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Majora’s Mask Plays Africa

Star Wars Squadrons: Today’s X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

I remember seeing the box I had of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter long ago around ‘95-’96. That’s what I remember most. What I don’t remember is actually playing it. I think I did, but not for long. In those days I was more into Star Trek and Star Wars wasn’t something I had gotten into yet. However, it’s my understanding that the game is very popular, which is great news for those fans who want to play something just like it with modern graphics.

If you’re unfamiliar, both of these games are star ship shooters. Basically, you fly around in a ship and shoot down others. There are missions, of course, in which you take out certain targets, some easier than others.

Squadrons is... Read All I remember seeing the box I had of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter long ago around ‘95-’96. That’s what I remember most. What I don’t remember is actually playing it. I think I did, but not for long. In those days I was more into Star Trek and Star Wars wasn’t something I had gotten into yet. However, it’s my understanding that the game is very popular, which is great news for those fans who want to play something just like it with modern graphics.

If you’re unfamiliar, both of these games are star ship shooters. Basically, you fly around in a ship and shoot down others. There are missions, of course, in which you take out certain targets, some easier than others.

Squadrons is interesting in that you get to play both sides of the war. Once you start the story, you start out as an Imperial pilot, but after some time, you (not your character) are a pilot for the New Republic. It goes back and forth like this after a few missions, until the end.

The game isn’t very long. I think the embedded YouTube video I watched said that the story missions take about 10 hours to complete. However, that’s there’s more to this game. Multiplayer is another component of the game. I don’t have much to say about this since there are very few games that I play multiplayer. Apparently you can earn in-game currency and get things for your ship such as paint jobs.

The game does feature HDR and turning it off requires an edit in it’s config file. I just got a new monitor and I’ve tested color/gradient banding and it passed. However, this game is slightly disappointing, because parts of it look terrible, particularly the loading screen. I noticed other players found this issue as well, even an EA ticket is unresolved. I noticed this banding and I tried to resolve the issue, but was unable to. I think the issues I saw were in pre-rendered videos and graphics, thus the banding could be due to compression and possibly the resolution I was playing with (2K I think). The rest of the game looked fine, but a 4K video I saw made it look very beautiful.

I don’t have much to say about this game, perhaps because I played through the relatively short story mode. I did enjoy it although even though it was frustrating at times. I did finally complete it, so I’m done with it (I’m planning to move on to another game in the next day or two).

If you like Star Wars, this is definitely something you’ll probably be interested in. Fans get to finally experience what it’s like to fly an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, but there are other ships, too. You can also fly an A-Wing and TIE Bomber among others. Each ship has it’s purpose. For example, U-Wings serve as support ships, which can fire a projectile at a friendly target to give it a temporary shield. There’s more to them than that, though. Personally, I like the X-Wing and TIE Fighter best, probably because they seem to have the best hull and defense is a priority to me.

One more thing to point out is energy allocation. You can specifically choose to prioritize energy to engine, weapons, and shields. The engine helps improve maneuverability, which is important in not only getting through tight spaces, but also helps give a speed boost. Focusing energy on one of these parts also allows it to recharge faster. However, you can also select a balance, which is the default setting. You can also direct shields to cover a certain side of the ship. So, if you’re running straight into enemy fire, you can focus shields on the front where you need them most.

There are a variety of weapons and weapon types and each ship has two or three components. Lasers are the main one and there are variations to choose from. This also applies to auxiliary weapons like a lock-on missile and also defense against missiles locked on to your ship. However, sharp turns are also effective at dodging missiles.

I'd also like to note there are a couple cameos and a name drop, so I hope you notice them. They aren't main Star Wars characters though.

I managed to get the game for free, I think it was a freebie for Origin at one time. Normally, the game costs $40, which is a bit of a relief since these days games normally cost $60. I’m glad I got it for free, but it might be worth the $40 price tag.

Well, let me know if you’ve played this or if it’s something you’re interested in. Feel free to add me as a friend on Origin. My user name is GregoPeck (big surprise, right? LOL). I’m embedding a good “Before You Buy” video, which gives it a good review. You can play this game in VR as well. The game is available on Origin, Steam, and consoles.

It's The Time For The Great Video Game Company Aquisition Fest of 2022!

Microsoft is acquiring Activision for 69 billion, Take Two acquired Zynga for 13 billion and just today word broke that Sony acquired Bungie for 4 billion. I'm not sure how I would have guessed 2020 would start but it wouldn't be with some of the biggest tech acquisitions.

I can't really speak for Take Two, but generally speaking I don't mind these acquisitions as I'm hopeful Microsoft would do well with Activision/Blizzard and I'm not sure there would be much of a change with Sony acquiring Bungie beyond us getting more games from them. With that, consolidating all of the main game franchises in a handful of companies isn't great and I wonder how long multi-platform... Read All

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Comes To Our Galaxy April 5th!

I wouldn't have guess that one of my most anticipated games on 2022 would be a Lego game but it's a Star Wars game so I suppose it's not too surprising. Truth is, I've played a handful of Lego Star Wars games and to date I've found some to be good and some to be not great. From the look of this, it seems developer Traveller's Tales has built an entirely new Lego Star Wars game including each movie from the Skywalker Saga and really make them look fantastic. Which is, most likely, why the game was delayed into this year because ... The Lego Skywalker Saga looks massive.

I'm not sure this game will be a day one purchase for me as I have questions about how unlocking... Read All

Watch The History of Xbox in Power On: The Story of Xbox Docuseries

The other day as I was flipping through the Xbox marketplace I discovered a free docuseries called Power On: The Story of Xbox. I decided to watch the first couple minutes and have since binged the whole 6 part show. Power On is a Microsoft created retrospective that goes back to the early roots of the original Xbox all the way to the launch of the Xbox Series X and highlights the ups and downs. From the early craze of Halo to the Red Ring of Death it's all here in it's docu-glory. Often company created documentaries don't showcase the whole story this seems to be a pretty even handed look at the successes and failures of the Xbox platform including the very rocky... Read All

Moon Knight Official Trailer Series Premiers 3/30 on Disney+

There's an official trailer for Moon Knight. It premiers on 3/30 on Disney+.

I really don't know anything about Moon Knight that I haven't learned from watching New Rockstars on YouTube. Erik Voss has a good video reacting to this trailer and he gives us an introduction to the Moon Knight vigilante. You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/6XvTE2PYsaI

Marc Spector aka "Moon Knight" suffers from dissociative identity disorder. He has multiple personalities and he doesn't know what he's done once the switch occurs.

I did some quick Google searches to learn more about him and share it with you.

Supernatural abilities: "Over his years as Moon Knight, Spector has also... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/18/2022 at 05:17pm

Trailer looks awesome. Could be the best Marvel Disney+ show if the trailer is good at capturing its overall mood.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/19/2022 at 12:05am

I'm really impressed with Oscar Isaac. He's clearly a great actor, clearly a different character in every movie I've seen him in. I can think of other actors who are pretty much the same in every movie, yet they're famous (and I still like them).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/14/2022 at 07:33am

Super Bowl TV Spot: https://youtu.be/KM3Yx-5Ymiw

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/31/2022 at 04:12am

Moon Knight is now playing! The first few minutes were a serious "WTF?" scene. I still have know idea why he's doing what he's doing, but I guess that's how cult leaders operate. I found an old but new-to-me song that I relate to all too well and it isn't the one by Wham. I like this so far, but I'm probably strongly biased with my MCU obsession.

Let me know what you think about it!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 03/31/2022 at 06:02pm

Loved it. My wife, Joi, is getting tired of me yelling Moon Knight like a crazy man though. :)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/31/2022 at 06:36pm

These actors with their non-native accents are amazing!!!! I'm just referring to our star here, but it applies to other actors, too. I mentioned this in my Far Cry 6 post.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/06/2022 at 09:53pm

I'm loving this!

BTW there is a QR code in each episode. To save you time, here's the link it points you to where you can read this week's free Moon Knight comic: https://www.marvel.com/moonknightcomics

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Take A Drive In Forza Horizon 4

Before I picked up the XBox Series X I heard from nearly everyone that's owned an XBox that Forza Horizon 4 is the game to get. During Black Friday Forza Horizon 4 was on sale including all the DLC for a handful of bucks and I pressed the gas on that purchase and haven't let up on the pedal since.

I've played a lot of driving games and unless we are talking about Mario Kart, I'm not typically a fan of any. All told the art of racing around a track isn't that much fun to me unless we can throw banana peels and red shells at each other. I drive a lot more than I'd like in real life so one way to make that fun is to make is unlike any driving experience I have and Mario... Read All Before I picked up the XBox Series X I heard from nearly everyone that's owned an XBox that Forza Horizon 4 is the game to get. During Black Friday Forza Horizon 4 was on sale including all the DLC for a handful of bucks and I pressed the gas on that purchase and haven't let up on the pedal since.

I've played a lot of driving games and unless we are talking about Mario Kart, I'm not typically a fan of any. All told the art of racing around a track isn't that much fun to me unless we can throw banana peels and red shells at each other. I drive a lot more than I'd like in real life so one way to make that fun is to make is unlike any driving experience I have and Mario Kart delivers on that.

I have no experience with any prior Forza Horizon games but the series feels like they've mashed up the joyful exploration of Skyrim with a racing game you can ignore when you want. I first downloaded the demo for Forza Horizon 4 and it may be one of the best demos I've ever played. It starts you out driving through some epic parts of Forza as the game takes you through the different seasons. From there you can drive around the open world but you can't save anything and if you want to replay the demo you need to start driving through all of the seasons again. All told this does mean you can replay the demo but if you want to save your progress, you need to buy the game. That said, when I picked up the actual game I played Forza the way I start out a Skyrim or Fallout game... I just drove around for a long time to just explore.

So Much To See, So Little Time

Have a few minutes and you want to play a game but don't want to do anything that requires a ton of focus? Drive over a purple flower field in Forza or do doughnuts in someones lawn. Want to see something epic? Drive to the top of a rock quarry and launch off the top going 120 miles an hour straight to the bottom. Want to finally take your hand at a proper race? Go for it. The best part of Forza Horizon 4 is the game let's you do what you want and I never really felt like it was trying to get me to do the racing game part. But after a few months of doing nothing particular in the game but drive around I decided to progress through the game because I wanted to unlock more cars than the first one. To be able to finally unlock the game and all the DLC and such I had to unlock autumn and after a handful of other races and then all at once, the entire game and it's options opened up.

Forza Is a Game You Can Play With Kids

I love shooty shoot games but I can't play any of those games with my five year old. Forza Horizon 4 is one of those incredible games that I can not only play with him around but he can actually play too. He loves driving around and crashing into things and we just opened up some Lego DLC which he loves to drive around in. It's nice having a game he can play and doesn't get frustrated playing and frankly, I think a lot of games would do well to implement more sandbox modes that just enable you to play without any timers or twitch controls needed. At least, if more games did that my five year old would be happy.

The Forza Series Is An XBox Must Play

If you have an XBox it would be a crime to not at least try the Forza Horizon 4 demo. Microsoft is putting it's raft of games on PC and if you didn't have an XBox you could still pickup Forza Horizon 4 on PC through Steam. In a game landscape with a ton of shooters it's nice to get a game that doesn't have any homicidal agenda and just wants you to have fun driving and crashing cars.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/18/2022 at 07:08am

I'm familiar with it, well as much as "it's an open-world racing game." You mentioned Skyrim, which points exactly to what confuses me about the game. How can it be an open-world Skyrim-like racing game? It doesn't compute. I think I'd have to just see it for myself. If you want to elaborate, I'd be happy to see what you have to say about it.

I'm not really into racing games, but Mario Kart is fun. Another racing game that I absolutely love is the Wipeout series. I like being able to use weapons to get ahead.

It's great to have a game you can play w/ your 5 year old.

