Category / Gaming

by WetheGeek

Gaming isn’t just for Nerds

“You can’t say you enjoy that videogame! You’ve never played it!”

WELL EXCUUUUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been given a weird look or vehemently told an opinion over the fact that I like certain videogames but haven’t actually played them.

The unique thing about videogames is that they are like playable movies. Games like Legend of Zelda, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Until Dawn have great storylines what are broken up with action and puzzles. Because of the way thay are created, these games can be enjoyed by even if you just watch an automated playthrough. And because we live in the amazing era of The Future, YouTube is full of Let’s Plays of any videogame you want to watch and those who upload the videos also give an extra layer of experience and fun depending on who you watch.

Don’t get me wrong, if I could play the game, I would. My issue is that I lack the necessary finger movement to play these games properly. And before you try to say, “You just need practice!” I have! I spent hours playing Ocarina of Time only to slowly develop a hatred for the game and my lack of gaming skills. I couldn’t look at the game for the longest amount of time even though it is my all time favorite plot of a videogame. I am not willing to do something just because someone told me I wasn’t having the full experience. I may not be able to comment about how the game feels when you play it but I can comment about everything else. It’s like watching a modern movie in black and white. Sure, you may not be able to comment about the color choices but you still experience all the good parts.

So, am I going to support these videogames by buying merch and posting about them on social media even though I haven’t rescued Zelda, hid from Bendy, or accidentally killed Ashley?

You better believe I am.

Rant Over.

-Mabel

#wethegeek #wethegeekmabel #videogames #opinion #merch #support #gamer #playthrough #letsplay

by WetheGeek

The Fall of Smosh

The Fall of Smosh

It was announced on November 7, 2018 that Smosh and Smosh Games are shut down. Not shutting down in January as many suspected but immediately. As of the official announcement from the parent company, Defy Media, Smosh is done. The 80 or so people who worked there are now all out of work.

It’s over.

This is one of the larger closings we have seen in the YouTube community. Most of the time when channels shut down it’s a small group or an individual. It’s never been one of the giants like Smosh, Fine Brothers, or Rooster Teeth. Each of those companies employing into the double digits and being widely successful.

Until now.

Smosh was one of the oldest and most successful channels on YouTube. It started in 2002 as a website called Smosh.com, created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. After the creation of their website they started posting videos and YouTube and by 2005 they were one of the top channels.

In 2011 the duo sold the company to Defy Media. The duo only received stock options in the company, no actual payout. Stock options only work if the company goes public, which Smosh never did. The duo never made any money from the sell out. But under Defy Smosh grew and expanded to several other channels.

On June 14, 2017 Padilla announced he was leaving Smosh. He left for details that had never really been discussed.

Till now.

Padilla has since come out with a tell all video after the closing of Smosh. Padilla said in his video that Defy made radical changes after the sell out. Defy changed staff, shows, and managing style. Defy also reportedly took Padilla’s Facebook page, Twitter, and denied him from joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and ignored sexual harassment issues with other employees.

Defy reportedly has debts to several large backers and employees, and even though Smosh was widely successful, had to shut it down. Several early reports were that Defy was shutting down it January. But since then several sources in Defy have said that is not true. The closing is immediate and permanent.

All is not bad though. Ian Hecox said on Twitter that Smosh would find a new home, so there is still hope.

Be sure to see watch the videos from those closest to the shutdown here:

Padilla: https://youtu.be/1_zuDvgfULw

Lasercorn: https://youtu.be/d6TcHAggoy4

Joven: https://youtu.be/mXUvpLQRoBo

Mr. Sunday Movies: https://youtu.be/LBcbknAcJwk

As more news comes out we will update you.

-RytheGeek

#smosh #smoshgames #youtube #defymedia #wethegeekry

by WetheGeek

Cowboys ride again

The third installment in the ​Red Dead​ series dropped on October 26th and gamers everywhere were freaking out, including me. For those who aren’t familiar with this title, the original ​Red Dead Redemption​ was released in 2010 by Rockstar Games and is the second in the series following ​Red Dead Revolver ​from 2004. This series overall is a Western-themed, open-world, action-adventure with an easy-to-follow story that lets you live your dream of being a cowboy/outlaw in the late 1800s to early 1900s. To be honest, it’s ​Grand Theft Auto​ with horses.

The premise for ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ is similar to the previous titles, in that you play as an outlaw trying to choose between the gang and himself, killing as many (or as few) people as it takes to achieve mental clarity for your character. ​Redemption 2​ plants the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, right in the middle of Dutch Van der Linde’s outlaw gang, which was the same group John Marston left and was tasked with taking down in ​Red Dead Redemption​. Due to the presence of Marston as an active member of Van der Linde’s gang, ​Redemption 2​ is actually a prequel and not a sequel, as the number “2” would imply. Enough about the story, let’s get into the mechanics.

I’ve been playing every day since the release, and I can safely say that this game is outstanding. The graphics are phenomenal and the environment is beautiful. Not many games can pull off different climates and weather fronts well, but wow, these developers put forth some intense time and effort to perfect the environment. Not only is the setting majestic, it is more than deadly. Your character and horse will take damage if you get caught in extreme weather which makes it even more immersive. It takes the ease of traversing an open world and makes the player have to think about how they proceed in the environment, which increases the challenge. The weapon wheel, inventory menu, and pause menus are easy to navigate and separate every aspect of your character’s needs appropriately. Another mechanic Rockstar does well in all their games is assisted targeting. I will admit that I am terrible at aiming in-game weapons with my console controller, so I rely heavily on assisted targeting when provided to me. ​Redemption 2​ delivers four assisted targeting options for a wide spectrum of gameplay options.

All in all, ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ has lived up to the majority of the hype. It was a long-awaited addition to the ​Red Dead​ franchise that will become a classic, as did the previous two titles. I give this title an 8 out of 10 rating, taking the lack of fast travel into account. Unfortunately, this is as close as we will come to Westworld…for now.

-KatTheLadyNerd

#wethegeek #reddeadredemption2 #reddeadredemption #reddeadrevolver #geek #nerd #game #videogame #gamer #gamergirl #rockstargames #grandtheftauto #western #adventure #action #reddead #openworld #shooter #wildwest #westworld #hbo #kattheladynerd #videogames #gamernerd #gamergeek #casualgamer

by WetheGeek

Block by Block

So today we break old ground. Not new ground, that would be out of character. No, today we discuss a game that most are quite familiar with: Minecraft.

The result of me saying the name of the independently made voxel-based crafting and survival game will elicit either a quiet smile, or a shaken head. Or, as normal people put it, you either hated that name, or loved it.

Either way, Minecraft is still a game that should be talked about. Many feel like it needs to disappear, the game having been released in “full” in 2011. However, the game grew year after year, and very much is still thriving with an astounding 74 million estimated active players (1). This is especially true since the Microsoft purchase of the game. The purchase itself was even hotly contested, encouraging Microsoft to simply let the team there do what they needed to, and just providing funding (at least as far as we can tell). Since then, there have been many updates to the game, and multiple console releases. Playstation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and Mobile devices now all have a version of the game, and in PC’s case, 2 (3 if you count the raspberry pi edition). With the move to consoles, Mojang, the developers of Minecraft pushed an idea: true cross-platform. Now, one of the first (if not THE first) games to be truly cross-platform with all current consoles and similar devices stands tall (if quietly), at the second-best selling game of all time (1), right behind Tetris.

Alongside the main game, there were many mods, modpack launchers, YouTubers, and spinoff games that pushed it to new popularity, and still do to this day.

Recently announced was a Minecraft dungeon-crawler, which looks to take inspiration from the community, and from games like Diablo, and promises to be interesting at the very least. I await it’s release, and will definitely talk more about it once it comes out.

