Their are only a few games on the Wii U that peak my interest. Super Mario Maker goes beyond just an interest. Being able to create my own Mario levels and upload them for others to play and visa verse is the greatest. When you begin the game you only have a few basic items to build with. Each day you will unlock new items. You also have the potential to unlock new items playing others creations through the 10 Mario and 100 Mario Challenges. If you have Amiibos you can also load those characters into the game giving you the ability to play and build with those characters. So if YOU ever wanted to build your own Mario levels then I recommend you go out and pick yourself up a copy and start building. If you do or have it already give me a shout I would love to try out what you have built.
On July 29th Windows 10 will be released to the public or has been if your reading this after the 29th. One of the most important things you need to know about Windows 10 is that it is FREE for the first year to anyone that is currently running a valid copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 on their computer. Again, if you have one these two operating systems Windows 10 is free. Many people will have a notification in the taskbar alerting them to this (this is as long as you are current on your updates). There are many reasons why you will want to upgrade. PCMAG has an excellent article detailing some of the things you can look forward to in Windows 10. Find it here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2487499,00.asp
I have been using Windows 10 for several months now as part of the Technical Preview and I personally have to state that Windows 10 is amazing and is the best operating system Microsoft has built. I have not had the luxury of using Windows 8/8.1 but from what I hear even with all the new features it offers it was still disliked by most. That will not be the case with Windows 10. If you are someone who uses 8 loves the new features and speed but hates the feel of the Windows 8 operating system you will want to get the upgrade. Just to show you what Windows 10 looks like, I have taken a screen shot of my desktop for you (Shown below). As you can see it has a similar view to Windows 7 which is great for people who do not have a touch screen device. I have the start menu opened as well to give you a glimpse of a few changes you can expect. As you can see, along with knowing where to find your programs and apps you can create a tile for your favorite apps and games to the right side of the menu for quick and easy access and for many apps like Facebook, Twitter and Mail this creates a “Live Tile” that gives you current information from that app.
For those who do it’s as simple as setting your device to tablet mode (Shown here).
At the bottom of the picture in the taskbar you will see a search bar.
Say hello to Cortana or better yet “Hey Cortana”
With Cortana all you have to do is speak to her and she will help you find what you are looking for from a particular picture or file on your computer or Onedrive to scouring the web using Bing search engine to find what you are looking for (For example: “Hey Cortana, How’s the weather?”).
Windows 7 users who are upgrading will now have access to the Store.
Yay! With the Store you can find Microsoft’s Universal Apps like Word and Excel. Using your Microsoft account (this is likely not the same as your current local profile to log on to your pc) and your OneDrive cloud service Microsoft powers you to access your files across all devices Microsoft apps can be found. This means you can work on your document from devices like your IPad then pick up where you left off on your computer or from your work computer to your home computer all without the need to carry around a flash drive or email your file to yourself as I have done in the past. It also allows multiple users to work on the same document at the same time and sync all information from each user. On the fun side of the store there are many games including Farmville 2: Country Escape which could of recently only be played on mobile devices.
Say goodbye to Internet Explorer and Hello to Microsoft Edge. The new browser for a new operating system and the simpler smoother and more secure browser.
All this awesomeness and more can be yours when you upgrade to Windows 10 but I can’t just finish this without mentioning one of my most favorite parts of Windows 10.
The Xbox app brings your Xbox One to your computer allowing you watch you and your friends recorded gameplay and allows you to record gameplay from your computer. Chat with your friends and access your achievments. My favorite part of the app is the ability to stream gameplay to your computer. So now if the tv is being occupied you can still get your gaming on (performance will vary depending on whether your computer is wired or wirelessly connected to your network).
Well it’s been a few days since my last post. I think I might have had a mental hiccup over all the amazing things that came out of this years E3. I do intend to catch up on that but for now lets talk about the latest build released today. The update downloaded and installed with no issues I cannot say the same for others who have experienced BSOD. Sorry my friends. To start I began by having some trouble getting my contacts restored on my phone. Backup Assistant Plus is such a pain sometimes and somewhere in the last build I lost a portion of my contacts that I still don’t have. Oh well, this is a working progress. On to the next topic. The display looks much better, alignment looks accurate and hasn’t shifted yet. Lock screen notifications are no longer hiding beneath the navigation bar which is a huge plus. Features specific to HTC: Boomsound, it is still missing from settings which is a disappointment. Although, not related to this build I would like to note that if you own an HTC One the HTC Sense app is back, it does not have the guide feature but we were all in it for the remote anyways, right? Another feature that is present but not in the settings is the swipe feature. So we can again hide the navigation bar when needed (to do this swipe up from the bottom of the screen to hide and again to show). All and all, visually this build looks better and runs better on the HTC One (M8). On an end note, Project Spartan has now been renamed to Microsoft Edge as expected.
