XBOX Live...on Switch

So Microsoft announced this joint venture of making XBL available on Switch and Mobile
                                                                                                         

   "Xbox Live is about to get MUCH bigger. Xbox Live is expanding from 400m gaming devices and a reach to over 68m active players to over 2bn devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK. Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs."


Currently you can sign in on a couple games..Minecraft being one...but the bigger test will be in the future..Microsoft has bought up a ton of studios, so what does this move mean for the future...and why is Sony still lagging behind in the cross plat department? What does this mean for Nintendo Online? So many questions...can't wait to hear more details.

Not sure how I feel about this but I am definitely curious for more details.

 

Anthem Demo

                                                                            

 OK so like many I was hyped for this.. Way hyped. I knew I would get VIP Access so I had my Friday Planned out. ...Didn't factor in EA screwing things up. Especially not in this away. So now that I have played a bit let's discuss the issues and the game  
                                                                                   

                                               One of the screens so many got stuck on
                                                               
          So on all platforms there were initial log in issues. I think this was exasperated by the fact that XBox and PC EA Access holders were also VIPs..not just pre-orders..fyi..dumb move Sony not taking it...so people were getting an infinite loading screen or they did like I did(Xbox) and got in but once it loaded we could start the expedition...then it was just stuck. So I browsed the settings screen and a small thing I saw that I REALLY liked was that subtitles default was on. Thats always irks me when they aren't default on . Deaf and Hard of hearing people game. People with kids game and you just get the information better when receiving it various ways.

                                                                           

                                                              The scenery is great                                                                     
We also couldn't access our Friend Pass codes which sucks because if you wanted to squad up with folks who didn't pre order or don't have EA Access, this was the way to do it.
They eventually got it up and running....so that was awesome. You can see gameplay here


Aesthetically, its amazing. Gorgeous. You can spend a lot of time just exploring and looking . Bioware has always made beautiful games, but this is a step up for them. The combat  well think Titanfall meshed with Destiny, but a bit better. Your "suit" is called a Javelin and one of the demo missions is to upgrade it. Fun stuff and its customizable to a point.
                                                                      

The combat is great. There are a few missions in the demo that let you really get a feel for it and how the suit can help out. There is also a chance to get an extra Javelin in the demo for when you get the full game. One of the funnier combat methods used by the enemies is freezing you, which can make for some funny screenshots. You also build up to an ultimate ability which can knock out a squad of lesser enemies .
                                                                                 

                                          He froze me! Thrusters defrost you quickly though


Again..its gorgeous game. The bugs to get into the demo were off putting, but it was almost worth the wait. I feel like it will definitely be worth the full game if EA doesn't mess it up with micro transactions. This should be another great game from Bioware but that could derail it.


                                                                        

                                              Another screen people were getting stuck on

Titanfall 2 pre alpha

I must say I  am disappointed.  I LOVED titanfall....and while the graphics are amazing and game play is crisp, it's nothing like titanfall besides, well,  titans falling.  Wall running has been babified... There is a banking system for the win that opens and closes at random,  attrition isn't in the alpha but better be in the game...

We'll.  Try it for yourself. Prealpha is free this weekend and next... I will be streaming later... MsDarthShader on twitch/YouTube

Mass Effect Game Play

This looks really good. I'm sure I can't be the only one missing my favorite space  crew. I've been anxiously awaiting the return of ME and here it is...

May  not be a ton to go on, but still, it's something......I'm really really excited. I had a plot i wanted to see involving the turians rebuilding on their new home world along with the geth....i doubt it'll come true,  but that was such a huge part of ME for me....but I'll take whatever i can get.*with glee* Maybe the elcor will have a role in this new game...playable...no way but a cool npc would work. What species would you want to carry over?

New 3DS ..HMMMM

Nintendo announced today that they will be unveiling a new 3ds. Not sure what to say about this.  It'll release first in Japan of course,  around October 11th. It has buttons. Buttons that look hijacked from an Xbox controller and tossed in a color/letter spinner.

The screen and camera are improved.  In the internal side things have also received an upgrade for a faster system and better graphics. There have been 'bumpers' added and anot her analog stick, presumably for camera control.

