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Dear Niantic…

Posted on April 10, 2022 by gamerangel301

The COVID Pandemic affected everyone is many different ways, but this article will be focusing on Niantic‘s game Pokémon GO, or rather the treatment of the game during said pandemic.

*Raid Passes are still available in the game, but you can only hold 3 at a time. They also come in a weekly bundle that players can buy for 1 pokécoin*

With lockdowns and people losing jobs, Niantic adapted Pokémon GO with it. This included Remote Raid Passes, daily research tasks added, distance to activate pokéstops were increased and daily pokémon were available to catch. Players, including myself, really enjoyed this additions and it really helped when my mental health was impacted. Pokémon GO gave me enjoyment when there was very little enjoyment to be had locked away at home and away from friends and family.

Since last year, things have been returning to “normal” (I say with quotations because it’s a new normal now – things are different than what they used to be), so naturally Niantic adapted Pokémon GO again. In August of last year, they took away the increased distance to be able to spin pokéstops. This outraged a lot of fans, as many countries were still in lockdowns, meaning people could not go out as much. This created the #HearUsNiantic tag on Twitter, with fans going to social media to outcry their distain. And it worked – it was tending on Twitter and Niantic listened. They reverted the changes back and even created a taskforce to deal with the pandemic adaptions.

*Taken from the official Pokémon GO website updates page*

But things did not get better. Very recently (March of this year), Niantic decided to revert incense changes. Incense is an item used in the game to attract pokémon in the wild. When the pandemic happened, pokémon spawned every 1 to 2 mins, meaning a incense with the length of 30 mins would attract 30 pokémon. Last month, without any warning (even though Niantic promised a warning would be given a month prior), they changed the incense again – the duration was now 90 minutes, but a pokémon only spawn every 5 minutes when stationary. That’s only 18 pokémon in that duration.

Notice I said stationary. If you’re walking, that’s different, so why should it matter? The UK hasn’t had a lockdown for a year at this point (I can’t speak for other countries so I don’t know about their lockdown situations, but I’m sure others were in the same boat as well as others still being in lockdowns) so we’re free to go outside now, so you can pop an incense and get more pokémon, right?

What about disabled players? Parents? People with jobs? Those would have mental health problems?

But it’s called Pokémon GO – the whole reason to play this game is be active, right?

Yes, but that’s not the point.

From the pandemic, this game has been adapted for disabled players. Disabled players still like Pokémon.

But there’s other Pokémon games to play, why not play those?

*These are screenshots I took from Amazon and the Nintendo Official website for prices for the system, games and subscriptions*

Because they’re expensive as hell. All the latest Pokémon games (Let’s Go Eevee, Let’s Go Pikachu, Shield, Sword, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus) have been released on the Nintendo Switch. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to fork out for one of those, plus the games and if you want to play with friends, that will cost you an online subscription as well. And here’s the kicker – Pokémon GO is a free-to-play game with optional in-app purchases.

Disable players may be a small percentage of the player base, but they are still a percentage. And they still a percentage to not be discriminated against.

And what about players with jobs or kids? They used to be able to pop an incense during a break or when the kids were in bed. Now with the incense changes, they don’t bother.

The incense changes don’t make any sense. No-one will buy them, meaning Niantic won’t make a profit. And from what I’ve seen on social media, I think it’s fair to say that disabled players probably make up the most of those who buy pokécoins and items.

But what about players would do go out and play? How does reverting incense changes back benefit them?

That’s easy – Niantic can add bonuses for when you’re moving. Such as guaranteed XL candies, shiny increase changes, rarer pokémon spawns. It doesn’t cost much to change much.

*Apparently 5% of the player base is enough to discriminate against*

Overall, Niantic has treated their fans (especially disabled) poorly. They have also made permanent changes to Community Days by changing the time – it used to 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and they’ve reduced it to 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. There are people who sadly work on weekends and by reducing the timeframe means they miss out.

Do better, Niantic. Listen to your player base, because, after all, they’re the ones playing the game. Not you.

My 5 Tips for Pokemon GO Festival

Posted on February 25, 2022 by gamerangel301

I’ve been an avid player of Pokémon GO since 2018 (played it when it was first released in 2016, left for a while, then came back to before Pokémon Sword and Shield were released. Now I play it every day thanks to COVID and anxiety issues). Pokémon GO Festivals started in 2017 as in-person events, but eventually moved to digital events for everyone since 2020 which include various pokémon found in certain biomes, themes and Legendary/Mythical pokémon to catch.

*Depending on what version you choose (Silver or Gold) will depend on what pokémon you can catch for the upcoming Johto Tour*

Pokemon GO Johto Tour is happening this Saturday all across the world from 9:00 a.m. to 21:00 p.m. (local time). Here are my top tips for enduring this event, along with future Pokémon GO events.

Tip #1 – Check for Updates!