It has been two days since build 10136 was released to Insiders and if you were currently on 10130 the first issue Insiders faced was the inability to update to the new build without first rolling back to 8.1. A bit of a nuisance but these things are expected. After the update and installation was complete I set into setup. There is a point in this process when you are suppose to hit the next button to continue and nothing happens. I first tried to leave it to see if something would happen but nothing did. I unfortunately had to reboot which resumed the setup process to the next step then completed. During the setup I was requested to setup my email like usual. I was able to do this with no issues for my personal email through Gmail, but I could not and have yet to establish my work email through Office365 on my phone. Once I got all my apps reinstalled and ordered in the start screen I began by logging into my accounts and ensuring all my information was on my phone. Lets start by examining the start screen. First I would like to note that by this time I had taken notice that this build was running smoother, and looks much better. Although, once I had applied my own background picture to the start screen, instead of squeezing it to the left of the screen it is instead bloating the picture to the left some. Though this is not as bad as the last build. I have not had any issues with tile placement, they look and function properly. I would like to all my tiles to be transparent though. There is one issue that has yet to be fixed from the last build and that is the Navigation bar. On 8.1 the HTC One had a feature to swipe the Navigation bar out of view or the option to have a button on the bar to hide the navigation bar and tap the bottom of the screen to return on the bar. It seems this is something that has not been fixed but attempted because the display is a little better screen size and position seem to fit better but there is still part of the display that is hidden under the Navigation bar that is inaccessible. This problem follows over to the lock screen by hiding notifications under the Nav. bar (as seen below). Thankfully the nav. bar is transparent on the lock screen so they can be seen if you look. (Please make the Navigation bar transparent throughout the phone). The issue with having to hunt for the notification came also from the lack of a sound notification. There is a ringtone for phone calls but there is no sound for texts.
New to this build was the transparent pin input to unlock the phone. I love this. It is a much better look. The action center also got an update to appearance with the addition of a dropdown on notifications for more info or to respond to a text without leaving your current screen. In the last build this was only possible if you caught the text as it was coming in and did a pull down on it to respond or swipe away to the right.
The Biggest issues I have had with this build aside from the inability to add my work email are these.
For some reason I am missing contacts or at least just info on contacts leaving me with just a number.
The inability to add or edit contacts.
Facebook contact sync which is not Microsoft’s fault but a change in Facebook’s policies.
The Navigation Bar. (this is a display issue that needs attention)
Sound notifications do not work except for phone and cannot be changed.
Skype does not work (it opens to the Get Skype screen that opens the store where skype fails to update thus cannot sign in or open)
I am on Verizon and so My Verizon Mobile app does not work.
Search works, Cortana is present but where is the “Hey Cortana”?
Just want to finish with a thank you for fixing the podcast app very glad it works again.
Will update later hopefully with how Word and One note work on this build as I have yet to use them in that last few days.
Well Xbox One just took a big step backwards, but in a good way. Adding Backwards Compatibility to Xbox One’s list of capabilities was an excellent choice and only adds to Xbox One’s growing list of current gen games and exclusives. Now what to do with my old 360. This wasn’t how Microsoft started their show though. Halo 5 showcased first and was a bold move for Microsoft starting off with one of this years most anticipated games.
Halo 5 will be available 10/27/2015. This game introduces new enemies and old, new gameplay including 4 player Co-Op Campaign mode and new multiplayer modes like 24 pvpvall “Warzone”. One thing I always enjoyed about the Halo world was the ability to play split screen campaign with my wife and although I may enjoy this game I will very disappointed if this feature is missing.
So yesterday we got to witness Fallout 4 and many new features we can expect to see but today during Microsoft’s Press Conference they also announced that all Mods created for Fallout 4 will not only be available to upload to PC but also to Xbox One.
This year we got to see Tom Clancy’s post apocalyptic game The Division. I have very high expectations for this game and look forward to playing it but after a year of push backs this game has seen I don’t think it got the hype it deserved. This December though Xbox One owners will get exclusive beta access.
