself triumphantly, with the only time I used it being when I accidentally pressed the button on the screen.

The game also uses Street Pass effectively, but I live in a small town and I never get to fully experience Street Pass features. You can use it to acquire friends to summon, a feature that allows you to summon your friends for powerful attacks in battle, or you can just get more villagers for your town. I cry a little bit inside because I cannot experience Street Pass.

I'm having a blast playing this game, listening to the music, leveling up my various jobs, switching abilities around, watching Ringabel perv on every girl he sees... this is a JRPG I can get behind. "This is one of the better RPGs I've played in the last ten years," I say to myself.

Then I get to, I believe, Chapter 5 and the game goes terribly, terribly wrong in some ways but awesome in others. A smorgasbord of blue exclamation marks -- which represent side-quests -- shows up on my touch screen. "Wow! There's a lot of content thrown at me," I exclaim so loud that my entire neighbourhood hears (okay it wasn't really like that). I eagerly travel to the nearest side-quest, and it turns out I get to fight a boss from earlier in the game again. It is important to note that from this point on, there are spoilers. I don't intend to give specifics unless I include spoiler tags, but depending on how sensitive you are to this sort of thing, you should proceed with caution.

I go towards another side-quest and again I fight a boss I've previously defeated. Something is different though, and I am intrigued by how the conversation between myself and the bosses have changed. It turns out every side-quest is like this.

I stop enjoying doing the side-quests because I've already done this. I don't care if they're harder, but I do appreciate that the encounters between my team and the bosses have altered in little ways. I can get behind that, but it's a sin to make a player replay sections. With that said, they are technically optional and they give you a lot of Job points and experience. It's still a crappy time.

However, with this, the story has kicked up a notch.

It's become genuinely interesting for me because it has done its best Bioshock: Infinite impression. All of a sudden there are parallel universes and realities, and the story has gone from simplistic "save the crystals Final Fantasy style" to "what's going on?"

 I can get behind where the plot goes, and I do, because I start truly loving the story, even if it took a lot of hours to get to this point. I'm just glad it happened.

"But I hate doing this," I say to myself, because I feel like they mishandled the situation. Bravely Default sends me to re-activate the crystals, so now I'm running through dungeons I've already run through enough, beating bosses I've already beaten, and this just puts a damper on the entire experience. I stop enjoying the game play. I try to justify it by thinking about how it makes sense from a storyline perspective, but I can't forgive it. "How dare you take a dump on my Bravely Default experience, Bravely Default!"

In order to get the true ending, you have to do the crystal thing again and again. Which means you beat a boss and then mangle your finger pressing X repeatedly (an idea I actually enjoy because it makes you feel the stress and pain that Agnes does, just like Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4). I respect the immersion much like I did in the opening scene in the game. Rinse, repeat, yawn. I start playing Bravely Default less and it takes me longer to complete than it should.

Finally, I trudge through it and complete the game. It's a satisfying conclusion and there is a plot twist thrown in there. The normal ending is decent but not amazing, and the true ending is significantly better. I lay on my bed and think about what I've just played, and what I'm going to write about it. "What am I going to score it?" It's something I struggle with because when Bravely Default is on, it's on like Donkey Kong.

"But after Chapter 5 is kind of ass," I say to myself. I decide on 8.5 because even though the story does get better and less generic, the developers have committed a cardinal sin. It is because of this that Bravely Default only gets an 8.5, but I strongly recommend it regardless.

On The Podcast Episode 4 -- Black Ops Zombies, Thief, Too Much Sonic, Flappy Bird... And Jacob Tries To End The Podcast Before It Begins

 Welcome to Episode 4 of On The Podcast, YOUR (okay our) weekly Podcast... starring Jacob and Tyler, two random dudes who talk about things and may or may not be related.

Anyway, this week we have a video game focused episode. Most of the time we try to throw in some real world events, movies, books, whatever... but this time we found ourselves mostly talking games. We did touch a bit on things like Pinky Pony and whatnot, however.


Youtube: http://youtu.be/rL7kKIpkYEs
Listen To Mp3:
Download Mp3:https://archive.org/details/onthepodcastepisode4

My 30 Most Anticipated Games of 2014: 30 - 16

Written By: Tyler Selig    

I've been to the future, I know.

