Category: Games

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Hands On Shadowrun: Hong Kong!

Shadowrun-Hong-Kong-Logo

I am a pretty big fan of the Shadowrun IP (intellectual property), so when Hairbrained Schemes started making their Shadowrun turn based RPGs I was all in (in for $15 on Kickstarter anyway).  Well they are not done making them, and they have just released Shadowrun: Hong Kong.  This game was also Kickstarted, but just for the polish phase of the game, and the polish paid off, this is their best Shadowrun game yet.

If you have played Returns or Dragonfall, you will know what to expect here.  The game hasn’t changed that much.  You still have the same basic isometric turned based combat, and fun branching text based dialog system, but everything has been tweaked just a little to make it better: the interface is easier to understand, the story is more interesting, you can level up your crew, cooler hacking levels, and like Dragonfall you can save anywhere you want, even in combat!  These small changes all make for an even better game.

I am not sure that I would call Shadowrun: Hong Kong a true sequel, but more like another chapter, or better yet as we say in the table-top RPG world, “a new campaign”, and of the three campaigns they have made Hong Kong is the best.  That being said, now that they have three Shadowrun games under their belt using this system, once they finish the DLC for this game, I do hope they change things up a bit for their next run in the shadows.  It would be great to get a bigger and deeper Shadowrun experience.

For now we get to look forward to Hairbrained Scheme’s take on BattleTech, and their upcoming roguelike Necropolis (and I am looking forward to those games especially BattleTech).  It is nice to see a small indie developer keep proving themselves with good IP, and by good IP I mean stuff that I like.  As a matter of fact everyone should just make more stuff that I like!

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Post PAX Rainbow Six: Siege Beta Code Giveaway!

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UPDATE: I am all out of codes!

Well PAX Prime is over, but I have gift for 18 of ya’ll!  Rainbow Six: Siege beta keys!  All you have to do is look for the tweet linking to this post on Twitter, retweet it and follow @Shmee_Is_Me.  If you are already following me, just retweet the tweet!  This is a first come first served deal so click fast.  Also I understand that since I don’t have a lot of followers it may take some time to give them all away, so while this code giveaway is starting on #FreeCodeFriday 9/4/2015, it will end when all the codes are gone or the beta is over.

If you are one of the first 18, I will message you via Twitter with your key and how to redeem it.  The codes will work for the three major platforms Xbox One, PS4, and PC, so good luck!

Note: This giveaway is not sanctioned by UbiSoft.  I just got a lot of codes at PAX Prime this year, so I thought I would share the wealth!

Note 2: Since I am in the United States, I can only confirm these codes work in the USA, so if you are from another country I will give you the code, but I am not sure if it will work.

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The Paladin Post-PAX Write-up

As Shmee has so ably done already, I’d like to share a few thoughts about PAX Prime 2015. Like anything, PAXen have an ebb and flow, bountiful years and lean years, the best of times and the worst of times. This year seemed to be one of the lean years, at least for me. The games on the show floor or in the tabletop rooms were all great, but there wasn’t that new exciting thing, that stand-out game that I left the show either in my arms or earmarked in my bank account for when it released.

Sure I played  Tom Clancy’ The Division and I enjoyed it, but the game play we got to experience wasn’t the gameplay that drew me to the game in the first place. Fortified, a game I loved last year, was also great and more refined but it didn’t do anything to move the needle (but it didn’t drop either). I even played Netrunner and after twenty minutes kinda liked it, sorta, maybe??.

The thing I realized looking back at PAX this year was that there wasn’t that one unifying thing or fun event that marked PAX Prime 2015 – last year it was RPG’s for instance. This year was more smaller, less exciting events strung together to make a decent outing, but ultimately a less memorable PAX.

Not to say that things like attending a Wedding and a Magic show at the Gearbox Software Panel wasn’t memorable because it totally was! Or that hanging out with friends, playing games, and watching the final rock fall right in front of them crushing their dreams of escape after all the mocking because I pulled every snake and scorpion card in the stupid desk!!! I also got to hug a unicorn from a game I haven’t played.

