First Exclusive: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Post 3 of 10 of Preview-A-Palooza!

I've seen the teaser trailer for Uncharted 4: a Thief's End. Not liking the title, it's unoriginal, but the game looks to be splendid, of course it was just a trailer, a teaer at that, but Nsughty Dog has literally grown into a superpower after dropping the Bandicoot. ( Everyone say all at once now: Crash who?) still, Natahan Drake is looking good, and the graphics are aesthetically pleasing, definitely a step up in realism, but there is only so much limitation until we are looking for something as realistic as that horrid Gamer movie with Leonidas there. (Gerard Butler) 

    The game is expected to sell enough copies to circle the Earth, and equal to ten blockbusters, and I'd not be surprised, because these games are way better than the garbage Hollywood throws at us in-terms of entertainment. Posturing for position atop the other great titles of 2015, I think that Uncharted 4 will have the more unique story, although three was more melodrama, and two was really just a great game, I think 4 will be overly larger than it should be, because it claims to be the end, and that makes me wonder what Naughty Dog is going to be working on in the future. I especially am excited to see a new IP, because IPs are now the darkhorse of the industry, and is slowing making games into a sequel machine, although sequels in gaming do have the ability to reinvent the series, unlike most television/film sequels, it is a dangerous path to walk as an artist. Developers will have this dilemma, because they need to make money, but I missed a time when games took big risks, because that wa the golden age of gaming. This here is the modern era of gaming, and old-timers like myself could complain until the digital chickens gang up and attack me.  The fact is the gaming industry would rather leave me behind, and go after my children's hard-earned money, rather than keep me banking on playing a new IP, or worst, Resident Evil 30 until the social security checks stopped me from getting the Playstation 20 console. Then again, by then even consoles will probably be extinct. 

    Sorry, that was my old man rant...what was I talking about again? Dag nabbit! Oh yeah, Uncharted. Yeah, I remember that game....yeah, the fourth one. So yeah, it'll sell, does it matter if the controls are better, the graphics better, the story longer/shorter? You'll either buy it, of be the person without it that damns it for being what it is, and pretty much hate on Naughty Dog. I'd probably have more respect for you as a person, if you weren't dry humping the air for Call of Duty 888,888,888,888,888. Still, I feel your pain, I really do, and I admire that you're sick of playing the same game, and paying more each time....you do realize this is an industry, so don't buy it, or any other game until they stop raping our entertainment...you'll be fighting a lonely battle, but an honorable one. Me? I'll just sit here and sift through the games I want to play, and not throw a blessed dime at the ones I could care less to play. Games suck, especially since the concept of "game" has been taken away, which is why Portal 2 was the biggest game  in the world for five seconds, and I have to say, coming back to base here; Naughty Dog at least has the respect to put some puzzles and story into their games. Although The Last of Us was lacking in that department. 

        So instead of the normal mouth-watering preview, I say this: Uncharted 4 will be the highest selling game in the console, because it introduced games to a larger audience. Everyone and their mother, and even their grandmother loved this game. Even people who hate games would enjoy watching it get played, and that tells you something special is there, and it wasn't necessarily innovation! It just shows you how you package something can get people obsessing about a video game, and that is something Naughty Dog has perfected like an artform. 

       Love this game, hate it, it is indeed still an obsession, to paraphrase that great philosopher of our time; Lady Soveriegn.  I'll probably play it, because I actually like the series, because it is different compared to what I'd usually play. ( Yes, I'm one of those hardcore wackos that would go out of his way to buy Tetris for the Playstation 4, and my iPod, and my computer, and my bathroom wall. My philosophy, and the only one I truly love by is never be stuck somewhere without Tetris.)

   See, I rarely get excited for a game, and this game did the opposite for me....I wasn't overly enthusiastic, because it was obvious it was coming out. I get excited for games at come out that probably had a snowball's chance in Hell of ever getting an IP, or a sequel. A good example, and I will be doing a preview of it later on down the line: Mirror's Edge was a great IP, EA created a game that was exciting, new, and focused superiorly on gameplay. Sure there was some story, but it was the backdrop. It was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful game on the last-gen systems. The sequel thwt I've anticipated for nearly eight years will be out in just a few months, or a year if pushed back. Still, I think a game like that, which should've had one game, and nothing else, is getting a sequel. Granted, it could suck, but I feel more enthusiasm for that title than most coming out this year.  Uncharted 4, I'm secretly glad it's ending, so Naughty Dog can prove to be more than a two-trick pony. 

