School is out! Which makes it a perfect time to go to Hogwart’s Legacy. It is COGconnected’s duty, and and joy, to gather the hottest game deals into this one article to help you out. Here is a potpourri of games to play.  Here’s a mix of games you may be interested in – Hogwart’s Legacy leads the charge for Potterheads. But fear not for the rest of the you. There are some other great franchises to choose from – Miles Morales, God of War and an old standby – The Master Chief himself!  Hopefully, there will be a game or two that will pique your interest. 

Unicorn Overlord – $49.96 (Save 38%)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) – $70.00 (Save 12%)

Hogwarts Legacy – Nintendo Switch – $49.96 (Save 23%)

Just Dance 2024 Edition – Nintendo Switch – $39.99 (Save 50%)

Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition – PlayStation 5 – $44.99 (Save 55%)

Dead Space PlayStation 5 – $39.96 (Save 11%)

God of War (PC) – $32.57 (Save 50%)

Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) – $17.49 (Save 65%)

HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION (PC) – $12.49 (Save 75%)

Did you grab some sales this weekend? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for some hardware deals we’ve found some great steals available too right here!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

The post Jump into Hogwarts Legacy Now That School’s Out & It’s on Sale appeared first on COGconnected.

School is out and with it comes some monitor madness! So it’s time for some weekend hardware deals that will set you up for sizzling summer gaming. COGconnected has scoured the internet looking for any deals. This time, Samsung leads the charge with great monitor deals. You’ll find budget and medium tier deals below but if you want something more high end, they are having deals on those as well. In addition, there are some solid deals on gamepads and headphones too.

SAMSUNG 32″ Odyssey G55A QHD 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Curved Gaming Monitor with HDR 10 – $298.00 (Save 40%)

Samsung 24″ Odyssey G30A FHD 144 Hz Gaming Monitor – $148.00 (Save 41%)

KOORUI Computer Monitor 27 Inch, 100Hz FHD Gaming Monitor – $129.99 (Save 28%)

8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad for Switch/Switch OLED, PC, macOS, Android, Steam & Raspberry Pi with Storage Case (Black Edition) – (Save 30%)

8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad for Windows PC, Android, Steam Deck & Raspberry Pi –  $25.89 (Save 30%)

Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller – $58.88 (Save 21%)

Controller for Nintendo Switch, Switch Controllers Left and Right Support Vibration/6-Axis Gyroscope and Wake-up Function – $30.19 (Save 25%)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Wireless Multiplatform Amplified Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac with 48+ Hour Battery – Pink – 600 SERIES MAX Edition – $119.99 (Save 25%)

Corsair HS55 Surround Gaming Headset (Leatherette Memory Foam Ear Pads, Dolby Audio 7.1 Surround Sound on PC and Mac, Lightweight, Omni-Directional Microphone, Multi-Platform Compatibility) Carbon – $72.24 (Save 24%)

Did you grab some summer sales? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check in again as we have frequent weekend deals!

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

The post School Is Officially Out and This Weekend Is Monitor Madness appeared first on COGconnected.

After a 14-year hiatus, 2024 sees Ubisoft release two Prince of Persia games in the space of 4 months. While both share the same 2D perspective, The Rogue Prince of Persia distinguishes itself through its addictive gameplay loop, stylized aesthetic, and drip-fed narrative. This makes each new run a captivating experience that evolves with time. With Dead Cells co-developer, Evil Empire, at the helm, will this new entry possess the regal quality needed to reign supreme amidst the abundance of roguelike titles?

Determined to prove yourself as a worthy successor to the crown, you decide to bypass your father’s instructions and take it upon yourself to protect the land’s citizens. After facing the large threat of the Huns, you succumb to their army’s powerful magic and sheer volume. As they seize the capital, you flee with your mentor. With redemption at the forefront of your mind, you use the mystical bola to rewind time and learn from your previous mistakes to save Persia. Each time you dig a little deeper into the narrative and learn about the supporting cast and their incentives. Evil Empire skillfully intertwines story and gameplay, giving more purpose to delve back into the world for another run.

Take a Bow

Just like Dead Cells, The Rogue Prince of Persia is a slick and stylish action-filled adventure. You will need to quickly react and respond to the variety of enemies and situations you find yourself in to reach the next area. Combat is fast, so you must use every skill available to overcome obstacles. You can unleash a series of quick attacks, charge to deliver a devastating blow or kick your opponent across the screen, stunning them and allowing you to take advantage of the situation. In addition to this, you can also leap over your opponent to avoid incoming attacks and strike from above to be the ultimate weapon.

The level of choice that permeates the game allows you to alter the experience at each stage. In terms of weapons, you can select between daggers, a javelin, a tabard, and much more. Each is different and changes how you approach battles. For example, the claws allow you to quickly release a series of strikes with a special triggering with each kill. Conversely, the broadsword is a slower two-handed heavy weapon with a more deadly impact. You also have access to projectile items to harm foes from afar. These continue the same trend of offering fantastic variety to allow you to personalize your experience. In addition to conventional items like the bow, you can also use a grappling hook to pull enemies closer and Berude’s gauntlet to perform a huge ground smash. All of these elements combine to create an intoxicating combat system that will keep you hooked for hours on end.

Majestic Movement

The franchise is renowned for its elegant movement that allows the Prince to effortlessly parkour across the environment. The Rogue Prince of Persia’s implementation of this ethos is remarkable. Each location includes design features that allow you to wall run from platform to platform by holding the trigger. There’s a surprising level of freedom with this as the scenery and backgrounds are interactable. This means any wall is useable to reach your desired location. Evil Empire even includes challenge rooms dedicated to platforming segments which helps to capture the spirit of the series. Narrowly dodging spikes and timing your jumps to avoid spinning blades has never felt better and helps to embed the franchise into the Roguelike genre.

Maps are procedurally generated with Wells dispersed that allow you to fast travel across the area. This is useful for revisiting the merchant, forging weapons, or quickly collecting leftover items. Fast travel simplifies exploring regions with deviating paths, making it much easier to fully discover the entire area. This is particularly important as you will want to customize your build in preparation for upcoming, harder sections.

The Crown Jewels

You will periodically come across medallions on your run and can equip up to four at a time. Each has several levels and you can upgrade these by sacrificing medallions for new ones that will complement your abilities. The medallions vary with some emitting knives upon use, increasing your health or rewarding energy allowing you to create a unique build for your run. These perks and other weapons can be purchased in the hub area which will increase the probability of stumbling across these in subsequent playthroughs. Due to this, you gradually have more options available creating diverse methods to reach your objective.

Each aspect of the presentation is spectacular. The comic book-style visuals with vibrant colors help to distinguish the game from other releases in the franchise. Performance is solid with only the odd hiccup in its current early access state. Combined with the Eastern-infused soundtrack and impact sound effects, the overall design is sumptuous and is an ideal way to refresh the series with a new and exciting twist.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is a brave and beautiful step in a new direction. Sprinting through the area feels incredible, thanks to the seamless integration of parkour into the gameplay. Combat is fast and slick, creating an addictive quality that keeps you coming back for more. Currently in early access, the future for the latest iteration in the Prince’s tale has the potential to be the crown jewel of the series.

***A Steam code provided by the publisher for review***

The post The Rogue Prince of Persia Is a Timeless Majesty appeared first on COGconnected.

Developer Smallthing Studios and publisher Leonardo Interactive have released a brand-new overview trailer for Simon the Sorcerer Origins. It was premiered as a part of the Future Games Show Spring Showcase. It showcases the new gameplay scenes featuring the original voice actor of the main character, Chris Barrie. As well as the music from the soundtrack composed by Mason Fisher.