I later found out it was a sex unicorn... Wonderful!
I later found out it was a sex unicorn… Wonderful!

Those things did happen and I enjoyed them.

PAX is what you make it of course and my advice to future PAX attendants – travel in small groups of 2-3 made up of people with similar interests and be up for anything, even panels and games your not really interested in. Also drink water and wear sunglasses. And paint doors black.

I hope to see you in the throng next year.

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Halo 5! Now With More Nathan Fillion!

I have quite the man-crush on Nathan Fillion, so to see him featured so heavily in the new Halo cinematic is wonderful!  The one thing concerning me about this game is that they are making me play as Master Chief’s antagonists.  Making people play as the villain can get confusing sometimes.  I know we are supposed to wonder if the Chief has gone off the deep end, but we know he hasn’t, and if he has?  We riot.  So I am guessing the two groups are going to team up after their little skirmish Batman V Superman style.  We will find out if I am right or not in less than two months!

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PAX Prime 2015 Wrap-Up!

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Oh man another PAX Prime has come and gone, and I can barely keep my head straight.  Things just never stop at PAX, but it is a lot of fun.  Well if you find waiting in line and learning about upcoming games fun that is.  I know I do!  Let’s get this out of the way up front, I lost in the first round of the Omegathon.  Turns out I am terrible Monkey Ball.  Well I knew that going in, but I was worse than I remember.  It was a fun experience though, so I whole heartedly recommend it if you get the chance.

This was an odd PAX in that I didn’t really play that many games, I mostly went to panels, but of the ones I did play I think Gearbox’s Battleborn was my favorite.  My favorite one I can talk about anyway.  The game features a large cast of characters that must team up to save the last star in the universe from being destroyed.  It played very much like a refinement of Borderlands, but that is not a bad thing.

The other game of note that I got to play was Ubisoft’s The Division.  It is a team based third person shooter.  It is all online, so it is sort of an MMO.  I think they are going for something like Destiny, but with more story, and a completely different control scheme.  We will see how it turns out.  What I played of it was pretty good.  I could see this becoming quite the addiction for a certain type of player.

I did get to try out HTC and Valve’s VIVE at the Asus both.  I played a VR version of Fruit Ninja.  It did look cool, but it wasn’t the greatest game to sell me on the need to spend a ton of money on VR equipment.  The experience has gotten much better than what I tried last year.  The high resolution makes a world of difference.  Now I can vomit looking at great visuals!

I played a couple of new (to me) board games, but the only one that I would consider buying is Samurai.  It plays like a streamlined version of Settlers of Catan.  Where you place tiles around resources to control them.  You need to collect as many as you can of one resource while stopping others from doing the same, so you can be the top Samurai in feudal Japan.

As far as the panels go, Gearbox and Telltale Games know what they are all about: free stuff.  Gearbox gave away the HD version of Homeworld and Telltale gave away all their games, yes you read that right.  All their games.  Plus they both put on fun shows.  Gearbox had a wedding and a magic show, while Telltale did a group play of Tales from the Borderlands episode four.  Both were tons of fun.  Other developers need to find some people with more charisma.  Though kudos to IO Interactive (a Square Enix company) on the free red Hitman ties and at least a gameplay video with developer commentary.

Non-PAX developer events continued to be the places to play games without lines and get free food.  Warner Brothers, Boss Key’s LawBreakers, Gamespot, and Square Enix/IGN all held events.  Warner Brothers scored in the food department,; LawBreakers, well I can’t say anything due to a NDA though here is my best kill from that event, but you should keep your eyes on that game; Gamespot had a very nice venue, and IGN tried to kill us with a giant never ending food line.  I am sure there were more, but either I didn’t know about them, or I just didn’t have time to go.

All in All it was another great year.  Every year after the show I am not sure I can handle going again, but I am sure by around May 2016 I will be chomping at the bit to get tickets for next year.  Maybe I will see you there!  Also keep a look out on this Friday, I will be doing a PAX based Free Code Friday on twitter!  I have quite a few Rainbow Six Beta Keys to give out so follow @Shmee_Is_Me and wait for the announcement!