               

                Before I celebrate the year in games, I just want to take an opportunity to give you a rundown of some – not all because that’s way too much work – of my games that I’m anticipating most next year. Believe me, next year is shaping up to be an incredible year, but then, all years are good, regardless of what some people want to say. This will be two parts, the first part released today and the second released tomorrow so make sure to check back.

However, this year there was a bit of a lull at the beginning, as their often is, but next year has decided to launch a bunch of games of interest right off the bat.

These have to be games that have at least been announced for a 2014 release, even if they end up getting delayed. It feels wrong not including some of the games that were in the rough draft of the list, but the integrity of the list is important so I argued with myself to come up with the thirty games that, as of this moment, I am most hyped for that come out in 2014! Let’s do this. 

Games I Forgot When Making the List:

Conception II – 2014 North American release, looks like a great RPG.

The Evil Within – Will hopefully be incredibly scary.

South Park and the Stick of Truth – Much delayed, looks to have the South Park charm.

Quantum Break – Could just be a shit-ton of fun.

DayZ – The kind of game that is “next gen” to me. It’s in Alpha now. Hopefully 2014 sees the full release.

Dungeon Defenders 2 – I can’t believe I forgot some of these games. So hyped for this one.

30: Bravely Default (3DS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947ROLASPpQ

                There are a bunch of games next year coming to both Wii U and 3DS, but Bravely Default is the only game on this list that is only coming to 3DS. I’m sure the 3DS will have another fantastic year, but as of making this list… it was a little dry on 3DS exclusives.

                I’m a JRPG guy, having grown up playing Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, etc and it’s nice to see another JRPG hit North American shores and look awesome. A big selling point to me here is the fact that there’s a job system, which I always appreciate.

               

29: Child of Light (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkljZTI2ryA

                Damn, another JRPG thrown in here? Yes, and due to the fact that I have faith in Ubisoft, I’m really excited for this one. It looks beautiful, and with its platforming and story, it looks like it’s going to be something truly special.

28: LISA the painful RPG (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7UohKnVts

                Wow another RPG! But yeah, I Kickstartered this, and I’m really excited because it has an interesting premise and looks to do quite a bit of interesting things with the premise. It has a gritty, dark art-style but it’s not without humour. The creator has a better description of what to expect from this game, so I’ll just link the Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/131274701/lisa-the-painful-rpg

27: Interstellar Marines (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5ED2zyLdg8

                I haven’t actually played this even though I can, mostly because I don’t want to play betas… I bought it because it said it was going to be like Rainbow Six with some RPG elements, and that had me sold because we don’t have a lot of tactical shooters anymore, and I love me some RPG elements in shooters anyway. Not to mention my older brother, who I do most of my gaming with, also likes those things and this game is going to have co-op. I haven’t even really read about it anymore or watched videos, because they already have my money and I want to experience it when it’s done, so it may not be shaping up to be much for all I know, but I’m excited.

26:  Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJdZQPBDF0

                Insomniac Games meets Parkour, crazy platforming action… with some fun, silly violence. I just think this game is going to be a great time for those who aren’t super cereal all the time. Makes me wish I had an Xbox One.

25: Halo 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fEKcOK8gno

                It’s not that I’m against Halo, because I am most definitely not. I love Halo – it’s been one of my go-to Multiplayer shooters for years and I always play through the campaign. I got mad respect for Halo. Playstation 4 was always going to be my primary system, but when Microsoft fucked up their E3 Press Conference, I didn’t say, “Goodbye Microsoft.” I said, “Goodbye Halo.” It’s that important.

                It’s just that there are so many new experiences coming, and games in series that I like more, that the anticipation for Halo drops a little. Look, I don’t need to tell you that Halo 5 is going to be awesome, because they’ve all been (ODST less so, but it was still good). If you’re reading this blog you probably already know what the series has given us, and seeing the first Next-Gen entry will be incredible. It’ll be one of the games of the year.

                That trailer is also epic as hell.