Hm, I don't see a demo link on Steam, but I may have overlooked it. What surprises me though is that Forza Horizon 4 is the exact same price as Forza Horizon 5.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/18/2022 at 05:15pm

I picked up 5. It is a lot of fun, but boy do I suck at driving.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/18/2022 at 06:48pm

> How can it be an open-world Skyrim-like racing game? It doesn't compute. I think I'd have to just see it for myself. If you want to elaborate, I'd be happy to see what you have to say about it.

What I mean is that instead of the game making you play race after race after race you can just drive wherever you want in the open world AND partake in races, stunts or other stuff if you want to much like Skyrim or Fallout.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/18/2022 at 06:51pm

> I picked up 5. It is a lot of fun, but boy do I suck at driving.

I’ve gotten better over time.

That said, from a quick search it looks like the Forza 5 map is bigger and by most accounting a better game than 4. That said, happy to start with 4 and then make my way to 5 when it and all the DLC is pretty cheap.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/18/2022 at 06:52pm

I wonder if Forza or Microsoft Flight Simulator might meet up at some point? They seem like similar kinds of games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/18/2022 at 06:52pm

METAVERSE

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/18/2022 at 09:40pm

>What I mean is that instead of the game making you play race after race after race you can just drive wherever you want in the open world AND partake in races, stunts or other stuff if you want to much like Skyrim or Fallout.

Your initial description of it pretty much matches what I've known, but never fully understood about it. That actually sounds like a cool, relaxing game. I just never really looked for info about the game, but it was included in videos I watched or articles I read about good open-world games and I didn't understand how this was on that list.

Some of the cars are very sexy and the landscape looks really cool, too. Are you playing in 4K?

How's the music?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/19/2022 at 03:20am

I am playing 5 in 4k. Music is great!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/19/2022 at 05:01am

Awesome. I just plugged into the world of 1440p with a new monitor, but I'm now waiting for it's replacement since I found an issue w/ it. Are you playing w/ HDR? I'm just learning about it.

Do they have original music tracks or popular ones?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/20/2022 at 06:30pm

I’m playing in 4K as well, the game is incredible.

Music is on point too. I turned it to music mode which features less car sounds and more of the soundtrack.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/20/2022 at 08:50pm

Nice!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/21/2022 at 06:14pm

Playing in Dolby Vision, I think.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/22/2022 at 02:24am

So Dolby HDR, too?! I just jumped into HDR myself w/ my new monitor. It seemed to make other things look shitty, but the HDR movie I saw looked great. Now I'm sticking w/ SDR unless something specifically says.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/25/2022 at 06:55pm

I’ve had Horizon 4 for ages but hadn’t played it a ton. I grabbed 5 when it came out and played the hell out of it, still do the weekly seasonal challenges and such, but I’ve also gotten back into 4. I’ve gotten into star levels on both (when you hit level 199 you wrap around to 1 with a star, then level 299 you wrap around to level 1 with 2 stars, and so on).

There is just SO much content in 4 and it’s all amazing. The only complaint I have is that the end of the Lego Island DLC is a massive grind fest if you want to build all the different things you can and unlock the final race.

I had basically been ignoring some speed zones and all drift zones because I didn’t enjoy them, but I love them now, I am looking forward to going back to FH5 to do those now.

The music is varied and each station has its own groove. I’ve started listening to some bands because I discovered them on a Forza station. I tend to play the pop station in FH5 because it has Dua Lipa’s Levitating which is a flawless pop gem.

I am a #ForeverPhysical kinda guy but I bought these on the MS store because you can buy once and play on console and PC. I love the 4k HDR 60+ fps on my PC for tricky challenges but I also like lounging on the couch for the more relaxing stuff. They both look fab on Xbox One X though I’m sure Jon’s series X makes it look way better :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/25/2022 at 07:50pm

> I am a #ForeverPhysical kinda guy but I bought these on the MS store because you can buy once and play on console and PC. I love the 4k HDR 60+ fps on my PC for tricky challenges but I also like lounging on the couch for the more relaxing stuff. They both look fab on Xbox One X though I’m sure Jon’s series X makes it look way better :)

Agreed. I love physical but having it on XBox and PC is a huge benefit.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2022 at 10:30pm

Damn, Travis you're dong 60+FPS at 4K?! I thought even the best RTX cards had trouble w/ that. I'm running 1440p now.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/25/2022 at 11:05pm

I usually do not get that performance in 4k in any other modern games, but these games are either far more lightweight than they seem or they’re hella optimized.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2022 at 11:34pm

Very cool! You guys make these Forza games sound interesting. Thanks for elaborating and sharing your experiences, I greatly appreciate it!