*I personally use both Android (phone) and Apple (tablet) to play Pokemon GO*

Whether you’re Apple, Android or don’t care, all mobile devices and alike need updates and they pop up when you least expect it. Take mine for instance – just the other day, I was travelling via bus to get to an important meeting in another town and halfway there, my phone needed an update. No warnings but thankfully I could choose when to update it.

Most settings on phones and tablet devices (use whichever, I don’t discriminate) allow you to check for updates and choose when to install them. Personally, I would do it a day or two before the event in case something goes wrong.

Tip #2 – Storage is Your Best Friend!

*Duplicate pokemon can take up space so get rid of what you don’t need*

Pokémon GO does limit the amount of pokemon and items you can hold at any given time (the maximum for pokémon is 5,500 and for items it’s 4,500. This was updated recently). You can buy storage with pokécoins (which you earn by leaving pokémon in gyms or buying them with real money) but it’s always worth checking your storage for duplicate pokémon and/or the amount of items you have. It’s worth stocking up too! Items can be earned by opening gifts from friends, spinning pokéstops and gyms as well as buying them from the shop. Free and discounted-priced items will be available before and on the day of the event.

Tip #3 – Cheese it!

Going off limited space for items, did you know you can go over the limit? However, when you do you cannot open gifts or receive items from spinning pokéstops. The only way to overstock on purpose is by completing tasks (either field or special research tasks) and by completing your weekly research for Research Breakthrough (you do this by completing and turning in a field research task everyday for a week. You are rewarded with pokéballs, items and a pokémon encounter). You can sometimes earn up to 20 items from the Research Breakthrough, so it might be a good idea to wait until the day before or day of the event to turn your research in.

Tip #4 – Comfort is Key in Dressing Best!

Having gone to conventions and such, I know that comfort is the most important thing when walking around for hours on end. The weather is another important factor in this. Thanks to technology, we can predict the weather ahead of time (if you’re in the UK like me, this Saturday looks to be good weather – fingers crossed!) so it’s always good to pack what is needed.

Shoes are just as important, especially when Pokémon GO encourages exercise. I recommend trainers with comfortable soles that do not rub but are also waterproof. This may seem silly but if the weather is bad (like Storm Eunice kind of bad), don’t force yourself to go out! Likewise, if it’s sunny, a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses can go a long way.

Tip #5 – Pack your Bag the Night Before!

*At least for Pokemon GO festivals, you don’t have to worry about being at the airport 5 hours early*

You will need a bag if you plan on walking around outside for the festival. Here’s a small checklist for things to include:

A water bottle
Snacks/food
A power bank
Weather-appropriate clothing/items (such as an umbrella, raincoat, a hat, sunglasses, etc., etc.)
Tissues (hay fever season)

Optional items can be a notebook to jot down timings (the festival rotates which pokémon appear during a certain time in different ‘cities’ or biomes, depending on the festival) and a map to plan what areas you want to go to.

I’d also recommend meeting up with friends to make it more fun and to make sure you’re safe.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed and hopefully I’ve given you some helpful advice to use for the upcoming Johto Tour and other future Pokemon GO festivals. Until next time!

E3 2017 Review

Posted on June 17, 2017 by gamerangel301

I love the summer time – sun, holidays and ice-cold drinks. But what I love the most is Electronic Entertainment Expo. It has returned this year, and this time to was open to the public. So, let’s take a list of games showcased and the big reveals.

Here’s a list of games that were announced:

Call of Duty: WWII (PC/Xbox One/PS4)
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Triology (PS4)
Destiny 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS4/Vita)
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth (3DS)
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology (3DS)
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS)
Ashen (PC/Xbox One)
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Code Vein (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Gundam Versus (PS4)
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PC/PS4)
Project CARS 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
The Artful Escape (PC/Xbox One)
Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider (DLC) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Doom VFR (VR)
The Elder Scrolls: Legends (PC/Mobile)
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (coming to Nintendo Switch with additional content)
The Evil Within 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Fallout 4 (VR)
Quake Champions (PC)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One Console Exclusive Release)
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Monster Hunter: World (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Deep Rock Galactic (PC/Xbox One)
Hunt: Showdown (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Metro Exodus (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Absolver (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Ape Out (PC)
Enter the Gungeon (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
Ruiner (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Serious Sam’s Bogus Detour (PC)
The Swords of Ditto (PC/PS4)
Battlefield 1: In the Name of Tsar (DLC) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
FIFA 18 (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
Madden NFL 18 (PS4/Xbox One)
NBA Live 18 (PS4/Xbox One)
Need for Speed Payback (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Fortnite (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Vampyr (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Tacoma (PC/Xbox One)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PC/PS4/Vita/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
Black Desert Online (PC/Xbox One)
Tropico 6 (PC/Xbox One)
Metal Gear Survive (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PC/PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One)
Crackdown 3 (PC/Xbox One)
Forza Motorsport 7 (PC/Xbox One)
Minecraft (coming to Nintendo Switch)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PC/Xbox One)
Sea of Thieves (PC/Xbox One)
State of Decay 2 (PC/Xbox One)
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope (PC/Nintendo Switch)
Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers (iOS/Android/Kindle Fire)
River City: Knights of Justice (3DS)
Wild Guns Reloaded (PC)
Blade Strangers (PC/PS4/Nintendo Switch)
ARMS (Nintendo Switch)
Fire Emblem Warriors (Nintendo Switch)
Untitled Kirby Game (Nintendo Switch)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – The Master Trials and The Champions’ Ballad (2 DLC packs) (Wii U/Nintendo Switch)
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions (3DS)
Metroid Prime 4 (Nintendo Switch)
Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
Miitopia (3DS)
Untitled Pokemon Game (Nintendo Switch)
Pokken Tournament DX (Nintendo Switch)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo Switch)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido (3DS)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo Switch)
Untitled Yoshi game (Nintendo Switch)
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (PC/PS4/Vita)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PC/PS4/Vita)
Battle Tech (PC)
Super Lucky’s Tale (PC/Xbox One)
Rocket League (coming to the Nintendo Switch)
The Last Night (PC/Xbox One)
The Darwin Project (PC/Xbox One)
Sonic Forces (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
Sonic Mania (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
Total War: Arena (PC)
Total War: Warhammer II (PC)
Valkyria Revolution (PS4/Vita/Xbox One)
Yakuza 6 (PS4)
Yakuza Kiwami (PS4)
Bravo Team (PS4)
Detroit: Become Human (PS4)
God of War (PS4)
Gran Turismo Sport (PS4)
Hidden Agenda (PS4)
Horizon Dawn Zero: The Frozen Wilds (DLC) (PS4)
Knack II (PS4)
The Inpatient (PS4)
Shadow of Colossus (Remake for PS4)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)
Uncharted: Lost Legacy (PS4)
Undertale (releasing on PS4 and Vita)
V! What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? R (PS4)
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4)
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood (PC/PS3/PS4)
Final Fantasy: Brace Exvius (iOS/Android)
Flame vs. Blaze (iOS/Android)
Kingdom Hearts III (PS4/Xbox One)
King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dungeon (iOS/Android)
Lost Sphear (PC/PS4/Nintendo Switch)
Mobius Final Fantasy (PC/iOS/Android)
MotoGP ’17 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
MXGP3 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV (PS4 VR)
Cuphead (PC/Xbox One)
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (PC)
Assassin’s Creed: Origins (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
The Crew 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Far Cry 5 (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Just Dance 2018 (PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/Wii/Wii U/Nintendo Switch)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Nintendo Switch)
Skull & Bones (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
South Park Phone Destroyer (iOS/Android)
Space Junkies (PC)
Starlink: Battle for Atlas (PS4/Xbox One/Ninendo Switch)
Steep: Road to the Olympics (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Transference (VR)
Cars 3: Driven to Win (PS3/PS4/Wii U/Nintendo Switch/Xbox 360/Xbox One)
Injustice 2 (PS4/Xbox One)
LEGO Dimensions (3 new franchises added to the line up: Bettlejuice; The Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans Go!)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Nintendo Switch)
LEGO Worlds (coming to Nintendo Switch)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PC/PS4/Xbox One)
Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents: Space Odyssey (PC/Mobile)
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (Nintendo Switch)
Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin (PS4/PC)
Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash (PS4)
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Nintendo Switch)
Zwei II: The Ilvard Insurrection (PC)

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Now let’s take a better look at some of the titles that grabbed my attention during the event.

Dragon Ball FighterZ (Bandai Namco Entertainment) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)

As a huge Dragon Ball Z fan (I’m an anime fan, and DBZ was the first one I ever watched), how can I not be excited for this title?

Similar to previous DB titles, it is another beat ’em up rendition, however Namco have seemed to go back to the old school days and reverted it back to 2.5D graphics and side scrolling, compared to 3D and open-world (to some extend) trend we’re used to seeing for Dragonball Xenoverse 1 & 2. And it looks fricking sweet.

Only a few characters have been showcased so far: Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu. They have also shown of their Super Saiyan forms and Final Forms, retrospectively.

Another difference between this and Xenoverse is that the combat has been tweaked – gameplay is similar to BlazBlue: Central Fiction (if you haven’t played that game, you’ll need to before buying this) which is snappy and fast-paced, along with the Marvel vs. Capcom trope of assistant attacks and a 3 vs 3 mode.

A closed beta for the PS4 and Xbox One ports of the game will be opened and the game itself will be released sometime in 2018.

Watch the trailer for it here.

A Way Out (EA) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)

A Way Out a story-driven co-op game that can be played locally (optionally on the sofa with a friend) or online (possibly with a stranger if you don’t have any friends nearby).

You’ll both play as prisoners – Leo and Vincent. Both of them want to get out for various reasons, so they decide to work together to escape. You’ll have to solve puzzles, create distractions and – most importantly – work together.