Simon the Sorcerer Origins is the prequel to the iconic point-and-click adventure from 1993. The events take place in the Magic World filled with powerful wizards and absurd characters. An ancient prophecy summons Simon away from his turbulent teenage life. This new world that is full of puzzles, alchemical contraptions, powerful spells to learn, and tasty stews to munch on.

The game is an all-Italian project that won the favor of Simon and Mike Woodroffe, the original creators of the game. A team of 80 professionals crafted the game with love and dedication to offer a worthy adventure with 15,000 hand-drawn frames.

Of course, the participation of pop legend Rick Astley with his hit Together Forever also makes the game one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The game will be available this year on all the major platforms. This includes PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and PC (Linux, Windows, Mac). It will also be localized in several languages, allowing more players to experience this epic adventure.

SOURCE

The post Simon the Sorcerer Origins Overview Trailer Is Out Now appeared first on COGconnected.

For RPG enthusiasts diving into Persona 3 Reload on the Steam Deck, the promise of portable gaming bliss can be quickly dampened by frustrating performance issues, particularly in scenes with reflective surfaces. However, fear not, as there’s a straightforward solution to significantly enhance frame rates and overall gameplay experience.

The culprit behind the performance dips is none other than reflective surfaces, a feature that doesn’t always play nice with the Deck’s hardware. Fortunately, the game’s settings menu offers a quick fix. Simply navigate to the System menu, select Config, then Graphics Settings, and toggle Reflections to Off. Additionally, setting the frame rate limit to 60 can further stabilize performance.

The impact of this adjustment is immediately noticeable, especially in areas like the Iwatodai Strip Mall. With Reflections turned off, the game maintains a steady 60fps, offering a smoother and more enjoyable experience. Conversely, enabling Reflections can lead to severe frame rate drops, making certain areas nearly unplayable.

While turning off Reflections may seem like a drastic measure, it doesn’t completely eliminate all reflective elements from the game. Instead, it replaces ray-traced reflections with alternative visuals, ensuring a reasonable compromise between performance and aesthetics. This assures that players can enjoy that visual makeover Atlus gave Persona 3 without jeopardizing their Steam Decks.

However, it’s worth noting that while this adjustment improves overall performance, it doesn’t completely eliminate all performance issues. Certain elements, such as breakable objects in Tartarus, may still cause occasional dips in frame rate. Nevertheless, the benefits of enhanced portability and convenience outweigh these minor drawbacks.

Looking ahead, future updates may bring further improvements to performance, addressing lingering issues and optimizing gameplay for the Steam Deck’s hardware. Despite the current limitations, Persona 3 Reload remains a compelling choice for on-the-go gaming, offering a captivating RPG experience that’s well-suited for handheld play.

SOURCE

The post Persona 3 Reload: How to Optimize Steam Deck Performance appeared first on COGconnected.

We’re gamers. We’re used to surprises. Sometimes these are negative, like leaks, hacks, delayed games, and layoffs. Often though, we’re surprised by something good, like an unexpectedly great game or a game that defies the odds and evolves from terrible to awesome. Here are just a few of 2023’s happy surprises.

10. Metroid Prime Remastered

One of gaming’s most beloved titles, Metroid Prime got a bright, shiny remaster thanks to the folks at Retro Studios. Game technology has moved far beyond the capabilities of the Game Cube. Metroid Prime Remastered was released for the Nintendo Switch last February and in addition to seriously upgraded graphics, the Remaster also brought the controls up to modern standards and added some fun Easter eggs.

9. Super Mario Bros. Movie

Here’s a real surprise. The track record of films based on games has been spotty, at best. The live-action Mario movie from 1993 is hot garbage. So no one really expected the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie to be anything more than an hours-long Nintendo commercial. Despite a paper-thin plot, the Super Mario Bros. Movie had great animation and colorful visuals, with voice acting from pros like Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day, and Chris Pratt. Sure, it was still an ad for Nintendo, but an entertaining one.

8. Sea of Stars

Sometimes Indie games go for style over substance. Sometimes they have great art but poor gameplay or a warehouse full of tech issues. Now and then, though, an indie game hits on all cylinders. At first glance, Sea of Stars is a pretty standard pixel art style action RPG. Some of that’s true, but what’s also true is that Sea of Stars has an excellent plot, great characters, engaging mechanics, and a refined visual style. The surprise here is how much life is left in a familiar genre, if in the right hands.

7. Dave the Diver

Speaking of hit Indie games, Dave the Diver was one of the year’s most original releases and it has found a surprisingly large fan base. Part action adventure, part economic sim, and part pixel-art RPG, Dave the Diver is also partly based on a real-life person.

6. Cyberpunk 2077 and Phantom Liberty DLC

Few games disappointed people as much as CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Following The Witcher 3’s mammoth success, Cyberpunk’s massive number of technical issues and unfinished content left gamers pretty angry at the developer. Three years later, Cyberpunk 2077 is now one of the best action games on the market. Constant updates, technical and narrative improvements, and the new Phantom Liberty DLC have made Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 a must-play RPG.

5. Lethal Company

Sometimes games are more than the sum of their parts. Not only is Lethal Company still in early access, it has relatively primitive, stylized graphics and still-missing content. This survival horror game is surprising for the loyal and energized fan base it has spawned, and for its addictive gameplay that’s tense, challenging, and fun.

4. Hogwarts Legacy

Sure, the films are beloved and the books are a cultural phenomenon, but let’s be honest, video games based on the Wizarding World franchise have all pretty much sucked. While it’s no surprise that the release of Hogwarts Legacy was a bit tainted by the controversy around author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic comments, it is surprising that Hogwarts Legacy overcame the, well, legacy of bad Harry Potter games to be an excellent action RPG.

3. Hi-Fi Rush

Infused with rhythm and music, Hi-Fi Rush has a colorful, lively art style and animation, incredible action, and a baller soundtrack full of licensed songs and original music. Addictive gameplay and finely tuned mechanics made Hi-Fi Rush a hit. Maybe the biggest surprise is how much gamers realized they missed playing a simple action game that was just lots of fun.

2. Lies of P

For anyone seriously addicted to Soulslikes, there was no game more surprising this year than Lies of P. Gorgeous to look at, mechanically sophisticated, and polished to a sheen, Lies of P was an homage to FromSoftware to the extreme. I mean, many gamers thought it was a worthy stand-in for Bloodborne 2.0 or the next Sekiro game. There were many, many Soulslikes released in 2023. None were better than Lies of P.

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

No one even remotely familiar with Larian Studios should have been surprised by Baldur’s Gate 3. Not to mention it had been cooking in early access for a long time. Great acting, great gameplay, great visuals, and music: Baldur’s Gate 3 has all of them, taken to a surprisingly high new standard. So what’s the surprise? Baldur’s Gate 3 seemed like it was poised for greatness.  But lots of games show promise, only to face plant on release day. Not so Baldur’s Gate 3. It surprised us by being everything we thought it could be.

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
• Follow us on Twitter HERE.
• Our Facebook page HERE.
• Our Instagram page HERE.
• Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
• If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE

The post Biggest Surprises of 2023 appeared first on COGconnected.

Here it is. Easily the most important ranked GOTY list we write at COGconnected; the Sexiest Video Game Character of the year. In past years, we’ve had a literal who’s who of sexy appearing on these lists. From Samus Aran to Lady Dimitrescu, From Urbosa to Tifa Lockhart. 2023 was an incredible year for gaming, and there is absolutely no shortage of sexy on this list. Let’s get started.

10) Bubba Sawyer AKA Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre

A fellow with a face only a mother could love – and also the mother of the skinned face he wears. Creepy. But, there is something about a man who hunts his own food.

