May | 2015 | Gumballs Plays Games

State of Decay on the Xbox One

Posted on May 10, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

This weekend I checked out the Xbox One release of 2013 zombie survival game. The re-release, titled the ‘Year-One Survival Edition’, features a graphical enhancement and both DLC add-ons. It would seem that re-releases almost outnumber actual new releases on the current generation of consoles, and yet I keep buying them.

I had picked up State of Decay during one of the Steam sales, however I don’t have much of a gaming PC. I can run most games at relatively low to medium settings on my 2012 MacBook Pro running Windows 10 via Bootcamp, however I don’t often bother booting to Windows even though my Steam library is filled with something like 150 games. I remember playing State of Decay for maybe 45 minutes and not really getting into it. It felt pretty clunky and I just didn’t really see the point of it.

After spending an hour playing the Xbox One version, I can say I’m more impressed with it now than I was then. It certainly looks a good bit better, however I feel like it plays a little smoother as well. I enjoyed exploring the world and watching over my shoulder as I rummaged through abandoned buildings trying to find supplies. I also like the idea of trying to build up a home base while trying to survive.

I’ve found the combat to be pretty satisfying and going on supply runs gets my heart pumping, especially when I accidentally alert a horde of zombies. There have been a few times I barely squeaked through the gate at my base with my life intact. The game is quite thrilling so far, and I’m enjoying it, possibly more than I enjoyed Dying Light (probably because I suck at climbing in that game).

I’m looking forward to checking out more of State of Decay in the coming days. For $30 I’d recommend it if you haven’t previously played it, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

FIFA 15 is now free for EA Access subscribers

Posted on May 10, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

If you haven’t yet subscribed to the EA Access program on the Xbox One, now might be a great time for you to do so. This weekend FIFA 15 became the latest game to be added to the EA Access library of free to play games. We’re still four months out from FIFA 16, so it’s pretty nice to see EA hand out one of their best selling games for free.

EA Access is $4.99 a month and gives you access to a growing library of free to play EA games. Those games now include: Battlefield 4, Madden 15, Madden 25, FIFA 15, FIFA 14, Need for Speed: Rivals, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, EA Sports UFC, NBA Live 15 and Peggle 2. You also get 10% off on digital purchases of EA games, which is pretty cool as I saved a couple bucks on Dragon Age: Inquisition on day one.

I’ve subscribed to EA Access since the very beginning and have enjoyed it quite a bit. I had held off picking up FIFA 15, so I was quite excited to see it advertised on the Xbox One home screen this weekend. I can’t wait to dig into it and start a new career!

Watch Dogs is still kinda fun

Posted on May 7, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

I hadn’t played Watch Dogs in forever, and until recently hadn’t ever thought of going back to it. I remember downloading it on the Xbox One last summer in Hawaii, not because I was necessarily excited for it, but just because I wanted something more to play beyond Madden and FIFA.

I was initially impressed with the game. I enjoyed what seemed like a fresh take on the GTA style game. The hacking mechanic was enjoyable, especially when used while driving to wreck those pursuing you. Playing around with the cameras in order to obtain a tactical advantage over the enemy was also quite satisfying. The story and its characters, however, did little to keep me engaged. At some point I hit a roadblock in the story missions where I got frustrated and I never went back to the game.

This morning I booted up Watch Dogs for the first time in at least seven or eight months. I again found playing around with the cameras to outsmart my enemy to be a blast…literally:

Instead of trying to rush in and engage in a firefight, I scoped out the area by hacking into as many cameras as I could reach. I stalked my enemy from a safe distance, waiting for them to place themselves close to a hackable explosive so I could reduce their numbers. I then slipped in and completed my objective unnoticed. It was surprisingly satisfying.

I then decided to try out one of the “digital trips”, or mini games. I tried out the Madness mode and it was incredibly addictive and fun. The sky turns crimson and demons overrun the streets as you find yourself behind the wheel of a sinister looking vehicle designed to splatter said demons. And that just happens to be your goal: splatter demons and watch your points rack up. It was an absolute blast! I couldn’t stop myself from trying again and again to get further into the challenge while earning and spending skill points to become even more deadly.

Lastly, I decided to fool around with some of the online modes that I had previously ignored. The first one I hopped into was a stalking mission where I was supposed to observe another player without them catching on. I’m not sure if the game lets the person know you’ve entered the game, because I hopped in on a person engaged in a shootout with the police as I creeped around in my car entirely unnoticed (earning an achievement!).

