Shmee.Me

April 28, 2015

The Last Batman: Arkham Knight Trailer Proves June Is Too Far Away!

I know this is my second video game trailer this week, but Batman: Arkham Knight looks amazing, and it is only a couple of short months away! Plus it is National Superhero Day, so why not!

The ability to use Batman’s sidekicks with him in combat looks like a new fun twist on the combat, and with the Batmobile, I am wondering how much bigger the city is going to be. I am just glad they are releasing this during the summer. If it is successful maybe more games will launch outside the “Christmas” window.

April 24, 2015April 24, 2015

Total War: Warhammer??? Oh Heck Yeah!

Creative Assembly and Sega are finally making the Total War game I can’t wait to play (tenth time is the charm I guess)! Warhammer and Warhammer 40K made by Games Workshop have had tons of video games based off of them. Heck there wouldn’t be a Warcraft without Games Workshop’s influential miniatures games, but Total War is going to bring the massive battles that we have always wanted to see from the digital version of this franchise. If they make a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 they can have all of my money! It is a shame this is a cinematic trailer, I can’t wait to see all those odd fantasy armies face off!

My biggest wish for this game is that they let you customize your armies. If I can’t have pink orcs with bright orange armor I am not going to be happy. The Paladin would like it if the rules for the game changed every 6-12 months, and that it would be impossible to beat unless you bought the DLC. That would be the truest version of the game.

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015

Is Costume Quest 2 A Trick Or A Treat?

I love games made by Double Fine, and even more than that, I loved the original Costume Quest, so it was only a matter of time before I played Costume Quest 2. It took a few months, and a sale, but its day finally came. While I still found the sequel charming, I just wish that they would have done more with the game in its four year hiatus.

This game takes place right after the events of Costume Quest. Wren and Reynold jump through a portal that will hopefully lead them home, and it does, but their evil dentist is traveling though time to ruin Halloween forever. Wren and Reynold will have to don their costumes and take the evil Dr. White down.

The story is easily the best part of this game. It is creative, and is a great way to get the kids back in action. The problem is that there isn’t enough other ideas to keep even a game with Costume Quest 2’s minimal run time interesting. It took me about six hours to complete this game and that felt padded. Like in Costume Quest, this game involves Trick or Treating, but 2 forces you to do it in like six different areas with minimal breaks in between. It makes the middle three hours of this game quite a slog.

The game mechanics are very similar to the first game, but with some tweaks. It is a simple turn based RPG, and your options are: a basic attack, a super attack or heal when a character’s meter is full, or playing a Creepy Treat card. The cards do all sorts of things like double damage or heal teammates. Your attacks change depending on the costumes your group is wearing. Also during battle if you time things just right you can do more damage, attack twice, block, or counter attack. It is nice little detail to keep you more in the game, but it still gets a bit repetitive.

This game almost felt like an expansion to the first one, and maybe it would have been better that way. Pretty up the first game and add in the new combat system, and then tack on a new three hour adventure. To try and force this game to be six hours was a shame, or they should have thought of more things to do, but still this game is cute, and if you played the fist one it is a good excuse to go back to the world of Costume Quest. I just hope if Double Fine makes a third one they can think of a few more activities.

April 1, 2015April 1, 2015

Shmee Glides With The Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury!

It was a sad day around the Shmee household. Their trusty Logitech MX510 wasn’t gliding well, and it was coated with gross human skin deposits. I tried to clean it, but it just wasn’t working like the same mouse I bought ten years ago, so I had to replace it. As you can tell by my recent computer build, I am fairly brand loyal when it comes to computer parts and accessories, so if a mouse has served me well for over a decade, I am going to replace it with a member of its family. I selected the Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury.

Besides the terrible name. I mean really, Hyperion Fury? This mouse has everything I could want: A super high 500 image per second (IPS) rate, up to a 4,000 DPI resolution that you can change on the fly, and a built in processor to keep all that info heading to the computer without any lag. Though by far the best part is just how it feels. It is the perfect weight, and it glides like a dream. I don’t know how Logitech does it, but their gaming mice make everything else feel like trash once you have used them. I almost grimace every time I grab my mouse at work. A good mouse makes all the difference.

There are mice with better specs out there, and even some in Logitech’s product line, but after awhile they are just flashing big numbers that you will never use. You are never going to be able to control a mouse with 8,000 DPI well. 4,000 is even pushing it. The big deal is the IPS. The higher that is, the less chance there is of your mouse missing a movement, and at 500 IPS the Logitech G402 isn’t missing anything. The only good reason to get a different mouse is to get a different button layout, or the super nifty braided cable on the Logitech G502.

I know spending $50.00 on a mouse seems a little steep when you can get a mouse for under $10 these days, but trust me if you use your computer a lot a good mouse makes it much more enjoyable. Thanks to my job I get to try out a lot of different mice, and the Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury is by far the best one I use. You may have good luck with some of the cheaper or fancier gaming mice out there, but for my money it is Logitech all the way.

March 24, 2015

Batman: Arkham Knight Looks Incredible!

I was disappointed to hear that Batman: Arkham Knight was delayed again, but after watching this trailer I don’t feel so bad. It is not often that you get a game of the year contender coming out in the summer, but it looks like Warner Brothers and Rocksteady are going to give us something to play on those long warm summer nights. Good job ladies and gents. This looks special.