Others games we got to see included Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, and many beautiful indie games. We also got to see Ion by the creators of Day Z. Although not much was shown I am excited to discover more about this game by trying it out with Xbox One’s Game Preview program.
A new game from Retro Studios call Recore was another game announced during this conference. This is yet another amazing looking game. In what looks like a desolate world A lone girl survives with her companion robot dog who in the midst of battling enemy robots sacrifices itself to save the girl. In turn. the girl salvages the dog’s core into a new robot. It looks as though collecting cores and salvaging them into coreless robots may be one of the purposes of the game.
Rare is giving its fans the ability to play 30 of their most beloved games for $30. This will be available 8/4/2015. Rare also took the opportunity to announce a new multiplayer IP Sea of Thieves and it looks like a Rare game. Fun!
For everyone out there that is a fan of the Gears of War franchise will be as excited as I am for Gears of War 4. I have never been able to get into the multiplayer portion of this franchise but I love the campaign. The world looks amazing and that Tornado!!!
Besides the epic games, how about that “Elite” controller. I must have this. Not only that but I accurately called there E3 announcement of HoloLens.
Although, during the Oculus Rift Press Conference an Oculus and Microsoft partnership was announce to provide all Oculus Rift’s sold to include an Xbox One controller and the ability to play all Xbox One games on the Rift through the power of Windows 10, they also announce during the Microsoft Conference a partnership with Valve VR and this solidifies Microsoft’s space in the VR world but what about AR?
Augmented Reality, this has been Microsoft’s focus with the HoloLens first announced at Microsoft’s Build then again at Ignite and now with all eyes on E3 they showed the world once again the power of HoloLens and a new way to play and experience Minecraft.
I think we can all agree that Bethesda knows how to create a game and this conference just verified that. WOW! I was on the edge of my seat during every moment of the show. Honestly, I think my head exploded. The words to express this conference are eluding me. I will do my best but I am sure it won’t compare to actually experiencing it yourself.
To start the show Bethesda fulfilled everything we could have hoped come out of Doom and Oh the nostalgia. It was there with glorious beauty. Watch for yourself:
Oh Yeah! Blood, Blood, Blood, and Demons to boot!
I remember back 1993 playing this game and Loving It. Hours were lost in this game not only in the campaign but also in the multiplayer as my brother and I murdered each other over and over. Multiplayer has only gotten better:
And better:
I have two questions. First: Will there be a “God Mode”? Second: Is this (video below) a separate arena survival mode or part of the campaign?
Will you survive HELL?
That isn’t all Bethesda blessed us with. Next they spoke a bit about Battleborn which we seen some of last year and now it is in beta worldwide.
Dishonored 2 was revealed alongside a Dishonored Definitive Edition, out this fall, to entertain us until Dishonored 2’s release.
The game we all have been waiting years for. The other game they took to the next level of incredible.
Fallout 4:
This game is Beautiful!!! OH and the things you can do in this game are mind blowing. You want to live in the world of Fallout? Sure, why not! Come on! Here! Build a house, add some furniture in it, anywhere you want. You know, what the hell, build yourself a fortress and get some people to come. You need a weapon? That one you found not good enough? Change it, because yeah you can do that.
AND OH YEAH I CALLED IT…. Releasing this year…. 11/10/2015
and to top the pie. A Real Pip Boy. Get yours when you pre-order you copy of Fallout 4. (I will have to go upgrade my pre-order).
I almost forgot to mention Elder Scroll: Legends, could be fun. I like strategy card games. (MTG, Hearthstone) so I will certainly be trying this one out.
And Lastly Fallout Shelter, because we all want to be immersed in the Fallout world even when we can’t be. Currently my wife is playing it on her Ipad and I have heard all sorts of excited sounds from her direction. So check it out, I will be.
With the release of Star Wars VII on December 18th one of the greatest sagas will grow even bigger. I must say, I am exhilarated. I grew up to Star Wars and would always get excited to watch it. Although as a fan I must admit growing up I had only watched 4,5, and 6. I never read the books or comics or watched any of the other movies tied to the Trilogy until Episode 1 finally came out. Then two and three, and even now I still haven’t read the books. Which is okay I guess since they will not be canon. Anyways, I always love to listen to people complain about Star Wars beginning with Episode 4 and I always heard growing up that the reason for this was because George Lucas wanted to wait to make 1,2, and 3 until technology got better. Sure, whatever. I guess in some sense I can see this. It would have been interesting to see what General Grievous would have looked like in 1983 (assuming the franchise ran in order). Personally, I think they are ordered the way they are is because if they had started with 1,2 and 3 Star Wars would never have become the franchise they are now and likely the rest of the movies would never of been made. It’s likely everyone would have loved Episode 1 if it was first but once Episode 2 released and Anakin grew closer to the Darkside of the Force I believe the movies would of had a negative response. Thus likely resulting in parents refusing to allow their children to watch a movie encouraging Doing Wrong. So first Star Wars needed to build the good, The Force! and all the morals of doing right and just so that the Force would be Strong in us and our children not to be easily influenced by the Darkside. Yeah, so maybe it’s a stretch but that is my theory of the ordering. So with that, yeah, Star Wars Episode 7. Gonna be great!
Much sooner than December though. More like in a few days at E3, we will get to see more of Star Wars Battlefront set to release November 17th nearly a month before the movie is set to hit theaters. This games looks beautiful I just hope that the gameplay is as pretty as the trailer ran on the in-game engine. Either way I am sure it is set to be a beautiful and fun game.
All that leaves for now is the Star Wars TOR expected to be at E3 and Star Wars (Visceral Games Project) I know nothing about but want to know more. Hopefully we will get to see some of this at E3 but I don’t see Visceral Games on the Exhibitors list for E3.
So there was a lot said at the Oculus press conference. Exclusive games from developers like Insomniac Games and their game “Edge of Nowhere” to several other titles. Also announced was a Oculus’ collaboration with Microsoft to bring VR and Xbox together. This includes games being designed to function with the Xbox One controller even though Oculus also announced there very own peripherals. With the release of Windows 10 on July 29th users who have both Xbox One and Windows 10 will be able to stream their gaming to their PC. By streaming games to your Windows 10 PC you will be able to play using the Oculus Rift. One question I have is if this will work with all XBO games or just titles that have been designed for this compatibility. Does this collaboration also verify whether or not we will see Microsoft’s Xbox – Windows 10 Streaming capabilities. I had already thought that with the presence of Fable Legends and this titles Cross-Play feature we could assert the streaming features would be shown so does this mean it is certain? Windows 10 – One for All and All with One!
Aside from all the games we are all excited to see at E3 you will find tech. Among this tech is the increasing field of AR and VR. I mentioned in an earlier post my hopes to see HoloLens and Project Morpheus neither of which are yet confirmed to be at E3. I do hope to see them though.
The ones we do know will be there are:
AntVR: This company has a couple different styles.
Daqri AR: AR integrated hardhat designed for industrial applications.
FOVE VR: Hailed as the first eye tracking VR headset.
Merge VR: I will describe this as Phone VR.
Oculus Rift VR: Maybe not the first VR headset but I would say a front runner and most popular for the new Era of immersive gaming.
Vuzix: VR and AR headgear.
There are certainly more AR/VR headgear being developed and on the market such as HTC’s Vive but it is not known if it will be seen at E3 same with the other brands not listed.
I also would like to add Cyberith, Virtuix Omni, and Manus Glove which are VR peripherals expected to be at E3.
So as I was perusing the list of exhibitors that are going to be at E3 this year I happen to come across Overkill’s The Walking Dead. Seriously! Add this game to the list of games I can look forward too. I wish I could be at E3. I know some of you that actually get to go are probably thinking “no you don’t” but, yeah I do. I understand the complete chaos that would be involved with being there. The fight to be first in line to try out the games and tech so as to be first to publish an article on it or live blog, etc. I know most of you have an agenda you have to stick to. Meetings and booths you are assigned and have to be to at a certain time. I get it. I think you get lost in the fact that your not there because you want to be but because you may have to be. This year is the first time there will be people at E3 that will not be someone who is part of the press or works in the game industry. So for you lucky ones I am asking on behalf of the people that are there on behalf of their job. If you see them barreling down the hall racing to get to their next appointment please step out of the way. For the press that is going to be there, if for some odd reason you are there and not enjoying yourself, STOP! Take five minutes at least and indulge in something not required of you, for you. Don’t look to the new faces in the crowd as obstacles but energy, as life. When watching the press releases look to the new faces in the crowd. How are they reacting in contrast to how you or other veterans of E3 reacting? I wish you all the best of fun! Anyways, I am sorry for that tangent. As for what I began to say about Overkill’s The Walking Dead, I expect they will but hope to see more of this game or at least a trailer at E3.
Project Unasti 