There are supposedly games that will be exclusive to this 3DS/3DXL set. Which it better. At 160/180, people would need a real reason to abandon the current system. I can't say for sure  Nintendo has given them that reason. I can't say I'll be running out for one. I will wait to see the exclusives. Xenoblade Chronicles is a good start.

Bioware just saved gaming. .well the switching consoles part

So I have had my first look at the keep. Some of you may already have, but for those of  you who didn't, I think it's fantastic.  Many of us may have started DA on a system that we aren't on any longer and this was the perfect way to get all that information into DAI. It's fast..on my tablet at least and beautiful.  The rest you will need to see for yourself.  I think its the future of gaming.  When we switch consoles and a game comes out that is part of a series, it's problematic.  I think the issue has been solved. In a past article I had the link. I highly suggest you sign up and check it out.  Me... I'm already imagining what the Mass Effect version will be called and look like.

Multiplayer Dragon Age Inquisition. .yes please

So in the spirit of Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age Inquisition will have multiplayer.  It won't be in a fixed area though.  Supposedly to begin with there will be 3 large levels, each sectioned into 5 smaller areas that you and 3 other players battle through. Hopefully something like the wave system from ME3. There should be plenty of lootables. It's confirmed you can unlock skins and heroes like in ME3. They have something called Platinum that can save you the work time,  but they have made it clear you get nothing but saved time  by spending money.. in other words.. its all free. I love Dragon Age but Dragon Age with friends..even better.

Games with Gold..Dishonored

I LOVE this game.  I've already done a full review on it, so check it out if you can.

I opted for the kill everything, then stealth. Both are rewarding. Game play and visuals are awesome...and hey,  its free. Check out my review, if you need help,  leave a comment or email me @ gamerchickdish@gmail.com

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Introducing Shadow Realms

I guess Bioware wants to make sure we have plenty top play. This is a 4 vs 1 online co-op mission story driven game. The world is ever evolving so nothing should be the same. All fights should be different so you can't just assume you know how a battle will go. Players can choose whether they want to be the Shadow lord or one of the 4 modern heroes.

The press release states: In Shadow Realms, Modern Heroes on Earth are being awakened and recruited, because of magical powers they never knew they had, to fight in a new and dangerous war against the Shadow legions of Embra. The Shadow Legions, who have been battling on Embra for years against the members if the Radiant Empires, have gained new strength with the coming of a powerful, unknown force that we call the Shadowlords. And they have just figured out how to leave Embra and invade Earth.

The gameplay should almost be episodic...so everyone should be able to get a grasp on the story.

Click here if you'd like to sign up for the alpha.

Dragon Age Inquisition Official Trailer

I think it looks great! Epic! Can't wait to play. The one dragon attacking the other makes me wonder if we will have control over dragons. Either way I'm excited and can't wait to build my mage...or maybe Qunari?  What are you playing as?

Mass Effect Creator Leaves Bioware..Thank you Casey

Well first off,  thank you Casey Hudson, for your part in bringing one of my two favorite trilogies to life. The hours I have spent playing Mass Effect are absolutely ridiculous.  As is the amount of time I spent co strutting my female Shep. .all total badasses.

16 years at Bioware and he's outta there.  Optimistically,  but he's still gone.  He thinks that future ME installments will still be game changers, but I don't know..i loved that consistent,  connecting feeling i got when playing the ME trilogy. Will it still be there? I know no one person makes a game,  but generally one or two create one. It's crazy to think of an ME without him.

In a letter to his  coworkers, he said that it was the most difficult decision. ...ya think? !?!?! The dude has given nothing but greatness..... come on..Star Wars Knights Old Republic....classic.

I was glad to see Bioware handle it with class....some companies don't do that.
I wish him well in his future endeavors..whatever he decides to do with himself after his well deserved break.

I will definitely feel a little sadder next time I'm zip up my N7 Hoodia or go kill geth.

Nintendo and the repair process. ...

So i gave my youngling  a special/limited edition 3ds for Christmas.