        Uncharted 4 could sell itself with little-to-no press. The game is the one selling point for most people to even keep Sony in the game, especially after all the shit it went through. Granted, I stand with those who want a free multiplayer online for Playstation 4, but to harm those who choose to pay, seems a bit unfair to me who spend their hard-earned dollars to pay for a system, that is, granted, shit. Still, people will buy Windows computers that are equally shit, but that's a whole other can of "worms" isn't it?

      So Uncharted....yeah, good stuff, I've enjoyed the games, but nothing beats the beginning of The Last of Us, and I would buy a remastered 7K version if it were to happen on Playstation 5 I love that game that much. 

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Street Fighter V Aims to Make for a More Compelling, Fast-Paced Fighter Post 2 of 10 of Preview-A-Palooza!

  My, my, my how Cwpcom has grown up! I remember when Capcom was stuck making Disney games, and being barely relevant to anyone who was respected in the video game industry. Then they created a franchise called Street Fighter, arguably one of the most popular fighting games on the planet. Capcom had such a knack for being really the first real fighting game, and although that position could be argued, it was the first to break the mainstream. Still, it always left me asking one simple question: who the hell is Shen Long?

      Fast-forward to nearly thirty years from the first game, and we are now at Street Fighter V, releasing sometime in 2015. Street Fighter V is the sequel in a roomful of prequels, spin offs, and games that even I can't remember. It looks to improve quite a bit on IV, but from what I've seen, it's going to be a different play experience, but not as different as say, Final Fantasy XV is going to be to XIV. Still, SFV is kind of iffy for my taste. So far, I've seen very little of the game. I've seen more of Dragonball Z Xenoverse than I've seen of Street Fighter V. Personally, I'm more excited to see if they add more characters that are like Street Fighter III Alpha, that are so outlandish and unique. Although I'm not sure I can take another boss that looks like Seth.  So-far, the only characters I've seen confirmed are Chun-Li, and Ryu, which is no surprise, but I was expecting to see something along the lines of brand-new characters, and was sadly disappointed.  

   The gameplay from the demo I caught looks incredibly better than most I've seen on past games. It seems both Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter are taking pages out of one-another's books, where Mortal Kombat X is going to incorporate the background into the fight, and now Street Fighter is going to have it so you can kick your opponent through to other areas within a level. Like how the uppercut in past MK titles brought you to a different level, Street Fighter has it so a good, critical hit will lengthen the level, rather than stick you in a corner barrier. This makes the game look far more realistic,and expands upon a the nonstop action that one expects from Street Fighter. 

     The characters have a very comic book/anime look still, and it's still more 2.5 D than actually 3D as a game, but is sure the game will feel more like a classic arcade fighter, as that tends to be the gold standard in these kind of games, not counting the Power Stone concept of full range fighting style, which hasn't been reproduced well enough since the demise of Dreamcast. Still, I find the fighting genre will have a nice duel in 2015, as Street Fighter V is apt to be more compelling a title than it's predecessor, and all the spin-offs of that game. 

   Personally, my favorite character to play as, other than the carbon copy sextuplets ( Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Akuma, Dan, and Gokusen) is Vega, who is perhaps the most difficult to master, and also the most useful in tournament play. I do love Balrog as well, mostly because I respect just what kind of damage the character can do, but mostly because I'm a boxing fan. Still, I hope Vega makes a return, as well as Balrog, and I'm sure many will want to see Akuma back, but I can do without playing the same moves off the same damn characters. Still, from the glimpses I've seen of the game, I think there's a serious contender here to be a very pro tournament layout, and I'll personally love to see those go into affect come launch. I'll be playing as Vega naturally, but I'll switch it up to Balrog, or Ryu, if he's not ridiculously unfair. Lately all the characters seemed to be balanced in the arcade version, but I wasn't intrigued by the inclusion of "Evil Ryu".    

      SFV does look sound as a fighter, but I'm hoping the story, heh, "story" and Street Fighter were never synonymous, but I would like to see a story, because you need one to keep your game relevant these days. Even Tekken cannot get away with looks anymore, although I secretly routing for another Virtua Fighter, because im one of the two people who bought the last one. Still, I think the fans want another Bloody a roar, and that really doesn't look like it's going to happen, yet Killer Instincts got Xbox One exclusive....so far. 

        Despite the number of fighting games that are coming out, are out, or have been postponed, but promised to be out next week, the top two are Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter, with Tekken a slight contender for third, even though it should be first. Yes, to me Tekken is the superior fighter, but the storied histories lay on the shoulders of both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the great-grand daddies of the fighting genre. Still, Street Fighter V gives signs of promising to be a leap forward in the genre, but I think it may just be a leap forward in the series, and either would be welcome addition.

Also, they've hinted at Charlie returning to the game, so maybe the story will be very, very interesting, and not just Seth = goal!