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Donate & Watch Awesome Games Done Quick 2021

The Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 charity speedrun event is going strong right now and you should absolutely watch it! While you are there consider a donation to The Prevent Cancer Foundation! So far today there have been some incredible runs of Mega Man 2, Deathloop, Donkey Kong Country 2 & Deaths Door and up next an Oracle of Seasons Speedrun!

Peep the schedule for upcoming runs to watch: https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule

Halo Infinite Multiplayer: Quick Thoughts

Halo Infinite released last month but the Multiplayer has been available in beta for quite a while now and even though I don't play a lot of brand new games, since Infinite multiplayer is free I decided to give it a try. If I had to sum of my thoughts on the Halo Infinite multiplayer in three words I guess I'd say "embarrassment of riches." Basically we get one of the best Halo multiplayer experiences and it costs nothing at all. Does it have a battle pass progression system where after buying it and playing the game a lot you unlock cosmetic rewards much like Fotnite? Yep. Do you need to do any of that? Nope, not at all. The best part is that even if you're not great... Read All

Zelda Game & Watch: Save Your Rupees For This Incredible Hyrulian Value!

For Christmas this year I got myself the Legend of Zelda Game & Watch. The Zelda Game & Watch features The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link and Link's Awakening alongside a classic watch game and a few other fun modes. The big draw of the Zelda Game & Watch to me was the fact that it included the original Gameboy version of Link's Awakening. I'd have preferred the DX color version, but the original Gameboy version is classic and well worth replaying. I've been playing Link's Awakening on the Game & Watch and just acquired the third instrument. The small system feels good in my hands and the controls feel quite natural. Since I'm playing the... Read All For Christmas this year I got myself the Legend of Zelda Game & Watch. The Zelda Game & Watch features The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link and Link's Awakening alongside a classic watch game and a few other fun modes. The big draw of the Zelda Game & Watch to me was the fact that it included the original Gameboy version of Link's Awakening. I'd have preferred the DX color version, but the original Gameboy version is classic and well worth replaying. I've been playing Link's Awakening on the Game & Watch and just acquired the third instrument. The small system feels good in my hands and the controls feel quite natural. Since I'm playing the Gameboy game everything feels good in the hand as I have a lot of memory playing this on the classic Gameboy. All told the classic Gameboy was much bigger in the hand but the screen wasn't too big so it feels pretty natural. My only minor complaint is that due to the screen size the original Link's Awakening is stretched to fit the screen by default. Nintendo has a setting to have the game play in the proper orientation but it's an odd default selection.

I plan on completing Link's Awakening on the Game & Watch and heading back to The Legend of Zelda and completing it again too. I've never completed The Adventures of Link and wonder if I'll finally do it on the Game & Watch?

Compared to the Mario Game & Watch this is an incredible value and with the rising prices of retro games even more so. If you had a thought to want to come back and play these games and don't have a great way to do it do yourself a favor and get the Zelda Game & Watch. Afterward check out the three article series Nintendo created on all the secrets they've stuffed the Zelda Game & Watch with. Some of these were included in the original games and some are completely new to the Watch system.

Regional Game Differences: https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/2021/game-and-watch-the-legend-of-zelda-secret-series-part-1/

Saving the World in 12 Hours? Mysteries of the Playable Clock: https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/2021/game-and-watch-the-legend-of-zelda-secret-series-part-2/

Secret Button Commands: https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/2021/game-and-watch-the-legend-of-zelda-secret-series-part-3/