One of the really cool things about this is that it played entirely via split screen (although I believe that joint cut scenes are just one screen) and different scenarios run at different times, for example, Leo is not new to the prison, whereas Vincent is, so when Vincent arrives, Leo can be seen watching Vincent and the other new arrivals while Vincent is a introduction on becoming a prisoner. Complicated, right?

A Way Out comes from Josef Fares, who directed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which was a fantastically emotional game. It will be released in early 2018.

Watch the reveal trailer here.
Watch the gameplay trailer here.

Days Gone (Sony) (PS4)

Now, I love post-acopolytic, zombie-filled, horror-survival games as much as the next person, so when Days Gone was debuted at last year’s E3, I wasn’t really invested in it. To me, it was another Dead Island clone that was trying to be different, but wasn’t really (Dying Light should hide away now). The trailer just showed some dude who looked like an extra from Sons of Anarchy who was spouting on about how this pandemic had affected the world so much that people had lost so many loved ones, blah, blah, blah, that I wasn’t really that interested.

365 days later (or around that amount of time), Sony decided to show off some of the gameplay this time around, and I have to say, I’m so glad they did because it was – as they say in the business – a complete game changer.

Days Gone focuses two years after a global pandemic almost wiped out the entire human race and follows Deacon St. John – a former bounty hunter and drifter who rides a motorbike. You encounter various enemies in the world, such as Freakers (zombies); Runners (zombie wolves) and Ragers (zombie bears – yeah, I’m not joking) along with with other people who just want to survive. John Garvin and Jeff Ross – the directors of the game – have promised a harsh open world that “wants to kill you” at every turn.

Only with the open world, they are salvagable items, weapons and upgrades that can even be applied to Deacon’s bike, allowing him to travel faster and further. Garvin and Ross warned however that with the bike, you will only have one and you best keep an eye on it, as other people may want it too. Skill trees will also help with survival – especially Deacon’s trait of tracking.

The big thing that sold me on this game though was the approach you could take to survival – you can be as stealthy as Batman or go gun-ho and kill everyone. Moreover, there are multiple ways of getting in (or out) of certain situations, along with day and night cycles and changes in weather. Usually, this is just a small thing – like in Final Fantasy XV, the night cycle hints that Noctis and the gang need to sleep – however, in Days Gone, this can affect anything – from the way you deal with a horde of Freakers or the way you deal with hostile people. There are alternatives to everything – for example, in the demo at E3, you have the playable mission of tracking down one of Deacon’s friends Manny, who has been kidnapped by other survivors. If you play this mission during the winter time, it can change how to deal with one of the situations you deal with when encountering other people. But if you play it in the summertime, it’ll be completely different (I won’t spoil it, but you can watch a video of the directors talking to Kinda Funny at E3 here).

Garvin and Ross have promised a violent and real zombie survival, open world game that is a unique to everyone. No release date has been confirmed as of yet.

Watch the first E3 trailer for it here.
Watch the gameplay trailer from this year’s E3 here.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 (Ubisoft) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)

This probably had to the be the biggest surprise for me at E3 (along with Evil Within 2 and the following game I will talk about next).

Let’s rewind back to nearly 15 years ago, way back when the PS2 was the most popular console at the time (I sure lots of young people know which console that is…right?). In November 2003, a little game called Beyond Good and Evil was released. It followed Jade (which I always found weird because my real name is Jade) – a young woman aspiring to be a photojournalist who is in charge of a care home that looks after kids affected by disasters caused by an alien species called DomZ. Jade explores the planet, fights her enemies with her Dai-jo staff and obtains evidence of corruption. It was a game that gained a cult following (despite being a failure at launch, and a tad bit buggy) from it’s unforgettable characters, amazing setting and never-ending plot twists. I was pretty young when I first played it (it was probably in 2004, which would make me 10) so I didn’t really ‘play’ it properly, but I still loved it.

With such a huge following, the next game was demanded and was always promised. In 2007, it was announced a sequel would happen, and over the years we were teased with images and short videos and potential production, but nothing really came from it. Naturally, as years passed, the sequel idea was forgotten about and replaced with other great titles from various companies.

So, imagine the shock when I see a monkey and a pig-like creature striking a very similar likeness to Pey’j from BG&E that turns into a hilarious chase, then a green-eyed woman, only to be announced as Beyond Good and Evil 2. Hint: I lost my shit.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is actually a prequel (not that it matters to me) – set before Jade was even born in an open, sci-fi ridden, multicultural futurist planet that just looks fricking awesome.

No release date has been announced as of yet.

Watch the trailer reveal here (warning: it gets a bit emotional…and funny).