Have you ever wished you could nail that Leatherface look, be sure to check out the official Texas Chain Saw Massacre cosplay guide! Just… maybe skip the real human skin parts…

9) Gale Dekarios – Baldur’s Gate 3

Gale is the good boy most parents hope their daughters will someday find. He’s clever, with an intelligence of 17 and is good-hearted. He is a bit of a pompous ass at times, but he also has the ability to cast Witch Bolt, so it’d be wise to just let his cockiness slide.

8) Clive Rosfield – Final Fantasy XVI

Clive had a rough childhood. He was supposed to be the Dominant of the Phoenix, but there was a slight failure to launch in his teens. But, as with most moody teens, he went a bit emo and instead became the Dominant of the dark Eikon, Ifrit.

7) Purah – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Can you believe Purah is over 125 years old? Looks pretty smokin’ hot for that age. She discovered a de-aging process decades before, and oddly enough, no one in Hyrule seems to be pressing her for more info!

6) Jill Warrick – Final Fantasy XVI

Jill is one of the protagonists in Final Fantasy XVI and the “adopted” sister to Clive Rosfield (you know, the fellow who only ranked 8 on this list). She is a Dominant of Shiva, which gives her ice cold powers and minty fresh breath.

Check out page 2 for our top 5 sexiest video game characters.

The post The Sexiest Video Game Characters of 2023 appeared first on COGconnected.

The table has been set, the drinks have been poured and the family arguments have begun. Ah, the traditions of American Thanksgiving. Well, that means it’s time to talk turkey. By that, I mean those lame decisions, terrible games and misguided trends and tech from the past year. They make that steaming dish of mashed yams topped with marshmallows — yes, all you non-American readers, that’s a thing — look like the best side dish ever. 

Of course, every industry and hobby has its annual share of boneheaded moves. The video game industry doesn’t have an exclusive patent on stupid. But given that the gaming industry is such a potent force in entertainment, when things go south it impacts a lot of people. Gamers are disappointed. People lose their jobs. The Elden Ring DLC gets delayed until the next generation…of human beings. (Don’t panic, readers, that’s a joke. Probably.)

So pull up an uncomfortable dining room chair and let’s gobble up some of the worst of 2023.

Bad Behavior: Game Industry Layoffs

Although this year has been stellar for gamers, it has been pretty horrific for a lot of the people actually making the games. What do Electronic Arts, Bungie, Unity, Microsoft and Ascendant Studios all have in common? They — and a large number of other developers — laid off a collective 6,500+ employees in 2023. 

Some of the companies seemingly went out of their way to make the process as painful as possible, like literally locking out the employees without prior notice (Bungie) or laying off half the studio because a game performed poorly in the marketplace (Ascendant). But even those hard-working coders and creatives that were treated fairly found themselves faced with an uncertain future and many have left the industry, soured by their experience.

In the interest of fairness, the economics of the videogame industry is incredibly complex and the impact of the pandemic remains a disruptive force. But that doesn’t excuse treating people like expendable accessories. 

Bad Timing: Too Many Games (Close Together)

I have been covering games for decades, and every time we have a good year filled with good games, people complain. But it’s true. The release schedule is way out of whack. Games that should dominate the headlines and gamers’ time for weeks (if not months) get swept aside as the next big thing comes along. Oh, look, it’s Tears of the Kingdom. No, wait, what about Final Fantasy XVI? Remember when it was the best thing ever? Do you even remember playing Hogwarts Legacy or Jedi Survivor? In some years, they would be duking it out for GOTY.

Crowding so many big titles together doesn’t serve anyone well. Gamers don’t have the time or resources to play more than a fraction of these marquee releases. And even if you throw them on the backlog pile to play in the “future,” you know you’ll be too distracted by the newest, shiny game to return. The result? Too many excellent games don’t perform well in the long run.

On the industry side, we get it. The publishers and developers need to recoup expenses and meet financial projections and, in this case, a lot of games developed during the pandemic were ready to roll in 2023. The problem will probably never go away, but developers, if you’re listening, let us come up for air!

Bad Games: Quantum Error, Payday 3, Gollum and More

On the flip side of all that goodness, there was sure a lot of stink, too. I played more bad games this year than I can count. Not just mediocre games — there were plenty of those, too — but aggressively terrible, no good, very bad games.

Top of my personal pile would have to be Quantum Error, an action adventure game whos graphics and mechanics felt decades old. The Unreal Engine 5 never looked so bad. The heist genre was knocked down a few times thanks to Crime Boss: Rockay City and Payday 3. The Skyrim wannabe Testament: Order of High Human reminded us that Bethesda at its worst is still light years better than most of its imitators.

That brings us to Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which asks the question “Wouldn’t it be fun to take an unlikeable character, give him nothing to do, and throw a bunch of technical issues on top?” The answer? No, it wouldn’t. It wasn’t. Gollum was terrible.

Bad Tech: PSVR 2? Meta Quest 3? PS5 Slim?

As I started compiling my list of bad tech, I realized that, well, there really wasn’t much to complain about. There will always be bad knockoff controllers, mediocre mice and sub-par gaming PCs. But these aren’t worth grousing over (unless you paid for them, of course). There were some significant new gaming devices that appeared this year. Most of them, like everything in the world of gaming, had their share of haters.

Take the PS5 Slim. Inside, it’s essentially identical (or better) than a PS5 in a smaller form factor. The whining started immediately. “Oh I liked the look of the original more,” “this one isn’t way better,” “It looks cheap,” and on and on. There are some downsides, like that the stand is an extra expense. But overall, the Slim is great option for those who never bought the original PS5.

Another great example is the Meta Quest 3. Admittedly, it can’t come close to the power of the tethered VR units like the PSVR 2. And it’s pretty heavy. But the wireless form factor and overall improvements from the last generation make it a great — not bad — piece of tech.

Bad Omen: A.I.

We all know that AI is a pervasive and ever-growing aspect of technology, and by extension, our lives in general. Our AI overlords aren’t going anywhere soon. Games are already built on AI technologies and there are many ways in which generative AI will only make games more lifelike and full of interesting choices.

AI in the games industry has a dark side, too, as people have come to discover. As the recent writers’ strike demonstrates, there are massive concerns over AI replacing skilled writers, editors and other creative types. And even those remaining in their jobs will need to adapt.

Another huge issue is intellectual property. Who owns content created by AI? Will developers come to rely on AI generated characters, levels and mechanics and forego the excellence of careful, human-crafted content?

Overall, 2023 was a great year for those of us consuming games, less so for the people making them. Let’s hope 2024 is a year of creativity, fairness and success for everyone.

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
• Follow us on Twitter HERE.
• Our Facebook page HERE.
• Our Instagram page HERE.
• Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
• If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE.

The post The Biggest Turkeys in Video Games 2023 Edition appeared first on COGconnected.

Kill It With Fire from developer Casey Donnellan Games tailored a well balanced game to carry out its goal. The game has been around for a while. First, it has been released flat on every platform. Casey Donnellan Games have also done it in VR for the Meta and Steam platforms. Now it is making the leap to VR, and this review is for the PSVR 2 version. When you ask someone what creatures freak them out the most, the top two answers would be spiders and snakes. The phobia is so strong for each of them that there is a whole sub-genre of movies that pit characters against them.

Kill It With Fire knows this and adroitly balances between a game scary but also very fun. The game employs a cartoony, brightly colored visual style that softens the overall tone. How strongly a gamer reacts to stomping out spiders will totally depend on whether you instinctively abhor them.

Where the game tightens the tension, is with the sound design. The game’s music, which uses strident violins, enhances spider sightings. Its effect is excellent. When those violins kick in, you get a visceral reaction much the same as the music cues from movies such as Jaws or Psycho. It really invokes the sensation of a multi-legged creature scurrying across the floor. Or maybe up on you!