One day, it just wouldn't turn on.  Now he's pretty responsible and I plug it in and stuff so I knew it wasn't user error. I called Nintendo and explained to them the situation. .....their immediate response was water damage we don't cover. I didn't ask you that, nor did I say it was near water. I'm calling about a power issue. Guy starts a rant and rave about how their warranty is the best. Great..show me. Well we printed the label and shipped it out on the 22nd or so. They received it on the 24th. Mind you they are in the same state. Takes a week for them to even update it to received, but I had already checked the tracking by then. It sat until the 31st with no change in status. The 1st it shows that it's in repair.  Then they email me saying there's an urgent issue. This was what I was not looking forward to.  From  what I had read, Nintendo is infamous for cop outs on the warranty.  Well their issue wasn't that, it was what color system did he want because they couldn't repair his.  Of course he was devastated because he loved that blue. In fact they only actually had 2 colors to pick from which I found kind of sad. People spend the extra money on limited editions/ special editions and are kind of screwed if nintendo can't fix it. If it's your fault that the system messed up,  fine,  but if not,  you lose. They are at least sending a factory certified instead of refurbished so at least the parts are new and the warranty is reset. One guy who lost his special edition legend of Zelda 3ds due to a motherboard issue said that was the last time he purchased one.  When he brought it up to them they said he only paid for the game, basically said the case didn't matter. I'm not sure I totally agree with that. People have preferences for a reason. I'm not sure what they could do to fix that, but may be something they want to look into.  Overall I think they have one of the  better warranties,  but the execution leaves much to be desired. 

Abilities. ..we've got TONS

1. Mike Laidlaw says that your character and party will have over 200 abilities to choose from.  Top me that is awesome. Seeing  how party driven this game seems to be, it will be interesting to see what abilities compliment what. There will be the standard rouge, mage and warrior classes and  more specializations.  Laidlaw says they have focused more on specializations for this game and have  more of an effect on your chracter. I'm wondering how noticeable it will all be. I personally build spirit healers, will my focus be on that or can I throw in some extra and make her a bad ass arcane warrior who can also bring you back if you fall out somewhere? I can't wait to see. I also like playing as a rogue.  I'd be cool if  my rouge could do like the assassin in Dark Souls and flip over an enemy's back and slit their throat.  I'm also wondering how the Qunari will play in.  Their mages were......different.  will that be reflected? 

strictly straight, gay or bi

The characters in Dragon Age Inquisition won't bend to your will like in Da2. There's twice as many romance options and they've covered almost every base.  Some were upset about this but Bioware's David Gaiden said that these relationships will be much more fulfilling.  He was able to create much more of a back story unique to each characters sexual orientation and gender. With at least 8 options for relationships,  I don't feel its a loss that they aren't all bisexuals.  With a game of  this magnitude, that would be a waste. I mean in life everyone we encounter has a preference. With this amount of people,  the characters can be set up that way. Instead of fixing Bioware grief, congratulate them on trying to build on the rich character experience that we all know they are capable of  making.  At least now there will  be more than just Alistair to fawn over. Hush it guys you had options. I can't see myself pining away for Ohgren.

Deadlight

Never have I loved and hated a game so much at the same time.  I'm all alone. Searching for my family. Fighting shadows (zombies). This side scrolling survivor/ horror game was awesome.

You play as Randall Wayne in 80s Seattle. You were a park ranger before the zombie apocalypse. Gameplay was sluggish. Being able to only go left to right was ok.  You can't get lost or caught up like in an open  world game.

At the beginning you are separated from your friends. You meet up with various people as you go and there are tons of lootables. You really have to pay attention to to when you need to perform actions (jumping etc) and I can't say it enough..check your environment.  It's a good game. There is an alternate ending, which I liked better, that you get by playing in nightmare mode.

The biggest thing to re ember in this game is check your environment and go in every structure that you can. The mini games kind of suck but they are a great throwback. 

Rating 6/10

I really like it but some things need improvement. Its hard to get into the game without giving it away totally. . But the rat king alone is worth it.  It's 14.99 on Xbox, but occasionally offered free.  

2 new characters. .