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back (Tommo) (PC/PS4)

I’m sure many fans of the gaming world have heard of Bubsy the Bobcat. He was basically Accolade’s failed attempt at a mascot (you know, like Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog; Nintendo’s Mario; Insomniac Games’ Spyro the Dragon, Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot, etc., etc.) who belongs to the infamous series that began on the SNES in 1993 and died a very painful death in 1996 on the PS1. Criticized for it’s poor design choices, rip-off impersonations, bad controls and for just being of the most annoying characters ever to grace the video game world. Bubsy was long forgotten about – even after it’s last game’s release to the UK in 1997.

So, of course, when it revealed that Bubsy will be revived after over 10 years ~~of freedom~~, a lot of people kicked up a lot of fuss. And I am one of those people.

I’ve never played the games per say, however I have watched fellow YouTuber’s impressions of the games, and even I thought it was dreadful. But not funny dreadful, like say for instance, Deadly Premonition or any of the Phoenix Games copy-cat games – it has dreadful everything, from music, to visuals to just…everything. I can’t phantom how it was made into a 1-episode cartoon back in the day.

The trailer doesn’t give much – not that it needs to. Even the graphics don’t look that good (I don’t know which platform the demo was shown on), and don’t get me started on the ‘jokes’ that don’t even land in the space of 30 seconds. Needlessly to say, I will not be investing in this…thing (I couldn’t think of a justified insult – that’s how bad it is).

Watch the trailer (if you dare) here.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Square Enix) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)

I’ve already written a review for the first game Life is Strange, so I don’t think I have to say it, but I will – I am super excited for this.

Before the Storm is a 3 episode arc that follows one of the previous game’s main characters Chloe. It is set around 3 years before the original – when Max abandoned Chloe and befriends Rachel before she went missing.

Sadly, time travel will not be element available (for obvious reason), but choices will be – and I have no doubt you’ll have to make deadly decisions that will impact the game’s path. It also sounds like awesome indie music will be used again (judging from the trailer).

Another sad thing is that Ashly Burch – Chloe’s original voice actor – has not provided her voice this time around (despite hearing it in the trailer) – Rhianna DeVries will instead (no, I don’t know who she is either).

Despite this, I am looking forward to seeing Chloe’s independent story before things kicked off in the first game and just explore more of the game. A Deluxe Edition will be released, which will include a bonus chapter entitled “Farewell” (you get to play as Max again) with additional outfits and Mixtape Mode, which allows the player to customize playlists for the soundtrack of the game.

The first episode, “Awake”, will be released on Thursday 31st August. I will definitely be doing a playthrough on my channel, so look out for it. And just in time for the announce of Life is Strange 2 (no details have been given at this time).

Watch the trailer here.

Star Wars Battlefront II (EA) (PC/PS4/Xbox One)

Star Wars, I think is fair to say, holds a place in every geek and nerd’s hearts. So naturally in 2015, I bought the first Star War Battlefront re-imagining and loved it (I have a few videos on my channel). The visuals, the sounds, the music, the heroes – everything. And even after the disappointment (for me at least) of The Force Awakens, I played it.

For a while.

Eventually, it did get boring – playing on the same maps, the same classes and being beaten very easily by extremely good players. Not even the DLC saved it in my eyes.

I agreed with a lot of people after playing it for some time – it’s great, but something’s…missing. It felt like a shell – it looked good on the outside, but the inside didn’t really give us anything. It needed more – it needed to go back it roots of the initial series on PS2 with a story mode or something.

We players pleaded – we tweeted, we Facebooked, we ranted on videos, we wrote until our thumbs were sore like a Overwatch marathon.

And EA have listened to us.

Star Wars Battlefront II was announced back in April of this year at the Star Wars Celebration Event in Orlando, showing a Story Mode which gives more details into the space between Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens. It focuses on Commander Iden Versio (played and voiced by Janina Gavankar) – a Imperial squad member who seeks revenge on behalf of her army. You will be able to play all 3 eras, with more weapons, vehicles and different soldiers (robots and wookies are included), along with more forefront characters, such as Finn, Rey, Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren and Darth Maul along with previous character, such as Luke, Han Solo and Boba Fett. Classes will be introduced and weapons have been remade from scratch.

Honestly, I really do feel that EA have listened to us players and taken our advice on board, which will no doubt work in their favour of delivering a great game. And even better – ALL DLC WILL BE FREE!

Star Wars Battlefront II will be released Friday 17th November. If you pre-order, you will gain access to beta versions until the wait is over.

Check out the first trailer here.
Watch the E3 trailer here (with real storm troopers and Janina herself)
Watch this video to see some multiplayer action for the first time.

So, who shone in my eyes?

It had to be Ubisoft with Beyond Good and Evil 2 – I really cannot wait play this game and see what 15 years difference makes for a prequel. Looks like I’m gonna actually have to play the first game before it comes out.

And that’s it – another E3 gone! I’m looking forward to seeing some of these games in the next few months or so, as well as hearing and seeing more development in the time to come.

What was your favourite announcement? Let me know!

If you want more news, trailer, interviews, and all that good stuff, I highly recommend GameSpot’s YouTube Channel as they have everything on there.

