Showing posts with label Sharing is Caring - Video Games. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Sharing is Caring - Video Games: "Dragon Age Inquisition" from Bioware

One of the hottest games this Holiday season is the newest addition to the Dragon Age franchise from Bioware. Dragon Age Inquisition has received stellar ratings across the board, and has lived up to its hype thus far. Stretching the boundaries of any video game developer, Dragon Age Inquisition builds itself a new genre of gaming, graphic, and gargantuan proportions alike.

Draft and lead a group of characters into rugged battles against a diversity of enemies – from earth-shattering High Dragons to demonic forces from the otherworld of the Fade. Go hand to hand in visceral, heroic combat as your followers fight by your side, or switch to tactical view to coordinate murderous offensives using the combined might of your party. See the tangible, visible results of your journey through a living world – raise structures, customize outposts, and change the landscape itself as environments are re-shaped in the wake of your Inquisition. Lead a party chosen from nine unique, fully-formed characters – each of whom react to your actions and choices differently, forming complex relationships both with you and with each other. Create your own character from multiple races, customize their appearance, and select their powers and abilities as the game progresses. Extensive customization options allow you to choose everything from the color of your follower’s boots to the features of your Inquisition stronghold. Become an agent of change in a time of uncertainty and upheaval. Shape the course of empires, bring war or peace to factions in conflict, and drive the ultimate fate of the Inquisition. Will you stop the cataclysmic anarchy gripping the Dragon Age? [Electronic Arts]

My most trusted review sources come from two different groups: Metacritic and GameInformer. Both of these trusty resources have given Dragon Age Inquisition some of its highest honors, with GameInformer naming it Game of the Month for December 2014.

Find the specific reviews here:

Metacritic Review GameInformer Review

Gameplay is fascinating, and truly makes you use your brain to find the most efficient way to complete each task. Be on your toes while wandering through the expansive lands you trudge through - there are hidden items, quests, and stories that occasionally can not be seen or found again. The replayability of the game is VERY HIGH, as there are different ways to interact with everything around you based on your race, background, and choices in conversations.

If you have the means, I highly recommend this RPG for any of the same genre lover, an appreciator of anything BioWare, as well as all of the original Dragon Age and Mass Effect fans.

Currently, Dragon Age Inquisition is offered on most gaming consoles including Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It is also available on PS3 and Xbox 360 though too. The graphics and features are far superior on the higher end consoles, but the game is worth it on whatever platform you own.

Follow the link to be directed to all of the available options for purchase. Order through Amazon and most of the items can still be delivered by Christmas!

Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

The Sims 4 is Coming!

Okay, I admit it - I'm a SIMer. I've played The Sims games since the first one was released in the US back in February 2000, and I've been a loyal follower since. I have all the expansion packs, add-ons, and many of the "stuff" packs (although I drew the line at buying the "Katy Perry Stuff" pack - I mean, COME ON). But over the past weekend, THE SIMS 4 WAS ANNOUNCED, and I am beyond excited!!

Check out the video below for an official sneak peak at the Game Play you can find in the new Sims game, coming out in 2014.

And check out www.thesims.com for more info!

Update: You can now purchase The Sims 4!! Follow the link below:

Sharing is Caring - Video Games: "Mass Effect" Trilogy

My favorite game series of all-time - beating out "Grand Theft Auto", "Fable", "Assassin's Creed", and yes, even "Halo" - Mass Effect, a 3 part trilogy (so far) about space exploration, saving the lives of all of the species of the universe, and how the vast world of space around us is really full of surprises.

When playing Mass Effect, there are a few things you need to decide when starting the game, and then how you play from there on out.

First off: Are you going to play the main character (Commander Shepard) as a female (voiced by Jennifer Hale) or a male (voiced by Mark Meer) character? YEP! It's true! You get to pick! And everything can be played similarly as one or the other, or very, very different.

So - are you FemShep or BroShep?

What kind of warrior will you be? Will you be evil (renegade) and represent a conniving, brash, angered soul (the red side)? Or will you be compassionate (paragon) and represent a justified, equal, and sympathetic character (the blue side)? The choice is up to you, and you can change anywhere in the game depending on the option you choose. Every option that you have presented to you makes you more renegade, or more paragon. The consequences and rewards of both depend on your choices, and changes the whole scheme of the game.

So - are you Renegade or Paragon?

Who are you going to fall in love with? In Mass Effect, there is a romance option, and boy - the options are endless!! Whether you are FemShep or BroShep, you can choose from many different characters - and you can choose to be gay or straight! How cool is that?! All the romance options lead you in a different direction for the entire length of the story. And you can have different romances in each game (ME 1, 2, and/or 3). But if you stay with one person throughout the whole series, you get special rewards and bonuses throughout.

So - who will it be?

And last, but not least...4.

!!SPOILER ALERT!! There comes a time in the first part of the series where you must choose a character to have stay with you, and one to go and handle a mission on their own. Unfortunately, the individual who takes the separate mission...never comes back. Therefore, you must make the decision as to which character you want to live on in your game. And it stays that way throughout all 3 games of the series. Both soldiers both talented with weapons and combat, both geniuses in their work. But which one stays with you for the game, and which one goes on to live in infamy?

So - is it Kaidan or Ashley?

The entire series is INCREDIBLE. Take a look as some screenshots from all three games below: