jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

EA Releasing New Command & Conquer Game On Mobile

I'm not sure I wanted this but i'm cautiously optimistic about the new Command & Conquer game EA dropped the details of on the E3 stage today. It looks to be inspired by the mobile clash games but with a Command & Conquer spin. It feels like a mini version of Command & Conquer and i'm not sure how good that will feel to play? Since it's a mobile game it appears to be free to play although I don't remember EA mentioning the price model for it.

It's in early beta on Android now and should be coming out later this year but EA didn't specify when. When this drops on your device is Command & Conquer Rivals something you'll try?

What Sequels Are Better Than The Original?

Metal Jesus has a new video where he asks his friends what game sequels are better than the originals. They have a lot of great answers and it got me thinking a bit about what I would pick? I think a few games stand out to me but Mega Man 2 is one of the games that comes to mind as being better than the original. I also think WarCraft III was a better game than the first two WarCraft's even though WarCraft II was really good.

What games or movies do you think are better than the original?

What Do You Want From A Star Wars Movie?

I shared this video in a comment thread recently but it's so good I wanted to share it properly in a post. It's a recent video by Pattrick Willems where he dives in to what people want out of a Star Wars movie and takes a look at The Last Jedi. It's a really interesting breakdown and I think his base premise for why The Last Jedi was divisive with some fans is spot on.

NES Complex Link to the Past Retrospective

YouTube personality NESComplex has a Link the Past Retrospective that I wanted to share because.... well firstly because Link to the Past is one of the best games of all time and also because I seemingly can't get enough of these kinds of videos. Want to take a peep back at one of the Zelda series finest? Then clicking play on the video above is for you.

Watch This Epic Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Documentary!

The new Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is out and Capcom has an all new three part documentary to celebrate it. It covers the series starting with the original Street Fighter all the way through to the Capcom Cup tournament in 2017.

Nintendo Announces Another Pokemon Game That's Out Now On Switch! Welcome Pokemon Quest!

Apparently Nintendo just dropped the all new Pokemon Quest game out on the Switch that's available right now that will also be coming out on iOS and Android later in the year. Pokemon Quest looks like a simple RPG where you collect Pokemon, send them out to level up and bring them home while you cook soup to attract and capture new Pokemon. It's a fun concept but I haven't loved all of Nintendo's free to play mobile games so hopefully this one sticks.

If you have a Switch download the game and let me know how it plays!

"Get ready to tap your way through an exciting new Pokémon adventure as Pokémon Quest is available now for Nintendo Switch! This title is the first Pokémon spin-off game created by GAME FREAK inc., the developers of the Pokémon main series games. Pokémon Quest is a free-to-download game, and it features some items available to purchase with real-world money. Check out the game now, and prepare to set out on a thrilling journey across Tumblecube Island!"

"Mobile players will soon be able to go on Tumblecube Island expeditions of their very own when Pokémon Quest makes its way to iOS and Android devices in late June 2018."

https://pokemonquest.pokemon.com

The Switch Gets Two New Pokemon Games + New Pokeball Controller!

Game Freak, the developers of Pokemon dropped a 40 minute conference pre E3 where they talked about two new Pokemon games coming to the Nintendo Switch this year called Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! I encourage you to watch the full conference reveal above but some relevant clips from the Let's Go site to help explain things:

"Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! bring the experience of a classic Pokémon RPG to Nintendo Switch with gameplay that is easily approachable for newcomers to the series, but is also deep enough to keep veteran Trainers on their toes.

The games also have two-player simultaneous play, so you can take the journey with a friend! And there’s a deep connection between Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokémon GO, so fans of the hit mobile game will find even more to enjoy."

Which Let's Go game you pick will be the Pokemon that follows you around the map in a style similar to Pokemon Yellow on Gameboy. In fact the developers of Let's Go cited Pokemon Yellow as an inspiration for the game and the in game stuff they showed looked like a modern 3D remake of the original Gameboy Pokemon RPG. Which, honestly, seems like a great way to bring Pokemon to the Switch as many kids and gamers will be playing it for the first time so why not head back to the Kanto region?

Nintendo is also coming out with a Pokeball controller that you can use in game which looks interesting. Not sure i'd get it but if you're into that sort of thing it's available. Oh and all the Pokemon you collected in Pokemon Go you can send to the Let's Go games on Switch, or at least the Kanto region Pokemon you collected anyway.

https://pokemonletsgo.pokemon.com/en-us/

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is Here!

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection finally dropped today to, mostly, great reviews. The game collects 12 classic games which translates to be about $3.50 per game which is an incredible value. Maybe you might not play each game for 8000 hours but dropping in on a few just to understand the journey the franchise has taken seems more than interesting to me. The 30th Anniversary Collection is now out on PS4, XBox One, Switch and Steam and the Switch and Steam reviews seem a bit mixed. The complaint of the Switch version is that the switch controller doesn't flawlessly execute all of the combos and the PC version is getting swamped with reviews complaining to not support some arcade fight sticks.

When I got the Super Nintendo Classic one part of that I enjoyed was it coming with Street Fighter II Turbo Hyper Fighting which has been fun to play with friends. I'm not amazing but I know a few character combos and can hold my own against low to medium skill players. The 30th Anniversary Collection ports over the games from the arcade versions so if you grew up with the console versions these games are different. Different in this case is good as each arcade version comes with better graphics and sound.

"Polish your skills in Training Mode, test your prowess against other players online, and journey through 30 years of rich history. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection includes the legendary Street Fighter II, its highly-competitive sequel Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and an exclusive recreation of Super Street Fighter II: The Tournament Battle only for Nintendo Switch. Celebrate the last three decades of Street Fighter with 12 iconic titles on Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, now available on Nintendo Switch!"