Until next time, take care!

My Horse Prince Review

Posted on February 25, 2017 by gamerangel301

Incase you didn’t know – there’s a dating simulator where you can fall in love with a human-faced horse.

He’s not devilish at all.

Yep, you read that right – A HUMAN-FACED HORSE.

I wouldn’t he’s that hot.

Can you guess who developed this game? That’s right – a Japanese company called USAYA.

I don’t really understand any of the other game titles, but yay, free games!

Thanks Japan.

Not be taken seriously. I’m sort there’s worse out there in different countries.

So naturally – because I’m a level-headed human being who doesn’t like prejudice – I’ve played the game. Well, OK I’ve completed all the chapters apart from the last one – Chapter X, The Endless Circle. The reason being is in the title – it’s endless. I think there may be an end in sight though – I’ll edit this entry if there is.

There’s even a little photo album – how cute!

Now, I could find much information about USAYA, apart from being a mobile gaming company who has a few games on the go and they’re all free – apart from in-game purchases, which are optional.

It’s definitely a rice ball and a bunny face.

You play as Umako (you can change her name) who is a hard working business woman but bored with the world due to her hard work. She decides to quit her job and visit a ranch – hoping to meet a few hot dudes in the process. She comes across one called Yuuma, but there’s a catch – he’s a horse. The owner of the ranch – Ojisan – explains that they reason why she can see a human face is because she was born in the year of the horse. Yes, really.

Somehow, I’m not a big believer in Chinese Zodiac signs.

Somehow, Ojisan and Yuuma convince Umako to become Yuuma’s owner and trains him into becoming a race horse. Over the or so chapters, Umako, Yuuma and Ojisan find themselves in different situations – from running on treadmills to smashing boulders on his back to playing a concert. As the main singer and guitarist.

I’m guessing all his fans were born in the Year of the Horse too.

Honestly, this game is super strange – even for me. The ‘methods’ they use to ‘help’ Yuuma ‘train’ are especially weird – after playing the first five minutes of the game, I was tempted to put it down and never pick up again, but something about it was oddly charming. That, and I had a near two hour train journey ahead of me.

I love the way Ojisan is drawn – I really love the art in this game as it’s all wonderfully. Then you have a crappy mess who plays the comedy role.

The ‘gameplay’ is simple – things will fall from the sky, such as carrots, treadmills, spring onions, etc., etc. that will help increase your bond with Yuuma (at the top of the screen). However, each item takes two percent of Yuuma’s overall stamina and when it reaches zero, it’s game over. You can recover his stamina by talking to him – he’ll simply ask you a question or give you a statement and you have three answers to choose from. They range from ‘bad’ – taking away fifteen percent of Yuuma’s stamina (it is recoverable by watching an ad) – to ‘good’ – giving you an increase of fifteen percent – to ‘excellent’, which gives you thirty percent. You also get the option of watching another ad to get a fourth talk. The higher Yuuma’s percentage, the larger the score, making it quicker to complete the level (scores range from a hundred to forty, depending on Yuuma’s energy levels). Each talk takes roughly half an hour to recover (so it’ll take an hour and a half to recover all three). Once you fill the bar, your bond with Yuuma will grow stronger and give you a little photo cut scene.

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Left: the screen you’re going to see the most of – the ‘gameplay’ screen where items drop from the sky. Right: one of the photo cut scenes that can be saved into the album.

This game is very forgiving – it is simple try-and-error because no matter how many questions you answer badly, you can always watch a short ad (mine have been no longer than thirty seconds, but I don’t know if it changes depending on where you’re playing from) to reverse time and pick a different answer. After that, it’s a memory game (especially in Chapter X where you’re asked a lot of the same questions from before. I’m current replaying it for the seventh time). All you have to do is tap things – nothing else.

The answers also shuffle around, so don’t try to remember which answer belongs to which letter.

As a huge romantic, I love dating simualtors and their stories (I’m also currently playing Shadow Ninja/Shall We Date?, which I highly recommend) but My Horse Prince can be confusing at times. For instance, one the questions you get asked by Yuuma is if they go and be alone for a while. One of the answers was for a date, so I chose that one because, well you know, it’s a romantic game. Only, it was the ‘bad’ answer as Yuuma wanted time alone so they have some extra training. On the other hand, Yuuma also asks a question about other dudes picking girls up, so I replied ‘I like guys like that’ to which Yumma told me off (this is the ‘very good’ answer) so he didn’t me to choose anyone else but him. Pretty confusing, right?

Ryouma is Yuuma’s ‘rival’ who only appears for two chapters and then never mentioned again.

