Category: Video Games

Construction in LEGO Worlds. 2017 Price & Release Date Announced

legoworlds_together

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Coming Feb 21, 2017 is LEGO Worlds and this open world video game aims to have players build new realms for others to explore in. It’s sort of like what Disney Infinity offered with downloadable customizable content, and this product will be available for the PlayStation4, Xbox One and on STEAM. It will be available at a MSRP of $29.99

“Whether customizing characters, exploring in vehicles, building structures, or discovering an expansive range of items, characters and creatures throughout the worlds, there’s the freedom to create anything imaginable,” said Jonathan Smith, Head of Production, TT Games.

Gamers interested in playing this game can still find it on STEAM Early Access. It remains available for purchase at the introductory price of $16.99 and it updatable, to reflect the final version at no additional cost.

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Ed’s Pokemon GO Journals — The Cost of Gas vs Free Coins Debate

pokemon-go-logoBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

There is one aspect of the mentality of how Pokémon GO gamers (those who insist they do not want to spend money to buy coins in the game) play that I do not fully understand. While I get the idea behind driving to a new part of town to see what’s there to capture / find nesting grounds of other pocket monsters, when return trips are needed, that’s because the pickings are very good. Both are good reasons for investment in fuel (and less about time) well spent.

As for heading out to find out-of-the-way Poké Gyms to take down and power up for their respective teams is just odd. To drive around half the city to find such places costs more money in gas than money invested in the game just for a paltry 100 coin limit per day — especially if those gyms get taken down within 20 hours instead of sit for a few days. When the odds of those places being able to last for weeks, if not days, are variable for each location, is the time spent searching for them in a medium-sized town even worth it?

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Unlocked: The World of (Video) Games is an Upcoming Online Documentary, One Byte Deep!

The eight-part documentary Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed will be available online through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Steam starting December 15th.

15027712_646986138795528_2453628057481800844_nBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Celebrity hosts Sean Astin, Tom Arnold, Matt Walsh, Penn Jillette, Michael Rooker, Zelda Williams, Alison Haislip and Meghan Camarena will look deep into the world of video games in an eight-part documentary Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed. This series will be available online through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Steam starting December 15th and it is currently available for preorder.

“The goal in producing a series like ‘Unlocked’ is to educate and entertain the audience on all these fascinating topics within the world of gaming all with a cast of curious correspondents that the audience is familiar with,” said series director Jeremy Snead.

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You Too Can Be The Dark Knight with Sony’s 3D Tech in Batman: Arkham VR

playstation-vr-new

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Sony’s PlayStation VR bundle is now available and if some people are still in the fence about it, they can try it out at special events like Fan Expo Vancouver. This 2016 show had Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment exhibiting LEGO Dimensions and demonstrating Batman: Arkham VR (now available on AmazonArkham VR) on the PS4 ProArkham VR and the experience has me believing the hardware is very capable. I was told this updated system is not absolutely necessary in order to become the crime-fighting detective, but it does help with the frame rates and rendering for those players wanting to go by the numbers.

The headwear certainly can use some fine-tuning for people like myself wearing eyeglasses. It is certainly comfortable with or without (I tried both methods on two different demos of the game) and I experienced minor fogging on the lens. If the addition of micro-fans or vents can be put in version two of the hardware, this problem can easily be solved.

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The feeling of being immersed in the digital environment is almost there; the fact the view does not fully fill the peripheral (i.e. I can see the edges of where the screen ends) shows virtual environments are not that all-encompassing. Part of the fact has to deal with the psychological aspects of distinguishing between real space and imagined space. If the eye detects an object at the edge of perception, the body will be inclined to react.

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Dark Horse Comics, Ed’s Picks of Oct and Nov 2016

Dark Horse Logo

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Autumn is here, and Winter is near. Just what can a kid like me do? Read comics of course! When my interest with Pokémon GO has waned, and I have thoughts about what can be played, well here’s my list of Dark Horse Comics picks for the cold nights ahead. I say it is time to pull out my colouring pencils!

Adult colouring books is a phenomenon, and when Dark Horse is one of the leaders of the pack, I can also try out the water-soluble leads I have on trying to mimic the style found in some Asian prints.

On top of my list is the Avatar: The Last Airbender trade paperback. There are 45 pages to paint up, and the art is done by Jed Henry. This book is out now.

Either now available or soon will be are my bi-monthly picks:

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Chimichanga:
Sorrow of the
World’s Worse Face #1 
October 12

Wrinkle’s Traveling Circus’ most adorable bearded girl and her savory-named beast are back, and there is a new act in store! Come one, come all to the Sorrow of the World’s Worst Face! But beware: those who look behind the curtain are in for an awful treat, and it’s not just his face we’re talkin’ about!

  • Featuring art by Stephanie Buscema!

“Chimichanga is full of that youthful vigor that makes The Goon such a delight.” —Broken Frontier

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Ed’s Pokémon GO Journals — How to Truly Fix Gym Stagnation

pokemon-go-logoBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Niantic‘s latest update to curb Pokémon GO gym stagnation is a step in the right direction but I feel more can be done. Players can now lower more prestige points from rival gyms and levelling up will be a touch more difficult. Trying to get more players to fight at gyms is still a problem and for myself, I will not tackle a level 6 or higher gym alone. If I have to feed this company’s coffers with real world money just for those egg incubators, lures and incense I will. And I have racked up enough survey points from different programs to get iTunes/Google Play gift cards without spending. This trick is one some players know about, and It beats spending money on gas to find gyms where a defender can be placed only to have an uncertain future of how long it will last.

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