November 1 Smash Direct- 10 Characters I'd Like to See Revealed

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Tomorrow, November 1, Nintendo will stream a 40-minute Direct focused on “Super Smash Bros Ultimate.”

With this announcement, it’s hard not to be excited to hear what Nintendo has in store for players in their largest title in the series. Equally hard to avoid is speculation of what character reveals are to come.

After careful consideration and breakdown, I’ve compiled a list of 10 characters I’d like to see be revealed as playable fighters in “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” in tomorrow’s Direct.

Check out my list and then be sure to let me know your own.

October 27- A Landmark in Gaming

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

One year ago yesterday, October 27, 2017, the gaming industry saw the release of not one, not two, but three major triple A titles in the form of “Assassin’s Creed: Origins,” “Super Mario Odyssey” and “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.” While plenty of days, especially around the holidays, see more than one game hit store shelves or digital marketplaces, few see the release of three large-scale, notable games come out at once. It was truly a special day for gamers last year, particularly believers of maintaining the true triple A single player experience.

Game Freak Had My Curiosity; Now They Have My Attention

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

The Pokemon Company and Nintendo announced “Master Trainers” as a post-game challenge in the upcoming “Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!” and “Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee!”

Need for Speed: Payback Review

An engaging arcade racer that tries too hard

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

The entertainment provided by racing in “Need for Speed: Payback” is nothing short of a joy to partake in until you take into account an unnecessarily risky system of leveling up and a story, great on paper, that falls flat on its face.

“Need for Speed: Payback” shot for an action movie of a story and chooses to use a card system for progression. The former is great on paper but lacking in execution, while the latter is entirely uninvited, causing for some notable problems with a generally entertaining game. Forgetting the aforementioned flaws however, “Need for Speed: Payback’s” fun racing does make for an enjoyable experience.

Nintendo Direct Predictions

Nintendo Direct 9.13.2018 

The previously delayed Nintendo Direct from last week will be airing tomorrow, September 13, according to Nintendo's Twitter. 

With one day to go, there are plenty of speculations on what will or what will not be given attention in the 35-minute presentation.

Looking at what Nintendo has on the way, recently announced or rumored titles and a little optimism, here are 10 predictions (in no particular order) for just what Nintendo has in store for consumers in its September 13 direct, covering both 3DS and Switch titles.

"Hours of Darkness" Far Cry 5 DLC 1 Review

An exhilarating gameplay loop with minimal story to tell

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

“Hours of Darkness” takes what made “Far Cry 5” so much fun to play and incorporates it into a beautiful Vietnamese land.

My time with “Far Cry 5’s” first DLC, “Hours of Darkness” concluded in under four hours; however, as a mere expansion to a large-scale game, I found it to be a justified run through a visually appealing creation of Vietnam. The gunplay in both stealth-driven and the most action-packed situations left me very happy to have more of that “Far Cry” feel but the lack of any push for a real narrative made it fall short.

Just Cause 3 Review

Technical issues galore hold back a joyous action movie experience

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

Avalanche Studios’ goal to let players explode everything in sight makes “Just Cause 3” an extremely fun game to mess around in yet the developer’s failure to fix plentiful bugs and glitches create a less than stellar experience post-opening despite that exciting gameplay.

“Just Cause 3” was always too ambitious with its ideas of triggering explosions in every possible way, causing ultimate destruction to everything from vehicles to water towers. The game at its best is like living out your favorite action movie, playing as a charming killing machine in Rico Rodriguez. At its worst however, “Just Cause 3” will lose your interest through lengthy loading screens, significant frame rate drops and bugs in general, all far too unfortunate due to the quality in sheer entertainment Avalanche Studios offers in its gameplay.