The second mode I played involved finding and decrypting data. You have to hold the data to decrypt it, however the other players can kill you or hack it from you (by getting close enough to you for long enough to steal it). It was pretty chaotic and quite fun. The data switched hands a few times before I managed to grab it and hop on a motorcycle which allowed me to outmaneuver my pursuers long enough to win the match. What fun!

I’m looking forward to playing some more Watch Dogs this weekend. Hopefully I’ll get around to finishing it at some point, however at this rate I’ll probably spend more time engaging with the mini games and multiplayer.

Have you returned to Watch Dogs? What were your initial impressions of the game? Would you recommend it for someone who hasn’t played it yet? If you asked me that eight months ago I probably would have said no, but after today I think I’d have to give it a thumbs up. Watch Dogs is still enjoyable in 2015!

The Screen Savers is back!

Posted on May 4, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

The Screen Savers ran from 1998 on ZDTV (which became TechTV) until 2005 after it was essentially dumbed down and killed off by G4. This led to the departure of Leo Laporte who soon after started what is today one of the most popular technology podcast networks around, TWiT (This Week in Tech). The TWiT Network launched the very first episode of the successor to The Screen Savers, called The New Screensavers, hosted by Leo Laporte featuring special guest Patrick Norton.

I’m beyond excited for the return of quality tech oriented ‘television’ featuring the best personalities in tech! Leo Laporte is absolutely a blast to listen to every week on This Week in Tech and The Tech Guy, and I can’t wait to start watching him on The New Screensavers! Be sure to head over to the TWiT network and check it out!

TechTV was one of the most enjoyable channels on cable, featuring intelligent and educational tech oriented programming. Luckily, Leo kept the spirit of TechTV alive with TWiT which continues to expand its programming, offering something for just about anyone. The TWiT Network is incredibly successful, with its flagship podcast seeing over five million monthly downloads while the network is expected to make around $7 million in 2015. Leo and the rest of the TWiT staff work incredibly hard producing quality content every day of the week, and I’m certainly glad the network is as successful as it is.

Giving up soda and energy drinks

Posted on May 3, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

Most people know that drinking soda, energy drinks, and a variety of other artificially sweetened drinks (even fruit drinks) are terribly bad for your health. Yet we continue to do so, and why not, just about everyone does it.

It’s easy to think like that, but the health benefits of giving up sugary drinks far outweigh the enjoyment they may bring. I’ve been drinking energy drinks for years and thought very little of the damaging habit. However, last summer I tried to give them up. I didn’t make it very long before I was entirely miserable and started drinking them again three days later. I transitioned to sugar free drinks, telling myself it was the lesser of two evils, and continued on with my life.

The fact is, even sugar free or diet energy drinks and sodas are just as bad for your health as those with all the sugar and calories. Studies have shown that even if a drink has no sugar or calories your body won’t be able to tell the difference and will still produce fat.

Last Monday I decided to try to kick the habit once again. To continue being able to function I replaced my two energy drink a day habit with coffee. I started grinding my own coffee beans and have enjoyed making and drinking coffee in the morning instead of downing an energy drink. I cut soda from my diet as well, and only drink coffee and water on a daily basis. I’ve seen many benefits almost immediately.

First of all, I no longer suffer from a lunchtime energy crash. Usually I would have a second energy drink shortly before lunch and would down a Diet Coke with my lunch. Now I feel awake all throughout the day after only having a single mug of coffee in the morning. I drink water throughout the day and with every meal and it feels great! I’ve also added fruit, vegetables and nuts to my daily routine. I snack on carrots and almonds and enjoy an orange or some pineapple with lunch and dinner.

I’ve also started to lose weight already. I had been exercising regularly for awhile (I run 3 miles at least three days a week, if not four, and do ab exercises and weightlifting on non run days) though I hadn’t been losing as much weight as I had hoped. Replacing health damaging drinks with water should get me the results I’m looking for.

My six days without soda and energy drinks has been enjoyable so far. At dinner on Friday I was tempted to order a Coke, yet resisted and went with a water instead. At the movies later that night I again drank water and felt much better for it.

I challenge you to make the switch from soda to water with me. You’ll be surprised at just how great it might make you feel!

Mayweather – Pacquiao: It’s finally here!

Posted on May 2, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

It’s finally here! Tonight Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight Manny Pacquiao in one of the most anticipated boxing events of all time. Being called “the fight of the century”, there’s an unprecedented amount of hype surrounding this fight, and for good reason. It’s the fight boxing fans have been dying to see for years, but complications and bickering have prevented it over and over again. Now, in 2015, both boxers are considered past their prime, yet the fight is still exciting the masses.