Mega Man 11 Is "Blue Bombing" It's Way To Launch October 2nd!

I'm not gonna lie, I prefer the old school pixel art of the classic Mega Man games. With that, they do need to bring Mega Man to a more modern audience so i'm trying to give the new art style a chance. Mega Man 11 looks to bring the classic 2D gameplay to modern systems with a more anime style that brings back a ton of classic 2D characterization. I don't love it but the style is growing on me and I bet after playing it a bit I might like it quite a bit. It was also announced today with the trailer featured above that Mega Man 11 is coming to consoles and PC October 2nd. For anyone planning on getting Mega Man 11 at launch or beyond what system do you think you will pick it up on?

"Mega Man is back! The newest entry in this iconic series blends classic, challenging 2D platforming action with a fresh new visual style. The new Double Gear system boosts Mega Man's speed and power for a new twist to the satisfying gameplay the series is known for. Coming to systems on October 2, 2018. "

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 04:16am

Whoa! Another Switch game that's also coming to PC! I had no idea it was coming out on PC. Thanks for the info!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 04:33am

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/30/2018 at 04:58am

That game looks beautiful, doesn't it?!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2018 at 02:37pm

Yeah, the style is growing on me. That said, I think the original pixel style of Mega Man 2 should be in a museum.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/14/2018 at 02:45am

Looks like Mega Man 11 is pretty good!

https://kotaku.com/mega-man-11-is-exactly-what-i-hoped-it-would-be-1826794039

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Do You Need To Run PC Games At Max Settings?

Some PC Gamers spent a lot of money on super powerful PC's. Upgrading a PC like a tricked out roadster is a pretty cool hobby and one reason why you'd want to do this is to be able to run PC game settings at high settings to get as much visual and gameplay fidelity out of them as you can. But do you really need to run games at max settings and if you did would they actually look better? In many cases the answer is yes but not every setting works that way and DigitalFoundry made a video explaining why.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/28/2018 at 12:14am

There are some settings where I legitimately can’t see any difference by turning them on and off, but I can get big performance boosts by turning them off.

I heavily customize video settings to get the best visuals while maintaining performance, but I don’t really bother upgrading parts until I can’t play a game I want. I can play on low-mid settings and be just fine. They still usually look better than games from 5 years ago.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/28/2018 at 01:44am

As a lifelong budget gamer, I've never really been able to afford a top of the line PC to run the highest settings on anything new. :P
I've learned to live with playing new games at medium settings and enjoying when I can bump older games up to higher settings.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/28/2018 at 02:13am

Oh hell yeah, of course! I've your not playing at 10k, what's the point? Everything looks ugly w/ less than that! Gotta have max resolution and 1 million frames per second! Hahaha I was being silly. I like to run on max settings, so long as my PC can handle it. I don't do 4k and high FPS, because my monitor is not capable. I like to see what GeForce Experience recommends and if I decide to, I'll adjust settings to fit my desire.

I started having to play Ark with low settings, because it couldn't do SLI (a key feature of my original GPU). But, I decided to upgrade and now I can run most things on high settings.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/28/2018 at 09:41pm

High settings when I can, but graphics have gotten so good, that I think even lower settings look good too. IMHO we are to the point that you don't really need to upgrade every 2 years. But, maybe I am old. :)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/29/2018 at 05:15am

My PC is almost 5 years old @Will_Ball. I have, however, replaced the GPU. I was able to customize my order and selected a GTX 690, so that's what it came with. Unfortunately, since the GPU is 2 GPUs in one, at least one of my favorite games wasn't able to take advantage of it fully, so I replaced it with a GTX 980Ti (Classified Edition aka overclocked). So, obviously I haven't followed the every two year cycle that you mention. I believe I picked really good hardware and that's why it's lasted so long (along w/ the GPU change). The only thing I'd want to change about it now is adding an SSD hard drive instead of this standard old school hard drive (what do they call them?).

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2018 at 08:48pm

I have a good gaming laptop with a pretty solid card somewhat like Greg has. For the PC games I play it works well and depending on the game I can run at reasonable setttings. If I were wanting to run everything at 120 FPS at 4K I’d be running a much beefier PC but the portability of the laptop is really nice.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2018 at 08:49pm

Right now the most visually intense game I’ve been playing in my PC is Hearthstone and Binding if Issac so I’m able to max those out well

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/29/2018 at 09:10pm

Yeah, as for me I'm perfectly ok with 59-60FPS. I'd have to upgrade my monitor if I want to go higher. I haven't seen the necessity to do that though.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2018 at 09:17pm

My monitor caps at 60FPS too which has been fine for me so far. When I get another one I’ll see if it can do 120hz

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 05/29/2018 at 09:23pm

59fps?! How can you handle not getting a perfect 60 Greg? :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2018 at 09:41pm

Recently i've been looking at high def curved displays for computing and some of those look really great. Some have the same deal mine has which is a 60 FPS cap, which isn't a huge deal but I would like to go to 120hz if it's possible. I have a pretty large Dell Ultrasharp which I consider one of the best tech investments I've ever made. I bought it well before the 4k craze and it sits at 2560x1600.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 05/29/2018 at 09:58pm

LOL @Will_Ball I hardly notice unless my frames get really low. I do also have screen tearing at times, so I pretty much always use Vsync.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/29/2018 at 10:15pm

I love Adaptive V-Sync. It turns on V-sync at higher fps and turns it off below that, so you don't tank at low framerates.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/01/2018 at 05:09am

Check this out! Apparently Ark is the new Crysis! You kind of can't run Ark on maximum settings even with the best hardware. https://www.pcgamer.com/ark-survival-evolved-is-the-new-crysis-of-pc-hardware/
Watch the benchmarks in action! https://youtu.be/fNbvWbFfeNw