Category: Xbox One

Posted on

Things We Learned From The Fallout 4 Trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE2BkLqMef4

The Fallout 4 trailer (as seen above) launched yesterday, and that is all that video game nerds like myself could talk about.  It was a pretty good trailer, though nothing too interesting happens in it.  They are not ready to give away everything yet, but it does give us a few hints about the game:

1: The game takes place in Boston.  I still think this is an uninspired choice, but it is fine.  There are a lot of good landmarks that will be fun to see decaying, and it will give greater tie-in to Fallout 3 (Washington D.C.).

2: The dog is back.  I hope he lives longer than ten minutes this time around.

3: It looks like they are going to go more in to the back story of the nuclear war that put people in the Vaults in the first place.  That should be interesting!

4:  You are from Vault 111 this time around.  I wonder what sort of terrible things Vault-Tec did to those poor saps.

5:  It looks like there may be some color this time around.  It was nice to see something other than gray, brown, and tan in a Fallout game.  I hope that continues.  Color in a Fallout game would be a welcome change.

6:  Home base might be more than just a place to store your stuff.  They showed some power armor up on a tool bench.  Maybe the home shop will be a place for some serious customization?

7:  Did the main character talk?  That would be a first for any Bethesda game let alone a Fallout game.  That would be quite the change.  You never know, the guy at the end may have just been a side character, but I doubt it!

Anything you noticed about the trailer that you think we should all know about?  Please let us know!

Posted on

Windows 10 Preview Update!!!

windows-10

Microsoft has unveiled the launch date of its new operating system Windows 10: July 29th 2015.  For desktops and laptops that is.  They have yet to give us the date for phone, Xbox One, or their other devices such as HoloLens and Surface Hub.  I am sure they will let us know soon.  As for the computer and the phone, I have been using them awhile, and I thought I would let you know what to expect!

For computers Windows 10 is pretty much a streamlined Windows 8.  It has a better Start Menu and Notification Center.  The settings are finally all in one place, and they are launching a new browser Edge.  It is really the Windows 8 we wanted the first time around, so it seems Microsoft is sticking with the every other version of Windows is the one to get.  The last couple of updates to Windows 10 have been pretty much bug fixes, and it is running a lot better.  If we get a couple of more updates like this Windows will have no trouble hitting their July 29th launch date.

Windows 10 is also including a few fun features as well.  There is now an Xbox App that works a little like Steam allowing you to buy games from a store, chat with your Xbox Live friends, control your Xbox One, and also stream Xbox One games to your PC to free up your TV for your significant other.  The last feature is the one I can’t wait for!  Windows 10 will also see the launch of DirectX 12.  Apparently this upgrade to the massively popular API stack can increase performance in games by as much as 20%-50%, and even more if you got a lot of cores in your CPU.  We will see, but since I have an eight core processor, I really hope so.

On the phone side, things are not as cheery.  Windows 10 Mobile is slow and crashes a lot.  I am hoping that with the PC version only two months away from completion we will start to see some updates to the poor mobile builds.  You can see what they are going for, and things are laid out better.  The Mail, Office, and other apps are way more useful.  Having the phone store merged with the computer store should help out the app selection as well.  Until there are a few more updates however, I would stay far away from the Windows 10 Mobile test.

As for the Xbox One, I am in the preview program, but there is not a lot to write home about, and they haven’t started the Windows 10 preview.  There have been rumors that the Windows 10 test for that platform will launch after it is talked about at E3 this month.  Here is hoping.  I don’t know what we will see for Windows 10 on the Xbox One, but again the unified store should be cool.  I would think they are going to do something soon because they are going to want to have Windows 10 on the Xbox One before Christmas buying season.

There you go.  Windows 10 on the computer, good!  Windows 10 on the phone, bad (for now)!  I will be back in a couple of months with my full review of the PC version of the OS, and I hope that I will have better things to say about the mobile version as well.  Until then be sure and reserve your free copy of Windows 10 for computers (if you have Windows 8 or 7) by clicking on the new Windows icon in your task bar!

Posted on

Controllers Keep Eating Batteries? Try The Nyko Charge Base!

XB1-Nyko-Charge-Base

The Xbox One controller is way easier on the batteries than the Xbox 360, but that doesn’t mean you will not burn through batteries at an alarming rate.  Finally I decided to do something about it, and I bought the Nyko Charge Base for the Xbox One.  It is about $15, and well worth the price.  The main reason that you will buy this base is to charge your controllers, and I am happy to report that it works quite well for that.  The other features of this base are lit indicators on the front telling you if the controller is charging, and which ones are ready.  It also gives you a place to set your controllers when you are not using them.

They are not perfect however.  The batteries don’t last as long as standard AAs, but since you will be charging them after every use that doesn’t seem like that big of an issue.  Though if you are a marathon gamer it is something to keep in mind.  The other downer is that since the base uses batteries with contacts on them to do the charging you need to replace your battery covers with the ones they have included for you.  This isn’t a problem except for the fact the covers are shiny and the controllers have a matte finish.  You will not be looking at the back of your controllers a lot, but it is disappointing the colors don’t match.

Not having to worry about batteries for my controllers was well worth the money.  I kind of wish they had a four controller option, but if I ever get two more controllers I guess I can buy another one.  There are a lot of good charging options out there, but the Nyko Charge Base should be at the top of your list.  It looks like they make a version for just about every major platform out there, so if you are in the market for a charging station it is worth a look.

Posted on

My First Impressions Of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt!

the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-wallpaper

There must be something about the third game in an RPG series.  With the Elder Scrolls there was Morrowind, and with Dragon Age there was Inquisition, but it seems like it takes that third game to get the mix right.  The same seems to be true for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.  Sure The Witcher had great storytelling and a sprawling environment, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings had great action and good graphics, but the third one blended everything together amazingly well.  So far anyway.

This is a game that is going to take me a long time to finish, so like Dragon Age: Inquisition I am going to give you my impressions, and my impressions are that you should play this game.  I was intrigued by this game when I saw Geralt of Rivia on his trusty steed in a wide open plain, and then he got off his horse and decapitated some monsters.  Great stuff, but I was sold on it when I read a review that said it was the fantasy version of Rockstar’s classic western game Red Dead Redemption.  I hit the buy button faster than my mind could process that statement.

That review was right.  You ride from town to town solving problems, killing monsters, kissing maidens, and then when you are done you ride off in to the sunset.  It is great.  I love getting lost in this game.  I also like that they took a page out of Dragon Age’s book and have more than one environment.  There are a few giant maps to explore, and new wonders around every bend in the trail.  I love it.  This is the game I always wanted The Witcher to be.

There are some problems.  I am playing on the Xbox One, so the frame rate dips from time to time, and there is so much to do it can be overwhelming.  Not to mention the difficulty spikes at times, so you are left wondering how the quest that was three levels higher than you was a piece of cake while the quest a level lower than you kicked your butt, and the story is so complex I am not going to bother telling you about it, but those are minor compared to all the positives.  Just make sure you have lots of liquor to replace all your potions and you will be fine.  Seriously buy all the booze, you will need it.

I think this is one of the best games of all time.  It is not the personal hero building of most modern Western RPGs, but it has a great story with good action, and some of the best exploration ever.  If those things sound at all good to you should give this game a shot.  Provided that you are over eighteen that is.  It is a mature experience all around, but one that shouldn’t be missed.

Posted on

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.