It’s the most expensive boxing PPV, at $99 for HD, and it’s also the highest paying fight, in which Mayweather will earn $180 million and Pacquiao will earn $120 million based on a 60/40 split of the projected $300 million the fight will earn. That’s huge!

I can’t call myself a boxing fan. I’ve watched two fights in my life, Tyson – Holyfield II in 1997 and Pacquaio – Bradley in 2012. I had heard a lot of buzz about the Pacquiao – Bradley fight and decided it would be worth checking out and it was quite exciting though incredibly disappointing in its result (in which Bradley won by an extremely controversial decision). Since then I hadn’t heard very much about the boxing world until recently.

This time the buzz is huge. It has gone beyond fighting fans. It’s even being talked about by those who don’t follow sports. I’d be surprised if there’s anyone who hasn’t heard about tonight’s fight in one way or another. In the way that people who don’t watch a single NFL game tune into the Super Bowl, I think tonight’s fight will find many who have never watched boxing in their life curious enough to watch it.

If you want to get even more hyped for the fight while also learning of its back story, be sure to check out the HBO documentary, Mayweather/Pacquiao: At Last. It tells the story really well and offers a great behind the scenes look at both the fighters and how the fight came to be (and almost didn’t). Watching it gives me chills of excitement for tonight’s fight!

There is, however, a pretty major hurdle for those wanting to check it out: the price. At $99, the PPV cost is outrageous. Even the WWE, which arguably makes its living on PPV events, abandoned the expensive PPV model. Instead of relying on $60 purchases they’ve decided to broadcast their events on their own network (the WWE Network) and rely on ongoing monthly subscriptions instead.

The next option is heading out to a sports bar to watch the fight. However, at a cost of $3,000-5,000 for a restaurant or bar to air the fight, many or choosing not to (notably Buffalo Wild Wings). Those that are hosting events are charging $20 cover charges just to get in, and when you factor in the cost of drinks and food you might just be better off buying the PPV after all.

I’m still undecided on how I’m going to watch the fight. A bunch of people from working are heading out to a bar to watch it, but when I factor in the cover charge, I’ll be paying $40 up front for Vanessa and I, and after a handful of drinks and snacks we could easily surpass the $100 PPV price. Not to mention it’s sure to be crowded and difficult to pay attention to the fight. I think I’m going to end up cringing as I part with $100 to order the fight and grab some pizza and beers and enjoying the fight while I sit on the edge of my seat, volume cranked enjoying every blow.

Will you be watching the fight? Who do you think will win?

I fell asleep during Avengers: Age of Ultron

Posted on May 2, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

I generally enjoy superhero movies. The Marvel movies have been some of the most enjoyable movie experiences I’ve had. However, with time I feel like I’m enjoying the subsequent movies less and less. The first Iron Man, Captain America and Thor movies were an absolute blast, but their sequels didn’t quite entertain me as much. The Avengers brought everything together and worked wonderfully, especially with its humor which in some way outdid the over the top action sequences.

All week I had been excitedly awaiting Age of Ultron’s release and had been planning to see it in IMAX. We had dinner plans last night so ended up making the 10:30PM IMAX showing, and after a long day of work and a few beers that probably wasn’t the best idea to start with.

The movie started with an action packed sequence already in progress and right out of the gate the typical Marvel movie humor was on point as the Avengers bantered nonchalantly as they battled their way into a seemingly impenetrable fortress. I have to admit, I was a little put off right from the start. The sequence was enjoyable, but I think I would’ve enjoyed a slower start and maybe some more setup.

Before long I felt completely lost and overwhelmed and couldn’t quite follow what was going on. Maybe it was because I was dead tired after a week in which I gave up energy drinks and soda, but I think part of it is that I’m beginning to tire of the Marvel movie formula.

I dozed off for about twenty or thirty minutes in the middle of the movie and wasn’t surprised when I awoke to a movie that was more over the top than ever. I don’t feel that the “twins” really fit into the team. I’m sure they’re from the comics or something, but I was already annoyed with the Hawkeye and Black Widow characters from the first movie. I just don’t feel like they’re necessary, or maybe it’s just that I can’t bring myself to care about them.

I’m sure Age of Ultron will please most Marvel movie fans, and I’m not trying to say it’s a bad movie, I just think I’m a little too tired of Marvel movies.

Gumballs Plays Games

a video game blog

Month: May 2015