Video Game Tuesday: Thoughts on the Epic Games Store

Hey all I’m back with a topic that you’ll either not give a crap about, or hate me for talking about it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday. It’s my Thoughts on the Epic Games Store!

Epic Games Store?: So for those unaware Epic Games, the publisher behind games such as Unreal and Fortnite, launched a Digital store to compete with Steam this past Decemeber. It was to drastically cut down on the profit gained from Epic Games for games they did not publish sold on the store compared to Steam. Steam has a 30% cut of the profits earned from each game sale, where as the Epic Games Store would only take 12% of that, and it would forgo the 5% profit if it was made using the Unreal Engine which is one of the most popular game engines available today.

So what’s the problem?: Well there were a few games that were announced incredibly late, just weeks before release, that would become Epic Games Store exclusives, games that had already had Pre-Orders on Steam for months at that point. So the Internet went up in arms and people started Review Bombing games on Steam. Frankly for those cases I can understand the upset about it. The fact that they’d either be forced to download a seperate program to play the game, or risk losing out on the game they spent money on already. However later whenever a game was announced to be an Epic Games Store exclusive, or even just a Timed-Exclusive, there would be significant backlash against it. Frankly I don’t sympathize with those upset at Developers and Publishers wanting to make more money by using the Epic Games Store. Even a single percent, let alone up to 18%, in profits could mean potentially millions of dollars in revenue that could be used by the makers of games to make more games, or make them better. So I get why I they would do that. More money is always appreciated and frankly I get that desire. Maybe Steam needs to change their policies if they wish to be competitive, but either way this isn’t a situation that is going to go away so long as that profit margin is different.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday.

Retro Game Friday: Bastion

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with a real classic. It’s Bastion!

Plot Synopsis: In the immediate aftermath of the Calamity, a catastrophic event that suddenly fractured the city of Caelondia as well as the surrounding areas into many floating pieces, disrupting its ecology and reducing most of its people to ash. The Kid awakens on one of the few remaining pieces of the old world and sets off for the eponymous Bastion, where everyone was supposed to go in troubled times…

Plot: The plot is pretty great, not super intense or deep, but good nonetheless. Along with the fact that the constant narration is pretty freaking hilarious at times.

Characters: The cast is rather small, but it’s not bad. Though I have to admit I like Rucks the most, if only because of his voice.

Gameplay: The gameplay plays a lot like a Diablo game, with the player defeating enemies from an isometric view. That being said it also is a bit like classic 2D Zelda games in that you can only choose to use two weapons at a time, although unlike Zelda you can’t choose to switch your two weapons except at specific areas. All the while you hear the narrator speak about what you do in the game, which is pretty funny sometimes.

Music: The music was awesome, and that’s really all I’ll say about it. I enjoyed the hell out of it and the voicework, especially the narrator.

Art: Being somewhat 2D and cel-shaded the artwork has aged rather well, which is always a plus for me.

Overall: If you’ve never played Bastion, you ought to go do so as soon as possible.

For those who like: Action, Adventure, Drama, Awesome Narration, Good Plot, Fantastic Gameplay, Great Cast of Characters, Excellent Artwork, Spectacular Musical Score.

Not for those who don’t like: All of the above, but how can you hate all that?

Video Game Tuesday: To Platinum or Not

Hey all, I’m back with another answer to a question I receive a lot for this week’s Video Game Tuesday! It’s whether To Platinum or Not!

To Platinum?: I mean to complete a game 100% or to unlock all the achievements (Trophies for those PlayStation gamers) in a game. This often involves beating the game on the hardest difficulty and/or doing so in a certain way. Whether that is a time limit or a character level limit, or even just a side quest completion rate it doesn’t really matter. The actual question I get asked however often goes like this, “As a Game Reviewer do you complete a game 100% before writing the review?”.

So do you?: As a general rule of thumb, the answer is a big fat NO. I do not achieve a Platinum Trophy in a game before reviewing it, because for most games that would take way too much time to accomplish. I’ll often do the story and if it’s an RPG any sidequests, before giving a review. There have been exceptions like the one time I reviewed Coffin Dodgers, which is my all time record of lowest score ever for a game I reviewed. Now if a game was to be so short and simple to beat that I was easily able to earn a Platinum trophy in a matter of hours instead of days I might end up going for the Platinum. That is if I find the game worth investing that time into. I have a busy schedule, and while I do what I love which is to review stories in all sorts of various formats, doing that takes up a bunch of time for me. So spending hours upon hours to Platinum a game that I find boring or even just mediocre I won’t bother going for a Platinum.

But have you ever fully completed a game you reviewed?: Yes I have, Final Fantasy XV and InFAMOUS Second Son are both games I’ve completed 100%. Earning the Platinum on Second Son was pretty interesting as you ended up hearing Delsin give you a message upon achieving the final Trophy. That was a fun way to reward the player alongside the Platinum Trophy. I’d love it if more games followed that example.

That’s it for this week’s Video Game Tuesday! Do you go for a 100% completion in games you own? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below!

Retro Game Friday: Half-Life 2 [Spoilers for Half-Life 1]

 

This week I’m going over a game that was released years ago, but is still touted as one of the best PC games of all time, it’s Half-Life 2 and no Half-Life 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet. Spoilers after the jump.