Another problem I had was the main character herself – in the first few chapters, she spoke of how she was planning to return Yuuma, but never got round to it. Granted, I know this means that there would be no story, but carries on for quite some time, which is kind of annoying. I also find her to be quite sarcastic and mean – in Chapter X, one of the pieces of dialogue that goes on between Umako and Ojisan while Yuuma is training is that Ojisan sent off a message on a balloon so someone may be able to save them (this is the endless circle chapter), to which she replies “Oh yes…I’m sure someone will come soon”. I get it – his idea was bad, but really? Argh.

I did also encounter some glitches through the game, as you can see.

This game is weird – I think that’s one thing we can all agree upon. It’s a simple game (you can usually complete one chapter in a day if you’re like me and relentless on completing games) that is oddly enjoyable. Granted, I wouldn’t put it up there with my favourite mobile games, but I’m still playing it three weeks later and determined to get through this endless chapter and hopefully complete it.

The aim of the game.

Oh, and don’t believe the Turn Back Time Fairy – he doesn’t give you any items.

I also have to deal with this guy at the end of Chapter X. He’s equally as weird as Yuuma.

Despite how weird it is and everything, I am enjoying it and recommend it, but only if you look past the weirdness of it. I hate to say it, but I’ve actually seen weirder stuff than this.

4/5

This game is available on the iOS and Googleplay store for free!

Thanks for reading – hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if you’ve played this game too – I’d love to know other people’s reactions, especially if they’re not used to weird anime-like Japanese dating sims. Feel free to like, comment and follow. Until next week, take care!

Wondered what it is Like Being a Medieval King?

Posted on August 20, 2016 by gamerangel301

Have you ever wanted to sit in a throne, be in charge in a large kingdom and possible execute your fellow peasants? Maybe even rescue a damsel to be a queen by your side? Well, with Reigns, you can.

In a Tinder-styled indie game, you play as a king who must balance 4 things to make your your kingdom runs as smoothly as possible – religion, the people, your army and of course, money. You are imposed with situations that give you two decisions, so swipe left or right! But choose wisely as your decisions will affect your reign (see what I did there?)

This situations contain anything – from building churches to appease religion to a random dog walking into your throne room. And every decision will affect one aspect or all four. And if one of your factors reaches 0, it’s game over. Your reign could end with exile or even your death.

This game seems never ending in which you can earn certain achievements, such as a 10 year reign or never having to use your army. And don’t worry if get a game over – you can continue your reign as the next king!

This game may seem simple but every reign is different and with each decision you make, it can change the game in a very drastic turn! And of course, it’s high playability, I never thought this was a game I would play continuously on end!

Reigns is available on iOS and PC.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Take care until next time!

Why Pokémon Go has Ruined my Life

Posted on July 30, 2016 by gamerangel301

I suspect people are now sick and tired of hearing about Pokémon Go. At first, I wasn’t going to get onto the hype train, but I forgot about one thing – peer pressure. OK, that’s a strong word – none of my friends threatened to slaughter my family if I didn’t fake an American iTunes account to download it as soon as possible. But I remember coming into work the morning after it was released and one of my friends had download it. That’s when I caught the Pokémon Go bug. Within a few days, I downloaded the app and began playing too.

I haven’t looked back.

Pokémon Go is a augmented reality mobile game (meaning it has a live or indirect use of the reality surrounding it) for iOS and Android. You get an introduction from fake Professor Oak (he’s actually called Professor Willow – still in the tree theme), create a character and then set out in the world. The point of the game is to physically move so your avatar can to – the more you move, the more likely you are to encounter a pokémon. There are PokéStops registered as landmarks around the world as well as Pokémon Gyms. You can procure items such as Pokéballs (and Great Balls when you reach level 15), potions, lures, incense and eggs. Eggs can be hatched in an egg incubator (you get one for free when you start up) but walking a certain amount of distance (it can range from 2 – 10 kilometers). It also seems that certain types of Pokémon can be found in certain areas – for example, I’ve encounter many Magikarps near bodies of water yet I visited a nearby city last week and ran into mainly of Electric type Pokémon.

Here’s a list of items that you can get by either regularly visiting PokéStops or buying them from the shop.

Speaking of Pokémon Gyms, they are a little tricky. For instance, you can pick one of 3 teams (Valor, Instinct and Mystic) and battle various Pokémon that players have used to take over that Gym. But you have to continuously weaken it to take it over – it isn’t taken over with just one battle.

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On the left shows want Gyms look like in the AR world and one the right is what Gyms essentially look like

Pokémon can be evolved and powered up by candy that are attached to them and stardust. Another example – I needed around 15 or so candy to evolve my Rattata into a Raticate (as the ones I had been trying to catch kept running away). the trick was to catch multiple Rattatas (I think I captured around 6 in total), transfer them to the Professor so you gain one candy back. Eventually, you can group all your candy up and evolve it. Or you can use candy and stardust to level it up. I actually really enjoy this system compared to the simple battle Pokémon and get EXP to level them up and evolve at a certain level. It makes I don’t have to capture just one Rattata or one Pidgey and be done with it.

