A Must Play - Injustice: Gods Among Us

Need a game that you and your friends can hash out any disputes? My advice other than physical calamity is to check out the game Injustice: Gods Among Us! The fighting video really lives up to the title, for it includes the popular DC characters that everyone loves and enjoys. In sense, we really do get an actual Batman V. Superman collision that is worth viewing… on the small screen at least (until the big film appears next year). What makes this game really enjoyable is the style which is based on the Mortal Kombat system in terms of control and mechanics. However, this games skips the gore but it does include the blood (rated M for mature). The story is rather convoluted yet pleasurable, especially if you’re a huge fan of the traditional characters before comics were targeted for the young adult crowd. In this game, the Joker somehow tricks Superman into killing Lois Lane while destroying the city of Metropolis. Joker was able to detonate a nuclear bomb while infusing fear gas and kryptonite on Superman, who kills Lois Lane and their unborn unintentionally. This sets Superman on a warpath and he kills the Joker. As a result, the emotionally damaged and power hungry Superman creates a totalitarian administration that acts as a world government. He recruits other heroes, any that oppose will face the chance of bereavement. Batman teams up with Lex Luthor in attempt to square off with the evil Superman. With all the heroes joining the dark side, Batman is able to use some sort of singularity pool to communicate with the Justice League of a different universe; same characters, different events (Joker plan didn’t pan out well). Playable characters includes many of our favorite heroes like Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and many, many more. As opposed to the narrative, gamers are allowed the freedom to face off against one another in a battle of ‘what if’. You might be wondering: how could anyone beat the almighty Superman? Well, within story mode they explain that each character is given some enhancements in order to combat the Man of Steel, which carries over into the ‘Vs’ mode. As an avid player of the game, the idea of DC characters going against one another really keeps the geek in me giddy. I remember when this was first announced, I made sure to keep up with whenever Gamestop was allowing pre-orders. If you’re still not convinced, check out this trailer that was release about two years ago….

GTAV! Yeah, its worth it!

Game of the hour, still in high demand: GTAV! The open world video game was released originally in 2013 on just the PS3 and Xbox 360 but the next year, it was released on the current gens. Oh, and let’s not forget about the PC …Boooooo! Anyways, after all this time, this game seems to still be distinguished in the gamming community. In fact, the game even broke records, earning about eight-hundred million dollars of US currency in just the first day! GTAV is set basically in a fictional world where three very different criminals are put through strange and various missions to make money... illegally. Oh, not to mention its rated M for mature, so some mission may include stealing narcotics, taking our rival gangs or selling stuff. It’s open world which allows the players the freedom to roam on the map. For instance, characters could ride dirt bikes, pick up prostitutes, swim with sharks or indulge in high speed chases with the law. Depending on the actions taken, there might be a response from law enforcement which usually doesn’t end well. Fun right? Despite its criticism, like how women are depicted, the game has some of the highest ratings ever by game critics. For instance, Game Informer Magazine actually rated it a 9.75/10. Both IGN and Edge magazine gave it a solid 10/10. As you can see, the universal acclaim is real. As a gamer, what really stands out the most is the Online mode which the developers allow a player to create their own character and explore the same world as the characters of the narrative. You can interact with other gamers as well and go on missions to gain experience points. During certain holidays, Rockstar would usually release content relevant to that holiday. On Halloween, they created a side game for players where the event was like a horror film. One player was the serial killer and the other was the victim in a game of survival. Valentine’s Day was Bonnie and Clyde while Independence Day was mostly patriotic themed. Another aspect of GTAV that stands out is honestly what consistent gamers have done in terms of moding the game. The link above is a Flash mod which looks totally cool but rather complicated. The thing about mods is that there are not generally made to perfection but use of them is what makes the gaming experience much more enjoyable.

Video Game of the Week

First off, lets talk about video games and one in particular, plus what the people are saying! The newest game to hit shelves is Call of Duty: Black Ops III. For the unfamiliar, Black Ops III is basically a sci-fi military first-person shooter being the twelfth entry in the Call of Duty run. This installation takes place in the future, in the year 2065. Within that year, the world is facing robotics and supersoldiers which is the result of a dependence on machine. Like The Terminator, there is a fear of a machine takeover with the main character being a supersoldier! The game was given a 7/10 rating on GameSpot. Honestly, this seems to be rather surprising considering the massive amount of advertising going into the project. For example, the publisher of the game Activision held a very impressive campaign, with many celebrities being featured; including actors Michael B Jordan, Christopher Meloni, Katee Sackhoff and football player Marshawn Lynch. Some of which, are actually doing voice work in the game! The clip above showcases both Michael B Jordan and model Cara Delevingne. Regardless, a ton of money was poured in into the promotion; however, that never altered the game itself and its ratings. Overall, the game received positive reviews including the well accredited IGN who gave it a 9.2/10. However, not all elements of the game seem positive at first. Some players had issues with the game from its developers. For example, the game caught some heat for the PC release which doesn’t seem at all surprising. According to multiple geek sites, Black Ops on PC had massive amounts of quirks including some cutscene issues like stuttering within a scene. Not a big issue but it was enough to be catalogued within the PC games that always contain issues after a release; like the newest Batman game. Once again, not a big problem especially if it can be fixed with an update. What’s even more ludicrous and worth the attention is that players are only allowed to choose white characters in the actual campaign. The player does have the decision to play male or female but as far as ethnicity, those choices are limited sadly. Dave Their* from Forbes.com, wrote that the reasoning behind the madness is due to the characters being modeled after actors in the game. Would make sense if the player was just given the choice between strictly male or female; however, that is not the case. *http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/11/14/why-the-paris-isis-terrorists-used-ps4-to-plan-attacks/

Geek Life? What is That!

Here, this blog will be the center of all things related to the geek culture which reflects much of what’s considered popular in our society (thankfully). Feel free to comment or share content!