Keeping the fear factor in mind, Kill It With Fire, has an option to turn off that particular music cue if you find it too unnerving. Or maybe it becomes too irritating for you. Personally, I think it does the game a great disservice to turn that sound cue off. The music in the game is an upbeat, jazzy, spy type affair that is an excellent contrast to the spider music cue.

Scare Versus Comfort

Another comfort option is the one that deals with spiders that jump. If jumping spiders are too creepy for you to handle, you can disable it. Again, if you do so, it takes away an awesome creep factor, dare I say it, jump scares. If you can remind yourself that it’s only a game, then do your best to leave this setting enabled.

Let’s talk about the spiders. There are a variety of them, but they all look very similar to one another. The arachnids scale up in size as you gain better items to dispatch them. They move realistically as they scurry around the room. They crawl up, over, under, behind, and in between items.

The game starts in your typical bungalow style home with each room filled with interactive objects. All you have is a pair of gloves that come equipped with a spider radar to start with. The game prompts you to hunt out and kill spiders. Kill so many spiders and you open up more weapons. One of the first items is a hair spray flame thrower in honor of the game’s name.

The first levels are small. You move around a living room, a bathroom, and an office. Weaponless, you can use your fists or can pick up household items to squash spiders. It’s up to you to suss them out and dispatch them. You can use household items like TV remotes, speakers, game controllers to squash them. It makes some for tense moments as the spiders zip around the room and climb furniture to escape you.

Going Bigger

From there, everything gets progressively bigger: the stages, the weapons, and the spiders. Quickly enough, you power up enough, and killing spiders changes from being scary to becoming comedic. It’s an understandable evolution of the gameplay. The experience is meant to be fun instead of scary. Personally, I would have preferred the game to take the scary route and pay off with a Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King – Shelob level of confrontation.

As your array of weapons grow – flame thrower, guns, ninja stars, and bombs to name a few. With such an arsenal at your disposal, the difficulty level drops while the collateral damage increases dramatically. This is how the game combats the boredom that can arise with a repetitive gameplay loop in several ways.

First, the game is short. You can complete it in a handful of hours. Next, the game gives you objectives that require you to be creative with your kills. One example is you have to kill six spiders with a gun, but only with five bullets. You access the objectives through your Arachno-Gauntlet.

Finally, the art style and aesthetics of the game are geared towards a younger crowd. Ten to twelve-year-olds will have a blast with this game. This is not a deep game, but it ties in adroitly with the fear of spiders and the desire to get rid of them.

Kill It With Fire Is A Well Balanced Game

Casey Donnellan Games has tailored a well balanced game to carry out its goal. Kill It With Fire hits the right mix of fun and length. If you are an arachnophobe, this may not be the game for you. If the idea of squashing spiders for fun appeals to your darker side, this is the game for you. Kill It With Fire is available on all platforms, be it flat or VR. And now it has come to the PSVR 2. Happy Hunting!

***Kill It With Fire PSVR 2 code provided by the publisher***

The post Kill It With Fire Review – Silly VR Spider Squashing appeared first on COGconnected.

Valve’s recently launched upgraded Steam Deck OLED has left enthusiasts anticipating the prospect of a true sequel, but Valve has clarified that the enhanced handheld still falls under the first generation of the system. Addressing the question of when a Steam Deck 2 might emerge, Valve has signaled a patient approach, indicating that the company does not foresee a new iteration for at least a couple of years.

Valve’s stance on the timeline for a second generation is grounded in the current limitations of available technology. According to Yazan Aldehayyat, a Valve hardware engineer, the requisite technology to significantly surpass the existing Steam Deck’s capabilities is not yet in existence. Aldehayyat explained to Eurogamer, “Obviously, we’d love to get even more performance in the same power envelope, but that technology doesn’t exist yet. That’s what I think we’d call a Steam Deck 2.0.”

Pierre-Loup Griffais, also from Valve, emphasized the company’s commitment to maintaining a fixed performance target for developers while avoiding compromises on battery life and efficiency. Speaking to The Verge, Griffais highlighted that any performance enhancements must align with a significant increase to justify a hardware upgrade. He added, “I don’t anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years, but we’re still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going there.”

In the meantime, the Steam Deck OLED stands as the latest upgrade available, featuring notable improvements in battery life and display quality. Preorders for the new Steam Deck are set to open on November 16, with shipping commencing shortly after. Meanwhile, the original Steam Deck has undergone a price reduction, providing users with diverse options within the current generation.

SOURCE

The post Valve’s Steam Deck Strategy: Unveiling the Future and Potential appeared first on COGconnected.

As perpetually hopeful gamers, we’ve all ridden the hype train, hoping a long-anticipated game would fulfill its promises. In general — and this is probably not surprising — we’re disappointed. Few things in life match our fantasy of perfection. Every once in a while, though, we’re pleasantly surprised. Ecstatic, even. Maybe a game comes out of nowhere and is amazing, or a game we crossed all of our fingers and toes would be good actually is. Here are a few of 2023’s best video game surprises so far. Oh, and a couple of disappointments, just for balance.

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon

Armored Core fans have been waiting for nearly a decade for FromSoftware to return to its mecha roots. But after all the success the developer has had with the Soulsborne games, they were worried, too. Would the new Armored Core just be Dark Souls with mechs? Another concern was accessibility. After new-player friendly (well, that’s relative, I guess) Elden Ring sold a bajillion copies, AC acolytes fretted that the new game wouldn’t be hardcore enough. As it seems to do lately, FromSoft managed to make everyone happy. Armored Core VI was fast, furious, and a respectful new bearer of the tradition. It was both challenging and not overwhelming for new players. Was any of this a total surprise? Maybe not, but it could have been disappointing.

Diablo IV

For most fans of the Diablo franchise, the series peaked at the second game. Everything after that was the subject of various amounts of derision, scorn, and internet disdain, fair or not, and disregarding that some people liked Diablo 3. Not to mention, Blizzard has not been exactly drama-free. Given those factors, it was a relief that Diablo IV was released to generally positive reviews from critics and fans. It feels like Diablo 2 updated for a new generation of tech and players raised on MMORPGs. And just recently, the Season 2 update (Season of Blood) has been released and the news is positive. Things move faster, the XP grind is more satisfying and experimenting with new builds is less expensive.

Starfield

Starfield was on the best surprises. When Starfield finally hit the digital shelves, there was an interesting sound: the immense collective sigh of relief that, not only did Starfield exist, but it was pretty darn good. After all, it was first announced in 2018. That’s a long time for something to go astray. Maybe the best surprise was how relatively bug free it was, at least compared to other Bethesda games. Unfortunately, the hype for Starfield fell off pretty quickly. A great many fantasy fans were just not into the sci-fi setting. It might not be the next Skyrim, but at least it wasn’t another Fallout 76.

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

We don’t need to revisit the debacle that was Cyberpunk 2077’s launch. It singlehandedly torpedoed CD Projekt Red’s sterling, Witcher-based reputation. However, thanks to a steady stream of fixes, updates, and patches, Cyberpunk 2077 continued to improve. With the Phantom Liberty DLC, the game finally assumed must-play status. Well, maybe not must play, but can play, and enjoy. The DLC added all sorts of improvements to various systems, a new area and lots of quality-of-life features. Gamers who have angrily set aside Cyberpunk 2077 should dust it off and dive in again. They’d be surprised as it is one of the best surprises of 2023

More Surprises and a Massive Let Down on Page 2…

The post Best Video Game Surprises (And Huge Disappointment) of 2023… So Far appeared first on COGconnected.