An example the candy-induced power up and evolve system

As you can imagine, this game has it’s ups and down. On one hand, it’s encouraging to get outside and walk around instead of staying indoors and playing Pokémon on a handheld console. It even gives you the chance of meeting fellow Pokémon Go players. However, it has also caused a nuisance – some people can crowd around certain landmarks for PokéStops or a certain Pokémon. It’s also incredible addictive – as Pokémon always has been – meaning some people will go to extreme measures to capture Pokémon or get items, such as playing it while driving or even crossing busy roads without looking. That, and consumer outlets are using the game to get people hooked even further.

Above image is example of players in Alaska together, the below image is example of a photo I took at my local shopping center

I for one see it as a positive thing – it’s helped me to get more exercise and even socialise (me and my friends at work often go on what we have dubbed as “Poké Walks” at lunch time together). But I also understand that I can’t distract me from other things, such as crossing roads or completing my course I’m currently taking. That and it has micro transactions and often crashes (to be fair, the servers haven’t been down for a while).

The two dreaded screens of any Pokémon Goer

If you’re like me and your childhood consisted of Pokémon Leaf Green (or Fire Red, your choice), watching Pokémon Indigo League and the first Pokémon, collecting Pokémon cards hugging a Pikachu plushie, then this is a game for you. But please be careful when playing it – remember to take breaks (even if you’re chasing a Pikachu at night in a park like I did) and be aware of your surroundings when playing. And don’t get too addicted.

A sign from Minnesota at a wildife park

Currently, the original 250 Pokémon are available to catch but updates seen indicate the ability to trade with other players as well as battle them (only Gyms are currently a place of battle now) and more generations will most likely be added. You can’t catch ’em all yet.

Some screen shots from my iPhone of my current progress – I had a massive transfer haul recently. That, and no data.

But please excuse me – I have to buy some more data for my phone for a Poké Walk later today.

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed! As always, take care until next week – especially my fellow Goers.

And one more thing – join Team Valor!

Nintendo’s Miitomo

Posted on February 7, 2016 by gamerangel301

Last year, Nintendo announced that they were very interested in releasing mobile games alongside their console games. This is understandable – nearly everyone these days has an iPhone or a mobile that can access the internet to download apps. Hell, I’m extremely guilty of this! Other gaming companies have branched out to mobile games, such as Square Enix with many Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider and Hitman games along with Namco and Tekken Card Tournament. So it’s no surprise that Nintendo have jumped on the mobile-gaming wagon too.

Earlier this week, Nintendo announced their first of five mobile games to be released this year – Miitomo. On the 17th February, players can preregister for Miitomo on iOS, Android and even tablets via their already-existing Nintendo Account, social network profile such as Facebook and Twitter, or their email address. So far, this has been confirmed for people in Japan, the UK and Ireland. Once they sign up early, they will be the first to receive a notification of when the game is up and running, which will hopefully be sometime in March.

To me – looking at some of the early images and a few news videos – this game look like a carbon copy of Tomodachi Life which was released in 2013/2014. But this is not necessarily a bad thing – Tomodachi was very successful and a lot of fun. In Tomodachi Life, players were able to create various Mii that would live in a hotel together and interact with eachother. Players could decorate their rooms, choose what food their Miis ate and even what they should discuss with other islanders. There were also fun activities, such as the Music Hall where Miis could become singing superstars, or prompted events throughout the island. This game focused heavily on social interaction and making friends, hence why it is called Tomodachi Life (‘tomodachi’ is Japanese for ‘friend’).

Miitomo looks no different, as Nintendo themselves stated:

“Miitomo is a social experience that uses Nintendo’s Mii characters to engage friends in a lighthearted, playful and welcoming social setting. Mii characters first debuted on the Wii console and to date, more than 200 million Mii characters have been created around the world. Using Mii characters users will be able to interact with their friends in an entirely new way to spark fun and interesting conversations by answering questions such as, “What song has been stuck in your head lately?”, “Do you believe in aliens?”, or even, “If you saw a nose hair sticking out of your friend’s nose, what would you do?” By answering questions in Miitomo, users will be able to discover surprising information and secrets about their friends, as well as share their experiences with others easily by taking and sharing photos featuring their Mii using the Miifoto feature.”

And with Nintendo’s new reward system – My Nintendo – that will be released alongside Miitomo, there will be a special Miitomo reward, although it is unknown at this time what it is.

It is unknown whether this game will be free or if it will like Pokemon Shuffle that will include microtransactions in order to become better within the game. Think may be a fear to parents as children could unwillingly rack up a hefty bill, but Nintendo has had good parenting controls – especially with games that connect to the internet – so I have no doubt Miitomo will include that too.

It has been hinted that one of Nintendo’s famous characters may also appear in this game. I wonder who it could be? Mario? Link? Pikachu? The Villager? Samus?

Nah, let’s face it – it will properly be Mario.

Thanks for reading – hope you enjoyed! Please leave a like and/or comment if you did. Take care until next week!

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