Until then, as a longtime fan of the game, this is Incensum saying: “Thanks Mojang, for the [redacted] hours of pure entertainment.” And thank you, for reading.

-Incensum

#Incensum #WeTheGeek #Minecraft

(1) according to Wikipedia and PCGamer (2018) https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-had-74-million-active-players-in-december-a-new-record-for-the-game/

by WetheGeek

Tiny Town Murder

So party games lovers rejoice….blank media games has released something that will make you never have to leave the house again. Town of Salem. It’s an online game where players are assigned roles in the town- either as a good person like a sheriff or body guard or a member of…you guessed it…the mafia. So the game is mafia with people you’ve never met. Challenging, I know.

The game is available for free on their website or paid on Steam which gives you slight cosmetic perks (although in my opinion the free game is all you need and you’re fine without paying for it)

Only advice I have is the worst kind of human is the one who throws the whole game and tells everyone who the other mafia members are when they’re dying. Those people can perpetually step on legos. Good riddance. Don’t be that guy.

-Luna

Luna and I have spent a few hours playing against each other in the office. If you can keep your poker faces on while playing you will have a lot of fun. But truth be told it’s hard. Unless you have a silent keyboard, you can hear when the other person is typing and it creates a slight disadvantage. Otherwise it’s great to be a bad guy and kill your friends! Get a group (or go solo) and wreck a little mayhem.

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Suing Telltale

After our report yesterday on Telltale Games a new report has come out saying there is a lawsuit underway. Polygon.com reported on Reddit that a former employee, Vernie Roberts, is suing his former employer in a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Telltale broke California state law by not giving employees advance notice of the closing and firing of some 250 people. To make matters worse rumors are coming out that Telltale did not give any severance and their medical insurance will only last the rest of September. ⠀
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It seems that Telltale is in deeper trouble then just closing its doors. The staff here at WetheGeek will keep you updated as news arrives. ⠀
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-RytheGeek ⠀

by WetheGeek

The fall of Telltale…

I don’t know if you guys are keeping up with the news but Telltale Games offically announced that they are closing shop last Friday.
This company is responsible for games such as:
The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Batman: The Telltale Series, and Tales of the Boarderlands.
With their recent release of the final chapter of The Walking Dead, it came as a shock to me to hear the news. In their most recent interviews, Telltale Games said that they had “No choice” since they had lost a big financial backer, causing them to cut more then half of their staff.
As of currently these are confirmed:
*Walking Dead might finish. Episode 2 will be released and episodes 3 and 4 will be completed.
*Netflix is still going to push on with the Stranger Things game.
*Everyone is upset.
The company seemed to have been doing well with their series but, according to reports, employees were well aware that the company was under financial strain for the past few years and was under fire from their previous Chief Executive but this hit hard and fast.

Twitter has been revealing a lot of information by not only Telltale but the developers and other employees. Many are upset at how fast everything has happened and some are straight out angry.

But all is not lost. Other game studios like Blizzard are offering to employe the former Telltale workers. So even as this storm continues the gaming community rallies around an amazing team.

Only time can tell what happens next since new information is coming out each hour.

-Mabel and RytheGeek

Sources:
Youtube: Philip Defranco show, Monday, September 24th 2018.

http://m.ign.com/articles/2018/09/25/telltales-sudden-closure-was-reportedly-the-result-of-a-failed-round-of-financing

by WetheGeek

Superman Returns to gaming?

The rumor mill is in full swing again and this time it’s coming straight from pcgamer.com. Reports are coming out that Rocksteady is posting job listings for a new AAA game. If the name Rocksteady seems familiar then you’ve probably played the good Batman Arkham games (*cough* not origins *cough*). If you remember titles like Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight you’re thinking of the right studio.

Taking the rumor that Rocksteady is making a “highly anticipated upcoming AAA title” I have to wonder what it is. If I’m not mistaken I remember a few months ago another rumor floating around. Rumor that a Superman game was coming out, in the same style as the Arkham games. What I’m suggesting is that Rocksteady is making a Arkham style Superman game and it’s finally in production!

I have extremely fond memories of the Arkham series. I first played Arkham City and completed it to 100%. Even with those dumb Riddler trophies. I’ve since played all the other games and love them. The combat style was unique, the plot engrossing, and the animation superb. That’s not even mentioning the voice talent of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy.

I’m hoping Rocksteady is working on Superman. And maybe this will be better than Superman 64.

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

Rooster Teeth turns 15

This weekend marks one of the last conventions of the season (Pax, SDCC, etc) with RTX happening in Austin. If you don’t watch a lot of YouTube or you aren’t a huge geek like me you probably have no idea what RTX is. Good thing I can explain it.

RTX is a geek convention that showcases a lot of Rooster Teeth (and it’s affiliate) products and shows. It is one of the biggest geek conventions in the US. And it was started by Rooster Teeth.

Fifteen years ago Rooster Teeth began with a few guys, a few Xbox’s, and a dream to make content. Over the past fifteen years they have been living that dream. They started in a spare bedroom and now have over 70 full time employees.

Their original content was based around Halo and was famously called Red vs Blue (it’s on Netflix). They made little videos of Halo Spartans living “normal” life. It turned out to be a smash hit. RvB is still coming out with new episodes today.

But Rooster Teeth isn’t just Halo anymore. Today they make everything from anime (RWBY) to game shows (On the Spot) to video game commentary (Achievement Hunter) to so many other things. Each unique and impressive.

I have to respect and congratulate Rooster Teeth. They have done what so many people want to do. They turned their hobby into their careers. As one who strives to make content (be it YouTube or WetheGeek) I understand the struggle to create something. But these guys (and now girls) have done it. They make content that so many different people can enjoy.

So thank you Rooster Teeth for all the content you make. And congrats on 15 years!

I know it’s an older photo. Ray is still in it

-RytheGeek

by WetheGeek

MYST 25 Years Later

In 1991, two brothers in a small startup PC game company in Spokane, Washington were tasked with creating a unique and interesting game by their then parent company, Brøderbund. These two brothers spent hours, days, weeks, even months developing a world in which this game would take place. The game, as you can guess from the image above, is Cyan’s MYST. The game released in 1993 held the title for best selling Mac/PC game until Sims took the title from them in 2000. The creators were Robyn and Rand Miller.

Now, some may ask: “why are you telling us about a computer game from the 90’s? Wouldn’t that game be super outdated at this point?” As a matter of fact, yes. The game was released on almost every console and platform possible at the time, but at this point, you’d need an emulator, hard copy of the console version, or a Windows XP. There were some recreations of the game, such as MYST: Masterpiece (2000), and RealMYST (2004), but Masterpiece ran into the same issue as the original, and RealMyst was a different experience, as it was realized in 3D, and couldn’t run well on anything newer than Windows 7. Then, in 2014, RealMYST: Masterpiece was released; a full 3D modern version of RealMYST on modern computers. This was just the start.
On April 9th of 2018, a Kickstarter page was launched, named the MYST 25th Anniversary collection. It promised all 7 existing MYST titles as a bundle, all improved to work on modern computers. The time it took to reach it’s just under $250,000 goal, was 8 hours. As of May 24th, the kickstarter reached 1,100% of it’s goal, reaching just around $2.8 Million. The games will get a full re-release. As a huge fan of puzzle games, and this series in particular, I’m over the moon about finally getting to play all the titles straight through.
If anyone wants to check MYST out for themselves, the updates come out this month on Steam, and will be finalized on GOG as well. Look them up, and enjoy the game that (in my opinion) makes for the perfect introduction to how puzzle games done well look.


-Incensum

Cyan’s Website: https://cyan.com/