So two more new characters to add to the Dragon Age World. First up:

Leliana....everyone's favorite. .or second favorite Rouge.  Bioware describes her for this game as:

 She has many names. Most know her as "Sister Nightingale” or “the Left Hand of the Divine.” To the rare friend, she is Leliana. They say she found faith amid darkness, and that her devotion to the Maker is matched only by her devotion to Divine Justinia V, a woman who is both mentor and savior. Those who have earned her loyalty know her as a steadfast ally. But enemies of the Divine know to fear her, for she is the shadow behind the Sunburst Throne—the one who watches and waits, who strikes when her mark is most vulnerable and least suspecting.

The sneak peek of her at the end of  DA 2 gave us an idea of what direction her life has gone.  It'll be great to have her around to fill in pieces.  She is going to be an advisor.


Next up we have Solas.

Every game has to have that apostate on the edge I guess. Morrigan, Cullen and now Solas. Bioware describes him as: Solas has spent his life as an apostate, living in the wilderness well away from the civilized world and those who would shackle him for what he is. He mastered his magic without the help of tutors, spending years exploring the spirit realm of the Fade and coming to an understanding of its denizens that few others could claim. He would be happiest left alone to sleep in ancient ruins, searching for memories and knowledge that has been lost for ages, but the Breach in the sky threatens all worlds.

At a time when other mages flee into hiding, Solas has put his freedom at risk by emerging from the shadows to assist those who would combat the chaos. He will not stand idly by when his knowledge of the arcane could mean the difference between salvation and utter destruction. 

They look interesting.  I can't wait to see what Leliana has to offer. 

Mass Effect 4 Pre Orders

At E3 it didn't seem like Mass Effect 4 was anywhere near being complete. As bioware put it,  they were maybe at the halfway point.  So I was surprised to see the preorder.

The preorder listing for Amazon UK originally had a release date of 12/16/2014, putting it way ahead of the schedule they laid out at E3. Maybe they just really want to focus on Dragon Age Inquisition and will announce ME 4 in November. That or amazon jumped the gun a bit.  Either way if you want to preorder for the Xbone click here. To preorder for the PS4 click here. And for all versions in the UK click here.

They haven't said much about it other than it won't be a Shepard continuation and we will be able to explore other worlds. They should have plenty of material, because we didn't get to explore every planet and with the quarians and geth rebuilding the quarians a home planet. . We could see that end result. Guess we can just wait and see.

Confirmed: Characters in Dragon Age will have more of a range....keep invites?

So I reached out to Mike Laidlaw and asked him about the lack of cold range for characters and he said that we will have more ME like options in

I asked him about the keep, which will be how we transport our saves to the new game. It's an interesting way to set things up. ... run the scenario you had through the computer and have it register to your game. Having played DA:O several times, I'd be curious to see how that plays out.

It's shaping up like DA will be decent. They are currently working on bugs. . One which made a character sound like Bane..that'd be kind of weird...and funny. I hope they don't mess this up.. but I doubt they will. They've had time and plenty of feedback to get this right.

People are tripping over Dorian being gay... I'm just like can I have a black/hispanic character please.

So I've seen backlash over Dorian being gay. Is no secret Bioware is inclusive. .. on the sexual preference thing anyway. Mass Effect, Old Republic, Dragon age Origins.....all had a character that was bi or gay.

What Dragon Age lacked was the ability to make a true person of color for my character.  While Mass Effect perfected this,  the Dragon Age team must have been comprised of mostly white males who've never seen anything but a white female,  let alone biracial people.  It sucks having to spend extra time doing whatever to your character to make them appear brown.  I didn't have to work that hard on Mass Effect.  I shouldn't have to period.  It's 2014.. The world has been multicolored forever.  It's absolutely fantastic that Bioware is being all inclusive with sexual preferences, but can I get the same inclusiveness show when it comes to my skin color choices? Talk to the Mass Effect team if you need to.  The  days of targeting straight, white male gamers should long be over.  Lets have products that reflect that.

Things Mike Laidlaw said about Dragon Age Inquisition

Mike Laidlaw,  Key developer on DA:I has been answering questions left and right on twitter. A few I find great.

In regards to Day 1 DLC characters. .NONE! Thank goodness. They seem to have gotten the message.

There will be ridable mounts, but nothing that flies

It seems there has been a bump in difficulty.  Normal will be a bit harder. I wonder how that will work for the nightmare difficulty.

The DPS for a sword and shield should increase

I love the little tidbits he occasionally drops.