After three years of Epic Games Store exclusivity, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is finally coming to Steam on October 3. This highly anticipated release marks the end of an era for the Epic Games Store exclusive, allowing a wider audience to enjoy the remastered collection of the beloved PS1 classics, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.

The game’s journey to redemption began after the infamous Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 release disaster in 2015. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was heralded as a triumphant return to form for the franchise.

The Steam page credits Vicarious Visions and Iron Galaxy as the developers behind the game. Notably, Vicarious Visions has since merged with Blizzard Entertainment, leading to speculations about the franchise’s future.

While fans await news of a potential new Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game, Activision has remained tight-lipped about its plans for the series. For now, players can look forward to reliving the glory days of skateboarding when Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 lands on Steam, making it accessible to an even broader community of gamers. It’s a nostalgic trip that promises to recapture the magic of the iconic originals.

Get ready to explore the skateparks of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, + 2 on Steam October 3. Stay tuned for more news on what’s to come for the future of the series right here.

SOURCE

The post Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Is Coming to Steam appeared first on COGconnected.

Steam users are offered a startling 97% discount on the Intrigue Bundle, which includes $151 worth of mystery-themed games for just $4.99. Still Life, Syberia, and Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders are a few games included in the package.

As one may infer from the package’s name, “Intrigue Bundle,” it is wholly dedicated to adventure games in the detective and mystery genres. Even those who don’t consider themselves fans of the genre should look at this bundle, even if not everyone will appreciate this type of game.

The most excellent Steam deals occasionally feature bundles that let consumers buy many games at once for a fraction of the price it would usually cost to buy each game separately. Occasionally, the platform makes these Steam bundle deals available, but other times, they come from other places.

Fanatical regularly offers incredible savings on Steam bundles, and on rare occasions, it even permits customers to acquire free games in return for subscribing to its email.

Even if you don’t enjoy detective games, the $5 price tag for 11 games is difficult to refuse, and you could find a new genre you like. It’s unsure how many are available or how long the discount offer will last, so those interested in the new Fanatical Steam deal should grab it quickly.

SOURCE

The post Great Deals Are Available for Steam Users on the Intrigue Bundle appeared first on COGconnected.

According to Metacritic Reports, Baldur’s Gate 3 has been the best-reviewed game of 2023. The game has earned a score of 97 out of 100. This score is based on 14 Metacritic reviews. This is a meagre critic score compared to Zelda’s Score, which is 96 and is based on 145 reviews. This is because many outlets still need to give RPG a final score. As a result, the Metacritic Score could either stay intact or can fall as well.

Currently included in the list of top 25 games with the highest rating, Baldur’s Gate III shares its score with 18 other games. This milestone has also been celebrated on Twitter by the game makers. The next RPG game to be released is Starfield which is yet to be tested in terms of the Metascore.

Some games have even scored better than Baldur’s Gate 3, including SoulCalibur, which has a Metacritic score of 98 and Grand Theft Auto IV, which has also obtained the same Metascore. Despite scoring less than these games, Baldur’s Gate III is the second-largest release this year.

As per Steam DB reports, the game was released last Thursday on Steam, where the simultaneous count of players was 4,27,000. This score was being beaten at the weekend when over 8,00,000 players were playing the game concurrently.

SOURCE

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Lies Ahead of Zelda as per Metacritic Score appeared first on COGconnected.

The Metal Gear series revolutionized the stealth game genre. It stands as one of the greatest gaming experiences to date with a whopping 17 games (including remakes, ports, or remasters) and it continues to captivate fans worldwide. The franchise first debuted in 1987 and has since become one of the most iconic and acclaimed video game series.

The franchise’s popularity knows no bounds, having sold over 60 million units across the globe. By September 2021, it had already reached a staggering 57.7 million units in sales. In November 2022, the number of units sold increased to 59.3 million, from the previous figure. The developers are even planning to resume sales on titles that got suspended temporarily. The series already generated 1 billion in revenue in February 2007. It is one of the highest-grossing video game franchises ever.

Hideo Kojima, the Japanese visionary and highly influential figure in the video game industry designed the series. The upcoming release is Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Don’t miss out on this epic adventure. Work as a member of U.S. Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND and experience the thrill, the stealth, and the extraordinary storytelling.

SOURCE

The post Metal Gear Franchise Sold Over 60 million Units appeared first on COGconnected.

The latest Baldur’s Gate 3 is breaking the internet with a record-breaking performance. The original game is an iconic role-playing video game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Developed by BioWare in 1998, the game takes place in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms. It offers players an immersive journey filled with political intrigue and dark forces.

With customizable protagonists and a diverse party of companions boasting unique abilities, Baldur’s Gate stands as an influential RPG of all time. Its rich storytelling, deep character development, and strategic combat have left an indelible mark on the gaming industry. Larian Studio developed and published the latest entry, Baldur’s Gate 3. Gamers have been anticipating its release ever since the developer announced it. And now it is finally here and the game took the world by storm in a very short period of time.

The game has surpassed Apex Legend’s peak player count. The game has concurrent players of about 630,000, furthermore, the numbers are still rising. This made the game one of the top 10 games with the highest number of players on Steam.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has a wide variety of classes and subclasses and offers a vibrant story. The choices made by the players are a vital part of the story that can result in friendship and betrayal, survival, or sacrifice.

The combat system operates on turn-based mechanics. It offers online multiplayer for up to four players. We can clearly say that all these years of patience and anticipation were worth it and Larian Studios did a fantastic job in delivering it. So what are you waiting for? Choose your class, revise your wonderful magic spells, sharpen your blades, and go out on an amazing quest with your friends.

SOURCE

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Entered the Top 10 Highest Number of Players on Steam appeared first on COGconnected.

Killer Frequency is Team 17 Digital’s loving tribute to the slasher movies of the 1980s to which they have added their own twist. You, as the DJ, have to save the citizens of Gallows Creek. When the town police station is attacked and someone kills the sheriff, you become the de facto 911 switchboard operator. Naturally, this makes you the hero.

It’s the 1980s and you are a down on his luck late night Radio DJ banished from the big city market of Chicago to the grimly named Gallows Creek. And like all small towns, Gallows Creek has a dark legend. A dark legend in the persona of a serial killer known as The Whistling Man. It is no surprise then, the Whistling Man is back.

Since the Whistling Man is back, people will call you and they may be the Whistler’s next victim or they may be the actual killer. If they are a victim, they will beg you for help. Their fate lays in your hands. Through branching dialog, you work with them to find solutions to help them escape. It could be to help jump start a car or using office phones to lure away and try to capture the killer.

Manning The DJ Station

The bulk of the action takes place in first person view at the station at your DJ Station, beautifully depicted in the game. The cell art styling adds to the 80s ambiance and analog devices and switches. It’s all sliders, switches, and buttons, along with a turntable and cassette player. There are no digital devices to be found anywhere. No CDs. No MP3s.

Besides saving people, you still have to do your DJ duties. This includes answering listener calls, playing commercials recorded on cassettes, and spinning records. Appropriately, the discs you spin pays homage to the music of the era.

The entire radio station, KFAM – The Scream, is also beautifully rendered. Your producer, Kelly, is almost a ghostly apparition, only partially visible through the tinted window of her control booth. You never see her face because she is so scared, she locks herself in the control room.

Searching The Scream

The rest of the station plays into the game too. This includes the lobby, hallways, washrooms, and offices. Callers will be in situations that require you to search for items that can help them solve a problem. In one instance, you search for a magazine which details how to hot-wire a car.

The game, appropriately enough, feels like a radio play. The actions of the callers play out in your mind through the dialog and the characters describing what they are doing. This mechanic may be off-putting for younger players, but like reading a good book, there remains no substitution for the power of suggestion and how it fuels imagination.