24: Pillars of Eternity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-CPTsWLfWM

                Formally known as Project Eternity, this is a throw-back to those classic PC Point-And-Click RPGs – except this time it’s not focused on D&D. That seems like it’d be controversial a little bit, but I don’t really care because while there are a few of them I really like, PC gaming was not my thing back then (as I never even got my first PC until I was 16, and it wasn’t a gaming one anyway). I don’t have loyalty to the old guard, is what I’m trying to say.

                Pillars of Eternity looks to be a fantastic addition to the genre, however, and I eagerly await the tactical gameplay, and I hope that there’s a good amount of depth because let’s face it… this genre without depth is a terrible tragedy.

23: Torment: Tides of Numenera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9CiS5L8zVM

                Planescape: Torment is my favourite game in the canon of the PC Point-And-Click RPGs. I loved the humour, and the plot was up there with the all-time greats. I also enjoyed the fact that you didn’t really have to fight, so it opened up the game a little bit more than other games within the genre.

                Well, this is the spiritual successor, and even if it’s only half as good as the original, it’ll be awesome.

               

22: Hyper Light Drifter (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMosNHhyxI

                I think this ends up being one of those special indie games that come along and show the big boys how to do it, much like a game like Bastion. Everything from the beautiful visuals to the music, to the intense looking action… this is shaping up to be an epic adventure, and I certainly can’t wait to play it. That trailer is awesome.

21: Below (Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrVvw9etSk

                That video above is all I’ve seen about the game, and that’s all it took. I mean, it also helps that I was such a fan of Sword & Sworcery, so I have a tremendous amount of faith. Like Hyper Light Drifter, this will be special. It’ll be one of the games of the year.

                Even the view is a little bit different, it being more pulled out than most games. You have the team that did Sword & Sworcery, with Guthrie returning to do the music – I just can’t see how this can’t be amazing. It’s another reason why I need an Xbox One.

20: Transistor (PS4, PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXq0yuW6BvM

                I’ve mentioned Bastion, and now we have the successor to that classic – Transistor. It looks to follow the same formula that brought Bastion to the dance, which is a wonderful story and fun action, but I’m not saying that they’re just using all the same tricks because they aren’t, such as the fact that it’s got turn-based strategy. To be hones the gameplay sort-of reminds me of Parasite Eve in ways, which is always a good thing.

19: The Elder Scrolls Online (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWXjzLEGV9U

As much as I try not to be excited for this game because of the monthly subscription fee, I can’t help it! I’ve always said that while the Elder Scrolls games are great, if they let me play with someone they’d be so much better. And sure enough, here we are, and this may be a game I wave my hate for monthly subscription fees and actually pick up.

18: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ_G6XiHoUA

               

                The only reason this isn’t higher is because I haven’t played the first or second games, and I don’t know if that means that I won’t understand the story in the third or not. I hope that they do a good job of introducing newbies to the series, plot-wise, because this game looks like it’s going to live up to the hype.

17: Watch Dogs (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Your Eyeballs, Atari 2600, PS8, Xbox Two, Game Gear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYgXvgS6Ww

                There’s this game that built a ridiculous amount of excitement last year, and then we thought we’d finally play it in 2013, but now we’re not. My hype dropped a little bit over the year, mostly because they were throwing so much into our face, but it’s hard to deny that Watch Dogs is going to do something original with the Sandbox genre.

                It’s also coming to everything so you’ll be able to play it.

16: No Man’s Sky (PC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRpDn5qPp3s

                This game came out of nowhere and blew people away. They promise to let you explore anything that you can see, and this is a really ambitious game for such a small team. There’s not a hell of a lot known about it so far, but it looks to be an awe-inspiring experience.

                 So make sure to tune in tomorrow for the final fifteen. Each day up until the new year there will be new content, so make sure to check out this blog everyday! After my most anticipated games of 2014, I'll have my miscellaneous awards for 2013 games, and then four days of listing my top 40 games of 2013.

On The Gamely Episode 5 -- VGX 2013, Metal Gear Solid 5, Starbound, EA, Nintendo And More!

Welcome welcome welcome, to yet another episode of On The Gamely -- a weekly show where we sit around and talk about video games. Some of the topics included this week are: VGX 2013 (and a bunch of announcements made during the show), Bravely Default, more EA bashing, Path of Exile, Staround, Nintendo being bosses, Metal Gear Solid 5 and more!

http://youtu.be/2j250G1426Q