Undoubtedly, this mechanic lives or dies on how well the voice acting is of the other characters. My verdict is that the voice acting is very good and definitely works. You can feel the spectrum of emotions they are going through from fear, anxiety, hope, dismay, triumph or failure.

Killer Frequency will launch this June 1, 2023 on all platforms, including a VR version for the Meta Quest 2.

The post Killer Frequency is a Tribute to 1980s Slashers appeared first on COGconnected.

If you’ve played a video game over the past twenty years, odds are that you’ve heard a number of composer Jason Graves‘ scores. He’s a prolific composer, but more than that, his music has underscored some popular and critically respected games. A very partial list would include Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, Tomb Raider (2013), Devil May Cry, The Order 1886, Far Cry Primal, Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology,

The man has range.

Jason’s back in the spotlight thanks to the just-released remake of Dead Space. Graves scored the original in 2008, as well as the game’s two sequels. I had the opportunity to chat with Jason about his scores for Dead Space, which preserves the original’s outstanding and innovative music.

Extended Techniques

That big sound-making factory known as an orchestra has changed and evolved over the centuries. Starting with a handful of instruments in some rich patron’s parlor, by the late 19th century, the typical orchestra had dozens of musicians. It became capable of an immense range of sounds. But the orchestra wasn’t done evolving. In the 20th century, composers began to ask musicians to do some innovative things. In the service of telling a story, movie — and later, video game — composers started mixing and matching styles. Traditional sounds blended with the weird.

The scores Dead Space and its sequel are great examples. Both the tension-filled sections and more traditional orchestra sounds come from the same collection of musicians. “It really was a 100% orchestral score from the very start. I liked the idea of using the orchestra as a “musical necromorph.” The Necromorphs in the game were originally the human crew, transformed by the Marker. It’s all very gross but also very organic,” Graves said. “There are no additional effects or computer edits to the orchestra sounds. That’s just how the instruments sounded when the players performed! It’s the rather unusual techniques they were asked to play that made their instruments sound unnatural and spooky.”

Composers have a name for those “different” ways of playing: extended techniques. Graves said “One of my favorites was, of course, one of the most simple, but it just worked so well. The instructions on the sheet music were for all the string players to perform ‘any random note as soft as possible’ and we held that “chord” for about 30 seconds. It was this beautiful, lush, sixty-note chord that sounded like something out of a Cole Porter songbook, but with something not quite right. Those chords make up all of the “safe music” you hear in the game whenever you are upgrading your RIG or going through your inventory.”

Telling the Tale

Composers for film and games never have the musicians make sounds just because they’re interesting, but because those sounds help tell the story. Sometimes the narrative is best served by traditional, tonal music. Sometimes, by more unsettling textures. Graves said that “ it was more about having a few “normal,” tonal cues in the very beginning of the game. Like, “everything is seemingly ok, maybe just some mechanical malfunctions.” As we delve further into the interiors of the ship and discover more and more horrors, the music never looks back. The rest of the score is essentially “everything is definitely NOT ok, in fact, it seems to keep getting worse and worse!”

The score for Dead Space 2 was more of the same, except when it wasn’t. “I wanted everything to be bigger and even scarier than the original. But how could I make the music feel even bigger than the biggest, ugliest score I had ever composed?” The solution was to focus on one character’s storyline. Graves said “There’s a storyline through the entire game about Nicole, Isaac’s dead girlfriend, and how’s he emotionally coping with his guilt.

‘I thought, what if I used something very, very quiet and comforting, like a string quartet, that’s recorded very up close and personal, to underscore all the scenes with Nicole? That would be quite the contrast to the huge, angry assault on our ears of the full orchestra. So the intimate string quartet makes the full orchestra feel even bigger in contrast.”

Jason Graves in VR

For us mere mortals, pivoting between the horror of Dead Space and the gentle world of Moss would be whiplash-inducing. For Jason Graves, the musical challenges of those two scores make the job interesting. And to Graves, they share some similarities. “Both Moss scores are grounded in the fantasy setting of their games. Our hero, Quill, is a very tiny but equally brave and agile little mouse. I liked the idea of a tiny band in a little pub in the mouse village. If we were to walk in there and see them, what instruments would they be playing? I assembled a band of “mouse-sized” instruments, or, at least, the smallest ones I could find around my studio – Celtic harp, ukulele, dulcimer, and smaller hand percussion were all recruited.”

The pandemic lockdowns impacted many games in development, including Moss 2. For Graves, the task of recording remotely was entirely familiar. “For Moss 2 all of the musicians recorded themselves at home and I  produced the entire score in my studio. Most of it was done during lockdown, so there weren’t many options. But that’s the same way I wrote the original Moss, so really I would have made this score the same way, regardless.”

The Risk/Reward Equation

Like any creative endeavor, writing music for film or videogames brings a unique set of puzzles to be solved. Game composers have the opportunity to approach every project a little differently. Graves’ appreciation for his profession comes through loud and clear. “Being able to genre-jump, from one day to the next, is definitely the most fun part about music for games. Game developers are fearless and courageous with their creativity and they prefer their musical scores to be equally unique. It’s very refreshing to have permission to be completely free, creatively-speaking.”

Of course, meeting each game’s requirements and solving its musical puzzles can be challenging. For Graves, the problems are as engaging as their solutions, “It’s a challenge I embrace every morning with child-like glee. I’m quite literally a kid in a candy store – my studio is the candy store and I’m paid to eat all the candy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Special thanks to Jason Graves. 

The post Composer Jason Graves Scores Again with Dead Space appeared first on COGconnected.

We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s the doldrums of December and January, when publishers decide no one’s playing games. There’s nothing new and shiny, so you fall back on old favorites. Or, maybe you have limited time and don’t feel up to diving into the new, sprawling open-world masterpiece that everyone’s raving — or complaining — about. So you ignore the pile of shame and fire up a game that’s guaranteed to make you feel good. That’s a Comfort Food Game. It might not be chock full of vitamins and minerals, but it’s delicious and feels like home.

The COGconnected crew is a diverse bunch of gamers, and their comfort food games cover a pretty wide range. We also reached out to a variety of industry bigwigs and they too were all over the map…or the menu. What’s interesting is why a game becomes a go-to comfortable time-killer. It’s pretty obvious that we associate the game with a positive experience, and that the game is fun and rewarding, at least to us. All that being said, here are a few favorite comfort food games.

Elden Ring and Bloodborne

It seems strange that a comfort food game would be from a franchise known for being challenging. In my own experience, doing another run through Dark Souls is almost a meditative experience. You know where every enemy, shortcut, weapon, and treasure is hidden. There are no surprises, just the pleasure of crafting a new character and running the gauntlet once again. Elden Ring works the same way, especially if you focus on one area of the game, like Limgrave. The Colosseum update adds another delicious option to the comfort food menu.

Vampire Survivors

It’s incredible that a seemingly simple indie game would capture everyone’s attention and even make several “best of” lists in 2022. Vampire Survivors is also a perfect comfort food game. Matches are usually quick. While there are tons of builds, controls are as basic as they come. As one COG team member said, “It’s addictive and I don’t really need to think much when playing. Perfect escape.” It doesn’t hurt that Vampire Survivors works great on consoles, mobile devices, and PC.

Rock Band and Beat Saber

While Rock Band and Guitar Hero were prime party games, there was a real pleasure in knocking out a quick solo song or two and trying to beat your best score. The same can be said about Beat Saber, especially if you can play on a wireless VR headset and don’t need to take the time to clear a space or worry about wires. Plus, it can be a short, low-intensity workout, perfect for getting the blood pumping after sitting around too long.

Slay the Spire

Short matches, addictive gameplay, and a wicked sense of fun. What more do you want from a comfort food game? For many players, 2019’s deck builder/roguelike has never left their gaming rotation. Slay the Spire and other card-battle games are perfect for short gaming sessions or to unwind with after a long day of real life.

Still hungry? Read on after the break.

The post COGconnected’s Yummiest Comfort Food Games appeared first on COGconnected.

Without a doubt, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 (Metacritic score 97) and FromSoftware’s Elden Ring (Metacritic score 96) are two of the most lauded open-world games ever released. They’re certainly in my personal top 5. Elden Ring appeared this year. Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018. At least on the PC, they’re both supported by tons of mods, loyal fanbases, and thriving subcultures. But which game is actually better?

For purposes of this head-to-head showdown, we’re going to look at five aspects of each game. The categories are world design, story/characters, action, multiplayer, and longevity. No matter which game comes out on top, we’re all winners because we can play these awesome games.

World Design

In sheer size, Elden Ring’s 30 square mile map is over double that of Red Dead 2’s relatively small, 12 square miles. But size alone is meaningless. There are vast, nearly empty regions of Elden Ring’s Mountaintops of the Giants, and a few other areas seem bigger than their content supports. Red Dead 2’s map might be smaller, but it is packed with wildlife, secrets, odd characters and side quests. Things are much more realistically “alive” in Red Dead 2, whereas the enemies in Elden Ring do little outside of combat.

Both worlds have distinct and varied zones. Of course, Red Dead 2 is limited to recreating “real world” spaces. Elden Ring, being a fantasy RPG, only has to adhere to its lore and the overall gothic aesthetic that’s a hallmark of the Dark Souls franchise. While Red Dead 2 has elements of the supernatural, Elden Ring has a vast catalogue of monsters, humanoid and human enemies. They’re both great, for different reasons.

Traversal is critical in any open-world game. Elden Ring’s Torrent is a very different horse than the more realistic mounts in Red Dead. Both games have fast travel systems. Thanks to Red Dead 2’s potential for emergent gameplay, it’s rare to have the same exact world encounters more than once. In Elden Ring, most enemies respawn in the same places each time.

FINAL SCORE: TIE

Story and Characters

If there’s one area in which Elden Ring and Red Dead 2 are fundamentally different, it’s in the way they approach story and characters. FromSoftware has a history of storytelling that is opaque, convoluted and, to many players, entirely incidental. Elden Ring has dozens of NPCs with quests and backstories, many of which are critical to opening up areas of the game or new gear. Many players have finished a run of Elden Ring oblivious to vast amounts of content they missed or ignored. Despite the difficulty of experiencing some of it, the narrative and lore in Elden Ring are more coherent than in other games in the Dark Souls franchise.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has a very strong central narrative with a lot of emotional range. Players sometimes ignore it, preferring to explore and focus on side quests. At some point, though, Arthur Morgan and his tale become necessary components of the Red Dead 2 experience. The differences between Elden Ring’s NPCs and Red Dead 2’s are significant. The latter feels like flesh-and-blood characters, sometimes with a sense of humor, sometimes tortured by moral dilemmas.

In Elden Ring, the player character is a unique creation and the RPG elements make each playthrough unique. In Read Dead 2, all players are Arthur Morgan. There’s a huge variety of cosmetic items and choices that can shape the narrative, but in the end, the story beats remain the same.

FINAL SCORE: RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 

Action

Red Dead 2’s reliance on a specific time and place means that weapons are more or less constrained by historical accuracy. Lots of liberties are taken, of course. And firearms are not the only way of dispatching enemies. Knives, bows, explosives and the environment can all be used to advantage. Rockstar games have never been known for their fine-tuned shooting mechanics, but Read Dead 2’s combat is pretty satisfying.

Like all FromSoftware games, the range of weapons, magic, armor and consumables available means that crafting a specific action playstyle becomes the heart of the game. No other developer gets the feel and the timing of combat like FromSoft. No other games can match the balance of challenge and accessibility, either. Though there are a few duds and reskinned monsters, Elden Ring has well over 100 bosses and minibosses and most of them are a blast to fight.

FINAL SCORE: ELDEN RING

Multiplayer

FromSoftware invented the multiplayer mechanics of summoning and invasions. Each game refines them a little, but they’re a great example of “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.” Actually, some folks would say multiplayer is broken, and there are all sorts of cheats, exploits and meta-game mechanics that can frustrate average players and ruin their day. That said, playing with and against other players can be extremely satisfying, and the main reason many people come to the Dark Souls franchise.

Red Dead Redemption 2 also has multiplayer, an entire gated-off world that’s separate from the single-player game. Plagued by bugs, cheaters, a broken economy and a demanding cash shop, Red Dead’s Online world is becoming a ghost town. There’s a lot of potential fun in the jobs system and open-ended gameplay, but the developers no longer add new content. Red Dead Online is on life support.

FINAL SCORE: ELDEN RING

Longevity

I still play through the original Dark Souls at least once a year, eleven years after release. Ditto most of the games in the franchise. The novelty of the bosses and maps has long since faded, but deep familiarity and still-satisfying action have replaced it. I have no doubt that I will be playing Elden Ring (and probably, its expansions and maybe its sequel) for years.

I’ve also come back to Red Dead Redemption 2 several times over the past four years. It still transports me to a different time and place in history, and I still enjoy the characters and appreciate the ridiculous amount of detail in the world. But I almost never see it through to the finale. I’ve seen the possible endings to Arthur’s story. I know what happens. And Rockstar has steadfastly refused to add DLC, saving whatever ideas they have for RDR 3.

FINAL SCORE: ELDEN RING

And, We Have a Winner!

Neither Elden Ring nor Red Dead Redemption 2 are in danger of being forgotten anytime soon. Red Dead 2 has sold 44 million copies, and Elden Ring, 13 million. Both games are significant achievements artistically, technically and financially. But when it comes to our categories, at least, Elden Ring deserves its place in the winner’s circle.

Do you agree or disagree? Would you like to see a matchup of Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild? Let us know!

The post Open World Showdown – Elden Ring versus Red Dead Redemption 2 appeared first on COGconnected.

You usually know when you’re done with a game. DLC stops coming out, you run out of content, a sequel comes out; there are clear-cut signs. However, sometimes a game with reel you back in years later, without warning. Crypt of the NecroDancer came out seven years ago, but got a major update just yesterday.

It has been five years since the last major update. 1,721 days, but who’s counting? There are a bunch of quality of life improvements, but the big feature is the new No Beat Mode. The whole twist that Crypt of the NecroDancer offers is moving and attacking to the beat, but this option throws that all out the window.

The Bard character is unique in that he does not need to follow the beat of the song, unlike all other characters. No Beat Mode allows all characters to play as the Bard would.

What’s that? Is that… the first #CryptoftheNecroDancer update in over 5 years??

Yep, this is happening – and it’s just a precursor to something bigger coming your way soon, so strap in!

Patch Notes: https://t.co/EZ2Lsq0w0U pic.twitter.com/bfsTzJ0tsa

— Crypt of the NecroDancer (@NecroDancerGame) June 30, 2022

Other improvements to the game include being able to save and quit at any time, updated controller and Steam Deck support, custom music selection overhaul, as well as greatly reduced load times. Right now, only the Steam version of Crypt of the NecroDancer has this update. Developer Brace Yourself Games says that they would like to get this update pushed to other platforms, but the release date for them has not been determined.

Crypt of the NecroDancer is available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.

Do you ever go back to this rhythm game roguelite? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

The post Crypt of the NecroDancer Gets No Beat Mode Update After 5 Years appeared first on COGconnected.

Video game expos have provided amazing memories for many gamers around the world. Stirring up conspiracies online and patiently awaiting major announcements are a fun past-time for gamers. Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected any gatherings including video game expos. However, many people have turned to online events to adapt to the times. This includes the team behind the Summer Games Fest. Today, that team has announced that the show will return in June 2022, bringing with it a ton of video game news and more!

Via its Twitter, the company stated, “Join us this June for Summer Games Fest – an industry wide celebration of video games, featuring a spectacular live kickoff show hosted by Geoff Keighley.” Furthermore, interested fans were referred to their official website for more details on the show. Fans can look forward to a lot of announcements from a variety of video game companies. A few of their partners include 2K, Activision, Amazon Games, Capcom and Bandai Namco. The list includes other major players in the industry.

The show commenced in 2020 and features demos, digital events and much more. The entire show was online and allowed gamers to tune in for free! Furthermore, unfortunately, E3 announced its cancellation following many years of success. As a result, the Summer Games Fest might just be the go-to for modern gamers.

Additionally, fans would be pleased to know that co-streams of the show are allowed and that it is watchable on various streaming platforms.

What are your thoughts on Summer Games Fest? Are you excited for the show? Did you watch the last few editions? What announcements are you looking forward to? What do you think about E3’s cancellation? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE

The post Summer Games Fest 2022 Set To Take Place In June appeared first on COGconnected.

As I write this, Elden Ring remains perched at 97 on Metacritic, where it has resided since launch day. The critics and an overwhelming number of Dark Souls fans agree that Elden Ring is the best game to ever come from Miyazaki and folks at FromSoftware. Let’s be honest, though. The game’s release was far from perfect, especially on PC. It has been beset by frame rate issues, compatibility problems with the anti-cheat software, and overall lacklustre performance. Those problems are real and disconcerting for players. Hopefully, they will all be fully addressed.

The game itself is — those issues aside — a masterpiece of design and execution. After dozens of hours, I am still making discoveries and there are layers of story, and many bosses I haven’t even encountered, much less defeated. The more I play, the more deeply I’ve come to appreciate just how finely built Elden Ring is.

Elden Ring is Really, Really Generous

Elden Ring is big. But we all know games that are big and bloated or have expansive worlds that are empty. FromSoftware has made a game that has an enormous amount of content for beginners, for Souls veterans, for lore lovers and for anyone who just wants to freely explore. Elden Ring is the most user-friendly game the company has ever made. Sites of Grace and the ease of travel on horseback make negotiating the world painless. We’ve all played games where enemies scale to the player. In Elden Ring, players scale their own experience by mapping a specific course through the world, finding and using items and developing their skills in equal measure.

For some Souls fans, player progression feels slower in Elden Ring. I believe that’s intentional and in perfect sync with the enormous world. The journey is a long one and it encourages us to slow down and be patient.

The Music is Incredible

Just like the rest of Elden Ring, the music features immense variety. The soundtrack includes over three hours of music and nearly 70 tracks. It was created by a team of gifted composers: Yuka Kitamura, Shoi Miyazawa, Yoshimi Kudo, Tsukasa Saitoh and Tai Tomisawa, many of whom have contributed to FromSoftware games. While the big moment music is glorious, I found myself paying attention to the quiet, eerie music in some of the more ominous areas. Dissonant strings, bass clarinet and chattering woodwinds. Not the kinds of textures and sounds you normally hear. The melancholic string music for the Raya Lucaria Academy is stunning. Elden Ring prominently features solo singers and chant. Each area has a perfectly imagined soundscape and musical style. The music and audio enrich the world and give the player important information.

Elden Ring is Colorful (for a Dark Souls game)

Dark Souls and Bloodborne leaned hard into the dark part of dark gothic fantasy. Those games have a subdued palette. By comparison, Elden Ring explores a much wider and colorful range. Although the overall look is desaturated, there are areas in Liurnia of the Lakes or Limgrave that look like a painting come to life. It’s probably no coincidence that magic paintings are a theme. The entire game is artistic and painterly. For those who need their dose of gothic horror, greys and browns, the legacy dungeons are there in all their murky glory.

The Story is Coherent and Surprising

Sure, nearly all fantasy games have stories that are escapist claptrap. They probably take themselves too seriously to boot. Elden Ring — like all FromSoftware games — likes to tell its story obliquely. It rarely forces you to engage with it. Except, you are engaging with it, because it informs every part of the world. Those forlorn NPCs and menacing bosses exist because of the fiction. Maybe because the world-building was done by one of the best in the business (George R.R. Martin), Elden Ring feels especially coherent in a way that sometimes eludes Dark Souls games. There are NPCs whose stories are complex and emotionally layered. Players who care about Elden Ring’s story learn to read between the lines and to pay attention.

Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.

• For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
• Follow us on Twitter HERE.
• Our Facebook page HERE.
• Our Instagram page HERE.
• Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
• If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE.

The post Why Elden Ring is Better Than You Thought appeared first on COGconnected.

Valve’s Steam Deck is nearly upon us. Customers will begin getting invites “shortly after 10 am PT” on February 25 and will have three days to secure their order. If no purchase is made, the chance will go to the next person in the queue. So watch your email.

Right now, the plan is to send these emails out weekly.

The emails will go out to whoever reserved one first. You are also only able to purchase the Steam Deck model that you reserved. Whatever money you put down on the reservation will go to your final order.

Yes, the Steam Deck’s launch will have many people excited. Personally, I’m just curious. I have a solid gaming laptop, and I love my Nintendo Switch, so the Steam Deck just doesn’t interest me personally.

That said, I definitely see the appeal of the Steam Deck. A portable PC that you can play anywhere? If you already have an extensive gaming library on Steam, then that is another huge bonus as you won’t have to re-buy your library.

Right now, the Steam Deck is aiming to play almost every game on Steam. Obviously, that is a tough ask, but Valve has been working on it, and they want everything to run smoothly with a target of 60 fps. If it can reach that, it will be an impressive piece of hardware. I’m not entirely sold, and I remain a little skeptical on how much Valve will support this.

We will find out just how good the Steam Deck is in February. Emails to order it will begin going out on February 25 with the goal to ship them on the 28. I hope they are able to live up the hype and potentially introduce more people to PC gaming.

Source

The post The Steam Deck Is Launching Next Month appeared first on COGconnected.

Half-Life 2 just got a new beta update. Valve quietly released it ahead of the upcoming Steam Deck launch. The game will now have a rejuvenated user interface that will make it more user-friendly for the upcoming handheld gaming device and on modern desktop displays.

The devs did not let the community know about their plans. It was a Half-Life 2 fan who discovered the update. “Valve updated Half-Life 2 user interface,” the fan wrote on social media. “It is most likely done for Steam Deck.”

At the moment, the Half-Life 2 update is not fully out just yet. Players will have to jump into the game’s Steam properties to access the properties menu in the Betas tab. Once there, they will have to add -gamepadui to the Launch Options field in the general tab.

Fans of Half-Life 2 believe that Valve implemented these changes for the imminent launch of the Steam Deck. However, it would appear that the update is very beneficial for those who are using a 4K display as well. The game’s stock interface is reportedly borderline unusable on modern screens.

The text in the overhauled Half-Life 2’s main menu and in game HUD is now much larger. The latter even has bigger selectable areas that will be great for accommodating touch screens.

The game is nearly two decades old. With that said, it is relatively unusual for devs to decide to give a much older game a fresh look. Despite the changes, the game is currently not included in the Steam Deck verified games list. However, the process for this is still in its early stages. Valve is rolling out Steam Deck units starting February 28th. The verified list will certainly ramp up soon.

Are you getting the Steam Deck? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

The post Half-Life 2 Devs Quietly Release Beta Update With New UI appeared first on COGconnected.